Dear God…
Posted on February 29, 2008 - Filed Under Life, beauty, my heart
Dear God….
I’m tired and my soul aches down to its toes
Staring eyes see the blue between the words where I try to find your message.
Trembling hands grasp for meaning in my daily bread but the crumbs scatter toward the crows
That perch outside my window
I hear them mumble prayers of unrepentance and sing hyms of opportunity
My feet don’t stand on their own and prop me up like flapping sheets on windy clotheslines
Arms wrap around to protect what hides beneath - stacatto breath chasms deep inside my lungs and
Forces down the screams that seek pity and surrender
And then your sunset slides down the wall of sky and creeps across the lawn
To comfort me.
copyright 2008
A Moment of Thanks
Posted on February 28, 2008 - Filed Under Dear Readers..., favorites
Hi guys,
As most of you know the last few months have been a bit whacky for me and I wanted to take a moment and acknowledge some very nice things that I have received from many of you.
I want to thank Teeni for all the many awards she has bestowed upon me. I was touched by all of them even though, I didn’t post them on the blog - they meant a lot. Not to mention the lovely gift of the teddy bear and beautiful notepad carrier. Teens, you are simply one of the sweetest people I have ever encountered.
Moe for her awards, linkage, support, friendship and everything else. You know how much you mean to me (I hope) and I am constantly amazed by the luck that brought our paths to the same intersection.
Cowgal for my funky award - and the endless stream of hysterical pictures and jokes she sends me.
Michael, just for being Michael and being the incredible and dear friend he is. For all the links, all the help - just everything. I can’t imagine my life without our friendship.
Lolly for the wonderful books and just her sweet gentle voice in the blogosphere.
Free for all the whacky emails and wonderful advice.
Jess (her link is down right now) for her friendship, humor support - and again, how lucky am I that our paths have crossed?
Christine - for her wonderful words, unique perspective - that has shown me so many new ways to look at life and writing and her friendship.
Gracie for her reading, her friendship, passion and unrelenting grip on what matters.
If I’ve forgotten anyone, it wasn’t intentional - I appreciate all of you. Really, you all mean so much to me. I just wanted you to know.
And thank you.
WC
P.S. And Evyl, if you’re out there reading, be well - you’re in my prayers.
bAd BlOg dAY…
Posted on February 27, 2008 - Filed Under Blogging, brain farts, crap!
Take this blog
and shove it
I don’t know why
I love it
It drives me
up the wall
I might as well
just crawl
my endless rants
just fall
like acid drops of gall
and I won’t
just play ball
So I’m tagging
up the hall
With gra-feet- tee
Take this blog
and shove it
I’m sad from
dreaming of it
Am I now
above it??
Below it???
Tell me if you
know it…
My words are all
just nothin’
No fruit inside
the muffin
My mind can’t
stand the huffin’
Cuz I don’t get
no lovin
From no-bod-dee
Take this blog
and shove it
Find a box
and stuff it
in the drawers
of fluff-it
Cuz mine are
more than empty
And nothin’s
gonna tempt me
to spew,
to sputter
to simmer
or stew
gone…
copyright 2008
Random
Posted on February 26, 2008 - Filed Under Humor, Just For Fun, brain farts, my opinions
Some things I’ve been pondering lately…
-
How long can a person live on scrambled egg samiches?
-
Will I enjoy living the ‘homeless’ lifestyle?
-
While passing my days as a homeless person, sitting at the bus stop, will I be able to snag Starbuck’s wireless bandwidth so I can still blog?
-
Should I change the name of my blog to Writer Chick Walks?
-
How many pounds of aluminum cans can I strap on my dog’s back without her falling face first to the pavement?
-
Is God playing a practical joke on me or is this for real?
-
Did a truck run over my face while I slept? And if not, what are those grooves in my face?
-
If I could catch time in a bottle, could I sell it on Ebay?
-
If somebody started a people log would that make it a Plog?
-
Is underwear recyclable?
-
If methane is a gas, could you fart into your gas tank and use it as fuel?
-
Do agents ever actually read their mail?
-
Is anyone under the age of 95 attracted to me?
-
Who decided to name poop, poop?
-
Why don’t people come with warning labels?
So…what have you been pondering?
WC
copywrite 2008
It’s a Taxing Situation…
Posted on February 26, 2008 - Filed Under Election 2008, Politics, WTF?, candidates
You know, rather than discuss the candidates per se - let’s look at an issue for a change. There has been, over the years, a lot of rhetoric about taxes - good and bad.
The Dems are fond of saying that the Pubbies, particularly Bush, only want to give tax breaks to the rich. While I think that most of us realize that at best, this is an exaggeration - I think a little actual information is a better way to consider things.
And as they say, the truth shall set you free. Honestly, I didn’t realize myself that there was such a difference - I did notice my taxes have been lower for the last several years, but since I’ve never really made much money, I guess the change didn’t really hit me.
But I do think it is noteworthy. The following information came from here, if you want to check it out.
Taxes under Clinton 1999 Taxes under Bush 2008
Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250
It is interesting when you consider that many people believe that Bush is not giving them a break tax wise, and that Bill Clinton was the one who was looking out for them. That Clinton had such a great economy and Bush ruined it. The truth is, that the unemployment rate has been consistently lower under Bush than it ever was under Clinton, the stock market has reached all time highs under Bush and despite the trillions of dollars that 911 cost us, we have thrived. Part of the reason for this is the tax cuts.
Both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama have said they intend to end the Bush tax cuts, if elected. So, if that comes to pass, instead of paying 15%-25% of your income - you will be paying 28%-31% of your income - providing they go with the previous Bill Clinton levels. However, knowing politicians as we do - they will likely justify even higher rates based on inflation, cost of living and cost of all their new programs - so we may well see tax levels closer to 40% on the high end.
Yep, I’d have to agree - they surely do want change. The question are you willing to pay for it?
WC
(H.T. to Ger for passing on the info. )
This is a graph for Grace and connects to my response to her comment. WC
Protected: It’s Not Just Content You’re Stealing…
Posted on February 23, 2008 - Filed Under Blogging, assclowns, splogging, theives
Barack Obama: Savior or Socialist?
Posted on February 20, 2008 - Filed Under Election 2008, Politics, my opinions, philosophy & politics
I know we’ve been having some fun swapping barbs about political candidates, lately. But I’d like to actually speak in earnest about Senator Barack Obama. I know that there are a lot of people out there who think he is really something - that maybe he is a shining beacon of hope for this country.
Given his charm, good looks and eloquence as an orator, I am not surprised that many feel that he is a breath of fresh air. That perhaps we have someone special in our midst’s. But I’m going to ask you to strip away all those lovely attributes and actually look at what he stands for. Not the poetic language he uses to couch it in, but the actual issues.
Would it surprise you to know that his platform and his ‘to do’ list is almost identical to Hillary Clinton’s? Yes, it really is. Free college, free , pull out the troops, stop funding the military, raise taxes, pour more billions into a the broken educational system, more entitlements, driver’s licenses to foreign nationals who reside illegally in this country. Yep, he’s for all that. Same as Hillary, except moreso. So, for those of you who love Barack but hate Hillary, I’d have to conclude that it is a matter of personality, not issues.
Sure, he likes to use the pretty words, change, peace on earth, what America could be…starry eyes, presidential poses, a preacher’s passionate fire - but those are just words. They are not accomplishments, they are not actions, they are just dressing up the issues that both he and Hillary share. He simply doesn’t have the baggage that Hillary has. Think about it - if Hillary were a junior senator from the midwest, who was an unknown quantity and didn’t have a record or the spouse she currently has - you’d see very little difference between the two. The fact that she has all that ’stuff’ and it’s been published for years in books, newspapers and television shows just means you know who she really is. In Barack’s case, not so much. He’s just a nice, clean-cut guy from the midwest, energetic, intelligent, blah, blah.
Well, there are a couple of things that I’d like to share about him. First of all, there is this little gem - is it impossible to believe that maybe Mr. Obama would agree to some of these ‘goals’ from such avid supporters? I don’t know about you, but my religion has never been able to demand that federal buildings carry certain items on the menu of their cafeterias or provide time/places for which I may pray. Seems a little one-sided doesn’t it?
Then there is this 
Yes indeed, a Che Guevara flag donning Obama’s Texas campaign office. When asked about it, Obama’s people said it maybe was ‘inappropriate.” Excuse me? Inappropriate? The man refuses to wear an American flag lapel button but this is okay? Does he know who/what Che was? If not, let me give you some highlights:
Guevara joined Castro’s revolutionary Cuban army in 1956 as a top commander and Castro’s personal physician. He helped Castro topple the regime in Havana in 1959.
As Castro’s right-hand man he ordered the execution of hundreds of people while in charge of the La Caba prison. He said about the mass killings of innocent people,
“To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary. These procedures are an archaic bourgeois detail. This is a revolution! And a revolutionary must become a cold killing machine motivated by pure hate.”
another memorable quote:
“Hatred as an element of struggle; unbending hatred for the enemy, which pushes a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him into an effective, violent, selective and cold-blooded killing machine – this is what our soldiers must become.”
and:
“Blind hate against the enemy creates a forceful impulse that cracks the boundaries of natural human limitations, transforming the soldier into an effective, selective and cold killing machine. A people without hate cannot triumph against the adversary.”
I find it difficult to believe that a man who was educated in an Ivy League school would be unaware of Guevara or his political stance - but maybe he doesn’t. But if he doesn’t, should he be in a position to lead the free world?
Then there is the matter of the global poverty act. Sounds impressive doesn’t it? Sounds altruistic and humane? Yeah, it sounds good, until you stop to consider the following:
- It would demand that the president develop “and implement” a policy to “cut extreme global poverty in half by 2015 through aid, trade, debt relief” and other programs.
- When word about what appears to be a massive new spending program started getting out, the reaction was immediate.
- “It’s not our job to cut global poverty,” said one commenter on a Yahoo news forum. “These people need to learn how to fish themselves. If we keep throwing them fish, the fish will rot.”
- Cliff Kincaid (Accuracy in Media) published critique of the plan stated, the adoption (of global poverty act) could “result in the imposition of a global tax on the United States” and would make levels “of U.S. foreign aid spending subservient to the dictates of the United Nations.”
- Kincaid said the legislation, if approved, dedicates 0.7 percent of the U.S. gross national product to foreign aid, which over 13 years he said would amount to $845 billion “over and above what the U.S. already spends.”
- The plan passed the House in 2007 “because most members didn’t realize what was in it,” Kincaid reported. “Congressional sponsors have been careful not to calculate the amount of foreign aid spending that it would require.”
- The bill institutes the United Nations Millennium Summit goals as the benchmarks for U.S. spending.
Mr. Obama has said of the bill:
“With billions of people living on just dollars a day around the world, global poverty remains one of the greatest challenges and tragedies the international community faces,” Obama said. “It must be a priority of American foreign policy to commit to eliminating extreme poverty and ensuring every child has food, shelter, and clean drinking water. As we strive to rebuild America’s standing in the world, this important bill will demonstrate our promise and commitment to those in the developing world.
“Our commitment to the global economy must extend beyond trade agreements that are more about increasing profits than about helping workers and small farmers everywhere,” he continued.
“It is time the United States makes it a priority of our foreign policy to meet this goal and help those who are struggling day to day,” a statement issued by supporters, including Obama, said.
Now, I’m a little confused - I thought we weren’t supposed to be the babysitters of the world. It’s not our business that Saddam Hussein and the Taliban were executing people, torturing people, and all their other many violations of human rights. Yet, somehow now it’s our job to feed the world and he wants a law that will require the United States to take nearly 1% of its Gross National Product to feed the rest of the world, above and beyond what we already give to foreign aid. This country gives more aid, financial and otherwise than any other country in the world - not to mention private charities to which millions of Americans give to daily. Yet, now our taxes (which will likely have to be raised to pay for this and many other programs) must go toward more of this?
So, which is it? Are we to stay out of things and mind our own business or take care of the whole world. Oh and making the United Nations an integral part of this is even better, don’t you think? They’ve been wanting to dictate what America can and cannot do for years now - and soon they’ll be running the country if this sort of thing comes to pass.
And last but not least, there was that statement that Mrs. Obama made a few days ago in which she stated that it was the first time in her adult life where she felt proud of her country. Okay, excuse me? The first time? Really? I mean, there is nothing, absolutely nothing that she could have been proud of before her husband, gave all these people ‘hope.’ And while we’re on the topic - are we hopeless? When did Americans become hopeless. I think that Americans are the most hopeful, positive people in the world but apparently, I’m wrong and we’re all filled with despair and longing for someone to come along and make us feel safe and loved. And apparently that person’s name is Barack Obama.
It’s making me a bit uncomfortable to realize that I am beginning to see parallels between the Obama’s and the Clinton’s. The husband is charming and charismatic, the wife is strong, angry, controlling, assertive. While Mrs. Obama has more finesse than Hillary ever did - she really still does remind me of her. The power couple, poised for success, poised for national stardom. It’s a little spooky.
But I have to ask - what exactly has this man done - period? I mean what accomplishments does he have that even give anyone an idea that he could lead the country? Truly, what are they? I’ve heard people asked about this several times and no one seems to be able to point to anything. Not one accomplishment - he’s a first term senator who thinks he’s ready to lead the country. Based on what? Giving everybody hand outs and placebos to make them believe that their lives are somehow better by having the government even more involved in their daily lives? Who would hope for that?
Personally, I think he is a socialist who comes in a nice, trendy package. But no matter how pretty wrapping might be - what’s inside isn’t any better than what Hillary has to offer. And if you believe otherwise, I’m afraid you are kidding yourself, my friend. I really do.
Links you may want to read are here and here.
To Serve and Protect - Officer Randall Simmons
Posted on February 16, 2008 - Filed Under acts of valor, american idols, my opinions, tribute
He was a giant, both physically and spiritually - perhaps moreso spiritually. His name was Randal Simmons, he was a 27 year veteran of the Los Angeles SWAT team and the first member in its 40 year history to ever be killed. Ten thousand people attended his funeral yesterday, officers from as far away as Australia attended. Gang members, old classmate, politicians, strangers - they all went to honor this man. Why?
Because not only was he excellent at his job he was an excellent human being. He gave to the community, not just as a police officer, sworn to serve and protect - but as a youth minister. He affected hundreds of lives and helped countless youths to get off the fast track to hell and ruination and onto the path of a better life. The day of his death, and for days afterward, there were countless radio broadcasts on talk radio where people who knew him and especially young people whom he had helped called in. The calls would have broken your heart. This was a man who quietly went about his life. He put on his uniform and gun every day and headed out to the mean streets of L.A. but he went out there with an open heart and hand. His goal was to help. And he did.
I know that we all like to complain about cops. When we see them behind us in traffic, our paranoia kicks in and we drive extra careful. When they catch us not quite stopping at the stop sign, we curse under our breath and smile as we sign the copy of the ticket. Then go home and bitch and moan about it to our friends, spouse, family. And we never stop to think about the fact that these men and women literally take their lives in their hands every day for our benefit. To protect us. To keep us safe. We never stop to thank them or wish them a good day. We just take for granted that when something terrible happens they will come to our rescue.
And on that day, Randal Simmons did. A man was holding his family hostage - he had literally lost his mind and had already killed three members of his family. But Officer Simmons and his comrades went anyway. They went to help anyone who might still be alive, they went so that the man wouldn’t kill another human being. Unfortunately, he did kill one more - Randall Simmons. A man who so deserved to live moreso than many others still walking around and enjoying their lives. A man who truly did good in the world. Who cared about the world he lived in and tried to make it a better place, one person at a time.
Angels open arms
rise to their holy welcome
your spirit is home
Rest in peace, Officer Simmons. Thank you for being here and for all that you did for your fellow man. Bless your family.
If you would like to help his family, click here. To read more about this incredible man, click here.
One Hundred Thousand
Posted on February 13, 2008 - Filed Under Blogging, brain farts
Okay, so nobody (including myself) even noticed when the stat counter flipped to 100K. To say I am shocked and amazed doesn’t begin to express how utterly surprised I am that there have been 100,000 hits on this blog.
I only started because Mikey was doing it and there is this weird little competitive thing I get when one of my friends is doing something I’m not doing. I know, that’s a little sick but I never professed to have all my marbles or to be socially well-adjusted.
The fun, the joy, the heartache I’ve had as a blogger, you all know it. There is something really special about it and I guess you have to be a blogger to understand it. And I’m glad a lot of you are and that we’ve met. You’re my blogger buddies but more than that, you’re my friends.
I’ve always envisioned this blog as a big ol’ scarred up kitchen table, with a coffee pot brewing 24/7 and people just drop by to jaw for a while - and apparently you guys have figured that out, because that is just what you do. And I thank you. For every time you’ve dropped by and read, left a comment or a smiley face, debated me on a topic or sent me a funny pic or cartoon to post. For the personal emails, the atta girls when I’ve needed them and your friendship.
Much love,
Annie
But Baby it’s Cold Outside
Posted on February 13, 2008 - Filed Under Humor, bloviating one, brain farts, global warming
Well, once again the Incovenient Doof has gotten it wrong. Yep, Global Warming is simply not cooperating with the bloviating one and things are a little different than predicted by the moonbats. Apparently, 2007 wasn’t the warmest year on record, nor did it far surpass the dreaded 1998 in temps and death and destruction.
Oh and all those hurricanes that were going to devastate the earth didn’t come either. We still aren’t living on a vast dessert wasteland and look at that, life is going on as usual. Marauding bands of homeless survivers are not prowling the neighborhood looking for water, supplies or anyone’s delectible teenaged daughter. Nor are cars developing personalities and holding people up at the local ATMs.
In a way, it’s sad because the newspapers then would have a lot of great headlines with which to frighten the bageebers out of us and sell newspapers at the same time, thereby saving their sorry asses for another day and keeping their rags in print.
Some scientists even have the nerve to think that the sun actually has more power over the climate than cars. Can you imagine? The sun, a mere fireball in the sky, could have something to do with the climate? Heresy, I say.
In fact, it seems that we may be going toward a period of global cooling. Bummer, because I’m a sunshine gal and I hate being cold, but luckily I have plenty of heating oil and my car has a good heater too, so I guess I’ll manage.
The debate is not over, my friends, you can bet your Ug boots on that. And in fact, the debate will probably go on forever until man gets it through his head that he cannot control the planet nor its weather patterns. And realizes that we simply live here and while we should be good stewards of the place in which we live - we need to get over the arrogant of belief that we actually cause the weather. That’s all I’m saying.
WC
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