Attaining Cult Status

Today I made some changes on the blog.

First, I changed the music playing on the 'Music Time' playlist on the sidebar. When I got on to enter this little note, it was not working. I just opened the blog in another window and now I am listening to David Hasselhoff sing 'White Bird.'

The rest of the music is a bit unique. Turn it on and enjoy.

Second, I added a widget which tells me where people are coming from - and where they go to when they realize this blog was not what they hoped for. Don't worry, your privacy is safe with me - I can't say the same for what I read on 'Sitemeter.'

Third, and tied to the title of this entry, I now am blessed with two 'followers.' They are listed on the sidebar at right. These folks are fellow bloggers who have taken an oath to follow this blog regardless of the direction I send it. In addition, my 'followers' have pledged half of their worldly goods to me as a means of providing for my temporal needs.

They also equip me with a new car whenever I condescend to visit them. The car is affectionately known as the 'dadwithnoisykids-mobile,' and comes with armor-plated glass and a wet bar. Join US.

Fourth: How do you like the picture of the cowboy praying the Rosary?

Fifth, I wax political again. This will probably generate more griping from Catholics for Obama.

In the early 70's, there was a prison riot in Attica, New York. The riot and hostage situation ended when security forces entered the prison, resulting in a high number of casualties. The whole situation was very controversial, and I recall that T-shirts with the slogan 'Attica is All of Us' showed up all over the United States. This slogan represented the view of a certain ethnic group which thought that they were singled out during the quelling of the prison riot.

This is where I wax political, if you have been following this rather meandering monologue. After reading and watching this whole 'Joe the Plumber' controversy unfold, it occurred to me that ALL of us will be subject to a great redistribution of wealth under the leadership of Obama. So I stole the slogan I mentioned above and rearranged it, and came up with:

JOE THE PLUMBER IS ALL OF US

I say this because I foresee a lot of money earned by the people who make this country great leaving their pockets and going to spread the wealth around to those who are not at the same financial level. Anyone who dares to challenge Obama will be run through the coals.

I sent an e-mail to Rush Lmbaugh suggesting this as a slogan suitable for T-shirts.

Six: HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS!?!

I guess they won yesterday. We went to a Mexican restaurant on Sunday afternoon, and we were parked at a table right in front of a projection screen which showed that the football game was in full swing. I objected to our sitting there because it was already causing a distraction for the children. It was bad enough that the children sat there watching the game, but what really worried me were the commercials and the gratuitous close-ups of the cheerleaders("Bounce for camera, girls!").

We asked to be seated behind the screen, but we were told that section was closed. We walked out.

Instead we went to another Mexican restaurant(Matt's Rancho Martinez) closer to home, and my beautiful wife got her craving for nachos satisfied.

Seventh, a voter's guide of sorts:

It's unlikely you'll vote for Obama if you....

01. aren't a news anchor.

02. read the New York Times for pretty much the same reason the NSA monitors radio transmissions.

03. automatically conclude that the person laughing in the car next to you must be listening to Rush. Or maybe Obama off teleprompter.

04. dislocated your shoulder trying to explain Obama's position on Iraq to co-workers.

05. find autobiographies generally more interesting when the author has, you know, done something.

06. remember the Carter Administration.

07. would give a month's pay to play Jack Bauer's partner on 24.

08. increasingly agree with Mark Steyn that "almost everything [Obama] says is, well, nuts."

09. think it's relevant — despite what the sophisticates say — that several of Obama's mentors and associates have displayed a dislike for America or a disdain for Americans.

10. think it's relevant that several of McCain's mentors and associates are American heroes of historic magnitude.

11. think about 9/11 more than once a year.

12. have concluded that Larry the Cable Guy makes way more sense than Howard Dean.

13. feel a little safer during turbulence when your pilot is a calm "white haired dude."

14. thought about Hillary's 3:00 a.m. phone call ad when you first heard about Russian tanks in Georgia.

15. wonder why Obama felt it necessary to give a speech on patriotism.

16. get sorta creeped out by 200,000 Germans chanting "Obama! Obama!"

17. think the jury may still be out on Harvard Law School.

18. suspect "merci beaucoup" is French for "empty suit."

19. doubt that teleprompters are really magical dispensers of good ideas.

20. know in your gut that defiantly withstanding 4 1/2 years of torture trumps all of Obama's qualifications and accomplishments combined — regardless of what the elite pundits say.

21. repeatedly find yourself asking "Change to what?"

22. have ever used the term "pompous twit' in the same sentence with "Marx," "Marcuse," or "Sartre."

23. don't like being told what to do — especially by someone who hasn't done it.

24. really like ticking off the media, Hollywood, academics, and PC busybodies everywhere.

25. weren't born yesterday.

Score (# of descriptions that apply to you):
0— Go ahead, write in Dennis Kucinich
1—3 Obama may be your choice after all
4—5 You think Hillary got a raw deal and won't vote Obama
6—24 McCain's your man
25 It's OK to write in Reagan

Now for a little mushiness:

An Electoral Year Folk Song

This is a parody of 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone?' which was written by Pete Seeger, sung by such names as Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, and (in German) Joan Baez.

This is my rewrite of the song, asking some of the questions which have gone unanswered about the Democratic Party candidate for the President of the United States.

I could have gone on and on, but my head began to hurt too much, and I found it hard to make any of the lines rhyme. Truly another example of my Bad Poetry.

Where Have Barry's Exes Gone?

Where have Barry's 'Exes' gone?

Are they hiding?

Where have Barry's 'Exes' gone?

I'd like to know

Where have Barry's 'Exes' gone?

Even geeks like me had some

That's what I'd like to learn

That's what I'd like to learn

Where have Barry's classmates gone?

Back at Harvard

Where have Barry's classmates gone?

I'd like to know

Where have Barry's classmates gone?

They could tell about someone

That's what I'd like to learn

That's what I'd like to learn

Where did Barry enter Earth?

In the U.S.A?

Where did Barry enter Earth?

Or somewhere else

Where did Barry enter Earth?

Check 'Certificate of Live Birth'

That's what I'd like to learn

That's what I'd like to learn

Name one thing that Barry's done

In the Senate

Name one thing that Barry's done

I'd like to know

Name one thing that Barry's done

[just hum the tune here....]

That's what I thought I'd learn

That's what I thought I'd learn

What's the one thing Barry's done?

Through this campaign

What's the one thing Barry's done?

To earn our trust

What's the one thing Barry's done?

He's deceived most everyone

When will we ever learn?

When will we ever learn?

Discussion:

The first and second verses asks a question which is worth considering; namely, who knew this candidate when he was a youngster? In the case of ex-girlfriends, I don't really want to dig up dirt on a candidate, but it would be interesting to see if there are ANY ex-girlfriends in his past. What I am alluding to I shall leave to the readers speculation. But I would guess most ex-girlfriends would state(for the record) that he was a 'jerk' and it didn't work. Of course, my wife would say that about me on occasion as well, but she happens to love me, even in my jerkiness.

College and Law school classmates would have a lot of information to divulge about a candidate, especially law school classmates.

There is a lawsuit which is demanding that the candidate hand over his birth certificate to prove that he is an American citizen. There is also a report which states that he had to renounce his US citizenship in order to attend public school in Indonesia(the home of his stepfather).

The verse asking for any accomplishments that the candidate had while a US Senator was inspired by the video below, where several proponents of the candidate are unable to list any accomplishments. We are still waiting....

As I said before, I was running out of rhymes, and so I had to omit the verses about 'Joe the Plumber,' the candidate's grandmother who is ill - after being thrown under a bus for him, Bill Ayers, the recent election in Kenya which resulted in the losers(our candidate's people) rioting and forcing their way into power in the government, and other things which I find troubling about this candidate.

The final verse summarizes my thoughts.

Now, on a lighter look, sit back and watch this video with music from a group called 'Living Colour.'

Of course, the candidate reminds me of the character of the Antichrist in Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson's book Lord of the World, which was written in 1907.

Lyrics cross-posted to my Facebook page.

Imagine You Work in Human Resources....

This tells the story in a way that makes you realize just who voters could be "hiring" on Nov. 4th (God forbid).

I received this from a friend who was in Government Security and also
Corporate Security. He said, 'Those of you that have worked in
industries that require high level security clearances can understand
the probable rejection of this Candidate.'

Imagine for a few moments that you are the Human Resources Director
of a major multi-billion dollar corporation. You are sitting in your
office when you receive a phone call from the Chairman of the Board of
Directors. He tells you that the board is considering a candidate for a
high-level executive position. He advises you to complete a thorough
background investigation and have it to him within 10 days.

You immediately call the Private Detective Agency you have used for
years and give them the name and address of the prospective candidate,
along with the deadline for a high level security clearance. Your next
move is to call your assistant to your office, giving him/her the
candidate's personal information along with instructions to 'do your
standard beginning background checks.'

Preliminary findings begin landing in your fax machine on the third
day.

1. Your candidate has used more than one name.


2. His original birth certificate is unavailable, and he was
mentored during his youth by a high level communist in Hawaii, Frank
Marshall Davis. You receive a 3 page 'dossier' on Frank Marshall Davis.

3. You also learn the candidate was proctored into an elite Eastern
private university by a middle eastern Muslim. You receive a short
dossier on Khalid al-Mansour.

4.You learn the candidate has terrorist organization 'Nations of
Islam' employees on his current staff, and one of his advisers is a
member of the global terrorist group 'Muslim Brotherhood.'

5. On day four, you receive in the mail from the security agency two
books the candidate has written. You read both books, highlighting the
anti-American, anti-white racist p assages. You note the admissions of
drug use.

6. You also receive in the packet a copy of the bitter anti-white
thesis his wife wrote as a college undergraduate.

7. You receive a 4 page fax on the candidate's relative, Raila
Odinga, who is connected with brutal Muslim politics in Africa, and
background information on the candidate's estranged father who was part
of Kenya's most corrupt regime.

8. The fifth day brings to your special delivery mail: The complete
background on Bill Ayers; his association with your candidate, his FBI
criminal record, and a copy of the book 'Rules for Radicals' written by
communist Saul Alinsky.

(Bill Ayers standing on top of the American Flag)

9. You are advised your candidate used tactics from 'Rules for
Radicals' at his previous employment.

10. You are advised the candidate's wife used an excerpt from this
book during a recent speech.

11. You receive by fax, a background on A.C.O.R.N. and an alert:
This group is being watched by the U.S. Department of Justice and other
state and local law enforcement agencies.

12. You learn that by Muslim Law, Muslims consider the candidate to
be a Muslim for Life.

13. You learn your candidate is endorsed by every Muslim terrorist
organization on Earth; because he holds Muslim beliefs.

14. His friend, Louis Farrakhan, is head of Nation of Islam. You
learn that the candidate's Christian pastor met with global terrorist
Mohmmar Gaddafi in Libya, along with their mutual friend and
anti-American Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan has also identified Obama as
The MESSIAH.

15. You receive printed transcripts of his pastor's anti-White,
anti-American 'sermons' and are advised your candidate has been close
personal friends with this 'pastor' for two decades.

16. Your candidate has referred to this radical pastor as his
'personal spiritual advisor,' and in fact, the title of one of your
candidates memoirs was inspired by a line from this pastor's 'sermons.'

17. In your fax machine on the sixth morning is a file on one Tony
Rezko; his friendship, associations and business transactions with your
candidate, as well as high level 'people' of middle eastern origin, and
his federal conviction. You will spend most of day seven compiling a
file on the candidate, The Obama File, complete with footnotes and cross
references.

18. Additional information is arriving regarding the candidate's
friends and acquaintances during college, and you learn that he did not
run with a mainstream crowd, but chose radicals and communist agitators
for his social group.

19. The morning of the eighth day has arrived and you and your
assistant have placed a small mountain of background information into
manageable 'piles' including:
photographs of the candidate's family in Africa, he and George Soros
(including a brief file on the Soros 'Open Society Institute'), photos
of the candidate and Louis Farrakhan and anti-Israeli Arafat advisor
Edward Said.

20. You begin to outline and write your 'Summary Evaluation' to the
Chairman of the Board of Directors: This candidate has a tissue thin work experience resume. He
has not managed large groups of personnel, departments, material, or P&L
statements. This candidate's own writing exhibits a character of
deep-seeded anger and resentment towards people of the Caucasian race
over the issue of slavery. His emotional gravitas is centered upon his
African heritage, and his belief that the white man is responsible for
global poverty and unequal sharing of wealth.

21. The candidate's personal associations since childhood have been
mostly with radical African Americans, Muslims, and communists; those
who harbor anger towards The United States of America. Particularly
disturbing is his lengthy relationship with Bill Ayers, an unrepentant
Weatherman radical who bombed government buildings and abdicated the
overthrow of the United States.

22. Given the current global situation of nearly twelve thousand
Muslim acts of terrorism since 9-11, it is disturbing to find his close
associations with Muslim groups 'http://www.mafo2008.com/'

23. You have highlighted passages in both books and find one
particularly disturbing: 'Should
the political winds shift in an ugly direction I will side with the
Muslims.'

24. The candidate has surrounded himself with anti-American
grievance mongers, and appears to manipulate 'typical white people' by
appealing to their guilt about slavery. He is a socialist, and totally
disenfranchised from the history of 'root America .'

25. The candidate refuses to discuss his years at Columbia
University , although he lived off campus and made few friends. He will
not release his application to the State Bar notes which raises
questions on several issues including the use of drugs and lying on his
application about it's use..

26. Very little is available about his e xperience with the Chicago
Annenberg Challenge, a foundation that spent $100 million with no
discernable benefit for the schools and students that it was putatively
designed to help.

27. It is therefore your strongest recommendation this candidate not
be considered for any position within the corporation. WITH THIS
RECORD, HE SHOULDN'T EVEN BE CLEARED FOR 'UNCLASSIFIED'. SO HOW CAN HE
POSSIBLY BE COMMANDER IN CHIEF?

Camping Pictures

This weekend we went to Cooper Lake State Park. The park is located Northeast of Sulphur Springs, Texas. The boys were reluctant to go there, but there were no other openings in any other park within 2 hours from us. It turns out that October and March are the busiest months for camping in Texas.

My job was to drive the boys. They were responsible for getting all the gear ready and planning all the meals. I was available to give advice. I did veto one selection for lunch on Saturday, and I did insist on some fruit cups in a menu heavy on protein and simple carbohydrates.

I should have brought a Dutch oven and made them biscuits....


Here is the campsite. My home away from home for two nights. I slept in the large tent on a cot.

Wider shot of the campsite. Weather was great, with temperatures in the low 80's during the day and 60's at night. Cloudless night, with the moon setting sometime around 4 in the morning. While taking some of the boys to the bathroom, I showed them the Milky Way Galaxy - the concentrated band of stars that make it, at least. We could see a lot more stars than we could back home. We saw one(1) shooting star.


Fishing. Fishing's dirty little secret is that there is a lot of time spent fishing but very little time spent actually catching fish. We talked with other fishers ("catch anything?") and enjoyed a quite Saturday morning. This pier connects two little points of land.
Here is what the above picture looks like if you turn your cell phone camera 90 degrees:
After changing into swimming trunks, we rented canoes and headed out into the lake. You can see where we went in the background of the picture below. We were told to keep close to the shore. We saw birds - don't ask me what kind - wading along the shoreline, and an occasional fish would leap out of the water to taunt us for trying to catch them.

The boys loved canoeing, taking to it like ducks to water. All they could talk about afterwards was when they could go canoeing again.

Swimming followed, with the boys pictured below inthe designated swimming area. Note the wall in the background indicates that the water level is about 4-6 feet below normal. Al Gore made it happen.

As an aside, do you think Al Gore will one day give his Nobel Prize back, especially after we enter a phase of global cooling? Perhaps he will give it back and request that it be given to Irene Sendler (actually to her estate, since she died recently).


I stayed on shore after wading in the gooey pseudo-sand that they used to make the beach. A group of Cub Scouts were nearby, trying to blow stuff up.

Speaking of blowing things up, here is our campfire ring, complete with pot for hot water, my cup of hot chocolate, and a few hot dogs awaiting delivery on a plate. Dinner Saturday night consisted of hot dogs, chili for making chili dogs, and chocolate or a fruit cup for dessert.

I took some of the chili and put it on a flour tortilla.

This picture requires some explanation, if not an apology. This is the chili for putting on the hot dogs. It actually tasted pretty good.
Now I have to read Ivanhoe to the little boys. Actually the story is now known as:

iVanhoe

Just War Theory In Action?

While I do not condone violence in most circumstances, there are some cases where its application is open to discussion. As an example, I give you this vignette for your consideration:




Times were tough on the Prairie.

Six Months Ago Today:

Our son Theodore died.

I shall write more this weekend, but for now I would like to thank all of those who remembered us in their prayers.

On Monday, I shall answer this question: What do Lazarus and Theodore have in common?

Litany of Humility

After months of neglect, it is time to return to a recurring theme. No, not the Mosh Pit. Instead, consider this prayer which was written by Cardinal Merry del Val(1865-1930).

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being loved,

From the desire of being extolled,

From the desire of being honored,

From the desire of being praised,

From the desire of being preferred to others,

From the desire of being consulted,

From the desire of being approved,

From the fear of being humiliated,

From the fear of being despised,

From the fear of suffering rebukes,

From the fear of being calumniated,

From the fear of being forgotten,

From the fear of being ridiculed,

From the fear of being wronged,

From the fear of being suspected,

That others may be loved more than I, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I,

That, in the opinion of the world, others may, increase and I may decrease,

That others may be chosen and I set aside,

That others may be praised and I unnoticed,

That others may be preferred to me in everything,

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

We bought the Noisykids some Sidewalk Chalk...

Somehow it ended up NOT on the sidewalk:

Noisykid #10 and #11 are proud of their new shade. By the way, Noisykid #11 asked me to untangle his scapular and his chain which has a St. Gerard medallion on it. I reminded him that I don't want him going to be with both sacramentals around his neck. He then launched into a long explanation that, if he were to die, he would 'shoot straight up to Heaven so fast.' He explained that this would be a good thing.

I told him that I don't think my heart would stand another breaking like that; Wifeofdadwithnoisykids agreed. Noisykid #11 then explained how he was dressing his soul like that of Pope Benedict XVI.

I wonder if Pope Benedict ever did this kind of stuff as a kid....probably.
Why is this warning on packets of silica gel? I would think that anyone who can read would have enough sense to NOT eat this stuff. It is the 'illiterati' we have to protect.
I was thinking about disciplining children one day, and mentioned to my wife that St. Joseph never had to take Jesus around back of the woodshed to administer corporal punishment. He didn't need correction for doing evil. Of course he needed to be shown how to do things, but that was all that he needed. He may have tried to eat silica gel as a baby, but once He could read the warning on the packet he never did it again. In fact, he probably had to translate it into Aramaic for the benefit of his parents who didn't speak English.

My thoughts are wandering. I am just a little rattled about some of the people we met when we drove along Skyline Drive in Virginia. These people were the only disturbing people we met on our travels. Here is a video of their antics in another forest:




Here is another, more serious installment:



We got Rickrolled twice in as many days. Find out what that means HERE! The eighties are mounting a comeback....I actually put that song on my iPod.