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 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!

After letting it stew for sometime now, I have decided that I shouldn’t waste my time or your vote.

I am not a fund raiser, which seems to be the most prominent feature people want in a leader.

All I could offer was common sense and accountability for actions.

Both of which appear to be in record low-demand.

I wish to thank everyone for pointing people to my blog, and helping get the word out.

With the exception of one person in the midwest, I do not have enough people helping me to get my name on the ballot of states that do not allow write-in candidates. Without my name on the ballots, there are not enough states that allow write-in candidates to get elected that way.

May God have mercy on this country, and the souls of those who wish to turn it into North Mexico or West ShariaLand.

As for the rest of us, fight the good fight. Stand tall, and be counted loudly. Do not vote for an incumbent ever again. Run the bums out, and let real Americans run the country.

UPDATE: 11:15am

I almost forgot.

Doug Gibbs, thank you for having me on Political Pistachio so often. And Jenn of the Jungle (with dtodeen), thank YOU for being the first one to interview me as a candidate.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Yesterday (Wednesday) was possibly the third most fun day in my life.

The first most fun ever had was when a Naval Dental Surgeon, three sheets to the wind, managed to break an unbreakable needle off in the roof of my mouth during a cavity expedition. The only thing that kept me out of the brig after slugging him was his blood test, which came back at .13 BAC.

The second most fun was the day I got my upper plate. Twilight sleep, my butt. They put me completely under, yanked what was left of my upper teeth, and mis-placed a temporary denture. My gums healed funny, not all of the parts of my teeth were removed, and they forgot to mention that “temporary” meant I needed to revisit them in six months to have a permanent appliance installed. (I finally had a permanent plate made, about three years ago, after a couple more sessions with an oral surgeon to fix what the temporary plate screwed up. I’m fine now, thanks for asking.)

Yesterday I had a crown installed. For whatever reason, I’m still jumpy with needles in my mouth. The added bonus of still feeling everything once the drilling started was special. I mentioned it to my dentist, and she added more anesthetic. As it turns out, my body like the anesthetic and processes it very quickly. No, the teeth don’t numb - just the jaw and tongue. So, the drilling went on with several breaks for me to gather in my “mind over matter” abilities, until another batch of nerves was hit. Yesterday afternoon, I felt as if I had gone five rounds with Ali - my jaw just plain hurt. However, the temporary crown is in place, and the permanent one is scheduled.

My permanent plate and this crown were done by what have to be the best dentists in the world. Dr. Ed Babits (denture) and Dr. Karen Hilsabeck (crown) practice in Phoenix, and TMBWitW has been seeing Dr. Babits since forever ago. So, once we got married, I started seeing them. My mouth has been in the best shape ever since then.

Just thought I’d share with you all.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

With age comes great wisdom and, sometimes, a memory that is like swiss cheese.

Some time ago (okay, it was a month ago) I let you all know that an interview on Political Pistachio Radio had been rescheduled for Saturday. If you check the comments of the previous post, at least one of my loyal readers remembered.

I did not.

Doug Gibbs tried to e-mail me on Friday. I didn’t check my e-mail on Friday. Saturday morning I started attending a series at church called “The Truth Project” - a fascinating tour of what the world wants everyone to think. It was a three hour session, and when I finished I was scheduled to go to a remodel project that I had started Friday evening. Well, I checked my voice mail when I got out of church, and there was a message from Doug. He had called, with a twinge of panic in his voice, to remind me about the show.

I called him back, and we chatted a bit. I thanked him for reminding me (actual words: Doug:”You do remember you are scheduled for the show today, right?” me: “Now that you’ve mentioned it, I remember the conversation where we rescheduled…”) and headed for the job site; when the time came I sat down and took a break from the first phase (painting - and a face shield was employed after the first drop of ceiling paint landed square on the contact in my left eye - everything had a satin finish to it after that) and had a great interview with Doug. Wild Phil called in and asked a terrific question. Check out the archive, provided BlogTalk Radio has the sessions listed…

Wild Phil, it was great talking to you. Doug, I promise I will never forget again. I’ll start blogging about my appearances from the time I make the commitment until the day of the interview.

(Note to lefties, libbies, and the msm: this is called character growth, where someone makes a vow to improve themselves. it is not flip-flopping on the issue of scheduling.)

And the rest of you who listened in - thanks for listening! If you have any questions for me that we did not address on the show, drop me a comment here or an e-mail. I may not get right to the response, but it will be answered!

If you are the host of a radio show, BlogTalk or otherwise, I would not object to appearing on your show. I’m not afraid of the questions, as Saturday’s show demonstrated, just understand that I don’t have a bank of advisers filling me in on all the details of every issue in the world. I do, however, have two things most politicians appear to be lacking: common sense and the willingness to work for a living.

As for the rest of the weekend: church Sunday morning, and more painting Sunday afternoon. I’m watching MEG today, and I’ll be starting phase two - flooring - tonight. First order of business - remove the twenty year old shag carpeting that is currently being used as drop cloths…

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

It’s Friday. Go here, buy a shirt, and show your support.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

I have been very seriously thinking about my bid to be written in as President of the United States. While I have made it very clear that the main thrust of my campaign is to let the Career Politicians in Washington know that We the People are sick and tired of the games they play, in word and deed, the reality is that campaigning for a political office is about one thing, and one thing only: How Much Money Can I Raise?

Being elected is more a case of being able to raise funds. What fund raising has to do with leading a country, I don’t think I will ever really grasp, but there you have it. Fund raising bothers me on several levels. First, is the begging involved. Or, actually, the salesmanship. And, by salesmanship, I mean “baldfaced lying to people with lots of dollars and no sense.” Second is the disposal of the left over funds.

Of course, to run a national, touring campaign, you need money. If you have an election staff, they all expect to be paid. Very well. Except the volunteers, who are convinced that they are needed and they need to work for free. Can you imagine a multi-million dollar corporation asking it’s workers to donate their time and own money to make the owners successful? Yes, I have asked for volunteers, but everyone, including myself, would be volunteering. No one is paid, since there is no fund raising.

Whether successful or not, any left over campaign money is the candidate’s to dispose of as they wish. Yes, that means that a successful fund-raiser who is not elected and does not spend all the funds raised, could pocket all the left over money.

This means that, if not nominated, the second place candidate in a party could wind up with millions of dollars to line his or her pocket.

Maybe I’m approaching the campaign from the wrong angle. Instead of wanting to serve my country, with leadership that does not owe it’s existence to any special interest group, I should instead be running a fund-raising campaign with the knowledge that I cannot be elected, and retire on the proceeds from my donors.

I could be rich! I could do all the things I want to, without having to work another day in my life! And to think, all that money would be tax free!

And, of course, I would then lose all the respect that I believe I have built up in the on-line community, in my family, and in my circle of friends. Worst of all, I wouldn’t be able to shave ever again, because I would not be able to look at the guy in the mirror.

Where would be the motivation to serve as President simply to serve the country? Heck, running for President has served some families very well. I can think of a certain Senator from Massachusetts that has ridden on the coat tails of his dead brothers for many many years now. Do you realize that by the time January 2009 rolls around, we will have had 24 years of Bush and Clinton? That means that people under the age of 26 have no cognitive memory of any other President. Can you imagine another eight years of Clinton? Yeah, there’s a military/financial package this country can’t survive.

I started writing this fully intending to announce that I was not going to run anymore. I have just finished convincing myself that I do, indeed, need to continue to run, unless a truly independent candidate, who is not a Career Politician, can make a run. Help me spread the word, will you?

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

Remember that little question? A lot of the liberals today are quaking and bleating that we can all get along, and to do so would make the world a better place.

The short answer is “no.”

The longer answer is “NNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!!”

The reason? Let’s think about it for a minute, in different areas of the public scene:

POLITICS:
Well, we all get along, so no one disagrees. Good for incumbents, bad for innovation. Since everyone gets along, and there is no disagreement, everyone votes the same way. With the exception of the President, politicians are installed for life. Since the President has been doing such a great job since everyone got together and talked out their differences, let’s go ahead and let the President serve for life also. No new bills are introduced, no laws are passed, the Supreme Court dies from boredom. All the lawyers die from starvation, since everyone agrees and gets along, and no one is suing anyone else. Wait - what happens when an incumbent dies? No young politicians have been in training, since the incumbents were doing such a magnificent job, so now there is no one to replace the deceased statesman.

FINANCIAL:
On Wall Street today, everyone agreed that all the stocks were quite attractive. No single stock was singled out, as there is no reason to make a particular stock feel differently from any other stock. Volume was zero, since no one wanted to buy or sell their stocks, in order to avoid making any particular company feel compelled to change their course of action. After all, everything is perfect the way it is, right? And, in order for you to sell a stock, someone else has to disagree with your assessment of how it will do in the future and want to buy it.

RELIGIOUS:
All religious groups have come to agreement. All citizens of all nations are members of the same religious group, in order for all people groups to live in peace and harmony one with another. Since no one needs to be recruited, the focus is now on strengthening everyone’s faith. All meetings of religious groups are identical, so as to avoid any misinterpretation of the message. Dissension is unheard of, discussion of differing points of view is prohibited.

ENTERTAINMENT:
Everyone must view the same movie before a new movie is released. Can’t be watching things out of order, that might change your viewpoint. All game platforms are the same, manufactured by the same company. (Badly manufactured, by the way. But, since they are the only company, and their stock is doing so well, they don’t feel the need to improve, or even release any more games.) Everyone plays the same video game, and everyone has the same level of ability. Game competitions are a stupefying gathering of equally talented players, and all games end in a draw. The prize is always split between all the “first place” winners. Any truly breakout players are drawn aside, and instructed in the fine art of total agreement on all sides. Further outbreaks result in banishment from the tournaments. After careful consideration by the entire population of the world, tournaments themselves are banned, since they only encourage and foster competition and the desire to prove oneself to be better than another, or, at the very least, to let you see how you stack up against the other players.

TECHNOLOGY:
Everyone uses the same computer. Not the same machine, but the same type. The same software. The same browser. Everyone’s blog looks just like everyone else’s, since everyone now thinks exactly alike. Even the entries are the same, and traffic has dropped to zero, since everyone already knows what every blog is going to say. Everyone drive the same type of vehicle. Police are not needed to enforce traffic laws, since everyone drives the posted speed limit and obeys every law on the books. There aren’t really that many laws on the books anymore, since everyone has agreed that limiting anyone is not acceptable.

So - can we all get along? Yes, but forget trying to get everyone to agree. Disagreement is the reason there are changes, and why we continue to move forward in our development.

At the same time, we must have change in order to avoid stagnation. Which brings me to my point: Make a Difference. Write in Cary Cartter for President in November 2008.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

You may have to live in a warm region (heh - he said “warm”) like Phoenix, Yuma, or, recently, SoCal, in order to appreciate this next statement -

Ah! Fall! Time to open the doors, let the cool breezes flow through, and take a shower that is not automatically HOT!

The last two mornings, the thermometer was broken - no, really, it was - because it said it was cooler outside than inside. After a record breaking summer of temps over 110 (I think the old record was 28 days, this year we had - I believe - 32) it is glorious to be able to walk outside in the morning and not burn the soles of your feet.

My shower this morning was actually cold. Usually, just turning on the cold tap produces water hot enough for most people’s showers in the winter. I needed to turn it past the normal point to mix in some water from the water heater to get it up to shower temp - not much, in my case, since I really do prefer a shower slightly cooler than most people I have discussed this with - which means the ground is cooling off. That means the pipes, which weren’t buried deep enough to keep the water from being heated before delivery, are no longer being baked. Which tells me, in the end, that Fall has officially arrived.

This brings us, unfortunately, to a very awkward time of year, because now that the temps have dropped at night, we don’t need to use the AC all night. Some of you may be saying, “What’s the big deal?” I’ll tell you the big deal - the electric bill. Even keeping the house at a relatively warm 78 (most businesses in Phoenix keep their buildings around 72 - 74, so most people keep their houses the same) our bill would top $450 a month if we didn’t have a program that allows us to pay the same amount each month. This allows us to run a deficit in the summer, and build up a slight reserve in the winter, so we don’t have to take out a second mortgage to keep our cool.

Cooler weather = starting to erase the deficit and build the reserve. We have electric heat also, but I have only used that once, when we first moved in and we didn’t have all the animals creating so much ambient heat. The last five winters we haven’t turned it on at all.

(Hmm - I can see the Global Warming lemmings lining up here - let me dispel you all by saying that Phoenix is in the desert, and in the southwest, in case you are also geographically challenged. Even in the ‘cold’ years, it’s hot here. Now, go play with your Al Gore trading cards.)

Hope you all have a wonderful week - enjoy the cooler weather!

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

It’s Friday. Go here, buy a shirt, and show your support.

Whoops - lost a whole week there. Sorry ’bout that - what with a head cold, a non-sleeping daughter, a bout of insomnia, an eye infection, and trying to actually accomplish things like building samples for the business, the blog tends to be pushed to the back burner on occasion. Oh, and Thursday afternoon - a migraine. Hadn’t had one of those in a while, so it was probably due.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no greater joy than to hold your infant in your arms as they sleep.

That is pure JOY.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, support Warriors for Innocence, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008