Let Albany Know How You Feel!

Let's not let New York State go the same way Wisconsin has gone.  Wisconsin, where roughly 3% of the population (Public Employee Union members) are holding 66% of the population (registered voters) hostage.  The 3% is demonstrating at elected officials homes, intimidating people on the way to work and threatening their families.  All of this to convince a few democrats to continue to hide their heads in the sand and prevent the remaining elected officials from making the tough budgetary decisions they were elected to make. 

Please take the time to visit:

                Cleanupalbanynow.com (http://www.andrewcuomo.com/landing/cleanupalbany)

Also email you state representatives and remind them that you are watching and it is important that we make the tough budgetary decisions now. 

                http://assembly.state.ny.us/

                http://www.nysenate.gov/

This should be on Commedy Central...

Joke #1: To get elected, Obama said that one of the first things he would do is end the war in Iraq.  He also promised to bring the troops home from Afghanistan and to close Quantanimo Bay. 

Punchline:  There will be 100,000 US troops in Afghanistan at end of 2010 and Iraq will be down to 50,000 troops by 31 Aug 2011, according to an article in the NY Times.  Nothing has changes at Quantanimo Bay that I have heard about.  And now we have a carrier battle group engaging targets in Libya.  I'm guessing a battle group and associated personnel may be 30,000 more or less.  More troops in harm's way as well as wasting millions of dollars in weapons, ammunition, fuel.

Joke #2: Muamar Gaddafi, Libyan dictator, had a seat on the UN Security Council.  The mission of the UN Security Council, and this is taken directly from their website, is stated as follows:

"Under the Charter, the functions and powers of the Security Council are:

•        to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations;

•        to investigate any dispute or situation which might lead to international friction;

•        to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms of settlement;

•        to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to regulate armaments;

•        to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression and to recommend what action should be taken;

•        to call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving the use of force to prevent or stop aggression;

•        to take military action against an aggressor;

•        to recommend the admission of new Members;

•        to exercise the trusteeship functions of the United Nations in "strategic areas";

•        to recommend to the GeneralAssembly the appointment of the Secretary-General and, together with the Assembly, to elect the Judges of the International Court of Justice. "

Punchline:  A couple of months back, I recall watching the news and seeing the terrorist convicted of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, return to Libya under the false pretenses that he was terminally ill.  He was greeted like a conquering hero with parades and well wishers lining the streets.

This Libyan, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, was convicted of murder on 31 January 2001, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in Scotland for his part in the 1988 PA 103 bombing.  The bombing killed all 243 passengers and 16 crew members as well as eleven people in the village of Lockerbie, Scotland.

On 24 February 1988 resigned justice minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil revealed that Muamar Gaddafi personally ordered the Lockerbie bombing.

Joke #3: The US Administration, Obama, Hillary, et. al. feel that we now need to help these idiots by establishing a no fly zone to protect them and by providing "Humanitarian Aid." 

Punchline: The US Administration pressed the UN Security Council to establish a "No Fly Zone" in Libya.  Of course, the Security Council agreed because they look like inept fools for allowing Gaddafi to be a member of the Security Council in the first place.

How much Humanitarian Aid did the Passengers and Crew of Pan Am 103 get?  How about the people of Lockerbie, Scotland?  How much did their families receive from Muamar?  There was rumor that he was going provide restitution.  Did he?

As far as I'm concerned... Let them kill each other.  After all, that seems to be what they want!  They don't deserve help from the USA or anyone else for that matter. 

FoR

Roof Rabbit Casserole

A friend clued me into a new and plentiful protein source that I want to share with you.  They're called roof rabbits and they are everywhere.  You may even have one in your own house.  Please note, the recipe does not take into account any time required to stalk and capture the roof rabbit.

This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prepare and approximately 2 hours of cooking time, but I understand it is worth every minute.

Ingredients:

1 x 3lb roof rabbit

1/4 cup seasoned flour

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup shallots chopped

2 carrots sliced

2 parsnips sliced

1 small tart apple peeled, cored and chopped

2½ cups of cider

1 tablespoon mustard

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Cube the roof rabbit.  Coat each piece with seasoned flour.

Melt the butter in a heavy iron skillet.  Add coated roof rabbit and brown the on both sides.  Remove from the skillet.

Place the shallots, carrots, parsnips and apple in the skillet.  Fry until lightly browned (just colored) and pour in the cider.

Stir in the mustard and seasoning, stirring continuously to thoroughly mix ingredients.  Allow to simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Pour the cider stock into a casserole dish and add the browned roof rabbit.

Add the bay leaf and the thyme.

Cover and place in the oven to cook for 1½ to 2 hours or until the roof rabbit is tender.

Remove the bay leaf and serve.

FoR

Is it arrogance or laziness?

When asked to identify their home (or place of origin), the people of this country say America.  That's partially correct.  They proudly state "I'm an American!"  Again, partially correct.  That is much the same as a Frenchman saying "I'm European."  Now we all know how arrogant the French are... there is no way a Frenchman would say that.  He has too much pride in who he is, his country, and it's history. 

Are we so arrogant in this country to assume we are the only Americans of consequence?  Let us face facts, the people living in each of the following countries are also Americans... Argentina, Aruba, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela.  They may be from North, Central, or South America, but they are all Americans none the less.

So why do we say "I'm an American!" if not out of arrogance? Is it that we lack pride in our country and its history and we want to hide our identity amongst the other people of the Americas? From everything I see and hear, especially during the last presidential campaign, the answer to that question is a resounding NO!

Perhaps we have just grown lazy?  It does take a lot of lung capacity to blow enough air past the vocal chords to say: "I am a citizen of the United States of America."  Of course, you could always save some air and some time by saying "I am a citizen of the USA." 

My point, I guess, is that we citizens can be proud of who we are without being arrogant or lazy.  Let's say it like it is...  I am not only an American... I am a Citizen of the United States of America!

One last note for the diehard lazy person out there that thinks he can simply say "I'm from the United States."  There are two United States in America.  In fact both are in North America. There is The United States of America and the United States of Mexico (or as they say in the official language of that country: Estados Unidos Mexicanos).

FoR