Nothing much

I do have things I want to write about, but I have not been taking the time to do them. After playing with Reese three days a week, and let's not forget Annie (the puppy), I usually need a day alone to just read or watch a good movie. Then, it is time to really clean house because I don't do that much serious cleaning while he is here. So, that takes another day.

Then, too, I start thinking that this is a silly thing to be doing, but, after arguing with myself awhile, I will start thinking of what I want to write about. Then, Reese is back.

So, while I have the urge and the time, I will try to catch up with my life. I am still taking the cholesterol meds and still losing weight. I have finally gotten all the junk my older son left here cleaned up and thrown away. One of my neighbors actually told me that my yard was looking pretty good. I need to cut the grass, probably for the last time before next June. I started to Monday, but my mower died, so Leslie came over and got it and fixed it for me. Now, tomorrow I will cut the grass and continue my war against the ants. I was using some ant killer....can't remember the name...and Leslie told me that she had gotten the best (which usually means the most expensive) and gave me some. The ant beds got larger. Then, I heard somewhere that bleach is a good ant killer. First you pour some bleach over the bed then stir it up with a shovel and pour more bleach. When I did that to the biggest antbed out back the inside was full of the little yellow pellets of the 'best' ant killer. Anyway, bleach works, but you have to put it on the beds everyday till they are absolutely gone. Poor Reese has gotten bitten so many times, bless his heart.

Ok, this is really boring but it is what I have been doing for the last few weeks. So............

sticks and stones

My kids are having some good laughs over me. I do a lot of things at night. I don't like going out during the day. People call this house the Addams Family House. Anyway, the other night, I got a wild hair to take the small wicker waste basket and exchange it with the larger one that is sitting on the back porch. It was about 3am-ish. I went out to get the larger one, but someone had put some trash in it so I was taking it out and putting it into the smaller basket and I just fell. Just, whop. And, broke a clay planter at the same time. My first thought was that I was so happy that my kids were not there because they would have laughed themselves sick. Sick kids....just like me. Anyway, I finally got up and walked, stiffly, into my bathroom to see there was any visible damage. I have a horrible scrape on my elbow and some bruises on my side. But, nothing to write home about.

Other than trying to break my leg or arm, I have been trying to fix my rocks and posters from my trip to the GrandCanyon. I finally fixed on it today. It looks pretty good if I do say so.

Sweet dreams and don't forget 'Lost'.

this and that

Well, it looks like I might have taken a longer waller time, but I have not either the time or the inclination to write here. I think it is the change in the weather. That and coming back from our trip to Utah and beyond. I saw so much beauty out there that I want to go back. I am trying to save for a car so I can take my grandsons with me. I don't think either of my daughters will let them go across town in a car that has almost 230,000 miles on it. It runs good though, which means that I will get another Nissan when the time is right.

Reese and I are getting things together to start making Christmas presents. Remember, he is the only Seymour boy carrying the line on down the road, so anything he makes will be kept for years.

First thing we are going to make will be bread dough angels and stars and Reese will be the painter and the glitter sprinkler. Then we are make 2 imprints of his hands and feet. The hands we will paint and glitter and put a pic of him on it. This will be for the tree. The foot impression I will have to work on a little bit to get it ready, I will put maw maw on one side and pawpaw on the other side, then fill it up with candy corn. It is going to be a candy dish, but only candy corn will be allowed in it

I have two crochet things to finish. These will be framed and hanged on the wall. I forget what the symbol is for, but, oh well.

Ok dudes, see you in a bit.

A Waller Weekend

Ever have a waller weekend? I did this weekend. It's easy to have one and I highly reccommend that you have at least one every month or so.

First, you have to be alone. Get all the snacks you want and take them to your bedroom. You can have it in the living room, but it is so much better in the bedroom. Get some books or several movies, put on some sweats or go nekid if you want, just be comfortable.

Then, get in bed and read or watch movies and eat and sleep. Either turn off the phone or just don't answer it.

Try it, it will make a better you a better person. Trust me.

No Greater Love......Robert Minara

I did not know Robert Minara. I know he was a New York fireman with Ladder 25. I know that he died on 9/11, trying to saved others in the World Trade Center. I know that he was 54 and left behind a wife and two grown sons. I know they are proud of him.

I sometimes wonder if he knew what had happened. Did he know that it was a terrorist attack and not just an airplane going off course? I am sure, though, of one thing. It did not matter to him how or why it happened or who did it. I am sure he was only concerned with saving as many people as he could. He was one of many running into the buildings as smoke made it hard to see, trying to save as many people as he could. We may never know how many he saved.

Did he know that he was going to die? Maybe. I am sure firefighters and other first responders are always prepared for that. He did not turn and run, he did the job he joined the fire department to do. America needs more men and women like him.

Another thing I know about Robert Minara is that he died a hero. And, maybe that is the best thing to know about him. God bless you Robert Minara.

A Firefighter's Pledge
I promise concern for others. A willingness to help all those in need.I promise courage - courage to face and conquer my fears.Courage to share and endure the ordeal of those who need me.I promise strength - strength of heart to bear whateverburdens might be placed upon me. Strength of body to deliver to safety all those placed within my care.I promise the wisdom to lead, the compassion to comfort, and the love to serve unselfishly whenever I am called. -Author Unknown

Back to the beginning

Today is Labor Day, a day set aside to give the working man (and woman) an extra day off. It also marks the end of summer. Do NOT wear the white shoes that were perfectly good to wear yesterday.

But seriously, let's take a look back at the beginning of this country. Read this:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
In case anyone did not recognize it, that is the Preamble to the constitution.


And now this:

Bill of Rights
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Did you read those? Easy reading,huh? Now, here is a sample of the Patriot Act....ok, I will give you a link, if I don't then this post will be way to long http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html.

See the simplicity of the first two compared to the last? Why is that? Is it because more words are thrown in to confuse the reader? My son-in-law is a lawyer. He and I discuss most everything. I remember him telling me that the Patriot Act scared him. And, he is a card carrying Republican.

We have people pounding pulpits and whatever is around saying in their best W.C. Fields voice, that we need to get this country back to what our forefathers wanted. Yes, we do. However, we do NOT need more legislation or committees and sub-commutes. (Can't anyone see that the congress is looking more and more like a Monty Python skit???)

We need to follow and abide by the Bill of Rights, because, frankly, it says it all. And, in words the simple man can understand. It doesn't take a lawyer to read it and explain it.

So, yes, let's get back to what our founding fathers wanted for our country. Join www.mybillofrights.org.

Dear Lord, save me from fundies

I have been trying and trying to get that cafepress logo off my blog, but have had no luck. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know what to do. In detail.

I was having a great Saturday until my daughter called from Michigan and told me it was Sunday. Well, dang.

Then, I read a letter from a fundy on an email group that I belong to and that has set me to the boiling point. He is one of the type who thinks that any time a horrendous storm happens, then it is God's punishment on the evilness of man. I wrote back and asked him that why, if what he believes is true, the French Quarter was basically unharmed. Ya'll remember the French Quarter.....Mardi Gras, topless dancing, etc. And, I asked why Las Vegas is still sitting there with not one thing happening to it.

I also asked what sort of evil was going on when Betsy blew through and almost destroyed Grand Isle, La and the tornado in the 30's that nearly wiped out Tupelo, Ms and then went on to cause havoc in other states. What about the flood in the twenties that killed so many people in Tennessee and Kentucky. This led to the Tenn-Tom waterway. Maybe those ole boys were drinking or selling too much 'shine.

I am going to post part of his email PLEASE KNOW THAT I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS.....Some tragedies are judgments of God on the wicked. I understand that one of the cities that was hit the hardest was very wicked. Immorality, crime, murders and gambling was rampant. Maybe God allow this to judge them so others would take heed and repent and turn to Him. It is undeniable that America is turning farther away from God all the time. Many of these troubles could be God's warning that He will come in greater judgment on a wicked nation.

This man is the sort of pastor that I run from. On the one hand he acts like God speaks directly to him and then he runs from any questions.

I dare him to come down here to the Mississippi Coast and try to 'minister' to the people still living in tents, under bridges or doubled up with family.

I have seen people leave jobs and families to come down here to help. They open clinics and places where people could get hot meals....sandwiches do get old....they go door to door because they know that not all people can get to the rescue centers. I watched a group of kids with one adult supervising them, replace the roof on one of my neighbor's house. At no cost. The man just had to buy the shingles.

These are the people who impress me. The ones out living their faith, not sitting at home looking for the bad in people.

God Bless them the ones who put their faith in action.

TV anyone????

Well, I went to the doc's for labwork last Tuesday. My cholesterol is 208, it was 270. I was thrilled, but apparently the doc isn't so he wants me to take yet another med along with the Lipitor. Ah well. I think that if I had not just come back from that fifteen day trip, eating things I shouldn't have, the numbers might have been better. We'll see when I go back to be checked in November.

Being short of money, for various reasons, I have cancelled the premium channels on cable. Which means that now, instead of flipping through 140 channels, trying to find something to watch, I now flip through 60, trying to find something to watch. I do most of my TV watching or hunting,at night. Can someone tell me why there are three channels with Law and Order on? Is it really, truly that good? Then, there are the shows that are trying to get you to try (buy) their way of making a million a year or the makeup ones, or the natural health ones. I found one that seems to talk about excessive fecal matter all the time. They told the world (being facious there) that during John Wayne's autopsy, the doc found forty, FORTY pounds of old fecal matter! No wonder ole John walked like that.
Someone please, dear God I beg you, please put something good to watch on late night TV for us po' folks who need something to help us get in the mood to sleep.

Bricks and ..........

My youngest daughter is spending some days with me while she goes to school. I watch her son who is two and also her Boston Terrier puppy. She stays for three days and then goes home.

A couple of nights ago, I went out to put the trash can by the street and saw a small piece of brick laying by the driveway. Now, this piece of brick has lain on the railroad ties that separates the flower bed from the rest of the grass, forEVER, or near 'bout. So, of course my first thought was that I had interrupted someone who was fixing to break a window and come into the house. I didn't say anything to my daughter because I didn't want her to worry.

Until today. She called and we were just talking about whatever when I decided to tell her about the brick. As soon as I mentioned it, she started laughing. Finally, she says, that she was the one who moved it. Seems her puppy needed to go outside and while Michael was waiting on her to finish she noticed the brick. HER first thought was that someone could use it to break in on us. So, she moved it to the side of the road.

We then decided that with two crazy people living here, we need some way to keep up, so we are going to put a dry erase board up and write down if either of us do anything silly during the night.

When I was out in Utah, I stayed with my friend Leslie's mother. Her house is huge. She has seven bedrooms and five bathrooms and lives alone. Her basement runs the entire length of the house and she put two apartments down there. I spent a lot of time down there, because the upstairs was full of strangers with their kids. One morning I walked up stairs....didn't turn the stair lights on so it felt like coming out of a cave. My friend was standing in the middle on a bagillion people and saw me coming up the stairs. She put her hand to her head and said, ' oh nooooo, this means we will have six more weeks of winter'.

Maybe you had to be there.

Cow patties and meteors

Welp, I finally did it. I went to Arizona and Utah....and also Texas. Just the panhandle though.

I went with a friend whose mother lives in Utah. We had a hoot of a trip. The second evening we stopped for the night in Quanah, Texas. The desk clerk told us that there was a local annual rodeo that night so, we decided to go check it out. I mean, Quanah, Texas....what else is there to do?

Actually, it was fun. The rodeo was being held in support of the local 4hers. First thing I did was buy a ticket to win a quarter horse, but when it was pointed out that I would have no way of taking him in any direction, I told the little girl who sold me the ticket that if I won, I would give her the horse. Poor thing kept her fingers crossed all evening. I didn't win.

There was the usual cowboys doing their thing, but the best part was the kids. There was the sheep riding, the ride the hide and pull the bow off the cow's tail. Ride the hide looked like fun. There were three relay teams. Each team had someone on a horse holding onto a rope with a tarp tied to it. One kid would lay down on the tarp and the horse would take off and drag him/her through the dirt (this was about half-way through the rodeo, so you can imagine what else they were pulled through) down and around a barrel and then back to the starting line. That kid would roll off and then another would jump on and off they would go.

The announcer either had a speech impediment or needed a new speaker cause he kept inviting everyone to stay after the rodeo and join Trigger Happy in a good ole country ass-whooping. I finally asked my friend if she heard what I was hearing and she said 'yep' (she seemed to be getting into the spirit of the rodeo). We kept looking around to see other people's reactions and then he announced it again. What he was saying was, that Trigger Happy was a BAND and there was going to be a country and western dance after the rodeo.

The next day we went to ice cave and walked to the top of a volcano. Oh, and no way was it a twenty minute walk. Took at least thirty and a tough thirty at that. I have some pictures that I will post, cause we we to the Petrified Forrest, Grand Canyon and the Meteor Crater. I also go an official Route 66 and area 51 license.

See ya tomorrow.

Heaven???

I got this in the mail today. I loved the message and decided to share it.


A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the
scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been
dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side
of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was
broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch
that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked
like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as
he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right
up."
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the
traveler asked.
I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and
continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came
to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never
been closed. There was no fence.
As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a
tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.
"There should be a bowl by the pump."
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an
old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself,
then he gave some to the dog.
When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who
was standing by the tree.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," he answered.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road
said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope.
That's hell."
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave
their best friends behind."

Soooo...
Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without
writing a word.

Maybe this will explain.
When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what
you do? You forward jokes.
When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you
forward jokes.
When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know
how, you forward jokes.
Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still
important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get?
A forwarded joke.
So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent
just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your
friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.
You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime

It has occured to me that I talk about my grandsons, especially the baby, but not that much about the older two. The tall one on the left is Nicholas, who will soon be 14 and the shortie on the right is Ryan, who is 12. Now, don't think I am being mean by calling Ryan a shortie. He and I have had a unique relationship since he was about 3. He is a joker and loves practical jokes....just like I do. Sometimes we write silly things back and forth trying to outdo each other in insults. Nick is quiet and a voracious reader. He read the last Harry Potter in one weekend. I has more of a sly sense of humor, and can be so funny. This pic is the only one I have of the three boys together and it is 2 years old. When they were here last April we took all sorts of pictures, but none with the digital camera. I want to get some new pics of them all. Actually, Nick and Ryan look the same, just taller.

Puppies, young boys and born gentlemen

I went over to Baton Rouge today to visit my youngest daughter and her husband and son. Ok, so I actually went to spoil my grandson, who at two years old continues to amaze me with what he knows. He knows his colors, can count to ten, knows his ABCs and learned Twinkle Twinkle Little Star from the cd I gave him for Christmas. He is one smart little youngun. Here he is getting ready to give Johnny Depp a run for his money.







The other reason I went is because they got their new puppy, Annie. Look at that face! How can anyone want any other kind of dog???? Boston Terriers are the best dogs, hands down.

So, I played cars and trains with Reese and tried to keep Annie from gnawing my toes off. And, hated to leave when I did, but a friend drove me over because my van is kinda sorta falling apart just now.

On the way home I started telling Leslie, my friend, ( some people think that my friendship with her is sending me straigt to hell, but that's for another day) Anyway, I started talking about my older brother and how odd and talented he is. He once paid my youngest brother a dime to let him, the older brother, push the younger brother's face down into the mud so he could make a plaster cast to use for a dummy's head. He still has that dummy. He also has two others, both he bought. He also is an amateur magician and has designed and built several 'tricks'. Over the past few years he has been moving his dummies and tricks to a room at his bakery (he makes absolutely the best doughnuts. No one is as good.) So, even though his house got flooded during Katrina, he did not lose any of the special things he values. Anything else he lost can be replaced.

James writes and draws and just thinks of the weirdest things. A conversation with him is, you ask a question or mention something and off he goes, while you sit back and just enjoy.

He has always loved old cars and has had a 1928 Model T and a 1932 Roadster with a rumble seat. I may be wrong on the years, but I do remember that one was a truck and he had to use a hand crank to get it going. (This is one incident where he wished that he had a regular car.) This happened in a spooky house we lived in once, where weird things were always happening. Or, my brothers tried to scare me into believing they really happened. The only thing that happened there that I believe, but didn't see, happened to my oldest brother. James worked at a bakery and had to be at work at 3:30 am. When this incident happened he was there alone. The rest of the family had gone to visit my stepfather's family. James said that he got up one morning and while he was getting ready he heard a car or truck drive up and stop in front of our house. He heard men laughing and talking and sounds of equipment and doors banging. He didn't think anything of it because we had been told that the city was soon going to clear the trees and make the road go all the way to the next subdivision. He finished getting ready and went out to get in his car......he had a 1932 Ford Roadster that he had to crank....and there was nothing, not a car, truck or anyone, out there. He swore that he had heard this. He also said that he had never cranked that thing so fast before.

I love my brother. He has had a hard life. He starting working when he was 8, on a paper route. He had a good route too. Most people in our small town knew our family and that our father was an alcoholic. James' route covered the black section of town. Every so often, the newspaper would hold a drive to get more subscriptions and the paperboy got the most would get a prize. Good prizes too. So, the people on his route would all get together, sign on for taking the paper and then after the contest was over they cancelled their subscriptions, till the next contest. He got a bike, one the he road while I was standing up on his shoulders. (I trusted him and would do anything he asked.) He also got a TV. This TV happened to arrive on my 5th birthday, so nothing could convince me that it wasn't my birthday gift. (Of course, this was before my mother got so involved with the JWs.)

James used me in a lot of his magic tricks and I thought I was the coolest thing going. He also taught me to read before I started school. He brought home at least one Little Golden Book each time he got paid.

James didn't finish school. He barely finished the seventh grade. He had to work to support us, since our father wasn't going to and our mother could only get work heading shrimp. But, James is the most intelligent, scholarly man you would ever want to meet. And, he did it on his own, after work or in between jobs. He proves what makes a man great. And, it isn't the name of the school you go to or the name of the family you are born into.

It's War

A friend sent this to me and it was just too funny to keep to myself. Especially since we all need a laugh now and then.

This morning, from a cave somewhere in Pakistan, Taliban Minister of
Migration, Mohammed Omar, warned the United States that if military action against Iraq continues, Taliban authorities will cut off America's supply of convenience store managers. And if this action does not yield sufficient results, cab drivers will be next, followed by Dell customer service reps.

It's getting ugly!

The Bill of Rights

Below is the Bill of Rights. I decided to post it because we all, everyone of us in the United States, no matter our political persuasion, should know these by heart.

The First 10 Amendments to the
Constitution as Ratified by the States
December 15, 1791

Preamble

Congress OF THE United States
begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday
the Fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.:

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution


Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Movies

Two words for you........Johnny Depp. I went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie today. I was totally surprised that there were so many people there at such an early time of the day. We actually had to sit on the very front row of seats. And, it was worth it. I laughed most of the time and some people cheered. It is a good movie and the special effectives are believable.

But, I saw something there that I could not believe. A preview of aNOTHER Rocky movie. Yes, you read that right. A new ROCKY movie.

Lord help us.

Finally, an intelligent, funny comedian

Ok. When there is a Recover post link, you would think it would actually recover the post, right? Well, it didn't and I just finished writing the perfect rant. But, never fear, I will rewrite it.

It is about one of my peeves (ain't no pet about it) untalented comedians who resort to vulgarity instead of learning their craft. It is either that or they think that we, the audience, are too ignorant to get the jokes without the vulgarity. For instance, a comedian walks on stage amd starts his/her routine. First joke goes something like this......Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. He/she get some lame, pity laughs. So, they decide they need to turn it up a notch, or they will never get on the Tonight Show. So, here's the joke the next time.....Why did the m*****f*****g chicken cross the f*****g road? To get to the other G*dd**n side. This time the audience roars with laughter, because, after all, we can't look uncool can we? The comedian has learned that using vulgarity instead of intelligence gets the laughs.

Thinking more about this, maybe, the audience does have a huge part in this. Don't get me wrong, vulgarity does not offend me. It is the presumption that I am too stupid or ignorant to understand jokes without the vulgarity.

A friend of mine has said that AIDS has killed the really talented people in Hollywood. I am beginning to think she is right.

I had written more about this, wrote about the stupid movies that are being made. And, tell ya'll the sexiest scene in a movie I have seen, without seeing sweaty, jiggling bodies. I will do that tomorrow. I was just going over this blog, lord knows, someone has to read it, anyway, I saw that I was supposed to tell ya'll about the sexiest scene I ever saw in a movie. Get ready. It was in "It's A Wonderful Life". Stay with me here. Remember when Donna Reed was on the phone with an old boyfriend and James Stewart was standing close to her, listening? And, he slowly leaned a tad bit closer, then closer? Then, he could smell her hair. (He wasn't sniffing like a dog, but was aware of how good it smelled.) And, she kept talking and he just looked at her and got closer. Well, there it is. My vote for the sexiest movie scene of all time. It was classy, sexy, tasteful, and it gave us (the audience) credit for our intelligence of what he was thinking and that she knew what he was thinking. We did not have to see them..............oh, lawd, I can't even type what I was just thinking.

There is hope for us though. I just found a comedian who is funny and intelligent. And, who is a juggling fool. His name is Chris Bliss, and just because I have just discovered him just means that I am, as usual, way behind times. I wish he would put all his videos on his website. I also wish he would come to a town, or casino, near me. I would love to see him perform live. Go to his site, check him out. And, then check out his Bill of Rights page.

LQQk over there ~~~~~~~>

See that CafePress thing over there? I have been trying to get rid of it, but can't. The store is closed and I am waiting on blogger to tell me how to take that off.

i-glasses

So, I am getting used to the diet Barq's rootbeer. I love the real Barq's but my favorite is still the real thing, good ole Coke. But, I have been good and have not had one in over a week. One thing with this med I am taking is that it makes me not want to eat, so I have lost ten pounds this past week. I want to lose weight, but not so fast that all the skin is hanging and I would look like a human shar pei.

I haven't been posting here very much lately because I have been busy listing things for sell on ebay. See, my friend who does some silly things at times, decided about six years ago that she wanted to collect promo cartoon glasses. So, she now has about 200 of them. She asked me last week if I would list them for her. It seemed a good way to pass the time till the new Johnny Depp movie comes out, so I said yes. ( Did I say she sometimes did silly things? Well, she isn't the only one.) So, anyway, she brings out the eight, 8, EIGHT, boxes of glasses. each held 24 glasses and in some she had doubled up. So, I start. I get a glass, took a pic of it, then listed in on ebay. It was ok, but not going fast enough for me. So, I got the bright idea to take pics of them all and then crop them and save them....you know the drill. Well, this seemed a fine idea, until after I spent 2 and 1/2 hours doing it, I realized that I hadn't named or numbered the ones that are the same. So, it was back to getting a glass, taking the pic.........

So, now I have several glasses listed and several scheduled to start in a couple of days, and will also start listing again Wednesday. If anyone wants or collects these cartoon glasses, check out ebay under i-glasses, my name on ebay.

The meds are working good except that I have been have weird dreams. My two youngest kids are having a good laugh at me. Well, piddlesquat, I laugh at them too. Man, the stories I could tell about them. Like the time my son freaked out in haunted house in Virginia Beach, and the time my daughter, who's name is Michael, was signing up for a discount on some makeup at a department store. She told the salesperson her name and then was looking around, her mind obviously not in the store at the moment. The saleslady looked at her and, to check the spelling of her name, said...'Mic...." my daughter looked at her and said...'key'.....spelling Mickey Mouse. I died, right there. Poor kid. She got the name right finally and was redfaced until we left the store then we both had to sit down on one of the benches because we were laughing so hard we couldn't see where we were going. And, trust me, they are better and funnier stories.

I think that in a month or so I will publish my log of taking the cholesterol meds and the depression meds......the last I call the meds so I won't kill Phil (my youngest)

Sad Sad day in Mudville

Well, it's a sad sad day in Mudville. I went to the doctor yesterday. I knew my cholesterol was high but had no idea it was as high as it is, so I am seriously going to work at getting that down.

The sad thing is, I am borderline diabetic, which means no more cokes. A friend told me that she heard that two people had been laid off from thre coke plant in Atlanta and their kids kick out of school, since I am no longer supporting them.

Diet Barqs rootbeer seems ok........but there is nothing like the real thing.

I am going to take a couple of days to mourn and then hold a ceremony in the back yard, burying empty coke cans and pouring the coke over them as we sing.........I'd love to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony...........ah well....and end of an era.

The pic of the sweet baby girl is my youngest daughter's soon to be newest critter. She is trying to think of names now. Lola might be it. The puppy is three days old now.

Well, it has certainly been an interesting day. First, I went to the doctor for the first time in over two and one half years. The doctor is one I really like, he is down to earth and is easy to talk to. The last time I went to him my cholesterol was high and he prescribed some cholesterol-lowering medicine. I took one month, but stopped because it cost just way too much and at the time I could not afford

. Today, when he asked how I was doing on it I honestly told him that I
was not taking it and why. I am also borderline diabetic, which right now can be controlled with diet and exercise (aaaagggggggg!!!) so, ok, I will stop drinking cokes. This is not going to be easy since I can easily drink twelve or more a day. I will need to lose weight too. I will start walking then will start swimming again. I also need medicine for depression. So, after my exam, the doctor left the room and came back with a bag of Lexapro (for depression) and,,,oh shoot, I can't remember the cholesterol meds and I am too lazy just now to go in the bathroom and get it. Anyway, I will not have to buy meds for as long as the doctor gets the free samples. And, as soon as my prescription insurance kicks in.

I also have something funny going on with my liver. The doctor has scheduled an ultrascan to see what it might be. It doesn't hurt and like he said I am not yellow, so he doesn't think it is anything serious. BUT, I have had two brothers die from cancer, one pancreas/liver cancer and the other they were not sure exactly where his started. He only lived seven days after his diagnosis. So, I am going to be a tad bit nervous until I find out what is going on.

On a lighter side, I went to a casino for the first time in about three years. I tried craps and lost, then went to a slot machine and did pretty good for awhile. Actually, I would have come out ahead if I had left sooner, but I was playing Wheel of Fortune and it was just so much fun. I only spent twenty dollars of my money, the rest was the casinos so it was ok. The bad part was the food. Casino food is usually good. This was horrible. Even the crab legs were overcooked. But, it was fun. But, I won't be going back for a long time.

I am going to start selling Leslie's cartoon glasses on ebay for her, then when I get done with them, she wants me to put her Mormon books on there to sell. She is doing it to keep me busy, because, when I have too much time on my hands, I do dumb things. Like play Wheel of Fortune.

And...

OK, the obsessions are kicking in, I can feel them now, sneaking up behind me. I suppose it is a good thing that I have a doctor's visit tomorrow. Have I mentioned how much I dislike and distrust doctors? Well, I do. But, I am going, since it has been three or so years since I have gone. So, I go, they give me meds for, oh say, high cholesterol which lowers that but eats up my liver.

You know that I am rambling now because I should be working on a story that I have had rattling around in the back of my head for a couple of weeks now. And, there is another one peeking over that one's shoulder, so, I suppose it will be another night of all night writing. I wish it were easier to write.

So....ta ta everyone.

Well, it's Memorial Day.....whoooo hooo. This year I find myself wishing I could get all pumped about it. I remember the Memorial Days of the past when I would throw some hotdogs, buns , chips and cokes in the car.........and the kids...and we would head up to the nearest creek to swim all day. That was so much fun. But, now, some of the kids
have kids and the one who doesn't thinks it is silly to spend time playing in the sand with his mama, so he is off fishing and eating the flounder they gigged last night. So, today I will put in a load of clothes, get my newest NetFlix movie and snuggle down on the couch with Gumbo. That's Gumbo up there in the pic.

Nothing much has been happening lately, which is probably a good thing. It's about time things quieted down. I am supposed to go up to Michigan in two weeks to get my two oldest grandsons and bring them back here for the summer. If I can afford it. I will need to do some major praying as I do my budget for the month. Those boys need the time away from Michigan and I need them down here. Even though they spend the first week asking me to repeat whatever I say to them. They are good boys. I was looking for the latest pic I have of them, but dangit, I think I deleted them along with some stuff that needed deleting. I will ask my daughter to send me more, so I show them off too.

Ok. I may write more, but I am also supposed to be working on a story for a writing group and I have a bad case of the popitifuls, so maybe that will be for tomorrow.

Weird dreams

I have been having this recurring dream. I am in an old rundown house. I am moving out, and there are people coming in and out who have bought the house and will be doing extensive remodeling. I am terrified because I know that there are pictures hidden there of my mother killing my father. And, I am the one who took the pics. There are people coming in and out, some I know from years ago and some I don't know. I keep trying to figure out how to get my father's body and the pics out of the house.

This is where it always ends, and I wake up in a total panic. My father died of liver failure in 1974 and my mother died in 2001.

Bank woes and 'christian' hackers

This is going to be a complaint post. First, my bank apparently found out last summer that a some of the customers's bank card numbers were stolen along with thousands across the country. They said they notified us about this last June. I don't recall getting a letter telling me about this. If I had, I would have immediately cancelled that card and gotten another one. Apparently, our numbers were only stolen, not used. So, a week or so ago, I did get a letter telling me that some of the cards had been showing some activity and so the bank were going to cancel the cards, effective this last Monday. They were going to send new cards which we would have to call in to activate and then go to the bank to get new pin numbers. Sure enough, this last Monday, my card was no longer valid. However, I have not received my new card yet. Nor has at least one of my friends who also uses this bank. I called the bank just a few minutes ago and was told that the cards were mailed out last Friday and everyone should have theirs by this Friday. Ok, I can live with that. But, here is the problem. Since, for whatever reason, I did not know that my card number had been stolen, I did not check my accounts that closely. I know, I should do that weekly anyway, but, I trusted the bank and did not see any large amounts going to places that I did not authorize. And, since Katrina, a lot of my important papers were lost. I do not have a year's worth of bank statements to check. Now, I can go to the bank and get them for $2.00 a page, which will be around $100 or so. Because, you see, their online banking page only goes back 3 months. Big help there. So, I suppose I will be ordering those copies just to be sure.

Now for the other complaint. There is a woman who I met on Paltalk who has a blog that I read daily. This woman had the 'audacity' to question a well-known online minister's view on something. I actually heard a man say that this was the reason that women should not preach. This woman are not preaching, nor do they want to. This woman had legitimate questions about something this well-known apologist said and has/had on his website. All this happened weeks ago, the two have talked and still disagree. That should have been the end of it. However, there is a troll who has made it his life's mission to harrass this woman every chance he gets. On Paltalk and on her blog via her comments section. She deletes his comments and blocks his IP to prevent him from commenting again, and he somehow gets around the block. This person, who loudly proclaims his 'christianity' has no qualms about also being a hacker. He has bragged about it to several people. He has hacking programs that allow him to go invisibly into a chatroom, where he sits and records what is said. He then edits the recordings and plays them in other rooms.

So, my question is, would a Christian do this? And, why is he doing this? Is he jealous of the people he is recording? What should be done with someone who does this? Banning? He can get around a ban. I think I know, from listening to him for several hours over a couple of years, why he is doing this. And, to be honest, he is not the only one causing problems. The people who allow him to post things in there rooms should be ashamed of themselves. For example, he admins in several rooms. Before he signs onto Paltalk and goes into a chatroom, the conversations are good and disagreements are handled in an adult manner. But, as soon as this person comes into the chatroom, he will put something in the banner that is meant to cause strife and division. And, if noone reacts or comments on whatever is there, he will come to the mic and say...'what do you think of what's in the banner?' or something like that. He will do this several times, until an argument is started, people get their feelings hurt, or some of the people leave and go into another chatroom. Before this man came on the scene, these people, as diverse as they are and with differences in some points of doctrine, were able to discuss things rationally. Since he has been here, the group has split and some have even left Paltalk with no intention of returning. Since he has come on the scene, some people cannot discuss any differences, without insulting. People who have had issues with someone else, who before this troll, were able to lay those issues aside. Now, some use what this person does. They listen to and replay his recordings over and over. They laugh and ridicule others. They allow this troll to insult others in their chatrooms. This troll will go into a room, invisibly of course, with people who he does not like with the sole purpose of recording something he can later use.

How Christian is that? Would a Christian be a hacker? Would a Christian continually cause division and strife among brothers? And, more importantly, would a Christian allow this? Why do others who claim to be saints, allow this? Why has none of the many other Christians who know this troll and know what he is doing, not sat him down to tell him that he is wrong in what he is doing?

Soon to be a star......

This evening I talked to a young man on Paltalk that I first 'met' back in 2000 or so. I thought for the longest time that he was at least in his 30s because of the way he talked and the things he said. Especially about the bible. Turned out he was only 18.

Anyway, we found that we have similar tastes in music, like Leon Redbone and John Prine and Tom Waits. This kid is very talented. He sings, writes and plays the banjo and guitar and the last time I talked to him, before tonight, he was teaching himself the fiddle. Tonight he sent me his myspace site where he has two of his songs. I like them both, but 'Suicide Blues' was my favorite. Ya'll seriously need to go there and listen to it. And, remember his name, because you will be hearing it again, most likely on CMT.

Eight months ago....

Eight months or so ago my world changed forever, the physical part anyway. We are now working on a new normal. Highway 90 goes right along the beach from Bay St Louis to Ocean Springs. It is still makes me sad to drive down it. It's like a friend said, it is almost as if we are in a funeral procession, because we are still stunned to see the devastation that Katrina brought us. The beach front had some beautiful hundred year old houses and churches that are just gone.

I spent the hurricane in Baton Rouge with my youngest daughter. And, I have to admit that I did not believe that the hurricane was going to be as bad as it was. There was wind damage even in Baton Rouge and that is about an hour and a half from the coast. We prepared though. We got in extra food and diapers and bottled water. And, then sat back and waited. It was not an option to go anywhere, traffic was so bad that some of the people who did try to evacuate gave up and came home.

I slept on the couch and woke up early Monday. The wind was already howling around the buildings and the power was off. Over the next three or four hours we watched tree limbs breaking and falling. We watched the parking lot to see if it was going to flood. But, mostly we sat and wondered what was happening over here on the Mississippi Coast. If you are ever here when we are expecting a hurricane, you might hear us joking about how we need a new roof or that we wanted to remodel anyway. Trust me, these are just whistling past the graveyard jokes.

Since we had no power to watch TV and the phones were iffy, we did not know the extent of the damage. I tried to call my oldest son who sat out the hurricane up in Saucier.....which is only about ten miles north of the coast. Finally, my oldest daughter who lives in Michigan got through to us to tell us what she was seeing on CNN. I could hear the stress and fear in her voice, so I knew it was worse that even she was telling us. Just before we lost connection she said that David (my son) had managed to get through to her. That was a relief to know that he and his family were not hurt. He told her that he was told that all the houses down by my house had gotten a lot of water. My house NEVER floods. Suddenly the jokes about remodeling were no longer funny.

That was the last news we got until Wednesday, two days after the hurricane. David got through to tell me he had checked my house and it was ok, except for the roof. I started breathing a little easier. We still did not have power, which meant no news. (It also meant no A/C. And, I can tell you that it is seriously hot and muggy after a hurricane. There is not even a breeze. I will tell you too that when the guy across the street came in every afternoon and started up his generator we told each other all the evil things we would like to see happen to him.)

Finally, Wednesday evening the lights came on. The sounds of windows and doors slamming lasted about ten minutes. I am surprised that there was not a brown out from all the A/Cs coming on at once. Then, we turned on the TV and sat down to see what the world had been seeing for three days. Still, I guess because it was on TV, it did not seem real. My son turned on the computer and found a NOAA website that showed the area. He found his best friend's house. It looked as if a giant had come through and ripped the roof off the house, swept the house itself away and then put the roof on the ground.

I did not come back here till the next Wednesday. I drove over to see for myself that my house was really ok. The first thing that struck me was that there was hardly any traffic on the interstate. And, what traffic there was, was convoy's of National Guards, and of electric company trucks from all over the country. And, the smaller convoys of people from the different churches and organizations from all over the country who were on their way to help. People, ordinary everyday people, took time from their jobs, and their families to come to the coast to help. Just because help was needed.

Driving into Gulfport was surreal. The power was still off in most areas. Debris was still on the roads. People who had stayed home and rode out the hurricane had a look in their eyes. The Katrina Look. I drove down my street and when I saw the live oak tree in my front yard I stopped the car and cried. That tree was only as tall as my waist when I bought this house and now it shades the whole front part of my yard and house. Most of it was still there, but it had taken a beating. It's still lopsided, but I see new limbs sprouting, so it is going to be fine.

I did not go down to the beach that day. I was not ready. It was late October before I finally did drive down the beach. Pictures and news footage are ok. It does not compare to actually seeing the church that is just a shell now,or the yards piled with debris and garbage, or Marine Life gutted. Not one building was left untouched and most were destroyed.

My oldest daughter came down last month. It was her first time seeing it firsthand. Her youngest son was surprised to see that things were not all cleaned up and rebuilt.

The coast is coming back. Houses are being rebuilt and businesses reopening. There are still piles of debris and blue FEMA roofs though.

Hurricane season begins again in June.

What's in a name.....

Well, this has certainly been an interesting night on Paltalk. I was sitting in a chatroom minding my business, listening to the discussion when I got a pm from someone I don't know, but have seen in rooms. He is a Jewish man who apparently hates Christians for daring to say that the OT prophets prophesied the coming of Christ. He asked me if I would answer a question or be like most Christians and get mad and ignore him. So, I decide to try to understand his view and told him that I would try to answer his questions. Then, I asked this.....'Why do you, as a Jew, care what I believe.'....he came unglued and cussed me out. He used extremely vulgar and offensive terms and then denied that he had done so. I tried to talk with him and for awhile I thought it was working, but then he began all over with his questions (which I tried to answer) and his cussing. I finally told him that we were going in circles and that I was tired of his offensive manner in talking to me. He then told me I was a coward. I just agreed and ignored him.

Thing is, I have never heard anyone who is Jewish being offended by being called a Jew. He wants to be known as Hebrew, which I had no problem with using. But, when I told him that I did not know that word was offensive, he told me that I probably did know and used it anyway. There was no compromise with him. He did not try to treat me with an ounce of common courtesy. And, he was offended when I told him that I was no longer going to respond to his pm and said, 'God bless'. He told me I had no authority to bless him. I pointed out that I only wanted God to bless him. Nothing worked with him. So, I finally gave it up. I was surprised when he said he preferred muslims to Christians. He said that he lived among them and they did not lie about his book. Well, I pray those muslims don't decide to visit him one day with a bomb or big ole knife.

It takes all kinds I guess.

Peeves, rants and silliness..

The other day I was watching FoxNews and something on the ticker at the bottom of the screen caught my eye. Can't remember what it was now, but it was something about someone or some group doing something because of something else. The headline read something like this.......so-in-so is doing this behind so-in-so's firing them.....(more or less). This irritates me so much! I have even heard a news reader say that. And, they also say 'ahead' of some event. Do these people not have college degrees in Journalism? Or, are they just being lazy? I know kids use these phrases and words, but shouldn't the news media be a tad bit more educated?

And, this one just sets my teeth on edge. I absolutely cannot stand to hear someone say 'at ths point in time'....what is wrong with 'now'? People who use this phrase also usually use 'if you will'. AAGGGGGGGHHHHH. Imagine Shakespeare writing........'at this point in time is the winter of our discontent (if you will). See????

So, I decided to go back to CNN. No relief there. Their people must have gone to the same school with the Fox people. So, behind the news folks being so lazy I have decided to skip television news, at this point in time. If you will.


Last week my oldest daughter came for a visit with her two sons. They live in Michigan (I tried to raise her right, but she married a yankee anyway.) And, my youngest daughter brought her son over. I had them all here for a week. It was a good visit, except that my oldest daughter's husband (known as Jackie, even though his name is Bob. Jackie is short for jackass.) was here too and he is just an idiot. But, this is not going to be about him. Or about the visit. I will write about that later.

They all left Saturday and Phil went out with his friends so I was alone here. It was late and I was online, playing Text Twist and listening to the Art Bell show. It was his ghost to ghost night. People called in with their ghost stories. Some of them were spooky too. My desk is against a wall so when I sit at it my back is to the door. It was about 1 am or so. All of a sudden this huge shadow came up on the wall and started getting BIGGER. I slid back from my desk and spun around so I could catch the grabbo in mid-flight. It wasn't a grabbo at all. What it was, was Gumbo on the bed sitting up and stretching. The twerp. I wasn't scared, really. But, I did go around and check to make sure all the windows and doors were locked.

Phil made the cutest movie. Well, cute is not the right word, but since it is late and my brains are oatmeal right now, that is the best I can do. He made it for a friend of his who had to do a report for his Sociology class on cults. He filmed his friend talking about cults, then the movie switched to show another of his friends dressed in cammies, looking into the camera and then turning and running off into the woods. The narrator says....'pity the fool who is gonna die'...something MrT used to say. He was apparently a member of the cult of MrT. Another friend was the Australian cult hunter, Phil was the driver of the super cult hunting van (mine!) and they went off hunting for the cult member. It was funny. One scene was from...shoot what is the name of that movie? the 'need for speed' one. Anyway, the cult member did double duty as the flight director.....the filmed him on the side of the road waving his hands, giving the van the go ahead for take off. Then, it switched to a shot of the speedometer, then, the van took off and when they switched back to Jerry, he dropped to the ground and did the worm. It was so funny. Except for the part where they lit a cardboard box on fire at the front of my van, then filmed it so it looked like the van was on fire. Oh, and there were a couple of times when the van went over speed bumps that sparks flew out from the back wheels. The kid made an A+ on it.

Ok, I am getting sleepy-silly, so, God bless and sweet dreams.

Midnight Confessions......

Well, it isn't 2nd avenue and it isn't midnight, but.......... I had written a post earlier, then my computer froze. Of course it was extremely insightful and will be a major loss to the world.

So, we have Penn and Teller insulting Mother Theresa by saying 'Mother F*****g Theresa'. I agree that she could have given more to the poor instead of using it to build convents. I also thing the TV preachers should use more of the money they take in on helping others instead of having horrible plastic surgeries and buying pink hair dye. Not to mention the private jets and huge houses.

I am not offended by Penn and Teller's using the F word either. I use it at times. What offends me is that more and more unfunny comedians use vulgarity to get cheap laughs. For the record, I have never found Penn and Teller funny.

Look at the Comedy channel. Watch the untalented comedian wannabes resort to vulgarity to get laughs. And, the audience, give the Pavlovian response, and laugh. It is almost as if vulgarity is the new laugh track.

Richard Pryor was a funny man who used vulgarity,but not to get laughs, he didn't need to. He got laughs just by standing there. So did Gene Wilder and Eddie Murphy and Billy Crystal and Mike Myers.

I am offended by people, entertainers, who think we, the audience, are not intelligent enough to get the jokes. A friend of mine told me once that AIDS had killed all the creative people. After watching thirty minutes of the new Pink Panther movie, I have to agree with her. I only made it through thirty minutes of that movie before I left the theater. Steve Martin wasn't vulgar, but he over played the character.

I made a list of PEOPLE WHO SHOULD HAVE LEFT US WANTING MORE once. I think it is time to revive it. First on the list would be Tom Cruise.

Dreams or......?????

I know, I know. Everytime I say I am going to write something every day, life jumps up and demands that I deal with it. My friend Leslie spent a week in the hospital with a serious staff infection. Then, after she came home she could not wash dishes, so, as bad as I hate to wash dishes, I go over every other day or so and do them. But, her hand is well enough now that she can do her own.

I think I was going to talk about getting in touch with my family, but, I think I will wait a bit on that.

Ok, so instead I will confess to something......I am a semi-fan of reality tv. Not shows like Survivor or The Apprentice. I watch The Real World on MTV...sad, ain't I? But, I have been thinking that someone should do a Real World type show with people between 55 and 65. Imagine it. There would have to be a flaming liberal, an ultra conservative, an atheist, a calvinist, a Catholic, a JW and a Mormon. For the first season anyway. Seven people, three women and four men. One woman would be the liberal and a man would be the ultra con. I would love to see how people of these ages would relate to each other and how the men would act in the house. Would they walk around in their tighty whities? What about the women? Would they just naturally fall into the submissive role? Would the men sit and scratch their bellies expecting the women to cook? Would the liberal lead a rebellion against the mores they were all raised with? I think it would be a hit.


And, I have been listening to Art Bell too much I think. See, when I was between the ages of two and five I had what I have always considered was an ordinary dream. I know how old I was because of where we were living at the time. Anyway, in the dream a man is outside my window and wakes me up. Next thing I am outside with him, and there are two others there. They are glowing....like the greenish glow from Halloween makeup. One of them holds me in his arms and then tells me not to tell anyone about them and that they would see me again. Ok, now, I know this might could be a abuse situation, I'm not sure, but it is like most dreams....the more I try to remember details the more it fades. Like, when I first remember it, everything is clear, then starts to fade. It was also during this time that I believed that I could float. I can remember standing in a doorway, floating up and touching the ceiling. (Another typical abuse defense, the 'outside looking down at yourself' thing.)

Now, the other night I was listening to Art Bell. His guest was talking about 'shadow people' and other alien type things. All of a sudden I remembered the famous Pascagoula River alien abduction that happened back in the 70s. And, then I remembered that the house I was living in when I had the weird dream was about 500 yards (or feet, distance is hard for me to judge) from the River, and within a mile of where the abduction happened. Weird, huh? What is weirder to me is that I never made that connection till now. And, remember, when I was two or so, UFOs were not so much in the news as they are now.

So, it was either a dream, an abuse situation or I was visited by aliens. I vote for the latter. Come to think of it, I am always seeing something walking just behind me. This is what Shadow People supposedly do. Why they do this, I have no idea. And, I used to hear someone calling my name and there was no one there when I turned around.

Maybe it is time to visit the doc and try out the meds again.

I am listening to Leonard Cohen sing Tennessee Waltz....he is so good. Next up is Lyle Lovitt, Jimmy Buffett, George Jones and Delbert McClinton. Oh, and Tom Waits.

Midnight monsters and 'fraidycats

I know that if I am going to have a blog, then I have to write in it at least more than once a month, but I truly have been so busy that I have not had time to read emails, much less write something here. And, I know that the more I write, the more I think to write about and the better I write. So, I am going to try to post something daily.....


Ok, so, tonight, about an hour ago, my son Phil....my twenty-year old son, who is six feet three.....came into my room and woke me up to tell me that his cat had brought a baby snake into the house. I told him to take it out. He told me that he is afraid of snakes, and stood there looking so pitiful that I got up to see what was what. And, what was what, was, that Kudreau (Phil's cat) and Gabby (one of the four cats that I am keeping for my youngest daughter) were both trying to play with this litte teeninecy (south, or maybe Erwin, for very small) snake. So, I go hunting for something to pick this monster up with, while Phil (did I mention that he is 6'3?) cowers in the door to the dining room half turned so that he can run back down the hall if this man-eating critter turns towards him and the cats are fighting each other over who is going to swat the snake. I finally got a long thing and after chasing the snake around the dining room floor, while holding off the cats (who were getting upset with me for not playing fair and giving them their turn) got the snake outside. Then, I decided that I should try to keep it so we could find out if it is poisionous. So, I went onto the porch and persuaded it to go into a plastic container. Now, even though there is no way for it to get out, me and Phil both feel things crawling on us.

Tomorrow, or later today, I will write about fixing my 1995 Nissan Quest with 220,000 some odd miles on it. And, the long talk with my oldest brother's wife. I have not seen them since 2002, and that was at my mother's funeral.

Po-pitifuls

Every so often I get a visit from the po-pitifuls. I never know what is going to cause them to pay a visit. I wake up and there they are. They can't be seen because they are engulfed in the dark cloud that is hanging over my head... just behind me and sort of to the left. They might be invisible but they can be heard, by me anyway. They follow me singing .....'nobody knows de trouble I seen.....' When this happens I shut down, eat too much, sleep as much as I can or watch endless Lifetime movies. And, listen to Tom Waites singing Waltzing Mathilda. And, drink way too many cokes. Oh, and, the chocolate.............

So, the other day I was watching an X-Files marathon and lusting over Fox Mulder (if he had kept eating those sunflower seeds.........oh well) Anyway, my dog, Gumbo, who usually sits on the back of the couch with his head on my shoulder, came in and jumped onto the couch and licked my foot. Before I knew it I was telling him that he was the only person I could count on and talk to. I was right on the verge of a crying jag.......

Thank God, my sane self broke out of the closet I had locked her in and told me I was getting close to lockup time, and I had better get over it. I argued a bit but she won so I started pulling myself out of it. It has taken me a few days, but, once again truth, honor and the American way won out over evil.

Actually, I felt so silly talking to Gumbo like I did that I got up and started cleaning house and took a walk.


Today was Reese Thomas' second birthday. I will tell ya'll about that tomorrow.

Percy who?

So, who thought it would be a wonderful idea to name a train Percy? A train that young children who are not talking clearly, plays with? Try taking a two year old out, a two year old who has that train (and Thomas), a two year old who has trouble with 'r' words. And, have that two year old want to tell everyone he sees what the name of the train is. Makes for an interesting day.

Gotta love the logic

Robin Williams, wearing a shirt that says "I love New York" in Arabic.

You gotta love Robin Williams...... Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message. Robin Williams' plan...
(Hard to argue with this logic!) "I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan.

" 1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good ole boys", we will never "interfere" again.
2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany, South Korea, the Middle East, and the Philippines. They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.
3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.
4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.
5) No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home baby.
6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while.
7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we'll go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)
8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of know that what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.
9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.
10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer.
11) The Language we speak is ENGLISH...learn it...or LEAVE... Now, isn't that a winner of a plan? The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' "


Got this is my email today. Copy it and pass it on.......

Interesting

Got this in a email today.......

Bill Clinton registers for the draft on September 08, 1964, accepting all contractual conditions of registering for the draft.

Selective Service Number 326 46 228. Bill Clinton classified 2-S on November 17, 1964.

Bill Clinton reclassified 1-A on March 20, 1968. Bill Clinton ordered to report for induction on July 28, 1969.

Bill Clinton refuses to report and is not inducted into the military.

Bill Clinton reclassified 1-D after enlisting in the United States Army Reserves on August 07, 1969, under authority of Col. E. Holmes. Clinton signs enlistment papers and takes oath of enlistment. Bill Clinton fails to report to his duty station at the University of Arkansas ROTC, September 1969.

Bill Clinton reclassified 1-A on October 30, 1969, as enlistment with Army Reserves is revoked by Colonel E. Holmes and Clinton now AWOL and subject to arrest under Public Law 90-40 (2)(a) a registrant who has failed to report... remains liable for induction.

Bill Clinton's birth date lottery number is 311, drawn December 1, 1969, but anyone who has already been ordered to report for induction is INELIGIBLE!

Bill Clinton runs for Congress (1974), while a fugitive from justice under Public Law 90-40.

Bill Clinton runs for Arkansas Attorney General (1976), while a fugitive from justice.

Bill Clinton receives pardon on January 21,1977, from President Carter.

Bill Clinton is the FIRST PARDONED FEDERAL FELON ever to serve as President of the United States.

All these facts come from Freedom of Information requests, public laws, and various books that have been published, and have not been refuted by Clinton.

After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five U.S. military personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 and injured 200 U.S. military personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, which killed 224 and injured 5,000; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 and injured 39 U.S. sailors; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

Maybe if Clinton had kept those promises, an estimated 3,000 people in New York and Washington, DC that are now dead would be alive today.

AN INTERESTING QUESTION: This question was raised on a Philly radio call-in show. Without casting stones, it is a legitimate question.
There are two men, both extremely wealthy. One develops relatively cheap software and gives billions of dollars to charity. The other sponsors terrorism. That being the case, why was it that the Clinton Administration spent more money chasing down Bill Gates over the eight years in office, than Osama bin Laden?

THINK ABOUT IT!

It is a strange turn of events. Hillary gets $8 Million for her forth coming memoir. Bill gets about $12 Million for his memoir yet to be written. This from two people who spent 8 years being unable to recall anything about past events while under oath.

Sincerely, Cdr. Hamilton McWhorter USN (ret) P.S. Please forward this to as many people as you can! We don't want this woman to even THINK of running for President.

I think......

I have a theory. Maybe it's a wrong theory, but, I think it is pretty close to being accurate. See, I think that one reason that muslims will riot and march and kill over something as silly as a cartoon, is the nature of their culture. They are so repressed. They are so afraid that they will do something that will bring the culture police down on their heads. So, when their imans exhort them to riot, it is almost orgasmic for them. They can set their fears and inhibitions aside without fear of retribution.

I also heard today, and I will find the reference, that it is NOT mentioned anywhere in the quran that pictures or images are taboo. Imans have pictures of mohammed. Interesting huh?

So, now, we need to all join together and boycott all muslim owned businesses. If you walk into a store or whatever and a muslim is behind the counter, walk out and go to another store, one that has no muslim employees or owners. It is time to stand up to them. Their '20-year plan' is well underway and we have a lot of catching up to do.

Read:
The Avalon Project at Yale Law SchoolHamas Covenant 1988
The Covenantof theIslamic Resistance Movement
18 August 1988
In The Name Of The Most Merciful Allah
"Ye are the best nation that hath been raised up unto mankind: ye command that which is just, and ye forbid that which is unjust, and ye believe in Allah. And if they who have received the scriptures had believed, it had surely been the better for them: there are believers among them, but the greater part of them are transgressors. They shall not hurt you, unless with a slight hurt; and if they fight against you, they shall turn their backs to you, and they shall not be helped. They are smitten with vileness wheresoever they are found; unless they obtain security by entering into a treaty with Allah, and a treaty with men; and they draw on themselves indignation from Allah, and they are afflicted with poverty. This they suffer, because they disbelieved the signs of Allah, and slew the prophets unjustly; this, because they were rebellious, and transgressed." (Al-Imran - verses 109-111).
Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it" (The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory).
"The Islamic world is on fire. Each of us should pour some water, no matter how little, to extinguish whatever one can without waiting for the others." (Sheikh Amjad al-Zahawi, of blessed memory).
In The Name Of The Most Merciful Allah
IntroductionPraise be unto Allah, to whom we resort for help, and whose forgiveness, guidance and support we seek; Allah bless the Prophet and grant him salvation, his companions and supporters, and to those who carried out his message and adopted his laws - everlasting prayers and salvation as long as the earth and heaven will last. Hereafter:
O People:Out of the midst of troubles and the sea of suffering, out of the palpitations of faithful hearts and cleansed arms; out of the sense of duty, and in response to Allah's command, the call has gone out rallying people together and making them follow the ways of Allah, leading them to have determined will in order to fulfill their role in life, to overcome all obstacles, and surmount the difficulties on the way. Constant preparation has continued and so has the readiness to sacrifice life and all that is precious for the sake of Allah.
Thus it was that the nucleus (of the movement) was formed and started to pave its way through the tempestuous sea of hopes and expectations, of wishes and yearnings, of troubles and obstacles, of pain and challenges, both inside and outside.
When the idea was ripe, the seed grew and the plant struck root in the soil of reality, away from passing emotions, and hateful haste. The Islamic Resistance Movement emerged to carry out its role through striving for the sake of its Creator, its arms intertwined with those of all the fighters for the liberation of Palestine. The spirits of its fighters meet with the spirits of all the fighters who have sacrificed their lives on the soil of Palestine, ever since it was conquered by the companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, and until this day.
This Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), clarifies its picture, reveals its identity, outlines its stand, explains its aims, speaks about its hopes, and calls for its support, adoption and joining its ranks. Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious. It needs all sincere efforts. It is a step that inevitably should be followed by other steps. The Movement is but one squadron that should be supported by more and more squadrons from this vast Arab and Islamic world, until the enemy is vanquished and Allah's victory is realised.
Thus we see them coming on the horizon "and you shall learn about it hereafter" "Allah hath written, Verily I will prevail, and my apostles: for Allah is strong and mighty." (The Dispute - verse 21).
"Say to them, This is my way: I invite you to Allah, by an evident demonstration; both I and he who followeth me; and, praise be unto Allah! I am not an idolator." (Joseph - verse 107).
Hamas (means) strength and bravery -(according to) Al-Mua'jam al-Wasit: c1.
Definition of the Movement
Ideological Starting-Points
Article One:
The Islamic Resistance Movement: The Movement's programme is Islam. From it, it draws its ideas, ways of thinking and understanding of the universe, life and man. It resorts to it for judgement in all its conduct, and it is inspired by it for guidance of its steps.
The Islamic Resistance Movement's Relation With the Moslem Brotherhood Group:
Article Two:
The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of Moslem Brotherhood in Palestine. Moslem Brotherhood Movement is a universal organization which constitutes the largest Islamic movement in modern times. It is characterised by its deep understanding, accurate comprehension and its complete embrace of all Islamic concepts of all aspects of life, culture, creed, politics, economics, education, society, justice and judgement, the spreading of Islam, education, art, information, science of the occult and conversion to Islam.
Structure and Formation
Article Three:
The basic structure of the Islamic Resistance Movement consists of Moslems who have given their allegiance to Allah whom they truly worship, - "I have created the jinn and humans only for the purpose of worshipping" - who know their duty towards themselves, their families and country. In all that, they fear Allah and raise the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors, so that they would rid the land and the people of their uncleanliness, vileness and evils.
"But we will oppose truth to vanity, and it shall confound the same; and behold, it shall vanish away." (Prophets - verse 18).
Article Four:
The Islamic Resistance Movement welcomes every Moslem who embraces its faith, ideology, follows its programme, keeps its secrets, and wants to belong to its ranks and carry out the duty. Allah will certainly reward such one.
Time and Place Extent of the Islamic Resistance Movement:
Article Five:
Time extent of the Islamic Resistance Movement: By adopting Islam as its way of life, the Movement goes back to the time of the birth of the Islamic message, of the righteous ancestor, for Allah is its target, the Prophet is its example and the Koran is its constitution. Its extent in place is anywhere that there are Moslems who embrace Islam as their way of life everywhere in the globe. This being so, it extends to the depth of the earth and reaches out to the heaven.
"Dost thou not see how Allah putteth forth a parable; representing a good word, as a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed in the earth, and whose branches reach unto heaven; which bringeth forth its fruit in all seasons, by the will of its Lord? Allah propoundeth parables unto men, that they may be instructed." (Abraham - verses 24-25).
Characteristics and Independence:
Article Six:
The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine, for under the wing of Islam followers of all religions can coexist in security and safety where their lives, possessions and rights are concerned. In the absence of Islam, strife will be rife, oppression spreads, evil prevails and schisms and wars will break out.
How excellent was the Moslem poet, Mohamed Ikbal, when he wrote:
"If faith is lost, there is no security and there is no life for him who does not adhere to religion. He who accepts life without religion, has taken annihilation as his companion for life."
The Universality of the Islamic Resistance Movement:
Article Seven:
As a result of the fact that those Moslems who adhere to the ways of the Islamic Resistance Movement spread all over the world, rally support for it and its stands, strive towards enhancing its struggle, the Movement is a universal one. It is well-equipped for that because of the clarity of its ideology, the nobility of its aim and the loftiness of its objectives.
On this basis, the Movement should be viewed and evaluated, and its role be recognised. He who denies its right, evades supporting it and turns a blind eye to facts, whether intentionally or unintentionally, would awaken to see that events have overtaken him and with no logic to justify his attitude. One should certainly learn from past examples.
The injustice of next-of-kin is harder to bear than the smite of the Indian sword.
"We have also sent down unto thee the book of the Koran with truth, confirming that scripture which was revealed before it; and preserving the same safe from corruption. Judge therefore between them according to that which Allah hath revealed; and follow not their desires, by swerving from the truth which hath come unto thee. Unto every of you have we given a law, and an open path; and if Allah had pleased, he had surely made you one people; but he hath thought it fit to give you different laws, that he might try you in that which he hath given you respectively. Therefore strive to excel each other in good works; unto Allah shall ye all return, and then will he declare unto you that concerning which ye have disagreed." (The Table, verse 48).
The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the links in the chain of the struggle against the Zionist invaders. It goes back to 1939, to the emergence of the martyr Izz al-Din al Kissam and his brethren the fighters, members of Moslem Brotherhood. It goes on to reach out and become one with another chain that includes the struggle of the Palestinians and Moslem Brotherhood in the 1948 war and the Jihad operations of the Moslem Brotherhood in 1968 and after.
Moreover, if the links have been distant from each other and if obstacles, placed by those who are the lackeys of Zionism in the way of the fighters obstructed the continuation of the struggle, the Islamic Resistance Movement aspires to the realisation of Allah's promise, no matter how long that should take. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said:
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews." (related by al-Bukhari and Moslem).
The Slogan of the Islamic Resistance Movement:
Article Eight:
Allah is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of its wishes.
Objectives
Incentives and Objectives:
Article Nine:
The Islamic Resistance Movement found itself at a time when Islam has disappeared from life. Thus rules shook, concepts were upset, values changed and evil people took control, oppression and darkness prevailed, cowards became like tigers: homelands were usurped, people were scattered and were caused to wander all over the world, the state of justice disappeared and the state of falsehood replaced it. Nothing remained in its right place. Thus, when Islam is absent from the arena, everything changes. From this state of affairs the incentives are drawn.
As for the objectives: They are the fighting against the false, defeating it and vanquishing it so that justice could prevail, homelands be retrieved and from its mosques would the voice of the mu'azen emerge declaring the establishment of the state of Islam, so that people and things would return each to their right places and Allah is our helper.
"...and if Allah had not prevented men, the one by the other, verily the earth had been corrupted: but Allah is beneficient towards his creatures." (The Cow - verse 251).
Article Ten:
As the Islamic Resistance Movement paves its way, it will back the oppressed and support the wronged with all its might. It will spare no effort to bring about justice and defeat injustice, in word and deed, in this place and everywhere it can reach and have influence therein.
Strategies and Methods
Strategies of the Islamic Resistance Movement: Palestine Is Islamic aqf:
Article Eleven:
The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. Neither a single Arab country nor all Arab countries, neither any king or president, nor all the kings and presidents, neither any organization nor all of them, be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that. Palestine is an Islamic Waqf land consecrated for Moslem generations until Judgement Day. This being so, who could claim to have the right to represent Moslem generations till Judgement Day?
This is the law governing the land of Palestine in the Islamic Sharia (law) and the same goes for any land the Moslems have conquered by force, because during the times of (Islamic) conquests, the Moslems consecrated these lands to Moslem generations till the Day of Judgement.
It happened like this: When the leaders of the Islamic armies conquered Syria and Iraq, they sent to the Caliph of the Moslems, Umar bin-el-Khatab, asking for his advice concerning the conquered land - whether they should divide it among the soldiers, or leave it for its owners, or what? After consultations and discussions between the Caliph of the Moslems, Omar bin-el-Khatab and companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, it was decided that the land should be left with its owners who could benefit by its fruit. As for the real ownership of the land and the land itself, it should be consecrated for Moslem generations till Judgement Day. Those who are on the land, are there only to benefit from its fruit. This Waqf remains as long as earth and heaven remain. Any procedure in contradiction to Islamic Sharia, where Palestine is concerned, is null and void.
"Verily, this is a certain truth. Wherefore praise the name of thy Lord, the great Allah." (The Inevitable - verse 95).
Homeland and Nationalism from the Point of View of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine:
Article Twelve:
Nationalism, from the point of view of the Islamic Resistance Movement, is part of the religious creed. Nothing in nationalism is more significant or deeper than in the case when an enemy should tread Moslem land. Resisting and quelling the enemy become the individual duty of every Moslem, male or female. A woman can go out to fight the enemy without her husband's permission, and so does the slave: without his master's permission.
Nothing of the sort is to be found in any other regime. This is an undisputed fact. If other nationalist movements are connected with materialistic, human or regional causes, nationalism of the Islamic Resistance Movement has all these elements as well as the more important elements that give it soul and life. It is connected to the source of spirit and the granter of life, hoisting in the sky of the homeland the heavenly banner that joins earth and heaven with a strong bond.
If Moses comes and throws his staff, both witch and magic are annulled.
"Now is the right direction manifestly distinguished from deceit: whoever therefore shall deny Tagut, and believe in Allah, he shall surely take hold with a strong handle, which shall not be broken; Allah is he who heareth and seeth." (The Cow - Verse 256).
Peaceful Solutions, Initiatives and International Conferences:
Article Thirteen:
Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. Abusing any part of Palestine is abuse directed against part of religion. Nationalism of the Islamic Resistance Movement is part of its religion. Its members have been fed on that. For the sake of hoisting the banner of Allah over their homeland they fight. "Allah will be prominent, but most people do not know."
Now and then the call goes out for the convening of an international conference to look for ways of solving the (Palestinian) question. Some accept, others reject the idea, for this or other reason, with one stipulation or more for consent to convening the conference and participating in it. Knowing the parties constituting the conference, their past and present attitudes towards Moslem problems, the Islamic Resistance Movement does not consider these conferences capable of realising the demands, restoring the rights or doing justice to the oppressed. These conferences are only ways of setting the infidels in the land of the Moslems as arbitraters. When did the infidels do justice to the believers?
"But the Jews will not be pleased with thee, neither the Christians, until thou follow their religion; say, The direction of Allah is the true direction. And verily if thou follow their desires, after the knowledge which hath been given thee, thou shalt find no patron or protector against Allah." (The Cow - verse 120).
There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. The Palestinian people know better than to consent to having their future, rights and fate toyed with. As in said in the honourable Hadith:
"The people of Syria are Allah's lash in His land. He wreaks His vengeance through them against whomsoever He wishes among His slaves It is unthinkable that those who are double-faced among them should prosper over the faithful. They will certainly die out of grief and desperation."
The Three Circles:
Article Fourteen:
The question of the liberation of Palestine is bound to three circles: the Palestinian circle, the Arab circle and the Islamic circle. Each of these circles has its role in the struggle against Zionism. Each has its duties, and it is a horrible mistake and a sign of deep ignorance to overlook any of these circles. Palestine is an Islamic land which has the first of the two kiblahs (direction to which Moslems turn in praying), the third of the holy (Islamic) sanctuaries, and the point of departure for Mohamed's midnight journey to the seven heavens (i.e. Jerusalem).
"Praise be unto him who transported his servant by night, from the sacred temple of Mecca to the farther temple of Jerusalem, the circuit of which we have blessed, that we might show him some of our signs; for Allah is he who heareth, and seeth." (The Night-Journey - verse 1).
Since this is the case, liberation of Palestine is then an individual duty for very Moslem wherever he may be. On this basis, the problem should be viewed. This should be realised by every Moslem.
The day the problem is dealt with on this basis, when the three circles mobilize their capabilities, the present state of affairs will change and the day of liberation will come nearer.
"Verily ye are stronger than they, by reason of the terror cast into their breasts from Allah. This, because they are not people of prudence." (The Emigration - verse 13).
The Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine is an Individual Duty:
Article Fifteen:
The day that enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In face of the Jews' usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised. To do this requires the diffusion of Islamic consciousness among the masses, both on the regional, Arab and Islamic levels. It is necessary to instill the spirit of Jihad in the heart of the nation so that they would confront the enemies and join the ranks of the fighters.
It is necessary that scientists, educators and teachers, information and media people, as well as the educated masses, especially the youth and sheikhs of the Islamic movements, should take part in the operation of awakening (the masses). It is important that basic changes be made in the school curriculum, to cleanse it of the traces of ideological invasion that affected it as a result of the orientalists and missionaries who infiltrated the region following the defeat of the Crusaders at the hands of Salah el-Din (Saladin). The Crusaders realised that it was impossible to defeat the Moslems without first having ideological invasion pave the way by upsetting their thoughts, disfiguring their heritage and violating their ideals. Only then could they invade with soldiers. This, in its turn, paved the way for the imperialistic invasion that made Allenby declare on entering Jerusalem: "Only now have the Crusades ended." General Guru stood at Salah el-Din's grave and said: "We have returned, O Salah el-Din." Imperialism has helped towards the strengthening of ideological invasion, deepening, and still does, its roots. All this has paved the way towards the loss of Palestine.
It is necessary to instill in the minds of the Moslem generations that the Palestinian problem is a religious problem, and should be dealt with on this basis. Palestine contains Islamic holy sites. In it there is al- Aqsa Mosque which is bound to the great Mosque in Mecca in an inseparable bond as long as heaven and earth speak of Isra` (Mohammed's midnight journey to the seven heavens) and Mi'raj (Mohammed's ascension to the seven heavens from Jerusalem).
"The bond of one day for the sake of Allah is better than the world and whatever there is on it. The place of one's whip in Paradise is far better than the world and whatever there is on it. A worshipper's going and coming in the service of Allah is better than the world and whatever there is on it." (As related by al-Bukhari, Moslem, al-Tarmdhi and Ibn Maja).
"I swear by the holder of Mohammed's soul that I would like to invade and be killed for the sake of Allah, then invade and be killed, and then invade again and be killed." (As related by al-Bukhari and Moslem).
The Education of the Generations:
Article Sixteen:
It is necessary to follow Islamic orientation in educating the Islamic generations in our region by teaching the religious duties, comprehensive study of the Koran, the study of the Prophet's Sunna (his sayings and doings), and learning about Islamic history and heritage from their authentic sources. This should be done by specialised and learned people, using a curriculum that would healthily form the thoughts and faith of the Moslem student. Side by side with this, a comprehensive study of the enemy, his human and financial capabilities, learning about his points of weakness and strength, and getting to know the forces supporting and helping him, should also be included. Also, it is important to be acquainted with the current events, to follow what is new and to study the analysis and commentaries made of these events. Planning for the present and future, studying every trend appearing, is a must so that the fighting Moslem would live knowing his aim, objective and his way in the midst of what is going on around him.
"O my son, verily every matter, whether good or bad, though it be the weight of a grain of mustard-seed, and be hidden in a rock, or in the heavens, or in the earth, Allah will bring the same to light; for Allah is clear-sighted and knowing. O my son, be constant at prayer, and command that which is just, and forbid that which is evil: and be patient under the afflictions which shall befall thee; for this is a duty absolutely incumbent on all men. Distort not thy face out of contempt to men, neither walk in the earth with insolence; for Allah loveth no arrogant, vain-glorious person." (Lokman - verses 16-18).
The Role of the Moslem Woman:
Article Seventeen:
The Moslem woman has a role no less important than that of the moslem man in the battle of liberation. She is the maker of men. Her role in guiding and educating the new generations is great. The enemies have realised the importance of her role. They consider that if they are able to direct and bring her up they way they wish, far from Islam, they would have won the battle. That is why you find them giving these attempts constant attention through information campaigns, films, and the school curriculum, using for that purpose their lackeys who are infiltrated through Zionist organizations under various names and shapes, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, espionage groups and others, which are all nothing more than cells of subversion and saboteurs. These organizations have ample resources that enable them to play their role in societies for the purpose of achieving the Zionist targets and to deepen the concepts that would serve the enemy. These organizations operate in the absence of Islam and its estrangement among its people. The Islamic peoples should perform their role in confronting the conspiracies of these saboteurs. The day Islam is in control of guiding the affairs of life, these organizations, hostile to humanity and Islam, will be obliterated.
Article Eighteen:
Woman in the home of the fighting family, whether she is a mother or a sister, plays the most important role in looking after the family, rearing the children and embuing them with moral values and thoughts derived from Islam. She has to teach them to perform the religious duties in preparation for the role of fighting awaiting them. That is why it is necessary to pay great attention to schools and the curriculum followed in educating Moslem girls, so that they would grow up to be good mothers, aware of their role in the battle of liberation.
She has to be of sufficient knowledge and understanding where the performance of housekeeping matters are concerned, because economy and avoidance of waste of the family budget, is one of the requirements for the ability to continue moving forward in the difficult conditions surrounding us. She should put before her eyes the fact that the money available to her is just like blood which should never flow except through the veins so that both children and grown-ups could continue to live.
"Verily, the Moslems of either sex, and the true believers of either sex, and the devout men, and the devout women, and the men of veracity, and the women of veracity, and the patient men, and the patient women, and the humble men, and the humble women, and the alms-givers of either sex who remember Allah frequently; for them hath Allah prepared forgiveness and a great reward." (The Confederates - verse 25).
The Role of Islamic Art in the Battle of Liberation:
Article Nineteen:
Art has regulations and measures by which it can be determined whether it is Islamic or pre-Islamic (Jahili) art. The issues of Islamic liberation are in need of Islamic art that would take the spirit high, without raising one side of human nature above the other, but rather raise all of them harmoniously an in equilibrium.
Man is a unique and wonderful creature, made out of a handful of clay and a breath from Allah. Islamic art addresses man on this basis, while pre-Islamic art addresses the body giving preference to the clay component in it.
The book, the article, the bulletin, the sermon, the thesis, the popular poem, the poetic ode, the song, the play and others, contain the characteristics of Islamic art, then these are among the requirements of ideological mobilization, renewed food for the journey and recreation for the soul. The road is long and suffering is plenty. The soul will be bored, but Islamic art renews the energies, resurrects the movement, arousing in them lofty meanings and proper conduct. "Nothing can improve the self if it is in retreat except shifting from one mood to another."
All this is utterly serious and no jest, for those who are fighters do not jest.
Social Mutual Responsibility:
Article Twenty:
Moslem society is a mutually responsible society. The Prophet, prayers and greetings be unto him, said: "Blessed are the generous, whether they were in town or on a journey, who have collected all that they had and shared it equally among themselves."
The Islamic spirit is what should prevail in every Moslem society. The society that confronts a vicious enemy which acts in a way similar to Nazism, making no differentiation between man and woman, between children and old people - such a society is entitled to this Islamic spirit. Our enemy relies on the methods of collective punishment. He has deprived people of their homeland and properties, pursued them in their places of exile and gathering, breaking bones, shooting at women, children and old people, with or without a reason. The enemy has opened detention camps where thousands and thousands of people are thrown and kept under sub-human conditions. Added to this, are the demolition of houses, rendering children orphans, meting cruel sentences against thousands of young people, and causing them to spend the best years of their lives in the dungeons of prisons.
In their Nazi treatment, the Jews made no exception for women or children. Their policy of striking fear in the heart is meant for all. They attack people where their breadwinning is concerned, extorting their money and threatening their honour. They deal with people as if they were the worst war criminals. Deportation from the homeland is a kind of murder.
To counter these deeds, it is necessary that social mutual responsibility should prevail among the people. The enemy should be faced by the people as a single body which if one member of it should complain, the rest of the body would respond by feeling the same pains.
Article Twenty-One:
Mutual social responsibility means extending assistance, financial or moral, to all those who are in need and joining in the execution of some of the work. Members of the Islamic Resistance Movement should consider the interests of the masses as their own personal interests. They must spare no effort in achieving and preserving them. They must prevent any foul play with the future of the upcoming generations and anything that could cause loss to society. The masses are part of them and they are part of the masses. Their strength is theirs, and their future is theirs. Members of the Islamic Resistance Movement should share the people's joy and grief, adopt the demands of the public and whatever means by which they could be realised. The day that such a spirit prevails, brotherliness would deepen, cooperation, sympathy and unity will be enhanced and the ranks will be solidified to confront the enemies.
Supportive Forces Behind the Enemy:
Article Twenty-Two:
For a long time, the enemies have been planning, skillfully and with precision, for the achievement of what they have attained. They took into consideration the causes affecting the current of events. They strived to amass great and substantive material wealth which they devoted to the realisation of their dream. With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others. With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world with the purpose of achieving their interests and reaping the fruit therein. They were behind the French Revolution, the Communist revolution and most of the revolutions we heard and hear about, here and there. With their money they formed secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests. With their money they were able to control imperialistic countries and instigate them to colonize many countries in order to enable them to exploit their resources and spread corruption there.
You may speak as much as you want about regional and world wars. They were behind World War I, when they were able to destroy the Islamic Caliphate, making financial gains and controlling resources. They obtained the Balfour Declaration, formed the League of Nations through which they could rule the world. They were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments, and paved the way for the establishment of their state. It was they who instigated the replacement of the League of Nations with the United Nations and the Security Council to enable them to rule the world through them. There is no war going on anywhere, without having their finger in it.
"So often as they shall kindle a fire for war, Allah shall extinguish it; and they shall set their minds to act corruptly in the earth, but Allah loveth not the corrupt doers." (The Table - verse 64).
The imperialistic forces in the Capitalist West and Communist East, support the enemy with all their might, in money and in men. These forces take turns in doing that. The day Islam appears, the forces of infidelity would unite to challenge it, for the infidels are of one nation.
"O true believers, contract not an intimate friendship with any besides yourselves: they will not fail to corrupt you. They wish for that which may cause you to perish: their hatred hath already appeared from out of their mouths; but what their breasts conceal is yet more inveterate. We have already shown you signs of their ill will towards you, if ye understand." (The Family of Imran - verse 118).
It is not in vain that the verse is ended with Allah's words "if ye understand."
Our Attitudes Towards:
A. Islamic Movements:
Article Twenty-Three:
The Islamic Resistance Movement views other Islamic movements with respect and appreciation. If it were at variance with them on one point or opinion, it is in agreement with them on other points and understandings. It considers these movements, if they reveal good intentions and dedication to Allah, that they fall into the category of those who are trying hard since they act within the Islamic circle. Each active person has his share.
The Islamic Resistance Movement considers all these movements as a fund for itself. It prays to Allah for guidance and directions for all and it spares no effort to keep the banner of unity raised, ever striving for its realisation in accordance with the Koran and the Prophet's directives.
"And cleave all of you unto the covenant of Allah, and depart not from it, and remember the favour of Allah towards you: since ye were enemies, and he reconciled your hearts, and ye became companions and brethren by his favour: and ye were on the brink of a pit of fire, and he delivered you thence. Allah declareth unto you his signs, that ye may be directed." (The Family of Imran - Verse 102).
Article Twenty-Four:
The Islamic Resistance Movement does not allow slandering or speaking ill of individuals or groups, for the believer does not indulge in such malpractices. It is necessary to differentiate between this behaviour and the stands taken by certain individuals and groups. Whenever those stands are erroneous, the Islamic Resistance Movement preserves the right to expound the error and to warn against it. It will strive to show the right path and to judge the case in question with objectivity. Wise conduct is indeed the target of the believer who follows it wherever he discerns it.
"Allah loveth not the speaking ill of anyone in public, unless he who is injured call for assistance; and Allah heareth and knoweth: whether ye publish a good action, or conceal it, or forgive evil, verily Allah is gracious and powerful." (Women - verses 147-148).
B. Nationalist Movements in the Palestinian Arena:
Article Twenty-Five:
The Islamic Resistance Movement respects these movements and appreciates their circumstances and the conditions surrounding and affecting them. It encourages them as long as they do not give their allegiance to the Communist East or the Crusading West. It confirms to all those who are integrated in it, or sympathetic towards it, that the Islamic Resistance Movement is a fighting movement that has a moral and enlightened look of life and the way it should cooperate with the other (movements). It detests opportunism and desires only the good of people, individuals and groups alike. It does not seek material gains, personal fame, nor does it look for a reward from others. It works with its own resources and whatever is at its disposal "and prepare for them whatever force you can", for the fulfilment of the duty, and the earning of Allah's favour. It has no other desire than that.
The Movement assures all the nationalist trends operating in the Palestinian arena for the liberation of Palestine, that it is there for their support and assistance. It will never be more than that, both in words and deeds, now and in the future. It is there to bring together and not to divide, to preserve and not to squander, to unify and not to throw asunder. It evaluates every good word, sincere effort and good offices. It closes the door in the face of side disagreements and does not lend an ear to rumours and slanders, while at the same time fully realising the right for self-defence.
Anything contrary or contradictory to these trends, is a lie disseminated by enemies or their lackeys for the purpose of sowing confusion, disrupting the ranks and occupy them with side issues.
"O true believers, if a wicked man come unto you with a tale, inquire strictly into the truth thereof; lest ye hurt people through ignorance, and afterwards repent of what ye have done." (The Inner Apartments - verse 6).
Article Twenty-Six:
In viewing the Palestinian nationalist movements that give allegiance neither to the East nor the West, in this positive way, the Islamic Resistance Movement does not refrain from discussing new situations on the regional or international levels where the Palestinian question is concerned. It does that in such an objective manner revealing the extent of how much it is in harmony or contradiction with the national interests in the light of the Islamic point of view.
C. The Palestinian Liberation Organization:
Article Twenty-Seven:
The Palestinian Liberation Organization is the closest to the heart of the Islamic Resistance Movement. It contains the father and the brother, the next of kin and the friend. The Moslem does not estrange himself from his father, brother, next of kin or friend. Our homeland is one, our situation is one, our fate is one and the enemy is a joint enemy to all of us.
Because of the situations surrounding the formation of the Organization, of the ideological confusion prevailing in the Arab world as a result of the ideological invasion under whose influence the Arab world has fallen since the defeat of the Crusaders and which was, and still is, intensified through orientalists, missionaries and imperialists, the Organization adopted the idea of the secular state. And that it how we view it.
Secularism completely contradicts religious ideology. Attitudes, conduct and decisions stem from ideologies.
That is why, with all our appreciation for The Palestinian Liberation Organization - and what it can develop into - and without belittling its role in the Arab-Israeli conflict, we are unable to exchange the present or future Islamic Palestine with the secular idea. The Islamic nature of Palestine is part of our religion and whoever takes his religion lightly is a loser.
"Who will be adverse to the religion of Abraham, but he whose mind is infatuated? (The Cow - verse 130).
The day The Palestinian Liberation Organization adopts Islam as its way of life, we will become its soldiers, and fuel for its fire that will burn the enemies.
Until such a day, and we pray to Allah that it will be soon, the Islamic Resistance Movement's stand towards the PLO is that of the son towards his father, the brother towards his brother, and the relative to relative, suffers his pain and supports him in confronting the enemies, wishing him to be wise and well-guided.
"Stand by your brother, for he who is brotherless is like the fighter who goes to battle without arms. One's cousin is the wing one flies with - could the bird fly without wings?"
D. Arab and Islamic Countries:
Article Twenty-Eight:
The Zionist invasion is a vicious invasion. It does not refrain from resorting to all methods, using all evil and contemptible ways to achieve its end. It relies greatly in its infiltration and espionage operations on the secret organizations it gave rise to, such as the Freemasons, The Rotary and Lions clubs, and other sabotage groups. All these organizations, whether secret or open, work in the interest of Zionism and according to its instructions. They aim at undermining societies, destroying values, corrupting consciences, deteriorating character and annihilating Islam. It is behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds so as to facilitate its control and expansion.
Arab countries surrounding Israel are asked to open their borders before the fighters from among the Arab and Islamic nations so that they could consolidate their efforts with those of their Moslem brethren in Palestine.
As for the other Arab and Islamic countries, they are asked to facilitate the movement of the fighters from and to it, and this is the least thing they could do.
We should not forget to remind every Moslem that when the Jews conquered the Holy City in 1967, they stood on the threshold of the Aqsa Mosque and proclaimed that "Mohammed is dead, and his descendants are all women."
Israel, Judaism and Jews challenge Islam and the Moslem people. "May the cowards never sleep."
E. Nationalist and Religious Groupings, Institutions, Intellectuals, The Arab and Islamic World:
The Islamic Resistance Movement hopes that all these groupings will side with it in all spheres, would support it, adopt its stand and solidify its activities and moves, work towards rallying support for it so that the Islamic people will be a base and a stay for it, supplying it with strategic depth an all human material and informative spheres, in time and in place. This should be done through the convening of solidarity conferences, the issuing of explanatory bulletins, favourable articles and booklets, enlightening the masses regarding the Palestinian issue, clarifying what confronts it and the conspiracies woven around it. They should mobilize the Islamic nations, ideologically, educationally and culturally, so that these peoples would be equipped to perform their role in the decisive battle of liberation, just as they did when they vanquished the Crusaders and the Tatars and saved human civilization. Indeed, that is not difficult for Allah.
"Allah hath written, Verily I will prevail, and my apostles: for Allah is strong and mighty." (The Dispute - verse 21).
Article Thirty:
Writers, intellectuals, media people, orators, educaters and teachers, and all the various sectors in the Arab and Islamic world - all of them are called upon to perform their role, and to fulfill their duty, because of the ferocity of the Zionist offensive and the Zionist influence in many countries exercised through financial and media control, as well as the consequences that all this lead to in the greater part of the world.
Jihad is not confined to the carrying of arms and the confrontation of the enemy. The effective word, the good article, the useful book, support and solidarity - together with the presence of sincere purpose for the hoisting of Allah's banner higher and higher - all these are elements of the Jihad for Allah's sake.
"Whosoever mobilises a fighter for the sake of Allah is himself a fighter. Whosoever supports the relatives of a fighter, he himself is a fighter." (related by al-Bukhari, Moslem, Abu-Dawood and al-Tarmadhi).
F. Followers of Other Religions: The Islamic Resistance Movement Is A Humanistic Movement:
Article Thirty-One:
The Islamic Resistance Movement is a humanistic movement. It takes care of human rights and is guided by Islamic tolerance when dealing with the followers of other religions. It does not antagonize anyone of them except if it is antagonized by it or stands in its way to hamper its moves and waste its efforts.
Under the wing of Islam, it is possible for the followers of the three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - to coexist in peace and quiet with each other. Peace and quiet would not be possible except under the wing of Islam. Past and present history are the best witness to that.
It is the duty of the followers of other religions to stop disputing the sovereignty of Islam in this region, because the day these followers should take over there will be nothing but carnage, displacement and terror. Everyone of them is at variance with his fellow-religionists, not to speak about followers of other religionists. Past and present history are full of examples to prove this fact.
"They will not fight against you in a body, except in fenced towns, or from behind walls. Their strength in war among themselves is great: thou thinkest them to be united; but their hearts are divided. This, because they are people who do not understand." (The Emigration - verse 14).
Islam confers upon everyone his legitimate rights. Islam prevents the incursion on other people's rights. The Zionist Nazi activities against our people will not last for long. "For the state of injustice lasts but one day, while the state of justice lasts till Doomsday."
"As to those who have not borne arms against you on account of religion, nor turned you out of your dwellings, Allah forbiddeth you not to deal kindly with them, and to behave justly towards them; for Allah loveth those who act justly." (The Tried - verse 8).
The Attempt to Isolate the Palestinian People:
Article Thirty-Two:
World Zionism, together with imperialistic powers, try through a studied plan and an intelligent strategy to remove one Arab state after another from the circle of struggle against Zionism, in order to have it finally face the Palestinian people only. Egypt was, to a great extent, removed from the circle of the struggle, through the treacherous Camp David Agreement. They are trying to draw other Arab countries into similar agreements and to bring them outside the circle of struggle.
The Islamic Resistance Movement calls on Arab and Islamic nations to take up the line of serious and persevering action to prevent the success of this horrendous plan, to warn the people of the danger eminating from leaving the circle of struggle against Zionism. Today it is Palestine, tomorrow it will be one country or another. The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying.
Leaving the circle of struggle with Zionism is high treason, and cursed be he who does that. "for whoso shall turn his back unto them on that day, unless he turneth aside to fight, or retreateth to another party of the faithful, shall draw on himself the indignation of Allah, and his abode shall be hell; an ill journey shall it be thither." (The Spoils - verse 16). There is no way out except by concentrating all powers and energies to face this Nazi, vicious Tatar invasion. The alternative is loss of one's country, the dispersion of citizens, the spread of vice on earth and the destruction of religious values. Let every person know that he is responsible before Allah, for "the doer of the slightest good deed is rewarded in like, and the does of the slightest evil deed is also rewarded in like."
The Islamic Resistance Movement consider itself to be the spearhead of the circle of struggle with world Zionism and a step on the road. The Movement adds its efforts to the efforts of all those who are active in the Palestinian arena. Arab and Islamic Peoples should augment by further steps on their part; Islamic groupings all over the Arab world should also do the same, since all of these are the best-equipped for the future role in the fight with the warmongering Jews.
"..and we have put enmity and hatred between them, until the day of resurrection. So often as they shall kindle a fire of war, Allah shall extinguish it; and they shall set their minds to act corruptly in the earth, but Allah loveth not the corrupt doers." (The Table - verse 64).
Article Thirty-Three:
The Islamic Resistance Movement, being based on the common coordinated and interdependent conceptions of the laws of the universe, and flowing in the stream of destiny in confronting and fighting the enemies in defence of the Moslems and Islamic civilization and sacred sites, the first among which is the Aqsa Mosque, urges the Arab and Islamic peoples, their governments, popular and official groupings, to fear Allah where their view of the Islamic Resistance Movement and their dealings with it are concerned. They should back and support it, as Allah wants them to, extending to it more and more funds till Allah's purpose is achieved when ranks will close up, fighters join other fighters and masses everywhere in the Islamic world will come forward in response to the call of duty while loudly proclaiming: Hail to Jihad. Their cry will reach the heavens and will go on being resounded until liberation is achieved, the invaders vanquished and Allah's victory comes about.
"And Allah will certainly assist him who shall be on his side: for Allah is strong and mighty." (The Pilgrimage - verse 40).
The Testimony of History
Across History in Confronting the Invaders:
Article Thirty-Four:
Palestine is the navel of the globe and the crossroad of the continents. Since the dawn of history, it has been the target of expansionists. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, had himself pointed to this fact in the noble Hadith in which he called on his honourable companion, Ma'adh ben-Jabal, saying: O Ma'ath, Allah throw open before you, when I am gone, Syria, from Al-Arish to the Euphrates. Its men, women and slaves will stay firmly there till the Day of Judgement. Whoever of you should choose one of the Syrian shores, or the Holy Land, he will be in constant struggle till the Day of Judgement."
Expansionists have more than once put their eye on Palestine which they attacked with their armies to fulfill their designs on it. Thus it was that the Crusaders came with their armies, bringing with them their creed and carrying their Cross. They were able to defeat the Moslems for a while, but the Moslems were able to retrieve the land only when they stood under the wing of their religious banner, united their word, hallowed the name of Allah and surged out fighting under the leadership of Salah ed-Din al-Ayyubi. They fought for almost twenty years and at the end the Crusaders were defeated and Palestine was liberated.
"Say unto those who believe not, Ye shall be overcome, and thrown together into hell; an unhappy couch it shall be." (The Family of Imran - verse 12).
This is the only way to liberate Palestine. There is no doubt about the testimony of history. It is one of the laws of the universe and one of the rules of existence. Nothing can overcome iron except iron. Their false futile creed can only be defeated by the righteous Islamic creed. A creed could not be fought except by a creed, and in the last analysis, victory is for the just, for justice is certainly victorious.
"Our word hath formerly been given unto our servants the apostles; that they should certainly be assisted against the infidels, and that our armies should surely be the conquerors." (Those Who Rank Themselves - verses 171-172).
Article Thirty-Five:
The Islamic Resistance Movement views seriously the defeat of the Crusaders at the hands of Salah ed-Din al-Ayyubi and the rescuing of Palestine from their hands, as well as the defeat of the Tatars at Ein Galot, breaking their power at the hands of Qataz and Al-Dhaher Bivers and saving the Arab world from the Tatar onslaught which aimed at the destruction of every meaning of human civilization. The Movement draws lessons and examples from all this. The present Zionist onslaught has also been preceded by Crusading raids from the West and other Tatar raids from the East. Just as the Moslems faced those raids and planned fighting and defeating them, they should be able to confront the Zionist invasion and defeat it. This is indeed no problem for the Almighty Allah, provided that the intentions are pure, the determination is true and that Moslems have benefited from past experiences, rid themselves of the effects of ideological invasion and followed the customs of their ancestors.
The Islamic Resistance Movement is Composed of Soldiers:
Article Thirty-Six:
While paving its way, the Islamic Resistance Movement, emphasizes time and again to all the sons of our people, to the Arab and Islamic nations, that it does not seek personal fame, material gain, or social prominence. It does not aim to compete against any one from among our people, or take his place. Nothing of the sort at all. It will not act against any of the sons of Moslems or those who are peaceful towards it from among non-Moslems, be they here or anywhere else. It will only serve as a support for all groupings and organizations operating against the Zionist enemy and its lackeys.
The Islamic Resistance Movement adopts Islam as its way of life. Islam is its creed and religion. Whoever takes Islam as his way of life, be it an organization, a grouping, a country or any other body, the Islamic Resistance Movement considers itself as their soldiers and nothing more.
We ask Allah to show us the right course, to make us an example to others and to judge between us and our people with truth. "O Lord, do thou judge between us and our nation with truth; for thou art the best judge." (Al Araf - Verse 89).
The last of our prayers will be praise to Allah, the Master of the Universe.