Twisty, Curvy Roads

 The Constitution does not define when "Personhood" begins. So, in a legal sense, if a person does not exist until the moment of birth, then Hillary Clinton is correct when she denies that a child still in the womb has any "Constitutional Rights". However, for most non-Democrats, this is an ethical question, not a legal question. If we ask, "Should society protect children who are still in the womb?", most non-Democrats will answer, "Certainly!". We may go on to discuss specific and possible extenuating circumstances, but in general, non-Democrats agree that the human potential of a child in the womb deserves society's consideration, care, and protection. Democrats, on the other hand, subscribe to an ethical view that the powerful have the right of life or death over the powerless. Democrats are perfectly OK with the ethical proposition that adults are entirely within their right to make a life or death decision regarding the powerless child....

Here is a little reminder of Mardi Gras!

 

We have been taught that there are four branches of government, but that is not true! In reality, although not outlined in the Constitution there is a fourth branch. It is the bureaucracy, also known as "The Swamp"!  The bureaucracy, as has been clearly demonstrated during the last four years, controls a great deal of power. In fact, It can easily be argued that today, the bureaucracy is more powerful than any of the three legitimate branches of government. That is the first of my concerns with the popular call for "term limits". In any new job, there is a learning curve. During that learning curve, it is common for the new employee to lean heavily on the "staff" and take cues from them. If term limits are imposed, that will mean that the number of elected officeholders who are in the early stage of the learning cycle will increase. Would that not mean that the "staff", who are employees and not elected by the people, would have more power? My s...

Announcing a Hot New Jazz Arrangement All Of Me Check it out and get your copy at Sheet Music Plus Arranged as a jump/shuffle a la Louie Prima, this is a jazz standard that will have your audience dancing in the aisles! It is perfect for swing dancing. It is arranged for trumpet, tenor sax, trombone, baritone sax and full rhythm section.  Download the free  WOODSHED TRACK  of the rhythm section. Use the Woodshed Track to practice the tune before jamming with others or even to perform with only the four horns! Be sure to join our blog so you will receive notices each time we publish a new piece!  Here is a demo of the tune!   Jim Ivy, REALTOR® Central Metro Realty, LLC (512) 341-9103

Snowfall in the woods behind my home When I woke this morning, I noticed a slight chill inside my Casita. It wasn't cold, just a bit cooler than usual for January. It felt good to pull my sleeping bag a bit more tightly around my shoulders. I could feel Max snuggled against my back. After a bit, Max indicated that perhaps it would be a good idea for me to crawl out of bed and open the door so he could go outside. I was surprised when I glanced through the window and saw that the ground was covered with a thin layer of snow! Even though I am an old man by most folks' standards, my emotions are still rooted in my boyhood days. Growing up in northern Alabama, "snow" has always been something of a romantic novelty. Although I have never experienced a "White Christmas", in my imagination, Christmas, no matter how many gifts were beneath the tree, was not quite as exciting as it would have been with a deep layer of snow outside. We did have snow now and...

  After feeding Max this morning, I set about fixin' my own breakfast. I am pretty much of a food agnostic - meaning I will eat just about any and everything, but this morning I happened to have all of the ingredients at hand to fix my perfect breakfast. List of Ingredients: # Ingredient Notes 1 Grits               Custom ground. NO instant or quick grits. I Recommend custom ground grits from Homestead Gristmill . But, Bob's makes a fair yellow grit that you can find in well-stocked local groceries 2 Venison Sausage Slice a 3 to 4 inch section off the link and slice it into 1/4 inch slices. Whittington's Meat Processing , in Johnson City, Texas, makes the best venison sausage that I have ever eaten. You supply your own deer! They will butcher, add pork, stuff the sausage, and store it for you! If you don't have the time or inclination to harvest your own deer, HEB sells a venison and pork sausage. Although it...