Merry Christmas...........

I'm exhausted!! It is now officially Christmas morning (1:00 am). Everyone is fast asleep. Santa came and went, ate the cookies the kids and I baked tonight and drank the milk. The kids are wound as tight as a champagne cork, but thankfully fast asleep~

I try to recall the family traditions my family and I had on this night so many years ago when I was a child. I suppose it's my lack of memory that forces me to put so much pressure on myself to create new family traditions that my children will remember. It's not an easy job! I'm married to a man who was raised Jewish (hey, no problems there). I think it would be much easier if he practiced his religious beliefs and we were able to include Hanukkah in our holiday celebrations in the proper way. But no, he's half assed at everything. Thus, leaving me to read a children's book about Hanukkah and trying to put a Christians spin on the whole damn thing so they experience all aspects of this holiday. If my children don't totally end up so confused it will be a total miracle (lighting the candles and giving the gifts is the easy part! It's those damns Jewish prayers that get my tounge tied every time!)

Every year I spend Christmas Eve wrapping alone, playing Santa to his fullest potential and trying my best to keep the spirit and magic of Christmas alive. It's not an easy thing to do alone. At a time when I could so use a friend or a kindred spirit by my side, I find they are busy with their own families, their own traditions. Holidays are a tough, for everyone I suppose. There are so many expectations for this magical day.

So to all my friends who may read this today or a week from now when I cross their mind, I hope you and yours have/had a very Merry Christmas! And as the new year approaches I hope you find peace and contentment in the choices you make and the lives you lead............ Be well my friends, be well...........

The America That Makes Me Proud.....

Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into his shoe and tried to light it?

Did you know that his trial is over? Did you know he was sentenced? Did you see/hear any of the judge's remarks on TV or radio? Didn't think so. Everyone should hear what the judge had to say. . . . . . . . .

Ruling by Judge William Young, US District Court.

Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant if he had anything to say.

His response: After admitting his guilt to the court for the record, Reid also admitted his "allegiance to Osama bin Laden, to Islam, and to the religion of Allah," defiantly stated "I think I will not apologize for my actions," and told the court "I am at war with your country."

Judge Young then delivered the statement quoted below:

January 30, 2003, United States vs. Reid. Judge Young:

"Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you.

On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the custody of the United States Attorney General. On counts 2, 3, 4 and 7, the Court sentences you to 20 years in prison on each count, the sentence on each count to run consecutive with the other.

That's 80 years. On count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years consecutive to the 80 years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you each of the eight counts a fine of $250,000 for the aggregate fine of $2 million. The Court accepts the government's recommendation with respect to restitution and orders restitution in the amount of $298.17 to Andre Bousquet and $5,784 to American Airlines. The Court imposes upon you the $800 special assessment.

The Court imposes upon you five years supervised release simply because the law requires it. But the life sentences are real life sentences so I need go no further. This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and just sentence. It is a righteous sentence.

Let me explain this to you. We are not afraid of you or any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is all too much war talk here and I say that to everyone with the utmost respect. Here in this court, we deal with individuals as individuals and care for individuals as individuals.

As human beings, we reach out for justice.

You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that reference, to call you a soldier, gives you far too much stature. Whether it is the officers of government who do it or your attorney who does it, or if you think you are a soldier. You are not... you are a terrorist. And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not meet with terrorists. We do not sign documents with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.

So war talk is way out of line in this court. You are a big fellow. But you are not that big. You're no warrior. I've known warriors.

You are a terrorist. A species of criminal that is guilty of multiple attempted murders. In a very real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when you first were taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and where the TV crews were, and he said: "You're no big deal."

"You are no big deal."

What your able counsel and what the equally able United States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it that led you here to this courtroom today?

I have listened respectfully to what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of doing. And I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you, but as I search this entire record, it comes as close to understanding as I know.

It seems to me you hate the one thing that to us is most precious.

You hate our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose. Here, in this society, the very wind carries freedom. It carries it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom. So that everyone can see, truly see, that justice is administered fairly, individually, and discretely. It is for freedom's sake that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf and have filed appeals, will go on in their representation of you before other judges.

We Americans are all about freedom. Because we all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties. Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bear any burden; pay any price, to preserve our freedoms. Look around this courtroom. Mark it well. The world is not going to long remember what you or I say here.

Day after tomorrow, it will be forgotten, but this, however, will long endure. Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all across America , the American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done. The very President of the United States through his officers come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice

See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America . That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag stands for freedom And it always will.

Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.

So, how much of this Judge's comments did we hear on our TV sets?

We need more judges like Judge Young.............. Powerful words that strike home.

(I received this via e-mail through a friend of a friend of a friend. Definately worth a post!)

I Will Remember................

Both my folks served their country,

my Dad in the Korean War and my Mom in WWll as a Navy Wave.

I miss them both........

Not Just Today, But Everyday....

I Will Rembember,

So They Will Not Forget...

• The number of U.S. armed forces personnel who served in World War II between Dec. 1, 1941, nd Dec. 31, 1946 was 16.1 million.
• The average length of active-duty by U.S. military personnel during WWII was 33 months.
• The proportion of U.S. military personnel who served abroad during WWII was 73 percent. - - The average time U.S. personnel served overseas during WWII was 16 months.
• A total of 292,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines were killed in battle in WWII.
• The number of other deaths sustained by U.S. forces during WWII was 114,000.
• 671,000 U.S. troops were wounded during WWII.
• 5.7 million World War II veterans were counted in the 2000 Census. The census identified the period of service for World War II veterans as September 1940 to July 1947.
• The estimated number of WWII veterans living in California in 2002 was 475,000, the most in any state. Other states with high numbers of WWII vets included Florida (439,000), New York (284,000), Pennsylvania (280,000), Texas (267,000) and Ohio (208,000).
• The estimated number of women in 2002 who were WWII veterans was 210,000. These women comprised 4.4 percent of WWII vets.
• The proportion of all veterans in April 2000 who were WWII veterans, was 22 percent.
• The median age of WWII veterans when the last census was conducted was 76.7 years old.
• The proportion of WWII veterans who were still employed in 2000 was 11.6 percent.
• The number of WWII veterans in 2002 who received compensation for service-connected disabilities was 440,000, about half the number in 1990 (876,000) and nearly two-thirds less than the nearly 1.2 million disabled WWII vets in 1980.

Data courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau and The History Channel Website

The Star Spangled Banner.................

There seems to be a lot of confusion lately just what our national anthem is. This song was written 194 years ago. I'm not really sure what copyright rules were in effect back then but you know, I'm thinking they should pretty much be the same as they are now. This song was written in regard to 'The War of 1812' and the British invasion during the birth of our country. In today's world there seems to be a lot of confusion towards its meaning. This song portrays a part of our history. Any revision or alteration serves an injustice to who we are as a country and where we came from.

This is a new millennium. Times are different now, our country faces different challenges. I respect the need for every voice, nationality, culture to be heard. But let this be a new day. Let a new song be written to express those needs and desires. Why must we alter/amend/steal a song from our past?

The Star Spangled Banner

Written by: Francis Scott Key - 1814

O, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, The bomb bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O, say does that star spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam Of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion, sweepingly
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.

No refuge could save, The hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

O, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, When our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Ode To A Fish Named 'Fish'..................

Alas, after three long years, my son's fish lost his battle to live and made his way into that land far beyond the bend in the toilet bowl. Last night as we fed him, I noticed he had lost much of his color and his breathing seemed labored. I pre-warned my son, Ben, that I thought the end was near.

Three years ago after a trip to Wally World I fell in love with a plant that had a Beta fish in a vase. My son fell in love with the fish. After many thought provoking hours thinking of the perfect name, my son came up with the ever original name "Fish" and on occasion "Fishy". After a month or so the fish lived long enough to warrant a tank of his own. While we have had a few other Beta's since his arrival he seemed to be the only one to survive the over feeding, the dirty tank, the toys accidentally or not so accidentally finding their way into his private abode.

As we went into my son's room to check on Fish's status we found him floating at the bottom of his tank. I was preparing the conversation in my head as to how to explain to my son that his fish was in fact dead and stiff as a board. Before I could even utter words of sympathy, my son said, "Mom, Fish is dead! Can I get a snake now?" (followed by his attempt at diabolical laughter). Needless to say it pretty much went downhill from there. My two sons got in a heated discussion as to who would get to push the handle on the toilet to send Fish to the Great Beyond.

Alas, sometimes some of life' lessons don't quite have the impact on our children as we often think they might. And sometimes when a small child loses the fish he had grown to love, he
is also forced to lose or let go of any dream he may have ever had of owning a snake.............. So for now, I am the Dream Crusher, the Evil Mommy who just doesn't understand how cool it would be to be the only kid in class to have a snake. Yes, perhaps those can be heavy words to some, but I know, by this time next week we will be back on the subject of Hermit Crabs and Frogs..............

Just a Simple Easter Greeting............

A New Song From an Old Favorite.........

O.K. I'll admit it, I'm a nerd. Growing up I always seemed to be a decade behind my time when it came to my musicical favorties. Or perhaps, I just had on old soul in a young body, who knows........

Whatever the case, I was a sucker for the lounge singers, Anne Murray, Helen Reddy, Mac Davis, John Denver, Barry Manilow and yes, the never say die, Kenny Rogers!

But that was decades ago and yes, with age comes growth and broadening of ones horizons. I no longer wear out the needle on my record player nor burn up my eight tracks. I have since converted to music from this decade. But every now and then, behind closed doors and in my solitude. I listen to some of my old favorites, and once in awhile one of them releases something new.

This time it was Kenny Rogers. While his voice has grown a little raspier over the years, it's always been his lyrics that caught my attention. A song from his new album is no exception. It made we catch my breath and smile. The perfect song for a person whose past haunts her.....

"I Can't Unlove You"
Sung by: Kenny Rogers

Postcards and letters
Pictures made to last forever
To Be boxed upand tossed away

Nick-Nacs, Souverners

In an afternoon
Their out of here
They dissapear without a trace
What they mean to me can never be replaced

[chorus]

I cant unthink about you
I cant unfeel your touch
I cant unhear all the words
Unsay all the things that used to mean so much
I wish i could unremember everything
My hearts been through
Im finding out its impossible to do
Oh, its no use, I cant unlove you
In this dance of old songs
Like time they go on and on
I guess i could learn to do the same
I could wake up without you

* The New Living Will..........

*I am sure you all know the importance of a living Will. Today most hospitals will not admit you without one. So then, here is a new and improved form forwarded to me by my friend. I for one have mine on file signed and notarized.........

THE NEW LIVING WILL....

• I, "Me, Myself and I", being of sound mind and body (well lets go with this, ok?), do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means.

• Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it, or any lawyers/doctors interested in simply running up the bills and using what little savings I have left, that might be passed on to my beloved children, spouse or significant other (and oh yeah, if my spouse/significant other is currently living with a female other then myself, ignore him as well!)

• Therefore, if a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for, or inquire about at least one of the following:

• ______ Where's my boys?
• ______ A glass of red wine
• ______ A shot of Tuaca, straight up, with a beer chaser
• ______ A Margarita
• ______ A Pizza
• ______ Chinese Food
• ______ Steak, Lobster or Crab Legs
• ______ Got any Sunflower Seeds?
• ______ Wait, is this my Destiny?
• ______ Sex?
• ______ Any comments on my Blog today?

It should be presumed that I won't ever get better. When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person or next of kin and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes, and call it a day!

Signed _________________ Dated ___________________

*I received this via e-mail and tweaked it to meet my own personnel needs and desires relevant upon my own life. If any of the above occurs, my spouse, children or significant other, friends will know the end is near.........."