Living with Redoubt

Mt. Redoubt has been acting up for some time now. It's a ways north and west of us, over the hill and across the inlet, surrounded by other volcanoes. A few years back I posted about Augustine. When that event happened it was more of an enhancement for sunrises and sunsets. It made the sky pretty. We got a minute quantity of ash. This time, with this mountain, things are much more spectacular.

A couple of weeks ago she blew up and sent a huge dark ash plume towards us. That cloud was spooky to look at and we knew something was going to happen. It began snowing and, except for the smell of sulfur in the air, you might of mistaken it for a snow event, until the sky cleared and we noticed a distinct gray color on everything. For the next week everyone crowded the two local car washes and several of my co-workers collected some souvenir ash for their friends and family down south. The wind changed, and while the mountain has continued to erupt, we've managed to escape any more ash.

Until this morning.

I awoke this morning at just after 6:00 a.m. to the sound of thunder. Loud rolling thunder like we hardly ever hear here, except maybe in the summer, when the usual cold air that sits just north of us mixes with the barely noticeable warm air that passes for summer here. It's the stuff I point out when I'm exposing the complete farce and B.S. called Global Warming. Thunder in April is unheard of, so I thought that I was hearing the mountain actually blow it's top. My wife went downstairs and stepped out on to the porch. The thunder rolled again. She came back in and reported that there was a monster sized plume coming toward us. She said the thunder sounded like it was rolling from one end of the plume, directly over the top of us , toward the mountain. She went back out and snapped these pictures at around 7:45. Normally, the sun would be blinding on the snow. This is what it looks like when hell approaches.

I got up and looked outside. I could tell something really bad was going to happen so I went back to bed. When I got back up the sun was out, the wind was blowing, and the air was full of ash. The snow is now covered gray. The bright sun is melting it fast. I became very happy.

Thank you Mt. Redoubt. If global warming can't make winter go away then maybe you can.

He's Tired, I'm Tired... Are You Tired??

My wife was given permission to copy and post Mr. Hall's piece titled, I'm Tired.
Please, read on and see if he's speakin' your language as well!

I'm Tired

I’ll be 63 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I’ve worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven’t called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn’t inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there’s no retirement in sight, and I’m tired. Very tired.

I’m tired of being told that I have to “spread the wealth around” to people who don’t have my work ethic. I’m tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy or stupid to earn it.

I’m tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to “keep people in their homes.” Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I’m willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the leftwing Congresscritters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them—with their own money.

I’m tired of being told how bad America is by leftwing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the religious freedom and women’s rights of Saudi Arabia, the economy of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China, the crime and violence of Mexico, the tolerance for Gay people of Iran, and the freedom of speech of Venezuela. Won’t multiculturalism be beautiful?

I’m tired of being told that Islam is a “Religion of Peace,” when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family “honor;” of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren’t “believers;” of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for “adultery;” of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur’an and Shari’a law tells them to.

I believe “a man should be judged by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin.” I’m tired of being told that “race doesn’t matter” in the post-racial world of President Obama, when it’s all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of US Senators from Illinois. I think it’s very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the emancipation proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less in an all-knowing government.

I’m tired of a news media that thinks Bush’s fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama’s, at triple the cost, were wonderful. That thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress, that picked over every line of Bush’s military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his, that slammed Palin with two years as governor for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever.

Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn’t vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.

I’m tired of being told that out of “tolerance for other cultures” we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.

I’m tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore’s, and if you’re greener than Gore, you’re green enough.

I’m tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don’t think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I’m tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.

I’m tired of illegal aliens being called “undocumented workers,” especially the ones who aren’t working, but are living on welfare or crime. What’s next? Calling drug dealers, “Undocumented Pharmacists”? And, no, I’m not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic and it’s been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I’m willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person who can speak English, doesn’t have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military. Those are the citizens we need.

I’m tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people then themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years—and still are? Not even close. So here’s the deal. I’ll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we’ll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.

I’m tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers—bums are bi-partisan. And I’m tired of people telling me we need bi-partisanship. I live in Illinois, where the “Illinois Combine” of Democrats and Republicans has worked together harmoniously to loot the public for years. And I notice that the tax cheats in Obama’s cabinet are bi-partisan as well.

I’m tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I’m tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.

Speaking of poor, I’m tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn’t have that in 1970, but we didn’t know we were “poor.” The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.

I’m real tired of people who don’t take responsibility for their lives and actions. I’m tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination, or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I’m damn tired. But I’m also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I’m not going to get to see the world these people are making. I’m just sorry for my granddaughter.

Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts state senate. He blogs at www.tartanmarine.blogspot.com

Wow! My dreams have been answered!

Click on the link and see what PORKULUS can do for you too!

http://www.reason.com/stimulus/bills/HR1_IkbgTb20090225202552.html#teleco

Subject: Living in the Great Land

Sometimes it takes a while for bad things to show up. After living here for over 30 years, I've learned a lot about doing it yourself, learning as you go, preparing for disaster, and the oops! I should of thought about that stuff.

Last week I received a call at work from the wife, who was home minding her own business when all hell started to break loose. "Something really strange is going on here with the electricity" she said. I asked her to explain. She began by describing the experience she'd just had watching the coffee brewer explode and shoot sparks from the plug in. All of the lights then began to dim slowly, eventually going out, then coming back to about one quarter their normal brightness for a few seconds, and then becoming twice as bright as normal. "Wow.....That is weird" I responded, wondering if we were just experiencing a power surge and subsequent brown out. "And then our Toyo stove eventually died....... wheezing and crying!.....and now it won't come back on!" she added.

I took a deep breath and began asking her to do some tests like, flipping the breakers and trying different outlets. None of it worked, and instead of things settling down they got worse as I began hearing popping and sparking in the back round, mixed with barking from Maggie, our obviously freaked out hound.

I headed for home, hoping that it would work itself out by the time I got there, which would have been too good to be true. After arriving, I discovered all was still wacky, and I began to inspect each outlet and every panel and junction box, which I'd wired myself....... only three years ago. The good news was that they all appeared trouble free. There was still something odd going on though, because I saw for myself, whenever I flipped a switch, the way everything reacted was ....... VERY ABNORMAL!

I decided to call the after hours emergency line at the local electric co-op. "Hmm....sounds like you have a neutral problem." he said. "We'll send out a crew to take a look, but if it's on your side of the hook-up, then it's your problem."

I was O.K. with that. I just wanted it to stop. Besides, I had to fire up the generator and figure out how to heat the cabin without the Toyo stove for the night. Fortunately, it was in the low 30's outside, so I knew I could rig up the electric baseboards until I could get someone to fix it the next day. I don't do wood stoves you see. I Hate them and always have.

About an hour later the linemen showed up. Within just a few minutes, a big friendly one came up the driveway to give me the bad news. "You have a neutral wire that pulled out of the hex nut on your side of the meter loop. You forgot to leave an extra foot or so of wire in the box...... your ground frost heaved." "Can you fix it?" I asked. "No, but we'll show you what to do. Come on down and I'll meet you there." he said.

Suddenly, I found myself humbled, realizing that I'd made a crucial mistake which took three years to manifest itself. I was damned lucky that she was home when this happened. It might have burned the place down!

I put my shoes on and walked down the driveway. At least they'd show me how to fix it. But when I got to the loop, they were busy adding pigtails and splicing it back together. As I trudged up to them I could see they were actually ........fixing it. I was stunned. "We know you're gonna get hit with a huge call out bill, so we'll go ahead and do this now for you." "Can I help?" I asked. "No, that's fine, we're here and it will only take a few minutes."

They got power back to my house and they also gave me a quick lesson on advanced wiring. I thanked them repeatedly, and then returned to explain all of this to my wife while thanking my lucky stars.

The good luck continued the next day, as we replaced the fried electronics and welcomed the Toyo repairman, who quickly diagnosed and fixed the heater. Around town, we also came into contact with several helpful people who went out of their way to try to answer our questions or point us in the direction of people who could. I also bought a good portable indoor propane heater for the next emergency.

If you want to live in Alaska, build your own home, and exist outside the circles of comfort most people would never abandon, then you'd better make some good friends and neighbors, and be willing to be occasionally humbled.

Life is truly a learning experience.

Another news story you'll never read, see, or hear from the enemy......The Main Stream Media

Shooting In Butte, Montana - November 5, 2007

Shotgun preteen vs. illegal alien Home Invaders:

Two illegal aliens, Ralphel Resindez, 23, and Enrico Garza, 26, probably believed they would easily overpower home-alone 11 year old Patricia Harrington after her father had left their two-story home.

It seems the two crooks never learned two things: they were in Montana and Patricia had been a clay shooting champion since she was nine.

Patricia was in her upstairs room when the two men broke through the front door of the house. She quickly ran to her father's room and grabbed his 12gauge Mossberg 500 shotgun.

Resindez was the first to get up to the second floor only to be the first to catch a near point blank blast of buckshot from the 11-year-old's knee crouch aim. He suffered fatal wounds to his abdomen and genitals.

When Garza ran to the foot of the stairs, he took a blast to the left shoulder and staggered out into the street where he bled to death before medical help could arrive.

It was found out later that Resindez was armed with a stolen 45 caliber handgun he took from another home invasion robbery. That victim, 50-year-old David Burien, was not so lucky. He died from stab wounds to the chest.

An 11 year old girl, properly trained, defended her home, and herself......against two murderous, illegal immigrants......and she wins, she is still alive.

Democrats decend on to the feeding trough

A guy can't even walk the beach anymore without be reminded of what the Liberals are doing in the capitol. This photo was taken where waste is pumped into the bay from a fish processing plant. A strong tide carries it out and around the spit where it attracts fish and other marine life. If we were not suffering from the terrible effects of "global warming" it would be warmer and a great time to throw out a line.

Like these gulls, democrats have gone into a feeding frenzy, trying to scoop up as much as they can to deliver to their "constituents", meaning...... THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND OR CARE THAT THE PORKULUS PLAN WILL NOT WORK. Imagine that waste they're fighting over as your tax dollars. Now realize that your tax dollars are being used to buy loyalty to a political party.

My oath to fight Liberalism

As a conservative I view each person individually. I make no decisions based on race, religion, or sexual orientation. What you do with what God has given you is the measure by which I decide if you are someone I'd associate with. I've always been this way and I can thank my parents for it. By the way, they were Democrats. It wasn't until Carter proved himself unworthy and solidified his presidency as the worst in history that I saw what had happened to the democrats. Then came Ronaldus Magnus.

Here I am some thirty years later, looking at the problems we face as a nation, as a world, as humanity, and I can now truely say with all of my body and soul that Liberalism is, without a doubt, the most vile, evil, disgusting, and pathologic danger facing, not just America, but every free person on our planet.

Since the new administration took over, watching liberalism is like watching a race riot. It reminds one of a lynching, a mob that has taken over and from this day forward seeks to impose tyranny and injustice, not just on this generation, but every one from this day forward. Liberalism is the intoxicating poison of a cult hell bent on control, a drug of choice for the weak minded and the bully, a weapon to wage a holy war against the sane, moral, and righteous. A tool to take from the earners and give unto the users. It's outcome can only bring misery and suffering since it's ideal is counter to human nature. I know it will fail.

In the mean time, don't expect me to be nice to you liberals. I'm well aware of your capacity for evil. You proved that during the last eight years. I will be no more fair and balanced than you've been. You became completely unhinged. I won't have to, because I know you'll fail. No matter how hard you try to make your presence permanant you'll lose. Humans will never accept permanantly an ideology that seeks to create classes of victoms, nor the destruction of our country's greatness built through sacraficed lives for freedom and the hope you've mocked.

I pledge to try to make you as miserable as I can while I expose you for the evil monsters you all are.