Norway = No Way

A man has killed over 90 people in Norway. Seven were (presumably) adults. The others were young adults. I do not call them children, although many will. This man looked into the eyes of his victims, and pulled the trigger. He shot them at random, then finished with a "kill shot" to the back of the head with a shotgun...just to make sure they were dead. He shot them as they were running away. He shot some while they were swimming away. As they were on an island, he was able to pick off a vast majority of these youth like sitting ducks. He did it while wearing a police uniform, causing many of his victims to run toward him seeking help. He gunned them down too. And he called his deeds "gruesome but necessary."

This is horrifying, sickening, and very, very sad. What's more so?

The fact that Norway does not believe in the death penalty or even in life sentences. So for killing over 90 people, most of them not even the age of majority, he is looking at twenty-one years. 

Let me repeat that, in case you're afraid you just had a mini-seizure and misinterpreted what I wrote:

THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE THIS MAN IS LOOKING AT IS TWENTY ONE FUCKING YEARS.

I know many were infuriated over the Casey Anthony matter, but THIS is truly appalling. The comparisons stop here, because this man has admitted to his crimes. As he is only 31 years old, he will be released from prison before he is even an old man.

That is not just. It is not right.

And I'm not sure how anyone can remedy this situation, absent vigilantism. (Which I NEVER advocate, although I really liked that movie "Law Abiding Citizen.")

Visiting Haunted Shell Mound Park

Shell Mound is haunted by ancient ghosts.   They are ghosts from the Mississippian Period, 1100-1500 AD.  A lonely woman ghost haunts this historic site.  She dances on the mound at night bringing the sound of native music drifting through the hot night air with her.   When I visited Shell Mound Park,  there was no sign of any ghosts.   The only thing that haunted us is the brutal heat were the swarms of mosquitoes that descended on us in plagues.  They came and sucked us dry, sending me scurrying through my haunted exploration and making me somewhat blind to any ghosts that may have been chasing me. 

Shell Mound Park is a small park on the top of Dauphin Island.   For hundreds of years,  American Indians made pilgrimages to this site to eat oysters.   The evidence of this activity crunches beneath your feet as you walk through the park.  The hills that you walk across as you explore the park are made entirely of oyster shells.  If you dig down, you pull up a mixture of shell and soil.  This area is beautiful, if you can see past the sticky heat and mosquitoes.  Huge oaks drip with Spanish moss and hangs down so long it tickles the oyster shells beneath it.  It is easy to imagine a lonely ghost wandering this site.  It is easy to imagine an American Indian girl lingering in this swampy place, waiting to go home.

Exploring The Ghosts of Fort Morgan

Fort Morgan is a lonely structure on the end of a very long, thin stretch of land.  It is surrounded by water on all sides and you can hear the constant crashing of the waves as you wander through its seemingly endless arched hallways.  The fort is made of brick and shaped like a star.   Its long tunnels dip underground and water drips constantly from the brick.  The water has dripped so much that stalactites have started to grow from the ceiling of the fort.  Even during the day,  their are portions of the fort that are completely isolated and dark.  Although hoards of tourists fill the main portions of the fort, there are portions of the fort that are utterly empty.  The tourists avoid the darkened, moist corners of the fort that have been left to the ghosts.
Even during the day,  even filled with people,  there are portions of the fort that seem haunted and are creepy enough for people to completely avoid.

I have written about the fort's history and ghosts before and I will attach a copy of my prior post below this post.  Here are the photographs from my journey to this haunting fort.

The Fort Morgan area has become a vacation spot. Its beaches sit overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and tourists come from all over to watch the Dolphins and dip their toes in the sand. The sands of Fort Morgan carry an older, forgotten history, however. Most tourists will never know that the sands they play in were once soaked in blood.


Fort Morgan began construction in 1812 and was finished in 1834 and was widely regarded as the "finest example f military architecture in the New World." The fort was constructed in a unique star shape that made it easier to defend. Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines sat on opposing sides of Mobile Bay and acted together to close the Bay off and defend the waters.

Fort Morgan saw heavy fire during the Civil War. I was used defensively by the Confederates and was also a starting point for blockade running ships. The Union took the Fort during the Battle of Mobile Bay. After Fort Gaines fell, Union soldiers laid siege to the fort an set the wooden parts of the fort on fire. Many men died in this battle and the Confederate soldiers did not meet happy ends

It is not surprising that this old Fort has more than its fair share of ghosts. It has a long history filled with war and fire. The old barracks are said to be one of he most haunted portions of the fort.. In 1916 or 1917 a prisoner hung himself in the barracks. According to local lore, you can still hear the hanging man cry late at night. He is not alone in his sorrow. During the Civil War, a bomb went off in the fort and several men met a horrible fiery death. The bomb went off in a room with a big fireplace and they say you can still hear the men screaming at night.

The final ghost comes from an unconfirmed story of woe and sorrow. They say that some time in 19th a young woman was drug into the fort by unknown men. The woman was beaten, raped and murdered. According to legend, she still wanders the Fort looking for justice.

Leav-aaaaaannnnnnn on a jet plaaaaaaannnnneeeee

So yeah, don't know if you have heard, but I'm going on vacation. And it's kinda a big deal. Five fun-filled amazing days full of roller coasters, tasty pool-side beverages, sand between my toes, and rocking some of my new vacay wardrobe........oh yeah, and chilling with Leonidas. ;)

I've been packing for the better half of six hours. I laid out precise wardrobe pairings. I changed them. I fretted. I clucked. Then I put ALL OF THEM on my carry-on bag. And it all fit. All ten pairs of shorts. And gazillion shirts. And dresses. And even my heels. I'm already feeling a sense of incredible accomplishment and I haven't even left yet.

On the other hand, I went to the donut shop today and my total was $6.66....so I tipped $1.11 and brought it to $7.77. NOTHING WILL RUIN MY DAY/VACAY. (Even superstition.)

Any suggestions while in Orlando?

Ghost Hunting at the Beach

I love to travel.   It is one of my favorite pass times and one of the things I enjoy most about traveling is visiting haunted locations.  Tomorrow, I am leaving for Gulf Shores, Alabama and I've already got my list of haunted locations to visit picked out.  I also have one excellent beach book picked out to keep me busy when I'm not looking for ghosts or building sand castles.  Here is a list of haunted places along the coast I plan on visiting while I am gone.

1.  Fort Morgan:  This old Fort was shaped to house ghosts.   Its unique star shape pattern calls to ghosts and they linger.  Old soldier ghosts and one tragic white lady keep this fort company on long, lonely nights and those that wander the nights alone at this fort report seeing more than dolphins along the coast.

2.  Fort Gains:  This is the famous haunted fort of Dauphin Island.  Numerous soldier ghosts haunt its old walls.

3.  Shell Mound Park:  Just look below for the long history of this American Indian site.  Its ghosts came looking for oysters and never left.

4.  Bishop's Graveyard:  I haven't read much about this cemetery, but I love all cemeteries and this on is a notorious hot spot for paranormal activity.

5.  Fringeology:   This isn't really a place.  It  is a book about the paranormal and those who study it I plan to read while I'm at the beach.  It looks so good it is as good as a place, however.

Wish me luck and I'll be posting pictures and stories all week as I visit all my haunted places!

In memory of Donna K

I went to a funeral today for a woman I've known most of my life. She was an incredible mother, wife, and friend. She treated those around her with respect, displayed remarkable candor, and never made excuses for those around her or blamed others for her mistakes. She was strong, charismatic, and dependable. In short, she was a true Steel Magnolia. It's always difficult to say goodbye to someone like that, because regardless of how long it had been since you spoke to her, you knew that you could always pick up the phone and she would answer and be there for you. Miss Donna K will be greatly missed by anyone who had the pleasure of knowing her.

Some of my earliest memories of Miss Donna go back to when I was a child. She would often come by my mom's place of business, because she liked to talk and, well, Maxine certainly isn't short on words either. She had two kids a few years older than me and my brother, and sometimes her daughter would come over to "babysit." We went by her house often, and as I grew up, she was always there in some capacity. Even as a child I knew she had diabetes, and often heard my mom chide her about eating candy, which was her vice. She got sick occasionally, and I seem to remember a couple of times when my mom visited her in the hospital when her diabetes got out of hand. Even battling this disease, she was always there, always funny and vocal, and seemingly invincible. She raised her two kids without a husband, sometimes struggled with but always seemed to make ends meet, and loved her grandkids to pieces.

Today my mom and I were talking today about some of our memories of Donna. The first time she met my brother (Cyd) and me, we were about 3 and 4. He apparently stomped on her foot because she teased him about something (and him being Cyd, and pretty damn mean, reacted as he was wont to do). She looked at him, then stomped his foot right back. I'm pretty sure that earned Cyd's undying respect, and he came today to pay those respects beside me and Maxine. My mom and I were able to laugh through our sadness, because that was Donna in true form and how we prefer to remember her.

I know her mother, who made several Easter dresses (and Civil War dresses, for that matter) for me when I was a child. I know her sisters, who grew up with my dad, and whose children I played with when I was a child. I know her children, who are now grown up and have children of their own. And all I could do today was tell them how sorry I was for their loss. And words just didn't seem to be enough for this incredible person. Words will never be enough to express how much she will be missed.

I should be President....

So I've been following the temper tantrums "discussions" within Congress regarding raising the debt ceiling and only one thing is for certain: both sides are acting like children. Surely they have to see that by shutting each other out and refusing to compromise in any way, shape, or form, they are only isolating themselves and distancing themselves that much further from reaching a deal. I've discussed negotiations and strategies in previous posts (one ranting, one recommending), and its obvious even to those who have never been exposed to the finer points of negotiations that they are doing it completely wrong. And I've reached an amicable agreement I wish they would come to (now keep in mind I'm no politician, and I very much so straddle the line)...

Raise the age for retirement benefits (which has been a long time in coming anyways...people are living to be OLD y'all)--which is a hit on the ole' mules Donkeys--AND get rid of some of the tax benefits for the super rich and multi-billion dollar corporations, especially those importing things in the country (great way to deal with outsourcing and you're leaving the middle class, even the upper middle class alone)--obviously hits the wallets and the heartstrings of the old snuffleupaguses Elephants.

As long as the Republicans are refusing any kind of package that increases taxes and as long as the Democrats are protectively shielding the entitlement programs, NOTHING.WILL.GET.DONE. I like my (imaginary) money as much as the next girl, and hope when I eventually earn some, that I will get to keep it. I hope for a day Congress will spend more responsibly and stop bailing out every damn Tom, Dick, and Harry that can't seem to manage free fucking enterprise. I also hope to one day see the Social Security that the federal government has withheld from my checks then gleefully spent on hookers and cocaine whatever the hell Congress wants to spend it on (because it certainly isn't on education, or roads, or an effective economic stimulus package).

Obama is trying...I'll give him that. But chastising Congress is not going to help (or spanking them, or giving them lollipops, but I digress).

He's extended an olive branch (with the entitlement suggestion). Democrats have tentatively put their toes in the water regarding the first deal they wanted to make. Now, Republicans, it's time to put on your big girl or boy panties, step up to the plate, and reach the only logical conclusion.

MY CONCLUSION.