One From the Vault

pics of the day

pics of the day

I call this one "happy Wednesday" - Mimosas will get me over the hump

Pic of the Day

Pic of the Day

Quote of the Day

“For the first time we shall be the majority living with a minority, and we shall be called upon to provide an example and prove how Jews live with a minority.”

~ Knesset member Pinchas Lavon 1948

Oh boy, that didn't turn out so well, did it. Lately they've been looking a lot more like South Africa during apartheid than any shining city on a hill.

Pic of the Day

Pic of the Day

* Click the pic to embiggen

Note to Pope Benedict(the rat)

Perverted, child raping, catholic priests and the hierarchy that condoned them by protecting and covering up their activities are the real "insidious and dangerous" threats to humanity; gay unions and abortion... not so much.

Resign.

Better yet, turn yourself in to federal authorities for racketeering, and go to prison for your crimes.

Quote of the Day

"My favorite is when you are at a meeting and you say something, and it's just dead silence," Bair says. "Fifteen minutes later, some guy says exactly the same thing, and everybody is nodding their head."

Sheila Bair .. heading up the FDIC

man, that's happened to me SO many times...

Several Things..

First, a new vid by my favorite congressman:





Next, a couple of pics shot this morning in my shade garden:



Our neighbor gave us these wonderful bleeding hearts a couple of years ago. They were just a couple of roots each when I transplanted them, but they've gotten bigger and bigger each spring. This year I had to dig up a couple handfulls of seedlings that were straying too close to my trilliums and orchids, and replant them where they'll have some room to grow.

Orchids and Bleeding Hearts

*click on the pics to embiggen

The Graveyard of Empires

NY Times Editorial: The Way Out (of Afghanistan)

The hurdles in training even a minimally effective Afghan force are daunting. There has been some progress. New initiatives like pay raises and mandatory literacy training should begin to improve professionalism and competency. None of these efforts have a chance if there are not enough NATO trainers to teach the Afghans how to defend their country.

Let me get this straight. The little country that has been the graveyard for empires all down through history - this little country that Alexander the Great, Ceasar's army, the British Empire, Napoleon, not to mention the USSR could not defeat(never mind the USA - {psst we're loosing ground by the day}). This little country needs 5200 trainers so that NATO can teach them how to defend their country. And we cannot leave there until somehow NATO satisfies itself that they have an Afghan army properly trained.

I seem to remember that we've been training their army now for about six or seven years, and we have very little to show for it.

These Middle East OIL wars are bankrupting us (the state of California would be in the black right now if not for the 30 some odd $$Billion$$ that they've contributed to the war effort).

IMHO it's about 7 1/2 years past time to get the heck outa there.