tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148818962009-02-21T07:38:51.383-06:00My musings on the government, the military, religion and life in general.Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1132232924766794252005-11-17T06:42:00.000-06:002005-11-17T07:08:44.780-06:00

My alarm goes off at 5am, so the first thing I usually hear in the morning is the news on the radio. This morning, I got a good laugh when CNN radio reported that John Kerry said, in response to Dick Cheney's speech yesterday on the intelligence before we went into Iraq, that he couldn't think of anyone in Washington with less credibility on the Iraq War than Dick Cheney.Actually, John

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1131651697305244942005-11-10T13:24:00.000-06:002005-11-10T13:41:37.320-06:00

Today's the 230th anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps. This picture my great-grandmother's younger brother, Sgt. John E. Carey, who was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on 10 November 1918 after servering for four years with the 147th Company (Signal), 1st Reg. Fixed Defense Force, based at the Marine Barracks, Philadelphia Navy Yard. Part of his duty in the

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1128034349640838772005-09-29T17:29:00.000-05:002005-09-29T17:52:29.800-05:00

I don't really care for Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a Supreme Court justice. Way too activist for my tastes. But even she says something I agree with on occasion.Saw a story on Special Report with Brit Hume this evening where Justice Ginsburg was giving a speech at Wake Forest University yesterday and defended John Roberts refusing to answer certain questions which might cause him to pre-judge cases

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1128032758861839562005-09-29T17:07:00.000-05:002005-09-29T17:27:28.933-05:00

Now that Mother Nature has taken a break from playing with hurricanes for a bit - hopefully, for a long bit, such as until next hurricane season in June 2006 - she's finally turned her attention to pipin' hot Texas (as weather.com put it yesterday).After near-record temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s for more than a week - including record highs on 22, 23 and 25 September and a

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1127482187616137072005-09-23T07:59:00.000-05:002005-09-23T12:12:31.796-05:00

As people are still fleeing the eventual landfall of Hurricane Rita, tragic news comes today out of Dallas. A bus carrying elderly Rita evacuees has caught fire and exploded on I-45 near Mars Road, just south of the city. The interstate, which was packed with evacuees, is now closed 12 miles south of Dallas.45 people were reported to be on board, one person is confirmed dead, and the Dallas

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1127432269882862742005-09-22T18:45:00.000-05:002005-09-22T18:46:45.973-05:00

(with all due respect to Dallas which had an episode called "Things Ain't Goin' Too Good At Southfork")Yesterday, I was praising Texas' officials for their cool-headedness and evacuations plans. Well, pictures out of Houston today tell a different story....This is I-45 North and Paramatta in Houston, captured from a traffic camera at 6:26PM CDT. Where the hell is the contraflow? I count 7 cars,

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1127421136888672382005-09-22T15:30:00.000-05:002005-09-22T15:57:29.393-05:00

Here is the text of the e-mail that I just sent to my local representative about pork-barrel spending in Dallas County....With Hurricane Katrina having torn through the Gulf Coast over three weeks ago and Hurricane Rita currently having another section of the Gulf Coast in her sights, this is a devestating hurricane season for millions of Americans. The government is doing all it can to help, and

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1127419915688263792005-09-22T14:38:00.000-05:002005-09-22T15:57:59.956-05:00

Had a few moments to check out my representative's website and it turns out he (Kenny Marchant, 24th TX) promotes himself in a news release as the only Republican from the DFW area on the House Transportation Committee. So guess what he's bringing home to DFW? Yep, the bacon....here are a few highlights with some of my notes (see here for the complete press release) $400,000 - 14 foot wide

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1127349118838980732005-09-21T19:10:00.000-05:002005-09-21T19:51:47.133-05:00

Sorry, just had to use that word. God, I love General Honore.As Texans near the coast pack up and move out of Dodge (i.e., Galveston, Houston and the surrounding areas), I've heard the comments that Texas is learning the lessons Louisiana learned the hard way during Katrina.Gov. Rick Perry held a news conference this morning, more than two and a half days before Rita's projected landfall, urging

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1127147422034821242005-09-19T12:41:00.000-05:002005-09-19T12:33:39.076-05:00

I've been on a diet for the last year (have lost 65 pounds since June '04) and one of the first things I cut out of my diet was the four slices of bacon I would get at the cafeteria at work every other morning. I love bacon, but when you're trying to tighten your belt, the fat should be the first thing to go. It works just as well for governments as well as people.There's been a lot of talk in

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1126106489483665892005-09-07T09:33:00.000-05:002005-09-07T10:23:02.976-05:00

I'm just getting started with blogging and already I've gone light. I'm in Binghamton NY this week, hunting for my ancestors (with limited online access - the local library has free wireless, but while at the hotel, I'm stuck with dialup).I'm in the process of proving my line of descent to join Daughters of the American Revolution (actually, two lines - the son of one of the vets married the

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1125538873777788532005-09-01T19:50:00.000-05:002005-09-01T19:49:03.596-05:00

[Bumped to the top]I know it's not 1 September yet, but it's never too early to start giving....Hugh Hewitt had the idea of bloggers coming together to encourage people to donate to charities involved in disaster relief and Instapundit and The Truth Laid Bear have run with the idea, working on coordinating everything for Blog for Relief Day on 1 September.I have two suggestions -As a Catholic,

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1125622103448320182005-09-01T19:34:00.000-05:002005-09-01T19:48:23.453-05:00

There has been a lot of talk about whether or not New Orleans should be rebuilt and in what format - as a port only, a full-blown city with a better system of protection from this kind of catastrophe, or a city built somewhere else that isn't quite so prone to flooding. Yes, these questions need to be asked. But do we really need statements like this when there are people still living in the

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1125580651480407022005-09-01T07:54:00.000-05:002005-09-01T08:17:31.486-05:00

Here I gave my charity suggestions for Blog for Relief Day. But I just found out about another relief effort that I just have to promote.Soldiers' Angels have set up a relief fund for military service members and their families who are affected by the Hurricane. Here's a list of the military bases in the affected area, off the map next to my desk at work...Navy (which probably includes the

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1125543603688130452005-08-31T21:06:00.000-05:002005-09-01T19:20:08.393-05:00

The people of the United States are often among the first to open their hearts and pocketbooks when another country is in need. Witness the outpouring after the tsunami last year. Amazon.com alone raised something like $14 million dollars for the Red Cross (we just won't discuss the delay in them getting on the bandwagon for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts - they're on board now).But there has

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1125536289958453552005-08-31T19:42:00.000-05:002005-09-01T19:34:29.123-05:00

A few days ago, I posted the following about the then-coming Hurricane Katrina....He's [President Bush] already declared the city a disaster area and the hurricane hasn't even hit yet. Does he need to go down there and personally direct city officials? (Maybe I should be careful saying that. There may be some Democrats who expect him to do exactly that.) Apparently, some people think the

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1125535134033678852005-08-31T19:18:00.000-05:002005-08-31T19:41:43.913-05:00

Many businesses have been lost in the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and a lot of them will be of the small-business-owner-living-the-American-dream variety. I wonder how many of these small business owners are going to get this kind of help from their suppliers to rebuild....DC's Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Stephanie Fierman, says, "We are extremely concerned about the safety of

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1125251225106587092005-08-28T12:23:00.000-05:002005-08-28T12:47:05.113-05:00

Although a lot can change in the hours left before the eye makes landfall (this hurricane is so huge that outer bands are nearly on shore now), it looks landfall will be somewhere around New Orleans. For the city between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, this could be the worst-case scenario that has been predicted for years. Everyone who cannot evacuate has my prayers that they will

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1124558344969885522005-08-20T11:58:00.000-05:002005-08-20T12:19:04.980-05:00

As the World Youth Day celebrations continue in Cologne, Germany, I read these stories (via Open Book) about youth, unable to attend WYD because of visa requirements and security issues, who held gatherings in their own country to show their unity in Christ with those in Germany. The country? Iraq.Letter from Mosul: the WYD afar from Cologne, near to the Pope's heart - a letter from a Chaldean

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1124504625347931902005-08-19T21:08:00.000-05:002005-08-19T21:23:45.353-05:00

When the Kelo decision was first announced, I was appalled. I seemed to recall there being something in the Constitution about not taking private property for "public use without just compensation". I didn't recall the Constitution saying anything about taking private property for private use.As someone who dreams of owning her own home someday, this ruling made me very nervous. I have a

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1124487689809821112005-08-19T16:37:00.000-05:002005-08-19T17:09:18.616-05:00

Amen. Or to paraphrase a commenter at Little Green Footballs, freedom of speech does not equal freedom from criticism.UPDATE - It figures that with the obsession with polls, there would eventually be one attempting to measure Cindy Sheehan's popularity (or lack thereof). One number that struck me (since I both come from a military family and work for the DoD) - Sheehan is viewed unfavorably by

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1124487224634448392005-08-19T16:18:00.000-05:002005-08-19T17:31:23.413-05:00

Someone please explain something to me, please. In Texas, there is a state law that caps punitive damages in a civil suit to twice the amount of the economic damages and $750,000 on top of the non-economic damages. So then explain these numbers to me, coming out of the Vioxx trial, in which the jury delivered its verdict today -$450,000 - economic damages (lost pay - the deceased was a produce

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1124485029522238152005-08-19T15:38:00.000-05:002005-08-19T15:57:09.526-05:00

One of the things I love about these gatherings is seeing the youth of their world - no matter where they are from, what the manner of their dress is, what their country's political situation is - coming together for a common purpose.I just wish the press would stop with the comparisons to John Paul II. No one - not even the press - had expected a John Paul clone to come out of the conclave. No

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1124415759585983322005-08-18T19:34:00.000-05:002005-08-18T20:45:54.416-05:00

The Democratic National Committee is already plotting (H/T PoliPundit) how to use the current high gas prices to hurt Republicans at the polls in 2006 (and probably 2008). So what's wrong with this picture?1. It's August 2005. We've still got 15 months to go until the '06 elections. Anything can happen in that amount of time. Yes, gas prices can go up even more, but they could also drop. If they

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14881896.post-1124394461765487152005-08-18T14:36:00.000-05:002005-08-18T14:47:41.770-05:00

....how many more are found and taken care of before they can maim or kill? Through the Mudville Gazette's Dawn Patrol, I found this story at Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum of an IED found and safely detonated in Iraq. It's a tense story from a soldier who was there as the IED was found, the area cordoned off and the device detonated. There's nothing I can really say that adequately portrays what

Alianorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05655254816252299015noreply@blogger.com0