Liberal Wacko, Montana Division

Last night I watched Barack Hussien Obama give a speech at the 100 Club dinner in New Hampshire on C-Span. He is a powerful and eloquent speaker. It did not feel rehearsed or tired. He had the room captivated, and I couldn’t help but feel that I was watching history being made.

I still feel that Hillary is the best candidate, but I am in the 40 and over catagory and began my interest in politics by volunteering for the Clinton campaign in ‘92. 

The great thing about the Democratic candidates this year is that they are all good. Not just good…exceptional. If Hillary loses the primaries and Obama is nominated, he is someone we can get behind and believe in. Edwards chances of winning against John McCain (the eventual Republican nominee) are slim in my opinion, but he is still a great candidate.

Could we be headed for an Obama/Richardson ticket? I think it may be heading that way. I guess that what I am trying to say is that I have just become one of those annoying undecided voters.

On a side note: Coobs is a slimeball racist liar. From the comment section of the Billings Gazette: “Any Montanans who say they support Hillary are picking strategy over conviction. They’ve had to choose the lesser of two evils, between Hillary’s campaign machine, and a black-muslim candidate, Barack Hussein Obama, and they think they’d rather have her. Neither one is electable, but that’s the candidates they have to work with.”

Keep telling yourself that it is the Democrats who suffer from unelectable candidates, cause you sure as hell won’t convince anyone else.

For any who have wondered…our family welcomed it’s newest member on May 16th at 4:30 p.m. Jack Finn Lessley weighed 8lbs 3oz and is a healthy and happy baby boy. Mom and baby are doing well. Dad feels…old.

Now, for my favorite former employee and republican/Rush Limbaugh zombie. You know who you are (Iowa?)… Click here for the information you wanted to know about our hard working Montana Senator, Jon Tester. I hope things are going well for you and yours. Let me know when you convert to liberalism…

…to accomplish this mission.

My bleeding heart liberal tedencies are surfacing again I guess. I really love dogs, and would like to ask all five of my readers to consider volunteering or donating money to help our local animal shelter. Here is the link. It will be added to the list of good guys on my blogroll, as well as a site dedicated to helping people find their lost pets.

No, I didn’t lose my dog. It’s  that damned “shelter dogs” commercial.

Gets me every time.

And no, P-Hammer, I won’t join your Pug Dog Club.

“Daisy”

…of this.

That’s it for blogging. Maybe I’ll do more later.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this effort. Special thanks to Rob and Shane.

Good night and good grief.

Ok…one last post about Mexico.

I was unsure what to expect when I got off the plane in Puerto Vallarta. Most of what we are exposed to when it comes to Mexico is negative. So let me tell you about the good and the bad that I experienced in my brief stay.

The people of Mexico were kind and helpful, willing to put up with my linguistic ignorance (I should have taken the time to learn some Spanish), and their culture is one based in Christianity (Mostly Catholic, I believe). This is evident not only in the art displayed and sold by the locals, but also in their kindness and welcoming demeanor. They are not the mean spirited, divisive, politically driven right wing type Christians that are abundant here…they are devoted to the meaning of Christianity and living by its teachings.

We gringos head to mexico for a number of reasons…the beautiful beaches, sunny weather, excellent food (!), etc. Mexico offers us something we want, and the people of Mexico invite us in. Immigrants from Mexico head to America because we have something to offer…jobs and decent pay for a days work.

If Mexico did not benefit in some way from our presence there, they would not want us to come. If we did not offer something to them here in America, they would not come. If we did not benefit in some way from their presence, their would be nothing available here for them. But we do offer them something…and then complain when they come.

I was relieved to be welcomed in a country of which we so often speak ill, especially about its people. I imagined how I would feel watching a truck full of Mexicans drive by with a “Gut shoot ‘em at the border” bumper sticker. What if my family depended on me to bring home the basics of survival from a country that both offered me employment and told me to get out? What would be the “Christian” thing to do? Build a fence, of course. 

Whoops, I just noticed the soapbox I was standing on. Please excuse me.

As I was saying, the people of Mexico were very kind. We ate some of the best food I have ever tasted…actual food without preservatives and chemicals and hormones. If it weren’t for many long walks along the amazing beaches I may have gained ten pounds. I grew fond of Pacifico and lime Margaritas on the rocks. Night life is centered around the town square, where various performers entertained crowds with drumming and dancing and big honkin’ firecrackers.

The unpaved streets were crowded with pedestrians, cars, motorcycles, and dogs, all vying for space, with dogs being the usual losers. Do not go to Mexico if you are a “dog person”. While I never witnessed a dog hit by a car, I saw some injured animals having a tough go of life on the streets. I saw no evident poverty…the town of Sayulita is growing and the residents seem to be doing well.

How fortunate we are to share borders with Mexico to our south, and Canada to our north.

I hope to go back to Mexico some day.  Unless they build a fence.

Brrr… we just returned to Montana from the sunny beaches of Mexico after Christmas vacation in Sayulita, Nayarit.

Sayulita is a small town about 40 miles north of Puerto Vallarta that has managed to avoid the resort town development evident in Vallarta. The food was amazing, the locals kind and helpful, and the weather was sunny and hot.

My daughter hitches a ride with a dolphin!

Watching pelicans fly by.

The beach.

Our front porch, Christmas morning.

Heading for the surf.

I heard an interview on NPR a couple of weeks ago about blogging. I can’t remember who was being interviewed, but in regards to blogging he said, “If everybody is talking, who is left to listen?”

I have decided to listen, just for a while. In the mean time, I will be attending Chistmas parties, going to Mexico, and hanging out with my family for the holidays.

See ya next year.

The image below was sent to me today with a note that said: “Would someone please pass this on to the mainstream media? I Would rather read (and see) this than all the other stuff!“

We all know that “mainstream media” is code for “liberal media.” The image is indeed powerful. Two people in a war zone finding comfort in the embrace of each other. But did the sender actually read the caption? 

Take a moment to read it. The image tugs at your heart, but the story behind it is one of unspeakable horror:

Air force Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt, of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group at Balad, Iraq, cradles a young girl as they both sleep in the hospital. The girl’s entire family was executed by insurgents; the killers shot her in the head as well. The girl received treatment at the U.S. military hospital in Balad, but cries and moans often. According to nurses at the facility, Gephardt is the only one who can calm down the girl, so he has spent the last several nights holding her while they both sleep in a chair.

I am not certain what the sender of the email wanted the MSM to know about. Did they find this picture uplifting? Was it viewed as good news from Iraq? We are winning the war? I am not sure what they got out of it. What I got out of it was war destroys lives.