Who's to blame???

I want to throw my two cents in on what the MSM is calling the foreclosure crisis. As a 3 time home owner I know how hard it is to save and sacrifice to provide a better life for your family.

The folks losing their homes now are renters who should never have entered into a mortgage contract. In the “olden” days, you could have the privilege of home ownership one of 3 ways. An FHA (first time buyer) mortgage, traditional mortgage underwriting (20% down) from your local bank and the VA loan. You had to have a good great credit record with a stable employment history. Once approved, the lender would let you know how much house you could buy, making sure the house payment was never more than 25% of your take-home pay. The lender was taking a chance on you and didn’t want to get stiffed. There was a time in this country when people would never finance a car, they paid cash and lived within their means.

When it no longer became a privilege, but a right, to own a home, creative lenders set up shop on every construction site and new housing development. Advertising 0 down, interest only or sub-prime ARM’s to lure the victims into signing a mortgage they couldn’t afford. Predatory lenders, maybe. But can’t we place the blame were it belongs, personal responsibility on part of the buyer.

In an effort to save the middle class we now have to bail these folks out and save them from themselves.

CAIR; Sami needs your help!

Why is this man still in our country?

RoP faithful are being asked to rally behind Sami al-Arian during his “struggle for justice”. In their latest whine-o-gram, CAIR is “calling on American Muslims and other people of conscience to write letters in support of Dr. Sami Al-Arian” during his second hunger strike and the unjust treatment at the hands of the Great Satan.

CAIR, the unindicted terror co-conspirator, also took this opportunity to advertise the blockbuster film, USA vs. al Arian.

RoP faithful can further support the terrorist by visiting the "free Sami al Arian" website were they dub Sami a "political prisoner", providing contact info and details how you can help "free Sami".

This terrorist needs to be deported, now....

He Is Risen!

He is risen indeed!

Wishing everyone a beautiful Easter...

A new car for me??????

UPDATE;

After I read the comments and reflected a bit on my transgressions (prior to attending Good Friday services at 3:00) I noticed what some may call hypocrisy. You may recall my Swiffer post. And some of you might be thinking "Janice will save $6 and use a dish-rag on her Swiffer and think nothing of plopping down 35K on a new car." To all of you thinking that, you'd be correct. I have my priorities. Besides, how am I going to save enough money for the car if I don't cut corners?

The Pontiac Solstice
The Saturn Sky

The 2009 - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro

Spring has arrived and love is in the air, when ones fancy turns to..... new cars. At least my fancy does. The car show rolls around and the smell of "new car" can be very enticing. This happens to me every year and it's why I decline the invitation to attend the auto show. I get new car fever.

The onset of my fever started Monday. I started my beloved metallic blue Camaro, waited the obligatory 3 minutes then shifted into reverse and eased off the brake.....nothing. I put it back in park and sat there thinking "I need a transmission". As I shifted into reverse and eased off the brake the buggy seemed to budge ever so slightly. As I applied the gas I heard a loud "thud" and I was out of the garage and on my way. The post office and grocery store stops were uneventful, no thud, nothing, everything was in working order.

All who know and love me understand how impatient I am. How bored I get and when it comes to cars I have what I've termed ADD, affection deficit disorder. I don't like the same car for too long and become easily bored. I've owned a 91 Camaro, a 92 Camaro, a 96 Thunderbird (that lasted 10 months) a 96 Mustang and this 2001 Camaro. This is the longest I've held on to an automobile. Even though my beloved only has 25,484 miles (I just returned from the PO) not bad for a 7 year old car I would trade it in in a heartbeat.

The thought of putting money into it just to trade it in next spring when the 5th generation Camaro's hit the showroom floors makes me sick. I've never been one to "fix" things. My mother would say "the ashtray is full, time to trade the car in" (funny, but I don't use the ashtrays in my cars and rarely smoke in them) Anywho, yes I trade in my cars quite frequently.

So now I'm in a bit of a pickle. I can get my Camaro fixed and wait another 12 months to get a 2009 Camaro, or, I can buy a something like a Pontiac Solstice or Saturn Sky. If I buy a car now I'm only going to trade it in on the new Camaro and take a bath on the loan. It's not like I'll be "Camaro-less" I could drive Nicks 35th Anniversary Edition 2002 Camaro Z28.

Agh! What to do! Don't you wish all your problems were of this mini-magnitude?

islamic mortgages

SunRise Equities is the latest shariah-compliant financial services firm to pop up on the radar. Located in Chicago and incorporated in 2001, SunRise caters to the faithful by providing competent and innovative shariah compliant investment products and services.

A Chicago Tribune article said since the 9/11 attacks middle eastern money came under greater scrutiny, worrying investors in those regions that their money was no longer safe in Western banks. That said, many of them chose to invest locally, adding to the demand for Islamic banking.

Now at this point I have to say, prior to the attacks muslim investors were fine with receiving and paying interest. What happened? Tighter scrutiny, a closer look as to where the funds were actually coming from and going to? Was this institution born out of a need for secrecy? I believe so, especially when the sharia law overview is so open to interpretation;

Overview
Sunrise is committed to promoting the concept of Shariah/Islamic Financing in the USA.
Why Interest is forbidden in Islam

• It is thought to be exploitative for both, the borrower and the lender
  
• Money is not considered to be a “commodity” in itself but a measure of value, hence it cannot be traded, “Buying money” in the form of deposits at a given price “interest” and selling the same at a higher interest rate in the form of loans is not allowed

That's it folks, no links to a greater explanation or anything, this is it free to make the rules fit the situation as seen fit by the board of trustees. And confuse the FICA, Homeland Security, the FBI and CIA. Nice....

CAIR sending out "props" to Carson!

Yes, there’s reason to celebrate and the ummah is sending props out to Andre Carson, the second muslim to win a U.S. congressional seat for Indiana’s 7th district with 54% of the vote. The whine-o-gram is full of self congratulatory language one would think CAIR had a hand in campaigning for Carson leading to his win. The fact is he ran using the sympathy vote, winning the seat vacated when his grandmother passed away. A May primary and a November general election still stand between Carson and a full term in congress.

CAIR also took this opportunity to lets us know their presence on the hill has not diminished. According to Corey Saylor “the political participation of American Muslims is increasing. Just this week, Muslims from around the nation held more than 70 Capitol Hill meetings with representatives and congressional staffers. Those meetings focused on issues such as racial profiling, citizenship delays and anti-hunger initiatives.”

While on the hill CAIR dropped off more than 17,000 constituent letters on the issue of Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip gathered from mosques across the country. I’m sure those letters were placed in an environmentally sound recycling bin. Where they should be.

You too can get your very own piggy bank!

I was pleasantly surprised to see piggy banks being offered at an institution here in kafir-land Columbus.

In this day and age, its rare for one to actually go into a financial institution. Yesterday was the second time since we moved to Columbus 13 months ago I entered a bank. As I stood in line, with four old folks, I spied a National City Bank piggy bank sitting on the ledge in front of one of the tellers. Being a collector of freebies I knew I wasn't leaving without one in my little hands.
As I instructed the teller on the transactions I needed to complete, (it's amazing what a hard time they give you for withdrawing YOUR money) the piggy made its way to the teller stall I happened to be occupying while the teller got a "manager" to release my funds. Once I promised not to use my money for sex, drugs or anything else illegal I batted my eyes to the young male teller and asked if I could have the piggy bank. At that point it was quite obvious to me that I'm much older than I feel. He didn't even give me the old "if it were up to me" line. He flatly said I need to apply for a NCB credit card, he didn't even crack a smile.

20 years ago, I would have walked out of that bank with 2 of those piggy's. Provided the teller was a man, 20 years ago I can't remember men being at the teller stalls, they were usually sitting at the lending desks. How times have changed....

CAIR co-sponsors anti-wiretapping letter to congress

CAIR, the unindicted terror coconspirator, joined forces with several left leaning institutions advocating the expiration of the FISA Act of 2007. The letter included a "wish list" for a new surveillance rule book.

* Require Court Authorization Before Surveillance Begins. Except in emergency situations, surveillance should never be conducted solely on the basis of the executive branch's discretion. Courts must have a meaningful role in approving or denying wiretaps.

* Prevent Bulk Collection of U.S. Communications. No one disagrees that the government should be able to collect in bulk foreign to foreign communications, whether or not incidentally routed through the U.S. However, when one of the parties is American or located in the U.S., government should only be able listen in if the surveillance is specifically targeted at an individual.

* Protect Communications of People in the U.S. Capture of foreign communications can, and should, be conducted in a manner that protects people on U.S. soil. That includes allowing targeting of suspects abroad, but heightening restrictions on the use of information to which a U.S. person is a party. U.S. communications should be used and disseminated only when there is an emergency or a link to terrorism. The government should always be required to return to the FISA court to obtain an individualized order if listening to someone in the U.S. ever becomes a significant purpose of the lawful surveillance of a foreigner.

* Exclude Retroactive Immunity for Telecommunication Providers. Neither Congress nor the American public has yet to receive a full accounting of what telecommunication providers did with Americans' most intimate communications or the legal basis for doing so. Without this information, Congress should not even consider denying Americans their day in court to vindicate their rights.

* Provide for Robust Congressional Oversight. Any new authorities must be carefully scrutinized by Congress to ensure that American privacy is protected. Congress has the duty to ensure that the executive branch does not overreach in the name of national security.

* Minimize Sunset Provision. The recent sunset of the Protect America Act is a perfect example of how such reasonable expiration dates for laws that implicate basic constitutional principles force the administration and Congress to review whether authorities are truly needed and whether they are narrowly crafted to protect Americans' rights. Any new authority should again include a reasonably short sunset.

After reading over their list of “protections and principles” I get the feeling they want America to be the “safe zone” as if we were playing a game of chase on the schoolyard. It’s apparent the best interests of America are not first and foremost. Protecting the terrorist by extending rights afforded to American citizens is not going to win this war and keep our country safe.

muslims back B. Hussein Obama

The BBC reports muslims in America, specifically Ohio, are supporting B. Hussein Obama.

A late day whine-o-gram revealed their “non-partisan” activities and the “get out the muslim vote” appeal. Since Thursday volunteers from the Cleveland chapter have been calling eligible muslim voters urging them to go to the polls. The call for volunteers went out to the faithful on February 21, 2008;
“CAIR-Ohio's non-partisan election center is part of CAIR's overall goal of enhancing American Muslim political and civic engagement. The effort is part of a nationwide strategy to register voters, distribute voter guides and get out the Muslim vote for the 2008 elections.”

Last week Patrick Poole (from Central Ohioans Against Terrorism and Front Page Magazine) and Dinah Lord reported on what could be called “illegal electioneering”. An email obtained by Poole indicated “an Obama campaign official calling for volunteers to spread out to all of the area mosques in Central Ohio for afternoon prayers to bring in the vote for Barack Hussein Obama” .

The volunteers met at the BHO-HQ in Columbus at 9:30am last Friday to pick up materials and some last minute training. Here’s the body of the email;

Assalam Alaik-kum,

Thanks so much for volunteering to help Senator Barack Obama turn out the Muslim vote inshalla. On Friday March 29th we want to have Muslim volunteers pray at the Mosques during Juma at around 12:45. After prayer when people are socializing outside we want to have the volunteer pass out Obama civil rights literature, faith based literature, general literature, stickers and bumper stickers. In addition we want the volunteers to emphasize that the election is the following Tuesday and encourage them to vote. That way we can reach every Muslim that went to Mosque the Friday before the election inshalla. Attached is a list of every Mosque in Columbus, if we have missed one please let me know ASAP. In addition if there is a particular Mosque you would prefer to attend Juma at and volunteer let me know.

To accomplish this we need to have a training/meeting and have volunteers pick up the necessary materials before volunteers go to the Mosques. We will be having a training/meeting at 9:30 A.M on March 29th at the Obama campus office 2240 N. High Street Columbus Ohio 43201. I will be providing everyone with more information as we get closer to Friday. Please feel free to contact me through email, or call me at 352-874-1195. If my phone is not on please leave me a voice mail with you number and I will get back to you right away. Also please feel free to pass this on to any brothers or sisters who support Senator Obama and would not mind volunteering for just half a day. Thanks again for everything.

Sincerely
Ahmad S. Khan

(ed. note - the date is incorrect, they met this past Friday on February 29, 2008)

The IRS should be taking a look at these volunteers and mosques. It appears that the Obama campaign may be involved in "illegal electioneering" by deliberately targeting tax exempt institutions. And I bet CAIR was in the mix as well.

Security and self-defense, IDF style!

Dinah Lord expressed some anxiety over security and explores the possibility of becoming a gun owner. 9/11 and hurricane Katrina taught us to be self-reliant and not to wait for the government to come to the rescue.

A few weeks ago, Nick and I watched an episode of “Fight Quest” a series that airs on the Discovery Channel. Hosts, Jimmy and Doug, were in Israel to learn Krav Maga from both the IDF and civilian instructors. For a short Krav Maga history you can go here.

During the show commercials aired for “Ohio Krav Maga & Fitness” conveniently located in Gahanna Ohio (a mere 15 minutes from our home). We talked about checking the place out and maybe taking a self defense class. The fact that scum bags prey on women and those they deem weak, we thought taking a class could only be a benefit. So I enrolled us in the “Intro to Fight” module.

The Front

The Back

The intro to fight (Krav) class was 10am Saturday morning. Once we were signed in and paid for the course ($19.99 for both) we received our T-shirts, toured the facility and met some of the instructors. The program started promptly and wasted no time. After a brief history we were soon paired up and throwing punches at each other. The 45 minute lesson was followed by an invitation to join the Krav 1 class. Everyone from the intro class stayed.

During Krav 1 the group learned to kick, punch and elbow an attacker. When assaulted Krav Maga teaches you to explode, to blow-up and assail your attacker. No mercy and nothing is out of bounds.

I used muscles I haven’t used in months if not years. I was sweaty and my heart rate was up and the cardio work-out was not overly intense. I felt good and had a lot of energy once I got home. We decided to enroll in the Krav Maga instruction which is a 5 step program and you have to test into the next level.

Sunday morning found me a bit sore. Mainly my thighs and shoulders, surprisingly my back felt like it usually does, no better or worse. Nick plans to attend twice a week and I’m going to the Saturday class, once a week until I build up my strength and stamina. I'll keep you post on our progress.