Wedding rehearsal

My son Patrick is getting married June 2nd, to Jess Hood at Oakwinds Bed and Breakfast in Alvin, Texas. Here is a photoshow of the rehearsal.

 

A couple more for now

Chair pattern
Still life
Rose in glass

Pics with new camera June 1, 2007

Oak tree
Fern
Still Life

Papawswrench calendar

I recently stumbled on Lulu.com a self-publishing service and my first item to publish is a 2008 calendar with photos of some of my wrenches in my collection. I think you can preview it by clicking the link on the right sidebar.
I won't make much money with these efforts, it is really just "vanity" publishing. I hope to make more calendars and possibly some photo books in the future, as my photo skills revive themselves from years of neglect.

Alvin, Texas Historical Museum

Our museum opened yesterday, May 20, 2007, after many years of work by many volunteers. It has been a long process, but worth all the effort.

“You don’t want to miss the dramatic life-size birch wood carving of Alvin Morgan, his dog and his goose. They went everywhere together,” Brothers said. Alvin is named for the colorful and much-loved Morgan.

as reported in the Brazosport Facts newspaper.

The ribbon Cutting was performed by Gary Appelt, Mayor of Alvin, Miss Cleo Congady, President of the Museum Society, and Tommy Peebles, head of Accessions for the museum.

The Museum is in the old Post Office building in Alvin, Texas.
Here is a photoshow of the opening-

View full size

Changes to Randomview

I am tired of playing around with politics. I am going to start posting some of my photography here, now that I have a new camera and will be taking more pictures.
First is an old stump in my back yard.
Next is Gracie, a grand niece.
Next is my 12 year old Dalmation, Freckles.

More good news from Iraq

Our media does not want to tell us about the good things happening in Iraq. In January this year, Condi Rice made a statement , explaining the need to build up Iraq and provide its people with independence. If this was reported , I missed it somehow .

For some provinces of the country, that independence has been achieved. Setting a milestone on July 13, 2006, Muthanna became the first province to transition its security to Provincial Iraqi Control (PIC). The second province to transfer authority was Dhi Qar on September 21 and An Najaf on December 20. Most recently, Maysan transferred authority on April 18.



But the government in these areas is still in its fledgling stages. Having spent so much time under the Saddam-controlled central government, many officials in provinces such as Dhi Qar and Muthanna are learning how to manage and provide essential services for the people in their areas.



That’s where the Provincial Reconstruction Teams come in. The PRTs exist as a civil-military effort, which in many places become the number one interface between U.S. and Coalition allies and Iraqi provincial governments.

These provincial reconstruction teams are rebuilding Iraq daily, but all we hear is about suicide bombers and soldiers being tried for doing their jobs. Our soldiers are much better than the Left would want us to believe and they deserve our support.

Richard Riley, the deputy team leader of the Italian-led Dhi Qar PRT, said there were four areas in particular from the President's New Way Forward plan the PRTs were focusing on to build capacity within the Iraqis themselves.

"[We need to] bolster the moderates in government of the provinces where we work," he said. "Another is foster reconciliation across the political lines around the province. Develop the economy to the degree that we can by advising the government in economic development. The fourth is to develop the capacity of the government in the province to perform its functions as a government.”

Readers should go to cent.com and read the article.


Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq

Our Peace-keeping Mission

On The Elitist Pig , Dave Nalle hits the nail on the head about our involvement in Iraq. The actual war ended 4 years ago, and we have been conducting a peace-keeping mission since then all by ourselves practically.

Contrary to the popular spin, the war in Iraq ended just about 4 years ago this month. We went in, fought Saddam's army, defeated them, killed his raping maniac sons, captured the Beast of Baghdad himself and neutralized Iraq's potential to make trouble in the region and around the world.

I have to agree with Dave on this.

All this time various groups have found it politically advantageous or convenient to keep calling what's going on in Iraq a war, and there's certainly plenty of fighting going on to make it look like one. But what's absolutely not going on there is a war between the United States and Iraq. Putting aside our conflict with al Qaeda, our main role in Iraq for the last four years has basically been babysitting - we've been keeping the peace. We've been doing the job the UN was made for, without their support and without the support of most of the nations which ought to be in there risking their soldiers to try to sort out the chaos so that Iraq can survive long enough to stand on its own.

I have had these same thought, but have not been able to express them as well.

Someone is going to have to have a hell of a lot of troops in Iraq for years to come. If we continue to allow the situation there to be presented as a war, it's likely to be us going it alone for much longer than we'd like. No one wants to join in and help out with an unpopular war. Only by affirming and publicly acknowledging the transition from war to peace mission which really took place almost 4 years ago are we going to be able to move forward and do what needs to be done there and do it with the support of the American people and the international community who should have been there with us from the start.

Global Whining

A Sad Parallel

Consider this -

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the bi rds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now lets see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: you child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.

Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder

Got this in email from a friend of mine.

TACO - new standardized tests

"Since the average life of previous statewide tests (TABS, TEAMS. TAAS,
and now TAKS) has been five years, it is not too early to plan for the
next test. The new instrument will be the Texas Assessment of Cognitive
Operations (TACO). It will have a remedial version (Soft TACO), a
regular version (Hard TACO), and an advanced version with many more pages
(the Gordita.) It will be graded on a normal curve (the TACO Bell).
Districts receiving the lowest scores will be put on probation with a
Basic Educational Appraisal-Not Satisfactory (BEANS). A second low
rating earns the dreaded Supplement Remediation Factor for Individualized
Education Deficits (REFRIED BEANS). This rating will cause a lot of hot
air at campus faculty meetings."

Got from an email I received today .

When will this end ?

Offensive furniture label traced to China when a sofa bought in Toronto showed up with a label that offended the buyer . It seems that somewhere along the line from manufacturer to furniture store , the color tag was translated from Chinese to English in an unfortunate manner . The color - dark brown - came out as Ni....er brown . This deeply offended the buyer and has "taken a toll" on her family !
She wants more than an apology of course , because she had visitors who would not even sit on the sofa !

(The buyer) is consulting with a lawyer and wants compensation. Last week, she filed a report with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Commission spokeswoman Afroze Edwards said the case is in the initial stages and could take six months to two years to resolve.

Moore, 30, has three young children, and said the issue has taken a toll on her family.

This kind of thing is all too often pursued in the courts because no one wants to take responsibility , and some don't recognize that "stuff" happens in this world . Is the sofa any worse than if the label had been correct ? NO !!!
I read the story
here from MSNBC.

Oklahoma trying to set an example

Oklahoma Senate passes tough Immigration bill

The Senate will send to the Oklahoma House a bill that will set an example for other states if the governor signs it , and it stands up to legal challenges . This bill would bar illegal immigrants from jobs and public benefits , and set fines and punishments for companies that knowingly hire illegals to gain economic advantage .

The measure also contains provisions to ensure that only citizens and legal immigrants receive taxpayer-supported benefits and gives state and local law enforcement officials the power to enforce federal immigration law.

One opponent's comment was -

“This misguided approach panders to anti-immigration sentiment by appearing tough on undocumented immigrants,” said Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre, D-Tulsa. She said immigrants come to the U.S. for jobs and opportunity, not to access public benefits.

Good news from colleges

Despite the onslaught of liberal influence on college campuses and college students by left-leaning professors , it seems the youth are becoming more politically aware and not wholly mislead by the left .
It is refreshing to see young people interested in politics and at least thinking for themselves . This Harvard University study shows more commitment to voting and often discussions center around politics rather than celebrity gossip .
Voter turn out is on the rise and will be even greater in 2008 than 2001 and 2004 , with a good mix of Republican and Democrat followers along with a large percentage of independants and unaffiliated voters for the candidates to campaign to .

In the seven years we have been conducting this national poll, we have seen a marked difference in political engagement and attitudes of young people, poll director John Della Volpe said.

Here is the article from The Washington Times

Liberal approach to the War on Terror

I think we should all read this article about how Liberals see war .
Liberal Approach - from The Post Chronicle by John W. Lillpop

"Can't We All Just Get Along?"
By Satire by John W. Lillpop

Most modern liberals believe that military force is an old fashioned and outdated method for conflict resolution, and one that should be consigned to the dustbin of history.

To the liberal mindset, war is sooooo 20th century. Like VCRs, heterosexual marriage, and Kindergarten without condoms and cucumbers, war is no longer fashionable, or even tolerable.

So-called progressives now embrace the Rodney King strategery for dealing with disagreements and rivalries.

Recognizing the liberal philosophy for what it is helps to explain Speaker Nancy Pelosi's bizarre behavior on the floor of the U.S. House and her trip to the middle east.

We now know exactly what Pelosi said to Syrian President Assad during her stop in Damascus.

"Can't we all just get along?" Speaker Pelosi asked the shocked Assad.

Unfortunately, Pelosi is naive enough to believe the murdering terrorist when he replied, "Of course we can, madam Speaker. Of course we can!"

This satirical article hits the nail on the head !

Taxing Internet Radio

I listen to several internet radio stations and independant streams , and you might also , so you should be aware of the attempts to tax it out of existence. The Copyright Royalty Board is wanting to impose high fees on webcasters, businesses that broadcast music over the Internet.
Read this about the situation .

Black and Right

Everyone should see this video of Bob Parks . His message to the troops is forthright and powerful .
Youtube video

The Elitist Pig

I recently found a blog to read ( as if I don't already read enough of them ) that will be a regular stop for me . The Elitist Pig written by Dave Nalle ,who has worked as a magazine editor, a freelance writer, a capitol hill staffer, a game designer and a history professor. He now designs fonts for a living and lives with his family in a Potemkin village just outside Austin , Texas .
Although his posts are much lenghthier than most , I find them thorough and insightful , definitely right-wing , and guaranteed to be politically incorrect . It is good to hear someone living in Austin with this sort of view , since some of us know Austin , Texas as " 90 square miles surrounded by reality ."
Dave's most recent post is spot on about the irresponsibility , arrogance , and greed of Democrats .
I urge everyone to check him out , you will find him worth reading .

For example -

Buying votes to win elections is a long-established tradition for the Democrat party going back to the days when poor blacks in the south would sell their votes for a couple of dollars and continuing today with the efforts of ACORN to buy votes in dozens of states nationwide. Now it turns out that the techniques which work so well with voters work equally well on Capitol Hill as demonstrated this week with the passage of the new Supplemental Spending bill.

He goes on to say -

There are plenty of other reasons to object to the supplemental spending bill, but the pork really is the crowning insult. I understand that Democrats don't see the point of keeping peacekeeping forces in the most volatile country in the Middle East to stop civil war from erupting and spreading through the area. They're irresponsible. I get it. They have understandable political reasons for their irresponsibility. But it shows an unbelievable arrogance to top their irresponsibility with pure unadulterated greed.

RIGHT on , Dave !

Cut and run proposals are foolish

The Democrat's refusals to budge on their troop withdrawal plans are foolish and plain idiotic . Once again they are showing us that their only reasons are to paint Bush and his administration with the tarbrush of shame for defending Democracy .
Despite the truth that the funding bills are necessary for our troops' safety and well-being , they insist on telegraphing to the terrorists a date by which we will withdraw and leave the Iraqui populace open to worse abuse and strife than even Sadaam caused .
If we withdraw too soon , the region will open up to who knows who to come in and establish an even worse regime in the area , Iran most likely .
We all know the funding will be passed , because no sane member of Congress wants to be seen as unsupportive of the troops . But , stalling them this way is irresponsible of the Democrats . There are other ways to push the administration to end the involvement in the conflict in Iraq .
Neither of the funding bills currently being touted will pass if the pull-out date is still there when Bush has it on his desk . He has promised to , and will , veto . The Democrats don't have enough votes to override it , and I question whether it is even constitutional for them to pass such items infringing on the Commander-In-Chief's duties .
I know a majority of Americans want us out of Iraq , but I doubt that that majority wants more of our soldiers and more innocent Iraquis killed .

Changes to Randomview

Randomview has changed a little , I hope the changes don't bother all THREE or FOUR of my faithful visitors !
Please comment for or against . I am trying to shake it up a little to make it more attractive .
Added are a newsline , and a Youtube feature . Youtube videos are on the right sidebar and rotate . If you click on one , it will show at the top of the posts right here on the page . Randomview takes no responsibility for the content , truth , or falsehood of any video or news item viewed through these links . I don't have any control over which videos or news stories are offered .