Pumpkin Dip - A MUST TRY!

This pumpkin dip is just about the tastiest thing I've put in my mouth lately. The next time you need to whip something up in a jiffy for a work function or just for a snack, give this a try. It's truly remarkable. Serve it with gingersnaps or sliced apples.

INGREDIENTS
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 - 15 oz. can canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon frozen orange juice concentrate

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gradually mix in canned pumpkin. Stir in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and orange juice concentrate until smooth and well blended. Chill for several hours.

Military Families Speak Out

John McCain and the Republican party have the misguided notion that they own a franchise on military families. Today, a group of active duty military spouses spoke out and voiced their support loudly for Barack Obama. While we as military families admire John McCain's service to our country, that alone does not qualify him to be Commander-In-Chief. There are more military families than ever before that are expressing their support for Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates. Please watch this important message from military wives, and pass it on. Give them a voice, as the voice of military families is so often lost in the mix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwk4LL5-Mpo

Religious Tradition or Child Abuse?

I read this article this morning and was deeply disturbed:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27065016/?GT1=43001

The article tells of a 3-year-old Nepalese girl who has been chosen as a living goddess. This means she will be worshipped as the reincarnation of a Nepalese diety. The problem is that she has been taken from her family and will live in near isolation in an ancient temple until she reaches puberty.

My intention is not to disrespect the religious beliefs of Hindus in Nepal, but my heart breaks for this child. The details revealed in this article are nothing short of astonishing. I realize that each culture is unique and that there are things others will not understand, but this seems so unfair to the child. I urge you to read it and form your own opinions.

McCain's desperation is astonishing...

The only analysis I am going to give of tonight is that John McCain absolutely embarrassed himself, and if he isn't embarrassed, he should be. He came off as nothing short of arrogant, smart ass, and spiteful. His desperation in this election, that is falling farther from his grasp every day, is apparent.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, remained poised and professional and did nothing but fight off McCain's attacks all evening. Cindy McCain said today that Obama has launched "the dirtiest campaign in U.S. history." Frankly, Cindy needs to lay off the Budweiser. Her husband (someone, by the way, that I used to admire) has truly disappointed me in the way he has run such despicable campaign.

The TRUTH about Sarah Palin as Commander of the Alaska National Guard

When pressed on her preparedness as a Commander-in-Chief, Sarah Palin loves to tell us all that she is the Commander of the Alaska National Guard. Governor Palin has provided anything but leadership in the Alaska National Guard. It is a guard that is dangerously unprepared and ranks in the bottom 20% of all states on manpower concerns and is also low in equipment, training, and resources. Here are a few facts to consider:

• The Alaska Air National Guard is 370 members short of its authorized end strength. Alaska’s Air Guard fills only 84% of its positions, the lowest fill rate in the country. Only 8 other states are below 90% fill rate. (Richard Lardner, “Alaska National Guard Faces Personnel Crisis,” Associated Press, 9/4/08.
• Lieutenant General Craig Campbell, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard, sent an internal memo to his deputy stating that “missions are at risk” due to the Air Guard’s shortfalls. According to Lt. Gen. Campbell, the lack of qualified airmen “has reached a critical level.” (AP, 9/4/08.)
• Consistent with other National Guard bureaus, Alaska has access to approximately one-half of its authorized equipment at any given time. This puts great stress on the Alaska Army and Air National Guard efforts in rural communities, including rescuing lost travelers and providing assistance during natural disasters. (AP, 2/12/08; AP, 3/8/07)
• The State of Alaska’s own readiness ratings clearly show that Alaska’s Guard is not prepared and ready for a domestic contingency or combat mobilization. Each Alaska Army National Guard unit is assigned a “T-Rating” – ranging from T-1, for trained and ready, to T-4, not trained and not ready. For every quarter since FY 2005, the T-Rating for the Alaska Army National Guard as a whole has been T-4 – the lowest level in the system. (State of Alaska, FY2009 Governor’s Operating Budget, December 2007, p. 7.)
• The State of Alaska gives its own employees who serve in the Guard minimal benefits, especially when compared with other states like California and New York. Alaska provides only 15 days of paid leave during deployment, instead of any differential pay during deployments. This, despite a manpower crisis in the Guard, and pleas from Guard officers for additional benefits to assist with recruiting.
• According to a recent study by the non-partisan Veterans for America, Alaska’s Guard personnel lack adequate access to health care during or after deployments. (Veterans for America, 10/1/08.)
• Many Guard families live in remote areas with no access to TRICARE providers during deployments. According to the VFA study, the state of Alaska does too little to assist these Guardsmen and their families with accessing the medical care they need. (Veterans for America, 10/1/08.)

If this is the type of attention Sarah Palin gives to members of the Armed Services, military families like mine can't afford to take a risk that she may have to assume the role of Commander-In-Chief.

Vice Presidential Debate Report Card

It may have been one of the most watched debates of our generation. Everyone in America was chomping at the bit to see Sarah Palin mutter out one of her characteristic George Bush-esque ramblings or to see Joe Biden spill out another one of his gaffs. While neither of the two happened, there were plenty of moments worth mentioning. Here is my admittedly biased report card of last night's debate:

SARAH PALIN: C-

Going into the debate, Palin had us wondering if she would be phoning a friend or asking the audience when asked about foreign policy or the economy. Given her recent catastrophes with journalists such as Katie Couric, I say she had a distinct advantage going into the debate. Should she have been able to simply string a coherent sentence together, we were all but certain to say she came out better than expected. Coherent sentences she did indeed give us, but they appeared to be nothing more than regurgitated speeches written by the McCain camp. Nonetheless, she did gain a few points for appearing to be the intelligent woman we have been told she is. She came across as not only well-versed on the issues but articulate. While I believe the latter to be true of her, I simply cannot give her the former.

The downside to her performance was the incessant plastic smile, folksy rhetoric, and cutesy winking. They made her appear somehow arrogant and unrefined at the same moment. I found it to be nothing short of obnoxious and nauseating.

Her best moments were when she was able to relate to average Americans, something her running mate has yet to do. The scariest slice of her performance was when she suggested the Constitution allows for greater power and flexibility in the Vice Presidency. At the debate watch party I attended, a collective "WTF?" resonated throughout the room at her mere suggestion of this idea. It's scary enough thinking there is any possibility, large or small, that she should have to assume the role of President. To think, however, that she intends to wield power from the Vice Presidency may be the scariest thing I've seen since Dick Cheney.

JOE BIDEN: B+

People often call out Joe Biden for his gaffs. As for his debates though, Joe Biden came off as charismatic, intelligent, and experienced during the primaries, and last night he delivered the same. Joe Biden is nothing if not witty and often charming. His strength in this debate was utilizing those skills sparingly. He used them to punctuate his policies appropriately. He clearly explained the Obama-Biden plan and drew sharp contrasts to the McCain-Palin plan. Perhaps his most genuine moment was when he reminded Americans that he knows what it is like to be a single parent and to struggle with some of life's most horrific challenges. Biden touched the soul of America when he said, "But the notion that somehow, because I'm a man, I don't know what it's like to raise two kids alone, I don't know what it's like to have a child you're not sure is going to -- is going to make it -- I understand." This not only showed his authenticity but put to rest the notion that Sarah Palin somehow relates to mainstream America better because she is a working mother.

The one criticism I offer for Biden's performance is that he did not truly debate Sarah Palin. It was disappointing to see that he apparently gave into the idea that debating Palin too hard would appear as bullying. He argued his positions quite well, but often seemed to be debating McCain more than Palin. I would have liked to have seen him put more pressure on her. In many ways, she was the one applying the majority of the pressure -- and he aptly responded.


Nearly every poll in America today has indicated that Independents favored Biden in this debate. News outlets across the nation have declared him the winner, and frankly, I agree... though I'm sure this comes as no surprise.

Best Quote of the Debate: "So you're going to have to replace a $12,000 plan with a $5,000 check you just give to the insurance company. I call that the 'Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere'." - Joe Biden