Time for giving Thanks...

Dad and I returned yesterday from the annual ritual: Thanksgiving with the Family. Tina hosted us this year. She did a terrific job (as always!). Dad and I arrived Wednesday evening. Janice and Amanda got in Thanksgiving morn.

The day was great... the food was delicious... the house was crowded... After stuffing our faces, we sat down to enjoy each other's company... and played a game of Outburst! I don't recall who suggested it; but, we played guys vs. gals... and the guys won.

On Friday, the two Jeff's went out shopping... Dad, Janice and Tina spent time recovering... and I headed to Lafayette. I picked up Joe, Colbyn, Meghan and Timothy... and we spent a few hours hiking at Happy Hollow Park. Jim met us there with Seth and Emily...

We left the park to go grab a bite to eat at Ryan's Steakhouse... While there, Missy joined us with Cooper and Morgan. We all had a good time -- the kids liked playing Family HangMan (Hangman where all the puzzles are first, middle and surnames of family members).

On Saturday we went and picked out the grave blankets for Harv and Mother. I joined Dad, Janice, Tina, Zoie and Justis to see Happy Feet. It was cute... The two Jeff's shopped while we were in the theater.

I relaxed at Tina's... while they (joined by Jenni and Tommy) went up to see what damage they could do at the Casino Boats...

We took off to Lafayette on Sunday to put the blankets on the graves... Janice, Amanda, Justis and Amari proceeded home from there...

Dad, Tina and I stopped by Little Jeff's where we waited for the two Jeff's to arrive. We had a short visit, got to listen to Jeff Jr's plan for fixing his place.

Dad and I then went to Dani's to visit her and Mike's clan... Missy, Morgan and Cooper were there... Harv and his clan met us there... we visited a while there and then headed on to Heather's to see her and her clan.

So the family tree is weighty... based on the branches and limbs, this is how the family is composed:

1. Harv's Branch: 19
   
   
   
   • Missy's limb: 2
   
   
   • Heather's limb: 4
   
   
   • Harv's limb: 3
   
   
   • Dani's limb: 4
   
   
   
   


2. Janice's Branch: 5
   
   
   
   • Kevin's limb: 0
   
   
   • Amanda's limb: 2
   
   
   
   


3. My Branch: 1


4. Tina's Branch: 4
   
   
   
   • Jeff's limb: 0
   
   
   • Jenni's limb: 0
   
   
   
   


5. Dee's Branch: 12
   
   
   
   • Rachel's limb: 4
   
   
   • Kelly's limb: 2
   
   
   
   

My total nieces and nephews (including spouses): 15
My total grand-nieces and grand-nephews: 21

And I am thankful that they are all healthy. And quite fun to be around. I enjoyed the visit tremendously.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again for the Christmas party... and then... it's off to Hawaii!

The U.S. Constitution or Federal Law -- which is more important?

Which is more important in a constitutional republic such as the U.S. government? This question is important to ask ourselves as we ignore the mistrust which citizens have for the government.

Why is it important to ask now? Well, we have all been rejoicing in Bush's decision to sack Rumsfeld. We remember Rumsfeld's infamous remark about going to war with the army we have -- not the one we want... this was his response when challenged about the readiness of our military... We remember his gross underestimate that "the war" would last 3 weeks, 6 weeks, certainly not more than 6 months... Some would call it an "underestimate" -- I believe, however, that it was just another lie.

In our eagerness to be rid of this power broker who has caused enormous harm to our nation's standing on the world stage, we are forgetting to ask the tough questions about his possible replacement: Mr. Robert Gates.

In an article about Gates, M.T. Klare (author: Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependence on Imported Petroleum) reminds us that Reagan had to withdraw Gates' nomination as Director of Central Intelligence in 1987 because of his involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. After things had cooled down (4 years later -- in 1991), Reagan again nominated the criminal and he was confirmed by the senate...

Why do we let these criminals -- whose actions undermine the very foundation of our republic -- return to "public" service? It is bad enough that criminals like O.J. Simpson escape justice... but we fail to even bring thugs like Gates to trial.

The media doesn't help in this either... that's why I refer you to TomDispatch, a site which is for people, like myself, who cannot tolerate the CNN's and MSNBC's of American "mainstream media."

Fortunately, with the internet at one's fingertips, we are able to find truth and facts about our recent history. This knowledge is important for us to keep in touch with reality. The fantasy and escapades of "must-see tv" is a farce... fairy tales for adults... designed to keep the masses ignorant and enslaved by the elite.

It requires time, though. It does not come easily -- nor freely. It requires diligence.

Many of my friends and family question the value of sites such as Wikipedia... "How can you trust it?" I am asked... And the point is well-placed... obviously, we cannot put trust into those who simply wish to "spin" facts until they are so distorted that history is nothing more than a fantasy... what some wished had happened instead of what actually happened.

And the answer to this question: about trust and internet resources... is easy. It comes down to communication. Trust is required in any form of communication. Conversely, communication is required for trust to take place.

Those of us who would rather not know the truth... whose lives cannot accept the chaos that truth seems to inject into our routines... these are the ones who become lazy and enable the republic to erode and rust.

Inaction is sad. The ability for one to decide not to be involved in defending our constitution. But one thing that is sadder is for one to yield the ability to think. Because thinking is more than the ability to make an assertion... it is the ability to question.

So I ask, "Which is more important for our republic: the constitution which is the foundation? or laws which lay the framework?"

Oratory or Rhetoric??

I spent way too much time looking up the difference between the words "oratory" and "rhetoric" today. Tina had expressed an interest in looking up some info on sites that I've been telling her about lately.

While inventorying the sites (which are part of my del.icio.us collection), I looked up the word "rhetoric" to confirm that I was using it properly... and (as I sometimes do) I decided to read the discussion page at wikipedia about this word... and saw a banter discussing the difference between this word and the word "oratory." Well, the good news is that I learned something new... :)

And here is a list of sites which I narrowed down as a "civic survival guide"...

• Beyond Delay (a report by CREW)
• The Memory Hole (and its affiliate, The Memory Blog)
• National Whistleblower Center
• Annenberg Political Fact Check
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• TomPaine.Com(mon sense)
• Roll Call Newspaper
• Portal to U.S. Government Official Sites

Anyone who has others to offer to this list, please let me know... I like good information opposed to the pundits from broadcast news and the print media...

Second Chances...

Dad and I had to give Will Ferrell a second chance to entertain us... after the great disappointment in the much-over-hyped Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby which we saw a few weeks ago... I had not previously written about it... The reminder is still painful. That piece-of-crap posing-as-art was (1) not funny, (2) offensive, and (3) not entertaining...

So, today we went to see Stranger Than Fiction. That's right! Poppa and I went to see a "chick-flick!" I didn't literally count'em; but, I am sure that he and I laughed more than 100 times each...

In fact (without spoiling it for those who've yet to see it), at one moment when the director (Marc Forster) was eliciting a collective gasp from the audience... Dad and I were the only two in the theater roaring with laughter -- in clear contrast to the rest of the audience's expected reaction... Hahaha...

Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah and Dustin Hoffman each play wonderful supporting roles... Between the two of us, Dad and I give this 3.5 middle fingers... <g>

Go see it! If you want an enjoyable time and need to escape for a couple of hours... this is a good remedy!

A couple of notes which interested me --

1. So far as I can tell, this is Zach Helm's writing debut...
2. Due to the creativity exposed in this film, I now plan to see Finding Neverland which was also directed by Forster...
3. The writing process is nicely demonstrated through experience...