Traitor
I would like to know your definition of a traitor. Don't hold back.
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I would like to know your definition of a traitor. Don't hold back.
I woke up this morning wondering what exactly people thought Memorial Day meant. So of course the first thing I did was google it. It brought up several variations of the definition, some more in depth than others. I then realized how so many holidays have become simply a day off of work or out of school. Who cares what they mean right?
Memorial Day is a day that was created to commemorate the people who have died serving out military. People for which our country would be very different if they would have not sacrificed.
Every Memorial Day my grandmother and her friend wake up, fill their car trunks with flowers and head out. Where do they head out to? The cemeteries. They visit the graves of all those in their lives they have lost. Some served in the military some not. None of which died serving our country. To them Memorial Day is about all who have died.
Some people get together with family and friends. Although I am sure they are celebrating those who have died, they seem to do it by celebrating those who are still here. Perhaps to them Memorial Day is about remember all.
So what is Memorial Day? What are you doing or do you do on Memorial Day? Is there a wrong way to celebrate?
I would like to say on this Memorial Day, no matter who you are celebrating or how, to also please remember those who have died serving our Country.
Happy Graduation to Robyn!!!! Well you have highschool out of the way.. Piece of cake right?
Things I don't give a flying squirrel about:
Bin Laden claiming Moussaoui had nothing to do with 9/11. Is this guy someone you trust?
Katie Couric on her final days. The Today show has been showing clips of this chick like she is dying..
That Al Gore took multiple vehicles to Cannes. Him and Michael Moore two hypocrites in a pod.
That Britney Spears almost dropped her baby. 1. What mom hasn't 2. I am sure you are a little jumpy when you have 50 people 2 inches away from you snapping pictures. 3. Even if I did think that this particular issue makes her a bad mom, did you think she would win a mom of the year award?
That some Democrat cry baby got caught doing something naughty and is pissed off about how he got caught. Its like a mom catching her kid with pot in his drawer. Why was she going through his drawers? Why did he have pot?
And tied for number one: Hicks and Jackson
Janet Jackson lost 60 pounds. If I could work out all day I would loose a couple pounds too. Ok, I probably wouldn't work out all day.
Taylor Hicks won American Idol. I lost interest after Chis got the boot.
Any that you would like to add?
Some up on the big Hill are upset by a recent "raid" by the FBI on democrat Rep. William Jefferson officeclaiming the raid was "unduly aggressive and may have breached the constitutional separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government". Of course the fact remains evidence was collected against him. According to the Washington Post the FBI is investigating Jeffersons receipt of "hundreds of thousand of dollars in bribes to promote high-tech business ventures in Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana". So is it right or wrong that the FBI raided Jeffersons office? I think I may agree that the FBI is being a little too aggressive on this. After all I know for a fact that Jefferson isn't the only one to fall for one of those Nigerian schemes.
I had a whole entry written and then like a dummy I didn't save it!! URRRRGGGHHH. Well here is the jist of it.
Surprisingly and very refreshing the Senate voted to make English the official language of these here United States! However the fight began shortly after when, as Pat pointed out, Senator Salazar's proposed amendment also passed, an amendment that would declare English, according to the NY times, as "a "common and unifying" language of the nation". How can these two proposed amendments both pass in the Senate? You want one or the other not both. Hopefully the second will fade away.
Let me ask one more time,why is this even a question? How is it an issue to name the English language the Official Language? We are a Country that is loosing its self, and I want it back.
CORRECTION: In my hurry to repost this entry I misspoke. The vote wasn't to make it the OFFICIAL language but the National Language. Thanks Pat for pointing out my mistake.
To: Select U.S. English Members
From: Tim Schultz, Director of Government Relations
Subject: Senate to Vote on Official English Tomorrow Morning!
Date: May 17, 2006
Dear Friend:
We need you to contact your Senators and urge them to vote for the Inhofe official English Amendment, SA 3996. Tonight, the Senate will debate this very important amendment and tomorrow they will vote on it. It is extremely urgent that you call your Senators first thing tomorrow morning and urge them to pass this amendment. We can not allow this opportunity to pass us by.
The following Senators have already signed on to the Inhofe amendment to make English the official language:
Jim Bunning [R-KY]
Robert Byrd [D-WV]
Saxby Chamblis [R-GA]
Tom Coburn [R-OK]
Michael Enzi [R-WY]
Johnny Isakson [R-GA]
Pat Roberts [R-KS]
If you don't see your Senator's name on this list, please call their office and urge them to vote for SA 3996. If your Senator's name is on this list, please call them and thank them for defending our common language.
You can find the contact information for your Senators here: http://www.senate.gov/
Just chose your state from the list in the upper right corner.
Or you can reach the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
We need you to contact your Senators first thing tomorrow morning (Thursday)!
Taco Bell I am talking about Taco Bell. Geesh, I love those tostadas, and Mexican pizzas, and burrito supremes and.. Oh wait no I am not talking about Taco Bell. As you all know President Bush revealed a "plan" for enforcement of immigration laws. He plans on sending the National Guard to the border to help keep an eye out for those trying to enter our country illegal. Well great, I am glad that we are figuring out we need to keep criminals out of our Country. HOWEVER... let us not forget 1. Mexicans are not the only people who seep through the cracks in the border and 2. Mexico is not our only bordering country. I don't know about you guys but those Canadians are some shady folks.. But really as I said the problem isn't just those of Mexican decent entering our Country ILLEGALLY. So what I want to know what is the solution to the complete problem? We have 2 land borders and 2 ocean borders. I don't just want to see ILLEGAL immigrants who invade our system get sent home. I want to see those who try and bomb our buildings, fly planes into our buildings and terrorize our Country get dealt with as well. Remember those people weren't from Mexico.
I know I have complained about this before, but well its got me going again today. I remember as a child that rainbows had a beautiful mystic meaning. They meant pots of gold, Pegasus, care bears, and much more magical things. Today on the other hand rainbows bring different thoughts to mind. Rainbows are now a symbol of homosexuality. That isn't all though. Children today now throw "rainbow parties". It isn't even close to being innocent like it sounds.
This morning a coworker was telling us that her 13 year old sister received an invitation to a rainbow party. Needless to say the 13 year old will not be attending that party. Rainbow party. Can you imagine?
I feel as though I am slacking. I hate to use another email for an entry but I must share.
From the L. A Times, a real eye opener!!!
1. 40% of all workers in L. A. County (L. A. County has 10 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This was because they are predominantly illegal immigrants, working without a green card.
2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.
4. Over 2/3's of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
5. Nearly 25% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.
6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.
7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of t he border.
8. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.
9. 21 radio stations in L. A. are Spanish speaking.
10. In L. A. County 5.1 million people speak English. 3.9 million speak Spanish (10.2 million people in L. A. County).
(All 10 from the Los Angeles Times)
Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops but 29% are on welfare.
Over 70% of the United States annual population growth (and over 90% of California, Florida, and New York) results from immigration.
The cost of immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a NET(after subtracting taxes immigrants pay) $70 BILLION a year, [Professor Donald Huddle, Rice University].
The lifetime fiscal impact (taxes paid minus services used) for the average adult Mexican immigrant is a NEGATIVE
29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.
I always check out emails at Snopes. Of course I did the same with this one. Some of it proves to be a stretch but the statistics are frightening. Even more frightening is that the article was written in 2002. The numbers have surely grown since 2002. Remember people, the Illegal Immigration topic recently is not about new laws, it is about enforcing current laws.
My father is retired Army. Yes that makes me an Army brat. My story is the same as every other Army brat out there, we moved more than a couple times. A few years were spent in North Carolina, Fayetteville and Ft. Bragg. There are a couple things I can recall. I saw E.T. for the first time in NC. My brother was born in N.C.(by the way I'll pay you a quarter if you want him). My mother and I used to be clowns, the real deal, we would go to nursing homes and birthday parties.. We used to be very involved at a Children's Home. I ran home crying to my mom that a neighbor boy was going to "kick me in the balls". Well those are a few of many memories from N.C., the only "Southern" State I lived in.
Well there are two more I would like to share. I remember driving down a highway, I don't recall if it was in N.C or driving to N.C, but I remember a truck passing us. The truck had a few people in the back, and they were all in white. I also remember a bi-racial couple living next door to us. One night a cross was burned in their front yard. What a scary scary thing. I found out in NC, who and what the KKK was. Now I am not stupid, I know those people still exist. I just didn't think they still rode around in the back of trucks and burned crosses any longer. I guess I was wrong.
FROM MY EMAIL BOX
By Edward P. Lazear and Katherine Baicker
The Wall Street Journal
May 8, 2006
There is no question that the U.S. is experiencing strong economic gains, with GDP growing at an impressive annual rate of 4.8% in the last quarter. The economy created about two million jobs last year, and Friday's jobs report for April showed that we are on track to add more than two million new jobs this year.
This job growth is undeniable, but some have questioned whether workers' wages are growing as well. Friday's report brings good news on this front, too, showing that average hourly earnings rose this year at the fastest rate in nearly five years. In recent months, hourly compensation grew at an impressive annual rate of 5.7%. Per capita personal disposable income, a good measure of Americans' spending power, has grown over 8%, or $2,100, since 2001. Consumer behavior is further evidence of this economic well-being: Markets are strong, and investment and consumption are robust.
Still, some claim that the benefits of this economic boom are being enjoyed only by the relatively well-off, and that we have left the rest of our workforce behind. Is this true? Over the last 25 years, the wages of the skilled have continued to grow faster than the wages of the less skilled. For example, the wages of the college-educated have grown by 22% since 1980, while the wages of high-school drop-outs has fallen by 3%.
This does not mean, however, that the rich are benefiting at the expense of the poor. Instead, it means that the return to investing in education and training continues to grow. Most economists believe that the increased divergence between the wages of the skilled and the unskilled reflects technological advancements that make workers' skills more valuable. Having an economy that places a greater value on skills and education is a good thing. Our economy can grow more quickly when the returns to investment are high, and human capital investment is the most important form of investment.
This presents us with opportunities and challenges. We have the opportunity to increase our standard of living as our workers reap the benefits of the skills that they have acquired. We face the challenge of ensuring that all Americans have access to the education and training that the modern economy values so highly.
The data show that it is this greater return to investing in education that is driving the long-run widening of the income distribution. The cause is not increases in immigration or international trade, as some have alleged. First, wages for less-skilled workers have not declined with growing trade, even in sectors of the economy with the greatest import competition. Second, some of the groups that have experienced the highest wage growth have also seen increased immigration swelling their ranks. Silicon Valley is full of highly paid immigrants and native-born Americans who work side-by-side, earning very high salaries in the high-tech sectors of our economy. For less-skilled workers, studies suggest that immigration has only a modest effect on wages of the native-born. Third, those who have examined the data systematically find that trade and immigration can account for at most a small proportion of the increased wage spread that has occurred over the past 25 years.
To make sure that the gains from technology are enjoyed by all, we must be vigilant in providing training and educational opportunity for all. Programs such as the No Child Left Behind education reform and American Competitiveness Initiative are vital steps in that direction. Perhaps even more important are steps that families can take to provide the environment and encouragement that is so helpful in producing an educated population. The president's tax cuts have made the tax code more progressive, which also narrows the difference in take-home earnings.
Through education, hard work and entrepreneurship, there is great opportunity for Americans to improve their economic circumstances over their lifetimes. Half of those who are in poverty escape that status within three years. One-fifth of those in the bottom quarter of the income distribution move up within a year. Most Americans' income rises substantially the longer they are in the labor force. The average worker who was between 25 and 34 years old in 1994 earned 52% more in real terms in 2004. Those who invest in education increase dramatically the likelihood that they will enjoy these improvements in their standard of living.
The labor market is strong. Job growth has been impressive, and unemployment is at a very low 4.7%. Productivity is increasing at more than 3% per year. This strong economy means that we can look forward to even higher wages and living standards in the future. We should continue to strive to ensure that all Americans are able to obtain the skills that will enable them to share in this prosperity.
Recently the city of Boulder experienced another 4/20 marijuana smoke-out at the University of Colorado . This has become a tradition, where every year on April 20th thousands of hippies gather together on a field and smoke the whacky-tobaccy together. Since there are thousands of them they think they can get away with blatantly breaking the law in public. Well this year Boulder PD is offering a reward for anyone that can match a name to a picture of a law-breaking hippie. It is amazing how many people have handed over names of those they recognize. Thankfully I wore a disguise.. I found it intersesting that we would go so far over something like this, while we let other "organized gatherings" just happen.
This made wonder once again how on earth we had so many ILLEGAL "immigration" rallies on Monday. I mean really.. Imagine, hundreds of thousands of Millionaires who all also have found a way to collect welfare, are threatened to loose their monthly welfare checks. Not only that, but they must also refund any welfare checks they have already received. Some of them the government can identify some of them they can't. These millionaires ,both that have been identified and those who have not, as well as those who have benefited from their manipulation, decide to protest. SO we have hundreds of thousands of millionaires ALL breaking the law. They rally and protest and sing songs about how they are breaking the law. They proudly admit to their wrong doings, screwing the system, breaking the law, etc. They go to all media outlets, admitting "HA! We screw the government, we break the law, we should be punished but we are UNTOUCHABLE". "The Government owes us this welfare, and I don't give a rats behind, that less money is left for those who actually are eligible for welfare". "Nannie nannie boo boo, you can't hurt us". Imagine these criminals, or any other group of unpunished criminals meeting somewhere announcing their crimes and then going home to continue doing such crimes. Can you imagine the backlash? That the police had all these criminals to deal with yet ignored it, and let the crimes continue?
That is what happened on Monday. Monday was declared a Day Without Immigrants. Which by the way I survived, did you?
So lets go back to the pot smoking rally last week. This thought process could be used for illegal aliens. Currently there are large fines for employers who knowingly employ ILLEGAL immigrants. We could encourage people to report such activity as the actual ILLEGAL immigrant by offering them a significant portion of that fine. Since it might not be possible to deport every ILLEGAL immigrant, we can selectively decide which ones to deport. If we catch an ILLEGAL immigrant we fine them and offer a portion of that fine to anyone who reports the ILLEGAL immigrant. If they cannot pay the fine we deport them. Chances are that if they cannot pay the fine they are unproductive and more likely to take advantage of government services so we would be weeding out the ones that cost the taxpayers the most. As we are able to deport more, we raise the fine. Now if this was the case I wonder if these ILLEGAL immigrants would still be willing to say publicly that they are in this country ILLEGALY.
Should we become a nation of tattle tales? Perhaps if it means weeding out those who are destroying our nation, yes.
This entry was co-written by our friend, and fellow American Pat..
This morning I received a phone call at work. It was a public service announcement for all those in the area. They were announcing a public meeting for all in the area due to the upcoming release of a Sexually Violent Predator. It seems the Sexually Violent Predator, would be moving into the area and the city is responsible for handing out paper work "warning" us, as per the Colorado Revised statues 16-13-901. Shortly after the phone call came in, a uniformed officer came in my office handling out flyer's regarding the meeting.
The area they are calling about is where I work, not where I live. I decided although I would miss a brand new episode of LOST, that I should attend the meeting. The reason I feel compelled to attend is 1. because I help manage several residential apartments in the area and 2. because I would like to see how a meeting like that is handled.
I think I read and re-read the flyer about a dozen or more times. Let me share some of it with you.
"The goal of the meeting is to enhance public safety an protection."
"meeting is being held to provide information concerning the release of a (SVP) into this community."
"This law enforcement agency has no legal authority to direct where a sex offender may live"
"It is strongly encouraged that the appropriate SVP information and public safety information presented be
reviewed with children after the meeting. Children under 15 unaccompanied by an adult will not be
permitted to attend the meeting."
How noble and perfect it all sounds. Wow, my community does care about sex offenders (well Sexually Violent Predators) stepping into our lives. Phew, I am glad because not only is the area I work in full of people, but it also has a decent sized Charter School, with young children attending. One more line I would like to share with you from this informational flyer, so that you can appreciate the situation as much as I do "they have been determined to present a high potential to re-offend". In case you missed it let me repeat the magic word re-offend.