I was in bed, dozing off to sleep when I remembered the heat tape under the house. I couldn’t remember if it was plugged in or not and the temperature is way down tonight and with the blizzard outside, negative results could be catastrophic to our water supply and plumbing. I crawled my cranky visage out of a warm water bed, got dressed AGAIN and went outside to crawl under the house. Yes, the heat tape was plugged in and no, I was not angry with myself for not remembering whether it was or not.

It’s always good to make sure preparations are in place and ready before we need them. I think there are some other things I’ll check tomorrow just to make sure we are ready.

At first, we thought there was something wrong and then, we realized that something was not right, and they are not the same.

When the wrong was removed, it left a void, so now we fill that void with what is right.

Rejoice and fill the void with what is right, but first, you may need to remove what is wrong.

An investigation was under way last night into Russia’s black market trade in radioactive materials amid concern that significant quantities of polonium 210, the substance that killed former spy Alexander Litvinenko, are being stolen from poorly protected Russian nuclear sites.

I feel better already, don’t you? Not so much.

First off, it’s a convenient alibi to say that the polonium was stolen, right? Second, if it really was stolen, who’s to say it won’t surface again somewhere else, like here in the U.S.of A.? Or in the hands of some terrorist who harbors inner anger because he isn’t allowed to drink or look at naked women but his leaders are?

Oh well, maybe whoever uses it will be killed by the blowback.

A report, obtained by The New York Times, estimates that groups responsible for many of the insurgent and terrorist attacks in Iraq are raising $70 million to $200 million a year from illegal activities. It says that $25 million to $100 million of the total comes from oil smuggling and other criminal activity involving the state-owned oil industry aided by “corrupt and complicit” Iraqi officials.

I don’t think we should be trying to stop the civil war, do you? Let them duke it out.

In the news…
Insurgents Gun Down 21 in Iraqi Village

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Gunmen broke into two Shiite homes and killed 21 men in front of their relatives, police said Saturday, as Vice President Dick Cheney sought Saudi Arabia’s help in calming Iraq after an especially violent week. The capital remained under a 24-hour curfew two days after…

We often use different words to soften the blunt truth, thereby swaying public opinion. The title of the article calls the murderers insurgents and the article calls them gunmen because, for whatever reason, the press doesn’t want to come right out and say they are Sunni Muslims. That’s the truth, so why not come right out and say it?

In the 2000 Presidential election, the press stated that some citizens in Florida were disenfranchised after problems at the polls. The statements to that effect were not true.

dis·en·fran·chise adj :
deprived of the rights of citizenship especially the right to vote

The people in Florida were not deprived of their right to vote. They did not punch the voting cards properly. Thousands of them, of their own free will, without coaching, were ineffective in using a metal instrument to punch a little hole in a paper card. That sounds like user error to me, especially in light of the fact that millions of others had no problem accomplishing the same task. Disenfranchised sounds impressive, but ineffective is more accurate.

in·ef·fec·tive adj.
1. Not producing an intended effect; ineffectual: an ineffective plea.
2. Inadequate; incompetent: an ineffective teacher.

See what I mean?

We use other words and phrases to shroud the truth

sleep together - fornicate
appropriate - steal
check her out - lust after her
can I get an amen? - am I convincing you?
fall from grace - prefer sin over God
radical - I don’t like it even if it is true
illegal immigrant - a trespasser with medical benefits
politics - syndicated crime
organized religion - syndicated crime

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all honest about ourselves and others? One day, we shall stand before the Truth and give an account for our sins. Do you think He will go so far as to impose sanctions on the guilty?

This place makes me sick. How about you?