Why the South Can't get over the Civil War

Admittedly, most of the Civil War battles were fought in Southern territory, but I've always wondered why the South just can't let it go. My sister, who went to college in Virginia told me that every year they have a campus-wide football game between the East and the West. I asked why they didn't do a North-South game, and she told me that they had tried it, but it always ended in a fight.

While I was at the Kentucky State Capitol Building, last weekend, I snapped a photo of this plaque. Do you think the fact that the Southern states are riddled with this type of memento might be contributing to the situation?

Text of the plaque:

Near here, on Nov. 7, 1864 four innocent Confederate prisoners were excuted in reprisal for the murder of Union Supporter Robert Graham of Peaks Mill, Franklin Co. All Kentuckians, Elijah Horton of Carter, Thomas Hunt and John Long of Mason, Thornton Lafferty of Pendleton Counties. Hunt's body reburried at Marysville, others in the Frankfort Cemetery.

Introducing 2nd Lieutenant John G. XXXX
(Last Name withheld to preserve the annonymity of the innocent who may be mentioned here - and me)
I was proud and honored to attend the commissioning ceremony (and pin the bar onto his left shoulder), this weekend, for my brother, John, who received his commission in the Kentucky Army National Guard on August 19, 2006 at the Kentucky State Capitol Building. Southern hospitality coupled with military formality is just my cup of tea, or shot of whiskey (whichever you prefer).

In addition to receiving his commission, John was awarded the Physical Fitness award for his class:

"Presented to the graduates who have attained the hightest composite score in several Army Physical Fitness Tests, which measure speed, strength and endurance."

Below are some pictures of the weekend's activities:

Friday, we attended a briefing by CPT Bobbie J. Mayes, while the Sr. Class Candidates rehearsed the ceremony. We were promised a chance to "smoke" the candidates, but alas, we had to leave early. John's wife, Angela assured me that she saw CPT Mayes "smoking" John for us.

Dang, that was probably the only chance I'd ever have to make him do push-ups. Oh well. Maybe some day, if he receives a promotion (do they do that to commissioned officers?).
To the left, John receives his diploma.

Below, he poses with his family: Angela, Elijah, Gabriel, Joseph and Grace Ann.(missing: daughter, Hayley):

After the ceremony, there was a brief reception held on the lawn of the Kentucky Capitol Building. That evening, the newly commissioned officers, official party, and their families attended the "dining in." Unfortunately for you all, the videotape from that event is highly classified. If I could, I would show it to you (believe me!).


Below, is a picture of John and his beautiful wife, Angela on their way out.



For those of you wondering, I (the intrepid aunt) spent the evening with the nephews, neice and a dog. The videotape from that event is also classified ;)

On the Road Again

When my blog is silent for several days it may be for one of two reasons: I'm extraordinarily lazy, or because I'm mortally ill, however, this time I had a really great excuse. I drove to (and back from) Kentucky, this weekend. My next (and more important post) tells why. My odyssey begins in New Hampshire, where I left for Delaware at approximately 8:30 am on August 17th. The original plan included driving with my sister, Jessica, however, she and another sister (Kathleen) were called away to my aunt's house to help take care of her after knee replacement surgery resulted in a bad infection (we're like our own personal red-cross service).

So, due to trepidation about making the trip alone, I took along my other sister's (Deb's) fierce watch-dog, Bonnie. Bonnie was a great companion, and never complained when it was her turn to drive. However, she does have slight issues with road rage… Oh well, that’s what happens when you put a canine behind the wheel. It took me about four hours to get to New York, where traffic started getting rough.

As I was crossing the Tapan Zee bridge in New York, going at a steady 10 mph clip, I was thinking that it would be amazing if I were to see someone I knew driving on the Interstate. Wouldn't you know it; I came up on the left of a car with many, many pro-life bumper stickers on the back of it. As I passed the car, I glanced over to see world-renowned pro-life lawyer John Broderick, driving in his car. What are the odds??? So, I snapped a quick picture of the car's bumper, just for kicks. (Don't worry, it wasn't dangerous, did I say I was going only 10 mph?).

After experiencing a 1 and 1/2 hour tie - up on the NJ Turnpike due to an accident, I made it to my other brother's house in Delaware at around 7:30 pm. It was really, really nice to relax, and have a hot meal. The boys (except for the newest) and I (including their Dad, Patrick) took a walk in the neighborhood to get some fresh air, and stretch our legs before continuing on. I wanted to get at least twelve hours of driving in, and about 700 miles before stopping for the night. I got back onto the road, and right back into a traffic jam, at about 9:00pm, somewhere in Maryland.

As an aside, normally, when I hear about an accident, I say a brief prayer for those involved, and for the rescue crews, but I have to admit that those Memorare's were said through gritted teeth.

After that, things were going well, until my "check engine" light came on at about 1:00 am, somewhere in Maryland. (Pay no attention to the speedometer, Mom and Dad J. The Speed limit is much, much higher in the Mid-Western, and Mid-Atlantic States than in New England J ). I was in the mountains, praying for a rest area, but the outlook was pretty bleak. It finally dawned on me that there were no dang rest areas anywhere in Maryland. Of course not, why would those tight-fisted legislators, senators, etc. who live in that state shell out their tax money for the convenience of their constituents? I pulled off to get gas, and was just about determined to just find a road somewhere to camp out on, when I came into West Virginia.

Glorious, beautiful West Virginia! Not five miles into the state, I found a lovely little parking area overlooking a charming Appalachian valley at about 2:00am. I parked with the rest of the truckers. If you do a close-up, of the picture below, you can see the fierce watchdog staring menacingly out of the back window.

We got an early start (around 7:00am) on Friday, and cruised the rest of the way through West Virginia and into Kentucky. The weather was mostly sunny, although a freak thunder and lightning storm on the Purple Heart Memorial Highway” made me pull over due to zero visibility, when I was only 30
miles from Frankfort. I made it to the hotel at about 3:00pm on Friday afternoon.

After the weekend activities, I left on Sunday morning at around 11:00am. Drove through to West Virginia, and stopped at around midnight, in another (slightly less charming) rest area for the night. Of course, I felt completely safe knowing that Bonnie was on watch. Here’s a picture of her guarding against infiltration through the floorboards. I never would have thought of that.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. I saw a couple of neat things on the way. The “Trucker’s Museum” and the “Museum of Water Purification are both located somewhere in West Virginia and/or Connecticut, but I just didn’t have time to stop. I did make myself this promise that some day, yes some day, I would visit an obscure little museum; but alas, it was not to be this weekend.

At one rest area, there were a whole bunch of thistles covered in butterflies. So I took this picture.

I also saw this truck. I don’t know if it was because I was tired, but for the longest time, I just didn’t know what was wrong with it, but had the feeling that something was. When I finally figured it out, it made me laugh for a good half hour.







See my next post for exciting details of the weekend!!!

Old Time Radio

I'll admit it, I'm a classic radio show junkie. That's right, "The Shadow Knows" that "X Minus One" is not a "Dragnet." My first exposure to old time radio shows was driving back from college through upstate New York at about 1:00am, when I hit an FM station that was playing the old "Lone Ranger" radio shows. I instantly fell in love with the genre. I've been a junkie, ever since. It's especially great, while driving at night, if you have a scary radio program on, say "The hitchhiker," for instance.

Anyway, in preparation for my summer road trip (more about this, later), I've been downloading some great old time radio shows. In the past, I had been suckered into buying these shows from the giant book store chains for an outrageous amount of money, not realizing how readily available and how cheap you could get these shows on the internet. So, I thought I'd pass some of these links along:

http://www.radiolovers.com (for FREE program downloads)
http://www.rusc.com (membership is only $7.50/month for unlimited downloads)

I'm sure there are many more, but I downloaded all 166 Dragnet programs, yesterday, and am starting to work on my "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" collection. ('Lest this post make me seem older than I am, I'm under 40!). If you've never tried it, you should, but be warned, you'll be hooked.

Whoohooo! I'm quitting my job and buying a Winnebago!!!
I get these "you are in a position to receive $100,000,000" letters about twice a week, but this one really made me laugh. It doesn't contain the usual "Spanish Prisoner" gimmick (If you've never seen the move, you should). Seriously, does anyone fall for this stuff?? I've included the e-mail of the sender (ostensibly the "Secretary to the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria.") So, for kicks, I responded with the following:

Dear Kevin;

I was very excited to receive your letter detailing how I might be in receipt of $1,500,000, so I quit my job, and told my boss exactly what I thought of her, and this whole company. Unfortunately, I did not calculate how little money I had in the bank to cover expenses in the interim between my last paycheck and receipt of my money from you.

Please send me, immediately, an advance of $10,000 through non-diplomatic channels (Moneygram) would be fine. I will be communication with you later, to arrange for full transfer of all outstanding funds. Thank you very much in
advance for your assistance.

Regards,
Madeline

The text of the letter is below. I'll update you with any responses I receive. (I just hvae waaaay too much time on my hands, today).

FROM: OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA.

SUBJECT: FUNDS DELIVERY
REPL ONLY ON THIS MAIL:

THIS INTERVENTION IS AS A RESULT OF NUMEROUS APPLICATIONS AND ATTEMPTS BY SOME GROUP OF PEOPLE HERE AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD TO ABUSE THE INTERGRITY AND REPUTATION OF OUR APEX BANK, THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA. HOWEVER, IN ORDER FOR THE BANK TO PROTECT HER IMAGE AND THAT OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE, THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND THE GOVERNOR OF CBN) HAS BEEN MANDATED TO INFORM YOU THAT WE ARE IN RECEIPT OF AN APPLICATION FOR FUND RELEASE/DELIVERY TO YOU.

FURTHERMORE, BE INFORMED THAT COMMERCIAL BANKS IN THIS COUNTRY,INCLUDING OTHER OFFSHORE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS WHO CLAIM TO HAVE THE MANDATE OF THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA TO TRANSFER FUNDS TO HER BENEFICIARIES ARE NOT AUTHORISED TO TRANSFER ABOVE ONE MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OUT OF THIS COUNTRY WITHOUT DUE CLEARANCE FROM MY OFFICE IN THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA. SO IF EVENTUALLY YOU ARE IN CONTACT WITH SUCH GROUP OF PEOPLE IS GOOD YOU FURTHER COMMUNICATION FOR YOUR OWN INTEREST.

ALSO, TO ACCOMPLISH THE ABOVE,I HAVE STARTED UPDATING YOUR FILE/APPLICATION FOR THE RELEASE/DELIVERY OF YOUR FUND TO YOU WHICH WAS EARNED THROUGH INHERITANCE/CONTRACT PAYMENT. MY OFFICE IS WORKING ON THE INSTRUCTION FROM THE PRESIDENCY, FEDERAL EXCUTIVE COUNCIL,AND THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR BANKERS FORUM THROUGH MY OFFICE TO DELIVER THE FUNDS IN CASH DIRECTLY TO YOUR DOORSTEP BY DIPLOMATIC MEANS. THE MONEY WILL BE CONCEALED IN TWO METAL BOXES AND WILL BE LABELED AS PERSONAL BELONGINGS SO AS TO OBTAIN FULL DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY COVERAGE TO ENSURE A HITCH-FREE DELIVERY. THIS ARRANGMENT IS BEING IMPLEMENTED IN ORDER TO BEAT THE ACTIVITIES OF FRAUDSTERS. I SYMPATHISE WITH YOU FOR THE LONG DELAY IN RECEIVING YOUR MONEY DUE TO YOUR INABILITY TO LOCATE THE PROPER INSTITUTION RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH SERVICES IN THIS COUNTRY.

THE MODE OF OUR OPERATION IS AS FOLLOWS:-

1.YOU ARE TO INFORM THIS OFFICE THE NAME OF YOUR NEAREST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO ENABLE US ENROUTE THE DIPLOMATIC TICKET CORRECTLY, YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS ANDYOUR PERSONNAL TELEPHONE NUMBERS [CELL PHONE].

2. YOUR PRESENCE WILL ALSO BE NEEDED AT THE AIRPORT TO RECEIVE THE DIPLOMAT ON ARRIVAL SO THAT BOTH OF YOU WILL MOVE STRAIGHT TO YOUR NOMINATED BANK TO LODGE THE FUND INTO YOUR ACCOUNT. ALSO YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO ENDORSE CERTAIN VITAL DOCUMENTS CONFIRMING THE INTACT RECEIPT OF YOUR FUNDS, AS THIS WILL ENABLE US TO WRITE REPORTS BACK TO THE OFFICES INVOLVED IN PASSING THE BILL THAT HAS RESULTED IN YOUR BEING PAID. MY OFFICIAL I.D SHALL BE SENT TO YOU FOR DOUBLE ASSURANCE OFTHE SOURCE OF THIS LETTER.

3. FINALLY, UPON CONFIRMATION OF YOUR READINESS TO RECEIVE YOUR MONEY, WE SHALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE START PROCESSING THE NECCESSARY DOCUMENTATIONS TOWARDS THE SAFE DELIVERY OF THE CONSIGNMENT TO YOU IN YOUR COUNTRY AND THE KEYS OF THE BOXES THAT CONTAIN THE FUNDS SHALL ALSO BE SENT TO YOU VIA COURIER SERVICE.

AWAITING YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE ONLY ON THIS EMAIL ADDRESS

:kevin_oyib1962@yahoo.gr


REGARDS,
KEVIN C. OYIBO

SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNOR, CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA
Email: kevin_oyib1962@yahoo.gr

Massachusetts has failed to pay for the tuition waivers under Gov. Romney's "Welcome Home" Bill.

Yet, again, Massachusetts proves it's dedication to "supporting the Troops" Oh, oops. I mean, NOT supporting the troops. Read the article here. However, we can all rest assured that Massachusetts IS providing "support" for illegal immigrants. See excerpt below:

Lashing out at the “wrong priorities” of lawmakers, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey said, “The Legislature has made the appalling decision to vote on things like tuition breaks for illegal immigrants, but they couldn’t take the time to take a vote to help our Massachusetts war heroes . . . I find it deeply disturbing.”

I propose that we make illegal immigrants fight in our military. That would solve all problems, wouldn't it?

Land of the "Enslaved by Dependency," Home of the "Meek"
~ forwarded by a friend who would be appalled to have her name mentioned here ;)

Back from the cyber-grave:
Well, yup. I've been out of it for the last two weeks, at least. I finally dragged my sorry carcass to the doctor's office, where I was pronounced alive, but with a bad case of bronchitis. "Ohh! Is that what all of this not being able to breath, and lethargy is about," I thought? (I was still too weak to talk). Anyway, I really, really hate going to the doctor because they're always pushing unecessary female-type exams. I'm sorry, I know it's a gross subject, but when I tell the woman (of course it has to be a woman doctor) that I do not do drugs, and live a chaste life (I had to explain the term "chaste" to her because it's not found anywhere in her medical dictionary), she gives me that doubtful look, like, "sure, honey. That's what they all say."

I'm pretty darn insulted every time she asks me if I need to renew a birth-control prescription, whenever I go in for a throat culture. I'm thinking, why is "virgin" a dirty word, yet you can assume I'm a slut, and I'm not supposed to be offended? I finally asked her to write "VIRTUOUS, NON-DRUG ADDICTED WOMAN" at the top of my chart so that everytime I go in, I don't have to have the same discussion. It didn't work. She still asked.

It reminds me of the time that I went in for a work physical during my summer-job, (that's right, the "exam" they give you to verify that you're not about to drop dead on the assembly line floor, costing the fortune 500 company millions, that consists of a pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature and weight), that the nurse insisted on "putting me on the pill" because even though I wasn't "active" at the time, you never know. Well, I have to disagree with that. You do know. At least, I know, and I finally convinced the company nurse of that.

Anyway, as you can probably tell from my rant, I'm still not feeling all that well, and it makes me cranky. Pity my poor sisters, with whom I live.