An interesting article on conservatives in talk radio.

In part it says:
Talk radio shows how profoundly the FCC's repeal of the Fairness Doctrine has affected political discourse. In recent years almost all nationally syndicated political talk radio hosts on commercial stations have openly identified themselves as conservative, Republican, or both: Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, Michael Reagen, Bob Grant, Ken Hamblin, Pat Buchanan, Oliver North, Robert Dornan, Gordon Liddy, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, et al. The spectrum of opinion on national political commercial talk radio shows ranges from extreme right wing to very extreme right wing - there is virtually nothing else.

On local stations, an occasional nonsyndicated moderate or liberal may sneak through the cracks, but there are relatively few such exceptions. This domination of the airwaves by a single political perspective clearly would not have been permissible under the Fairness Doctrine.

Tap Dancing on the Barometer
This weekend the barmometer danced and my head did not follow the lead. In other words, I got a migraine from going from beastly hot to cold and rainy to moderate to hot to rainy all in one weekend. Usually I just go to bed, but a childhood friend from Montana was vacationing in Oregon and I met her so I resorted to the tried and true method of massive doses of caffeine and ibuprophen. The coffee was a natural since we were sitting and talking so long that lunch drifted into dinner.

One of the things we talked about was how once your kids are off on their own, you no longer worry where they are all the time but when they come home from college during the summer then you once again wonder where they are, when they are getting home, if they are safe, what they are doing. When my son is away, I just assume that he spends all his free time studying in the library or doing corporal works of mercy.

Note to Steve Erwin: There are no crocodiles in Oregon

Terry Erwin, wife of Steven Erwin, the Aussie Crocodile Hunter, is from my town in Oregon. They come back here very quietly to bring the grandbaby to see her parents and I just learned today that Steve has had at least two orthopedic surgeries here at Sacred Heart Hospital. When Terry Erwin was still living here and doing her wildlife rehabilitation work, she brought her cougar Melissa to my son's grade school. So I can say that I met Mrs. Crocodile Hunter before she was Mrs. Crocodile Hunter. It is interesting how truly small the world is.

One Prayer to Bind Them All and in the Lightness Guide Them

At the funeral, the priest pointed out that Jesus did not leave one set of prayers for the rich, famous, proud etc. and one set of prayers for the humble, poor, modest. He left us one prayer--The Lord's Prayer--which we are all to pray no matter what our circumstances in life. I find that very comforting to consider. One prayer to bind us all and in the lightness guide us.

Into God's Arms

I spent much of today getting ready, going to a funeral and then spending time with the family afterwards. Weddings and funerals always make me proud to be Catholic. We do them right. Just the proper amount of ceremony with dignity and ritual combined. This was the funeral of 93 year old convert. (She wasn't 93 when she converted. Mayb 60 or so.) Because so few of her friends were still alive, the funeral was held at the regular noon daily Mass. There were probably 5 or 6 of us there for the funeral and the rest were Mass regulars. Her son and granddaughter aren't Catholic, but her daughter-in-law converted a couple of years ago. Sort of interesting how that works. Anyway, it made me happy to be Catholic.

By George, I Think She's Got It!

Oh fabjous joy, I think I have figured out how to make links. Now that I've figured out some of the technical stuff, maybe I can actually post something of readable merit.

Many Thanks To Mike!

Yes, yes, yes, finally after much frustration I managed to get an email link to my posts. May the goddess bless you, Mike. (No, don't send hate mail. I'm not a goddess worshipper. As my son would say, "Chill." It's an inside joke!)

Now if I just figure out to put links to other sites on the Template, I'll be doing well. But I'm counting my accomplishments (small as they are) for the day.

AARGH!
I'm still trying to figure out how to put a link to email me on this. I hate it when technology baffles me.

Uphill From Here

After such an inauspicious start to my summer, I figure things HAVE to go up, right? So I'm counting blessings this morning:
1) the old cat (who was only 10 by the way) didn't suffer and died quickly
2) the new kitten survived the vicious poodle attack and is recovering nicely
3) all my medical tests have been clean
4) my son came home for a visit at least and we had a good time together
5) my friend who moved is very happy in the new location, having left some difficult personal issues behind

So, after wallowing in my own personal pity party, I'm now trying to look at the blessings.

Unconstitutional?

I woke up this morning to a one-word headline blazing across my local paper: Unconstitutional. Apparently the 9th Circuit Court which governs the nine Western states, including Oregon, has decided that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. Does this mean that our money "In God We Trust" can't be used here either? If that's the case, then we could send our taxes in paper money and the IRS would be forced to reject the payment.
Perhaps all of us who sang "God Bless America" including the US Senate last Sept. 11 should be arrested and prosecuted. And while we are at it, let's eliminate "so help me God" when we take an oath. Perhaps we can say, "so help me atheistic state."
This is one of the most ridiculous, asinine decisions I've ever heard. True, we have a separation of Church and State, but it was to keep the state from interferring with religion, not the other way around. Didn't the court remember history--we were settled by Pilgrims who came here to PRACTICE their religion, not become atheistics?
Let's hope a higher court has more wisdom. But don't count on it.

Let the Blogging Begin!

This past year has been filled with more than the usual amount of sadness. On the national level, the events of last Sept. 11 have left many feeling vulnerable. The economy has thrown thousands out of work. The priest scandal in Boston and elsewhere has left many of us angry and dismayed at Church leadership. On the international level, the bloodshed in the Middle East reminds us how difficult it is to work for the justice that leads to peace.
In my own life, I had just begun to adjust to the fact that our son would not be coming home for more than a quick visit this summer, but staying and working on campus, when a friend I’ve know since college moved several hundred miles away and then while I was in the shower, my old cat died of sudden massive heart attack while trying to jump on the bed. A few days later my young cat got mauled by a standard poodle and required orthopedic surgery. Plus I had to have a colonoscopy and a mammogram AND a broken tooth repaired.
Sometimes I don’t know how much more I can stand.