I really hate to wax political, but I’m very concerned over this ACORN voter fraud thing. I just spent some time emailing all of my representatives and the President asking that they stop them from doing any more registrations and to hold all their previous registrations in abeyance until it can be investigated. I feel that our rights as voters are being threatened. I also wrote to the Justice Department asking if they can do anything top stop them.

If you feel inclined, I’d urge you to do the same. Even if they’re all out campaigning, their staffs are working and reading their email.

A good place to start is http://www.emailthecongress.com. In the upper left corner of that page you can go to the appropriate page to send your letters. They provide the email addresses and a form to fill out with your letter.

You do need to keep it short and sweet to get attention.

Thank you for the information, Patchy, and I don’t think you need to apologize, as we all have been watching carefully, to see whatsup. I live in Ohio, so now I am worried, for the first time in my life, that my vote may not count for some reason or the other. I have never not voted, and live right where I have lived for the last forty or so years…I do know the poll workers personally, after all these years. This is a mess, and of course, I think that is the agenda of ACORN, to make a mess! Our new governor and his minions, should have tended to this better. Like the holidays, it wasn’t a secret that we were gong to have a NATIONAL ELECTION! So, what is up with all of this nonsense of ACORN and voting machines that might not work. IF I ran my household like that, we wouldn’t be able to eat, bath, watch t.v., etc. I do, after all, know “what is coming”, so I am “prepared”. Geezzz…that is the least a citizen should be able to depend on, would seem. After all, they have “our” money, so should at least “do their job”.

Hey Janice,

I hope you’ll get a chance to have a nice relaxing weekend and do some fun stuff. I hope your weather is as nice as we’ve had in Western Maryland. I was going to take a drive out to Garrett County after I had my car worked on but I decided to wait until tomorrow. I can get an earlier start that way. I got my car tuned up and an oil change and it seems to be running smoother now. The fuel system needed cleaning. You don’t have to worry about stuff like that living in the city. The nice thing about the whole car adventure is that the manager of the shop is the son of a friend of mine and he gave me a nice discount–it pays to know the right people!

I have a money saving tip for anyone who owns a car. So many people around here (and I’m sure everywhere) go flying up to red lights and then have to stop quickly. Not only does that waste gas, but it also wears out your brakes. Whenever I come up to a stop sign or red light, I will coast as much as I can and I sometimes will put my car in low gear to slow down, especially going down steep curvy roads. Well, I had my brakes inspected this morning. I bought my car used almost 7 1/2 years ago so I don’t know if the brake pads were new then, but I have never needed new brake pads on my car in the time I’ve owned it. Today when they checked them, they reported that they are just getting into the “caution” area as far as brake pad thickness is concerned. So, not only do I save gas by not flying up to red lights and stop signs, I’ve saved a lot of money on brake repairs, too! I see so many people riding their brakes going down the mountain from Braddock Hospital and I think that they must go through an awful lot of brake pads. I put it in low gear and most of the time I don’t have to brake at all. I will keep an eye on my brakes now that they’ve reached the “caution” area, but they will still be good for a while longer.

So that’s my money saving tip for today! I’ve been blessed with really great cars. I always buy used cars and the only out of the ordinary relatively large expense I’ve had was some engine work on my previous car. Other than that, it’s been the usual maintenance stuff.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and has a chance to do something fun. If I get any special pictures over the weekend, I’ll send them in next week.

Take care,
Margie

Don in Richmond,

I apologize to all you Richmonders by calling Glen Allen “Richmond.” (For those not familiar
with the area, it certainly is very close to Richmond, but I’ll defer to the locals.)

ANYWAY, the book-signing and discussion is definitely in Glen Allen as Margie pointed out,
and I’ll definitely be there around 7:00 p.m. (I’ll get there early since I put down 6 p.m. on
my calendar.) Come have a latte and listen in! It’ll be good to see you, Don, and anyone
else!

I saw where your secretary of state was accused of breaking the law with the voter registration thing, although I didn’t look into the details. She was served with a temporary restraining order yesterday.

We have a long history of dirty politics here in NM. It’s mostly in the northern part of the state in one county, but it’s endemic up there. The only way a Republican could get elected there is if s/he was unopposed. That’s where our very dirty governor, Bill Richardson, got his start.

I do as you do, Margie. Easy on the brakes and gear down on inclines. Living in the mountains as I do, you learn that early on.

I live on a dirt road, so have to have more frequent oil changes and lube jobs even though I don’t drive the car all that much.

Good afternoon Margie,
Good tip, and a nice reminder to all. It is nice when one realizes that haste makes waste, and you still didn’t get to your destination any faster!!! Dimples just had a nine hundred dollar repair job, and her check engine lite is on today! Go figure…she is sitting in the driveway however, until Tuesday, when I can drop her off and see whatsup. Hopefully, not another nine hundred in the offing. In the mean time, regular gas is under three bucks a gallon, and we are so aggravated with it all, we think that is a good price!!! Oh my! But then, when gas was a nickel a gallon, I was just as broke, and turning in coke bottles for gas money!!! And so it goes, with our love affair with the vehicles. It is beautiful here in Ohio, despite the antics of ACORN making one wonder, again, what our governor is doing. I intend to also enjoy the day…but, no rides in Dimples until I find out just what’s wrong with her. Maybe I will put my Hallowe’en decorations up, now that Janice has assured me it will probably be nice here…not too cold and not rainy, perhaps.

Yep, so true. We are having a time in the great state of Ohio, and our “new” democrat governor, and his trouble along the way…yep, we are. And so it goes, and hopefully they will get it all straightened out b/4 election day. I was going to vote absentee…I have never done that b/4, but I think I have changed my mind, and will go to the polls and vote in person. Hummm…that is not good, as Blackwell said, that the citizens should be having anxiety over the process. I didn’t vote for the present admin here in Ohio, so am not surprised that chaos erupts all over the place. That said, we are having a National Election, whether the machines work or not, and whether ACORN has cheated, or not. We’ll just have to wait and see how this all washes out in the end, won’t we. ACORN should not be able to work under the guise of a community help group, I don’t think, and I am hoping the powers that be, put them out of the business of receiving public funds.

Hey everyone. I don’t want to offend anyone, and apologize up front if I do, but, until these ACORN registrations can be validated, any contested state/county should be thrown out (and that does apply to whether it goes red or blue). It may be that these things can be validated in time for election day, so only the early voting could be thrown out.

Either way, voter fraud is wrong, and if there is any hint of it, than any suspect results should be nullified. It would be so much simpler if we all put our name and SSN/DL# on our ballots that way any illegally cast ballot could just be tossed.

Now I hope more than ever that McCain wins because it will go and show ACORN and the Obama camp that they can’t buy an election, because I would be willing to bet that ACORN isn’t registering any Republican voters.

I don’t think that cutting off the federal funding for ACORN is going to fix anything. They’ll just find another source of funding (like the Obama camp, which has allegedly given them about 800k).

Hey Gini,

It amazes me how people are in such a hurry to get to a red light! I can’t remember where I was, but the other day this car went flying past me doing way over the speed limit and a short time later I came up behind them when they got stuck at a red light. They went flying up to the next light and got stuck again. Some people will never learn!

Hey Petchy,

I would imagine those living on a dirt road have to change their air filters frequently, too. There are some crazy dirt roads in West Virginia but fortunately, the ones I travel on around here are all paved. We don’t have to worry about the dirt roads (unless you get on the mountain roads out in the county) but we do have to dodge plenty of pot holes, which wreak havoc on your suspension, alignment and all sorts of things. Cumberland has some of the worst streets I’ve ever seen. Sometimes it seems like the whole city (or hole city!) is turning into one giant pot hole!

Since you both were talking about politicians, I’ll share my gripes with you. It’s actually our county commissioners who are the problem. They took it upon themselves to start a county police force, taking away resources from the sheriff’s department. We have a great sheriff but the commissioners don’t like him so there’s been a big battle. I’m not sure which ones are up for re-election this year, but my guess is they’ll be looking for something else to do after election day!

Then over in West Virginia there’s Sen. Robert Byrd–the King of Pork. Wherever you go through WV, there’s the Robert Byrd Memorial this or that–I think he sets the record for Pork as well as memorials!

That’s all my politics for today. I have you, and everyone else, have a great weekend!

Margie

Jennifer,
Hummm….I don’t know about that. What about all the voters, like me, who are right where we have been for the last forty or so years, and have been voting in the same precinct all these years, and, in fact, can prove exactly who I am, as well as being friends with the precinct captains and other workers, so they know who I am also, and that I have indeed, voted in every every election, and am absolutely registered. It has been mentioned, that we won’t know who is prez this time around, for a while….really not know, that is. NO WINNER…because of the antics of organizations like ACORN. Of course, they should be put out of business TODAY, and all those who have been registered by ACORN, should be put aside to be checked for authenticity. As well as registering people who are not real, they also throw away those who register republican, or so the story goes…and is probably true, in fact. Their reputation does go before them, after all, and it is your reputation that defines who you might be??? Or so we were told multiple times, while growing up. Social Security num….well, at least one would only be able to vote once, but, what about stolen numbers? I guess, if stolen, the thief would probably not be voting? It is a mess, isn’t it? Oh my!!!

Margie…yes, we learned this many years ago…hurrying doesn’t help!!! ~~smiling~~ As we flew down the highway, passing everyone in sight, and we all were at the same rest stop six hours later!!!! ~~laughing~~ So, faster is not always “faster”!!! And with gas the way it is, slower is better…and as it happens, safer too, perhaps. I am so glad I don’t live on a dirt road!!! I am a city “girl”, and love the concrete!!!!!!!!!!!! hehehehe
Everyone has a Byrd story for sure. One wonders how he stays in office.
Commissioners, huh. You do have your work cut out for you, fighting that bunch. They are often very corrupt, and hard to fight, as they are usually very well funded/heeled….

I forgot!!! Pot Holes! We love pot holes. They keep the city workers busy busy, and the challenge of the orange barrels, keeps our driving skills tuned to a tee!!!! YES!!!

And “traffic calmers”…..the circular concrete thingys built in the middle of an intersection. Expensive to put in, and must be maintained, and I definitely DO NOT FEEL CALMER, as I slide into the sun of a gun, in the snow and ice!!! Very European though…and after all, everything European MUST be good??? What? and Yikes!!!!!! But, there they are, in my neighborhood. Don’t know whose idea that was. Probably an ACORN project!!!!!! hehehe!! I am so bad, sometimes…lol

Good people let me tell you something this is why Chicago politics should never be nationalized. To see Obama resort to this and he can’t bull people anymore. Everyone and their Mother know that hes connected with ACORN and Bill Ayres a known terrorist. Jerimiah Wright Michael Pflager and Louis Farrakhan might as well lump Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton here. McCain needs to win now because I think if Obama does get voted in. The Clinton years are going to seem like a walk in the park compared to if this joker gets in. I would say more but the mere mention of Obama makes my skin crawl. Ah great weekend here in the biggest city of the Midwest 70’s for highs clear till Monday. Time for FUN!!!! Have a great Columbus Day if youre off and Happy Thanksgiving Canada send some turkey and ham please

Gini,

Traffic calmers???? That sounds very interesting. They couldn’t have those here because people would be constantly running into them! I almost got hit by someone this afternoon at an intersection. They were in the left turn lane waiting for me to go through the intersection but they got in a hurry and crossed over the line before I went by–I almost side-swiped them.

Next year should be fun for the police. At the new hospital construction site they are building two roundabouts. In a city where people don’t understand the concept of yielding, they are building roundabouts! I think the police should have a substation near the hospital because they will definitely be busy with all the accidents caused by dopey people who don’t know how to yield. They’re working on them now so they’ll probably be ready before the new hospital opens. I can hardly wait for that!

Margie

Margie

For those from NJ (as I was) a roundabout is called a circle there.

I don’t know squat about cars, so I trust the guys at Pep Boys to take care of me. They are just so great. Never try to sell me stuff I don’t need and give me options to save me money. I’m sure they change filters or whatever if they’re dirty.

We have lots of dirt roads in Santa Fe. It’s part of our “charm”. I’m in the city limits, although the rest of my street is county. When the road gets washboardy they scrape it with a bulldozer. One good thing about it is that it’s narrow (barely two cars wide), so people don’t tend to speed. It’s a dead end and I live at the end of the line, so no traffic in front of my house. The people up the street must have dustier furniture than I do, and mine’s pretty bad.

Looks like there’s a mounting cry for DOJ to get involved in the ACORN thing. I just hope there’s enough time left to do something about it before the election. I personally think they should just throw out all of the registrations done by them. They’ve been in legal trouble for at least five years on this same issue. Not only do they toss Republican registrations, they tell people they’d better vote for Obama.

There’s a lawsuit against them now in NM, but I’d be willing to bet it won’t get anywhere before the election given the Dems stranglehold on the state.

My first experience with a roundabout was in Scotland about ten years ago. My husband wimped out when he couldn’t get the hang of driving on the left side and made me do all the driving. When I encountered the first one I really wasn’t sure what to do. Thankfully there was no traffic around, so we finally got it figured out.

We have one that I know of here in Santa Fe and I, too, wondered what would become of it. Drivers here are notorious for not yielding and running red lights. We don’t have a lot of the green turn arrows, so you have to try to get through on the yellow if there’s a lot of traffic. There’s a joke here that you can tell the Santa Fe native… it’s the fifth one through on the yellow.

Oh, and the dirt roads… we also have a joke that if you don’t have to get your windshield replaced every couple of years, you aren’t getting out enough.

Because you, Janice Dean “The Weather Machine,” reminded me that Halloween will soon be here, and because it is Friday, I’d like to post my favorite Halloween joke.

Q. What did the ghost say to the bee?

(Hint: This is a little girls’ Halloween joke.)

Scroll down for the answer.
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A. “Boo, bee!”

George Spink
Los Angeles

Gini,

Unfortunately is people like you and I (who vote honestly) who get screwed by the likes of ACORN. But, I can’t think of a better way to make sure that their antics don’t shift elections one way or another. What they need to do is come up with a way to track who votes and which way (in a nonthreatening way since we are not a dictatorship) so that the appropriate votes can be thrown out if necessary. The way things are now, ACORN can do as they please and if these people who aren’t eligible vote (in some cases multiple times), then there isn’t a way to get those votes out of the totals other than to throw out the whole thing, which penalizes everyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if ACORN registered Socks the Cat to vote in NY (if he’s still around).

One of the reporters during the Fox Report stated that ACORN is not worried because only the right wing Republicans are making a stink about their antics. I couldn’t help but talk back to the tv with a big DUH! Like the Democrats are going to complain…they stand to benefit since ACORN surely isn’t registering Republican voters.

Canadian Thanksgiving is here, and Canadian federal election is on Tuesday, in Canada we have had 3 federal elections in less time than the US has had 1. Canadians get their names on the voters list now by adding your name when you do your income tax each year, and then the election officials do adjustments to the list once the election is called.

Hey George,

Let’s keep it clean, this is a family blog, mister!

Just kidding

Tony

Good Saturday Morning Everyone !!!

It is a beautiful day in my hood..Lots of sun and warmth…still summer-like..

My plans for the weekend are simple as usual…staying close to home and enjoying my family..I might even mow my huge yard..with the dry conditions I haven’t had to mow in awhile..but after the lil’ rain on Tuesday..it looks a bit ungroomed.

Gas prices have improved here also..$2.90 to $3.09..a BIG difference from a month ago…

Whatever your plans are for the weekend, have fun and stay safe…

Deb

Good morning Deb and everyone else!

I’m having a lazy start to my morning but I’m planning a trip out to Garrett County as soon as I get myself moving. I mapped out my journey last night so hopefully I’ll come back with plenty of pictures to share. I always take a map with me when I go on the back roads because I don’t want to get lost in the mountains! I don’t know what kind of wildlife I’ll see but we do have plenty of deer around as well as black bears. As long as I’m safely in my car, I would love to see a bear! The part about being safely in my car is the key issue there! I saw one when I was out in Oregon but I’ve never seen one out in the wild around here. There was one that was hanging around the emergency room entrance at Braddock Hospital a couple years ago, but I missed that adventure!

There’s not a cloud in the sky and it looks beautiful outside. It got down to around 40 overnight but it’s up to 52 now. I will still take a jacket no matter what it is around here because Garrett County is higher in elevation and always colder than it is down here.

I’ll check back later. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Margie

Hi, Janice, Margie and the Gang,

Margie’s post about bears reminded me that I fed black bears when my parents and I visited the Great Smoky Mountains in 1949. The black bears came right up to cars and people fed them from their windows.

The National Park Service posted signs everywhere warning people not to do this. A bear could hurt you very quickly. It was a dumb thing to do. I think forest rangers fined people for doing this if they caught them. Our vet in Chicago also told me it was a dumb thing to do. “A bear could scratch your eyes out in a second. Stay away from them!” he cautioned.

We owned a used 1939 Ford sedan. No automatic windows back then. We returned to the Smokies a few years later, but I never fed black bears after our first visit.

George Spink
Los Angeles

Good afternoon all,

And I loved the joke! fr George, I think. Ah! Round-a-bouts then? Ok..not circular thingy’s??? Annoying whatever they are called! And yes, Jennifer, it is a mess, and they are going to have to do something to “fix” it. Let’s just hope the “fix” doesn’t make the problem worse. In the mean time, we are all going to go and vote anyway, and just hope for the best, I guess.
It is beautiful here today…sunny and cool. Fall must be here!!! And we are gearing up to watch the Ohio State Buckeye’s, almost loose, again this week, pulling it all out at the very very very last minute!!! YES! and oh my….I hope anyway, that we win. I may watch the kick off, and then have a nap, and catch the end of the game. Easier on my system that way! hehe!