How to make a wedding cake (Because you forgot you don’t know how)
Category: Life
It's been quite a summer - I haven't been on myspace much - well, I haven't been commenting much. But I'm here - Everything's ok - lots of catching up to do.
Oh, Hey! My oldest daughter got married on June 23rd... I kind of made the wedding cake! If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, here's the Jumelle Technique:
Step 1.
Volunteer to make your daughter's wedding cake. Spend 3 weeks shopping and planning:
Step 2.
Three days before the wedding, panic because you suddenly remember that no matter how easy something looks in a magazine or on the do-it-yourself show you suck at crafts! OMG!!! What were you thinking? Go to the store again for something. Come home & find wonderful husband has peeled & boiled 10 lbs of potatoes... because you also volunteered to make potato salad.
Step 3.
Call all of the bakeries you can think of - get laughed at. It's 3 days before the wedding. YOU HAVE TO DO IT.
Step 4.
Consult with (confide in) husband ... decide on a cup-cake wedding cake. You can do cupcakes, surely, and he's an artist. Husband does math - you start cooking while he designs 3 tiered wedding cake display. (YOU have the easy part)
Step 5.
Wrap 'em up and go to bed. Don't sleep. You also promised to make quadruple recipe each of spinach dip and baked beans... and the potato salad... And you have company coming the next day - your big sisters, Debbie from Austin & Donna from California, who you haven't seen in (respectively) 3 & 10 years. Clean house.
Step 6.
Pray for a miracle. It is after 5pm, day before the wedding... Lots of cupcakes, still none decorated. You've been busy all day doing something in your zombie state, but it didn't have much to do with food. Twin sister, Diane in San Antonio calls to say other sisters are running late... wishes you luck - she's headed to Florida, I think, for a well-planned and much needed vacation.
Sisters arrive, assess the situation immediately ... hugs and kisses all around while they simultaneously roll up their proverbial sleeves. OMG - witness miracles:
(Debbie)
(Donna)
(Norm, Debbie & Donna)
Edible flowers!
(All edible! They know my daughter so well!)
Amazing.
Step 7
While miracle unfolds - Stay out of the way! Make spinach dip. Make potato Salad.
Enjoy your nephew Sam, who you haven't seen in 10 years!
(Sam)
Step 8.
Go to bed, actually sleep! Wake up the next morning and assemble all for 45 minute drive to wedding site. You also promised to decorate - and you have all the decorations! Thank God your sisters have a van. Thank God you have such a wonderful husband (who is also officiating at wedding!) - Go pick up youngest daughter. GO!
The rules that follow were copied and pasted from my tagger's blog. Names have been made public to publicize the guilty. ;)
Mom aka Bobbie hit me up to post eight random facts about myself...
Here are the rules. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.
8 random facts about myself:
1.)
I have added a munchkin kitten to my cat family (proud bachelor uncles to new kitten are Prince William & Prince Harry) - My first munchkin I got in 1996 in exchange for computer work... he's now 12 yrs old and lives with my son - For Mother's Day this year my son & Norm went halves to get me another one... her name is Lilliana Corinthia - and she's sooo cute. (Damn - her name alone could have been one of these eight random facts! LOL)
2.)
I also have a baby Texas Tortoise... My nephew Sam left him here rather than risking having him confiscated at the airport when he flew back to California a couple of weeks ago. Apparently they cannot be taken out of Texas... I'm not even sure if *I'm* allowed to have the little guy. He's fun to watch - loves to eat and when the sun is out he stretches out his neck and legs and soaks it up. I have a box he goes out to during the days, and a covered aquarium inside where he sleeps at night.
3)
My mother passed away when I was 12. Her name was Veneta, which I think is a beautiful name. When she married my father she was 17 years old and still in high school. When my daughter Kasey got married on June 23rd, she wore the jacket that my mother made of "chantilly lace" and wore in her own wedding 54 years ago... It and the wedding dress were as yellow as the newspaper clipping above, but I was able to whiten it safely
4)
I am a 5th generation Texan ... My GGG-Grandfather was Thomas Jefferson Rusk. I think he must be rolling in his grave at what men like GW Bush have done to the reputation of Texas and the United States Government.
5)
My husband, Norm, is the greatest... Not only did he agree to help me make the wedding cake for Kasey's wedding (seperate blog, coming up!) and make the cake stand, he also officiated! Yes, Norm is ordained to perform weddings, so if anyone needs an officiant... There's not much that Norm can't do. I really do know how lucky I am. He's my best friend.
6)
I have three sisters - all of our names astart with "D" - Debbie, Donna, Denise & Diane. My sisters Debbie and Donna came down for Kasey's wedding - and not only was it great seeing them, but I can honestly say they saved the day - I had assembled lots of food, baked 120 cupcakes, bought lots of decorations... and the day before the wedding I was lookin at all of this stuff and didn't have a clue where to start. Deb & Donna, who I hadn't seen in 4 & 10 years, respectively, showed up about 5pm, took a look around, and got to work. It was great. (Remind me to blog the wedding!!)
7)
I love to take naps, but seldom do... I also have a pillow I've had for years that I cannot sleep without.
8)
This is the first time anyone has officially "tagged" me on myspace. Thanks Bobbie. Now that I've been tagged once, no one needs to worry about tagging me anymore! LOL
I have been a truly awful myspace participant lately... so much on my mind, so many things going on, so much I'd like to talk about... and persons I respect here that I'd like to open discussions with concerning life. Specifically as a parent. Not just for parents of course; I'd love insight from those who have been parented, as well - and is that not all of us?
I have never had a "preferred group" for my blogs, but am considering creating one... Some topics may be personal and I would like frank discussions without judgement or the prying eyes of exes or others who just may not understand.
Motherhood - SIGH. I have 3 children, all raised the same and the outcomes so far have been so different. My children are ages 26 - 16, with 3 grandchidren ages 2-7... I love them all immensely.
There are hopes and dreams that we have as we begin parenting... there are lessons we learn with the first babe that help us with the next. Yet, each child is also such an individual that there is no true preparation for each phase or stage.
Sometimes life is a rollercoaster ride ... I don't like rollercoasters. AT ALL. I dislike extremely the inability to do anything at certain peaks & valleys besides squeezing my eyes shut and hoping for a level end soon. (On the same token, I do always revel in the wobbly kneed "I survived!" sensation once the ride is over.)
We Did! Update on the Happy Union!
Current mood: Very Happy
Category: Very Happy Life
After the Hooding ceremony & the night before Sonny's graduation, there was a great gathering of family & frends:
According to Sonny, he couldn't have done it without us:
And he presented some recogition to key family & friends - This is the only certificate I'm likely to receive from an institute of higher learning,...
LOL - and I am going to display it proudly!
Then, the graduation:
Another gathering of fans after the graduation:
Then off to Son's hotel to change into traveling clothes for the second leg of our journey:
As Norm & I were leaving the hotel to begin our search for a simple civil ceremony, it was a bit concerning seeing this sign in the hotel lobby:
We briefly considered just finding someone there to marry us, but, nahhh - Off to Happy, TX!
Hmmm - Happy, TX & Happy Union, TX didn't have much to offer us in our quest, except some big smiles:
So we continued on to Canyon, TX & Palo Duro Canyon... We were pleasantly suprised at the beautiful town and after a good night's rest, we headed to Wal-Mart to get me some hiking boots - I found the PERFECT pair in the men's dept, size 6 (Which I prompltly put pink shoelaces in) and we were off to the Canyon!
First, some hiking ...
(Me, Marlboro Woman - I really need to quit!)
Then - a horseback ride to the floor of the canyon - nice!
And then, more hiking and picture taking... The wildflowers were beautiful & bountiful:
We learned what Llano Estacado means - apparently "Staked Plains", a name given by Spanish explorer Coronado in the 16th century after seeing all of the Yucca plants:
And we were amazed at the size of the dandilions (Or, as my daughter Kasey named them, Blow-wishes:)
Later that night, we ate in a delightful restaraunt, Feldman's Wrong way Diner - The menu offered this explaination:
"Feldmans is dedicated to anyone who has gone the wrong way, taken a wrong turn, made a wrong decision or in some way wandered off the beaten path....in other words: all of us at one time or another. Often, things just don't turn out the way you thought they would; but that's not always a bad thing.
The surprises you encounter while wandering around off the proverbial beaten path can be the spice of life, and at the very least, they make the best stories when you are sitting around a table sharing a meal with family and friends.
So make yourself comfortable, enjoy our food and drink, and tell your best "Wrong Way" story. With a nod to our fictitous "col. 'Wrong Way' Feldman, let's toast the paths we have followed that brought us where we are today. We hope you are enjoying the journey."
Trey, our waiter, let me keep the menu... We kind of decided then that we'd like to get married in Canyon, TX. So, the next morning, we went in search of an "officiant"... we went to the courthouse, but the JP was out to lunch, so we went to have a bite, too - on our return, we found that they were glad to see us! Apparently, this is one of the more pleasant dutiesof the JP, and he was great... Judge Bigham donned his robes, met us in the court room, and performed, to us, the perfect ceremony. Norm and I are neither one religious, but when the JP asked if we'd like his "special prayer" we said "sure..." Turns out it was centered on 1 Corinthhians 13, a verse we both learned early in our relationship taht we belive should be the basis of just about any religon... Sandy, his clerk, took pictures:
Happily married (!), we did some more touring and hiking that day at Buffalo Springs Wildlife Refuge - ending a walk just as a beauiful storm was rolling in... It was a perfect and memorable wedding day!!
PS - Got home in time to watch Judge Bigham's son, Will, on the premier of a new reality TV show, "On The Lot"... can't wait to see if he makes it to the final 15 or so who will go on to compete for the big prize!
Hello from Lubbock, Happy, Happy Union, Palo Duro Canyon...
Current mood: Happy & Proud!
Category: Happy & Proud! Life
We have been traveling, and just wanted to send a quick report... Norm and I are in Lubbock for my son's graduation from Texas Tech School of Pharmacy - The hooding ceremony was yesterday, today he graduates and officially becomes Dr. Sonny - I'm so proud of him, he's worked so hard... WOOT!
A nice gathering of family & friends.
We are staying in probably the oddest hotel ever - hard to explain - but one reason we got a room here was high speed internet connection -
Low speed is what it's been - I just thought it was part of the oddity that the wi-fi connection we picked up was called "The Harper Family" - LOL... this is def an Indian establishment. I FINALLY called the front desk, because we had planned on planning our route from here - This hotel doesna have wi-fi, but a hard-wired broadband connection. Ohhhh - I guess the Harpers, wherevever they are, have a pretty strong signal - sooo, while I have internet thought I'd tell everyone hi. Have enjoyed emails, comments, etc - didn't want anyone to think I was ignoring them!
Today, after the graduation Norm & I are heading to Palo Duro Canyon - the weather is very mild and am ready to pack away the "nice" clothes and hike... maybe get Norm on a horse. I'll take pictures!
Planning our trip, we got our marriage license... so are on the look out for a memorable place to have a simple ceremony... in this area so far there are these towns: Happy, Happy Union, Muleshoe, Lazbuddie, etc...
PS - We thought it was funny that this is the county clerk's name where we got our license in Dallas:
Ha ha... the irony! I am so lucky to be marrying my best friend!
Pelosi conducting Phone Poll for Impeachment - CALL NOW
Category: News and Politics
Found this on Digg.com - and I called. It took a while to get thru, but I registered that I support Impeachment.
The phone number is the phone number for Pelosi's office - google it if you want to check. Maybe this is a ploy to get people to ACTUALLY call - I don't care. I hope you'll call and tell all your friends to call.
Okay, I've called, then I posed on every social networking site I'm on and pleased for reposts, which are already coming up. If yall are on myspace, friendster, tribe, or any other site that allows bulletins, post it up. To make it easy, here is what I wrote, just copy and paste. Hell post it to your forums as well. Lets KEEP that line BUSY! Thanks for pointing this out, Johnny. —————- Given the president's recent veto of the spending bill, Speaker of the House Pelosi is taking a phone poll on impeachment. It takes 2 seconds. Call 1-202-225-0100 and simply say you want to register you support for impeachment. They will say thank you and you'll feel better all day.
I have NEVER asked for reposts, but this is as close as we have gotten to getting the democrats to do what needs to be done to preserve the integrity of democratic system in this country.
"It's his campaign that perhaps mismanaged this whole thing. He of course stands by his campaign, but again. . . much to be learned by all." ~Joe Anthony, builder of the now "official" Barack Obama myspace profile
Here's Joe's Blog explaining the takeover of his myspace profile by the Obama campaign ...
Here's MY opinion:
There is much to be learned, also, from our current administration ... I don't think I want another President who is in a position to rectify a wrong yet does not -
I don't think I can support a man who stands by his advisors rather than standing up for the "little guy" whom he professes to represent... What a great opportunity Mr. Obama missed to demonstrate a fundamental difference between himself and the presidency we are all so sick of.
Gee, thanks, for keeping us safe
Current mood: fighting nausea
Category: fighting nausea News and Politics
Here are the six points published by Bush's Director of National Intelligence in a concensus view from all 16 US intelligence agencies. "Key Judgements," April 2006:
1. Iraq war is shaping a "new generation of terrorists". 2. is "breeding deep resentment of US". 3. is "fueling the spread of the jihadist" movement. 4. is "attracting new recruits and donors" to Al Qa'ida. 5. Al Qa'ida in Iraq might "lead to external operations". 6. Iraqi fighters are a potential "source of leadership for jihadists".
"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." - Bush 5/2005 (Source: Whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050524-3.html)
Bush used "As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down." and variations of it on 77 public occasions starting on June 28, 2005 and ending on June 26, 2006. —based on searches of GPOaccess.gov/wcomp/search.html. Cheney used it a similar number of times.
Children love to hear the same stories over and over again. —Bush, Oct. 3, 2001. (Source: Whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/10/20011003-19.html)
**Updated w/ Questions** Cheney Giving a Commencement Speech??? WTF, BYU
Current mood: Incredulous
Category: Incredulous News and Politics
Well, Norm and I worked on a little project, because Cheney's the creepiest Perp-type we know... And we were remembering another "Commencement Speech" recorded for the Class of '97 and thinking BYU students got jilted...
Can anyone tell me why this man (and his ilk in Washington DC) is allowed to continue his hatefulness?
Does Anyone believe he really cares about the citizens of the US, young or old?
For The Mother Who Has Everything On Mother's Day
Current mood: Thankful
Celebrate a woman you love while you help a woman survivor of war... www.womenforwomen.org
Thousands of women around the world have experienced war and violence in ways that you and I cannot even imagine. And while our lives seem worlds apart, we have so much in common.
Like us, these women want to send their children to school. They want to make sure that their families have enough to eat and are safe from harm. Like us, they want to feel respected and valued. What separates us is that they have survived the horrors of war and violence. Women for Women International – with the support of friends like you – can give these women the opportunity and hope to start over.
Join our network of women helping women. Give women survivors of war the tools and resources they need to reclaim their lives and rebuild their communities.
This ever happen to you?
Current mood: Sittin' on E but full of love
Okay - in the past month, at at least 3 different gas stations on 4 different "fill-up" attempts, at the pumps Norm or I tried to use with the "pay at the pump" option we got a "please see cashier" message after swiping the card (a credit card that has no balance issues, mind you)... So, we go inside and no one acts concerned, just suggests that we can pay them at the register instead... Norm always tells them "never mind, I'll go somewhere else", and I will too from now on -
I was just wondering if this has happened to any one else? My suspicion now is that maybe they randomly turn off the pay at pump option so that more customers will have to come inside - hopefully to be tempted by "tempting" displays of candy, old hot dogs, a refreshing soft drink...
AND - I recently paid at the pump at a gas station with my debit card - I put $19.00 worth of gas in, and they charged my card $100.00(!!!)
** WARNING ** When you pay at the pump with a debit card, they put a reserve amount on "hold", so you can't pump more than you have in your account. Fine. The minute I completed the transaction they had to have known how much gas I got.
That was on April 15th, and I still haven't had the "deposit" released back to my account. $80.00. ()
Anyway - Today has generally been a frustrating one, but I can't talk about much of it just yet - But there is certainly another blog coming... I had to bitch about something...
There have been nice things lately, also - I had a great birthday, and today (perfect timing) I received really sweet cards, sentiments and gifts from my sisters... I've enjoyed spending some "quality" time this past weekend with Norm and 2 of his kids, Melissa and Ryan (Not really kids, lol - 17 & 23 yrs old)... 2 weeks ago I enjoyed my 2 yr old grandson Zeke for 2 days -
Remind me to blog "Two Days With A Two Year Old - Pant, Pant" - And I have enjoyed visting with my children Sonny, Kasey and Amanda.
And yesterday, I planted some flowers - it felt good to get dirt under my nails:
Check out this delightful Desert Rose I found -
It looks like a seal or some other animal sitting down with leaves for a head...
I planted hardy sun-loving (read: harder for me to kill) flowers: Marigold, Gerbera Daisies, Gazania, Celosia and Portulaca.
advised that the way I'd planted the Desert Rose above wasn't good, because the amount of water for the celosia would be too much... so on her advise I put the DR back in it's original pot and put that back into the big pot above and re-planted the celosia around it ... nice. Very good to have a plant & animal expert in the family!
But, the best part about Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow?
Okay - now I have to get busy - Designing my business website, and learning how best to use meta tags, search engines, etc...
(It took me about 30 minutes to write this blog, but so far almost 2 hours to post it due to the mysterious "An Unexpected Error Has Occured..." This ever happen to you?)
"It is the most solemn duty of our country, is to protect our country from harm," Bush told the invited audience in Tipp, Ohio. ... A lesson learned was that -- at least in my opinion -- that in order to protect us, we must aggressively pursue the enemy and defeat them elsewhere so that we do not have to face them here."
Me: (today in response, to the hypocrisy above)
BULLSHIT, Mr. President! You have done the opposite of protecting our country from harm, in my humble opinion... and in order to protect [the]U.S.,we need to...
Will they listen now?? Seven years later?
Current mood: Naive?
Category: Naive? News and Politics
Brief history to make my point: In the 2000 election, I was one of not a few who tried to sound the alarm. A very small voice.
At the time I was living in Canton, Texas (pop. 3000) and was active in Van Zandt County Texas' Democratic party ... Van Zandt had long been a democratic county, but an infiltration of RRRR (Radical Religious Right-wing Republicans) had changed all of that. I thought I could make a difference.
My main contribution was to create and maintain a website for the VZ County Democrats - I felt that it was so vital to educate people about the growing influence of the RRRR, whose plan was to quietly infilterate the school boards and local elected offices of rural communities to gain a foothold and influence more important state and national campaigns, and it was working. They gave new meaning to the term "bully pulpit"
In VZ County's local races in 2000, the democrats swept the polls, except for the office of Van Zandt County Judge - that was won by a relative unknown, Jeff Fisher. What was known about Jeff Fisher is that he had previously served as executive director of the Texas Christian Coalition, a powerful RRRR group fonded in the early 90's by Pat Robertson (yeah, THAT Pat Robertson.) In our small county race, Mr Fisher raised over $40,000 ... an unprecidented amount for this local office ... and most of it came from outside of the county...
It was such a frustrating time - Most people were not listening... It was suggested and began to feel like maybe I was making to much of a "blip", a rogue political phenomena - even to me (but not really.) I pretty much gave up on politikin' after that election... but, hope springs eternal, I suppose.
Will they listen now?? Some eight years later?
By Max Blumenthal, HuffingtonPost.com Posted on April 13, 2007, Printed on April 13, 2007 http://www.alternet.org/story/50408/
Monica Goodling on her Regent University homepage:"If I only had two seconds to tell you why I'm here, I'd have to say this: I want to leave the world a better place than I found it. Tough assignment, but, worth a try."
When Monica Goodling's name erupted into the news last week, the mainstream press discovered suddenly that Pat Robertson's Regent University exists. Not only that, the press learned that it has made a deep footprint in George W. Bush's Washington.
Since Robertson's failed presidential campaign, coverage of him has largely focused on his mercurial and bizarre personality. He seemed only to appear in the news when one of his many entertainingly outrageous gaffes or false prophecies earned publicity. While Robertson's hysterical episodes deserved all the coverage they generated, with a few notable exceptions, the mainstream press habitually ignored his political machinations. Robertson and his cadres exploited this lack of scrutiny to quietly erect a sophisticated and far-reaching political network that today propells the Christian right's ongoing march through the institutions.
The right has exploited the mainstream press's ignorance about Robertson to avoid weathering the blowback from his most embarassing gaffes. Case in point: Two years ago, after Robertson called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, Fox News' Brit Hume introduced what would become a central talking point for spinning the controversy. On the August 23, 2005 episode of Fox News' Special Report, Hume declared, "The televangelist Pat Robertson's political influence may have been declining since he came in second in the Iowa Republican caucuses 17 years ago. And he may have no clout with the Bush administration."
Morton Kondracke echoed Hume, exclaiming that "Pat Robertson's day has long since passed."
Predictably, the right's spin seeped into the mainstream press. The day after Hume and Kondracke's exchange, Knight Ridder asserted that Robertson's influence "has waned." As evidence, the news service quoted one "leader" of the "evangelical movement" claiming, "He's an old man and there's a group of old women and old men who watch him." Old men can't be influential, don't you know?
The usually sagacious John Green, a University of Akron professor who has emerged as the go-to guy for virtually any reporter covering the Christian right, swooped in to join the parrot jungle chirping about Robertson's death knell. In an interview with the National Review's Byron York (who recently blew his wad trying to discredit the jury that convicted Scooter Libby), Green concluded that while Robertson is "certainly a consequential figure," he is "more in tune with what was happening with evangelicals 20 or 30 years ago" than his contemporaries.
But in the wake of Goodling's hotly publicized resignation, the mainstream press suddenly -- and correctly -- decided to judge Robertson by the fruits he has borne. In the Washington Post-owned Slate Magazine, Dahlia Lithwick published a penetrating look at "How Pat Robertson's law school is changing America." Lithwick notes that as early as 1997, when Goodling was enrolled at Regent and working as a spokesperson for the school's Office of Government, she was ducking pointed questions from reporters.
The Boston Globe also ran a insightful look at Regent Law's impact on public policy. The Globe cited (as I did days earlier right here) Kay Coles James as the key link between Regent and the Bush White House. The Globe's Charlie Savage wrote, "In 2001, the Bush administration picked the dean of Regent's government school, Kay Coles James, to be the director of the Office of Personnel Management -- essentially the head of human resources for the executive branch. The doors of opportunity for government jobs were thrown open to Regent alumni."
The sudden interest in Robertson's political network spread to the L.A. Times on April 6 when it profiled Christian Broadcasting Network's star political reporter and blogger, David Brody. The Times correctly notes that despite his affiliation with the supposedly discredited reverend, Brody has "developed a real web base among followers of the presidential races." Indeed, Brody's blog has become a critical window into evangelical opinion on candidates from both parties. In the process, Brody has lent newfound credibility to Robertson's flagship news network.
The Christian right is far more than a pantheon of charismatic backlashers with automatonic followers of "old men and women." It is also a sophicated political operation with a coherent long-term strategy. Goodling may be out of a job, but thousands of capable Christian right cadres remain, waging the culture war from inside the White House, federal agencies and Republican congressional offices. Together they will continue to inflame conflicts that were previously unimaginable.
Anyone insisting in spite of continuously mounting evidence that the Christian right is going to simply shrink into oblivion because the Democrats control Congress, or because evangelical leaders are prone to scandal, should learn from Goodling's example and take the fifth.
Monica Goodling, a previously unknown Justice Department official who served as liaison to the White House, has become a key figure in the Attorneygate scandal. When newly released emails revealed the prominent role Goodling played in engineering the firing of seven US Attorneys, Goodling pled the Fifth Amendment, refusing to testify under oath.
Josh Marshall writes that Goodling may be "afraid of indictment for perjury because she has to go up to Congress and testify under oath before the White House has decided what its story is."
Goodling's involvement in Attorneygate is not the only aspect of her role in the Bush administration that bears examination. Her membership in a cadre of 150 graduates of Pat Robertson's Regent University currently serving in the administration is another, equally revealing component of the White House's political program.
Goodling earned her law degree from Regent, an institution founded by Robertson "to produce Christian leaders who will make a difference, who will change the world." Helping to purge politically disloyal federal prosecutors is just one way Goodling has helped fulfill Robertson's revolutionary goals.
Regent has assiduously cultivated close ties to the administration and its Republican outriders. Gonzales's predecessor, John Ashcroft, is currently cooling his heels at Regent as the school's "Distinguished Professor of Law and Government." Christian right super-lawyer Jay Sekulow, who also teaches at Regent and shares a Washington office with Ashcroft, participated in regular briefings with the White House on court appointments. In 1998, he leased a private jet through Regent to fly Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to speak at the school's 20th anniversary (Though Sekulow regularly argues cases before the Supreme Court, he apparently did not view hobnobbing with Scalia as an ethical breach).
When the Bush administration came into power, it looked to Regent for a reliable pool of well-groomed Republican ideologues eager to wage the culture war from the inside. The former dean of Regent's Robertson School of Government, Kay Coles James, was promptly installed as the Director of the Office of Personnel Management.
According to her bio, from 2001 to 2005, James was "President Bush's principal advisor in matters of personnel administration for the 1.8 million members of the Federal civil service." In that role, James rolled back the power of unions in the federal sector. Now that she's out of government, James is back among her Christian right allies, appearing frequently as a guest on James Dobson's Focus on the Family radio show.
Another Regent figure who impacted White House policy is Jim David, the current Assistant Dean for Administration in the Robertson School of Government. David was inserted in the Justice Department in 2003 as yet another sop to the Christian right; he served as deputy director of the department's Task Force for the Faith-Based & Community Initiative.
Since leaving the DoJ, David has spent a considerable portion of his spare time writing opinion pieces that appear on Regent's website. One of his most noteable screeds, penned in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, described a bright spot in the destruction of New Orleans. "We do not grieve, however, for the flooded and destroyed sex clubs that filled men with lust and degraded women," David wrote. "We do not miss the casinos that preyed upon individuals whose lack of self-control deprived families of needed food and shelter. We do not lament the destruction of voodoo stores prevalent in New Orleans before the flood."
At Regent, Goodling was drilled in the importance of unflinching loyalty to the Republican program. Once in the Justice Department, she proved an able cog in the Bush administration's political machine, meeting with Republican activists in 2006 to help plot the firing of New Mexico's prestigious US Attorney David Iglesias, a fellow Republican who "chafed" against administration initiatives.
But as scrutiny of her actions intensifies, the evangelical Goodling must resort to the 5th Amendment -- man's law -- to avoid breaking the biblical commandment against lying. Only the goodly and godly Pat Robertson could have prepared her to make such a decision.
It was fun, it was FUN... did I mention it was fun? And it drew an amazing response and I plan on sending out a LOT of friend requests to a LOT of intelligent Myspacers. (Myspace - who knew?)
But the point of my blog here is not about the contest... It's about the depth of a worthy blogger and his other blogs that I hope don't get lost among the headlines...
NB has a faithful following for good reason. He doesn't need me to promote his blog, that's for sure. I'm doing this for *my* friends and readers...
I am more of a blog reader than a blog writer... and I will always try to recognize and promote blog writers that I feel have important truths to share. Because that's how *I* find them, too. I am a relative newcomer to Napoleon B's blogs... I was drawn initially to his more serious and otherwise thought provoking blogs, like this one:
Looking at NB's current profile page, his list of current blogs are all about the brain girl contest... After enjoying those, I hope anyone new to his blog will look deeper.
- sooo, while I have internet thought I'd tell everyone hi. Have enjoyed emails, comments, etc - didn't want anyone to think I was ignoring them!
)
