Granny Annie's on Wayne Pacelle's HSUS blog today!

Wayne Pacelle: A Humane Nation | The Humane Society of the United States

Gray, with a Silver Lining

Posted: 23 Dec 2008 11:02 AM CST

I celebrate the people who go to shelters or rescue groups to adopt any homeless dog or cat. It's an act of love and kindness. But I have a special place in my heart for people who adopt senior pets. These dogs or cats may have a few flecks of gray, and may not be as frisky or fetching or as big-eyed as puppies or kittens, but they love us just the same and perhaps they need us even more. They may not stay with us as long, but that only means we need to pack a lifetime of love and affection into fewer years.

Some weeks ago, the following story came into the blog and it's a great reminder to us all during the holiday season of the special creatures who need our help. I hope you find inspiration in this tale that May Lattanzio, a freelance writer, poet and photographer, tells.

Off and on throughout my life, I have worked as a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator and placement volunteer for the local humane society and in private. I put up a blog and decided to help the county shelter which is high-kill, but rescue friendly, in Bay County, Fla., by putting a rotating widget in the sidebar of adoptable dogs.

Then I saw the nameless Boston with three legs who was supposedly five years old (approximately). Her owner was incarcerated, and she was given to someone else who neglected or mistreated her so much, she was confiscated.

And there she was. Much older than five. Maybe 500. She was scarred on her flanks. Her forehead looks like it was cleaved at one time. She trailed a long cyst sack that swung when she walked. It was heavy. She is missing a front leg. She hobbles; has lumps, bumps and warts all over. She is gray-faced.

Maybe someone would want a special needs dog. I took her home to foster. Granny Annie is no beauty. All dogs are beautiful physically, but poor Annie isn't. But inside that scarred interior lives a shining, golden heart and endless sweetness of character. I was planning to foster her so that she would not be euthanized. Who would want her?

It turned out that I did. To a house full of dogs and cats, she fit right in. If your heart is set on a dog, please adopt one, and don't forget the older ones who aren't pretty anymore; or the black ones who are seldom adopted because of their color. If they have special needs, they have lessons to teach you; like courage, inner strength, patience, gratitude and above all, love.

Time for Jimmy Carter to give up politics and go fishing... wait till you read this!

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84329

For the cookie crock - Forgotten Cookies

These are meringues...

3 dozen (change servings and units)

Change to: dozen US Metric

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Ingredients

• 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
• 1/3 cup sugar (a little more if you like it sweet)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

1. 1

   Pre heat oven to 350°F.

2. 2

   When your egg whites are stiff gradually add the sugar.

3. 3

   Beat at high speed for 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Fold in the vanilla, chips, and pecans.

5. 5

   Drop by the teaspoon onto a foil-lined cookie sheet.

6. 6

   Put in 350°F oven AND TURN THE HEAT OFF.

7. 7

   Leave overnight or at least 8 hours.

NY FIre Dept. official confirms plan to take down WTC 7

http://www.prisonplanet.com/fdny-lieutenant-admitted-plan-to-take-down-wtc-7.html

As long as we have money to pay bills, shop, heat our homes, live - we are still apathetic about this.

There's something very wrong with us. There are people who KNOW what happened, who TRY to tell the world about this and no one listens.

Life in the Duchy of Cornwall

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photos/photo-gallery-duchy-cornwall/cornwall-coastline.html

I get the National Geographic newsletters, and I had a boss whose family came from Cornwall.
This caught my eye. But upon reading the captions, I am surprised that these families are all tenants, supporting royalty.

The family farm is failing. Just like in the USA. The taxes go to the "king" or the "state".

I read in Popular Science today of huge towers in which crops will be grown because we have let science and government have their way. It is obscene. Back to basics. Old ways. Heirloom seeds and heirloom livestock. Go green with those.

I do not want to plant seeds genetically tweaked. If I want to, I want to drink raw milk. Don't put RFID chips in my livestock. It's none of government's business.

I do not want government looking over my shoulders at every aspect of my life.

Do you?

Christmas sunshine - from Nigella Lawson

This may be the world’s easiest cake to make—and one that never fails to elicit oohs, ahs, and recipe requests. It’s a moist and luscious dessert, bursting with bright citrus. This darling Clementine cake uses a mere five ingredients, and its lack of flour makes it a perfect treat for the gluten-wary.

Not only is this cake supreme in its simplicity, it keeps well and in fact tastes even better the next day. Serve it alone, or top it with crème fraiche or whipped cream.

1 pound clementines (about 4 or 5)
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (or Sucanat, read about natural sweeteners here)
2 1/3 cups ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder

Use organic clementines if they are available to you. Scrub the clementines well and place in a pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for two hours.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Drain water off and when clementines are cool enough to handle, cut each one in half and remove the seeds.

Put the Clementine halves (skin and all!) in a food processor and briefly pulse, then add remaining ingredients and pulse to a pulp.

Butter an 8-inch springform pan and pour mixture in. It is a very wet batter.

After 40 minutes, cover with foil to prevent top from burning. Cake is done after about an hour total, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Once cool, remove from pan. It can be served immediately, but improves after one day.

From Information Clearing House - so much to fret about...

http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001X5D2e0iiN8xysd3DE9OlIPmhS40WvbTX9S62COT3hwiXkilzIebD5W2DCG9iJk_X1hlrmiH6i5tniSvWXKIuyecpyAcFUOm-PkwtdfZ2Rkq9agaIPb0nPxB3yohWTlgc

The thumb your nose at the masses Obama family vacation...

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/obama-family-in-hawaii-for-vacation.html

The chartered plane was a Boeing 767. They could have rented a private jet. They could have flown commercial, taken the Secret Service contingent and been treated like Prime Minister Tony Blair.

So much for carbon footprints - the Obama's have none.

This should be one big slap in the face for the mindless Obama crowd. He IS NOT going to pay for your health care or your car payments. But is is going to have one helluva good time at your expense. He's proving to be no better than the guys on Wall Street who deserve to be in jail.

Wonder how much the house rents for?

I saw somewhere on a Google search that this chartered commercial jet carrying only the Obamas, Secret Service and groupies (maybe not groupies - and that's worse), cost $241,000.

Does that surprise you? It shouldn't.

I'm very happy that I'm not zombified.


http://www.starbulletin.com/news/breaking/36497979.htm

http://www.kitv.com/politics/18328534/detail.html

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

The classic letter to Virginia...

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

By Francis P. Church, first published in The New York Sun in 1897. [See The People’s Almanac, pp. 1358–9.]

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O’Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

About the Exchange

Francis P. Church’s editorial, “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” was an immediate sensation, and went on to became one of the most famous editorials ever written. It first appeared in the The New York Sun in 1897, almost a hundred years ago, and was reprinted annually until 1949 when the paper went out of business.

Thirty-six years after her letter was printed, Virginia O’Hanlon recalled the events that prompted her letter:

“Quite naturally I believed in Santa Claus, for he had never disappointed me. But when less fortunate little boys and girls said there wasn’t any Santa Claus, I was filled with doubts. I asked my father, and he was a little evasive on the subject.

“It was a habit in our family that whenever any doubts came up as to how to pronounce a word or some question of historical fact was in doubt, we wrote to the Question and Answer column in The Sun. Father would always say, ‘If you see it in the The Sun, it’s so,’ and that settled the matter.

“ ‘Well, I’m just going to write The Sun and find out the real truth,’ I said to father.

“He said, ‘Go ahead, Virginia. I’m sure The Sun will give you the right answer, as it always does.’ ”

And so Virginia sat down and wrote her parents’ favorite newspaper.

Her letter found its way into the hands of a veteran editor, Francis P. Church. Son of a Baptist minister, Church had covered the Civil War for The New York Times and had worked on the The New York Sun for 20 years, more recently as an anonymous editorial writer. Church, a sardonic man, had for his personal motto, “Endeavour to clear your mind of cant.” When controversal subjects had to be tackled on the editorial page, especially those dealing with theology, the assignments were usually given to Church.

Now, he had in his hands a little girl’s letter on a most controversial matter, and he was burdened with the responsibility of answering it.

“Is there a Santa Claus?” the childish scrawl in the letter asked. At once, Church knew that there was no avoiding the question. He must answer, and he must answer truthfully. And so he turned to his desk, and he began his reply which was to become one of the most memorable editorials in newspaper history.

Church married shortly after the editorial appeared. He died in April, 1906, leaving no children.

Virginia O’Hanlon went on to graduate from Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts degree at age 21. The following year she received her Master’s from Columbia, and in 1912 she began teaching in the New York City school system, later becoming a principal. After 47 years, she retired as an educator. Throughout her life she received a steady stream of mail about her Santa Claus letter, and to each reply she attached an attractive printed copy of the Church editorial. Virginia O’Hanlon Douglas died on May 13, 1971, at the age of 81, in a nursing home in Valatie, N.Y.

More Information

• An alternative copy from the Newseum, which includes a nice scan of the original editorial.
• More historical background and analysis from The New York Times on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the editorial’s publication.

Obama and Change? Yeah, right!

The more things change, the more they stay the same. They're all crooks: thieves, liars, and who knows what else. These criminals should be prosecuted and put in jail, including the Supreme Court. Remember Ross Perot's promise to clean out the barn.

There's so much rotting manure in the White House and in the halls of Congress, the Pentagon and all the agencies, there would be a shortage of shovels (even if they were made in China).

You wanted change? You didn't get it. And he isn't even the President yet.


http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-biden-to-protect-bush-administration-criminals.html

Obama's Labor pick has communist ties

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84221

Combined with the birth certificate fiasco, the gag order, the questionable radical ties, the missing entries in the university and law school yearbooks, the mysteries and the information withheld...to me, this man who has almost no verifiable past, who ran for president as soon as he was elected senator (notice, no capitals here), coupled with a financial crisis that will topple the world economy and leave my people hungry, homeless and in the streets, is the shocking fast track to the destruction of America, to a communist nation and global governance.

The orchestration, the dismantling of our country is going to affect you, no matter where you live.

Kenya puts gag order on Obama's family - WND

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84172

This is a memorial page for...

the millions of euthanized animals that die in animal control and humane society shelters every day. Be prepared to be moved.

http://www.animalsinourhearts.com/shelter/memory1.htm

Granny Annie, my newest adoptee was sure to be one of these. She is old (see her entry of a month ago), not pretty or even vaguely attractive, and is missing a front leg. She is scarred. Her sweet face must have been broken between the eyes. But she is a wonderful old girl and will have a full belly, a soft place to sleep and a happy heart for as long as she lives.

Our faltering economy, job and home losses are filling up these facilities. Please open your heart and your home and adopt a shelter dog or cat. They really need you now.

PS: Granny Annie's story will be seen shortly on the HSUS blog, and possibly Wayne Pacelle's blog. I'll keep you posted.

A forwarded copy of an email I received...

The person forwarding this to me admitted to ignoring the birth certificate scandal, but now he's having second thoughts. This person is retired military.

Now he's having doubts about Obama. His comments are in red.

FORGET NATURAL BORN, IS HE EVEN A "CITIZEN" ?

Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2008
9:23:18 PM by

rocco55

Attorney Berg said Mr. Obama is probably an "illegal alien".

If we cannot access his passports, his birth certificate, his college
records:

1. Occidental College records -- Not released 2.
Columbia College records --
Not released 3. Columbia Thesis paper -- "Not available" 4.
Harvard College
records -- Not released 5. Selective Service Registration -- Not released 6.

Medical records -- Not released 7.
Illinois State Senate schedule -- Not
available 8. His Illinois State Senate records -- Not available 9.
Certified
Copy of original Birth certificate -- Not released 10.
Embossed, signed paper
Certification of Live Birth -- Not released 11.
Record of baptism -- Not
available

and if he has multiple names:

Barack Hussein Obama a/k/a Barry Hussein Obama a/k/a Barack Dunham a/k/a
Barry Dunham a/k/a Barack Soetoro a/k/a Barry Soetoro

AND he specifically answered the "Any other names" on his bar application to
obtain a law degree as "No", we can be sure MANY things about his past warrant
serious and intense investigation !

I e-mailed Governor Lingle prior to Andy Martin's case requesting that she
stand up for our Constitution.
She IS a Republican and she DID make a comment
prior to the election that Mr.
Obama had limited political experience, so she
may have somewhat of a clue what's going on - maybe a BIG CLUE ! Why else would
Hussein send her a "Dear Linda" letter ?

Also, being from CT, I have been e-mailing Cort Wronowski for several weeks.

It was TOO PITIFUL to see how the state dismissed his case and according to a
radio interview, Leo said the state of CT refused to hear his case on improper
grounds that did not even apply to his application as it was submitted.
SURPRISE
! SURPRISE !

I also wrote Joseph Lieberman (our CT Senator) via certified mail and
explained "in detail" the legitimacy of the TRUTH regarding "Factcheck", the
short form cert and Obama's "sealed" history ! Is this the behavior of a
cooperative official who wants to get to the TRUTH and bring about all this
CHANGE ?

I informed him that, to date, there is NOT ONE hospital or medical facility
in all Hawaii that has ANY record of Mr.
Obama's birth and asked point blank:
"Does this, in your highly qualified legal opinion, pose even the slightest
'shadow of a doubt' of this candidate's qualifications ?"

I further stated that if Mr.
Obama is inaugurated on 1/20/09, he will place
his hand on the Bible and vow to the American people that he will:

"PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES" ! !

I asked Mr.
Lieberman:

"Could anything be more IMMEASURABLY IRONIC ????"

About 10 days back, I ran a post in FreeRepublic inquiring about OBAMA'S
COLLEGE YEARBOOK.
He graduated from Harvard in 1991, but is NOT in the 1991
Harvard Yearbook ! If he was the President of the Harvard Law Review, WHY NOT ?

I went on EBAY and searched EVERY possible college document, article,
yearbook, alumni book, sports journal, etc.
for Occidental, Princeton and
Harvard Universities.
I e-mailed questions to the sellers of the applicable
items and asked if there was ANY mention of Barry or Barack and ALL of the
replies were "NO, SORRY" !

One FreeRepublic reader commented that he went to Harvard personally and
searched all College newspapers, announcements, etc.
, during the Obama years and
was dismayed to find "several" missing pages ! He went to other years (prior and
after Obama's attendance) and the papers were all intact ! Is this a coincidence
?

Obama's staff probably frequents this site daily to keep one step ahead of
the competition.
Having unlimited resources and a 30 million dollar campaign
surplus, he can afford to have a 24/7 staff searching ANY negative feedback and
once they find it, they can GOOGLE it to death with rebuttals.
I told a friend
who accused me of being an "ultra-right-wing die-hard Republican" about six
weeks ago to search 'Obama birth certificate' on line and see for herself.

She wrote back and said the first 6 hits all said the birth cert is real and
it was even verified by TWO reviewers "FactCheck" and "PolitiFact" ! Pul----lease
!

I was recently summoned for Jury Duty and today I wrote the Judicial Branch
of CT that I will not serve Jury duty because the state of CT turned down Cort
Wronowski's case and sent in their electoral votes without verifying that Mr.

Obama is a U.S.
Citizen and I cannot serve a judicial system that does not
uphold and defend our Constitution.

Obama most likely attended college as a "foreign student" and is possibly
still not a legal U.S. citizen.
Why else would he go to such great lengths to
"seal" ---or better said "CONCEAL" his past ?

The dilemma we face is without someone kidnapping his children and holding
them hostage for his birth cert, we might all DIE with that document sitting in
a vault ! How sad is that ?

I entertained the idea of actually renting a Highway Billboard (I heard it's
approximately $1500 for one month) with a slogan that could not be regarded as
racist --possibly :

"I'D RATHER HAVE A PRESIDENT THAT IS 100% BLACK AND HONEST THAN ONE WHO IS
HALF-WHITE AND WON'T SHOW HIS BIRTH CERT ! "

How else can we get the attention of ANYONE ? 99% of all Americans do not
even know there is a CRISIS going on because when the MSM covers a "lawsuit
dismissal", it is portrayed in a such a negative light with the usual "Factcheck"
references and the "mis-information" that the state of Hawaii has "confirmed
that Obama was born there" ! that the public has no choice but to accept it ! Of
course, they think we're kooks ! It's what they're being told in NBC, CBS, FOX,
Associated Press, etc.

Would it make sense to file a more basic and fundamental lawsuit (possibly
against Pelosi, who had the unmitigated gall to sign off on his eligibility) to
verify if Hussein is even a U. S.
citizen AT ALL ? Would that obligate the
defendants to produce even a passport, or this that TOO MUCH to hope for ? !

I find myself searching and praying for ANY legitimate way of exposing this
Usurper...only saving grace is, if we are near the "end of the World", maybe
this is part of God's plan....when ancient Israel rejected Him, He gave them
what they wanted "King Saul" !, who proved to be unfaithful and was superseded
by David...but for us, we can still fight and appeal our cause....even JESUS
called Herod a "fox" !

BTW, are there any updates on Congressman John Lindler who is opposing Obama
? (see post from 12/17 ! Appears to offer SOME hope !

Any attorneys out there ? Is a case against Pelosi worth pursuing ? Is the "cititzen"
question, in and of itself (without the 'natural born' issue) a case less likely
to be dismissed ? Can anyone else brainstorm a better option ??

Lastly, this is a re-post from 15 minutes ago.
I forgot the place this in "birthcertificate"
section.
Below is an EXCELLENT reply from an attorney from prior post:

I’m a lawyer.
When someone is asked a material question (not necessarily
having been sworn) and an average or normal person under the circumstances would
reply—or deny—but the person says nothing, that silence could be introduced as a
“tacit admission”.
Obama is wasting the time of the Supreme Court of the United
States—you or I could, and I think would have said long before now, “Here’s
authentic proof that I’m a natural born citizen.” For those who say, ..Time to
move on, he won,’ et cetera: 1.
) I will not consider acknowledging his election
until he proves his qualification for the office. He is illegitimate until then.

2.
) Those who think this is a waste of time can move on to another thread, we
will fight for the Constitution and carry your weight, but stay out of our path.

Explanation on Chicago politics (and Obama) a play in 3 acts, forwarded by a friend.

Have you wondered why Fitzgerald abruptly ended his five year
investigation? Normally the "Feds" wait until the drug deal goes down
before they bust the crooks. Think this is a pretty good explanation
which may not be far off the mark. If true, what does this tell us
about our president elect? Fitzgerald? DOJ? Even Bush?

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

This written by Dan Westerbeck, retired lawyer from Chicago, former
quarterback at Ohio State U, and all around good guy.

Fellow Citizens, Since most of you do not understand the "Chicago way"
of doing things
and come from places that are, relatively speaking, governed by
elections, you may need an interpreter for news from Chicago, especially
about Cook County politics. That's why I'm here.

You may think today's story is about the crooked Illinois governor
selling Obama's Senate seat. What you don't know is how the Bush Justice
Dept. probably steered Obama away from disaster even before taking
office . Here's how the pieces of the puzzle fit, based on the known
facts as well as those alleged in the Criminal Complaint, my knowledge
of federal criminal case management and protocols, and some deductive
reasoning.

ACT I

As you know by now the beloved Governor of Illinois was arrested for,
among other things, attempting to auction off Obama's US Senate seat.
The federal criminal Complaint (three pages backed up by a 76 page FBI
affidavit) states that Gov. Blagoyovich (Blago) was attempting to set
conditions for filling that seat with the Obama transition team. This
implies a certain level of communication between Blago and Obama or
their staffs, although the Complaint does not specifically state that.
(You'll see why not.) David Axelrod, Obama's chief political stategist
(from Cook County) said two weeks ago that he, Obama, and the Obama
team had been in constant contact with Blago and his staff about filling
the seat and had liked a number of the candidates mentioned. (He
obviously hadn't gotten the word then.)

Today Obama himself denied having anything to do with naming his
successor, denied having any communications with Blago, and generally
felt sorry about everything. Now the press will ignore Axelrod, accept
Obama's statement, shift the spotlight to Blago, and search for the
other conspirators, including who was willing to pay for the Senate
seat. End of story for Obama; just another corrupt Cook County scam
miraculously not involving Obama in any way. Yawn.
But let me tell you what really went down and how the nation just
averted a Constitutional crisis.

Three critical facts must be noted. The Illinois governor appoints
people to vacant US Senate seats. Second, the feds have wiretapped Blago
off and on since 2004 in their "Pay to Play" investigation. You had to
pay him money in order to play--bid for state contracts to manage money,
pave roads, supply linens, etc. (That's the Chicago way.) He is destined
for a federal penitentiary because the tapes have been rolling for 5
years now. A number of his cronies have been indicted and convicted on
the basis of the wiretaps. Third, and most important, Blago's offices
have been bugged by the feds for the past 4-6 weeks, possibly
longer--that's around election time for you senior citizens. (The feds
probably detected sufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy on the
wiretaps and through informants such that they could plant the bugs in
Blago's offices.)

Obama's handpicked successor for his Senate seat was Valerie Jarrett
who is on his campaign staff. This was well known before the election
and Ms. Jarrett had even announced her candidacy. She was a slam dunk.
The ONLY question on the table after the election was what price Blago
would extract from Obama for appointing Ms. Jarrett--appointing Blago as
ambassador to Lithuainia, naming him Secy. of Transportation, some
Democrat party post, establishing a library and foundation a la Bill
Clinton, whatever. Blago was constantly talking on the tapes of his need
for more cash and how the "fucking Senate seat was wort h a lot of
money"
(per the federal complaint).

ACT II

The US Attorney here, Patrick Fitzgerald, is fearless and has jailed
Republicans (former Governor Geo. Ryan) and Democrats alike. Some guys
on Richie Daley's staff are doing time for the same thing--taking
bribes (sometimes described as campaign contributions). Ironically Blago
was elected as a reformer and a break from the George Ryan school of
corruption. In any event, Fitzgerald has kept the Justice Dept. fully
informed of all the Blago investigations, wiretaps, bugs, etc., and
where they were headed since he needed their approval (as well as a
court's) to run them. It is a certainty that the Attorney General knew
of the Blago investigation because the target was the governor of a
state (very high profile).

Once Obama was elected Fitzgerald and the Attorney General saw what was
coming--a Blago-Obama negotiation over the Senate seat. Given what they
knew about the corrupt process Blago was engaged in through their
taping/bugging, such a negotiation would be disastrous politically for
Obama and possibly even criminal. Those tapes will have to be played in
court some day. (That may be why Obama looked a little rattled today
in announcing his total absence of knowledge and communication on the
entire subject of his successor.)

After the election Obama and his staff began to get briefings as part of
the transition process. It is likely that the Attorney General informed
him of the ongoing investigations of Blago and of the wiretaps and bugs.
Obama got the clue, but perhaps forgot to tell Axelrod. But he did tell
Valerie Jarrettt something because four weeks ago she withdrew her name
from consideration for the Obama Senate seat.

Normally in a federal conspiracy prosecution you let the tapes roll and
the conspiracy play out in order to catch all the big fish. (I was a
federal prosecutor in my distant past.) Remember, the feds have
wiretapped Blago since 2004, per previous testimony in court. Once you
get one of the conspirators to wire up, as the feds did here, you let
him meet and talk to everybody forever--weeks, months, years even.
However, since they already had the governor nailed, the only bigger
fish left in the pond were Obama and his staff. And listening to Blago
on the tapes they knew where he was headed--right to Obama to get his
price for the Senate seat.

So after the election, as Patrick Fitzgerald and the Attorney General
pondered this, their choice was stark: 1. do we follow the normal
protocol and let the tapes roll and may be reel in Obama staffers (or,
God forbid, Obama himself) bargaining with Blago in the US Senate seat
auction; or, 2. do we tip Obama in a briefing and abruptly terminate the
investigation at the governor's level and thus preclude it from reaching
Obama and his staff.

I think they made a political and legal calculation in the nation's
interest and chose the latter course. They saved Obama, or certainly his
staff, from the taint of the criminal auction and also prevented the
sale of a US Senate seat by a corrupt Cook County Democrat politician by
arresting Blago today.

That's why Obama has been saying for weeks that he himself has nothing
to do with the selection of his successor. Although such a position is
contrary to common sense and political tradition, in this case, he's
probably telling the truth at least insofar as the past month is
concerned.

So Obama now owes the Justice Dept. and US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald,
in particular, a big one because he kept the president elect from
stepping in to a first rate criminal scandal by tipping him on the Blago
wiretaps and bugs. And the Bush Attorney General and US Attorney
Fitzgerald probably saved the country a huge new scandal as well sinc e
Obama's team would have been further ensnared in a federal criminal
investigation after inauguration.

ACT III

What job does Patrick Fitzgerald want since Obama owes him big
time--pope, federal judge (even Supreme Court), ambassador to Ireland,
attorney general (Eric Holder may not make it anyway because of the Marc
Rich pardon and Obama would throw him over in a minute if Fitzgerald
asked for it). We shall see, but the Cook County Democrat Machine
certainly wants to be rid of Fitzgerald and the only way to do that is
kill him (that went out with Capone) or promote him. Unfortunately for
them, Fitzgerald professes to like his current job. And there is no way
Obama asks for his resignation now or appoints a new US attorney unless
Fitzpatrick wants to go.

So you see, things are never quite what they seem to be here in
Chi-town. You thought this was all about a lone crooked Cook County
politician who became governor...That's where the press will be headed
because it will be entertaining.

But now you know the likely story of how close we came to having a
federal criminal case swirling around a new president

Recession hitting family pets hard...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/21/uk.dogs/index.html

Happy Chanukah, everyone...

I was researching Chanukah and found this.

I contacted the writer for permission to print it to which he kindly agreed. I think this is the best explanation of the holiday I've ever read. I think you will agree.

Enjoy and have a joyous holiday.

“A TIME OF DARKNESS…A TIME OF LIGHT”

D. de London

“It was a time of darkness. Rude war raged across the land. Flame and sword left naught in the wake but blackened stone and broken bone. Erstwhile brethren contended upon the battle field for the minds and bodies of the people, the little people who wanted no more than to be left in peace to plow and plant and harvest, each in his own field and at peace with his neighbor.”

Sounds familiar doesn’t it. History is replete with far too many stories of this kind. One such story however, over two thousand years ago, resounds down the long centuries to our own time, still affecting much of who and what we are, what we think, and how we ought to treat each other.

I’ve often wondered why Alexander was called ‘The Great’.
There’s nothing ‘Great’ about monumental butchery. However, he did spread a certain ‘civilized’ attitude behind him as he went about the business of overwhelming nations and peoples too weak to withstand his military persuasiveness. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy aspects of his so-called ‘empire’ was that it began to break up within days after his death in 323 B.C.E. The two principals, the Egyptian Ptolemies in the south and the Syrian Seleucids in the north pushed and shoved back and forth across the timeless battle ground of Judea until the Seleucids more or less consolidated power in the region around 198 B.C.E. The Syrian king Antiochus IV, firm believer in things Hellenistic, felt that to get a tighter grip on his portion of the ‘empire’ everyone needed to share the same belief. Sort of a ‘one mind’ approach, just as long as it was his. He stamped coins with his face on one side and his seal on the other, he issued edicts forcing conversion of the Jewish people to Greek Pantheism, with himself as its head of course, erecting statues of himself everywhere, including the Jewish holy places, to encourage conversions. Antiochus appointed a new high priest to the Jewish people, however as that didn’t seem to speed up the conversion process, another high priest was appointed, a bit of a scoundrel and thief, seemingly more intent on filling his pockets than anything else, and things went down hill rather rapidly from there. The Holy Temple was plundered, stripped of its treasures, Jewish observances were banned, the Holy scrolls were burned in public, the high altar destroyed, and the Great Lamp dismantled and hauled to the deep places far beneath the Temple. Sheep and goats were allowed to roam the Temple grounds. It is thought that nearly forty thousand Jewish people, men, women, and children, were slaughtered in the ensuing conflagration that swept across the area, an unchecked tide of religious and politically motivated murder. The Light was nearly extinguished.

In 167 B.C.E., more or less, soldiers of the king were given orders to visit the tiny village of Modin, a short way north of Jerusalem, long known to be a place of stiff resistance to enforced conversion. The elderly and highly respected priest of the Hasmonean family, Mattithias, faced off with the arrogant soldiers, refusing to bow to the portable image of Antiochus, refusing to eat swine, refusing to give up the Holy scrolls, refusing to give in. A short scuffle between villagers and soldiers resulted in the death of several soldiers, and one or two villagers, but it was enough. To spare further atrocities in his home village of Modin, Mattithias and his five elder sons fled to the nearby mountains. The Flame was rekindled.

The news spread like wildfire. Small groups of men, and women, families, joined the little band in the mountains, and soon began hammering away at the Syrian battle group that had been sent to search them out and remove this irritant to the king and his grand project of domination. Antiochus was a bit unhappy with the lack of success and sent an even larger force to attack after sundown the next Sabbath. Caught off guard, many of the Jewish rebels were killed. One story that persists to this day, perhaps apocryphal, but illustrating the intensity of feeling held by these freedom fighters, tells of a young woman, Arianna by name, newly wed to a younger son of the aged Mattathias, who stood over her husband’s body, sword in hand, meting out death to any who came within reach until a coward’s arrow pierced her back.

The Syrian attack failed in its mission. The resistance movement grew phenomenally, the rebels, now known as the Maccabees which means ‘hammerer’ fought on, winning skirmish after skirmish. Their numbers grew as did their influence with the people of Judea. Over the next few years, Antiochus lost larger and larger numbers of men with little to show for the losses. The now ancient Mattathias died, leaving his son Judah to assume command. They won ever larger engagements, staging surprise attacks, melting back into the hills they knew so well. They all knew, with the certainty of the land they fought for that they must win eventually, or be erased from the face of the earth for all time; that the Flame would be extinguished, never to be rekindled. The father had reminded his son that, “Victory in battle does not depend solely on the size of the army, but on the size of its heart and the will to win”.

The Maccabees grew stronger, militarily and politically. Antiochus grew angry, desperate, and perhaps more than a bit careless in his anger. Massing half his vast army, he marched into the Judean hills for one final blow, to wipe out this Maccabee irritation, once and for all, a final solution as it were to his Jewish problem. Beneath those hills on the plain near the small town of Emmaus the Syrian commander Lysias and twenty thousand Syrian troops formed up to meet ten thousand well armed and very determined Maccabees.”

“Let’s see, where were we, oh yes, on the Judean plain near the small town of Emmaus. Twenty thousand Syrian troops about to fall upon ten thousand Maccabees. Judah the Hammer feinted to the center, then fell back into the hills, the Syrians gave chase, and the Maccabean wings far out on the left and on the right closed in, encircling the Syrians. In the ensuing confrontation the Syrian general Lysias was killed, the will to fight on seemed to drain out of his army. The Leaderless remnants of the once mighty Syrian army that survived straggled back across the hills to the northeast, retreated to Syria, it’s back broken.

Over the next few months the now triumphant Maccabees marched throughout the land, routing out small pockets of Syrian loyalists, mopping up as it were. At length they came to Jerusalem to find the city desecrated and deserted, desolate, cold and dark, the few remaining inhabitants cowering, fearful of men under arms, whoever they might be. Judas Maccabeus called his council to decide what to do first. They agreed the Temple must be restored and the city brought back to life. The Temple, quite frankly was a mess. Small groups of men were sent out into the countryside to gather food, and convince the people to return. So the men and women and children set about the task of restoring the Temple with the same dedication they had shown in defeating the vastly superior Syrian army. A ring of guardsmen stood watch by day as the women worked within the Temple grounds. At night, while the women slept, the men worked on by torchlight. At last the pieces of the Great Lamp were discovered in the caverns deep beneath the Temple, brought up into the daylight and reassembled. But no consecrated oil could be found to light it. From the shadows, from the ashes, rose a boy, the smallest of defenders, “I have oil, I have oil to light the lamp”. In his hands he bore a single clay crucible, still sealed, enough to light the Great Lamp for one night. It was enough. The Light was rekindled. An old man, a very old man, the oldest of defenders, wisely suggested a small portion of the sacred oil be spared, to be put in the hands of Judas Maccabeus himself, to be blessed, and poured into another larger vessel of oil that it too might lend its blessing from the lesser to the greater, that the Light might burn brightly and give its blessing to the labor. And so it was. The men and women and children labored day and night, the Great Lamp shed its Light upon their labor, and the people marveled at the glow of the Light coming from the Temple, one night, two nights, and on for eight nights, and on the morning of the ninth day, the great doors were opened to the people. And they came, by twos and threes, by the tens, and by the hundreds, the Temple had been cleansed and the Great Lamp once again shed its Light upon the land and in the hearts and minds of the people.

It was the twenty-fifth of Kislev, 165 B.C.E. The temple had been restored, the people freed from persecution. The Flame had been rekindled. The people rejoiced and celebrated for many days this rededication, this first “Chanukah”. It was so decreed that the eight nights and days be kept forever as a celebration of the few over the many, for the right of all men to believe as they choose without fear. The indominable courage, the steadfast spirit overcame nearly insurmountable odds, prevailed because the few would not give in, refused to bend, stood fast and were willing to fight and die for what they believed.

The battle for religious freedom was not won forever. It was, and still is a fight to be fought over and over, even to this day. While this may not have been the first war for religious freedom, it is the first to be so recorded. The unshakeable courage and unbending spirit of the Maccabees infused the Jewish people with an unbeatable faith in themselves and a hope for the future. If so few could stand against so many, future generations of the Jewish people would surely survive.

The Great Lamp still sheds its Light of Reason in the hearts and minds of all people who fight against ignorance and bigotry, superstition, and senseless persecution.”

“The story so far has been pretty much factual. Condensed a bit to be sure, but all of the essential real-world facts have been covered as accurately as written records allow. Over the generations the story grew just a tad as stories of this kind do. The Rabbis of later times attempted to down play the military aspects and emphasize the source of the courage, the spiritual strength of the few in defeating the many. This, they said, was the miracle, not a magical or supernatural miracle, but the miracle of strength to stand for what one believes, regardless of cost. Yet somehow the military side of the story has remained quite alive. Even after all this time, it still seems to stir the soul, just a bit, to hear the tales told around a fire in the night. Perhaps the shades of the Maccabees are hovering just out of the firelight, listening, reveling in the tales as they are relived, once again. (I’d like to think so).

For well over two thousand years, generation after generation of Jewish People all over the world have joined hands and hearts to celebrate the eight nights of Chanukah. Just about sundown, (most Jewish holidays begin at sundown), on the first night the Menorah (an eight branched candle stick with a ninth place for the servant candle) is placed near a window, and two candles are lit, the Shamash, which is the servant, is lit first because all others are lit from it, and one more is lit and placed on the far right. Each night another candle is added until all eight are lit. Everyone in the family has a turn lighting a candle as the miracle was for everyone. The blessings are said, and in those homes where such is possible everyone sits down to a sumptuous feast, the table spread with all manner of good things to eat and lighted with more candles to add a special glow to the festivities. There are small presents for the children after the meal, songs and games, and of course the stories of the Maccabees.

Throughout the centuries, in good times and bad, in times of darkness and times of light, the Jewish people have managed to keep the Flame alight. In our own time, what has become known as the Holocaust nearly extinguished the Flame, yet from the horrors of the death camps, from the ashes of the six million, again rose the will to survive and the miracle of the rebirth of the nation of Israel. Even now the few stand against the many for the right to live in peace. Once again a crucible of oil was found, the Flame rekindled.

At sundown, on the 25th of Kislev, 5769, December 22nd of the year 2008 of the Common Era, Jewish people the world over will rekindle the Lights of hope and rededication. In the silence of many hearts will echo the words, “Mine is but one small light held against the darkness, but it is a promise that the Flame will burn eternal.”

At sundown join them, and light a candle. Happy Chanukah”

The author is a guest columnist for the Newport Independent, a poet, and published author in the field of ancient historical research.

Gold backwardation - a video

Jerome Corsi's detention in Kenya - from WND

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=83984

Audio files from Aaron Zelman's (JPFO) program "Talkin' to America"

Regarding YOUR Second Amendment rights. Are they precious to you?

I suggest the interview with Aaron Zelman and Leonard Savage, highly.

http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-n-z/talkamerica.htm