FLUSH NEWSWEEK

Death and Injury -- sponsored by Newsweek Magazine and its hatred of the Bush Administration


Newsweek magazine recently reported that guards at the prison camp in Cuba, where for the most part Arab terrorists are detained, flushed copies of the Koran down toilets in an effort to get Muslim prisoners to talk.

Now Newsweek says it did not happen -- they (oops) made a mistake,

Sure they did -- they made a big mistake.

But the mistake was not editors failing to check facts before publishing.

The mistake was in letting their hatred of the Bush Administration overload and short circuit any "good sense" they may have had.

In my lifetime, I have seen the power of the press turned into the abuse of the press.

The news media as a whole hates and abhors George Bush and will do anything to undermine his presidency.

If you will recall, facts did not stand in the way of the New York Times publishing articles of an anti-Bush tone. And neither did Newsweek let facts stand in its way.

As a result of their Democratic Party leanings and irresponsible journalism -- 15 people are dead and and scores are injured in riots in Afghanistan by muslims protesting this reported American behavior.

And all the editor of the magazine can say is -- "I am so sorry"

It is time for media bias to stop -- and if we ever are going to have a legitimate press again -- it has to be now.

I firmly believe that journalists are the only people who lie more than lawyers.

Instead of flushing the koran -- lets flush Newsweek.

The pages of that magazine may not be as soft as Charmin, but the only thing they are fit to be used for is wiping.

GOODBYE JAY

A friend of mine named Jay Harrison got a better offer last night.

He took it.

Jay was the first person I ever met at Calvary Hill Baptist Church.

He came to our house, right before I got home, and when my wife answered the door he said

"I am Jay Harrison from Calvary Hill Baptist Church. Are you going to heaven when you die?"

Jay was a paradox -- a very controversial individual.

Either you loved him -- or you couldn't stand him.

There was no middle ground.

Jay was what the Christian community refers to as a "soul winner"

His one living passion was to introduce those who were lost to Jesus Christ -- and more often than not -- he was confrontational in doing so.

Most of my friends -- whe we get together -- talk about the Texas Rangers or the Dallas Cowboys, depending on whether it is summer or winter, and how we could straighten out the mess this world is in today.

Not Jay -- with him every conversation centered around Jesus Christ and how to bring people to Him.

He built a trailor, covered with religious signs and carrying a huge blood stained cross, which he carried in every parade or gathering they would let him enter it in.

Jay's big passion though was a ministry to the Union Gospel Mission in Dallas. He delivered a sermon there one Sunday night each month and had been doing so for years.

I used to go with him and our conversation always centered around these homeless men -- or at least their souls.

He wanted everyone of them to go to heaven.

Jay has been in rapidly declining health the past couple of years -- the result of a brain tumor.

But still -- on Praise Night at Calvary Hill each month -- there he was, singing, testifying, doing anything to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ.

Last night the Lord offered to take Jay home.

He took him up on it.

I'll always remember Jay as a man who loved Jesus Christ more than life itself.

And just watch -- he will probably be the one to introduce me to the Lord when I get there.

WHO'S ON TOP?

Rock star Elton John, right, poses with his bride-top-be(?), 42 year old David Furbish

Once again the Lone Star State makes history.

Pop star Sir Elton John, who's knighting by Queen Elizabeth once again proves that inbreeding in the British Royal Family has gotten out of hand, announced his planned wedding to his partner of the past 11 years, 42 year old David Furbish just blocks away from the State Capital in Austin where the Texas House of Representatives had just passed a law making homosexual marriages illegal in Texas.

The union will be celebrated in the same marriage hall where Prince Charles recently legalized his latest adulterous affair.

It is unclear which homosexual role John will take in this marriage, top or bottom.

But it is a good bet he will be the bottom, based on his recent tour in China.

In Taiwan John threw a hissy fit coming through immigration, standing there wringing his hands and calling photographerers "vile insensitive pigs"

Reportedly the couple will be registered at Target and Queer Nation.

PRESIDENTIAL PRESS CONFERENCE IN 2057

President J.L. (KookKat) Washington, right, appears on Meet The Press with two of his cabinet members, Secretary of Defense C.K. (Cherry Bomb) Dutton, center, and Energy Department Secretary J.W. (Spike) Harley, left

In a dynamic interview on Meet the Press today, President J.L. (Kool Kat) Washington acknowledged that the nation is in for some rough economic sledding thanks to the ever increasing gasoline prices.

"I mean I talked to them dudes over in Energy," President Washington goes, "even invited them over to my crib for a session. You know what I'm saying?"

Energy Secretary Spike Harley elaborated on the increasing energy costs.

He goes..."Gas done hit 8 bucks a gallon and its gotta stop there. I can get a whole line of crack cheaper than I can fill up the gas tank -- you know what I'm saying?"

Defense Secretary C.K. (Cherry Bomb) Dutton announced the end of the war in Iraq.

He goes "those guys are coming home -- they'll be back in their crib by Thanksgiving."

First Ho Nancy (Shake That Booty) Parker hosted the Meet The Press Event at P.J.'s Gentlemens Club, using a select group of eight hootchies to help her.

"

ONE MORE TIME -- BIG OIL

Please....please...someone explain to me how major oil companies are not robbing us blind.

Following the summer of 2001, nationwide gasoline prices dropped to a level of around a dollar a gallon.

They remained at this level, thereabouts, until January, 2004 with only slight ups and downs in the markets.

Then beginning in January of 2004 and continuing through September gas prices sky rocketed from $1.00 to $2.00 per gallon and more.

During this corresponding period of time profits and share prices at Mobil Exxon rose a whopping 43 percent.

Now if the price of crude oil is affecting the price we pay at the gas pump, how come it is not affecting the bottom line profit of the oil companies?

You can answer that question with two words -- price gouging.

The other day a guy in Dallas robbed a man at a service station gas pump. Police caught him a few minutes later and hauled him off to jail.

Each week one of the big oil companies robs me at a service station and the police do nothing.

Oil scarcity is one of the big problems causing today's high gas prices, we are told.

And today, a gallon of gas costs 38 cents a gallon more at the pump than it did a year ago.

But did you see the report issued the other day by the Department of Energy?

DOE figures show that America's stockpile of crude oil stands at 318.9 million barrels, up eight percent from this time last year. The gasoline stockpile is 211.6 million barrels, up five percent from a year ago.

Where is the shortage?

Two things the George Bush administration has miserably failed us in

1 -- Illegal immigration

2. -- Oil prices

I hate governement control in private industry, but the time has come for the feds to intervene and put a quietus on what big oil is doing to us

HOW SWEET IT IS

Those of us who still lament the passing of the Dallas Times-Hearld are getting a lot of satisfaction out of the dilemna the Dallas Mourning News is finding itself caught up in these days.

A year or so ago, if you will recall, Mourning News management confessed to "pumping up the books" -- issuing inflated circulation figures.

And there is no doubt in my mind they did this -- with malice aforethought.

I had subscribed to daily delivery of the Mourning News for years, at least after the demise of the Times-Herald, until finally I could no longer stomach their editorial policy nor there continuing failure to recognize that the Texas Rangers were a major league baseball team.

Nolan Ryan could pitch his seventh no hitter with little recognition -- but let a Dallas Cowboy eighth round draft choice get indigestion and it was all over Sports Day, complete with side bars.

In fact in recent years the Mourning News' Sports Day has become little more than a Jerry Jones shill sheet -- as well as an advocate for "homosexual rights."

So, on December 31, 2003, I cancelled my long standing subscription to the Mourning News.

To my chagrin, I received a copy January 1, 2004, as well as every day thereafter this past year. I dutifully picked it up each morning and dumped it in the trash so the home owners association would not get up in arms about a cluttered front yard.

The only difference was -- I never received a bill for it. No quarterly bill, no phone calls as to why I wasn't paying for my cancelled subscription -- nothing.

Then in January of this year I received a statement from the Mourning News -- for three months fee covering the first quarter of 2005. Just like I had been paying for it all along and had no past due balance.

I returned the statement to them, along with a brief note of explanation that I had cancelled this subscription back in '03 and did not want their paper. Whoever opened this letter at the Mourning News office evidently could understand basic English and I no longer get that junk in my front yard.

Now the Mourning News is being investigated by Dallas County's district attorney -- as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission for wrong doing. Circulation is nosediving, reportedly down 13 per cent on Sunday and 9 percent during the week.

Serves the bums right.

REALITY CHECK

This woman cares more about a Polar Bear in Alaska than she does you.

Chances are in the next presidential election this woman is going to ask you to vote for her for president of the United States.

Before you do remember one thing -- she has more regard for the polar bears, carribou and elk in Alaska than she has for you.

If the current energy bill pases the House as is expected, Senator Hillary Clinton will lead a group of Senate Democrats in an effort to defeat this bill at all costs. And their underlying, stated reason is the effect it will have on the wild life in the future -- along with the fact that it will not help future generations in America.

Now tell me, which is more important to you...

The Alaskan wild life or the price gouged cost of a gallon of gas?

The economy of future generations or being able to purchase price-gouged prescription medications you have to take to live and price gouged food, brought on by the inflated oil prices?

I am all for providing for the future -- but not at the cost of scuttling the present

I think polar bears are cute -- but not at the cost of bankruptcy

Folks, it is time for a reality check

If the Democratic Party is the party of the people, then I must be an alien.

So in about three and a half years -- when Queen Hillary asks you to vote for her

Remember -- in her eyesight you are lower than wildlife

Then vote accordingly

RANGERS FORSAKE YOUTH MOVEMENT IN PITCHING

Chris Young, youngest Ranger starter at 25

For some reason the Texas Rangers are still reluctant to take young pitching prospects and put them on the mound and leave them there to sink or swim like Los Angeles and Oakland are.

Last night the Rangers were beaten by Oakland, a team that traded off two front line starters they could not afford. Dan Haren, a newcomer at the ripe old age of 24, bested 32 year old Chan Ho Park in that game.

This season, looking at the five man rotation of each team in the American League West, Oakland has the youngest rotation, 24.8 years old. This is made up of Rich Harden (23), Dan Haren (24), Joe Blanton (24), Kirk Saarloon (26), and the old grizzly veteran Barry Zito (27).

The Los Angeles Angels are next at 29.6 years. Their rotation consists of Kevin Gregg (26), John Lackey (26), Jarrod Washburn (30), Bartolo Colon (32) and Paul Byrd (34).

Texas is a sad third with a rotation age of 32 -- hardly considered a youth movement. Chris Young, at 25, is the youngest starter. He is followed by Ryan Drese (29), Chan Ho Park (32), Pedro Astacio (35) and Kenny Rogers (40).

Seattle is oldest in the West at 32. Gil Meche and Joel Pineiro are the youngsters at age 26, followed by Ryan Franklin (32), Aaron Sele (34) and Jamie Moyer (42).

Oakland management has the knack of putting young players on the field and letting them sink or swim. If they swim they become a permanent fixture until the threat of free agency prices them out of competition. Then they get traded and replaced by a rookie.

But everytime the Rangers audition a new player -- especially a pitcher -- the go to the mound under the threat of one bad pitch and they are going back to the minors.

Doug Davis and Danny Kolb were two who tried to make the grade with the Rangers but repeatedly got bounced back after one good outing. Davis is now a prime starter for Milwaukee and the Atlanta Braves just traded for Kolb to be their closer.

Young pitchers are going to mess up and get bombed -- but given the chance a lot of them will survive it.

If you don't believe it, go back and look at the career records of a couple of guys named Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan and see what they did their first three years -- and then compare it to what they did the rest of the time.

MOBIL-EXXON -- THE NEWEST ROBBER-BARON

Meet Lee Raymond, chairman and chief executive of Mobil-Exxon.

Lee is the man who is enjoying the profits of those high prices you are trying to pay at the gas pump.

Because of record breaking profits, Mobil-Exxon has announced it has paid Raymond $7.5 million this past year in salary and bonuses.

Then Mobil-Exxon padded it with a $28 million stock grant to Lee and capped it off with $2.6 million in "other compensation" and "incentives."

Tell me, what kind of incentives do you need after just being handed $35.5 million for one years work?

The only thing I can think of is giving him an even greater incentive to gouge our pocket books even more than he had this year.

Today's lesson is in spelling so pay close attention.

Price gouging is spelled thusly...

M-o-b-i-l hyphen E-x-x-o-n

The company's website explains that among other things, Lee is being rewarded for "robust returns in world wide exploration."

I think they really meant "world wide exploitation."

BANK OF AMERICA - A COMEDY OF ERRORS

I would have more respect for this money grubbing company if they were a robber who held me up at gun point than the way they actually did me.

Each month in Bank of America's online banking and bill payment I go in and pay my mortgage payment on the second Wednesday of each month.

I do this because that is the date my social security check is deposited.

It takes two days for an electronic transfer to be posted to my mortgage company account from the day it was sent.

Monday, April 11, while I was doing my regular online banking and went to the bill payment page where I scheduled my mortgage payment to be made Wednesday, April 13, and was told it would be posted on April 15,

Today, when I opened my account online I discovered that I was overdrawn by more than $200 -- Bank of America had made the payment April 11.

I immediately called online bill paying at Bank of America customer service. The only agent I could talk to did not even know how the Bank of America online bill paying system worked.

He kept babbling that if I scheduled the payment to be made April 13 that it would have to have been deducted April 11 to reach the mortgage company I tried to tell him I did not schedule the payment to reach them April 13 -- rather to be made (deducted from my account) on April 13.

So he transferred me to online banking customer service. The bottom line from that representative was that according to "what she could see" I had scheduled the payment for April 11.

So any checks that come in today will have a hefty service charge connected to them -- if indeed the bank honors them and does not send them back -- as well as a service charge on the mortgage payment they supposedly accepted knowing I didn't have the money to cover it.

I admit, being a senior citizen, I do have "senior" moments. But not senior enough to schedule an online payment knowing that the money would not be deposited to my account for two more days.

If on April 11 I had walked into any branch of Bank of America and tried to cash a check for the amount of my mortgage payment -- the teller would have refused it.

Yet they accepted the same thing online.

Over the past few years Bank of America has weeded out any older employees who might know something about banking and replaced them with younger people at half the salary and a fraction of the fringe benefits.

I have a sister-in-law who was a senior vice president with more than 20 years service.

She was terminated in a "reduction of force" manuever.

And she received a year's severance pay -- along with all benefits.

Provided that she signed a letter swearing not to sue Bank of America for age discrimination for at least five years.

If you doubt this, walk into any branch of Bank of America and look at the personnel on duty.

You can't be sure whether you should give the teller a check to cash or pick her up and burp her.

Better yet, call Bank of America customer service -- and keep calling until you find a representative who sounds like he or she can speak and understand basic English.

Just be sure you have plenty of time to spare that day.

My bottom line advice is --

If Bank of America is your only choice of banks to put your money in...put it in a big Folgers can and bury it in the back yard.

It's going to be a lot safer.

DEMONS OF DEATH - THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

One thing I have learned for sure -- do not inconvenience a Democrat

Ted Kennedy -- the illustrious senator from the State of Massachusetts -- you remember Ted, who couldn't even ride the coattails of John and Bobby without messing up -- the same Ted who philandered on his wife so much he turned her into an alcoholic.

Back in the 1960s Ted had a girlfriend on the side and when it became an inconvenience, he put her in the back seat of his car and drove it off into the waters of a bay and left her to drown.

Fast forward to the 1990s...

Janet (Dyke) Reno, attorney general under Bill Clinton, really hated to b e inconvenienced.

Remember little Elian -- the seven year old refugee from Cuba who was being harbored by his grandparents who were legal American citizens.

Remember how Reno ordered her storm troopers, in full combat gear, into a Miami house to extract the youngster and send him back to Castro's Communist Cuba.

And those poor Branch Davidian kids in Waco.

When Reno got really hacked at David Koresh did she bring in expert snipers to drop him -- or even arrest him on one of his frequent shopping trips in Waco?

No, she send in tanks and flame throwers and cremated 84 innocent children.

"My agents were tired and had to have some rest," Reno was quoted as saying, "so I ended it."

The Demons of Death have struck again.

Terri Schiavo is dead after 13 days of starvation, and make no mistake, the prime players in this scenario were Democrats.

This whole ordeal should wake us up to the fact of just how out of hand our judicial branch has gotten -- both on a state and federal level.

THE GRAND LIE

Be assurred of one thing -- Terri Schiavo is undergoing a death so horrible we cannot even imagine what it feels like.

Doctors have stated as fact that she is incapable of feeling anything.

Yet they are pumping her full of morphine.

Why?

I cannot understand why more people cannot see the conspiracy behind the making of this woman a poster project.

At first, my gut instinct was that I could accept her death if they would just go on and give her a lethal injection -- even if they just shot her between the eyes to put her out of her misery.

Why was I feeling like this when I am definitely pro-life?

Simply because the powers that be have carefully orchestrated that feeling.

They want us to be so horrified by her death that we will even accept euthanasia -- and that is the first step.

If we first accept it in the Schiavo case, then we will begin accepting it right down the line until -- like abortion -- killing off the old and feeble in the name of convenience will become a way of life.

And the so-called Christian right is falling right into this ploy.

We are demonstrating and making headlines.

We are praying in public outside the hospital where we can be seen (seems as though Jesus had something to say about this type prayer).

We are trying to smuggle food and water into Terri, knowing it is impossible. But we make the headlines when we get handcuffed and carted off to jail.

Instead we should be educating our children -- steering them towards careers in political science, law and journalism -- shaping them into the leaders of tomorrow.

In churches nationwide our goal with each youngster in the nursery should be to turn him not only into a Christian, but also a judge, a senator, a journalist tomorrow.

Then and only then will we be on the road to recovery for America.

Otherwise we are playing right into the hands of the opposition.

We are so horrified over what is happening to Terri Schiavo that the next time we have a case like this, we will be willing to accept a lethal injection to end "suffering" rather than prolonging life.

And when we do -- Satan has won America.

DEATH WITH DIGNITY

Every so often a buzz phrase raises its head that simply grates on my nerves.

Death with Dignity, the latest battle cry of the liberal elite of the Democratic Party, is one such phrase.

We hear it a multitude of times every day now in connection to the court approved starvation of Terri Schiavo.

The liberal elite would have us to believe that this is what Terri wanted, and that she will simply slip away peacefully into eternity .

The only thing is they are not putting Terri to sleep like you would a rabid dog or a crazed murderer -- with a lethal injection.

They are not even putting her to death with a .357 slug between the eyes like you would a rapist you caught attacking a defenseless child.

No, they are depriving Terri Schiavo of water and food which can have only one result -- death by starvation and dehyrdation.

This is dignity?

Already she is beginning to fail -- vital organs have begun the shutting down process and she is fully awake to feel it happening.

By now her lips are dry and cracked and bleeding. Discolored spots are beginning to appear on her body.

Soon her body will start to swell and bloat and become even more discolored.

She will start gasping for breath, trying to cry out for relief.

And when death finally comes it will be so horrific even my words will be unable to describe it.

I wish it were within my power to take every federal and state judge who has had a chance to stop this murder and hasn't and force them into her room to watch.

And bring their children in also and explain to them this is what their daddy has done.

May God have mercy on the United States of America.

SUPREME COURT IS KINDA PUNY

Is any one really surprised that the Supreme Court refused to even consider saving the life of Terri Schiavo?

After all, it's not like she is an imprisoned Arab terrorist who has played a part in the murder of thousands of Americans and has been humiliated by American soldiers guarding them.

She is simply a helpless woman who is standing in the way of her scumbag husband celebrating his "choice"

A choice by the way that includes a mistress of long standing and no telling how many millions of dollars in insurance and malpractice settlements that can only come when she is dead.

What is ironic is that Florida Governor Jeb Bush could pick up the phone, call the warden of the Florida State Prison and tell him that he was comuting the sentence of the worst killer on death row to time served -- and the murderer would walk. Yet he cannot do one thing to keep this woman from starving to death.

I could accept it -- even though I couldn't understand it -- if they shot Terri between the eyes or gave her a lethal injection.

But to deprive her of food and water until she literally starves and dehydrates -- a process that can take days or weeks?

No way in this world did our Founding Fathers ever intend our Constitution to protect an event like this -- regardless what the scumbag Supreme Court says.

I love the remarks of Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia recently concerning the workings of the High Court.

"Day by day, decision by decision, " Justice Scalia said, "the Supreme Court is writing a Constitution for a nation which I no longer recognize."

We have changed that much -- just in my lifetime.

MA BELL CALLING

Recently Cingular Wireless -- owned solely by Southwestern Bell Corp (now simply known as SBC) -- bought out AT&T Wireless.

I have always been an AT&T customer since the court ordered disvesture of the Bell families because it was the parent company.

Wireless service, internet service, cable television and now home Broadband based phone service.

Never a problem of any sort.

Comcast bought the internet provider and cable television franchise and that is still relatively trouble free, especially the internet service.

So Ma Bell rears its ugly head and buys AT&T under the pseudonym of Cingular.

A bad telephone company under any other name is still a bad telephone company.

How long, I wondered, would it take SBC to louse up what AT&T had built?

Didn't take me long at all to find out-- not long at all.

Last month, the first under the Cingular name, I went to the wireless company's website -- just as I had been doing for years with no problems -- to log on and pay my bill.

My user name and password -- which had always worked -- was rejected. I was told that if I was a former AT&T customer I would have to re-register my phones to use online bill payment.

I put in my phone number, filled in the appropriate information, hit the send button and was immediately told there was already an account established for that phone number.

So I re-registered using my wife's phone number and got the same response.

Thinking this might have triggered something I once again tried to logon and pay my bill only to be told once again I had to register something it would not let me register.

I called customer service three times -- the third time getting an operator I could understand and who spoke basic English.

"I tried to pay my bill online and it won't let me." I told him.

He advised me I could pay him over the phone.

"I don't pay on the phone -- I pay online." I replied.

"Well," he said, "we have been experiencing problems with our website but we are working to get it straightened out soon as possible."

"Fine," I said, "I'll mail my payment."

"Then it will be late," he replied.

"That is your problem." I said, "I tried to pay on time and you won't let me."

This month the same thing happened.

The entire system AT&T built that worked has been totally trashed by Ma Bell and it only took her 60 days to do it.

When this contract expires I intend to switch to Sprint or Verizon -- they can't be this bad.

So when you see that Cingular propaganda on TV saying how they are trying to "raise the bar" -- believe it.

But the bar they are trying to raise is one that prevents the customer from receiving good service.

Would this guymolest a young boy? Jurors in the Michael Jackson trial are being asked to decide this. My guess is that this will be the second chapter of the O.J. Simpson saga and like the "Juice", Jackson will be found not guilty. Or if he is convicted of some lesser charge will only feel a slight slap on the hand. What are your thoughts on this? 

This is Angel - the newest member of our household. We got Angel a couple of years ago from the local SPCA facility and adopted her. She started out being our pet and remained so until she decided to accept us as her equal. Now she is just another family member. 

Barney Franks -- he nees do "out" Ted Kennedy on National Coming Out Day 

IN THE CLEARING STANDS A BOXER

That was just about my most favorite Simon and Garfunkle tune in my growing up years.

But that boxer was a fighter and not the kind I want to talk about today.

The boxer in today's discussion opposes the feminine movement, is a racist, extremely forgetful and has more than adequate reason to file a malpractice suit against the plastic surgeon who performed her latest facelift.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce that Democratic Senator from the State of California, Barbara Boxer.

Babs got the senate floor today and she was not about to yield it -- not until she was through Bush Bashing Condelesa Rice, the nominee for Secretary of State to succeed Colin Powel.

Wait a minute, I thought as I began to listen to her. This woman is supposed to be a feminist through and through -- why is she condemning Condy who not only is female but a minority to boot.

As I listened to Babs it became apparent through all her babblings that she did not have a legitimate reason to oppose Dr. Rice -- so it had to be simply because she was a woman and black.

Babs explained that it was President Bush's job to seek the advice and consent of the Senate in naming a nominee -- not hand pick one who would back him on every front.

Seems she had forgotten all about that time eight years ago whe she allowed President Clinton to hand pick one of his henchmen -- Madalyn Albright -- as Secretary of State and then voted for her gleefully.

Silly me -- of course she did. Albright was a white woman.

If you didn't see Senator Boxer on C-Span today you missed a treat.

Babs is 64 (and looks every day of it) and trys to look 25.

Frosted, tosselled hair, turtle neck sweater to hide the wrinkles on the back of her neck, chic brown designed blazer -- and she dutifly kept her hands behind the podium so we would not see the age spots on them. Clearly her mother should have joined Planned Parenthood long before she did.

If this woman is chic, it goes a long way in explaining why most of the men in San Francisco area are queers.

TO THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 30's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, bread and butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chatrooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live in us forever. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them! Little league had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problemsolvers and inventors ever!The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOWTO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share thiswith others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyersand the government regulated our lives for our own good. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?