SwiftVets

I know there are links all over the blogosphere to the Swiftvets site, but here is yet another one.

Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry. Here's a link to Amazon in case you're interested in the book. Here you can preview a chapter of the book itself.

And here, a link to Dr. Louis Letson's recollection of treating Lt. (jg) Kerry's wound, the one for which he received his first Purple Heart.

I would never, being the sister of a Vietnam Vet, disparage Kerry's service in Vietnam, all four months of it. He risked his life for the four months he was there and for that we all owe him thanks. Do we owe him the Presidency? Not at all. I personally don't much care about what he did 35 years ago. Just because he served in the military, doesn't make him Presidential material. I'm much more concerned with what he's done since he's been in the Senate. That is what I prefer to base my opinion of the man on.

That being said, the very fact that he is the one who makes an issue of his military service, brings it into fair play. He can't tell his version of what happened in Vietnam, but try to stop others from telling their story. I wasn't there, I have no knowledge of his four months of service. I have to take what he says, and what the men who served alongside him (not necessarily those in the boat with him) have to say and try to figure out where the truth lay. And, at this time, I have to wonder what the Swift boat vets have to gain except a lot of grief by telling their version of the facts. Personally, I think the truth is somewhere in between. The truth is out there.

Seven Minutes

That's the time "lost" when President Bush continued reading to school children after he was told about the Twin Towers attack. I wasn't there that morning, I was about, oh, twenty to thirty miles north working when I heard the news. After that I, like the rest of the people I work with, and most of the world, was glued to the TV, stopping only to answer telephones and tend to whatever business could not be put on hold.

I, personally, am glad that President Bush took those seven minutes. It gave time for more information to be gathered. I am of the opinion that there was little he personally could have done in that seven minutes except allow others to get the information needed so that he could thoughtfully, intelligently, and with somewhat more knowledge, go before the television cameras.

He was not told that it was a terrorist attack. He was told that a plane had flown into one tower. The second had not yet struck. No one at that time, including President Bush, had any idea of what was happening. Should he have jumped up, hysterically screaming that we're under attack? What good would that have done? Even if he had taken the tack that Senator Kerry says he would have taken, to tell the children, very politely and nicely of course, that the President had something he needed to attend to, what good would it have done? While he continued to read to the children, information was gathered, he had a better idea of what had happened, and hten he went before the cameras. He showed leadership and maturity of thought.

An intelligent person with common sense waits until he has sufficient information to make comment before he opens his big piehole. A different type of person leaps before the cameras before he knows what he's going to say.

It comes with character. And, once again, it is about character.

Hello? Who's There?

So, I'm on site looking around, visiting other blogs, checking stats, making sure the vending machines and rest room are fully stocked, and so on, when I notice there are two users online. Two? I'm one, so that means there is someone else visiting my blog while I'm here! That's a first! Welcome! Probably will be gone by the time this publishes, but, just damn!

Also noticed that my TTLB ranking went up. Yee haw!!

Family

Not much in life is more important than family and that's true in my life. I want to take a minute to say Happy Birthday! to a few of the most important people in my life who are celebrating their birthdays about now. Everybody sing!

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear

Nephew Jeffrey (proud new Daddy - July 30)

Brother John (August 4)

Sis (may be an in-law, but sister in my heart) Judi (August 6)

Niece Christie (August 31)

Happy birthday to you!!!

And also to cousins Lora (August 7) and Jack (August 13) who also have birthdays sandwiched in there. And, of course, I can't forget me! My birthday is coming up on the 12th.

Gem of the Week

This was posted by Susie at Practical Penumbra. It's so good I couldn't resist.

We thought the whole slut thing was behind us....

I should have known better than to read the latest (and hopefully my last) issue of Business Week. They've been actively campaigning for JF'ingK for months now, and the last few issues it has only gotten worse. This week they have an interview with him (did you know he was in Vietnam??) entitled "'I'll Restore America's Reputation'."

See, this is what our country gets for hanging around with perverts like Slick Willie. This is what happens when we go to bed with him twice. We get a reputation for being an easy lay, and, even though we are now dating a nice boy, people still remember the times we were slutty and throw it in our faces--including this latest Don Juan trying to get in our pants. So crawling into the sack with you is going to restore our sullied reputation, ketchup boy? When it was doing the dirty deed with your frat brother that ruined our reputation to begin with? When your pal was the one who convinced the world that we could be assaulted and we'd just lie there and take it? Our new boyfriend respects us. He's teaching us martial arts in case some other strangers try to take advantage of us. He's not afraid of a woman who can kick ass when necessary, unlike you and your fraternity friends, who would rather we just laid still and thought of England--or France, in your case.

We'll restore our own reputation, thank you. Now run along and try to seduce some country that hasn't learned its lesson...

Fair Tax - A Centerpiece of Bush's Second Term?

I mentioned in my earlier post that I had a conversation with a co-worker about the election. I told him that I had heard that President Bush is going to offer a plan to reform the tax system. While I wasn't on my best mental game today, I did give him a fast run-down on the Fair Tax Act.

I am on the email list at www.fairtax.org and had email from them the other day requesting that supporters send emails to President Bush and to Speaker Hastert. The email also supplied a link to the article on the Drudge Report. Here's the link. And here's what Neal Boortz said:

Drudge is reporting that a domestic centerpiece of the Bush/GOP agenda for the second Bush term will be tax reform. Not a half-assed attempt at tax reform mirroring past efforts, but a true top-to-bottom change in the way the federal government finances its operations. Drudge is reporting that Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert will be pushing for replacing the federal income tax with a national retail sales tax or a value added tax.

I am assuming that this will be presented at the RNC later this month. I probably won't watch most of the election, but now I have a reason to tune into the acceptance speech.

Here's a portion of the email I received from Fair Tax.

We want 5,000 friendly emails into the President's campaign in the next week to encourage him to pursue what Drudge and others are now referring to. Specifically, to open the debate on passage of the FairTax. We will notify you as soon as we have 5,000 in. Please be sure and forward your email to us at info@fairtax.org. Please cc us (or send us a copy) at \info@fairtax.org. info@fairtax.org Please also send an e-mail to Speaker Hastert at www.house.gov/hastert/. Note: a message will pop up that says he will not able to respond to you if you are out of the district. However, his office will receive your comments. Please express your appreciation of his efforts to eliminate the IRS and please do mention the FairTax. We want 1,000 emails into his office in the next week to thank him. Please cc us (or send us a copy) at info@fairtax.org

The email gives another link to a story about the plan to eliminate the IRS. And I also read that Rush Limbaugh has highlighted, or at least mentioned, this plan. If you are a Limbaugh listener, perhaps you could tell me if Rush did indeed discuss this on his show.

I've given the link to Fairtax.org, but here's some of the highlights:

- allows you to keep 100% of your paycheck, pension, and Social Security payments.
- frees up the time wasted on filling out cumbersome I.R.S. forms.
- makes taxation of income unconstitutional by repealing the 16th Amendment.
- exempts all taxpayers from federal taxation, up to the poverty level, through a monthly rebate.
- ensures that all Americans pay their fair share of taxes.
- dramatically lowers tax rates for low-income and middle-income Americans.
- dramatically reduces the cost of goods and services by 20% to 30%.
- allows families to save more for home ownership, education, and retirement.
- protects and ensures the funding of Social Security and Medicare.
- leaves unchanged the amount of money raised by the federal government.
- makes American products more competitive overseas.

Boortz is where I first heard about the Fair Tax Act. He's been a proponent for 15 years. He's done the research and can't find a downside. I've also done the research and can't find a downside either. Do your own research and see what you think.

Then, write to your Senators and Congressional representatives and tell them that you expect them to support this bill (HR25). I already have. And will continue to do so. One person can make a difference. Will you be that person?

And finally, a link to the petition you can sign in support of the Fair Tax Act.

Wictory Wednesday!

I was talking with a co-worker this afternoon. He can't see any candidate worth voting for and thinks he will just not vote. I didn't argue much with him, because, I really didn't have the time, and I knew that mentally, I wasn't on my best game today. So I just decided to let it go for now and hope a chance will present itself so that I can give it my best shot to convince him that he should vote. And, more importantly, vote for Bush. If he still won't vote for Bush, maybe I can make a deal with him to at least not vote for Kerry.

Please, volunteer here, or make your donation here. Most importantly, talk to your friends and neighbors about why they should vote and especially why they should vote for President Bush.