Leon Konieczny’s Blog My world as I see it…..

September 20, 2006

Respect

Filed under: Politics — admin @ 8:20 pm

Unfortunately, it seems to me that respect is a virtue that is sorely lacking in today’s society. This really came to light as I reflected on some comments in an email exchange lately. I mentioned that I thought that people get what they voted for. My sister emailed back and said that she voted for George Bush and got an idiot.

It’s one thing to disagree with a political figure, even to disagree vehemently. But to call someone like our President and idiote seems to show a basic lack of respect. In truth, a majority of the voting public voted for this man. I doubt if there’s anyone who will agree with every stand that the president takes, but  he is the leader of our nation. If we can’t give him the respect that his office deserves, how can we expect other nations and world leaders to respect him? I we don’t give him fitting respect–even in the face of disagreement with his policies–don’t we undermine the very foundation of our nation: respect for all?

September 14, 2006

Faithfulness

Filed under: Life in General — admin @ 7:05 pm

For some reason, I thought about faithfulness today. What it means to be faithful fo someone. Or, I suppose, to something. It means to stand by it or them. To have hope and trust in it or them.

Recently, I was sitting outside at work. The building has a lot of glass that reflects the trees very well. I heard a thud. I saw a bird land on the concrete. It had flown into the glass, probably confused, thinking it was heading for a tree that was in reality only a reflection. It was a sad moment. But the next moment was even more sad.

Another bird came and stopped by the bird lying on the pavement. The other bird kinda pecked at it a bit, nudged it, tried to get it to move. Unfortunately, I think the first bird was dead. And I think the second bird was it’s mate. It was a sad moment. The second bird came back a few times, trying to say “wake up” to the first bird. It was not to be. It was a very sad moment.

I think that second bird exhibited faithfulness. It did not give up. It stayed nearby. I watched this scene for maybe 15 minutes, and the second bird never, ever gave up hope. It kept coming back. It kept trying to wake its mate.

It was sad that the first bird died, and the second was left to mourn in some way. But it also showed what faithfulness is, at least to me.

September 12, 2006

Everyone needs an asshole — and MSNBC sure has one!

Filed under: Politics — admin @ 7:07 am

Yes, even MSNBC has an asshole. In the form of a pathetic excuse for a news show host by the name of Keith Olbermann. What a poor excuse for a journalist! I (unfortunately and for the last time ever) last night wathched him and his commentary on the US, on terrorism, on the war in Iraq, and on President Bush. His criticism was over the top. Totally uncalled for. Why, he even made Fox’s Bill O’Reilly seem mild by comparison. Now, I know that in a way this asshole Olbermann is just trying to make ratings. Well, I’ll give him the same ratings I give O’Reilly on Fox News–none!  I will not waste my time on so-called news stations that perpetuate such ascerbically unsound on-air people. I have better things to do with my time than to listen to someone on a so-called news channel rant and rave with their extremely slanted, unprofessional, and basically unsupported views.

To MSNBC: get rid of that clown. He just makes you look bad and desperate for ratings (which is probably the case!).  From my view, you look bad, and you’ll not see me watching him again.

To MSNBC and FOX news, I will still tune in to watch Chris Matthews and Brit Hume. Chris at least has a good semblance of neutrality, and Brit just seems very down to earth. Of the two, I think Brit Hume is more of a journalist, but I think Chris Matthews asks the harder questions of both sides.

As for Keith Ober-whats-his-name, he’s a class A, #1, total and complete asshole. Dump him!

September 11, 2006

America Remembers….

Filed under: Politics,Religion — admin @ 6:53 am

… or at least, I hope we do. Five years ago today a bunch of criminals killed thousands of innocent civilians in the name of god.  What kind of god do they believe in?  Well, let’s face it, these radical Islamic lunatics believe it’s their mission to wipe us off the face of this earth. They will not give up. We can be all nicey-nice to them, talk about rights, the Geneva Convention, and the like, but they do not care. They don’t follow any rules of humanity. They are animals.

We need to hunt them down, each and every one of them, and rid the face of the earth of them and their kind. Pure and simple, it’s us or them. I vote “us.”

So, we cannot let down our guard. We must be vigilant. We know they’re trying to attack us again. And again. And again. They will not give up easily. We have to use all means at our disposal to hunt them down and eliminate the threat, however we must do it. It may not be pretty, but it needs to be done. Our survival depends on it. The jihadists must go!

September 7, 2006

“Secret” Prisons…..

Filed under: Politics — admin @ 6:46 am

Well, not so secret anymore. President Bush announced yesterday that the CIA has been holding over a dozen terrorists in “secret” prisons for a number of years, and now they are being transferred to Guantanamo for eventual trial. Secret prisons? I say, “GREAT!”

We need to hunt out terrorists wherever they are, wherever they try to work on their activities. We need to isolate them. We need to get information out of them–however we can. This is important in our war on terror.

It’s them or us. I vote for “us.” We can not afford to let terrorists gain the upper hand. We must use all means at our disposal to find them and prevent future terror. If that means imprisoning them in “secret” prisons, great! If that means listening to phone calls to/from known terrorists, great! If that mean looking at the money trail for terrorist groups, great! If that means shutting down those who reveal our tactics, again, great!

We must do WHATEVER IT TAKES to protect ourselves and our freedom. These Islamic extremists want nothing less than our demise. It’s a fight to the death, and I prefer the death to be theirs!

God bless the USA!

September 6, 2006

Family Related?

Filed under: Uncategorized — eralegado @ 9:15 pm

I happily stumbled on your blog tonight.  I ate potato pierogi tonight for dinner.  My mother-in-law’s mainden name was Konieczny.  Do you have any relatives in the Philadelphia, PA area?

September 5, 2006

Vote, Dammit!

Filed under: Life in General,Politics — admin @ 6:21 am

Today is election day here in Florida. For a number of races, it’s the primary election, and the final decisions will be made in November. For a number of local races, it’s decision day, today. No matter what, everyone should get out and vote today.

I am amazed at the apathy of people who think that they cannot make a difference. All it takes is one vote, and your vote could be that one. When people don’t vote, it’s true that it makes my vote even more important. But I’d rather see 100% voter participation in the democratic process….it’s part of the reason my ancestors came to this country–to be free. So, get out today and vote. If you don’t vote, then you have no right to complain, pure and simple.

Vote!

September 1, 2006

Food of the gods

Filed under: Life in General — admin @ 11:56 pm

I do a lot or cook book and recipe reading. I watch Food Network on TV incessantly. My friends tell me I’m obsessed with food and cooking. But when I cook something for them, I never hear a complaint, only compliments. (I wonder why!!?!).  Yes, I guess that food and cooking has become a passion of mine. (Note: I did not say “obsession,” only “passion.”) I love to cook (and, lo and behold, I love to eat), and I love to learn about food and cooking.

I think I’ve stumbled upon a “food of the gods.” A food that is nearly perfect in every way. Versatile. Can be held in the hand. Can be eaten in one bite. Freezes well. Goes with almost anything. Actually, goes with anything, depending on the variety. Is nutritious. Is plain ole “good eats.”

What is it?  Pierogi. Yes, pierogi! I think pierogi is the perfect food. Like a little pocket pie, you can fill it with nearly anything, and it’ll taste good. You’re only limited to the fillings you can imagine. Perhaps I’m just hungry at the moment, but I’ll take a good pierogi over any other food item. Yumm!

Food of the gods, for sure!

August 31, 2006

I was prepared

Filed under: Life in General — admin @ 6:50 am

Yes, I was prepared for Ernesto, the tropical storm that hit Florida yesterday and the day before. Oh, Ernesto is again a tropical storm, and still influencing our weather. It came right over Florida, entering around the everglades and exiting around Cape Canaveral. But it did not have the predicted punch. Predictions for my area of 4-6 inches of rain with spots of up to 10″ gave way to 3-5 inches, then 2-4, etc. I got about 3/4 of an inch. Predictions of tropical force winds ended up with 8-10 mph steady winds. I think I had one gust here of near 20. Woo-Hoo.

So, I have to admit, Ernesto turned into a “non-event.” I know one friend of mine who will be exceedingly glad for this. And I am too. Well, I wanted the rain, but not any damage. Instead, though we had no damage, we had nearly no rain, too.

So now I will spend a few moments putting patio furniture back on the porch, and undoing a few other preparations I’d made. But, next time a storm threatens, I’d do the same things. It’s always best to be prepared, and I will be, every time!

Now, I must admit, I’m a bit obsessed by the weather. I have my own weather station. You can find my weather station on the web here. Additionally, my weather data is published on weatherunderground.com. And I follow all sorts of weather sites, keeping an eye on the weather. Yes, I love weather, and love following it, knowing what it’s doing, what’s going on. And I have an amazing awe for the weather, as it is so hard to predict, and impossible to control. Ernesto was a nice shot to my obsession. I got to watch it grow, develop, change, and ultimately do what it wants. Kind of like life, in a way. You just can’t control some things. Thanks, Ernesto! And bye!

August 29, 2006

Religion + Politics = oil + water

Filed under: Politics,Religion — admin @ 7:01 am

Religion and Politics should not be mixed. Religion is personal, it’s how one views the world from a spiritual perspective. Politics, on the other hand, is how one views the world from a civil perspective. That’s not to say that religious people cannot be politicians, nor to say that politicians cannot be religious.

Any person is going to be the sum total of who they are. No politician can say that their religious beliefs will not influence their political behavior, nor can any religious person say that politics has no influence on them. But to tie them together, inexorably, is, I believe, a big mistake.

Many political wars have been fought “in the name of” religion. Read about the crusades, for example. And at many times in history, religious institutions have controlled the civil area (Middle Ages, Popes, “Holy” Roman emperor–figure it out, put two and two together!).

Though you cannot separate the two, I believe that politicians who wear their religions “on their sleeve” should not be trusted. Nor, for that matter, should we trust religious leaders who align themselves with a political party. It’s just not a good mix. One will always be beholding to the other. You cannot mix the two and always serve both. Who was it that said “man cannot serve two masters?”  And who said “render to Caesar….?”  Think about it!

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress