Almost 3 Months

Since I last posted here. I've posted "muchly" at tndeer, Redstate, & the Tennessean. Loads of "stuff" has gone on since my last post. Fred's out of the race, & I'm as bummed as any Fred Thompson supporter; however, I didn't go to the ledge. It looks like it's going to be between Mitt Romney & , with Huckabee & Guliani losing steam. On the democratic side, there's a race war brewing between Obama & Hillary, with Bill Clinton as the rabid attack dog. One my simply use Drudge to keep up with it. This has the potential to really split the democratic coalition.

Personally, we had a great loss at out church. Evette Allison, our pastor's wife, passed away unexpectedly. Talk about bad things happening to good - no, great - people. Anyone who reads this, please pass along prayers for the family.

Bill Hobbs, the "godfather" of Tenessee political blogging, recently lost his mother. Please keep that family in your prayers also.

My uncle Guy "Doc" Anglin is in the hospital, blood clot on the brain caused a stroke.

The grandson is getting bigger - almost 6 months old now. He was a little sick last weekend, with constipation, & you'll never guess who got suppository duty! He's better now & a joy to watch grow & develop.

Deer season was a bust for me; didn't get out much & was sick when I went. Actually, it wasn't a bust because hunting is not about the kill - it's the experience. It does look like we're losing the great lease we've had. I've been fortunate to have the time there & will cherish those memories & experiences.

Work is good. Staying busy is the watchword, & it's not hard to do!

I'll try to post for my reader(s) more often - with everything going on time is precious. Perhaps I'll post some of my better blogs & posts from my travels around the 'net?

Moving On Up in the World

I know, another 2 months have passed since I've updated my faithful reader...

Frank J @ IMAO featured me in his Ronin Profiles! If you've not gone to his site, it's wonderful satire & great postings. The Fred Thompson Facts, John Edwards Fabulous Facts, & Hiliary Clinton Terrible Truths are worth visiting by themselves, not to mention all the wonderful stuff he has on his site.

Deer hunting is reaching full swing. I didn't get out during muzzleloader this week as mine is still disassembled. We've been busy with the new wonderful grandson, & stuff has been moved around & out! We're still working on removing clutter, which is like a snowball rolling down the hill - hard to get started, but easier as you go. Regular gun season starts next Saturday, & I'm getting ready to bring some venison home!

All the political junk is still going on; we'll see how things shake out as the primaries actually start happening. Hiliary now has chinks in the armor, though I don't know how much difference that will make. The MSM has already written the obituary for Fred's campaign, though Fred has come out with some interesting things on the illegal alien issue & today with Social Security. I still think it's way too early for anyone to be "buying drapes" for the white house - still a lot of campaign to go. Overall, it looks like the illegal alien/border security issue may get its due as the main issue in this presidential campaign, & I hope as well for the congressional & senate races.

All for now, be safe & happy hunting!

Over Two Months

Yep, over 2 months since my last post. Been busy @ work & will quite likely be changing positions soon. Spent the last 2 weeks out of town training some great people in Morganfield KY. On August 28th I & my wife joined the select group called Grandparents!!! Healthy boy born after a quick & quite smooth labor, 7lb 7oz & 21 in. long. My lovely wife will also begin a new position with her employer, so we are blessed as always!

Deer season is about to get underway here in TN. I don't bowhunt, so it'll be November before I am a threat to the venison polulation in Stewart County. The recent cooler evenings have got my blood pumping, though my hunting "stuff" is in total disarray.

On the political front: Fred's in, the "Surge" is showing progress, many on the left are exorcised that it's working. The illegal alien issues are still there, though in smaller chunks - some good, some bad.

God has blessed me much more than I could ever deserve!

Michael Yon - Arrowhead Ripper: 2 weeks later

This guy is on the ground in Iraq, & better able to tell how things are going than I am & most others...

Take the time to actually read this. Baqubah Update: 05 July 2007. Good info.

The big news on the streets today is that the people of Baqubah are generally ecstatic, although many hold in reserve a serious concern that we will abandon them again. For many Iraqis, we have morphed from being invaders to occupiers to members of a tribe. I call it the “al Ameriki tribe,” or “tribe America.” I’ve seen this kind of progression in Mosul, out in Anbar and other places, and when I ask our military leaders if they have sensed any shift, many have said, yes, they too sense that Iraqis view us differently. In the context of sectarian and tribal strife, we are the tribe that people can—more or less and with giant caveats—rely on.

There's a whole heck of a lot more, but the above quote from the beginning is very telling to me...

Random Musings

I've promised my legions of readers (or reader!) random musings, & here are some:

Senate Immigration - don't call it amnesty, though it is - bill is trying to be revived. I received - along with many others - an email from Lamar Alexander's office that he will vote NO on cloture, which means he's listening to those who support him. That is a good thing.

In Iraq Operation Arrowhead Ripper is in progress, Michael Yon is there telling the story. Now that the full troop strength is there for the surge & they are focusing on eradicating the Islamist insurgency cells, I pray they are successful & can turn the day to day security over to the Iraqis very soon.

The lovely Michelle Malkin has a great story on her website detailing the horrors of the Iranian cultural thug police. I join her in calling on the so-called human rights organizations to decry this outright evil repression. I hope that soon a blockade of Iran is put in place so that the people of Iran will overthrow the mad mullahs & their stooge Ahmadinejad.

Recently a very ugly incident happened in Nashville that did not involve Adam "Pacman" Jones. A deer was mortally injured & a police officer refused to shoot the animal to put it out of its misery. The story is found at this Tennessean article. From the article, the officer didn't want to deal with the paperwork involved with discharging his firearm, so a road crew tried to kill the deer with a shovel, then someone thought to use a sledgehammer. Being a deer hunter & student of deer, this makes me cringe. When I hunt, I will not take a shot unless it's certain the deer will die quickly & yes, humanely.

Personally, I've been very busy @ work helping train new representatives - little time off however I'm not complaining! Training & teaching are things I love to do; helping others succeed is what I'm here for! We're also getting ready for our first grandchild - little early for this @ 40, but God has decided it's time.

"Immigration" Bill Pulled, Now What?

The "grand compromise" immigration reform bill that would have granted amensty to millions of illegal aliens was pulled Thursday night. Sen. Majority Leader Reid said they would move on to more matters if there were not enough votes for cloture - there was not even a majority.

Now what? If one thinks that enforcing our laws & not rewarding illegality is a good thing, this was a win for the good guys. Will the bill be brought up again? There are many very intricate forces & situations at work. The republican party "bigwigs" have to know now that this is poison for them. The reaction from the base, of which I am part, supposedly "stunned" some. It's hard for me to comprehend how out of touch one would have to be to be truly "stunned." I believe it's mostly spin.

As of today there are still border patrol agents in prison, put there for doing their jobs. They were put there at the behest of the Mexican government. This is a terrible injustice all the way around, & these men should be pardoned & their convictions removed. The influence of the Mexican government should be investigated; this is something tangible that congress can look into regarding the Bush Administration.

Will we be forced again to beat back the amnesty bill? I am not sure. While many democrats want this bill in the hopes of new, malleable voters, I'm not sure their animus against Bush will allow them to give him a victory in anything - in this case it would be good for the country.

Can those of us who simply want our immigration, border security, & employment laws enforced make any headway while Bush is president? Sadly, I don't believe so; however, it is still the right thing to do to press for this & can set the stage for 2009 & beyond.

I'm an unabashed & up-front Fred supporter. He is right on this issue. Even Fred has been silent on the true apex of this problem, which is those who knowingly employ illegal aliens. It's fraught with political "danger," as many politicians fear losing the big money from those who knowingly employ illegal aliens. I believe that we can make a difference in letting our elected representatives know that the money they "may" lose from those knowingly employing illegals will in no way make up for the lost votes & on-the-ground support they would lose from their true constituents.

In all this, the operative word is "ILLEGAL." We have made a great difference in banishing the spin & obfuscation of this issue, & it is my hope we continue.

Talk About "Sicko"

Great piece from Rafael Salinas in today's New York Daily News. Do take the time to read this, though a great quote from this is:

As usual, Moore's logic needs a checkup. The man stretches his argument
into caricature and discredits himself by cherrypicking facts. To assume that
Cuban citizens are getting the medical attention they need because a party of
foreigners got treated decently is akin to praising prison food because you got
offered a nice spread of cold cuts after the warden took you on a
tour.