Detroit City...Move over, Tombstone...

The Wild West is happening in Detroit?   Well, Detroit sounds like it's become that forlorn, that dangerous, that desperate, so what better place to start another Wild West?    NONE of us wants this happening, but check this out:

Detroit— Criminals prowling for victims in Detroit are instead finding armed citizens willing to open fire. A northwest Detroit homeowner on Tuesday fatally shot two men he said were trying to break into his west-side house.

 

If those shootings are ruled self-defense, they will bring to 10 the number of fatal self-defense shootings in the city since Jan. 1.

 

Detroit has traditionally had a large percentage of the nation’s justifiable homicides by citizens. In 2012, the last year for which national figures are available, there were 25 justifiable homicides in Detroit, which made up 8 percent of the 310 seen nationwide. Last year, there were 15 justifiable homicides in the city.

 

“It’s horrific what’s going on in the city, where people have to defend their homes with guns,” said the Rev. Barak Holmes of Diverse Deliverance, who lives near the house where Tuesday’s shootings occurred and heard four shots.“We have to pray for our city.”

 

Detroit Police Sgt. Michael Woody said the homeowner heard a commotion near his side window at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on the 14800 block of Dexter. The man decided to go out the back door to see what was happening in his driveway.

 

When the resident spotted the two men in their 20s, a fight ensued. The homeowner reached for his handgun and opened fire, killing both.

 

The homeowner has a concealed pistol license, Woody said. The case is being forwarded to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to determine if the shooting was justifiable or if charges will be filed. It was unclear if the two suspects were armed.

 

Woody said police responded to a break-in at the same home on Friday.

 

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said at a press conference last week that in his 37-year career, he’s never seen as many homeowners defending themselves by shooting intruders. Craig told The News in January he felt the crime rate could be lowered if more “good Americans” were armed, because he said criminals would think twice about attacking.

“It does appear more and more Detroiters are becoming empowered,” Craig said. “More and more Detroiters are getting sick of the violence. I know of no other place where I’ve seen this number of justifiable homicides. It’s interesting that these incidents go across gender lines.”

 

Among the recent incidents:

 

■On March 7, a woman in her 50s shot and killed a man trying to break into her home in the 22000 block of Grove Street. She heard noises at her rear window and shot the intruder in the chest.

■At 2 a.m. Feb. 22, two men broke into a house on the city’s southwest side; the homeowner shot both men. A 21-year-old man died and the other man escaped.

■Earlier on Feb. 22, at 12:30 a.m., a woman who was surprised by a gunman when she pulled her car into the garage was able to reach for her own gun and fatally shoot the man.

■A woman on Feb. 17 opened fire on three teens who kicked in her door. The alleged intruders, ages 14, 14 and 15, were caught by police and charged with home invasion.

 

“People who are faced with a dangerous situation are taking matters into their own hands,” Craig said. “We’re not advocating violence; we’re advocates of not being victims. We’re advocates of self-protection. We want people to be safe.

 

“This should be a message to those who continue to perpetuate violence on Detroiters that enough is enough. You’ve got to be concerned about good Detroiters who aren’t going to stand for it,” Craig said. “Detroiters are fed up and they are taking action.”

 

Johnny West, a 63-year-old resident of the city’s east side, is licensed to carry a .40 caliber Glock, and said he’ll use it if need be.

 

“People have to protect themselves,” West said. “These criminals have no business breaking into people’s houses in the first place. Don’t take what’s not yours, and everything will be OK. If someone’s coming in your house, you don’t have time to call the cops; you’ll end up laying there dead. You got to do what you got to do.” (end of article)

Z: I'm guessing a lot of no-gun advocates will find this situation in Detroit despicable;  "INNOCENT PEOPLE WERE KILLED!"  Please see the reddened text above;  none were killed without having been perpetrators of a crime.  

We have to make sure gun owners/home protectors, if they have the time, can announce they are armed and I hope and pray most of them shoot low, hit a leg, knee....   It'd be my wish not to kill but to put someone in a position where they could not kill my family or me, or steal our belongings.  

How do you feel about all of this defense by homeowners?   Is it a step in the right direction to where criminals will be dissuaded from crime?  Does it just give Obama and his ilk the chance to insist, more and more, that all hand guns are removed from the public?   Your thoughts?

Z

Sunday Faith Post. You won't want to miss this one! :-)

You don't want to miss this one.............

Dependence on God, great love of family, prayer, humor and trust.....what an example.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?"  Psalms 27:1

I wish them years of health and happiness.........

Have a great Sunday......Seems like Dad did everything right to the best of his ability; let's hope the groom carries through....looks promising!

Z

CHANGE.....how'd this happen?

I know I got the 1961 treatment, didn't you?   The "2011 +" treatment is now the norm.
How'd this happen?  

How does something so basically effective and character-building change and how's this speak for us and what's it do for our children?

Z

Kevin Sorbo

.......has become my new celebrity hero.

Hands down.

If you watch FOX, you'll know why.
:-)   

$20 can do an awful lot

This is such a touching story.......


Not much more to say, is there.

Z

Leftist and Ridiculous

It occurs to me that many generalizations are developed from either stupidity or a desire to confound the American public by the American Left.  Or maybe it's stupidity and hoping to confound?    I have a list here and hope you can add to it in Comments:

1.  When a conservative says that climate change needs to be approached slower so it doesn't completely destroy our economy through regulations and taxes, etc., the liberals seem to think:  THE RIGHT WANTS DIRTY WATER AND DIRTY AIR.

2. When a conservative says that Putin is stronger than Obama and seems to be more pro Russia than Obama is pro America, we hear:  THE CONSERVATIVES LIKE PUTIN!  YOU PEOPLE SUPPOSEDLY HATE COMMIES BUT ARE BIG FANS OF PUTIN!  

3.  When a conservative says we should be more prudent in how we cut the military, it's read that WE ARE WAR MONGERS AND CAN'T BEAR NOT PUTTING EVERYTHING WE HAVE INTO DEFENSE BECAUSE OF IT.

4. When conservatives say we need to change welfare because it's destroying the economy:  WE HATE THE POOR AND DON'T WANT TO HELP AT ALL

5. When conservatives say the Affordable Care Act is, indeed, unaffordable for many and it needs repealing;  WE HATE THE SICK AND ONLY WANT TO SUPPORT THE BIG INSURANCE COMPANIES

6. When conservatives say we should lower the debt ceiling;  THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND ECONOMICS AND IT'S ALL THEIR FAULT IT'S THAT HIGH, ANYWAY

7. When conservatives warn against Putin, etc.,:  THEY'RE JUST EXERTING THEIR 'NEOCON' MENTALITY (like Romney did when he called it SO right in the last debates?)

8. When Mrs. Obama does things which don't represent the position in the best way:  WE HATE HER BECAUSE SHE'S BLACK.

9. When Mr. Obama ...well, this one would be faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar too long.   And, of course, we supposedly hate HIM because HE's black, too (never mind that we're constantly championing Ben Carson, Thomas Sowell, etc etc.)

10.  You do the rest.   The list could get way too long for here.............

THIS is what the "low information voter" is hearing in America today, folks, and why we need a Republican who can tell the truth about the above, and more, and wake Americans up to the truth.

What do you think?  Anything you can add to that list?  How do we combat the lies and mischaracterizations? 

Maybe we can recommend to the Left that they start yet ANOTHER voting group; this could be called CONFOUNDING THE VOTE? 

Z

Head in the sand, anybody?

I have my head in the sand today because the news is either so upsetting or so boring or so stupid and disheartening....

Barack Obama's in Europe telling folks over there that we're cutting down our military and saying that Putin's just a big fish in that region.  That's all.  Obama's heading to Saudi this week to smooth things over with the kingdom.  uhoh.

Michelle Obama is dissing the media though she's meeting with the Chinese president's wife and many school officials.  Yahoo says: “News officers said they were not releasing names so participants could talk candidly with Obama about education issues."  I'm wondering what's so terribly private about education that they can't speak publicly to Mrs. Obama about it and when she became an expert on education?   Who's kidding who here? (or is it whom?)

Candace Bure is said to be touting 'the polarizing Christianity' her brother Kirk Cameron apparently has. Not sure what that means except, maybe, "Christianity one actually speaks about in public"?

That 44 pound baby's getting some help.

Gwyneth Paltrow and her hubby are separating.  I believe the article said "Consciously Uncoupling"?

But, have no fear......Kim Kardashian's wedding dresses are VERY hot in VOGUE...go get a copy.

Meet the new America.

Z

Wisconsin's uncomfortable....God can't be SEEN or READ.

Wisconsin atheists are incensed.  Have you heard about THIS?   One morning, Governor Scott Walker did his own private devotional and read "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," from Philippians and posted it on a Tweet.  Do you find that verse "braggadocio?"   The atheists are saying that verse sounds like a 'threat.'  Do you?  Can a politician with strong beliefs use something one day which appealed to him and which he wanted to share?

Your thoughts?   And please read the link before commenting!  It really helps.  Thanks,

That was supposed to be my post for today, but about 15 minutes after I wrote it, a friend sent me the following.   Should that statue now be taken down because an atheist might find out and demand it?  And should we give in?

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)

'My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin . My dad is on that statue, and I wrote a book called 'Flags of Our Fathers'. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me.

'Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team.. They were off to play another type of game. A game called 'War.' But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even would talk to their families about it.

(He pointed to the statue) 'You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon fromNew Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph...a photograph of his girlfriend Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. It was just boys who won the battle of Iwo Jima . Boys. Not old men.

'The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the 'old man' because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country' He knew he was talking to little boys.. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'

'The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona . Ira Hayes was one of them who lived to walk off Iwo Jima . He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?'

So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down, drowned in a very shallow puddle, at the age of 32 (ten years after this picture was taken).

'The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky . A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night.' Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. Those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.

'The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin , where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada . Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell 's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press.

'You see, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a combat caregiver. On Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died on Iwo Jima , they writhed and screamed, without any medication or help with the pain.

'When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.'


'So that's the story about six nice young boys.. Three died on Iwo Jima , and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time.'

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.

Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom...please pray for our troops.

Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also ...please pray for our troops still in murderous places around the world.

REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day.

One thing I learned while on tour with my 8th grade students in DC that is not mentioned here is . . that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of 'hands' raising the flag, there are 13. When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God.

z

Are we giving away the internet?

HERE's the best article I could find on the United States giving up control of the internet, which is rather an overstatement, but the best most can do, including me.  

Take a look at the link and tell us if YOU think this is as serious as some do, even some Democrats.
Even Pat Cadell, Democrat talking head on FOX Sunday, said "Nobody is sticking up anymore for this country....where is everybody?" when discussing Obama's acquiescing on the internet, the ICANN situation.  

Bill Clinton, who knows a lot more about this than most of the blogs I researched, and a heck of a lot more than you or I do, and probably a lot more than Pat Cadell, isn't for this situation which occurs in September of 2015, when our dominance contract expires.

Here is the most important and threatening rhetoric on this subject in my linked article from the WSJ; something I believe Clinton wholeheartedly believes:

So why is this happening? Couldn’t they just leave things the way they were? The main goal is to reassure other countries that the U.S. isn’t secretly controlling the structure of the Internet. To the extent American businesses have been damaged by the Edward Snowden disclosures, especially those offering cloud and other online services, this is a move aimed at repairing the relationship between the U.S. and other countries on Internet issues.

Make no mistake, this is a concession by the U.S. While the Commerce Department rarely intervened publicly in ICANN’s affairs, the implicit threat of its ability to do so will be gone. That could have an unforeseen impact in the future, particularly if cyberweapons continue to play a larger role in military and counter-intelligence activities.

It seems that Snowden's NSA revelations are weakening us in far reaching ways most people didn't realize.  And then there's this:

Putin called out America last week for what we think is our 'exceptionalism,'  following in the verbage of Democrats in their disdain for that.   Are you noticing how our enemies have learned to pile it on us in the same terms our Democrat media does?  interesting.

Anyway.........I suppose some could look at this ICANN situation as a good way to rid America of its nasty little habit of finding itself EXCEPTIONAL.   Do you?   How worried are you about this?  And please read the article first, there's a lot more in there than most of us know.  Thanks.

Z

Sunday Faith Blog

Here's an article Mustang alerted me to this past week.   We think it's pretty darned fascinating and pretty darned faith building:   The full piece is HERE.

(if you click on the image, you'll see it large enough to easily read)

Astronomers have discovered what they believe is the first direct evidence of the astonishing expansion of the universe in the instant following the Big Bang -- the scientific explanation for the birth of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago.
Scientists believe that the universe exploded from a tiny speck and hurled itself out in all directions in the fraction of a second that followed, beginning just 10 to the minus 35 seconds (roughly one trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second) after the universe's birth. Matter ultimately coalesced hundreds of millions of years later into planets, stars, and ultimately us.
And like ripples from a ball kicked into a pond, that Big Bang-fueled expansion caused ripples in the ancient light from that event, light which remains imprinted in the skies in a leftover glow called the cosmic microwave background.   (Z:  check the next sentence out:)

Scientists still don’t know who kicked the ball*.  :-)

But if confirmed, the newfound ripples would be amazing proof of what has long been mere theory about what happened in those first millionths of a second.

'[It's] a direct image of gravitational waves across the entire sky, showing us the early universe.'

- John Kovac, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

“The implications for this detection stagger the mind,” said Jamie Bock, professor of physics at Caltech, laboratory senior research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and project co-leader. “We are measuring a signal that comes from the dawn of time.”

"It would be the most important discovery since the discovery, I think, that the expansion of the universe is accelerating," Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb, who is not a member of the study team, told Space.com. He compared the finding to a 1998 observation that opened the window on mysterious dark energy and won three researchers the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics.

The groundbreaking results came from observations by BICEP2, a telescope at the South Pole, of the cosmic microwave background -- a faint glow left over from the Big Bang.

Beginning a fraction of a fraction of a second after the universe's birth, according to the current theory, space-time expanded incredibly rapidly, ballooning outward faster than the speed of light. The afterglow from that expansion is called the cosmic microwave background, and tiny fluctuations in it provide clues to conditions in the early universe.

For example, small differences in temperature across the sky show where parts of the universe were denser, eventually condensing into galaxies and galactic clusters. Since the cosmic microwave background is a form of light, it exhibits all the properties of light, including polarization. On Earth, sunlight is scattered by the atmosphere and becomes polarized, which is why polarized sunglasses help reduce glare. In space, the cosmic microwave background was scattered by atoms and electrons and became polarized too.

“Our team hunted for a special type of polarization called ‘B-modes,’ which represents a twisting or ‘curl’ pattern in the polarized orientations of the ancient light,” said Bock.

The team presented their work at a press conference Monda at Harvard -- the discovery of that characteristic pattern of polarization in the skies, which they called proof of the gravitational waves across the primordial sky.

“This work offers new insights into some of our most basic questions: Why do we exist? How did the universe begin? These results are not only a smoking gun for inflation, they also tell us when inflation took place and how powerful the process was,” Harvard theorist Avi Loeb said. (end of article)   Oddly enough, just yesterday at breakfast, a friend told me about HUGH ROSS.  If you're interested in how faith and science converge on creation, click HERE.
   
*"My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together."   Isaiah 48:13

Have a wonderful Sunday;  stay close to the Creator.............He had it right all the time.

-Z and Mustang.

Real Courage, Real Faith, REAL patriotism, REAL, REAL MEN......

Imp sent this to me and advised me to have Kleenex nearby when I watched it.  I advise the same to you.

Imagine men who were tortured and kept imprisoned in Viet Nam were excited to be sitting next to their 'hero' John Wayne?  THEIR HERO? 
They ARE the heroes, aren't they.

Get the Kleenex........these men are astonishing patriots.  You will be glad you devoted the time to watching this video.  Please send it to your high school or college aged relatives...they need to see what made America great.  I hope they'll realize how important and basic it is to honor this courage.

Z (thanks, Imp)

RACIST? Paul RYAN? Or not?

"We have got this tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work," Ryan said in an interview with conservative radio host Bill Bennett. "There is a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with."

That's Paul Ryan's comments on Bill Bennett's radio show.   Some Black folks are furious..  Apparently "men not working," in their lingo, means "Black men."  Why? 

HERE is the whole article;  it's worth the read.

"The next day you said that statement was inarticulate. Well, I don’t believe that. You said what you meant," Gardner (A Black man at a Town Hall Meeting)  told Ryan. "Bottom line is this: This statement was not true, that’s a code word for black."

"There are people in the inner-city who are white, Hispanic, who are Armenians, Danish -- all types," he continued. "And everybody works. You got here in a car or a truck or something. Somebody from the inner city helped make that."    (Z:  EVERYBODY works?  I thought there's terrible unemployment in the inner cities.  NOW who's inarticulate?  And, by the way, leave the Armenians out of it :-))

Ryan nodded his head in agreement as Gardner spoke, at one point noting, "That's right." (Z: but that's wrong.  Not everybody works anywhere let alone in any inner city.)

"This is not a race thing. It's just a poor thing. Poverty knows no racial boundaries," Ryan responded. "That’s the issue I’m trying to get at, which is we have to rethink our war on poverty and our programs so that it always pays to work. Because we have these incentives to people not to work."    (Z:  Well said, Paul Ryan, and well recognized by the people at the Town Hall who applauded that statement)

Was Ryan Racist for saying the first paragraph here on this post?  

Z

PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.........

Can you believe that these are the highest paid public employees?  Yup...mostly ATHLETIC COACHES!
And we wonder what's going wrong with America?

What do you think of this?

Z

Putin/Iran and more fun to follow?..........

Do you think Putin should be allowed to stay in the G8?

What are your thoughts NOW?

z

Fifth Best President? A touch of humor?

Click on this to see it larger........I thought I'd lighten our Wednesday this week........enjoy.  I'm not even sure this really did come from Texas A&M, but I Googled and didn't find anything to the contrary;  and no leftwing blogs are carrying it, so it very well could be true.

I had to add this below because it came on a hilarious email of pub signs most of which I can't share with you :-)    enjoy!

RIGHT!?
Have a great day!    Salad or alcohol!
Z

Nighty Night! Do let the bed bugs bite :-)

"Lights out for the Democrats?"  according to Robert Gibbs?

Do you think so?  He's worried it's all about the Affordable Care Act.  If the Democrats continue to think that's the biggest problem, we could be in.


Z

Crimea River

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday that Crimea's vote to secede from Ukraine and join Russia "would never be recognized" by the United States, as he and other top U.S. officials warned Moscow against making further military moves toward southern and eastern Ukraine.

The two leaders spoke after residents in Crimea voted overwhelmingly in favor of the split in a referendum that the United States, European Union and others say violates the Ukrainian constitution and international law and took place in the strategic peninsula under duress of Russian military intervention.   HERE is the full article.

I don't know about you, but it appears Obama's treating the Crimean people the same way he's treating us.  They voted for this, but he doesn't recognize it?   I don't know enough to care one way or the other if Crimea goes with Russia or not, except any country that sides with Putin like this doesn't impress me.  Still, they VOTED.   And yes, there was probably plenty of 'duress' but did they hold Russian guns to their heads as they voted?

What do you think of the people of Crimea going with Putin and what do you think of Obama and the EU's coming sanctions?  The title of the article I linked from is "Obama REJECTS Crimea vote."  Really?   Can we DO that?  And how's it done?  We just omit"c/o Russia" when we address mail to them?

z

Sunday Faith Blog

Through grand times and tough times, remember..........

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose."     Romans 8:28

It would help a lot of us were you to outline a time when you thought things would not work together for good but they finally did.  Anybody have any stories?  Please take the time to fill us in.  You can say something like "my friend had this happen...." if you'd rather not expose yourself.  I'd so understand that.  BELIEVE me.

Please dwell on that quote from Romans, no matter if you comment or not.....it really could help. I hope it does.

Have a glorious Sunday!

Z

David Brenner

Rest in Peace.  I really enjoyed you. 

z

Decompression

...yes, it's decompression at GeeeeZ today.
Take a break.   And a few deep breaths.  Maybe don't even turn news on today.

have a great one.

Z

The Naval Academy Men's Glee Club....MAN, oh MAN

I had the privilege of hearing the Naval Academy Men's Glee Club this morning.   It was unbelievably terrific, professional, entertaining, patriotic, spirit-filled.....I can't say enough about the 60 young men we heard sing today.  (I just found this YouTube of them...hang thru the rather serious beginning, they get VERY hip, very fun, and VERY patriotic...I promise, you'll be impressed;  some of the same guys were at our concert today):

The concert start out very somberly with The Marine Corps Hymn, which got one old guy near the front to stand the whole time.  Brought tears to my eyes when they finished and he pumped his arm in the air before he sat down.  They went from music that included very bluesy gospel, a hymn about Christian salvation which was sung in Russian (probably so it's not to blatantly Christian? :-)) and was gorgeous, they then went into a fabulous and very hip rendition of Bulletproof that our students went wild for, did Billy Joe's And So It Goes prettier than I've ever heard it, Ring of Fire in an upbeat way, the Navy Hymn, etc.    Then they did an adorable "10 reasons to join the Navy," with really clever little actions by the guys that made everybody laugh.  ...But their final and NUMBER 1 REASON was "you get to support and defend your country."   WOW.

They went on to songs like Put Your Head on my Shoulder, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, There is Nothin' Like a Dame...all done with such personality and flair and amazing talent.   They performed just short of an hour.

They presented the school Head Master with "...and we want to thank you for having us here and want to present this framed picture........OF US."  which made everybody laugh...so cute.

They ended up with what the Director said is their favorite, America the Beautiful. 

Afterwards, they stood around and talked to the kids and us, as pleasant, smart, engaging and (I must add) adorable as they could be :-)   

We should be proud that there are at least sixty young men who were so clean cut, so talented and, upon talking to them about the Navy and the Marines, were INCREDIBLY SMART!

Just thought I'd brag on American
kids here for once...........they deserve it.

Z

"Off we go......into the wild blue unemployment lines?"

I received this email yesterday from an old friend.  It needs no introduction or explanation from me:

I talked to my grandson the other day.  He is a lifer in the Air Force, as is his wife.  I asked him if he would be safe from the cutbacks and he said there is a 64% chance he will be discharged.  I just can't believe this.  He is in security, just got promoted into swat a few months ago, is squeaky clean....why would they want to get rid of someone like that, except that he is a lifer, has 13 years in so it would only be 7 more until his retirement.  He said they are already cutting all the not so sharp people.  With the upheaval the world is in right now, it just doesn't seem to be the time to be cutting good, experienced, loyal airmen.  He has been deployed to Iraq and Afganistan 5 times since 2007.  Geeez! 

 

Your thoughts?

Z 

The Dream Team

1. President
2. Vice President
3. Senate Majority Leader
4. Speaker of the House
5. Secretary of Defense
6. Attorney General
7. Secretary of the Interior
8.  anybody else you'd like to assign to another office of your choice who you think would take his work seriously and do it well?

Please give your choice for the titles above......

"Anybody but Obama or his minions" does not apply:-)

This should be good.........am looking forward to seeing them!

Thanks, everybody,

Z

American Citizenship....take it back?

Are these Americans wrong in giving up their citizenship for THESE REASONS?

I'm curious as to what you think.   Make sure you read all of them;  they're short and interesting and I'd like to know your opinion.

Thanks!

Z

Legal Status to illegal military family members?

Obama is now looking to give LEGAL STATUS (and all associated benefits) to families of American military and military veterans.   (I looked for other sources for more details but could only find it on FOX.  I'd have thought it was a pretty big story, particularly the continuance of Obama's serial-bypassing of the law?)

Here's one paragraph from the linked article: 

The exemption, called parole in place, came in the form of a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services "policy memorandum." It was not submitted to or approved by Congress, and the regulations were not published in the Federal Register, which allows for public comment prior to a rule taking effect.

Here's another paragraph, a quote from a Marine who was severely injured and has been recommended for the Purple Heart:

"I'm covered, my kids are covered, but the woman that runs the house, she's not covered. So that's probably the hardest part," Gonzalez said. "Now she'll be able to get a job, go to school. It would make her feel like she contributes more to the family."

Imagine being in the military and worrying about your illegal family members?  Not easy. On the other hand, I never believe that because someone's injured is a good reason for a spouse to get legal citizenship, etc.  I don't think McCain or Bob Dole can do nothing wrong because they're vets who suffered, either.  Let's judge the situation ONLY ON THE SITUATION.

Lots of ways to look at this newest Obama edict.    My biggest problem with it is that Congress wasn't even included in the decision and they ignored the Federal Register.  WHY?  The WH says it's because there is this existing statute called "PAROLE IN PLACE"...here's a description:

Parole-in-place is a status the United States government may choose to grant someone who is on US soil illegally, allowing that person to stay while filing an application for legal residency or citizenship. Without this permission, the undocumented person would need to leave the United States and attempt to apply for legal residency while in her home nation. Parole-in-place is typically available to certain classes of undocumented people in the United States. People confronting deportation can check to see if they qualify.

One example involves military spouses and children. Members of the military may marry foreign nationals while they serve overseas, and expect to be able to bring them back into the United States. While some seek legal permission to do so, making sure their spouses have legal residency and are on the path to citizenship, others do not, or face barriers making it difficult to complete the process. Parole-in-place allows an undocumented military spouse and any undocumented children to remain in the United States while they apply for legal residency, instead of breaking up families with deportation.  (Z: you see, this would have applied to war brides, and I'm all for that....the WH is tweaking it quite a bit, isn't it)

So I'm not REAL sure that this statute allows quite what Obama says it allows....they can stay while they apply for legal residency, the statute NEVER says they are afforded all the benefits of being legal.   Or are we reading it wrong?  (By the way, I'd be totally for the statute as written.) (Oh, but heck..maybe VOTING DEMOCRAT for THIS goodie has a little to do with Obama/Holder's interpretation????)

Z

Should they PAY?

What do you think of THIS CASE where an 18 year old New Jersey girl is suing her parents for support and tuition?  I'm sure you've heard of it, but the details in my link are a little more food for thought, considering the laws in that state, etc.

Do you think she's right?   Do you believe her parents should be able to say 'no' to tuition?  Do you believe this could open a door which would have consequences rife with ramifications we never even considered before? 

Let us know your feelings about it......

Thanks~! 

-Z

Bob Costa

Those of you who saw Costa on TV today might agree that he might be THE most disingenuous guy around.   Remember the anti-gun rant he's had going?  Gutfeld suggested that he was being a little hypocritical considering the armed guards who surround him.  What's Costa say?  "Well, I have NEVER had guards around me except at work here at the studios and when I do games and while I was at the Olympics."  Oh, so wait!  It matters who's paying for the guards before Gutfeld is dead RIGHT?

Then he's on how he hates "heat over LIGHT,"  suggesting the 'general tone of FOX' is too much heat and not enough light, as if the left's all over spreading LIGHT?   To be fair, I don't think Costa's a leftwing nut, he at least tries to appear reasoned, but man, was he condescending today.

Then he compares himself with Bernard Goldberg as if Goldberg hasn't completely left the lefties/media sycophants he used to fly with and isn't the conservative he is today? 

"Conservatives would be surprised how much Krauthammer and Wills I read and how much I agree,"  the pandering dope says.   Bob, why in the world would you even read anything conservative if you're so above it all? 

Can you tell his interview got to me? :-)

If you saw it, how'd you feel about it?   Or, being a conservative, maybe you needed a little tutoring before you fully understood Costa's amazing erudite diatribe, as he might suggest?    I tried to be fair while I watched but he just kept digging himself in deeper and deeper...in my opinion.

Tell me if you think I'm overreacting and why.......I'm open.   He just SO rubbed me the wrong way.

???
Z

Sunday Faith Blog

Please pray today, maybe right now, for someone, just one person, who you know needs a prayer.  That’s it.  That’s my blog today.  

“If Jesus needed to pray - being what He was, how must we need it - being what we are.”  

—James Stalker

Have a Sunday with prayer today!

-Z

 

 

 

Is America Next?

Well, of course the answer is YES if the progressives have their way.

She's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!

Z's new computer is UP AND RUNNING!!   Hallelujah! 
Going out to dinner with my AMAZING computer guru  ("iWife") and her husband!
See you later......I'm so relieved!

Z

Educators Lack Common Sense ...

A 14-year old student was in the swimming pool when the fire alarm sounded.  Minnesota teachers immediately evacuated all students from the building, including the young lady who was wearing only a soaking wet bathing suit and a skimpy towel.  She asked to obtain her clothing from her locker, and that was refused.  She asked to be able to sit inside a teacher’s car, and that was refused.  Educators forced this young lady to stand outside in 5-degree below zero weather, resulting in frostbite to her feet and toes.

Was the school principal or teacher arrested for child endangerment?  No.  Did the school principal or teacher apologize?  No.  The School Board only agreed to review evacuation policy with the local fire marshal.

Do you feel good about entrusting your children to public school teachers?

Source: Daily Caller