09.25.08

Is there any doubt we have at the very LEAST a socialist running for president?

Posted in Miscellany, History at 12:06 pm by LeftBrainFemale

If only the so-called main stream media were really on top of their job, and looking for real issues rather than running down rabbit trails trying to pin some really gnarly dirt on Sarah Palin!

It’s really kinda disgusting how interested they are in her private life and actions, yet how disinterested they are in thoroughly checking out Barry. If the shoe were on the other foot, and she or McCain had spurious connections with - I dunno, say Timothy McVeigh, or the Unibomber, do ya think they’d be getting the pass that Obama is being given? Come on, folks, lets get real. What on earth has happened to journalistic integrity?
Obama-Ayers: Partners in Revolution

Permalink Comments

09.10.06

2,996: Honoring the 9/11 Victims - Luke A. Dudek

Posted in Miscellany, History at 9:05 pm by LeftBrainFemale

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers
will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives,
and not by remembering their murderers.

I never knew Luke A. Dudek, but when the 2,996 website hit my radar, I knew I would like to participate. I don’t know personally anyone directly affected by the tragedy that is 9/11, but in some ways, I think I know them all, because we were all affected. I know that they were my countrymen - and that they had lives that were taken from them without warning.

Luke Dudek grew up in Livingston, NJ - a college friend described him as someone who was “gentle and warm and harmed no one.”

Luke was 50 years old, and the Food & Beverage Controller at Windows on the World atop One World Trade Center. He was friendly, gregarious, and loved his work, his hobbies, his life partner George Cuellar, and his dalmations Barney and Gypsy.

Luke liked tinkering with cars, was a connoisseur of fine wine, food, and cuban cigars. He often used the expression “my tide is out” to express to a waiter that his wine glass was empty. He had refurbished the home he grew up in - a 1930’s bungalow in Livingston, NJ and turned it into a modern sculpture. He was good with numbers and details like turning off lights to conserve energy to save money. Working hard, he understood the value of a dollar.

In 1985, Luke and George opened a flower shop, Coqui Designs, Inc. in Cedar Grove, NJ. Luke loved every aspect of the flower shop - and enjoyed delivering flowers for weddings or floral displays on weekends and during his time off. In the spring of 2001, they bought a building in Cedar Grove for Coqui Designs and the week before 9/11, Luke had spent his vacation in finishing the renovations for the new location. September 11 was his first day back on the job.

Luke was a caring man who died too soon, and he will always be missed by those he loved and those who loved him.

Permalink 3 Comments

04.30.06

Immigrants or Migrants?

Posted in Essays, Life, Liberty, Property, History at 1:26 pm by LeftBrainFemale

I’ve been thinking about this for a while - and it occurs to me that a great many of the illegal immigrants (so-called) in this country are not immigrants, but migrants.

I remember as I was a youngster, my parents and grandparents referred occasionally to the “migrant” workers who worked in the Orange groves near my grandparents home. I understood them to mean some of the poor families who worked in the Orange groves in season and travelled to other areas of the state or country as there was need - picking fruit, ferns, vegetable crops, etc. These were folks who were known for what they did - it wasn’t meant as any kind of slur, it’s just who they were.

It has become apparent in the last few years that using the term “migrant” is apparently no longer PC - but I think it’s time we call a spade a spade and begin using the proper terminology.

The word “migrant” means someone who changes residency - usually to better their financial or living situation - but not particularly for any permanency. This means they go where pickins’ are best.

An immigrant is one who makes a permanent change of residency.

Now, it follows, that one who makes a permanent change of residency is probably someone who is working toward helping himself and his family in his new home - and to help positively impact the surroundings of his new home (whether we’re talking a neighborhood or a country). Thus I would contend that legal immigrants - that is those who have come through legal channels, are going to add value to the community and not be takers. In fact, in my experience with most of the legal immigrants I’ve met (either in person or through their writings) is that they are stronger patriots than most of my compatriots. They appreciate the opportunities which this country affords and they would not even *think* about accepting welfare. If they’re sending money “back home” to family, it’s generally with an eye toward helping those family members who are too old to immigrate or to help them to come to this country legally.

On the other hand, a migrant who has come into this country just because it is a land of opportunity, but who has no love for the country may and probably does accept welfare, medicaid, as well as sending money back to family and encouraging them to enter the country in the same manner in which they did. Can you imagine an illegal immigrant assisting anyone to come into the country legally? Not bloody likely.

There is a completely different mindset today than there was 100 years ago. I know I was and am blessed to have lived in this country all my life. I’m probably about a 12 generation native as most of my ancestors came over long before Ellis Island was established. But even 100 years ago the mindset was not about holding on fiercely to the old culture at the expense of the new.

The point really came home to my sister (and vicariously me) a few weeks ago. St. Patricks day fell on a “casual Friday” this year, so my sister wore her Irish Tee shirt to work in her primarily Hispanic office. She was stunned when several of her co-workers remarked to her “hey, we didn’t know you were Irish”. Her response I thought classic. “That’s because I’m an American” she said. Therein lies the crux of the matter, and the reason that we’re likely headed for another kind of civil war in this country - because while some of us haven’t forgotten our heritage, we consider ourselves first and foremost AMERICAN.

Those from other countries (whether legally or no) who think that they’re going to engender love and acceptance from those of us who’ve been here all our lives by requiring that we change to suit their needs (by learning their language or having their culture shoved down our throats) have got another think coming. This is not how you show love to your fellow countrymen.

But I digress - back to my original point. The word migrant is often used when talking about birds - migratory birds generally travel South in the winter (to more hospitable climes) and back North in the spring. Kind of “fair-weather” birds. D’ya see the parallel? And do you see that as long as we make this country always more hospitable than their own, they’ll never leave? Do you understand that those of us who love this country and are legal residents are supporting these illegals - not the other way ’round as the media would have you believe? I’d venture to say that these “migrant birds” are not only migrant - they’re predatory birds. Predators are opportunists - and these predators are picking us dry.

Cross posted at The Liberty Papers.

Permalink 4 Comments

11.10.05

This day (November 10) in history . . .

Posted in Miscellany, History at 7:30 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Well, after ruminating a bit on which of a myriad of subjects to address, I’ve decided to take the “easy” way out today. Besides, it was a busy news day in history, and there are a number of things that I think bear mentioning!

1775 - American Revolutionary War: The Continental Congress passes a resolution creating the Continental Marines (later renamed the United States Marine Corps) to serve as landing troops for the recently created Continental Navy.

1865 - Major Henry Wirz, the superintendent of a prison camp in Andersonville, Georgia, is hanged, becoming the only American Civil War soldier executed for war crimes. Interestingly enough, the tale of Andersonville serves to highlight mans inhumanity to man (infighting amongst those incarcerated) as much as (if nor more than) those who were in charge of the prison. 13,000 died in that camp, and that among speculation that they were left to rot by their own side - intentionally - to help weaken the Confederate armies.

1871 - Henry Morton Stanley locates missing explorer and missionary, Dr. David Livingstone in Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika saying “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

1938 - Kate Smith, on her weekly radio show, sings Irving Berlin’s God Bless America for the first time.

1951 - Direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the United States. Considering our addiction now to cellular or digital phones, I’d say this is a pretty big milestone!

1954 - US President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicates the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima memorial) in Arlington National Cemetery.

1969 - National Educational Television (the predecessor to the Public Broadcasting Service) in the United States debuts the children’s television program Sesame Street.

1975 - The 729-foot-long freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks during a storm on Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew on board. Who doesn’t love the Gordon Lightfoot ballad - it makes the tale come alive for me each time I hear it.

1975 - United Nations Resolution 3379: United Nations General Assembly approves a resolution equating Zionism with racism (the resolution was repealed in December 1991). Interestingly, this resolution was passed at a time when the U.S. was floundering under a weak leader (Gerald Ford), having just come through the impeachment of Richard Nixon and still dealing with the repercussions. It was repealed in 1991, under George H. W. Bush. As a footnote, in Wikipedia it is noted that: Majority votes of various UN agencies and bodies continued to assert the phrase “Zionism is racism” as the consensus in their agendas and conclusions, reflecting persistence of this view apart from the resolution. However, under pressure from the United States, under George W. Bush’s administration, the phrase was omitted from the agenda of the United Nations Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, 2001, and its final communiqué.

Permalink Comments

10.12.05

This Day in History . . .

Posted in History at 7:12 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

There have been a number of barbaric attacks worldwide on this day in history - and while they should sadden us, they should also strengthen our resolve to eradicate, as much as possible, this form of terrorism.

1984 - Brighton hotel bombing: Margaret Thatcher survives an IRA bomb, which shredded her bathroom barely two minutes after she had left it

1988 - two officers of the Victoria Police are gunned down executional style in the Walsh Street police shootings, Australia

1997 - Sidi Daoud massacre in Algeria; 43 killed at a fake roadblock

2000 - In Aden, Yemen, the USS Cole is badly damaged by two suicide bombers, killing 17 crewmembers and wounding at least 39

2002 - Bali bombing: In Bali, terrorists detonate bombs in two nightclubs in Kuta, killing 202 and wounding over 300

Be sure to head over to Personal Protection Training & Firearm Instruction for a tribute and memorial to the USS Cole.

Permalink Comments

10.03.05

This Week in History . . .

Posted in History at 1:42 pm by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

War Battles, Plane Crashes, Deadly Fires & a bit of Technology thrown in for good measure!

October 2
1780 - American Revolutionary War: British spy John Andre is hanged by American forces for his role in Benedict Arnold’s plot to sell West Point to the British Army.
1835 - The Texas Revolution begins with the Battle of Gonzales: Mexican soldiers attempt to disarm the people of Gonzales, Texas, but encounter stiff resistance from a hastily assembled militia.
1889 - In Colorado, Nicholas Creede strikes it rich in silver during the last great silver boom of the American old west.
1924 - The Geneva Protocol is adopted as a means to strengthen the League of Nations. The League of Nations turned out to be no more successful at it’s mission (world peace) than the current inception (UN) is today. If we haven’t learned much from such recent history . . . oh, nevermind.
1950 - The comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz is first published in seven US newspapers.
1959 - The Twilight Zone pilot premieres.
1962 - Johnny Carson debuts as host of The Tonight Show.

October 3
1789 - George Washington proclaims the first Thanksgiving Day. Incidentally, the favorite holiday of LBF - without a doubt!
1962 - At Cape Canaveral the Mercury 8 blasts off with Astronaut Wally Schirra aboard for a nine-hour flight.
1964 - Underdog debuts on CBS. LBF remembers (vaguely) watching Underdog as her favorite cartoon!
1995 - O. J. Simpson found not guilty of murder. How many of my readers have actually found that they can take a glove and make it appear to be too small, when it in fact fits just fine? Ah well. Ancient history now!

October 4
1895 - The first U.S. Open Mens’ Golf Championship run by the United States Golf Association was played on a nine-hole course in Newport, Rhode Island.
1957 - Launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
1960 - An Eastern Airlines Lockheed L-188 Electra flying from Boston crashes killing 62 people after a bird strike.
1983 - Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of 633.468 mph, driving Thrust 2 at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
1993 - Doom press-release version is made available to journalists for review.

October 5
1877 - Chief Joseph surrenders his Nez Perce band to General Nelson A. Miles
1921 - The World Series was broadcast on the radio for the first time.
1947 - The first televised White House address is given by President Harry S. Truman.
1949 - WSAZ, the United States’ first television station, located in Huntington, West Virginia, begins broadcasting.
1981 - Raoul Wallenberg becomes an honorary American citizen - interesting to note that this was most likely a posthumous honor as there is no firm evidence that he was alive.

October 6
1884 - The Naval War College of the United States Navy was founded in Newport, Rhode Island.
1889 - Thomas Alva Edison shows his first motion picture.
1955 - A United Airlines DC-4 crashes in Medicine Bow Peak, Wyoming, killing 66 people

October 7
1780 - Battle of Kings Mountain: American Patriot militia defeat Loyalist irregulars led by British colonel Patrick Ferguson in South Carolina.
1816 - First double-decked steamboat, the “Washington”, arrives in New Orleans
1943 - Japan executes 100 American prisoners on Wake Island.

October 8
1871 - Three major fires break out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois, Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and Holland, Michigan. Who knew there was more than one great fire that day?!

* The Great Chicago Fire is the most famous of these, burning 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km²) in one day, eventually destroying about 17,450 buildings, and killing about 250 people while leaving another 90,000 homeless.
* The Peshtigo Fire burns 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km²) across six counties in one day and kills 1,200 to 2,500 people, making it the deadliest in United States history.
* The Holland Fire destroys at least two towns.

1944 - The radio show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet debuts
1956 - New York Yankees baseball pitcher Don Larsen pitches first (and only) perfect game in World Series history in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

Permalink Comments

09.19.05

This Week in History . . .

Posted in History at 8:46 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

History highlights for the week include the birth of the Old Grey Lady and CBS, infamous murderers, traitors, explorers, and internet milestones. Some very interesting things have happened this week in history - check it out!

September 18

1851 - The New-York Daily Times, which will become The New York Times, begins publishing.

1873 - The Panic of 1873 began on September 18 with the failure of the Philadelphia investment house of Jay Cooke. Cooke had played a large role in financing the Union war effort by marketing federal bonds to farmers and workers.

1927 - Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air.

1932 - Actress Peg Entwistle commits suicide by jumping from the H in the Hollywood sign, forever turning the sign into a symbol for the paradox of the American film industry.

1975 - Patty Hearst is arrested after a year on the FBI Most Wanted List. I was 14 when Patty Hearst was arrested. I remember reading everything I could find during the time she was missing and after her arrest. My own opinion at the time was that she was telling the truth about her experiences, and I felt sorry for her. I’m a little less idealistic at 43, but she now seems to be living an exemplary life.

1998 - ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is formed.

September 19

1692 - Giles Corey is pressed to death after refusing to plead in the Salem witch trials.

1796 - George Washington makes his farewell address. George Washington was not a fan of the political party system - he believed that “It serves to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration….agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one….against another….it opens the door to foreign influence and corruption…thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.” Imagine that!

1959 - Nikita Khrushchev is barred from visiting Disneyland.

1982 - Scott Fahlman posts the first recorded instance of the emoticon to an online bulletin board

September 20

1737 - Runner Edward Marshall completes his journey in the Walking Purchase forcing the cession of 1.2 million acres (4,860 km²) of Lenape-Delaware tribal land to the Pennsylvania Colony.

1954 - First program compiled from FORTRAN runs (FORmula TRANSlator/TRANSlation)

1984 - Suicide bomber in a car attacks the United States embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing twelve people

September 21

1780 - Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point

1897 - The Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus letter is published in the New York Sun.

1937 - J. R. R. Tolkien publishes The Hobbit. If you haven’t read Tolkien, you haven’t lived! Just for fun, check out your Hobbit name! Mine is Lila Sandybanks of Frogmorton

1942 - B-29 Superfortress makes its debut. Most famous was the Enola Gay - check out the restoration site!

September 22

1776 - Nathan Hale is hanged by British General William Howe for spying during American Revolution.

1862 - A preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation is released.

1893 - The first American-built automobile, built by the Duryea Brothers, is displayed.

1961 - Peace Corps is formed.

1985 - The Plaza Accord devaluing the US dollar was signed in New York City.

September 23

1642 - First commencement exercises occur at Harvard University. Colonial Era Graduates

1780 - British Major John Andre arrested as a spy by American soldiers exposing Benedict Arnold’s treason

1806 - Lewis and Clark return, after exploring the Pacific Northwest. Interesting factoid - Meriwether Lewis father died when he was five. By age eight, it was not uncommon for him to explore the forests and caves in the Albemarle County, VA area alone; sometimes camping overnight.

1875 - William Bonney (”Billy the Kid”) is arrested for the first time.

1962 - The Jetsons aired for the first time.

1981 - Jack Henry Abbott, best-selling author, is arrested for murder. Of course, the reason Jack Abbott became a best selling author was that Norman Mailer helped Abbott, who was in jail for armed robbery and killing another inmate, win parole in 1981. Abbott landed back in prison six weeks later for murder, and in 2002 hung himself in his cell.

September 24

1493 - Christopher Columbus departs on his second expedition to the New World

1869 - “Black Friday”. Gold prices plummet as stock manipulators Jay Gould and James Fisk plotted to control the market.

1908 - The first Ford Model T is built

1957 - President Dwight Eisenhower sends United States National Guard troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce desegregation.

1962 - United States court of appeals orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith. Interesting to note that James Meredith distanced himself from the Civil Rights movement in the late 60’s, became a stockbroker, joined the republican party and made several attempts to be elected to congress. In 1988, he accused “liberal whites” of being the greatest enemy of African Americans.

1993 - Broderbund releases the computer game Myst.

Permalink Comments

09.16.05

Happy Constitution Day!

Posted in Life, Liberty, Property, History at 10:55 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Ogre over at Ogre’s Views and Politics is spending the day really looking at the constitution. If you haven’t done so yourself in a while, check it out! And if you’re wondering what else happened this day in history, you haven’t checked out a post I made earlier this week.

Permalink Comments

09.13.05

This Week in History . . .

Posted in History at 8:11 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

In my “spare” time, I am a history buff. Not a history buff in the “I know everything there is to be known about any particular era” sense, but more a history buff in the “I enjoy reading, studying, and learning from history in general” sense.

With that thought in mind, I have determined to begin a weekly (or perhaps bi-monthly or monthly) posting (depending on the time I find) which I will call “This week in history”.

I’m going to narrow the focus to US history, and only those things which are particularly intriguing to me - otherwise it would take me a month to get through a weeks worth of research, and I just don’t have that kind of time. So, here we go - perhaps you’ll find something new and interesting that you didn’t know about before either!

September 11, 1789 - Alexander Hamilton becomes the first Secretary of the Treasury.

September 11, 1857 - Mountain Meadows Massacre between 120-150 men, women, and children pioneers are massacred by Paiute Indians and a Mormon Militia lead by John D. Lee.

September 11, 200l - Never Forget!

September 12, 1609 - Henry Hudson discovers the river that would later bear his name.

September 12, 1814 - Battle of North Point wherein American Militia held off the British army so that defensive entrenchments around the city of Baltimore could be completed. Directly contributed to the ending of the war of 1812.

September 12, 1940 - Hercules Munitions Plant in Kenvil, NJ explodes, killing 55.

September 12, 1957 - North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) begins Operations at Ent, Colorado. May 12, 1958, a formal agreement is signed between the US and Canada. Until the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD’s focus was almost exclusively fixed on threats coming toward the Canadian and American borders, not terrorism in our domestic airspace. Because of that day, NORAD’s focus has increased to include domestic airspace. NORAD’s mission is truly global.

September 12, 2001 - Article V invoked for the first time ever in response to the September 11 attacks.

September 13, 1847 - Battle of Chapultepec Mexican American war - General Winfield Scott ordered the hanging of deserters to coincide with the raising of the Stars and Stripes over the captured citadel.

September 13, 1899 - Henry Bliss becomes first person in the US to die in a car accident. He stepped off a streetcar into the path of an automobile. Wonder if this is where we got the expression “ignorance is Bliss”?

September 13, 1970 - First running of the New York City Marathon.

September 14, 1814 - Francis Scott Key writes The Star-Spangled Banner

September 14, 1901 - President William McKinley dies of an assassination attempt eight days earlier (guess you’d have to call it more than an attempt, eh?) and Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th President.

September 15, 1831 - Locomotive John Bull takes its maiden journey in New Jersey.

September 15, 1967 - Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to a sniper attack at the University of Texas, writes a letter to the United States Congress urging the enactment of gun control legislation.

September 16, 1776 - Battle of Harlem Heights proved to the American Militia’s that they could win in battle against the British.

September 16, 1942 - USS Wasp torpedoed in Guadalcanal.

September 16, 1956 - Play Doh is introduced to the world!

September 17, 1630 - Boston, Massachusetts founded by John Winthrop.

September 17, 1787 - Text of the U. S. Constitution agreed upon in Philadelphia.

September 17, 1859 - Joshua A. Norton declares himself the Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.

September 17, 1908 - Lt. Thomas Selfridge crashes a Wright Brothers plane becoming the first airplane fatality

September 17, 1976 - First Space Shuttle “Enterprise” unveiled.

Hope you enjoyed this tour through the week of September 11-17. Tune in again next week . . .

Permalink Comments

09.11.05

Never Forget . . .

Posted in Life, Liberty, Property, History at 8:06 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

This, like Pearl Harbor for my Grandparents generation, was a day we should NEVER forget.

I still tear up when listening to “Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September day” or “Have you forgotten”. And I do my best to keep it in the minds of my daughters who were small. They’re not traumatized as the media would have us believe they would be, but they are mentally committed to the cause of protecting our country. I think this is what it takes to raise responsible, independent young adults.

Haunting pictures from 9/11 here.

And check out Cox and Forkum for more links.

Permalink Comments