A Republic, if you can keep it

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Scary Stories, Factual And Fictional

There are always plenty of frightening stories going around on Halloween night. Some are true some are not, and some, well who knows. I thought I'd go ahead and add a couple to the list.

The first one was in this mornings St. Joseph News-Press.

"Amenities include a mysterious, spooky image

Aaron Bailey

When buying a condo, there's a couple of key things to watch out for. One, that there are no cracks in the foundation or termites in the walls. And two, the image of a skeleton doesn't show up repeatedly in the windows.

Steve Riley has a situation, but it doesn't involve cracks or termites.

"I came out of the bathroom and I thought someone was looking at me," Mr. Riley said, recalling when he first discovered a mysterious image in his new condo's glass patio door. "It scared the hell out of me."

Mr. Riley, a St. Joseph resident, closed on the condo at the Lake of the Ozarks a few months ago. In true "Amityville Horror" fashion, the real-estate agent didn't mention anything out of the ordinary, and shades obscured the patio doors during his initial inspection.

But soon after he began renovations, between the glass of double-paned doors, a white residue had formed in the ominous shape of a skeleton.

Mr. Riley initially dismissed it as the work of an overactive imagination, but he couldn't shake the feeling there was something more to the images as he reviewed photographs he took of the inside of the condo.

"I put the photos on my computer and found that I can zoom in," he said. "I found there were also images of other faces, and what looked like a little girl with pigtails hiding behind her mother's dress. I just had chills all up and down my spine."

While he's never believed in supernatural occurrences, an overnight stay in the condo spawned even more questions in his mind.

"I don't believe in ghosts, but one night I thought I saw (the skeleton image) in the closet," he said. "But I'm sure I was just dreaming or thinking about it ..."

A hard water stain inside the window, fueled by imagination like some sort of Rorschach inkblot test? Or a message from someone, or something, from beyond the grave?

"I just don't know," Mr. Riley said. "I thought it was weird, just kind of spooky. Everyone I show the pictures to says, 'I can't believe you're staying there.'"

But Mr. Riley is looking into ways to turn a spooky situation into a profitable one. He plans on possibly selling the window on eBay.

"What, they paid something like $30,000 for a piece of toast with an image, why not this?" he said."

I have to agree with Mr. Riley, there is a market for just about everything. All you have to do is find the right person. If he does sell the window and strange things continue to happen maybe he should think about finding someone that is interested in a condo.

My second story is a little closer to my family, some of you may have heard it before. It is a true story about some unsolved murders.

My Grand Mother on my Mothers side of the family passed away when my Mother and he siblings were young. My Grand Father didn't think men should raise girls without a women in the home so he turned to family friends to raise his Daughters. My Mother grew up in the home of C.A. Moore (I grew up calling him and his Wife Lu Grandma & Grandpa). On June 9/10, 1912 C.A.'s Brother J.B., his Wife, their six children and two over night guest were all the victims of an ax murderer. After the page opens click on "VILLISCA living with a Mystery" to read about this unsolved murder case.

The J.B. Moore home is now a museum, if your ever in Villisca, Iowa I'd suggest you check it out. You can even spend a night in the house if you'd care to. I haven't got up the courage or the money to do that just yet.

I hope you enjoyed or were interested in the stories. Maybe you'll want to share them some scary night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Lame Duck Hunt

I thought I'd invite some of you on a hunting trip when you stopped by to answer this weeks Question Of The Week, which can be found below this post. Since no one is quite sure what our elected officials might have planned for us after the upcoming election Public Citizen and some other organizations have launched a new blog site to track our congress critters. Lets make this our first hunting trip of the season, maybe we can bag a Lame Duck.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Question Of The Week, 10/29/06

Good morning. Did you remember to turn your clocks back last night? No, that is not this weeks question. Actually this weeks question might be as old as time. It has been ask by many past and present day political philosophers. This weeks Question Of The Week is. What is the purpose of government(at any level)? I'll post my answer in the Comment Section Monday Night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Waiting Room Conversations

I had to go to the Doctors office yesterday (10/24/06). It was a regular follow up appointment for my back problems and since I was up and walking and not in a lot of pain I didn't have to get an Epidural steroid injection. The television was on in the waiting room when I got there. The war in Iraq was the topic on CNN News.It was also the topic of the waiting room conversation. I would say the youngest person involved in the conversation was in her mid twenties and the oldest was in his late fifties or early sixties. Some of them were former military and others had never served. They all had some things in common. They were all fed up with the way the so called "War On Terrorism" is being handled. All of them supported the war right after the September 11, 2001 attacks. All of them still want to see Osama Bin Laden brought to justice and they are sure our leaders know where he is and that we are being fed a pack of lies. They were all talking about voting all of the incumbents out. If these people are an example of how people feel all across the country the outcome of the upcoming election is going to be very interesting.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Question Of The Week, 10/22/06

Good morning. I mean to tell you, finding this weeks question was not easy. I just couldn't find anything that I could find an interesting question in. So I went to my local news paper, the St. Joseph News-Press. I'd post a link but it wouldn't help, you have to be a paid subscriber to read the on-line version. One of the News-Press sections is called It's Your Call. Readers can call in and leave a short comment and don't have to give their name. I found something that I thought was interesting there. The caller has a solution to the Deadbeat Father/Mother problem.

From the St. Joseph News-Press

"Custody to breadwinner

Let's stop putting so-called deadbeat fathers and mothers in jail, in fact the government should do away with child support and quit supporting single parents all together. The government could pay off the national debt in a year's time if the government didn't have to support single parents and their children. I think the court systems should give custody to the parent who has a good enough job to raise the children without the government's help. Why would any loving parent want to raise their children on welfare? In fact, why would any judge give children to a parent who he knows will end up raising the children on welfare? Let's just straighten up the mess of single parents. Pay off the national debt with the savings and stop draining the taxpayers' money on welfare and single parents and give legal custody to the parent who can raise the children and keep them off welfare."

So what do you think, is the caller on to something here? This weeks Question Of The Week is. Will the callers solution solve the deadbeat dad/mom/child custody problem or do you see some problems with the solution? I'll post my answer in the Comment Section Monday night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Time For A Prayer

On Thursday, August 3, 2006 my Wife and I became Great-Grand-Parents. Tonight the Great-Grand-Daughter and her Mother are spending the night here. After the two of them went to bed for the night I got on the computer to check my e-mail and the latest news. After reading one article that tells about North Korea calling the United Nations sanctions a declaration of war. I read one that told about the possibility of North Korea testing a second nuclear device. Then I read what the BBC had to say about all of this. Then I started thinking about our Great-Grand-Daughter asleep in the other room. If things don't change soon she may never get to know the joy of being a Parent or Grand-Parent. So I want to ask all of you to do something not just for her but for all the children world wide. Before you go to sleep tonight remember them in your prayers. Ask God to watch over and protect them, give them a chance to grow into adults and clean up the mess that our generation and past generations have made of this world.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Question Of The Week, 10/15/06

Good morning. This is one of those I had an idea but then I changed my mind mornings. I've read a couple of articles this morning and now I'm wondering what everyone else thinks. This weeks Question Of The Week is (2 parts). Will North Korea abide by the United Nations resolution? The second question is. Will this help John Bolton keep his position as United States Ambassador to the United Nations? I'll post my answers in the Comment Section Monday night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

The Panel On School Safety

I recently read something that I thought was pretty interesting. It said that if you are a teacher in the state of Utah and have a concealed carry permit you are allowed to carry your weapon while your at work. If you are the parent or guardian of a student in the Utah schools who happens to have a concealed carry permit you can carry your weapon into the school when your there to meet with teachers, administrators or to attend school activities. The article also says that there are no gun free zones around Utah schools and there have been no school shooting incidents in Utah. I'm thinking some Utah school teachers, administrators or state law makers should have been invited to be a part of the White House Panel on School Safety. They might have been able to give the panel some ideas that work. Maybe Utah's solution to the problem wasn't the one the panel was looking for?

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Question Of The Week, 10/8/06

Good morning. I didn't have to look long at all this morning to come up with an idea for this weeks question. In an October 6, 2006 press release President Bush said, "And one way to do so is to make the tax cuts we passed permanent. One sure way to hurt this economy is to take money out of the pockets of consumers, or small business owners, and send it to Washington, D.C.". This weeks question of the week is. Has the Bush tax cut helped or hurt our economy, should it be made permanent? I'll post my answer in the Comment Section Monday night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

So What Do We Do?

I think this Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Editorial (Massacre at Nickel Mines: Legislation no solution) makes it pretty easy to understand. It doesn't matter how many anti-gun laws our elected officials pass. They are not going to stop a determined murderer from taking the lives of his (or her) victims. Some schools across the country have metal detectors and on site police officers, this has helped in some cases. So how do we stop these murders from taking place in our schools? I'm going to go along with what this Buckeye Firearms Association article (The uncomfortable truth about school shootings)By Ken Hanson has to say. Arm and train a select group of teachers in every school across the country. I don't mean all teachers should be armed. Some might be so opposed to firearms that they wouldn't want any part of this idea. That shouldn't stop them from teaching in our schools. If a few of them in each school is armed and the public knows about it that will send a message to the would be child killers (school house shooters). It has become pretty clear that the gun-free zones that are now in front of our schools don't work. It is time to come up with a better plan, one that will keep our children safe.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Question Of The Week, 10/01/06

Good morning. In case you couldn't tell I've been very busy lately. This is the first time I have ever gone a week without posting something. It didn't take me long to decide what this weeks question would be after I got on-line this morning. I got an E-mail alert from World Net Daily.com that told about Texas cities being sued for not teaching their police officers to speak Spanish. World Net Daily has posted a poll to see how you feel about this too. This weeks Question Of The Week is. Should cities in Texas (or anywhere else in the United States) be required to teach their police officers to speak Spanish? I'll post my answer in the Comment Section Monday Night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.