28 April 2008
Thank You *UPDATED* *UPDATED x2*
Several kind people have asked how they could donate to help offset our expenses. The outpouring of support has been amazing to me. I signed up for an Amazon Honor Pay Box which can be accessed below. At some point, I'll figure out how to embed it into the main page or the sidebar, but until then I'll sticky this post to the top.
Thank you all again. It's kind of overwhelming still, but in a good way this time.
*UPDATE* Funny, but once I got it to show up in the post, it started showing up in the sidebar and at the bottom of the page. I'll still be taking some time off from blogging to concentrate on getting these legal matters settled, but my stress is greatly lowered already thanks to some pretty wonderful friends.
*UPDATEx2* I just had to add this update as well. And I took out the Amazon button from the post since it's working on the page now.
It looks like anyone who donates has up to 30 days (Note: That was according to the confirmation email that people can send. Some research reveals that it's 7 days from Amazon and up to 30 days to contest it with a credit-card company which, since it's on the "honor system", would be automatic. However, anyone who changes their mind can contact me and we'll work out how to return a charge with as little hassle as possible.) to change their mind, no questions asked (by Amazon or me). This is great because I would rather someone cancel than regret a donation. If anyone selects the option to reveal their information, it sends me an email with payor information. I'm not going to mention individuals here, but I will be sending emails with additional thanks after giving a blanket thank-you now. Also, the minimum is $1.00 and the maximum is set by Amazon at $50.00 per transaction and can't be raised (I was asked that... really. Can you believe the generosity of some people? Incredible.). The more I learn about the Amazon system, the more I like it.
The donations are very much appreciated as the extra attorney fees, filing fees, travel costs, and a HUGE tax hit from having to amend the tax returns for the past couple of years because of this, have really driven us into our reserves much earlier than anything we could have otherwise expected. We hope to be able to re-amend (is that a word?) the income taxes once all the paperwork is filed and complete, maybe recovering some of that extra tax money we ended up paying (that we shouldn't have had to pay in the first place because we did everything they told us we were supposed to do and how can... :breathe: ok, I'm better now.
).
Anyway, thanks to everyone again for their support, prayers, and donations. All three are appreciated in whatever amount offered. Bless you all.
Thank you all again. It's kind of overwhelming still, but in a good way this time.
*UPDATE* Funny, but once I got it to show up in the post, it started showing up in the sidebar and at the bottom of the page. I'll still be taking some time off from blogging to concentrate on getting these legal matters settled, but my stress is greatly lowered already thanks to some pretty wonderful friends.
*UPDATEx2* I just had to add this update as well. And I took out the Amazon button from the post since it's working on the page now.
It looks like anyone who donates has up to 30 days (Note: That was according to the confirmation email that people can send. Some research reveals that it's 7 days from Amazon and up to 30 days to contest it with a credit-card company which, since it's on the "honor system", would be automatic. However, anyone who changes their mind can contact me and we'll work out how to return a charge with as little hassle as possible.) to change their mind, no questions asked (by Amazon or me). This is great because I would rather someone cancel than regret a donation. If anyone selects the option to reveal their information, it sends me an email with payor information. I'm not going to mention individuals here, but I will be sending emails with additional thanks after giving a blanket thank-you now. Also, the minimum is $1.00 and the maximum is set by Amazon at $50.00 per transaction and can't be raised (I was asked that... really. Can you believe the generosity of some people? Incredible.). The more I learn about the Amazon system, the more I like it.
The donations are very much appreciated as the extra attorney fees, filing fees, travel costs, and a HUGE tax hit from having to amend the tax returns for the past couple of years because of this, have really driven us into our reserves much earlier than anything we could have otherwise expected. We hope to be able to re-amend (is that a word?) the income taxes once all the paperwork is filed and complete, maybe recovering some of that extra tax money we ended up paying (that we shouldn't have had to pay in the first place because we did everything they told us we were supposed to do and how can... :breathe: ok, I'm better now.
).Anyway, thanks to everyone again for their support, prayers, and donations. All three are appreciated in whatever amount offered. Bless you all.
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25 April 2008
Trouble With The Law
I've met literally dozens of fine attorneys while in the military and only one that I didn't have respect for. I've never been arrested, accused of a crime (besides three speeding tickets in almost 30 years, the last one over 12 years ago), or sued for anything.
Patterico, and the lawyers who co-blog and comment at his site, is/are a great example of how I feel about most attorneys. Excellent minds, strong character, and respect for the opinions of others are business as usual there.
I'm currently at my wits end though. (Note: I've deleted this part and re-written it four five six times so far before publishing... that's how difficult this is to talk about.) We're trying to work through an attorney to fix mistakes our first attorney made when we adopted our two daughters. This new attorney is ate up from the floor up as well, but we've already paid them over 6,000 dollars and can't afford the time or money to search for another one. This is on top of the thousands of dollars we paid the first attorney.
These last two day-trips out of town were to try and finalize these legal issues. It took a toll on my health and today was the last straw. They sent me an email about 15 minutes before the end of the workday saying they needed a copy of my birth certificate before they could go any further. My birth certificate. Which, by the way, we gave them a copy of at our very first effing meeting.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know most lawyers are good people trying to do a good job. I'm just so disheartened right now that it's difficult to blog or even comment elsewhere. I'm sick with worry that we might lose our daughters and my health is spiraling down because of it.
I'm taking a break for a while, maybe a long while, maybe forever. I want to thank everyone who has come by to visit and hope you've found it worthwhile. I appreciate all the support too, you know who you are.
Be well.
Patterico, and the lawyers who co-blog and comment at his site, is/are a great example of how I feel about most attorneys. Excellent minds, strong character, and respect for the opinions of others are business as usual there.
I'm currently at my wits end though. (Note: I've deleted this part and re-written it four five six times so far before publishing... that's how difficult this is to talk about.) We're trying to work through an attorney to fix mistakes our first attorney made when we adopted our two daughters. This new attorney is ate up from the floor up as well, but we've already paid them over 6,000 dollars and can't afford the time or money to search for another one. This is on top of the thousands of dollars we paid the first attorney.
These last two day-trips out of town were to try and finalize these legal issues. It took a toll on my health and today was the last straw. They sent me an email about 15 minutes before the end of the workday saying they needed a copy of my birth certificate before they could go any further. My birth certificate. Which, by the way, we gave them a copy of at our very first effing meeting.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know most lawyers are good people trying to do a good job. I'm just so disheartened right now that it's difficult to blog or even comment elsewhere. I'm sick with worry that we might lose our daughters and my health is spiraling down because of it.
I'm taking a break for a while, maybe a long while, maybe forever. I want to thank everyone who has come by to visit and hope you've found it worthwhile. I appreciate all the support too, you know who you are.
Be well.
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23 April 2008
Links Around The Moronosphere
I've had a drop in output the past four days for some health issues, a wonky router, and two short-notice day-trips out of town back to back. Health is coming back, I have a new router which I'll install tomorrow (I'd do it now, but I want all four kids involved so they learn how to set up a home network), the day-trips are done and I'm not likely to need further action on that front.
Fortunately, doubleplusundead keeps doing his phenomenal job of collecting the best postings from "The Morons". Regular readers of The Ace of Spades have come to be known as morons and dpud noticed how many had their own blogs. Inspired, he created "The Moronosphere" (check the blogroll) and with S.Weasel doing the graphics, has assembled an eclectic group of self-described morons who put out some startlingly-good articles. I'm not sure why I was invited unless they needed someone to bring the average back down to moron-level.
So check out the links at dpud's and enjoy some of the smartest morons you'll ever meet. I'm proud to be one of them.
Fortunately, doubleplusundead keeps doing his phenomenal job of collecting the best postings from "The Morons". Regular readers of The Ace of Spades have come to be known as morons and dpud noticed how many had their own blogs. Inspired, he created "The Moronosphere" (check the blogroll) and with S.Weasel doing the graphics, has assembled an eclectic group of self-described morons who put out some startlingly-good articles. I'm not sure why I was invited unless they needed someone to bring the average back down to moron-level.
So check out the links at dpud's and enjoy some of the smartest morons you'll ever meet. I'm proud to be one of them.
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Taking Back The Neighborhood
The only patrolling I ever did as an enlisted soldier in the military was during Field Training Exercises. As a Nurse Corps officer, patrolling wasn't even an option during training as our mission was different. Kim du Toit over at The Other Side of Kim has a great article about a soldier returning from Iraq and getting involved in his local Neighborhood Watch.
Great story and now I'm considering the Neighborhood Watch in my own area. I'm pretty asocial by nature. Not anti-social, I'm just happy being at home with the family and don't see the need to leave for other company. This could be something that helps me get to know the neighbors in a way that I'm comfortable with.
Great story and now I'm considering the Neighborhood Watch in my own area. I'm pretty asocial by nature. Not anti-social, I'm just happy being at home with the family and don't see the need to leave for other company. This could be something that helps me get to know the neighbors in a way that I'm comfortable with.
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20:58:52
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22 April 2008
Teen To Face WMD Charge In School-Bombing Plan
The 18-year-old who planned to bomb his high school is facing a possible life sentence after being charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and two other charges.
This was a straight-A student who police say was just "mad at the world". What were his parents worried most about?
more...
Authorities have said Schallenberger could have assembled deadly bombs within minutes with the materials they found. Police said they also discovered bombing plans including a hand-drawn map of the school, a hate-filled journal lauding the Columbine killers and an audiotape that authorities say was to have been played after Schallenberger died.
Schallenberger has been charged by the state with making a bomb threat, and county prosecutor Jay Hodge planned Tuesday to charge him with possession of bomb-making materials.
more...
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21 April 2008
Dr. Sanity On Paranoia And Projection
When I first started reading blogs, I spent a lot of time on "progressive" sites trying to understand their reasoning. As I kept hearing about the coming "Bush Theocracy" and how fascist our government was becoming, with any dispute being attacked or mocked hysterically, I stopped even reading them. I couldn't understand why discussion over disagreements was impossible.
Dr. Pat frequently gives the answers and does so again today.
It would be reasonable to laugh if it weren't so pervasive in Democrat elected officials.
more...
Dr. Pat frequently gives the answers and does so again today.
Don't expect a rational response to such questions. Questions like that
only elicit further complicated conspiracy theories that are
constructed around all of the shibboleths of the left (many of which
have evolved into dogma since 9/11)--anti-capitalism; multilateralism;
multiculturalism; poverty; victims of US imperialism; anti-Americanism
etc. etc. If you put all the conspiracy theories together you will find
a concatenation of bizarre and often contradictory components that
should make any reasonably intelligent person roll on the floor with
hoots of laughter.
It would be reasonable to laugh if it weren't so pervasive in Democrat elected officials.
more...
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20 April 2008
Sweep Nets Nearly 300 Illegal Aliens
A sweep covering five states netted almost 300 arrests of illegal aliens on charges of identity theft, document fraud, and being in the country illegally.
The raids were part of a long-term investigation, officials said. Plants were raided in Mount Pleasant, Texas, Batesville, Ark., Live Oak, Fla., Chattanooga, Tenn. and Moorefield, W.Va., authorities said.
Atkinson
said the company went to ICE agents with information about identity
theft at the Arkansas plant. The company uses a federal database to
check identity documents of new employees, but that wouldn't stop a
person from using a real, but stolen ID, he said.
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19 April 2008
I Thought Government Had To Solve These Problems
I must have read this article half-a-dozen times looking for the angle. It's from CNN, right? There has to be one. Ham-handed rhetoric slipped in about illegal-immigration, taxes, the economy, the administration, religion, drugs, guns... something. I can't recall CNN ever doing a straight report about a positive topic. Until now, apparently. Meet Maria Ruiz:
There, for the first time, she saw poverty in the extreme. People lived in homes made of wooden pallets. The elementary school was built of makeshift materials and had no running water or electricity. Teachers told her that many children were failing because they were hungry.
"My heart went out to those kids," Ruiz recalled. "I couldn't just cross my arms and turn away from it. I needed to do something."
She convinced local businesses to donate goods and made the trips down to Juarez to help. Read the entire article to see how one person can make a difference. A truly remarkable woman and equally remarkable article that didn't take an opportunity to advance an agenda. Credit where it's due, nice job CNN.
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18 April 2008
Moronosphere Links From dpud
Wireless router fried, backup wonky, and health on a 1 - 10 scale is about a 3. Check out doubleplusundead's links because with four stories tabbed that I haven't seen anywhere else, I just don't have it in me to write them up right now.
Maybe in the morning I'll feel better, go out to get a working router, write up a lot of good articles, and win the lottery. Any three out of the four would be enough for me.
Maybe in the morning I'll feel better, go out to get a working router, write up a lot of good articles, and win the lottery. Any three out of the four would be enough for me.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at
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17 April 2008
"New" Nerve Disease?
Workers who remove brains from slaughtered pigs have apparently contracted a new nerve disease.
It sounds very much like an old nerve disease. The symptoms are different, but they should be looking very strongly at whether prions have anything to do with this new disease. That seems much more likely than the theory advanced in the article.
It's possible the pigs were flying before they were slaughtered I guess. This could very possibly become the new "Mad Cow" disease if they don't get their act together.
They said the illness is a new disorder that causes a range of
symptoms, from inflammation of the spinal cord to mild weakness,
fatigue, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs.
It sounds very much like an old nerve disease. The symptoms are different, but they should be looking very strongly at whether prions have anything to do with this new disease. That seems much more likely than the theory advanced in the article.
Lachance said it is possible that bits of pig brain stimulated an
immune response in the bodies of the workers, causing their immune
systems to improperly attack their own nerve tissue.
It's possible the pigs were flying before they were slaughtered I guess. This could very possibly become the new "Mad Cow" disease if they don't get their act together.
Posted by: Stashiu3 at
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