Our trip to Jamaica

We went to Jamaica to go scuba diving a couple of weeks ago. Had a really great time, and met some really friendly Jamaican people. They are really proud of their heritage and are very willing to talk about their culture to foreigners. I came away with a deeper appreciation for life, and for living. My husband and I had a lot of fun together, something that's hard for us to do unless we really get away from it all for a week. The diving, while not extremely challenging, was enjoyable and exhilarating. I am not a person who can stay put on a resort for very long, I must get out and see what the country has to offer. So we opted for a Nine Mile Bob Marley birthplace tour, and the drive there took about two hours, was in curvy countryside, and we really saw a lot of poverty. Browns Town Jamaica is one such place, where many of the residents still do not have running water or electricity. Our guide also pointed out the "Caveman," a local homeless man that lives in a cave nearby and walks every day into town to buy what he needs. How he gets the money to live we really didn't want to know. We did get offered the ubiquitous herb of Jamaica several times but politely declined. It is sad, a fact that many Americans report, that Jamaica is in such poverty and yet we dine on fancy food, sleep in what they consider a 5 star hotel even if it is only a 2 to us, and do not have a care in the world when we are on the beach, except to complain about some sand flies or that there is not enough variety in the buffet line. How selfish we are as tourists sometimes. The travel experience is not about being catered to 100% of the time (although I admit it is nice for a special occasion) but travel should always be looked at as, "what can I take away from this that I didn't have previously" or "what can I learn about these people that aren't in my own culture."

For example, saying "ma'am" is foreign to Jamaicans. They prefer to use "pretty lady" or "milady" which made me feel so special. A smile goes a long way. We made it a habit to talk to everyone at the resort, the landscapers, the busboys, everyone.
The Jamaican government makes it very difficult for the average citizen to get a visa to travel out of their own country, because if they did, they probably wouldn't want to come back because of the poverty and no jobs, so whatever job a Jamaican can get is a good job. This is pretty indicative of how corrupt their politicians must be, to have so much control over their population like that. I said to my husband, "all we need is a passport, even after 9/11. How lucky we really are."

Federal appeals court upholds Texas law requiring a minute of silence in schools

I still keep up with the case on David Croft in Texas and his attempts to remove the moment of silence from the local public schools. Apparently the latest news from March 2009 is that the courts are upholding the moment of silence. I imagine it has cost the Crofts a lot in terms of personal freedoms and monetary expenses. That is very sad. I do not wish such a thing on people.

However, and I will say this until there's a point where Christians will have to leave the USA, that if opening up legislative sessions in our own government begin with a prayer and reciting the pledge of allegiance, then the atheists need to just give it a rest. Seriously. There aren't any doctors or courts in this country (at this time anyway) that will officially be able to declare Christianity a mental disorder for the purposes of dismantling our Constitution and rights to practice Christianity, and that's really what their ultimate goal is. They aren't there to remove anything else or any other religious practices, because for them, nothing conflicts with their agenda more.

Without knowledge of ths Croft case, I might not have reexamined my own faith more closely. I'm sure this is not what a diehard atheist would ever want to hear though.

Why Americans will stop traveling around the US

Gee, summer's here. Time to take the kids to Disney, or somewhere nice and warm for a vacation. But wait. Before you take that plunge to fly to a U.S. city for your next getaway, better read and understand, for example, what a car rental will really cost you. In these days of shrinking wallets, here's what I found on thrifty.com's website for a one week rental of an economy car in Oct 2009:


Rental Time Charge $363.75
Customer Facility Charge ($4.00 per day) $28.00
Energy Recovery Fee ($0.45 per day) $3.15
Privilege Fee (9.89%) $36.61
STATE TRANSACT TAX ($2.03 per day) $14.21
STATE TAX (7%) $31.43
Vehicle Licensee Fee ($0.47 per day) $3.29
Total Estimated Mandatory Charges (USD) $480.44
Estimated Grand Total (USD) $480.44

I've never been a big fan of renting cars anyway unless I HAVE to. But you used to be able to get some wheels for a few days without it costing you a whole month's car payment! So I guess the days of the $29.99 per day rate are gone. And what exactly is a PRIVILEGE FEE? Does this mean that I now have the PRIVILEGE of driving a rental car that I have paid for? I'm supposed to feel GOOD about this?????

It's all about reducing our "carbon footprint." Well I have an opinion about where I'd like to stick my foot now after reading all this...

The car rental companies will go the way of the dodo just like the carmakers. Makes those all inclusive getaways to Mexico seem a lot more attractive now doesn't it?

Guess Al Gore is sitting back in his easy vinyl chair, laughing while thumbing through his millions in endorsement checks for "saving Mother Earth."

It's all pretty suspicious to me. But if you are so soaked in the ideology as to continue to buy into this facade, then by all means, go plop down $500 to rent some roller skates in Miami. I'll wave from the plane as I'm flying to the Mayan Riviera, forced to spend my travel dollars there instead of my own country.

New "rant"

I haven't ranted since March! Maybe it's just trying to settle into Ohio and missing my Oklahoma roots. Looking forward to fall and Sooner football! Of course there aren't many Sooner fans around the Tri State area, but we try to hold our own. Next year when OU plays Cincinnati here, we're going to open our home up for any Sooner fans that want a place to hang their head and have a backyeard tailgate party.

On politics...maybe I shouldn't go there. But I'm just not surprised that the Obama administration is doing what they are doing to our money system. I tried to warn friends and family but they didn't listen. Chicago thug politics is here to stay at least for 4-8 more years. I'm not seeing any "change" that Obama promised, except more trillions in spending. He will have spent more than Bush ever spent in Iraq. When will we pay our "fair share?" liberals ask. As if we aren't paying enough. Ask any liberal to willingly hand over their hard earned dollars to an out of control government for the "betterment of society" and see what their answer is. Ask them to pay a higher tax on anything.


And this thing in Honduras? I'm not surprised either that Obama sides with Zelaya, a left wing extrement that is the Honduran equivalent to Hugo Chavez. Screw the Honduran constitution, let's elect a dictator that will use their state run media to stay in power. Gee, any similarities there?

Enough of Michael Jackson already! Make his family pay for the extravagant services in L.A. California is bankrupt! They need to get rid of Ahnold.

The biggest joke though, has to be Al Franken as the newest Senator to take an oath of office. How much money did he pay for that? We'll never know. But gosh darnit...

"PEOPLE LIKE ME."

My visit to St. George's

I visited the small Russian parish in Cincinnati yesterday for Liturgy. I had been wanting to go for awhile but just hadn't made it yet. It's set in an older neighborhood near Blue Ash.

It took a little while to find it but then I saw the little cupola at the end of the road and parked my car. It definitely reminds me of the small parishes dotted all over Russia. Before I left my house I wondered if I should bring a headscarf, since that is the traditional wear in Europe. Well, my instincts were right as I saw a couple of women hurriedly draping their heads before making the sign of the cross and entering the building.

I tried to slip in unnoticed but it was impossible. Two women turned around and saw me. Trying to avoid a faux pas, I circled my head with a finger and shook my head. No problem...they had a box of scarves right there. A lady handed it to me and said, "Ah, you are American peoples?"
Gee, no give away there right?

When I entered the tiny room I crossed myself and tried to find a place to stand. In most Orthodox churches, people stand for the majority of the Liturgy which can last over 2 hours. It's a bonus if you can find chairs or benches. So I stood there amidst mostly Russian women on the left side while the men stayed on the right. I kept fiddling with my scarf; it wouldn't stay on my head and I was getting very hot standing next to all these women wearing wool clothing.

The choir mostly sang in Russian then some English. It was beautiful. But I couldn't really tell when communion began and ended. I stayed back while most of the others jockeyed for a position. There was no organization to the chaos whatsoever.

After the service I went forth and took the blessed bread. As I went back into the front room for coffee hour, a woman stopped me, pointing to my sweater. I had something on it. I almost flicked it off then realized it was a crumb of the bread. She grabbed it fast and put it in my mouth. Anything that is blessed or sacred is never to fall to the ground or tossed away...like our flag I suppose.


I met some nice people during coffee hour, many who didn't speak good English. But I don't know any Russian save for a few words so I commended them.

Most people assumed I wasn't Orthodox but when I told them they wanted to know all about why I had chosen to do so. Most cradle Orthodox cannot really grasp why Americans want to join their church. I tried to explain about the televangelists, the making a commodity out of God, and reducing the church to an entertainment venue as reasons. I think they understood but I also think many of them have not been exposed to it so could not make a comparison for themselves.

These people truly have faith and don't question it. They don't let the trappings of our society dictate their lives. Maybe that's the bliss of coming to America as an outsider.

Kathleen Sebelius

This woman is the worst choice for an HHS secretary I have ever seen. My main beef with her is the fact that she supports late term abortions and abortions without parental consent. Late term abortions are an abomination of human life.

George Tiller, the famous doctor in Wichita KS, known as "Tiller the baby killer" has performed many of these in his office. I've seen the interviews with the young women he has performed these horrible abortions on, and they are heartwrenching.

His website makes my stomach turn. http://www.drtiller.com/




Abortionist Tiller Admits to Performing Abortions the Day Before DeliveryHis Speech at National Education Association

By John-Henry Westen

ARLINGTON, VA, March 19, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Notorious partial-birth abortion specialist Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, KS, was caught on hidden video admitting to aborting babies a day before the mother's due date. Students for Life of America (SFLA) today released the video which was made at the Feminist Majority Foundation's annual Women's Leadership Conference held at the National Education Association (NEA) on March 9.

The video reveals Dr. Tiller showcasing massive and graphic pictures of children with fetal abnormalities that he had aborted, so as to make the case for late-term abortions as necessary medical procedure. SFLA's Executive Director Kristan Hawkins, who videotaped the conference and interviewed Tiller clandestinely, commented on the gruesome pictures of aborted children Tiller showed, saying, "One had an extra arm: could not that child had survived and received corrective surgery? Was violently killing the child the only way to go?"

"Pro-lifers are regularly condemned for displaying pictures of aborted babies, but here the pro-abortion crowd and the NEA are more than happy to showcase these graphic images, and even gave Dr. Tiller's presentation a standing ovation," added Hawkins.

Tiller, who currently faces 19 criminal charges for illegal late-term abortions in the state of Kansas, at first feigned ignorance of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, a federal bill signed into law in 2002 that protects born children from murder and illegalizes infanticide. However when questioned further about the measure he spoke of his ideological objection to the legislation, saying, "Let's say you have 15 or 16, you had 1 slip out with a heartbeat; that is not a viable fetus, but that is born alive or has a heartbeat. Then you have to take that non-viable fetus and rush it directly to the hospital against the woman's wishes."

Given that the conference featuring Tiller was held at the National Education Association, it is probable that a good number of the more than three million members of the NEA would be voicing opposition if they were made aware of the situation.

"As a pro-life teacher, I can say this illustrates why I am no longer a member of the NEA," said Marla Mercer, a West Virginia teacher and former member of the National Education Association. "The NEA should not be involved in this issue; here they are hosting this controversial abortionist and his slideshow of babies he has aborted. There is no way any of my money will ever be used to advance the radical pro-abortion agenda of Planned Parenthood and the NEA."



Kathleen Sebelius, as governor of Kansas, received campaign donations from this man, and had no interest in prosecuting him.

Rush and bigotry

I watched the Rush Limbaugh speech during the CPAC conference. Wow, he really brought the house down! His speech was far more inspiring than any I have heard from Nobama. People tell me all the time that he is a bigot, a fat liar, etc etc. when they have not bothered to LISTEN to the man (because they make assumptions based on what they see on CNN or what their other liberal friends tell them) yet they hang onto Nobama's every word as if it was gold and don't bother to critically examine him.

If you're going to criticize something at least take the TIME to examine both sides before you rush to judgment.

I remember Joe Biden making a comment something along the lines of "when you go into a 7 eleven at 11pm all you see are Indian people."

Who's the bigot here???