Wednesday, June 24, 2009
We have arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. We’re excited to finally be here at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, which is just a short distance from the Canada Place Pier. It is a beautiful, classic hotel from a bygone era. Wide hallways, chandeliers, high ceilings, antique lamps, embossed carpeting and enameled steel bathtubs. Breakfast at Griffin’s was a wonderful experience.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that we are without luggage? All of the plane and schedule changes resulted in our luggage staying in Seattle overnight. Our luggage finally arrived at the Vancouver Airport at 10:30 am. I agreed with the airline representative’s recommendation to have it sent directly to the Volendam Cruise ship – I won’t get my luggage until well after 2:00 pm, but l’m good with that because I know where it is! This is the first time I’ve been without my luggage at the beginning of a trip. It is good to be flexible and adaptable, or uncontrollable events could quickly sidetrack your vacation.
We’re on the Holland America Line Volendam Cruise ship now. We’re hanging out, having just finished a lunch of roasted salmon, cream spinach, almond rice, pineapple, cantaloupe and New York cheesecake. We’re looking out into the bay watching air taxis take off and land. It’s raining today in Vancouver and a wall of fog has just blocked our view of the surrounding mountains.
Vancouver, BC
Off to Alaska!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The adventure has begun. It’s 9:15 am and we’re boarding our flight to Seattle, Washington where we’ll catch our connection to Vancouver, British Columbia – but wait, it’s now 12:00 noon and we haven’t gone anywhere. We’re boarding our second plane here in Detroit. The first plane had a faulty air conditioning system that did get repaired after about one and a-half hours. Thankfully, most of the passengers had been allowed to de-plane by the time the recently repaired air conditioning unit had started to emit smoke! They really didn’t need to make the announcement, “We won’t be taking this plane,” since most of the rest of us still onboard were already preparing to leave!
What’s been good about this trip so far is that we’ve met some wonderful people . One person is a lady that is headed to St. Petersburg to meet her son so that she can be a crew member on his fishing boat. She will be out there fishing until August 8th! It sounds like an exciting adventure for those who love fishing. She said she had been on this same trip with her son two years ago, but only as a non-paid member of the crew. She was really excited to be going again, especially since she will be paid a percentage of the catch.
Our second encounter was a young lady who grew up in the Dearborn area, but is now living in Seattle since last fall having moved there from San Francisco. She had come back to Michigan to visit family.
The third couple we met were on a mis-adventure of their own so far. Wherever they came from, it took 24 hours for them to get to Detroit which wasn’t a positive thing because it reduced there planned two day stay in Seattle to less that than one day. [Now that we've had our flight setback.] Since we are now in the air, as of 1:20 pm, they should be able to enjoy their two days in Vancouver, seven day Alaska cruise and their four days in Denali National Park. What makes this story so interesting to me is the fact that the husband doesn’t travel and had to be coaxed into going on this trip – his wife, who is the travel adventurer, is concerned that he won’t go on another trip!
Wait a minute! I have to update you on the status of the second plane. Luggage is loaded, we’re on board, the food is loaded, then comes this announcement from the Captain, “You’re not going to believe this, but the caterer found a damaged door while loading the food. One of the Pilots has checked it out and it seems okay, but we’re going to have maintenance take a look at it as a safety precaution.”
As I mentioned before, we finally took off at about 1:20 pm Eastern time and are due to arrive in Seattle around 2: 35 pm. I happy to be on my way and I’ll update you later on our Alaskan and Yukon Territory adventure.
A Letter to the Editor
Orange County California Newspaper
This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points. For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper ………
Newspapers simply won’t publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they’re pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!
From: ‘David LaBonte’
My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to ‘print’ it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined. Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:
Dear Editor:
So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren’t being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry..
Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today’s American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented . Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.
They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.
Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany , Italy , France , and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan . They were defending the United States of America as one people.
When we liberated France , no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German- American or the Irish-American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country’s flag and waving it to represent who they were…. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.
And here we are in 2009 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges, only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I’m sorry, that’s not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900′s deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.
And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty , it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn’t start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.
(signed) Rosemary LaBonte
What are your thoughts on this topic?
A Prayer for Our Nation
‘Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!
I’m thankful for wise men who can articulate what’s happening in our country and urge us back toward the right path as a nation!
What Do You See Beauty In?
How about 35 years of marriage to the love of your life?
I recall our 25th Anniversary Cruise, waking up to look out of our stateroom window to see the dolphins and other fish jumping in and out of the water – looking as if they were in a race with our cruise ship. Another time we got up to see the sun rising. Another time we would just looked out at night – watching the moon reflecting off of the water and talking about our times together. This was our first cruise and we created some great memories. The people we met also made it an extra special time for us.
I recall one spring staying at a hotel in the Portuguese countryside and being able to enjoy the beauty of that country. The rural people were so friendly and helpful, I remember thinking we could stay there forever.
I recall a Thanksgiving vacation in Albuquerque, NM. It was unseasonably warm and we drove and hiked all through the mountains visiting places we probably wouldn’t have had the chance to since it was suppose to be the opening week for ski season. It was here that we learned about the valley of the sun, Phoenix, and ended up spending many subsequent Thanksgiving weeks in that area.
I recall only wanting one child. However, the Lord saw fit to bless us with two more, two girls and a boy. From these three, we now have eight grandchildren and a great-grandson. Who knew what love would result in. I certainly couldn’t see it.
I recall the first time I noticed my future wife. It was on the way to Junior High School and I saw her walking down the street. Throughout my eight grade year, I would tease her and play with her and finally we started going together. Who knew that love would grow and endure for many, many years from there. I thank God for the love of my life and the future joy we will share.
A Class Act
1. Outgoing President George W. Bush quietly boards his helicopter and leaves for Texas, commenting only: “Today is not about me. Today is a historical day for our nation and people.”
1. Outgoing President Bill Clinton schedules two separate radio addresses to the nation, and organizes a public farewell speech/ rally in downtown Washington D.C. scheduled to directly conflict with incoming President Bush’s inauguration ceremony.
2. President Bush leaves office without issuing a single Presidential pardon, only granting a commutation of sentence to two former border patrol agents convicted of shooting a convicted drug smuggler. He does not grant any type of clemency to Scooter Libby or any other former political aide, ally, or business partner.
2. Outgoing President Bill Clinton pardons billionaire financier, convicted tax evader, and leading Democratic campaign contributor Marc Rich; Whitewater scandal figure Susan McDougal; convicted bank fraud, sexual assault and child porn perpetrator and former Democratic Congressman Melvin Reynolds; and convicted drug felon Roger Clinton, the President’s half-brother.
3. The Bush daughters leave gift baskets in the White House bedrooms for the Obama daughters, containing flowers, candy, stuffed animals, DVD’s and CD’s, and heartfelt notes of encouragement and advice for the young girls on how to prepare for their new lives in the White House.
Eight years ago Yesterday:
3. Clinton and Gore staffers rip computer wires and electrical outlets from the White House walls, stuff piles of notebook papers into the White House toilets, systematically remove the letter “W” from every computer key-pad in the entire White House, and damage several thousand dollars worth of furniture in the White House master bedroom.
Headlines On This Date 4 Years Ago: “Republicans spending $42 million on inauguration while troops Die in unarmored Humvees.”
“Bush extravagance exceeds any reason during tough economic times”
“Fat cats get their $42 million inauguration party, Ordinary Americans get the shaft”
Headlines Today: “Historic Obama Inauguration will cost only $170 million”
“Obama Spends $170 million on inauguration;
America Needs A Big Party
“Everyman Obama shows America how to celebrate”
“Citibank executives contribute $8 million to Obama Inauguration”
Something to think about, huh?!
The Banks Don’t Want You to Know
The banks really don’t want you to know what you are paying them in mortgage interest for that 40, 30, 20, 15, or 10 year mortgage loan! They really don’t mind it if you move into another home or refinance your mortgage because the cycle starts again. They make a whole lot of money on those of us who haven’t figured out how to keep more of our hard earned money during the average five years we stay in a mortgage. It’s time to change this with the Money Merge Account from United First Financial.
What about that student loan? Do you think it is really a good idea to keep deferring it while the interest keeps adding up and adding up? It will have to be paid back sometime! Why not let a Personal Evaluation show you how to pay off that debt in the shortest time possible and with the least amount of interest paid possible?
What about that auto loan? Boat Loan? Snowmobile Loan? Home Improvement Loan? Business Loan? IRS Back Taxes?
Join our Team of people who are learning how to free themselves and others from the grip the banks have on us and our finances.
A debtfree America and Canada can become a reality! Let’s make it happen.
The Law is the Law
If the US government determines that it is against law for the words “under God” to be on our money, then, so be it. I’d like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter. After all, it’s just another day. I’d like the US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving and Easter as well as Sundays.” After all, it’s just another day. I’d like the Senate and the House of Representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the “Christmas Break.” After all it’s just another day. These are definitely things I never thought about but from now on, I will be sure to question those in government who support these changes.
If that same government decides that the “Ten Commandments”are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.
I say, so be it, because I would like to be a law abiding US citizen.
I say, so be it,” because I would like to think that smarter people than I are in positions to make good decisions. I would like to think that those people have the American public’s best interests at heart.
BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I’D LIKE? Since we can’t pray to God, can’t Trust in God and cannot post His Commandments in Government buildings I don’t believe the Government and its employees should participate in the
I’m thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all government offices and services would work on Christmas, Good Friday and Easter. It shouldn’t cost any overtime since those would be just like any day of the week to a government that is trying to be “politically correct.”
I think that our government should work on Sundays (initially set aside for worshiping God…) because, after all, our government says that be just another day….What do you all think???? If this idea gets to enough people, maybe our elected officials will stop giving in to the “minority opinions”and begin, once again, to represent the “majority” of ALL of the American people.
SO BE IT………..Give us the help needed to keep you in our country!
‘Amen’ and ‘Amen’