X-Plan: Giving your kids a way out (#xplan)

Bert Fulks

Friends, as most of you know, I get to spend an hour each week with a group of young people going through addiction recovery.  Yes.  Young people.  I’m talking teenagers who are locked away for at least six months as they learn to overcome their addictions.  I’m always humbled and honored to get this time with these beautiful young souls that have been so incredibly assaulted by a world they have yet to understand.  This also comes with the bittersweet knowledge that these kids still have a fighting chance while several of my friends have already had to bury their own children.

Recently I asked these kids a simple question:  “How many of you have found yourself in situations where things started happening that you weren’t comfortable with, but you stuck around, mainly because you felt like you didn’t have a way out?”

They all raised their hands.

Every single…

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NEW Pic of Sophie Skelton

Who’s the guy looking at her?!?!! ❤

Outlander Online

Here is a NEW pic of Sophie Skelton

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The Essential Selfishness of School Choice

Fantastic explanation. #schoolvouchers #charterschools

gadflyonthewallblog

Say your friend Sheila invites you over to her house.

Sheila has just made a fresh pumpkin pie.

She offers you a slice.

You politely refuse, but she insists. She hands you the knife so you can take as big a piece as you like.

You start to cut and then ask, “Does it matter where I cut from?”

Sheila says, “No. Take whatever you want.”

You don’t like crust, so you cut a perfect triangle piece from the middle of the pie.

Sheila’s face reddens.

This wasn’t exactly what she meant, but what is she going to do? You took your slice, and now the rest of the pie is ruined. No one else can take a whole piece. Your choice has limited everyone else’s.

That’s what school choice does to public education.

It privileges the choice of some and limits the choices of others.

Advocates…

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Hate Didn’t Elect Donald Trump; People Did

Over the summer, my little sister had a soccer tournament at Bloomsburg University, located in central Pennsylvania. The drive there was about three hours and many of the towns we drove through sho…

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The Dense web of financial interests

The Cost of the Pipeline

The Lambertville Pipeline Committee met with a representative of U.S. Senator Cory Booker this week to talk about the city’s concern about PennEast in general, but also specifically about the impacts to the drinking water site and Suez.

I won’t go into a lot of detail, we were promised some help and hopefully that will go somewhere.  But it was clear that the Senator would not come out against the pipeline, a position that we knew going into the meeting.

Even so, it’s unsettling when you figure out why various politicians won’t come out against projects. It seems you always just have to follow the money.

One of the people associated with Senator Booker is the Rev. M. William Howard.  When Mr. Booker was Mayor of Newark, Howard was tapped to lead his transition team.. In fact, the Senator considers Mr. Howard a mentor to him.

As it turns…

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What a pipeline breach looks like

Update August 22, 2016: If you want to help stop these catastrophes, please comment on the PennEast DEIS and help us stop this project dead in its tracks.  Visit the site below to learn how: Link &…

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Breaking News: CNN to Host Town Hall With Libertarian Candidates Gary Johnson and Bill Weld

THE LIBERTARIAN VINDICATOR

In a historic move the cable news network CNN will be hosting a town hall for the Libertarian Party ticket of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld on June 22nd.

From the Politico:

CNN will host a primetime town hall with Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson and vice presidential candidate William Weld, the cable news channel announced Wednesday.

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo will moderate the town hall, which will air Wednesday, June 22 at 9 p.m. It will be held at CNN’s headquarters in New York’s Time Warner Center, with Johnson and Weld being asked questions by voters.

CNN has held 10 town halls so far this election cycle, with most of the Republican and Democratic candidates. Libertarian candidates have generally not had the same media exposure that their Republican and Democratic counterparts have. Fox Business Network held a two part Libertarian party debate back in April, but primetime…

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My thoughts while watching Outlander Episode 210 “Prestonpans”

1. Bagpipes! Like actually on the show, not just in the music.
2. Uh oh. Bloody, maggot leg.
3. Sky dandruff
4. That quartermaster dude sounds Irish.
5. Oh, that’s because he is Irish. I’m getting good at accents.
6. Damn my liver! Lol
7. Mark me! DRINK!! 
8. Oh, poor Charles. He’s so delusional and clueless.
9. Jamie and a bunch of old dudes. Tall, young, ungrayed hair.  Mmmm…
10. Mark me! DRINK!! 
11. Hot Jamie. Hot Jamie.  Hot Jamie.
12. lol  You don’t know Claire, princey.  She has no lord and master but herself.
13. Angus is such as child.
14. Ooh, Murtagh. Nice threat.  I like it.
15. Nice reverse psychology on Dougal. Yer a clever lad, Jamie my boy.
16. Angus and Rupert are so silly.
17. Don’t shoot the horsey! Aim for Uncle Doogie.
18. Hope you didna like that hat too much, Unk D.
19. Yes, Dougal, we’ve learned that the Brits aren’t verra good shots.
20. HAHAHA! Love Dougal’s face upon getting hugged.
21. Mark me! DRINK!! 
22. The general’s coat is stunning. Not gaudy but stately.
23. Poopy pants MacKenzie lol
24. I wonder why Anderson thought to come to Claire.  Interesting.  I like him.

    

    Outlander, 210 “Prestonpans” – Trailer ©2016 Sony Pictures Television

25. Damn, Angus has knobby knees.
26. Scarrrrlet the hoorr. Pardon me. Part-time hoorr.
27. I like these different types of pre-battle introspection. The 2 practical Scots and their families, goofballs Angus and Rupert, deep Murtagh and Jamie.
28. Horrid timing, Fergus.
29. There go the Tin Man and the Lion. Now to Murtagh, Claire’s Scarecrow.
30. Settle down, Jamie. Don’t want to go into battle with a stiffy.
31. If I were Claire, I’d be puking all over as soon as they were out the door. My gut can’t take this.
32. Bonnie Prince Mark Me went along? Silly fop.
33. Where’s Fergus?
34. Oh geez, Ferg. Don’t be stupid.
35. Seriously, Charles? You’re as bad as little Fergus.
36. Mark me! DRINK!!
37. Claire’s her own kind of general. Leading her army of healers.
38. Twitchy
39. Do Jamie or Murtagh know Fergus is there?
40. Slo-mo time!
41. LMAO Sleepy sentry.  You’re in trouble!!
42. You just can’t beat the element of surprise.
43. Those red coats sure come in handy when fighting in the fog and needing to know who’s on which side.
44. Thinking you’ve made the wrong decision, Fergie?
45. Fuck you. Stand your own ground.
46. Oh no. Is this where we lose Rupert?
47. Good on you, Angus. I don’t care what you’ve promised BPC.  Friends come first.
48. Rupert’s got a good layer of chub. That might help.
49. Happy, victorious Jamie. And Murtagh.  Was that a smile?
50. Too much for a little boy to take. Poor, sweet boy.
51. Dougal.  Oh, Dougal.  Finish ‘em off.  Put ‘em out o’ their misery.
52. Lt. Foster! Looks thinner.
53. Oh my. I wasn’t as enamored with Lt. Foster as some were but that was cold, Doogs.
54. See! Murtagh’s thinking like me. Protective blubber.
55. Concussion Gus isn’t looking so good.
56. Is this where the phrase “pissing contest” comes from?
57. Oh shut the fuck up, Dougal.
58. Oopsy! You got caught behaving badly.
59. Jamie, my boy, you are indeed a verra quick thinker.
60. Ingenious. Yeah, that’s what I meant.
61. Rogue. Benevolence.  Do ye need a dictionary, Doog?
62. Now THAT is a compliment. A plan worthy of Colum.
63. Angus sounds rabid. Oh my god this is awful.
64. Rupert is, I’m sure, part bear.
65. Please let Rupert live. Please let Rupert live.  I can’t take losing Rupert now, too.
66. “War tastes bitter no matter the outcome.” Good quote.
67. Go lie back down, Rupert! You’re a terrible patient.
68. He and Ross do a nice duet.

 

Post-episode:

1. Was that a preview for next week?
2. WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH THAT PURPLE GOATEE?!?! Frickin’ scary.

My thoughts while watching Outlander episode 209 “Je Suis Prest”

1. I love Fergus. Loved him in the book.  Love him in the show.  One of Diana’s greatest characters.  ❤
2. I’ve missed Rupert’s voice so much!!! ❤
3. Oh no! Willie!  Oh… that’s all.  Whew!  ❤
4. Jamie is so pretty. ❤
5. Love the way he says “’tis” like “tez.” ❤
6. Drill Sergeant Murtagh. Waiting for him to go all “There’s only 2 things that come from the Highlands: steers and …” on them.  
7. PTSD Flashback Claire
8. Me likey the background mens choir singing.  ❤
9. So, only 5 men in the Highlands know how to fight?
10. OMG someone else said JHRC
11. Hey, are you guys from Easy Company? General Sink, Colonel Winters, Bill Guernere? 
12. Please flashback to the first time Jamie says “Je Suis Prest.” Please, please, please. 
13. Tell him what you’re thinking about, dummy!
14. Looks like the first day of band camp with a bunch of freshman.
15. Jamie’s rockin’ Brian’s leather coat. ❤
16. Is he going to yell FREEDOM!!! at the end of this speech?
17. Hills sounds like hells.
18. OMG Dougal’s moobs are flopping. Ew!!!!
19. Don’t you guys know you’re supposed to use light blue war paint ala Mel Gibson?
20. And clean that mud off yer face, uncle. Ye look ridiculous, ye wee smout.
21. Now I can see my reflection in his shiny bald heid.
22. Claire’s goin’ Greek on Dougal!
23. LMAO!!!! Fuck yourself.
24. What a beautiful place to set up camp and train. ❤
25. Hollow Claire
26. Ew nasty Angus toes! Trench foot.  Knew it.
27. We don’t want any Lt. Dan’s here! 
28. Come on… Murtagh or Rupert to the rescue. No?
29. Yay! Jamie looks tall for a change.
30. In-charge Jamie is hot!
31. Doh! Dougie’s busted down to sentry duty.
32. Pukey passout Claire
33. Ambush!
34. And all the while Frank was in a comfy office.
35. I have seen shit you 18^th century n00bs can never imagine.
36. Jamie’s looking hot again.  This episode is chock full of Jamie hotness.
37. I can’t stay and I can’t go. I’ll just stay here and be jittery.
38. A Dragonfly in Amber!
39. You’ll never be alone again… even if it means 20 years of misery with Dr. Boring.
40. Haven’t seen Jamie piss on a wall since early in Season 1.
41. Oh my. Is this Not-Yet-Lord John Gray?  Not how I pictured it happening.  I pictured them in a forest.
42. Oh yes please do the scene! Go, Claire, go!
43. Lmao at the faces of the guys who don’t know what she’s up to.
44. Hahaha The looks between J&C!
45. Why not just call him John from the start?
46. Lol Claire is so good with her “acting.” At least they didn’t bare her breast.
47. Oh, you’ll meet again. And again and again.
48. This episode is so much better than the last one.
49. Show ‘em your nasty back. 6 lashes ain’t nothing.  Love taps compared to the damage wrought by BJR.
50. Nice war paint.
51. Jamie looks hot in war paint. Murtagh just looks scary.  But Jamie reminds me of Mathias Nygard in full Turisas regalia.
52. We be burnin’ yer wheelz.
53. I’ve burnt stuff. I’m horny.  Let me get war paint on your face.
54. I like their rustic abode. Too bad they have to leave it.
55. The singing sounds like Latin or Hebrew or Native American, not Gaelic.
56. Bigger camp.
57. How nice, throwing your dear uncle a bone. Wait til he meets that fop.

 

Post episode:

1. Ron Moore is a good looking man.
2. I love you a lil bit too, Matt Roberts.

My thoughts while watching Outlander episode 207 “Faith”

1. I will not cry. I will not cry.  I will not cry.
2. Brianna should sound more American, not British.  Or is that a snooty 1950s Boston aristocrat accent a la Charles Emerson Winchester III (M*A*S*H)?
3. Monsieur Forez was there? Time for a reread of DIA.
4. Wtf does a heron have to do with this?
5. 18^th century private hospital room = bed with curtains
6. Oh, Cait, you are so good.
7. Mother Hildegarde named her?
8. Bouton rocks
9. Master Raymond looks like one of the sand people from Star Wars.
10. I like how they did the blue light. Less sci-fi than I pictured it in the book.
11. Yay! The blue aura = Madonna explanation.
12. Cat with 9 lives.  Cat o’ 9 tails.  What he whipped Jamie with.  Reference.
13. I know Claire’s going thru hell, but I’m still mad at her for being so pissed at Jamie. If only you knew what that monster did, Claire!
14. Oh, Fergus, you sweet boy, acting as protector, as Jamie’s proxy.
15. Suck it up, Suzette. Take a cue from Magnus.
16. I need a Fergus. (To go with the Murtagh that I also need.)
17. How emotionally draining was this on Cait? OMG
18. A child to comfort. Fergus you are so well placed.
19. Tell her, Fergus! I know it’s not how the book goes.
20. A talent for stealing. Lol
21. My stomach just flipped over.
22. Don’t show it. Please don’t show it.
23. Jamie to the rescue!
24. Go, Jamie, go! Kill!  Kill!  Kill!
25. I demand a duel?  Lame. Come on, Jamie.  Just kill him outright.
26. So now you know, Claire.
27. Mercurial.  Good word.
28. Damn! Mother Hildegarde is no shrinking violet.
29. The green dress!
30. The library. Also beautiful.
31. Claire’s thought bubble: My husband has seen you poop.
32. Hot chocolate, madame, before I take my pleasure with you in exchange for your husband’s freedom?
33. King Louis has piggy lips.
34. Don’t woo me, Louie. Just get it over with.
35. Your brown hairline is showing. Fix your wig.
36. He’s icky but it could be worse. It could be Prince Charlie.
37. Nice room. You’re still icky.
38. Claire’s thought bubble: A witch trial again? Wtf, 18^th century?  W.T.F.
39. Comte doesn’t look smug for a change. I like it.
40. I’m sorry I tried to kill you.  Twice.  Please spare my life.  Oh, goddamit.
41. Oh, Claire. You must be loving this.
42. Thank you, Jamie, for making me La Dame Blanche. Power!
43. Oh, hey, wait. The comte speaks English.
44. King hands!
45. Comte no likey snakes.
46. Forez’s face is perfect! Lol  He looks like Little Steven (VanZandt) as Silvio in The Sopranos.  Always scowling.
47. Be not afraid, Raymond. You know it’s gonna suck but you won’t die.
48. Love, love, love that she gave it to Raymond first so the comte could watch.
49. How did it change color?!
50. Oh, Raymond. Very nice.
51. “Oh well.” That’s all you can come up with?
52. Good acting, Comte. Love the tears.
53. King Louis thought bubble: Please do not soil The King’s floor as you expire, Comte.
54. King hands!
55. Another Wizard of Oz reference!!
56. Oh, hello, King. I’d hoped you were done with me.
57. Death arouses The King.
58. The King is a 3 pump chump. Lol
59. Claire’s thought bubble: OK. That wasn’t too bad.  Quick and easy.
60. King hands say: I’m done. You may go now.
61. Alrighty then. I’ll just take my orange because I don’t want to get scurvy, and leave.
62. Jamie’s home!
63. Jamie needs a bath and a laundress.
64. Black mourning gown?
65. Jamie sounded 100 years old just now. Like he hadn’t spoken at all in the Bastille.
66. Holy raggedy beard, Batman!
67. Sorry.  You’ve been through a lot but you must see why Jamie fought BJR.  Forgive, eh?
68. Shouldn’t Faith be smaller? I thought she was only 20-something weeks.
69. Her eyes were slanted a bit, like yours. In the book.
70. I think if I was going to cry, it would be now. I’m not.  I’m safe.
71. Hey, Louise. What’s shakin’?
72. The shallow bitch does indeed have a heart and is a good friend.
73. No, you can’t put your filthy, shallow, Prince-fucking, whore hands on my precious angel.
74. Oh, I see the red hair! Awww!
75. I love that Louise and Mother handled her like a live baby. Very nice.
76. Again, Cait. You are a gem.  Such acting.
77. Jamie looks thin.
78. Um, Claire, you know the duel didn’t cause your miscarriage, right?
79. It’s not your fault either, Claire.
80. The forgiveness line from the creek again!
81. You told him about the king.  Flat out.  Like that.  You’re a cold bitch.
82. Claire, honey. Nice, clean 3 pump chump is nothing compared to what Jamie endured for you.
83. Together.
84. Yeah, Claire. People didn’t get divorced in 1740-something.
85. Yay! Home to Scotland!  Totally worth fucking the king.
86. But you can’t have 11 apostle spoons! You’ve messed up the set!
87. Still no tears from me. Either I’m a cold-hearted bitch or you’re all wusses.

 

Next week…

1. Oh, hey, Jenny.
2. Now my grandpa wants to fuck my wife.  WTF, people?  I know she’s hot but come on already!