Great quote from my bro

My brother stumbled across a sagacious quote by the late Dr. Adrian Rogers. If this is the same Adrian Rogers that I find on Wikipedia I can see that I probably wouldn't agree with much of what Mr. Rogers might have said and preached while he was alive but I do find this quote to make a hell of a lot of sense. Here it is:

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

Today's count

My 3.5 mile walk today took me through a different neighborhood than I've counted in before. This neighborhood is still in my city but it's in an area with homes a step or two above ours. (I consider our area of Birmingham to be the third level up of about 5 or 6 levels, based on home prices.) It didn't surprise me that there were fewer homes for sale, just 9 total. I did see one home with a bright sticker on it naming the real estate company that owned it so I figured it was a foreclosed home. The area that I previously walked where there were 35 homes for sale is in the area I consider to be the bottom level of Birmingham. So maybe something can be read into those stats.

As for the count of lawn signs, I was totally surprised by what I counted. I figured with the higher income area than my previous counts there would possibly be more McCain signs than Obama. Not the case. I counted 13 Obama signs and....ZERO McCain signs. Zero. That, I think, says a lot. No wonder McCain pulled out of Michigan. Based on my counts, he doesn't have a snowball's chance in my bed of winning here! (I have a heating pad under the covers for my cold feet :)

The Keating story

I know everyone is getting sick of this election but what I'm getting sick of is the Republicans trying to dig up dirt. I think it's appalling and despicable to allow this:

At a Palin rally here, Lee County (Fla.) Sheriff Mike Scott took the stage to introduce the candidate and yelled: “On Nov. 4th, let’s leave Barack Hussein Obama wondering what happened!”


I can imagine how angry this makes Obama and his camp. Even if it is his middle name the reason behind using it is underhanded. McCain's resorting to scumball tactics because he knows nothing else is working.

Everyone needs to keep in mind the role John McCain played in 'The Keating 5.'

Watch this video. It explains a lot that maybe we've all forgotten.

Today's count

My walk today found pretty much the same as yesterday. The count was 9-35-5. That's 9 Obama lawn signs, 35 houses for sale, and 5 McCain lawn signs.

I was surprised by the lower numbers of signs but not surprised at the higher number of houses for sale. I walked in a neighborhood south of Eton Rd where the lots are only 40 feet wide as opposed to 50 feet here on my side of Eton.

The distance walked on the 4 streets today that I did this count on is actually less than the distance of the streets walked yesterday even though I walked the same total distance. This is because I walked a half-mile each of Eton and Adams roads which have no homes on them. Yesterday's walk was all done on neighborhood streets.

So, again, OBAMA WINS!

Oh, and can you believe McCain's wimpy-ass attempt to get out of debating Obama? Like everyone on Capitol Hill needs his input, he being one of 100 senators. He's a scaredy-cat who knows his rhetoric [1.(in writing or speech) the undue use of exaggeration or display; bombast.] falls short of expressing anything intelligent. And now, according to NPR this morning, his campaign staff is trying to get him to backpedal because they understand that this tactic is backfiring.

Go for the throat, Obama!

OBAMA WINS!

If signage is any indication, Obama will sweep the election with over double the votes of McCain.

On my 3.8 mile (there you go, Richard!) 'power walk' today around my neighborhood I counted 21 lawn signs for Obama, 10 for McCain and, very interestingly, 26 'For Sale' signs.

Obama is out-signing McCain just over 2-to-1. I'm very curious to see if this is holds true to the outcome of the election.

Twenty-six homes for sale on 6 half-mile streets in my neighborhood. That's a frigging lot! When I looked for this house in 2004 I think there were maybe 8 for sale in this neighborhood.

I laughed in total disbelief

Okay. I have to have my say, I guess. I'm being egged on by something I received in the mail today from the Republican National Committee (RNC - which should stand for REAL NUT CASES).

Let me highlight some of the lines in this letter that ridiculously treats me as if I was once 'one of them.' I am not, and probably never will be, a registered Republican. Democrats get me by default because we don't have a strong third party that represents my 'anti-tax, personal freedoms' beliefs. Personal freedoms win out.

This letter starts off:
"I don't want to believe you've abandoned the Republican Party, but I have to ask...Have you given up?"

Now, I ask you, what kind of opening line is that? Is it meant to summon up feelings of guilt by using the word 'abandoned?' And are they thinking that they might catch me a bit off-guard, confusing me, as in "Oh, yeah. That's right. I'm Republican. I forgot." And how can I give up something that I never had? More words to instill guilt.

It goes on to say that the REAL NUT CASES haven't received my membership renewal and 'our' party depends on it. (Hmmm. Depends...John McCain...depends...yes, old men can have that problem, too.)

And here's the part that got me laughing out loud, very loud, because it solidified my definition of the acronym RNC: "So I am surprised and concerned especially because I know how generously you supported President Bush and the RNC in the past. You helped to advance our vision for America and elect Republicans at all levels of government."

Is there someone out in the world posing as me and doing silly Republican things? Because this Karen E. has NEVER liked the slur-speeched, seemingly uneducated fool we call our President and NEVER given him or other Republicans so much as a penny to forward their right-wing, 'let me tell you how to live your life' agenda. Paula Poundstone had a very funny line on the radio show "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." She said, "The value of the dollar has sunk so low we can now put Bush's picture on it!" You go, Paula!

Another thing in this letter I find quite amusing is the fact that they will not use McCain's name.
"Your generous financial assistance and active involvement are more important than ever as we work to elect a Republican president and Congress."

The underlying interpretation of using the words 'Republican president' instead of 'John McCain' is obvious. They know that John McCain is nothing more than George Bush. 'So let's focus on Republicans as a whole instead of reminding people of McCain.' Even John McCain knows that he needed someone to upstage him because he wasn't doing well on his own; that's why he picked Sarah Palin - to draw attention away from himself since he doesn't have much to offer. And we see that that one is backfiring as people realize that she is not qualified for the job, especially being one heartbeat away from the presidency.

But they do use Obama's name. "There is so much at stake. The Democrats are determined to put a liberal like Barack Obama in the White House, expand their narrow majorities in the U.S. House and Senate, and push our country to the Left with their agenda of high taxes, big government and weakened national security."

Let's start with their claim of Obama's supposed 'agenda of high taxes' and 'big government.' Here is a quote from two writers from the Wall Street Journal, Jason Furman and Austan Goolsbee. You can read the whole article here.

Both candidates for president have proposed tax plans. But they are starkly different in their approaches and their economic impact. Sen. Obama is focused on cutting taxes for middle-class families and small businesses, and investing in key areas like health, innovation and education. He would do this while cutting unnecessary spending, paying for his proposals and bringing down the budget deficit. In contrast, John McCain offers what would essentially be a third Bush term, with his economic speeches outlining $3.4 trillion of tax cuts over 10 years beyond what President Bush has already proposed and geared even more to high-income earners. The McCain plan would lead to deficits the likes of which we have never seen in this country. It would take money from the middle class and from future generations so that the wealthy can live better today.

Back to this letter I received. I heard a story on NPR yesterday that told about another low, dirty tactic the RNC and McCain are using to confuse voters. It was a mailing to registered Democratic voters in Florida that included a card labeled "[Republican] Party Affiliation Voter Registration Card." In an attached letter, McCain asks recipients to update the enclosed card — and to contribute to his campaign. According to the NPR story (read the whole story here), they could find no Republicans who received this mailing, only Democrats.

All these tactics seem desperate to me. I'm hoping people can see the 'littleness' in John McCain. We've lived through 8 years of this type of person; I hope we're all smart enough not to let it happen again.

Oh, happy day!

It's right around the corner...the day Michigan goes smoke free! I am so extremely happy about this that I could...could...well, something! It's about time to clear the air.

Perplexed

Okay, you tell me what's wrong with this picture.

Sentenced to 6 months in jail for lying about using steroids: Marion Jones.

"Jones, who has been stripped of the three gold and two bronze medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was sentenced to six months in jail and two years of probation for lying to federal investigators about her use of performance-enhancing drugs and about a check-fraud scheme that involved her former partner - Tim Montgomery." - AFP

And then there's this guy who has all but admitted to LYING UNDER OATH: Kwame Kilpatrick, yet still sitting as Mayor of Detroit.
"And here is what the people should reasonably be able to conclude from the records made public after the high court ruling: Kilpatrick lied under oath during a trial about his relationship with Christine Beatty, then his chief of staff, and their plans to fire a police officer whose investigation was getting close to their affair." - Detroit Free Press

Don't these two cases, when compared, seem as though there is something wrong with our system? A young woman makes a bad choice about something that effects her own body and gets 6 months in jail for it and is stripped of her medals. And Mayor Kilpatrick gets...nothing. No punishment. He lied under oath! He's a frigging MAYOR! He's still wearing his 'medal.'

You can't even play the race card here; they're both African American but I guess if you are a political figure the rules change.

As for the issue of personal integrity, they both stink in my opinion. They both have a part of the world looking at and looking up to them. They are both individuals with a dream. It's just a shame that their determination to live their dreams has clouded their judgment and diminished their personal integrity.

But back to my point, if a person can be sentenced to 6 months in prison for lying about taking steroids, doesn't it seem a given that a mayor who lies under oath would lose his job and also be sentenced to punishment?

Maybe I just have a skewed sense of justice.

Craig's list scam

Here's another twist from the scamming lot. It's so much fun to catch these guys but I can't help thinking that they swindled someone else.

I'll start from the beginning.

Richard sent me a link to a Dodge Caravan being sold through Craig's list. The van was priced well below any other Caravan listed of the same year. The listing had pictures of the van, all nice and clean inside and out. Since we are down to one car (Chelsea is using the van because her car is out of commission for good) I answered the ad to a Mark@usarmydt.com. Hmmm...looks like he's in the army. I didn't get a reply by late the next day so I emailed 'Mark' again.

Hi Mark,
I sent you one previous email asking how many miles are on the 2003 Caravan but you haven't responded yet. Also, are you the original owner? Are you the owner at all? What city do you live in? How available would you be for my husband and me to come out and look at it?
Thank you,
-Karen

This was his reply:

Hello Karen,
The car is located in West Ann Arbor, MI and it is in perfect condition, with no need for additional repairs, no scratches, dings, special marks whatsoever. It has 40K miles and the VIN # is : 2C8GP64LX3R215895 . It has a clear title ready to be signed and notarized on your name. You can see more pictures by click on the link below :
http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg21/markroberts_albums/
This car needs nothing, the title is clear, it is not a salvage one. I want this transaction to go smoothly enough as I am caught in the middle of some very important events and have little time at my disposal. I already have tons of emails so I hope you understand that I need to sort them out.
The price is $2,900 THIS IS MY LAST PRICE. I will not negotiate the price. I will take in consideration only those buyers who are really interested in buying the car, to be sure that I don't waste my time with endless discussions. This way, I shall be assured of the serious intentions.
So if you are interested please email me back so we can move forward,
Mark Roberts

There were a few words and phrases in here that raised some red flags right away. First of all, he never answers my question as to whether or not he is the owner.

"..it is not a salvage one." This is not normal American speech. He sounds foreign. Alert number two.

"I want this transaction to go smoothly enough..." again, normal speech would leave out the 'enough.' He sounds foreign again. Alert number three.

The whole tone of the email takes on a typical Nigerian scam. "I will take in consideration only those buyers who are really interested in buying the car..." "...this way I will be assured of the serious intentions."

But, I tell Richard I am going to email him again. Deep down, I want to bait him to see what is next because I smell something fishy.

Mark,
I would want my car guys to check this van out before I purchase it. So, if you are willing to let me do that we can move forward. It sounds like you are not the owner, is that correct? Is your name on the title?
-Karen

To which he replies:

Hello again Karen,
The transaction will be closed only through Buyer Protector and this way we will both be protected. I work in the army and my current job doesn't allow me to do otherwise. I have way to little free time to handle home visits and my phone calls are very limited. As I said before the car is as described and you will be able to inspect the car before a final decision.
I had prearranged shipping with Buyer Protector and DAS so my presence isn't necessary. The car is in a Buyer Protector warehouse, ready for delivery.
To begin the transaction I'll need your full name and shipping address, I will forward the details of our transaction to Buyer Protector and then you will receive an invoice from them. The car will be shipped insured to your location with DAS and you will have 5 days for inspection. I have already payed the shipping fees so there is no shipping cost for you.
Mark Roberts

Ahh-Hahh! I found the scam! I emailed this comment to Richard as I forwarded 'Mark's' email. The all-knowing Richard checked out this 'Buyer Protector' and found that sure enough there was a website that looked legit. But upon further digging, he found out that the site had just got up and running on January 26, 2008 and is registered to an unknown in the Netherlands. And if you go to the Buyer Protection site here you will notice that it is very similar to another legitimate company, Buyer Guardian. They even stole the logo! Check out Buyer Guardian here. (But wasn't it nice of him to pick up the shipping cost? He's such a considerate guy, eh?)

Then Richard went on Craig's list and did a search on this Mark guy's email address and found the same exact Caravan posted in a bunch of other cities. Some of them had been flagged and taken down already.

If you haven't figured it out yet, the scam works like this. The seller is claiming that he is in the Army (trying to play on our bleeding hearts for the soldiers, no doubt) and cannot do this transaction in person. He claims that he is hiring a legitimate escrow company to be the 'middle-man' in the transaction. If we want the car, we send the escrow company our money and they send us the car. Well, can you see it now? We send the money, get no car and are SOL.

I told Richard that I wanted to bait him more and he agreed because he wanted to blog about it. This was my next correspondence to 'Mark.'

OK Mark: I checked out Buyer Protector on line. I think I understand.
Here is my address:
Karen Ethier
151 Martin St, Birmingham, MI 48009
Please let me know what are the next steps.

These were actually Richard's words and Richard's idea to use the Birmingham police department's address. He's good! Here is the next response and it's a doozie!:

Hello again Karen,
I forwarded the details about our transaction to Buyer Protector. I hope that everything works out fine and we are done in this week. Please let me know when will you be able to make the deposit, so I know when to prepare the shipping.
Also I would personally advise you that when you will go to the Money Gram office to send the money, don't tell the Money Gram agent that you are sending the money for an internet transaction, tell him that you sending the money for a friend of yours that you know because they will charge you additional fees if you tell them that you will send the money for an internet transaction.
I'll look forward to close this deal with you successfully and in the best manner.
Thank you
Mark

Don't you just love it!! "...don't tell the Money Gram agent that you are sending the money for an internet transaction...because they will charge you additional fees..." That one had us laughing out loud! And he also writes words in the wrong order...no, you're not foreign, Mark!

I responded:

Mark,
I thought you told me in the last email that I could check out the car. If you give me the address where it is being stored, I could go there.
-Karen

To which he replied (this is good!):

Hello again Karen,
As I've told you before my current job does not allow me to show you the car because right now I'm a specialist in the Army @ the 10TH Mountain Division in Buffalo, NY 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry and I can't get a permission to leave just to come and show you the car. I will take the permission only if I know I have a sure client.
If you don't feel safe with this transaction I can understand you also and I will sell the car to somebody else. I will wait for your final decision.
Mark

Well, by this time Richard had posted this whole scheme on his blog and the cats were done playing with the mouse. I was ready to let him know I was on to his shenanigans. This was my last email to which I have not had a reply.

Mark, Mark, Mark! You are too funny, Mark, or whatever your real name is!

"Also I would personally advise you that when you will go to the Money Gram office to send the money, don't tell the Money Gram agent that you are sending the money for an internet transaction, tell him that you sending the money for a friend of yours that you know because they will charge you additional fees if you tell them that you will send the money for an internet transaction."

A Money Gram office?? We don't have those over here in the States. Additional fees for an Internet transaction?? No bank could get away with that here in the States.

Funny that this EXACT vehicle was posted in multiple cities on Craig's List and taken down on many of them.

I have contacted Craig's List to hopefully shut you down completely. There will be a bit of press on this. Google map the address I gave you. It's a police station.

I could tell from your first email that you are not American. Using words like 'on' when you should say 'in' and small stuff like that. I was surprised that you weren't Nigerian. Or maybe you are, operating through the Netherlands. I just wish I could have strung you on and screwed you over before you had a chance to know what was happening, like the guy that went through the tattoo ritual thinking he was going to get money in the end. I will just do what I can and alert as many people as possible and contact whatever authorities I can.

You went through a lot of hassle, setting up a fake 'Buyer Protector' website, setting up a site that clicks through to the US Army website. With all that skill you should think about working on the 'good' side. You would feel much better about yourself. And you can make 'honest' money.

So, to bid you adieu, I hope you get what you deserve and even worse. I just hope no one fell for this vile scam.

Oh, and check this out: you're in someone's blog!!

http://blogs.zdnet.com/threatchaos/

-Karen

Check out Richards blog at the above link. Also check out the comments that he got. It's a riot!

So the moral of the story is: if the price looks too good, it is. And NEVER send money. NEVER.

Au revoir, amies!

1.4 grams of carbs per 4 oz...

...that's the carb count for red wine. And as you can see here my attempts at the Atkins diet lasted a mere 3 days. Actually, last night I really wanted to indulge in a glass of wine while watching a movie with my hubby, so I did. Nothing like cuddling under his arm into his warm body with a glass of wine in hand. Here I am about to eat a carb-loaded banana. The wine is just for emphasis. I'm just no good on diets. I did go to the gym today and burned my usual 600 calories. My next tactic will be to try to eat small bits more often through the day. I am going to try to eat before I get hungry; eat just a small amount. I think the problem with waiting until I get hungry is that I fix too much to eat. So, I'm defeated again but at least I'm not a grouch anymore!

Day three

Richard brought home a fresh loaf of rye bread today...this is going to be very difficult to resist. Maybe a 'modified' Atkins would be the best way to go. Hhhmmm. Bad boy, Richard!

Making sense of candidates

I just want to know why our two-party political system has evolved into one party standing for smaller government when it comes to taxes and getting involved in big business but larger government over our personal freedoms and the other party for lots of taxes and free rides but less intrusive into our personal lives. I want a party that is one of smaller government, less taxes but doesn't peek behind my bedroom door or walk into my doctor's office with me. Am I outside the box or are there more of you that think like I do?

Panty lines!

Okay. I'm all for a woman's right to go topless wherever a man can. But check out this new Japanese fashion trend. It jumps over a line, I think. That line is 'class.' I'm talking about the skirts. The scarves don't even deserve comment.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/risque/skirts.asp

Bara Bröst!

This translates to 'just breasts' and 'bare breasts' in Swedish. This article in a Swedish newspaper reports on exactly what I've been ranting about for a long while now: a woman's right to be bare chested where ever a man can be without the threat of being arrested. My point has always been one of equality. From the article:

"It's a question of equality. I think it's a problem that women are sexualized in this way. If women are forced to wear a top, shouldn't men also have to?"

A lot of women that I have discussed this with think that women shouldn't be allowed to walk around shirtless. But do any of you truly (and I mean TRULY) believe that it is okay for a man to be topless without any repercussion but a woman should be thrown in jail for it? That is discrimination, cut and dry.

I know that it would take this country many, many generations to shed the stigma of women being topless in public. We are a society that views women's breasts as sexual objects, not as the life-sustaining glands they truly are.

Americans have a few too many hang-ups in my opinion. Let me share a story on this topic. It will prove my point about how breasts are viewed.

I was shopping at IKEA with my daughter and her boyfriend a few years ago. We encountered a woman sitting in the cafe nursing her child. My daughter's boyfriend was disgusted with the sight of this, "She shouldn't be doing that here!" He and I then engaged in a heated discussion. Of course I told him that I thought women should feel free to nurse their babies in public without any second thought. That's what breasts are for. And that's what I did. But he was so appalled.

Later, as we were walking around IKEA and the subject long gone, I brought up the fact that some day I wanted to visit the nude beaches in Greece. I told him and my daughter that I would like to experience being on a topless beach where it was no big deal, not like here in the States. Well, my daughter's boyfriend piped in all enthusiastic saying that, yeah, he would like to check that out, too! (Ah-ha! I got him!) I said to him "So, you think it's okay to look at a woman's breasts on a nude beach, drool over them in sexual fantasy, but to see a woman nursing her baby is disgusting?" I told him how demented that point of view was.

I don't think I will see this change in my lifetime here in the States. We need 'hippydom' to become all the rage again; you know, open minds. By the way, did you know that it is legal for women to go topless in New York? And Ontario's topless equality laws have been tested a number of times and remain on the books. There's also a social movement called 'Topfreedom' that is all about equality.

That's what it's all about: equality.

To cut or not to cut: OUCH!

I found this story on reddit that, to me, is a bit humorous and quite serious at the same time. I didn't wrestle at all with this decision when I was pregnant. If I had had a boy he would have been left 'in tact.' I think this notion of cutting for cleanliness is as outdated as the belief in witchery. And just as crazy.

An ideal running 'mate'

Here's what I think Hillary ought to do. She should pick Bill as her running mate. Anyone else think of this?

Choo Choo! (more ranting)

Diane Rehm had a very interesting segment on her NPR radio show about our Amtrak passenger rail system. Her guest speakers were a democratic senator, Frank Lautenberg from New Jersey; a congressman from Oklahoma, Ernest Istook, Jr.; Ross Capon, executive director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers; and Derrick Cain, a reporter for the National Bureau of Affairs.

Apparently, there is a bill that Senator Lautenberg is trying to pass that would allow the requirement that Amtrak become self-sufficient to be lifted and a new program devised to help Amtrak move in a direction of becoming a more passenger-friendly rail system.

The congressman from Oklahoma is not in favor of this bill and thinks that we should demand that Amtrak become self-sufficient.

Let's think about this. Gas prices are sky-rocketing. People are looking for more ways to be 'green.' Air travel prices are going in the same direction as fuel prices. Our population is growing. We need alternative transportation methods that aren't being developed fast enough.

Our passenger rail system is a joke compared to elsewhere in the world. When I road the rail in Germany, their trains are accurate to the MINUTE. If the train is due at 13:43, by golly, it arrives at 13:43! If we need to, let's look to other more efficient systems to use as a model. I'm sure when Europeans come to our country for the first time they are befuddled and bemused that they can't take a train or two to get to where they need to go. "These Americans!'

Senator Lautenberg points out that in every country that has decent passenger rail, they are subsidized by the government. And I can see why.

Rail travel should be the norm in my opinion. This country should have the best and fastest rail systems imaginable. We have the resources. We need to get off our spoiled butts and realize that developing a good country-wide rail system wouldn't be moving backward, it would be moving forward. And the government, with MY money, can help facilitate a well-run system.

I would like to ask Mr. Istook how he votes when it comes to foreign aid. I would much rather MY money be spent on a good, efficient rail system that would blow away Europe's system than to send more of MY money abroad to buy weapons. I only wish that when I paid my taxes I could check off boxes and fill in amounts as to how I want MY money spent.

And he's a supreme court justice...

I know this post is not about my travels but bear with me. I have to blow off a bit of rekindled steam.

Would you, knowing that you got away with something by the skin of your ass, and after 16 years, stir the pot again? Clarence Thomas is even dumber than I first thought while listening to his confirmation hearings. And I couldn't have thought lower of his lying ass then. (Sorry for all the ass.)

I'm sort of glad he has written this whining, oh-woe-is-me book. It is forcing all those sorry senators to face the music - they confirmed someone who clearly was not fit to sit.

Please check out this interview with Angela Wright on NPR. She was the women waiting in the wings to testify in support of Anita Hill.

It just amazes me sometimes how many unqualified people lacking any ounce of integrity gain power.