I have noticed several of my friends here on the stream are very much for removing our troops out of Iraq due to a belief that we can't win and the lives lost are not worth bringing any form of democracy to the Iraqis.

I have kept quiet about this because this is a very sore subject for me as I believe that because they are fighting over there we can live our lives in a relatively normal fashion. They (our service men and women) are keeping the worst of our enemies where they belong. Over there.

I recently rewatched the life story of George Cohan. For those of you who don't know him, he wrote Over There and several other patriotic songs starting just before WWI.

He was also the first actor, performer, playwright and song writer of any station a person in show business to be awarded a medal of honor from Congress.

Our forfathers went Over There to not come home until it was over over there. Well we still have troops over there in Japan, Italy and Germany. Why? Because it is not over over there.

We can't leave Japan for if we did we would lose a stratigic launching sight. The same can be said for several places we have soldiers.

How can so many of you want our troops home now when we have the enemy on the run. The only support they have is in the media in this country.

If the state of information was available on D Day would you have demanded that the troops come home before the shores were littered with the bodies of our troops?

War is an ugly thing. People are complaining about haveing to do 7 months in Iraq before being brought home. What about all of the mothers and sisters and fathers and brothers in WWI, WWII, Korea and yes even Viet Nam? We still don't some from each war. We will always have missing in action people.

But this group of people have no right to complain about being sent into battle. They volunteered in return for money for their college and what ever it is that they do, they owe the American people that debt should they be called up. They knew the possibilities when they made that agreement and most don't want to come home until it is over over there.

My Marine nephew did three tours of more than 7 months in Afganistan and has now served two tours of Iraq and just got back before Christmas, he is going back as soon as they'll let him. He good at what he does and he wants to protect and serve this country with all of his might and being.

My Navy nephew and his wife both have served alternating six month tours on their nuclear ship (best I can say to not endanger them). Alternating so one parent can be home with their two girls.

John Kerry has a right to gripe, he was drafted.

We don't have or need a draft. We have men and women quitting jobs and volunteering just to serve and to their duty.

I have had family members in every war ever fought in this country from the Mayflower through to and including now. It is exactly what we need people who believe enough in the rights espoused in the Constitution who are willing to go over there and not come back until it is over, over there.

Beth.

Let's see...

We had an ice storm, while St. Louis got hit with another winter giant storm. Then we had 22 snow flakes that day. The next day we got a dusting and of course I had to take it easy walking so I went through the garden to the back door and was showing my husband how to walk down hills on ice and/or snow.

It was at that point I hit a clump of snow and ice covered dirt. Of course I fell what else was there to do. I mean I did divert my eyes for just about 30 seconds.

My husband said see if I don't help you, you always fall. That is blatenly false as I have fallen once and have been to the truck and back nearly a thousand times. So I fell. He made me go to the doctor for exrays to see no breaks or chipped bones were floating around there. Well I was right. I am fine the doctor's office said that "I am just fine" so am I cured of all of my disorders and other problems because I fell.

If that were the cure we should all fall down with the London Bridge, eventhough it connects a man made canal with a man made island with the rest of the desert called Lake Mead and the surround or next town. (In Arizona)

Well I am still having spasms in my knee and back so I suppose that what the nurse meant to say is nothing is broken in my body. It started bruising this morning. Oh the joy of a bruise. You are constantly hitting it on something or someone else is hitting it for you; my dog has the uncanny ability to jump right on it every time she jumps on the bed. I didn't feel too bad or singled out as she does the same thing to my husband.

Well that is the interesting news so far this week I wonder what is left for the next two days.

Everyone take care and and have a great weekend! Beth.

My daughter came back and she believes that when her son says Daddy that he means her father. Even though she and every one else called him Pops.

Two days and he decided what to call him. 2 1/2 years and I still have no name and my husband is kind of called grdaddy, I figured out the problem with my name.

My daughter calls me Mom, my husband calls me Beth and I tell my grandson I am grandma. What should he call me. My grandson in the Phoenix valley calles me grandma Beff and my sister grandma Cheri as she has now somewhere around 7 grandchildren.

My grandson here doesn't really talk that much, but he understands what you say; not the first one to not talk in our family: Believe it or not I hardly said a word until I was 14, except to the guys I dated. At school I have my friends and we talked. At home I learned to listen as otherwise I was the last one to find out stuff. For some reason Mom and Dad/Uncle missed me in calling family meetings and no once caught me up. So I learned to sit near the phone while Mom was talking and sit on the stairs whenever more than one or two were gathered together.

Although people now can not imaging me not talking I have my, loss of speach from my dystonia and I choose to not speak when I am home and crocheting.

I used to talk over the show, as does all my family. Until I found out it drives my husband crazy no I just freeze frame (oh I love tivo I talk and then we go back to the movie.
He is not good at multi-tasking. I can still do a few things at a time, just not as well as I used to.

I finally broke down and went to an auction. I gave myself a forty dollar limit and spent 39. Most of this will be sold on Ebay. I closed my store as I got more googled people than I did from Ebay store business. Not only do you pay for the cheaper listing, but it does not show up in a search, unless you pay the fee for specific words, they should pertain to your items to sell. Also you pay 15.99 a month for the store.

My first month without the store I sold over 500 dollars of merchandise. Since then I have sold about fifty dollars worth. It is a real bummer. So unless you want to go in big time, pay the extra 10 cents per listing and it usually goes before the 7 day limit.

Did I mention that my first ex-husband managed to stay sober and drug free, she thinks a person can quit cold turkey, as he said he did. I say that she didn't check the right places for bottles or other stashes of drugs and appear sober for almost two days.

I'll believe he is clean when I see it. We are 42 and he has been smoking pot since age 11 and doing hard drugs (cocaine since age14) I don't think quitting cold turkey would work in this area for him. Hey is it has great for him. He may find a normal relationship. For my children's sake I hope so.

Well I had better go and work on the fire (in the wood stove) Take care and have a great week and the old people in NE MO are safe they made it to Walmart to stock up on things they need. BethAnne.

It is a strange time for me to be awake. Normally I would be back in my bed falling back to sleep while my sweet husband is cooking breakfast for us.

My daughter called and we talked past midnight CDT and 1:00 EDT. She decided to take a week (5 days} to spend with her sperm donor. I suppose there is something about being 22 going on 23 that triggers a need in the children in my family to find and find out about their sperm donors and then there is the big let down because we; my mother, sister and myself decided to not tell out childern about their dads and let them think that it was our fault for not allowing them to see the louse each of them are.

As I was talking to Michael about her phone call, it sounds like my family is hijacking her and my grandson for the rest of the vacation. She is a little worried about the child proofing of the house. I reminded her that two out of three have 4 or 5 grand children that come on a regular basis. I also reassured her that my brother will have a blast with him.

Then the tones went off, I heard them before Michael did. A one year old child was not breathing about eight blocks from here. Right now they said the child has a thready pulse, that is a good thing.

The ambulance just arrived on scene and the radio is very silent. They have cancelled all first responders; at least 10 responded to this one. Normally my husband and one other first responder respond.

I suppose because it is a baby people just can't igore that fact. I have said a prayer for Heavenly Father to do his will and help this child if it is his will for this child to stay or go. That all the men who are responding can accept that it is Heavenly Father is in charge.

The ambulance is taking the child to the hospital. Now and I am asking everyone to ask their higher power or Heavenly Father to watch over this baby.

Beth.

Well about a month ago the muscles in my throat stopped working and I could not swallow.

My husband was mad because I had baby sat my grand son for two nights in a row and I also did many other things.

I need to know what my limits are otherwise I might as well just lay in bed and take no meds.

So I found my limits, the hard way as usual. After of about five minutes of continious coughing my husband realized I was in the throughs of a full blown dystonic episode.

Because he (my husband) lost my artane the parkinsons medication that keeps my episodes in check we/me had to go to the er.

The whole thing lasted about 45 minutes. My husband didn't tell any of the ems people (ones he works with) about the fact my eyes shut and stay that way, I contort and can not control or decontort myself even after the muscle spasms have stopped. I did regain some speach by the time I got to the hospital and they gave me a shot of thorizine. Never had it before but it knocked me for a four day loop and I don't remember a thing; I see it's appeal to some people, those who want to forget.

Then I was diagnosed with glaucoma. It came out of nowhere as my sugars have been in good shape just slightly high so I am now controlled though medication.

When I do drive I can not see to the left or right as I need to so someone always needs to be with me. I also have these terrible throbbing pains in my eyes in the light and it makes me want to find a dark hole and stay there to keep the pain in check.

However I take another pain pill or two and continue on my merry way.

Losing my sight has always been one of my worst fears and now it appears to be coming true. I take these horrible drops and they hurt and sting, really giving me an incentive to take them however they keep the pressure down and so my eye pain, must be neurological the neruologist believes it is all because I have been diagnosed with resistive depressing and panic/anxiety around spiders aka arachnaphobic.

I do get ancy occasionaly but that is usually when I feel I am wasting my time.

Well after my stomach bypass surgery sometime between now and March, then we are putting me in the hospital detox all of the pain relieving medications -to see if I am addicted and to restart my system to try taking lower doses- and at the same time I get a lumbar puncher and we will stop the artane and record what happen with a video and with an ensephlomyeologram, you know the wires on your head for three days and monitor my brain in reaction or conjuction with the behaviors exibited on the video.

This was my idea as I want a true diagnosis not just give me a pill and we'll try to treat and give me a bunch of meds to react to.

Well with all of that. I am doing fine and I hope and pray for a Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year. Beth.