September 20, 2008

Michelle Obama's Thesis on Racial Divide in America


In her senior thesis at Princeton , Michele LaVaughn Robinson, the woman who would later marry Barack Obama stated that America was a nation founded on 'crime and hatred'. Moreover, she stated that whites in America were 'ineradicably (incapable of being eradicated or pulled up by the roots) racist'. As a voting resident of Batesville Arkansas you may want to take a glimpse into the past and perhaps present ideology of our potential next first lady. Michelle Obama's senior year thesis at Princeton University had been off limits until after the November 5th election. Her thesis shows a document written by a young woman grappling with a society in which a black Princeton alumnus might only be allowed to remain on the periphery of a society predominantly controlled by people with less melanin in their skin. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

September 19, 2008

The Affects of War on Families


Everyday we hear about something that has happened in Iraq. Every time I hear about a soldier that’s lost his or her life because of the war, it touches me because I know that somewhere someone is grieving because they’ve lost a loved one. Whether you agree with the war or not, we can all agree that it affects all of us in one way or another.

What we don’t read about is how the war affects the families of those soldiers that have been deployed. My husband is in the Air Force Guard and is scheduled to depart for Iraq the first week in December. This will be the first time he’s ever been deployed. I’ve known about this for about four months but the reality of it didn’t sink in until last weekend when one of the men in his unit was discussing their schedule and when they’d be in certain areas. My heart sank.

On the way home from Jacksonville, I kept thinking about the fact that my whole world would be turned upside down for seven months while he was gone. We’ve been married for twenty five years and anyone who’s been married for any length of time knows that you work as a team and each person has their part in keeping everything running smoothly. I take care of the household duties and my husband takes care of the yard, his twenty fruit trees and berry plants that are scattered all over our acre of land, and fixing things that go wrong. The day he ships off, I will become the sole caretaker in our family and all responsibilities will fall on my shoulders. I won’t be able to call him at work and tell him that the air conditioner isn’t working or that my car won’t start or anything else.

I’m faced with the reality that I will not have my husband to comfort me when I’ve had a bad day or support me when I’m dealing with teenage daughter issues and that I will have the responsibility of making sure that everything is taken care of myself. I realize that what I will go through will probably pale in comparison to what he will be dealing with over there but it is still tough.

We won’t be briefed on everything until next month so as of yet, I don’t know how our pay will be affected or what benefits we are entitled to when he leaves. I just know that
for the time being, I am going to enjoy each and every moment I have with my husband.

The Presidential Race


I Hope everyone is keeping up with this presidential election. I feel there is more at stake this time possibly than ever before. The choice really seems very clear to me. Sometimes we have to take a close look at History to see where we really are now. Let's review!From 1992 until 2000 we had a president who basically took credit for anything that worked, disowned his failures, and covered up his improprieties...if he could, or should I say until he was caught red handed. Thanks to a "free market" thinking congress however, the economy was good. This president had cut back defense spending and our military/intelligence community to dangerously low levels, and allowed a Terrorist named "Osahma Bin Ladin", who had claimed responsibility for a failed bombing of the "World Trade Center", to escape justice after being targeted no less than 10 times by a CIA task force. During the Clinton administration Americans were attacked by the same terrorist organization approximately five times both on American soil and in various other locations around the world, including at American embassies. Other than this it was a pretty peaceful time.

In 2001 we got a new president. Thank God! Thank God for George Bush! We needed him in September of that same year. Well. You know what happened. I'm thankful that in that dangerous hour we had someone of courage, conviction, and resolve at the helm.He could have chosen as Clinton did, when our fellow citizens and military personnel were attacked during his watch. He could have basically ignored the attacks or merely “rattle sabers by ordering another "Largely Symbolic" bombing run on a suspected terrorist hosting country like Afghanistan. Some say he only did this to distract us from hurricane Monica.

Perhaps the enemy had been testing the waters with the previous smaller attacks. Maybe he assumed that the weakness exhibited by the Clinton administration was indicative of the American frame. Perhaps this enemy was not a student of our history. He might have believed some of the left wing revisionist history which is being largely taught in our schools, particularly in institutions of higher learning. Well, that's a subject for another blog.

George Bush understood this people called America. Though the military had been weakened by budget cuts and closed military bases, he understood that our armed forces were still the greatest on the face of the earth. Bush knew that we the American people could never ignore such an attack against our citizens and indeed our very way of life.

Regardless of what the left says now, "Bush was wrong! Bush was wrong!” a large majority of THEM having the same intelligence voted for the same war and rightly so! After 9/11 Intelligence agencies around the world said that another attack within the next thirteen months was inevitable! Time was of the essence! Hit them fast, and hit them where it hurts! Take out the immediate threat! The past seven years without an attack on American soil proves that this task was accomplished due to the deliberate and decisive actions of the Bush administration, and the great strength and courage of our fierce warriors in uniform.

A good leader understands that fear is the real enemy and in any conflict, "you never let'em see ya sweat." He knew that if the will of the people was broken they would be defeated. It was important that we show the enemy that he had failed! IT MUST BE BUSINESS AS USUAL! Bush is widely criticized particularly by the left during this presidential election, for telling the people to "go shopping or take a trip". This was a morale issue. The people needed to hear it. The left doesn't understand that this attitude, along with the Bush tax cuts and other economic stimuli, is what helped our economy to recover as quickly as it did.

The Democrats realized after George Bush was elected to his second term that it was time for change. Changing the facts that is, or at least the public perception of the facts. The economy was doing great considering the war we were now in. The Democrats and the liberal media had to focus on another issue...the war itself. If they were to take control of congress, they were going to have to continue to exploit our troop's losses and fail to show our enemy and his atrocities in their true light. Instead Democratic Senators like John Mirtha and John Kerry would began accusing and yes even convicting our troops of Horrific Wartime Atrocities before there were even hearings on them. Our soldiers were later exonerated by the way, in case you haven't kept up. They would have to convince the public that, this war, this unjust and even criminal act perpetrated by George Bush was, in the words of Democratic Senator Harry Reid, " lost". They had to make the case that George Bush's party was the party of an unjust and lost war.

This strategy was pretty successful. The republicans lost 30 seats in congress that year. In January of 07 Nancy Pelosi and the Dems took power with promises to tax and penalize the productive, and break the backs of the oil companies. The economy has gotten steadily worse since the Democrats took control. Their threats against the oil companies and productive members of our society in the form of added tax and regulation have caused the markets to wince. These are the things that cause industry to leave. The Bush tax cuts were largely responsible for saving our economy after 9/11 and Democrats have threatened to discontinue them. If the people have more money, they spend more money, imagine that. I think Democrats were absent the day "Supply and Demand" were taught in economics class.

Just in the past few days we've seen the toll that greed and the "democratic socialist" economic philosophy, has had on several big lending institutions. Led by John McCain, the Republicans introduced to the house and senate, the "Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005", and the Democrats KILLED it. This legislation would have imposed stricter oversight on Sub-Prime mortgage lenders and possibly averted this recent financial catastrophe. The Dems, of course, say that the whole thing is Bush's fault. The giveaway mentality of "Rights without Responsibility" does not work! Health care is a good example. If government provides the health care then they can dictate not only what care you get, but how you should live and take care of yourself.

The God-given rights listed by the Constitution are not "Life, Liberty, and Happiness", but they are, "Life , Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". The gift giver reserves complete power and authority over the size, type, and nature of the gift. The next logical step in this downward spiraling staircase is for the government to get into the house building business on an even larger scale than it is, although I realize that there are already myriads of government housing programs.

To be continued....

September 18, 2008

Chuck's Primetime Tidbits


Hello Everyone,

I would like to start my first blog by giving you a statistic. More than 20% of Arkansas adults read on or below a 5th grade level - far below the level needed to earn a living wage. Literacy is defined as an individual's ability to read, write and speak English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals and develop one's knowledge and potentials. Our objective here at the Literacy Council of Independence County, Inc. is to help these individuals overcome this stigma in their lives by tutoring them in basic literacy and also help those who want to learn English as their second language. We would like to let those interested know that
our service is totally confidential and there is absolutely no charge. We only ask that our prospective students make a commitment. Our tutors are giving their time on a volunteer basis to help our students. If you are interested in becoming a tutor or helping at our literacy office or know of a potential student that could benefit from our service please contact me, Chuck Jones, at 870-793-5912 or 870-251-2362. Thanks in advance for your support and for any contributions you would like to make to our worthy cause.
Chuck

September 17, 2008

Lipstick in School


According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem . A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom.

That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the
maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance
man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can
just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.

Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers.... and then there are educators.

September 16, 2008

For Sale- Wood Stove Floor Mat

We have recently received a wood stove floor mat that we do not need. This wood stove floor mat is of high quality and very thick. We are asking 100.00 or best offer. To make an offer or come see it please call 870-613-1634

September 15, 2008

Batesville and the Economy


Batesville and the Economy

Today the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped over 500 points for a 4.4% reduction. The S&P 500 dropped 59.00 points (4.7%). Bank of America purchased Merill Lynch and Lehman Bros. has filed chapter 11 bankruptcy, the largest bankruptcy filing in American history. What to do during these uncertain times is of concern to most who have an awareness of how interconnected the economy is. Now I'm no economist but I have some thoughts on the economy and your money that I believe could help you during these times of economic uncertainty.


The core problem with our economy is greed. This greed has driven banks to loan money to people that were not able to pay their debt. These loans were made because the banks are desiring to make money in the form of interest rates and penalties from people. Don't get me wrong. Banks perform a very valuable service in our economy, however, overly greedy lenders have bitten of more than they can chew all in the pursuit of money.

To add to this problem we have a national debt that is so large there's no way to humanly understand how big it is. I've heard one commentator say that the national debt is large enough that if you stacked 100 dollar bills, the stack that could pay off the national debt would go all the way to the moon. Now that's a lot of money. So the solution is to lower interest rates and print more money. The only problem with printing more money is that the value of that money begins to descend as a result relative to other currencies. If you haven't noticed, the value of the U.S. dollar has dropped significantly in the past year.

We all know that here in Batesville we are not immune to the problems with our economy. Skyrocketing fuel costs have led to higher costs on everything that gets shipped. The cost of groceries in Batesville have alone become a significant issue. Not to mention we are a rural community with many smaller towns on the outskirts of Batesville being impacted as well.

My advice to Batesville residents is to get out of debt if you can by selling unnecessary depreciating assets like expensive cars and big screen televisions and invest your money into tangible assets like income producing real estate and precious metals.

Support a ministry that is feeding you spiritually, live below your means and live frugally. You'll have less stress and truly live happier.