tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52761792024-03-07T14:21:45.838-06:00CateyBeth's CornerPersonal musings of a highly opinionated, politically active, liberal minded airline employee in Houston, TX. Site updated whenever my thoughts are flowing as fast and free as the wireless internet access that connects me to the world...CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-17161582620065997972006-11-22T11:18:00.000-06:002006-11-22T11:26:35.475-06:00LET'S TALK TURKEY<span style="font-weight:bold;">Here's what my family will be eating on Thanksgiving Day. I've cooked my turkey this way for so long I can't quite remember where or when I got the recipe. In any case, it has never failed me. Enjoy, with blessings and wishes for a peaceful and safe Day of Thanksgiving...</span><br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />1 whole turkey, deceased and defeathered<br />2-3 whole apples, peeled and quartered<br />1-2 onions, cut into 8ths<br />Whole garlic, peeled and notched<br />Olive oil<br />Misc. seasonings to taste - suggested are basil, parsley, sage, season salt, etc.<br />Whole stems of rosemary<br />Poultry clamps or toothpics<br />Roasting pan with lid or aluminum foil<br />Medium Sherry, any brand<br /><br /><br /><br />Prep turkey for roasting (remove neck & gizzards, rinse in warm water, pat dry)<br /><br />Mix together misc. seasonings and olive oil<br /><br />Coat inside of turkey with olive oil mixture<br /><br />Stuff inside of turkey with mixture of apples, onions, whole garlic, and pieces of Rosemary until full, clamp ends with poultry clamps or toothpics.<br /><br />Separate skin from flesh around breast, thigh, leg areas, coat with olive oil seasonings, and insert rosemary sprigs under skin<br /><br />Coat the entire outside skin area with the remaining olive oil seasoning mixture<br /><br />Pour sherry into bottom of roast pan, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan but not enough to reach the roaster rack (if there is one)<br /><br />Place turkey in roast pan, breast side up (legs pointing up)<br /><br />Cover completely with lid or foil, so no moisture escapes, allowing enough room for air to circulate without the foil touching the turkey if possible<br /><br />Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes per pound<br /><br />It's important to make sure your turkey is covered as tightly as possible in the oven, as the sherry will evaporate inside and help keep the turkey moist while giving it a wonderful flavor. Do NOT remove the foil/lid for any reason, as you will lose all that moisture. There is no need to ever baste the turkey.<br /><br />Approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours prior to removing from oven, remove the foil/lid so the turkey will brown. At this time you can also drain the juices from the bottom of the pan if you want to make gravy with it.<br /><br />After turkey is brown and completely cooked, remove from oven and set out to cool but DO NOT TOUCH FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES. Letting the turkey sit out and cool allows the juices to be reabsorbed and will keep the turkey moist.<br /><br />Carve, serve, and enjoy!<br /><br />P.S. We don't eat the stuffing from the turkey - we do our dressing separately. The apples and onions etc. are used only to season and cook the bird, but they're not eaten.CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-15424962366033119902006-11-11T13:16:00.000-06:002006-11-11T17:04:29.382-06:00ARMISTICE DAY<strong>ON THE 11TH DAY OF THE 11TH MONTH AT THE 11TH HOUR IN THE YEAR 1918, AN ARMISTICE WAS SIGNED THAT ENDED THE WAR TO END ALL WARS...</strong><br /><br />The very first Armistice Day was November 11, 1919 - a year after the end of WWI, known back then as "The Great War" or "The War To End All Wars." After WWII ended in 1945, communities began remembering all military veterans on Armistice Day. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower officially changed Armistice Day to be known as Veterans Day.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6468566">A story broadcast this week on NPR</a> led me to <a href="http://www.treehouseproductions.org/WWI_main.html">The World War I Living History Project</a>, and from there, to my own front room.<br /><br />Hanging on my wall are four framed documents, yellowed and creased with time and saved for generations. Years ago, as my beloved paternal grandmother slowly succumbed to Alzheimer's, I found these documents folded in a drawer of her desk. The largest is a page from the November 17, 1918 edition of the <strong>New York Tribune</strong> showing photographs taken at the Victory Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The other three frames hold the typewritten pages of a letter from a Doughboy at the American Expeditionary Front to his brother, dated November 8th, 1918 - three days before the end of the Great War. Both the author, Harold Weeks, and the recipient, Ben Weeks, were brothers to my grandmother's uncle Charles Roe Weeks.<br /><br />I will soon post digital images of the actual letter. In the meantime, here is the content of the letter verbatim:<br />_________________________________________________<br /><br /><div align="right"><span style="font-family:courier new;">American E. F.</span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:courier new;">November 8,1918.</span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">My dear Ben:-</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">I was more than glad to get your letter and the pictures you sent. God knows, I have looked long enough and often enough for some word direct from you. However, I suppose that is one thing we must expect. Always waiting for something we want and hoping that the next mail or car will bring it in. Thank God, you are not over here so far as you are concerned but I sympathize with you and appreciate all that this long year must have meant to you, knowing that the rest of us have come over when you were first into a uniform and into a line. It may not be so bad, their sending you back to the Artillery Corps, because that is, without exception, unless it be the Aviation, THE branch of the Service.<br /><br />Don't remind me of Delta and Phi and Epsilon and Theta, and wind and windage, and barometer and thermometer and Delta Phi over Delta with big "X" over little "x". They give me the horrors. I think I can see before me now the range of a twelve-inch shell with a powder charge of 270, a barometer of 28 1/2 or 29, a thermometer of 60, with a right angle wind at 20 miles velocity and an elevation of 11 degrees. I also can tell you the pseudo-velocity of the projectile, not to mention its point of impact, its angle of flight, its penetration and I believe we had something else - how many inches of Harveyized steel it would penetrate. After all these years, I think I could take my ballistic table and sextant and fire a big gun with some degree of accuracy. Furthermore, I think I could wheel a battery into line, set my angle points, take my readings and fire my trial shot, and do a little havoc with a battery. Don't be discouraged. This is only the elementary part of artillery. As I sit here writing you I am hearing the actual and practical parts of artillery. Somebody not far from me is doing the mathematics. His results are obvious.<br /><br />This night would be awful quiet if it were not for your Corps right now. We might hear Jerry like a night owl flopping overhead. We might, incidentally, feel Jerry's pill balls or the results therefrom if your artillery were not taking up so much space in, on and thru the atmosphere and earth. When everything is said and doneI believe I would rather hear the big guns than see the boys marching thru No Man's Land, the horses plodding, weary and tired, loaded heavily with their share of munitions, and fight across No Man's Land or watch the cavalryman in his daily travel. Yes, the big gun takes a rained mine but it offers the advantage of not having to come in contact immediately with the results of your efforts. Out of the air comes the answer and you exist to continue or you are gathered together maybe with a shovel. But the infantry boy or the cavalry boy goes up and over and if he gets across he sees his blade or his gun or his revolver deal its deadly stroke. He fences and parries to protect himself from such a stroke. Maybe he returns intact. More often he is blind or armless or legless or a broken, physical wreck. More often he is two or more of these. The Minnie ball leaves a victim for years to come. The artillery shell mercifully ends all such possibility or at the best minimizes the chances of a mans living to be a burden to himself and his friends.<br /><br />The aviator has once chance of fatal accident - his machine goes wrong. Other than that he is safe, far safe than either of his brothers-in-arms, on the solid earth or in the water. When he does lose, he never knows it. He goes into a hero'd grave and his friends know where he is, nearly always.<br /><br />So don't bewail your lot. If you get over and see one week on the borders of No Man's Land, you will have a picture on memory's walls that you would ever wish to turn toward the wall, so horrible would the picture be. There is nothing between you and the front line that is any different from what you are doing there. There is everything between the Front Line and your enemy, that you cannot leave to come in its due course without wishing for that hour to get to you sooner. We have been wishing our lives away doing our bit where we were sent and after one excursion into the battle front believed ourselves bomb-proof but now our men are numbered among those listed as not returning and while the number is few to date, the number will increase each day and as the nunber increases our wish for such a moment ceases to exist. It is not that I would wish you to accept without without any desire to see the front and be in it with your fellow officers because of your danger there, but that I want you to feel and understand that when your turn comes you will be there and if you are among the chosen few who have not had to undergo, without all of the worry and horror, you are among the chosen few lucky men. Whatever way you look at it, there is nothing that will ever recompense the man who has been in France for what he has lost. There is something that has taken away his youth that will never give it back again. Whether he has lost an arm or leg or his sight or whether he has lost the two years out of his life, he has but one one satisfaction and that is the greatest a soldier can feel - that he came over before or when asked, that he did his bit over here where he was put and that he was always ready to do it. Some one had to stay back there and assist in the training and formation of the bodies to come over here. From what I gather from officers who have been with you, your services have been much more valuable there than others who have been sent away. So don't be downhearted. Don't be discouraged but buck up and attack each day's duties with a smile and maybe you will come over later. The war is not over yet and it will be some long months before the troops leave France. War, so far as maiming one another is concerned, may cease to exist any hour now but the work so far as reconstruction and regeneration and refurnishing of France and the Allied countries is concerned, will not be over for some long, long months yet.<br /><br />Charley is in the Aviation. Somebody said he was on his way over. I understand Harold is over here. Allan is within a few miles of me. And so it goes. They might be all just as far away as yourself so far as my being ale to see any of them or any of them see me because of conditions as they are. I get long a very sweet letters from Bill and Bess. I hear from Mother but none of the rest. I am well, fat and ill-tempered and just as I always was. Got a horse out here I will give you if you will come over here. Will be going away shortly on a different duty and don't know what do do with it. That is all that I can say of myself personally.<br /><br />I saw Burdon, who is in the south of France, some time ago. He didn't seem like the Harold Burdon who used to live with us. I can't describe the change but I believe he was feeling more natural and trying to readjust himself than he had been for some long time. He drew an unfortunate position and that is an officer in a replacement division. Thank God, you didn't draw that. I don't know of any misery that Uncle Sam can inflict on officers and men quite as keen as placing them in a replacement division. Some of the other officers who were friends of yours at Custer and who spoke very kindly of you and your escapades as a bronco buster, I met in my wanderings. Seems as though you established quite a reputation for yourself as a buster of broncos and handler of men, not to mention considerable of a knight-errant with the ladies. I knew as much long ago. Cut out the ladies. They are nice, awfully nice, but they will make you more discontented and unhappy over your lot than any other mixture of sweets that I know of. Take a page out of my diary and read it over and you will find that I have written several times on the thought, "Cut out the ladies". I have tried to do it always but never succeeded. I have a hope that you will continue in the service after this war is over. But you won't if you mix politics and sweet formulae as done up in petticoat packages.<br /><br />Give my love to any of the folks you see and write when you get a chance. Don't wait so long next time.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:courier new;">Always your loving brother,</span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:courier new;">HRW</span></div><div align="left"><em>_________________________________________________</em></div><div align="left"></div>CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-57512928117635682132006-11-10T08:32:00.000-06:002006-11-10T08:56:53.766-06:00THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN AMERICA<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/531/644/1600/180px-Joe_Lieberman_official_portrait.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/531/644/400/180px-Joe_Lieberman_official_portrait.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div align="center"><strong>SENATOR JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (I-CT)</strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong></div><div></div><br /><br />This man could name his price. Anything he wants, it's his. "Which chairmanship would you like, Senator? How MANY chairmanships do you want, Senator? Does Connecticut need any federal dollars for pet projects and improvements, Senator?" <br /><br />GOP to Lieberman: Your party dumped you, they don't love you anymore, come over to us, and we will once again control the kingdom that is the U.S. Senate and you will be our Crown Prince.<br /><br />Dems to Lieberman: We really do love you, man! It was those leftie nuts in your home state who dumped you, and, well, Hillary and everyone else are all about the Party so they HAD to endorse Lamont in the General Election, you know how it is, PLEASE don't leave us!<br /><br />The balance of power in the U.S. Senate rests on the shoulders of Senator Lieberman. You know THIS man's phone is buzzing...CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-57565168802422687842006-11-10T00:04:00.000-06:002006-11-10T00:21:19.126-06:00LEFT AND RIGHT, WE ALL AGREE ON ONE THING - C-SPAN ROCKS!<strong>I DON'T KNOW THAT I'VE EVER AGREED WITH THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE WASHINGTON TIMES - UNTIL NOW. ON THIS SUBJECT, I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER.</strong><br /><br />Kudos to the Washington Times for their thoughtful and appreciative editorial on all that is C-SPAN. In my opinion - and obviously I'm not the only one - C-SPAN has literally made our federal government relevant and accessible to everyone. And we are a better country for it. You can read the full text of the WashTimes editorial <a href="http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20061106-100527-9887r.htm">here</a>.CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1163054718273006242006-11-09T00:27:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:55:10.017-06:00I'M BACK, AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE...<strong></strong><br /><strong>No particular reason why I've been gone, I just got out of the habit of posting. I will try to rectify that.<br /></strong><br /><br />First thing is the most important thing. Yesterday's election, and the results. The Democrats are back. We won not just the House, but the Senate too.<br /><br />Unlike most of my Democratic counterparts, I don't feel elation. I never viewed this election - or any other election - as a competition, a popularity contest. I take it much too seriously for that. For me, these elections have always been the answer to the question "who do we trust to make decisions that will profoundly affect us and future generations in countless aspects of our lives?"<br /><br />Today, as a Democrat, one of the things that I feel is a tremendous sense of responsibility. We Democrats have been entrusted with the future of our entire country. It is now up to us to lead. It is both an honor and a challenge that we cannot take lightly.<br /><br />But mostly what I feel today is a sense of relief.CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1112260728596958222005-03-31T02:39:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:55:09.842-06:00A DEATH IN THE FAMILY<strong>Don't panic, everyone in my family is fine. But I still feel as I've lost a dear friend - and I almost did. You see, my friend's VW Bus blew up. And her husband narrowly escaped going with it.</strong><br /><br />Michelle is one of my closest friends in the world. She is the type of friend everyone hopes to have - a sweet and generous disposition, slow to anger, quick to forgive and even quicker to laugh.<br /><br />Michelle has worked for our company for a good while longer than I have. She started in Los Angeles, and then when that office closed she migrated to Houston. Throughout those years she kept up an on-again off-again dating relationship with Darren, who lived in their hometown in Washington State. When Darren finally had enough of the on-again off-again situation, he packed up his beloved 1970s-era VW Bus and drove it all the way down to Houston. I'm not sure The Bus ever left Texas again.<br /><br />The Bus - and it was never called anything else - was the ugliest monstrosity you could ever imagine in your driveway. I think the roof was white, or what used to pass for white. The primary color was, well, primer. I've never envisioned The Bus with a wax job. The interior was threadbare tweed and warped plywood cabinetry, as best I remember. Heck, I didn't even know it was running when it passed away.<br /><br />The Bus was as much a member of Michelle and Darren's family as their daughter Molly and their dog Tanner. The entire time I've known Michelle, The Bus has been a fixture in her driveway. Michelle and Darren could never willingly part with it, although they tossed the idea around once or twice. It just had too many memories for them. The Bus had, literally and figuratively, driven Michelle and Darren from childhood through young love and into adulthood and their family life together.<br /><br />Michelle's neighbor summed up the details in an email update to his family:<br /><br /><em><span style="font-family:times new roman;">As we talked to Bill, I saw a green car pull into the Greenwoods' driveway. I had not seen it before, so I kept watch. Eventually, Michelle and Molly appeared, and Michelle was carrying a child's car seat. M&M walked toward us and Michelle, carrying the car seat and other things, looked like a refugee in the Balkans.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /></em><em><span style="font-family:times new roman;">She had a story to tell, too.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"I have not had any sleep since 3 a.m. this morning," she said. What she said calmly was horrific.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Last night when Darren was driving home from the Hobbit restaurant in the van he was on Bingle near West Little York when he discovered the van was on fire. He pulled onto the shoulder and rushed outside and within seconds the van exploded with such fury parts of it flew into the gate at Cameron Industries and melted the lock on the gate.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Darren began running toward home and stopped twice at grocery stores, including Randall's, to use the telephones but the telephones did not work (his cell phone was in the van). He ran all the way home -- I think it is more than two miles -- to wake up Michelle, and they went back in the Ford Explorer.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Not much was left except scorched pavement and melted metal.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">To say the least, it was tearful for Darren. It wasn't so much that he barely escaped death, it was the realization that the fire started in the back of the van where the motor is and probably started on the freeway, but winds kept it unnoticed until he left the freeway - in the back is where Molly sits in her car seat. Had she been there....</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Also he has kept the van running for 15 years, making most repairs himself, and he dearly loved it. (I remember riding in a van like that when I lived in New York in the late 1960's.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Besides the cell phone, there were other items in the van which Darren and Michelle are now remembering.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Molly says "The van is gone," but I doubt she knows what that means. She tired of our conversation and kept saying she wanted some chocolate, so we eventually went across the street and got her some chocolate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Some day she will be told what happened March 28, 2005, and will understand why her father had tears that day.</span><br /></em><br />I'll be hugging my dear friends a little closer tomorrow...<br /><br />- - -CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1110604466122590202005-03-11T21:59:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:28.037-06:00DID I MENTION I LOVE TO TRAVEL?<strong>One of my Christmas gifts was a simple spiral notebook from my Mom. Over the holidays, I took it with me as I traveled to Europe. My goal is to take it with me and write something in it on each international trip. Here was my first trip with my little notebook, to Brussels...<br /></strong><br /><strong>28DEC04 6pm</strong><br /><strong>Au brassiere Cafe</strong><br /><strong>Brussels, Belgium</strong><br /><br />I am in love with Brussels.<br /><br />My internet access is limited to the cafe around the corner, which costs 1.25 Euros per 30 minutes. So, this little spiral journal will have to suffice until I get home. I've already popped in once to glance through email and IM Mom via Yahoo. It took me most of the 30 minutes just to master the keyboard and find the @ so I could sign into email. So, until I get home this notebook will do.<br /><br />Mom was so proud of this notebook. "Look Cathy, it's got cats all over it," she pointed out as we were exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve.<br /><br />"Um, no, actually they're dogs," I replied. "They even have a fire hydrant in the corner."<br /><br />Little did I know how much I would come to appreciate my little spiral notebook. It's really cute, and now it will be put to use. I don't always have access to the internet, but I always have pen and paper. So, this will become my travel journal. I want to know where Mom bought this. I will want more of these notebooks.<br /><br />Enough of the logistics. I've stopped into an inviting little pub near the Grand Place for Vin Chaud - hot spiced wine. I'm traveling alone, something I've started doing this year and grown to enjoy. I find that my senses are heightened. My ear picks up all of the different languages - French, Dutch, German and English are the dominant tongues du jour. I see more, smell more, hear more, feel more when I am traveling alone.<br /><br />My table mates just left to catch their train home to London. They were visiting Antwerp for a few days, but became bored and stopped in Brussels for a day before heading home. As is usually the case when encountering an American, the conversation drifts to politics. I made it clear that I did not support our pResident. One of my British table mates works for a U.S. based law firm, and he said the day after our election the mood was somber at his law office. I told them how much I enjoy reading the British press online, especially the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">Guardian</a>. "How can 59 Million Americans be so stupid?" screamed the headline the day after the election. God bless the Brits.<br /><br />A young couple just walked in. A mixed race couple - white female and black male. I mention this because it's a common sight here. No one seems to think twice about it. This afternoon I sat in a restaurant enjoying a leisurely lunch and watched all of Brussels pass by my window - businessmen, elderly women in their fur coats, old men with their fedoras and canes, and families of all races. The most interesting was a couple in their 40s or 50s towing three small children. The couple was white, the children were all black.<br /><br />I use the term "white" and "black" here to note skin color. I have no way of knowing what nationality anyone is here. Brussels is home to both NATO and the European Union, so a large number of the residents here are foreign nationals.<br /><br />My deux vin chauds (that's two hot wines) have disappeared and my hand is starting to cramp. I haven't written this much by hand in a long time. My waitress has just informed me that she's off duty and it's time to pay. My bill is 5.20 Euros. It's time to move on.<br /><br />________________________________________________________<br /><br /><br /><strong>28DEC04</strong><br /><strong>Nuits Saint-Georges</strong><br /><strong>Brussels, Belgium</strong><br /><br />I wandered back through the Grand Place - pronounced "Grond Plos" - and a grand place it truly is.<br /><br />For centuries it's been the heart of Brussels, and tonight it's spectacularly lit. Music is playing throughout, the ancient buildings are lit up, and everyone is strolling around absorbing it all.<br /><br />I've stopped for a bite of dineur - across the narrow cobblestone street from where I ate lunch, it turns out. This is a small casual restaurant with a menu boasting at least six different ways of cooking moules. That's what brought me in - the Plat du Jour is Moules y Frites. I was served a pot of mussels cooked in a white wine and garlic broth loaded with onions and some kind of greens. I ate the whole pot, and enjoyed it so much I requested bread to eat with the broth when the moules were gone.<br /><br />I almost left when I realized there was a large family inside - three adults and FIVE little girls who appeared to range in age from about six to nine years. FIVE! And they were OBNOXIOUS! Thankfully they finished their dinner in short order and didn't linger after dinner, which is the European custom. I was horrified to hear them speaking English, until I realized I was hearing a British accent. All I could think was "thank goodness they're not American."<br /><br />My food is cleared from the table and I've ordered my dessert - a "decaf cafe creme." No more sweets for me tonight, but I'll linger over a cup of coffee and enjoy the conversation with the couple at the next table. They're yet another mixed race couple - black male and Asian female. Both are young, and they're obviously in love. She is a native of Hong Kong, he is a native of the French West Indies. He's been studying in Paris. He asked how much of France I've seen, and seemed impressed that I've been to the Riviera. I went about eight years ago - my very first time overseas. What a culture shock THAT was. Stupid me, I wore bright red and looked the part of the Obnoxious American. Thankfully I was visiting friends whe were working in Nice, so I didn't have to get around on my own the whole time.<br /><br />The cafe is average - for Europe, that is. It's still tons better than anything I'd get at home. I learned how to order cafe on my first overseas trip - the one to the Riviera. I was traveling with my friend Michelle.<br /><br />"You always get the right coffee!" she exclaimed after the third day of our short four-day trip.<br /><br />"Cafe creme," I told her. It's always been my favorite. Thick, rich coffee with cream. Maybe a spoon of sugar, but nothing more. It's perfect.<br /><br />Speaking of perfect, my waiter has discovered I'm American and has brought me another cafe creme - "On the house" he informs me in impeccable English. I've asked for the check but it still has not arrived. The restaurant is deserted now, except for me and an older gentleman who is slowly working on his second carafe of wine. It's after 9pm and I'll close my book and slowly wander back to the hotel.<br /><br />The bill has arrived - 14.50 Euros. I sign it for 16 Euros - it is customary to round up and add a Euro or two if the service warrants. Wait staff in Europe are paid decent wages, and tips are "extra" - not how they make their living wage. The more time I spend in Europe, the more I appreciate it and find fault with my beloved home country. I said in a previous post that I would be using my passport a lot more after this last election. I will be spending as much time and money as I can in countries where I and my beliefs are welcome. For a few days my home is Brussels.<br />_______________________________________________________<br /><br /><strong>29DEC04</strong><br /><strong>Brussels, Belgium</strong><br /><br />I really must learn more French.<br /><br />I've learned how to dress like the Europeans - lots of black, very little color, absolutely no white sneakers or anything that would physically identify me as American. But as soon as I enter a restaurant and reply "bon soir" to the waiter, I am handed a menu in English.<br /><br />I look the part enough, that's for sure. It never fails. Each time I'm in a European city - Paris, Amsterdam, now Brussels - I am stopped on the street and asked for directions as if I'm a native. Yesterday it was three French teenagers asking for directions to the Metro. I asked if they spoke English, and one did. I could get them to the nearest bus stop, but I had no idea where the Metro - the tram service - was. I've been on foot since I arrived.<br /><br />I have enjoyed eating out alone. This will come as quite a shock to some of my friends at home. When I worked shift work at my old job, I usually worked second shift. My work day began at 2:30pm, and I would walk in every day hungry because I didn't enjoy eating by myself. To me, mealtime is a special occasion that should be spend with family or friends. But in Europe, it's easy to eat a meal alone. The tables are usually so close together that you are invariably drawn into the conversations and the habits of the tables next to you.<br /><br />(At this point my table mates decided to add to my book...)<br /><br /><em>How are you doing?</em><br /><em>= Comment allez vous?</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Very good</em><br /><em>= tres bien</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Can I have the bill please?</em><br /><em>= Puis-je avoir l'addition s'il vous plait?</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>A lot of greetings from An, Thierry and Karel.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Hope to see you back! Always welcome back in Europe!</em><br /><br />And there my journal ends for this trip. But there will be others. There will be lots of others.CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1110599593047588822005-03-11T21:48:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:27.844-06:00HCDP's NEW BLOG IS ROLLING<strong>And they have a link to me. I guess this means I should be a little more prolific in my posts.<br /></strong><br />You can catch the new Harris County Democratic Party's blog <a href="http://www.houstondemocrats.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />I'm off to pack for an overnight to Oslo...CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1109908198887238992005-03-03T21:41:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:27.705-06:00DEAR GOD...<strong>Sometimes we forget how profound children can be. This post came from an email that a friend sent today. I've longed to ask some of these questions myself...</strong><br /><br />1. Dear God, please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter. There is nothing good in there now. - Amanda<br /><br />2. Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother but what I asked for was a puppy. I never asked for anything before. You can look it up. - Joyce<br /><br />3. Dear Mr. God, I wish you would not make it so easy for people to come apart. I had to have 3 stitches and a shot.<br /><br />4. God, I read the Bible. What does beget mean? Nobody will tell me. Love, Fred<br /><br />5. Dear God, how did you know you were God? Who told you? - Charlene<br /><br />6. Dear God, is it true my father won't get in Heaven if he uses his golf words in the house? -Anita<br /><br />7. Dear God, I bet it's very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it. - Nancy<br /><br />8. Dear God, I like the story about Noah the best of all of them. You really made up some good ones. I like walking on water, too. - Glenn<br /><br />9. Dear God, my Grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do you go? Love, Dennis<br /><br />10. Dear God, do you draw the lines around the countries? If you don't, who does? - Nathan<br /><br />11. Dear God, did you mean for giraffes to look like that or was it an accident? - Norma<br /><br />12. Dear God, in Bible times, did they really talk that fancy? Jennifer<br /><br />13. Dear God, how come you did all those miracles in the old days and don't do any now? - Billy<br /><br />14. Dear God, please send Dennis Clark to a different summer camp this year. - Peter<br /><br />15. Dear God, maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they each had their own rooms. It works out OK with me and my brother. - Larry<br /><br />16. Dear God, I keep waiting for spring, but it never did come yet. What's up? Don't forget. - Mark<br /><br /> 17. Dear God, my brother told me about how you are born but it just doesn't sound right. What do you say? - Marsha <br /><br />18. Dear God, if you watch in Church on Sunday I will show you my new shoes. - Barbara<br /><br />19. Dear God, is Reverend Coe a friend of yours, or do you just know him through the business? - Donny<br /><br />20. Dear God, I do not think anybody could be a better God than you. Well, I just want you to know that. I am not just saying that because you are already God. - Charles<br /><br />21. Dear God, it is great the way you always get the stars in the right place. Why can't you do that with the moon?<br /><br />22. Dear God, I am doing the best I can. Really. - Frank<br /><br />And, saving the best for last:<br /><br />23. Dear God, I didn't think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday night. That was really cool. - ThomasCateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1109446651414640642005-02-26T13:27:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:27.580-06:00KEEPING UP WITH THE CIRCUS IN AUSTIN<strong>Ah, such fun keeping up with the circus under the Big Top - aka the Legislature meeting under the Capitol Dome.</strong><br /><br />A friend recently turned me on to <a href="http://www.inthepinktexas.com"><span style="color:#ff99ff;">In The Pink Texas</span></a>, which is lots of fun. And then there's a similar site, <a href="http://www.pinkdome.com"><span style="color:#ff99ff;">PinkDome</span></a>, which also provides some fantastic gossip and insight into the goings-on in the Lege. Dunno what's the fascination with the color pink, but both sites are well worth reading.CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1108688874227523072005-02-17T18:39:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:27.389-06:00Stop the GOP's Backdoor Jim Crow Law!<strong>Next week the Elections Committee of the Texas House of Representatives will hear a frightening new bill that is an attempt to introduce a back door Jim Crow. </strong><br /><br />HB 516 by Betty Brown is in reality a Jim Crow Law. Much like the old days, it seeks to make it harder for minorities to register and vote. It would require people to produce documents to prove their US citizenship. This might sound good, but it is unnecessary- every voter is already required to swear that they are a citizen when they fill out a voter registration card. This is just another GOP attempt at making it hard to register to vote. What if you have lost your birth certificate? What if, like most low income Texans, you don't have a passport? Good luck registering to vote!<br /><br />The difference between the parties is that the GOP seeks to make it harder to vote while we seek to make it easier. We want the process open to every honest Texan, they want it closed to anyone who won't vote for them. We are the only truly democratic party left!<br /><br />Please send letters, emails, and call the Elections Committee members and let them know that you oppose HB 516!<br /><br />Mary Denny, Chair (R) Flower Mound<br />512-463-0688<br /><a href="mailto:mary.denny@house.state.tx.us">mary.denny@house.state.tx.us</a><br /><br />Dwayne Bohac, Vice Chair (R) Houston<br />512-463-0727<br /><a href="mailto:dwayne.bohac@house.state.tx.us">dwayne.bohac@house.state.tx.us</a><br /><br />Todd Smith (R) Bedford<br />512-463-0522<br /><a href="mailto:todd.smith@house.state.tx.us">todd.smith@house.state.tx.us</a><br /><br />Charles Anderson (R) Waco<br />512-463-0135<br /><a href="mailto:charles.anderson@house.state.tx.us">charles.anderson@house.state.tx.us</a><br /><br />Bryan Hughes (R) Marshall<br />512-463-0271<br /><a href="mailto:bryan.hughes@house.state.tx.us">bryan.hughes@house.state.tx.us</a><br /><br />Jesse Jones (D) Dallas<br />512-463-0664<br /><a href="mailto:jesse.jones@house.state.tx.us">jesse.jones@house.state.tx.us</a><br /><br />Rafael Anchia (D) Dallas<br />512-463-0746<br /><a href="mailto:rafael.anchia@house.state.tx.us">rafael.anchia@house.state.tx.us</a><br /><br />Jim Crow in Texas? Never Again!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.txdemocrats.org/">Paid for by the Texas Democratic Party</a>CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1107622961499631902005-02-05T10:58:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:27.219-06:00HD137 Voter Registration Fraud Affects Heflin-Vo Race<strong>How one Democrat's voter registration fraud may have put a fellow Democrat's victory in jeopardy</strong>
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<br />Okay everyone, let's connect the dots:
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<br />Last week during the Heflin-Vo Hearings in Austin, an allegation was presented by Heflin's GOP lawyer Andy Taylor that a group of votes should be removed from Vo's total because the voters "illegally" voted in the HD149 race, while their registered addresses showed they resided in HD137. Taylor's assessment was that these voters were "illegally" allowed to "cross over" and vote in the HD149 race.
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<br />As it turns out, these "illegal" voters were in fact legal residents in HD149, but were apparently "moved" into HD137 by Democratic Primary candidate Bernard Amadi, who ran an unsuccessful race against State Rep. Scott Hochberg for the Democratic nomination. It is assumed that Amadi's motivation was to pack the Democratic Primary with African immigrants, who would be more likely to support his candidacy.
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<br />The bad news is, it appears that a Democratic candidate may have sabotaged a fellow Democrat's ultimate victory.
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<br />The good news is, Heflin's argument that these voters were "illegal" and should be removed from Vo's vote totals has fallen apart, thereby strengthening Vo's case.
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<br />Anyone seen Amadi lately? There are a bunch of people looking for him right now...
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<br />You can read the full story in the <a href="http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3025211">Houston Chronicle</a>.
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1103032010869711052004-12-14T07:40:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:26.956-06:00ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION<strong>If I pack up and leave, it won't be for Canada - you can find me in Amsterdam. My passport will be seeing a lot of use in the next four years...</strong>
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<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Canada Busy Sending Back Bush-Dodgers
<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">A SATIRE By Joe Blundo
<br />Columbus Dispatch 11-16-04
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<br />The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration.
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<br />The re-election of President Bush is prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O'Reilly.
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<br />Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.
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<br />"I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry.
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<br />"He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"
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<br />In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields.
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<br />"Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk."
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<br />Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves.
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<br />"A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."
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<br />When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR.
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<br />In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes ingenious ways of crossing the border.
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<br />Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers.
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<br />"If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.
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<br />Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies.
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<br />"I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"
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<br />In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said.
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<br />"We're going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The president is determined to reach out."
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1102888094087562792004-12-12T15:09:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:26.676-06:00UPDATES FROM AFGHANISTAN<strong>With all of the news constantly coming out of Iraq, we sometimes forget about the rebuilding going on in Afghanistan.</strong>
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<br />I have two acquaintances in Afghanistan right now. One is David Grizzle, who is taking a year's leave as the Sr. Vice President of Corporate Development for Continental Airlines. The other is Major Rick Noriega, better known to me as State Representative Rick Noriega - or simply Rick, husband of my friend Melissa.
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<br />Grizzle is serving as the Transportation and Infrastructure Coordinator in Afghanistan, a position he has been appointed to courtesy of the U.S. State Department. What better man to take on the job of building new roads and transporting thousands of Afghans to Mecca for Hajj than the man who helped bring Continental Airlines into the global alliance known as SkyTeam?
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<br />For Grizzle, this yearlong mission is as much a calling of faith as it is one of duty and service to his country. His postings are detailed and descriptive, and are remarkably insightful. I sincerely hope that he writes a book when his mission is completed and he returns home. In the meantime, you may read more about him and his postings <a href="http://www.etss.edu/Grizzle.shtml">here</a>.
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<br />Noriega, an active member of the Texas National Guard, is serving our country by training Afghans to serve in and run their own Afghan Army. Noriega will make Texas history in January, when - thanks to a state law that was passed last Session - he will be sworn in for the 79th Session of the Texas Legislature as the State Representative for District 145 via satellite phone from Afghanistan. He will then appoint his wife Melissa to serve as the State Rep during his absence.
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<br />You can watch the historical Swearing In of Rep. Noriega and all of the Texas House of Representatives live via the internet <a href="http://www.house.state.tx.us/media/welcome.php">here</a> on January 11th - make sure you have <a href="http://www.real.com/">RealPlayer</a> installed. You can also check out Rep. Noriega's updates online at his website <a href="http://www.ricknoriega.com">here</a>.
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<br />Godspeed to both of these men, and to all of our personnel in Afghanistan. We want you all home safe and sound - and soon.
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1102820368174839432004-12-11T20:59:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:26.546-06:00OUTSOURCING GONE TOO FAR???<span style="font-size:130%;">Now HERE'S something to get everyone into the holiday spirit...
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<br /><a href="http://www.imagestash.com"><img alt="free image hosting by ImageStash.com" src="http://www.imagestash.com/uploads/33445.jpg" /></a>
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1101908728495931642004-12-01T07:26:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:26.100-06:00TODAY IS WORLD AIDS DAY<strong>Today I remember my beloved brother-in-law Tom, and too many friends and loved ones needlessly lost to the most devastating disease my generation has ever known.
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<br />Tom was the youngest brother of my (ex) husband. He became one of my closest friends. We spent countless hours together, giggling at everything under the sun while sharing buckets of crawfish and beer. Tom used to call the house every Saturday morning. When my husband would answer the phone, Tom would tell him "I didn't call to talk to you. Give me Cate." I still miss his Saturday morning phone calls, more than eight years after his untimely death from AIDS.
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<br />I've been to entirely too many funerals and memorial services for loved ones who have died of AIDS. Neighbors, co-workers, former classmates - all precious lives now gone from my life.
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<br />AIDS is the most devastating disease of our lifetime. Tom was gay, but this is not a gay disease. We may still be, at heart, a discriminatory society. But AIDS does not discriminate. No one is immune to this disease - every race, every gender, every age group, every nationality, every religion, every sexual orientation is at risk. And it's completely preventable. Do whatever you need to do to stay healthy. Become educated on prevention. Use condoms. Be safe. Do this in memory of Tom and countless others, and do it in honor of those who love you and need you in their lives.
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1099977010650986522004-11-08T23:02:00.000-06:002006-11-09T02:02:25.929-06:00HAIL TO THE THIEF - AGAIN?Interesting stories circulating about the legitimacy of the results in Ohio and other states. It appears there are lots of questions about Bush's "victory."
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<br />This one, from "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" via <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240">MSNBC</a>, is definitely worth a read...
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1098058718325674712004-10-17T19:16:00.000-05:002006-11-09T02:02:25.754-06:00AIN'T IT THE TRUTH...<strong>A LITTLE JOKE SENT TO ME FROM KAREN IN OKLAHOMA CITY...</strong>
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<br /><strong>The President''s Puzzle</strong>
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<br />Dick Cheney walks into the Oval Office and sees The President whooping and hollering.
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<br />"What's the matter, Mr. President?" The Vice President inquired.
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<br />"Nothing at all, boss. I just done finished a jigsaw puzzle in record time!" The President beamed.
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<br />"How long did it take you?"
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<br />"Well, the box said '3 to 5 Years' but I did it in a month!
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1098051678753460752004-10-17T16:47:00.000-05:002006-11-09T02:02:25.605-06:00THE GOP'S STOLEN ELECTION, PART 1<strong>THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF POSTS ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF GOP FRAUD AND EFFORTS TO SUPPRESS THE DEMOCRATIC VOTE DURING THE UPCOMING ELECTION. IF YOU'RE NOT OUTRAGED, THEN YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!</strong>
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<br />First, we'll be taking a look at Nathan Sproul and his "Voters Outreach of America" voter registration efforts in swing states.
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<br />"Voters Outreach" has gone into numerous swing states, including West Virginia, Nevada and Oregon, in order to register new voters. It's been touting itself as a nonpartisan voter registration group, but numerous links show it is being run by Nathan Sproul with Sproul & Associates of Phoenix, Arizona. Mr. Sproul is the former Executive Director of the Arizona Republican Party, and before that he was head of the Arizona Christian Coalition.
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<br />Here's what's wrong with "Voters Outreach of America." In EVERY state, temporary workers were hired to register voters. And in every state, either A) they were only PAID for GOP registrations, or B) they TORE UP DEMOCRATIC REGISTRATIONS.
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<br />Numerous news organizations are now watching this story, including <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/14/politics/main649380.shtml">CBS News</a>, <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/10/13/politics1629EDT0129.DTL">Associated Press</a>, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6494089">Reuters</a>, and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/14/nevada.registration/index.html">CNN</a>.
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<br />Blogger <a href="http://www.dailykos.com">Daily Kos</a> has been keeping up with this story on a couple of threads - you can read his stories, with extensive links <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/10/13/15534/960">here</a> and <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/10/13/32821/029">here</a>.
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1098047992552906242004-10-17T15:59:00.000-05:002006-11-09T02:02:25.450-06:00ARE THESE PEOPLE IDIOTS?<strong>OR ARE THEY JUST PLAIN STUPID AND LAZY? OBVIOUSLY THEY DIDN'T LOOK AT MY BLOG BEFORE THEY SENT THE FOLLOWING EMAIL LAST NIGHT:</strong>
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<br />
<br />Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 20:24:19 -0700 (PDT)
<br />From: helpwin@yesbushcan.com
<br />To: <a href="mailto:cateybeth@xxxxxxxxxx">cateybeth@xxxxxxxxxx</a>
<br />Subject: More False Documents
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<br />RatherGate proved that bloggers are the best fact checkers. That is why we are writing to a few bloggers asking for help.
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<br />Yes Bush Can has collected several documents that are clearly suspect. But we need your help to prove they are fake:
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<br /><a href="http://www.yesbushcan.com/falsedocs.shtml">http://www.yesbushcan.com/falsedocs.shtml</a>
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<br />Let's spring to action before these documents needlessly tarnish the reputation of our Commander and Chief. You know the drill: analyze the handwriting, search for factual errors, and post your discoveries. And keep us posted by sending email to <a href="mailto:FakeDocs@yesbushcan.com">FakeDocs@yesbushcan.com</a>.
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<br />Thanks in advance for your help.
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<br />YesBushCan
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1096942573816066782004-10-04T21:08:00.000-05:002006-11-09T02:02:25.257-06:00KEEP YOUR CURVES, WE'LL KEEP OUR MONEY<strong>I GOT THIS TODAY FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD'S FEDERAL ACTION FUND...</strong>
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<br /><em>Got Curves?</em>
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<br />Last week, a socially conscious pro-choice advocate asked The New York Times Magazine Ethicist this poignant question:
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<br />"I am in my month's trial membership at the fitness chain Curves, and I love it. I must decide whether to sign up for a year, and I've learned that the owner of the company financially supports pro-life efforts, whereas I am pro-choice. Do I have a duty to give up my Curves membership?"
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<br />Many people often ask Planned Parenthood this very same question and we applaud columnist Robert Cohen for his response:
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<br />"It depends: which do you value more, your reproductive rights or your figure? If the former, clean out your locker. You won't be alone."
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<br />A not so well–known fact is that Gary Heavin, founder and CEO of Curves, is an avid supporter of anti-choice causes, having pledged more than $5 million to various groups that oppose reproductive choice. So if you're a member of Curves, your money may be indirectly supporting abstinence-only education and other anti-choice programs.
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<br />Help others learn the truth about Curves founder by <a href="http://www.ppaction.org/ct/WdzI-X91tjCU/">e-mailing The New York Times Magazine article to a friend</a>. (registration required)
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<br /><a href="mailto:ethicist@nytimes.com">Send Robert Cohen a nice note to thank him</a> for raising awareness about this issue.
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1096770165917499132004-10-02T21:16:00.000-05:002006-11-09T02:02:25.072-06:00BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO A FEW FRIENDS<strong>TWO OF MY FRIENDS HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY, AND TODAY'S THE BIG DAY...</strong>
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<br />Birthday Greetings to both Scott Hochberg and Jon Drexler!
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<br />If you want to send Scott a birthday greeting, I suggest a campaign contribution. He's in a tight reelection campaign to keep his seat in the <a href="http://www.house.state.tx.us">Texas House of Representatives</a>. You can find out more <a href="http://scotthochberg.com">here</a>.
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<br />And you can email <a href="mailto:jdrexl_dca@yahoo.com">Jon</a> and send him greetings, or better yet, send him a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. He's back in school working on his PhD.
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<br />Additionally, my dear friend Marty Morrison from the Harris County Voter Registrar's office celebrated her birthday with a nice shindig on Friday night. If you want to make HER birthday, you can make sure you're registered to vote. The deadline for voter registration in Texas is this Monday, October 4th. Check your status and send greetings to Marty <a href="http://www.hcvoter.com">here</a>.
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<br />As for me, I'm still wondering how this Pisces ended up with so many Libras for friends...
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1096769691527633432004-10-02T21:03:00.000-05:002006-11-09T02:02:24.926-06:00KERRY PULLS AHEAD WHILE DEMS WAIT FOR "OCTOBER SURPRISE"<strong>KERRY KICKED SHRUB'S BUTT IN THE FIRST DEBATE, AND NOW THE POLLS ARE STARTING TO COME IN...</strong>
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<br />As posted on both CNN and <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=3&u=/nm/20041003/pl_nm/campaign_newsweek_poll_dc">Reuters</a>, the latest Newsweek Poll has Kerry up 49% to 46% for Bush. We knew it would happen, and not a moment too soon.
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<br />Frankly, I watch most of these polls with curious interest but not much more. The one pollster that I trust above all others is <a href="http://www.zogby.com">John Zogby</a>. Keep an eye on his polls - he called the winners in 1996 and 2000, and got much closer than anyone else in the business.
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<br />On another note, it's good to see the mainstream media picking up on what we Democrats (and bloggers) have been speculating about for months - that Rove Incorporated will pull an infamous "October Surprise" to steal the election for Bush once again. The <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;cid=536&e=3&u=/ap/20041003/ap_on_el_pr/october_surprise">Associated Press</a> has written an interesting story about the various scenarios that we've all been talking about. We expected a "surprise" during the Democratic National Convention, and lo and behold, a major Al Qaeda figure was captured. It will be interesting to see what the month of October has in store....
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1094701251200197452004-09-08T21:19:00.000-05:002006-11-09T02:02:24.768-06:00I HAVE THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD...<strong>...AND TODAY HE TURNED 60. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!</strong>
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<br />My Dad is the most amazing man I know. For most of his life he's been a completely devoted husband and father to an incredibly blessed family. I'm his oldest, and most would say the most outspoken. As many times as I've said "I love you," I know I won't ever think it's enough to express my appreciation for all he's done for me in my life.
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<br />In many ways Dad and I are as opposite as night and day. His habits are immaculate; I've never been in a room I couldn't mess up in five minutes or less. He values peace and quiet; I thrive in chaos and discord. He's friendly but reserved; I start conversations with complete strangers. His demeanor is calm and even; I can make a cup of coffee jittery.
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<br />But we have so much more in common. From the time I was born he shared and nurtured my love for music and politics. Countless hours have been spent together listening to Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and ABBA; countless dinners of steaks and chicken from his grill have been devoured while debating the political and social issues of the day. We love the same foods - our mutual favorites being a good steak with a glass of red wine or good ol' Texas barbecue with a cold beer, preferably a Guinness. We share a touch of wanderlust, and still enjoy traveling together to places near and far. I appreciate our mutual love of baseball every time I attend a game, and call him from each new stadium I visit. And in case you were wondering where I got it, we also share a biting sense of humor and an appreciation for the absurd.
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<br />My Dad taught me all the important things in life. He taught me to ride a bike, rollerskate, play chess and baseball. He taught me how to drive a car; and before he allowed me to drive on my own, he also taught me how to change a tire, pump my own gas, and check the oil and fluids.
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<br />But so much of what my Dad taught me isn't about skills or tasks. Far more importantly, he taught me how to live my life. By word and example, he taught me that my opinions are valued and appreciated; that discrimination in any form is wrong; that any task is not done until it's done right; that omission of the truth is the same as a lie; that I should always make up my own mind and not be afraid to express it. He taught me how to disagree with others without being disagreeable. And most of all, he's taught me by his own example that unconditional love is real and my family is the most important thing in my life.
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<br />I love you, Dad. I hope your 60th birthday was a blessed one, and that you will be a part of our lives for at least 60 more...
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276179.post-1094695981873637682004-09-08T20:56:00.000-05:002006-11-09T02:02:24.619-06:00TICK TOCK, TIME'S UP ON GOP LIES<strong></strong>
<br /><strong>60 MINUTES II - NEW QUESTIONS ON BUSH GUARD DUTY</strong>
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<br />This <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/08/60II/main641984.shtml">story</a> aired tonight on 60 Minutes II on CBS. The link includes video from the interview Dan Rather had with former Texas Speaker and Lt. Governor Ben Barnes.
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<br /><strong>FOG OF WAR</strong>
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<br />Additionally, the latest <a href="http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2004-09-09/hairballs.html">Houston Press</a> notes that several people around Texas have filed official ethics complaints with the State Bar of Texas against John O'Neill, the author of <em>Unfit for Command</em>. This is the work of fiction that the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" are basing their false allegations regarding Kerry's record in Vietnam. The complaints all state that O'Neill has vilolated Texas Bar ethics by blatantly lying. Interesting thought - that the truth about O'Neill's book could be exposed not in the political arena, but in a disbarment hearing in Texas...?
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<br />Those Swift Boat Veterans' ads are sinking fast...
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<br />CateyBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10592259833812036399noreply@blogger.com0