Roe v. Wade

Pro-Choice

Today is the 34th anniversary of the landmark decision handed down from the Supreme Court to allow legal abortions in the United States. Since 1973, we have been a divided nation on this subject. It comes down to the fourteenth amendment and includes equal protection and civil rights.

Last year, with the help of the religious right backed by your President, many states have begun moving toward restricting a woman's rights by making it harder to get a legal abortion. Ohio and South Dakota are leading the way in taking away this constitutional right. They are proposing bills that would make it a felony to transport a pregnant woman across state lines to receive an abortion. They would lecture her about her moral responsibility (in their eyes) and make her wait 24 hours. The legal wrangling goes on.

Prior to 1973, unwanted pregnancies were met with hot, wire coat hangers in back alleys resulting in death or ultimate sterility for the woman in many instances. Post 1973 has brought safety to these women and allowed them dignity in their freedom to do with their body as they wish.

Put your religious views aside for a moment and listen with an open mind. I have two children and abortion was never a option for me, however I believe in America and our freedoms. We have the right to bear arms, the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, you see where I'm going. The freedom for a woman to choose whether she is ready for a child or not should be hers along with her mate, not some legislature or the neighbor three doors down. I have personally known two people that chose abortion because they weren't ready at that time. I have supported them in their decision both mentally and financially and they went on to pursue life to its fullest. Had they been forced to become parents at that time, these people would be different today, though nobody knows if it would be for better or worse. The point is that they got to choose!

I'm not saying it should be legal up until birth, I think only during the first trimester. In that time she knows if she wants to carry it to term or not. But let's look at other reasons to keep abortion legal.

1. Rape or incest. This child would not be wanted.
2. Under age. This child would be a burden on her, her parents and society.
3. Illegal abortions would rise resulting in death and sterility for the woman.

If a woman was forced to carry her unwanted child to term, do you think that the child would be in perfect health? Do you think the mother would care for herself and the child as she would if it were wanted? Would she change her lifestyle to ensure a healthy baby? Not likely! This unhealthy child would become a ward of the state and thus become a burden on society. Also, would it be fair for the child to be born with these potential heath problems and still not be wanted?

If you have the opportunity to speak out, let people know that a woman has the right to choose what's best for her.

Uphold Roe v. Wade!

And That's What I Think!

Snow Day!

This week has been something else. The "BIG" arctic blast that was suppose to hit us Saturday, didn't really. The temperature dropped earlier than expected but the promise of ice was delayed.

I woke up Sunday morning, and although it was cold, there was no ice on the ground. "Sweet!", I thought, "It missed us." In watching the morning news, they promised, again, that it was coming. So we stayed home all day so as to not be caught out in the ice storm. By about 4 PM, with still no precipitation, we headed out to eat and to get out of the house. It was cold! The weather people still insisted that it was coming.

Monday morning there was ice. Not the 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch they warned everyone about. Really just a light coating. Ice is still ice, though. However, by the time the sun got up and cars started moving around, the roads were fine. Jenny worked, but the kid's daycare was closed and nobody showed up at my work. How ridiculous . . . .

Tuesday it was still cold. But the roads were completely dry. The schools were open and we all worked. It looked like the rest of the week would be smooth sailing, other than the cold temperatures.

Wednesday, this morning, we wake up to snow on the ground. Before the snow hit, it sleeted, leaving a thin layer of ice underneath. Everything was closed. No work, no school. This week is going to be rough on the pocket book.

The kids enjoyed playing in the snow. We got about 1/2 inch, I think. The ground was cold enough for it to stay thanks to the previous two days of below freezing temps.

It got up to 32° today and, with the cars on the roads, melted the snow and ice. The bad news is that the roads weren't dry by the time the sun went down and it is going to freeze again tonight. This can only lead to more ice on the roads in the morning. Also, we are still under a winter storm watch until Friday night. No idea until morning if the schools will be open and if anybody will be working.

I'm just ready to throw my hands in the air and head south for the weekend. Next week is bound to be better!

And That's What I Think!

The Winter Of 2004

An arctic blast of frigid cold weather is about to hit us tonight and we will remain in the 30's until Wednesday or Thursday. We usually get ice a couple of times every winter. Last year I was stranded in Oklahoma because the Metroplex was covered in ice and ALL the overpasses were closed. I had to wait until daylight before I could ease back into town.

I've been driving big trucks for fifteen years and the scariest time I ever encountered was two winters ago. I had a little run to Tulsa where I made several deliveries and then on to Arkansas before I could head home. Just before the Christmas holiday, back in 2004, I just had to run up to Tulsa and then back home for the long weekend.

As I was headed north, I hit a small blizzard. Visibility dropped to 1/2 mile as the snow pelted the area. I got word that Tulsa was spared this storm and I would be able to make my deliveries without any problems, so I trucked on.

Finished in Tulsa, I headed south, dreaming of warmer weather. As I passed I-40 I saw the blizzard was still in full force. It had been snowing in southern Oklahoma for the past 7 hours. Snow was packed pretty well on the interstate and visibility wasn't too bad. The landscape covered in white is one of the most beautiful sights in nature.

Travel was slow, I maintained about 40 - 45 MPH. After the sun set and the temperature dropped, I knew the possibility for slicker roads was imminent. When a couple of big trucks passed me, my misguided confidence told me to increase me speed. With that I eased up to about 55 MPH. The roads seemed packed well, but with night full on the visibility had decreased. Add to this the blowing snow across the road and I was lucky to see 1/4 to 1/2 mile. I knew that I should slow down, but I was becoming transfixed on the road in front of me.

There was lots of talk on the radio about slick roads ahead and many cars and trucks in the ditches and medians. The road felt alright to me and I wanted to get as far south as possible even if I couldn't make it all the way home.

I was less that an hour from the Texas state line when the road became very "dusty". Snow was blowing up from the road surface as well as from the East. Visibility dropped dramatically, but I was convinced that I was still doing alright.

Suddenly, through the snow dust, I saw tail lights! The poor visibility was due to two cars moving extremely slow in the right lane. I instictively swerved left and stabbed my brakes trying to avoid a collision and pass them on the left. When I stabbed my brakes I found out that the road had a thin layer of ice over the snow. I careened toward the median. I couldn't believe this was happening, it seemed so surreal.

As I looked toward the oncoming traffic I saw that a car and two big trucks were lining up with me in what would surely be a life ending crash. I screamed, "NOOOO!!!!" and turned the wheel all the way to the right. When I reached the bottom on the median, the front wheels finally found traction and the truck lurched right. I immediately down shifted and hit the accelerator and drove back onto the highway.

The two vehicles I was attempting to pass had slowed to let my "accident" play out. I eased back into the slow lane at about 35 MPH. I was white as a ghost and shaking. The next truck stop was only about ten miles down the road.

I pulled into the truck stop and got out to examine what damaged had been done. To my surprise, I couldn't find any sign that I had ever left the road, much less went four-wheeling. The next several weeks I would look for the spot where I had left the road as I continued my run to and from Tulsa. I never could find it, though I had a good idea where it should be.

With no damage done to the truck, and no proof of where I left the road, was it my imagination or just a bad dream?

And That's What Happened, Really.

Fort Worth Zoo

We went to the zoo this past weekend. It was a lot busier than I thought it would be in January. The Girl Scout Cookie pick up was in the zoo parking lot, so while we were there, why not?

Here are some pictures:

At the front gate.

A rare, hard shelled grass eater, seldom seen this time of the year.

The kids feeding parakeets.

Kangaroos chillin'.

The kids being angels.

We were there until they closed at 4 PM and didn't get to see everything. So we'll have to go back soon!

And That's What I Think.

Good Eatin'

We have recently eaten at three new (to us) places that are worth mentioning.

The first one was driving Jenny crazy as they were building it. They never put a sign up to tell people what it was. She's usually pretty good at looking at the construction and being able to say what it is going to be. This building has a huge play area behind it, a drive thru window and at the front, it looks like a barn tilted to the right! Asking other business' in the area got many responses from "a new style Burger King" to "a daycare". Jenny eventually called the city to ask what was being built!

When a new restaurant opens in our restaurant starved little town, it is over booked, crowded, long wait to be seated, for about a month. So we wait. Chicken Reds was no exception, at first. After only a couple of weeks we noticed the parking lot was not too crowded so we decided to see if we could get in. Come to find out, Chicken Reds is fast food. You can't tell it from the outside as it is a big building with the sit down restaurant look. They have really good chicken strips with their own sauce. The chicken sandwiches were just alright. The kicker, though, was that they make their own waffle cones, so of course we had to have dessert. There is also a play area for the kids inside. I guess they are too new because I can't find a web presence at all. This is the only location.

The next place we tried was Qdoba. This is easily compared to Chipotle, but with better food and more choices. When we walked in, we saw the similarities right away, but once we sat down and started eating, the food was noticeably better than Chipotle. Fresh ingredients, kid friendly, good service and lots of food choices made this a great experience. Best of all, you can try it, too. They are all over the country. To help out my friends and family reading this, they have locations in Baltimore, MD;Jacksonville, FL; North Carolina; Bellevue, Seattle, Spokane, WA; Hawthorne, CA and Phoenix, AZ. Unfortunately there are none in New Mexico and the only ones in Texas are here in the Metroplex. Check out Qdoba's web sight for more info.

The next hunger buster was Shady Oaks barbeque. We had been wanting to try this place for some time, but for some reason just never got around to it, until this past weekend. A fair assessment to this place is a combination of Spring Creek BBQ and The Railhead BBQ. They bring you out a loaf of pull apart bread covered in garlic. The sweet tea was perfect and their home-made sauce brought out in a bottle warm was slightly sweet yet tangy. The sausage was good and the sliced beef was tender. The fried okra was seasoned perfectly and the potato salad was just right. We were completely stuffed when all was said and done. We look forward to eating here again when the thought of BBQ hits us.

If you know me, you know I enjoy eating. I recommend all three of these places. If there is one near you, try it out!

And That's What I Think!

This Is Our Your Leader

I say YOUR because I didn't vote for him. It's no secret that I think G. W. Bush is a failure to the people of America, so lets broach this subject again.


Love him or hate him, he is number one. In a recent Ap-Aol news poll your esteemed leader was voted number one as the biggest villain and the biggest hero. I guess depending on which side of the fence you sit indicates which finger you show him.

How has he been so successful at polarizing the country? I think that a lot of America either doesn't know what he have in the "leader of the free world" or they just choose to look the other way (i.e. straight Republican ticket).

Being that I've lived in Texas for the majority of my life, I saw who G.W. was from the first. I've also found a few web sights for you to peruse on your own.

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/04/23_resume.html

http://monkeydyne.com/bushresume/resume.html

Before he moved into the White House he was a failure on many levels.

1. He received a DWI and two year license suspension in Maine - failure to his parents.
2. AWOL from National Guard and deserted the military during a time of war - failure to the military.
3. While owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team he traded Sammy Sosa to the White Sox - failure to North Texas baseball fans.
4. Bought and bankrupt an oil company - failure to his family.
5. Ran for Congress and lost - failure to himself.

After stealing the election (he did not win the popular vote) and moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he has added even more reasons to despise him. Here are just a few:

1. Spent the surplus and bankrupted the treasury.
2. First president in US history to enter office with a criminal record.
3. First year in office set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history.
4. Set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12 month period.
5. Appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions than any president in US history.
6. Presided over the highest gasoline prices in US history and refused to use the national reserves as past presidents have.

The list could go on forever. G.W. reminds me of an only child ready to throw a tantrum if he doesn't get his way. However in his mind, he can do whatever he wants and routinely does.

He's turned the majority of the world against us by going against the UN's recommendations and thereby isolating the U.S. He has the attitude of a three year old; don't tell him he can't because that will make him do it.

Two years left and counting. This just scratched the surface. There's allegations of insider trading, he refuses to answer question about drug use, and all records about his past have been sealed and are not available for public viewing. Can we say CORRUPTION?

In the mean time, we should be keeping our eyes on China and India as these two countries are quickly becoming the economic superpowers of the world. But your leader has blinders on for Iraq.

And That's What I Think.

Christmas Gifts

The kids had a really good Christmas this year, as far as presents go. Besides the mp3 players, stereos, learning laptops, trains, cool clothes and everything else, the coolest gift was the Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest Pinball Machine!

When Jenny's parents got to our house I was told that I needed to help bring in a box from the truck. I'm thinking they put a bunch of presents in a big box and it was just awkward to handle. I get out there and see this huge box filling up the entire bed of the truck and it is definitely a two man job. (Some how I always end up being the one that walks backwards when doing a two person move.)

So we get everything in the house and get the thing set up (after moving some furniture around to make it fit) and viola! We have an arcade game in our house. Now I need to get rid of all the furniture in the family room and get a pool table, shuffle board and Galaga machine. Then we'll stick a bar in the corner, get an alcohol license and start making money.

But, really, the pinball game is pretty cool. Johnnie is a little small for it and Lacye has never really played that type of game but the "bigger" kids had a bunch of fun. On New Years Eve we had a few people over and had a bit of a competition. Good times!

I guess the next step is to actually watch the movie so we know what the sound clips are referring to. LOL Anyone up for a game, no qaurters required?

And That's What I Think

My Kids

A couple of months ago we took the kids and some friends to the local air show. The fire department was there letting kids of all sizes climb into the truck and passing out plastic fire hats. Johnnie, almost four at the time, let it be known then and there that when he grows up he's going to be a fireman. I told him that would be a very cool thing for him to be.

This past weekend we took the kids to Toys R Us to spend the gift cards they got for Christmas (Thanks Joaquin). Johnnie homed in on a really cool fireman dress up. It has the fireman coat, hat, water hose, ax, fire extinguisher, badge and walkie talkie.



Lacye is still really enjoying Girl Scouts. She is working on earning several badges and has already earned one or two. She won't get them until the "badge ceremony". For Christmas Grandma Sharon got her the whole Brownie outfit, shirt, skort, tie, socks and hat. She's ready now!

Girl Scout Cookies go on sale this weekend. Hopefully you will buy from us. Can we put you down for one box of each?

The Barnett Shale

When we moved to the country 4 years ago, I was excited. Getting out of the city to peace and quiet. Our little neighborhood off a county road is very peaceful, not much noise. We're in a different county than the big city and in a good school district. The clean air, trees, and able to see the stars at night were the major factors in deciding to move out of the Metroplex. We are far enough from the city to enjoy the country, but close enough to quickly get to the city when we want it.

There are a few cons to living so far out:

• We can't get cable or DSL
• We can't get pizza to deliver to us
• We are on well water and septic

Those little things we've learned to deal with.

Enter the "Gas Boom" in North Texas. The Barnett Shale -- a rock formation more than 7,000 feet beneath the ground -- is one of the biggest natural gas fields in the United States. It's been there for millions of years, and now the oil companies are going after it.

We've seen these gas drilling rigs going up all over the area for most of 2006. They are ugly to look at when traveling on the hiways and byways, they run 24/7 and are lit up at night so you can see them for miles. When they started encroaching on our neighborhood, I started groaning about it. Our peace and quiet disappeared. Instead of hearing crickets and coyotes and night, now we hear the drilling.

I guess maybe I complained too loud or too often, because this past week they put a rig up across the street from my house! It's across the county road, but now I can here the thing in my house when all other noise is quite (i.e. TV, kids). I'm furious with the situation but I know there's nothing I can do about it short of sneaking over there, wiping out the crew on duty and blowing the thing to kingdom come - GTA style. LOL

This is the view from my front porch!

I haven't seen the upside to all this drilling. It hasn't affected me in the positive at all. The only people I see benefiting are the oil companies. They offered me $75 to drill under my property, at which I scoffed at them.

My house uses all electric. If the power plant that serves my area uses natural gas, I haven't seen a change in my bill.

The oil companies want to make it sound like this is the greatest thing to happen in North Texas. Maybe for them it is, for the average Joe like me, it stinks!

And That's What's Bugging Me.