My Daughter...

My Daughter, the love of my life is fifteen now. When her mom came to where I worked and told me she was pregnant, I was speechless. We had been trying for a few months but now it was real. Me, a Dad, grown up (kind of) I knew from the minute she told me it was going to be a girl. Man what a feeling, I wish my Mom and Dad were around to be a part of this, I was in Love, had a nice big house, a job, two cars and a truck. Now I was going to be a Dad. Man Oh Man life was sweet. How could it be any better. When Emily was born it was all I could do at the time to call my sister and hold the phone up so she could hear my new baby girl crying, I was speechless again, I was on top of the world, my heart was full.
Now lets move ahead a few years. Lost that Job, had to sell my second car (a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda with a 383) had to move into a smaller, less expensive house, wife left. Oh I'm still a Dad, to a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL!! Excuse me a moment my Alka-Seltzer is ready. She is still the love of my life and overall is a pretty good kid, I'm a lucky man. The other day we were talking and for some reason she told me she had kissed a boy... I threw up a little in my throat. Then she told me she had kissed more than one... I threw up a little more, this time it tasted like hot dogs. I asked just how many boys she had kissed. She said "Kissed or Dated?" I Damn near soiled myself! I doubled over and grabbed my side, she started counting on her fingers and I started turning red! When she started on the second hand I begged "Stop! Please Stop! You're Killing Me! She was laughing her head off and tried to grab my arm, I said "Don't you touch me" that just brought more laughter. After I could breath again and cleaned myself up a bit, she gave me names, some of them I even knew. I asked her if her Mom knew and she said "Hell No!" I said "don't say Hell and get me the phone" Oh she stopped laughing then, not so funny now, but I thought why is she more scared of her Mom knowing than me knowing? So I asked her and she said if her Mom knew she would never be aloud to go anywhere ever again. I said "good to know." So that's what I've been living with for the last couple of months, knowing my Daughter is "damaged goods" (just kidding) but now she feels comfortable letting me know things, bad things, like something about this guy with the most beauitiful smile and when she is in a bad mood she can look at him and smile again (there's that hot dog taste again) but the worst of all is when I saw her writing down how she liked to bite the bottom lip when she was kissing someone. I have no jokes for that one. I never felt more ill in all my life. I couldn't even cry. She could have told me she wasn't a virgin and I don't think I would have felt worse, what scares me is I know I'm kidding myself about that one. So I said we had to have a talk (and believe me, we've had a bunch) not the kind of talk where she puts her hands over her ears and hums real loud until I go away like she did when she started her period. But about being a virgin and being smart about things, and making the right choices and waiting until she was old enough to make good choices (we have had this talk several times) but I added something new this time, when and if she ever lost her virginity, please be smart, be sure, be prepared and above all, LIE! LIE TO ME! LIE LIKE YOU'VE NEVER LIED BEFORE, LIE UNTIL YOU... BELIEVE THAT LIE. I don't care if you're 35, LIE! If I walk in and catch you in the middle of it, you better lie, you better say "It wasn't me Daddy, I don't know what you're talking about." And she better Stick to that Lie! No matter what, Stick to that lie. And that, Ladies and Gentlemen is how I intend on handleing that, Complete and Total Ignorance, it's the only way I can see. I need some Tums or some Maalox now, Good day.

Big, Big Food...

My friend, Ironchefjay, you have got to check out www.supersizedmeals.com (I added it to my links) Big Idiots + Big food = Big Fun. I'm talkin' bout big burgers, big dawgs, and big pizzas. They had a thing called the "Hot Dog Roll-Up" A grilled, bacon wrapped weener, wrapped in cheese and an egg washed meat blanket, grilled again and served on a buttered toasted french hoagie bun. Not good enough, didn't clog the arteries quick enough so they had to out do it. With "The Hamgog" a grilled, bacon wrapped smoked sausage (the weener up-grade, if you will) wrapped inside a layer of provalone and cappicola and then wrapped again in a mixture of ground beef, chorizo sausage, egg, mustard and seasonings all grilled up once again and served on a half roll of Italian Bread. This was not your Daddy's back yard BBQ. It has truely inspired me to create, I am currently working on the "BrattworstDoubleStuffedThunderDawg" When you finally get your house finished, we are going to have to fire up that grill. Peace Brugh.

Mondays

Most people who work, don’t care for Mondays, whether they like to work or not. It’s hard to get started or restarted on something, or everything seems to happen or come at you all at once. I haven’t really worked since November of last year, I had worked for the same company for 14 years, come in contact with a lot of good people. I keep in touch with a few of them and some others call every now and then. I was starting to get use to Monday just being another day, no different from the rest. Last Monday a good friend of mine from work, JM’s daughter was killed in a car accident on the way to school, she was taking college classes in Tulsa and was on her way to class when she hydroplaned and lost control. Most of the time when someone dies you hear about how good a person they were, or how full of life they were. Well this time it fits, Jennifer was a beautiful girl, just beautiful. I’ve known her since she was a thing little, 6 or 7, always smiling, treated people with respect no matter who they were. She was a nice young person, the kind we need more of. Life’s cut short sometimes. God knows what he’s doing whether we understand or not. She will be missed. My heart goes out to JM and his family. Today is Monday, I just received a phone call from another good friend from work, a man we served passed away this morning. That’s the kind of work we did, we served people in their homes that had developmental disabilities, assisted them with their daily needs, whatever that may be. It was our goal to provide a better way of life for them. The down side to dealing with people’s lives is that you also have to deal with their deaths. I did not know DH very well, I had only seen him a handful of times, I never had the privilege of working with him myself, but my good friend did and she spoke of him often, keeping his confidentiality in mind. Sometimes our caseloads would have to shuffle around and she always fought to keep him. He was in his 40’s and I heard today that his mother said he was not supposed to have lived passed 16 due to his condition, and doctors had continually told her though out his life that he could go at anytime. Well I must say he proved those doctors wrong, at least for a while, making it into his 40’s is a little better than 16. Still my heart goes out to her. Sometimes lives last longer than expected. God knows what he’s doing whether we understand or not. Two decent and good souls in two weeks. All I can say is that Heaven is richer for our loss. Next Monday I’m not answering the phone. God Bless and Good day.

~When All Of The Trees Are Gone~

"When all of the trees are gone, when the Birds fly no more, when the Animals are no longer, and when the Streams and the Fish that live there, disappear from the face of this Earth forever, how will Man eat his Money then?" I had read something like that once and the Lord and I both know I've butchered it pretty well, but you get the jist of it. I believe it was part of an Indian saying . I tried to find it on a Yahoo search and I got 14,000,000 hits just by putting in "when all the trees are gone".

A little over 500 years ago, when Columbus stumbled onto America, there was over 850,000,000 acres of natural woodland forests, today there is less than 1,000,000. We might not see it in our life times (so we tend to not care) but our children might and their children will definitely see a time when there is no more natural forrests other than State Parks, and they will have to pay to see them. We don't think of "Forests" much here in Oklahoma, we call em "Woods" but none the less, they are disappering. I took a drive here a while back to a few places where I grew up, not far from where I live now. My parent's place in the country where we lived for a while when I was a kid, My grandparent's place in Porum where I played as a kid. There's no trees, just houses and flat land. Back then you didn't have to worry as much and I could roam the woods all day long in the summer. Mostly people's private land but they didn't mind. I could fish or collect rocks, look for arrow heads, or even run around with my Red Ryder BB Gun or a bow and arrow and pretend to hunt rabbits or buffalo. It may have not been a forest but it was big to me. I have a friend with some land down south, and in the twenty some odd years I've known him, it's grown up quite a bit, I take my daughter there from time to time. It's full of whitetail deer, turkey, rabbits, squirrels, and anything else you can think of. There's oak trees, hickory, elm, cotton wood, dog wood, spruce, blackgum, hackberry, cedar, persimmon, and the most ubundant tree of all, the one with the big sharp thorns about three inches long, the Locust, there's even a few pecan trees, plus a bunch of other trees and bushes I can't name. People always say that they are going to get around and do something someday, for me it's planting a tree or two, I've planted a few in my day, but I want to plant a couple of apple trees out on my friend's land, he won't mind, and I don't care if anyone ever knows, something the deer and the birds can enjoy, I've sure enjoyed them. Does anyone know when National Arbor day is ? It's the last Friday in April every year, it falls on the 28th this year. So go to www.aborday.org and learn about some trees and the history of Arbor Day, get jazzed up and go out and plant a tree or two. Someday I might tell you about my grandpa's trees. Until then, Good day.

An Irish Confession
(Of sorts)

A young lad steps into the confessional and has a seat,
"Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I have been with a loose woman."
The priest asks, "Is that you, little Tommy Shaughnessy?"
"Yes, Father, it is I." "And, who was this loose woman ya be with?"
"I can't be a tellin' ya Father, I don't want to be ruinin' her reputation."
"Well, Tommy, I'm sure to find out sooner or later, so ya may as well be tellin' me now."
"Was it Brenda O'Malley?" "I cannot say."
"Was it Patricia Kelly?" "I'll never tell."
"Was it Liz Shannon?" "I'm sorry, but I can't name her."
"Was it Ann Morgan?" "My lips are sealed."
"Was it Fiona McDonald, then?" "Please, Father, I can not tell ya."
The priest sighs in frustration.
"You're a steadfast young lad, Tommy Shaughnessy, and I do admire that in ya, but ya've sinned, and for that ya must atone. Ya can not attend church mass for three months.
Be off with ya now."
Tommy walks back to his pew. His friend Sean slides over and whispers, "What'd ya get?! "
"Three month's vacation and five good leads"

I Got Nothin

My head hurts, my backside hurts, and I have some type of virus today. I need to finish some paperwork for Social Security, a "Function Report" What I do in a day from the time I get up until the time I go to bed. I'm never up for more than 2 or 3 hours and I'm never in bed for more than 1 and a half to 2 hours. You would think it would be easy but I can't make myself do it. I dont mind typing what I think but I hate writing it down. I was bored and tried looking over some random blogs and do you know what ? People scare me. I have to figure out a better way to surf blogs, because doing it by people who have the same interests as I, ain't cutting it. What's they saying about me ? I did figure out one thing today... I hate unwrapping Hershey's Huggs (they belong to my daughter but she left them out when she went to her mom's for the weekend, I'll have to get on to her when she gets home, she should know better) I thought, wouldn't it save Hershey a butt-load of money if they didn't wrap them. And then I figured it out, if they were not wrapped, I would put half a bag in my mouth at one time and being a diabetic, that could end badly. So thanks Hershey, you've saved my life once again. Good day.

Terrorism ?
(The P.C. Version)

Mohammad Taheri-azar, That nice young man from Iran (yeah... Iran over 9 people) who rented the biggest SUV he could to run over some college students at UNC in Chapel Hill North Carolina ( I guess in their spare time they fly all over the world treating Muslims badly) anyway he went to court a couple of weeks back, refused council and said he did it because he wanted to kill people to punish the US Government for mistreating Muslims all over the world. Now he gets a "10" for honesty, and a "2" for ignorance (who paid for his education anyway? I hope it wasn't a US Government Grant) and then he gets a ".5" (notice the point) for incompetence !! He drove a 4000 lbs SUV (Who the Hell rents a big-ass truck to a (BLEEP) that won't stop smiling anyway ?) through a crowd of students and killed no one !! (adding to the stereotype that foreigners can't drive) One man said he could kill more people on a Segway with a sock full of quarters. Now the argument is, was this an act of religious violence or terrorism, I personally don't believe it falls under either, I do however think that it is an insult to Muslims having some Idiot do this in the name of Allah, I’m not quite sure it works like that. Maybe it was just another hate crime (yeah it can happen to white people too) but mainly I think it comes down to a young ignorant (BLEEP) eat up with the dumb-ass. Get even with Bush, by killing kids because of Muslim abuse 12,000 miles away. I like that way of thinking, so the next time someone you know gets a bad McNugget from McDonald's, you drive out to the country and run over a farmer who raises chickens. I did actually like the charges the Judge laid on him, 9 counts of attempted first degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon, and he set bail at 5.5 million bucks, the little bastard never did stop smiling. We'll probably never hear of him again. Peace to all Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, or whatever you are. Good day.

Some Damn Fine Dogs

We have another Dog, her name is Dutchy, short for Dutchess. Part Border Collie and Black and Tan Hound. My daughter named her, she's almost five years old now (the dog, not my daughter) she (my daughter, not the dog) helped deliver her (the dog... you get the idea) when she was ten. She got home after school one day, alone and her dog was in labor (Gypsy, a full blood Border collie, later on was hit by some butt-hole driving too fast in a residential zone, she is now buried in our back yard, by my daughter (good kid that girl) along with three more dogs, three or four cats, two birds, an Iguana, and one red eared pond slider... don't ask) she helped with all nine of the puppies (good girl that kid) and then she called me. Nine puppies with eight being Black and Tan like their father and one almost all white like their mother. Guess which one we got to keep, yep the long haired white female who sheds all the time and seems to forever be in season. Drives our other dog nuts. Anyway, I never liked house dogs, can't stand the smell or the mess. Somehow when you have a ten year old daughter with a new puppy, you now have a house dog, five years later and it's still in the house and with her own dog to boot. Yeah, our other dog Tigg (see photo on post "Trial and Error") is really Dutchy's dog, a neighborhood stray that attached itself to our dog and would not leave (even tried several times to bite me, and the mail man, and our neighbor, the pizza guy, all three of my brothers, my sister until she fed him, my sister-in-law, a guy from OG&E, a lady I used to work with, and numerous cats, and dogs) He loves me now (good boy that dog) Back to the point now. About four years ago I went through some bad times, health wise, I was about as down as I could get and about to make my peace with the almighty or so I thought, laying on the couch alone in the dark covered up and shaking, needing to be in the hospital but I just didn't care anymore, I was tired. Hell I even cried. Dutchy came over and laid her head on my chest and just looked at me and waited it out with me. She didn't eat her food, or drink, or even play with her favorite toy, she would barely go out to pee, and when she did, she would come right back in and lay her head back down on me. Well to shorten this thing up a bit, four years and a butt-load of chewed up crap later, and I still have inside dogs, my entire house smells like I've been raising monkeys, everything is covered in long white dog hair, with a little black hair from Tigg mixed in, and every time I eat something I have to share it. I finally gave up and gave myself and my home to one dog then another, and I made pledge, as long as I have a breath in my lungs my dogs will have a home and food, and after my kid, they come first in my life. A while back my good friend SRG called me and said his dog of eight years, Angus had passed away while he was at work. A huge 200 pound beautiful black and tan American Rottwieler. That dog went everywhere with him, and us. Out to the country to hang out and have an occasional beer, cook out, shooting, bonfires, deer hunting, and camping. Angus would stir around in his sleep and SRG would say "he's dreaming about chasing rabbits". Well I hope there are plenty of rabbits and rib bones where he's at now. Angus is laid to rest in a sacred place, My friend buried him by himself, I wish I could have been with him, he would've been there for me. I guess it was something he needed to do on his own. One Damn Fine Dog. This, for whatever it's worth, is for Angus, Good Hunting.

Upload This !!

Could someone please tell me why I can't upload images onto my post ? I've done it before, it was simple, but everytime I try it now nothing happens and all I get is a blank window that says "Done". If you can help, please be kind, I'm kind of slow on the Download myself. Thanks

Paid In Full

After living what I felt was a "decent" life, my time on earth came to the end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house. The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the "prosecutor." He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. I sat down and looked to my left and there sat My Attorney, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him. The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room I couldn't take my eyes off of Him. As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, "Let us begin." The prosecutor rose and said, "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in Hell." He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and In the past when I cheated others Satan told of other horrible Perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about. As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life, couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done? Satan finished with a fury and said, "This man belongs in Hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise." When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward. As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty. I realized why He seemed so familiar, this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior. He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, "Hi, Dad," and then He turned to address the court. "Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished." Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has accepted Me as his Savior, so he is Mine." My Lord continued with, "His name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch him from Me. Satan still does not understand yet. This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy." As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, "There is nothing else that needs to be done." "I've done it all." The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from His lips… "This man is free." The penalty for him has already been paid in full. "Case dismissed." As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, "I won't give up, I will win the next one." I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, "Have you ever lost a case?" Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you, ~Paid In Full~

"Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!"

This was sent to me by my Friend, S.W.

Commander-in-Chief

I am not necessarily a big fan of our President George W. Bush. On the other hand, I am not against him either. I am not very particular when it comes to politics. For the most part I am ignorant of most things related to the running of our Government. Other than the price of oil, most things don’t seem to trickle down this far. I have never made over $30,000 per year and I could never tell a change in the way I’ve lived by who was in the White House. I liked Ronald Reagan because he was a good speaker, probably the actor in him. I remember people making jokes about his acting career. I saw a few of his movies, “Kings Row”, “Knute Rockne All American”, you know, “win just one for the Gipper”, and “Santa Fe Trail” with Errol Flynn. All pretty good movies I thought. People made jokes because they were just “B” movies. John Wayne made “B” movies. Jimmy Carter turned out pretty well, The Nobel Peace Prize, that looks pretty good on a resume. Come to think of it, I kind of liked old George Bush too, “A Thousand points of Light”. Dana Carvey said doing an impression of George Bush was easy, you just did Mr. Rogers and then added a little John Wayne. I am getting way off track. No matter who is the President, he is our President, and it is my belief we should back him as much as possible. Whether you voted for him or not, he was elected by a majority of the people, I believe we kind of agreed to do things that way. Isn’t that the reason we register to vote. Anyway, for four years or eight depending, we should make the best of it. Be a part of the solution instead of being a part of the problem. People have been protesting since the beginning of anything organized, especially our Government. It’s awful funny that it is our Government that gives them the right to do so. How many Presidents have quit or changed their policies or their actions because of a few people with more money and time than sense, whine and wave a sign ? Yeah, I was wondering how that was working out for them, the protesters I mean. If a majority did elect Bush how does his approval rating ever drop below 50 % ? Does that mean the people have changed their minds and are not standing behind their decision. One of the worst things a leader can do is change directions in mid stream. Like he said “It’s Not Easy”. You have got to stay the course and stand your ground. Senator Kerry and his followers kept making an issue of George W. not serving his Country… our Country. Well he’s serving the Hell out of it now ! He’s the Commander-In- Chief, and doing it to the best of his ability. I think that ranks a little higher than Lieutenant Mr. Kerry. Being an American and being free gives us the right to have and make choices. Make the best choice you can by being the best American you can be. Stand behind what we and so many others have created, stand behind America, stand behind our troops, and stand behind our leader. Good day.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Do You Know ?

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?

21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?

21 seconds. for the same reason as answer number 1

3. Why are his gloves wet?

His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why not?

He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed?

Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?

For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30".

Other requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of their lives to guard the tomb. They must live in a barracks underneath the tomb, and they cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin. The shoes worn by the guard are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror. The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President William Howard Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of WWII and of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

“ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.”

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin,marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously twenty four hours a day, seven days a week since 1930. Splendid Behavior, God Bless and keep them.

Three Years and Counting

March 19th, 2006, three years of war in Iraq. Over 2300 American Soldiers killed, over 9000 wounded. Twenty seven soldiers came home to their families in Oklahoma this weekend. Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Wives, Husbands, Sons, Daughters, Aunts, and Uncles crying, laughing, hugging and all bursting with pride. I wish I had a way or even the words to thank these young men and women. It's a good thing they don't do it for the thanks, they would come up short if they did. I don't believe any of us have the words or grace to honor them properly for the sacrifices they make each and every day. Hopefully when this is over we wont soon forget, and when someone says that they are an American Soldier or a Veteran it will stand for something and they will be treated like they deserve. 2300 dead, how many peoples lives does that affect ? How many people lost their lives in Iraq before the Americans arrived. How many people were affected by that. How many people's lives have been saved in the last three years ? 2300 dead, thousands saved. There is no justification for the death of a loved one. The pain does not go away, it only lessens with time. Knowing that loved one died with pride and honor doing something they believed in so that others can grow up like they did without fear and tyranny might make that time go by a little easier. We say we support our soldiers by putting a $2.00 sticker of a flag or a ribbon on the back of our cars. Would we even have bought it if it had not been next to the cash register when we were paying for our gas and a bottle of spring water ? There needs to be a better way of support, something with a little sacrifice on our part. If nothing else lets give them something to come home to. It shouldn't be only their families and friends waiting for them when they return, and it sure as Hell shouldn't be a protest. How would these protesters act if it was on our soil, in our front yards ? Would it be the same as the people who do not want God in our Schools or in our Government but when they face death or mayhem he is the first they ask to save them ? Maybe the Media could run a story about something positive for a change. A story of courage or loyalty or about standing back to back with a man or woman who you know will not let you down. In three years I have heard of one real Hero, Captain Brian Chontosh USMC and I found out about him from an e-mail not the six o'clock news. After 9-11 we heard stories about first responders heading right into the face of danger. I remember a story of a lady who was coming down the stairs of one of the Twin Towers trying to get out like any sane person would and about how young men and old alike in uniforms were going up the stairs in the wrong direction, and she said those men were Beautiful... just Beautiful. I remember people reaching out their hands to one another covered so badly in dust you couldn't tell if someone was black, white, red or brown, they just helped. It did not matter where you were from or who you prayed to, they just helped. What will I remember when this War is over ? I will remember Captain Brian Chontosh USMC of NY, I will remember Pvt. Jessica Lynch, and I will remember the Doom and Gloom and Negativity of the Media and that is why I spend more time on the Computer than I do watching the News on TV. Good day.

Feed The Children !

It's just that simple, Feed The Children ! There is a load of worthy causes to donate money to, but what can be more important than a hungry child ? Over Twelve Million children go to bed hungry each night right here in America alone, not to mention the staggering numbers in Africa and other Countries. Larry and Frances Jones and the good people at "Feed The Children" truely do Gods work. Just $25.00 can ship 175 pounds of food to needy children and their families right here in America. You can choose several different ways your money can help, like right here in America, or food, clothing, and medical supplies to children all around the World, even abandoned babies in Kenya. Here is a thought for a gift to a friend, take 12 stamped envelopes and address them to;
Feed The Children
Box 8
Oklahoma City, Ok.
73101
tie a ribbon around them and give them to a friend with the instructions to write out a check for $8.00 every month drop it in the envelope and mail it, it's as simple as that. (make a set for yourself while your at it) You can't feel bad when you know you are doing the right thing. Or you can log on to; www.feedthechildren.org and make a donation on line (I did) They except Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover, it's easy and only takes a couple of minutes, or you can call at; 1.800.700.4341. Do something good for someone else and yourself at the same time. Thanks and Good day.

Who Needs God ?


God is sitting in heaven when a scientist prays to Him,
"God, we don't need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing.
In other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning."

"Oh, is that so? Tell me..." replies God.

"Well," says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man."

"Well, that's interesting...show Me."

So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil.

"No, no, no..." interrupts God, "Get your own dirt."

That's the Marine Corp Way

Those of you who might not know, the man on the left is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and he is proud to know the man on the right. Maybe you'd like to hear about a real American, somebody who honored the uniform he wears. Meet Brian Chontosh of Churchville-Chili NY Central School Class of 1991. Proud graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology. Husband and about-to-be father. First lieutenant (now Captain) in the United States Marine Corps. And a genuine hero, the secretary of the Navy said so yesterday. At 29 Palms in California Brian Chontosh was presented with the Navy Cross, the second highest award for combat bravery the United States can bestow. That's a big deal. But you won't see it on the network news tonight (ABC, CBS, or NBC) And all you'll read in Brian's hometown newspaper is two paragraphs of nothing. The odd fact about the American media in this war is that it's not covering the American military. The most plugged-in nation in the world is receiving virtually no true information about what its warriors are doing. Oh, sure, there's a body count. We know how many Americans have fallen. And we see those same casket pictures day in and day out. And we're almost on a first-name basis with the jerks who abused the Iraqi prisoners. And we know all about improvised explosive devices and how we lost Fallujah and what Arab public-opinion polls say about us and how the world hates us. We get a non-stop feed of gloom and doom. But we don't hear about the heroes. The incredibly brave GIs who honorably do their duty. The ones our grandparents would have carried on their shoulders down Fifth Avenue. The ones we completely ignore, like Brian Chontosh.
It was a year ago on the march into Baghdad. Brian Chontosh was a platoon leader rolling up Highway 1 in a humvee. When all hell broke loose. Ambush city. The young Marines were being cut to ribbons. Mortars, machine guns, rocket propelled grenades. And the kid out of Churchville was in charge. It was do or die and it was up to him. So he moved to the side of his column, looking for a way to lead his men to safety. As he tried to poke a hole through the Iraqi line his humvee came under direct enemy machine gun fire. It was fish in a barrel and the Marines were the fish. And Brian Chontosh gave the order to attack. He told his driver to floor the humvee directly at the machine gun emplacement that was firing at them. And he had the guy on top with the 50 cal unload on them. Within moments there were Iraqis slumped across the machine gun and Chontosh was still advancing, ordering his driver now to take the humvee directly into the Iraqi trench that was attacking his Marines. Over into the battlement the humvee went and out the door Brian Chontosh bailed, carrying an M16, a Beretta, and 228 years of Marine Corps pride. And he ran along the trench, with its mortars and riflemen, machineguns and grenadiers. And he killed them all. He fought with the M16 until it was out of ammo. Then he fought with the Beretta until it was out of ammo. Then he picked up a dead man's AK4 and fought with that until it was out of ammo. Then he picked up another dead man's AK47 and fought with that until it was out of ammo. At one point he even fired a discarded Iraqi RPG into an enemy cluster, sending attackers flying with its grenade explosion. When he was done Brian Chontosh had cleared 200 yards of entrenched Iraqis from his platoon's flank. He had killed more than 20 and wounded at least as many more. But that's probably not how he would tell it. He would probably merely say that his Marines were in trouble, and he got them out of trouble. Ooh-rah, and drive on. "By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, 1st Lt. Chontosh reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service." That's what the citation says.And that's what nobody will hear. That's what doesn't seem to be making the evening news. Accounts of American valor are dismissed by the press as propaganda, yet accounts of American difficulties are heralded as objectivity. It makes you wonder if the role of the media is to inform or to depress - to report or to deride. To tell the truth, or to feed us lies. But I guess it doesn't matter. We're going to turn out all right As long as men like Brian Chontosh wear our uniform.

Written By journalist and broadcaster Bob Lonsberry, June---2005

If you are as proud of this young man as I am, cut, paste, whatever you like and e-mail this piece to everyone you know. To Capt. Brian Chontosh, I thank you and all those like you

James Blunt

Last weekend on Mad TV one of the ladies did a skit on James Blunt, I thought who's James Blunt? The Song "You're Beautiful" sounded a little familiar and my Daughter said she had heard it and liked it but with the lady singing it, who knew. But it was a catchy song. Then on Monday I see James Blunt on an Amazon advertisement on my Yahoo homepage, I pointed it it out to my kid and said that makes twice (because If I see something that is new to me more than once, it is always seems to be at least three times) So Friday on Oprah (yeah I watch Oprah once in a while) Low and behold, James Blunt playing the piano and singing. After his first song, "You're Beautiful" he talks for a moment, seems kind of shy, quiet, and English, but there is something about him. He says his last job was a Guard for the Queen on Horse back (he weighs about 140 and does not look much like he could be a Guard at the Mall) anyway he said he had another "miserable" song to sing, "Goodbye My Lover" I thought he was going to cry while he sang it, I Damn near did. I think anybody who can play the piano is pretty talented and when they can sing too, and he plays the guitar. I should have heard of him before now but I am usually behind the times. So I look him up on the Internet, download a few songs and Bobs your Uncle. Pretty good stuff, I've liked all of his stuff so far and I think that says something coming from a guy who listens to Metallica and AC/DC most of the time, so James Blunt "Back to Bedlam" check him out. Good day.

Insulin is a Funny Thing

Insulin is a funny thing, when you take four or five shots a day under the skin with a five eighths inch size 28 needle, after a few years your skin gets tough in areas. Sometimes the needle penetrating the skin hurts and sometimes it does not, sometimes the injection burns and sometimes it does not. If you do not move the site of the injection around enough the area gets tough and you do not get the full affect of the insulin, it does not absorb correctly. So you are going along keeping your blood sugar managed well and you give yourself an injection that does not absorb correctly, unknown to you at the time, and you do a dumb thing like eating a Ding Dong or two (something that is not good to do but wouldn't usually send you off the charts) and your blood sugar gets jacked up. Now you can wait it out, get active and get your metabolism going and burn some of it off, or shoot up a liitle more juice. Either way it sucks, especially at 3:30 AM in the morning, you skipped dinner (other than the Ding Dongs) and when you try and sleep you can't because you don't breath right due to the anxiety from the elevated glucose (yeah, that's one of the ways it affects me, anxiety, head aches, and peeing every 20 to 30 minutes) Can't sleep, head ache, shouldn't eat, Neuropathy killing my legs, kid is gone to her mothers for the weekend (I miss her like crazy when she is gone, even to school) and nothing on TV except infomercials on "Girls Gone Wild". Maybe when I was younger I might have liked that kind of behavior in a slut... excuse me, I mean young lady, but as a father of a teenage girl it makes me want to puke. Surely some of their fathers have seen these advertisements. Things have changed since my day. Well I'm getting off track here. Anyway being a Diabetic sucks, having Neuropathy sucks, and not having Satellite TV sucks. Good night or Good day, depending.

Bubba's Lawsuit

Down south, Bubba called his attorney and asked, "Is it true theys suin them cigarette companies fer causin people to git cancer ?" "Yes, Bubba, sure is true," responded the lawyer. "And now someone is suin them fast food restaurants fer makin them fat an cloggin their arteries with all them burgers an fries, is that true, Mista Lawyer?""Sure is, Bubba.""And that lady sued McDonalds for millions when she was gave that hot coffee that she ordered?" "Yep." "And that football player sued that university when he gradiated and still couldnt read?""Thats right," said the lawyer. "But why are you asking?" "Well, I was thinkin . . . What I want to know is, kin I sue Budweiser fer all them ugly women I slept with?

Trial and Error

I'm 41, I never took computers in school or even typing for that matter, if it didn't have anything to do with girls or booze I wasn't much interested, I barely squeeked by, Hell I can't even spell worth a crap and I can't get the spell check to work on this damn thing, Everything I know about a computer I taught myself or bugged the Hell out of my friends for bits and pieces of info, I didn't even know what a Blog was a week ago, my 15 year old Daughter has taught me more than most. Why does my trial and error have a whole lot more error than hers. I can spend an hour trying to figure something out, and by the time I do figure it out, I can't remember how in the world I got there. I have more questions than I can think of. What the Hell does URL stand for, or what's an RSS ? And by the time I get on the wagon about something, the infomation that I'm excited about is obsolete. You would have thought a covy of quail shot out my ass when I figured out how to cut and paste from one document to the next, and that wasn't too long ago. E-mailing, surfing, searching, downloading music, and porn is about the limits of my knowledge, and I know people who ask for my help, that's scary. It will probably take me a year or so to figure out how to get a picture or an audio clip or even a link on here, by that time I will be on to something else anyway. Oh yeah, this is my dog Tigg, he was a stray, best dog I ever had, he don't like nobody, he's an ankle biter so stay out of my yard. It's almost noon, time for a nap, I'll take a stab at this again later. (I'm learning) Good day.

Just a few of my favorite movie quotes...
(In No Particular Order)

1. Barbarosa-- "Go ahead and kill em if ya want Earl, we got time"
2. Toy Story-- "You...Are... A... Toy !!" (reply) "Not today I'm not"
3. Forrest Gump-- "Greenbough Ala-BAMA !!"
4. Treasure of the Sierra Madre-- "What Badges? We don't need no stinking badges."
5. Smokey and the Bandit II-- "The Lady gonna have a baby"
6. Last of the Mohicans-- " What are you looking at Sir? (reply) I'm looking at you Miss."
7. Jaws-- "We're gonna need a bigger boat"
8. Monte Walsh-- "Why that's Monte Walsh"
9. Lonesome Dove-- " I may want to kick a pig ever once in a while"
10. Ride with the Devil-- "Well Dutchy, that's neither here nor somewheres else"
11. Apollo 13th-- "Gentlemen, I'd like to think this will be our finest hour"
12. Braveheart-- "I love ya, I want ta marry ya, I always have"
13. Glory-- "Give em Hell Fifty Fourth"
14. Glory-- "You go on now, I'll be along directly"
15. Lonesome Dove-- "Josh Deets, served with me 30 years, fought in 21 engagements against the Kiowa and Comanche, never shirked a task, cheerful in all weathers, splendid behavior"
16. Lonesome Dove-- "Yes, he died fine"
17. Ride with the Devil-- "Do not think you are a good man Dutchy, the thought will spoil you"
18. Wyatt Earp-- "You Sir, can kiss my Rebel Dick"
19. Son's of Katy Elder-- "Hey !!" (and as he turns, John Wayne hits George Kennedy in the face with a fence post)
20. Dances with Wolves-- "Dances with Wolves, you are my friend, can't you see you will always be my friend, Dances with Wolves..."
21. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-- "You can't swim, Hell the fall will kill ya"
22. Rocky II-- "Nobody would do this for charity" (reply) "Bob Hope would"
23. Beetlejuice-- "Mm... birdies"
24. The Princess Bride-- "Hello, my name is Indigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die"
25. True Grit-- "Why you never met a more clumsy child than Horace, I bet he broke forty cup"
26. True Grit-- "I rode straight into em, reins in my teeth firing two navy sixes... well I'll tell ya, that posse must have loved their families cause they turned their horses and headed for home"
27. The Cowboys-- "I'm 30 years older than you, had my back broke once and my hip twice and on my worst day I could beat the livin Hell outa you"
28. Kingpin-- "I think I tore my sac"
29. Friday-- "Damn ! You just got knocked the F**K out"
30. Lonesome Dove-- "No Sir, but I'll Damn sure cripple ya though, I'm the one only man you don't boss Woodrow"
31. Lonesome Dove-- "Lori Darlin"
32. Lonesome Dove-- "I swear if you don't beat all for takin the starch out of a man"
33. Lonesome Dove-- "It's not much of a crime, whakin a surly bar tender"
34. Lonesome Dove-- "If he does, the first thing I'd do is cut yore wages fer joshin me all the time"
35. Lonesome Dove-- "Hell I’ve been bit by bed bugs bigger than that down in Saltio"
36. Wolverines-- "It's hard being bothers"
37. Forrest Gump-- "It must be hard being brothers"
38. Kalifornia-- "Hell Earlene, put yore tit up"
39. Eldorado-- "Did you just fall off your horse" ? (reply) "Yah !"
40. The Hank Williams Story-- "I don't want to live with a man that shoots at me" (reply) I don't want to live with a woman I have to shoot at"

And then my sister reminded me of a few more…
41. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou ?-- “They done loved him up and turned him into a Tuh-oad.”
42. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou ?-- “We thought you was a Tuh-oad.”
43. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou ?-- “Sweet Summa Rain.”

And the original 3 that got me started…
44. True Grit -- (John Wayne) “Ned, I aim to kill you in one minute, or see you hang in Ft. Smith at Judge Parkers convenience, which will it be ?” (Robert Duvall) “That’s bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.” (John Wayne) “Fill yore hand you Son-of-a-Bitch!”
45. The Blues Brothers-- “We’re on a mission from God.”
46. The Blues Brothers-- “Give me four fried chickens and a coke.”

And a few more…
47. Better Off Dead --”I want my two dollars!!”
48. Better Off Dead -- “He put his testicles all over me!”
49. MIB -- “Yah, but I make this look Good.”
50. Fort Apache -- “No Sir, I’ve not wound up here, Not by a long shot!”

Oklahoma Recruits

Since the recruiting season, October 2005, over 1000 young men and women from Oklahoma have joined the US Army and over 350 have joined the US Army Reserves, not to mention the Marines, Air Force, Navy, or the Coast Guard. I'm sure that other states have outstanding numbers also. Once again the men and women of America have pulled up their pants, stood up and been accountable. Maybe some of the more mature Americans can take a lesson from them and at least back them and America up and stop these childish and selfish demonstrations agaisnt the War in Iraq. It has been said thousands of times that no one wants war but Freedom is not always pretty, and don't you think it would cheapen ours to just stand by and watch someone elses stepped on.
I believe that demonstrators especially those parents of fallen soldiers do cheapen our Freedom and the sacrifices their loved ones have made not only for their Country but for the World. I know that nothing I can say will change anyones mind, let alone heart but these young Americans have changed my mind, I use to really think that this generation was soft and if anything did occur they would not have the grit to stand up and fight and endure like so many generations have done before them. Yes my mind has changed, these young Americans are among the finest we've ever known and we owe them more than we can ever repay. We can at least start by not stepping on what they have done and are still doing. My apologies to all. I am also extremely greatful that Governor Henry signed the Bill and expedited the procedures in getting the Law into affect about demonstrating at Soldier's Funerals. How can anyone call themselves a Christian and act in that manner is beyond me. Well that's a topic for another time. Good day.

Pure 100% Black Angus Beef

What is up with this craze about Black Angus beef ? The best steaks I can ever remember having were way before this "Genuine Black Angus" crap. Does the color of the hair have anything to do with the taste ? What about Red Angus ? Isn't this just Bovine discrimination. What is this doing to the price of other types of beef raised in Oklahoma, like Hereford, Black Baldy, Charolais, Limousin, Santa Gertrudis, Corrente, or even Longhorn. Should I be eating only Rohde Island Red fried chicken ? Mmm... Mmm... Mmm... you just can't beat the taste of Duroc bacon and pork chops. I for one, when in a grocery store or meat market if given the choice of "Genuine Black Angus" beef of any other type will choose the any other type, not because Black Angus tastes any different it's just because I refuse to jump on any band wagon and discriminate against any food just because of the color of it's hair. Besides I think we should all be eating more Opossum and Coon anyway. And before anyone takes this too serious or gets offended, remember we were all raised on McDonalds Burgers and I'm not sure there was any beef in them anyway, or meat for that matter. If your pallet is that sensitive just throw some A-1 or some Ketchup on it and you'll be fine. P.S. Yes I know I have way too much time on my hands. Good day.