Monday Morning friends report, Mar.31, 2008

Here in mid Michigan, it has been raining torrentially, and with the ground basically saturated with water and still partially frozen, there are standing lakes all over the place. Spring has not shown itself yet, around here, there have not been any warm days, nothing has begun to turn green, and there are still snow piles sitting around parking lots.
====

BRANDON INGE - the motion has been made and seconded and has been voted on. Brandon has been made an honorary member of the Birches Friends Club, if for no other reason than that fantastic throw he made on opening day. Besides, everyone likes Brandon and it's good for our reputation to have him hanging around.

OUR MICHIGAN FANS - are happy that the Michigan hockey team has reached the "Frozen Four" and will play Notre Dame in the semifinals on April 10.

PAT W. -Is enjoying her new kitchen which is 93.4% completed.



FELIX - reports that he was first on the scene of a motorcycle crash. The guy was alive, and instead of going home to eat his pizza while it was hot, he had to help save a life -- Ya, we're all wondering how this turns out.



IRISH MIKE and AMY - have returned from Florida and he reports on an odd occurrence at the airport. A woman waiting at the gate had forgotten her purse and ;left it sitting in the seating area. It was handed to the pilot and he carried it aboard. Seemed like a breach in security.

MARSHA - is prideful that her South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team has a record so far of 18-7. She also brags about the good weather in Carolina these days. She does like to brag.

======


SPARTY - is sorrowful for the elimination of Michigan State from the NCAA Tournament by Memphis, but he and Gigi are heading for North Carolina to visit and relax. Be safe!
====

What some friends are talking about:

SPARTY - is upset with the mainstream media for unfairness to the candidates. If they're going to raise hell about one guy's religious supporters, then why not the other one?

The Rev. John Hagee ($1.25 million per year, owner of a 5200 sq ft home, pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio that owns a media group that brings in $18 million a year) endorsed John McCain, with McCain's encouragement, appeared with McCain at a rally, arms around each other - that Rev. Hagee is an "end-times" prophet who supports Israel because he believes that the world's Jews must return to their ancestoral home, and rebuild the the Temple (currently occupied by Muslim mosques)prior to an apocalyptic Armageddon that will lead to the second coming of Christ (at which time the Jews are SOL.) This is the same Rev. Hagee who made not so subtle references to the Roman Catholic church as an "apostate system" and as the "Great Whore of Babylon".

And for weeks the MSM has been continually reminding the voters of something Barac Obama's former pastor once said.

ALICE - sent a reference to this article about the possibility that victims of Katrina may have to repay government money: click She finds this infuriating considering the deals the government has been giving to the wealthy lately:

This is outrageous!! Blackwater gets overpaid daily.
Haliburton gets overpaid daily. Corporate CEO's get
overpaid daily. Baseball stadium owners have gotten
overpaid through subsidies from our pockets-including
our illustrious president! Insurance companies get
overpaid routinely...and on and on and on. I don't
care if every last one of them is over paid according
their calculations. In the situation the recipients
have gone through already, what is $175 million to
several thousand people. It's insane! Take back the
millions in tax breaks for the top one percent. End
the war and use that money. The top earners always
resent every penny the lowest earners get. I don't
care if they were overpaid(who calculated?). I think
it's added cruelty to recall the money. Take it out
of the Company that says they made the mistake.

BILL FROM WNNCO - sent a commentary from Georgie Anne Geyer called CULTURE CLASH STARTS SMALL AT HARVARD CLICK complaining that Harvard has been caving into demands from a Muslim minority:

"WASHINGTON -- If a writer were to make the ultimate satiric remark about Islam's increasing presence in America, he would say something like, "And soon they'll be having the 'call to prayer' in Harvard Square." Except, for those who have been paying attention, the line is neither ironic nor humorous: The call to prayer of a Muslim muezzin or priest was broadcast in Harvard Yard at the Widener Library in Cambridge several times in February, as well as on earlier occasions.

As well, the undergraduate college has this winter restricted one of the three largest gyms on its main campus to "women only" at special hours. The reason? Because a small group of Muslim women students felt that workout clothes violated the prescription that both sexes wear modest dress in shared environments."
====


Jerry sent this gem: