Save the Whales, Collect the Whole Set

Oh what a weekend its going to be.
Tonight is a big school dance. My girls will be attending un-escorted. Jaci's boyfriend will not be able to make it to the dance. Its a 3 hour drive to get here for him, (and us when we take her there)
There are also going to be a few extra girls coming home from the dance to spend the night after the dance, This is not unusual around here but when you take into account that there are a combined 6 children living here and then you throw in 2 or 3 more it really gets to be a party!
Its supposed to start raining late tonight, but the plan is to still move tomorrow.
What the heck, its only water...
and we will have some extra hands available to help.!!!
Wish us luck.
We got moms sewing machine over here to pennies and were putting it to good use with all that material we got at the sale at wal-mart the other day.
Thats all for now.
al...

This was sent to me by my big brother Phil. Thanks bro.



Subject: Editorial in a Rumanian Newspaper (o/a 11 Sep 2002)


We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial about us, the USA. When you think the US isn't thought well of all over the world, read this excerpt from a Rumanian Newspaper.

~An Ode to America~


Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations. Some of them are nearly extinct, others are incompatible with one another, and in matters of religious beliefs, not even God can count how many there are. Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, and the secret services that they are only a bunch of losers.
Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about.
The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand. After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing.

On every occasion they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless America!" Silent as a rock, I watched the charity concert broadcast on Saturday once, twice, three times, on different TV channels. There was Clint Eastwood, Willy Nelson, Robert de Niro, Julia Roberts, Mohammed Ali, Jack
Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Sylvester Stallone, James Wood, and many others whom no film or producers could ever bring together. The American's spirit of solidarity turned them into a choir. Actually, choir is not the word. What you could hear was the heavy artillery of the American soul.

What neither George W. Bush, nor Bill Clinton, nor Colin Powell could say without facing the risk of stumbling over words and sounds, was being heard in a great and unmistakable way through this charity concert.

I don't know how it happened that all this obsessive singing of America didn't sound croaky, nationalist, or ostentatious! It made you green
with envy because you weren't able to sing for your country without running the
risk of being considered chauvinist, ridiculous, or suspected of who-knows-what ulterior motive.
I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the California hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people. How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy. What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping history? Their economic power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding
commonplace. I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion.
Only freedom (with GOD's help), can work such miracles!

I am perplexed!
its a good perplexed, but I'm still perplexed none the less.
AJ, has for what ever reason is doing his school work. We have spent the last year and a half arguing, spanking, grounding, bribing, making deals with and even throwing ALL his toys in the trash trying to get this boy to DO SOMETHING. All with no positive response.
We were dumbfounded. He flunked 5th grade, and was failing this year. He had gotten in school suspension, and was on the verge of getting outright suspended!
We spent 3 days at the kitchen table with me sitting at his side, getting ALL the missed assignments for this year done.
That was almost 2 weeks ago. since then, he has been getting ALL his work done IN CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o)
On the few days when he has had homework, it has just been 1 or 2 subjects that he just needed a few minuets to finish the last few problems. He has just sat down and gotten them done with out having to be reminded!
Like i said, perplexed. I wish i knew what had changed in his life to cause such a change in attitude in him, If i knew it might be able to bottle it, I would be RICH!!!!!$$$$$$
Not much else going on here, Got the kids off to school. That always seems like such a relief when they are all gone.
Were keeping 1 of pennie's kids home, he has an un-explained swelling in his lip and it seems to be spreading to his face, has me a little worried, Its some sort of allergic reaction but to what???
put some benadrill in him and we will see how he does.
Asta...al...

Rush-Online.com (Rush Limbaugh) - Liberal Test

10 signs that you might be a liberal:
1. You think Ted Koppel's Hair is real!
2. You like to give to charities - with other people's money.
3. You think free love is sheik and still wonder why your third marriage just went down the toilet.
4. Whenever an intern disappears in Washington, you say it's all about sex.
5. Your father wore flowers and your mother wore army boots in the sixties.
6. You think Al Gore won the election in 2000.
7. You fondly recall Stalin as "Uncle Joe".
8. You think the second amendment is the right to keep and bear a white flag.
9. Whenever you hear Rush Limbaugh's name mentioned you foam at the mouth and your knee jerks.
10. When hooligans throw rocks at police, you call it civil disobedience, when Republicans protest a fixed election you call it a riot.

Library | Fact Sheets

1. A study by BATF found that more than 70% of armed career criminals get their guns from "off-the-street sales" and "criminal acts" such as burglaries. ("Protecting America," 3/92). A study for the Department of Justice found that up to 71% of criminals' guns have been stolen. (Armed and Considered Dangerous, 1986)
2. In Haynes v. U.S. (309 U.S. 85, 1968), a convicted felon successfully appealed his conviction for unlawful possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, citing the Fifth Amendment's protection against self incrimination. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled: "We hold that a proper claim of constitutional privilege against self incrimination provides a full defense to prosecutions either for failure to register a firearm under sec.5841 or for possession of an unregistered firearm under sec.5851."
3. Crime in the United States 1998. According to data reported by the FBI, an estimated 382,761 violent crimes were committed with firearms in 1998. Even if a different gun was used in each crime, the total would amount to less than two-tenths of 1% of the nation's estimated 230-240 million guns. Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control, Aldine de Gruyter, New York, 1997, pp. 96-97)

Its tuesday! What a day i had.
Last night my girls (jaci and megan) had a volleyball game(s) at there school. Sad to say but they got there butts kicked! :o(
The jr. High girls at least split there games and came away with t tie. The sr. High got swept 3 games to nuthin.
Took the girls in to get them a HIB booster shot and found out that both megan and myself needed Tetanus boosters (ouch)
Picked up some good deals on material at the local Wal-mart. they had 15,000 yards at $1.00 dollars per yard, I picked up 40 yards for some winter projects. Some of the material i don't have plans for but its going to be a long cold winter and I'm sure we will think of something to do with it.
Jaci took the PSAT collage entrance test. She thinks she did pretty good on it but we wont know for a few weeks. This is part of the requirement for getting into the ASMS (Arkansas School of Math and Science)
She has scored as high as 33 on some parts. with an overall of 21.(and she is still just a sophomore)
Stacey is moving Megan's remaining fish. She had 6 at 1 point but they keep vanishing. I'm starting to think that our cat bobby thought of the fish tank as a indoor buffet.
Speaking of bobby, he is still mad at me for stuffing him in a cardboard box and bringing him to the place with all the DOGS. He is not happy with me.

A letter to the editor that caused me to laugh until i almost threw-up follows
"The obvious reason that the majority of collage and university faculty support the Democratic Party is that educated people make better choices" signed, Paul 'BIX' Smith. Jonesboro, AR.b>

Ok, so i thought i would tell ya all bouts whats going on here. This weekend was supposed to be very busy.
We were going to rent a U-Haul truck and get our old house cleared out. Well, there was a miscommunication between stacey and the guy at the u-haul place and we didn't have enough $$$ to pay the rental AND leave a $100.00 deposit. Well we did, but they wouldn't take a check or credit card. they had to have cash and she didn't have enough on her. She called me and i went up there with another $100.00 dollars but by the time i got there it was getting late and it had started to rain so we decided to wait and do it next weekend.
Stacey had to work yesterday so it was just sort of a messed up day.
Jaci has been busy filling out her application for ASMS (Arkansas School of Math and Science) Its a pretty big deal to get in to this school. It wont cost us anything (except $$ cash for spending and money for her travel, its in the southern part of the state and she will have to fly puddle jumper express to get home) but if she graduates from there she gets free tuition to any of the University of Arkansas collages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More later.

I had a few thoughts on the washington sniper after reading several newspaper stories that blamed the NRA for the sniper.
I found it interesting that the media was so quick to blame the NRA and law abiding gun owners for the actions of a madman.

Then after reading some more on the sniper and some of the shots he had made it got me to thinking.
With the country on "Orange" alert for terrorists, Why hadn't anyone stooped and thought that maybe it was a professional sniper from Al-Quida??? Some of the shots that were made would be VERY difficult for an average target shooter to make.
So, My prediction, When the catch the guy:
1) They wont take him alive.
2) He is not working alone.
3) He will be traced back to al-quida/Talaban
Bet ya a nickle I'm right.