May all of our readers have the HAPPIEST AND MOST PROSPEROUS OF NEW YEARS.

As so often has happened through the years, New Year's Eve will find me away from home base. This one is planned to be spent watching bowl games and maybe some keyboard pounding.

One year Charlotte and I spent laying vinyl tile on a cold bathroon floor.

One year, an illfated attempt to climb onto a two ton truck jammed my neck on a door jamb. The resulting chiropractor "adjustment" on NYE day left me in such pain my planned evening at the always lively Bohemian Dance Hall was cancelled.

One year found me listing stuff on eBay to help clean out my mom's home after her living there 45+ years.

One year found me in Florida, sans family, fishing on a neighborhood pier catching eels. A promised job interview had prompted the trip. That was the trip when that bony 83 year old female hand grabbed me in the middle of the night and, not knowing what was expected of me, I was afraid to open my eyes or acknowledge the hand shaking me. The Russian-Polish accent announced, "Abenski, you're making the snore"

1. What're Your plans? 2. What are some of your NYE memories.

Larry King Live featured singer/song-writer Ricky Nelson the other night to introduce two new CDs or DVD's. Nelson and his band died 20 years ago on New Years Eve in a plane crash.

What were your favorite memories of Ricky Nelson?

I just took 30 minutes writing about my memories of hearing Garden Party and made the wrong keystroke and zapped the whole thing. PPPHHHUUUTTRRRRTZZZ!!!!

No matter how much fiber intake you have, there comes a time where a good stool softener is a very good friend.

Did you ever have a GI series of x-rays where they filled you with barium? Did you follow the recommended procedures for "eliminating" the barium? If not, what happened?

One of my gifts was a camo cap saying "#1 Grandpa" and the other was a blue one showing a nice catfish with red letters saying, "I Love Cat Fights".

Sharing our daughter and family with his folks forced us to
have their "Christmas tree" last night. Our 7 y. o. granddaughter helped put together a sand candle looking quart jar of cookie mix. Also got a camo shirt from Academy covered with ducks.
My 1998 Toshiba laptop requires a 32 mb Ethernet adapter. The only Ethernet RJ45 to USB adapter Fry's had required 64mb. Yep, some dummy left the one that works attached to a CAT 5 cable at home. Fortunately the kids have unlimited long distance phone service for a fixed rate. Had to call YK Communications in Ganado to activate a dial up connection for me for two weeks.
I'd have gone nuttier than usual not having an Internet connection for that long. Can't miss the blog bunch. Y'all have a good'un. Thanks YKC.

WE'RE heading to Plano in the morning. It may be a day or two before back on line. May you and yours have the most blessed of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years.

Birddog, try not to harrass too many people the next week couple weeks.

Who do we need to hug, forgive and make up with over the holidays? It may be our last chance with some loved ones. Give someone a call.

My post about A GOOD APPROACH reminded me of Charlie Brightbill. At the time my grade school career started, Charlie Brightbill ran a little eating joint on the busiest intersection of our small town. My ten-years-older-than-me brother, Val, and his high school buddies hung out there a lot. My dad had taken me in there several times.
Charlie had a nonending pot of chili (for putting on hot dogs) which probably never was turned off and was washed about as often. When the greasy goo got so low Charlie, to my way of thinking, just added more ingredients.

Even today, my brother would say, "Charlie made the best hot dogs I ever ate." Just now, the writing of this brings to mind the mess of chili and finely chopped onions oozing out of the bun. You either had to lean over to eat them or not care how much you got on you.

My favorite thing about Charlie was his malts. He kept his milk in the ice cream box and it was in a slushy state when he poured it in the big chrome cup to make malts. He'd scoop enough ice cream in to make sure the resulting mix wouldn't spill out of a turned over cup. He seemed to know just how long to leave the shiny cup in the mixer with the pale green painted motor.

Charlie had an older-than-heck hand lettered sign one the wall saying, Ice Cream 5 cents a scoop. One day before lunch (I was about 8 or 9 years old) Val took me into Charlie's. There were several of Val's cronies standing around when I ordered a dime cone. Charlie took his scoop and just curled the ice cream up in a ball with a hole in the middle and handed it to me and asked for his dime. All ears were on us when I pointed to the sign and demanded my other scoop of ice cream. Flustered, he curled up another scoop and stuck onto the first one. When my first bite revealed the hole in the scoop of cream I looked up at Charlie and said, "Charlie, you cheenchy old _____________." The place rocked for a few minutes.

By my fifth grade year Charlie closed his place and became the janitor in our building. A bunch of us onery kids would walk up town at lunch and after school and swipe kite string and other small items. One day after lunch Charlie called me into his "office" filled with brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies and tools. He dropped a bomb on me, "Your teacher said she heard that you boys were stealing things up town. I told her, "No ma'am. I've known Abe and his family for years. I can't believe he'd do such a thing." He was right, never again.

The thing about it was that Charlie cared enough to address it to me rather than calling my parents and making a scene. I've always appreciated him for that. Maybe we should all take a lesson from that and give other kids a break and encourage them to walk the straight and narrow path.

The DISCUSSION FORUM topic was "Mass. confused over beating death." "Wait a sec" and I were going on about whether the rich bullies had the right upbring-ing and about victims dropping charges. The cops had done their jobs by arresting the bullies. The cops doing their jobs made me think about various ways to help young people in other ways than arresting them on the first offense. My last post was:
WAIT A SEC: I agree that we're pretty much on the same page. The parents HAVE to WANT to help their kids rather than bury their heads in the sand. One of my favorite stories is about Charlie the game warden who caught a little poor kid, Jimmy, shooting ducks before the legal shooting time one winter morning.

Charlie approached the lad and said, "Jimmy, you were shooting a little early this morning weren't you?" "I could see well enough to shoot 'em." "Maybe so but you were shooting before the legal time." Hanging his head the boy replied, "Sir, I didn't know what time it was because I don't have no watch." The warden let him go.


That afternoon Charlie drove up the the ramshackle house where Jimmy lived. He knocked on the door and a bedraggled woman opened it. "Yes, sir?" "Hi I'm Charlie__. Is Jimmmy here?" "Is he in some kind of trouble?" "No ma'am. I just wanted to give him this watch."

The folks behind the SUV in the Hobby Lobby/Big Lots parking lot asked me if they could help me. "I just wanted to thank you for not smoking in the doorway of the store. I've been on a campaign to get folks to smoke away from business doors so we don't have to wear a gas mask to get in." "Oh, we never smoke up there." Thanks folks for your consideration.

Aunt Fran, who locked Zippy in the shower sent this: >
Wanna have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD!

As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this
holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN, card to brighten up
their dark, sad, little world. Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it. (I even enclosed a scripture and said May God Bless you and Have a Merry Christmas. Millie)

Here's the Address, just don't be rude or crude. (It's Not the Christian
Way, ya know.):
ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend 37 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a Holiday Tree. . . . It's a Christmas Tree even in the fields!!

If there was a Christmas wish on my part it would be for bloggers and commenters to insert the gringo words in (these things) when mentioning Spanish words or terms. Maybe a rusty old dog can't learn new tricks but maybe he can learn a little more Spanish. Muy gracias, felis(sp?)navidad.

A buddy sent us this: Subject: Texas Facts

Nobody asked for them, but here are some little known Texas facts. I know ya'll just can't wait to read 'em!
Beaumont to El Paso: 742 miles.
Beaumont to Chicago: 770 miles.
El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas.
World's first rodeo was in Pecos... July 4, 1883.
The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water.
The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full time coach for Rice University in Houston.
Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America.
Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.
Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.
The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was in 1900 caused by a hurricane in which over 8000 lives were lost on Galveston Island
The first word spoken from the moon, July 20, 1969, was"Houston."
King Ranch in south Texas is larger than Rhode Island
Tropical Storm Claudette brought a US rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July 1979.
Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, instead of by annexation. (This allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height as the US flag.)
A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.
Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.
Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period after Dr in Dr Pepper.
Texas has had six capital cities:
1 Washington-on-the-Brazos
2. Harrisburg
3. Galveston
4. Velasco
5 West Columbia
6. Austin
The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the US which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. (by 7 feet).
The name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas"meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish forTexas.
The State animal is the Armadillo. (An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies! They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females. Well...I thought it was interesting anyway!)
The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston.AND... THE STATE BIRD IS THE MOCKING BIRD!!!

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS - TEXAS STYLE
People here in Texas have trouble with all those shalls and shall nots in the Ten Commandments. Folks here just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, some folks out in West Texas got together and translated the "King James" into "King Ranch" language: Ten Commandments, cowboy style. Cowboy's Ten Commandments posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas.
(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff
Now that's kinda plain an' simple don't ya think?
Y'all have a good Day. Hear?

Let's see if my keyboard can give you ten goodies for the week.

#1. I had chickenpox twice.

#2. I had a little three wheel red scooter with white wheels having black rubber tires. One day when about four years old I wanted my dad to bring me an ice cream cone. Instead, he blew it, brought Eskimo Pies.

I hopped on my little scooter and one footed it to town. My journey lasted half a block to the side road, two blocks to Peniel street, and someone recognized me crossing the interurban (streetcar) tracks right before crossing U.S. highway 66. Yes, this is one time "I got my kicks (or butt paddlin') on highway 66" as the song goes.

It was nearly dark when mom sent my brother to call me in for supper. He followed my tracks down the dirt street. When he turned the corner of our street and saw all those cars he just new that someone had run over little Abie. Never got my ice cream cone, but something much warmer.

#3. Was five years old when I took a notion to walk to my grandma's four or five miles away. Took a couple baseball gloves, a ball, a bat and a few changes of clothes in a brown paper grocery sack (bag if you prefer). Walked across/along the busiest streets in that part of town. My mom was on the phone from before I crawled out my bedroom window until grandma told her, "I have to go, some little kid is beating on the front door."

The sack tore enroute so my aunt drove me back along my route looking for a new green/brown/white striped long sleeved tee shirt (the dogs had played tug of war with it). I got to stay 2 or 3 days.

4. Lost my spleen on February 22, 1952. Should've quit chasing girls when I was eight. And, she wasn't even home.

5. We used to seine crawdads for fish bait. We moved to cajun country before we learned to eat them

6. Rode many a mile on bicycles to go hunting and/or fishing.

7. Drove a non-emergency ambulance while going to school. Had some interesting times, especially about hauling bodies and trying to get scared folks to help me in the morgue.

8. Have only been off-shore fishing about 4 or 5 times. We trolled in about 8 foot swells for what seemed like a week one day.

9. The closest we were to flounder gigging was the night we got stuck in beach sand and didn't get out until daylight.

10. Ate a mango that wasn't quite ripe and had to take a poison ivy shot for the swelling. Mangos and poison ivy are in the same family (rhus).

OTHER BLOGGERS: what do you think about this idea? DEAR READERS: Since we have no way of knowing how many readers we have, except when we chap someone enough or we stimulate you to comment, we don't know who's reading us. Please deon't think this is egotistical (sounds like a line from Mac Davis' "It's hard to be humble" or whatever the name of that song is) but would you please sign by posting your screen name and make a comment or two?

New approach. My assignment was to put as much outdoor stuff in here as possible. Of course, there is the perceived need to post something controverisal to stimulate comments.

Do y'all like blogs on just anything or would you like more of my "how I screwed this up" stories?

Thanks for reading and y'all have a good Christmas and a very healthy and profitable new year.

Should us older folks have pets?
Aunt Fran was in a dither because calling her little dog “Zippy” didn’t get an answer loud enough that she was convinced that what she heard was a real bark. She just thought that her wanting to hear it bark was what might be making her hear something. In a total panic, Aunt Fran drove around and hunted that dog for some three hours with no luck.

Back at home when a friend came over the dog barked. “Someone”, must’ve been a gremlin, had shut the dog up in the shower stall and didn’t know it.

Is it safe enough for pets to live with us forgetful people?

PEGGY VILLANUEVA, a childhood "family" member sent this...

THE SANDS OF CHRISTMAS by Michael Marks
***
I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh, And looked across the table where the bills were piled too high. The laundry wasn't finished and the car I had to fix, My stocks were down another point, the Chargers lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school....I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool. The burdens that I carried were about all I could take, And so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust, No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust. And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh, Eight Humvees ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens .......Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean. They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight, Their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.

Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind, To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again . There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease, They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see, They didn't need an ornament ——they lacked a Christmas tree. They didn't have a present even though it was tradition, The only boxes I could see were labeled "ammunition."

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side,.....He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried. I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near And kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

"There's nothing wrong, my little son, for safe we sleep tonight Our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right, To worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all, Instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall."

He looked at me as children do and said, "It's always right, To thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write." And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note, To thank the many far from home and this is what we wrote:

"God bless you all and keep you safe and speed your way back home.....Remember that we love you so, and that you're not alone. The gift you give you share with all, a present every day, You give the gift of liberty.....and that we can't repay."

Michael Marks: "I freely submit this poem for reprint without reservation—this is an open and grateful tribute to the men and women who serve every day to keep our nation safe."

D: Please forward this to all your email military buddies to show them how much we care. Thanks, Rusty

Was in a discussion today with a bunch of "old guys" (older than me) who were remembering games played as school kids. Did you call it mumble peg or mumbly peg? How did y'all play it?

Did you ever try to split another player's wooden top while it was spinning on the ground? What were some of the tricks you used? Sharpen the point on your top? Put screws in in place of the top spindle?

Did you ever play "SPLITS" by sticking pocket knives in the ground and the other player had to stretch to reach your last throw? What were your rules?

Did you ever see how close you could stick your knife blade to the other player's shoe without actually sticking IN it?

What were some of the other kids games like this besides marbles did you play? Did you ever get in trouble for playing marbles "for keeps"? What all different marbles games did you play?

How many of us know someone who may not have family or friends nearby with whom they can celebrate the holidays? How about some shut-in or old couple too far away from their kids to make a trip to see them this year? Who can we call and let them know that they’re not forgotten?

My work has had me away from hearth and home over holidays many times, just like our military folks. It sure is good to have someone to invite you over to share a meal of a day or an evening.

They say that so many folks die or commit suicide at this time of year. Depression seems to weigh heaviest due to illness, divorce, a death of a loved one, loss of employment, estrangement from some loved one. If you’ve never experienced, or recognized that you were suffering from, depression, count yourself fortunate. It can take a heavy toll upon you and those around you. Go yourself or encourage other sufferers to get help with depression. It might just save, or greatly improve their life.

I believe it’s Hospice of South Texas that conducts grief seminars, at no cost. Some of the things already mentioned are causes to grieve, even your own illness which has either temporarily or permanently impaired you in some way. There is help out there if you’ll look for it. Consider directing someone to get grief counseling.

ANY SUGGESTIONS? WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND?

A. TV news reporters can ask some of the stupidest and most insensitive questions. Sometimes I’d like to have someone respond with answers appropriate to the absurdity of their questions, for instance:

1. Q. What did you think when you saw the grizzly bear attack your grandma? A. My isn’t that the prettiest grizlsy bay-er I’ve seed in a long time. He’s gonna hurt granny if'n he ain’t ceereful.. Why he’s slappin’ ‘er around like grandpa used to do when he’d drunk too much moonshine.
2. Q. What did you think when your Rottweiler tore your son’s ear off and half ‘is face? A. I’ve been tellin’ that D***** kid to stop eatin’ outta the dog dish but ‘e jest wouldn’t listen.
3. Q. What did you think when your daughter fell out of that tree and broke her arm and leg? A. What the hell did she have to go do that for TODAY of all days? This is gonna screw up my bridge club. Here I am in this tacky old dress and these old shoes and my hair looks a fright.
4. Q. How did you feel when you heard your son got run over by the train? Q. I told him to quit playing on those tracks. Did the dog get hurt?
5. Q. Coach how are you going to pull this game out in the second half and what are you going to do about all those interceptions your quarterback threw? A. I’m gonna bench his sorry ***. I’ll teach him to go out and get drunker’n a skunk before a big game like this. I don’t think our backup was out with that idiot last night and just hope ‘is head is clearer.

B. Things that bug me;
6. When I fail to recognize that the person sitting beside the road is waiting to turn
into the lane I’m in when I could move over and let ‘im in.
7. When some individual (that ought to be a politically correct enough term, after all, he may not be an idiot, a moron or just stupider’n heck, or has his eyes protected from daylight) does #6 to me.
8. Some individual who pulls out in front of you when you’re doing 70 and he putts along at about 25 or 30.
9. Some individual who pulls out in front of you when you’re really crankin’ and turns off again about 100 yards down the road.
10. Individuals who putt along in the hammer lane right beside another vehicle blocking traffic for miles. They’re usually in an underpowered rice burner.

Bought a go plate at a CHOCOLATE FEST fundraiser Sat. night. Ever since have been catching flack for "leaving those crumbs all over the floor." Today, left part of a cookie on the dryer while tending other duties. Upon my return I picked up a couple dark crumbs and popped 'em into my mouth. Turned out to be bug parts.

Love them readers who send us these goodies. One of our dependables sent this today:
I've seen this, perhaps everyone has, but it's still relevant.
************************

Chris Rocks' Quote of the Year!! "You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named Bush, Dick, and Colon.
Need I say more?"

With all the flack about the restaurant smoking ban, I had to wade in after seeing the postings on that subject in the VICAD "DISCUSSION FORUMS" today.

While it's obvious "the loss of freedoms" is the main squawk most people seem to have about the smoking ban, let's consider common courtesy. If someone wants to allow smoking, tobacco spittin', methane gas releases by billy goats or bovines in their business establishment let 'em do it.


It seems that those of us who want to breathe what's left of the "clean air" around here, we should have a RIGHT to do that. If there is a ban on smoking anywhere, let's ban it within 50 feet of the doorway of a public building. It's utterly rediculous to ban pollution inside a restaurant, or whereever, then make people have to wear gas masks to get into the place because someone isn't considerate enough to smoke a sufficient distance from the doors.

All public smoking material receptacles should be at designated places in the parking lots, not right by the doors.

If you want to smoke in public, please be courteous enough to do it where the rest of us don't have to endure it. Thank you.

Just got this email: The Perfect Quarterback
The coach had put together the perfect team for the New Orleans Saints.
The only thing missing was a good quarterback.
He had scouted all the colleges and even the Canadian and European Leagues, but he couldn't find a ringer who could ensure a Super Bowl victory.
Then one night, while watching CNN, he saw a war-zone scene in Afghanistan. In one corner of the background, he spotted a young Afghan Muslim soldier
with a truly incredible arm.
He threw a hand-grenade straight into a window from 80 yards away. Then he threw another from 50 yards down a chimney, and then hit a passing car
going 80 miles per hour.
I've got to get this guy!" coach said to himself. "He has the perfect arm!"
So, he brings the young Afghan to the States and teaches him the great game of football ........ and sure enough the Saints go on to win the Super Bowl.
The young Afghan is hailed as a hero of football,and when the coach asks him what he wants, all the young man wants to do is call his mother.
"Mom," he says into the phone, "I just won the Super Bowl!"
"I don't want to talk to you," the old Muslim woman says. "You deserted us. You are not my son!"
"Mother, I don't think you understand," pleads the son, "I've just won the greatest sporting event in
the world!"
"No! let me tell you," his mother retorts. "At this very moment there are gunshots all around us.The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister in the house so she doesn't get raped!"
The old lady pauses then tearfully says, "I will never forgive you for making us move to New Orleans!"

_______________________________________________

LOON posted an item about the finding of a possible "undiscovered" species of mammal over in Borneo. I wonder how many of the unreported species there are now. Just because they haven't been seen or reported by "modern" man doesn't invalidate their existance.

Do you believe in whatever name you want for the abominable snowman (bigfoot, sasquatch, yetti, or whatever name you'd like to contribute to this post). Why or why not?

Attending an outstanding Christmas program last night at the invitation of one of our readers was an honor. During the fellowship afterwards a couple jokes came to mind. You fill in what you think the answers are:
A. Some wag dreamed this one up. Someone was expressing the great things he or she thought were brought about during the much ballyhooed "charismatic renewal" several years back. They were: #1. Catholics could eat meat on Fridays. #2. Jews could eat pork. and #3. Baptists could_

DRINK IN FRONT OF EACH OTHER.
_____________________________________

B. How many Baptists do you need to take fishing with you? TWO
Why that number?
THEY'LL KEEP AN EYE ON EACH OTHER. IF YOU JUST TAKE ONE HE'LL DRINK ALL YOUR BEER._

By Martin Kasindorf, USA TODAY
Fri Dec 2, 7:16 AM ET TOLD US:

Deer are charging at people, causing injury and even death from thrusting antlers and pummeling hooves.

As a nature story, the one that game wardens are telling about attack deer this fall sounds as hard to believe as the tale of the "killer rabbit" that menaced President Jimmy Carter on a fishing trip in 1979. But wildlife officials warn that getting close to deer is not a game. In a rash of incidents since September, aggressive deer have caused one death and several serious injuries.


"People think of deer as Bambi, cute and cuddly, but they can be extremely dangerous in certain circumstances," says Steve Martarano, spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game. Some instances of what happens when deer and people get too close: TWO older men have died recently from being attacked by buck deer, many others have been seriously hurt. For more info click

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usa... target='_blank'>HERE

JEANEE CALHOUN has been an email buddy of mine for years. Here's what she got back from Walgreens.

American Family Association wrote:
From: "American Family Association"
To: Jeanne Calhoun
Subject: Great News! Walgreens Says "Next Year Will Be Different"
Date: Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:19:21 -0600

Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!
Great News! Walgreens Says "Next Year Will Be Different"
Send A Polite Letter To Kmart/Sears Asking Them To Do The Same
Dear Jeanne,
Because of your efforts, Walgreens has released the following response: "Next year, you can be assured our advertising will better incorporate 'Christmas,' and our holiday trees will be called Christmas trees. Unfortunately, all of this year’s December ads are already printed, so it's too late to make changes for this season."
In addition, Lowe's has released a statement saying they now refer to all trees as "Christmas Trees" and have removed all signs that previously calling them "Holiday Trees."
Your actions are bringing good results! We are hearing that many retailers are re-thinking their banning Christmas. Keep up the good work!
Would you please send the enclosed polite letter to Kmart/Sears asking them to make Christmas an integral part of their promotions and advertising next year? We feel there is good reason to believe Kmart/Sears might honor your request. We will keep you informed as to their response.
Additionally, and this is very important, please forward this to your family and friends. We need as much support as we can get in this effort.
Click Here To Send Your Letter Now!
Thanks for caring enough to get involved.
Sincerely,
Don
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
P.S. Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!
www.afa.net
Copyright 2005

American Family Association
P O Drawer 2440
Tupelo, MS 38803
1-662-844-5036
All Rights Reserved

How many of you, as kids, had a set of those little magnets with a white scotty dog on one and a black dog on the other? The north poles of the magnets were at the head end of the dogs. When pushed toward each other face to face, one of the dogs would turn around because of the repelling force of the similar poles of the magnets.

Do you remember those?

10 THINGS ABOUT RUSTY

1. Baseball was my best sport. My junior year in high school my batting average was .438

2. My high school basketball career was one minute 27 seconds long.

3. In 1965 during a town team baseball game I stole third base on Johnny Bench and scored the tying run when the ball got away from the third baseman (he had a little help missing it).

4. I grew up in a family of hardwood floor finishers. My dad started working for his uncle when their “sander” consisted of a rolling frame, carrying a tremendous chunk of lead, which actually “scraped” the floors. The most I ever got for sanding “old floors (having previously been varnished)” was ten cents a square foot. Now it’s up around $3.00. The advent of concrete slab floors covered with carpet during the 1950s & 60s pretty well shut down the sanding and finishing of new hardwood floors in our area.

5. One of Mickey Mantle’s NY Yankee baseball uniforms was in my possession for years. The local town team had bought the uniforms and replaced the NY with the local team name.

6. Our bunch from the embassy made a fishing trip to the foothills of the Himalayas hoping to catch some of the fabled mighty Mahseer (the carp cousin which used to reach over 200 lbs.) but never reached a favorable angling spot.

7. When that hog ran between my legs and my butt hit the frozen ground I couldn’t even cuss for about 10 minutes. That’s the reason for the title story in THE HOG RIDE AND OTHER DUMB STUMPS, my first planned book.

8. The bright moon made the shadows of all the bushes growing beside the winding Idaho mountain highway look like bears through my beershot eyes. EVER SHADDER WUZ A BEAR is another of my planned tomes of torment and terror from outdoor ventures gone awry.

9. THE FRYIN’ PAN BEAR came from the pitch black night Sue told Bill to “Do somethin’” about the bear licking a frying pan on the fire grate making the spoon scrape with every lick. Bill did something, he poked the .357 magnum out the tent flap and pulled the trigger. They never heard another sound all that night, except their hearts beating.

10. Roy Rogers, the king of the cowboys wouldn’t allow any press on his Louisiana alligator hunt but pix were furnished and my keyboard told the story. Son Courtney and I went with Roy’s guide the next weekend.

Recycling soft drink/soda/pop bottles is a habit of mine for having handy bottles of drinking water. Regardless of how much hot water and/or soapy water is used to clean them, some have to come up with a taste like grindings out of a pencil sharpener.

Any ideas about what causes this taste?

Some people say it's dangerous to reuse these bottles. Why would it be? Why would drinking out of them several times be any more so than drinking out of them the first time?

This seems to come from our reader and commenter HEIDI. We got an email today about lighting a candle on December 29 in memory and support of Katrina victims and an effort to get congress to support building levees in the New Orleans area to withstand category 5 hurricanes. For more info and to see a neat coastal scene click
HERE

A reader sent us this. War Profiteer Knows How to Party
by Sarah Anderson

Over the past few months, I’ve gotten all kinds of flak from CEOs who were the subject of a report I co-authored about executive pay among defense contractors. Jack London of CACI International, whose employees interrogated prisoners at Abu Ghraib, denounced what I wrote as “shameful” and “ignorant.” A United Technologies official accused me (falsely) of slander.

But the man who got the worst skewering was silent. David H. Brooks, CEO of bulletproof vest maker DHB Industries, earned $70 million in 2004, 13,349 percent more than his pre-9/11 compensation, according to “Executive Excess,” co-published by the Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy. On top of that, Brooks sold company stock worth about $186 million last year, spooking investors who drove DHB’s share price from more than $22 to as low as $6.50.

Shareholders were mighty ticked, but what makes Brooks’ $250 million in war windfalls particularly obscene is that the equipment which boosted his fortunes appears not to work very well. In May 2005, the US Marines recalled more than 5,000 DHB armored vests after questions were raised about their effectiveness in stopping 9 mm bullets. In November, the Marines and Army announced a recall of an additional 18,000 DHB vests.

Hearing nothing from DHB’s PR team in response to media coverage of the report, I thought Mr. Brooks might be cowering in shame. Instead, I now find out that he was busy planning a party. And not just any party.

The New York Daily News estimates that the bat mitzvah Brooks threw for his daughter over the weekend cost an estimated $10 million. Virtually every musician that you might guess would appeal to a 50-something Long Island CEO was flown in by private jet: Aerosmith, Tom Petty, the Eagles' Don Henley and Joe Walsh, who performed with Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, Kenny G. As a likely concession to his daughter's tastes, Brooks also booked 50 Cent, DJ AM (Nicole Richie's fiancée) and rap diva Ciara.

According to Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove, Brooks was so pumped for Aerosmith that he changed his wardrobe for their performance from a “black-leather, metal-studded suit — accessorized with biker-chic necklace chains and diamonds from Chrome Hearts jewelers — into a hot-pink suede version of the same lovely outfit.” The CEO then reportedly mounted the stage, clowned with Steven Tyler and insisted that his teenage nephew be permitted to sit in on drums.

Gallivanting with celebrities no doubt does wonders to relieve the mind of unpleasant matters. And Brooks has plenty to ponder. Under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for financial wrongdoing, he also faces a number of investor class action lawsuits for fraud and insider trading. On top of the Marine recall, DHB had to settle a lawsuit in April with the New York Police Department and the Southern States Police Benevolent Association by replacing an estimated 2,609 potentially defective pieces of body armor. DHB stock, already in the tank, has slumped even further, to about $4.

Grotesque as it may be, Brooks' blowout is merely one of the more visible symbols of rampant war profiteering in the post-9/11 era. Our study showed that defense contractor CEOs received raises on average of 200 percent between 2001 and 2004, compared to only 7 percent for average large company CEOS.

Compared to the pay of those on the frontlines of the war, the gap has grown even faster. The ratio between defense CEO pay and that of a military general has doubled during this period, from 12-to-1 to 23-to-1. The defense CEOs make 160 times the pay of an army private in combat.

Americans haven’t always been so blasé about war profiteering. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously said: "I don't want to see a single war millionaire created in the United States as a result of this world disaster.”

FDR’s strong feelings about war profiteering were shared by his successor, Harry Truman. As a Senator, Truman had traveled around the country going from one defense industry factory to another to investigate charges that executives were reaping unfair rewards. He later formed an investigative committee that saved billions in military costs. Imagine if Truman and FDR were alive today what they might have to say about Brooks’ extravaganza.

Two and a half years into this war, the costs are painfully clear. The U.S. death toll alone is more than 2,000 and rising fast. The bill for taxpayers is more than $200 billion and growing. The damage to Americans’ image in the world is immeasurable. But one man has had a helluva party.

Sarah Anderson is a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and the co-author of Field Guide to the Global Economy (New Press, 2005) and Executive Excess.

Who's getting ripped off here?

CASEY WAYNE was delivered on 9/11/01. At least one good thing happened on that day. His mama gave him one of her old purses to play with. He opened it up and asked, "Where's the money? Where's the phone?"

Old Rusty got in trouble with grandma when he asked Casey, "Where does mama feed baby Sheridan Elizabeth?" It wasn't so terrible when a few minutes later we heard, "I heard the baby cry so I started in there. Before I got there I heard Casey say, "The baby's hungry, I'm gonna feed 'er." When I walked in he had her in his arms, had hiked his tee shirt up and was trying to poke his nipple in her mouth."

HOWDY Y'ALL: We rolled in this evening. Had 191 emails on one addy and more on others.

Hey: I heard that we can now have CHRISTMAS TREES. Who were the spineless ones who said they had to be "holiday trees"?