Off Topic

How Obama Got Elected

2008-11-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

A fascinating poll of Obama voters that has also been commissioned as a scientific Zogby telephone poll of Obama supporters... you need to watch this:

Overall in the telephone poll of more than 500 Obama voters, less than 2% were able to answer all the questions correctly.

For the full results of the Zogby Poll of Obama voters and to learn about the forthcoming documentary "Media Malpractice... How Obama Got Elected" go to
http://HowObamaGotElected.com/

Bottom line (and as I've said before): Be sure to get your news from REAL news outlets - if you look long and hard, you can still find some.

-- Kristin

Life Can Be Hard, Even When You're Happy

2008-11-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

Gregg and I recently returned from Hawaii where we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We spent 8 days and 7 nights in a tiny, efficiency cottage across from the beach - close enough to smell the salt-water breeze and hear the waves washing over the sand.

I planned this trip months ago and, in my mind, it became symbolic of a couple triumphing over a decade of marriage by spending a perfect week in the perfect place and having a perfect time. We’ve all seen that couple in our minds walking hand-in-hand along the beach into the sunset. I wanted that to be us... what could be more perfect? What would be more symbolic that we’d made it?

In reality, the trip ended up being less than perfect and when I returned home, I was in some ways disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, we did have some really fun times, but we bickered and argued also and, sometimes, over the stupidest things.

Was this all we had to celebrate after ten years of marriage?

Generally speaking, I think Gregg and I are happily married. We spend a lot of time together, support each other’s interests and still have an active and satisfying intimate life. We definitely have our cycles and over the nearly twelve years that we've been together, I've come to expect the ups and downs as they wash over us, back and forth, just like those waves on the beach next to our vacation cottage.

I just didn’t expect to be “down” on the one week I was striving for perfection. I chalked it up to “life’s hard, even when you’re happy” and I was thinking that I would really love a do-over.

But then I realized that every day is a chance for a do-over – a chance to live the way we want to. We just need to keep our eye on what’s important.

What’s important right now is that Gregg and I did make it ten years married. Yes, life can be hard (even when you’re happy), but it doesn’t mean you can’t stop for a moment, a day, a week, or a month and celebrate the accomplishments and failures we live. And isn’t that the point of this life – to simply live? Makes me think of God’s description of Himself – I AM. God didn’t say “I am big”, “I am infinite”, “I am important”, “I am perfect”… He simply said I AM. I think I can learn something from that.

Hawaii was beautiful and I’m glad Gregg and I went there for our anniversary – we made an event of it with the good and bad of each day. I’d say that’s the best and most honest description one can give of marriage.

And for me, ten years of marriage to a man I can still call my best friend (and could sometimes strangle) is reason enough to celebrate, even if our lives (and vacations) aren’t perfect.

-- Kristin

Obama's Weakness Already Being Played By World Leaders

2008-11-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

Let the games begin..

On the day after President-elect Obama was elected, Iran is already seeking his "good will" in supporting the removal of sanctions. Read about it here.

And then Russian President Medvedev had some "chilling" remarks about the US's missile defense system that were obviously a direct statement to the new President-elect Obama. Read about it here.

It seems that President-elect Obama will bring change to our nation, just not the kind any American wants. How will you feel when Iran attacks Isreal and the US stands by and does nothing as President-elect Obama waits for approval from the UN Security Council for "permission" to protect our ally... remember, in one of the debates, Obama couldn't give a direct answer to the question "would you wait for approval from the UN Security Council in regards to a direct attack on Isreal from Iran?". John McCain answered with a definitive "NO"... Barrack gave his usual "um, uh, you know, uh" spineless answer. There was a reason Joe Liebermann supported McCain... he knows McCain would stop at nothing to protect Isreal... I doubt in my heart Obama will do the same.

Unfortunately, I think we'll get to see all too soon just how weak the world perceives our new President-elect. And whether he is actually weak or not doesn't matter - perception is the world's reality and the world will play off of those perceptions.

A friend of mine recently posted on her blog a prayer for all the newly elected officials - I'll add to that a prayer for our nation, our liberty and our freedoms. Those things more than our elected officials are what need our prayers now.

-- Kristin

Our Tax System Explained...

2008-11-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

I stumbled on this today and just had to post it... it couldn't be more true and is more important than ever with Obama headed for the White House...

Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh would pay $7.

The eighth would pay $12.

The ninth would pay $18.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men - the paying customers… how could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).

The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I got'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

On Fire for God

2008-10-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

Today I spoke at First United Methodist Church in Watsonville. I was invited to speak for Laity Sunday.

I arrived early enabling me to listen to the choir as they practiced before the service. As I listened, I found myself getting choked up and I was surprised by this. The chorus of the song they were practicing went (something) like this:

Even though I cannot see you, Lord, I love you
I cannot touch you, but I embrace
I cannot know you, but I follow
I cannot see you, but I believe

It brought tears to my eyes as I listened to these words. I thought to myself 'how perfect the song goes with my message today'...

Again during the service as the choir performed the song, I found myself choked up - it brought tears to my eyes - the song was so meaningful for the message I was about to give to the congregation.

As I stood to give my message, making a final blow to my nose and wipe to my eyes, I told the congregation how I was feeling and how I was so joyful to be with them that morning. I delivered my message about faith and doubt and I could feel it was being well received.

At the end of the service, the pastor asked me to join her at the exit of the church and we greeted the congregation as they exited. They were so kind to me with comments, hand shakes and a few hugs!

Finally, the pastor shared with me how perfect she thought the song had turned out for my message and she explained that the choir director had selected the song BEFORE knowing what I would speak about or the scriptures I would reference!! I laughed out loud when I learned this...

This perfect song to accompany my message was selected WITHOUT any knowledge of what my message would be. Can anyone say GOD IS ALIVE AND WELL!?!?

I certainly can and how wonderful God is in showing me how on target I am with my speaking. It's not the easiest thing in the world to go from non-church person to church-person-speaking-at-the-pulpit in the short amount of time I have made this transformation and there has been a ton of doubt to accompany me along the way. But God is there, too, and He reminds me today that I am not alone on this journey - He is there guiding me and holding me up and for that, I'm on fire for God!

-- Kristin

The Market Speaks ... and It Isn't Good.

2008-10-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

In looking at the market today, I'm thinking to myself, "Didn't Congress supposedly save us from this already?" I'm also wondering if all those House Representatives that voted for this ridiculous excuse for legislation are now more worried than EVER about losing their seat in the House!

Wasn't the bailout, rescue, welfare-for-wall-street (whatever you want to call it) suppose to ease the markets and ensue confidence? Apparently, it didn't work. And today when Paulson announced that we would start injecting liquidity by purchasing preferred and common stock shares, the market tanks some more.... in fact, the market may be responding to today's actions regarding the resolution of Lehman's CDS (Credit Default Swap) contracts.

And NO ONE is talking about things the SEC could do RIGHT NOW that would boost confidence - like suspending the mark-to-market accounting rules that helped to get us into this mess in the first place! Well, almost no one - Newt Gingrich has a statement calling for this action here.

Other sites that I'm reading are warning Americans to be prepared for a long and deep recession with hoarded cash, non-perishable food stock holds and NO DEBT!... yeah, right, like Americans will get out of debt by this Friday..

My opinion is that the way America has been living for the past few decades (way beyond our means) is now coming home to roost and I think there's going to be a heavy price to pay. And if you think countries can't go bankrupt, read up on what's happening in Iceland as we speak.

Here are some predictions that I've read in the past 1-2 days:

1. There will be massive lay offs over the next 12 months... they've started already and will accelerate as the days and weeks pass

2. The election will be a botch job from Hell with voter fraud, voter disenfranchising and legal action. There will be no outcome the day of the actual election, rather, a repeat scenario like 2000 will ensue.

3. As more and more Americans face circumstances they've never contemplated let alone planned for, violence will escalate. Civil unrest will outbreak across our nation giving a strong possibility for martial law. Read about the recent repatriatization of an Army Brigade to the homeland here. I don't really think I want the Army "helping people at home"..

It makes me wonder what WILL happen next.

The best analysis I'm reading:

By Karl Denninger here.
By Nouriel Roubini here.
By Global Research here
By Jim Sinclair here

Finally, for some fun and to make a very important point with Congress, if you want to send Congress a bona fide Pink Slip, check out this great site:

http://sendpinkslips.com

Of course, the best pink slip of all will be your vote on November 4th - remember, the ENTIRE House of Representatives is up for re-election and we need to send most of them home...

-- Kristin

Senate Blantantly Ignores Constiuents By Passing Bailout Bill

2008-10-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

In a historic vote yesterday, the Senate passed the bailout bill with an overwhelming majority of 75 to 24. This passing occurred even with unprecendented outcry from Americans against the bill.

As I watched the hearings, I heard repeatedly about how "angry" the Senators were to "have to" vote for this bill. My own Senators, Boxer and Feinstein, also consented that they would support the bill, Feinstein going all the way as to saying she knew "better" than the nearly 90 thousand constitiuents that contacted her office against the bill.

So much for "representation" in our Government.

The bill passed by the Senate has more than 300 pages of earmarks, yet both Presidential candidates voted for it.

So much for reducing Government spending and keeping watch over our children's futures.

The bill passed by the Senate rewards companies that have mismanaged (criminally in my opionion) billions of dollars of wealth by repairing their balance sheets and allowing them to continue to be in business.

So much for accountability in our corporations.

The bill passed by the Senate gives American tax payer money to foreign banks and entities.

So much for bailing out Main Street.

And yet it passed with a landslide majority. Here's a tinyURL link to the roll call vote so you can see how YOUR Senators voted:

http://tiny.cc/9FN1q

The bill will return to the House where it is expected to pass according to the mainstream media. Oh really?! Not if America has anything to do with it.

At this point, we must contact every House Rep that previously voted against the bill - we must encourage them to stand strong with their no vote. Most of these Representatives are in tight re-election races back home and we need to let them know they are doing the right thing to resist the temptation to pass this bill. Remember, EVERY HOUSE MEMBER IS UP FOR RE-ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008.

Call every Rep that voted no - don't waste time with email as the email system has been limited in the past week to keep the system from crashing. You need to pick up the phone and call.

Here's the link to the House of Representatives contact list to find your Rep's contact #:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

And here's the link to the House roll call from the previous vote:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll674.xml

Don't delay - time is of the essence!

And if you need further convincing that this bill is bad for our country, I urge you to read up on some of the top economists in our nation commenting on what will work and what won't. I've been following Nouriel Roubini of New York University and he has many pages on the web explaining why this bill is flawed. Read one of the articles by following this tinyURL:

http://tiny.cc/LHd1n

This is a bad bill for our nation and for our future and it must be stopped.

-- Kristin

Roll Call for Bailout Vote - How Did Your Rep Vote?

2008-09-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

With all the news on the bailout and the unprecedented outcry of Americans across the land to their elected officials against the bailout, we still see in the vote this morning that 205 members of the House of Representatives SUPPORTED the bill. Unbelievable! I'm sure they think they know better than you and I when it comes to spending $700 billion of OUR MONEY!

Would you like to know how your Representative voted? Here's a link to the roll call for the vote:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll674.xml

Now here's the kicker: EVERY MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES is up for reelection this November 4th. So here's our chance to do a little house cleaning, America.

Check out the link above to see if your Rep supported the bailout. If they did, be sure to make it to the polls this November 4th to vote against them. If they voted against the bailout, be sure to make it to the polls to vote for them as those who voted against this bill should be hailed as heros in our nation!

It's time for Americans to take back their government... let's get started with the House of Representatives!

-- Kristin

Watercolor Portrait - "Keith"

2008-08-27T22:48:00.001-07:00

My first attempt at a portrait in watercolor. I worked from the picture and am very happy with this! :)

This portrait is of Keith - someone I loved a long time ago. He passed away last year and there are many that miss him dearly..

-- Kristin

Frisbee Girl

2008-08-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've been taking my camera with me everywhere and actually using it. I pulled it out yesterday while Gregg, me and Sara were at Highlands Park in Ben Lomond. I took this pic of Sara swimming in the river with her frisbee... she has just fetched it and is swimming back to shore and to Gregg. She LOVES to play frisbee with Gregg, especially if she gets to get WET! Since we lost our other golden, D.O.G., back in July, we've been spending lots of time with Sara... she goes everywhere with us.

I had time to do some sketching and watercolor while at the park in my pocket Moleskin. I also did a watercolor and ink of this pic of Sara today as a quick study - I love the softness of this pic and think it is just perfect for a watercolor - don't you?

I'm happy with this watercolor in general, though I do like the bottom half of the water better than the top. I love how the rippling over Sara's body came out and the reflection. The top of the water was great until I got heavy handed at the end with the darker blue... I have to remember to tell myself "that's enough - put the brush down"... :)

Talk soon...

-- Kristin

Daisies for D.O.G.

2008-08-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

One of the sympathy cards we received when D.O.G. died had these beautiful painted daisies - I was really drawn to them... ended up sketching and painting them myself. This is in my pocket Moleskin sketchbook with Cotman student watercolors and water brush and pen.

This is the first post of my art that is scanned - the few pics previously posted I took with my digital camera... but I also want to experiment with scanning my work as I can see a definite advantage with scanning: more control over the light and exposure... I'm excited about scanning! :)

What do you do - scan or pic?

Well, this Sunday I will speak at a completely new church. This one is "over the hill" in San Jose - a completely different place than my mountain church in Boulder Creek! And it will be a building full of strangers as I don't expect anyone I know to attend services. I'm nervous and excited all at once. My message is entitled, "Who Me Lord? Are You Sure?" and centers on the role of doubt in our faith and lives. This is the first run with this message - I will give it again at another church in Santa Cruz August 31. That event will be taped and I hope to share a copy on the blog sometime in September. Wish me luck!

Talk soon..

-- Kristin

McCain Video and the need for 3rd Party Candidate Win

2008-07-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

I recently received an email with a link to this YouTube video about John McCain:

This is a good video and shows just how much career politicians will say whatever it takes to get elected. Sadly, I'm sure someone could put a video together that shows the same of Obama. The most recent item Obama has flip-flopped on is public campaign finance. For more than two years, Obama claimed he would use and support the public campaign finance system, which would provide his presidential campaign with $84 Million dollars to use for the general election. Obama has gone on record numerous times stating that politicians need to support the system and, when they do, the system works to level the playing field of public campaigns.

Unfortunatley, a month ago, Obama has now declined use of the public finance funds and calls the system "broken", yet his voting record clearly shows he supported the system for practically his entire tenure in the senate. His campaign will be the first campaign since Watergate to not use public finance money....

The bottom line is that whether you vote for Obama or McCain, it will be "Washington as usual".

I read an article today about how Obama is the better candidate because he is so "compassionate" and has been "in the trenches" with the middle class. Well, unfortunately, compassion and "in the trenches" experience is NOT what is needed in a politician.

what is needed is a politician that will uphold his oath to serve and protect the US Constitution, the supreme rule of law this nation is founded on. Neither Obama or McCain have a voting record that shows their unwavering support for the US Constitution and, thus, neither should get your vote in November.

So the question becomes - who do you vote for?

Well, there are three other parties with enough ballot access across all 51 states to mathematically win the election in November. But you won't here about any of them from the national media and if you ask anyone about them, the common response you will get is that you are "throwing away your vote" when you give it to one of these 3rd party candidates. This is of course proproganda that is used against Americans to brain wash them into thinking just that - so they take the lower road and vote the lesser of two evils: a Democrat or a Republican.... (not all of the Dem's and Rep's are bad - there are a few that are staunch supporters of the US Constitution - unfortunately, none of them are still in the race for President)

The fact of the matter is if enough Americans knew about these 3rd party candidates and actually voted for them, they could win and a win by a 3rd party candidate for the Presidency is the EXACT kind of shockwave needed to reverberate through the Democratic and Republican parties that the American people are taking Washington back.

I'm personally going to support Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate. He is a strict constituionalist with a conservative mindset about our country.

There is also Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party nominee and, as I write this email, the Green Party is in the process of selecting their candidate at their national convention in Chicago. I'm hoping they pick Cynthia McKinney, a two-time congresswoman from Georgia who drew national attention with her stance for ethics reform legislation in Congress... of course, she was promptly defeated on that initiative.

The bottom line is that every American needs to understand that voting for either Obama or McCain is a vote for the "status quo". Every American needs to understand the truth behind getting elected and how their vote for a candidate works, and, finally, every American needs to understand they have more than two choices for President when they go to the polls in November....

Read more about ballot access issues and how to get involved in ensuring our nation has free and open elections at these sites:
http://www.cofoe.org/
http://www.ballot-access.org

Unfortunately, candidates in Iraq actually have freer and easier access to getting on the ballot than American candidates!!

Read more about 3rd party candidates running this year here.

And read more about the mathematical chances of a 3rd party candidate winning the election here.

Also, turn off ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, MSNBC and other major news affiliates. Seek out independent news sources that offer full, objective coverage of the elections, ALL the candidates, international issues including Iraq, Iran, China, Russia the US and global economies and other hot topics in our world. My personal favorites are

News With Views
Democracy Now
The Media Research Center
The Financial Times (UK publication)
The Economist (UK publication)
Prison Planet
Jim Sinclair's JSMineset (Financial Market news and Gold Market news)
Open Democracy

Finally, to understand just how critical a part the national media is playing in all of this, you should read

"Fighting For Air: The Battle to Control America's Media" by Eric Klinenberg

and

"The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein

God Bless America!

-- Kristin

Saying Good-bye Is Never Easy...

2008-07-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

On July 4th, our beloved pet, D.O.G., passed away. His death was sudden and unexpected and everyone in our family feels deep grief in the loss of this wonderful dog. D.O.G. came into our lives eight years ago and touched us all with his playfulness and loyalty. He would do the "crab walk" forever wanting "butt scratches" and would roll outside in the dirt and sunshine all day if allowed. Forever a puppy, D.O.G. filled our home with carefree happiness and unconditional love. He will be missed by everyone.

D.O.G. was lovingly buried yesterday at the base of a beautiful oak tree in our backyard where he will forever be in the shade in the place he loved the most - OUTSIDE!

Rest in peace, big puppy...

-- Kristin

More Watercolor Journaling... My Schmink Set

2008-05-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

Here is another quick drawing done in yet another spiral bound sketch book with watercolor paper... I found a little Schminck set while I was in Florida recently and am really enjoying it... decided I should capture that little set!

I like how this turned out.. :)

-- Kristin

Watercolor Journaling and Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T18:23:00.001-07:00

This weekend has been splendid! It started on Friday night and dinner with Gregg at Scopazzi's - the local Italian Restaurant in Boulder Creek. We can be seen there at least twice a month.

Saturday was my long awaited Watercolor Journaling class... I've been signed up since February and it was everything and more that I've been expecting! Pic above is of my most recent watercolor journal page entry, completed today after church..

It was a great day at church this morning and today marks one year that I've been attending. I wanted to remember the feeling... this page does just that for me - it brings back that warm feeling I had this morning at church!

My own mom is off in St. Augustine this weekend having fun... I was able to speak to her before she left. There are some other "moms" I reached out to today, also... there are so many in my thoughts and heart!

Happy Mother's Day!

--Kristin

New Speech Video

2008-05-06T09:20:00.001-07:00

Our Toastmaster club at Seagate recently hosted an Open House. This speech was given as part of that event and I think it is my best speech ever!

Let me know what you think!

-- Kristin

Rockin' Out in Boulder Creek!

2008-04-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor, Mark, invited us over for movie night, rock band and brownies. We watched "I Am Legend" in his AMAZING home theatre (and it's a REAL theatre, not just a big TV)... and then after brownies and ice cream, we played ROCK BAND!

The video below is our last "performance"... and is the end to a REALLY fun night! Thanks, Mark!

Enjoy!

-- Kristin

Great Pic of Mom and I with Sophia

2008-04-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

This was taken in Tallahassee during my visit to Florida. It's a great pic of me, mom and Sophia..

-- Kristin

Four Generations of Women

2008-04-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

This pic was taken this past weekend and is of me, my mom, my daugther, my niece and my niece's baby daughter and represents four generations of women!

Girl power - woo hoo!

-- Kristin

This November 5th - Ron Paul Makes History!

2007-11-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

Were you there? Did you donate? Can you believe it?

Well, you need to believe it because the numbers don't lie! Check it out here!

Finally, I see the MSM is picking up on our candidate - ABC, FOX, CNN - they all have front-running articles describing the success of today's fundraising...

Make a note - the trend will continue as freedom is a message that cannot be kept down.

Support Ron Paul for President - donate today!

For Freedom,
-- Kristin

French President Nicolas Sarkozy Snubs Lesley Stahl and CBS's 60 Minutes

2007-10-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

Finally, an international, political figure that stands up to the ridiculous and inappropriate questions of an American reporter (and I use "reporter" loosely here while referring to Lesley Stahl).

Read the article here. Watch the video here.

What amazes me in this video is the expression on Ms. Stahl's face when the President removes his earpiece and leaves. She seems surprised, as if she fully expected the French President to answer and discuss personal aspects of his life, even after his Press Secretary had stated "no comment" to questions of this sort.

This degradation of our 'news' in America is a national epidemic. We seem as a society to be more interested in the personal aspects of our Leaders than we are their actual professional acts. Case in point: Hillary Clinton is currently under investigation with a pending case in the state of California for campaign finance fraud, but has the American public been given any details on this matter? Of course not - that's not 'news'. But what does fill the headlines of magazines and newspapers across our nation are details of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolene... as if details of these people's personal lives somehow enrich that of the average American. Sadly, most Americans thrive on gossip headlines such as these as many Americans are morons and dweebs, seated before their television every night watching criminals play football in the NFL or watching imbeciles on 'Survivor' degrade and humiliate themselves before an international audience... and somehow we are lead to believe that this enriches our lives?!?

A Message to the American People: You need to get a life! And that life should be outside of your television set and national sports affiliations. Any of you actually read a book this year? this decade?

Here's a suggestion for an alternative activity: Try finding out what your elected officials are voting on in Washington. You might just stumble onto this fact: last week, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved HR 1955, a bill that GROSSLY impedes on our constitutional rights as American Citizens... don't believe me? Read the text here and look to see which of your House Members voted in favor of the bill here. Now if the passing of this bill isn't news, I certainly don't know what is. Yet there was not one peep from the mainstream media on the passing of this bill. Makes you wonder why, doesn't it?

Bottom line: American's have come to believe that they have the right to delve into the personal matters of anyone they want: Presidents, Celebrities, Public Officials - anyone in the eye of the public. But on matters of true interest, things that actually impact our lives, we know very little, if anything at all, and don't seem to care that our mainstream media provides no substantive content to its viewers.

I'm almost ashamed to call myself an American given the facts of our degrading societal whims and pleasures. We place our trust and faith in NFL and MLB stars that use drugs and break the law yet we care not when a Presidential Candidate is being accused of fraud in a state court.

I'll once again repeat my suggestion to boycott the mainstream media by seeking out independent news sources such as NewsWithViews.com and FreeMarketNews.com. And for some real perspective, check out PrisonPlanet.com... if you check out these sources along with others, you'll finally get a chance to read REAL news that has the ability to greatly impact your life as a free citizen of the USA...

It's time for change in America. Be a part of that change - don't accept the status quo regarding the mainstream media's lack of providing clear, objective and relevant news. Demand something different; settle for nothing less.

For Freedom,
-- Kristin

Ron Paul Treated Unfairly at the CNBC Debate - Proof From the Transcript

2007-10-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Read the full article here.

This reaffirms my last blog post - the Republican Party does not want their own candidate to win... what a disgrace.

Band together America - and let the big guys know you aren't taking their CRAP anymore...

Support Ron Paul for President!

For Freedom...

-- Kristin

NBC Fails the American People in GOP Debate

2007-10-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

Last night, watching the GOP Debate on CNBC/MSNBC, I felt a deep sense of despair growing in my heart. The candidates obviously did not get equal face time on camera or direct questions. Senator McCain hit the nail on the head when he made his comment about the “cheap seats” on stage. He couldn’t have been more right. This was simply a propaganda display for the elite, mainstream candidates, with Senator Thompson, new to the campaign trail, featured front-and-center.

Everyone now knows who NBC, or better GE, wants the Republican Candidate to be – either Fred Thompson, Rudy Guiliani or Mitt Romney, and they will be the only candidates you'll see on NBC and its affiliates.

Given my tireless work to support candidate Ron Paul, I feel I’ve been slapped in the face by GE, a company that regularly touts in their TV ads “We Bring Good Things To Life”… oh really? And what good things would that be? It’s not factual reporting or fair and equal time on national television.

And why do you think a company like GE would own one of the major broadcasting stations in our country? I don't think it’s because they want to bring fair and balanced news to the mass audiences they “serve”… no, I wager a bet that the reasoning is more in the lines of their wanting to manipulate the information that is presented to their audiences. The GOP Debate last night on CNBC/MSNBC is a clear example of that.

Don’t believe me? Then grab a stop watch and a note pad, just like I’m going to do and (re)watch the debate. Record how many direct questions were asked to each candidate; record how much face time in minutes/seconds each candidate was given; record the time given to each candidate for rebuttal. When complete, review the results and decide for yourself if it was really a "debate".

Finally, if you really want to see GE’s bias provided via their owned and operated affiliates of NBC, watch the post-debate interviews. As I watched Chris Matthews make his comment “I won’t be voting for you” to candidate Ron Paul, I knew in my heart I could never trust the national news to let me make my own decision about what is best for our country.

And you shouldn’t either.

I highly encourage you to find alternate and independent sources of news both for domestic (local/national) and foreign interests. I’ve been surfing independent news now since I experienced the news in Europe several years ago, where the coverage seemed more objective, less “emotional” and provided more obvious presentation of facts. It was refreshing and I’ve searched for the same in America ever since. I’ll be posting some of my favorites in my Links section in the very near future.

The bottom line is this: If you want accurate, unbiased, objective and relevant facts presented to you that enable your ability to make a clear and educated decision, do not watch NBC, CBS or ABC. Don’t watch any of their affiliates on broadcast, cable or Internet. Avoid them completely. This will be hard at first, but once you get into this habit, it will become easier and easier to find REAL news and I promise you, you’ll never go back.

Finally, write to your Government representatives and tell them you don’t think it is good for our national broadcasting to be monopolized by three multi-national corporations and they need to do something about that or you’ll be voting for their opponent next election.

For Freedom…

-- Kristin

Do you YouTube?

2007-09-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

Been out to YouTube lately? I have and to say I'm hooked, well, that's just a plain understatement. And as if the planets and stars aligned, my Toastmaster club recently purchased a video camera to tape our meetings. Can you say "instant content"? I can, and wallah, I'm a YouTuber!

My first speech captured on video is below... unfortunately, our new club members are learning how to operate the camera and my introduction and first 30 seconds of the speech were not captured... this makes the beginning seem abrupt.

I'm already planning for my next YouTube "production"...

Stay tuned... :)

-- Kristin

Welcome to Seagate!

2007-08-10T15:07:00.001-07:00

Today marks four weeks that I have been employed by Seagate Technologies (http://seagate.com)... and what a wonderful employer they are turning out to be already. It is as if the good Lord above went inside my head and took note of all the attributes I need in an employer and placed them in Seagate.

In taking this new job, I've also reduced my commute to work by more than one-half! An exciting prospect considering I was driving 2+ hours everyday round trip to Network Appliance, my last employer.

I've also taken a promotion by moving to Seagate in accepting an IT Program Manager position. So with all this good news, I'm having to pinch myself each day to remind me that I'm not dreaming -- this is indeed my professional life now. Great!

It's an exciting time in all areas of my life with Joyce off to FSU next weekend and Patrick settling in in CA and Joseph getting ready to start in high school.... so much is going on.

Hope your world is just as bright...

Talk soon,
--Kristin