However, if you want to continue to see my political opinions with no holds barred, check out my Tumblr blog, Peace, Love, Flowers, Bullets.

However, I am not going away...no you're stuck with me. You can find me on Twitter as LilacSusan. Some days I "tweet" a lot, other days I'm quiet. But that's where you will find me.

I'm not going to rule out starting another blog in the future. If I do, I may call it something else or I may just call it LilacRose 2.0. If I do blog again, I will probably do a fresh design or an update of a previous design. And I think I will use another platform. Movable Type seems too cumbersome anymore. It may be just this blog because it has many years of entries. But posting to and maintaining this blog has become too sluggish and a pain in the butt.

I will leave the archives up indefinitely and I may even open them up to search engines again. The comments are closed, so I don't have to worry about trolls and spammers anymore. If I start another blog, I'll post a link here, of course. Until then, you can find me on Twitter or in the comments on other blogs. I also have a neglected Live 365 station you can listen to and a neglected Tumblr as well. You can find the links on the sidebar.

In addition to Twitter, I will be lurking around The People's Cube. Unfortunately, it's banned at work, but I do like to lurk around there when home. It's a perfect satire site for Obama's America. Also, I would like to add that Little Green Footballs sucks. Any site that bans a long-time, mostly lurking member simply because she down-dings a post is a petty little cult.

That is all for now. I'll see you when I see you...

At the beginning of the month I was sick with a really bad viral infection in my throat. I think I picked it up at the hospital when I went to visit my uncle because he had the same thing, except it affected him much more severely since he was sick to begin with. They let him out on New Year's Eve, but then he went back in (to another hospital) last week. He was supposed to be released yesterday afternoon and as far as I know he was. However, his kidneys still aren't functioning properly and he has to have dialysis regularly. Your continued prayers are most appreciated.

I took a break from this blog and even reading blogs for a week or two earlier this month. I'm still catching up.

What do I think of the new President? Even though I didn't vote for him, I respect the office and I respect that he is the President. While I will criticize his administration when I think it is in the wrong (and it already has been, particularly with national security issues and life issues), I will not succumb to ODS -- Obama Derangement Syndrome. I'm not going to be hateful like the left was during Bush's Presidency.

Finally, I'm trying out this new Twitter thing. My username on Twitter is LilacSusan if you wish to follow me.

Via this post by Dawn Eden, I found out that the Raving Atheist has been reborn as the Raving Theist. Like I said, call it intuition, but I somehow knew this would happen eventually. This news has made me feel joyful all day, even though things are difficult for me right now.

Of course, his atheist readers are reacting with ridicule, outrage and incredulity. Jesus Himself has the appropriate response to that (Matthew 5:10-12):

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Without getting into a lot of details, the past few weeks have been difficult. First I would like to ask you to pray for my uncle who is in the hospital with kidney failure. (This uncle is my Mom's younger sister's husband.) He had dialysis yesterday and seems to be doing better, but the doctors do not understand what exactly caused his kidneys to stop functioning or how to get them started again.

My sister has been under a lot of stress and can use some prayers. My mother is also sick with a bad cold. This is probably my fault since I just got over a bout of bronchitis myself.

Without going into a long boring story about my clumsiness, I will just say I had a really bad fall the weekend before last and banged up my left leg pretty badly from the knee down. I had my doctor check it out since I'm diabetic. For that reason, the injuries are slow to heal. So I could use some prayers, too.

Maybe, if time permits, I will post some actual content in the next few days. We'll see. Meanwhile, my mother and I went together and bought my sister a new laptop for Christmas, since her current one is on its last legs. I'm setting things up for her -- I think she will really love it. It has Vista on it, so I have to learn my way around since Vista is pretty different from XP. I got it working on my wireless network pretty easily, so that's a good sign.

Anyway, have a Merry Christmas, everyone!

I am thankful for the many blessings that God has given me that sometimes I take for granted or refuse to see when I'm down in the dumps.

BTW, I hope I will get the inspiration to start posting again soon. I've got some thoughts swimming around in my head, but I can't seem to get them into words just yet. But, believe me, they're there! ;-)

Canadian Kathy Shaidle gives America quite a tongue lashing. And if we did just elect Obama, we deserve every word:

America has chosen as its leader an unaccomplished, spoiled, cowardly, shallow narcissist who wouldn't last five minutes under torture, let alone five years, and who associates with radical freaks and weirdos. He supports partial birth abortion, and wants to make you pay for it, too.

But since that's an excellent description of millions of other Americans, too, I suppose we shouldn't be shocked.

America has chosen a false "peace" over principle. Well over half the country is clearly shallow and superficial, too, ready to sell their birthright for "free" "health" "care" and other socialist treats. They want a slick, symbolic President, not a real leader, because a real leader, a real hero, clearly makes them feel inadequate.[...]

The patriots have been defeated by the parasites.

As Mark Steyn just said on Hewitt: America is now a country where Barack Obama live in the same neighborhood as Louis Farakhan and Bill Ayers and be considered perfectly respectable -- but Sarah Palin?! She's that crazy weirdo!!

Like I said before, I feel like I'm now living in the bearded Spock universe. Or in another country. All I can say is I tried to do my part to prevent this. I voted for McCain/Palin today.

I'll go bake my cake now...

I've witnessed more of the absurdity that has been this election. I had a McCain/Palin yard sign in my front yard for about a month. It was not right by the road...it was well on my property, halfway between the road and the house. A couple of weekends ago, on a Sunday, someone had the nerve to trespass on my property and steal my sign. Another house down the street also had their McCain sign stolen. So much for free speech on your own property.

I have seen the now reluctantly famous "Joe the Plumber" have his life plundered through by Ohio state bureaucrats (who happen to be maximum donors to the Obama campaign), the media and the left-wing blogosphere. All because he was minding his business while Obama was traipsing through his neighborhood and stopped to ask Joe a question in front of the cameras. I have seen the most obscene insults aimed a Sarah Palin and seen even her Down's Syndrome son's very existence attacked. There have been even more outrages...if I tried to list them all, this post would be far too long.

I've seen the media ignore Obama's deep running ties with unrepentant, unpunished terrorists: the loathsome Bill Ayers and his disgusting wife Bernadine Dohrn. I've seen Obama's supporters dismiss these ties as no big deal. (And remember, these ties would mean that Obama could probably never pass a government security check.) They don't seem to wonder or care how much dangerous people like Ayers are pulling Obama's strings.

Like I said in the "Cold Civil War" post, the country seems hopelessly divided right now. There was a very good discussion in the comments due to the link from Ed Driscoll. I really hope I'm wrong about the hopelessness of the divisions in this country. Whatever the results of the election, I pray that this country can reunite and find peace. I pray that McCain will win, but if he doesn't, I assure you Obama supporters that your schadenfreude will be wasted if directed at me. I will be disappointed and concerned, but I will not despair. I will be vigilant about his policies, though.

For example, his wanting to bankrupt the coal industry is certainly alarming. It's idiotic and frightening -- half this country's energy comes from coal-run power plants. My electricity comes from such a plant...a clean coal plant. How would something this extreme affect half of this nation? What would this cost us? Obama voters should really pay attention to this.

Then there are life issues and the Supreme Court to consider. I encourage my fellow social conservatives to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. McCain may not be your ideal, but now is not the time to be quixotic. There is just too much at stake...both the life issues and other important issues.

If Obama is elected, I will pray that he will not do the damage that I think he will do. But, as I said, I will be vigilant.

Whatever happens today, I fear that there will be a lot of trouble no matter what the results. I want to be wrong about this and I pray I am. But I fear that this election is a fast-moving crazy train that's about to crash.

Whatever happens, stay safe, and may God be with us.

Update: I just had to link the following considering I have been the victim of sign-stealing: Confessions of a Lawn Sign Stealer - Huffington Post. This asshat is a college professor. He acknowledges that he is silencing free speech (although he seems dismissive of property rights -- no big surprise there), but he just doesn't care. He did it for the lulz. (Via.)

Update to the Update: The sign-stealing professor has been fired! He should have waited until he had tenure to steal signs.

Anyway, until I get my you-know-what together, how about some humor and then some music.

First, the always brilliant and funny Iowahawk satirizes snotty pseudo-conservatives (specifically, the douchy Christopher Buckley) who think Sarah Palin is oh-so-declasse and who've gone all gushy for Obama: As a Conservative, I Must Say I Do Quite Like the Cut of this Obama Fellow's Jib. Here's one of my favorite lines:

Even Peggy Noonan -- the Grand Dame of Gipperism -- has succumbed to Obama's undeniable conservative charms. Just last month I listened to her wax poetic about the Adonis of Chicago between chukkers at the Newport Club polo tournament final. "Why Peggy, you old dowager," I quipped, "I believe you just had an orgasm."

Next, a cool song from my childhood. I was really surprised when I watched this video because I always thought a woman sang this song:

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils - "Jackie Blue"

I think this song is just pure fun. I also like that the video makes fun of American Idol:

The Dollyrots - "Because I'm Awesome"

Finally, the fantastic Sugarplastic with an appropriate song for the season:

The Sugarplastic - "Autumn All the Time"

Gee, Frankie Schaeffer, when is Obama going to denounce stuff like that, you backstabbing hypocrite! (Via.)

BTW, hello to everyone visiting via Ed Driscoll, whose post linking me was linked by InstaPundit.

As far as I'm concerned, the differences are irreconcilable. One part of the country wants a socialist, European-style country. The other part wants a country based on free-enterprise and the Constitution. One side has disdain for orthodox Judeo-Christian faiths, whereas the other side embraces or at least tolerates those beliefs. One part believes that if we just let down our defenses, everything would be peace and lovebeads. The other part knows we live in a dangerous world and that defense is essential.

However this election turns out, there will be turmoil. If Obama wins, a large part of the country will feel angry and powerless against the will of the left leaning blue states, the news media, Hollywood and academia. (In fact, they already feel that way, I assure you.) They will believe that ACORN created enough false voter registrations to put Obama over the top. If McCain wins, the left will riot and claim, "The Diebold machines were hacked!" The blue states, the news media, Hollywood and academia will resent that the will of the "dumb hicks" in flyover country overruled that of their "betters". And we will hear the cries of, "Racism! Racism!" ad nauseam.

I hate to sound all doom-and-gloom, but I see absolutely no solution to this. Or at least no solution in which America stays in the same form it is now. I hope I'm wrong about that. I guess we'll see.

More: From September 5, 2008 - The Coming Civil War in America by Phyllis Chesler.

(Via an email linking to this post on Macsmind.)

This is, I guess, why "the world" wants us to elect Obama. And why the very idea of him being responsible for the defense of this country scares the crap out of me.

The completely insane, unwarranted hatred directed against Sarah Palin has been freaking me out. These people actually scare me. I know that even if McCain/Palin win in a landslide (and if the left and the media keep it up, they will) we will have to listen to a bunch of conspiratards braying, "They stole the election, again!" I also predict that if McCain/Palin win, there will probably be rioting in "blue" cities and college campuses. (Yes, I'm serious...if it happens, remember that I told you so.) Perhaps we will finally see that mass exodus of Hollywood idiots from the US that they always promise but never deliver.

Speaking of which, I've been laughing and sneering at the Hollywood idiots and their comments about Palin. The most amusing was the comment by PETArd and diseased skank Pamela Anderson. Because Sarah Palin hunts and stuff, this wondrous example of enlightened, educated, progressive womanhood (unlike those of us who support Sarah Palin) said, "I can't stand her. She can suck it!" Well, if there is anyone who knows about "sucking it", it's Pam Anderson...

One more thing. "The world" wants us to elect Obama so they can like us again. You see, they can only like us if we are weak, and they know Obama will make us weak. So, to hell with what "the world" wants.

Below is a reposting of my remembrance of 9/11/01 from back in 2002. It is my own personal memories of that horrible day.

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September 11, 2001 started as just another ordinary day for me. I got out of bed, grumpy as usual, because I'm not a morning person. I got my breakfast of orange juice and a banana, looked at the paper, and turned on the TV to MSNBC to watch a little of Imus.

Except, this time, Imus wasn't on. Instead, was a shot of the WTC, with one of the towers pouring smoke. My mother, who lives with me, came in the living room and saw it too. They said a plane hit the building. We both assumed it was a terrible accident.

After a couple of minutes, I caught a glimpse of a fireball erupting from the other tower. I heard them say that a plane hit the other tower and they replayed it. It was obvious then what was happening. I yelled to my mother, who was now in another part of the house, and told her a plane just hit the other tower, that it was a terrorist attack.

I remember praying for the people in the buildings, praying that they would be able to get out. At the time, I didn't know the planes were passenger planes.

Numb and on autopilot, I went to go take my shower and get dressed. I was already running late as it was.

When I got out of the shower, I heard about the Pentagon. I was also horrified to find out passenger planes were used.

I drove to work, which is just five minutes from my house. As I pulled into the parking lot, I heard on the radio that one of the towers had completely collapsed.

At work, I got on the internet to keep track of the news. I also turned on my radio to listen to the coverage. The whole office wanted to hear, so I turned it up. It stayed on most of the day.

As time progressed, there were additional horrors...the other tower collapsed and another plane crashed. There were wild rumors about other missing planes.

I remember spending the whole day feeling sick and holding in tears. I did allow myself to cry later. The first few days, I felt deep sadness, which then turned to rage. I'm still angry...I believe I always will be.