Musings of a Mad Macedonian

Dear Mr. President, and Both Houses of Congress: About those Health Care Plans of Yours...

I rarely blog politics, as I've explained:

NOT EXACTLY SITTING IDLY BY: A Word From Me.

This is one of those exceptions.

As I sit here, on my day off, reading troubling new reports coming out just today, watching the day, and night, long debate in the Senate, and the brave, info rich, principled fight put up by Senate Republicans, I was moved to toss in my 2 cents, and e-mail the Prez, my Congressional Rep, the Senators of my state, the Senate and House Leaders, and a certain Senator Nelson.

Each will also get a copy of my letter sent by Snail Mail, once I make copes tomorrow, with the one for Sanchez delivered to her office, a few miles from my home, personally by me, Tuesday Morning.

The letter:

Dear Mr. President, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Leader Harry Reid, and Senators Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, and Ben Nelson:

You have my disgust and disdain forever, you socialist cowards.

I want you to know that I, and millions of other concerned, patriotic, Americans, are not stupid enough to think a “carefully designed system” is what you Democrats are about to drop on us without our support.

You senators and congresspersons, as well as President Obama, don’t give one hoot in hell what the American people want.

Engels and Marx have the run of both houses of Congress, and in the White House.

Over the last 2 years I've read up on the Healthcare Debate, relying on politicians, journalists, commentators, researchers, and ordinary citizen bloggers, nationwide, to help me understand the travesty that you all want to force on America.

What they have discovered, revealed, and explained, scares the hell out of me, and makes me fear for the future of this nation as the free, and powerful Republic it was born as, and meant to be.

The Guiding Light of Freedom is slowly being snuffed out in so many ways, day by day, and the Healthcare Plans of the House & Senate, all the work of Democrats, ignoring input from Republicans, and especially concerned ordinary Americans by the millions, is just one part of the horror.

It is insane what you are doing in the middle of the night, with few politicians, and even fewer ordinary citizens, having thoroughly disected, and deliberated, the contents of these bills, in the open, transparent, light of day so all can see what is in the bill.

You call yourselves "The Worlds Greatest Deliberative Body"???

You all said there was going to be negotiation on CSPAN for all to see.

In the immortal words of Joe Wilson...YOU LIE!!!

How dare you, and the government you run, use our money to sell us out and keep us paying more and more for our enslavement!

Way to go socialist democrats. History will vilify you in ways we can’t even think of.

Career politicians, like you, need to go, and the sooner the better.

The only way to solve our problem is to fire every elected official and start over.

How dare you ignore the opinions of ordinary, concerned, Americans!

I say, again, we need to turn every one of you traitorous bastards out.

I believe that the corruption of the deliberative process over the Healthcare issue gives complete lie to ANY pretense that government can run health care in a non-corruptible way.

You all have betrayed We the People.

You are intent on converting our Free Country into a Socialist State, and I will not sit idly by, and let that happen.

I will protest in the street every chance I can.

This Tea Party attendee, and supporter, in my very humble way, will write letters like this one, and will use such online venues as Stumble Upon, and Twitter, to fight back in words, and links to the words of others, so as to spread information folks need to know to defeat you, as well as continue to keep up my Food For Thought Links Collection in the sidebar of my blog so as to inform anyone who visits, and I will vote against you at election time.

As a Conservative Republican, who once, long ago, was a Reagan Democrat in the 80's, then a Clintonista in the 90's, I believe we need a return to solid Reaganesque leadership in the Conservative movement to unite our numbers and take back the GOP, and then our beloved country back before it's too late.

Sincerely yours,

"Joe Wilson"

AKA

Kiril "The Mad Macedonian" Kundurazieff

In "War on Cops" Michelle Malkin Speaks the Truth the PC Don't Want Understood

My Sister, and Brother-in-Law are cops, and damn good ones, I might add.

The recent Cop Killings in the state of Washington, and the backround of the killer, are very disturbing but, as Michelle Malkin makes clear, there is a war on Cops, and it has been going on for decades:

The Left has a popular mantra: “Stop the hate." Why don’t they start applying it to the men and women who protect and serve?

The Left’s police-hating chickens are coming home to roost. While partisan liberals have gone out of their way to blame conservative media and the Tea Party movement for creating a “climate of hate,” they are silent on the cultural and literal war on cops that has raged for decades – and escalated tragically this year.

The total number of law enforcement officers shot and killed this year is up 19 percent over last year, according to the Christian Science Monitor. More officers have died in ambush incidents this year than any other since 2000.

Michelle points needed fingers at politicians, rappers, radical activists, racial grievance hucksters such as Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton, as well as President Obama, and those he has associated with over the decades.

Read the article, and follow the links. 

 

Veterans Day in a Time of War, and Some Books Worth Reading

The last 9 days have been a troubling time in America:

Debates over Healthcare, leading to the passage of a bill that aims to destroy the greatest Healthcare System in the world, followed by the dispicable Act of Terrorism inflicted on our military, at Fort Hood, by one of their own, a Radical, American-born Muslim, Lone Wolf Terrorist, who had been publically telegraphing his terrorist, Radical Islamic, sympathies, for years from within the Service itself, and a President who, in his words, and actions, related to this last, has shown a distrubing cluelessness (People with more time, and patience, not to mention influence, and traffic, have documented, and commented on, this online, on radio, and TV.), even as he somehow managed to say soothing words to the nation no doubt written with the help of his speech writers so as not to offend certain of his constiuencies at home and abroad.

This post is about Veterans day in a Time of War, and some of the great writing to be found online today, and about some books I have in my collection that I recommend that you find and read.

1. From THE premiere MilBlog in the world today, Mudville Gazette:

Guns on the Q.T. - Thank God for That" By Greyhawk

"A Mudville Veterans Day tradition, I first posted this one from Baghdad in 2004. My grandfather (whose grandfather fought for Ohio in the Civil War) was a medic on the battlefields in WWI, the letter reproduced below was to the girl back home who would become his wife."

Some of what Granpa wrote might be a tad too patriotic for some today, and something he did might be considered Politically Incorrect, but good for him!

2. Another top MilBlog is Blackfive, and I have 2 posts from it to share:

A. Again this year (sort of a Veterans Day tradition), I wanted to offer up my favorite Veterans Day article from the late, great Mike Royko (1932 - 1997) who penned it in 1993.  I don't care if you were a paratrooper, cook, medic, grunt, pilot, or ran the laundry and bath point, you have my thanks for serving our country.

I think Mike's got the right idea about how to celebrate Veterans Day, GI-Style.

B. A picture IS worth a thousand words, and this powerful, and moving, photo is PRICELESS!

It's about the living.

3. Doctor Zero, at Hot Air, has written a powerful tribute to the Veterans of the past and, along the way, makes a powerful point in the aftermath of Ft. Hood:

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of 2009, the wounded of Fort Hood will remember their fallen friends, and wonder how a man wrapped in enough red flags to turn him into a bloody mummy was allowed to infiltrate their base. Those wounded and dead rely upon us to ask the questions their superiors in the chain of command cannot comfortably answer. Calling the injured and dead of Fort Hood “victims” perpetuates the blindness that compelled those men and women to face the enemy unarmed. They are casualties of war… and as far as I’m concerned, Sergeant Kimberly Munley, who took their cowardly attacker down, is a veteran today.

The terrorist enemy doesn’t have a formal chain of command that can sign an armistice, they don’t muster on clearly defined battlefields, and they’re quite happy to benefit from the efforts of deranged fanboys. If we don’t stand behind our professional soldiers, and give them the tools to do their jobs now, we will all become soldiers before this enemy is defeated.

Read The Eleventh Hour in its entirety.

A Tip of the Hat to Michelle Malkin for bringing all these to the attention of her readers!

4. Over at The Radio Patriot Naval Aviator Jerry Wilson has a powerful message for Americans concerned about the future of our country, and he describes himself in ways that can apply to many of us, including myself.

"I love America , I cannot believe how the ignorance of the American public has created a situation whereby they are going to lose their Republic and slip into an age of repression and tyranny."

After making the point that we "are in the middle of a communist revolution and few in the U.S. can actually see it for what it truly is" he writes:

There are a growing number of citizens in the US that are ready to fight to shut down the government’s grab of personal freedom, it’s blatant abuse of the constitution, and it’s attempt to replace the American way of life with socialism. You have to listen carefully to hear them, but they are there. I won’t start that fight, but when it goes down I will join it.

As for you, why, you’ll be shocked because you didn’t see it coming. And eventually you’ll be saddened when you see that we have truly lost the way of life with which you grew up. You’ll be saddened that your children and grandchildren live in a socialist, government-controlled gulag where their every movement from cradle to grave is tracked by the government. But most of all, you’ll be saddened by the death of friends and relatives who are brave enough to fight and die for something they believe in."

Amen!

Read: A Veteran's Warning To All Americans

I have blogged about my Father, who lost an eye fighting Tito, in his native Macedonia, and fled to America to live, and raise a family, in the freeist country in the world.

He died in 1988, but if he were alive today he would be appalled at the direction our country is heading.

He did not leave Socialism behind just to see his kids, and grandkids, end up living under that same failed, destructive, system of government.

I don't blog politcs, and issues, on this blog, except for an occasional piece like this, or this (Not Exactly Sitting Idly By.), or a poem, or 3 (His Name is Barack Obama, You See), when the Muse strikes me, but many sites in one section of my Food For Thought Blogroll do, and I DO participate in the fight as best I can by "Blogging" on Stumble Upon, Tweeting, and occasionally recommending videos on YouTube, among other things, including attending a Tea Party Event when I can.

What follows is a Recommended Reading List (With Pictures, including one of my Co-Blogger, Nikita, helping me with the display!), culled from my own personl Book Collection.

I am slowly working my way through these 18 books, and use an " * " to show what I've read so far:

Guardians of Our Nation's Brats, and Young Skulls Full of Mush, Start Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots

This past weekend a new online community was begun, inspired by an episode of the Glenn Beck Show, last week, about Mothers, and by the principles of the 9-12 Project.

Billing itself as a "Network of principled mothers, grandmothers, daughters, & guardians of our nation's children", AS A MOM...A Sisterhood of Mommy Patriots spells out its purpose this way:

 The purpose of this group is to give a forum for moms of all types to come together to discuss and resolve issues. Through the centuries women a have bonded together to teach and mentor one another. In the spirit of those foremothers let us now come together. Many of you have questions, some of you have answers. Some of you may know what textbooks teach a good history of our nation. Others can mentor a first time school board candidate...

In addition to the 9 values we add this one: Children are a gift from God and a sacred responsibility

If you can begin your statement or question with “As a mom…” then it belongs here. (No you don’t need to begin the statement that way.) All I ask is that we treat one another possible differing views with the same respect that we teach our children to use.

You are not alone. We are the mothers of 9/12.

This is a powerful statement, and a worthy effort, that I am lending my support to, with a link in my sidebar, in List #2 of the Food for Thought Section.

As one who grew up, from age 9, with no Father in the home, my Mother, a couple of Aunts, my Granma Leona (Not a blood relation), and a few other neighbor women, played important roles in my life for 30 years, and so I know the importance of the women in the formative years of a child, and young persons life.

This website has grown to 850 members in just a few days (Oops! Just in the last hour the number has grown to 1142, after the founder was on the Glenn Beck Radio Show this morning!), and has blogs, Groups, Forum discussions, Event Listings, and no doubt more to come.

I have only one issue with the site, and that is that one must be a member to read the Forums, and the blog posts, and know of events.

To participate you must become a member, and that is fine, and understandable, but many people will be interested in events, the ongoing discussions, and even in commenting on blog posts, or writing their responses to posts, and discussions, on their own blogs, with links to what they are responding to, but do not wish to join the website itself.

By not allowing non-members to read more than just tantalizing fragments, they are limiting the potential reach, and influence, of their effort.

Check out: As a Mom...

 

Not Exactly Sitting Idly By

From 2002 to 2007 I had a blog.

It covered a lot of ground, ESPECIALLY my thoughts on politics, and the issues of the day.

Except for a handful of powerful essays, and series of posts, my traffic was less than what this blog has had for the last 2 years. ;-D

I finally decided to move on, and in addition to begining something new, with a new focus, one reason was that there are so many others, with huge audiences, and resources, that are getting the word out on the issues.

I did not sit idly by, though.

Since 2005 I've included politics, and issues, as part of a varied collection of opinionated stumbles on my very popular Stumble Upon Page, and that has not stopped.

In recent months I got to thinking that maybe there was more I could do, in a subtle way, to help spread the word on the issues, and events of the day.

So I have updated a Blogroll I had on that old blog, and added it to my sidebar.

It's in the FOOD FOR THOUGHT section of the side bar, and the choice to explore it is entirely yours to make.

As for me, and my backround, and how my politics evolved, let me share a part of a 9 part series I wrote in 2004, in the wake of the death of Ronald Reagan, and a tour of the Reagan Library that I took............

When I registered to vote in 1978, when I turned 18, it was as a Democrat, and as I reflect back on those days it is to realize that I did so not really because I believed, or even fully understood, Liberalism, but because my mother was a Democrat, and I loved, and was busily supporting, her during difficult times for our family.

I grew up watching Watergate, the end of the war in Vietnam, the long gas lines, the hostage crisis, and malaise, of the Carter years, and understood enough that I knew I was pissed off at both parties, but was unsure about who to vote for in 1980.

I registered as a Democrat simply because I had to put SOMETHING down, and checking Independent wasn't an option in my mind.

Besides, like I said, Mom was a Democrat.

In the run up to the election I paid attention, continuing to read various political magazines that I'd been reading since I turned 15, and paying attention to Ronald Reagan more and more.

The New York Times, in an editorial, has written that Reagan's simple, uncomplicated, message was the following: There was no problem that could not be solved if Americans would only believe in themselves, and it was that message, and the many ways he sold it to us on the campaign trail, and over his 2 terms in office, struck a chord with me, and millions of my fellow Americans, leading us to become Reagan Democrats. ( Truth to tell, though, I've probably been a Democrat, in registration only, I've begun to realize, over the past year or so. )

Unlike the Gray Lady, in New York, I do not believe that gray is an attractive alternative to the kind of leadership the Conservatism of Ronald Reagan gave us, and the current President, in many ways, espouses.

Where I began to go astray, politically, was when I let my anger, at the missteps, and supposed illegalities, of Reagan's 2nd term distract me from the Big Picture truths about Reaganism, Reagonomics, and everything else successful, he did.

The voices of the Far Left were in full-throated attack, and I ate up their "investigative reporting", and became angry about a lot of things.

The fact that I was a low income worker, a homebody, a loner with no friends, a heavy sense of responsibility to family, and a credit card debt beginning to weigh me down distracted me from the essential messages espoused by Conservatives from Jerry Falwell to Ronald Reagan:

Americans must believe in themselves, and their nation, and have at least some little bit of faith, whether in a God, or in themselves, in order to accomplish accomplish anything worthwhile in this world, and this life.

There was still much that was accomplished, in world politics, anyway, that I cheered, but in my anger at the negatives I didn't vote for Bush I, and as the years went by I grew to mistrust him, and the brand of Conservatism I was initially attracted to in 1980.

When the Reagan Democrats flocked to Clinton I was one of them, as I chucked my shirt at a Clinton Campaign appearance in Ontario, Ca., soaked up the atmosphere of being among folks like myself who were troubled by the policies of the first George Bush, and maybe, like me troubled by the circumstances of our everyday lives, and so ate up the message Bill, Hill, and Al, had for America, and the world.

It was a hot day, full of music, and speeches, but on this day when I dared to leave my solitude, and hang out in a crowd, at a very politicallly personal event, I felt like I was part of something special.

By the end of the Clinton Presidency, in early 1999, my life was going nowhere, and I was again terribly disillusioned by a President, his behavior, and his policies.

In 1999 my life began to change.

The 1st step was getting a computer, going online, and joining the broader discussion, and debate found in the old message board communities known as Pathfinder, on the Entertainment Weekly, and Time Online websites.

The people I met online ( some, later in person as well ) helped change my life, and encouraged ( and still encourage ) me in so many ways as I grew, and changed socially, and politically.

The social part came before Sept. 11 when I took trips for 4 day adventures among some of them in Phoenix, and Chicago.

The morning after returning from Chicago was Sept.11, and my political awareness began to slowly change.

I had always been an avid reader of the political mags of the Left, and Right, and through everything had even been an avid listener of Rush Limbaugh since 1990.

Rush appealed to me as long as he wasn't speaking in Republicanese. :-)

I just shutout that part in my rejection of Reagan, and George Bush I.

In May 2002 I was encouraged to join the Bloggerverse by a very wise friend who saw my intelligence, ability, and talent, and knew this was a wonderful way for me to put it all to use.

This led to reading the works of other Bloggers, especially Conservatives, as my support for the War Against Terror grew, and it also led to my reading more of the social, political, and economic writings of Conservative Bloggers, and magazines.

I also began to express my own evolving opinions as well.

Reading, and listening to Rush, and Sean Hannity, I began to realize how very much I actually agreed with what I read, and heard, and how much I disagreed with much of what the Far Left was saying, and had been saying, and doing for years.

In 2003 I wrote a series of essays on the Illegal Immigration issue here in Ca..

I found myself disturbed by the situation, and the views of those here on the Left, and so expressed my opinion.

I was also writing about The War Against Terror ( T.W.A.T. ), and the war in Iraq, and my views on them evolved as well.

Some folks on the Left were not happy, and let me know it.

I wasn't disuaded. Not one little bit.

During this time I was also re-discovering my interest, and ability in Creative Writing, especially of poetry.

Last October, after the Ca. Elections, I switched Parties, and became a Republican.

I guess I've gone from thinking I was a Center Left Democrat to realizing I'm more of a Center Right Republican, and inching further right the more I read, and hear of the beliefs, and policy prescriptions, of the Left in this country.

I believe that Liberalism, and the Democratic Party, are in trouble, and their policies are troubling, because their vocal, politically powerful, and active, practitioners are far from their more moderate mainstream, less politically active, comrades.

The more I thought about the ideas, and policies of Liberalism, especially the less than moderate side of it all, the more I realized it didn't appeal to me.

In the 5 years since I wrote all that I've done many things to further my journey into becoming more Conservative in my views, from reading books, magazines, blogs, and websites, to continuing to listen to talk Radio, and continue to watch Fox News.

I have not been neutral by a long shot, and I've not been afraid to express myself in various ways, and on many different venues, from blogs, and the groups, and pages, I support on Facebook, to Twitter, and commenting on, and rating, videos, on YouTube, as well as continuing with Stumble Upon.

I've  always had Liberal friends, and one of the great things about venues such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Stumble Upon, is that they allow people of differing political, social, cultural, and religious backrounds to interact civily, and even become friends, based on our common interests, and  values.

But Politics is not what this blog is about.

I have other interests I care about, and want to share, and have done so since October 2007.

If you want to explore what Conservatism is all about, and what Conservatives, like me, think about the issues of the day then explore the links in the Food For Thought section of my sidebar (List #1)...the choice to do so, my friend, is entirely up to you. ;-D

When I registered to vote in 1978, when I turned 18, it was as a Democrat, and as I reflect back on those days it is to realize that I did so not really because I believed, or even fully understood, Liberalism, but because my mother was a Democrat, and I loved, and was busily supporting, her during difficult times for our family.

I grew up watching Watergate, the end of the war in Vietnam, the long gas lines, the hostage crisis, and malaise, of the Carter years, and understood enough that I knew I was pissed off at both parties, but was unsure about who to vote for in 1980.

I registered as a Democrat simply because I had to put SOMETHING down, and checking Independent wasn't an option in my mind.

Besides, like I said, Mom was a Democrat.

In the run up to the election I paid attention, continuing to read various political magazines that I'd been reading since I turned 15, and paying attention to Ronald Reagan more and more.

The New York Times, in an editorial, has written that Reagan's simple, uncomplicated, message was the following: There was no problem that could not be solved if Americans would only believe in themselves, and it was that message, and the many ways he sold it to us on the campaign trail, and over his 2 terms in office, struck a chord with me, and millions of my fellow Americans, leading us to become Reagan Democrats. ( Truth to tell, though, I've probably been a Democrat, in registration only, I've begun to realize, over the past year or so. )

Unlike the Gray Lady, in New York, I do not believe that gray is an attractive alternative to the kind of leadership the Conservatism of Ronald Reagan gave us, and the current President, in many ways, espouses.

Where I began to go astray, politically, was when I let my anger, at the missteps, and supposed illegalities, of Reagan's 2nd term distract me from the Big Picture truths about Reaganism, Reagonomics, and everything else successful, he did.

The voices of the Far Left were in full-throated attack, and I ate up their "investigative reporting", and became angry about a lot of things.

The fact that I was a low income worker, a homebody, a loner with no friends, a heavy sense of responsibility to family, and a credit card debt beginning to weigh me down distracted me from the essential messages espoused by Conservatives from Jerry Falwell to Ronald Reagan:

Americans must believe in themselves, and their nation, and have at least some little bit of faith, whether in a God, or in themselves, in order to accomplish accomplish anything worthwhile in this world, and this life.

There was still much that was accomplished, in world politics, anyway, that I cheered, but in my anger at the negatives I didn't vote for Bush I, and as the years went by I grew to mistrust him, and the brand of Conservatism I was initially attracted to in 1980.

When the Reagan Democrats flocked to Clinton I was one of them, as I chucked my shirt at a Clinton Campaign appearance in Ontario, Ca., soaked up the atmosphere of being among folks like myself who were troubled by the policies of the first George Bush, and maybe, like me troubled by the circumstances of our everyday lives, and so ate up the message Bill, Hill, and Al, had for America, and the world.

It was a hot day, full of music, and speeches, but on this day when I dared to leave my solitude, and hang out in a crowd, at a very politicallly personal event, I felt like I was part of something special.

By the end of the Clinton Presidency, in early 1999, my life was going nowhere, and I was again terribly disillusioned by a President, his behavior, and his policies.

In 1999 my life began to change.

The 1st step was getting a computer, going online, and joining the broader discussion, and debate found in the old message board communities known as Pathfinder, on the Entertainment Weekly, and Time Online websites.

The people I met online ( some, later in person as well ) helped change my life, and encouraged ( and still encourage ) me in so many ways as I grew, and changed socially, and politically.

The social part came before Sept. 11 when I took trips for 4 day adventures among some of them in Phoenix, and Chicago.

The morning after returning from Chicago was Sept.11, and my political awareness began to slowly change.

I had always been an avid reader of the political mags of the Left, and Right, and through everything had even been an avid listener of Rush Limbaugh since 1990.

Rush appealed to me as long as he wasn't speaking in Republicanese. :-)

I just shutout that part in my rejection of Reagan, and George Bush I.

In May 2002 I was encouraged to join the Bloggerverse by a very wise friend who saw my intelligence, ability, and talent, and knew this was a wonderful way for me to put it all to use.

This led to reading the works of other Bloggers, especially Conservatives, as my support for the War Against Terror grew, and it also led to my reading more of the social, political, and economic writings of Conservative Bloggers, and magazines.

I also began to express my own evolving opinions as well.

Reading, and listening to Rush, and Sean Hannity, I began to realize how very much I actually agreed with what I read, and heard, and how much I disagreed with much of what the Far Left was saying, and had been saying, and doing for years.

In 2003 I wrote a series of essays on the Illegal Immigration issue here in Ca..

I found myself disturbed by the situation, and the views of those here on the Left, and so expressed my opinion.

I was also writing about The War Against Terror ( T.W.A.T. ), and the war in Iraq, and my views on them evolved as well.

Some folks on the Left were not happy, and let me know it.

I wasn't disuaded. Not one little bit.

During this time I was also re-discovering my interest, and ability in Creative Writing, especially of poetry.

Last October, after the Ca. Elections, I switched Parties, and became a Republican.

I guess I've gone from thinking I was a Center Left Democrat to realizing I'm more of a Center Right Republican, and inching further right the more I read, and hear of the beliefs, and policy prescriptions, of the Left in this country.

I believe that Liberalism, and the Democratic Party, are in trouble, and their policies are troubling, because their vocal, politically powerful, and active, practitioners are far from their more moderate mainstream, less politically active, comrades.

The more I thought about the ideas, and policies of Liberalism, especially the less than moderate side of it all, the more I realized it didn't appeal to me.

In the 5 years since I wrote all that I've done many things to further my journey into becoming more Conservative in my views, from reading books, magazines, blogs, and websites, to continuing to listen to talk Radio, and continue to watch Fox News.

I have not been neutral by a long shot, and I've not been afraid to express myself in various ways, and on many different venues, from blogs, and the groups, and pages, I support on Facebook, to Twitter, and commenting on, and rating, videos, on YouTube, as well as continuing with Stumble Upon.

I've  always had Liberal friends, and one of the great things about venues such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Stumble Upon, is that they allow people of differing political, social, cultural, and religious backrounds to interact civily, and even become friends, based on our common interests, and  values.

But Politics is not what this blog is about.

I have other interests I care about, and want to share, and have done so since October 2007.

If you want to explore what Conservatism is all about, and what Conservatives, like me, think about the issues of the day then explore the links in the Food For Thought section of my sidebar (List #1)...the choice to do so, my friend, is entirely up to you. ;-D

You know you are Macedonian when...

I am half Macedonian, my father being born there, but when I found this list, on Facebook, I found much to laugh at, and comment on:

You know you are Macedonian when...

Your granfather always has a shot of Rakija for breakfast. (I have no clue!)

The minute church services are over you go straight for the bar and get smashed. (I'm no church goer, but Dad used to drink beer, from time to time, in the 50's, and in my early childhood in the 60's.)

You only go out of town for Macedonian Tournaments and Dances. (If I could find anything Macedonian, culturally, or business-wise, in Southern California, I could definitely be persuaded!)

You are hopelessly trying to bring the Macedonian community in Australia together. (Not me! Too far away! Besides I'm still trying to find a "Macedonian Community" in Southern California!)

Your uncle makes his own wine that's stronger than 'rakija'. (I have no clue!)

Your mother insists that 'promaja' will kill you. (What's That? My Sainted American Ma, Rest her soul, never mentioned it!)

Your mother insists you must eat something with 'Sirenje' at least three times a week. (See last Answer!)

You use 'Rakija' to cure all illnesses, celebrate all occasions and as a massage lotion. (What's that?)

Your baba will not accept the fact that you're just not hungry. (Who's that?)

Your Baba is constantly asking you when you're getting married. (My Mom used to, and my sisters quit a decade ago, I think.)

You go to your baba's house, she offers you supa, sarma, piperki or Kolbasi and gets upset if you don't eat EVERYTHING. (OK, I'm pretty sure I don't have a Baba, and I definitely don't know what those other things are!)

You base your whole life on the fortune in your coffee cup. (I quit drinking coffee 20 years ago!)

You celebrate Christmas, Easter and New Years two weeks after everyone else. (Nope! I'm only half Macedonian! As a Child, in the 60's I vaguely remember attending Orthodox Church Services, though.)

Your parents constantly say you'll end up a nobody if you don't graduate from a University. (They both wanted me to go to College & were proud I graduated.)

You go to a restaurant and bring your own drinks. (Does buying a Coke at 1 Fast Food joint, and going next door to eat at a place that only sells Pepsi, count?)

You are at a party and the guys try picking you up by asking, 'Hey baby, what's your slava?'. (I don't do parties, I'm straight, and don't have a clue waht a "Slava" is? Is it something Kinky?)

When you have four pairs of 'Vlecki' in your wardrobe. (What's that? Should be worried they might reproduce?)

All other action stops when you hear the music of 'Ogan da go gori' or 'Biser Balkanski'. (No but, since I've never heard either, I'd be willing to listen at least once.)

You are a fan of whatever soccer team Darko Pancev plays for. (Who's he? Besides, Soccer's boring! I prefer Golf!)

When your mom calls you 'stoka'. (My Mom never did. Is that a cuss word, used when the kids misbehave?)

You can always smell garlic on your parents' breath and they insist it kills all bacteria. (My parents were never into garlic.)

Your walls are crowded with icons of saints. (The only pictures of a saint adorning my wall are my favorite picture of my Mother, and one of 1yr. old me with my parents.)

You have a Goce Delcev picture on the wall. (Nope! What's that?)

There's a slab of fat in your fridge called 'SLANINA'. (Nope! Why would you want to name a slab of fat, anyway. My Bike is named Cleopatra, though!)

Your parents still prefer to buy tapes rather than CDs. (My parents prefered Records, and were dead by 1990, anyway.)

Your mom has a whole pharmacy in her medicine cabinet. (Nope, not that I remember!)

Your parents think everything is a conspiracy. (My Dad was a Macedonian Nationalist, a former member of the underground fighting Tito, at the end of WW2, so said my Mom, and he lost an Eye sabotaging a railroad!)

You get offended if someone asks you if you are Greek. (As far as I know my Dad never took it personally, his favorite restaurant was a Greek place, and he once had a Greek friend who let him listen to his Greek Recordings...until he learned Dad considered himself Macedonina, not Greek.)

You have gone to at least 3 Macedonian protests in the city. (Nope! The only protests we got going around here, these days, are on behalf of, or against, Gay Marriage, in support of, or against, the rights of illegal Mexican Immigrants, and for, or against, the policies of President Obama, and the Democrats in Congress!)

Your old man hits you more because you are still crying. (He never did. I do remember once that he went looking for me when i was late getting home from school, belt in hand, but when he was that a bully was why I was late, he turned his attention on the bully, and chasedd him down the street for 3 blocks, without catching him.)

Your parents tell you that Virginity (for girls only) is more important than your life. (If Mom told this to my sisters, it didn't take! Me? I'm still a bachelor.)

Your mom or Dad screams at you infront of the whole school on report card day. (Nope, they never did. I still have all my report cards from Elementary, and Middle School because Mom saved them, and this led me to save my High School & College ones, too!)

You deinitely know you are a Maco when the 'Kisela Voda' from the village of Dolno Dupeni is supposed to taste better than Evian mineral water. (Never tasted either)

You have at least a whole 'tengere' left over with food after the whole family has eaten. (What's that?)

If something goes wrong in the family, it definitely has something to do with 'Magia'. (What's that?)

Everyone asks you how much money you made on your wedding night. (When I get married, I'll be sure to let you know!)

You constantly get asked how much money you make at work and how big your home loan is. (Nope!)

You have at least 20 grand cash in the roof or under the pillow. (I wish!)

Your parents can eat 'luti piperki' like chocolate and not break out in a sweat. (I have no clue what that is, or if Dad ever ate it.)

The house has to be vacummed at least 10 times a week. (Twice a week.)

Your fridge always has more beer than food, just in case 'gosti' come over. (Don't know what that is, and only have beer around occasionally. (There are 5 bottles in the fridge right now and, until Friday, that means there is more beer than food.)

You always bargain at the market and try to get discounts. (I always look for discounts, but bargaining something lower is not an option unless at Yard Sales, Flea Markets, and Farmer's Markets.)

You have an uncle that sticks his thumb up at someone instead of his middle finger and calls him a 'peder eden' (I don't know. What's "Peder Eden"? is it something kinky?)

Half of your backyard is a bafcha. (I lived in a house with a yard most of my life, but have no clue what "Bafcha" is)

Your guests insist on seeing your parents bafcha. (Ok, now this sounds kinky! What's a Bafcha"?)

You know your Macedonian when your mother says shes eating "makedonija nuts" not macadamia nuts. (Being American, Mom, rest her soul, ate Macadamia nuts)

You can smell the food before you even enter the front gate. (Damn straight!!!! From even further! I'm my Fathers son, you can bet yer sweet bippy!)

You eat "graf" at least three times a week. (What's that? Where can I get it? if it's healthy, I'm game!)

Your "Kumovi" (godparents) choose your child's name. (Nope! My name was based on tradition. 1st son is named after the Father of his Father.)

Your parents insist that when shaking hands with somebody you have to look at them directly in the eye because it shows respect. (Nope!)

Your Moms coffee cups are as small as Barbie toys. (Nope! Those suckers were HUGE!)

Your mother gets paranoid about cleaning the house before she has guests over. (She was never paranoid about it, but always felt it was important to have a clean house.)

Your parents make enough jars of "Ajvar" in November to last for 3 months. (What's that? My Mom was an expert Home Canner, and our garage was always stocked with canned fruits, and veggies of all sorts.)

All of your relatives in Macedonia think that you are rich. (Yup! or they used to back in the 60's. I remember my Mom mentioning questions, and confusions, on the part of the relatives of my Father, who thought he made more money than he did, and never understood why the family never could come to Macedonia to visit. Mom always said that he was afraid his past might cause him problems if he did, though his friends never had problems going back, and besides he didn't like Tito, and Communism.)

Your parents have their friends come over at midnight on a school night, and talk so loud that you can't fall asleep till they leave. (No worries on that account.)

Your family celebrates a "Slava" at least once a year. (What's that?)

Your father drives to stores an hour away so he can buy Macedonian food. (Dad never drove, and as far as I know the closest he ever came to buying "Macedonian" food, was at a greek Restaurant, or Deli.)

Your mother can cook anything you want her to. (That she could, God bless her soul!)

Your dad bought and set up an illegal satellite dish so that you can watch Macedonian TV in your house. (Nope! He DID have Macedonian records, and listened to a Macedonian radio station on shortwave, and read a Macedonian-American Newspaper.)

You eat "Sirenje" with everything. (What's that? I'm willing to try it... if it won't kill me!)

Your Dad insists that he is not drunk no matter how much he has had to drink. (I never saw my Dad drunk.)

You know how to drive a stick-shift. (Nope! I'm a lifelong bicyclist, walker, and bus rider!)

Your parents say your 2 hour of homework is nothing compared to their 5 hours of homework when they used to go to school in Macedonia. (Dad never talked about school in the 20's & 30's, but Mom always talked about her schooling when I bitched about homework.)

When you go over to someones house, you take of your shoes otherwise its rude to walk into their house with shoes on. (In America, you try that, especially with smelly socks, and atheletes foot....)

You get straight A's at school without even trying and all of your friends think that you are a genius. ( I was B Student, and they still thought I was a genius!)

You get hurt and your parents say "Nisto nema, ke pomini". (What's that mean? Stop crying, you God damn Sissy!!)

Your Dad insists that his homemade hamburgers are better than the ones at MacDonalds or Burger King. ( My Mom made them, and they were. I miss her cooking!!!)

You are naturally good at soccer. (Nope!)

You can understand Serbian, Bulgarian, and Croatian and a little bit of Russian. (Nope! My Dad read, and spoke, Macedonian, and understood Serbian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Greek, Italian, German, all before he came to America. his 1st language, here, was Spanish, which he read, and spoke fluently. English became a neccesity, a few years later,  the very 1st moment he set eyes on his future wife, my Mom! He never taught his children any of his languages, feeling it was more important that we know English.)
 
People can't pronounce your last name. (My God, YES! You have no idea!)

People give you nicknames because they can't remember how to say your name. (Professor K in school, later Mr. K)
 
You have a Macedonian flag somewhere in your house or car. (Nope! An American Flag.)

You don't get grounded but get smacked instead. (My paents were expert spankers!)

You move into a new house and the first guests to arrive at your door are your Baba and Dedo...plus the local Macedonian priest they brought over to bless the house. (My 1st guests have always been my sisters, especially since they and their husbands helped me move in.)

You can relate to something above and are cracking up right now!!!!

(Damn Straight!! Hee, hee! )

***UPDATE: 7AM - 8/19/09***

You know you are a Macedonian when...you kindly take the time to edumicate the ignorant among your fellows with the same ethnic backround!

Ok, from a Macedonian in Toronto to a Mad Macedonian in California, let me try and shed some light on a few of the terms and phrases from above:

Rakija = Like ouzo or grappa, but better!

Sirenje = A mix of goat and feta cheese

Baba = Grandmother, Dedo = Grandfather

Supa = Soup

Piperki = Pickled peppers

Kolbasi = Sausage

Vlecki = Warm woolen underwear

Goce Delcev = Macedonian hero of the failed Illinden Uprising in 1903

Tengere = Container or tub, usually for food, usually an old yogurt container cleaned out, sometimes called "Polish tuperware"

'Luti piperki' = Hot peppers

Gosti = Guests, as in company coming over to your house

Bafcha = Garden, usually used to grow your piperki

Graf = Boiled, then spiced and baked beans, mmmmmm good

Nisto nema, ke pomini = Nothing there, it will pass

Hope this helps.

Spiro

Thank you, Thank You, Thank You!!! ;-D

***END UPDATE***

***UPDATE 2 - 9/25/09***

This post has been read by many, many people since it was written, but it took a month for reaction to manifest itself (The help of Spiro, and also a Facebook Friend, on the 19th, don't count!) in the comments.

Considering how passionate Macedonians are, about all things Macedonian, what took people so long?

Hee, hee!

I posted a response, in the comments, this morning. ;-D

***END UPDATE***

 

Snitch Brigader at Work? I've Been Binged!

The Snitch Brigade at work?

Just before noon, according to my stat tracker, someone in Dayton, Ohio did a Bing Search for this:

TO REPORT FISHY COMMENTS REGARDING OBAMACARE

3, 520 results came up.

Guess who came in at #4 ;-D

I didn't beat Townhall?

This Blogging No-body came oh so close to topping a Big Boy in a search!

I don't know whether to be honored or insulted! ;-D

The person spent 5min. 47sec reading my post. ;-D

Dear Mr. President, I Respectfully Disapprove

Maybe it was just a fellow Conservative doing research for a blog post? ;-D

Dear Mr. President, I Respectfully Disapprove

I have joined Michelle Malkin, and many other concerned Americans, in reporting on anything “on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy”, to the White House, and the Snitch Brigade that The Socialist in Chief seems to have allowed to take over the Official White House Website Blog, if not the whole damn website itself.

Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy....

Some idiot left a comment over at Stop the ACLU that tries its damndest to trash Conservatives for reacting in horror to this "Call to Action" by the White House, and/or its lackeys...

What really blows my mind is that nearly every right wing website quotes the WH in full, providing the text where the WH clearly doesn’t ask for PEOPLE to be reported. All these websites then immediately denounce the WH for asking for PEOPLE to be reported.

Um..., just who, or what, in the Sam Hill does this person think would be putting out the stuff the White House wants Americans to report? The Tooth Fairy?

Of course they want us to Snitch on each other.

Facts ARE stubborn things.

I never intended to blog politics here, that's why the subject rarely rears its head, but this truly frightens me, more than all the other Bullshit that has happened since Barack Obama was elected.

I've gone to one Tea Party, and blogged about the experiece, and hope to be able to attend more in the future.

Tea Party, Santa Ana Ca.: Speaking Up For America, the Free, the Republic.

Does Gazing at Your Navel for too Long Lead to Blindness?: A Tea Party Follow-Up.

I'm not only against his Healthcare plans, but have been, and continue to be, strongly against the Bailouts, Stimuluses, Taxing the Middle Class, his choice in Supreme Court Justice, Acorn, taking away my right to a Secret Ballot in Union Elections, and much, much more.

***UPDATE - 3AM: What I discovered by Googling Bicycling for Socialism = Thoughts on Bicycling and Socialism. ;-D ***

What follows is an e-mail that I just sent to flag  @ whitehouse.gov

Dear Mr. President:

I hear you, or your operatives, and flunkies, wish me to become a Snitch.....

Well, OK, if you INSIST. ;-D

I think it’s fishy that I can’t find out what the “health czar’s” budget is:

I think it’s fishy that some people seem to have a conflict of interest:

You guys are going to start investigating yourselves, aren't you? ;-D

You can start with the dis-information, and un-patriotic suggestion, posted here:

Your folks there in the Snitch Brigade need to investigate the health care scam that’s unfolding.

As for me, I’m snitching on myself as vehemently being opposed to Obamacare, Single Payer, and anything like it.

I like my healthcare plan just the way it is, thank you very much!

I 2nd the sentiments expressed in the letter posted here:

I'm sending the link in case his e-mail was counted as being Spam. ;-D

And I agree with Warner Todd Huston..."It appears that the White House thinks this is Orwell’s 1984. Big Brother is watching and he apparently resides in Oceania’s White House".

My Father, may he rest in peace, fought Socialism, and fled to America, from Macedonia, in 1951, because he refused to live under its yolk, and now operatives of the government of the freeist nation on Earth, and maybe even you, yourself, are asking Americans to turn on each other.

Over hear, or read something by, your boss, your neighbor, your parent, relative, spouse, or child, in opposition to the plans, policies, or statements of the current administration, and its enablers in Congress?

Turn them in! It's your Patriotic Duty!

My God! Does this sound familiar to ANYONE?

Oh, wait...I don't think they teach history like they used to, and The Greatest Generation IS slowly dying out.

One more thing, out here in the heartland, including Orange County, Ca., we are extremely disturbed by how you’re systematically destroying our way of life.

Kiril Kundurazieff

Santa Ana, Ca.

The Mad Macedonian

Putting the ING in BLOGGING Since May 2002!

Musings of a Mad Macedonian, and The Cycling Dude.

****UPDATE - 1225PM****

Snitch Brigader at Work? I've Been Binged! ;-D

****END UPDATE****

****UPDATE - 540PM***

Operation Go Flag Yourself! Join Up Today!

****END UPDATE****

****UPDATE - 8/6/09 - NOON****

The essay, WHO WE ARE by Dr. Zero, at Hot Air,  is a powerful, thoughtfull, unapologetic "Kiss My Ass" to Obama, The Socialist in Chief, his pliant Congress, and Media, and the rest of the Socialist, Loony, Liberal Left who think it is just peachy to Snitch on your friends, family, and neighbors, and put avowed Communists in public office, and give money to the likes of criminal outfits such as Acorn, and spend, spend, spend our way out of our problems.

It is a piece that makes some very clear statements of values, and principals, and other judgements that most Americans, even more thoughtful, non-brainwashed, Liberals, and Democrats, can agree with.

****END UPDATE****

****UPDATE - 8/8/09 - 1AM****

El Rushbo issued a Tour de Force of a rant on his show, on Thursday, ripping Nancy Pelosi a new one in not uncertain terms. ;-D 

Among the many things Rush said, on air, and that are reprinted on his website, with links to important supporing information, is the following:

"These town hall meetings reveal a deep distrust of Barack Obama and his policies and everyone who supports them. The town hall meetings, ladies and gentlemen, are a manifestation of America's lack of trust in the Democrat Party and its leaders. And now this man who is losing our trust has started an enemies list -- essentially, a snitch list. Americans have figured out that Obama doesn't care if votes are taken on bills that haven't been written. He has broken most every promise he has made and everybody knows that his "No New Tax" pledge on the middle class tax is next. In fact, that's already been broken. All of these actions and more have amounted to a betrayal of trust. Barack Obama's not who he said he was. Just for a moment forget falling polls, forget rising unemployment.

The problem Obama faces is destroying his presidency as he's losing the trust of the American people. He can no longer say "Trust me," and this distrust Americans feel is growing stronger and deeper every day that passes. It's becoming clear as well that Barack Obama listens to nobody. It's his hard-left agenda and whatever it takes to ram it through. He doesn't care what Americans think. He doesn't care about their ideas. He doesn't care about their values. This is all about him. This is all about Barack Obama's personal agenda and objectives. It's about Barack Obama erecting monuments to himself. He has no intention of governing. He intends to rule. And that's why legislation is voted on that no one's read. That's why he rams through bills without hearings, without discussion and without knowing any details. He intends to rule, and Americans are figuring it out. They no longer trust Barack Obama."

Bravo Rush Limbaugh! ;-D

Read the rest! Whose Swastikas, Speaker Pelosi?

****END UPDATE****

 

I Love Target, Too, But...

Contrary to popular opinion Restraint IS NOT a 4-letter word!

The Editor of the wonderful blog Slave to Target went to Target, recently, with the sincere intent of only purchasing 2, count 'em, 2 items!

Clearly, someone has to work on their math skills. ;-D

Oh, and Ladies....if you simply MUST, there's a Red Cart Romance Thong pictured in the sidebar. ;-D

I wonder if there are any guys, out there, eagerly awaiting a Red Cart Romance JOCK STRAP? ;-D

I worked as a Target Cashier for 2 years before I became a Directory Assistance Operator in 2004, and had an interesting time doing it. ;-D

I 1st discovered this blog in 2006, and check in with it from time to time, still.

Blogrolling is Alive Again!!

After month of redesign efforts, in preperation for debuting Blogrolling 2.0, the big day has finally arrived, this morning.

All across the Blogosphere there is great rejoicing, and no doubt great curiousity about what the new version has to offer, and an all important question...

Will my Blogrolls remember me? If they do, will they be pleased to see me, or seriously pissed off? ;-D

Well, I was able to get to my lists, all 9 of them, and found them intact, though I need to double check the counts, to make sure everything is listed, and I need to update which blog they are now on.

Blogrolling.com serves well over a billion blogrolls per year to tens of thousands of customers, across hundreds of thousands of blogs. It requires some fairly serious bandwidth and hardware just to keep it running.

Blogrolling.com was one of the original blog “widget” services, and even with the recent challenges, still probably one of the largest in terms of actual usage. We really want to make sure that it gets even better.

So, we’re going to try and sell some ads.

One major difference is that you must pay an annual fee to keep those ads off the links in your blogrolls, and that is something I will do soon.

I like the new look of the lists, and the usability of the tools one uses for adding, and deleting links.

I have 9 Blogrolls, 5 on this blog, 1 on my BikeBlog, and 3 not currently in use, but soon will be again.

Over the 7 years I've been on Blogroll there have been 343,000 views of my Blogrolls.

Welcome back to life Blogrolling.com! ;-D

Strange Goings on During Inauguration Day

1. Analysis of CNN Obama UFO OVNI Object at Inauguration 2009 ~ Doesn't Look Like A Bird To Me??

LOL!

Art Bell where are U?

We will never hear the end of this until Obama is out of office! ;-D

2. Their performance was live — but music wasn't: Classical music heard by millions at chilly inauguration was pre-recorded.

Not just Live, or Memorex...but BOTH! ;-D

A fascinating side story to the Inaugural Celebration.

Good on them for making the right decision for the circumstances they were faced with.

An Historic Day in an Historic Week

  

It's been a fascinating week to say the least.

I'm sitting here watching the White House Press Corp, led by the ancient Battle Ax of Journalism Helen Thomas, grills Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, in his 1st Press Briefing.

Now that I'm finished reading Naugie Day coverage in the LA Times, and Orange County Register, Nikita is settling down to do the same. ;-D

I spent all Inauguration Day watching FOX, and CSPAN, coverage of the swearing in of Barack Hussein Obama as President Obama, the Parade, the Balls, and Talking Heads, and reporters, discussing every tiny bit of the day.

Twittering Away the Afternoon at the Obama Shindig

To Twit, or NOT to Twit, THAT is the question!

Or is that...

To Tweet, or NOT to Tweet, is THAT the question?

I recently took the plunge. ;-D

Twitter asks one question, "What are you doing?" Answers must be under 140 characters in length and can be sent via mobile texting, instant message, or the web.

I like the challenge of that! ;-D

It's easy to sit here, and blog up a storm all day, but try to express a coherent thought about something you have seen, done, heard, or read, or are planning to Do, or are thinking, in a 140  characters, including spaces...

THAT is not as easy as it sounds. ;-D

Anyway, I decided that since I was going to watch the Barack Obama Event at the Lincoln Memorial, this afternoon, that I'd share my thoughts via Twitter. (I had so much fun I might try it again on Inauguration Day) ;-D

Typepad Just Became Funner to Use

Well, this is interesting!

The way I compose my Blog has just become more

fun

than it

already was! ;-D