Sending A Smile

Since I have a precious and naughty Scottish Terrier
guarding (LOL) the house, it seemed appropriate that
I use one of the Scottie stamps that my
friends have given me. This little guy is so cute.
I made the eyes and nose stand out with careful
application of Diamond Glaze.
The entire image has been colored with pencils.
The Scottie image was cut out with a
Spellbinders Label die and the edges were lightly
sponged with black ink.
The paper clip is a die from Sizzix and
the strip on the left is a Quickuts die.
Scrapbook paper was used to cover
the front of the card base.

I really like the Hero Arts phrase that
is stamped, punched out with a Punch Bunch punch
and attached to the center of the paper clip.
Here is a sad tale, that most of you can relate to:
I bought this paper clip die (there are three different ones
on the same die) years ago. I just liked it. This is
the first time I have used it. Sigh, I hate to think
how many things I have sitting and waiting for
the creative inspiration to strike, so they
can be used.

The above card has scrapbook paper over the white
card base. On the left side of the card is a die cut from
Spellbinders. The Hero Arts phrase was also cut out with
a Spellbinders die. I used some of the leftover cut outs
from the die cut to decorate the phrase. It is fun to use
scraps to a a little finishing touch to a card design.

These three peach card are very similar. There is
a slight difference in the decorative scissors used on the
left side bar and the placement of the punched flowers.
I did use three white brads on the side bar.
My personal favorite is the first in the series.

Glenn Beck by Robert Ringer

Glenn Beck's Departure from Fox News (?)



By Robert Ringer

On rare occasions, a unique figure bursts onto the national stage and has a dramatic impact on politics, culture, or both. Glenn Beck is one of those figures. He is surely the biggest, fastest, most controversial star in the political commentary business in my lifetime.

Beck is a real-life version of Howard Beale, the fictional television commentator in the 1976 film classic Network. Beale whipped his cultish TV audience into a frenzy, exhorting them to stick their heads out the window and chant, ''I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!''

Much to the chagrin of the oligarchy in Washington, however, Glenn Beck is not a fictional character. He's real, and he has succeeded in enlightening his audience far beyond Beale's simple rants about the unfairness of life. Beck is much more knowledgeable, much more factual, much more rational, and much more focused on the key issue: America's loss of liberty.

I find it more than just a bit ironic that ultra-liberal CNN Headline News gave Beck his first forum on television. There, he created a huge stir with his ''rodeo-clown'' antics and his willingness to talk openly about his drug- and alcohol-addicted past. But as he increasingly added his political views to the mix, people started asking, ''Why isn't this guy on Fox News?''

Of course, Roger Ailes was closely observing Beck all along, and, in January 2009, he brought him to Fox and fit him into the 5:00 p.m. time slot. While Beck had been moving more and more toward political commentary at CNN Headline News, from the moment he came to Fox his transition to near-total politics was swift.

Combining his incredible talents with the work of his equally incredible research staff, Beck became a household name seemingly overnight. In truth, of course, he had been in media for thirty years, but he had never before had a forum like Fox News.

Beck's show is so good I'm convinced that if a person doesn't watch it on a regular basis, it's almost impossible for him to understand the true causes of the moral and economic collapse of the United States - or even that it is collapsing - because no one else on TV covers most of the stories he dissects in impeccable detail. His modus operandi has been to expose the bad guys through their own words by playing audios and videos of them shooting off their mouths and by quoting their writings.

For quite some time now, I have believed that Beck has become so good at exposing the truth, so well respected, and so powerful that the Forces of Darkness in the White House and Congress view him as a major threat to their aspirations to eliminate the Constitution, the rule of law, and individual sovereignty in the United States. (In fact, they now refer to him as ''the Beck problem.'')

But, as I have written in the past, the Obamafia is in a no-win situation with Beck. If its leaders ignore him, he will continue to disrobe Chairman Obama and his malevolent progressive pals through their own spoken and written words.

On the other hand, as they have already discovered, the more they try to discredit Beck, the more attention they draw to him - and the more people will learn about the details of how they plan to fundamentally transform America. Worse, their childish mudslinging is no match for Beck's sixty minutes of hard-core truth five days a week (not to mention his three-hour daily radio show).

So Beck keeps raising the ante, and there is no question in my mind that the oligarchy in Washington sees him as a major obstacle between where they are today and their ultimate goal: a firmly entrenched, all-powerful federal government that controls every aspect of people's lives.

Listening to Beck this past year has convinced me that he senses he has been chosen by a Higher Power to lead the charge against the evildoers in government. If so, it's not the first time God has surprised the world with his choice of a messenger.

In laying down the gauntlet, Beck has pointed out that as a recovering alcoholic, he's already been at the bottom, so nothing scares him. ''The worst thing that can happen in my life,'' Beck has said, ''is to lose my honor and to return to my Heavenly Father without honor - without doing what I was supposed to do.'' When people talk like this, it represents a very big problem for those in power.

Beck has made it clear that he is not afraid of losing everything if that's what it takes to convey the truth to as many people as possible. And, as the far left knows all too well, a man who is willing to lose everything can be a huge obstacle to its achieving its socialist objectives.

The willingness to lose everything is, in fact, a key to being a successful revolutionary, or, in Beck's case, a counter-revolutionary. How many people do you know who are prepared to lose everything to fight for what they believe in?

Not long ago, Beck came right out and said, ''I'm going out swinging.'' That statement carried with it some very strong implications. Clearly, something has to give.

My best guess? I hope I'm wrong, but I have long had the feeling that Glenn Beck will be leaving Fox News other than through old-age retirement.

How might his departure come about? The way I see it, there are four possible avenues of exit.

As I watch him strip BHO and other members of Crime Inc. down to their dirty underwear every day at 5:00 pm, I ponder what the Obamaviks will do to try to stop him from destroying their full-speed-ahead efforts to transform the U.S. into a collectivist paradise.

I see four possibilities for Beck's exit from Fox News:

Assassination. On more than one occasion, Beck has alluded to cement boots and his ending up at the bottom of the East River. He has also assured his audience that he has no inclination to jump off a tall building, and if something like that were to ever happen to him, it would not be accidental.

Even more ominous is that Beck continually tells his audience that this isn't about him, that each and every one of them must stand up and carry on the fight. When he says this, it sparks memories of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous words at a rally in Memphis the night before he was murdered:

''We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop ... and I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.''

Anyone who has read even a nominal amount of political history knows that those on the far left unabashedly believe that their morally superior objectives justify the use of violence. The problem they have with Beck is that using violence to eliminate him is dangerous, given that he has already warned the public to be on the lookout for his sudden demise. Plus, a martyred Glenn Beck could be as powerful for the liberty movement as a martyred Barack Obama would be for the movement to turn America into a socialist police state.

So, let's assume - and hope - that no harm befalls Glenn Beck. What else, then, might cause him to leave Fox News?

Roger Ailes retires or passes on. Roger Ailes has almost single-handedly propped up the free press in this country, being so good at his job that Fox News has been able to render its left-wing media competition almost irrelevant. When Ailes, who recently turned seventy, leaves Fox, there is no assurance that Rupert Murdoch will pick a replacement with equally strong conservative beliefs.

If Roger Ailes is replaced by a ''moderate,'' the new president of Fox News would undoubtedly either terminate Beck or place restrictions on what he could and could not say. And if the latter occurred, you can be sure Beck would depart Fox - with his honor intact, as promised.

Rupert Murdoch passes on. Rupert Murdoch is still going strong, but the reality is that he's seventy-nine years old. And, as I've written about in the past (Fox News's Liberal Future), Murdoch's children and son-in-law are liberals who have long complained that Fox News is too conservative. With Murdoch gone, there would surely be a major shakeup, and both Roger Ailes and Glenn Beck - perhaps along with a few others - would quickly be out the door. It would be the end of Fox News as we have come to know it.

The Godfather option. Barack Obama knows that time is against him. With liberal Democrats dropping like flies in primaries and special elections, he can't afford to wait too long for Roger Ailes to retire or Rupert Murdoch to pass on.

Solution? Just send ''the boys'' over to have a little chat with Rupert Murdoch and make him ''an offer he can't refuse.'' In keeping with Diversity Czar Mark Lloyd's clearly stated objective to force ''some people to step down to make room for others,'' the offer might be as straightforward as: (1) If you get rid of Glenn Beck, Fox News can stay on the air; (2) if you choose to keep him, Fox News will be shut down.

Kind of the Obamafia's version of putting a bloody horse's head in someone's bed to improve his perception of reality.

And let us not forget that Cass Sunstein - whom Beck refers to as ''the most dangerous man in America'' - says he wants to use government power to stop ''conspiracy theories.'' (Translation: Repress the truth by using whatever means necessary to silence the opposition.)

So where does Beck go if he departs Fox News? On at last one occasion, he said that even if the bad guys succeed in forcing him off radio and television, he will come back with a louder voice and larger platform than ever. I found that to be a tantalizing statement, one that caused me to speculate on what such a platform might be.

Of course, the biggest platform of all would be president of the United States. Beck says he would never run for president, because he wouldn't want to risk losing his soul. The implication is that a person can't run for president, and certainly can't hold the office of the presidency, and keep his honor intact.

I thought about this recently when Beck did an in-depth show on one of his heroes, George Washington. He emphasized a number times that what made Washington unique was that he did not want to be president. He accepted the office only out of a sense of duty, and refused to stay in office longer than two terms.

I believe - and it is strictly a personal belief based only on watching and listening to him - that Beck sees himself in much the same way. I think he feels a sense of duty to do whatever he can to help save America. He knows that George Washington did not want to be president, yet he served out of a sense of duty. Even more interesting, Beck has said that ''Americans are looking for someone like George Washington.''

Clearly, he has a vivid sense that he has been put in his current high-profile station in life for a purpose. Which means he may not have a choice but to throw his hat into the political ring - if not in 2012, perhaps in 2016.

Much like the Founding Fathers, I believe Beck has committed himself to using his fame, his fortune, and his enormous talents to help defeat the poisonous progressive movement that is fundamentally transforming the United States into a destitute socialist nation.

So, the $64 question is: Will Glenn Beck ultimately conclude that he has no choice but to run for president?

And the $128 question is: Would enough Americans be willing to open their minds to the truths he would expose to elect him president?

If Beck did become president, I believe he would go down as one of the greatest - and most unpopular - patriots in American history. Unpopular because, like George Washington, he would not be willing to trade his honor for popularity.

In any event, if the presidency is not in Beck's future, it will be interesting to see what his platform will be three to five years down the road. Right now, at Fox News, he's a ticking time bomb for the progressive movement in this country.

New Hampshire roars

Check out the website at the bottom.

June 16, 2010 07:34

New Hampshire Fires First Shot Of Civil War by passing Resolution Immediately Voiding Several Federal Laws,
Threatens Counterstrike Against Federal "Breach Of Peace"

6/6/2010 Posted By Pat Dollard.

The New Hampshire state legislature took an unbelievably bold step Monday by introducing a resolution to declare certain actions by the federal government to completely totally void and warning that certain future acts will be viewed as a "breach of peace" with the states themselves that risks nullifying the Constitution. "

This act by New Hampshire is a clear warning to the federal government that they could face being stripped of their power by the States (presumably through civil war!).

The remarkable document outlines with perfect clarity, some basics long forgotten. For instance, it reminds Congress "That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever;. . . . . therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force;"
Federal gun crime laws? Void. Federal drug crime laws? Void. The gazzillion other federal criminal laws that deal with anything other than the specific enumerated crimes? ALL VOID.

One would think that if any lawyer anywhere in the entire country was worth his salt, all federal criminal trials would have ended years ago. This seems to prove that most lawyers are dullards.

New Hampshire deals a complete death blow to the pending federal hate crimes legislation by pointing out "That, therefore, all acts of Congress of the United States which do abridge the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, are not law, but are altogether void, and of no force;
. . . . ."

Later in the Resolution, New Hampshire makes clear what the feds are now risking if they proceed further: The removal of all powers from the federal government by the States!

Quoting directly from the Resolution: ["That any Act by the Congress of the United States, Executive Order of the President of the United States of America or Judicial Order by the Judicatories of the United States of America which assumes a power not delegated to the government of United States of America by the Constitution for the United States of America and which serves to diminish the liberty of the any of the several States or their citizens shall constitute a nullification of the Constitution for the United States of America by the government of the United States of America. Acts which would cause such a nullification include, but are not limited to:

I. Establishing martial law or a state of emergency within one of the States comprising the United States of America without the consent of the legislature of that State.

II. Requiring involuntary servitude, or governmental service other than a draft during a declared war, or pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.

III. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service of persons under the age of 18 other than pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.

IV. Surrendering any power delegated or not delegated to any corporation or foreign government.

V. Any act regarding religion; further limitations on freedom of political speech; or further limitations on freedom of the press.

VI. Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition; and That should any such act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into force, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually. Any future government of the United States of America shall require ratification of three quarters of the States seeking to form a government of the United States of America and shall not be binding upon any State not seeking to form such a government; and That copies of this resolution be transmitted by the house clerk to the President of the United States, each member of the United States Congress, and the presiding officers of each State's legislature. "]

Source for HCR 0006: http://www.gencourt .state.nh. us/legislation/ 2009/HCR0006. html

Alike Yet Not Alike

Here is another set of cards in a series that
I had so much fun creating.
All the cards have a "left-side bar"
and that is all that is exactly alike on them.
In the above card the flower print is
echoed in the punch on the right side.
Cream paper with brown ink was
used for the Hero Arts phrase.
I liked the cream and brown combination
for a softer look.

The square side bar on the above card was from
A DCWV mat stack. The small squares are echoed
in the embossing of the back ground paper.
Squares are sharper, more precise, so a white
card stock and black ink was used for the
Hero Arts stamped phrase.

Oh my, a background paper that is NOT embossed.
This paper is from DCWV. Note the embossed
white paper on the side bar. Small ripple decorative
scissors by Fiskars were used to trim the mauve layer
under the dotted Swiss embossed paper.
The phrase was layered over dark purple
for a little more contrast and
just because I thought it looked better that way.

This side bar print paper was a left over piece
from the background paper on the previous card.
It was layered onto white and then dark purple.
This really pops the white in the print paper.
Pale lavender checkerboard embossed card stock
was used for the background.
The oval die cut and the scalloped oval die cut
are from Spellbinders Mega Oval series.