I. Kant Because He Says So

After wading through pages of information and hacking my way through the dense jungle of philosophical mumbo-jumbo, I had an epiphany of sorts concerning Immanuel Kant's philosophical critiques.


You just Kant.

You Kant know reality.
You Kant know truth.
You Kant know whether or not there is a God.

However, you CAN use your faculties of reason to conform to the Categorical Imperative.

Someday you'll thank me for this. 

Grammar Grouch: Apostrophes

People. I try not to be too uptight about grammar things, I really do, but there are some grammar blunders that just drive me up the wall. Allow me to illustrate one of my pet peeves:

I saw three cat's; one was licking it's fur. The second one seem's to be asleep. The third cat had green eye's. My sister's like cat's, but my mother like's dog's. I dont' like snake's.

Apostrophe, poor apostrophe! You are misused and misunderstood. Does anyone remember what you do and where you belong?

You show possession.

Singular: the cat's whiskers
Plural:  the boys' teams  
In words that are already plural: women's,men's, children's  

You signal a contraction.

Do not = don't 
It is = it's  
Could not = couldn't 

 You do not belong in a plural noun:  cats, houses, apostrophes
You do not belong in the possessive for its   For example: The dog wagged its tail. 
And although you can indicate both singular possession or  plural possession  with a name (Jess' book, the Smiths' business, Mrs. Meekers' mouse )depending on how the name is spelled or used, you NEVER EVER belong in a name as part of the word. Never. Ever. Unless you are named Can't or Ain't...

Immanuel Kant, or He Won't?

What could possibly top a research paper on black holes? Why a presentation on Immanuel Kant of course!
Because, as you all know, Kant's writings on the nature of reason, perception, and reality are easy reads that can be knocked off in just a couple of hours right before bed. Right? Right?

Stink Bugs Stink!

Both biologically and philosophically.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note148/note148.html

Ever Have One of Those Days? Every Day?

You know how it goes.Your day is rolling along; you think you're doing a good job handling yourself. You think you are in control of your thoughts, your emotions, and your mouth. Then something happens--does it really  matter what that something is?--and you find yourself doing the very thing you swore you wouldn't do, or saying the thing you shouldn't say, or feeling stuff all out of proportion to what is going on. Happened to me today, at the end of the day. But it doesn't really matter where or when. It matters that it happened. And once again I have sinned, after telling myself I wouldn't do that thing again. Forgive me Lord. Thank you for your son, Jesus, who delivers me even in my weakness. And thank you for second chances. Your mercies are new every morning...


     " We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.  I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;  but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Romans 7:14-25

They Make Me Smile...

Two things to share today. Both of them make me smile...

{The Magnolia House} 

http://themagnoliahouse.blogspot.com/?zx=1827df91c80ec239

Cooking with the kiddo,  who is also a fabulous photographer! She is also a mean dishwasher, and I mean that in both senses of the word~

   http://www.wimp.com/babyhummingbird/

I am a volunteer with an animal welfare organization. After seeing what people can do to animals, my feelings about my fellow man are often negative. But here is a young man who lifted my spirits. Thank you, Julie T., for sharing the link with me. And thank you, young man, for caring.

Conservative Chicken Littles

To everyone up in arms about a possible government shut down~

Stop it.

I am tired of the flip-flopping.

As a pro-life conservative,  I sent my representatives to Washington, D.C. with the mandate to fight for pro-life legislation and fiscal responsibility. I was not alone in that mandate. Since most pro-life conservative legislators are Republicans, we were directing them to stand their ground on those issues and not to back down in the face of opposition.

Now really, people, what did  you think that mandate entailed? Did you think the Republicans could just waltz into Congress, state their case, and be done with it? Did you think that the mostly Democratic opposition would just throw up their hands and cede the field to the Republicans? Come on!

It's politics, it's power, and it can get ugly. Wasn't that the point? Now that the Republicans have enough political clout to push the changes we asked for, they can't turn around and compromise their position.We asked them to stand firm and they did. They went toe to toe with the liberal Democrats and didn't blink when their opposition threatened  to force a government shut down rather than work with the budget propositions that the Republicans made. Fur and feathers flew, and we should have been cheering our side on.

But no. In the social media, in op-eds and commentaries, I witnessed 'staunch conservatives' turn into Chicken Littles, lamenting that the big government they railed against might indeed be shut down. Their sky was falling.  Did they not sense the irony?

Look, peeps. When the Democrats held the majority, they never even passed a federal budget. That's right. No approved federal budget. Can you run your household like that? Your business? Well that's how Congress was running your nation. I didn't hear a lot of hoohaw about that from my conservative friends and associates. No one running around complaining about the childishness of Congress, the end of the world, etc. But when the Republicans directly address this issue, and then fight for the things we sent them there to do, they get skewered for it by the very people who sent them there!

You know, I'm not sitting around hoping for a government shut down, and I realize that should a government shut down occur, there would be many unpleasant consequences. I certainly don't want to see essential personnel or military families suffer, nor do I relish the idea of having lives disrupted. BUT--I asked my representatives to fight, knowing full well that if they did it might not be a pretty sight. I asked them to not compromise on the issues, knowing that they faced ferocious opposition from the Democrats and the President. So I am really vexed that it's now being insinuated that they are acting like spoiled children because they won't just sit down and play nice with the Democrats in regards to the federal budget.

THEY ARE DOING WHAT WE ASKED THEM TO DO. 

This isn't fantasy land and you can't have it both ways, so stop your whining. Stop stomping your feet and pouting and pointing fingers at everyone when it's not all blue skies and lollipops.

Just stop it.