2tickets2paradise's Blog

When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get.

When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

 A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

It's National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

 The DAYL—Animal Welfare Committee, Dallas Animal Services, and the Metroplex Animal Coalition are teaming up to help save hundreds of lives of animals who need a companion owner.

Saturday, November 8, 2008 10-2pm Come adopt a pet at the Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center 1818 N Westmoreland at I-30 Dallas, Texas 75212 - Great opportunity to tour the new state of the art adoption center.   Adopt your next best friend!

Dallas Animal Services will offer microchipping for just $15 for your pets. & The DAYL will sponsor the cost of pet registration for the first 200 eligible* pets who are adopted or brought to the shelter.

Experts will be on site to help answer your pet related questions. The following vendors will be there:
Companions for Life
 Petropolitan
THLN - Texas Human Legislation Network
Make a Tail Wag
Contemporary Cats
S&T Obedience Training
Power to the Pawz - with Pet CPR demonstrations.

Holliday Gifts for Your Pets by Angela Snider and Becky Delgado. Half Priced Books Advocare *Pets must be vaccinated for rabies and spayed/neutered to be eligible to be registered. You must bring your rabies vaccination certificate.

Give this homeowner an award!  Another case of Instant Justice and another criminal off the streets... for good!

Police: Lakewood homeowner fatally shoots intruder 7:20 AM CT 07:29 AM CDT on Thursday, October 16, 2008 By EMILY TSAO / The Dallas Morning News

A homeowner fatally shot a man breaking into his home near the Lakewood Country Club this morning, Dallas police said.

The shooting took place at about 2 a.m. in the 6100 block of Tremont Street, said Dallas police Lt. Herbert Ashford.

A homeowner called police to reported that someone had broken into his house, and that the intruder was lying on the porch after he had been shot, Lt. Ashford said.

The Dallas County medical examiner's office said Gary Williams, 21, of Dallas died at Baylor Universiry Medical Center at Dallas this morning. An autopsy was pending.

Lt. Ashford declined to release the homeowner's name. Police were continuing their investigation.

I am no big fan of football, it was only recently that I began to understand some of the various terminology like snap, down, pass interference-  my husband though is a huge fan and claims a Cowboy game just isn't the same unless I am sitting there with him during a game (before we get all the warm and fuzzy about that.. it is probably because I bring him the beer & snacks), anyway, from a Football newbie looking in and purely following my woman intuition, it appears the Cowboys have personal issues within the team itself, leaving the actual game out of it, there seems to be some sort of discord among the players which must be taking a toll on the field.   It looked to me like yesterdays game was a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing.   Romo acted like the football was a hot potato when it was in his hands, when he wasn't on the field he appeared to be sulking on the side lines, that Center needs to have his butt kicked for taking so much time,  TO looked extraordinarily disturbed, even Whitten , which is my personal favorite was making mistakes and to top it all off poor ole Jerry Jones was sitting in stand seating... oh the humanity of it all.   Something is wrong, seriously wrong.   Anyone got any ideas?

This was sent to me by my friend Max, while I know this is probably going to set off a fire storm among liberals and it may not even be allowed to be posted, it is something that everyone should listen to-


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkvU1PFrJ8k

http://www.atlah.org/broadcast/ndnr09-03-08.html

This was sent to me via email from a friend named Max, I am not sure who the original author is but it is well worth the read. While I know this was meant for email and I intend to send it to my address book, I also felt it was worth posting here-

545 PEOPLE


Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and
then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans
are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation
and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on
appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme
Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are dire ctly,
legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems
that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem
was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its
Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally
chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a
senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I
don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The
politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the
lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine
how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that
what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con
regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive
amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker,
who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The
president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to
accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and
approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? She
is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not
the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes
it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not
replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of
incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic
problem that is not traceable directly to tho se 545 people. When you
fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the
federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they
want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement
plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they
hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and
advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to
regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let
them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical
forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation,' or 'politics' that prevent them
from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are
their bosses provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own
employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
What you do with this article now that you have read it is up
to you, though you appear to have several choices.

1. You can send this to everyone in your address book, and hope'
they' do something about it.

2. You can agree to 'vote against' everyone that is currently in
office, knowing that the process will take several years.

3. You can decide to 'run for office' yourself and agree to do the
job properly.
4. Lastly, you can sit back and do nothing, or re-elect the current
bunch.

YOU DECIDE, BUT AT LEAST SEND IT TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK,
MAYBE SOMEONE IN THERE WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

My good friend Dan sent this to me, it sounds an awful lot like the zoo in which I live :) .... but, it's a happy zoo!

DOG DIARY
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with my people! My favorite thing!
11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

CAT DIARY
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.
In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies."
I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.
For now...

A modern day cowboy has spent many days crossing the Texas plains
without water.
His horse has already died of thirst.
He's crawling through the sand, certain that he has breathed his last
breath, when all of a sudden he sees an object sticking out of the
sand several yards ahead of him.

He crawls to the object, pulls it out of the sand and discovers what
looks to be an old briefcase. He opens it and out pops a genie. But this
is no ordinary genie. She is wearing a FEMA (Federal Emergency
Management Agency) ID badge and a dull gray dress. There's a calculator
in her pocketbook. She has a pencil tucked behind one ear. 'Well,
cowboy,' says the genie.. 'You know how I work....You have three
wishes.'

'I'm not falling for this.' said the cowboy... 'I'm not going to trust a
FEMA genie.'

'What do you have to lose? You've got no transportation and it looks
like you're a goner anyway!'

The cowboy thinks about this for a minute and decides that the genie is
right. 'OK!, I wish I were in a lush oasis with plenty of food and
drink.'

***POOF***
The cowboy finds himself in the most beautiful oasis he has ever seen
and he is surrounded with jugs of wine and platters of delicacies.

'OK, cowpoke, what's your second wish.'

'My second wish is that I was rich beyond my wildest dreams.'

***POOF***
The cowboy finds himself surrounded by treasure chests filled with rare
gold coins and precious gems.

'OK, cowpuncher, you have just one more wish. Better make it a good
one!'

After thinking for a few minutes, the cowboy says... 'I wish that no
matter where I go, beautiful women will want and need me.'

***POOF***
He was turned into a tampon.

The moral of the story: If the government offers to help you, there's
going to be a string attached.

I watched the Biography Channel last night (266 on Direct TV) and saw both biographies of Obama and McCain.    Both were quite interesting and I urge all American's to try to watch these biographies before November 4th to get a little more insight to these two Candidates, their family history, their immediate families and their political views.   They are both nice documentaries and well worth the time it will take to sit down and watch, especially in light of the current state of economic chaos and as we all set out to elect the next person to lead this wonderful Country.

This blog is addressed to the slow drivers who decide to get on the Highway and crawl at 25 - 40 MPH.   If you cannot drive the speed limit or with the flow of traffic, stay on the side roads because all you do is screw up everyone else on the highway.   If you are scared to drive across one of the big overhead bridges on I-635 or God forbid, the High 5, you need to take an alternate route that doesn't include driving over high bridges.   I was nearly mowed over this morning by a truck because the car in front of me was driving 20 MPH  across the Hwy 80 overhead bridge. 

People who drive too slow on the highway need to be ticketed along with the ones who drive too fast, they can be a hazard when they do not go with the flow of traffic.

Someone sent me this little quote today, I am not sure who the original author is, it is probably unknown, like  so many really deep quotes... but this one is special and I wanted to share it with you because it is so true, it's hard to believe it when you are going through bad times but when we look back at them, we realize just how true it is.

"The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

My thoughts are with the Herrera family today.  I was sad to hear that Mike died awaiting treatment at Parkland.   The Herrera's have been a long standing family in the Dallas area and no doubt have contributed thousand's if not millions to Dallas County over the years, it is a shame that while he wasn't insured, that Mike was put at the back of the line, probably behind hundreds of illegals who have never paid a red cent into the system.   

Mike Herrera fell victim to what so many American's do these days, no health insurance and forced to seek medical help from the County Hospital.... the same County Hospital they pay taxes each year to support... yet when their time of need comes, it is the ones who do not pay taxes, who are not legal citizens, who eat up all the time and resources of the County Hospital.    If I were the Herrera's, I would be finding out just who was seen the 15 hours this poor man waited for treatment and what  "life threatening" illnesses they had that was more important than  Mr. Herrea's condition.

God Bless the Herrera family, who have spent a lifetime serving the Dallas area.  

Michael L. 'Mike' Herrera: Helped found family's chain of restaurants 12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 By JOE SIMNACHER / The Dallas Morning News
jsimnacher@dallasnews.com

Michael L. "Mike" Herrera, who helped found his family's popular chain of restaurants, died Saturday after waiting nearly 19 hours to be seen at Parkland Memorial Hospital. He was 58.

He had just cut short a round of golf with friends because of severe abdominal pain that he thought was related to an ongoing hernia condition. He asked his sister, Rebecca Marquez of Dallas, for a ride to Parkland. He said he would call later to explain his condition and to get a ride home if necessary.

"That was about 4 o'clock Friday," said his brother, Jimmy Herrera of Dallas.

Jimmy Herrera went to the Parkland emergency room to check on his brother at about 10 p.m. Friday.

"He was still sitting there," he said. "I could see he was in pain."

Mike Herrera told his brother he was OK but in pain. A niece brought Mr. Herrera some pain pills.

Mike Herrera sent his brother home, assuring him he would call when he had news.

Jimmy Herrera called his brother about 8 a.m. Saturday and asked where he was.

"He said, 'I'm still at Parkland. I'm still sitting in the same place. They haven't seen me.' "

Jimmy Herrera asked if he should come to the emergency room.

"He said, 'Nah, there's no sense in you coming by, because you can't do anything for me anyway. I'll call you when they see me.' "

Ms. Marquez went to the hospital Saturday morning to wait with her brother.

About 11 a.m., Ms. Marquez called to say their brother had collapsed on the way to an examination room, shortly after his name was called to be seen for treatment, Jimmy Herrera said.

Mike Herrera started vomiting on the way to the treatment room, his brother said.

"All the sudden his eyes rolled back and he collapsed; when he collapsed, his heart stopped beating," Jimmy Herrera said.

Doctors had been trying to save Mike Herrera's life for about 45 minutes when Jimmy Herrera arrived at Parkland. The emergency crew worked for about another hour before stopping, Jimmy Herrera said.

Parkland officials said Tuesday that they could not comment, citing patient privacy regulations.

Mr. Herrera praised the doctors who tried to save his brother's life.

"I want to commend those doctors for working on him so long and so hard trying to bring him back," Mr. Herrera said.

He also said he understands the reality of the wait.

"Anybody who goes to Parkland knows they are going to be there eight, 10, 14 hours if you go to the emergency," Mr. Herrera said. "If you're not dying or not a gunshot wound or a heart attack victim, you're going to be at the back of the line.

"Every time somebody comes in, you're going to the back of the line again," Mr. Herrera said.

Mike Herrera had health problems, including being overweight, his brother said. He did not have private health insurance.

Of the long wait, Jimmy Herrera also said: "In a sense, it's the price you pay for not having private insurance."

Autopsy results should be available in a month to six weeks.

Kathy Herrera said she hopes her brother-in-law's death underscores the need for change at Parkland.

"They need to do something, they need to change their system," she said. "If they had seen him sooner, this wouldn't have happened to him. At least he would have had a chance.

"I'd like it to come out so that it doesn't happen to someone else," Ms. Herrera said.

Nationally in 2004, emergency room patients spent abut 3.3 hours at the ER from arrival to discharge, according to a 2006 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Almost 400,000 patients waited 24 hours or more, the report said.

Mr. Herrera was born in Dallas, where he attended North Dallas High School.

In 1971, his mother, Amelia Herrera, founded Herrera's Cafe in a small adobe building on Maple Avenue.

Mike Herrera helped his family build the cafe into a popular group of Tex-Mex restaurants. There are now four Herrera's Cafes in the Dallas area.

"We all pitched in," Jimmy Herrera said. "We all worked free. ... We were trying to get the business going."

Mike Herrera eventually owned and operated the restaurant in Carrollton, which he later sold to a sister.

"He enjoyed it, but I don't think his heart was ever in it," Jimmy Herrera said. "He was more of an outdoor person."

Mr. Herrera had been an accomplished bowler and once considered going professional.

He also was an avid golfer. His quick way of making friends was obvious on the links, his brother said.

Jimmy Herrera realized his brother's popularity after inviting him to play. Although Mike Herrera had not played for several years, "he knew everybody on the golf course," Mr. Herrera said.

"He had been to half the people's houses and done some catering for some of them," he said. "They all used to call him and ask where he was going to go play, because they wanted to go play with him."

Mike Herrera, who had worked in catering in recent years, had about $120 to his name at the time of his death, his brother said.

"It kept him busy, and he was happy with it," Jimmy Herrera said.

Mike Herrera lost a lot of money on businesses that did not work out, his brother said.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Hughes Funeral Home North Chapel in Dallas, where a rosary will be recited at 6 p.m.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Hughes Funeral Home North Chapel.

In addition to his brother and sister, Mr. Hughes is survived by a 10-year-old son, Michael Herrera Jr. of Dallas.

From my good friend Dan....

Deep Thoughts For Those Who Take Life Way Too Seriously. . .



1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.

2. A day without sunshine is like... Night.

3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

4. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

5. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

6. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

7. He who laughs last thinks slowest.

8. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

9. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese
in the trap.

10. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.

11. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

12. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

13. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

14. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.

15. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

16. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

17. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

18. Every one has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

19. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

20 Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

21. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

22. I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

23. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

24. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.

25. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.

26. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear
bright until you hear them speak.

27. Life isn't like a box of chocolates . . .it's more like a jar of
jalapenos. What you do today might burn your butt tomorrow.

She should have never made it to Trial... this woman deserves a bullet right between the eyes-   This is no mother.... this is an evil reprobate.
Mother Gets Life for Setting Children on Fire
Last Edited: Tuesday, 23 Sep 2008, 6:47 AM CDT Created: Tuesday, 23 Sep 2008, 6:47 AM CDT Alysha Green (function() { try { var td, img, p; if (document && document.getElementById) { td = document.getElementById('story_image'); if (td && td.getElementsByTagName) { img = td.getElementsByTagName('img')[0]; } if (img) { p = img.style.paddingLeft; img.onload = function() { img.style.paddingLeft = '1px'; setTimeout(function() { img.style.paddingLeft = p; img.onload = null; }, 0) } } } } catch (e) { } })(); SideBar
Related ItemsStories Haltom City Mother Allegedly Set Fire to Children or just enabling jstl so that we can just write ${bean.property} and jsp takes care of the new lines. -->
HALTOM CITY, Texas  --  The mother from Haltom City who set her three young girls on fire, killing her toddler, will spend the rest of her life in prison without parole.

Alysha Green, 30, was sentenced Monday in the horrific crime. She told investigators that she did it because she was angry at the girls' father.

Green put her daughters, ages 3, 5 and 7, in a closet and doused them with gasoline and set them on fire on September 15, 2007.

Neighbors who rescued the girls sprayed them with a water hose and covered them with wet towels.

Witnesses said the 7-year-old stood in the yard saying, "Why mommy?"

The girls could be heard screaming as one neighbor called 911, according to recordings of the calls released by Haltom City police.

"There's little girls, and they're burning," the caller told the operator. "You gotta hurry."

Neighbor Greg Donihoo, who rescued the two oldest girls from the smoke-filled house in the Fort Worth suburb, said he had seen Green kick and scream at the youngsters in the past.

Kevin Lopez, who lives a few houses down, said he did not know the family well but had heard Green yell at her children, who frequently played outside alone.

Although Haltom City police had not been called to the home for criminal matters, Child Protective Services investigated a complaint in May that the girls had witnessed domestic violence between their parents.

But that claim could not be substantiated, and the girls remained in their parents' custody, said agency spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales.

After my normal 18 minute trip in from Mesquite (approximately 12 miles) taking nearly an hour thanks to a stalled 18 wheeler near I-45 on I-30 and the horrific scene of a motorcycle accident in the Canyon, I was finally able to get into downtown, nearly an hour later than the minute I rolled out of my driveway.   Then the fun began.... Human Frogger.   Can anyone tell me, why, all these homeless people frogger right out into traffic?  Are they wishing to be run over or is it just a thrill for them?   I counted 5 cross Canton Street from the time I crossed Harwood until I got to Ervay... just walked right into traffic, one guy just ran across, without even looking.  

Anyone have any idea where these people are going, that they are in such a hurry to jump out into traffic?   Arggghhh!