Yachats Blue Stories

Yachats Blue Stories:

"But I don't know...
She's still there,
Flame held high,
Crying into the night
'Give me all your sorry ones, the poor....
The chinks, the japs,
The bosche, the spics,
bagel-biters and ludefisk-lovers,
the limeys and micks...
my people...
me."

Wiccans Keep the Faith

Wiccans Keep the Faith With a Religion Under Wraps

Above the woman’s fireplace hangs her wedding picture, taken in a Lutheran church years ago. Below it, on the mantelpiece, is a small Wiccan altar: two candles, a tiny cauldron, four stones to represent the elements of nature and a small amethyst representing her spirit.

A pagan family’s altar. Wicca, a form of paganism, celebrates the divine in nature. But its symbols and practices elicit suspicion from outsiders.

The wedding portrait is always there. But whenever someone comes to visit, the woman sweeps the altar away.

How sad is it that in this day and age we still have religious persecution in the United States of America? I thought this country was about Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech. How come that only applies to those in the majority?

We should all be allowed to practice whatever religion we feel is right for us. As long as we are not hurting anyone else, there should be no punishment for wanting to practice religion in a fashion other than Christianity, Judaism or Islam.

There is a large Pagan community in many parts of this country, but it is rather like being a drug user: you don't dare say out loud that you are Pagan, someone might hear you.

It kind of reminds me of when Christianity was new and people had to draw the fish in the dirt in order to be recognized as a member of the faithful. Pagans do the same thing using key words to understand each other. But sometimes it just doesn't work that way and you can know someone for years before realizing they believe the same way as you. Or someone can put the right words together by accident and you find out too late that they are Christians and detest you after that.

In the words of Rodney King, can't we all just get along?

Letter to the Editor

I found this over at Tammy's place. I thought it was great and needed repeated often.

America not founded on Christianity

In a recent Journal & Courier article, an attendee of a local gathering in observance of the National Day of Prayer alleged, "Our nation was founded on biblical principles."

To the extent that our Founding Fathers had any religious affiliation at all, it was a tepid embracing of the philosophy of deism, a popular system of thought at the time. Jefferson, Franklin, Paine, among many others, held deist, rather than Christian, religious beliefs.

The two documents upon which our country was actually founded -- i.e., the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States -- contain not a word about Christianity, Christian principles, the Bible or Jesus Christ. Neither is there any mention of the Ten Commandments, heaven, prayer or being saved.

In 1797, the Treaty of Tripoli, negotiated by none other than George Washington, declared that "the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Congress unanimously approved the text of this treaty, and John Adams signed it.

Mandatory church affiliation, among other factors, led to the establishment of the term a "wall of separation between church and state," allowing, at each citizen's discretion, freedom of religion or freedom from religion.

The phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, and our national motto became "In God We Trust" in 1956 in response to USSRs' so-called "godless Communists." It is historically incorrect to claim that America was founded upon Christianity.

Indeed, it was quite the opposite.

Randall S. Smith

Rossville

Click here for the link to the Lafayette Journal and Courier.

I've seen 99 out of these 206 movies

If you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 206 movies on this list. Copy this list, go to your own MySpace account, and paste this as a bulletin or blog entry. Then put an X next to the movies you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click "Post" at the bottom. Have fun!

(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane

Total: 7

(x) The Princess Bride
( ) Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
( ) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total all together: 12

(x) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
( ) American Pie Naked Mile

Total all together: 13

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch

Total all together: 18

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
(x) Robots

Total all together: 25

( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong

Total all together: 34

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
(x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
(x) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
(x) Flubber

Total all together: 40

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(x) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(x) The Whole Ten Yards

Total all together: 46

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
(x) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Longest Yard
( ) Gridiron Gang
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask

Total all together: 54

(x) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
( ) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremacy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator
( ) Predator II
(x) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George

Total all together: 63

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss' Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour

Total all together: 69

( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
(x) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Total all together: 74

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
( ) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
( ) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Total all together: 78

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
( ) Elf
(x) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Thr3e

Total all together: 79

( ) The Jackal
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
(x) Full Metal Jacket
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters, Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard

Total all together: 83

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicle Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days Later
( ) Orgazmo
(x) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld

Total all together: 89

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
( ) Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness

Total all together: 91

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
( ) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
( ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars A New Hope
(x) Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: The Caravan of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle for Endor

Total all together: 95

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
(x) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
( ) Red Dragon
( ) Anger Management

Total: 99

Put: "I've seen ??? out of these 206 movies" in the subject line and repost.

Storm

We had damaging downburst winds tonight with 1/4" hail and rain. It was very exciting. It was 90+ today with beautiful blue skies when the sky suddenly blackened (I mean within minutes) and then the rain started and within minutes, we had the hail.

I was outside bringing in our flag when I saw a children's inflatable toy rolling down the highway in front of the house. People were having to swerve to miss it (it was about 4 feet square). So in the pouring rain and hail I ran out in the road, grabbed the toy, hauled it onto the porch and deflated it. Whew!

Then just as suddenly as it started, it was done. It only lasted about 15 minutes, but there are about 300 people here still without power. There are lots of trees and power lines down. Power company says it will be several hours before power is restored to those people. Guess we missed the bullet.

The weatherman just said we had gusts of about 54mph. Yikes! And more coming, so you know I will have my radio close at hand all night!!

Presidential Unhopeful?

Brownback disses Favre in front of fans

Somebody needs to do his homework and proofread the speeches his writers put in front of him before he reads from the teleprompter.