Unfortunately, the things were expensive – REALLY expensive. So I’m going to see if I can find any less pricey options for medical uniforms online and try a pair. I do get kind of sick of black yoga pants…could be a nice change of pace.

Sometimes I get really frustrated at the status quo. It’s silly, but one of the things that bothers me most about my physical limitations is the loss of options I have as far as wardrobe choices. Can’t wear heels, for example. I do have a totally rocking collection of sneakers, though…maybe I’ll get matching color pants. Wonder how I’d look in hot pink scrubs?

Last night, rumors circulated all around the Internet that two ranches in Laredo, Texas had been overrun by a Mexican cartel. It appears that many elements of the story may actually have been rumor, and many believe the entire incident was nothing more than a hoax. Although it’s apparent that there was violence in the area yesterday, the specific nature and details of that violence remain unconfirmed.

The entire event bothers me for a couple of reasons. First, it is entirely believable that such an incident could in fact occur and that the media wouldn’t report it, directed not to do so by the local authorities or the federal government. There are legitimate reasons for giving such news only brief attention – fear of revealing critical tactical information, for example. A media blackout, on the other hand, would be entirely unacceptable; this is in fact what the rumors of the alleged event stated had happened. And obviously, there are many people who believed this could have been the case. The last presidential election and the events which have taken place since have completely destroyed much of the credibility the press once possessed. Simply put, the public by and large does not trust the media to report the facts.

The other thing that bothers me about this is the alacrity with which so many accepted the incident as a hoax. If the events of the past three years have taught us anything, it should be that we don’t stand a chance of achieving our goal by attacking each other. United we stand, divided we fall. While most people were simply concerned at the serious nature of the story, there are a few who rather viciously attacked their “friends” for being so gullible as to fall for a trick likely perpetrated by the left. By taking such a position, these people give the impression that we should all just shut up and sit down for fear of being ridiculed. That mindset is a great deal of the reason we are in the situation we face today.

There are very few journalists in our country today who are regarded as trustworthy. In a political atmosphere rife with the tension of corruption, citizens are forced to acknowledge that if we want the facts, we’re going to have to ferret them out ourselves. Additionally, we’re going to have to set aside our innately human fear of being ridiculed. Does this mean we should report something as news without having verified the surrounding facts? Of course not – but we’re going to have to be willing to work hard and research quickly. And perhaps most importantly, we must fix firmly in our minds the reason we’re doing this. Not for recognition or profit, we are doing this to save our country.

Ronald Reagan said, “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” This same sentiment applies to ridicule; you can accomplish anything when you don’t mind being laughed at if you fail. If we are to be successful in restoring this Republic, we need to lay aside dreams of glory and fears of ridicule. I can only speak for myself, but I’m in.

So many of us are frustrated with the current state of affairs in this country. It’s a discontent that’s been brewing much longer than many of us even know; for me, it started during the 1992 election season. I was not a fan of Bill Clinton – I grew up in Arkansas, and never thought much of his politics even as a child (not surprising since I’ve ALWAYS considered myself a Reagan conservative!). I simply couldn’t understand how he was elected – either time – and I often found myself on the wrong side of a “Clinton is a GREAT president” discussion. And though I do confess to a nostalgic fondness for W., there were many things about his administration that simply disgusted me.

Nothing matches the incredulity and fear I have felt since early 2008, however. There were many times during the election when I felt like I’d fallen into an episode of the Twilight Zone. Little by little disturbing information came to light about his background, his associations, his politics…all of which was either given only cursory attention by the media, or ignored altogether. Meanwhile Sarah Palin – bright, beautiful, capable Sarah Palin – was savagely attacked by that same media and caricatured as a bimbo by the entertainment industry. As November approached I felt a mounting sense of dread, and on election day my worst fears were realized: Americans, swept away by the thought of voting for a young, ultra-cool black man, elected a socialist to the presidency.

Yes, socialist. Does anyone really have any doubts left about that? If you do, you haven’t been paying attention. And if you’re like me, it no longer matters what we call him…what matters is his relentless march toward the destruction of our country.

So now what? What can one person do to make any difference?

Educate yourself. Read everything you can; question everything you read. Locate political action groups – organizations such as Heritage Action for America and Flip this House 2010 – and JOIN. Get involved. GET ACTIVE. This includes everything from calling, faxing and emailing your representatives to volunteering for your favorite candidate.

For the moment, there are boundless volumes of information and resources available on the internet. The yellow pages, archaic as they may be, contain valuable information as well. And take the time to visit your local library – even if you aren’t sure what questions to ask, chat up the librarian. A single conversation can set your feet upon the path you don’t yet know exists.

What can one person do? Get off the couch.

Good Morning Friends and Family,

Tonight at sundown on the Jewish calendar begins the day of Tisha B’Av, which literally means the 9th of the month of Av. For approximately 3323 years, Tisha B’Av has been a day of mourning and tragedy for the Jewish people. Dating back to the days of Moses, tragic events have befallen the Jews on this day.

Try to imagine it, the children of Israel had just come through the miraculous Exodus. G-d had parted the Sea of Reeds and allowed them to walk through on dry land. They had now come up to the land of Canaan and had dispatched 12 spies, one from each tribe, to formulate a strategy on how they would take the land that HASHEM had already said He’d given them. Ten of the spies returned on the 8th of Av saying that the Canaanites were giants and that the land swallowed them whole. That night should have been a day of great celebration, but instead the children of Israel mourned and cried. They declared that it would be better to return to Egypt. It is because of this mourning and lack of faith that the Israelites didn’t enter the Holy Land for another 38 years, and why so many horrible things have occurred on the Tisha B’Av throughout history.

An overview of the bloody history of Tisha B’Av.

421 BC – King Nebuchadnezzar invades Jerusalem and destroys the Holy Temple, over 100,000 Jews killed, the rest were exiled to Babylon and Persia

70 AD – The second Holy Temple is destroyed by the Romans under Titus. Over 2.5 million Jews dies from war, famine, and disease. Over 1 million Jews exiled all over the Roman Empire. 100,000 Jews sold into slavery and many more tortured and killed in gladiatorial games and pagan celebrations.

132 AD – The Bar Kochba revolt against the Roman empire is crushed, over 100,000 Jews slaughtered.

133 AD – Roman governor Turnus Rufus ploughs the site of the Temple and salts the land. Builds the pagan city of Aelia Capitolina over Jerusalem.

1095 – First crusade declared by Pope Urban II. 10,000 Jews killed in the first month. Thousands more killed over the course of the crusades, entire communities obliterated in Rhineland and France.

1290 – Jews are expelled from England, accompanied by pogroms and confiscation of books and property.

1492 (That year ring a bell?) – The Inquisition in Spain and Portugal culminates in the expulsion of the Jews. Jewish families are separated and thousands are killed.

1914 – Britain and Russia declare war on Germany, WWI begins. 75% of all Jews are in war zones, over 120,000 Jews die in war. 400+ pogroms follow the war in Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. Unresolved issues from WWI lead to WWII.

1942 – Jews deported from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka death camp. The Holocaust begins, over 6 million Jews slaughtered.

1989 – Iraq walks out of peace talks with Kuwait. First Gulf War begins. Saddam Hussein fires rockets in Israel in an attempt to bring them into the war so that other Arab nations would unite to fight “the Infidels.”

1994 – The Jewish community center in Buenos Aires is bombed. 86 Jews killed and 300 others wounded.

Tisha B’Av is a day of fasting and mourning for the Jewish people. I ask that on this day, all of you pray that Tisha B’Av this year brings no new afflictions on the Jewish people. Anti-Semitism is growing all around the globe the same way it did in the 1930’s. Israel is constantly under attack from Hamas and Hezbollah. The Iranian government want to wipe Israel off the face of the map.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.