The Stand

New Blog

2008-04-17T10:58:00Z

Hi Folks,

I've switched to WordPress and the Go Daddy blog is going to fade. I'll leave it up here, but will not use it for posting anymore. The new blog address is: http://thedavidpeterson.com/blog/.

New blog format

2008-04-12T10:36:00Z

It's not that big of a deal, but I'm going to switch to WordPress blogging software in an effort to make it easier for me to make blog entries. Also, This will give me more control over the blog set up. It will be a give and take not having Go Daddy Blogcast, but then there will no longer be google ads on my site.

David

A Maverick Vote

2008-02-10T16:11:00Z

     So, John McCain wants to be President of the United States, and he wants me to vote for him. The "Maverick" of the Republican party has decided to "reach out" to his own party now that needs the votes. How ironic that after years of back stabbing his own party, he now believes in party unity. What an epiphany!

     When it comes to being betrayed by someone who says, "I'm with you", I'm a bit old school. John McCain may not understand this "take no prisoners" approach, (pun intended), bit I'm not wearing a blindfold and I haven't forgotten. For once I get a chance to cast a vote that Senator McCain can disagree with. Does that mean I'm voting for Clinton or Obama? Hell no.

     I'm not saying that McCain has opposed everything I've supported, but I do think, as a conservative, he's defective and should be discarded as a candidate. I do not trust him no matter what he says he's going to do. Look at what he's done:

McCain-Lieberman Stewardship Act - own version of Kyoto
Opposed Bush tax cuts in the first term.
McCain & Kennedy got together to support Illegal Alien Amnesty
McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform - Frankly, it deforms the first amendment.
Gang of 14 - Just the sort of party loyalty he deserves right now.
McCain opposed Marriage Protection law.

     If Sen. McCain thinks he can get elected by trying to out liberal a Democrat, he's mistaken. Why would anyone vote for a fake democrat ( or republican ) when they can have a real Democrat. Unfortunately, there's really nothing for me to do in the Presidential race but vote for someone who has pulled out of the race or won't win. One thing is for sure, there may not be someone there for me to vote for, but there are plenty for me to vote against. My maverick vote.

David

Latest Pictures

2007-08-29T00:51:00Z

Yes, it's been a while since I last blogged in... I've been very busy. Not too bust to share a few photo's that I've recently taken. They're all "nature" photos. All taken in my yard.

This first on was from early this morning. It's of a lunar eclipse. At the point I took this photo, the shadow was nearly engulfing the moon. It was near sunrise so the stars were disappearing and the sky way a little light. I still needed the shutter open for 10 seconds. The full size picture looks more impressive.

Below is a picture I took of a butterfly feeding on my flowers.

Then I found a spider doing a wonderful job of blending in with a sunflower.

The blue berries were wonderful here even though it's been a dry summer. Very sweet.

The spider photo is something to see in full size as well.

David

John Edwards

2007-07-22T23:04:00Z

    John Edwards seems to stay in the news for being the most qualified woman for the job. It really is funny. Clinton was dubbed as the first black President, and though I found it humorous, were I black, I would be insulted. Now I can't help wondering how many women are going to be bothered by this latest political game. Granted, Hillary may be more of a man than John Boy and he may be more of a woman than she, however, it's all a little unsettling.

    I remember when Edwards was running with Kerry for the big chair and some people thought they looked gay.
Why would anyone think that? click here --> JohnEdwards

    So, maybe I was a little rough on the web page, but look at the cover of Esquire as seen below!

    You have to admit, THAT'S funny.

dp

Emile Pandolfi

2007-07-16T01:57:00Z

I just got the email, Emile Pandolfi is putting together his tour schedule. Several dates are already posted. If you've never heard his music, you can find it on iTunes or his web site. His Christmas concerts are the best!

Noel ya'll.

dp

Jim Black

2007-07-13T09:53:00Z

    Well, I guess sometimes those chickens do come home to roost. But the rooster ain't crowin' anymore cause his head is on the chopping block. After all the legal maneuvers, denials, and fellow democrats running for cover after spending all that time defending him, Jim Black finally was sentenced in court. He was punished for being a good ole boy democrat. Just business as usual stuff, nothing to get your feathers ruffled over. This must come as a revulsion to the other good ole boys.

    At 72 years of age Mr. Black has been sentenced to more than 5 years in prison and a $50,000.00 fine. That's going to be a tough thing for him to swallow after being speaker of the house in the NC general assembly. It may seem harsh for someone his age, but keep in mind he sold his position in the house to his donors and cronies. That position may be held by one person, but belongs to the people of North Carolina. He also cheated when it came to campaign donations by taking contributions from unidentified donors and listed the money as a personal loan to his campaign. That just scratches the surface. Let's not forget the Michael Decker deal. Remind anyone of the way Meg Scott Phipps ran her campaign?

    Unrelated to the Black scandal, Republican David Almond Jr resigned his house seat after someone made allegations of "serious, inappropriate conduct. Did you see that? He resigned. He wasn't dragged kicking and screaming from his house seat. I'm sure what ever he's accused of is serious and that they get to the bottom of it. However, it's seems republicans are held to a higher standard than democrats, by both democrats and themselves.

    Thank God for Louisiana or our state politics would be the worst!

    dp

Nobel Peace Prize

2007-07-13T09:42:00Z

Betty Williams, an Irish peace activist, recently won the Nobel Peace Prize. She also gave a speech saying, she could kill President Bush. At first she denied making the comment, but when it was verified organizers of the event. Then she admitted it and said it was wrong. Her statement was this:

"Right now, I could kill George Bush," she said. "No, I don't mean that. How could you nonviolently kill somebody? I would love to be able to do that."

The Nobel committee continues to be a left wing lap dog. It's a joke and to be nominated doesn't mean much and to win means even less. At least she was open and honest about what she thinks rather than hide it behind vague statements that could mean anything.

Here's a ling to the full article:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-peace_12nat.ART.State.Edition1.43b8067.html

dp

Luke 7

2007-07-11T14:17:00Z

"`We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.' 33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say, `He has a demon.' 34 The Son of man has come eating and drinking; and you say, `Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."

Ever notice, the Pharisees were never happy?

dp

Independence Day

2007-07-05T10:12:00Z

Rush Limbaugh's Daddy wrote a very interesting speech about the sacrifices made by the people that fought for our independence. It's worth the read, here it is:

"Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor"

It was a glorious morning. The sun was shining and the wind was from the southeast. Up especially early, a tall bony, redheaded young Virginian found time to buy a new thermometer, for which he paid three pounds, fifteen shillings. He also bought gloves for Martha, his wife, who was ill at home.

Thomas Jefferson arrived early at the statehouse. The temperature was 72.5 degrees and the horseflies weren't nearly so bad at that hour. It was a lovely room, very large, with gleaming white walls. The chairs were comfortable. Facing the single door were two brass fireplaces, but they would not be used today.

The moment the door was shut, and it was always kept locked, the room became an oven. The tall windows were shut, so that loud quarreling voices could not be heard by passersby. Small openings atop the windows allowed a slight stir of air, and also a large number of horseflies. Jefferson records that "the horseflies were dexterous in finding necks, and the silk of stockings was nothing to them." All discussing was punctuated by the slap of hands on necks.

On the wall at the back, facing the president's desk, was a panoply -- consisting of a drum, swords, and banners seized from Fort Ticonderoga the previous year. Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold had captured the place, shouting that they were taking it "in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!"

Now Congress got to work, promptly taking up an emergency measure about which there was discussion but no dissension. "Resolved: That an application be made to the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania for a supply of flints for the troops at New York."

Then Congress transformed itself into a committee of the whole. The Declaration of Independence was read aloud once more, and debate resumed. Though Jefferson was the best writer of all of them, he had been somewhat verbose. Congress hacked the excess away. They did a good job, as a side-by-side comparison of the rough draft and the final text shows. They cut the phrase "by a self-assumed power." "Climb" was replaced by "must read," then "must" was eliminated, then the whole sentence, and soon the whole paragraph was cut. Jefferson groaned as they continued what he later called "their depredations." "Inherent and inalienable rights" came out "certain unalienable rights," and to this day no one knows who suggested the elegant change.

A total of 86 alterations were made. Almost 500 words were eliminated, leaving 1,337. At last, after three days of wrangling, the document was put to a vote.

Here in this hall Patrick Henry had once thundered: "I am no longer a Virginian, sir, but an American." But today the loud, sometimes bitter argument stilled, and without fanfare the vote was taken from north to south by colonies, as was the custom. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

There were no trumpets blown. No one stood on his chair and cheered. The afternoon was waning and Congress had no thought of delaying the full calendar of routine business on its hands. For several hours they worked on many other problems before adjourning for the day.

Much To Lose

What kind of men were the 56 signers who adopted the Declaration of Independence and who, by their signing, committed an act of treason against the crown? To each of you, the names Franklin, Adams, Hancock and Jefferson are almost as familiar as household words. Most of us, however, know nothing of the other signers. Who were they? What happened to them?

I imagine that many of you are somewhat surprised at the names not there: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry. All were elsewhere.

Ben Franklin was the only really old man. Eighteen were under 40; three were in their 20s. Of the 56 almost half - 24 - were judges and lawyers. Eleven were merchants, nine were landowners and farmers, and the remaining 12 were doctors, ministers, and politicians.

With only a few exceptions, such as Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, these were men of substantial property. All but two had families. The vast majority were men of education and standing in their communities. They had economic security as few men had in the 18th Century.

Each had more to lose from revolution than he had to gain by it. John Hancock, one of the richest men in America, already had a price of 500 pounds on his head. He signed in enormous letters so that his Majesty could now read his name without glasses and could now double the reward. Ben Franklin wryly noted: "Indeed we must all hang together, otherwise we shall most assuredly hang separately."

Fat Benjamin Harrison of Virginia told tiny Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts: "With me it will all be over in a minute, but you, you will be dancing on air an hour after I am gone."

These men knew what they risked. The penalty for treason was death by hanging. And remember, a great British fleet was already at anchor in New York Harbor.

They were sober men. There were no dreamy-eyed intellectuals or draft card burners here. They were far from hot-eyed fanatics yammering for an explosion. They simply asked for the status quo. It was change they resisted. It was equality with the mother country they desired. It was taxation with representation they sought. They were all conservatives, yet they rebelled.

It was principle, not property, that had brought these men to Philadelphia. Two of them became presidents of the United States. Seven of them became state governors. One died in office as vice president of the United States. Several would go on to be U.S. Senators. One, the richest man in America, in 1828 founded the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. One, a delegate from Philadelphia, was the only real poet, musician and philosopher of the signers. (It was he, Francis Hopkinson not Betsy Ross who designed the United States flag.)

Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from Virginia, had introduced the resolution to adopt the Declaration of Independence in June of 1776. He was prophetic in his concluding remarks: "Why then sir, why do we longer delay? Why still deliberate? Let this happy day give birth to an American Republic. Let her arise not to devastate and to conquer but to reestablish the reign of peace and law.

"The eyes of Europe are fixed upon us. She demands of us a living example of freedom that may exhibit a contrast in the felicity of the citizen to the ever-increasing tyranny which desolates her polluted shores. She invites us to prepare an asylum where the unhappy may find solace, and the persecuted repost.

"If we are not this day wanting in our duty, the names of the American Legislatures of 1776 will be placed by posterity at the side of all of those whose memory has been and ever will be dear to virtuous men and good citizens."

Though the resolution was formally adopted July 4, it was not until July 8 that two of the states authorized their delegates to sign, and it was not until August 2 that the signers met at Philadelphia to actually put their names to the Declaration.

William Ellery, delegate from Rhode Island, was curious to see the signers' faces as they committed this supreme act of personal courage. He saw some men sign quickly, "but in no face was he able to discern real fear." Stephan Hopkins, Ellery's colleague from Rhode Island, was a man past 60. As he signed with a shaking pen, he declared: "My hand trembles, but my heart does not."

"Most Glorious Service"

Even before the list was published, the British marked down every member of Congress suspected of having put his name to treason. All of them became the objects of vicious manhunts. Some were taken. Some, like Jefferson, had narrow escapes. All who had property or families near British strongholds suffered.

* Francis Lewis, New York delegate saw his home plundered -- and his estates in what is now Harlem -- completely destroyed by British Soldiers. Mrs. Lewis was captured and treated with great brutality. Though she was later exchanged for two British prisoners through the efforts of Congress, she died from the effects of her abuse.

* William Floyd, another New York delegate, was able to escape with his wife and children across Long Island Sound to Connecticut, where they lived as refugees without income for seven years. When they came home they found a devastated ruin.

* Philips Livingstone had all his great holdings in New York confiscated and his family driven out of their home. Livingstone died in 1778 still working in Congress for the cause.

* Louis Morris, the fourth New York delegate, saw all his timber, crops, and livestock taken. For seven years he was barred from his home and family.

* John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.

* Dr. John Witherspoon, signer, was president of the College of New Jersey, later called Princeton. The British occupied the town of Princeton, and billeted troops in the college. They trampled and burned the finest college library in the country.

* Judge Richard Stockton, another New Jersey delegate signer, had rushed back to his estate in an effort to evacuate his wife and children. The family found refuge with friends, but a Tory sympathizer betrayed them. Judge Stockton was pulled from bed in the night and brutally beaten by the arresting soldiers. Thrown into a common jail, he was deliberately starved. Congress finally arranged for Stockton's parole, but his health was ruined. The judge was released as an invalid, when he could no longer harm the British cause. He returned home to find his estate looted and did not live to see the triumph of the Revolution. His family was forced to live off charity.

* Robert Morris, merchant prince of Philadelphia, delegate and signer, met Washington's appeals and pleas for money year after year. He made and raised arms and provisions which made it possible for Washington to cross the Delaware at Trenton. In the process he lost 150 ships at sea, bleeding his own fortune and credit almost dry.

* George Clymer, Pennsylvania signer, escaped with his family from their home, but their property was completely destroyed by the British in the Germantown and Brandywine campaigns.

* Dr. Benjamin Rush, also from Pennsylvania, was forced to flee to Maryland. As a heroic surgeon with the army, Rush had several narrow escapes.

* John Martin, a Tory in his views previous to the debate, lived in a strongly loyalist area of Pennsylvania. When he came out for independence, most of his neighbors and even some of his relatives ostracized him. He was a sensitive and troubled man, and many believed this action killed him. When he died in 1777, his last words to his tormentors were: "Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it [the signing] to have been the most glorious service that I have ever rendered to my country."

* William Ellery, Rhode Island delegate, saw his property and home burned to the ground.

* Thomas Lynch, Jr., South Carolina delegate, had his health broken from privation and exposures while serving as a company commander in the military. His doctors ordered him to seek a cure in the West Indies and on the voyage, he and his young bride were drowned at sea.

* Edward Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, and Thomas Heyward, Jr., the other three South Carolina signers, were taken by the British in the siege of Charleston. They were carried as prisoners of war to St. Augustine, Florida, where they were singled out for indignities. They were exchanged at the end of the war, the British in the meantime having completely devastated their large landholdings and estates.

* Thomas Nelson, signer of Virginia, was at the front in command of the Virginia military forces. With British General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, fire from 70 heavy American guns began to destroy Yorktown piece by piece. Lord Cornwallis and his staff moved their headquarters into Nelson's palatial home. While American cannonballs were making a shambles of the town, the house of Governor Nelson remained untouched. Nelson turned in rage to the American gunners and asked, "Why do you spare my home?" They replied, "Sir, out of respect to you." Nelson cried, "Give me the cannon!" and fired on his magnificent home himself, smashing it to bits. But Nelson's sacrifice was not quite over. He had raised $2 million for the Revolutionary cause by pledging his own estates. When the loans came due, a newer peacetime Congress refused to honor them, and Nelson's property was forfeited. He was never reimbursed. He died, impoverished, a few years later at the age of 50.

Lives, Fortunes, Honor

Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact.

And, finally, there is the New Jersey signer, Abraham Clark.

He gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. They were captured and sent to that infamous British prison hulk afloat in New York Harbor known as the hell ship Jersey, where 11,000 American captives were to die. The younger Clarks were treated with a special brutality because of their father. One was put in solitary and given no food. With the end almost in sight, with the war almost won, no one could have blamed Abraham Clark for acceding to the British request when they offered him his sons' lives if he would recant and come out for the King and Parliament. The utter despair in this man's heart, the anguish in his very soul, must reach out to each one of us down through 200 years with his answer: "No."

The 56 signers of the Declaration Of Independence proved by their every deed that they made no idle boast when they composed the most magnificent curtain line in history. "And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

Justice4Jenna

2007-06-29T01:14:00Z

    Recently a newspaper deliver girl was murdered while doing her job in the early morning. She was stabbed to death and pregnant. She was trying to help support her family and make an honest living. The story can be read here:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1538502/ .

    The family has also created a web site called Justice4Jenna.org

    It's a tragic for the family and I hope Jenna does get her justice.

dp

Reads and Listens

2007-06-22T22:56:00Z

Latest reads:

Trace by Patricia Cornwell
Prey by Michael Crichton
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

Latest listens:

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
How To Save A Life by The Fray
What Hurts The Most by Rascal Flatts
It's Not Over by Chis Daughtry
Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood

Someone else turned me on to the music...

me

New to the web site

2007-06-21T09:42:00Z

It's no big deal, but I just added a favicon.ico to the web site. That's the little icon you sometimes see located by the web site url at the top of your browser. It's very tiny. Mine is made from an image of my Boston terrier, Belle, in case you couldn't tell what it looks like.

Safari

2007-06-12T01:50:00Z

    Well, it doesn't seem fair that Apple Computer is offering their web browser Safari to PC users. All that loyalty down the drain. It's not the first time I've ever been burned, but it does bug me. Just like when they show what seems to be anti republican news from the NY Times in their iPhone ads.

    That Steve Jobs is as trustworthy as a lawyer...

    Oh, and you XP users can get Safari here...

dp

Canoe Trip

2007-05-28T22:39:00Z

I went on a day trip down the Neuse river on Sunday May 27. It was a very relaxing trip and provided a light workout at the same time. Naturally I took some photos of some of the wild life. Additionally I took my boston terrier Belle along and she went swimming for the first time. Here's one of the photos of a water snake.

Balloon

2007-05-21T00:19:00Z

Well, yesterday was the pot belly pig. Today was a little more pleasant. I had yet another fly over by a hot air balloon. It's the same one that usually comes around here. Rare and beautiful.

Preakness & Freakness

2007-05-20T18:21:00Z

My pick for the Kentucky Derby did well in the Preakness. He came in second and just wasn't able to hold off Curlin. It was a photo finish and very enjoyable.

After the race was over, I could hear the dog barking like crazy outside and decided to go take a look at what was going on. At first I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I thought it was someone I used to date, but it turned out to just be a pig. I could tell because the pig was nicer.

I gave him some bread and he happily headed home.

Postal Rates

2007-05-14T10:26:00Z

Hi Folks,

Well, it's Monday, May 14th and the USPS rate for a first class letter has increased to .41 cents. Hopefully everyone will go to www.usps.com and get new rate guides for all the services. Another handy thing to do is order .02 cents stamps via stamps by mail. No standing in line.

Good Luck!

Stamp Out Hunger

2007-05-13T15:13:00Z

May 12th was the NALC/USPS "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive. It was the 15th annual food drive. Last year I was the NALC/USPS coordinator and worked in concert with the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina. We raised over 330,000 pounds of food in the 2006 food drive.

I'm not sure how well we'll do this year, but based on what I was bringing back from my route, it looks like we will fall short of the amount we collected last year. Hopefully some folks just forgot and will leave something in the mail box on Monday.

Let's hope...

Sarkozy takes French presidency

2007-05-06T19:06:00Z

I just had to put something up here today on this. I'll be more detailed later. Can you believe it?!
The French elected someone that might pretend to be pro USA!