This baby was 21 weeks old. (Second Trimester)

The full story is here : Hand of Hope

On Aug. 19, 1999, photographer Michael Clancy shot the “Fetal Hand Grasp” — his picture of a 21-week-old fetus grasping a doctor’s finger during innovative surgery to correct spina bifida.

Read the story.

When you think of abortion, think of this boy but if nothing else….

Think about it.

We can rethink our decisions a thousand times but what we decide we own.

We make thousands of decisions on a daily basis, some small, some large, but each impact who we are.  What clothes should I wear? Should I eat that second piece of cake? Should I have that fourth beer?  Should I spend time with the kids?

Some decisions are bad and some decisions are good but they all have one thing in common. They are our decisions.

We are defined by the decisions we have made in the past and we have to live with the consequences but luckily it doesn’t end there.  Life goes on. The journey continues. The decisions we make today add to the definition of  who we are tomorrow.

Now is not the time to focus on what other people are doing.  The blame game is rarely won.  Now is the time to focus on what you can change.  You can change your decisions. Own them.

Think about it.

There is a bill working through committees in both the House and Senate called the Craig-Nidetch Healthy Lifestyles Act.  This piece of legislation, if passed, would raise an enormous amount of revenue for government funded public health care. The act would generate revenue from three sources, a 5% sales tax on non-essential food, a 15% federal tax on all restaurant bills, and a yearly BMI Tax.

Senator Craig had this to say about the bill, “Every American deserves free health care, our kids deserve it, our senior citizens deserve it and this bill will fund a much needed and overdue government provided service.”

The bill is still being hammered out but here are the details at this point. The 5% sales tax on non-essential food will be for all food and drink determined by the FDA and the Surgeon General to contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle. The 15% federal tax will be in addition to all local and state taxes and will be collected by every licensed restaurant or vendor. The yearly BMI tax will be a progressive tax based on the percentage each individual person in the household is over their target BMI(Body Mass Index).  If filing jointly, it will be an aggregate total for all household members.

A spokesperson for the PCI (Progressive Cretinous Institute) had this to say about the critics of the bill, “The science is undeniable. There can be no more discussion.  Critics of this bill are on the fringe. We would liken them to the Moon Landing deniers and they are filled with hate just like any neo-nazi group.”

The above is nothing more than an april fools but don’t laugh.  If we let the government continue on the current authoritarian path, this could happen.  1984 could happen. Liberty is not lost all at once, it is gradually given away.

Think about it.

I’ve always considered myself a chevy guy. My first car was a 88 Chevy Cavalier. It had 4 wheels, an engine but not much else; no air conditioning, no power windows, no automatic transmission and no radio (that lasted about 2 days until I bought a cheap one at Kmart). My dad always had Chevy’s. The car I learned how to drive on was a 78 Chevy Impala (think cop car). I’ve always had good luck with my Chevy’s. They weren’t flashy but were reliable and well made. So, for me this is a tough decision but…..

I will not buy another Chevrolet or GM car again (Chrysler is out too but then again I would never have bought a chrysler in the first place. What can I say, I was a chevy guy.).

How does a Chevy guy come to this decision? I can not and will not support private sector bailouts and government control of private sector companies. I voted against this in the past presidential election and now I will vote with my dollars.

Ford is looking pretty good to me right now and I suspect to many other Americans that want to buy American but don’t support big government run amok.

Think about it.

It’s powerful, positive and I liked it.

Think about it.

Porkins is a guest writer for today’s rant. He is a veteran ranter, and carries his metaphoric soap box with him wherever he goes. He is an otherwise average Joe, in middle name only.

Dear Drackles,

Why did you do it?  What possible compulsion led you to forage, week after miserable rainy week, for the thousands of of pieces of twigs, string, leaves, can pop top (?), and other detritus into the tiny hole in the side of the house.  Sure, it’s high up, in between the first and second floor and well protected from predators.  But seriously, didn’t the noise, wind, and heat lower the market value of that particular piece of property?  It’s not like there is a shortage of places to build a nest in my back yard.  In fact, there are two other trees within 25 feet of the dryer vent.

I tried to be tolerant.  I refrained from destroying your first nest until our vent was so blocked that our clothes were not drying any more and the whole laundry room smelled like it was going to start on fire.  So I ripped your budding home to shreds.  When you started building it the second time, I again waited in the hopes you wouldn’t block it up completely.  You did.  And as a result, your straw fortress was besieged and destroyed with the battering ram of my fist.  The third time, you were quite stealthy.  I didn’t even know you had come back until I noticed that my clothes were again not drying and that there was no more dryer lint accumulating on the patio out back, being that there was a giant wall of mud covering it.  How the hell did you get so much mud up there anyway?  You don’t have any thumbs!

So I did what any calm, sensible, rational man would do – I destroyed your home for the third, and what I hope will be the final time.

Look, I’m not a monster.  I don’t take pleasure in the destruction of what surely took you a lot of time and effort to build.  I was also very careful this last time when completely destroying your nest as I was fearful that there would be babies or eggs, though I was sure that the heat from the dryer would have cooked them completely.  But given the choice between your comfort and my dryer starting on fire, you’re going to lose every time.  Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.

Save us both a lot of time and effort – just build your nest in a tree like normal birds instead of trying to be sly and building it inside of a brick enclosure.

“In May of last year, the Gallup polling organization asked 1,200 American adults about their giving patterns. People who called themselves “conservative” or “very conservative” made up 42% of the population surveyed, but gave 56% of the total charitable donations. In contrast, “liberal” or “very liberal” respondents were 29% of those polled but gave just 7% of donations.

These disparities were not due to differences in income. People who said they were “very conservative” gave 4.5% of their income to charity, on average; “conservatives” gave 3.6%; “moderates” gave 3%; “liberals” gave 1.5%; and “very liberal” folks gave 1.2%.”  - from the WSJ

Conservatives are so cold-hearted.  huh?? Sorry, strike that. Liberals are so cold-hearted.  Imagine that.  So, let me get this straight, they don’t want to give, they want to take.

Think about it.

That’s the question isn’t it? Why do so many Americans vote against Republican candidates?

The reasons are many but I think the following three are the most important.

Tell me again the differences between a Democrat and a Republican? They both want to take my money (although for different reasons) and they both want to tell me how to live my life. The Republicans need to get clear separation from the Democrats on basic issues – Lower taxes, Smaller government, Personal responsibility, Individual freedom, Strong national defense and State’s rights.  Don’t give lip service to it. Believe it. Live it. Start with these fundamental issues and sell it! The american voter is a customer.  The Republican party needs to explain why they have a better product (ideas) and deliver on that product so they can get repeat customers.

Do the Republicans need to be so close to the evangelical right? Gay marriage, school prayer and family values are not the most important issues on the average American’s mind. It’s time to distance themselves from the authoritarian wing of the evangelical right.  Why are we even talking about gay marriage?  Why is the government involved in straight marriage? They are only distractions from the core issues that will alienate a growing base of libertarians and moderates that may or may not agree with the issues personally but definitely don’t want the government telling them what to do!

Where are the great candidates? The Republicans need orators. Candidates that can inspire the base and explain the differences in clear, concise language. A modern day version would be Daniel Hannon, but the classic example was Ronald Reagan. He  was the last great orator for the republican party.  He mixed that everyman quality with brains and a sense a humor.

The time is now for the Republicans to regain their focus and get back to the basics.

Think about it.

It’s a sad day for America,  Arlen “Turncoat” Specter just became a democrat.  Limited government took one step closer to the abyss.  There is always hope but the democrats led by the Three Amigos (Obama, Pelosi, Reid) can do massive amounts of damage in the next 18 months until the mid term elections.

Think about it.

The republicans and democrats have platforms. Now, Joe’s Rant does as well

The Platform

It’s only an outline at this point but it will be expanded.

Think about it