Thursday, Dec 25th - Hero: Jesus

Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

So far, so good! We had a great evening at my Grandma's last night. I got to 'wrassle' around with some little boys (something I don't usually get to do), my brother James was there with his bride Natalie (James just got back from Iraq), and we sang carols and ate good food. Awesome night.

Afterwards, our girls made cookies and treats for Santa, made homemade ornaments, and took some goofy pictures in their new PJ's. They all got their big gift wishes fulfilled, so all is Merry and Bright.

Now we will be off to my Mom's for the afternoon. She's making Christmas dinner this year and I CAN'T WAIT. Beef tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, and all the trimmings. Should be fantastic. My uncle Dale will be there, which always a special treat. I just think this will be a very special Christmas. Trust me when I say Jesus Christ has made his presence felt in our family in a big way this Season. It's His birthday, but we are the ones who have been given gifts.

So, Merry Christmas everyone!!! Here's some pictures from our celebrations:

Wednesday, Dec 17th - Hero: My Brother

They say the measure of a person comes from how they handle the bad times.

My brother has been handed lemons lately, but he's made some great lemonade!! He's not let his Christmas spirit be diluted, and he's made the women in his family SO happy by taking all his girls to church, and being really and truly PRESENT while he's there.

There's not enough men in this world who are good leaders for their family. Men who wake up each day with the needs of their family foremost in their mind. Men who make their kids feel safe - not because they are perfect, but because they are always, always there. Jason is one of them. God bless you and the others like you out there.

Love ya, little bro...


Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Monday, Dec 8th - Hero: My Mom

Ding Dong the Grinch is dead!!!

Yes, my Mom has long worn the Grinch mantle, but no longer!! This year she has the Christmas spirit in spades.

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from her to help her buy a tree. Naturally, I dropped what I was doing and ran to Walmart with her. After all, it's one of my goals in life to help others discover their Christmas Joy.

Well, she got downright excited and even though the Walmart was stuffed tighter that a Christmas goose, she didn't even seem to notice.

When we got home, our husbands were crawling on the roof, stringing lights and wrapping garland around the newell posts. I'm telling you, I could have cried with joy. We went in and not only put up the most beautiful tree, but also decorated the front entryway, the dining room, AND the kitchen. And it looks fabulous. Truly.

Afterwards we ate a fantastic meal that the men fixed and sat around the living room listening to Elvis singing about our Lord. Even the men were wiping away tears.

To top it all off, she is having our family out to her house for an old fashioned Christmas Dinner where we will tell the Christmas story, listen to hymns, and pray together. In other words, we will be wallowing in Christmas magic.

This will be my favorite gift.

Thanks, Mom!

Peace, Love, and GOD, Tracy

Monday, Nov 24th - Hero: My Neice Emma

Emma is my hero for giving me 'genetic' proof that the Curtis' are natural born race car drivers!!!

Just look at the total concentration on her face, the steely glare at whatever obstacle lies in her way, the two-handed control she has on the wheel. This is a girl in complete control of her car AND her destiny...

It's not her fault that her passenger is a complete wussy.

AHHHH, Lou-Lou, your likeness to your Aunt Tracy brings a tear to my eye...

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Wednesday, Nov 19th - Zero: People without Table Manners

This is a biggie with me, as some of you know. But, I mean, SERIOUSLY, how could so many people have been raised without knowing how to eat right? People MY age and older, too. Surely I wasn't in the minority when I was taught not to eat with my mouth open, or to smack my food (or gum), or talk with my mouth full, etc, etc...

I was at lunch yesterday with a couple of colleagues and one of them was so disgusting while he ate, I had to sit on my clenched fists to keep from wrapping them around his neck!!

Now, this man is in his 40's, and how he has made it this far in life without someone telling him that he sounds like a half-starved pig rooting in a garbage dump I'll never know.

I did learn something though, it is possible to breathe through your mouth AND nose (audibly) while chewing your food. Although, a dangerous side effect is little pieces of meat landing randomly on the uneaten portion of your food. Apparently, having it fly out of his mouth and land on his food meant he could eat it anyway.

It was a good diet day for me...

Food for thought going into Thanksgiving day. Do everyone around you a favor and remember that no matter how sexy you may think you are... NO ONE wants to see what I call 'pre-poo'. Trust me.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Thursday, Nov 13th - Hero: Indians and Pilgrams and St. Nick (oh my)

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE the holidays. They include two of my favorite things: eating and visiting with family and friends.

There are lots of opportunities to get together with family this time of year, and the communication amongst us goes up. You talk about the get togethers, you talk about gift ideas, you talk about meal planning, etc, etc. It's just really nice, I think.

This year, of course, the gift giving is more on the creative side vs the value side. Everyone is either already struggling or preparing for the struggles. But, I think that it is not necessarily a bad thing to be frugal and get our kids used to less extravagant gifts. The focus is so far off the meaning of the season that it's not even funny.

I know there's a lot of you out there that remember getting 'essentials' on Christmas morning - clothing, underwear, coats. And then there would be that ONE thing that would just light your world up. Maybe a bicycle, or a doll, or a board game. I remember one year me and my brother got skateboards. That was the 'it' gift. The one that you would spend the rest of the day playing with! Nowadays our kids get so many 'it' gifts that they act overwhelmed. It's a shame, really. I think that, because of the excess, so much of the magical feeling has been taken away.

One of my favorite Christmas' of my (so-called) adult life was when Erika was a toddler. We were so very, very poor then, living on Ramen noodles and Hamburger Helper. I had some coloring books with stories from the bible, and lots of catalogues lying around, so Erika and I colored pictures and we cut out pictures from the catalogues of things we would have bought our family if we had money. These we glued to poster board, and wrote a verse from the bible that fit that person. We spent hours doing that, literally, but they were hours that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I'll never forget Erika's little fingers coloring or the concentration on her face as she looked for just the right 'gift' to cut out for her mama's and papa's. Those little posters changed my life, and I think they did for those that recieved them, as well. Years later, when Erika was a little older, we did another project for my mom, aunt, and uncle that was a picture album. We had more money then, and spent more money, but that time I spent hours not only with Erika, but my Grammy as well. Again, hours I wouldn't give back for all the money in the world.

THAT is Christmas magic. People who love each other, spending time together to do something wonderful for other people they love.

What's your poster board project? Where's your Chrismtas magic?

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Friday, Nov 7th - Zero: Me

I am a total goober. Really. But a goober with really great friends.

I have gotten lots of messages of encouragement from folks who have gone through much worse than me, and they are concerned for me. You guys are awesome. How some of you can keep from telling me to 'suck it up sally' is really quite beyond me.

My friend Karyn, down in Houston, sent me tons of notes yesterday letting me in on her own struggle with these kinds of issues. She's lost all of her grandparents, and doesn't even live in the same state as either of her parents. I can't imagine that, not having a large support system just down the road. On the plus side for her - she has an amazing husband.

My friend Alan sent just something short and sweet and encouraging. He's dealt with losses, as well as living a state away from his family. I love him dearly.

Karyn's mom, Dickie, also sent a great note over. She's awesome.

And you guys already heard about Darlene. By herself, she's the best thing to happen to me in my adult life. And - she brought Ann into my life. Double bonus.

Anyway, it's an embarrasment of riches, truly. The great thing about it is that I have been reminded of just how awesome things are for me. Maybe that is why I take the bad stuff so hard.

I have a great job that I love. It's tough and I am away from home a lot, but the work is very rewarding. I have a fantastic family. My mom is one of my biggest cheerleaders. She has ALWAYS made sure that I knew that I could do anything I want. She never talks about barriers with me, and is always letting me know she is proud of me. My Dad is strong, and good, and always does the right thing. When lots of Dads were bailing on their kids, he was doing everything he could to be there (more than i wanted when I was a teen..). I love my brother more than I know how to express and his wife is just one of the most decent loving people I have ever met. She makes me look good every Christmas because of her creativity, her passion is contagious, and she is an amazing mother. My dear baby girl, Erika, is an amazingly wonderful woman - a lot like me, but better in so many ways.

So really, what have I got to complain about? I have a few things not perfect, but so does everyone else.

Thank you all for helping me recover. If you ever doubt God is using you remember this - He used you yesterday.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Thursday, Nov 6th - Hero: Darlene Harris

You ever have one of those friends? The one who knows exactly what to say and when to say it? Well, for me that is Darlene.

I have been going through a very emotional time in my life. It has made me feel uncharacteristically vulnerable. I cry easily and fly off the handle at weird moments. Things that would normally not bother me just devastate me lately.

It's not a hormonal thing, in case you were wondering. I don't have the organs left for that. I just feel like one big raw nerve.

It all started with my aunt passing away. She was beautiful, smart, caring, and so young. I think when that happens you automatically start taking stock of your life and I was surprised to find that I don't really love my life.

Not necessarily because of anything other people do to me, more like what I allow other people to do to me. There's a fine line between humility and martyrdom and it gets blurred for me. I am one of those people who naturally think of other people first. I get a bonus and I start thinking of what I can buy for someone. I get some cool stuff for free and I think of who I can give it to. I'm not a shrink, but I think I could have some issues where I think I have to do things for others so they will like me. I also have guilt issues, because I have always felt the need to apologize for my success. Seeing that written down, I know how crazy it sounds, but the root goes all the way back to my ability to get good grades and my little brother saying it wasn't fair. Oh well.

So, back to Darlene. Yesterday was an especially bad day for me. I had dreamed about my Aunt Joy, found beer cans in my garbage (long story), paid bills and saw how little money we have, crazy worried about the state of my financial future with our new president, felt insulted over a friend's blog, AND got a call that my grandmother's heart surgery had a serious complication.

I broke. Just flat out broke, and I couldn't even work up the courage to talk to God. So I got up from my computer and walked out of the office and started driving until I was bawling so hard I couldn't see the road. Luckily there was a ding on my blackberry and a message from Darlene.

It was such a simple message, but was exactly what I was feeling and exactly what I needed - a small validation of my right to feel the way I do, and love.

Thank you Darlene. And thank you, Mom. Your call last night was the perfect follow-up.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Wednesday, Nov 5th - Zero: Us

I'm sick.

Can't say I didn't see it coming. From the minute the Dems decided to send their folks out if force to vote for John McCain in the primaries, I saw failure in the cards.

I really tried to keep my hopes up, though. I prayed for faith in the American people. In the end, you have to trust God. Somehow this must be part of his plan. He never promised us a rose garden, right? After all, we've been warned of tough times. Just read the New Testament. I just pray that we are strong enough for what lies ahead.

I've heard Obama compare himself to Abraham Lincoln, and naturally many of his Obamanics are quick to agree. Of course, those morons don't have a clue what Lincoln was about. Think about it - yes, Lincoln was a senator from Illinois with very little experience. Yes, he said some great things. Things that are still quoted today. Lincoln also signed the Emancipation Proclamation. But, how did he do it? Through aggression. Through force.

Don't get me wrong, I think slavery was a horrific thing. It was right to end it. But hearing Obama compare himself to Lincoln in a time when we have no slavery? That's scary. What's going to be his trigger? In what name is he going to create a new civil war? Will it be when he tries to disarm us, or when he takes away our right to religious assembly? Could be as simple as forced redistribution of wealth.

More likely it will be a stealthy encroachment on our rights. Little things that people will be swayed into believing is the right things. Raise the taxes on the rich, cause they don't deserve their money. Let's get those bastards down to our level. Tax the crap out of the small businesses, then when they can't afford to stay in business, the government will come in and take over. They decide who works there, then. More people dependant upon, and controlled by, the government. Yeehaw!!!

Windfall profit taxes. What could be wrong with that? Let's take over half the profits from the oil companies and create government controlled industry in the 'alternative' energy fields. What's wrong with that? Everyone wants alternate sources of energy. More people working for the government. Yeehaw!!!

Churches that spread intolerance. Let's get rid of those losers! Those preachers dare to stand up there and say that the only way to God is through Jesus Christ. That is SO un-inclusive. And can you believe that they say abortion is murder, and that sex outside of marriage is a SIN??? Spreading hate is what that is, so let's take them over and put government paid preachers in there that will teach in a way that no one is left out. More people being indoctrinated by the government. Yeehaw!!

God help us.

For all those that voted for Obama, all I can say is I hope your soul was worth the $500 rebate.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Saturday, Nov 1 - Hero: Selfish Americans

Hola from Las Vegas!

Just a quick note regarding the latest unbelievable statement from the big O. I heard him say yesterday that those of us Americans who do not want to pay more taxes are SELFISH. Well, if that makes me selfish, then I gladly wear the banner.

Cause you see, I feel like it's more important for me to support my family and the charities of MY CHOICE more than it is for me to give to another government program to help those who won't help themselves. Call me crazy.

By the way - did you hear that Obama has an aunt living in Boston - illegally? AND she lives in public housing. Obama wants to take your money to help people like his Aunt, when he won't even help her himself!!! And he's worth MILLIONS!!! NO, he wants to take money from 'rich' Americans making more than 120k and give it to Aunt Zeititunia...

Give me a break.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Friday, October 24th - Zero: Obama Bi(n la)den

You guys have all heard this ad nauseum, so I won't get to far into it. Just a few tidbits and then the funniest picture I have seen in a long time.

I saw a clip of our friend 'Barry' on one of the morning news shows, probably the All Barak News, where he says he does not regret his 'Spread the Wealth' statement to Joe the Plumber. So just in case you missed it the first time, or you were trying to rationalize the statement in your mind: Barry has confirmed he IS a socialist. And he's not even trying to hide it.

We are well on our way to becoming the USSA instead of the USA.

Speaking of horror movies, have you seen what the media is doing to poor Joe the Plumber? This guys is being hounded, harrassed, and terrorized. It's un-freaking-believable. Since it's obvious that their so-called messiah is not going to explain away his statements, the zombie army has decided the need to make ol' Joe into a war-mongering, kitten-eating, capitalist pig.

Let's see - a leader who sends his goonies after you if you dare question his motives or views - sounds a little familiar, doesn't it. Well, if you went to school and didn't completely sleep through World History class anyway.

By the way, did you know that Sarah Palin has a higher classified security clearance than either Biden or Obama?

Bet she knows how many letters are in "J-O-B-S", too.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Wednesday, Oct 22nd - Zero: Joe Biden

Also known as: the Gaffster, Mr. What Am I Talkin' About, The Plagerizer.

He just can't seem to stop himself, whether at the debate or campaign stops, the guy proves over and over again why he couldn't get even 1% of the vote in the primary.

These weren't minor errors, such as when Biden said, "Look, all you have to do is go down Union Street with me in Wilmington or go to Katie's restaurant or walk into Home Depot with me where I spend a lot of time, and you ask anybody in there whether or not the economic and foreign policy of this administration has made them better off in the last eight years."

It turns out that Katie's restaurant, where Biden gets his feel for the average American, closed 20 years ago. As for all the 'regular' people that live in his neighborhood? Only if regular people live in Million Dollar McMansions.

Palin would surely have been forced to withdraw from the ticket had she said something like that, but most of Biden's errors were not trifling mistakes like these. They were lengthy disquisitions that were pure fantasy from beginning to end.

For example, Biden said about Hezbollah: "When we kicked -- along with France -- we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon." Hezbollah was never kicked out of Lebanon.

He went on: "I said and Barack said, 'Move NATO forces in there. Fill the vacuum, because if you don't, Hezbollah will control it.'" This is madness -- Lebanon is not a NATO country, nor had any NATO country been attacked by Lebanon.

Biden also resolutely denied that Obama ever said he would sit down with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Liberals find it hilarious that McCain can't use a computer keyboard on account of his horrendous war injuries, but Biden is apparently unaware of the Internet, because there are clips all over of Obama saying exactly that during the CNN/YouTube debate last year.

You would think that Biden might have remembered that debate since: (1) He was there, and (2) he later attacked Obama's answer, telling the National Press Club in August 2007: "Would I make a blanket commitment to meet unconditionally with the leaders of each of those countries within the first year I was elected president? Absolutely, positively, no."

And that's still not all! Obama's own Web site says: "Obama supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions."

Apparently, being Liberal means you can be stupid without consequences. Sounds like their Education policy now that I think about it.

Biden also gave a long speech at the debate on vice president Dick Cheney's "dangerous" belief that "he's part of the legislative branch." The great constitutional scholar Biden cited Article I of the Constitution as proof that Cheney "works in the executive branch" and has "no authority relative to the Congress." Biden huffily added: "He should understand that. Everyone should understand that."

Palin would have had to deny that Alaska is a state in the union in order to say something comparably stupid.

Article II, not I, describes the executive branch. Someone tell Biden, who is supposed to be a lawyer. Apart from getting the Articles of the Constitution mixed up, what on earth does Biden mean when he says that the vice president "has no authority relative to Congress," apart from breaking ties?

The Constitution makes him president of the senate every day of the week. I realize that Biden may not be able to count to two, but Article I says the vice president is president of one of the two houses of Congress -- the one Biden is in, for crying out loud -- which is what you might call "authority relative to Congress."

Even on the one issue that is supposed to be in his 'strength category' Biden authoritatively stated: "With Afghanistan, facts matter, Gwen. ... We spend more money in three weeks on combat in Iraq than we spent on the entirety of the last seven years that we have been in Afghanistan building that country."

According to the Congressional Research Service, since 9/11, we've spent $172 billion in Afghanistan and $653 billion in Iraq. The most money spent in Iraq came in 2008, when we have been spending less than $3 billion a week. So by Biden's calculations, we've spent only about $9 billion "on the entirety of the last seven years that we have been in Afghanistan building that country." There isn't even a "9" in $172 billion.

In the same answer, Biden went on to claim that "John McCain voted against a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty that every Republican has supported."

The last nuclear test ban treaty the Senate voted on was the one Clinton signed in the '90s. As The New York Times editorialized on the Senate vote a few years later: "Last week, Senate Republicans thundered 'no' to the nuclear test ban treaty, handing the White House its biggest defeat since health care in 1994." Forty-nine Republicans voted against the treaty; only four liberal Republicans voted for it. That's the treaty Biden says "every Republican has supported."

Being interviewed by Katie Couric (oh goody - another bimbo to make fun of) on the "CBS Evening News," Biden said: "When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"

For those of you who aren't hard-core history buffs, Biden not only named the wrong president during the 1929 stock market crash, he also claimed a president who wasn't president during the stock market crash went on TV before Americans had TVs.

Couric was nearly moved to tears by the unmatched brilliance of Biden's brain-damaged remark. She was especially intrigued by Biden's claim that FDR had said the new iPhone was the bomb!

Here is Couric's full response to Biden's bizarre outburst about FDR (a) being president and (b) going on TV in 1929: "Relating to the fears of the average American is one of Biden's strong suits."

I'm sorry, but WHAT THE !@$#%!#$!@#???????????

Another little historical fact for you. In 1973 America was in the middle of the Arab oil embargo and a bill came up for vote in the senate for the first Alaskan Pipeline. The pipeline would deliver 15 Billion barrels of oil, nearly 20% of the nations usage, create tens of thousands of jobs, and bring hundreds of billions of dollars into our economy. The vote passed by an astounding 80-5.

One of those 5? The good Senator Joe Biden. Why? He was worried about the precious Caribou population. In a time when our enemies had us by the short and curlies, most good liberals were telling the Caribou it was time to 'take one for the team'. But not Joe. Joe was busy chanting 'four legs good, two legs bad'...

As for the poor caribou, their population has sextupled from 5000 in 1973 to over 32,000 today. Guess they like a little 'oil and vinegar' with their greens too...

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Friday, Oct 10th - Hero: Joy

I have some beautiful silver plaques hanging on the walls of my house; they say things like Believe, Prayer, Family, Faith, and Joy.

The one that says Joy is not the biggest, but it is on the wall directly across from where I sit in the evenings, so I look at it the most.

Joy is one of the most powerful 3 letter words in our vocabulary. It is one of the most used words in the Bible. It's a definition all within itself. I think of it as an emotion that bubbles up from within and it is impossible to be feeling Joy and not show it. We should embrace life and the Joy it can bring.

It's a great big word.

It's also the name of one of the most beautiful women I have ever known, Joy Faye Smith. She is my aunt, through fate not family. She made the journey into God's presence last week, bringing more Joy to Him, but taking a bit of it from our world.

This is hard to talk about, and probably hard to read, but it has been consuming my thoughts and I think there is much to learn from really untimely deaths. After all, reflection is the only way to get a good look at our souls.

Joy was one of 'those' people that, if you are incredibly luckly, come into your life and show you what its like to be selfless. To truly care more about others than yourself. Joy was infinitely interested in other people. She was a great listener and an even better encourager. She just always made me feel worthwhile. I know that I wasn't the only one, either. It was evident at her funeral. The pastor that delivered her eulogy talked about Joy having a PROFOUND effect on his life. That was a great way to describer her. Profound.

She raised two incredible children who loved her in a way that most mothers dream their children will love them. It's the same way my family loves my grandma. It's a protective love, and a 'I can't believe God loved me enough to give me her' love, and a 'How am I supposed to live without her' love. Whew..

But, we can live without them, because of what they give to us while they are here. Lessons through the way they lived their lives, successes and mistakes, strengths and weaknesses. Stories told, values shared, disciplines passed on. We always want more, because we are human. But a divine God knows exactly what we need and how much we need, and that is exactly what we get. That's not much comfort to Joy's children, or especially my uncle. He literally has had the Joy taken out of his life. I know what a tremendous effect she had on me just in the small doses I was with her, so I can't even imagine his loss. They were best friends, peas n carrots, two souls merged into one. Thank God he has the kids and grandkids. They will bring lots of 'joy' to him.

A lot of these thoughts have been swirling around, and as most people do when a person close to us passes on, I have been thinking about legacies. We should aim to have a legacy that speaks more about our love for our families than our love for our work. I have always put so much into my job, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I have so many regrets when it comes to my family. I want to be a great mother and grandmother (God willing), and a great wife, and a great friend. I want to leave behind so many great memories that everyone who knew me will have a funny story to tell.

Shouldn't that be everyone's goal? Leave the world a better place than how you found it? Everyone who met Joy came away better off for it. That's a very worthy goal to have. And it is acheivable, really.

Wake up each morning and make the decision to embrace the JOY within you, and banish the sadness, anger, and guilt that can become the norm. I promise you if you do that, not just today and tomorrow, but EACH day. You will be that person. The one that when people say your name, they say it with a smile.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Friday, Sept 26th - Zero: The Bailout

I found some great information on the bailout proposal by going to John Boozman's website. If you are interested, please read this information.

If not - just know this: The bailout is listed at $700 billion. This is on top of $900 billion we have already spent on the bank crises (Bear Stearns, AIG, Freddie and Fanny). Already, that represents $5,666 per person in the United States.

However, you add that number to the current national defecit the number goes up to 53 TRILLION dollars. That is $176,666 per person in total tax burden. Now, since we know that a full 40% of the population pays NO taxes, that means that those of us that do, are stuck with $294,444 each.

Chew on that for a while.

Taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be used to subsidize salaries of executives who have made bad business decisions. We can’t allow company officials to who break consumer confidence and send businesses into turmoil to benefit from bad practices. We owe it to the American people to make these officials accountable for their actions.

This is not the time for hurried legislation. We need a well thought-out approach to solving the problems we are facing. Washington should not be rushed into making such a critical decision that impacts the American economy. Sure, we need to protect the credit system in this country, but not by killing the American taxpayers!

A BACKGROUND ON RECENT BAILOUTS

Until this year, the federal government has never injected so much money into the U.S. financial market since the Great Depression. In addition to using interest rate adjustments to address the looming financial situation, the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury have stepped in to “bail out” large financial institutions that were nearing bankruptcy or facing grave financial distress. The bailouts have raised questions over whether the federal government has a role in staving off consequences of bad business decisions to protect further losses in the market, and whether the economic crisis today is of such grand proportion that it would warrant the federal government to step in on the free market economy.

The following provides a breakdown of each bailout that has occurred this year, and the situations leading up to each bailout.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), or privately owned, Congressional chartered financial institutions created for public policy purposes. They were created to increase liquidity and improve distribution of capital available for home mortgage financing. As GSEs, the charters of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac limit them to purchasing single family and multifamily home mortgages. As a result, they lack diversification in the types of mortgages they buy which makes them more susceptible to problems and fluctuations in the home mortgage market.

According to a report by the Heritage Foundation, experts have warned for decades that both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lacked sufficient capital to protect against losses. While most banks have $1 of capital for every $12 in assets, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac only have $1 for every $20 in assets. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hold about 70 percent of the national market share of home mortgages, and they both guarantee mortgages and hold about $5 trillion worth of them in their investment
portfolios. Beginning in 2004, their portfolios began to grow primarily with subprime and alternative-A loans. From 2003 to 2006, subprime and alternative-A originations in the U.S. rose from less than 8% of all mortgages to over 20%.

Between the end of 2007 and August 2008, Fannie Mae's stock lost 72 percent of its value and Freddie Mac lost 77 percent of its values, which many attributed to improper accounting practices and homeowners falling behind on subprime mortgages, putting 70 percent of the home mortgage market share at risk.

On July 30, the President signed into law H.R. 3221, a $800 billion housing aid bill to rescue Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. On September 7, the U.S. Treasury announced the federal government seized control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, arguing if the crisis had continued, lack of cash would have made it more difficult for consumers to obtain home loans.

Cost of the Bailout: $800 Billion

Congressional approval was sought for this bailout. Congressman Boozman did not support the bailout.

Bear Stearns:

At the beginning of the year, Bear Stearns was the nation's fifth largest investment bank. When the housing market took off earlier in the decade, Bear Stearns became actively involved in the residential mortgage market. As a result, it held a large amount of mortgage-backed securities. When the housing market plunged, Bear Stearns began to experience financial trouble. In response, Bear Stearns poured more money into subprime mortgage funds. When the housing market continued to decline, Bear Stearns found itself in an even deeper financial struggle. In March 2008, it was virtually crippled by a liquidity squeeze related to devalued mortgage-backed securities and neared bankruptcy.

In response, the Federal Reserve System announced on March 14 that it would provide a short-term loan to help Bear Stearns. Two days later, JP Morgan Chase, a commercial bank, agreed to buy Bear Stearns, and the Federal Reserve agreed to provide special financing to help with the transaction for up to $30 billion of Bear Stearns’ less liquid assets. After additional negotiations between Bear Stearns and JP Morgan Chase, the transaction ended with the Federal Reserve agreeing to finance $29 billion of Bear Stearns’ less liquid assets. Before this point, the Federal Reserve had never "bailed out" a financial institution that was not a commercial bank.

Cost of the Bailout: $29 Billion

No Congressional approval was sought for this bailout.


Lehman Brothers:

Lehman Brothers is a global financial services firm who, like Bear Stearns, held a large share of mortgage backed securities. When the subprime mortgage market took a hit,the Lehman Brothers faced substantial losses just as Bear Stearns did. In the first half of 2008 alone, Lehman's stock lost 73% of its value.

On September 14, Lehman brothers announced that it would file for bankruptcy protection, subsequently sending the stock market down 500 points on September 15, the largest drop in a single day since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Lehman Brothers sought government intervention to no avail. On September 16, Barclays PLC acquired a portion of Lehman brothers and no government bailout was instituted.

Cost of Bailout: None. No government bailout occurred.

AIG:

After Lehman Brothers, investors began looking at national insurance company American International Group’s (AIG) securities and found that they were similar to Lehman Brothers’. AIG’s credit rating was downgraded and it suffered a liquidity crisis because it could no longer access capital. As such, AIG's share prices fell 95% on September 16. At AIG's request, the Federal Reserve loaned money of up to $85 billion to AIG to prevent its collapse, in exchange for a 79.9% equity stake in the company because there was concern that many U.S. banks would fail if AIG did not keep operating.

Cost of the Bailout: $85 Billion

No Congressional approval was sought for this bailout.


THE PROPOSED WALL STREET BAILOUT BILL(The Paulson Plan)

The U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is asking for authority from Congress to buy the troubled assets from financial firms that are said to be causing the current financial crisis. Secretary Paulson is asking for $700 billion to buy primarily mortgage-related debt, which will allow financial institutions to raise capital and begin lending and investing again, resulting in a theoretical “jump start” of the economy. The plan is for the government to hold the assets until the market can recover. It then would sell the assets back into the market through a “reverse auction,” where the government sets a minimum price for the asset and financial institutions bid on the asset for purchase.

The proposal is now being considered on Capitol Hill where some lawmakers and interest groups are pushing for additional provisions to allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgage terms, adding terms to provide plan oversight and market regulation, and provisions to curb executive compensation in companies that participate in the bailout.

Leadership in Congress has suggested that the proposal is likely to be voted on this week.

Who is going to come up with the $700 billion?

American taxpayers will shoulder the cost of the bailout, which could actually be anywhere from $500 billion to $1 trillion, depending on how the assets are priced and how many are sold. The Treasury will attempt to resell them to investors, which some argue could result in profit and, ultimately, a lower price tag. There is no assurance of this profit, however, and many argue that the government is at risk of losing a great deal of taxpayer dollars through the purchase of this mortgage debt. In order to finance this plan, the Treasury will need to borrow money to buy the assets. It has asked for an increase in the debt ceiling, which means we must increase the federal deficit for the second time this year and increase interest payments on our federal debt. In addition, the $700 billion will be on top of the $900 billion tax dollars that have already been obligated for Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and AIG.

How long will the government hold these assets?

Ideally, the government should hold assets for the shortest amount of time possible. However, in reality they could end up holding them until maturity. For example, the government could hold a 30-year mortgage for the entire 30 years, or they could sell it at its discretion. With respect to the reverse auction, the number one priority should be to maximize the price for the American taxpayer. While the government may hold these assets at their discretion, the current Paulson plan would allow the government to purchase these assets for only two years.

What is the rationale for acting now?

According to a Congressional Research Service report, a press release from the Treasury stated illiquid mortgage-related assets had clogged the financial system. The combination of the government’s refusal to intervene on behalf of Lehman Brothers the same week that a bridge loan was extended to AIG has led many to believe that a case-by-case approach needs to be replaced with broad intervention. In addition, the sudden spike in interest rate spreads and declines in financial activity following the AIG intervention caused some policymakers to believe that the fragile financial market could worsen if it were not addressed. On the other hand, many argue that while addressing disruptions in the market as soon as possible is preferable, the urgency to address the situation immediately is caused in part by issues unrelated to the financial markets such as congressional schedules and political elections.


Arguments for the Bailout

Proponents for the Wall Street bailout are concerned that the financial crisis is starting to impact historically safe assets like money market accounts, and that retirement savings and investments of middle class Americans may be at risk. While these “safe” assets have no direct reason to suffer financial distress, they may suffer due to lack of market confidence. When this sort of market panic has developed, proponents say the federal government has an important role in calming the markets. As such, Secretary Paulson has created a plan to restore confidence in the financial market, which the Administration argues would address financial market distress and would preserve an individual’s capacity to borrow money to buy a home or to finance a college loan or allow small businesses to obtain credit. Without this government intervention, he argues, we would experience dire economic conditions – tax dollars would provide insurance against economic disaster.


Arguments Against the Bailout


Opponents of the bailout plan argue that buying troubled debt provides the most help to firms who have made the worst investments. According to Douglas W. Elmandorf, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute, banks which made responsible decisions to stay clear of bad debt or cut their losses would receive little or no gain from the bailout. Banks with the weakest balance sheet will reap the best rewards. Opponents of the plan argue that this will undermine an important financial principle that companies which have failed should have a smaller role in the market and it sends companies the signal that the government will be there to bail them out when they make bad business decisions. Under this assumption, opponents question what incentive businesses would have to take steps to ensure their own survival, such as voluntarily renegotiating troubled loans. This type of action could put the U.S. on a dangerous and unsustainable path where fundamental market principles gradually disappear to an economy in which the federal government owns significant assets and controls liquidity.

In addition, the bailout is a big risk for taxpayers with little gain. Because the amount the Treasury will use to buy assets must be borrowed, it will raise the federal deficit. This liability, on top of other long-term liabilities for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, means American taxpayers could be liable for more than $53 trillion, or $455,000 per household in federal debt.


Opponents also argue that much of the problem we now see has been the result of too much, rather than too little, government intervention. They say the current crisis is an example of what happens when politicians - Republicans and Democrats alike - enact policies in order to score political points or as knee-jerk reactions to perceived or real crisis without regard for the possible consequences and foresight as to future implications. Policies legislated in the past that have encouraged or even mandated lending to low-income and under-qualified borrowers may have made for a good sound bite, but they forced private businesses to enter into risky and unwise transactions that they otherwise may not have considered.


Sorry it was so long - but now you can't say you weren't informed!

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Wednesday, Sept 24th - Zero: Barak Obama

Been awhile since I used him, so it just felt right...

I have been watching with a bit of fascination, as you can imagine, the media and entertainment world completely go off the deep end over Sarah Palin and the resurgence of the Republican ticket. And rightly so. Palin is kicking their asses!!

The other issue is the Economy. Democrats have a REALLY bad track record with keeping a good economy. Clinton did a decent job of it, but come on, all he had to do was not screw with Reagan's policies too much. Of course, in his last couple of years he just couldn't help himself and made some REALLY, REALLY bad appointments to the Fed and Freddie Mac. Those names sound familiar? Yep, we are getting bit by those lapses of judgement right about now.

So, John McCain has decided to go back to DC and try to do something about the crises we are in. Naturally, that has driven the liberals STARK RAVING MAD. Letterman last night went off, which solidified my opinion that the guy is as stupid as he looks.

I just don't understand why the left-leaning Democrats hate the United States of America so bad.

When Benjamin Franklin was dispatched to France as ambassador of the United States in 1776, he won the hearts of the French through his authenticity. Rather than take on an affected and phony continental style, Franklin rebuffed the powdered wig of the European gentleman and donned the fur cap of an American frontiersman. The original political genius, Franklin understood that the French would see through any false pretension but respect an authenticity that sprang from an unpretentious, genuine, and somewhat naive love of country.

Contrast that to Obama who went to Europe for his rockstar tour. He went as a slick Harvard lawyer who hates what his country stands for. Like most 'entertainers', he's a mile wide and an inch deep. Obama is THE face of Liberals. You know, those people who have plundered the American system, gotten fithly rich off of it, but to 'fit in' and be considered intellectual sits back and berates the very culture and heritage that got them where they are. That's what us bitter americans in flyover country call 'biting the hand that feeds'.

Nothing exemplifies Obama’s hatred for American culture better than his statement that Americans “cling to” religion and guns out of frustration or bitterness. We can only suppose that Obama views religion and firearms as evils that need to be eradicated.

Of course, both guns and religion are essential aspects of our American culture. The United States was founded by people seeking religious freedom. Does the word “Pilgrim” ring a bell with anyone? Our freedom and the right to self-government were won by farmers with guns.

The American Revolution started when the British marched to Concord with the intention of confiscating the colonists' arms. Both the right to “keep and bear arms,” and the right to “free exercise” of religion are cornerstones of the Bill of Rights. We have come a long way when the presidential nominee of a major political party in America thinks of the exercise of these fundamental rights as a mental defect.

What is Barack Obama for? His campaign motto is “change.” But even a small child understands that “change” can be either good or bad. Without specification, the banner of “change” as policy is totally empty. As we watch Obama’s zombies mindlessly endorse the meaningless banner of “change,” it reminds me of the barnyard animals in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” chanting “four legs good, two legs bad!”

Gives me the chills - how about you?

Obama is a vapid demagogue, a hollow man that despises American culture. He is ill-suited to be president of the United States. As the days pass, hopefully more Americans will come to this realization and elect McCain/Palin in a landslide.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Thursday Sept 11th: Heros: Firefighters and Policemen

I know there are some bad seeds out there, but Wow, I mean really, there are some true heros out there.

Of course, all over the TV today there are tributes and replays of the news from that day. And I have been reminded all over again of the true bravery and heroism of those guys that went back INSIDE of those towers trying to rescue as many civilians as they could. I can't imagine myself doing that. I would like to think that I would, that God would put the courage in my heart if called upon. I do absolutely know without a doubt that I couldn't do it without him. I would fold into a spineless mess. Truly.

It's the same spirit of bravery that military people disply day in and day out. Makes me think of the phrase 'anointed by God'.

Peace, Love, and God,
Tracy

P.S. I hate to spoil the mood with a Zero, but you must know that Matt Damon is a true ZERO in every sense of the word. He gave an interview in which he called Sarah Palin's Vice Presidency an 'absurd Disney movie'. He kept calling her a 'hockey mom' rather than Governor. It was BALTANLY woman hating at its worst. He then made it worse by saying that her Christianity and a belief in Creationism made her so stupid that she couldn't be trusted with the Nuclear codes.

What a moron. Seriously. Complete jackass. If anyone I know ever watches, buys, or rents a Matt Damon movie ever again, you better go to great lengths to hide it from me. I will seriously question your decision making skills.

Zero #2: Gloria Steinem

Remember in one of yesterday's posts, I said that one of the stages of Conservative Female Abuse, was to make her out to be an Enemy of All Women.

Steinem jumped right to this stage today. See, she hates Palin because Palin is not in lock-step with the other FemiNazi's out there.

This part really makes me angry. When did the feminist movement get hijacked by these crazies? Normally, I would consider myself somewhat of a feminist. I do believe that women should be treated fairly in the workplace and everywhere else. I think women are as smart and can work just as hard as men. It makes me crazy when I think of how women are treated in some of the crazy corners of our world. However, I am realist enough to understand that we are different. There are some things that men do that women just shouldn't try. Same as there are lots of things us women are capable of that a man would be disastrous at. God made us DIFFERENT for a reason. If men and women were the same, He wouldn't have bothered making both of us!

Women like Gloria Steinem brings out a nearly homicidal rage in me, though, when they act like being a "woman" is some secret club where, in order to gain membership, you must solemnly swear to:

1)Support abortion on demand. No reason needed, and who cares if the baby is within days of delivery.
2)Support our teenage daughters right to abort their baby without any input from her parents.
3)Be against guns in any LEGAL form. After all, it's only the criminals that know how to use them safely...
4)Understand that Evolution is the only unproven theory acceptable to teach our children.
5)Understand that Global Warming is a fact (if by fact you mean no one can prove it's true) and that only the lowly middle class is responsible for it.
6)Uphold George Clooney and Barbra Striesand as the political GENIUSES they are.
7)Get all your Current Events from Cosmo magazine.
8)Get all your civic lessons from Michael Moore.
9)If you must have children, at least have the decency of having a different father for each, just promise, for the love of Allah, not to ADOPT. That might discourage teenage girls from abortion (see #1 and #2 above).
10)Last, but not least, you must NEVER think for yourself!!! If you feel you are faltering, run to the nearest TV and watch MSNBC until the feeling passes.

That's a good little feminist. Aren't you glad that you belong to a club where we do all the heavy thinking for you? We really saved you from the big, bad, controlling man - didn't we?


Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Thursday, Sept 4 - Zero: The Boston Herald

This, I am sure, will be the first of many today.

The Boston Herald ran an article today in the ELECTION section of there newspaper with this title "Stylists to passe Sarah Palin: Let your hair down".

Seriously. I could not make this crap up if I tried!!!!!

Here's some of the story:

Yes, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has a lot on her plate: a pregnant teen daughter, a son on his way to Iraq, an infant with Down syndrome and a looming national election.

But must her hair suffer? With her long, straight, often pinned-up locks, Palin looks one humid day away from fronting a Kiss cover band.

“It’s about 20 years out of date,” said Boston stylist Mario Russo of the Alaska governor’s ’do. “Which goes to show how off she might be on current events.”

You know, I could seriously blow a gasket and GO OFF on this swishy LOSER, but instead, let me just say that I will feel a heck of a lot better knowing I have a VP in the White House who is more worried about running the country and taking care of her family than whether her HAIRDO is ACCEPTABLE to the National Enguirer reading, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy watching crowd!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

More on Sarah Palin

I keep thinking about this woman and the situation, so this may not be the last!

More on Palin:

Because she jumbles up so many cultural categories, because she is a feminist not in the Berkley Gender Studies sense but the Annie Oakley/Lara Croft way, because she is a woman who in style, history, moxie and femininity is exactly like a normal American feminist and not an Elitist Liberal feminist; because she wears makeup and heels and eats mooseburgers and is Alaska Tough (as Time magazine put it); because she is conservative, and pro-2nd Amendment and pro-life; and because conservatives can smell this sort of thing -- who is really one of them and who is not -- and will fight to the death for one of their beleaguered own; because of all of this she is a real and present danger to the American left, and to the Obama candidacy.

She could become a historical political presence.

So they are going to have to kill her, and kill her quick.

And it's going to be savage.

The liberal media is going to get into trouble with Sarah Palin. Mark my words. After all, most of the media live in places like Manhattan, Chevy Chase, Westchester, and Tarrytown. They hang out with other elitist media types and take occasionally trips into 'flyover country' to try and get the 'pulse' of America. But, they don't stay too long because their biggest, secret, fear is that they may become like us...

When they forget they are so isolated, they get in trouble, they misjudge things. For one thing, they assume evangelical Christians will be horrified and left with a bad taste in the mouth by the circumstances of Govenor Palin's daughter. But modern American evangelicals are among the last people who'd judge her harshly. It is the left that is about to go crazy with Puritan judgments; it is the right that is about to show what mellow looks like. Religious conservatives know something's wrong with us, that man's a mess. They are not left dazed by the latest applications of this fact. "This just in – there's a lot of sinning going on out there" is not a headline they'd understand to be news.

So the liberal media's going to wait for the Christian right to rise up and condemn Sarah Palin, and they're not going to do it because it's not their way, and in any case her problems are their problems. Christians lived through the second half of the 20th century, and the first years of the 21st. They weren't immune from the culture, they just eventually broke from it, or came to hold themselves in some ways apart from it. I think the media will explain the lack of condemnation as "Republican loyalty" and "talking points." But that's not what it will be.

Another Liberal media blind spot. There are a lot of liberal critics who do not buy the legitimacy of small town mayorship (Palin had two terms in Wasilla, Alaska, population 9,000 or so) and executive as opposed to legislative experience. But executives, even of small towns, run something. There are only 262 cities in this country with a population of 100,000 or more. But there are close to a hundred thousand small towns with ten thousand people or less.

We are a nation of Wasillas, not Chicagos.

Last points on the lefty media types:

The mainstream media, which has been holding endless discussions on the future of media in the 21st century, is in danger of missing a central fact of that future: If they appear, once again, as they have in the past, to be people not reporting the battle but engaged in the battle, if they allow themselves to be pegged by that old tag, which so tarnished them in the past, they will do more to jeapordize their own future than the Internet has.

This much I know is true: fact is king. Great reporting is what every honest person wants right now. But reporting that carries an agenda, that carries elitist assumptions and puts them out there as obvious truths? Sure, there is a crazy fringe of people that want that. But if I were doing a business model for newspapers and broadcast networks I'd say: Fact and data are our product, we're putting everything into reporting, that's what we're selling. Interpretation is the reader's job, and think pieces are for the editorial page where we put the blowhards and hacks.

All that to say this: Dig deep into Governor Sarah Palin, find out all you can, talk to everybody, get every vote, every quote, she may be the next vice president. But don't tell me what she's wearing, don't tell me you think she's good looking, don't tell me that she can't do her job cause she's a mother. And leave her kid alone, assholes.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Wednesday Sept 3rd - Hero: Govenor Sarah Palin

There are many reasons that I like Sarah Palin, and several that make her a hero. But her, and her families', bravery to face the rabid Liberal Media is awesome.

Setting aside the fact that she has some family drama with her daughter's pregnancy, she will have to face the dreaded Conservative Female Abuse (as Michelle Malkin so aptly termed it). According to liberals, the only women allowed to be in politics are card-carrying espousers of the liberal agenda. If you aren't one of them, well, then it's okay to use the very 'stereotypes' they have railed against for the past 50years against you. You see, the words 'double standard' were removed from the feminists dictionary back in 1962.

As a Conservative Female, the first thing that will be savaged is your intellect. Then you will be reduced to a sexual object, after which you will be demonized and then stripped of your humanity. Here's some examples:

When George Bush was running for a second term, the San Fran Chronicle decided to focus on Laura Bush for a while. They joked about her being a 'docile doormat' that couldn't think for herself, made fun of her alma mater being a place to meet 'rich husbands'. You know, because any woman who believes in the 2nd Amendment and the American Dream (capitalism) must be being controlled by a man... Sarah Palin is already being called a "Neocon Puppet". You know, cause she's incapable of an original thought.

Here's an fact that has never been disproven to me. Conservative women are smarter than Liberal women (If any of you know of any that would like to debate me on Economics, Government, or Constitutional History, please give them my number). So what happens is that time that should be spent in intellectual debate, ends up being time that the Lefties spend on the CF's (conservative female)looks. Older, less attractive CF's are made fun of for being... older and less attractive. They will pick on her clothing, her weight, her make-up, whatever. Case in point - Barbra Bush, Katherine Harris, Linda Tripp, Nancy Reagan. If the woman is good looking, then she's made out to be a whore. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann (worst man in the media) made a reference to Fred Thompson's wife Jeri being on 'a stripper pole', for crying out loud!!! So, already with Sarah Palin, Maureen Dowd (of the NYT) has called Sarah Palin's rise in the Political world a 'hokey chick flick' and made fun of her being a beauty pagent winner and wearing sexy shoes (nothing enrages liberal women more than a good-looking, sexy CF who happens to be successful). A democratic fundraising website for Barak Obama, the Democratic Underground, has already Photoshop'd pictures of Palin's face on Bikini models and Pornographic still shots.

So, after the CF has been turned into a brainless, robotic, prostitute she will then be made out to be Evil and an Enemy to all women. After all, what self-respecting woman would dare to care about the economy of this country!!! What authentic woman wouldn't want drug addicts to qualify for food stamps?? Or, give even more welfare to the woman that just had baby #6 with babydaddy #6?? Or, best yet.. what self-respecting woman wants to be majority owner in her own business? That's ridiculous, we all know that small businesses should turn 56% of their income (per Obama's new tax plan) over to the government!! Because, unlike those docile doormats we all KNOW CF's are, us enlightened liberal women know that the only entity we should be completely submissive to is the GOVERNMENT... right? RIGHT!!!! I mean, really, do all those small business owners really think they can do a better job running their business than the government? Cause, look how successful they've been...

Bill Maher, the 2nd worse man in the media, called Laura Bush 'Hitler's dog', George Carlin called Barbra Bush 'the Silver douche bag', Ted Rall portrayed Condaleeza Rice as a thick lipped parrot and called her Bush's 'house nigga'. On Arianna Huffington's website, Nancy Reagan was called 'evil' and that she 'has lived far too long, and I hope she suffers for weeks'.

I guess my definition of 'enlightened' is different than theirs.

God save our country.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Wednesday August 27 - Zero: John Edwards

I have been thinking for a few days of what I could say about Former Senator John Edwards. This guys is, of course, a total BOOB of monumental proportion.

Then, as I was watching the Democratic National Convention Monday night (it's the best comedy show ever), I saw the way the crowd reacted to good ol' Teddy Kennedy, and that got me thinking of just how "Kennedy-esque" Johnny boy is! So, let's look at the cases:

By now, everyone has heard the news that Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter, has refused to grant a paternity test.

I wonder if Edwards knew that when he was making his chesty offer to take a paternity test? Edwards gushed to ABC's Bob Woodruff: "I would welcome participating in a paternity test, be happy to participate in one ... happy to take a paternity test and would love to see it happen."

As Edwards (slimy trial lawyer by trade) knows, our paternity laws were written by Gloria Steinem, so if the mother doesn't want a paternity test, it can't happen. So when Woodruff asked if he was going to actually take the paternity test soon, Edwards quickly noted, "I'm only one side of the test."

Edwards is closely following the Kennedy model of responding to charges of misconduct. First, admit only as much as can be currently proved. Second, get the other party to block any further investigation. I guess he really is "Kennedy-esque"!

For example, when the cops found DNA on the murdered body of Martha Moxley in Greenwich, Conn., the Kennedy suspect, Michael Skakel, suddenly remembered he had been up in a tree that night masturbating! (Talk about a tree-hugger.) You can see how something like that could slip your mind.

After Teddy Kennedy plunged his car off the Chappaquiddick Bridge with Mary Jo Kopechne in it and then failed to report the accident for nine hours, Kennedy admitted he had driven off the bridge -- but said he was in a state of shock for the next nine hours, preventing him from reporting the submerged car with a woman trapped in it.

Indeed, Kennedy was so disoriented he was barely able to dream up a highly unlikely alibi.

The historical parallel to Edwards' pincer move with Rielle Hunter is that Kennedy ostentatiously demanded a full investigation -- while the Kopechne family stoutly objected to an autopsy of their daughter.

From "Senatorial Privilege" by Leo Damore: the evidence suggested that Kopechne died gasping for breath in the car while Teddy Kennedy was busy trying to convince various people to say that they were driving his car.

There were lots of houses nearby with lights on, but Kennedy avoided them after he escaped from the car, so he could sneak back to his hotel undetected and begin establishing an alibi. Evidently, Kennedy is better than Edwards at sneaking into and out of hotels.

If Mary Jo had suffocated, then she had been alive for hours after the car plunged into the water. But an autopsy was required to determine whether Kopechne had drowned or suffocated.

Both the coroner and the diver who retrieved Mary Jo's body from the car believed Mary Jo had suffocated, not drowned. The diver found her body contorted in the back of the submerged car as if she had been trying to press her face into the last air pocket in the car. The coroner concluded there wasn't enough water in Mary Jo's body to indicate a drowning.

But for the first time in Massachusetts history, no autopsy was performed in a possible manslaughter case. Mary Jo was buried within about an hour of her body being pulled out of the channel under the Chappaquiddick Bridge.

Naturally, Kennedy wanted a "thorough" investigation -- to clear his name! -- but the Kopechnes absolutely refused to consent to an autopsy of their daughter. What more could he do? The Kopechnes' lawyer, Joseph Flanagan, refused to say who was paying him to fight the autopsy.

Similarly, Edwards aggressively offered to take a paternity test, knowing that the New Age hippie chick who still thinks she's going to marry him would not hurt him by allowing a paternity test. Edwards certainly is adept at reading stupid women, or as his campaign called them, "the base."

Democrats are always claiming to have the Kennedy magic, but, once again, another Kennedy-wannabe falls short. To be a real Kennedy, Johnny, you have to kill her.

Just ask Martha, Mary Jo, or Marilyn Monroe...

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Wednesday, August 20th - Zero: People who Fart on Planes

I flew to Columbia last week, and on both legs of the flight, the knuckle-dragger in front of me seemed to be enamored with the smell of his own butt. Seriously. The return trip was so bad, that I confronted the man. Looking back at it now, it was pretty hilarious, but at the time I was seriously ticked off. Embarrased the crap out of him, which is what I wanted to do.

Now, I know there are times that it feels like you really have to let one rip, but that's what bathrooms are for people!!! Are women the only ones who get this concept????

I'm thinking about petitioning Congress for a bill that would make farting on planes a form of assault.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Tuesday August 12 - Hero: Jay Leno

I need to give credit for this one to my best friend, Darlene. She sent me this email and she's right. He's a hero for saying these things.

I also have another person to acknowledge today - my friend Karyn Abercrombie. Today is her birthday! Happy Bday, KA.

Here goes:

Jay Leno wrote this

As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark.
'The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?
The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President.

In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?''

A.. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B.. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

C.. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

E.. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

F.. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

G.. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

I.. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.

J.. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.

K.. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

L.. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

M.. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. Make no mistake about it.

The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an 'other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?

Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like OJ. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.' 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?

Jay Leno

Tuesday, July 22 - Zero: Nancy Pelosi

I'm actually quite surprised it took me this long to add this moron to my list.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, or as she is called on the Big Dogs blog, "the worst speaker in the history of Congress," explained the cause of high oil prices: "We have two oilmen in the White House. The logical follow-up from that is $3-a-gallon gasoline. It is no accident. It is a cause and effect. A cause and effect."

Wow, now that explains why the price of cigars and Hustler magazines skyrocketed during the Clinton administration...

Announcing the Democrats' bold new "plan" on energy last week, Pelosi said breaking into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve "is one alternative." That's not an energy plan. It's using what we already have -- much like "conservation," which is also part of the Democrats' plan.

Conservation, efficiency and using oil we hold in reserve for emergencies does not get us more energy. It's as if we were running out of food and the Democrats were telling us: "Just eat a little less every day." Great! We'll die a little more slowly. That's not what we call a "plan." We need more energy, not a plan for a slower death.

But there's more! Pelosi announced that the Democrats also plan to push for "an historic investment in biofuels, efficiency, conservation and the rest."

That certainly would be historic: We would make history by throwing our money away on unproven energy boondoggles that have eaten up untold billions since the 1960s without producing a single net kilowatt of power while we all starve to death.

Democrats couldn't care less about high gas prices. The consistent policy of the Democratic Party, going back at least to Jimmy Carter, has been to jack up gas prices so we can all start pedaling around on bicycles.

Environmentalists are constantly clamoring for higher gas taxes as the cure-all to their insane global warming theory. Clinton proposed a 26-cent tax on gas. John Kerry said it should be 50 cents. Al Gore endorsed the proposal of Paul and Anne Ehrlich in "The Population Explosion" that gas taxes be raised gradually to match prices in Europe and Japan.

The result is consumers now pay about 46 cents per gallon in gasoline taxes. That's not including taxes paid directly to the government by the oil companies and passed onto consumers. As economist John Lott has pointed out, in the past 25 years oil companies have paid more than three times in taxes what they have made in profits.

You know, you never hear the politicians complaining about how much revnue the government brings in...

Obama's response to soaring gas prices is to have the oil companies collect even more money from us at the pump, proposing a "windfall profits tax" on oil companies. "Corporate taxes" sound like taxes on rich people, but all they do is force corporations to collect taxes on behalf of the government.

In response to skyrocketing gas prices, liberals say, practically in unison, "We can't drill our way out of this crisis."

What does that mean? This is like telling a starving man, "You can't eat your way out of being hungry!" "You can't water your way out of drought!" "You can't sleep your way out of tiredness!" "You can't drink yourself out of dehydration!"

Seriously, what does it mean? Finding more oil isn't going to increase the supply of oil?

Liberals are also alleging that the oil companies are sitting on millions of acres of oil but are refusing to drill -- presumably because oil company executives hate the American people and perversely don't want to make money. Manifestly, those acres are being explored for oil or have already come up dry.

If the Liberals really wanted oil companies to find more oil, they'd allow oil companies to drill offshore and to drill in ANWR, which we happen to know is bursting with oil.

But they don't. They don't want drilling. They don't want more oil. They want humans to ride bicycles and then to die.

We deserve it: We were mean to the polar bears.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Thursday, July 10th - Zero: Change

Make that just Zero Change.

That is what we are getting with Mr. Barak "Change we can believe in" Obama.

I saw on the news this morning that Obama now 'regrets' having his daughters appear in an interview with Access Hollywood. Now, I would think that the biggest regret there would be doing an interview with Access Hollywood in the first place. But I'm just one of those bitter Americans that think Tabloids are fodder for the lowest forms of human life - celebrities that are famous for.. oh forget it. I don't have the energy for more than one rant today....

Anyway, the regret factor. With John Kerry, we called it flip-flopping. Growing up, we called it crawfishing, indian-giving, or we would scream 'NO TAKEBACKS!!!'

Obama is pretty dang good at 'regrets'. In April of this year, he regretted calling us Americans that believe in God and our Constitutional rights bitter. Back in February of 2007, he announced that he regretted saying that American Soldiers that had died in the war lived wasted lives. And let's not forget that he regrets buying that property back in Nov 06 from his good buddy (and current jailbird) Tony Rezko.

It almost sounds like Barack Obama is a politician. Hmmmm. So, what exactly is this Change he's gonna bring? His biggest speeches have been ripped right out of the mouth of other politicians. Most of his campaign staff comes from other politicians. His platform is a total mishmash of (yes) other politicians. Did anyone really doubt that he was going to get sucked into the Washington DC machine?

Heck, just this week he voted FOR the new NSA wiretapping bill. You know, the very one that he said he HATED so much that he vowed to filibuster it???? This, just after his economy speech in St. Louis where he pretty much used the 'a chicken in every pot' speech from Herbert Hoover.

The ambitious Obama economic agenda laid out in St. Louis includes:

More tax money for education, government subsidies for "green energy" companies, more tax money for "rebuilding our schools, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure that needs repair," $50 billion immediately for a new "stimulus package" to send "energy rebate checks" to less-affluent households, plus $1,000 to every American household in more enduring tax relief, tax money to bail out "families who find themselves mired in debt," a new "pension plan" that includes a government subsidy of up to $500 a year for households making less than $75,000 a year, $4,000 a year in free (aka taxpayer paid) tuition for anyone who pledges "national service," a new mortgage tax credit on top of the existing one for "10 million homeowners" and more taxpayer subsidies for day care through the child-care tax credit.

Make that two chickens, three French hens and a partridge in every pear tree, at least.

All this on top of a universal health-care plan that will "help families who are struggling under the crushing burden of health-care costs by passing a plan that brings the typical family's premiums down by $2,500 and guarantees coverage to everyone who wants it."

And Obama says he can pay for all this spending by cutting in corporate tax "loopholes" and "tax havens" -- oh, yes, and by "responsibly" losing the war in Iraq.

"My plan is detailed and specific when it comes to cutting spending. In fact, all my new spending proposals would be more than paid for by spending reductions," he opined.

And Obama promises to vastly expand taxpayer obligations for a new and expensive network of benefits at the same time that neither he nor anyone else in Washington -- including John McCain -- will tell us how to pay for our existing underfunded obligations to senior citizens in Social Security, Medicare and prescription drug benefits.

All gain, no pain. That's Obama's totally conventional Washington promise to the American people.

Meanwhile, a reality check: Over the next two generations the proportion of Americans over age 65 will more than double. Paying for our existing promises of health care and retirement security for senior citizens without crushing the economic dreams of younger working Americans is the most important task Washington faces domestically. Delivering on existing promises to seniors is going to require the difficult combination of substantial tax increases and at least modest benefit cuts, most likely in the form of increases in the retirement age.

How can any responsible leader make vast new pledges and commit taxpayer dollars to grand new obligations until we've found a way to pay for our existing promises to America's senior citizens?

Oh, silly me, we are talking about a Washington politician, aren't we?

Money for nothing, and your healthcare for free.... Change you can believe in? Depends on how many hallucinogens you took in your misguided youth...

Peace, Love, and God,
Tracy

Monday, July 7th - Zero: Drunk People

I don't like drunk people. They are the most selfish people on the planet.

So there.


Peace, Love, and God,
Tracy

Friday, June 20th - Zero: Senator Chris Dodd

Greetings from Knoxville, Tennessee. I have spent so much time here this year, I think I may have to pay non-resident taxes...

So, have you guys heard about this? If you don't watch cable news or read the Wall Street Journal, you might not have. The regular broadcast news (NBC, CBS, ABC) have completely ignored this subject. No real big surprise, since Dodd is a prominent DEMOCRATIC Senator. The guy ran for president this year, too.

Dodd has been found to have gotten a 'sweetheart' mortgage deal from Countrywide Bank earlier this year. Yes, the same Countrywide Bank that had to be bailed out by our government this year. The bail out cost us taxpayers $300 BILLION.

Guess who led the committee that put together the bail out? Oh yes he diid... Senator Chris Dodd. He's the chairman of the Finance and Banking commitee.
Guess what his defense was... wait for it... "I didn't know I was getting a better deal than anyone else".

The guy is a total criminal, or he's a friggin' idiot. Either way, it scares the total keerap out of me that this guy is in charge of ANYTHING, let alone our Finance & Banking issues.

He should be in jail, and he should be being lambasted in the media....

WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE!!!!!

Send an email to your senators and congressmen and tell them to investigate this.

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy

Monday, June 16th - Hero: Fathers

Fathers are so important.

Somewhere in the past couple of decades, our society has done a lot of harm to the image of our fathers, as well as downplayed their significance to the family dynamic.

Take any sitcom on TV in the past decade or so, and the father is generally a big ole doofus. Tim Taylor on Home Improvement, Ray Baronne on Everybody Loves Ray, Jim on According to Jim, etc, etc, etc. Compare these Dads to the ones on Leave it to Beaver, My Three Sons, Andy Griffith... The father figure went from being very wise, loving, a little bit goofy to being incompetent idiots who are lucky just to be able to understand english.

I guess I am really a lucky girl, because all the fathers in my life (Dad, Grandads, step-dad, uncles, brother) have been what I imagine real fathers to be about.

First and foremost, a Dad is there. Even when he's not with you, he's still there. His love is unconditional and sacrificial. He's smarter than you will ever be - in the subjects that really matter, anyway. He's patient, strong, and yes - he's goofy when he needs to be.

For a daughter, the very best gift a father can give is to be an example of how a man should love a woman. A father that treats his wife right, loves her with all his heart, and respects her. That is the best gift a daughter can ever get. It totally sets the tone of all her future relationships. Dads - you do this for your daughter, you will never have to worry about her making disastrous choices in her own love life. Because she will never settle for less.

Also, for his children, a Dad provides safety and security. When a Dad loves his children, no one can ever take away their security. Because you can have a lot taken away from you - your job, your home, your health - but as long as you can run to your Daddy and know that he will be there waiting for you with open arms, nothing else matters. It doesn't matter if you are 5 years old and it's a monster under your bed, or if you are 25 and it's a lost love. Dad's presence makes it all better.

Reading back over that, it would be very easy to substitute God for Dad. Could be why God presented Himself to us as a Father, why He assigned a gender to Himself when he surpasses that classification. He knew that there would be a need for a never-changing, always present Father. Truly, human fathers that get it right, get what being Daddy is all about - love, sacrifice, joy - those men are men after God's own heart.

I am so very blessed, because I have had many of these men in my life. I hope that I do a decent job of letting them know, while I have them. I lost my grandfathers, and I really regret not telling them more often how much they meant to me and how much I loved them. Although, I think true appreciation comes with wisdom, and wisdom comes with age. There is no other way to gain it. Which excites me - because if you get it even a little bit right - wisdom brings true joy and happiness.

The fathers in my life:
Rex Curtis - my daddy
Dennis Kincy - my step-daddy
Robert Vine Curtis - grandpa
Huel Gregory Smith - poppy
Dale Smith - uncle
Jason Curtis - brother
Bobby King - husband

My eternal Father, who for reasons I will never be able to thank enough for giving me my family, GOD.

Happy Father's Day,
Tracy

Monday, June 9th - Hero: The Shack

No, I am not talking about an enormous basketball player.

It's a book. A great book. A really, really great book...

I picked this little paperback book up at Wal-Mart last week and read it in just a few hours. I am going to give it to Bobby to read, then, I am going to read it again. It's that good.

I had no intentions of getting this book, because I had never heard of it or the author. I was browsing the paperbacks, looking for some reading for my next two trips. After making a couple of selections I turned to the New Releases to see what's coming out, and there, nestled between the hardbacks, was this little book called 'The Shack' by a guy named William P. Young. I read the back and it sounded a little depressing so I skipped it.

But I couldn't forget this book. All the rest of my shopping I kept thinking of it, so I went back and got it. Now I know it was the Holy Spirit telling me to read it. This book has had a profound effect on me. Reading this book was better than any sermon I have ever sat through, even better than my most in-depth discussions with Pastor Jeff Richards (and that is saying ALOT).

The premise of the book is about a man that loses his little girl to a serial killer and her body is never found. Several years later he gets a note in the mail from God, asking him to come to 'the shack' for a visit. The Shack is where the only evidence from his daughters murder was ever found.

What happens from there is so gut wrenching, but so wonderful at the same time. And let me tell you, the book is fiction, but so many things written resonated with me, because a lot of what is in this book is exactly the way I have interpreted and imagined the Holy Trinity and Heaven to be like.

If you like, this is the website for the book: www.theshackbook.com. Let me know what you think if you read it!

Peace, Love, and GOD,
Tracy