Maybe a little more thought in the process would help

First, I read this: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/E-bIIJrOziI/not-dumond.html, then followed the link to here: http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2009/11/dumond-this-isnt.html.

Ok, I understand where they’re coming from. Not everyone who is in prison & has early release will re-commit. I get it.

But here’s where the liberals & I part company. I firmly don’t believe an 18-year-old who commits the kind of crimes they did, should be eligible for any kind of early release. If an 18-year-old is raping or robbing, combined with severe violence, he should have to do his full time.

Right now, the shooter in the Washington state cop executions is at the bottom of this. He was found guilty of AGGRAVATED crimes, then his sentence overturned by Mike Huckabee, the governor of Arkansas. Of course, he takes no blame for anything, so it’s the fault of “the system”. My point is: Had this man not been released to begin with, those 3 men & 1 woman, all who have  families left behind, would still be alive. Clemmons (the shooter) was guilty of violent crimes at 17 & should have been left in prison. 

No, not all convicts will re-commit & the governors of all 50 states should be able to commute sentences where they feel a lengthy sentence would do no additional good. But when they commute the sentences of violent offenders, then they’re putting not only the population of their state at risk, but the other states as well. And if the person whose sentence they commute has to be made to go to another state (like Clemmons did) to live, that sentence probably shouldn’t be commuted. 

I sincerely hope Huckabee gives up on his pursuit of the White House. Given his previous actions as Governor of Arkansas, his decision-making abilities will be questioned, even more than they are now. At first it was only 1 that he was questioned about. Two looks like a trend. And a dangerous one at that. (A scary thought: Being found guilty of the 9/11 plots, the terrorists are sent to Arkansas! Wait, is there a federal prison in Arkansas? Bullet dodged! Minimum security federal prison is in Arkansas. Nothing like the SuperMax prison in Florence, here. Google was my friend today & averted the moment of panic. *deep breath taken at the thought has been released*)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34194122/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

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Treat them like Manson

The Salahi’s, that is, in so far as their “story” goes.

According to “Lockup”, any artwork that Charlie Manson produces is destroyed so that it can’t end up being sold. Prisoners aren’t allowed to profit from their crimes.

Treat the Salahi’s the same way. Make sure they can’t sell their “story” of a criminal act they committed. That simple.

Some people are saying reality television is to blame for this rash of behaviors. Is it really? Or is it a malfunction of people who are missing something, so they have to try to get all the attention focused on them? Those fools here in Ft. Collins still don’t know what their punishments will be, both for the act they committed as well as potential fines by the FAA. As well as the costs incurred by 3 different counties chasing the balloon, which was the basis of their fraud. They want a reality show too. (I still think CPS should keep an eye on these kids. Their parents are nuts.)

There will always be people who like being in the spotlight. But to allow them to get away with stunts that could cause harm to others, shouldn’t be allowed. Don’t let them make a profit with their foolish antics. The worst punishment they could have to endure would be nobody paying attention to them.

And while I’m at it, leave Tiger alone! He wrecked his car, possibly after fighting with his wife. So what. And if she used that golf club on him because of an affair, he doesn’t want anyone to know. The public needs to butt out. No one was hurt, seriously, and I’m sure he’ll pay for the damage he caused. Either with his auto insurance, or out of his pocket. What goes on in a marriage should stay between the 2 people involved, not them & the whole Peeping Tom society.

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Go read it

He’s right. Just because Wall Street is handing out bonuses again doesn’t mean the economy is fixed. It’s still broken.

http://trueslant.com/matttaibbi/2009/11/28/the-faux-deficit-debate/

Not until the population of this country is working again, will it be fixed.

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Another rant

I was reading this article: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/21739439/detail.html along with the comments at the end of it, when this train of thought hit me. Today’s language. In a word, I would have to describe it as ‘atrocious’.

I don’t watch movies that have been made in the last 15 or 20 years, because I don’t like to listen to the “F” word being used in every sentence. (When asked if I would like a current movie, Joe’s response is generally “it ain’t Disney, Ma”. Then I know I won’t watch it.)

Going into a store, that is the current form of language used. By almost everyone. And they don’t care who hears them. Their thinking, I suppose, is something along the lines of “if you don’t like it, don’t listen”.

It is possible to talk without all the cuss words included, but not very many people care to do it. Or maybe their vocabulary isn’t strong enough. Who knows. I generally try, but when pushed to extremes, my language deteriorates. If I “drop the F bomb” on my husband or 29-year-old son, they’re shocked enough to pay attention.

So when I read in the comments about someone who says they can’t sit in the seats near the field because of the language being used on the field, I feel for them in a way. What I would suggest for people like that is teach your children not to talk like that, but to not be shocked when they hear it. Because they certainly will. Everywhere. There was even a comment about the loss of language skills showing the loss of strength in today’s fabric of society. (That seems too philosophical for me to follow, so I’m not going to worry about it.)

To the people who sit behind the benches where the teams sit, remember there aren’t too many coaches like Tony Dungee. If you’re sitting behind the Broncos, after they’ve committed 3 unnecessary penalties that resulted in a total of 15 yards lost, be aware:

You will hear Josh McDaniels cussing his team when they get stupid. Deal with it.

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Stay classy, people

Black Friday? For one old lady, it is. As well as blue. As in bruises. Not even at Wally World, either, which is where I would expect it.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_13877967

Hell will freeze solid before I ever consider going out to buy anything on a day like today.

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I missed this last night

I like all the participants, but it’s even better seeing kids off their butts, running & playing.

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Shopping? What’s that?

As I watched the news this morning, I saw all the people lined up at the various stores, waiting to get in & was reminded of why I’m not there.

I hate shopping. I don’t do well in crowds, (I panic & can’t breathe) people are rude & I have no patience. It’s best for all concerned if I stay home.

Besides, all the deals aren’t just in the stores. “Cyber Monday” will have its share. And I don’t even have to do my shopping from work.

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Lessons learned

Every year, I cook a typical turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. This is what we always want, even though we have turkey several times throughout the year. This year was no exception, but what we did change was the dessert. Everyone wanted something we had never tried before. Everyone? Chris & Joe wanted something different. Since I was feeling agreeable, we chose an apple crisp. Didn’t seem too hard, and really, it wasn’t. Until it came to the addition of lemon juice & zest.

The lesson this year? You cannot substitute a cheese grater for a zester. It so doesn’t work. Also, if Chris is squeezing the juice from 1/2 of a lemon, DO NOT let him do both halves. There was just too much lemon juice in the fruit. (The strength in his arms isn’t natural. He’s too strong.) The next time I do this, there will be some changes made to it. I won’t use fresh, but will use a teaspoon of lemon juice from the handy bottle, with a half a teaspoon of lemon peel from the spice jar.

The recipe says to bake the crisp, let it cool for 1/2 an hour, then serve with ice cream or whipped topping. Since I wasn’t going to do it after the turkey, we heated it up as portions were served. The fruit itself wasn’t really sweet, the topping was sweet, then the Cool Whip on top added more sweetness. So as you took a bite, it “balanced”. (Well, except for the taste of the lemon.) I could see this served hot with heavy cream.

I got the recipe from the “Joys of Baking” website. They had pictures which is how Chris & Joe chose. (They almost settled on a Red Devil cake with cream cheese icing, until Joe found out it was a devil’s food cake hiding behind red food coloring. That killed it for him.)

So I’ll save myself the frustration of looking for a specific tool to get zest by making sure I have lemon peel in a jar. So much easier.

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I think I may make these things

http://whats4dinnersolutions.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/for-my-brothers-pumpkin-whoopie-pies/

Yesterday, we were trying to think of a dessert to try, that none of us had ever had before. So we settled on an apple/cranberry crumble thing.

But I saw those things on one of the sites I read & showed it to Chris. Even Joe may like it, since there isn’t a hint of chocolate anywhere in them.

**Update**

I did make these. The pumpkin cookie is really good. It’s more like a pumpkin sponge cake. But the filling. OMG, is it sweet. With the cookie, it’s cut some, but it’s still sweeter than we’re used to. It makes 14, I think, of the “pies”, 11 of which I gave away, both to a friend of Chris’ & a couple down the street with 6 kids. (She may be ready to strangle me, if the kids went on any kind of a sugar high.) I had to give the majority of them away because there was no way we would eat them all. I got a recipe, from the same lady where I got the pumpkin things, for chocolate chip cookies that’s different from any other recipe I’ve seen, so when the sugar buzz around here wears off, I’ll try them.

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Harsh

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34127010/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

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