On July 19th 2010 my Dad, John “Eric” Lagesten, passed away. It had been a long battle with a rare cancer.  He was surrounded by his lov He was honored by Sweeney Hose #7 in North Tonawanda NY. He was laid to rest and when the time comes my mom will join him and they will be together again this time forever. My dad was something very special. he came into our lives ready and willing to take on my family. He welcomed me as his own, I was honored to be the one to call him “dad.” When he was diagnosed, we all banned together and told him that it wasn’t just him fighting this cancer but it was “All Our Fight.” Dad had spent just days shy of 10 years taking care of his family. I was the one to let him to that it was his girl’s turn to take care of him, and we did in the end as well as all of his loved ones. Thank you all for the love and support you have shared with not only my dad but my family as well as among yourselves.

Sammy Jo

Controversy surrounds Arizona’s new immigration law, but why?  A great majority of American CITIZENS support Arizona’s action of enacting their new law to crack down on illegal immigration, a job the federal government has failed and refuses to do.  As a state, Arizona has the right to protect its residents/citizens, its local economy, its borders.   Read the rest of this entry »

Tolerance is a word or more so an ideology, which is very much in play in today’s ever changing, ever evolving world. We are admonished if we are not tolerant of others, their customs, traditions, values or beliefs. However, through the eyes of a Christian, what I see is an outward attack on Christianity, especially here in the United States of America, a nation founded on Christian values.

This however, is much more than just an attack on Christianity; it is an attack on our freedoms and liberties. Yes, the same freedoms and liberties guaranteed us by The Declaration of Independence.

As we are only about six weeks away from celebrating one of the holiest days of the Christian faith, Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been some time since my last post and for those who follow my writings, I apologize. My “Real” job has kept me quite busy and I just haven’t been able to keep up with the hyper-speed, changing political landscape and policies. I am currently changing the focus of my blog from national to North Carolina and my local politics. I will continue with some national issues, as they affect my state.

With the political machine in Raleigh running our great state into the ground, just as Washington is doing with the nation, it takes the citizens to effect the change needed to bring us back to a healthy state. Educate yourselves and become informed.

I hope that you will bare with me and continue to check back as your valuable time permits.

Thom Goolsby Interview – Sort Of

Thom Goolsby, a Wilmington, North Carolina attorney, has thrown his hat into the political ring by announcing his bid for the 9^th District senate seat in the North Carolina General Assembly. Shortly after Mr. Goolsby’s announcement, I contacted him through his web site, http://thomgoolsby.com, and asked to do an email interview with him. Mr. Goolsby graciously accepted my offer. The results, however, have been disappointing, to say the least. Read the rest of this entry »

In January of 2007 I had made a visit to my primary ophthalmologist, eye doctor, for an eye exam. As his tech was going through the motions of the tests, I began to detect some concern in her actions and her verbal responses to some of my questions. She added a couple of extra tests that I had not had done before after disappearing to talk with the doc. She also took additional time with photos of which she took many. Once we were done, I sat in the exam chair and waited for the doc, all the time thinking and wondering what she had found. Read the rest of this entry »

Voice and Vote – Not Violence

With Congress on their summer break and Town Hall type meetings gearing up around the country, we can’t let the titles given us by the Left deter us.

The double standard is alive and well! The Left/Right battle is on and it’s obvious we, the right, have the upper hand. And how do I conclude this? Just think of all the rhetoric come from the Left. Let’s look at some of their “Catch” phrases – “Right Wing Extremists”, “Manufactured Rage”, “Right Wing Zealots” and “Mobs”. And now, the White House has set up an email address  Read the rest of this entry »

Five days in, 250,000 vehicles and $1 billion supposedly doled out, the federal “Cash For Clunkers” (Car Allowance Rebate System or CARS) program stalls. Tens of thousands of ill informed Americans have flocked to their local new car dealers to separate themselves from their old “Clunkers” for the opportunity to take advantage of the up to $4500 towards a new car. Sounds good, right? Not so fast.

Why am I skeptical? Why do I refer to these opportunists ill informed? Let me explain, in my own opinion.

To start off with, the feds are throwing money at a problem once again. As the initial $1 billion has been exhausted, Congress is working to appropriate another $2 billion in additional funding for the program. That’s another $2 billion of YOUR tax dollars. They just love to spend other people’s money. Let’s stop this out of control spending! Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a powder keg sitting squarely in the middle of the House, and the fuse is lit.

The deal reached with the “Blue Dog” Democrats of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on its version of the health care reform bill, has driven a wedge into the middle of the party. The Liberal arm of the party is not pleased.

It was a close vote, 31-28. The passing of this bill out of committee has caused some stir and has added to the dissension among the party’s ranks. On Thursday this week, fifty-three lawmakers from the Congressional Black Caucus, the Progressive Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and key committee chairmen formally opposing the deal. Their “opposition” called the agreement “fundamentally unacceptable” and a “large step backwards.” “We’re going to fight this with every effort that we have,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said  Thursday. ”We’re not obstructionists. … We’re not here to embarrass or divide our party,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. But he and other liberal Democrats have said that without a meaningful public plan included in the final bill, they cannot support it. Read the rest of this entry »

Tactical diversion is a technique commonly used by law enforcement in the execution of particular missions; for example, creating a disturbance at the front door while an entry team goes through the back door. For just a moment, the target is distracted, their concentration and focus disrupted, thus allowing for the successful apprehension of the target.

The Obama administration is using just this tactic.
Read the rest of this entry »