Lintefiniel Musing...formerly Jen Speaks!

Thursday, July 03, 2003

BigWig’s File Cabinet, Part B

Yesterday I mentioned that BigWig has some photos and history from WWII.

Posted by at 04:04 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

America the Beautiful, and Dearly Loved

I don’t read A Small Victory very often, she’s not in my blogroll (although she probably should be. Anyway, I was visiting mtpolitics where he made reference to an old post ASV did on “What’s Not To Like” about America. Solonor moved the project to it’s own blog, where each state is represented with a post and the chance to add a comment of your own.

As Solonor said:

I watched as the comments came rolling in. They weren’t like that at all.

They came with humor.
They came with neat links.
They came with insight.
For those that left home, they came with longing.
They came with pride.

They came with love.

Go take a look.

NOTE: The stuff about my home state of Virginia is right on the money.

Posted by at 03:47 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Communism Today?

Tony has a very interesting post with a list of 45 Communist Goals for America that was concerning enough that it was read into the Congressional Record in 1963. Tony then listed each one to see how far that list has progressed into reality by 2003. It’s more than a little scary. Click on the link to see the whole list, here are a few items to whet your appetite:

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”

Posted by at 12:54 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Alabama, Taxes, The Bible

Apparently, the Governor of Alabama thinks the Bible is instructing him to raise taxes in his state.

Whichever you believe, it all adds up to a proposed $1.2 billion tax increase for the wealthiest taxpayers in Alabama, if Gov. Bob Riley gets his way.

He says his Christian faith makes him sure this is the right thing to do.

Now I’m not disputing that Jesus said that we should help others. He did, several times, in fact. But did he mean that the government should do it or that we as individuals should do it.

I don’t know that the Governor needs to use Scripture to back up his point.

And so, Gov. Riley is out to rectify the situation with his proposed tax increase.

It does sound to me like rectifying the situation is exactly what he’s trying to do. Just call a spade a spade - past administrations screwed up by passing flawed state tax laws. So he’s encouraging the voters and legistators to correct that mistake. Because in this case, it doesn’t seem right that people who are making that little money should be paying a higher percentage in taxes than those who are making more.

Posted by at 12:13 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

The Funniest Radio Ad Ever

I was listening to Andy and Grandy on the radio while driving in and heard what I think is the funniest ad in history. I am not exaggerating.

It’s from consumerfreedom.com and it’s the one called “Lawsuits.” Please RUN over to listen. And listen to them all, the others are equally hilarious.

Brilliant!

Posted by at 12:02 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Another Good Movie Viewed

I rented a couple movies the other day (I had a coupon and a gift card). Last night I watched The Recruit.

That is a great, fun movie. I loved just about every bit of it. It was tamer than I expected as far as language. I assumed it was rated R, but when I looked at the cover after viewing it I discovered it’s actually PG-13. (Which means that Mom and Dad, you will really love this movie too. No cringing! Well, there’s cringing, but not for profanity or nudity.)

That one gets high marks from me. It’s on my list of “I Want to Own the DVD” movies.

Posted by at 11:46 AM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Wednesday, July 02, 2003

Vancouver

When the announcement came that the 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be in Vancouver, BC, Canada, I was thrilled. Why, you ask?

I lived in the Pacific Northwest (Oak Harbor, WA, to be exact) for a number of years, twice. I hope you’ll click on the link, it’s to a map of the region.

I have many fond memories from my early, early childhood: my sister was born there, I watched the men land on the moon on TV there, I remember my first July 4th fireworks from there, I remember riding the bus to kindergarten, I remember our dachshund puppy (Pretzel). We moved away, but returned a few years later where I spent 6th-9th grade. Let me say, that while most kids hate junior high school - I loved junior high school. The move away in the middle of 9th grade was the most traumatic of them all for me.

But I digress…

I have visited Vancouver a few times in my life and I think it’s a lovely city. And a great choice for the Olympic games. Much like Calgary back in 1988, the world will be charmed by the beauty of the city and the surrounding towns where events will be held. For all of the mocking we do about our neighbors to the north, I’ve found my visits to Canada to be among my favorites. (Of course, I haven’t been to French-Canada. )

Now, if you’re interested in a little trivia about Jen’s adventures in the Pacific NW…

Still Speaking...

I’ve kidded that my dating life peaked in junior high. And I’m going to leave it at that because my parents read this blog and there’s stuff (oh so innocent - come on, I was 12-13) that they need not know about, even now.

If you look at the map, in the top-left corner, you’ll see Victoria, Canada. This is one of the prettiest towns in North America, imho.

Moving to the right, you’ll see an island called Orcas - in the 6th grade our school sent the four 6th grade classes to Orcas Island for an extended field trip. I want to say it was at least a weekend. We took a ferry over, toured the town (which boasts an historic pip organ in some building), then headed to this camp where we lived in dorms, woke up to revelie and flag raising, spent our days studying how to get unlost in the woods with nothing but a weird map and compass, identifying trees and flowers, and I can’t remember what else. I remember that it was a good time and before or since I had never heard of a school doing such a thing.

Moving to the right again, you’ll see Anacortes. You’ll see that from the northern tip of Whidbey Island looks to be a road. There was a huge, amazing bridge at Deception Pass that was ethereal in the fog and really long and really high. I took swimming lessons in Anacortes.

Looking a little up, you’ll see Bellingham. We would ocassionally shop there. Moving down from there you’ll see Everett, we would shop there as well. Still further down and right - off the map - is Seattle. We would go to Seattle a lot - I saw Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back in Seattle, I think.

Moving back to the lower left, you’ll see Port Townsend. This town is on the Olympic Peninsula. I lived in the area when An Officer and a Gentlemen was filmed there. Because we were a huge Navy community, it was exciting to have a movie about the Navy filmed so close by.

Now moving up a little, to Whidbey Island, you’ll see Coupeville. I know we would go there, but I can’t remember why. It was a tiny little town.

Oak Harbor was settled by the Dutch, so you see a lot of their influence in the town. In April of every year they have a festival called “Holland Happening.” And they always have a huge July 4th thing.

I remember walking to school. We lived at the top of this hill and the whole walk to school was down hill. I would cut through the woods and when I came out of them I could see over the town to the east. On a clear day I could see Mt Baker, venting steam in the distance. On a really, really clear day, from our street you could see Mt. Rainier as well.

One last thing and then I’ll stop rambling.

We lived in Oak Harbor from 1978 - 1981. I remember May 18, 1980, like it was yesterday. It was a Sunday. I was sitting in our kitchen, eating cereal before I hopped in the shower to get ready for church when I heard and felt these two huge BOOMs. The windows rattled and the house shook.

My thoughts went like this:

1. How odd, we don’t have artillary at the Navy base.

2. I wonder if a plane crashed (it is a Naval Air Station).

3. I wonder if Mt. St. Helens finally erupted.

I even posed the thought about Mt. St. Helens in the car on the way to church. When we arrived everyone was buzzing with the news that the volcano had finally erupted and that it was devastating.

Here’s the weird thing. Go to the map and zoom out so you can see Seattle.

Mt. St. Helens is almost directly south of Seattle. We were about 200 miles northwest of the mountain. The ash cloud moved east-northeast with a smaller band that went northwest. There was a V over the Puget Sound that got no ash at all, we were in that band of clear air. I didn’t see any ash until we took a trip to Seattle months later and we could see it piled up and lining the street gutters.

We moved away in January 1981.

Done Speaking...

Posted by at 10:15 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Mort’s Wrong On This One

The panel on Brit Hume’s show is discussing the lawsuits against fast food. Mort Kondracke is suggesting that the government tax fatty foods and use the revenue for medical research.

What?!

That is a terrible idea for a number of reasons:

1. Who determines what is fatty food? FDA? The food industry?

2. Obviously the main target is fast food, but will that include all restaurants?

3. What about groceries items like cheese, milk, yogurt - things that are healthy and recommended, especially for kids?

4. What about the healthy forms of fat? Olive oil?

5. Who regulates the policy?

I could go on. The main reason why it’s a bad idea? I don’t need the government stealing any more of my money or telling me what I can and cannot eat.

If I choose to eat fast food, then I run the risk of gaining weight. As a matter of fact, I’m a little overweight. Why? Because I love food - all kinds of food - especially junk food. The government taxing me more for my chips and dip is not going to stop me from eating those chips and dip any more than my lack of willpower will stop me from eating chips and dip. Or Freedom Fries. Or Chick-Fil-A. Or McDonald’s. Or whatever else may be taxed.

Posted by at 08:51 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

I Am Not Directory Assistance!

Our headquarters is located on the south side of the Potomac River. That means it’s in Virginia, with a Virginia street address. Apparently, what’s so confusing for people is that HQ has a 202 area code. 202 is the area code for Washington, DC.

I don’t know how much research people have to do to get our number, but I cannot even begin to tell you how many phone calls I get from people who are actually trying to reach HQ. Because we have the 703 area code, they assume that we must be the main USMS office. After all, we are in Virginia too, although not at the address that’s listed for HQ. We’re actually in a different town.

I can understand the confusion. Really.

But let me tell you something (a few things):

1. I usually know what I’m talking about with regard to people and phone numbers. I’m the receptionist - it’s what I do. I have a rather large list of phone numbers posted right next to my phone. They include other court offices, personnel in the office, jails, etc. I even have a handy USMS directory for all USMS office and personnel.

2. When I tell you that the person you’re looking for is not in this office and that he’s probably at HQ, I’m not just trying to get rid of you. I’m actually trying to help.

3. When I give you the phone number, with that 202 area code, don’t ask me if I’m sure if that’s the right number. Who is the USMS employee here?

4. Please do not argue with me when I explain to you that yes, our HQ is in Virginia, but we’re not it, and yes, they have a 202 number.

This rant is the result of the 7th person today that has questioned my information. And it’s only 1:40pm - there are just about four more hours in my day to deal with these idiots.

And I won’t even mention the multitudes of people who’ve invaded our office today that I have to buzz into the door because they don’t have building passes - guards from the jails, USMS deputies from other offices, technicians, etc. Not an hour has passed that I haven’t been interrupted at least 8 or 9 times in 30 minutes by people at the door.

Have I mentioned that I’m PMSing? TMI?

Posted by at 03:26 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

New Venue

Breaking News:

Circuit Court Judge Jane Marum Roush said she feared Malvo wouldn’t be able to get a fair trial in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, where the sniper attacks terrorized residents over a three-week period last fall.

Methinks this judge is a smart cookie for a coupla reasons: 1) she doesn’t have to deal with it anymore and 2) I’m told that Chesapeake is a pretty pro-death penalty area.

And just because that area is outside of the Washington DC region, doesn’t mean that folks down there weren’t affected by the shootings to the north. Sure it takes him out of the immediate area of the shootings, but he’s still going to be tried in the Commonwealth. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens.

Posted by at 01:51 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Remembering, Lest We Repeat

I’ve always been fascinated by the Holocaust, Hitler, and the circumstances of World War II. Mostly because it seemed unbelievable that people would allow such evil to continue as long as it did without at least attempting to stop it. My childish mind couldn’t conceive of such events, but as I grew older I learned that we humans are deeply flawed and selfish. To the point that we’ll not act when we know we should because it’s often not going to be pleasant.

My grandfathers both served in WWII--I never got the chance to learn from my paternal grandfather about his experiences with the Navy during the war. He died when I was 10 or 11. But my maternal grandfather was career Army and he’s still alive today at the ripe old age of 85.

He served with Patton in Africa. He narrowly missed D-Day because of a hernia. He helped liberate a concentration camp (I don’t know which one, he won’t talk about it). He was a communications officer, so I’m sure he’s got a ton of stories. And he’s faithful to go to each and every reunion of his fellow warriors (that are still alive).

Anyway, I say all this to say that we must never forget what men like my grandfather fought against and for. And others feel the same way. BigWig has an excellent essay about the holocaust along with some well hidden photographic evidence (along with some well researched history behind the photo) that it did, in fact, occur. They are gruesome, but a much needed reminder of that which we can never allow to happen again.

[via craig]

Posted by at 01:12 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

It’s Closed

You may noticed that I closed (removed) the “nag” post. After sleeping on it, I decided it needed to be closed because I’m over my offendedness (I know, I made up that word). Thanks for listening and for the ~~enjoyable comments~~ groveling. I’m moving on.

Posted by at 12:04 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Run, Jerry, Run Far Away!

I’ve risked being Googled to death with that post title, but I can’t think of a better one.

This is about Jerry Springer, potential Democrat Senatorial candidate for Ohio. He was on Sean Hannity’s radio show yesterday and I caught a little bit of their ~~debate~~ yelling match. (At one point, they were literally yelling over each other. The transcriptionist will have a hard time deciphering about 2-3 minutes of garbled stuff.)

They were discussing taxes. Not surprisingly, Springer is against Bush’s tax cuts ("they only benefit the rich, yadda yadda yadda"). He thinks that those who make $250K+ should have to pay 50% of their income in taxes in order to help the middle and lower classes not have to pay so much. Well, that got Sean going and he exclaimed that Jerry is a socialist, to which Jerry got very offended (this is where they started yelling).

So I thought I’d fact check on Sean’s definition of “socialism” and this is what I found:

socialism

So"cial*ism, n. [Cf. F. socialisme.] A theory or system of social reform which contemplates a complete reconstruction of society, with a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor. (Source: Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.)

[via dictionary.com]

Sounds to me that Sean has it right. So Jerry (and the rest of the democrats who sing the same song) should just own up to their socialist thinking rather than couch it as compassion or whatever. Socialism has been proven to be a failure and it is not what this country is all about.

Maybe I’ll post sometime about my frustration with the left’s idea that capitalism is wrong.

Posted by at 11:26 AM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Tuesday, July 01, 2003

A Question for the Guys

I’m single and haven’t dated much. But for some reason I find that I’m giving a lot of dating advice to KR at work. I gave her a ton today at lunch and I wanted to make sure that what I was telling her was good, from the male perspective.

Assume that she is young (not that young - she’s 24) and attractive and relatively smart (although I could tell you a story from yesterday’s lunch that might call that into question, but we’ll pass that off as a blonde moment - and yes, she’s blonde). She has a good paying, steady job and is putting herself through college at night. She’s outgoing.

So here’s the scoop:

Still Speaking...

1. She works in the courthouse but not for our agency.

2. Our agency has a new deputy. He started in our office about a month to six weeks ago. He’s from another region in the US and we think he may have a girlfriend back home, although he’s made it sound like it’s close to over.

3. KR saw him in the main hall and asked LW and I about him. We asked him and others and got the above info.

4. LW and I went to him - asked him if he would be interested in being set up with someone. He perked up immediately, so we told him about KR.

5. Next day, KR was in our office eating lunch with us when he passed by with his lunch. A couple of minutes later he came in the room and sat down near KR. For the next 20-30 minutes they chatted with each other (and only each other).

6. That weekend, LW had a party and invited both KR and him to attend. Both did, and spent a long time chatting.

7. Following Monday, KR in our office again for lunch. He comes in again before heading up to court to chat with her.

**Now at this point it’s been about a week since we asked if he would be interested. No phone numbers have been swapped. No asking out on dates has occurred.

A week or so passes with little contact - things are busy in both offices and lunches are scattered.**

8. Yesterday KR came to our office to have lunch. KR and I were sitting next to each other at the HUGE table. He comes into the room, grabs the chair BEHIND me, where he sits to talk to KR, and only KR, before heading up for court. He informs her that he’s leaving on Saturday for a 3 week detail out west (think HOT, think fires, think desert).

9. KR and I go out for lunch and she asks me for his phone number. She wants to call him before he goes out of town for three weeks, to make sure he knows she’s interested. She was worried that he would lose whatever interest he had for her in those three weeks.

**Now here’s where I gave her my advice.**

I refused to give it to her (partly because I am not at liberty to give out the phone numbers of our deputies, but I didn’t tell her that).

A. I told her that he was definitely interested as evidenced by his coming into the lunch room just to talk with her.

(She then said, “No, he came in to talk to everyone.”

I said, “He only talked to you.”

“Really?”

:sigh:)

B. I told her that his interest probably wouldn’t change by the three weeks out west. He’ll be working 12 hours/7days a week. He’ll be too tired to do anything. There’s no partying going on on these details. He’ll work and sleep and that’s about it.

C. I told her I thought he needed to ask for her number first. Yes, I’m old fashioned. No, I haven’t read The Rules.

D. I told her that she didn’t want to seem too interested or desperate this early in the whatever-it-is-this-thing-is and that he needs to be the one to make the next move.

E. I reminded her that he may have a girlfriend back home and that she needed to wait for him to pursue her (which it looks like he’s doing...slowly...which I think is good).

**She just came out of a bad situation, so she’s feeling a little insecure, I think. Plus she’s afraid of being alone. So that’s where I was coming from on the desperation comment.**

I think that’s about it. So, gentlemen, let me know if I gave her bad advice.

Done Speaking...

Posted by at 09:38 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink

Ah, the French

Tooling around the blogosphere I happened upon this little tidbit from Right Wing News.

...the American flag there and in other locations, as well as American pins have been removed from the museum. Oh they still have the British flags and the Canadian flags, but apparently they feel that the 9,386 American soldiers who died at Normandy & the 1,557 who went missing or weren’t identified, don’t merit representation. How petty.

UPDATE: For anyone questioning the veracity of the photo.

Posted by at 04:56 PM
(0) Trackbacks • Permalink