CatHouse Chat

The Kat is in the House

Yes. I am back in Virginia - much to my dismay!

We love Hawaii so much, and the Munchkin's groovey godparents are there, too (some of the Best People in the Universe™) - we just really didn't want to come back! But, we arrived in Greensboro, NC, yesterday and drove back up to our house. We're settling in and adjusting to the time zone change, and not doing too bad.

Um, so far. ;-)

**AND** We do have our reservations at the timeshare for next year - June, so we won't be away for too long. We are planning on getting the Munchkin certified for Open Water SCUBA, and we'll all go diving together in June.

Anyway, I still owe you a good, long, picture heavy post about the volcano, and I think I'll try to get to that tomorrow, so keep an eye on what's going on here.

But tonight, I'm cooking dinner (as well as some Beef and Barley Soup) with some help from my dear friend, the Red Queen... Yes, that *IS* the yummy Espresso Rub you gave me!!!!

I'll let it sit on the counter with this rub until it's a little warmer, and then shove it in to the oven as if it were my typical Baked Chicken (which it *IS* it's just with different spices). I think I'll pair it with candied carrots and Broiled Asparagus...

*Sigh*

Just another day in Paradise - and no "martyrs" with virgins, either! No, this is a REAL paradise, with laughter, smiles, and relaxed fun.

In Honolulu....

((I STILL need to post on the Halema'uma'u crater pics.... I'm getting there, bear with me, OK? *wink*))

We are now in Honolulu, in our last days of this vacation. It's actually been rather difficult: we love Hawaii, its lifestyle, its beauty, and its laid-back attitude.... We are so incredibly grateful that we have the resources to come out here regularly and enjoy the blessings of the Aloha Spirit which permeates the Islands...

We are now at the Hilton Hawaiian Village property, in the Kalia Tower, which is one of the Hilton Grand Vacations parts of the hotel. It is an incredible complex, but I'm just going to post a video of our "condo" to give you an appetizer....

BTW, my assumption (in the video - that closet had an iron and ironing board...) about the location of the washer/dryer was mistaken: they are just down the hall past the elevators from us. Two of each, and they're completely open... but this **IS** low season, so....

Walking on a volcano....

This, for me, is now Sunday evening, and we've flown out of Hilo and arrived at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu.

I was able to do one or two photo intense posts about what we'd been doing on the Big Island, as well as several moblogs showing what we've been doing on the volcano. However, now it's time to post the GOOD pics, along with a commentary...

(Don't forget, all of the pics below the fold are "clickable" for larger views!)

Papayas!

Yummay! We're on Oahu, staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village - and eating at the Hale Koa...

Papaya

Baby it's HOT!

Steam vents on the rim.

Amid devistation

Even here, on top of the volcano, life takes hold...

Volcano blogging part 4... or 5?

Walking Kilauea Caldera - there's Halema'uma'u Crater. Wow! The wind is howling! ...But I've got GREAT cell reception. Heh.

Driving from Kohala to Volcano

The coastline above the city of Hilo is one of the most beautiful in the world. Many picturesque towns of Old Hawaii, gorgeous cascades of water tumbling down sheer cliffs, and stunning panoramas of coastline - the Big Island of Hawaii has them all!

Here's a video of the beautiful Akaka Falls, just north of Hilo:

For more photos of this portion of our trip, click the link...

Volcano blogging part 3

Sulfer banks, and their steam - yes, we ARE on an active volcano!

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Well, Wednesday we had a lazy day, eventually going up to Waimea (on the lower slopes in the saddle between Kohala and Mauna Kea) to poke around a bit. We did a little grocery shopping, had some Starbuck's (Mocha Fappucino!) and I found a little quilt store. On the way back, we took a slightly more northern route, which brought us right by my favorite hotel in all the world,

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

As I mentioned before, my family came out every year for about six years for spring vacation (30 years ago... ouch!), and the memories are rich and wonderful. Actually, I remarked to my husband that I'd almost be afraid of staying there again, for fear the memories might be the slightest bit tarnished... ;-)

It was perfect, and I want it always to remain so!

That said, this resort (originally a Rockefeller Resort) is now managed by Prince Hotels, which has a very good reputation, so I'm sure Mauna Kea still holds to the highest standards of Island Aloha today, as it did so many years ago.

The time for political correctness is past

I think some people need a lesson with factual history, not what is sometimes being passed off now-a-days as the truth.

Could the televised hundreds of thousands of Muslims be angry because the Pope’s reading made it painfully obvious that what the Muslims are up to today is but a reiteration of what they’ve always done? Seriously, no halfway intelligent person can say (with a straight face) that Islam is a peaceful religion that seeks only to make others aware of the blessings of that religion. No, it has to be something else. Maybe it was just that . . . well, the Pope was calling the plays as he sees them. Perhaps Pope Benedict, who is a scholar in his own right, decided that the time for political correctness is past.

Go read the rest of this excellent post by Mustang.

Volcano blogging part 2

A quick break - gotta get the pebbles out of the boots.

Volcano blogging, part 1

Hiking the Kilauea Iki crater - 4 miles round trip, and a 400 foot drop.

Which means a 400 foot CLIMB, too! Arg. LOL!

Dedicated bookworm

I am SO proud!

Iraq the Model makes the point

... and makes it eloquently:

Are those who demand an apology from the pope ready to apologize for some of their own mistakes? Or have they never made any mistakes?

Regardless of what the pope said, the Arab and Muslim world, through the tense and offensive reactions, showed once again how incapable its leaders are to respond to criticism in a civilized way.

Here we always insist that the greatest miracle of the prophet is the words he was sent with, the same words that tell Muslims to use logic and kindness in their attempts to invite others to the Islamic faith, the same words that discourage them from using a rude or repulsive tone in their conversations.

The sad thing is that in spite of all these advices, most of the common people and the elites choose offensive, rude if not violent reactions as a first measure to counter criticism.

One friend reminded me of the assassination attempt that targeted the former pope two decades ago wondering what the reaction of the pope was…as we all know he eventually visited the assailant and pardoned him.

No mosques were blown up and no speech of a clash of civilizations was made.

So why don't we admit that the "other" is better than us at responding rationally when criticized? Why don't we learn from others?

When we closed our ears to anything that doesn't match our beliefs and refused all criticism wasn't that enough reason for the deterioration of our civilization?

Make sure you go read the whole thing!

Hawaiian Style

I'm in Hawaii, right?

So, that means I need to listen to Hawaiian music while I enjoy my morning coffee! I like KAPA radio - it's got a good mix of old stuff and new. Modern Hawaiian music - even a lot in the Hawaiian language - is a robust and productive musical style...

... Anyone know how I might be able to find this stuff on iTunes or somewhere on the web?

(Oh - and why aren't you listening?!)

Virginia Blog Carnival

The VBC is up and running over at Below the Beltway. Thanks so much for hosting, Doug - an excellent job, as usual!

How to use SPAM

David was wondering if he'd found a new use for SPAM.... I guess he doesn't know about

SPAM musubi ("moo-soo-bee")!

Oh. Not that kind of SPAM? Oh, well... ;-)

Bearing Drift hooks a live one

Jim Hoeft, my Old Dominion Blog Alliance brother, scores an interview with Senator George Allen.

Go on over and listen!

Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tours - No Ka Oi!!!

"No ka oi" in Hawaiian simply means THE BEST!!! This morning, we woke up to a stunningly clear sky and knew that our Big Island Spectacular tour would, indeed be "spectacular."

We got to the Blue Hawaiian Heliport in Waikoloa (webcam link - don't forget that Hawaii is 5-6 hours behind the East Coast of the USA) at about 8:30 am and checked in. After a little safety video, the staff escorted each group to their helicopter and got them settled in - and off we went! I want to say that the Blue Hawaiian staff was excellent - friendly and professional - and I would fly them again every day of the week, and twice on Sundays... Um, *IF* I had the $$$, of course. The pilot, Randy, was fantastic. He was relaxed and flew the helicopter with a calm ease that never gave me even a single white-knuckle incident - well, except for the "Oh, WOW!!!" factor of seeing the volcano from on high. ;-)

I would recommend Blue Hawaiian Helicopters for anyone - and EVERYONE! - interested in taking an aerial tour of the Islands (they have branches on Maui and Kauai as well). Professional, comfortable, informative, thrilling, and well worth the fair hunk of change we had to cough up. Hey! It's a once-in-a-lifetime (well, since we own a timeshare, maybe "once-every-five-years") experience, and these guys do it up right! (Make sure you check out their website: it's beautifully done, with live webcams as well as lots of video clips to show you just how awesome these people are - my congratulations to their web-designer!)

Below the fold are some of the best pics we got today, and I'll be updating as I get copies from the Munchkin's and Husband's cameras...

It'd be easy to think it's a conspiracy...

I'll get back to this in a minute, but for now, just hold this thought in mind, would you?

Commonly reported side effects include difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, irritability, stomachaches, headaches, blurry vision, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness and tics and tremors. There have been concerns that ADHD medication temporarily delays growth, and one study found that up to 5 percent of children experience tactile hallucinations, often involving a sensation that bugs or snakes are crawling on their bodies. The FDA recently announced that certain ADHD drugs should caution users about the risks of serious heart problems and psychotic behavior.¹

I'm tempted to think it's a conspiracy corrupt young minds and deliberately manufacture easily manipulated sheeple, but then I'm reminded of the quote attributed to Napoleon:

"Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity."

I'm speaking, of course (and again), of the public "education" system in these micromanaged-from-the-swamps-of-D.C. United States.

But it's not just micromanagement of local schools by remote bureaucraps and educraps or even bad (or lazy--and there are plenty of those) teachers or even pubschool adminstrators *spit* that are at work creating mind-numbed children (future citizens). Nope. Parents are the ones most responsible for the failures of American schools that have created a populace that is largely subliterate (while feeling good about itself, falsely calling itself literate). Parents could require discipline in school, could require their children to learn useful information, turn off the video games and TV and, well, read... Parents could vote in such a way as to lessen or even eliminate remote micromanagement of their public schools, even to voting in school board members who would turn down fedgov funds in order to maintain some semblance of local control.

But no.

Oh there IS a God!

The DIVINE decadence that is Roy's chocolate soufflé...

Excuse me while I die in ecstasy!

(UPDATE: Yeah, I know it's a crappy pic - the reality is too sublimely delicious to capture... Trust me! *snicker*)

A selection of pictures from today

... well, okay, it's tomorrow for YOU guys, but it's still TODAY for me.

We've gotten back from the beach (A-bay - see previous post), I've showered, and the Husband and Munchkin are on the lanai discussing the day. In a little bit, we'll decide where to eat, but in the meantime, here's some of the best of today's photos.

Aloha from Hawaii - the morning sun in all its beauty: (UPDATE: Aiiigh!!! I don't understand why this pic isn't loading completely! Well, I'll figure something out tomorrow... grrrr.... Go look and drool at all the other photos, OK?)

The beauty of A-bay

Enjoying the tradewinds, the music of the surf, and the slowly setting sun. Everything moves in a leisurely pace, and your body relaxes and unwinds. This is Hawaii time...

Aloha!

(UPDATE: "A-bay" is short for Anaeho'omalu Bay - pronounced Ah-nah-ay-ho-o-mah-loo)

Hawaii shave ice... and a gekko

Or, "Lipstick, Hawaiian style"!

And then we "met" this charming fellow outside the food court - he was very beautiful, and impressed the Munchkin. She like this sort of thing, LOL.

A truly horrendous picture! (UPDATED)

... but I AM having lots of fun!

The Munchkin was astonished that her MomKat would actually enjoy the slide so much - usually it's her favorite Dad-man who is more fun in the water... ;-)

Kokomo meets Kosovo

The Beloved Husband was forwarded this video in .wma format, and *I* was about to upload it onto YouTube... but then decided to check if it was already posted.

Yup. All over the place!

Enjoy this extremely well done parody!

Technorati tags: Kosovo, Kokomo, Beach Boys, humor, parody, music video

Welcome to Hawaii!

Ah, all settled in!

After our arrival yesterday at about 6 p.m., HST, we unpacked and then went up to Waimea to get some groceries. We came back and then went out to dinner at the local Roy's restaurant - you saw the moblog I posted last night) mmmmm! I looooove Roy's!) - and got to bed around 10/10:30 local time. So, I had the delightful experience of going without sleep for 24 hours (as I said), and doing some lengthly travelling. It is indeed a wonder that I didn't kill anyone *snicker*

This morning, we got up at about 5:30 a.m., which isn't too bad for dealing with jet lag, and started planning what we were going to do. The Beloved Husband wants to see if we can do a resort SCUBA course for the Munchkin, and on Sunday morning, we're going to go fly a helicopter. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is going to fly us on their two hour "Big Island Spectacular," and I'm sure it's going to be incredible!

We went out and did a little shopping (got little gifts for the Munckin's teachers and classmates), with the obligatory manic shopping spree at Crazy Shirts. Now the Husband and Munchkin are over at the Hilton Waikoloa Village (different from the Hilton Grand Vacations Waikoloa, our time share) to go swimming and find out information about the Dolphin Encounter and go swimming. I'm taking a break here, washing some clothes, and - d'uh! - posting this.

(Well, actually, I had a bit of trouble uploading to YouTube, so I went to the pool, too. Had a lovely time - gotta make sure I post the truly horrendous pic the Husband took of me coming down the water slide - but the MaiTais are EXPENSIVE!!!! Also had dinner, and have returned to our condo and crashed for a bit. Finally managed to upload the video, and now need to go back to sleep!)

Here's a little 4 min 30 sec video I took this morning to let you see the wonderful condo we have for our timeshare:

And here's one of the grotto/group of caves at the Hilton Waikoloa Village's pool

HUNGRY!

Feeding frenzy!

JET LAG!

Oh, yeah... Someone's exhausted!

Um, BESIDES me, heh...

Oh WOW!!!

Beautiful! I am going to take LOTS of pictures for y'all!

The lobby

Isn't it beautiful? My only problem is the wireless connection is being a bit snicky - but that's getting resolved. Meantime, my getting settled routine is done, so I'm off to the BIG pool at the HIlton HOTEL.

Lord, Have Mercy: In memory of Timothy A. Roy

"Lord, Have Mercy" sung by David Proffitt .... (UPDATE: Well, for some odd reason, this file isn't uploading to TPad properly... sorry about that, because it's an incredibly beautiful song. Thanks for letting me know, David !)

It is my honor to remember Timothy A. Roy, a Sergeant in the NYPD bus squad.

He is survived by his wife, Stacey, and three children. This brave man loved the outdoors and golf, and enjoyed vacations with his family.

Sgt Roy came from a family which served: his late father was a firefighter, as were three of his brothers. He began his career in the NYPD in July of 1985, he was promoted to sergeant in March 1991, and assigned to the Traffic Control Division in November 1995.

Although Sgt Roy was on his way to Traffic Court that morning, he showed no hesitation offering his services in the rescue operations. After witnessing the first plane crash into the first tower, he called his wife on his cell phone to tell her he would not be home that evening due to the rescue operations.

And when one of the Towers fell that terrible day, Sgt Roy was in it. He had served honorably for sixteen years, and he was 36 years old.

Sgt Roy was well respected, known as a good squad leader and supervisor, a man of integrity and dedication. On his memorial page, many friends stopped by and left their respects:

Timmy, for 5 years I had the pleasure of putting up with your antics and trying to keep up with your energy level. I will miss you dearly, whether it was the ashes you flicked on my desk or the fun we had breaking the other guys in, you'll always be a dear friend. But I also know that no one will miss you you more than you wife kids. I know they were everything to you and I'm certain they realize that.

I was not surprised at all that you were in the middle of the action and most of all you made sure your men were unhurt. God bless you Tim. You were one of the guys. Love and prayers, Mike

-- Sgt Michael Flanning

Timmy was one of my Sgts. He was the best of the bunch, and was always the first one in, in an emergency. He was a hard working, honest cop whose integrity was beyond reproach.He always backed his cops and looked out for them and he will be sorely missed. He is survived by a wife and three children, and both Timmy and his family will never be forgotten. May he and all the other brave Police and Firemen who made the supreme sacrifice on that dreary day REST IN PEACE and NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

-- LT. Jim Williams

I pray for this family, which had this good man taken from them so early.

And I thank God above for all the men and women He has given us who serve so selflessly, with bravery and dedication, and honor.

Thank you, Sgt Roy. Thank you.

Lack of class abounds...

So, then, it's not the civilized debate of ideas you're interested in, then, is it?

This election is in your hands, not the pollsters, not the pundits, not the corporations, not the trolls, but you.

You can FIGHT like hell.

Join me, in my quest to attack conservative blogs, everyday until they either get Allen to say the truth or until the polls close on Election Day. (emph. mine)

*sigh*

Well, guys, let me put it in a way you can understand and in a style with which you're familiar: I'm in Hawaii, and you're not. Nyah, nyah, nyah.

Now, I'm going to enjoy my vacation, and give these people the serious lack of attention they deserve.

Seriously deluded

Via lgf - "If Jesus were here, he'd be a Muslim"

Meek, a self-proclaimed Muslim for the past 16 years, said his interest in Islam began when he was studying to become a Baptist preacher. He said he began wondering if Muslims were "confused Christians" or whether Christians were the ones who were confused. Meek said he was unsure of how to confirm his beliefs. "I started from the prospective that I wanted to study the Bible to convince people that it's true," he said.

As he started studying the history of the text, he said he began doubting the truth of the Bible. Meek said he compared the two religions and decided on Islam. "It's more compelling, more attractive to me," he said.

And, of course, we ALL want to assess everything on how "compelling and attractive" they are, vs. how closely it conforms to the truth. Yeah. That's the ticket.

Oh, and notice how all those crazy Christians are storming CAIR, threatening to behead... um... No, wait...

I've got something for Mr. Meek: mohammed has already acknowledged the reality that Christ is the Son of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords... and that mohammed was nothing but a delusional liar, devoted to a religion of violence, hatred, bloodshed, and satanic deception.

Oriana Fallaci Is Gone

I am sad beyond finding the appropriate words.  THIS gives some details, including ideas as how to pay tribute to a warrior who fought with her pen for the survival of Western civilization.

Ah I'm HOME!

I've been up for 24 hours, on 3 planes, dragged luggage around... I'm exhausted! But I'm now enjoying one of the best restaurants in the Universe. I'm at Roy's!

(UPDATE: Specifically, this one!)

Kat is connected

Yes, I AM that addicted! I love hotspots - even if it isn't free. Well, it's better than nothing by a LONG shot!

Arriving in Dallas

... and this is what it did the whole 2.75 hour flight. She's such a great traveler!

(UPDATE from inside the DFW terminal... while the Beloved Husband takes a pic f me with my cell phone. In fact, it should be the next post... ;-) )

(Oh, and yes, the Munchkin is the BEST traveler! Well behaved, sleeps in the plane - which I can't, really - happy and uncomplaining. I am blessed!)

The adventure begins!

Waiting to board at Greensboro, NC. See? I told you I was addicted to blogging!

(UPDATE from Dallas: And that was for a 5:55 a.m. departure. We got up at 3:45 a.m. Tell me again why I'm doing this to myself? LOL)

Off to Hawaii!

OK, folks, I'm off for some fun. Starting on Friday, I'm going to be blogging from here

And then we'll be going here (possibly no internet there, but I could still post from my cell phone, I think)

And finally we'll end up here

I will be posting as many photos as possible so y'all can have a virtual vacation along with me. Don't get too revved up, though - I'm planning on having a VERY lazy time, LOL!

I've got some guest bloggers lined up - AOW, Raven, and David have all said they'll look out for things, for which I am very greatful. So, I'm going to concentrate on FUN stuff, and let them (if they so choose) deal with the drudgery of news and current events.

So, pray for safe travel, and my next post will be from Hawaii... or maybe the airport... or perhaps on the plane... could be a cab... over the ocean... waiting for a connection... ah, who knows? But the next post will definitely be away from the CatHouse!

Technorati tags: vacation, Hawaii, travel, Hilton, volcano, Kilauea, Oahu, Big Island

Scots RULE!!!!

Oh, yes, I am proud of my Scots heritage:

(HT to Flora... you craZy woMAN!)

State Senator Benjamin Lambert endorses Allen

Well, so the earlier speculation was, indeed, true.

The A-Team has the story:

In an unprecedented development in Virginia's U.S. Senate race, a senior Democratic State lawmaker today strongly endorsed Senator George Allen's campaign for reelection to the U.S. Senate. State Senator Benjamin Lambert lauded Senator Allen in a letter, specifically highlighting his efforts for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Riley finishes with a little comment -

How long until the Webbies try to downplay this and badmouth Lambert as "not a real Democrat"?

Indeed.

I also find this very... ironic. The Progressives made such a HUGE deal with Macacagate, and yet targeted the Thurgood Marshall Scolarship Fund after they'd announced an award for Sen. Allen for his work on behalf of the HCBUs.

About bloody TIME!!!

Michelle Malkin links a NY Post article by Emilio Karim Dabul:

The only time I raised my voice in protest against these men who killed thousands of innocents in the name of Allah was behind closed doors, among the safety of friends and family. I did at one point write a very vitriolic essay condemning their actions, but fear of becoming another Salman Rushdie kept me from ever trying to publish it.

Well, I'm sick of saying the truth only in private - that Arabs around the world, including Arab-Americans like myself, need to start holding our own culture accountable for the insane, violent actions that our extremists have perpetrated on the world at large.

Yes, our extremists and our culture.

Every single 9/11 hijacker was Arab and a Muslim. The apologists (including President Bush) tried to reassure us that 9/11 had nothing to do with Islam, but was a twisting of a great and noble religion. With all due respect, read the Koran, Mr. President. There's enough there for someone of extreme tendencies to find their way to a global jihad. [...]

Five years after that awful day, it's time for all Arab-Americans, and Arabs around the world, to protest against Islamic fascism, to raise our voices - and, where necessary, our arms - against these tyrants until their plague of terror has been driven from the face of the earth forever.

Yes. It's time and past time!

I hope more of those elusive "moderate muslims" will follow Mr. Dabul's example and raise their voices loud and strong against these murderous barbarians.

Heh. Irony just doesn't get better...

Cassandra, one of the Ladies of the Cotillion (and a brilliant writer), reminded me on-list about this article, which I'd seen yesterday (linked from Ace? I forget...)

From the Telegraph:

Some of the small number of prisoners who remained in the jail after the Americans left said they had pleaded to go with their departing captors, rather than be left in the hands of Iraqi guards.

"The Americans were better than the Iraqis. They treated us better," said Khalid Alaani, who was held on suspicion of involvement in Sunni terrorism. [...]

Access to the part of the prison containing terrorism suspects was denied, but from that block came the sound of screaming. The screaming continued for a long time.

"I am sure someone was being beaten, they were screaming like they were being hit," the witness reported. "I felt scared, I was asking what was happening in the terrorist section.

"I heard shouting, like someone had a hot iron on their body, screams. The officer said they were just screaming by themselves. I was hearing the screams throughout the visit."

The witness said that even in the thieves' section prisoners were being treated badly. "Someone was shouting 'Please help us, we want the human rights officers, we want the Americans to come back'," he said.

We ARE better than they are... My husband has lived in that general area, and he reminds me that "human rights" is really a pretty alien concept for Islamic cultures...

Now. I want to ask all the nutcases who were screaming about what we did at Abu Ghraib to eat a nice, big slice of humble pie... and to let me know when the Iraqis who are now abusing prisoners come up for trial, OK?

Senator Allen has an upcoming announcement...?

... from the A-Team Blog (which just launched the other day, and is authored by several of my ODBA brothers...) which proclaims:

We are expecting a major announcement out of the Allen campaign sometime early this afternoon. Early word is that it will be an endorsement. Details are still sketchy, but we are hearing it may be that a member of the General Assembly is getting ready to cross party lines to support Allen. (emph mine)

Reeeellllly...? This could be extremely interesting!

(But, guys? Can we have something more... original? ... than the Drudge-flashy-thing? Just sayin'.... LOL)

(UPDATE: Hm. The post has been changed to include only the first sentence... Guess it's not an endorement, then...)

Technorati Tags: Senator Allen, George Allen, Virginia, endorsement, elections, senate race

Perdition to our enemies!

And welcome to the Blogosphere!

A dear friend from Down Under - who has a show on Wide Awakes Radio on Saturdays from 3-5pm, ET - is finally up and blogging.

Didgeman called in on Sunday to talk to Terry Dillard and me on Terry and Cao's show (5-7 pm, ET, on Sundays) and we all had a fantastic talk about 9-11. Didge (and yeah, I know his name, but I don't know if he's gonna use that or a pen name, so I'm using his blog moniker) had a lot to say, and he said it eloquently.

So, please go over and welcome the Voice of the Pacific to the blogosphere, and read and savor his premiere post.

It is not enough to say that the world has changed..and that some claim it is no longer possible to win.It is not right to deny that it is possible to defeat this enemy..to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory..to walk away from the sacrifice of our sons and our daughters in uniform…who will willingly and unselfishly walk into the fire to keep us safe.

Let it never be said that the United States stared into the face of evil and looked away, afraid. Let it never be written that when the call to arms was sounded…the US was not ready, weapon in hand, to stand and fight to the death.

We did not ask for this war…we did not want it…we would sooner turn to pursuits of peace, of art, of culture, than to again see bodies in the streets, or hear the crackle of weapons fire..and then to stand at a wall of black onyx, reading again and again the names of those who fell to protect the way of life we cherish so greatly.

That's how it begins... now go READ IT!!!

This week's Virginia Blog Carnival is up!

Over at Craig Vitter's place - he actually posted it late Sunday night, and I saw it yesterday. However, with all the memorials and so on with the September 11^th memorials and so on, I'm only getting around to posting it today.

I should also mention that I completely forgot to link Roci's round up from last week, which is really inexcuable - I hope he'll forgive me! He did a wonderful job with only a few entries.

I'm off on vacation for the next two weeks, but Doug at Below the Beltway will be hosting next Monday, and Kilo on the 25th, so the Carnival will go on. I want to thank Doug and Kilo for steeping up to the plate - yet again! - and hosting... and I hope some more people will volunteer for all the open October spots! (Yup, that was a bleg, LOL)

Neither will I...

"Lan astaslem."

I WILL NOT SUBMIT. I WILL NOT SURRENDER.

You hear that, jihadis? That is my response to your "invitation" to bow my knee to Islam. That is my response to your murderous, barbaric and tyrannical ideology. That is my response to your perverted mullahs, your insane "martyrs," and your pathetic little pissant "god."

I serve the Holy God, the Lord of Truth, El Shaddai, the Lord of Hosts, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. I serve the God who became flesh and dwelt among us, who sacrificed Himself for our sins and rose again on the third day.

I serve the great I AM.

I serve the One who will do this to that satanic little minion you call "allah:"

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

I serve the LORD God Almighty, and you and your "god" are less than the dust beneath His feet.

(HT and thanks to Michelle Malkin, here and here)