"Waking Up Is Hard To Do"

"Patients goin' down, doobie- do-down-down..."

~ the Laryngospasms

Okay, it's the weekend and I'm ignoring Iranian missile tests, U.N. speeches caving in to tyrants, ACORN corruption, and the national debt. My nurse gal-pal sent me this YouTube spoofing the health care cram-down to the tune of "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do."

Laughter is good for our health. We'll need more of these...

Matthew's Day

September 21 is St. Matthew's feast day on the Catholic Church's calendar. In the old Latvian tradition, it's my son's "Name Day," a very important day of the year.

Although the Gospel of St. Matthew is my favorite, Matt wasn't named for it. I chose Matt's name when I was twelve years old, after reading Anne of Green Gables and seeing my favorite supporting character, Matthew Cuthbert, dispatched in the closing chapters. Awash in tears and hiccuping sobs, I vowed that "If I ever have a son, his name is going to be Matthew!"

When the time came, convincing my husband of the need for the name Matthew was going to be tricky, I realized. No man is going to relish the idea of his firstborn son being named after anything pertaining to a sentimental young girl's book. So when the time came to choose names when I was expecting our daughter, I casually floated the idea: "What about Matthew?"

Pete thought about this for a few suspenseful moments. "Matt," he mused. "Like Matt Dillon, on Gunsmoke?" He was associating the name with one of our generation's most popular and long-running TV shows. "Yes!" I grabbed the lifeline and held my breath for another endless moment. "Yeah, Matt. That's a cool name." Sold!

Kristine was born first, and another five years passed before Matt came along to claim his name. It was at least five more years before I told Pete the full story of Matt's name. He didn't seem to mind, but by then we had been married a while. As most husbands would attest, a certain numbness to wifely antics takes over at some indefinable point in marriage. Besides, what could he say, really? He had liked the name as much as I did.

Matthew, from Hebrew, meaning "Gift of God." Named for an endearing fictional character, which happens to be the name of the great evangelist saint commemorated today. Happy Name Day, Matt.

Constitution Day

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
~ Patrick Henry

Today is Constitution Day. Will any elected official outside of Rep. Mike Pence make note of it?

A National Embarrassment

One man, singlehandedly, transformed me into a conservative nearly 30 years ago. Today, that man, the disastrously inept former president, Jimmy Carter, is reinforcing my decision every time he opens his mouth.

Lately, that's far too often. His charges of racism against people objecting to the outright arrogance and incompetence of the Obama White House are both disgusting and stupid. According to the latest Gallup poll, 60% of Americans doubt President Obama's policies on healthcare reform and its costs. You can't reach that percentage of Americans without a large segment of minorities agreeing with "us white folks," as Carter would no doubt describe us.

Jimmy Carter should stick to helping the world through Habitat for Humanity. It's the best work he's ever done, and he should know that will be his most enduring legacy. His shamefully twisted and degrading political commentary is nothing but a national embarrassment.

Wishing it Away

For the best coverage of the 9/12 Obamacare protest in Washington D.C., you have to go to the clip on YouTube, linked here. The networks gave it very short shrift, as though by ignoring the event, they could make it vanish. Not this time.

My favorite sign is the one reading "Obamunism." Great stuff!

Welcome to the People's do-it-yourself news in the 21st century.

Moving Forward

But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in the time of trouble.
~ Psalm 37:39

Eight years after September 11, 2001, much has changed in each of our lives. Yet, we Americans rightly pause to remember a terrible day on which thousands of our fellow citizens were murdered in cold blood by brutal Islamic extremists. I remember, too, a spiritual unity that briefly enfolded our nation, a moment in time when all Americans stood as one against an evil enemy.

National Geographic’s website has a beautiful photographic tribute to the resilience of the American spirit, a series of “before and after” pictures. They depict scenes from the carnage of 9/11/01 along with tranquil recent shots of the same locations as they appear today. Just looking at them will make you proud.

We honor the memory of 9/11’s brave and innocent victims by moving forward and rebuilding in life. As one of the day’s countless heroes so aptly put it, “Let’s roll!”

Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
~ Psalm 50:5

Diagnosis: Futility

The speech was very inconsistent in tone, from don't-frighten-the-horses utilitarianism to the grandiosity he finds so hard to resist...

~ Mark Steyn

Steyn's sharp summary of President Obama's speech last night, posted at NRO's "The Corner," is just what the doctor ordered.

If you'll pardon the medical metaphor, it must be a bitter pill for the the Obama White House to swallow that they are so unintentionally transparent to such scathingly elegant writers as Steyn. The president must be getting headaches, eyestrain, and laryngitis from reading so many impassioned, regurgitated, teleprompted speeches.

Poor guy. Well, at least he's got good health coverage.

Pausing to Remember

Greater love hath no man...

~ John 15:13

On August 30, two Los Angeles County firefighters died while battling the Station Fire. Their emergency response vehicle went off-road and plunged into a canyon, killing them both.

To them, it was just another workday. But during this particular shift, they were called upon to sacrifice their lives in the line of duty. On this Labor Day, it is right to remember the public servants who routinely place their lives on the line as part of their jobs, to keep us safe from harm.

The charitable fund that has been established for their families is linked here. Please give some thought to a donation in honor of Fire Captain Tedmund "Ted" Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo "Arnie" Quinones.

Spin vs. The People

Trust the people.

~ Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the U.S.A.

Ed Feulner of the Washington Times has written an analysis of negative public reaction to "Obamacare" that is suitable for framing.

Bruce Walker of the American Thinker presents a startlingly accurate picture of our nation's inexperienced and inept chief executive.

Taken together, these two articles reflect the main reasons that the Obama presidency is trailing flames after seven months in office. The country's conceited, know-it-all leader refuses to heed the growing outcry against his ill-conceived policies. But populist anger is growing, as evidenced by The Tea Party Express. If you haven't heard of it, it's a citizens protest planned for Washington D.C. beginning on September 10--the day after President Obama's gazillionth televised speech on forced healthcare reform.

So far, at least, this is still the United States of America. "The People" will have their say.