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NYFW -day1





Hello everyone!
Long time not blogging, almost a week, but now I'm here with a lot of photos from NYFW.
Probably some of you followed my journey in Instagram  or Polyvore and you saw that I was Polyvore's Community Corespondent at NYFW and I couldn't be more excited. This was the most amazing experience since I have my blog and I'm happy to share with you all these great moments from Lincoln Center.
I will start with my first look that I wore at Rebecca Minkoff Fashion Show, a memorable show where Wild Cub band performed live creating a powerful atmosphere along with the models on the runway wearing leather, prints and oversized dresses in bold colours as red and yellow.
About my look, is pretty obvious that was vibrant and colorful :) as always.

P.S The weather was kind of unique that day and I  will like to call it: A fairytale Fashion Week!



                                             Coat: Joe Fresh/ another favorite of mine Here 
                                             Shirt: Ralph Lauren
                                             Pants: Gap/ option Here
                                             Heels: Nine West/ similar Here
                                             Oversized clutch: 3.1 Phillip Lim/ similar Here  
                                             Beanie: Ride/ SnowCo/ option Here 



Brent-Up Demand


Click to enlarge.

February 13, 2013
Econbrowser: Prices of gasoline and crude oil

But an increase in production in Canada and the central U.S. combined with a decrease in U.S. consumption has led to a surplus of oil in the central U.S.

$100 oil, less consumption, and a surplus? Bernanke's a miracle worker! That's why we pay him the big bucks!

I appear to have opened the sarcasm gates yet again. Why stop now? The Onion wrote the following 12 years ago.

January 17, 2001
Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."

Mission accomplished!

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Brent / WTI

Wayne Lapierre and the NRA, More Hyperbole and Spreadin the Fear...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty
-vs- Tyranny



Is it just me or is anyone else tiring of the seemingly never ending drone of guys like LaPierre and Nugent? Mostly they are just blowing smoke and trying their damnedest to spread fear with all their hyperbolic, please forgive me, bullshit. We all understand you guys despise the President, but at least try and use some intelligence, commonsense, and cut the BS about how the sky is falling on our second amendment rights all because Obama is a commie and has no greater desire than to strip us of our liberties. The dude might me a lot of things but just in case you've failed to notice in many ways he's not all that different than any other mainstream politician and leader. I suppose I have most likely wasted the keystrokes, but at least I got it off my chest.

By Wayne LaPierre - Before I tell you how the NRA and our members are going to Stand And Fight politically and in the courts, let’s acknowledge that all over this country, tens of millions of Americans are already preparing to Stand And Fight to protect their families and homes.

These good Americans are prudently getting ready to protect themselves.

It has always been sensible for good citizens to own and carry firearms for lawful protection against violent criminals who prey on decent people.

During the second Obama term, however, additional threats are growing. Latin American drug gangs have invaded every city of significant size in the United States. Phoenix is already one of the kidnapping capitals of the world, and though the states on the U.S./Mexico border may be the first places in the nation to suffer from cartel violence, by no means are they the last.

The president flagrantly defies the 2006 federal law ordering the construction of a secure border fence along the entire Mexican border. So the border today remains porous not only to people seeking jobs in the U.S., but to criminals whose jobs are murder, rape, robbery and kidnapping. Ominously, the border also remains open to agents of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. Numerous intelligence sources have confirmed that foreign terrorists have identified the southern U.S. border as their path of entry into the country.

When the next terrorist attack comes, the Obama administration won’t accept responsibility. Instead, it will do what it does every time: blame a scapegoat and count on Obama’s “mainstream” media enablers to go along.

A heinous act of mass murder—either by terrorists or by some psychotic who should have been locked up long ago—will be the pretext to unleash a tsunami of Gun Control.

No wonder Americans are buying guns in record numbers right now, while they still can and before their choice about which firearm is right for their family is taken away forever.

After Hurricane Sandy, we saw the hellish world that the gun prohibitionists see as their utopia. Looters ran wild in south Brooklyn. There was no food, water or electricity. And if you wanted to walk several miles to get supplies, you better get back before dark, or you might not get home at all.

Anti-gun New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had already done everything he could to prevent law-abiding New Yorkers from owning guns, and he has made sure that no ordinary citizen will ever be allowed to carry a gun... {There's More Right Here}

Just shaking my head.

Via: Memeorandum

The Living, Breathing -- DEAD Constitution ... J. D. Longstreet

The Living, Breathing -- DEAD Constitution   ...   J. D. Longstreet
The Living, Breathing -- DEAD Constitution
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

***************

The US Constitution is NOT flexible.  It was never intended to be flexible.  That's why there are provisions for amending the constitution when sufficient numbers of citizens agree an amendment is needed.

 At RenewAmerica.com, Edward Daly writes:  "Many judges these days like to refer to the Constitution of the United States as a "living, breathing document," implying that its text is designed to be flexible. It is not. The Constitution is a set of rules, and like any other set of rules, it is meant to be strict and uncompromising. Of course, the Constitution can be modified through the amendment process, but once ratified, any amendment becomes like the rest of the Constitution; rigid.

And while any amendment may be repealed, as was the case with the 18th Amendment (The Prohibition Act), until that happens, it is just as concrete as any other part of the Constitution, and not subject to interpretation beyond the literal meaning of its text. The Constitution does not live, breath, or do the cha-cha, for that matter. It is in many ways an instructional manual for the way our country was designed to run, and amending it is very serious business."
  SOURCE:  http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/daley/050324

Either the constitution means what it says, or it is of no account -- totally useless -- and the US is adrift in a sea of utter confusion, ripe for take over by tyrannical forces already tethered deep inside our government.

It is a common expression of the Progressives (read: Marxists) that the constitution is a living, breathing, document.  I know it is not.  YOU know it is not,  and THEY know it is not.  BUT -- our children don't.  And they won't -- unless parents teach them the truth.

More and more our public schools (read: indoctrination centers) are dropping Civics/government/social studies from the curriculum of their schools. Our young scholars are graduating and entering adult life without a clue as to how the US government works. They are ignorant of our founding documents.  They don't know squat about the constitution.  That makes them vulnerable to the protestations from the leftist Marxists that the constitution is a living, breathing, document and open to interpretation -- or even change -- on a whim of the government.

But, Hey!  This is how the progressives/Marxists have been making inroads into the political thinking of American society over the past decades.  "Get 'em when their young and you'll have 'em forever."

The constitution is writ in stone!  If you want to change it, you must carve another stone, as an amendment, and stand it alongside the original. The original constitution is simply not open to interpretation. 

Look at it.  Read it.  A grammar school kid can understand it.  The founders took great pains to make the constitution eminently readable and understandable.   

In a letter to Henry Lee in 1824, James Madison, considered the “father” of the Constitution, wrote:

“I entirely concur in the propriety of resorting to the sense in which the Constitution was accepted and ratified by the nation.  In that sense alone it is the legitimate Constitution.  And if that be not the guide in expounding it, there can be no security for a consistent and stable, more than for a faithful exercise of its powers.”   SOURCE:  http://www.truenorthquest.com/constitution-living-breathing-document/    

Please note the line in Madison's letter in which he says:  "In that sense alone it is the legitimate Constitution."  In other words, change the original "sense"(The meaning) of it  -- and it is NO LONGER THE US CONSTITUTION!

Now. Look at what is happening today, right this moment, in our national government.  Bills have been introduced in the Congress that would simply ignore the constitution.

All those gun control bills and gun banning bills simply ignore the original sense, the original wording,  of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.  The Second Amendment clearly states that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be "infringed." 

Infringed means to commit a breach or infraction of; to violate or transgress. 

Simply put, the very words of the Second Amendment say -- and mean -- that the right to keep and bear arms is absolute, sacrosanct, cannot be changed, cannot be denied  -- in other words, there is not a damned thing the government can do to take the guns of American citizens.

Yet, they are trying their dead-level best to do just that. And they are counting on the support of those adults who passed through our government schools in which they were indoctrinated that the constitution is a living, breathing, document.  Those American have, most likely, never heard of Madison's letter to Henry Lee way back in 1824.  (Some, no doubt, have never even heard of James Madison.)  I would warrant most have never, ever, read the constitution, either.

Allow me to inquire -- why are we allowing this farce to continue?   If they get away with it, it means they can simply ignore more of the constitution at will.  It means they can change the "sense" of the constitution from the sense/meaning in which it was ORIGINALLY accepted and ratified.  If they get their way, the constitution will not be worth the paper it is written on.

The support by the Mainstream Media of the Marxist efforts to reinterpret the Second Amendment would be funny were it not so serious.  ("Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools ..." -- Romans 1:22 -- New Testament )  They do not seem to grasp that if the sense/meaning of the Second Amendment can be changed -- and allowed by the courts to stand -- then the sense/meaning of the First Amendment can, likewise, be changed.

Look.  The very on-going efforts to re-interpret, or change the sense/meaning of the Second Amendment, is an act of tyranny.  The constitution, itself,  forbids exactly what they are trying to do.

The 2014 elections are a couple of years away (at this writing) and it will be our first chance at removing the proponents of a living, breathing, constitution from office.  In the meantime, we ought to be  demanding the resignation of every Senator and every Congressperson supporting the effort to  "infringe" upon the Second Amendment and we ought to demand the President resign, as well.
This is quickly becoming more than just a fight to keep our guns.  This is a fight to maintain our rights under the US Constitution, our freedom and our liberty.
This is a fight for freedom.


© J. D. Longstreet

Corporate Profits vs. Wages


Click to enlarge.

It's déjà vu all over again. - Yogi Berra



Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Corporate Profits / Wages

one room challenge - week 2

We are in week 2 of the ORC (check out week 1 here) and to be honest I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. Plenty of projects have been started, but nothing entirely finished.

The plan was to work on some of the bigger monsters and get them out of the way, leaving the fun stuff for the end. Enter the monster.


This chair was a freebie from my parents. Score. They bought it at an auction 25 years ago and it has sat in the basement ever since. It was sold with another chair, which was the one they were after, so this chair was a castoff from the beginning. Untouched for 25 years.

But my little time capsule chair was actually in excellent condition. The fabric was beyond nasty, but the frame, cushion etc. were in great shape. And I've tackled reupholstery projects before so I thought this one would be a piece of cake. I am nieve.

I got her stripped with no problem but the sanding was a challenge with all of those curves and dips and grooves. Then I went against everything I was ever taught as a child. I painted antique furniture. I probably won't be allowed over for Thanksgiving this year. But (cover your ears Mom and Dad) I'm glad I did it.

She looks so much better.


Killer finish. You always come thru for me RustOleum.


Now if I was Restoration Hardware, I'd call this chair complete. $1800 please, thank you.

But I have other plans. I've always loved the fabric on this bed (thank you Jamie Drake) and was able to find a Sunbrella version that is almost a perfect match.

Jamie Drake via Pinterest

Outdoor fabric on an indoor chair might sound a bit loony, but remember this chair is going in a room with two very busy girls. This fabric will need all the armor it can get.

Now I'd love to show you how beautiful the chair looks but she is not ready for her closeup. She's covered in some spots, naked in others. Staples showing and even a few scratches. Think My Fair Lady, before Audrey gets her makeover.

So back to work I go. It's a marathon, not a sprint...right? Let's see how the other ladies are doing.

Simple Details 

Petrus Romanus: The Last Pope? ... J. D. Longstreet

Petrus Romanus:  The Last Pope?   ...   J. D. Longstreet


Petrus Romanus:  The Last Pope?
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

****************

A sign of the End Times?  In the Prophecy of the Last Pope, the name of the Last Pope is said to be "Peter."  Whether that is his name -- or the name he chooses as Pope -- is not clear, at least to me.

However, there are a number of candidates amongst the most likely nominees for the next pope whose name happens to be Peter.   At least ONE is a Roman. 

Coincidence?  Beats me!

Where is all this coming from, anyway?

It's an old prophecy supposedly made by Saint Malachy in 1139.  The prophecy is the result of a vision Malachy supposedly had.  As a result, Malachy created a list of 112 short Latin phrases, which are said to describe each of the Roman Catholic popes (along with a few anti-popes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with current pope Benedict XVI's successor, a pope described in the prophecy as "Peter the Roman", whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome. (Emphasis mine.)

Some say the prophecy was promptly lost in the archives of the Church and not discovered until 1590.

Those Latin phrases Malachy is said to have written describes something about each of the popes and/or some identifying event about their reign.  The phrase that has everyone sitting up and taking notice is the prediction encapsulated in the phrase regarding Peter the Roman's reign is this:  "In the extreme persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit [i.e., as bishop]. Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations: and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the terrible judge will judge his people. The End." (SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy_of_the_Popes

Is this the beginning of the "Alta Vendetta?" 

What IS the Alta Vendetta?  Good Question!
 
"In recent history, several Catholic priests – some deceased now – have been surprisingly outspoken about what they have seen as this inevitable danger rising from within the ranks of Catholicism as a result of secret satanic “Illuminati-Masonic” influences.

These priests claim secret knowledge of a multinational power elite and occult hierarchy operating behind supranatural and global political machinations. Within this secret society are sinister false Catholic infiltrators who understand that as the Roman Catholic Church represents one-sixth of the world’s population and over half of all Christians, it is indispensable for controlling future global elements in matters of church and state. The dark forces seek to fulfill a diabolical plan they call “Alta Vendetta,” which is set to assume control of the papacy and to help the False Prophet deceive the world’s faithful (including Catholics) into worshiping Antichrist."
  SOURCE:  http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?tag=alta-vendetta

It is unthinkable that a new Pope would take the name of Peter II.  But -- he wouldn't need to under this scenario:  "It is likely that Peter the Roman will take on the Papal role without putting on the Papal robe.

But how could this be?

It is likely that a catastrophe at the Vatican - probably a “terrorist” attack” (most likely a false flag operation) will wipe out most of the top leadership of the Church during either a consistory or a conclave of the College of Cardinals (a horrific event that would fulfill the terrible vision Pope Pius X experienced while in a trance in 1909).

As a result of such a disaster, it is likely that with no viable College remaining to elect a new Pontiff, a surviving official of the Roman Curia will succeed to the highest leadership vacancy in the Church but not as Pope. Since he will not rise to the Papacy itself but will become in effect the top caretaker of the Church, it will not be necessary for him to assume a new Papal name such as Peter. Thus he will keep the name he has had since his birth in Italy and that name, given to him by his parents, already is Peter
(Pietro)."  SOURCE:  http://www.the-truth-ministries.us/Petrus%20Romanus%20The%20Final%20Pope%20Is%20Here/


To be clear -- I have NO IDEA what will happen, or, for that matter, what will NOT happen. The Vatican is a country unto itself and the Roman Catholic Church has more secrets than the CIA ever dreamed of having. Add to that the fact that this is the first time in, oh, about 600 years that a Pope has actually resigned (1415) this is, for all intents and purposes, new territory we are ALL exploring.

This will be a learning experience for all of us.  The intricacies of electing a new pope is fascinating. 

I have seen rather a large number of popes come and go in my lifetime and it never fails to grab my interest even though I claim membership in the church that bears the name of the Great Reformer -- and a royal pain in the derriere of the Roman Catholic Church -- Martin Luther.

Between now and Easter morning, the High Holy Day of the Christian Church, the eyes of the world will be turned to Rome, to the Vatican to be precise, and eventually, we will all be watching that well recognized chimney for the black smoke -- or the white smoke -- as we watch and wait for the new Pope to be elected.  Who will deliver the Easter message?  Peter?

If his name, indeed, IS Peter,  then, as my ole pappy used to say, "Son, it's too wet to plow now!"

Just so we are clear ... I offer these few comments only for your consideration as this is sure to be a topic of discussion between now and the selection of a new Pope. We strongly suggest one should place one's faith only in the prophecies mentioned in the Holy Bible –  and not in the word of man.  

© J. D. Longstreet

Ted Nugent's Response Should Be Interesting, Given His Past Rants...

Ted Nugent's Response Should Be Interesting, Given His Past Rants...


Excerpt from Huff Post Politics, Ted Nugent's response to President Obama's state of the union address tonight promises to be very interesting. My money is with those who suspect Nugent will do more harm than good to advocates of firearm rights, which obviously includes the NRA.

... "We know that the president will have the State of the Union stacked and jammed with props, children and victims of violent crime," Nugent said. "And my friends wanted me to attend to counter that the way that I do: with facts, statistics and common sense and logic and a celebration of self-evident truths. So I will be taking on the media orgy following the State of the Union Address."

Nugent went on to promise to "remain respectful to the office of the presidency and the event itself," but suggested that he wouldn't tone down his rhetoric.

While Nugent laughed off critics whom he said doubted his ability to form "cognitive thoughts," a number of members in the gun control community are predicting that the flame-throwing conservative's highly anticipated presence will be a public relations disaster for pro-gun advocates.

The decision by Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) to invite Nugent certainly draws a stark contrast. A number of family members of victims of a mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school will also be in attendance Tuesday night, as guests of members of Congress and first lady Michelle Obama.

Nugent has argued that there is no reason to look at guns as part of the problem in the wake of the massacre. Shortly after the mass shooting, he instead blamed the nation's "spiritual bankruptcy" and its "politically correct" mentality for allowing such atrocities to happen. He's since depicted gun control efforts as preliminary steps in a broader plan to confiscate firearms from law-abiding owners. {Read The Rest Here}

Via: Memorandum

National Prayer Breakfast speaker attracts attention and criticism

National Prayer Breakfast speaker attracts attention and criticism


By James H. Shott

The National Prayer Breakfast is held each year in Washington, D.C., on the first Thursday of February, and is attended by some 3,500 guests. The event is hosted by members of the United States Congress, and this year was co-chaired by Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). It is organized by The Fellowship Foundation, a conservative Christian organization and is designed to be a forum for the political, social, and business elite to assemble and build relationships.

Among the speakers this year was President Barack Obama, who told the audience, “We are united in the knowledge of a redeeming savior whose grace is sufficient.” However, he said that even though America’s leaders come together in prayer over national policy and the right direction to lead the country, such talk is often forgotten after the event. “I’d go back to the Oval Office and turn on the cable news networks – and it’s like we didn’t pray!” he said.

Dr. Benjamin Carson, director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, delivered the keynote message, which has drawn criticism from the left as being inappropriately political in a decidedly non-political setting.

However, Dr. Carson's comments were fundamentally about empowering the individual rather than the government, and were non-partisan and delivered respectfully. In fact, he claims political independence, being neither a Republican nor a Democrat. "If there were a party called the Logic Party, I would be a member of that," he told Fox News on Sunday.

That said, Dr. Carson is not the first to inject political messages at the Prayer Breakfast. President Obama himself did so last year, discussing public policy issues such as barring health insurance companies from rejecting people with pre-existing conditions and reducing tax breaks for the wealthy, and tying them in with popular Bible verses. “[S]o when I talk about our financial institutions playing by the same rules as folks on Main Street … or making sure that unscrupulous lenders aren’t taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us, I do so because I genuinely believe it will make the economy strong for everybody,” Mr. Obama said on Feb. 2, 2012.

Benjamin Carson's story is one that inspires us all. He grew up in poverty in urban Detroit, but his home was one built on values typical of the 1950s, raised by a single mother with only a third-grade education who worked long hours to support her family, but who understood American values of hard work and determination. He overcame dire poverty, poor grades, a horrible temper, and low self-esteem, all of which worked against his dream of becoming a physician someday. But his mother would not allow him to give up and challenged her two sons to strive for excellence and stressed the importance of education. His mother refused to become a victim, and did not accept excuses for failure.

Today Dr. Carson is a devout Christian, a full professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and he has directed pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for over a quarter of a century. His brother is an aeronautical and mechanical engineer. "I became the brain surgeon and he became the rocket scientist," he said.

He told radio host Armstrong Williams last Friday that his comments were “directed at the situation that is going on in our nation and how we can solve it. ... It’s not an attack on anybody, but it’s saying there are logical solutions for our problems and there are things that we can all get behind — be we right wing, be we left wing."

His condemned political correctness, which he described as dangerous because it interferes with freedom of thought and expression. Americans must stop fearing over-sensitive reactions when they express their thoughts and speak their minds freely, he said, but at the same time respect those with whom they disagree.

“We’ve reached a point where people are actually afraid to talk about what they want to say, because somebody might be offended,” he said, citing the example of people refraining from saying “Merry Christmas.” “We’ve got to get over this sensitivity; it keeps people from saying what they really believe.”

Comparing what is happening in America to history, he said: "I think particularly about ancient Rome. Very powerful — nobody could even challenge them militarily … they destroyed themselves from within,” he said. “Moral decay. Fiscal irresponsibility.”

And he offered suggestions for taxation and health care that require far less government involvement than current systems. Citing religious tithing, he suggested a flat tax where everyone pays the same rate, with no loopholes. And he suggested replacing the Affordable Care Act with health savings accounts opened at birth that could be passed on to surviving family members and could receive contributions other than from the owner of the plan to assist the financially disadvantaged.

These are sensible ideas, but they will not gain the support of the control freaks that run our government because they disenfranchise the special interests that Dr. Carson referred to as the fourth branch of government.

Cross-posted from Observations



Clinton Beats Rubio Hands Down ... J. D. Longstreet

Clinton Beats Rubio Hands Down   ...   J. D. Longstreet
Clinton Beats Rubio Hands Down
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

******************

Already looking ahead to the 2016 Presidential Election, it is clear that Hillary Clinton would wipe the floor with Marco Rubio.

Shocked?  Why?  Hillary is heir apparent to the Obama throne.  That fix has been "in" since the 2012 election when Bill Clinton saved Obama's rear end.  It was sealed when Hillary fell on her sword over the Benghazi murders and suffered a concussion for her troubles.

Plus -- there's this:  The GOP is in desperate need of a champion.  Marco Rubio is not the one.

I'm not even certain Rubio is eligible to run for president, in the first place.  There is a huge question hanging over his head just waiting to be dropped by the Mainstream Media a moment after Rubio announces his candidacy.  Just because the MsM did not pursue the Obama ineligibility, do not for one second believe they will not press home an attack on Rubio.  They will, with the gusto of a pack of hungry wolves.  Count on it.

So, what's the problem with Rubio?

Lawrence Sellin, writing at the Canada Free Press,  says the following:

"The precedent of an illegal President having been established by the inauguration of Obama, the Republicans now feel free to promote their own illegal candidates.

I believe Marco Rubio is a good man and a fine public servant. Unfortunately, like Obama, he is not eligible for the Presidency or the Vice Presidency because he is not a natural born citizen.

Both Democrats and Republicans have tried very hard to confuse the eligibility issue, mainly by focusing on what the Constitution and the Supreme Court holdings do not say, rather than what they clearly do say.

Being born in the U.S. makes one a U.S. citizen, but not necessarily a natural born citizen, which requires US citizen parents at the time of birth. The Founding Fathers specifically put that requirement in the Constitution to prevent someone having dual allegiance from becoming President.

Marco Rubio was born in the US, which makes him a US citizen. His parents were not US citizens at the time of his birth. Therefore, Marco Rubio is not a natural born citizen and not eligible for the office of President or Vice President.

Although not defined in the Constitution, Article II, Section I, Clause 5 specifically requires, not just citizenship, but natural born citizenship." 
SOURCE:
  http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/40510   

So, where does that leave the GOP?  Right where they were in the 2012 campaign -- with nobody who can mount anything other than a one-lunged attempt at something that MIGHT resemble a campaign.

What about another Hispanic, Ted Cruz of Texas?  Uh-oh. NOPE.  Senator Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where his parents, Eleanor Darragh and Rafael Cruz, were working in the petroleum business. His father was a Cuban immigrant during the Cuban Revolution to the United States. His mother, an American, was reared in Delaware, in a family of Irish and Italian descent.  SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz

So what about Rand Paul? Forget it.  His ties to his father preclude the support of a huge block of republican voters.  No chance.

Pathetic, isn't it?

The GOP has sunk so far, so fast, that many question its survival as a viable political party in a decade or less.

A lot of things can and will change between now and election day in 2016.  But at the moment it is clear that, Hillary Clinton will be,  heck,  IS the choice of the democrats to carry their banner all the way BACK into the White House on January 20th, 2017.

Is the GOP finished?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But what is clear, I think, is they have given themselves another 40 years in the wilderness.  If as I suspect, the republicans lose the US House of Representatives in 2014, their return to the political wastelands will be assured.

One week after the election in November of 2012, after 50 years as a card carrying republican, I left the party and registered as an Independent.  The handwriting was on the wall and I saw it.  Problem is -- it had been there for a long time.

I was then, and am now, a conservative
before party affiliation.
  It is my considered opinion, after spending fifty years in the GOP, there is no place in the Republican Party for conservatives.  Oh, sure, they'll glad hand us, take our time, talent, money, and support, but when it comes time to govern, we are relegated to the back benches and told to sit down and shut-up. 

As conservatives, we are people of conviction.  We do not compromise our core belief.  And for refusing to go along to get along we are the butt of numerous jokes among the moderates and liberals who make up the elite of the GOP.

Conservatives need to pull out of the GOP and allow it to fail and collapse as a political party.  It is dying a slow, agonizing, death even now.   Allowing it to die faster might even be considered merciful.

The creation of a VIABLE SECOND PARTY is needed desperatelyThe GOP is finished as a REAL contender against the socialists disguised as democrats.

Barring an act of God, the democrats will retake the Oval Office n 2016.  In fact, there is a very good chance they will retake the House of Representatives in 2014.

Isn't it time we conservatives bite the bullet and do what we know we are going to have to do -- IF  -- we expect to have any political influence in the government of the United States? 

Conservatives need, indeed, must have their own political party, totally separate from the GOP.  Either that, or we can do what the republicans have been ordering us to do:  sit down and shut-up.

© J. D. Longstreet 

Pope To Resign 2nd In 598 years!

Pope To Resign 2nd In 598 years!


The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism, a dispute among competing papal claimants. The most famous resignation was Pope Celestine V in 1294; Dante placed him in hell for it.



With a few words in Latin, Pope Benedict VXI did Monday what no pope has done in half a millennium, announcing his resignation and sending the already troubled Catholic Church scrambling to replace the leader of its 1 billion followers by Easter.
Not even his closest collaborators had advance word of the news, a bombshell that he dropped during a routine morning meeting of Vatican cardinals. And with no clear favorites to succeed him, another surprise likely awaits when the cardinals elect Benedict's successor next month.
"Without doubt this is a historic moment," said Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, a protege and former theology student of Benedict's who is considered a papal contender. "Right now, 1.2 billion Catholics the world over are holding their breath."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/11/pope-resigns-in-bombshell-announcement-sending-troubled-church-scrambling-to/#ixzz2Kcy2WrM0





pom pom heart art

It was pointed out to me by Amelia (my 5 year old) that we don't have any Valentine's Day decorations. Now unless it is Christmas I've never really gotten into many decorations, but I'm not one to ever deny the wee ones some beauty. And what better excuse for afternoon crafts with the girls than Valentine's Day prep.

I loved the pom pom pillow that Camila created (inspired by the always wonderful Anna Spiro) and thought it would be a great chance to use up the left over pom poms I had from Christmas. But to involve the girls in the project I decided to include some finger painting.

This canvas has been in the basement for quite some time. I can't remember what this project was for but obviously it didn't turn out very well. No sense in letting it go to waste.


The girls were given a choice between blue, pink or yellow.


They chose blue.

As with any good finger painting project, it didn't take long at all to get the canvas covered. My little artists did quite a fine job of creating layers and depth of color I think.


Next we created a heart to cut out


and positioned it on the canvas. I traced the heart with a blue pen so we would have a line to follow


while Amelia laid out the colors in a pattern. (which isn't really a pattern at all but a word she loves to use)

the can kept the paper from moving

Making sure to follow the outline, we put the glue gun to work.


We made ourselves a fine little heart and the girls LOVED bossing telling me which pom pom to put where.




There was the last minute addition of a pink border around the frame after it was decided that there wasn't enough pink. And really, when is there ever enough pink, right?


It is a hit with the girls and has been featured in about every room in the house. I might not be able to limit it to Valentine's Day.


Do you do much decorating for Valentine's Day? Do you even celebrate Valentine's Day? Do you have a babysitter you can send over on Thursday?



Bower Power

Being "Right" Is NOT Enough ... J. D. Longstreet

Being "Right" Is NOT Enough   ...   J. D. Longstreet
Being "Right" Is NOT Enough
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

*****************

Now that the courts have established that Obama can kill just about anyone he wants, anywhere he wants, for whatever reason he wants, AND, I have just learned that I live in a "Constitution Free Zone" of America, shouldn't I be "bunkered-up" someplace with all my conservative commentator friends?

Probably.

Maybe I'm a little "slow."  Or maybe I'm subconsciously waiting for the new FEMA Camps to be opened up so I can spend my remaining days on earth REALLY wired-up inside a government cage.

Now, if all this sounds screwy to you, well, it IS screwy.  The whole scenario sounds as if it comes from the pen of some novelist with a bad hangover and an equally bad case of paranoia.

But there is a problem.

It all comes right out of today's news headlines.

George Orwell, hate to tell you, sir, but you were WAAAY shy of the mark!

Check out these stories:

"No More 4th Amendment: DHS Can Still Seize Belongings Without Reason"  SOURCE:
http://beforeitsnews.com/international/2013/02/no-more-4th-amendment-dhs-can-still-seize-belongings-without-reason-2452030.html

"Wired: Constitution-Free Zone Upheld – Do You Live In A Place Where You Are No Longer Free?"   SOURCE:  http://beforeitsnews.com/survival/2013/02/constitution-free-zones-upheld-wired-do-you-live-in-a-place-where-you-are-no-longer-free-2461948.html

"The Fema Camp Bill Is Back!"  SOURCE:  http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2013/02/the-fema-camp-bill-is-back-2560418.html

"Government Says It Can Assassinate or Indefinitely Detain Americans on American Soil Without Any Due Process of Law"  SOURCE:   http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/12/constitutional-expert-president-obama-says-that-he-can-kill-you-on-his-own-discretion-he-can-jail-you-indefinitely-on-his-own-discretion.html

Conspiracy theories?  Maybe.  But.  Just because they ARE conspiracy theories does not mean there are NOT conspiracies!

In speaking with old friends in recent months the thing we most agree on is this:  None of us ever thought we'd live long enough to see our beloved America disintegrate right before our eyes.  But -- it's happening every day, in every way.

Soon, the American police state will be complete.  Soon the drones will be flying overhead watching our every move -- even when we are out of sight of the ubiquitous cameras mounted everywhere, even when we are not using an electronic communication device,  which the government is monitoring 24/7, even when we are not driving our cars and trucks with the "black boxes" recording our every maneuver.  

Americans now live in a cage.  Gilded it may be -- but it is still a cage.

Only one thing remains for our imprisonment to be complete.  We must give up our guns.  We must voluntarily disarm.

The BIG question in the minds of sentient Americans today is this:  Will Americans willingly give up the only, the last remaining, avenue open to them to preserve their freedom, or what's left of their freedom?  

Americans who are conscious (Yes, there are those who are totally oblivious to it all.  Remember the "lo/info" voters?) of the intolerable encroachment by our government on our hard won freedom and liberty are fearfully asking themselves this question, in one form or another, incessantly today.

When the chips are finally down, when the defecation finally hits the rotary oscillator, who, exactly, will step forward.  Who will say "enough!"  Who will be the champion, the leader, of the new American Freedom Fighters.

Most everyone can "talk" a good fight.  The danger is in having one's mouth write a check one's "derriere" cannot cash.  It's sort of like running an adversary down and then having him beat the living daylights out of you.
Being "right" is not enough. There must be the determination -- and the pure grit -- to not only defend your position but to attack and decimate your opponent at the same time.

As America spirals downward into anarchy, it behooves every American to consider his core belief.  There won't be time to choose-up sides once the coming "unpleasantness" begins.  The government has but one side --the government side.  If you had not thought of that -- maybe you should.

© J. D. Longstreet