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Ever Wonder About Pirates and Cannon Balls?

CANNON BALLS!!It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon on old war ships. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem. The best storage method devised was to stack them as a square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.

Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.

The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of brass - hence, Brass Monkeys.Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faste r than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.

Thus, it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. And all this time, you thought that was just a vulgar expression, didn't you?

A Serious System Threat

We have recently had calls from several clients who have fallen victim to a sofware rogue that seriously impacts your abilty to do productive work on your computers. The rogue is named with Anti-Virus 2008 or Anti-Virus 2009.

On first blush, the product looks very "official". Victims most often think their system (or the Windows Security features) is telling them they have an infestation that needs to be addressed. So the computer gives permission, opens the door and waits for whatever happens. And what's likely to happen is NOT good.

Once in your system, manually getting rid of the thing is almost an impossible task. It's a multi-step process that requires manually deleting files, editing the registry and other nasties that casual users should not consider.

We've found one product that does a very good job unless Windows has really been damaged; and that product is SpyHunter. We recommend it highly. You can download it free and run it to determine if your machine is infected; but you must pay the $29.99 and register it before you can use it clean your PC.

The best solution though is to not put your machine at risk in the first place.

Some Very Interesting Stuff -- A Must See

Those of you who really know me know that I'm a junky for numbers. Though I could never stretch my imagination enough to even roughly consider myself to be a statistician, I have all my life been fascinated by numbers and by statistics. And for some reason, the more trivial the statistic, the better.

I was just sent an email that contained a link to a video that deals with a lot of those things. More importantly, it deals with the explosive growth of Internet based technologies world wide.

I think it's a "keeper" and one that should be viewed by a larger number of people. Click here to watch the video.

10 Ways to Survive and Thrive in a Downturn

1. Offer free assessments and other road-mapping tools to your customers. You’ll ensure a quicker sales cycle when they’re ready to buy.
2. Introduce new technologies often. Your customers should always know what’s there in the market and that you can get it to them as soon as they need it.
3. Keep relationships strong by conducting regular webinars on the solutions you offer
4. Show customers that productivity gains from solutions such as virtualization can offset the costs of implementing the technology.
5. Focus on recession-proof technologies such as security and storage, where customers’ needs tend to grow regardless of the economy.
6. If you haven’t already, think about developing a managed services practice. A small investment on your part can help your customers plan for the future.
7. Develop case studies to show customers your solutions and successes, and what you can do for them.
8. Expand your customer base. Serving more vertical markets means less cyclical exposure to any one customer segment’s spending patterns.
9. Get the timing right. New technology adoption, compliance issues and policy changes can open the door to new opportunities.
10. Go Green. Help customers save money and look smart doing it by implementing solutions that reduce their data center footprint and power consumption costs.
    

Not Sure Whether To Be Disappointed or Mad As Hell

Those of you who already know me know that I have all my life been a die-hard Republican as was my father before me and likely his father before him. Dad would spin in his grave if he knew that I had ever even considered pulling more than a single lever when in the voting booth.

Enough said for that! That's not the reason I'm writing this entry.

During John McCain's search for a running mate, I repeatedly and in many forums said that I'd like to think that he would at least consider the honorable governor of the great state of Alaska. You can imagine how delighted I was when he announced that Sarah Palin was, in fact, his choice. I had about 30 seconds in which to revel before the reality began to set in -- the liberal media was not about to let this happen without a fight and a smear campaign to end all smear campaigns

Then the started on Sarah Palin's young, beautiful and vivacious 17 year old daughter -- how low can you stoop.

What brought this to a head was the morning after Gustav tormented the Gulf Coast. The most biased network of the majors -- ABC -- and their most Obama devotee, Dianne Sawyer, spent almost 20 minutes railing over the sins of the Palin daughter before they ever even mentioned the damage done to the Gulf Coast only the day before. DISGRACEFUL!

I had a meeting last night and rushed home to hear Palin's speech. She blew the opposition away. I told my wife that it was likely the second best political speech I had ever heard -- second only to one from Ronald Regan himself.

Go Sarah -- Go. And may God Bless You and may God Bless America in spite of what the liberal media wants.

We’ve Lost a True Friend

Some of you who read this post realize that I have fought and, I hope, beaten a diagnosis of terminal cancer.

I have survived nearly two decades since the doctors told me I had one chance in a million of living a month after being diagnosed with bone cancer in my hip, pelvis and right femur.

A man I never met but grew to respect and love for his courage, openness and willingness to share every element of his fight lost his battle with pancreatic cancer last week.

Randy Pausch, computer science professor extraordinaire at Carnegie Mellon University, put up a valiant fight. It was a fight he knew from the outset that he was not likely to win – but that never deterred his lust for life. I never ceased to be amazed every time I heard him say "…I'm dying but I'm still having fun."

Randy left behind a wife and beautiful children. He also left behind an unmatched legacy for which I will always be grateful.

I sat last night and watched through tear stained eyes Dianne Sawyer's beautiful Primetime Live television show dedicated to the life of Dr. Randy Pausch. His death left a void for me. Even though I never personally met this man, I developed a respect and a love for him that's familial and real.

God Bless You Randy Pausch. You truly changed my life.

UNBELIEVABLE MATH PROBLEM

Here is a math trick so unbelievable that it will stump you.

I would like to know who came up with this and why that person is not running the country.

Grab a calculator. (you won't be able to do this one in your Head)

• Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the Area code...)
• Multiply by 80
• Add 1
• Multiply by 250
• Add to this the last 4 digits of your phone number
• Add to this the last 4 digits of your phone number again.
• Subtract 250
• Divide number by 2

Do you recognize the answer ??

Five Tips For Maintaining a Slow Growth Business

You know the expression "good things come in small packages." The same sentiment can apply to small businesses too. Entrepreneurs don't have to set their sights on building a mega-million-dollar business to enjoy a highly satisfying and lucrative entrepreneurial career.

Financially speaking, research has shown that small-business owners enjoy an average net worth that is three times that of their salaried counterparts. Business owners also tend to out-perform salaried employees in terms of higher annual incomes, savings, and stock portfolios.

Parents, college career counselors, and students should also take note that women are more likely to achieve $100,000-plus annual incomes faster through business ownership than average professional careers in law or medicine.

Even though business ownership offers considerable potential for financial reward, entrepreneurs still talk to me about their overriding desire to control their work destiny. They don't want to work 18-hour days or feel chained to inflexible schedules that conflict with family and leisure interests. Their attraction to business ownership is more about creative pursuits and career flexibility than monetary gain.

Of course, just because an organization is small doesn't mean that it will be stress-free or less vulnerable to business problems.

Countering the risk of falling behind

"Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities" is one of my favorite mindset development books. The book's author, Paul Stoltz, refers to individuals who are always taking energetic steps forward as "climbers." Individuals who are content to hang out in places of comfort are called "campers."

Stoltz warns that whenever individuals and businesses become complacent, they don't just stay in the same competitive position. They actually fall behind. It makes sense too. Because small-business climbers are almost always moving onward and upward in their quest for profitable customers, eventually they will surpass the campers.

But it is possible to run a "no-growth" or "slow-growth" enterprise and not be considered an unproductive camper in the small-business community. A slow-growing business doesn't have to be a weak business, provided the owner takes proactive steps to minimize risk and maximize every minute of every workday.

Here are five tips for keeping a slow-growing business efficient and healthy.

1. Define success in quantitative terms. The problem with starting a business is that sometimes, in the quest for new work-life objectives, owners don't always set measurable goals. After your business is profitable, however, you need to think about the next operating milestone: standard benefits and compensation for company founders and staff members.

This means the business is able to consistently generate enough income to pay fair market salaries, and cover payroll taxes, health-insurance premiums, business liability insurance, and annual contributions to a Simple IRA or other small-business retirement savings programs. Entrepreneurs who are single or don't have any other sources of income should add disability insurance to this list.

Simply stated, a business should be big enough to take care of the founder and support staff. Keep climbing until you reach this target!

2. Reduce dependence on any single customer or partner. Even the best-performing companies are vulnerable to fast failure if their revenues or profits are tied to one customer, one distributor, or one business partnership. With each passing year in business, dependencies should shrink to the point where no single relationship loss can put your company out of business.

3. Improve largest-customer profitability. Ideally, a small company's largest customers should be its most profitable customers. It is surprising how many business owners accept the reverse situation. Entrepreneurs who want to stay small and productive must favor customers who value their work and are willing to pay top dollar for it.

4. Identify backup support staff. Wouldn't it be nice if all customers presented new orders in an orderly, manageable way? As there aren't many foolproof ways to prevent sudden surges in customer demand, small-business owners have to take steps to protect their 9-to-5 work day.

One strategy is to identify project consultants or part-time support help for every key function in your business. For example, a company that provides research and grant writing services for nonprofit organizations can develop sub-contractor relationships with part-time researchers, writers, or editors. The trick is to test contractors out long before crunch time.

5. Reduce time allocated to administrative tasks. If you want to get more revenues and profits out of each workday, an easy fix is to reduce the amount of time spent on administration. If you think about it, you don't pay your bills, your customers do. However, small-business owners put aside money-making activities for less important administrative tasks. How often do they do this? Every single day!

My solution is to push all billing, mail opening, office supply store trips, and miscellaneous correspondence to just one day a week, preferably Friday afternoon. By eliminating time-consuming interruptions, you'll get more out of the rest of the week.

What is the secret to owning a slow-growing business to preserve time for family, friends, vacations, and fun? I think it all comes down to focusing your energy on this small list of business-enhancing initiatives and doing them really well.

About the author Susan Schreter is a Seattle-area investment banker and venture-funding expert serving startup entrepreneurs and fast-growth company executives. She also teaches business financing and entrepreneurship at business schools, angel forums, and microfinance organizations in the United States and internationally. Write to Susan at susan@takecommand.org.

Happy Independence Day

Management and staff at JFSI-J. Fair Systems, Inc. want to wish you and yours a great 4th of July Holiday this year. We hope that you will join us today, taking a few minutes during fesitivities to remember those who put themselves in harms way to protect us.

Keep God first and everything else will follow.

There once was a man who had nothing for his family to eat. He had an old shotgun and three bullets. So, he decided that he would go out and kill something for dinner.

As he went down the road, he saw a rabbit and he shot at the rabbit and missed it. Then he saw a squirrel and fired a shot at the squirrel and missed it. As he went further, he saw a wild turkey in the tree and he had only one bullet, but a voice came to him and said "pray first, aim high and stay focused."

However, at the same time, he saw deer which was a better kill. He brought the gun down and aimed at the deer. But, then he saw a rattle snake between his legs about to bite him, so he naturally brought the gun down further to shoot the rattle snake.

Still, the voice said again to him, "I said 'pray, aim high and stay focused." So, the man decided to listen to the voice. He prayed, then aimed the gun high up in the tree and shot the wild turkey. The bullet bounced off the turkey and killed the deer. The handle fell off the gun and hit the snake in the head and killed it.

And, when the gun had gone off, it knocked him into a pond. When he stood to look around, he had fish in all his pockets, a dead deer and a turkey to eat.

The snake (Satan) was dead simply because the man listened to God.

The Bottom line:

Pray first before you do anything, aim and shoot high in your goals, and stay focused on God. Pass this on in order that someone else might be blessed. Never let others discourage you concerning your past. The past is exactly that - " the past." Live every day one day at a time. And remember that only God knows our future and that he will not put you through any more than you can bear. Do not look to man for your blessings but look to the Lord. He can open doors for you that only He is able to do. Doors that you will not slip through but doors that only He has prepared in advance for you in your favor.

Wait, and be still, patient: keep God first and everything else will follow.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

BARACK OBAMA:
The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN MC CAIN:
My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON:
When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.......

DR. PHIL:
The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH:
Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH:
We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL:
Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

ANDERSON COOPER - CNN:
We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY:
Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE:
That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN:
To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART:
No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS:
Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY:
To die in the rain. Alone.

GRANDPA:
In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS:
Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it
experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE:
It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON:
Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES:
I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never .......... reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON:
I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE:
I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS:
Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY:
Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON:
Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

Ever Try to Quantify A Billion?

The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the'politicians' spending your tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases. 

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. 

C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

 

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number, what does it mean?

A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.

B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.

C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D. C .

HELLO!

Are all your calculators broken?

• Accounts Receivable Tax
  
• Building Permit Tax 
  
• CDL License Tax 
  
• Cigarette Tax 
  
• Corporate Income Tax 
  
• Dog License Tax 
  
• Federal Income Tax 
  
• Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) 
  
• Fishing License Tax 
  
• Food License Tax 
  
• Fuel Perm it Tax 
  
• Gasoline Tax 
  
• Hunting License Tax 
  
• Inheritance Tax 
  
• Inventory Tax 
  
• IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax), 
  
• IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax), 
  
• Liquor Tax, 
  
• Luxury Tax, 
  
• Marriage License Tax, 
  
• Medicare Tax, 
  
• Property Tax, 
  
• Rain Tax
  
• Real Estate Tax, 
  
• Service charge taxes, 
  
• Social Security Tax, 
  
• Road Usage Tax (Truckers), 
  
• Sales Taxes, 
  
• Recreational Vehicle Tax, 
  
• School Tax, 
  
• State Income Tax, 
  
• State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), 
  
• Telephone Federal Excise Tax, 
  
• Telephone Federal Universal Service Fe e Tax, 
  
• Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, 
  
• Telephone Minimum Usage
  
• Surcharge Tax,
  
• Telephone Recurring and
  
• Non-recurring Charges Tax, 
  
• Telephone State and Local Tax, 
  
• Telephone Usage Charge Tax, 
  
• Ut ility Tax, 
  
• Vehicle License Registration Tax, 
  
• Vehicle Sales Tax, 
  
• Watercraft Registration Tax, 
  
• Well Permit Tax, 
  
• Workers Compensation Tax. 
  
  STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
  

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. 
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in t he world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. 

What happened? Can you spell 'politicians!'? And to think that I have to 'press 1' for English. 

What the heck happened?

Answer: Voters have been dumbed-down and become dependent on our tax dollars!

 

 

Vista Service Pack 1

I have for years been a systems integrator, web developer, network and database specialist. I certainly have more expertise in some areas than in others; but my clients like the work I do for them in all the areas mentioned.

For years, I was a MAJOR proponent of not letting a fix or service pack get cold before it was applied. If it became available in the morning, it was supposed to be on by close-of-business that day. That was, I took that approach until I either got a lot smarter, got severely burned or both. Then for years, I took the approach that you should always run one maintenance level behind unless there was an absolutely overriding reason for doing otherwise. That was until I ran into situations where I needed software that required an uninstalled pre-requisite fix.

I have for the last few years been a proponent of the "wait and see" approach. Wait until the fix has a chance to be proven solid and then apply it. That is until Vista Service Pack 1 came out.

My experience with Vista was abysmal at best. I hated the OS, found it buggy, slow and a general over plumped OS. So when SP1 came out, I more or less jumped at the chance to apply it; and I have not been disappointed.

The HP dual core machines on which the OS has been installed now FLIES instead of crawling. We're seeing performance improvements in the 45-55% range and seeing a marked decrease in number of abnormal program terminations and long debugging sessions.

The net of this is clear. If you're running Vista and have been afraid to install it – DO IT. There's no better time than this weekend.

ABC News

I was earlier this morning watching the first segment of Good Morning America and was absolutely appalled at and disturbed by what I saw.

First let me say that this blog post does not represent my political bent. While it may be obvious where I stand politically by the time you finish reading this, my political position is not the issue. The issue is whether a company that's charged with reporting the news should be as open in displaying its bias as is ABC News.

What led me to this post?

• Hilary Clinton won yesterdays Pennsylvania primary – winning it quite handily. A double digit win is impressive
  
• The opening segment started with Obama. Unless you knew the outcome, you'd have thought he won
  
• When ABC News finally got around to acknowledging Clinton's win, they did it by going on the attack and criticizing her for her methods
  

At one time, I referred to ABC as the Anti-American Broadcasting Company – now I think they're changing their position to the Anybody But Clinton network. I don't know what they see in Obama. My take on this dude is that if he were white with exactly the same credentials he has he would likely not even be a senator. If he was lucky enough to have the job, he would certainly NOT be where he is, because it's the black block of votes that's propelled him to where he is.

Life Changing Moments to Remember

Many people who know me well know that I sometimes wrestle with the question "…why was I chosen to remain on this planet when my friends are dying…?".

It goes back to my early 20s when I was first admitted into coronary care. Then there was the Friday before my 40^th birthday -- when a tractor trailer crested the hill, hitting my stopped car on the driver's door. The impact tore the car beyond recognition, ripped to tongue of the boat's trailer from the back of the car and hurled the boat almost a quarter mile down the highway. Without any idea of what was about to happen, why would I do something I'd never done before or since – I disconnected my seatbelt less than 10 seconds before impact and allowed gravity to throw me through the passenger door ripped open by the impact.

I survived that wreck with little more than terribly stretched muscles and a lot of pain. It's likely that settling up with the insurance companies was more painful than the wreck.

Then about 20 years ago I had been having some back pain and difficulty walking. My wife Pat, the kids and I were living in the great little city of Centreville, VA (a suburb of Washington, DC) at the time and I was being treated for a narrowing of a couple aberrations of my lumbar spine. He had completely missed the tumor(s) growing in my pelvis, right hip and right femur.

The day they found those tumors was the highest and lowest day or my life up until then. It started a roller coaster ride that has left me with more questions than answers. Having a gaggle of doctors, ministers, friends and family came into my hospital room to share with me news that I had one chance in a million to live 30 more days was not a day I'd want to reschedule! Planning your funeral is no fun, especially when you're a church organist and you want to hear every piece you truly love played at least one more time – as if you'll actually hear the service.

Almost a year and a half later – 15-20 months since I was supposed to have died – we found the masses growing once again and had a repeat performance. But this time, it was much lower key and without a lot of the plans I had made a year and a half earlier. The second time, I had come to grips with several things.

• John is not in control. The ultimate decision is somewhere else and once we've done all we can do, place your hands under the control of the Almighty and you'll feel a lot better
  
• I was by then – as I still am – wrestling with the why am I here question. It may be as simple as to tell people like you, people who read stuff like this, that there is a power stronger than any of us and the power comes from above, from payers of your family and friends and through your faith and belief that you're never fighting a battle alone.
  

Well that's not the end of my story, since then I've also had two heart attacks, I'm the proud owner of several cardiac stents and take more pills a day than many people can count. I have just had some abdominal surgery – but I'm still kicking.

You know, it's absolutely amazing that when things start looking blue and when I get to a point where I start to feel a little sorry for myself or start questioning things, something always comes along to make me realize just how good things are! I've had two life changing things happen just this week.

I feel like a met a long-lost friend. I first read Parade Magazine's My Last Lecture article last weekend. This story is, of course, a story about somebody I consider a true hero – Professor Randy Pausch. I also watched his story on ABC last night, wiping my tear stained eyes several times; but thanking God that there are still people making a difference. Randy agrees with what I've long held as a basic premise, don't question the hand dealt, just figure out how to play it! The only way to get rid of the hand may be to throw in the cards; but at least it's after careful evaluation of all the options.

I went to visit a long time friend I had not seen in a while just to find that he had gone blind – as a result of diabetes out of control. Quite an adjustment; but seen as a bump in the road, not a mountain that can't be climbed.

Randy's story is online. If you haven't seen it, don't let today pass without viewing it. It's truly life changing and can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&eurl=http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/

Colonel Riley Letter to Congress

TAKE A FEW  MOMENTS AND READ THIS LETTER.  THESE ARE STRONG, POWERFUL AND COURAGEOUS WORDS COMING FROM A RETIRED COLONEL.AND READ WHAT  LINCOLN HAD TO SAY AT THE END.   WOW!


33 Senators  voted against English as America's official language on  June 6, 2007.    Of the  33, only one is a Republican and two are Independents;  the rest are  Democrats! On  Wednesday, June 6, 2007, at 23:35:23, Colonel Harry Riley,  USA-Ret. wrote:

Senators:

Your vote  against an amendment to Immigration Bill 1348 to make English America's  official language is astounding.  On D-Day, no less,  when we honor those who sacrificed in order to secure the bedrock,  character and  principles of America, I can only surmise your  vote reflects a loyalty to  illegal aliens.

I don't much  care where you come from, what your religion is, whether you're   black, white, or some other color, male or female, Democrat,  Republican or Independent, but I do care when you're a United States  Senator representing citizens of America and you vote against English as the  official language of   the United States.

Your vote  reflects betrayal and political surrender.  It violates your Pledge of Allegiance, dishonors  historical principle, rejects patriotism, borders on traitorous action  and, in my opinion, makes you unfit to serve as a United States Senator.  Impeachment, recall or other appropriate action is  warranted  or possibly even worse.

Four of you  voting against English as America's official language are current or former  presidential candidates:  Senator Biden,  Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd  and Senator Obama.  You are and  were four Senators vying to lead America, but you won't or don't have  the courage to cast a vote in favor of English as America's official  language when 91% of American citizens  want English officially  designated as our language.

This is the  second time in the last several months this list of Senators have  disgraced  themselves as 'political hacks' unworthy of being Senators  and certainly unqualified to serve as the President of the United  States.

If America is  as  angry as I am, you will realize a backlash so stunning it will  literally  'rock you out of your pants' and, preferably, totally out of the United  States Senate.  The entire immigration bill is a  farce.  Your action only confirms this really isn't about  America, it's about  self-serving politics and it's despicable at best.  It has been  said,  'Never argue with an idiot.  They'll drag you down to their  level!'



The  following Senators voted against making English the official language of  America:


Akaka (D-HI)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE) (Unsuccessfully  ran  for President)
Bingaman  (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Clinton (D-NY)  (Wants  to be  President)
Dayton  (D-MN)
Dodd (D-CT) (Unsuccessfully  ran  for President)
Domenici  (R-NM)  (Coward.  Protecting his Senate seat.)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold  (D-WI) (Not unusual for him!)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy  (D-MA)  (Unsuccessfully  ran  for President)
Kerry (D-MA)  (Unsuccessfully  ran  for President)
Kohl (D-WI))
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman  (I-CT)  (Disappointment here.)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray  (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL) (Wants  to be President)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV) (Senate  Majority Leader)
Salazar  (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow  (D-MI)

President  Abraham  Lincoln stated, 'Congressmen who wilfully take actions during  wartime that  damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be  arrested, exiled or hanged!'

We Asked For It – Whatever “IT” is

In just a little over one year

A little over one year ago:

• Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
  
• Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
  
• the unemployment rate was 4.5%
  

 

 

Since voting in a Democratic Congress in 2006 we're seen:

 

• Consumer confidence plummet;
  
• the cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3 a gallon;
  
• Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase);
  
• American households have seen $2.3 trillion in equity value evaporate (stock and mutual fund losses);
  
• Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.2 trillion dollars;
  
• 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.
  

America voted for change in 2006, and we got it!

The “Tax Rebate” Explained

As you may have heard the Bush Administration said each and every one
of us would now get a nice rebate.

If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.

If we spend it on gasoline it will all go to the Arabs

If we purchase a computer it will all go to India.

If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will all go to Mexico, Honduras, and
Guatemala.

If we purchase a good car it will all go to Japan.

If we purchase useless crap it will all go to Taiwan.

None of the rebate will help the American economy.

We need to keep that money here in America, so the only way to keep
that money here at home, is to buy sex and booze. Those are the
only businesses still in the US.

Parents Stop Video Game Porn and Violence

The video game Grand Theft Auto has been controversial since it came on the scene in 1997. The series has capitalized on the extreme graphic violence that can be perpetrated by players as they commit robberies, "pimp" women and participate in organized crime assassinations.

Parents must stop the destruction caused by video game pornography and violence.  By educating our children, you make an impact on how they view the violence that is thrust upon them every day. We can help them make healthy choices when it comes to how they want to spend their money and thereby have an impact on this violent video game machine.

Issue
As parents, how can we stand by and let something that is so violent become a part of our daily lives while it make millions of dollars by exploiting the minds of our children? Conservative media expert Ted Baehr cites that children will consume "63,000 hours of music, movies, television, iPods, and all of that by the time they're seventeen." (watch video)

The Problem
This is not the old make believe "Cops and Robbers" or "Cowboys and Indians". It is a buy in to a level of violence that was never imagined before. Grand Theft Auto is pure, unadulterated criminal indoctrination. Violent games affect children in different ways, depending on what stage they are in developmentally. As parents, we are responsible for seeing that we help our children make the right choices. "Children don't want to be manipulated. They want to be responsible. Help them to do that," says Baehr.

Educate Yourself, Set Your Children up to Succeed
Baehr has created a five-step process parents can follow to help educate their children on the ways of the media, which all parents should watch prior to letting their children select their own media. It can be seen at along with several of Baehr's other videos at iQuestions.com, a new online video based website.