Sumo Merriment

A flag is many things to many people. In the aftermath of Katrina this blanket of the American flag is her comfort. Little did she know that help wasn’t on the way. An old woman now…probably worked hard all of her life as someone’s maid or housekeeper. She had old age to look forward to and a country that offered its citizens a pension for their old years. Of course it isn’t enough for a mouse to subsist on…but no matter. This is America…where she has freedom and democracy. This is America… where her people are disenfranchised from what the Constitution equally bestowed upon its nation’s people.

This is America where the haves have it all. They have food and water…they have toilets and beds…they have clean clothes and the comfort of closing their doors at night and locking out the world. They cloak themselves in their flags and bake-sales for their churches…cloak themselves in the knowledge that they are on the right side of freedom and democracy. They cloak themselves into believing in an administration that bought and sold them. They have thrown the cloak over their head and will not look out.

So…this old woman seeking refuge under this blanket sits there waiting for what will not come. The America she trusted and loved isn’t coming to her aid. She is being left out in the heat of the day and the cool of the night…for days and nights to come. All around her are babies and children that she wishes she could get out of her chair to help…they’re babies for goodness sakes…they need HER help. She gets tired. She gets hungry…and she knows she’ll eventually soil herself. Where is America? These old folks and children will die if we don’t get some help here she says. She wraps the flag blanket closer…it’s becoming night again…and she waits another night for her America that she worked all her life for…facing the night in her chair again… cloaked in her blanket flag of America. The America that has assured her freedom and democracy.

cross-posted from September 4, 2005 I take this out each year to remember better that which I would like to forget.

Labels: broken promises, death, FEMA, flooding, Katrina disaster, New Orleans, stranded people

Posted by sumo at 12:49 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

The Senate Bill (SB294) would ask voters whether President Bush should end the US occupation of Iraq and begin the “immediate, complete, safe and orderly withdrawal” of troops.

The California Assembly has approved the legislation on Monday to ask voters (that’s me!) whether they/I support ending the Iraq War and immediately withdrawing troops. Of course I support this…and it’s about time too. Arnie had better not screw this up for us.

The advisory measure by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata previously passed the Senate, which is expected to concur in amendments Thursday and send the bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor has not announced whether he will sign Senate Bill 924. I’ve got a feeling he won’t.

Let's get out of there now...and Arnie...you'd better not screw this for us!!!

Labels: California Legislature, California Voters, Governor Arnie, Iraq withdrawal, Senate Bill 924

Posted by sumo at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Seems Britney is being (cough) probed...you know...an investigation into whether she is exhibiting good parenting skills. I think that may have been one class she missed in school.

For your edification I put up the now infamous picture of her...uh...picture getting out of her car in her favorite way. At least it wasn't breach...that may have caused a few heart attacks. Hey! But enough of Britney and her domestic troubles!

I just came inside from watching the total eclipse of the lunar ball in the sky. It peaked at about 2:53 am here in Californy. It was awesome though I didn't have a telescope to view it. My brother-in-law has that...but is fast asleep I'm sure. It's still amber colored (perhaps from the Santa Barbara fire)...and quite something to behold. Did you get to see it? The moon I mean...not Britney!

Labels: August moon, coochie mama, lunar eclipse, star gazing

Posted by sumo at 2:35 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

We are reluctant to admit that we owe our liberties to men of a type that today we hate and fear -- unruly men, disturbers of the peace, men who resent and denounce what Whitman called 'the insolence of elected persons' -- in a word, free men.
---Gerald W. Johnson


Well, stop the presses folks! The verdict is in and the White House wants you to know that it is not against dissent. We also know that a house cannot think on it's own of course...and really now...do we honestly think the occupants are any better at rubbing the gray matter together and creating enough friction to get the thought process activated? I didn't think so. No, they've assured us it's not the "dissent factor" (sounds like something the Faux News Channel would come up with)...but rather...the president should not see or hear it. Yes, dissent is a bad thing to see and hear while riding in his motorcade or while giving one of his many elaborate speeches that we are all popularly riveted by.

Psst...there is a special book. No, no the latest Harry Potter book...that would be entertaining in the extreme. This it seems is a manual...remember a special one...its purpose being to give presidential advance staffers extensive instructions in the (snort) art of "deterring potential protestors" from President Bush's public appearances around the country. Okay I get it! There's a special manual for keeping the angry masses from within his sight and hearing. But let me make it perfectly clear here...it is not because they are worried about anything. It would seem that old White House doesn't want any snafus when it comes to protests that Lil' George would have to witness...no sir...he shouldn't see that those in his realm are unhappy. So the order of the day is...no protests in front of the one person Americans have the most right to show how they really feel. If you are the Decider...then you have to listen to the people so you can decide. What could he be thinking?

One has to wonder with the care that has gone into compiling this little missive so things go ever so smoothly...that this same kind of thought and care hasn't gone into his own administration. If the attention this manual has received had been given to...oh...say...known terrorist threats...or FEMA regulations...you know...a myriad of things that have needed attention since 2000...we Americans might be sitting in a different place right now. Instead some of us worry about our next meal, paying the mortgage because we can't even afford gas, sending our kids to college, some decent clothes...like some cool new T-shirts with stuff on the front.

It seems that when there is an upcoming event (don't everyone get excited now) it is open only to persons and clowns with tickets...which just happen to be closely controlled by the event organizers. The poor hapless souls entering must be screened...and I know you are asking yourself right now why? Well...that is what I am here for...so listen up! It seems someone might just get inside hiding "secret signs"...oh the complete and utter morons to think they could possibly have the right to do something called free speech. We know that went the way of the Dodo many years ago. So in one of their "think tank" sessions they came up with the code phrase..."rally squads"...I am impressed. It would seem that if any anti-Bush demonstrators (have mercy!) slip in anyway, they should be shouted down by said "squads" stationed in super secret strategic locations. And by Jupiter...if that doesn't work and the squirrels actually get into the nut house...they should be thrown out...forthwith!

So again...it appears there has been much thought and planning put into this endeavor. I'm sorry, but at this moment in time I cannot but help to think of the good old days of Katrina. Where was the organization for that place and those poor folks left to languish like that and fend for themselves. Silly me...they weren't giving any speeches or driving in a motorcade...so they didn't need that kind of attention. Well, this fine manual does outline a specific system (no...really...a good one) for those who disagree with the president to voice their views. Get this...the advance staff (don't you love your tax dollars going for this?) are to ask local police "to designate a protest area where demonstrators can be placed. That's right...they see to it that the protestors are placed way far away...preferably not in the view of the event site or motorcade route." See, they are always thinking of the really important stuff. We are lucky to have a hands on president like this...I know I'm proud!

Okay...so the name of this handy dandy book is "Presidential Advance Manual" and it is from October 2002. And...here's the kicker...it's stamped with "Sensitive--Do Not Copy"...and I will bet you Dick Cheney's guns that he had something to do with it. Remember he is the Super Secret Guy in the administration. So secret it seems...that we never know where he is unless he's shot someone in the face...or getting a new repair for that thing that passes for a ticker in his chest. I know...some people like to call it a heart...but in this case ticker works just as well...because it is a time bomb.

And now we come to the meat and potatoes (Quail, are you listening?) of this saga. Jeffrey and Nicole Rank. They were arrested in 2004 for refusing to cover their anti-Bush T-shirts at a 4th of July speech by none other than our George...yes...that George...the 43rd president (as much as I hate to say it) of these here United States. Well, these two cute young folks that actually prefer to eat kittens and puppies...but for the sake of the story here...sued the Feds. Gawd, I love when the government screws up and gets caught with their pants down and gets a sound spanking for it. Oh! I think I might be aroused! Anyway...because of this (cough) incident...the manual was released under subpoena to the American Civil Liberties Union...(see, they are good for something!) as part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of Jeff and Nicole. So...they got arrested...why you ask? Because it seems they were asked to cover their anti-Bush T-shirts and they refused like any good citizen had the right to do. Remember a thing called free speech? You know that book that Lady Liberty holds in her arms while carrying aloft that torch that lights the way for Democracy and freedom? Yeah...I knew you could remember what once was.

So...Jeffrey and Nicole were at a 4th of July speech at the West Virginia State Capitol in 2004 I'm sure having a rockin' time until the T-shirt bomb happened. And the people involved in the arrest were well organized. Now to the lawsuit...the juicy stuff we all love. They both had on the front of their T-shirts the word "Bush" crossed out on the front; the back of his shirt said "Regime Change Starts at Home" and hers said "Love America, Hate Bush." The members of the event staff told them to cover their shirts or leave. This is according to the lawsuit...I don't make this stuff up you know. They refused and were arrested, handcuffed and briefly jailed before local authorities dropped the charges...and...er...apologized. Go figure...I'm surprised they aren't languishing in a dark hole somewhere in Gitmo myself. The Feds settled what was known as a First Amendment case last week for $80,000...and of course no admission of any wrongdoing. Are we surprised? I don't think so! Typical Bush administration tactics for the last 6 years...and if he just had longer...the list would certainly grow.

The manual demonstrates "that the White House has a policy of excluding and/or attempting to squelch dissenting viewpoints from presidential events," said ACLU lawyer Jonathan Miller. "Individuals should have the right to express their opinion to the president, even if it's not a favorable one."

In conclusion here are some tidbits from the Washington Post not to be missed about the manual...

The manual offers advance staffers and volunteers who help set up presidential events guidelines for assembling crowds. Those invited into a VIP section on or near the stage, for instance, must be " extremely supportive of the Administration," it says. While the Secret Service screens audiences only for possible threats, the manual says, volunteers should examine people before they reach security checkpoints and look out for signs. Make sure to look for "folded cloth signs," it advises.

To counter any demonstrators who do get in, advance teams are told to create "rally squads" of volunteers with large hand-held signs, placards or banners with "favorable messages." Squads should be placed in strategic locations and "at least one squad should be 'roaming' throughout the perimeter of the event to look for potential problems," the manual says.

"These squads should be instructed always to look for demonstrators," it says. "The rally squad's task is to use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform. If the demonstrators are yelling, rally squads can begin and lead supportive chants to drown out the protestors (USA!, USA!, USA!). As a last resort, security should remove the demonstrators from the event site."

Advance teams are advised not to worry if protesters are not visible to the president or cameras: "If it is determined that the media will not see or hear them and that they pose no potential disruption to the event, they can be ignored. On the other hand, if the group is carrying signs, trying to shout down the President, or has the potential to cause some greater disruption to the event, action needs to be taken immediately to minimize the demonstrator's effect."

The manual adds in bold type: "Remember -- avoid physical contact with demonstrators! Most often, the demonstrators want a physical confrontation. Do not fall into their trap!" And it suggests that advance staff should "decide if the solution would cause more negative publicity than if the demonstrators were simply left alone."

My conclusion: It's just too bad that the time and effort put into this kind of activity to avoid Americans...isn't put to good use in other aspects of the governing of this nation that is so regrettably lacking. So very hypocritical in any conceivable way one may look at it. I'm sure the Gulf coast could have a wonderful bonfire with all the burning manuals that would keep some of the homeless warm come the Winter months. Bush keeps the citizens that employ him at distance because he can't be bothered to listen to their pleas. We know why his mother didn't name him Solomon. Yet he looks into the mirror and sees a king.

Labels: Constitution, demonstrators, dissent, First Amendment, freedom, manual, T-shirts

Posted by sumo at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

I know you've heard by now about the study regarding seniors and how they get their freak on. Well...I wanted every last salacious detail down to the moment in time...just like you did...so don't get all faint hearted on me now. Just follow me on this journey. Apparently our older generation are a bunch of "frisky critters." I say...good for them! And if they'd let me watch...I'd applaud them too. I guess they were quite candid in what they were willing to talk about, (intimate acts) and what those little devils actually do. This was not going to be too much information for me...no sir...I wanted to know all of it...even if I had to quasi shield my eyes while reading about it.

Some things are cringe-worthy at the best of times though...as this comprehensive sex survey was among 57-to-85-year-olds in the United States. And if old folks know something about getting it on...it's in the USofA! Not too much to look forward to by the time you reach your 70's it seems...more than a quarter of them up to age 85 stated they'd had sex in the previous year. Now we are getting somewhere. The drop-off they noted was most likely because of a lack of partner or their health, and this was especially found in women.

What's funny to me is that the study was federally funded. I have a hard time thinking that the Decider would condone such a survey being that he is so pure and all. So it was published in the New England Journal of Medicine...the Bible of such things...and by much respected scientists. It busted stereotypical ideas that physical pleasure (uh huh!...that's what they said...) is just for young people. Young people tend to think everything is for the young...and the older folks should be put on an ice flow and wait for the next polar bear to come by and party on! More than half of ages 57 to 75 said they gave or received (gulp) oral sex, as did a third of the 75 to 85 year oldsters. Where's the smelling salts?

Most younger people figure that people stop "doing it" at a certain age...you know...when you get older, like about 40. Stand back because some people are only getting started gang! Well, our very own lovely Norene has proven that is not the case. She does not discriminate against young people...she shows them just how with it an older woman is...and in tune with herself. Norene is to be applauded for her efforts in that corner...finding all the young juicy tidbits to occupy herself with. She has a wonderful and healthy outlook on life...and runs smack dab into sultry sex like a squirrel storing up nuts for winter...with gusto! I'm talking envy here now...she is not a boring woman to be sure...in fact she's my role model for grabbing her slices of life. I could only aspire to Norene's appetite for...er...fun!

The survey was conducted with 2 hour face-to-face interviews with 3,005 men and women from shore to shore. Yikes!...they even took blood, saliva and other samples that checked their hormone levels, sex-related infections (ewww!) and other health issues for their reports in the future. The seniors had their eye sight, taste, hearing and sense of smell tested. You know...the things that effect you being able to have and hopefully enjoy sex. The driving forces of nature that make one want to get sweaty, dirty and giggly. Well...that's my take on it and I'm standing by it!

The researchers of course didn't hold back with the questions either...they asked hundreds of questions one on one. I think I'd have had to wear a paper bag over my head to answer some of the questions. The bag probably would have blushed too. They were asked the number of lifetime getting-it-on partners and...er...the frequency of Mr. Master Bashun...84% answered THAT question. Most of the souls being drilled were in fact married. It still is popular these days...enough to keep the wedding planners in business. They found by the time they were 75 to 85, only 37% of women still had spouses compared to 71% of the men. 10% of the survey comprised black persons and more than 6% were Hispanic.



Now this should get your undivided attention...each gender proportionately admitted to giving and receiving oral sex...which means it gave the scientists the assuredness that the men and women were telling the same story. Well good! The older people were rather conservative in their habits and a small minority had more than one partner. Talk about getting your groove on eh? A few admitted they paid for sex...because...that's the way...uh huh...uh huh...they like it...uh huh...uh huh! Thank you KC and the Sunshine Band!

I think in reality these guys were a group of mad scientists though. They wanted to test their victim's senses...so they used taste strips to see if people could distinguish between different tastes such as salty, sour and Jeebus knows what all. Devices...(I got scared here)...were used to test their ability to smell certain scents. My imagination went rather wild at this point. A pheromone...also used that is thought to evoke sexual responses. Bet there were some happy campers on that quality test! We all know that scents and tastes play a large part influencing our nature's...(at least I do)...and the researchers wanted to know if that diminishes as people age. Apparently one of them, an anthropologist and researcher at the Institute of Sexuality, Social Inequality, and Health...(at San Francisco State University...wouldn't you just know it!)...said the "survey bolsters the 'use it or lose it' factor seen in previous studies." Armed with that knowledge we can go forward and not make THAT mistake again! If you are doing IT, you keep doing IT!

So as an example we've got Jack (83) and Liz (84)...a Los Angeles couple...and they've had rockin' chandelier sex for nearly 60 years. “It gives a person relief on any burdens or problems. It makes us forget everything — escape,” he said, admitting that as physical endurance wanes “you have to work at it harder.” These two turtle doves take walks two times a day, drink wine in moderation and they communicate a lot. That's what I call communicating...getting down and getting funky! Liz said..."I think it's important, it just makes you feel close." Well, I guess so. I see this as a solution to our country's political problems. We should all have lots of sex to help us escape our burdens and problems with our administration and the war in Iraq. I'm a genius...and you got it for free here at...When Worlds Collide!

There was a 75% response rate for the survey. Only 2% to 7% didn't answer questions about sexual problems or activities...yet a higher percentage wouldn't admit how often they visited Mr. Master Bate. So...I know you are asking yourself why do this research at all? I think first and foremost inquiring minds just want to know...but hey that's just me. But, the National Institute on Aging says sex is an important indication of health. Well...good! Seems that sexual problems may be a warning sign of many things. Diabetes, cancer, infections, other icky things too. If these sexual issues go untreated...it may lead to depression, social withdrawal, and the possibility of people not taking their meds because of the sexual side effects sometimes associated with it. Example would be blood pressure medication or even tranquilizer type drugs...you know the Doctor Feelgood drugs!

Some results:

1) Sex with a partner in the previous year was reported by 73 percent of people ages 57 to 64; 53 percent of those ages 64 to 75, and 26 percent of people 75 to 85. Of those who were active, most said they did it two to three times a month or more.

2) Women at all ages were less likely to be sexually active than men. But they also lacked partners; far more were widowed.

3) People whose health was excellent or very good were nearly twice as likely to be sexually active as those in poor or fair health.

4) Half of people having sex reported at least one related problem. Most common in men was erection trouble (37 percent); in women, low desire (43 percent), vaginal dryness (39 percent) and inability to have an orgasm (34 percent).

5)One out of seven men used Viagra or other substances to improve sex.

6)Only 22 percent of women and 38 percent of men had discussed sex with a doctor since age 50.

So in conclusion...as there always is an end to everything in this life...and I am a Super Freak...yes I am a very freaky girl...I have found that sex rocks, sex rules, sex just is...because it exists. And that's the way uh huh...uh huh I like it!

cross-posted from The Blue Republic

Labels: old folks, scientific study, sex survey, statistics, young people

Posted by sumo at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Mango Topped Cheesecake Cups

Ingredients:


Peach Mango Topping:
2 cups peeled, chopped fresh ripe peaches
1/2 cup mango juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch Combine 1 cup peaches, mango juice, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture bubbles and thickens. Cool for 10 minutes, then add the remaining 1 cup peaches. Set aside.


*Cheesecake:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sugar Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.


Instructions:

Combine all cheesecake ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with electric mixer until smooth. Place paper baking cups into muffin tins and fill cups 2/3 full with cheesecake batter. Bake for 40 minutes.

Sour Cream Filling:
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract Mix sour cream filling ingredients in a small mixing bowl using a spoon. When the cupcakes sink in the middle, place a scant tablespoon of sour cream mixture in the middle of each one. Place back into the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

When cool, spoon about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of Peach Mango topping over the top of the sour cream filling on each cupcake and refrigerate.

*This can also be make into a regular sized traditional cheesecake with any crust of choice.

Labels: fruit topped cheesecake

Posted by sumo at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

cross-posted from The Sirens Chronicles...

This is an interesting account by an anonymous contractor who has lived and worked in Baghdad. His identity is known to the editors, but he has written with a hidden identity in order to give an uncensored account.

I have been living and working in Baghdad for the past 16 months and will be leaving next week for good. I am one of those overpaid Department of Defense contractors, or, as some would call me, a “war profiteer.” Yes, I have profited. I am out of debt and have money saved. But it has cost me. I am a changed man. I have become hardened. I almost feel like a zombie.

Although I work in Baghdad, I have no idea what Baghdad looks like. I have been told by soldiers that it is “like one of those Mexican border towns.” I don’t live in the “heavily fortified” Green Zone, which, although heavily fortified, has been getting hit with mortars on a daily basis. No, I live on an Army base. I live in a trailer with four other men. We each have our own space and I am lucky to have quiet roommates. There is a common latrine and shower.

I have had a lot of experiences over these 16 months, and the situation has not changed one bit. I feel like I am leaving a sinking ship. The only thing that has changed is that more trailers have had to be added for the “surge” of troops that have come in. Oh, and our laundry now takes 72 hours to get done.

The majority of my co-workers are Iraqi, and every single one has been deeply affected by the war. Everyone knows someone who has been killed or kidnapped, whether a family member or a friend. It’s a daily occurrence, and they feel helpless, frustrated and, of course, very sad. Those that had the means have gone to either Jordan or Syria. The others are trapped. No country wants them.

Every day, the Iraqis risk their lives to come to work because they have no choice. The average salary is $300 a month, and many of them are supporting large families. Some of the Iraqis I work with just live in the building we work in rather than risk going home every day. Also, the building usually has electricity, which means there is air conditioning. In Baghdad there is usually one hour of electricity a day and hardly any water. People pitch in and buy a generator and get just enough electricity out of it to have the ceiling fan and refrigerator run.

Most Iraqis come to work by bus since there is a shortage of gasoline in Baghdad. People have to wait in line overnight in order to get gas for their cars. I wonder how we in America would react if we had even one hour without electricity or water and had to wait in a line to fuel our gas-guzzling SUVs. For us on the base, getting gas is a breeze. We just drive up to one of the many gas depots and fill our cars up. I can’t figure out how we have such easy access to gasoline and the Iraqis have none.

I was recently on vacation in the States when the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. Yes, it was a terrible tragedy, but to the Iraqis that is nothing. Our media spent hours talking about how the bridge collapsed and how people were coping with the grief. The authorities immediately brought in grief counselors. There aren’t enough grief counselors in the world to come to Baghdad and ask the Iraqis how they are coping. But coping they are, and every day is a crap-shoot.

Will I get killed or kidnapped or suffer some other horrible tragedy? Most Iraqis feel that they will indeed be killed, whether by the Sunni militia, the Shiite militia, the American Army or a car bomb. They live in constant fear. Could you imagine having to live like that? And why are they suffering so terribly? Because we are giving them freedom. Freedom is something that I fear the Iraqis will not have any time in the near future.

It is with a heavy heart that I leave behind my Iraqi friends. Their lives are absolutely horrible, but they have to keep moving every day to survive. Every day, as they leave for home, I always wonder if it will be the last time I see them.

We have made a mess of Iraq, and the Iraqis, who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, are the ones that are paying the price. Our troops are losing morale. They know they are fighting a war that will never end, and I feel sorry for them. I feel that the ship will eventually sink and we will have caused the most terrible suffering for a people that just want a day when they can leave their house without the fear of being kidnapped or killed. For the Iraqis, freedom certainly isn’t free: They are paying a heavy price for it. From TruthDig.com

We should share this article all over the blogs…because come September we know that General Petraeus will give Bush what he wants…another go ahead for troops to “boost” in Iraq. And as you just read…by one who knows the truth and told it…it won’t do any good. It’s time we left these poor people alone to try and gather what little is left of their way of life.

Update...Bush announced yesterday the comparison to Vietnam...something in the past he has staunchly denied. But naturally it has become the time for rallying and more Bushspeak...and before it's over maybe Larry will be looking with us at that Trojan Horse.

Labels: Baghdad, defense contrators, freedom, iraq war, Petraeus

Posted by sumo at 12:15 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

So are we over the bombshell of Rove leaving his Lord and Master yet? Bush’s closest and longest-serving advisor will be resigning in about 10 days. Will there be beer and pizza party’s all over the land? Drunken, naked pool party’s cropping up on every block in America? Shall the hounds of hell be released with chaos and anarchy the rule of the day? Wait! Let me pop some popcorn first…I don’t want to miss this…not a minute of it!

Let’s just see here for just a moment. It seems our Karl is grateful to have been a “witness to history.” Hmmm, well…I guess he not only witnessed it, he made it too. We all know that ol’ Karl was instrumental in shaping policy decisions and Republican campaign strategies…so that would explain how he got the moniker…”the architect” by none other than Bush himself and “Bush’s brain” by those that would criticize him. Not bad…not bad at all. He’s been doing his magic since 1993 when Bush first ran for governor of Texas. That’s a long time to be hooked at the hip with some guy. But apparently they severed the cord…because Karl needs to spend more time with his family. Oopsie!…I choked on my popcorn…now I need a swig of my root beer…ah…that’s better.

Well…it looks to me like Karl’s departure comes close upon the heels of Congressional Democrats revving up their investigations into poor little Karl’s role in the U.S. attorneys dismissals and some hanky panky use of government agencies…gulp…for political purposes. Yikes! What could he have been thinking? I guess he wasn’t really…because he invoked executive privilege to defy a subpoena to testify before the Judiciary Committee chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy. Now…we know in our little brains that we’d not get away with something like that…it would be utterly horrifying in the extreme for us to try. I’m talking leg irons here and maybe some chains for good measure…because we’d be deperados by this time. So our Karl got his name added to a growing list of people within this madministration that have defied the Congress’s subpoena…because when you work for Bush and Cheney…you can do that it would seem. It’s called contempt of Congress usually.

Here’s what The Hartford Courant said…”Love him or hate him, Rove has a record of success that puts his contemporaries to shame.” In 2000, he helped Bush defeat a charismatic war hero, John McCain, in the primaries, and a sitting vice president, Al Gore, in the general election. In 2002, he engineered a Republican takeover of Congress. And in 2004, he shocked Democrats who thought they had Bush on the ropes. In large part due to his genius, the Republican Party came closer to being a majority governing party than it had been in 70 years.”

Well…I beg to differ with the genius part…they were all underhanded and outright cheated both elections…they didn’t win anything but a lot of peoples contempt. What Karl really sweated to the oldies over was wanting to ensure a permanent Republican majority. His technique was a take-no-prisoners in governing stance…and it backfired on our little blossum. Instead of working bi-partisan politics with Social Security and immigration he tried what he does best…and strong armed the opposition like during the campaigns. So it seems he didn’t leave his Decider much in the way of a legacy of accomplishments regarding policy…no sir…quite the opposite. I wonder if Daddy #41 finally got through to sonny…that a legacy is something to cherish because it is one’s history and you sort of want it to look good if possible. Hmmm…no I don’t think so!

I guess for years we’ve all thought of Karl as the Puppet Master…the guy pulling the strings…oh come on…let’s call it what it was. He was the Boogeyman! There I said it! We thought he was the Maestro leading the orchestra of the Republican successes. So it would seem now that the Republicans would like to lay the blame at his door for their failures. Why am I not surprised at that? He didn’t pull the magic rabbit from the black hat…he offered advice to anyone that would listen…it just so happened that his boss liked to listen a lot. But it seems all good things do come to an end…as did Bush’s popularity in large part due to the lies and failures of Iraq. Let us not forget Katrina…that deserves a big spot in his legacy for the Pesidential Library. There’s a good laugh…can’t wait to see what little accomplishments he manages to find for it. Oh, that’s right…there aren’t any! So Karl’s genius for strategy didn’t quite work for him in the end it seems.

Actually, the damage this man has inflicted can’t be overstated, said Andrew Sullivan in The Atlantic Online. The nub of Rove’s approach was “divide and conquer,” which may work in campaigns, but is poison as a governing philosophy. After 9/11, Americans were ripe to be united. But Rove took this historic opportunity and “threw it away in a binge of hate-filled niche campaigning, polarization, and short-term expediency.”

So what we ask ourselves might be next? With Karl gone there definitely will be a void to fill…but by whom? We curious citizens of America have lived long enough to see our Constitution eroded in a way never thought imaginable. We have lived to see the Patriot Act used upon its inhabitants unlawfully. We have our phones and computers bugged…we can be jailed at a moments notice if we are perceived to interfere with Bush’s plans regarding terrorism. That’s a deal breaker for me right there. He’s not smart enough to make plans for anything. But if he’s making them…and we criticize or interfere with it…we are so at Guantanamo! Yeah…with Karl gone…Bush won’t have anything better to do…than to make up more things to take away from us…because that’s what school yard bullies do. Mark my words…he’ll grab our lunches next!

With the exception of Vice President Dick Cheney, Bush’s inner circle is now populated entirely by “the kinds of Washington pragmatists and insiders” that Bush had once disdained, said Jim Rutenberg and Steven Lee Myers in The New York Times. The White House could now be more inclined to work with Congress to forge compromises on energy, immigration enforcement, and other areas. While many analysts say Bush’s lame duck status has officially begun, Bush aides have denied that. “There’s no question the window is narrowing,” said Joel Kaplan, Bush’s deputy chief of staff. “But it’s not closed.”

Yeah right Joel…look out for your lunch sack buddy…because I hope you think it’s worth it!

Labels: Bush, iraq war, Judiciary contempt, Rove plague

Posted by sumo at 12:35 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Well...this made us sit up and take notice!
The Doctor finally called us for a surgery date, and scheduled September 14th. That was a blow. He'd said this has to come out immediately...so we took him at his word. And I don't mind telling you that it had us concerned. Apparently Doctors are rather notorious for words such as these...not considering that speech like that scares people. So for it to go as long as the 14th scared us both. But someone told me that was sort of routine and not to pay attention to it. So we aren't...I have to say that it was a relief to hear that coming from a nurse. So the countdown is on...just without Keith Olbermann though.

Thank you blogger friends for the outpouring of concern and well wishes from all of you...you are a wonderful supportive community...I am very fortunate to have all of you.

Labels: biting nails, countdown, doctors, surgery

Posted by sumo at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Wednesday Mr. Sumo went to the Urologist and had the invasive scope thingie put into his bladder and it seems he has a tumor. The doctor wants to do surgery within a few days...so I probably won't be around much. I know there are plenty of you that care and are sending good thoughts our way...and I appreciate it immensely. I'll update when I know something...don't have an official surgery date yet, but apparently it will be soon. Today is our 25th anniversary and our life together has been rather uneventful until now. How fortunate we have been.

Posted by sumo at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Well now that everything this great nation once stood for is in the proverbial toilet...Mr. Handpuppet Guy is deserting at the darkest hour. How typical of that sort of person. I won't use the term man...because I don't think any of them knows what it is to be a real man. I personally find them to be cowards of the worst sort. They sold their nation (ours too) to the highest bidder because of their vast greedy natures. So...now it's time to reflect on their damage...and quit in the face of adversity? The adversity that they helped create! It must be nice to be able to walk away from it all. But we...the collective...are smarter than that. We've always been smarter than they've ever given us credit for.


These people have reasons for everything they do...and there is a reason for his departure. I don't think it is an altruistic one...no sir...I don't. He's got something up his sleeve. Some people have speculated that the DC Madame business might be a factor...but I don't give that any credence. Who could possibly want to bump uglies with this guy eh? I just don't see it. He looks too anal retentive to me for that anyway. If he can spurn the touch of Cheryl Crow...there's something seriously icky wrong with this guy.


He's got some weird priorities. Maybe his family just simply got so sick and tired of the beating he's been taking in the eyes of the country...that they just couldn't take it anymore. Maybe his Missus threatened a huge ugly divorce on him...with some secrets thrown in. Just a thought. Maybe he has children that are adversely affected by all this in a major way...and he absolutely has to put their well being first. Seems far fetched...but you never know! It's probably just a strategy to get started on the dirt for smearing the Democrats upcoming in 2008. They are desperate to try and get a Republican back in office...and Rove is probably the best mud slinger in town for it. It could be as simple as that.

Labels: good-bye, jumping ship, skeedaddlin', toodle loo

Posted by sumo at 12:36 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

So here we finally are...the dark days of summer have certainly lifted only a little mind you...but lifted all the same. One has to wonder what is really up with the news of our man Karl giving it up!

Do I think he is sick? Nah! Do I think he cares about his family? Nah! Do I think he deserves to be sick...emm...yep! I know we're SICK and tired of him in so many ways...so...lets just count the ways shall we?

How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.
I hate thee to the depth and breadth and height
My hate can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of hating and Ideal Grace.
I hate thee to the level of everyday's
More quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I hate thee freely, as I strive for Right;
I hate thee purely, as I turn from Praise.
I hate thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's dreams.
I hate thee with a hate I seemed to love
With my lost soldiers, --I hate thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if I so choose,
I shall but hate thee better after mine own death.

Turd Blossom Stew...

Boil one lying, cheating ornery turd blossom-
to the broth add lots of garlic to hide the bitter taste-
salt and pepper to taste-3 bay leaf
chopped onions, celery, carrots, tablespoon of diced bell pepper-
pepper flakes also helps mask the pungent muskiness of wild meat-
potatoes of choice-canned tomatoes-add some beef broth for better
flavor...cause this is gonna be nasty. Boil the crap out of that weasel.
Thicken with a little flour/butter roux and let simmer. Don't bother
with a fine pastry crust on this stew...the biscuits from the store or
Bisquick will be good enough to top this mess with. When ready...
serve to the neighborhood dogs...they like nasty stuff and probably
won't pee on your lawn again. Take that back...they will come back
and deposit Rove on your lawn one last time...recycled and rejuvenated.

Labels: dark dominion, Rove stew, the black death

Posted by sumo at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

This is Sumo here by her 55' Porsche Speedster 356 A. I sold it a few years back...but that's another story. If you'd like to read my post for Sunday at The Blue Republic...just click your heals twice...you might find it illuminating to read what I have to say...you be the judge!

Labels: bunny love, financial status, marriage, romance, sumo psycho humor

Posted by sumo at 1:07 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Peach Cheesecake

Ingredients:


Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Filling:
2 eggs
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup peach jam, plus 1 cup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium size bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar and butter. Mix well and place in the bottom and sides of an 8-inch spring-form cake pan. Make sure to press against the sides and bottom of the pan. Set crust aside.

Prepare the filling by beating the eggs and cream cheese together. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating until well blended. Add 1/4 cup peach jam and mix until incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared crust and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and top with remaining 1 cup peach jam. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight. Optional...make your own peach topping of choice.

Labels: fruit cheesecake

Posted by sumo at 1:29 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

The Fallenmonk featured this one his blog a little over a week ago and I was so taken aback with it I wanted to share it with you...so you could be as horrified as I was about it. I just copied the whole piece so you wouldn't miss any of it. Fallenmonk said to have your cheap sunglasses ready for this. I had it in the draft stage and tonight seemed the right time to put it up. I'll do my recipe for Saturday...the weekend is always slow anyway. Tonight I worked on a heavy post for The Sirens Chronicles...featured for Friday...so I slipped this in place real easy like.

Enough to Make You Sick

Its inventors call it the LED Incapacitator (L-E-D, as in light-emitting diode). Weapons buffs call it a nonlethal weapon. But test subjects who have buckled and reeled from its nauseating strobe call it other names—none printable.

A later version of the LED Incapacitator, featuring a trimmer head.

A flashlight designed to make you nauseatingly ill? What fiendish minds would invent such a tool? The minds of Bob Lieberman and Vladimir Rubtsov, president and senior scientist of Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc., a small R&D company in Torrance, CA. Under a multiphase contract from the S&T Directorate’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Office, with technical direction from S&T program manager Gerald Kirwin, the two physicists are refining an ultra-bright, multicolored, pulsing “lightsaber” that’s more disorienting, dazzling, and dizzying—though a tad less dangerous—than disco. It’s enough to make you sick. And that, Lieberman says, is not always a bad thing.

How does the LED Incapacitator incapacitate? By simultaneously overwhelming the subject both physiologically (temporarily blinding him) and psychophysically (disorienting him). A built-in rangefinder measures the distance to the nearest pair of eyeballs. Then, a “governor” sets the output and pulse train (a series of pulses and rests) to a level, frequency, and duration that are effective, but safe. The colors and pulses continuously change, leaving no time for the brain or eyes to adapt. After a few minutes, the effects wear off.

The light could be used to make a bad guy turn away or shut his eyes, giving authorities enough time to tackle the suspect and apply the cuffs … all while sparing the lives of passersby, hostages, or airline passengers.

An animated cross section shows how red, green, and blue LEDs are focused through an optical plate.

“There are often confrontations at border crossings with suspected illegal aliens or drug runners,” Lieberman says. “You don’t want to hurt or kill them, just take them into custody. With this,” he smiles, “they don’t need to know English to comply.”

Output and size can easily be scaled up to fit the need; immobilizing a mob, for instance, might call for a wide-angle “bazooka” version. Scaling down is more difficult. At 15 inches long by 4 inches wide, the current prototype is more transportable than portable. The next-generation weapon must be as short and svelte as a D-cell Maglite, designed to fit on a duty belt. “Phase 3 will be our shrink phase,” Lieberman says.

This fall, in Phase 2, researchers at Pennsylvania State University will test the LED Incapacitator on volunteers at the school’s Institute of Nonlethal Defense Technology. Intelligent Optical Systems will use the test results to evaluate design features and tweak the strobe’s pattern and colors. “There’s one wavelength that gets everybody,” says Lieberman. “Vlad calls it the evil color.” Further tests are scheduled for the fall, and production could begin by December. By 2010, the LED Incapacitator could be in the hands of thousands of policemen, border agents, and National Guardsmen.

So...activists beware! I think the administration is looking to control the crowds of unhappy citizens in any way they can. Gone are the days of freedom of speech and demonstrating when the moment called for it. I think a grand scale march on Washington is what this thing is for...to control the masses of people that are going to be angry at the next things they throw our way. Rove is working overtime I suspect.

Labels: bright lights, scary stuff, something this way evil comes

Posted by sumo at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Mr. and Mrs. Sumo were caught in inflagrante delicto by some Paparazzi with a camera. Boy...were were they embarrassed!
See...it's like this...I'm their spokesperson for the media, and they just want to be sure that they will be allowed their privacy in this matter until it can be determined whether or not they violated any state laws. Now, they do not dispute that they violated each other...several times...but it's up to the courts as to whether they need to be jailed for anything possibly lewd and lascivious.

There is such a thing as "bunny love"...it started back in the 80's I think. They were flower bunnies...and it was bunny love at first sight. They have been nuzzling noses for years now, in fact the 16th is another milestone in their marriage...25 years of...well...violations just about everywhere and anytime. They admitted to me that in fact they'd shocked many a passenger on their Alaskan cruise right on the top deck just watching the grey whales, dolphins and seals.

They plan to take their message of "bunny love" to Washington in hopes that Bush will want to make love not war. They do have a contingency plan to stay away from VP Cheesey and his shotgun. That would spell the end of their trists...anywhere. They also don't want to be someone's dinner du jour anytime soon...so they plan on strident precautions...as should all peace activist bunnies. If you see them there...make sure you have carrots to share. They promise to behave themselves...which is more than we can say for the White House people. Bet there isn't much action goin' on there worth mentioning. Bunny Peace Forever!
Please...call the police! Hi...I'm baby Sumette...and I just pray to the big bunny in the sky that my parents get a grip on themselves...(not that kind of grip!)...and stop this silly business...it's embarrassing for us all you know. I can't invite my bunny friends over because you never know what they'll be doing...I think I need therapy desperately! I wish they'd just stick to politics...but they tell me that sometimes mommie and daddy need a break from some guy named George. George needs to get his act together so my parents will stop this madness.

Labels: bunny love, inflagrante delicto, paparazzi, trists, Washington

Posted by sumo at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

FatCats Unite!
See...I'm what you'd call a fat cat. Not in the way you'd call the Bush administration all fat cats...that's an altogether different implication there. No, literally I am a fat cat and I'm darned if I'm not proud of it.

But I know you notice the position I am in. See...I'm really mad at what is going on in the world around us. I am after all an discerning cat and keep up with all the political goings on in this world because it does affect my furry world. I'm poised to make a political statement.

I'm not just all about the litter box or the latest catnip toy...no sir not me. I am afraid for my mistress...she doesn't have health care benefits...works 2 jobs...(partly to feed moi)...and she deserves so much better than what her leaders allow her to have. They can tap her phone and her emails whenever they feel like it...because some Congress Critters didn't have the nads to stand up to them. As you can see I still have my nads.

You know what we cats do to critters don't you? We really enjoy playing with them. We pick them up and toss them around a bit...sit on them a while...then let them go until they think they are free and start to run away...and we grab them again and it starts all over again. Well...that's what we furry friends in our mutual quandary need to do. We need to band together and catch those rat critters before they tear everything up and ruin it forever.

We have generations that will come after us...and we owe it to them and ourselves to clean out that nest of rats...fumigate their super secret hideout...and make it habitable for a new occupant that will hopefully take pride and honor in setting up a new household for the not-so-fat-cats that helped put her/him there.

Well...as I was purring before...I am positioned to zap the bad critters the first time they cross my path...and it won't be pretty...no sir...it won't! I'm mad as hell and not going to take it any more...and I'd like to think that you'll join me in this venture. Out with the old...and in with the new. All the fat furry cats of this world unite! We have our purring cut out for us...yes we do. Oh, and Fred over there in Florida...I know brother that you are on my side in these dark days ahead. Now, leave that catnip long enough to set up a militia of fur in your area. Uh...oh...there goes the neighborhood...the Bush administration is enough to drive a furry one to drink.

Labels: friend of Fred the cat, pissed off cats, rats in high places

Posted by sumo at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

See...we don't even have any quick fixes for things that happen in our own country...much less what can be done in other countries. Our country probably has its hands so full being in everybody's pies at once that nothing substantial gets done. If we can't get it done properly for our own country and its people...why would be be able to get anything done for others that depend on us. Thanks to Bushco and friends...they have so thoroughly ruined Iraq that people don't even have water there a great deal of the time.


Now how right is that Mr. Decider? So he figures that money grows on trees and we can spend non-stop on his dumb war...and it will just keep rolling in. But in the meantime...areas of our own country suffers at the hands of time...and the lack of funds for appropriate expenditures for repairs of...oh let's just say for the sake of argument...some bridges. We the tax payers can't just pay for everything...there will come a day when we are tapped out...maybe not even able to buy our own gas just to get to work to earn the money to buy more gas for work...and of course taxes to pay for Dumbya's illegal war. There does at some point come an end to everything. And I'm thinking an end to this madministration would be a good thing. Here's some of the good things Chimpy has been able to do for us...

The occupation of Iraq, along with the Afghanistan occupation, has only furthered the spread of failed states and increased authoritarianism, savage violence, instability and anarchy. It has swelled the ranks of our real enemies -- the Islamic terrorists -- and opened up voids of lawlessness where they can operate and plot against us. It has scuttled the art of diplomacy. It has left us an outlaw state intent on creating more outlaw states. It has empowered Iran, as well as Russia and China, which sit on the sidelines gleefully watching our self-immolation. This is what George W. Bush and all those "reluctant hawks" who supported him have bequeathed us.
Alternet.org

Labels: China, dictatorship, illegal war, Iran, iraq war, Russia

Posted by sumo at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Sexual atrocities in Congo’s South Kivu province are “of an unimaginable brutality that goes far beyond rape,” a U.N. human-rights expert said this week. “Women are brutally gang raped, often in front of their families and communities,” Yakin Erturk said. “In numerous cases, male relatives are forced at gunpoint to rape their own daughters, mothers, or sisters.” Some of the victims said they had been forced to eat the flesh of their murdered relatives. Erturk said that because the army, police, and militias in the war-torn province were all guilty of such crimes, only international intervention could stop the abuse. A war in Congo involving seven other African countries ended in 2003, but foreign militias still roam the country. In 2005, the U.N. estimated that 45,000 women had been raped that year alone.

Labels: brutality, Congo, Constitution, human-rights, Islam, rape

Posted by sumo at 12:16 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

All hail King Dub...

Labels: declarations, edicts, George Magna Carta, GW God, King Dub

Posted by sumo at 12:29 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Chocolate Fudgey Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1 6-1/4-ounce package vanilla caramels
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Vanilla ice cream
• 
  

Directions:


1. Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla with a wooden spoon just until combined. Stir in flour and pecans.

2. Spread batter in a greased 9x9x2-inch baking pan.Sprinkle batter with semisweet chocolate pieces. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Meanwhile for the caramel sauce, combine caramels and milk in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until smooth.

3. Cut brownies into 16 bars. If desired, cut brownies in half again. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream and one brownie or 2 halves in each serving dish. Drizzle
with Caramel Sauce. Makes 16 servings.

Make-Ahead Tip: Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze, line the baking pan with foil, extending foil over the edges of the pan, and grease the foil. Bake the brownies in the foil-lined pan as directed, and cool completely. Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut brownies out of the pan, place them in a freezer container or bag, and freeze up to 1 month. Before serving, thaw for 1 hour. Cut and serve as directed.

Labels: caramel, Friday Random Recipe, fudge, nuts

Posted by sumo at 12:18 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Really can you blame these guys for taking a snort before they go up? With the incompetent fools that we have running the joint these days...why wouldn't they be concerned that everything was properly put together to GO INTO OUTER SPACE?


Since all the money is being drained out of everything else these days to go into Iraq (into the contractors wasteful hands)...there is no reason to believe that the Space Program is any different than the other departments that are being financially stifled. See...our all knowing Oz the Decider n' Thief...isn't the Space Cowboy that he thinks he is. He thinks you just fire up some rocket fuel at the bottom of the craft...and let er rip with lots of boom...and that's how you get into space gang.


He probably even thinks that since God is on his side and speaking directly into his large pointy ear...that he's got it all covered once they are orbiting...or landing somewhere...because God only knows. So while orbiting or fixing up someone's screw-up on a computer at the station...you know...the one someone deliberately messed with...these people are thinking...what in the hell did I get myself into here?! So I think it's a good thing if a martian stops by and checks on them...it's probably more than they'll get from their financially strapped NASA anyway...thanks to the boy wonder that is.

Labels: space cowboy, space fuel, space martian, space the divided frontier, spaced out

Posted by sumo at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top

Britain deployed troops in August 1969 to end Protestant mob attacks on Catholic homes in west Belfast and street battles between Catholic civilians and Protestant police in Londonderry, the second-largest city. Most soldiers, welcomed by the Catholic minority, expected to stay for only weeks.

Instead, Britain permitted Northern Ireland's Protestant government of the day to have control over how British forces were used. A newly formed Provisional IRA began launching attacks against police and, eventually, the army, killing its first soldier in 1971. Protestant leaders used the army to impose internment without trial almost exclusively against IRA suspects.

You may be asking yourself right now...how did this actually come about. Well...roughly in the 1530's Henry VIII turned his eye on the Catholic church because the Pope wouldn't give him a dispensation to dissolve his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. See...the Pope was the nephew of Catherine. You ask yourself why Henry? He by this time wanted Anne Boleyn...that saucy little minx that would give him many sons...or so he thought. So he did away with Catholicism and started the Church of England...making himself the Head of the Church of England...(the all and knowing Oz!) He disbanded and destroyed the monasteries...took their treasures and money...and called it a day.

Five years after his death when his daughter Mary took the throne (Bloody Mary) she tried for the 5 years of her reign to re-establish the Catholic religion...but to no avail. She killed and burned many at the stake to try and corral people to the Churches ways...but had no takers. Her younger sister Elizabeth having been raised a Protestant carried this forward during her reign. Catholicism never gained a stronghold in English politics again. But Scotland and Ireland were left in the dust as it was settling all around them. England remained Protestant while Catholic nations surrounded them.


Ireland with the mix of protestant and catholic trying to live together never quite made it. This battle of the religions went on for centuries...all because a man's lust wanted to get rid of one older, spent wife...and take a younger and what appeared fruitful wife. Henry never really got what he wanted...but he did have many killed who remained true to their religion (Sir Thomas More) a devote catholic...poor man...his conscience wouldn't allow him to sign off on the Marriage Act...and the Rule of Succession that Anne had demanded Henry get from his closest people. For that a giant of a man lost his head. Thus began the divide of catholic and protestant that has lasted to this day...no more stronger than in Ireland.


The central goal of the Good Friday peace accord of 1998...a joint Catholic-Protestant administration that includes the IRA-linked Sinn Fein party...was revived in May and has been operating harmoniously...thank goodness...after some 500 some odd years...not so odd to the ones that died for it.


The British army once had 106 bases and 27,000 troops in Northern Ireland, and had 44 bases here only two years ago. It now has fewer than 20 bases and expects to have just 10 by April. As of Wednesday, all 5,000 soldiers remaining in this long-disputed corner of the United Kingdom will be committed to training for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere overseas.


The official end of Operation Banner...the codename used for the deployment of troops as peace keepers 38 years ago...has caused introspection throughout Britain and Ireland, where tens of thousands bear physical and psychological scars from a conflict that left 3,700 dead. Among those were 763 soldiers and 309 people killed by soldiers, chiefly Catholic civilians and IRA members.

In 1972, the army committed its deadliest act, the Bloody Sunday massacre in which 13 unarmed Catholic demonstrators were shot to death in Londonderry. That year was the deadliest for both the army and Northern Ireland: 470 slain, including 102 soldiers.

The symbolic moment came months after the reality...(no British troops have been on patrol on Belfast streets for two years). The British army marked a milestone of peacemaking Tuesday as it formally ended its 38 year mission to bolster security in Northern Ireland.

A former soldier named Moore (ironic eh?) said, "There were no victories. Surely no one in their right mind wants to go back to those dark days. All it brought was pain, death and destruction." Moore served in the Royal Green Jackets Regiment.

I remember well the last big blast in Belfast in the late 90's and it wasn't a pretty sight. One thing in particular that stood out for me...was a pregnant woman shopping happily for her baby's clothes...and when it was over her legs had been blown off. Thank you King Hal for not being able to control your elegant and bejeweled codpiece.

Labels: Belfast, bombings, Catholic, England, Henry VIII, N. Ireland, Protestant

Posted by sumo at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments Return to Top