An Open Letter to the Members of the USA Government

Dear Representatives:

The title in which I address you in this letter is one that is dripping with sarcasm and utter disrespect, as you actions yesterday prove that you are NOT a representative of the American people but only of yourselves.



When it came to the Healthcare Reform bill (which is a misleading name considering that it is actually reform of INSURANCE), you voted against the wishes of the majority of your constituents knowing good and well that you will be replaced in November.

How can you face yourself in the mirror today and call yourself a man or a woman knowing that you gave in to the most arrogant, egotistical, self-centered person this country has ever elected as a president. You call yourself defenders of the republic?

YOU ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE REPUBLIC!

When you were giving in to the man and his Cruella-looking sidekick in the name of saving yourself, did you realize that there WILL come a day that you will have grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other loved ones who will be subjected to this "Healthcare" reform?

Probably not. It was all about you. Today. Living in the moment. Saving your behind right now.

Maybe you did help the American economy. After all, come the latter part of this year, there's going to be a lot of job vacancies on Capitol Hill. Maybe some good ol' boys with common sense and knack for listening can take your place.

And you think amnesty legislation will help you? Think again. It will only fuel the hate fed fires.

Once you've fallen from grace, it's hard to rise again. Face it, your fifteen minutes of fame is over.

Barack Obama USED you to further his own agenda. He will be remembered, oh yes. You, my washed-up friend, will never even be mentioned by name in a history book.

In closing, I just want to remind you that all of your efforts are most likely in vain. The American people are ones who are born fighters (remember our Founding Fathers?). We will not just accept this new legislation as gospel.

On January 16, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) became effective. In 1933, it was repealed.

What is done can be undone. Especially when it tramples all over our Constitutional rights.

Was it really worth it?

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Fred Phelps and the Poltergist Movie Preacher

Well, it seems that Fred Phelps and his hate-spirited, judgmental clan is back in the news.

Seems that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a case filed by the father of a slain Marine on the issue of whether the protest held by Phelps' congregation crossed the line from freedom of speech to harrassment.



This could turn easily turn into a landmark case. And I fear the outcome.

While I think there is no doubt a special place in hell for the self-righteous, judgment-passing "Christians" that are more like dumb sheep following Phelps' every command in the name of religion, I still think they have the right to protest within the public confines.

My father, uncles, grandfather, and great-grandfathers gave years of their lives to this country for the freedoms we enjoy.  Including freedom of speech.

And even though I may HATE (and, yes, I understand that fine line between strong dislike and hate) what he is saying, where he is saying, and how he is saying it, I still believe he has a right to say it.

If we open the door to one government restriction, we open the door to many more.  Many, many more.

Like I said, I think Phelps and his "Christians" (I'm not referencing Christians in general here, notice I am referring to this specific group) will pay for their wicked acts in ways we will never know; but that is up to God, not us - and in the meantime I want to retain my freedom of speech.

Anyway....getting off my soapbox since that wasn't the point of my post anyway.

Am I the only one who thinks that Fred Phelps has an uncanny similarity to the preacher in the Poltergist movie?

Can you see it?  Isn't it just downright creepy? 

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Where Were You On September 11, 2001?

Please take time today to remember the victims of the worst attack to ever occur on American soil: September 11, 2001.

And remember those victims still bearing the grief today of losing a loved one.

Most of all REMEMBER.

My Question:

Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2001 when you heard the news that America was under a terrorist attack?

My Answer:

Even 8 years later, it's difficult to remember that day without crying.

I had only been at work for a short while when friends from a nearby law office called to ask if I had turned on my television. When I responded that I hadn't, I was told that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and asked to see what the news reports were saying.

At this time, there was no indication that this was anything other than a horrendous accident.

Not long after turning on the television, I witnessed live as the second plane flew into the second tower of the WTC.

Even in my small town, hundreds of miles from New York, it seemed that mass confusion ensued as people began exiting their businesses looking for confirmation that what they had just seen on television or heard on the radio was real.

I will never forget how, in that one day, everything seemed to come to a grinding halt. Everyone gathered together to watch the news reports; hoping somehow that it was all wrong. Only later to watch as reports came in about the Pentagon and United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

I remember being sickened as the towers crumbled; knowing the fate of those who remained inside.

I will forever carry images of fireman and police officers who ran toward danger to save the lives of people who they had never even met - many to forever leave behind wives, husbands and children.

I will always admire those who I knew personally, and those I didn't, who - without a second thought of their own safety - headed north to render aid in any way they could.

I will always hold in the highest regard the men and women who fight the war in Iraq - to ensure our safety against such evilness - despite the callousness of many Americans who now claim that we are fighting a rich man's war; a war about oil.

Because they have forgotten.

But I will never forget.

Find More Aloha Friday at An Island Life

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Will Your Children Hear President Obama's Speech Tuesday?

From WorldNetDaily: "Parents across the country are rebelling against plans by President Barack Obama to speak directly to their children through the classrooms of the nation's public schools without their presence, participation and approval....

At issue was an announcement that Obama plans to deliver a message directly to students via the Internet into public school classrooms across the nation on Sept. 8.

According to announcement posted on ServiceWire.org, Obama will address students "about the importance of persisting and succeeding in school" at 1 p.m. Eastern at the WhiteHouse.gov website.

The announcement said the federal Department of Education "is encouraging educators, students and parents to use this opportunity to help students get focused and begin the school year strong."

The government also is publicizing a list of suggestions for students and teachers to do in preparation for the speech, including studying Barack Obama's writings and presidency."

[read the complete article....]

My Question:

Will you allow your children to participate in this event if your school district opts to broadcast it?

My Answer:

I think I've made my thoughts pretty clear in previous posts...lol....no, my children will not be permitted to attend school on that day.

It is MY responsibility to teach MY children about citizenship, not a President who has so been so transparent in his arrogant, egotistical views.

Although I declare my self a Republican, I can assure you if a Republican President was so brazenly against my views on morality, economics, citizenship, and race as Obama, my children would not listen to him either.

Have a Safe & Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Visit More Aloha Friday at An Island Life.

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Share Your Thoughts On A Fat Tax

In 2008, Alabama instituted what some refer to as a "fat tax."

State employees who peruse the insurance plans available to them will be required to undergo medical screenings. Those who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high glucose will have to pay $25 a month more in health insurance beginning in January 2011, if they don't take steps to address their health problems.

And it's not just Alabama looking to take steps to rid their residents of their love handles.

New York, since last year, has been tossing the idea around of a similar tax - sometimes referred to as a "Twinkie Tax" - that would place tax penalties on items such as non-diet soft drinks.

Now that the hot topic of Universal Health Care is on the table, many believe that a "fat tax" will be one of the first means of paying for the program.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON STATE OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS IMPOSING FAT TAXES ON THEIR CITIZENS?

On the surface, this seems like a good idea considering that 72 million (1/3) adults in the U.S. are now overweight or obese; add to that the 32% of American children who are overweight.

Upon learning of the possibilities of fat taxes becoming a nationwide mandate, I took time to seriously contemplate the pros and the cons.

Overall, however, I see a major problem: one more way the government is telling us how we should live.

What it really boils down to is this: American's are willing to take responsibility for their health, so the government wants to jump in with a health plan. In turn for your free (said tongue in cheek) healthcare they control your diet; or, at the very least, make you pay extra for your goodies.

I personally think that Americans need a little lesson in tough love - meaning the government can butt out. If we can't control ourselves from eating all the unhealthy stuff out there, then let the thinning of the herd begin!

Let us fend for ourselves for a while and maybe common sense will make a comeback.

And if not, oh well....

I have my diet well under control considering my scare with gestational diabetes; but about once every three months, I allow myself a sweet little treat. And, quite frankly, I'm not to keen as paying a tax on that goody that serves the same as a governmental slap on my hand.

Besides, has anyone noticed that the arrogant men and women looking to punish the "bad people" have innertubes around their wastes and vienna sausage fingers?

Ha! How about we give this idea a test run on them first and see if actually works? I'll go ahead and put my money down on a BIG FAT ~FAIL~!

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13 Stupid State Laws That'll Make You Laugh

Seems it's not just our current Congressmen and women who have taken an recess from intelligence.

The following state laws were inacted many, many years ago and are currently active laws today (and though, thankfully, seldom - if ever - enforced):

1. In Tennessee, more than 8 women may not live in the same house because that would constitute a brothel.
   
   
2. In Idaho, riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is considered a crime.
   
   
3. In Alabama, boogers may not be flicked into the wind.
   
   
4. In Michigan, willfully destroying your old radio is prohibited.
   
   
5. In Hawaii, coins are not allowed to be placed in one's ears.
   
   
6. In New Hampshire, it is considered an offense to check into a hotel under an assumed name.
   
   
7. In Florida, it is considered an offense to shower naked.
   
   
8. In Wyoming, you may not take a picture of a rabbit during the month of June.
   
   
9. In Arizona, donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs.
   
   
10. In New Orleans, Louisiana, it illegal for a woman to drive a car unless her husband is waving a flag in front of it.
    
    
11. In Oklahoma, dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.
    
    
12. In Utah, it is illegal not to drink milk.
    
    
13. In West Virginia, whistling underwater is prohibited.

Know what I wanna know? Who was doing what to make lawmakers even think about enacting such rules?

Find More Thursday Thirteen at www.thursday-13.com!

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Book Review: The Bike Path Rapist by Jeff Schober with Detective Dennis Delano

As a boy, Detective Dennis Delano never aspired to be a cop; but it was apparently his destiny.

Working as a homicide detective in Buffalo, New York, Detective Delano would spend hours studying cold cases to refine his investigative techniques.

All the while, a serial rapist was on the loose in and around the bike paths of Western New York.

His first known attack occurred in 1977, and his would continue raping - and killing at least three women - until 2006.

Three decades of stalking women and brutalizing them.

He became known to law enforcement as The Bike Path Rapist.

And in the meantime, an innocent, mentally-ill man, Anthony Capozzi, would pay for The Bike Path Rapist's crimes with twenty-two years of life; his freedom.

When Detective Delano discovered Capozzi's innocence, he made it his mission to set him free.

What should have been a simple task became a politically-induced nightmare for Delano and Capozzi's family.

Yet Western New Yorkers remained oblivious to the political details as detectives from a specially formed task force hunted a serial rapist turned murderer.

DNA evidence would soon identify Almetio Sanchez as the man women had feared meeting along the beautiful yet secluded bike paths; a man beloved within his community but whom harbored a sociopathic hatred towards women.

Sanchez's crimes would solve almost thirty years worth of cases; many of which had ran their statute of limitations.

And vindicate an innocent man of the crimes for which he had been wrongfully convicted.

Unfortunately, the overinflated ego of a rogue District Attorney would be exposed and a dedicated cold-case detective would be forced into retirement; making the case of The Bike Path Rapist end on a bittersweet note.

Bike Path Rapist is the book to read if you want to know all of the inside workings that pertains to this twisted case that spanned three decades.

From the inner-office disputes to legal wranglings to head butting between the brass and prosecutors, Bike Path Rapist is an straight-shooting account of the hunt for a monster and the careers it would subsequently end.

Buy It! Purchase Bike Path Rapist from Amazon for only $7.99.

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Ha! Republican National Committee (RNC) Survey

When I got the mail the other day, I noticed this official looking envelope from the Republican National Committee in Washington D.C.

Yes, I am a Republican (or was, which will be explained later). I have been a proud conservative for all of my voting years.

That clear, I'll continue....

So anyway, I opened the envelope to find this official looking letter explaining how the Republican party needs to revamp, rebuild, and regain control of Congress.

Agree, agree, and agree.

According to the letter, they want me to take a census to help them understand what their constituents want to see happening in the Nation's Capitol.

So I pull the official looking survey form entitled "Census Document Questionnaire."

I read along, calculating my answers, then come to the "donation" part.

Donation request. Fine.

It's the next part that got me.

They want $12 to tabulate my survey!

Huh?

You're kidding me right.

The letter moans and groans about government-backed bailouts, then the RNC wants $12 just to tabulate a survey??!!

I don't think so.

I will not pay a dime to tell them how they should be doing their job. Quite frankly, if they need me to fill out a questionnaire to tell them that, I think it's time I vote them out and put somebody in there who was listening the first time around.

Lately I'd been disgusted with the Republican party anyway. Not disgusted enough to become liberal - that will never happen.

And after reading up on beliefs of Constutionalist, that is what I will now officially declare myself. (Not the militia version, I promise!)

Thank you, RNC, for bringing to my attention that you're not better than those left-winging crooks you wrote about.

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Really Getting Sick And Tired

... of having Obama's health care agenda shoved down my throat.

What part of "Most Americans Do NOT want a Universal Health Care Plan" does the man not understand?

Shut up already! Get off the freakin' TV! You're not going to whoo me with your prepared speeches about how this is good for me.

Go peddle your expensive, taxpayer-costly crap elsewhere, dude!

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Affiliate Marketing Becoming An Endangered Species

Affiliate marketing is a major backbone of Mom bloggers.

Through affiliate marketing, Mom bloggers are able to make their blogs profitable; thus compensating them for their hard work and time.

With the current economic crisis that is affecting our nation, more and more shoppers are looking to online resources as a means to finding better deals. In turn, states are seeing a rapid decrease in sales tax collections and are eager to recoup those losses.

"The trouble began in 2008, when New York passed a law requiring Amazon (and other retailers) to collect sales taxes if they had 'affiliates' in the state," writes Chris Null of Yahoo! Tech. Null continues, "New York claimed that having these local affiliates meant Amazon was operating a physical 'nexus' in that state, thus subjecting any sales there to New York state sales tax. Amazon sued the state, and lost."

Other sites with affiliate marketers, such as Overstock.com, decided to instead "fire" their affiliates; thereby eliminating any claim by states of a nexus.

As a results of New York's victory, four other states - California, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and North Carolina - have successfully or plan to institute a plan to collect sales tax on internet sales.

Amazon, one of the internet's largest affiliates, is already responding. Rather than continue their efforts to abolish internet sales tax with the judicial system, Amazon instead opted to terminate their affiliate ties with participants in those states.

Anyone who currently participates in affiliate marketing needs to be keeping an eye on their state's stance pertaining to this issue. And in the meantime, you should contact your Representatives to let them know you do not agree with such measures.

It should be taken into consideration that, as these states continue to create more havoc with their frivolous taxation, they will be creating an even greater number of those suffering income loss; which, in turn, will reduce the number of goods and services sold thereby slowing down even more an almost idle economy.

And I can assure you, just as we have seen throughout history, government won't be able to manage the money made from internet sales no better than they properly allocated funds previously collected. So what will be their next target for taxation and the excuse for doing so?

I agree with Lynn Terry as she states on her ClickNewz blog, "Personally, I applaud the merchants for taking a stand, and the affiliates who have written to their state Representatives regarding the new internet sales tax laws."

Will you take a stand? Or will you set idly by as government once again taxes us for their inability to manage a budget?

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Bailouts. Islands. Octomom. Teenagers. Random Thoughts.

I am thoroughly disgusted by the announcement that the government now owns 60 percent of GM following the company's Monday filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

Instead of getting a car, however, the stockholders (a.k.a. taxpayers) are getting only the car payment - as another 20 Billion dollars in bailout funds is being tossed into the deal.

I'm not a doomsday kind of gal, but never have so much believed that America is headed for an economic crash like none before.

This free printing of nonexistent cash only creates inflation.

My husband has said for years now that he wants to buy an island and set up camp there. I've always laughed; but I'm more ready than ever to stop laughing and start searching with him.

And if the GM bankruptcy wasn't big enough news, many of the internet forums are abuzz with the news that Octomom Nadya Suleman has closed a deal with British Company Eyeworks to begin filming a television reality show based on her life of raising 14 children as a single, unemployed mother.

Leave it to the Brits to snag Octomom. I think American broadcasters knew the risk they could be taking by airing such a show.

On the other hand, though, with all the Jon and Kate drama - and most likely the end of that reality series - Octomom's show just might be hit.

It's like a train wreck. You know it's not going to be good. You know it's going to make you sick to your stomach. But you just can't stop yourself from looking.

One of the biggest complaints as relates to Octomom has been that she will be raising her children on public assistance. Now that she's getting her own reality show, that shouldn't be the case. So all those screaming and stomping their feet on that issue can breathe easier now.

I gotta be honest...I feel sorry for Nadya Suleman. She's apparently not all together. After all, who wants to have 8 sixteen-year-olds in the house at once.

I have one 17 year old and there are days that I'd like to put him out.

The other day my 17 year old son announced that he's considering moving out at 18 - three months before he graduates high school. Not because he doesn't like living here, he just wants freedom.

Okay, I understand that.

So I did the motherly thing and started asking questions.

How are you going to pay rent? He says, "I work." (Uh, yeah, that 10 hours per week job that pays minimum wage?)

Lights, water, electricity? He says, "Mom, I work." (Repeat same thought)

Enough asked. If (and that's a BIG if) he moves out, I give him less than 24 hours.

Oh, and to add the icing on the cake, he's planning on moving out with a friend; a friend who has never been employed and doesn't plan on being any time soon. (That should work out real well.)

Seriously tell me I wasn't that dumb niave at 17. I know I did some silly, immature things - made some bad choices - but I'm pretty sure I was not that clueless.

Sadly my child isn't alone in his naivete. But misery loves company, so in a way I'm happy about that part.

One more reason to move to an island. These ding-a-lings are going to be running this country when I'm an old lady.

And I'm afraid.

Very, very afraid.

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Bank Overdraft Charges Could Become A Thing of the Past

Have you had a slight miscalculation in your checking account that caused you to overdrawn by just a few cents? Then that mistake ended up costing you $25 to $50 extra?

If so, you're not alone. And consumers are tired of banks gouging them for such small overdrafts.
Ethel Dillon told Consumer Reports about an incident that occurred with her former bank where she was charged $8.00 a day in overdraft fees over a fifty-two cent mistake. Dillon stated, "I realize the shortage was not their fault, but it wouldn't have hurt them to call right away and offer me the chance to make a deposit since I had not over drawn my account before."

Such has been the public outcry about these excessive fees that the Federal Reserve Board (FTR) was seeking opinions from consumers.

One of the proposals made by the FTR was to allow consumers to opt-out of the overdraft protection plans that many banks automatically enroll their customers in when issuing ATM/debit cards.

"[This proposal] would prevent institutions from charging overdraft fees unless they first inform customers and allow them to opt out. The alternative would prohibit charging such fees for customers unless they consent – or opt in – to the program," says Consumer Reports in an article titled The Feds Want Your Opinion on Bank Overdraft Fees.

A second proposal would eliminate overdrafts in cases where funds have been put "on hold" or reserved in excess of the actual amount purchased. Some examples of these holds include hotels, car rentals, and gas purchases. "[These] holds can amount to several hundred dollars and take days to clear, causing customers to overdraw their accounts unknowingly," the article claims.

Consumers were asked to visit the Consumer's Union website and share their opinions by March 30, 2009, with the Feds in an effort to reach some resolution to these outrageous charges. You can read some of the stories by visiting the Consumer Union's website Defend Your Dollars.

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