Words mean things

I'm tired of people hijacking and co-opting words that mean one thing, into another. Or by a grand show of words, make something that is easy to understand, obfuscated. The current administration is doing such a thing. Taking "the war on terror" (which is a misnomer, but I'll get to that later), to Overseas Contingency Operation. This is nothing more than doublespeak, and trying to 'put a right spin on things'. We can call the Navy Base in Diego Garcia (if its still there) an 'Overseas Continency something or other. just not what it is. Things like honesty, truth, and doing what you said you were going to do, doesn't seem to mean a hill of beans to politicians these days. Take Arlen Spector for example.. he changes parties because his re-election chances are slim as a Republican? He's been in there 29 years. Time for him to go home.

Raymond Ibrahim has a great article on words, and how they actually mean things, HERE.

Before I go, this "global war on terror" is like saying during WW2 we were having a "global warn on blitzkrieg". Get the drift?

When the Lamp is Shattered

When the lamp is shattered
The light in the dust lies dead -
When the cloud is scattered,
The rainbow's glory is shed.
When the lute is broken,
Sweet tones are remembered not;
When the lips have spoken,
Loved accents are soon forgot.

As music and splendour
Survive not the lamp and the lute,
The heart's echoes render
No song when the spirit is mute -
No song but sad dirges,
Like the wind through a ruined cell,
Or the mournful surges
That ring the dead seaman's knell.

When hearts have once mingled,
Love first leaves the well-built nest;
The weak one is singled
To endure what it once possessed.
O Love! who bewailest
The frailty of all things here,
Why choose you the frailest
For your cradle, your home, and your bier?

Its passions will rock thee,
As the storms rock the ravens on high;
Bright reason will mock thee,
Like the sun from a wintry sky.
From thy nest every rafter
Will rot, and thine eagle home
Leave thee naked to laughter,
When leaves fall and cold winds come.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

What are they thinking?

Who HASN'T been bullied on the net, especially if they go into chat? You get trolls, and all kinds in there, and people on forums, they pick and slam at each other, and these are just the normal run of the mill types. Sometimes they will email you if they don't like your webpage, and continue to email you, big deal! just hit the 'delete' key. But THIS is going too far. It smacks of Big Brother, shades of 1984, and on its face is completely unconstitutional. Where does this leave the parent in all this? Shouldn't it be up to the parents to make decisions for their children, as to where they go online and what they do? Why limit it to merely online? Let's criminalize bullying in school - there is plenty of that happening! Where does it all end?

A few thoughts on patriotism

A friend showed me this picture, and it got me thinking.. what today is patriotism? Has it just degraded to a bit of flag-waving, maybe hanging out a flag on the 4th of July, perhaps buying a memorial poppy from the VFW on Memorial Day? Or is it doing what you can for your country, like joining the military - not for 'what it can do for you' as is advertised nowadays, "build a college account".. but to actually prepare to fight for the honor and safety of your country. I've started reading the Federalist Papers, quite interesting reading. Hard to get back into deep reading, after a hiatus of thoughtful reading, and only reading fluff for a while.

When I joined the military, I took this oath:

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

But I'm starting to think about this congress, and senators. What if they are doing what is not for the best of the country? I'm not talking armed revolution, I'm talking its time for the good men and women of this country to stand up, to NOT sit around on their rear ends, and just shake their heads, thinking nothing can be done. Look at the tea parties that happened April 15th. CNN, MSNBC, covered them as "people outraged with the democrats". That isn't correct. It was people outraged with Republicans and Democrats, and the hard swing to the left that both parties have taken. Neither party is center. Democrats may say "right wing extremists" in derision, however, they are to the left of center, as are the Republicans, who are only a little to the right of Dems. McCain was only a little bit LESS Obamaish than Obama himself.

I believe the founding fathers are spinning in their graves at the state of the country today, and the state of the inactivity of the people as far as politics go. Most are more interested in their television and American Idol than they are on what's going on in their government.

New flowers added!

I just got myself a NEW brugmansia! To those who don't know what a brugmansia is, it's an Angels Trumpet, Devils Tree, also known as a datura tree.

I have a peach colored one, a yellow one, and I just acquired a purple one, that the blooms poke UP instead of the usual hanging down. There is a house on Avenue H that has one, and I loved it the minute I saw it, and I had been looking for a source for them for quite a while, locally..and I have since found one, one town over - they grow their own from seeds! And they're not expensive.

When I was up in Medford, Oregon, in an 8b zone, I was calling around nurseries attempting to find a brugmansia for the yard.. found one, yet the nursery owner was *very* suspicious as to why I was wanting one - they are evidently hallucinogenic. Also TOXIC. I just think they're drop-dead gorgeous!

On another note, I purchased an Althea (rose of sharon) tree - in the hibiscus family - a double white - when I get my film developed, I will have pictures. I have not decided where I will plant this one - I have read that it seeds freely, and those little seedlings grow like crazy, so I think I will plant it along the driveway, and make a hedge of them ! keep those cars straight on the driveway, so we don't back into the ditch like hubby and I *both* did one year! The first time our neighbor had to pull us out, the second time, the truck backed in, and I used my V8 station wagon (with the tail-gunner seats) to pull out the truck.

A new blog added

I just added a new blog to the sidebar - you should really go by and read her scribblies. Letters from an a broad is her blog's name. She's an old (well she ain't really THAT old) *muffled laughter* school friend of mine, from I think 7th? 8th? grade? As I recall, one day we got into a fight, NEVER NEVER punch someone bigger than you in the boob! she'll kick you with her pointy toe shoe right in the crotch and ZOMG does that HURT you will fall over or faint or get stars shooting before your eyes like I did. But we ended up staying friends over the years despite that! I wonder if she even remembers that? I don't even recall what we were arguing about.. not that *I* am a hothead! *MOI* would *I* ever shoot off my mouth? nah...not meeeeeeee!

2nd Bearchase Marathon

A few weeks ago I said we were going to Groveton TX for the Bearchase Marathon, and I did snap a picture on my cell phone (the digital cam batteries died!) so here is Paul running past us at the 13.1 mile mark. He ran the marathon in his best time yet, 3.32.and some seconds. He wants to BQ this year, and head off to Boston next year. That will be a fun mini vacation for us!