Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house and lineage of David,)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

Shotgun Blast - 3 topic post

There are a bunch of issues I’ve wanted to talk about recently but have been tied up trying to track the illegal immigration fiasco in the Senate. I will continue to do so and we’ll start with that subject:

Immigration

The Politico notes (Immigration bill in four easy pieces) that there is a gathering push to break up the immigration bill:

Over the past two weeks, a handful of senators and representatives have argued that the complex Senate bill, teetering on a political and legislative seesaw, should be torn apart to deal with each component separately.

Additionally, the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest federation of unions, on Wednesday announced its opposition to the bill and suggested a less comprehensive approach might help coax its support.

But even backers have chafed at the broad approach. Underscoring the tenuous nature of the bill’s support, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has backed the measure, immediately raised the question after it stalled June 7: “Is comprehensive too much?”

Politico goes on to talk about polling showing opposition but fail to cite the polls/pollsters (not real helpful). The second comment to the post is interesting as well - it is from someone who was affected by identity theft (assuming they’re being truthful) and their reaction to the amnesty.

Military

If you are unaware, Operation Arrowhead Ripper was launched. Now would be a good time to keep tabs on the milblogs to get some raw action reports. The good news is, it appears Iraqis are cooperating.

Michael Yon-
Operation Arrowhead Ripper: Day One
Be Not Afraid:

Be Not Afraid

You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way. You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand. You shall see the face of God and live.

Be not afraid.
I go before you always;
Come follow me, and I will give you rest.

Bill Roggio is also on it:
The Battle of Iraq – 2007
The Battle of Baqubah II

MNF-Iraq also has a release out: Task Force Lightning continues Arrowhead Ripper in Baqouba

Continue to pray for our military and the Iraqis and their success. Don’t forget those in Afghanistan, either!

There is also some background as to why we lost Gen. Peter Pace. I wish Gen. Pace the best, he didn’t deserve this type of treatment. Thanks Gen. Pace. To learn more about the type of person and leader Pace is, take a look at his commencement address at the Citadel, it is inspiring. Unfortunately, this type of stuff isn’t going to be limited to Gen. Pace:

Military Officers Now Targets on Hill

Freedoms

“Progressives” continue their march to shut down things they don’t like, namely talk radio (and other purportedly conservative broadcasts). This is cloaked under the guise of the “fariness doctorine” which is essentially code for government bureaucrats deciding what you should be allowed to listen to and how much. Basically, they don’t want you, the market, to make the decision. Of course, the same folks that bring you this sham are those who’s top priority is protecting the 1st Amendment. Maybe they should mention the caveat: “…as long as we agree with the speech”. They seem to forget that the 1st Amendment also includes people’s right to choose what speech to listen to (or not) - just because you have freedom of speech doesn’t mean people should be forced to listen to you.

In local news, Davis County enacts smoking ban. I don’t smoke and, while I was exposed to plenty of second hand smoke in my youth, still don’t like it (I do like the smell of pipe smoke, however). The County made smoking class B misdemeanor in outdoor public places (parks, golf courses etc). I’m so tired of these government nannies. If smoking is such a big bad thing, then just completely outlaw it (prohibition part deux?). Ultimately, people have the right to smoke, so let them do so outside, at least (government is even banning smoking in private clubs, but that’s another rant).

Finally, PBS still doesn’t want anyone to see the film about moderate Muslims and is using disengenuous tactics to bury the film. More information at FreeTheFilm.net.

With Sincere Apologies and Thanks

I have, regretfully, had to tighten posting requirements for this blog.  You will now have to be a registered WP user.

Personally, I hate having to register for everything and didn’t want to have to make people do so here.  Unfortunately, the few have, yet again, ruined it for the many.  I figured this may happen but had hoped it would not have occurred so soon.

Recently, a poster used several different identities and went so far as to lie about service in the military (unethical, to say the least, especially in the case of the latter) in an effort to promote and defend their points (note: I deleted their posts and my responses).  It doesn’t appear to be the first time this has happened here, either.  That is something I can simply not tolerate and I think other posters here would feel the same way.

For those of you who did post and did so ethically, despite our disagreements, THANK YOU for being honest and not engaging in any deception of other blog readers and posters.

Evicting a 3-Year-Old?

And now, for something completely different:

This is a bit of a detour from this blog’s typical focus. However, the issue raises some interesting questions:

Community Sues To Oust 3-Year-Old

Child With Drug-Addict Mom Lives With Grandparents

LARGO, Fla. — A Florida homeowners group wants 3-year-old Kimberly Broffman to take her Big Wheel and hit the road.

They’ve banded together to oust the toddler from their Tampa-area community, which bans residents under 18.

The child’s grandparents, Judie and Jimmy Stottler, admit Kimberly’s been living there in violation of homeowners’ association rules for three years. They said her mother has a drug problem, and isn’t capable of caring for the child.

The grandparents said they live on a fixed income and can’t afford to move until they sell their house. So far, there have been no takers to buy their house, even after they lowered the $189,000 asking price by $10,000 six months ago.

They also said they can’t afford to hire an attorney.

Judie Stottler supports the family with her $18,000-per year dishwashing job because Jimmy Stottler is disabled and is unable to work.

Judie Stottler’s friends told the St. Petersburg Times that they are worried.

“It is so ridiculous that this has gone so far,” said Keith Tinsley, a cook who works with her. “She’s trying her best to sell her house. It’s like they are trying to force her to put Kimberly in foster care.

“These people keep batting her down and batting her down. They’re just mean.”

Judie Stottler said she is scared that she wil lose her house before she is able to sell it.

“We don’t have any family to take us in,” Judie Stottler said.

The Lakes homeowners association filed suit to oust Kimberly last month.

Who do you side with?

My view: The HOA (Home Owner’s Association) rules are clear and the couple acknowledges they knew the rules, agreed to them, and that they were in violation when they allowed the child to reside with them. The HOA also appears to have been reasonably understanding and compassionate by allowing the child to remain for 3 years.

I understand that this must be a difficult situation, but on the face of it, the HOA appears to have given the couple ample time to resolve the problem. It would be nice to have some additional details on this, though - is this a situation where everything was fine and then someone had a bad day and decided to take action, or have there been repeated warnings etc. It may also simply be a case of the HOA deciding its rule would be voided by precedent if the violation continues to be ignored.

Ultimately, the HOA is well within their right to take action (the rules were clear and agreed to) and seem to have been patient so I would side with it.

Moral of the story: One more reason I would NEVER EVER sign my right off to an HOA. I know they work great for some but I prefer as much independence as possible for myself.