The Dogs at White Rock Mnt., Arkansas

I managed to get some great photos of Trixie and Casey on White Rock Mnt. There is a grand sweeping view of the Ozark hills. In the fall, it's the best place to really see the foliage.


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Playing with Eli

Wahooo! An exposed tummy! Attaaaack!



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Soldier's Response to John Kerry

From LGF


Oh My God! I love our servicemen! God bless you ladies and gents and a huge hug to you all! I just love being an American!

UPDATE:
Power Line has identified the troops.

You just have to check out some of these comments.

John Kerry, Insulting the Military Again

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

This is the real John Kerry, everything anyone needs to know about the man. No, John Kerry is representing the face of the real Democrat Party. This is what the Democrat Party really thinks of the troops. They really, truly believe that the troops are stupid and underprivileged.
John Kerry's comment is truly despicable and offensive, a big fat slap in the faces of all the people in the military. Of course, since he's so much more intelligent than the average person you'd figure he'd realize he screwed up and do the right thing and apologize. Heck no! He didn't apologize! He just ranted on about it's all Bush's and the Republican's fault.

"I'm sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks".

Kerry really needs to get his head out of Vietnam and stop hanging on to the "poor, dumb soldier" stereotype of the American military.
I never stop thanking God that John Kerry will never be president of the United States.

Whew! Mike Beebe is a Liar!

This Sunday, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette came out and supported Mike Beebe for governor. Yeah, like that was a really big surprise, NOT! What's really hilarious is why they liked Beebe.

Mike Beebe has promised to "eliminate" the grocery tax, too. During our interview with him, he told us so in the most emphatic tones, just before explaining with equal emphasis why it couldn't be done: The state doesn't actually have a projected $ 720-million surplus but only a $ 360-million-a-year surplus. Much of that money is going to have to go to improve school buildings per court order, and there are lots of ways to spend the rest, too. General Beebe would eliminate the tax only in phases that we suspect would never come.

There it is. Mike Beebe is lying about "eliminating" the grocery tax. What a relief! It would be unthinkable for a Democrat to actually cut taxes to help the poor.

So Mike Beebe looks straight at the camera and promises there will be no more consolidation on his watch ! Happily, we find it hard to believe him. Because he's always been open to reason and progress where education is concerned. There comes a time when you just have to trust a politician's insincerity. So let's call Mike Beebe's little deviation on this issue campaign rhetoric and discount it.

I bet they got really worried when Beebe so emphatically stated that he would not consolidate schools. But not to worry, Beebe has no intention of keeping his promise. Whew! He'll make sure more students suffer and more school administrators pockets get plumper.

For all these reasons, and with a hope and a prayer, our choice for governor of Arkansas is Mike Beebe.

My fervent prayer would be that the one man who is honest, sincere, and really concerned for Arkansan's welfare instead of their own wealth and power would be elected governor. Ahhh, that wouldn't be Mike Beebe.

Mike Beebe, Violating the First Amendment

In an effort to hide his role in the Nick Wilson scandal, Mike Beebe has violated the 1st Amendment rights of American citizens and has threaten a TV station with legal action if they ran the ad. AP

Jonesboro television station KAIT decided Tuesday to pull an ad by the Coalition for Arkansas' Future that tried to tie Beebe, who served 20 years in the state senate, to disgraced state Sen. Nick Wilson.
Ted Fortenberry, the station's vice president and general manager, said the decision was made after Beebe's campaign attorney sent a letter asking the station to pull the spot, calling the 30-second spot inaccurate and unfair.

Fortenberry would not comment on the reasons why the station decided to stop airing the spot.

Wright said he was pleased the station decided to pull the ad. The campaign on Monday asked stations to pull the ad.

Now really, is this the kind of governor we want. One that suppresses the rights of citizens and tries to intimidate the press. The tactics that Beebe is pulling occurs in countries with dictators, not in America.

The Nick Wilson ad is one of a series of spots run by the coalition criticizing Beebe. Kathryn Cherry, the group's executive director, defended the ad.

"Public debate is essential to important issues facing our state," Cherry said. "It is unfortunate that Mike Beebe is trying to exert legal pressure to stop an ad that is 100 percent accurate

That is why Beebe is trying to stop the ads. They show the truth. However, just because a TV station bends to Beebe's pressure doesn't mean others will. Here is the video. God Bless a Free America!

Fall Foliage, White Rock, Arkansas

Sunday I went to White Rock. Wow! What a drive! All the roads to White Rock are made of dirt and are narrow so it makes for an exciting ride. Especially meeting another car coming the opposite direction. It does keep the visitor numbers down.



The whole drive was gorgeous. Beautiful views of the hills and valleys. These pictures are taken from White Rock. This one is looking out towards Fayetteville.

Arkansas, Higher Education Bond

I finally got a chance to look at the Higher Education Tech & Facility Improvement Act. Do people really run their business like this? I don't handle my own finances this poorly. This bond issue doesn't make fiscal sense. I have a feeling that somebody is trying to get their mitts on some of Arkansas' money.
First, $100 Million is going to be used to restructure the current debt ($150 Million). Restructure with paying more interest and administrative fees? Why not pay off the debt? Is this stupid or what? Arkansas' current budget surplus is expected to be $720 million by the end of year. Why not use that to pay all or most of the debt off? If we did that, Arkansas would save approximately $24 million annually which the current debt is costing us. That savings could be used for the $150 million of facility improvements they want. Within 7-8 years they would have all the money for improvements without plunging Arkansas further into debt. The current retirement of the bond is scheduled for 2017. That would be 10 years of paying $24 million annually. This is a really stupid way to do business.
I noticed that they are wanting $10 million for an E-corridor. Wait a minute! Even though it was defeated last year, Gov. Huckabee gave them some of the money.
Arkansas News Bureau, 12/05

After the vote, Huckabee said there was a possibility that the Fayetteville campus would still be able to connect to the network known as e-Corridor.
The governor said he set aside about $6.4 million in the general improvement budget that could be used to help the university connect to the research network.

With the $6.4 million from the governor, the university could build the statewide network and lease the fiber optic cable from a private company.

The funding could cover the cost of building the statewide network and the university's connection, he said.

This just isn't right. It look like the universities are trying to pull a fast one. I'm definitely not going to let those university administrators in my pocket. I'm not voting for this.

Another review of the bond issue.

Fall foliage, NW Arkansas

I'm spending the weekend seeing the fall foliage. I think this has been the best I've ever seen. The colors are absolutely amazing. I drove old HWY 71 down to Alma and came back up on I-540. There were a lot of people doing the same thing. At any turnoff on HWY 71 that had a view, people were there.

On I-540, people would be stopped on the side of the road and on any of the overpasses people were on the bridges. The overpass HWY 74 to Devil's Den and Winslow seemed to be the favorite stopping place. It looks like this week the colors will have peaked. Next weekend might be the last chance to see the colors this good.

Casey Has a New Toy

I gave Casey a new toy. A stuffed cat that meows and purrs when you press it. He's been walking around the house with it in his mouth. So far he does seem inclined to chew it up.





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Making Up the Bed

Oh Boy! Mommy is making up the bed!



I'll just help out a little here.



Hmmm, she put on the down comforter. Winter must be coming.

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Dental Woes

Arrrg! The past is catching up to me! I went to the dentist today. The good news is that I have no new cavities. The bad news is that an old filling has cracked my tooth and it's starting to decay. It will have to be replaced. I've had to have an old filling replaced last year. All the brushing and flossing I do to make sure I don't get any cavities and it's the old ones that need to be taken care of. Sigh!

Missouri's Deceptive Amendment 2

Rush Limbaugh did us all a favor. His questioning of the Michael Fox ad has made everyone aware of the fraud that is being pushed on Missourians. Amendment 2 appears to state that it would make human cloning illegal. If you read the fine print however, it gives biotech firms the constitutional right to conduct somatic cell nuclear transfer. You remember Dolly the sheep? Rebecca Hagelin

Consider the part of Amendment 2 that says "no person may clone or attempt to clone a human being." In Section 6.2 of the initiative, we read:
"Clone or attempt to clone a human being" means to implant in a uterus or attempt to implant in a uterus anything other than the product of fertilization of an egg of a human female by a sperm of a human male for the purpose of initiating a pregnancy that could result in the creation of a human fetus, or the birth of a human being.

In short, the initiative would ban only the placement of a cloned embryo in a uterus, not cloning per se. This splicing of words was carefully crafted to trick voters into a false sense of security. The fact is, the language is specifically designed to allow, not ban, the cloning, experimentation on, and destruction of human embryos at will.

Amendment 2 will also guarantee that no future Missouri law can limit the amount of public money poured into human-cloning research. Roundtable Summary

All Missouri laws, statues, and regulations must be construed in favor of cloning and cannot discourage cloning or create disincentives to cloning in any way; They have a constitutional entitlement to taxpayer funding, which can never
decrease and must always increase because any decrease will be considered an unconstitutional disincentive to clone; Private institutions with endowments measured in billions of dollars will force Missouri taxpayers to pay for the cloning and destruction of human embryos;

What a sweet deal these companies and universities are pushing for themselves. These guys will milk the state for millions of dollars and they will not have to produce any results.
The reason why these guys are targeting taxpayers is because they cannot get any private funds. Why can't they get private investors? The truth is that embryonic stem cell research is proving to be a bust, a big fat zero. Up to now, no human being has ever been cured of a disease using embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells, on the other hand, have already cured thousands. Disease List
So, thank you Rush Limbaugh, for becoming the target of the Dinosaur Media and the Democrats. You've done a great service in making people look harder at Amendment 2 and at embryonic stem cell research.

The Sudoku Problem

I hadn't realized that Sudoku was causing such problems

I want to know when Dr. Phil plans to do a show on the real problem brewing in America's bedrooms today. Will he be brave enough to take the first real swat at the evil temptress that threatens to undermine the healthy sex lives of every couple I know?
This cheap little tart, flimsy and soulless as paper, is wrecking relationships from coast to coast. Who am I talking about? Well, she answers to "Sudoku," which is Japanese for "You're not getting any tonight, or possibly ever, because this wacky little grid of numbers will see to that."

Hiking in NW Arkansas

Hawksbill Crag

This time of the year is my favorite time to hike. The weather is cool and it's comfortable to hike.


Highway 74 and Highway 540

The hills look gorgeous with the leaves changing.


Devil's Den, Standing on Yellow Rock looking down at Lee Creek.

This weekend and the next will be peak time for the leaves. You need to get out and do some hiking.






Devil's Den Trail

It had rain the previous day.
The trails were damp and
the air smelt crisp and clean.
I just love that smell.













Devil's Den Falls

It had rained enough so that the little falls was flowing.

Mike Beebe's Past, Nick Wilson

Responding to Mike Beebe's criticism of his leadership abilities, Asa Hutchinson has brought up Beebe's own leadership past.

In a Little Rock news conference, Hutchinson criticized Beebe for his failure to take a leading role in fighting Wilson as he defrauded the state of millions in taxpayer dollars. Despite Beebe's repeated claims to have challenged Senator Nick Wilson, Hutchinson said, the record shows that Beebe actually opposed efforts to discipline Wilson and others in his clique.

I've read comments from other bloggers about Mike Beebe and Nick Wilson. Mike Beebe is said to be part of this "good old boy" network that did back-room-style deals and doled out taxpayers dollars to their buddies. Many thought that Mike Beebe should have been convicted along with Nick Wilson.

Specifically, Hutchinson pointed out that:

1) As a Senator, Beebe is on the record voting to override Governor Mike Huckabee's veto of the legislation creating the scam defrauding the children's fund.

2) Beebe is on the record opposing public calls to censure Sen. Wilson, Sen. Mike Todd, and other colleagues who were members of the group involved in the scandal.

3) Beebe is on the record opposing public calls to evict his colleagues from the Senate even after they were convicted of felonies.

I wonder if people are going to really care what Beebe has done? Most die-hard Democrats will vote for him even if he was the devil himself. Democrats have no problems with electing their corrupt politicians to office. I suppose it might matter to those who aren't decided yet. In a close race like this, it could swing enough undecided voters away from Beebe. The next two weeks are really going to get interesting.

Asa Hutchinson's New Ad

I didn't watch much TV over the weekend so I didn't see it. However, people were talking about it at work. That perked up my ears because people usually don't talk much about political ads. It must be quite an ad to get people talking. I couldn't wait to see it.
Ho Boy! What a doozy! No wonder people were talking about it. Of course Mike Beebe isn't happy about it.

In case you haven't seen it, enjoy!

Arkansas, Voting Problems

On Thursday, it was reported that Benton County was having problems with their ballots. They hadn't received any of 80,000 ballots ordered for the upcoming general election. The ballots come in this afternoon, but they started early voting today without them. Voters coming in to vote could only do so on the voting machines. Benton County still has to send out absentee ballots which were supposed to be in the outgoing mail beginning Oct. 13. There are concerns that some absentee ballots might not get returned in time to be counted. Greene County is said not to have gotten their paper ballots today.
What is it, 14 days before the election? We're just starting early and absentee balloting and there are already problems? Do you get the feeling that voting on Nov. 7th may be a disaster? Can you guess which elected official selected the company(ES&S) to provide the voting materials against the advice of his own committee. Yep, Charlie Daniels!
For God's Sake, People! Are You Going To Let This Incompetent Twit In Office Again!
ELECT JIM LAGRONE, SECRETARY OF STATE!

Back From Vacation

Ok, I'm back from vacation. Sigh! I wish it could have been longer. I've done quite a bit of hiking, spent several days shopping at the craft fairs, did a bit of yard work, took Bows and Casey for their annual shots, had the chimney cleaned, annual termite inspection, the air conditioner fixed, and finally fixed the drawers on my dresser. Whew! I think I need another vacation to recover from this one.

On Vacation with the Dogs

I'm on vacation this week. At this time of the year the greatest thing to do is hike. Casey and Trixie are sitting outside the Devils Den cave. This is short trail so I could take Trixie.


Casey is sitting on top of Yellow Rock. This is another trail in Devils Den. Yellow Rock has an absolutely georgeous view of the valley.



Casey sitting on Hawksbill Crag. This also has a fantastic view.

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