Dubious Distinction.

It's amazing what Sitemeter can tell you about traffic to your site. One of the features it has is to show you the referring link to your site, so you can see where people are coming from. Lately the bulk of my traffic has been coming from Google searches of XP vs Vista (my thoughts on which you can find here).

Today, however, I was rewarded with a treat. The latest referring link came from a post at rightwingsnarkle.blogspot.com. Type it in your browser if you want - I'm not giving this guy any free traffic. At first glance, it looks like RIGHTWINGSPARKLE, a blog on my blogroll. Looks can be deceiving I found, as I clicked the link and came upon a typical, filth spewing left-wing blog, evidently dedicated to highlighting those of us on its 'G-list' of wing-nut bloggers.

Then I decided to check my email, and what did I find in my spam folder, of all places? A brief love-letter from Mr. Snarkle himself, informing me that he has added me to his blogroll. It seems he has dubbed me "Tennessee Jed." While I feel flattered to have earned such a distinction, I'm offended that he has seen fit to try and hijack one of my favorite blogs. So, here you go: the real RIGHTWINGSPARKLE. Enjoy.

What's Next, Serfdom?

Hoosiers upset by the recent property tax hikes had better hope our sluggish legislature doesn't wake up and hear about this idea.

"The town is pushing a program that would let seniors work part-time, for
$7 an hour, to help pay off some of their property taxes.

"People shouldn't have to sell their house, move away to a place
with less taxes, leave behind their family and friends," said Town Supervisor
Paul Feiner."

Now, few government solutions to problems government has caused can ever be accused of being grounded in common sense, even in a place like New York, but this takes the cake!

The Hoosierpundit is right on target:

"I don't think that grandma should have to be a greeter at Wal-Mart just so
that she can pay the property taxes for a house she and grandpa built forty
years ago. And grandma shouldn't have to engage in indentured servitude to the
government just to pay off property tax debts either."

Indentured servitude is right. However, it is also no surprise when even local governments have swelled into monsters that must feed on themselves to survive.

Violence in Pakistan.

I've been at work all day and missed most of the story, so I'll have to send you to HotAir for all the details. Since I got home, I've been skimming the blog posts and news articles.

The big question in the US now is, obviously, what does this mean for us? Pakistan has been somewhat of an ally in our war on terror, or rather Musharraf has. Because of this, President Bush has reason to attempt to be supportive of the embattled Pakistani president, inviting cries of 'hypocrisy!' for championing freedom while climbing into bed with a dictator. Ally or no, however, when 46% of a country thinks favorably of Public Enemy #1, that country is no friend, making calls for justice empty.

Time will tell if the assassination of Bhutto will spark a civil war or hold pat with the current outbreak of riots. In either case, the main concern for the US should be Pakistan's nuclear weapons, and who ends up with control of them. That alone should govern any response we consider. I agree with Bryan Preston on the initial damage:

"But the most obvious beneficiary of Bhutto’s death is al Qaeda and its various
allies who create chaos and revel in death in the name of their twisted
ambitions. A Pakistan in turmoil is a Pakistan that is weakened as an enemy of
jihad."

Bhutto is being described as a martyr for democracy, perhaps rightly so. She certainly had courage, and had dodged several other assassination attempts before today. Keep that 46% figure above in mind, however, when pining for the cause. The media have portrayed Bhutto as a shining crusader against tyranny. Both Mark Steyn and Christopher Hitchens point to the tarnish on the halo.

Merry Christmas!

I've been too tired and busy to update this blog much in the past few weeks, so I apologize for the dearth of content. As many of you know, I work in a grocery store, so this is one of the busiest times of the year for me, and continues until after the New Year.

So let me take this moment to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas! Enjoy the holiday with friends and family, enjoy the giving and receiving of gifts, and keep in your mind and heart what Christmas is all about: its a celebration of the moment our Lord and Creator humbled himself and entered our world as a helpless baby, lying on a bed of straw, wrapped in a blanket.

As you busy yourself putting away the gifts and decorations, cleaning up the wrapping paper, and setting out to the mall to get what you really wanted, and as you gratefully sigh at the end of another Christmas season, remember that that first Christmas was not just a day that came and went, even though the shepherds returned to their flocks and the Wise Men returned to the east. It was merely a beginning, the first step in a process of Forgiveness and Salvation that would reach fulfilment thirty-three years later on a bloody cross. Yet there is even a hint in the Christmas story of this ending by the gifts given to the newborn babe: frankincense and myrrh were often used in funerals and preparation of the dead for burial.

So, even as we remember the wonder of a baby in a manger, don't lose sight of the sacrifice made on the cross, and the triumph of the empty tomb.

If you're travelling this Christmas (as I am), be safe. Merry Christmas, and God Bless.

Link to image source.

"That thing got a Hemi?"

I.Love.It. What better way to brighten your holiday than by hanging 426 cubic inches of raw power on your Christmas tree? Guaranteed to vulcanize the tires and burn down the house. I want one, but alas, the better half has vetoed it in no uncertain terms. But for all you guys that are not married to Scroogette, here's the full line. Sweeeet.

Christmas Request.

Long time readers of this blog may remember my posts about Matthew Rager. I still follow his story via Caring Bridge, and while Matthew is doing well right now, I would like to pass along a request from his mother regarding one of their Caring Bridge acquaintances:

"There is a little girl named Dasia who has a pontine glioma (tumor on
brain stem) who was hoping to get birthday cards from all 50 states. Her
birthday was Dec. 3rd and her mother posted her birthday hopes on her caring
bridge site. Well I read her update tonight and sadly the little one received
only 3 cards. Here's my favor, do you think we could send her Christmas cards
from all 50 states?
-
I was made aware of this little girl from my online
pediatric brain tumor support group. We are a tight knit group and we will do
all that we can for other kids and parents in need, because we know how it is.
We are all putting this out in cyperspace in hopes that people can send this
beautiful little girl some Christmas greetings. This is her website www.caringbridge.org/visit/dasiaatkinson "

My wife and I are notoriously bad procrastinators when it comes to Christmas Cards, but this time I'm making an exception. So, dear readers, spread the word in the blogosphere and see if we can't get this little girl her Christmas Cards!

Edit: I've clipped Dasia's address from the quote. You can get it by clicking on the Caring Bridge links.

Another Point in the Case for Marriage.

It could just save your life.

"A shot was fired as Register threw up his left hand, and his wedding ring
deflected the bullet, police said."

File this one under "Amazing story of the day."

Jezla's Underground Goes Live!

I've started a new blog project I'd like to share with you. Rather than lump all of my creative writings in amongst real-world news and commentary here on Back Home Again, I decided to start a blog just for my creative stuff.

I got to thinking, however, and I thought it would be neat if I offered to share works of readers and passers-by as well. Therefore Jezla's Underground is a blog project that showcases not only my own writing and art, but reader submitted content as well. It is primarily fantasy-themed, but not exclusively so. There are rules for submitting content, but I don't think they are to stringent.

There is not a whole lot of content on the Underground as of yet, though one of my regular readers here at Back Home Again has already submitted a good story. I will still be posting here as well, so there is no need to fear the loss of my unique brand of drivel.

Thanks for reading, and don't hesitate to stop by the Underground, and if you have a tale to tell, don't hesitate to share it.

Evel's Greatest Leap

Evel Knievel passed away this week at the age of 69. There's many videos I could post in tribute, but this one I think, is the best.

Coming soon...

I've been working on a new project for the last few months, as viewers of my profile will know. Well, I actually haven't been doing much work per se, but I'm finally about ready to "go live" on it, as it were. More to come on Monday...