Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies

Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.

Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown.

A beautiful woman with an amazing talent.  May she find the peace she sought.  Many prayers with the family.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Now, there are lots of headlines right now about battles over birth control and abortion rights. A federal judge in Texas has is upholding a law that provides abortion providers to show or describe to women an ultrasound of the fetus before he can have an abortion.

BARBARA WALTERS: And the heartbeat.

JOY BEHAR: It’s very totalitarian in my opinion. I mean, it smacks of forcing somebody to confront something that they have already decided they don’t want to deal with.

ELISABETH HASSELBECK: Can I ask you a question, though? Because I’m going to take my personal feelings about abortion out of this, but from a medical perspective- and I’ll ask this of anyone- you wouldn’t necessarily go in to get, I don’t know, say, a cyst removed or tooth extracted or a kidney that had to be, you know, examined and have surgery on, you would never go through any medical procedure without looking at an ultrasound, seeing an X-ray and the physician by no means want to do that procedure, go ahead with it without looking at the scientific evidence.

BEHAR: Doesn’t the doctor look at it though?

HASSELBECK: Hang on, as a patient I would just want information. To me, it doesn’t make sense why you wouldn’t- why you would ask for an X-ray for those things or an ultrasound but not in this case.

WALTERS: Let me try to answer you. First of all, it is interesting in every primary the subject of abortion comes up and it is always so controversial and so divisive and yet in the actual election, it plays a very small part. I always find that fascinating. It’s always an issue, but people, with it all, do not vote for the president on that issue. I think that in order to even think about having an abortion, to give up a child that is obviously unwanted, that’s why you’re doing it, it is such a tremendous decision, it’s involved with so much fear of what you’re doing and guilt.

HASSELBECK: But if that-

WALTERS: Wait! Then to have to go and be forced to hear, to see the fetus, to hear the heartbeat, to put more guilt on you, I think is heartbreaking.

How any woman can be so dismissive of the life of an innocent child is totally beyond me!  I have completely lost any respect for Barbara Walters that I had left, and believe me, it wasn’t much.  I’ve never had any for Behar,  and I actually use to really like Whoopi Goldberg.  She should have stuck to comedy.  I’ve no idea who Sherri Shepherd is….never heard of her, but perhaps she should find some more legitimate line of work?

With the White House under fire for its new rule requiring employers including religious organizations to offer health insurance that fully covers birth control coverage, ABC News has learned that later today the White House — possibly President Obama himself — will likely announce an attempt to accommodate these religious groups.

The move, based on state models, will almost certainly not satisfy bishops and other religious leaders since it will preserve the goal of women employees having their birth control fully covered by health insurance.

Sources say it will be respectful of religious beliefs but will not back off from that goal, which many religious leaders oppose since birth control is in violation of their religious beliefs.

First off, abortions are NOT health care. Unless both the child and the mother are in distress, and the doctors must save one or the other (I would CHOOSE the baby), then there is no reason for any insurance company, or a business should have to pay for an abortion. It is an elective surgery, then ends the life of a human being. I’m going to be rather crude here, and compare it to Queen Nancy’s cosmetic enhancements. Neither one is a necessary procedure.

Second, Shelia Jackson Lee once again proves how evil she really is, and has NO clue what true faith is. Republicans have fought to destroy God in this country? No, it’s the Democrats who have worked very hard to remove God from all aspects of our lives, in public and private. Republicans ‘do no work, help no one’? The Democrats have helped NO ONE. All they have done is create a greater dependency on the government, destroyed families, and created policies that prevent many from being able to find a job. Democrats are also rather notorious for their selfishness when it comes to charity. We don’t give a flying flip what his name is, or what color he is…that ‘race card’ is over used, and means nothing anymore.

Not only does this bill violate the U.S. Constitution by forcing people to buy something they do not want, it is also a violation of God’s Law! Whether you are Catholic or not, if you believe in the Word of God, then there is NO WAY you can accept this flagrant attack on your faith. Nancy Pelosi claims to be Catholic. She’s not. It’s just a word to her. The Catholic Church’s doctrine is, in simple terms, you don’t kill babies! Most churches, REAL churches, whose head is Christ, believe in the sanctity of life. Since the Methodists don’t, you can’t even call them a church.

You must ask yourself: Whose power is greater? Is it the government, or is it God! We will all have to stand before the Throne, and be judged. Do you really want to have the sin of the murder of innocents, with blood on your hands?

Exodus 21
22 “If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

What could be more violent than stabbing a baby in the skull and sucking its brains out? What could be more violent than injecting a saline solution into the womb, burning the child, inside and out?  The methods of destroy the tiny life that is growing can only be considered violent.  Forcing people with true faith to participate in such actions is unconscionable!   And I must say, I find it appalling that ANY woman would believe the slaughter of children is called a ‘choice’.

The Catholic Church believes any form of contraception is wrong, and has taught that for as long as there has been an issue about it.  I knew a woman, who was a true practicing Catholic.  She had to get dispensation from the Pope because she had a medical condition that prevented her from conceiving safely. Both her life, and the life of the child, would be in extreme danger, and most likely, both would die.

I realize that a large number of churches in the U.S. have actually forgotten the reason the even exist.  They can’t seem to remember WHO is actually the HEAD of the church.  And HIS law trumps any that man foists on His people.

Abortion opponents are claiming another victory in the battle to defund Planned Parenthood by excluding it from state and federal funding for HIV and syphilis prevention programs.

But the nonprofit is fighting back.

Two Tennessee Planned Parenthood groups sued the state Thursday for denying the nonprofit more than $150,000 in grant money to participate in programs funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Planned Parenthood wants a federal judge to intervene and asked for an injunction against the state.

It seriously annoys me that this bloody business keeps referring to itself as “nonprofit”.  That doesn’t happen to be true.  They make an obscene amount of profit, all from the slaughter of innocent babies.  They do not need our tax dollars, from which the government grants come.  The majority of Americans do not want their money spent on something that is so abhorrent!  There are many organizations other than PP that provide testing for STDs.

Look at the history of Planned Parenthood. It’s not noble, that’s for sure! The intent was to get rid of people of color, those considered “unfit”, like the poor and the disable, and it is still being pushed on the black community. 91% of women who walk through their doors murder their children. 91%. For them to claim otherwise would be a flat out lie.  Nor do they do mammograms!  It’s a referral system.  They get money, they send women elsewhere for screenings.  Why should they receive Koman money if the money isn’t used for the purpose intended?  (I would link to their site, but they were hacked, likely by some pro baby murder supporter.)

I’ve no doubt some people are under the misconception that PP provides services for free.  Not true.  You are charged at the time of your ‘visit’.  Just look at PP’s site….it gives you prices. 

I pray that whatever judge these slaughterers of the innocent go before, will stand with the people of Tennessee.  A civilization that murders its children is not civilized!

UPDATE:  Evidently, The Komen Foundation has reversed its decision.  So much for that donation I was sending.  After their decision, their donations went up 100%.  I wonder how many people will put a ‘stop payment’, or ‘deny charge’ on those donations now.

H/T: Sammye via Facebook

Honestly, it is quite disconcerting to find out you are a year older than what you believed.  We were born in the same year…him in January, me in November.  I thought he was a certain age, and I find out he was a year more than I thought.  This, of course, means I am a year older than I thought.  ACK!  Why could he have let me keep my fantasy….just for a little while longer!!  sigh…

Anyway….I’m sure glad he was born!  Love you!!

Etta James’ performance of the enduring classic “At Last” was the embodiment of refined soul: Angelic-sounding strings harkened the arrival of her passionate yet measured vocals as she sang tenderly about a love finally realized after a long and patient wait.

In real life, little about James was as genteel as that song. The platinum blonde’s first hit was a saucy R&B number about sex, and she was known as a hell-raiser who had tempestuous relationships with her family, her men and the music industry. Then she spent years battling a drug addiction that she admitted sapped away at her great talents.

Rest in gentle peace.

Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill that allows homeowners to legally kill intruders.

The bill, nicknamed the “Castle Doctrine,” creates a presumption of legal immunity for someone who kills or injures a person breaking into his or her home, vehicle or workplace. The measure requires a judge to presume that the use of deadly force was necessary.

IMHO, this should never even be an issue.  If someone is breaking into your home, it’s a pretty safe bet they aren’t there for tea and crumpets!

Exodus 22:2 If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed.

Ezekiel 33:5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.

I had a very dear friend who was attacked in her own bedroom by a man with a knife.  His intent was to kill her after….. If she had had a weapon, odds are, she would not have come so close to death, and lost a kidney. She is now permitted to carry at weapon at all times, even before carry was allowed in the state where she was living at the time, but if she had been able to prior to the attack?

Voicing her opposition to the measure on Thursday, Jackson Lee referenced a previous Texas law, “Just as the courts ruled unconstitutional and upheld the provision of the Texas law that required a doctor to talk first to a woman seeking an abortion and to allow or force them both to listen, uh, to sounds that, uh, might discourage this needed action, this is going to be held unconstitutional. This is not a law that can pass,” Jackson said. (source)

Let’s take a look at her biography, provided by Wikipedia, shall we?  If you read through some of the items here, you will probably come to the same conclusion that I have.  The cheese done slid off the cracker!  That woman is certifiable!  She wants to sell fighter jets to Venezuela?  Seriously?  We won the war in Vietnam?  *shakes head*  And I couldn’t even begin to list the numerous racists comments that woman has made!  Her biography lists her chosen religion as Seventh Day Adventist.

Much of the theology of the Seventh-day Adventist Church corresponds to Protestant Christian teachings such as the Trinity and the infallibility of Scripture. Distinctive teachings include the unconscious state of the dead and the doctrine of an investigative judgment. The church is also known for its emphasis on diet and health, its holistic understanding of the person, its promotion of religious liberty, and its conservative principles and lifestyle.

Infallibility of Scripture?  I would suggest the Adventists reconsider her membership.  Scripture does not describe the murder of babies as “a needed action”.  As a matter of fact, there are quite a few passages that state just the opposite.  Sacrificing children is totally frowned upon by God.  And that’s what abortion is….a sacrifice to the liberal agenda….the ME mindset.

“Promotion of religious liberties and it’s conservative principles and lifestyle“?  Pardon me while a throw up a bit.  Yes, the Adventists seriously need to rethink this woman’s claim to be a member of their denomination.

Mzzzzzz Jackson-Lee, those are not ‘sounds’.  Those are HEARTBEATS of living being!  And you madam, are a tool of evil!

I would strongly urge the citizens of Texas’ 18th Congressional district to send this woman packing.  She is advocating the same thing that Margaret Sanger pushed for……Black Genocide. Her ignorance as a U.S. Congresswoman is astounding!

This isn’t a right or left issue. It’s a right and wrong issue!

First, from Spitfire, at Smart Girl Politics:

It’s Not Too Late: Urge the Governor to Stand Tall?
Governor Haslam Signals Intent To Sign Budget
With Planned Parenthood Funding Intact
Commits Future Support to Ramsey, Harwell Pledge to Defund in 2012

“I guess the big question is what is meant by family planning,” Haslam responded. “If it’s having Planned Parenthood run it out of state dollars, I would not be in favor of that. I would not be in favor of state dollars going to abortion, either. Are there other things that we can do to help on this very serious issue in Tennessee? You bet.”
Candidate Bill Haslam, Speaking to TN Economic Council on Women, October 19, 2010

Read the whole piece here.

We shouldn’t really be surprised.  The candidate always says what we want/need to hear.  Once elected, he/she tends to forget those who actually got him/her into office, and plays games with people’s lives.  In this case, the lives of the unborn.

The second, by Pastor Timothy, at Timothy Matters:

Gov. Haslam: Veto the Entire Bill! An Open Letter to the Governor

Dear Governor Bill Haslam,

I do feel compelled to write to you or even speak with one of your assistants about the pending budget bill that will support Planned Parenthood for another year with Federal Funding. You say that you are pro-life, and take a pro-life stance, but your unwillingness to use your authority with a line-item veto or your veto shows that you are merely pro-life in name only. After all, you are only being pro-life when it is convenient, not when it might actually cost you something. That is not pro-life. That is just being political in nature. Therefore I call on you to repent of this behavior, take a stand for the lives of those who are dying at the hands of abortionist, and actually be bold for righteousness sake. You are the top official in this state and you will be held accountable by God Himself on judgment day for your actions.

Read the whole letter to Haslam here.

Pastor Timothy does not mince words.  Governor Haslam would do well to listen.  There are a great many people in the state of Tennessee who see our tax dollars going to fund an organization whose primary business is baby murder as abhorrent.  We vote.

With the recent fiasco of someone sneaking in to change the wording of the budget, I don’t think you really want to get us even more angry.  It’s a true disappointment that neither you, nor Lt. Gov. Ramsey are standing tall on that issue, which, if either of you had more concern for the lives of the unborn, which you both claim, the roof would have been coming off at the Capital.

As the comment left by a Mr Nance states:

The legislators who defunded planned barrenhood represented the will of the people. The individuals who decided to make themselves dictators and change the wording of the bill against the will of the people committed fraud against the people of Tennessee. If the Governor signs it into law rather than punish the criminals he is an accomplice to the fraud. If the Governor signs this into law what good is our legislature? Why spend the money to have a legislature if we know it’s power to legislate is fake.

Are we truly no longer a country ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’?  If the Republicans forget how and why, they won the majority for the first time in more than a century, then perhaps we’ll just have to remind them the next election.

I have been having some rather odd dreams recently, and for someone who hasn’t remembered a dream in years, the idea they are happening, and remembered on a regular basis, is a little disconcerting.  Night before last, it was a “slasher movie” with David Arquette.  I don’t watch slasher movies, with Arquette, or anyone else for that matter, so I have no idea where that came from, but I’m going to blame one of my prescriptions. 

Last night was a thinker.  As best I can remember, someone was telling me that the world was going to change.  I wouldn’t need to take anything with me, but I would be allowed to fill one box with anything I wanted.  It wasn’t a big box, kind of like one of those you get at the post office.

12x12x8

Now if you’ve ever shipped anything overseas, you know these boxes don’t hold a great deal, and certainly nothing big. 

So, in the dream, I started looking around, wondering what I wanted to keep from this life.  Well, I put one thing in the box.  I kept looking and thinking, there must be something else I’d like to keep.  I thought of pictures, of family members, my parents when they were young, but the more I thought about it, the less I felt the need to keep something that is already in my mind.  How about some little do-dad we bought on one of our trips?  No, didn’t see the need for any knick knacks.

Naturally, the dream woke me up, but thankfully, I was able to go back to sleep for a few more hours.  However, when I finally got up for the day, I was still thinking about it.  What else would I put in that box?  What do I have that is so important, other than that one thing I would want to carry with me?  And you know, I really haven’t been able to come up with a darn thing.

So, I’m curious.  What would you put in the box?  What possessions are so important in your life that you would want to keep with you?

Serious question, by the way.  You tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine. 

Kindle……here I come!