More From Chicken Little (King George)

Speaking on Tulsa Oklahoma’s 1170 KFAQ, when asked who was behind threats of martial law and civil unrest if the bailout bill failed, Senator James Inhofe named Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson as the source.

“Somebody in D.C. was feeding you guys quite a story prior to the bailout, a story that if we didn’t do this we were going to see something on the scale of the depression, there were people talking about martial law being instituted, civil unrest….who was feeding you guys this stuff?,” asked host Pat Campbell.

“That’s Henry Paulson,” responded Inhofe, “We had a conference call early on, it was on a Friday I think – a week and half before the vote on Oct. 1. So it would have been the middle … what was it – the 19th of September, we had a conference call. In this conference call – and I guess there’s no reason for me not to repeat what he said, but he said – he painted this picture you just described. He said, ‘This is serious. This is the most serious thing that we faced.’”

Inhofe said that Paulson told members of Congress the crisis would be “far worse than the great depression” if Congress didn’t authorize the bill to buy out toxic debt, a proposal “which he abandoned the day after he got the money,” added Inhofe.

Inhofe is referring to the controversy last week when it emerged that the bailout money was not going to buy up toxic debt but instead Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, had pulled a bait and switch and ordered the money be injected directly into banks.

Senator Inhofe has slammed the secrecy surrounding the destination of the bailout money, saying that Hank Paulson could have given it to his friends and that the “blank check” must be cancelled now.

Inhofe is now trying to rally support for a freeze on what’s left of the initial $350 billion of bailout money with his “roll back the bailout” proposal, which will also require an affirmative vote on the part of Congress to approve Treasury’s plan for the remaining $350 billion.

The Fifth Night of Hanukkah

Today, Christmas Day, is also the fifth night of Hanukkah.  The fifth night is considered to be somewhat special because at that point there is enough light from the candles to light the room. Hanukkah is also called the Feast of Lights.  The origin of the name may actually be due to Halley's comet, which would have appeared in the night sky in 163BC.  That's just about right for the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem.

Cell Phone = Brain Tumors?

From Popular Science Magazine:

Nearly five decades ago, Americans learned that one of their most treasured habits—smoking—was lethal. This year, we could get more scary news, when scientists announce the results from Interphone, the largest-ever study to investigate whether cellphones cause cancer.

Interphone researchers are pooling and analyzing the results gathered from studies on 6,400 tumors sampled from patients in 13 countries. If the final results mirror the preliminary ones, the world’s three billion cellphone users might want to dial back their talk time. Israeli researchers participating in Interphone found that people who use cellphones regularly are 50 percent more likely than non-users to develop brain tumors. And a joint Interphone analysis from the U.K., Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland reported a 40 percent increase in tumor risk in people who use cellphones for more than a decade; the study found no discernable risk for people who have used cellphones for fewer than 10 years.

George Washington's Gift

Did you know that after the Revolutionary War ended, George Washington witnessed a set of Hanukkah lights.  He was so inspired by the sight and ritual that he presented the owner with a gold coin engraved with a Hanukkah menorah.

Speaking of great generals, did you know that the Maccabbes, led by Judas Macabees, were able to defeat the Greek/Syrian army with just sticks and stones?  I guess they really do break your bones.  

Alexander, Alexander, Alexander...

Do you know your Bible?  Here's a question for you.  Where is the story of Hanukkah located in the Hebrew Bible?  Is it in Exodus?  How about Deuteronomy?  Maybe Numbers?  Or at the Golden Jade Chinese Buffet? 

Actually the story of Hanukkah is not in the Hebrew Bible at all.  It is, however, mentioned in John 10:22-23 wher Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Festival of Dedication, or Hanukkah.

And did you know that Alexander the Great permitted the Jews to observe their religion after the Greeks conquered them.  In exchange the Jews promised that all baby boys born for the next year would be named Alexander.  So the important question here is, "How did the teacher take roll? Alexander?  Here.  Alexander?  Here....

Hanukkah, the 25th of Kislev.

Tonight, December 21, is also the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev.  Hanukkah!  The Maccabees overthrew the Greeks and rededicated the temple in Jerusalem.  There was only enough oil for the lamps for one day and it would take another eight days to make enough oil to keep the eternal lamp lit.  The oil burned for eight days, thus the miracle of Hanukkah.  

Martial Law

If you are not yet outraged by the $700 billion "bailout," then read on...

Senator James Imhofe of Oklahoma revealed that Hank Paulson, the Bush administration's spokesman, threatened martial law if the bailout was not put through.  In other words, the President, elected by the people of the United States, threatened those elected to Congress with the suspension of Constitutional law if the bailout was not passed.  So, to my way of thinking, Bush sees himself as a dictator.  Plain and simple.  He goes much to the right of Nixon's, "If the president does it then it's not against the law."  

Bush cannot vacate the White House fast enough.

The Constitution is Up In Flames

There is an alarming report coming from the US Army War College as follows (be sure to read the entire piece):

The report from the War College’s Strategic Studies Institute warns that the U.S. military must prepare for a “violent, strategic dislocation inside the United States” that could be provoked by “unforeseen economic collapse” or “loss of functioning political and legal order.”

Entitled “Known Unknowns: Unconventional ‘Strategic Shocks’ in Defense Strategy Development,” the report was produced by Nathan Freier, a recently retired Army lieutenant colonel who is a professor at the college — the Army’s main training institute for prospective senior officers.

He writes: “To the extent events like this involve organized violence against local, state, and national authorities and exceed the capacity of the former two to restore public order and protect vulnerable populations, DoD [Department of Defense] would be required to fill the gap.”

Freier continues: “Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order … An American government and defense establishment lulled into complacency by a long-secure domestic order would be forced to rapidly divest some or most external security commitments in order to address rapidly expanding human insecurity at home.”

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn warned last week of riots and unrest in global markets if the ongoing financial crisis is not addressed and lower-income households are beset with credit constraints and rising unemployment, the Phoenix Business Journal reported.

Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Rep. Brad Sherman of California disclosed that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson discussed a worst-case scenario as he pushed the Wall Street bailout in September, and said that scenario might even require a declaration of martial law.

The Army College report states: “DoD might be forced by circumstances to put its broad resources at the disposal of civil authorities to contain and reverse violent threats to domestic tranquility. Under the most extreme circumstances, this might include use of military force against hostile groups inside the United States.

“Further, DoD would be, by necessity, an essential enabling hub for the continuity of political authority in a multi-state or nationwide civil conflict or disturbance.”

He concludes this section of the report by observing: “DoD is already challenged by stabilization abroad. Imagine the challenges associated with doing so on a massive scale at home."

As Newsmax reported earlier, the Defense Department has made plans to deploy 20,000 troops nationwide by 2011 to help state and local officials respond to emergencies.

The 130-year-old Posse Comitatus Act restricts the military’s role in domestic law enforcement. But a 1994 Defense Department Directive allows military commanders to take emergency actions in domestic situations to save lives, prevent suffering or mitigate great property damage, according to the Business Journal.

And Gen. Tommy Franks, who led the U.S. military operations to liberate Iraq, said in a 2003 interview that if the U.S. is attacked with a weapon of mass destruction, the Constitution will likely be discarded in favor of a military form of government. 

The New King George

Our country was founded by men (sorry girls) who put their lives on the line for what they believed.  They at first did not think of creating a new country.  They tried to deal with King George and Parliament.  But their attempts at negotiation were ignored.  So they stood up to the most powerful force in the world at that time, the British.  Yes, they stood up for what they believed was right, even if it meant losing everything, including their lives.  As Benjamin Franklin said at the time, "Surely we must all hang together, or we will most assuredly hang separetely (or something like that)."

Well, I think We the People are being treated pretty much the same by the new King George. Lies, fake wars, and now the threat of martial law if this phony bailout is not passed.  Those in power are emptying the coffers.  How much are we supposed to believe from this pack of scoundrels?  Chicekn Little is screaming "the sky is falling1"  And while we all run to see for ourselves, Chicken Little (King George) is emptying the Treasury.

Merry Christmas!

Separation of church and state

Today I received an email which claimed (paraphrased), "Nowhere in the Constitution is there any  statement pertaining to Separation of Church and State."

    Amazingly, it seems that the sender has completely overlooked the First Amendment:

"Congress should not establish a religion and enforce the legal observation of it by law, nor compel men to worship God in any manner contary to their conscience, or that one sect might obtain a pre-eminence, or two combined together, and establish a religion to which they would compel others to conform (Annals of Congress, Sat Aug 15th, 1789 pages 730 - 731)." JAMES MADISON

Every time I receive one of these supposedly informed emails pertaining to religion, it makes my skin crawl.  If only these same people would actually read the Constitution and the words of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, among others, they would perhaps understand that the Founding Fathers wrote expressly that there should indeed by a separation of church and state.  It's right there in front of them, but they refuse to see it due to their blind faith in what they perceive as the only "true" religion.  

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

George W. Bush Library

Subject: G.W.Bush Library
I'm including an opportunity for you to donate to a worthy cause here below.

The G W Bush library....

Dear Fellow Constituent:
The George W. Bush Presidential Library is now in the planning stages and accepting donations.

The Library will include:
The Hurricane Katrina Room , which is still under construction.
The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you won't be able to remember anything.
The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don't even have to show up.
The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they don't let you in.
The Guantanamo Bay Room, where they don't let you out.
The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room, which no one has been able to find.
The National Debt Room, which is huge and has no ceiling.
The Tax Cut Room, with entry only to the wealthy.
The Economy Room, which is in the toilet.
The Iraq War Room. (After you complete your first visit, they make you to go back for a second, third, fourth, and sometimes fifth visit.)
The Dick Cheney Room, in the famous undisclosed location, complete with shotgun gallery.
The Environmental Conservation Room, still empty.
The Gift Shop, where you can buy an election.
The Men's Room, where you can meet some of your favorite Republican Senators.
The Decider Room, complete with dart board, magic 8-ball, Ouija board, dice, coins, and straws.
The library will feature an electron microscope to help you locate and view the President's accomplishments.

The library will also include many famous quotes by George W. Bush:

'The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.'
'If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.'
'Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child.'
'No senior citizen should ever have to choose between prescription drugs and medicine.'
'I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy - but that could change.'
'One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.'
'Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.'
'I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future.'
'The future will be better tomorrow.'
'We're have the best educated American people in the world.'
'One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures.' (during an education photo-op)
'Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it.'
'We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.'
'It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.'
'I stand by all the misstatements that I've made.'

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY!
Sincerely,
G.W. Bush Library Board of Directors

Coldplay Viva La Vida

I thought this was a great song a while back, but I never knew who was singing.  I heard it maybe twice, but it stuck in my head.  Not being a rock fan, I didn't think all that much about it until today when I heard the band Coldplay was being sued by Joe Satriani.  Well, at least I found out who the artist is.  Then I found the lyrics.  Pretty great lyrics, too. If you can, give the song a listen. Powerful stuff, and here are the lyrics:http://www.metrolyrics.com/viva-la-vida-lyrics-coldplay.html

They seem to me to be a direct reference to pre-9/11 America, or perhaps even post-WWII to 9/11 America.  We once ruled the world with good intentions.  Everything went our way.  The world looked to us for the right path.  Then the world changed and America changed.  We live in a castle made of sand.  We buried the tyrant old kings, only to become tyrant kings ourselves.  

"People couldn’t believe what I’d become

Revolutionaries wait

For my head on a silver plate

Just a puppet on a lonely string

Oh who would ever want to be king?"

Let us remember the greatest VP in American history, #44 -- J. Danforth Quayle. I quote, explaining his views on deterring nuclear war: 

"Right now we have a theory of mutually assured destruction that supposedly provides for peace and stability, and it's worked.  But that doesn't mean that we can't build upon a concept of MAD where both sides are vulnerable to another attack.  Why wouldn't an enhanced deterrent, a more stable peace, a better prospect to denying the ones who enter conflict in the first place to have a reduction of offensive systems and an introduction to defensive capability.  I believe that is the route this country will eventually go."

"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is." J. Danforth Quayle USA Today 5/10/1989

"A politician is a person who approaches every subject with an open mouth." Adlai Stevenson

W Goes to Texas

As he prepares to leave office and head back to Crawford, let us not forget that W. was one of our funniest presidents.  Here is proof:

During a debate, Bush said to Gore: "Mr. Vice President, in all due respect, it is -- I'm not sure eighty percent of the people will get the death tax.  I know this: A hundred percent will get it if I'm the president."

When John McCain dropped out of the 2000 election, he and Bush had a meeting during which Bush said, "I think we agree, the past is over."

Bush to Chris Matthews on Hardball, ""I'm gonna talk about the ideal world, Chris.  I've read -- I understand reality.  If you're asking me as the president, would I understand reality, I do."

Asked once if he would take back any comments he made, Bush said, "I think if you know what you belive, it makes it a lot easier to answer questions.  I can't answer your question."

Bush was discussing Internet millionaires, those "who have become rich beyond their means."

One day before the 2000 election, Bush said, "They misunderestimated me."

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."  Yes, he really said that.

Bush said this of Al Gore, "The fact that he relies on facts -- says things that are not factual -- are going to undermine his campaign."

"If you don't stand for anything, you don't stand for anything.  If you don't stand for something, you don't stand for anything."  Yep, he said it.

"Now, by the way, surplus means a little money left over.  Otherwise it wouldn't be called a surplus."

You can't make this stuff up!  We'll miss you W.  NOT.

Interesting Facts of the Day

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
(Who volunteers for these tests?) 

The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight and always falls over on its right side when intoxicated. (From drinking little bottles of?) 

Butterflies taste with their feet. (Ah, geez.) 

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that.)

Starfish don't have brains.
(I know some people like that, too.)

And, the best for last?
Turtles can breathe through their butts. 
(And I thought I had bad breath in the morning!)

"Verbosity leads to unclear, matriculate things." Remember J. Danforth Quayle?

The Good Ol' Days

As I get "older" I find myself talking more about the good ol' days.  You know, like the 60s and 70s.  Well, here's some facts about the real ol' days, the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

Houses had thatched roofs-th ick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood wa s placed in the entranceway.
Hence the saying a "thresh hold."

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show it off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust."

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 cof fins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell... Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."

And that's the truth..... Now, whoever said that the good ol' days were really that good!

Heart Attacks and Drinking Warm Water

This is a very good article.  Not only about the warm water after your meal, but aboutHeart Attacks. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals, not cold water, maybe it is time we adopt theirdrinking habit while eating. 
                                                     
For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.  Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food.  It will line the intestine.  Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. 
It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal. 

Common Symptoms Of Heart Attack... 
A serious note about heart attacks - You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. 

You may never have the first chest painduring the course of a heart attack. Nauseaand intense sweating are also common symptoms.  Sixty percent of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up.  Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware.  The more we know, the better chance we could survive. 

A Cardiologist says if everyone who reads this message sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life. Read this & Send to a friend. It could save a life.  So, please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends you care about. 
  
I  JUST DID -  -