Hard to believe that it’s been that long, and so much has changed.

I started out blogging on Blogspot just to put my family history in electronic form – that project is still in the works, as evidenced by the lack of progress behind the tab marked “The Wisconsin Cartters” at the top of this page.

Then I started a personal blog to take my rants off the family page. That led me to meet a wonderful bunch of people – most of them still hanging out on my blogroll, some of them having signed off, one or two having shed this mortal coil – but all of them worth reading and chatting with when I get the chance. Oh, sure – like any family, there are going to be instances where some members of my blog-family aren’t going to be getting along with other members, and that’s fine, we’re all human, and if we all got along all the time it would be downright boring.

I started out with two blogs, and ended up with this one when I merged them in April of 2008. Having my own domain and full control over the blog is a comfort to me, being the semi-control freak that I am, and I have to thank Texas Fred and Robert for their help with getting this site set up.

I don’t remember who the first batch of contacts I made was, perhaps the gang over at The Notebored, a writer’s workshop headed up by Dee and her wonderful circle of fellow writers. I tried my hand at some writing projects over there, but there was something – I don’t know, missing? – and I just never really fully clicked. They are very welcoming there on The Notebored, but I don’t think I was ready for primetime. I do know that once I ran into Gawfer I ran into the best bunch of people I could call friends and a great variety of “conservatives” – from absolute white hat to situational conservatives, you can find a bunch of them on the blogroll now. Like I said, we don’t all get along all of the time, but we always have a great conversation.

I found Bill Whittle, a former liberal who started reading and thinking for himself (proof, by the way, that it can happen) and then using his talents as a writer to put our thoughts to “paper” and let us all read it and realize that “Yes, by thunder, that is EXACTLY what I was trying to say!” I still read him, when he publishes in between his super-glam life on the west coast and the movie deals and the screenplays… In fact, one of my personal favorite entries for I’m Thinking of the “O” Word was inspired greatly by Bill’s writing; specifically, my entry titled The Sheep, The Sheepdogs, and the Wolves was written after I had read his entry titled Tribes. I think it’s still relevant.

My wife, whom I refer to as TMBWitW, gave birth to our child, MEG, on December 30, 2006. I ran a babypool of sorts, and Paul at prying1 came in second while Just John (who, at the time, was going by Gunny John) came the closest in guessing the day and time for the momentous occasion. MEG is growing and running around and keeping the dogs on their toes now – the cats are not sure what to make of this little rosy-cheeked beauty that wants to pet them all…

And then in January of 2007 I read this entry on Jenn’s blog, and it just didn’t sit right with me. I started my campaign. Without funding. Trying to get a groundswell of support and momentum for a run at the White House. Trying, and failing. My feelings haven’t changed, especially now that we are guaranteed a liberal in the Oval Office, and I am seeing more and more signs of a revolution brewing to take this country back into the conservative hands of We The People. I do, however, plan to take another run at it in 2012, when the people of this country should be good and fed up with the liberal actions of the president and want to get back to being a sovereign country with absolute borders and absolute laws.

Now I have a BlogTalkRadio show called, appropriately enough, The O Word. Be sure to tune in on Friday mornings at 0700 Mountain Standard Time.

One thing about having a blog, and meeting (on line, of course, except in rare instances where you actually get to meet the fine people you blog with in person) other blog-owners – you will never run out of people to meet, and people who you want to link to, and people who may want to link back to you. Of course, having all these links is one thing, but being able to keep the connection going is another. I don’t always get to read all my links every day, but I sure try to stop in at least once a week or so.

Most recently, I was asked to join the gang over at Reject the UN and help spread that word. I don’t know how often I will be able to contribute, but I will be doing what I can when I can.

One thing that hasn’t wavered since I’ve discovered it: Wear Red on Fridays. I’ve got some way cool shirts that help spread the word, and I know that when service members see my red shirt they know they are being supported, prayed for, worried about, and generally appreciated for what they are doing.

A lot has changed in three years. I am so happy to have met all of you, and hope that you feel the same about me. We may not see eye to eye, but unless you break my commenting rules and totally disregard common courtesy, you will be welcome here. I know that there are a lot more people out there who deserve to be mentioned, and I will, on this Friday’s show. I’m sorry if I didn’t specifically mention you, but know that I think of each one of you often. Either to wonder what you are up to, or why you haven’t written anything lately, or to berate myself for not getting over to your site and leaving a comment. Tell you what – would you do me a favor, and just click on the “All Blogrolls Here” tab up there, and read through everyone who is making a difference in the blogosphere? Stop in and tell them I said hi, and I’ll be by later to chat.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

I have been thinking on this subject for a while; I had been noting the changes here in Arizona as the sanctions law went into effect and wondered if the rest of the nation was taking note.

One of the biggest obstacles to ridding the country of illegals, or so the left would tell you, (and, by extension, the best reason for granting amnesty to these lawbreakers) is that we can’t deport them all. Well, actually, we don’t have to. If the nation were to take on the task of actively deporting the illegals, it would cost hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of dollars – money that could be much better used elsewhere.

My buddy Gawfer pointed me to this article on The Loft. In particular:

That’s right…. by simply enforcing immigration laws and penalizing employers for hiring illegal aliens, the numbers of illegal aliens went DOWN. Does this mean they all left the country and returned home? No, of course not. Some probably did, while others went to another area of America where laws are not respected or enforced.

I’ll tell you this, from first-hand observation: the traffic levels are lowering. There are fewer Mexican plates on vehicles on the street. There aren’t the crowds outside the home improvement warehouses that there once were, although there are still the hangers-on. And, stats do show that there are fewer car-jackings and ID-jackings going on.

And, while the majority of these invaders may have gone back to Mexico, a good number of them, still trying to force their way into the American Cream, have gone to other states where the sanction laws have been either not put in place yet, or, if they have, activist judges are trying to knock them down. Arizona’s laws are facing the Supremes soon, followed closely by other states (Oklahoma, for one) and the Arizona ruling is expected to set a precedent.

Now, if only the Career Politicians would get a clue, and realize that We the People want secure borders and enforced laws…

I know, but I can dream, can’t I?

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Shamelessly lifted from Texas Fred’s:

I Am Your Worst Nightmare. I am a BAD American.

I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some mid level governmental functionary, be it Democratic or Republican!

I believe that owning a gun doesn’t make you a killer, I believe it makes you a smart American.

I believe that being a minority does not make you noble or victimized, and does not entitle you to anything.

I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac, do it in English.

I believe everyone has a right to pray to his or her God when and where they want to.

My heroes are John Wayne, Babe Ruth, Roy Rogers, and whoever canceled Jerry Springer.

I don’t hate the rich. I don’t pity the poor.

I know wrestling is fake and I don’t waste my time watching or arguing about it.

I’ve never owned a slave, or was a slave, and I WILL NOT pay reparations for something that I didn’t do.

I haven’t burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you! So, shut up already.

This is AMERICA, I believe if you don’t like the way things are here, go back to where you came from and change your own country!

I want to know which church it is exactly, where the Reverend Jesse Jackson preaches, where he gets his money, and why he is always part of the problem and not the solution. Can I get an AMEN on that one?

I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you’re running from them, because if you’re not guilty, WHY are you running?

I also think the cops have the right to pull you over if you’re breaking the law, regardless of what color you are, that’s the job we’re paying them to do.

And, no, I don’t mind having my face shown on my drivers license. I think it’s good, it lets you know it’s really me.

I’m proud that the word ’God’ is written on my money.

I believe that if you are too stupid to know how a ballot works, I don’t want you deciding who should be running the most powerful nation in the world for the next four years.

I dislike those people standing in the intersections trying to sell me stuff or trying to guilt me into making ‘donations’ to their cause.

I believe that it doesn’t take a village to raise a child, it takes two parents.

I believe ‘illegal’ is illegal no matter what the law makers think.

I believe the American flag should be the only one allowed to fly over American soil! If you want to fly the flag of YOUR nation at the top of a flag pole, by all means, do so, IN YOUR OWN NATION! And if the American flag is NOT your flag, then this is NOT your nation!

If this makes me a BAD American or causes you to classify me as a racist, then yes, I’m a BAD American and a racist.

If you’re a BAD American, if you share the same feelings and beliefs that I do, please, copy and post this on your web site for everyone to see.

We want our country back! GOD BLESS AMERICA!

AMEN.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

So – how do you like that header image?

I really like it. Thanks again to Mr. and Mrs. Bushwack.

I woke up this morning to a wonderful smell – moisture on a desert wind. I opened up the house a bit, and the temperature inside dropped from the overnight 78° to about 71° in less than a half hour. The wind is blowing pretty good, and it’s so darn pleasant that I might just turn this thing off and go sit on the patio.

Well, I just sat here and thought about it. I’m going to do that.

Saturday afternoon, TMBWitW was rear-ended on the freeway. Seems her lane of traffic was slowing, so she slowed, but the person on the cellphone in the vehicle behind her was too absorbed in the conversation. Knocked TMBWitW into the middle lane, and she did get the car back to the right lane and onto the shoulder; the person in vehicle 2 only hung up once the officer showed up. My wifes car (a 2005 Camry) has some rear-end damage. The S-10 Blazer could not be driven away. TMBWitW, MEG, and our Momma are OK, but there are some minor issues that need to be addressed. Turns out, also, that vehicle 2 did not have current insurance. So, along with everything else, we get to pay our deductible and watch as our insurance company tracks down and sues the pants off person 2.

Three guesses as to the ethnicity of the driver of vehicle 2. The first two don’t count. (hint: open borders suck)

I’m also taking a quick survey. Please put your answers in the comments section. Real fast, and I won’t bother you anymore. Two questions: What browser are you using? Does the text on this page appear to be left-justified, centered, or right-justified?

That’s it. (Update – never mind. It’s fixed now.)

One last thing: I’ll be “off the air” for a few days. TMBWitW is working from home tomorrow, and taking Thursday and Friday off (she graduates Sunday with her Bachelors in Accounting). This means no posts here until Monday, most likely, and no BlogTalkRadio show Friday. The regular schedule will resume on Monday.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

I am sorry.

Very, very sorry.

It’s all our fault, you know. That is, it’s the fault of the State of Arizona that John McCain is in front of the nation pulling off crap like this.

From the article:

Sen. John McCain said yesterday that Republicans have shed support among Hispanic voters because of the party’s get-tough approach to illegal immigration, but he predicted that his enforcement-then- legalization approach will rebuild those bridges.

Well, John, any kind of talk about legalizing those who have broken INTERNATIONAL LAW to illegally enter this country will cause quite a few citizens (remember those, John? the ones who pay your salary? the ones who legally vote for you?) to shed THEIR support for the Republican party.

Using a Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo, as a launching point, Mr. McCain’s presidential campaign announced … the senator from Arizona will speak to this year’s National Council of La Raza convention in San Diego in July to try to court Hispanic voters.

Correct me if I’m wrong. La Raza is in existence, in part, to reinstate their idea of what territory the country of Mexico should encompass. Why is a candidate for the office of President of the United States courting a group of people that wants to make the office non-existent?

“I believe the majority of the Hispanics share our view that the border must be secured, and the border must be secured first. But they also want us to have an attitude, which I think most Americans do, that these are God’s children, and they must be taken care of, and the issue must be addressed in a humane and compassionate fashion,” Mr. McCain told reporters at an Arizona news conference yesterday.

Gawfer has hit the nail on the head here. While they are, indeed, God’s children, God also wants each one of us to exercise some responsibility in the circumstances we find ourselves in. Don’t go blaming God for people not “taking care of” another people when “The Race” wants to remove you from your sovereignty. Render unto Ceaser, and all that – and one of Ceaser’s laws, in this matter, is that people are to follow procedures for moving from one country to another.

This election cycle is not looking very promising. Should I fire my campaign back up and try to shake up the idiots who are giving away my country?

see also Texas Fred’s

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!