Bill Clinton...We are not worthy...We are not worthy...Bill Clinton...

Hey again...

Here it be...(yes, I can speak it higher grammar. obviously...)
Anyways...

The Bill Clinton First Home Museum will soon be a part of the National Park system, a designation that will give the modest structure on a busy street more visibility as a tourist destination.



The two-story, wood frame house on Hervey Street in Hope, Ark., was where Clinton lived from his birth in 1946 at Julia Chester Hospital until age 4. The home was occupied until it was acquired by the Clinton Birthplace Foundation during Clinton's presidency.


The dwelling, which opened as a museum in 1997, conveys a lived-in feeling and is furnished with items that date to the late 1940s when Clinton lived there. A separate visitors center with a gift shop was added later.


The South Hervey Street home served as the center of Clinton's family life for his first 10 years. After moving, Clinton spent summers there, visited on weekends and attended other family gatherings there until his grandfather, Eldridge Cassidy, died in 1956.


The one original piece of furniture from Clinton's time in the house is the living room couch. While visitors are not permitted to touch or sit on the furniture, the home has no glass partitions or roped-off areas, thus preserving the ambiance of a private home.


Museum director Martha Berryman says the people around Clinton provided him with his first notions of "social justice," a theme he carried through his political life and into his post-presidential work.


Displays include pictures of grandfather Eldridge Cassidy's store, where he served white and black customers, which was an uncommon practice in Hope in those days. Cassidy was known to extend credit during hard times, sometimes forgive debts or slip extra food into a family's order.


"This is not lost on a little child with wide eyes and big ears," Berryman said.

Berryman produced a recent find, a snapshot of Clinton as a boy standing in front of the house. The white paint on the house is peeling badly.


"He (Eldridge Cassidy) couldn't afford to paint his house, but he could afford to let families have free food," Berryman said.


Berryman says she regularly straightens out myths - including misperceptions that the family lived in poverty, that Clinton was born in the house, and that his father abandoned him. The future president's father, William Jefferson Blythe II, died in a traffic crash a few months before his son was born.


Berryman said visitors who come from around the world are moved by what they see, and have a sense they are someplace special.
"People want to stand on sacred ground," Berryman said.

Berryman said she expects the number of visitors to grow. The site will formally become part of the National Park Service in 2010, though it is already listed among other federal attractions.


A third of the museum's visitors come from outside the United States, Berryman said. Since the site opened, patrons from 159 countries have visited.




In 1946, the neighborhood was dense with family homes and shade trees. South Hervey Street has since been widened to four lanes and now feeds local traffic to Interstate 30. Across the street from the home is a small used car lot, with a tobacco store next to it. Right down the road is a closed grocery store at the site of what was an ornate Methodist Church.


But other elements are the same as 60 years ago. The house still vibrates when trains pass on the tracks nearby, sometimes rattling photographs free from display panels in the adjacent visitors center. Virginia's bedroom on sunny days is still bathed in light that streams in from the five large windows. The room was Virginia's as a teenager and was hers again when she was a young bride. A bassinet is to the left of the bed, where she cared for Bill as an infant.

The museum also shows how quickly Clinton lost some of his connections to his youth and family life after he entered the White House. His mother died just after the Clintons' first Christmas in Washington. Hillary Clinton's father died in 1994 in Little Rock, where he and his wife had moved to be closer to the Clintons.


Vince Foster, a childhood playmate who lived next door and shared a yard with the Clintons on South Hervey Street, had followed Clinton to Washington to serve as deputy White House counsel. Foster committed suicide in 1993; he had suffered from depression.


Among the photos in the visitors center is one of Clinton with his uncle, Henry "Buddy" Grisham. The two were quite close, partly because they knew each other too well for the presidency to affect their relationship, Berryman said.


"Mr. Grisham never was really impressed," Berryman said, adding that Clinton would slip into Hope unannounced while in office to spend afternoons with Grisham.
Grisham died in 1997, and Clinton gave the eulogy at his funeral in Hope.

The museum also owns the home where Clinton's stepfather Roger Clinton lived with Virginia, Bill and his brother, Roger. That house isn't open for visitors, but an exhibit can be seen through the front window at 321 E. 13th St. The family moved to Hot Springs when Bill Clinton was 7 years old.


Clinton said in his autobiography, "My Life," that the South Hervey Street home "certainly is the place I associate with awakening to life" and that it "still holds deep memories."


Alright, now before I rant, let me just say I have nothing against presidential dudes having their memorials. So, with that said...
SACRED GROUND??!!!!! What the heck?
Bill Clinton's previous home is "sacred ground?" Oh, give me a break! Sure, I'm not a liberal but I find it kinda 'tarded for people to be ooh-ing and aww-ing over his home.
"Bill Clinton, like, totally, lived here. OMG!"

Do people not care he had an affair and tried earnestly to ruin our country?
Oh, never mind that, he's a legend. Apparently...

Ugh, this sorta thing bugs me. Kinda like when people idolize liberal idiot celebs like Brad Pitt. That one bugs me. They've been trying to get him to run for mayor in New Orleans. Ooh, sounds fun...huh? No way.

I know I should be talking about H1N1, or health care or Obama's radical (not in a good way) people, but that's what everyone's talking about. I'm tired of normal depressing stuff... :)
 I acknowledge and hate that the news is depressing. Seriously, you watch Glenn Beck enough...phew, you'll be running to your doctor. I enjoy watching him, but I miss when he was really funny. Now I feel like I'm rubbing Joy on my wrists after every episode. (Essential oils, long story)
I hope I didn't kill too many of your brain cells...

Love, Palin, and Crowder...
-CT-

Poor Dude from Great Britain

Hey ya:

Another reason why I'm not going to England (sorry, RPattz)
Two British thugs who punched a young man so hard surgeons had to remove half of his skull have escaped charges.

Steve Gator, 26, has been told the teenagers who ambushed him will not face court after British Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case.

The CPS said it did not have enough evidence to proceed but Steve's mother, Nina Gator, expressed her disbelief at the decision.
"Our boy is walking around with half a head -- what more evidence do they need?" Nina Gator told SkyNews. "I can't believe it."

Steven Gator, from Essex, Great Britain, was left seriously brain damaged following the attack as he made his way home from work on January 15.
The two thugs started screaming taunts and abuse at him about his cousin but when he confronted them he was hit so hard he fell back and smashed his head on the pavement. {source}

This is twisted. Seriously twisted. The dude's left with half a noggin and they won't do anything 'bout it? Lovely, good justice system. :)
Poor Mr. Gator. Can I convict the thugs for him? Please, my pleasure. :-)
I can't believe they'd overlook this. Oh, well.
-CT-

A Killer is Released...Goody Gumdrops...Hooray...NOT!

Hey:

Found this story here
The man responsible for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing returned home to Libya on Thursday to cheering crowds, and throngs of people waving posters of the convicted killer, who flew to his native country to die after Scotland released him from prison.
Scotland's decision to free Abdel Baset al-Megrahi outraged some relatives of the 270 people killed when the jetliner blew up over a Scottish town.
Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, 57, spent roughly 11 days behind bars for each victim in the bombing. President Barack Obama said the decision to free the terminally ill bomber on compassionate grounds was a mistake and warned Libya not to give him a hero's welcome.
But thousands were on hand to greet him warmly when his plane from Scotland touched down at a military airport in Tripoli. There was a festive atmosphere with some wearing t-shirts with al-Megrahi's picture. Others waved Libyan and Scottish flags while Libyan songs blared.
The White House declared it "deeply" regretted the Scottish decision as Abdel Baset al-Megrahi left prison and flew to Libya on an Airbus dispatched to Glasgow Airport.
Scotland's justice secretary said freeing the bomber was an expression of the Scottish people's humanity but U.S. family members of Lockerbie victims expressed outrage.


"I think it's appalling, disgusting and so sickening I can hardly find words to describe it," said Susan Cohen of Cape May Court House, New Jersey, whose 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, died in the attack. "This isn't about compassionate release. This is part of give-al-Qaddafi -what-he-wants-so-we-can-have-the-oil."
Some men outside the prison made obscene gestures as al-Megrahi's prison van drove by toward the airport.
Al-Megrahi, who had served only eight years of his life sentence, was recently given only months to live after being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said although al-Megrahi had not shown compassion to his victims — many of whom were American college students flying home to New York for Christmas — MacAskill was motivated by Scottish values to show mercy.
"Some hurts can never heal, some scars can never fade," MacAskill said. "Those who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive ... However, Mr. al-Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power."
Al-Megrahi was convicted in 2001 of taking part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on Dec. 21, 1988. He was sentenced to life in prison. The airliner exploded over Scotland and all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground died when it crashed into the town of Lockerbie.
The former Libyan intelligence officer was sentenced to serve a minimum of 27 years in a Scottish prison for Britain's deadliest terrorist attack. But a 2007 review of his case found grounds for an appeal of his conviction, and many in Britain believe he is innocent.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday the United States disagreed with the decision to free al-Megrahi.
"We continue to believe that Megrahi should serve out his sentence in Scotland," Gibbs said. "On this day, we extend our deepest sympathies to the families who live every day with the loss of their loved ones."
"I don't understand how the Scots can show compassion. It's an utter insult and utterly disgusting," said Kara Weipz, of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, whose 20-year-old brother Richard Monetti was on board Pan Am Flight 103. "It's horrible. I don't show compassion for someone who showed no remorse."
MacAskill said he stood by al-Megrahi's conviction and the sentence for "the worst terrorist atrocity ever committed on U.K. soil."
He said he ruled out sending the bomber back to Libya under a prisoner-transfer agreement, saying the U.S. victims had been given assurances that al-Megrahi would serve out his sentence in Scotland. But he said that as a prisoner given less than three months to live by doctors, al-Megrahi was eligible for compassionate release.
Later Thursday, MacAskill released a letter from al-Megrahi, appealing for mercy.
"I am a family man: first and foremost I am a son, husband, father and grandfather," al-Megrahi wrote. "I have been separated from my family as a result of what I consider and unjust conviction. I have tried to bear that with a degree of equanimity and dignity."
Compassionate release is an established feature of the British judicial system when a prisoner is near death. According to officials, there have been 30 requests for release on compassionate grounds in Scotland over the last decade, 23 of which were approved.
Al-Megrahi's return will be a landmark event in Libya and a cause for celebration. His countrymen see him as an innocent victim scapegoated by the West in a campaign to turn their country into an international pariah. Many will also view his release as a moral victory for their country.
Yet it was not immediately clear exactly how al-Megrahi would be received Thursday night. He could be taken to meet Libyan leader Muammar Al-Qaddafi or appear at an annual rally held every year on Aug. 20 for Libyans to hear a progress report from al-Qaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam Qaddafi , on projects he is working on.
However, al-Megrahi may also go directly to a hospital if he needs immediate medical care.
Qaddafi engineered a rapprochement with his former critics following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He renounced terrorism, dismantled Libya's secret nuclear program, accepted his government's responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families.
Western energy companies — including Britain's BP PLC — have moved into Libya in an effort to tap the country's vast oil and gas wealth.
Qaddafi lobbied hard for the return of al-Megrahi, an issue that took on added urgency when al-Megrahi was diagnosed with cancer last year.
Freeing al-Megrahi divided the Lockerbie victims' families, with many in Britain in favor and many in the U.S. adamantly opposed.
Al-Megrahi had been a known figure in the Scottish community near his prison, receiving regular treatment at the hospital. He was visited often by his wife and children, who lived in Scotland for several years.
Briton Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died on Flight 103, welcomed the Libyan's release, saying many questions remained about what led to the bomb that exploded in the cargo hold.
"I think he should be able to go straight home to his family and spend his last days there," Swire told the BBC. "I don't believe for a moment this man was involved in the way he was found to be involved."
Among the Lockerbie victims was John Mulroy, the AP's director of international communication, who died along with five members of his family.



Ugh, this is just so maddening!

So, this dude goes around people and we just "show him mercy." The government could get a few tips from Davy Jones (POC) "spare no mercy, arg." (Alright, that's not a real quote, but it could work, right? No, maybe not)

Anyways, back to the topic, this is just so unfair I can't believe it. So, hows about we go out and shoot a bunch of people, do you think we'll recieve mercy? Uh, no! In the end, it probably just boils down to a couple of facts

A) He's not white, (I mean, Heaven forbid we show mercy to someone not brown or black.)

B) We gotta keep relations cool with other countries round ye world. Right...



More than anything, I feel for the families. How would it feel to find out that the person who killed your beloved child or wife or husband was released because people wanted him to die in peace? Not really gonna make you feel fuzzy inside, at least I hope not. The families are suffering more than anyone.


Okay, so the dude has cancer, uh, that's sad, but he's a killer. Deep down, I can't really call him a person truthfully, because like J.K Rowling wrote "killing rips apart the soul." (again, not the exact quote, I couldn't find it. She's talking about Voldemort's horcruxes, fyi) Killing really changes a person, and that's why I don't have a whole lot of sympathy. I mean, I'm sorry him or anyone has cancer, don't get me wrong. I do value human life, believe me, I do. But for someone to take away innocent people's life, well, they do lose a little (okay, more than a little) respect from me. Then again, who am I? Just a teenager...simply that.

Yeah, well, there's some happy stuff for the day...jk

Love, Palin, and Crowder...
-CT-

Burquini's...seriously?

Hey:
If this isn't ridicuclous, I don't know what is.

British swimming pools have begun hosting special Muslim swim sessions during which swimmers — including non-Muslims — are banned from entering the pool if their swimming attire doesn't comply with dress code required by Islamic custom.
Under the rules, men must be covered from the naval to the knees, while women, who swim separately, must be covered from the neck to the ankles, according to the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph newspaper.
The special sessions in Britain have elicited anger from critics who say they are divisive and put a strain on relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, the Telegraph reported.
The trend counters developments in France, where a woman has threatened to sue after being told she could not wear her "burquini" — a headscarf, tunic and trouser swimsuit worn by Muslim women – on hygiene grounds, the paper reported.
One British lawmaker defended the Muslim swim sessions, telling the Telegraph that they show an appreciation for certain religious groups, like Muslims, who have strict rules on segregation for activities including sports. {source}

That is just so crazy! I didn't know that the U.K was so symathetic to religion, oh, wait, just the Muslims... because like that British lawmaker said, they "show appreciation for certain religious groups." And of course, the emphasis is on certain. I mean, we couldn't do Christian swim sessions where no bikinis or revealing swimsuits are allowed. That would be descriminating against other people's rights. Yes, because being totally covered up isn't either... no, of course not.
I'm glad the Telegraph said something about it! If the media is always saying, in my case, the wrong thing, it's nice to see them say the right thing. Wow, that's confusing.
They're trying to make this sound really cool, and ya know, the "big thing" by calling their "swimsuits" (ha) "burquinis." Nice, that's like calling drugs candy. Ya just don't do that.
This story makes me remember why I will never, ever move to England. Plus, their health care system isn't making me scoot over there any faster either. But, that's a whole 'nother bloggy.

Love, Palin, and Crowder...
-Conservative Teen-

Obama Girls Mentioned In An Ad? Oh My, They're Being Used As a Publicity Stunt? Huh?

Hey:

I know everyone's talking about the health care reform and everything else, but I decided to talk about a story that kind of made me think...
This poster (below) is causing another controversy coming about.

Apparently, the people at the White House are getting gunchy because a Washington non-profit organization has been putting this poster up in the Union Station Train depot.






The ad features 8-year-old Jasmine Messiah from Florida who has been writing letters to her senators and Representatives to try and get healthier lunches in the cafeteria. She complains that there are no vegetarian or vegan lunches, as she is a vegetarian.
Their argument is that child obesity is at an "all-time high."

Well, Robert Gibbs got defensive and said this:
"Without getting into the specifics, we've been very clear, I think, from even before the administration started, that their two girls would have a very private life, and we want to protect that private life and their privacy,'' He stated, "And we hope that others will be respectful, as many in the media have been, about not using the girls as a publicity stunt.'' (quote found here)

Oh, yes, it would be very mean to be attack to the president's daughters... Since when is this a "publicity stunt"? The company didn't even mention their names! If they said, "Malia and Sasha Obama get healthy lunches why don't I?" then I could sort of understand, I suppose.

Of course the media has been respectful, the two girls aren't really old enough to be like, out there. So they can't really "do anything." How suck-up-ish would it be if the media was like, "Today the lovely Obama girls went shopping today with their marvelous mother, Michelle. The three-some had so much fun." That would sound more like a People magazine article instead of hard-hitting journalism. Just sayin'

Lastly, I 150% agree with this ad, all children deserve to have good school lunches. Not that I'm saying we all should be the same, that's like Communism. Not a believer in that. Ya think? But, I do support the ad, and the little girl, so Jasmine, rock on!

Oh, well, that's just my 2 cents on the whole matter...

Love, Palin, and Crowder...

-Conservative Teen-

P.S. If YOU want to sign the petition for healthier lunches, HealthySchoolLunches.org.