Death to all Liquid Extracts

HT Daily Telegraph

Thanks everyone

Took a while to get the computers back online, new office set up. We're still in a hotel and the dogs are still kenneled. This is the worst part for me. :-(

Here is one picture of what the firefighters had to do to our floors to get at the fire.

Pain.

To goodness and wisdom we
only make promises; pain we
obey. ~ Marcel Proust

Funny that quote should come from Proust. But I think it is a most Christian quote. Pain we obey. Because pain is a teacher, motivator, healer. Pain makes us cautious and bold.

I am reminded very powerfully this week the motivating power of pain. Our house burned Sunday. In the space of 4 minutes our house was lost, but it still took the firemen five hours to put it out.

Should God have stilled the wind to make the fire not spread? Should God have prevented the spark? Should God have changed the molecules in our water so that our water in particular wouldn't freeze?

Should God take the smell of smoke from our clothes and hair?

Is it the job of God to make everyone live pain free?

No. Just no. I don't demand that God make my life painfree. I've read that children who can't feel pain are horribly deformed by their teen years. They repeatedly hurt themselves.

Pain. You gotta love it. You gotta love God for allowing it. And this comes from someone who has had a little taste of it this week.

----
I wrote the above on the comments section of one of Chas' posts. He refers to a book that asks "In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?"

Day 2: Homeless but insured

The outside cats won't leave their house, but it is 1 or 2 degrees outside with horrible wind. No water. We still have our sheds and the generator. We hooked their heated cat mats and heated water bowl to the generator. We figured it would run for six hours last night.

Except for boarded windows the outside of the house looks fine. Inside we have no floors. All my lovely laminate burned.

The fireman said it was the coldest, hardest fire he ever went to and one of the longest. It lasted five hours in 2 below screaming 30 mph wind. But he has gone to a 12 hour fire before.

The firemen get $24 each for fighting our fire. They are volunteers.

God. Where is my toothbrush?

Nothing is rightl Dogs have been kenneled. i'm sad.

Fire.

We had a fire yesterday. Half the house is gone. Other half, we don't know yet. Dogs got out. We got out. Got the computers (natch!)

I'll write more later.

Indiana Christmas

A video of IU's Straight No Chaser (men's a cappella group). Very pretty song.

If you haven't heard any of SNC, be sure to check out this fabulous rendition of '12 Days of Christmas' -- The only version I have ever been able to really endure.

Ice storm in Indiana; record cold in China; frost damages crops in India; Las Vegas snows

Good article.

Subversive Christian Behavior

Groups of Christians should go into stores together and start wishing people Merry Christmas. Let the words ring out!

Gabriel's Message by Sting - sublime

Compare with the choir of Winchester Cathedral. Love this one, too. My favorite version is by the Tewkesbury Abbey, but I could not find their version on Youtube.



Below the album I got the Sting version from.



Gabriel's Message
Traditional -- Sting

The angel Gabriel from heaven came
His wings as drifted snow
His eyes as flame
"All hail" said he "thou lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favoured maid," Gloria!

"For known a blessed mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee,
Thy Son shall be Emanuel,
By seers foretold
Most highly favoured maid," Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head
"To me be as it pleaseth God," she said,
"My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name."
Most highly favoured maid Gloria!

Of her Emanuel, the Christ was born
In Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn
And everyone throughout the world would ever say
Most highly favoured maid Gloria!

I-----

It's worth noting that the traditional verse at the last is
"and christian folk throughout the world forever saved"

Sting apparently changed the words.

Dog TV (again)

My cute kitty Toot wants to come in... but there are dangers lurking inside. (Toot has a heated cat house so he isn't freezing.)

Things that bug me

The word is GRAY. With an 'a.' Not Grey.

Grey is the British spelling of Gray. We live in the U.S. We spell it gray.

So just stop it. Stop.

Obama's menu of change

I saw this list on a post on another blog by someone called Michael Smith. I thought it was pretty interesting since it lines up all Obama's promises in a row. Imagine checking off all this insane crap one-by-one as Obama works to create change in America! Can you imagine any other recipe that could so completely lead to the decline and fall of America?

Obama has promised to:
- To raise the top income tax rate
- To raise the corporate tax rate
- To raise the dividend tax rate
- To raise the capital gains tax rate
- To create a new tax on businesses that outsource jobs overseas
- To seize a portion of the oil industry's profits to fund an "energy rebate" (to buy votes)
- To seize a portion of the pharmaceutical company's profits to lower drug prices (to buy votes)
- To "spread the wealth around"
- To eliminate the secret ballot and allow union organizers to bring intimidation and threats to bear directly on anyone who dares to oppose a union.
- To raise the minimum wage by 50%
- To impose "cap and trade" limits on CO2 emissions that will, in his words, "cause electricity rates to soar" and "bankrupt anyone who builds a coal-fired power plant".
- To force all businesses to pay 100% of their employee's healthcare costs
- To complete the nationalization of the healthcare industry
- To impose protectionist trade restrictions by "renegotiating" existing free trade agreements.
- To commit America to funding U.N. anti-poverty programs, so that American taxpayers are not only bled to fund our home-grown bums and deadbeats, but the who world’s as well.
- To raise a “civilian defense force” which, in his words is just as strong and well-funded as our military.

Costco gets the Christmas spirit

Thanks to Costco for finally getting its courage up and saying that word hated by all liberals: Christmas.

Looks like they have some good Christmas gifts there.

Update: Costco got the Christmas spirit for ONE DAY! LOL Just like a bunch of dishonest liberals. They want your money, but they don't like your religion!

A JAM: Where the Soul Never Dies

You briefly get a look at our wonderful Aunt who got a lung transplant last week and is doing great.

Hallelujah!

Although I am skeptical about organ donation (mainly because people seem confused these days as to the definition of life), I am praising God today because our wonderful Aunt got a lung transplant and is doing great. We love her so much and, of course, we will keep the anonymous donor in our hearts.

The Democrat business cabal aimed at eliminating Christmas

Leftist Ralph Nader supportersBarnes & Noble 1-800-843-2665 - Offers "Holiday Gift Guide." Christmas not found on website. Riggio at right.

Braum's Ice Cream 1-877-274-4197 Sells "holiday" items only. Online feedback form


LeftistCostco 1-800-774-2678 - Costco's "Holiday Catalog" is obvious in purposely avoiding the use of Christmas. Heavily references "holiday" in its Gift Guide Catalog. email Costco. Costco's Democrat activitst CEO James Sinegal is on the forefront of this movement which is being heavily tested by the left this year. The issue? They want to prove they can take Christian money and still outlaw the name of their holiday.

DemocratCVS Pharmacy 1-800-746-7287 - CVS offers a "Holiday Center" on its website. The Nov. paper insert avoids using the term "Christmas." Phone: 1-888-607-4287 or email customercare@cvs.com CEO Tom Ryan is a modest Democrat contributor

Huge Democrat Donor - Millard Drexler, Gap Stores, pictured at right. (Gap, Old Navy) 1-800-427-7895 - Gap stores avoid using Christmas at every opportunity, being a very secular company. custserv@gap.com.

Kroger 1-866-221-4141 -Website uses "holiday" extensively. Weekly ad uses "holiday." email Kroger
Office Depot 1-800-463-3768 - Newspaper inserts reference "holiday" only. Website void of Christmas references. Online form

This list from the AFA.

I would add Lowes to this list. They are supposed to be Christmas friendly but their television ads all say 'holiday'.

Olive Garden 1-800-331-2729 -

Radio Shack 1-800-843-7422 - Website search for "Christmas" results in "holiday" page. No mention of Christmas anywhere. Online feedback form

Staples 508-253-0879 - Staples' press release referred to "holiday" 13 times without a single mention of Christmas. Last year, Staples emailed a customer to say it refused to post "Christmas" signs in their store. Live chat with Staples online or email Staples.

SUPERVALU 952-828-4000 -Owns Albertsons and Jewel-Osco. Refers to Christmas decorations as "holiday" on website and weekly ads. email SUPERVALUE

Josh Groban: He might be a liberal, but he's not afraid of Christmas. That's more than we can say for the Christian-haters at Costco.

Beautiful Christmas CD. Recommended! Buy it at Sam's Club. And remember, at Costco, the head bigot in charge is James Sinegal, who is a Democrat operative. This year he is trying to prove that he can hate Christians and still get their cash. Sinegal not only bans Christmas at Costco, he bans Christians. Did you know you can't wear any Christian symbols, nor can you expect to be promoted at Costco if you are a Christian? Sinegal is pictured at left.

Now for a funny Christmas picture go here to an old issue of Chas' Compilation.

Buy Aaron Neville records wherever Christmas is sold. (Remember: Costco hates Christmas and Christians)

Notice it isn't Aaron Neville's Soulful Holiday. It's CHRISTMAS.

Why Costco hates Christmas and Christians

Two words: James Sinegal.

CEO James Sinegal is on the forefront of the leftist effort to take the word "Christian" out of daily life and he is the stormtrooper for the anti-Christmas movement. And this year, the world's most successful anti-Christian retailer is poised to cash-in big.

Sinegal and other liberal operatives hope they can prove that you don't need Christmas to get cash from Christians. At age 72, Sinegal is boiling for a fight with his customers.

An avowed liberal, Sinegal has been a Democrat operative his entire life and he strives to be just the sort of CEO the mainstream media loves. He puts on the poor face whenever possible, comparing his own $3 million a year salary to the salaries of companies the media loves to hate.

In public, Sinegal himself refuses to use the word Christmas, sticking to the word 'winter' instead. Even when the company took on Toys R Us over that retailer's Christmas season strategies, Sinegal refused to use the word Christmas in his legal dealings.

In business, Sinegal has received heaps of liberal praise for policies that seem to reward employees more than similar competitors but it comes at a price. Employees can't wear crosses; religious employees do not get promoted. Employees must never use the word "Christmas" while on the job. In short, any whiff of anything Christian is too much for Costco, which appears to have a vendetta against Christianity in particular.

With the Democrat win in November, Sinegal now sees an opportunity to utterly remove Christians, Christianity, and Christmas from the public square. Other liberal CEOs are watching.

Will you let this anti-Christian bigot win? Or will the spirit of tolerance prevail?

Banning Christmas: The 'inclusive' lie

Above, the Head Bigot in Charge of Costco, James Sinegal

Is banning the word 'Christmas' being inclusive of all those hundreds of other belief systems that celebrate something-or-other on December 25 using a lighted tree?

No.

Well, as a matter of fact, there aren't any other belief systems that celebrate that way.

Let's face it. This is the CHRISTMAS season. You want to sell Hanukkah gifts, then do it. Call them Hanukkah gifts. What's the matter? You don't like Jews or something?

You want to sell Christmas gifts, sell Christmas gifts.

Here's what the honorable Kevin Willis says:

I understand being inclusive, but this is exclusive--excluding Christians. And, let's be honest, this sort of crap excludes even secular American's who enjoy long standing traditions like Christmas. Independence day is going to be "Summer Festival Grilling Time" in no time.

Walker's observation -- Of course if we renamed Independence Day to "Summer Festival Grilling Time" this WOULD give Democrats something to celebrate.

Kevin says: Saying the banning of Christmas is "inclusive" is frickin' Orwellian, BTW. It's one thing if they want to add some "Happy Kawanzaa" type stuff, but it's frickin' Christmas, and when I'm buying presents from stores like Costco, I'm not buy "holiday festival presents" or "winter solstice presents", I'm buying Christmas presents. You don't like Christmas? Then you don't like my money.

And I would have said that as an atheist, because I celebrated Christmas--not "inclusive celebration day" for years as a non-believer, and never cared for this erosion of American tradition, and, yes, great American Christian traditions, even when I was a non-believer. I understand as a former atheist, I have no street cred with current atheists, but still. There are conservative atheists and agnostics who are appalled by the efforts of multi-cultural nazis to tear down Christmas under the bullsh*t banner of "inclusiveness".

"Inclusive", my big round red rear end. Ho-ho-ho.

Walker interjects: I'd like to point out here that Kevin is referring to his own "big round red rear end." I would never refer to mine that way, no matter how much I resemble that remark.

EMAIL THE HEAD BIGOT IN CHARGE OF COSTCO AND TELL HIM WHAT YOU THINK OF HIS INCLUSIVENESS.

Email the Head Bigot in Charge: jsinegal@costco.com

James D. Sinegal and Costco Stores are anti-Christian bigots

Here is a photo of James D. Sinegal, the head bigot in charge of Costco Stores, who has ordered his store to refuse to use the word "Christmas."

He is an anti-Christian who is anti-Christmas but, like all hypocrite liberals, he hopes to take some Christian money this December.

BOYCOTT COSTCO

Email the Head Bigot in Charge: jsinegal@costco.com

DON'T SHOP AT COSTCO STORES

According to the AFA, Costco stores are run by anti-Christian bigots. The word Christmas will appear nowhere in their advertising or stores.

They can do without Christmas. Maybe they can do without Christian customers too.

Email the Head Bigot in Charge: jsinegal@costco.com

BTW, if you email doesn't go through, you might try a different name like, for example, bigots@ or maybe Jerk@

Remember what he said!

BO, when asked what he would do in the event of another major terrorist attack, said he would make sure he got the first responders out! Looks like he is going to get his wish. 20,000 first responders.

The new national security policy: We don't need soldiers to fight terrorists or prevent terror attacks. We need them to bury the dead.