Birds Is Magic

This Day in History, April 22

2009-04-22T23:46:00.003-04:00

1836 - Texas Revolution - A day after the Battle of San Jacinto, forces under Texas General Sam Houston capture Mexican General Lopez de Santa Anna

1864 - U.S. Congress pass the Coinage Act, which mandates that the inscription "IN GOD WE TRUST" be placed all coins minted as U.S. Currency.

1899 - At high noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Run of 1899. Within hours, cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000 each.
That makes a lot of sense of how those cities would be formed. I've spent time in both cities.

1954 - Red Scare: Army-McCarthy hearings begin.

1970 - First Earth Day is celebrated.

1993 - The Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC is dedicated.

1998 - Disney's Animal Kingdom opens at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

2000 -In a pre-dawn raid, jack-booted federal agents seize 6 year-old Elian Gonzalez from his relatives' home in Miami.

2008 - United States Air Force retires remaining F-117 Nighthawk aircraft in service.

Birthdays:

Aaron Spelling - 1923

Mrs. Garrett from Facts of Life - 1926

Jack Nicholson - 1937

USAF pilot Captain Steven L. Bennett - Congressional Medal of Honor winner for "his unparalleled concern for his companion, extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force."
(quotes from postumous award presented by President Gerald Ford)

The Burger King Man creeps me out...

2009-03-04T23:29:00.003-05:00

I was watching TV and a Burger King commercial came on and it reminded me of the Burger King man. I find him creepy. Am I the only one who thinks he's weird. I mean, he shows up in people's beds while they sleep, and they aren't even surprised that he's there. I mean, what did they do the night before that he's not surprised a plastic faced Burger King man is in his bed. Then, BK man tries to offer the guy a breakfast sandwich from his coat. I mean, the sandwich can't be fresh.

Another commercial has the BK man trying to push a black man working on a scaffold high in the air off the scaffold. So, the BK man is racist also.

He's fathering children out of wedlock, sleeping with men, trying to kill black men and trying to give people cold sandwiches from his coat...at least I think its from his coat. Where is he keeping those sandwiches.

Let me know your thoughts about the Burger King man.

Today in Sports

2009-03-04T23:17:00.002-05:00

Manny Ramirez signs a 2-year, $45 million deal with the Dodgers today.

Ray Lewis and Kurt Warner stay with their respective teams, both signing deals.

The Crapskins (Redskins) signed Albert Haynesworth to a 7 year, $100 million dollar deal last week. They also signed DeAngelo Hall to a $54 million deal. Looks like Snyder has done it again. No real help for the team, but he does get Haynesworth.

The Cowboys made some "fantastic" moves last week: Getting Keith Brooking and signing the immortal John Kitna. This makes me real excited.

A-Roid has a cyst in his hip. I wonder where he got that.

Shaq has been kickin A-- recently.

This Day in History, March 5

2009-03-04T23:08:00.002-05:00

1770 - Boston Massacre - 5 Americans, including a black man named Crispus Attucks, and a boy are killed by British troops in an event that would contribute to outbreak of American Revolutionary War 5 years later.

1836 - Samuel Colt makes his first production-model receiver, the .34-caliber.

1933 - Great Depression: President Roosevelt declares a "bank holiday": closing all the U.S. banks and freezing all financial transactions.

1946 - Winston Churchill uses phrase "Iron Curtain" in his speech at Westminster College, MO.

1966 - BOAC flight 911 crashes on Mount Fuji, Japan, killing 124.

Common Sense by Oliver North

2009-02-22T17:27:00.002-05:00

LtCol Oliver North's weekly column can be read every sunday in The Washington Times

Stealth Surge

Washington, DC – The economy is stuck on “meltdown.” The cabinet still has vacancies. The ruling political party on Capitol Hill is obsessed with “pork,” and the mainstream media is fixated on Ottawa’s Obama-mania. When nothing else seems to work – dial 911 at the Pentagon and call for those who get things done: soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen, and Marines. And just to be different – send them on a stealth surge.

That’s what happened this Tuesday when Mr. Obama decided that “urgent security needs” – his phrase – required the deployment of a Marine Expeditionary Brigade and an Army Stryker Brigade to Afghanistan. Rather than making the announcement in a televised address to the nation, as his predecessor had done with the surge in Iraq, this commander in chief has his press secretary hand out a piece of paper. No Oval Office. No questions from the press. Just a sheet of paper.

This deployment – about 8,000 additional Marines, 4,000 soldiers – and 5,000 “support personnel” does not come as a surprise. During the presidential campaign, Mr. Obama made it clear that he saw Afghanistan as the “Central Front” of what he calls “the war on terror.” He also has said repeatedly that he wants increased U.S. combat power to take on the Taliban and al Qaeda. The surprise is in the timing – and the way he has decided to do it.

Last week the administration announced a full-blown, 60-day, interagency, multi-national, quadraphonic, star-studded, strategic review of “every aspect of our Afghanistan policy.” Our European allies were informed that Afghanistan is at the “top of the Agenda” for the NATO summit in March. On Sunday, President Hamid Karzai announced that he too would be “participating” in the strategic review. And then, on Tuesday, February 17, at 5:30 PM, too late for much beside a headline on the evening news – the one-page deployment order that has troops from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina to Fort Lewis, Washington – and countless points in between – packing their kit for the Hindu Kush. So much for having a strategy before committing what’s needed to implement it.

The deployment announcement apparently didn’t impress our “allies’ in Pakistan. White House “Special Envoy” Richard Holbrooke has been in Islamabad and Kabul – ostensibly on a “fact-finding mission.” His plane was barely off the ground before the government in Islamabad announced that offensive military operations against the Taliban would cease in the Malakand region of northwest Pakistan and that henceforth the area would be governed in accord with Islamic sharia law. So much for convincing Pakistan – through which we send more than 80 percent of our supplies – to crack down on radical Islamic terror.

Mr. Holbrooke didn’t fare much better in Kabul where he acceded to Afghan demands for “coordinating all military operations with Afghan forces.” On Sunday, he and Afghan President Hamid Karzai held a testy joint press conference. Afterwards, Mr. Holbrooke apparently convinced someone at the White House that the two presidents needed to have a little chat – something that, strangely enough, there just hasn’t been time for since the inaugural.

If the various spokesmen are telling the truth, the Obama-Karzai conversation finally came Tuesday, February 17, after Mr. Obama issued his one-page deployment order. The next day, Mr. Karzai, who is running for reelection in August, said that, “If foreign troops do not listen to us, we will call a loya jirga (grand council) and we will also include the Taliban to decide whether foreign troops should stay in Afghanistan.”

While none of this sounds particularly encouraging, it must be noted that Mr. Karzai also said, “The tension the Afghan government had with the U.S. government is now over.” That should make everyone feel better.

Unfortunately, timing and diplomacy aren’t the only problems with this deployment announcement. There is also the matter of what’s in it – and what’s not. Last year, General David McKiernan asked for 30,000 additional combat troops to reinforce the 49,000 from NATO and the 32,000 U.S. personnel he already has on the ground. But that’s not what he’s getting.

Tuesday’s presidential order authorized sending 17,000 troops. Yet, the Pentagon only identified II Marine Expeditionary Brigade “with approximately 8,000 Marines” to deploy in “late Spring 2009,” and 5th Stryker Brigade with “approximately 4,000 soldiers” to deploy in “mid-summer 2009.” It then adds, “Approximately 5,000 additional troops to support these combat forces will receive deployment orders at a later date.” In short, General McKiernan is getting less than half of what he asked for.

Finally, there is the issue of presidential style. In the final paragraph of his one-page order, Mr. Obama notes that, “This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.” All true. But then, he goes on to whine, “which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires.” That is a gratuitous and unseemly swipe at his predecessor. Perhaps that is why Mr. Obama decided this had to be a stealth surge.

This Day in History, Feb. 22

2009-02-22T17:13:00.002-05:00

1856 - The Republican Party opens its first national meeting in Pittsburgh, PA.

1862 - Jefferson Davis is officially inaugurated for a six-year term as President of the Confederate States of America in Richmond, VA.

1879 - In Utica, NY, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many $.5 and $.10 Woolworth stores

1959 - Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500

1974 - Samuel Byck tries and fails to assassinate President Nixon

1980 - Miracle on Ice: In Lake Placid, NY, the U.S. Hockey Team defeats Soviet Union hockey team 4-3 in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.

1994 - Aldrich Ames and his wife are charged by U.S. Department of Justice with spying for the Soviet Union.

This Day in History, February 21

2009-02-22T17:02:00.003-05:00

1842 - John Greenough is granted the first U.S. Patent for the sewing machine.

1878 - The first telephone book is issued in New Haven, CT.

1885 - The newly completed Washington Monument is dedicated.

1948 - NASCAR is incorporated

1965 - Malcolm X is assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in NYC by members of the Nation of Islam.

1970 - A mid-air explosion and subsequent crash kills 38 passengers and nine crew members near Zurich, Switzerland.

1975 - Watergate Scandal - Former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are sentenced to prison.

Random Thoughts of the Day

2009-02-19T22:35:00.005-05:00

Whatever happened to the Noid?

The Noid was the villanous red-suited character in rabbit ears that tried to ruin Dominos Pizza's in the 80's.

Was he finally captured by the cops? Did he switch to Papa John's?

The last time I heard about the Noid, Mayor West of Quohog killed him once and for all.

I had forgotten that there was video game made about the Noid. It was only on Activision?

Where did the Noid go?

This Day in History, February 18

2009-02-19T22:19:00.002-05:00

1735 - Charleston, SC, hosts the first performance of a ballad opera, "Flora: Or Hob in the Well" by Colley Cibber, in the United States, at New World Theater.

1841 - The first ongoing filibuster in the U.S. Senate begins and lasts until March 11. (Democrat minority tried to block a bank bill favored by the Whig Majority. Senator Henry Clay, promoter of the bill, threatened to change Senate rules to allow majority to close debate. Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Barton rebuked Clay for trying to stifle Senate's right to unlimited debate and Clay unsuccessful in eliminating filibuster by a Senate majority vote.)

1861 - In Montgomery, Alabama - Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as Provisional President of Confederate States of America.

1885 - Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published for the first time.

1929 - The first Academy Awards are announced.

1979 - Snow fell in the Sahara Desert in Southern Algeria for only recorded time in history.

2001- FBI Agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

February 14, This Day in History

2009-02-16T23:45:00.003-05:00

1849 - In NYC, James K. Polk becomes 1st serving U.S. President to have his photograph taken.

1859 - Oregon admitted as 33rd State.

1876 - Alexander Graham Bell applies for patent for the telephone.

1899 - Voting machines approved by U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.

1903 - U.S. Dept. of Commerce and Labor established (later split into Dept. of Commerce and Dept. of Labor)

1912 - Arizona admitted as 48th State

1990 - 92 people killed aboard India Airlines flight 605 at Bangalore, India

1998 - U.S. authorities announce Eric Rudolph is a suspect in an Alabama abortion clinic bombing. Rudolph is later named as the 1996 Olympic Park Bomber (although there is no evidence of that. ) How can you believe this when they ruined Richard Jewell's life with the false accusations of him being the bomber. Eric Rudolph would soon be the scapegoat for all the bad things happening. I'm surprised they didn't try to blame 9/11 or the Anthrax scare on him. Rudolph was finally apprehended outside a Piggly Wiggly digging in the dumpster by some Barney Fife cop outside Asheville, NC, where he has been hiding in the mountains for years.

This Day in History, February 11

2009-02-11T08:48:00.002-05:00

1531 - Henry VIII of England is recognized as Supreme Head of Church of England

1794 - First Session of United States Senate opens to the public

1941 - First Gold Record is presented to Glen Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo"

1943 - WWII - General Eisenhower is selected to command the allied armies in Europe.

1964 - The Beatles hold their first public concert in the United States at Washington Coliseum in Washington D.C.

2006 - Vice President Dick Cheney shoots his friend, Harry Whittington, in the face, neck and upper torso while hunting quail.

Birthdays:

1926 - Leslie Nielsen (no Naked Guns without him)
1936 - The Bandit (Burt Reynolds)...Did you know that Alfred Hitchcock's favorite movie is Smokey and the Bandit?
1953 - Jeb Bush
1964 - Sarah Palin (we all know who she is)

News of the Day

2009-02-09T20:41:00.002-05:00

- Turncoat Republican Senators Arlen "magic bullet" Specter, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins decided to abandon the Republican Party by voting with the Democrats today to pass the $838 million dollar stimulus package out of the Senate. All 36 No votes came from Republicans.

Now the bill faces hurdles in conference committee as House and Senate negotiators will try to hammer out some sort of compromise agreement. Let's see if they can pass that.

- The Daytona 500 on Sunday kicks off the Nascar season. We will see if Jimmie Johnson can win his 4th straight title.

- Bret Michael's Rock of Love Bus is getting crazy. Last night he brought in 3 new girls to shake up the mix, because he hasn't really been feeling the connections with the other girls. I just have no idea who he will pick and I believe neither does Bret.

- White House is demanding oversight of the 2010 Census. This move has far-reaching political implications for voting, redistricting and representation in future elections. This move looks like the White House wants to take Census-taking power away from the Commerce Department, which has oversight of the Census Bureau, so they can manipulate the redistricting of congressional seats. I hope this is not so. It would be not only unethical, but illegal. Bruce Chapman, of the U.S. Census Bureau, wrote in his Discovery blog that "the only reason the White House would want to be involved is in figuring out how to add more voting power to certain states and certain groups within states."

- Stimulus plan could supply illegal aliens with 300,000 jobs. The Senate version of the bill, which just passed today, does not prohibit illegals from those jobs. The House version prohibits contractors from hiring employees without first checking the E-Verify system, which allows employers to verify whether a person is authorized to work in the U.S.

- The RealID Act of 2005 has been temporarily killed in the Virginia House and Senate committees. If this ever passes, it is an egregious violation of the 1st, 4th, and 10th Amendments.

This Day in History, February 9

2009-02-09T20:34:00.003-05:00

1825 - After no Presidential candidate received a majority of electoral votes, the U.S. House elects John Quincy Adams President of the United States.

1861 - War of Northern Aggression - Jefferson Davis is elected Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention in Montgomery, Alabama.

1889 - U.S.D.A established as a Cabinet-level agency

1900 - Davis Cup competition is established

1964 - Beatles make their first appearance on Ed Sullivan show, performing before a record-setting crowd of 75 million viewers.

1971 - Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro league player to be voted to Baseball Hall of Fame.

Births:

1914 - Ernest Tubb
1943 - Joe Pesci
1945 - Mia Farrow
1947 - Crazy U.S. Senator Jim Webb
1963 - American Icon Travis Tritt

This Day in History, February 6

2009-02-05T23:38:00.002-05:00

1788 - Massachusetts becomes the 6th State to ratify the Constitution

1933 - The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution goes into effect.

1952 - Elizabeth II becomes the Queen upon the death of the father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.

1988 - Washington National Airport renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Birthdays:

1756 - Aaron Burr, 3rd Vice President of U.S.

1895 - Babe Ruth

1911 - Ronald Reagan, 40th President of U.S.

1912 - Eva Braun, mistress and wife of Adolf Hitler

1931 - Rip Torn, star of Canadian Bacon

1962 - Axl Rose, co-founder and lead singer of Guns -N-Roses

LOST...you learn something every week

2009-02-05T23:31:00.002-05:00

This week, we learned some new stuff:

Ben has been the one going after Aaron, so he could get Kate to leave the island.

The time flashes are starting to make everyone had nosebleeds and could provide further complications.

We know Jin is still alive and could be in the same time period as Sawyer and the others.

Who were the people shooting at them in the boat?

We meet Rousseau when she arrives on the island.

If Ben doesn't know where the island is, then how is he going to find it in the boat at the marina and how does he know for certain that Jin is alive?

Random Thoughts of the Day

2009-02-04T00:12:00.002-05:00

--Have you ever "Filled it to the rim with Brim?"

I never personally have, but I remember the commercial when I was little. That's how my brain is. I remember political news and history, then I remember TV. Anyway, whatever happened to Brim coffee? Its been gone for a long time. I looked it up on the Internet machine and it pretty much vanished. Most people who have commented on Brim say it tasted like crap, but its probably just as good as Maxwell House or Taster's Choice International Coffees.

I'll never know how it tastes because I've been cheated out of having Brim.

--When is the Thundercats movie coming? They've brought back almost everything from my childhood except Voltron and GoBots, so why not Thundercats. Man...GoBots were the poor, not as cool version of Transformers. GoBots stunk.

This Day in History, February 4

2009-02-04T00:03:00.003-05:00

1789 - George Washington unanimously elected the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College.

1792 - George Washington unanimously elected to second term as President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College.

1801 - John Marshall sworn in as Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.

1861 - War of Northern Aggression: In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from 6 break-away U.S. States meet and form the Confederate States of America.

1941 - USO created to entertain American troops.

1969 - Yassar Arafat takes over as Chairman of the P.L.O.

2004 - Facebook is founded by Mark Zucerberg.

Birthdays:

1947 - Dan Quayle, 44th VP of the United States
1948 - Alice Cooper
1959 - The greatest linebacker of all-time, Lawrence Taylor. I don't care that he was a major cokehead. He was awesome. On Super Techmobowl, if you lined him up right over the center, you could jump over the center and sack the quarterback everytime. He was the fastest computer defensive player ever. In real life, he was nasty. Ask Joe Theismann's leg.

1973 - Oscar de la Hoya, who likes to dress like a woman.

Today's Political News...

2009-02-03T23:46:00.002-05:00

--Tom Daschle withdrew his name from consideration as President Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services. It seems that Tommy had a problem paying his taxes in a timely manner and loved taking money from healthcare interests, which would be in conflict with his new position.

He said he would not have been able to operate "with the full faith of Congress and the American people." Well, he read my mind.

--Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked Democrats from adding $25 billion for highways, mass transit and water projects to Obama's economic recovery plan. The Democrat plan mustered only 58 votes and only 2 Republicansvoted for the amendment: Old Magic Bullet himself, Arlen Spector and Christopher Bond.

--Senate voted Tuesday to give a tax break to new car buyers, showing bipartisanship in passing the measure.

--Obama names NH Republican Senator Judd Gregg as his new Commerce Secretary. Gregg said he would only consider the position if he could "guarantee" that his Senate seat would not go to the Dems.

This Day in History, February 1

2009-01-30T23:51:00.002-05:00

1861 - War of Northern Aggression - Texas secedes from the United States.

1862 - Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is published for the first time in the Atlantic Monthly.

1865 - Abraham Lincoln signs the 13th Amendment to the Constitution

1913 - New York City's Grand Central Station opens as the world's biggest train station.

2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during recovery into Earth's atmosphere, killing all 7 astronauts on board.

2004 - Janet Jackson's breast is exposed during halftime of Superbowl XXXVIII, leading to our government losing its mind and people forgetting personal responsibility, letting FCC increase fines and regulation in broadcasting. A personal note: I've seen that clip about 50 times, and you can't see her breast. I think people just lost their minds for no reason.

Today's Random Thought

2009-01-30T23:41:00.003-05:00

What ever happened to Bubble Gum cigars? I used to love the Boss Hogg bubble gum cigars. Those were the best. You also don't see many of the candy cigarettes either. I think it's sad that our society has told the youth that candy cigarettes and cigars are not acceptable. Poppycock.

Candy cigarettes are not bad. They are just candy.

I miss Boss Hogg and I miss Boss Hogg cigars.

This Day in History, January 31

2009-01-30T23:34:00.002-05:00

1865 - Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes General-in-Chief

1876 - United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations

1950 - President Harry S. Truman announces program to develop hydrogen bomb.

1868 - VietCong attack U.S. Embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, grouped together as the TET OFFENSIVE.

1990 - The first McDonald's in Soviet Union opens in Moscow.

2000 - Alaska Airlines flight 261 MD 83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California - killing all 88 persons aboard.

Michael Steele Elected RNC Chairman

2009-01-30T22:57:00.002-05:00

Today, history was made, as the Republican Party chose the first black national chairman in history: Michael Steele. Steele won on the 6th and final ballot over Katon Dawson. Bush's handpicked chairman, Mike Duncan, dropped out before the 4th vote, noting that the "winds of change were blowing."

Steele became the first black candidate elected to statewide office in Maryland in 2002 when we became Lt. Governor.

I am glad Michael Steele won. I believe he is the best choice to lead the Republican Party for the next two years, to define the agenda, to be the voice to answer the attacks from Pelosi, Reid and the President. He is a very nice man. I had the chance to meet him a couple of years ago.

Here is his acceptance speech. This is from the Weekly Standard Blog.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Weblogs/TWSFP/TWSFPView.asp#10329

Steele Wins RNC Chair Election, 91-77 over Katon Dawson
Here is my real-time transcript of his speech. I may have missed a few sentences, but it's almost all there:

As a litte boy growing up in this town—this is awesome.

It is with a great deal of humility and a sense of service that I accept and appreciate and thank all of you for the opportunity to serve as the next chairman of our very proud, very strong, and our very, very hard-working Republican National Committee.

To our friends, to those who support us, to those who believe in the ideals, those conservative ideals that make us the strong, proud party that we are. To Americans who believe in the future of this country. To those who stand in difference with us, it's time for something completely different, and we're gonna bring it to them.

We're gonna bring this party to every corner, every boardroom, every neighborhood, every community and we're gonna say to friend and foe alike: We want you to be a part of this, we want you to worth with us, and for those of you who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over.

So, I want to thank all of you, especially. I remember sitting in this body in 2000 and 2002, and I never thought this day would come. I want to thank especially my friend in the territories, who I can assure all of you will be a part of building this party in a way we have never seen before.
To my friends in the Northeast: get ready, baby. It's time to turn it on, and work to do what we always do well, and that is win. We're gonna win again in the Northeast. We're gonna continue to win in the South. We're gonna win with a new storm in the Midwest and we're gonna get to the West and lock it down there, too.

This is our opportunity. I cannot do this by myself. This is about empowering you, our chairmen, our national committee men and national committee women to grow our party.

We stand proud as the conservative party of the United States, and we will make sure that the values that have made our party the Party of Lincoln, are part of the issues, part of the policies that are reshaping this country.

We will cede no ground to anyone on matters of principle, on matters than matter to the people of this country.

My first official act as your chairman is to end this speech right now because we have a few more races to do to fill out the leadership team to lead you the next two years. I look forward to visiting you all in your towns, in your neighborhoods as we grow and build our party.

Thank you again for this honor. God bless you. God bless our party.

Stimulus Bill Would Give Payments to Illegal Aliens

2009-01-29T23:41:00.004-05:00

Story from Newsmax.com

Stimulus Bill Would Give Payments to Illegal Aliens
Thursday, January 29, 2009 2:57 PM

WASHINGTON - The $800 billion-plus economic stimulus measure making its way through Congress could steer government checks to illegal immigrants, a top Republican congressional official asserted Thursday.

The legislation, which would send tax credits of $500 per worker and $1,000 per couple, expressly disqualifies nonresident aliens, but it would allow people who don't have Social Security numbers to be eligible for the checks.

Undocumented immigrants who are not eligible for a Social Security number can file tax returns with an alternative number. A House-passed version of the economic recovery bill and one making its way through the Senate would allow anyone with such a number, called an individual taxpayer identification number, to qualify for the tax credits.

A revolt among GOP conservatives to similar provisions of a 2008 economic stimulus bill, which sent rebate checks to most wage earners, forced Democratic congressional leaders to add stricter eligibility requirements. That legislation, enacted in February 2008, required that people have valid Social Security numbers in order to get checks.

America's Craziest Governor Thrown Out of Office

2009-01-29T23:25:00.002-05:00

Today, America's most insane Governor, Rob Blagojevich, was unanimously thrown out of office today by a vote of 59 - 0 by the Illinois Senate. He became the first governor in over 20 years to be removed by impeachment.

Blagojevich was also barred from ever holding any office in the state of IL ever again.

I will miss him. He had James Traficante hair, dressed like he was mobster, and was completely bat s insane. He still has the best press conferences to date and the Nightline interview the other night was outstanding.

His interview on the View was outstanding as well. You can check out the 4 parts on YouTube.

You don't crazy like this anymore. I hope he lands on his feet. He was just doing the honorable thing by trying to find a good replacement for "The One."

This Day in History, January 30

2009-01-29T23:12:00.003-05:00

1835 - In the first assassination attempt against the President of the United States, Richard Lawrence attempts to shoot Old Hickory, Andrew Jackson.

1862 - The first ironclad warship, the USS Monitor, is launched.

1933 - Adolf Hitler sworn in as Chancellor of Germany

1956 - Martin Luther King Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for Montgomery Bus Boycott

1969 - The Beatles last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. Impromptu
concert broken up by police.

1976 - George H. W. Bush becomes 11th Director of CIA.

2000 - Off the coast of the Ivory Coast, Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into Atlantic, killing 169.

Birthdays:

1615 - Thomas Rolfe - only child of Pocahontas and John Rolfe
1882 - Franklin D. Roosevelt
1930 - Gene Hackman
1941 - Dick Cheney
1951 - Charles Dutton
1973 - Jalen Rose
1974 - Christian Bale - The Dark Knight

Deaths:

1948 - Orville Wright of the Wright Brothers
2006 - Coretta Scott King

Great buzzer shot for Lawson...

2009-01-28T23:21:00.001-05:00

UNC wins, 80 - 77 at the buzzer in Tallahassee on a buzzer-beater 3 by Ty Lawson.

Also, Duke lost to Wake today, so they won't be #1 anymore.

LOST...you learn something every week

2009-01-28T23:16:00.003-05:00

Tonight, I learned that Charles Whitmore was on the island in the 50's. So, was he and original "Other?" How did he get there?

We also learned that Farraday's time travel experiments were being funded by Whitmore.

Who is the lady in the bed?

Is Farraday's mother the same woman that Ben met with to find out how to get back to the island?

Find out soon, i hope.

Random Thoughts of the Day

2009-01-28T23:08:00.002-05:00

Does Aunt Jemima have a biscuit mix?

I've never heard of having Aunt Jemima biscuits. I've had Bisquick biscuits, and they are tasty. I've had Aunt Jemima pancakes, but never biscuits. Did she not want to make biscuits? Did she only want to do one thing well? I mean, she has the tastiest pancake, but couldn't she just give us a couple of biscuits.

I'm just curious as to why Bisquick can make both pancakes and biscuits, but Aunt Jemima can only make pancakes.

If anyone knows, let me know.

This Day in History, January 29

2009-01-28T22:58:00.002-05:00

1834 - President Andrew Jackson orders the first use of federal soldiers to surpress labor dispute.

1936 - First Inductees into Baseball Hall of Fame announced

1963 - First Inductees into Pro Football Hall of Fame announced

2002 - In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush describes "regimes that sponsor terror" as Axis of Evil and names Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.

We have a great collection of birthdays today:

1737 - Thomas Paine - Author of Common Sense
1843 - William McKinley, US President
1945 - Tom Selleck - Magnum P.I.
1950 - Ann Jillian - Joan from Mr. Mom
1954 - OPRAH

Stimulus Package Passed Tonight

2009-01-28T22:51:00.002-05:00

HR - 1, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, passed tonight by a vote of 244 - 188. All 177 Republicans voted NO, as did 11 Democrats. There were 244 Dems who voted yes.

This is the first time I can remember that the Republicans all voted together. The Republicans have objected to the fact that the bill does not provide any growth or stimulus, but grows government by leaps and bounds. It is rumored that ACORN is receiving 5.2 Billion. ACORN is a left-leaning non-profit that is under federal investigation for massive voter fraud during the 2008 Election.

We will dissect the bill in the next few days to really see what is in it.

Here is the text of the bill, so you can start reading for yourself.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c111:./temp/~c111MfX9cd

Stay tuned for Card Check. That can't be far behind.

Random Thoughts of the Day

2009-01-26T23:11:00.003-05:00

After watching Teen Wolf for the 3rd time in last month, it made me think...
Before Scott knew of his wolf powers, he couldn't play basketball worth a lick. After he became The Wolf, he was like a furry LeBron. He was unstoppable.

The day of the State Championship, the biggest game of the year, Scott shows up as himself, the skinny no-talent loser. But when he takes the court, and they are down 20, he plays like John Stockton.

How does he play like the Wolf, without morphing into the Wolf? How can he control his powers that well? And...how can the sweaty fat kid (Francis from Pee Wee's Big Adventure) play out of his mind.

Can anyone tell me how this is possible?

Speaker Pelosi tells us about contraception (I didn't know she was a doctor)

2009-01-26T22:49:00.003-05:00

I am posting a message from my friend, Donny Ferguson, who is Communications Director of the Libertarian Party. Below is his email about dear Nancy...our beloved speaker.

Your Monday Message from the Libertarian Party: Dear friend,I was going to chat with you today about what we really need to stimulate the economy.

But then Nancy Pelosi had to go and say children are a burden and a lot of the poor ones should never have been born.In fact, she said it twice just in case you didn't hear her the first time.

She was on ABC's This Week last Sunday, discussing the Democrats' $825 billion so-called "stimulus package." The conversation didn't really get interesting until host George Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi about some of the more ridiculous items in the package, like $200 million for contraception, and how that creates jobs.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?

PELOSI: No apologies. No. We have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.

So much for the notion that expanding government services fosters compassion.

Private charities treat people with dignity and love because their funds are given to them out of a desire to help people.

But as far as politicians like Nancy Pelosi are concerned, the poor and suffering are parasites feeding off a body designed to deliver votes and preserve political power.

Their numbers must be reduced to keep the host healthy. The only question is how many can you cast off without losing the votes you need to win re-election.

The lesson learned from Pelosi's momentary lapse of honesty is libertarianism is a philosophy rooted in compassion and respect for your fellow man. The voluntary exchange of goods, services and charitable giving creates a country where health care and education are shared for the right reasons – because we love and respect our neighbors.

Compare that to the cold calculations of the government-sponsored welfare state. Born not out of compassion, but out of a desire to buy votes, the well-being of your neighbor becomes a mathematical calculation. How many can you serve without tapping out funds for people who can buy you even more votes? How many can you cast out into the street, or in Pelosi's case prevent from ever existing, before they stop voting for you?

I've volunteered in homeless shelters, schools and my church's food bank. I've never once heard anyone grumble about the number of people we help and propose we do something to prevent them from ever existing.

So as you go out into the world this week, take a moment to share Pelosi's cold calculations with your friends. Would they rather a taxpayer-funded welfare state where the government begins controlling the population to keep the system from collapsing, or a community of volunteers who realize the poor and suffering are friends and neighbors in need of a little help?

The choice is theirs at the ballot box.

Live free,
Donny Ferguson
Director of CommunicationsLibertarian Party
Donny.Ferguson@lp.org

PS – If you are receiving this email, and have not yet become a member of the Party and wish to do so, please click here to sign up to become a member of the only political party dedicated completely to cutting taxes and maximizing liberty. If you need to renew, please do so by clicking here.

PPS - If you have not yet contributed, please consider a donation right now of $25, $50, $100 or $1000 to the Libertarian Party. Your contribution will be used to grow the Party and expand the message of liberty. From ads to outreach, every dollar goes towards leading the liberty movement in its fight to restore the Constitution and maximize freedom.

This Day in History, January 26

2009-01-26T22:39:00.002-05:00

1837- Michigan admitted as 26th State

1838- Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States

1863- War of Northern Aggression - General Ambrose Burnside is relieved of command of Army of the Potomac after disasterous Fredericksburg campaign. He is replaced by Joseph Hooker.

1988- Lewinsky scandal: On American Television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Births:
-Douglas MacArthur - 1880
-Eddie Van Halen - 1955
-Road Warrior Animal - 1960 (An American Legend)

President Obama reverses the ban on the "Mexico City Policy"

2009-01-26T00:04:00.004-05:00

President Obama, in his first 100 hours in office, wasted no time in reversing the Reagan and Bush "Mexico-City" policy. The order prohibits non-governmental agencies that receive federal funds from providing or promoting abortions in other nations.

Obama recently said that he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which is a sweeping bill that would abolish pro-life regulations across the nation.

Robert Reich says "White Males Need Not Apply"

2009-01-25T23:51:00.002-05:00

One of Barack Obama's economic advisors, Robert Reich, who served as Labor Secretary under President Clinton, was speaking to the House Steering and Policy Committee on January 7th about funding infrastructure projects across the nation, when he said this:

"It seems to me that infrastructure spending is a very important and good way of stimulating the economy. The challenge will be to do so quickly, to find projects that can be done that will have a high social return, that can also be done with the greatest speed possible. I am concerned, as I'm sure many of you are, that these jobs not simply go to highly skilled people who are already professionals or to white male construction workers," Reich said.

Reich said there are ways the money can go to others, such as the long-term unemployed, minorites and women.

It seems like the administration is signalling that they want to stimulus funds to be given to the long-term unemployed and to people with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

I will keep you informed further, but this looks like redistribution of the wealth to me, and that the need for well-built roads and bridges will be passed over for "other" needs.

We will have to wait and see where the money, all $800+ billion of it, will go.

Barack Obama Inaugurated as 44th President

2009-01-25T23:33:00.002-05:00

Barack Obama was inaugurated on Tuesday, January 20th, as our 44th President. It was a real historic event as the first African-American took the oath of office as our President. The inauguration was a star-studded event and was the biggest spectacle I've ever seen. I can honestly say that I did not watch most of it, as I was not interested, but I did hear Aretha Franklin sing the worst rendition of "God Bless America" I have ever heard. It was awful and incoherent. Also, she had a horrible hat.

It will be interesting to see how long the love affair lasts between Obama and the Congress, especially the U.S. House, since Nancy Pelosi is liberal and insane, two bad things that don't go well together, unlike Reese's Peanut Cups.

Finally, Ramos and Campeon Are Coming Home.

2009-01-25T23:17:00.002-05:00

Former U.S. Border Patrol agents Jose Campeon and Ignacio Ramos are finally coming home on March 20. Former President Bush, after 2 years of letting the border agents sit in solitary confinement in prison, commuted their sentences right before his term expired last week.

Campeon and Ramos were convicted and imprisoned for an encounter with now-convicted drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila. He had dropped one-third of a ton of drugs in the United States and was fleeing into Mexico when the officers shot at him and wounded him. He was granted full immunity in exchange for his testimony against of the agents. While on that grant of immunity, he was involved in another drug smuggling incident, for which he later was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison. He was not charged for the first incident.

This has been a travesty of justice and Bush let these guys sit in prison so he could lend legitimacy to his immigration stance. I am glad that they are now set to go home. The only sad thing is that were not pardoned and returned home immediately.

This Day in History, September 26

2007-09-26T09:27:00.000-04:00

1580 - Sir Francis Drake circumnavigates the globe.

1789 - Thomas Jefferson is appointed first U.S. Secretary of State and John Jay appointed first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

1914 - U.S. Federal Trade Commission established

1950 - U.N. troops recapture Seoul from the North Koreans

1960 - In Chicago, first televised presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy

1961 - Bob Dylan makes his public debut

1969 - The Beatles album, Abbey Road, released in the UK.

1981 - Nolan Ryan sets Major League record by tossing his 5th No-Hitter

This Day in History, Sept. 25

2007-09-26T09:19:00.000-04:00

1789 - U.S. Congress passes 12 amendments to U.S. Constitution: The Congressional Apportionment Amendment, the Congressional Compensation Amendment the ten known as the Bill of Rights. Only the Bill of Rights was ratified at the time, while the other amendments proposed by James Madison were not ratified. In 1992, The Congressional Compensation Amendment ratified as the 27th Amendment.

1911 - Ground Broken for Fenway Park in Boston

1929 - Jimmy Doolittle performs the first blind flight from Mitchell Field, proving that full instrument flying from take-off to landing is possible.

1957 - Central H.S. in Little Rock, AR is integrated through use of U.S. Army troops.

1976 - Rock band U2 forms at meeting at drummer Larry Mullen's home.

1978 - PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727-214, collides mid-air with Cessna 172 and crashes in San Diego, CA, resulting in deaths of 144 people.

1981 - Sandra Day 'O Conner was the 102nd justice sworn in as Associate Justice of US Supreme Court, the first women to hold the office.

Remembering 9/11

2007-09-11T11:34:00.000-04:00

Today I reflect on September 11, 2001, a day I will never forget. Six years ago today was one of the most fearful days I have ever had. As I walked into my office in DC, our press dept. cut on the TV's as they normally do to find out the news of the day. About a minute after the TV was on, the first plane flew into the First Tower. I didn't see it, but saw the aftermath. I remember that no one knew what was going on, if it was a cessna, military jet, anything. No one knew that planes had been hijacked yet. Reports were scarce and the news of the plane being a commercial airline was just coming over the TV when i got a call on my cell phone from a friend of mine, Justin Miller, who said they just saw a ball of fire come from the Pentagon. His office faced the Pentagon, so he would have a good view. The news didn't even know yet about the Pentagon. About a minute after getting the call, i watched the 2nd plane fly into the other tower. I was afraid then. Our boss called in and said that he wasn't coming back to the office and that we could finally go home if we wanted. Nice for him to do that. Soon after, we learned a plane had hit the Pentagon. Then, you grasped the realization that we were under attack.

Our office was about 6 blocks from the Capitol and i thought the Capitol was probably a target. You couldn't get out of DC. Cars were stopped on the 14th Street Bridge and people were getting out of their cars and fleeing. It was pandemonium. Also, there was no phone service in DC for about 4 hours. They shut down all landlines and all cellphones didn't work either. I couldn't call my family in Danville to tell them i was alright. They couldn't reach me either. it was a rough time. We were stuck in DC. It wasn't later till we learned that a 4th plane was enroute to DC and the rumor was that it was going to hit the Capitol. I heard the sonic booms from the F-15's being scrambled from Andrews AFB or Langley. Later we learn that they were heading to PA.

I finally made it of town around 2pm and DC was deserted. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I remember that it was a tough couple of months because the Anthrax scare in DC was soon after that. It was a scary time. But 9/11 will always stick in my head and be in my heart. I will remember all those heroes who risked their lives to save others in NY, DC and in PA. I remember the American pride that came about after the attacks. I often miss that. Where is that patriotism and comradery?

I think people forget that we are still under attack. There is a group of people out there (Al Queda for those of you who are a little slow) who want to see all American dead. If we don't covert to Islam, then we should all die. I think we forget. As long as we are fighting Al Queda in Iraq and Afghanistan, then they are not here blowing up buildings and killing innocent Americans. We are winning the war on terror, but it is a war that we will have to fight for many years, whether our troops leave Iraq or not. The bigger picture is not to forget the enemy and to remember what they've already done: The first WTC attack, rumors of Al Queda operatives being part of OKC bombing, the attempts in London, Spain, Los Angeles. We keep stopping them. I wish we weren't in Iraq now, like most people, but i firmly believe, that if we are there, then the mission should be not to set up a government for Iraq but to kill everyone of those terrorists. Kill all Al Queda. Congress needs to let the military do that. We could end this thing if we would just make this our mission.

So, I hope you'll share your 9/11 thoughts and memories with me. Remember, we still in the greatest country in the world. That is why our enemies hate us. Today, God Bless America.

This Day in History, Sept. 11

2007-09-10T23:45:00.000-04:00

1297 - Battle of Stirling Bridge: Scots led by William Wallace defeat the English

1609 - Henry Hudson lands on Manhattan Island

1773 - The Public Advertiser publishes a satirical essay titled, "Rules By Which A Great Empire May Be Reduced To A Small One", which is written by Benjamin Franklin

1789 - Alexander Hamilton is appointed as the first US Secretary of the Treasury.

1911 - Middle Tennessee State University is founded in Murfreesboro, TN as "Middle Tennessee Normal School"

1918 - The Boston Red Sox win their last World Series until 2004, starting "The Curse of the Bambino".

1959 - Alleged Kennedy Assassin Lee Harvey Oswald is discharged from the US Marine Corps.

1970 - The Ford Pinto is introduced.

1974 - Eastern Airlines Flight 212 crashes in Charlotte, NC, killing 69 passengers and 2 crew.

1985 - Pete Rose gets his 4,192 base hit, breaking Ty Cobb's 60 year old record.

1998 - Independent Council Kenneth Starr sends a report to Congress accusing President Bill Clinton of 11 possible impeachable offenses.

*2001 - Radical Islamic Terrorists hijack United Airlines #175 and American Airlines #11 which are crashed into the World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2 in New York City. American Airlines # 77 crashes into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. United #93 crashes in Shanksville, PA enroute back to Washington, DC. 19 hijackers and 2,974 people are killed in the terrorist attacks.

This Day in History, Sept. 10

2007-09-10T23:36:00.000-04:00

1608 - John Smith elected council president of Jamestown, VA.

1846 - Elias Howe gets patent for sewing machine.

1939 - Canada declares war on Nazi Germany, joining France, the UK, New Zealand and Austrailia.

1943 - WWII: German forces begin their occupation of Rome.

1961 - At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, a horrific crash on the 2nd lap of the race causes the death of German driver Wolfgang von Trips and 13 spectators hit by his Ferrari.

1972 - The US loses its first International basketball game in a disputed match against the Soviet Union in Munich, Germany.

1990 - The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Cote'd'Ivoire, the largest church in Africa and maybe the world, is consecrated by Pope John Paul II.

1993 - My neice Lindsey Henderson was born.

This Day in History, Sept. 7

2007-09-07T22:38:00.000-04:00

1864 - War of Northern Aggression - Atlanta, GA is evacuated on orders of Union mass murderer William Tecumseh Sherman.

1901 - The Boxer Rebellion in China officially ends with signing of Boxer protocol.

1915 - Former cartoonist Johnny Gruelle is given patent for his Raggedy Ann doll.

1921 - The first Miss America Pageant is held in Atlantic City, NJ.

1963 - Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, OH with 17 Charter Members.

1970 - Anti-war rally held at Valley Forge, PA is attended by John Kerry, Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland.

1971 - The Beverly Hillbillies airs for the last time on CBS. It first debuted on 9/26/62.

1977 - The Torrijos-Carter treaties on the Panama Canal signed. The US agrees to transfer control of the canal to Panama at the end of the 20th Century.

1979 - ESPN makes its debut.

1996 - Tupac is shot in Vegas. He dies 6 days later. Speculation is that he is shot by East Coast crew, maybe one of Puffy's people. No one has ever been charged.

This Day in History, Sept. 6

2007-09-07T22:22:00.000-04:00

1522 - The Victoria, one of the surviving ships of Magellan's expedition, returns to Sanlucar de Barrameda in Spain, becoming the first ship to circumnavigate the world.

1620 - The Pilgrims sail from Plymouth, England on the Mayflower to settle in North America.

1870 - Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, WY becomes the first woman in the US to cast a vote legally after 1807.

1901 - Anarchist Leon Czolgosz murders President McKinley at the Pan-Am Exposition in Buffalo, NY.

1970 - 2 passenger jets bound from Europe to NY are simultaneously hijacked by Palestinian terrorist members of PFLP and taken to Dawson's Field in Jordan.

1983 - Soviet Union admits to shooting down Korean Air Flight KAL-007, stating that pilots did not know it was a civilian aircraft when it violated Soviet airspace.

1985 - Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105, a Douglas DC-9, crashes just after takeoff from Milwaukee, WI, killing 31.

1991 - The name St. Petersburg is restored to Russia's second largest city, which had been renamed Leningrad in 1924.

1995 - Cal Ripken Jr. breaks Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played record.

This Day in History, August 24

2007-08-24T15:14:00.000-04:00

79 A.D. - Mount Vesuvius erupts. The cities of Pompeii, Herculaneaum and Stabiae are buried in volcanic acid.

1215 - Pope Innocent III declares the Magna Carta invalid.

1682 - William Penn receives area that is now state of Delaware, and adds it to his colony in Pennsylvania.

1814 - British troops invade Washington, DC and burn down the White House and several other buildings.

1853 - Potato chips are first prepared.

1932 - Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly across United States non-stop (from LA to Newark). Who would want to fly to that dumphole (Newark).

1981 - Mark David Chapman sentenced to 20 years for murdering John Lennon.

1989 - Pete Rose banned from baseball for gambling by Commissioner Bart Giamatti.

1990 - Sinead O'Conner refuses to perform at Garden State Arts Plaza in Holmdel, NJ if "Star-Spangled Banner" is played before her show, as is customary.

1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of Communist Party of Soviet Union.

1992 - Hurricane Andrew hits South Florida as a category 5 hurricane.

This day in History, August 22

2007-08-22T15:35:00.000-04:00

565 - St. Columbia reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness, Scotland.

1775 - King George III declares the American colonies to be in open rebellion.

1831 - Nat Turner's slave rebellion revolt commences just after midnight in Southampton, VA, leading to the deaths of more than 50 whites and several hundred African Americans who were killed in retaliation for the uprising.

1848 - The United States annexes New Mexico.

1851 - The First America's Cup is won by the yacht America.

1902 - Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to ride in an automobile.

1942 - WWII: Brazil declares war on the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan)

1973 - President Nixon names Henry Kissinger as Secretary of State.

1989 - Nolan Ryan strikes out Rickey Henderson to become first Major League baseball player to record 5,000 strikeouts.

2003 - Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is suspended after refusing to comply with federal court order to remove rock inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lobby of the Alabama Supreme Court building.

This day in History, August 20

2007-08-22T15:29:00.000-04:00

1866 - President Andrew Johnson formally declares the War of Northern Aggression over.

1938 - Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd grand slam - a record that still stands today.

1953 - Soviet Union formally announces it tested a hydrogen bomb.

1969 - All 4 Beatles together in recording studio for the last time as they finished the "Abbey Road" LP.

1986 - In Edmond, OK, US Postal Employee Patrick Sherrill guns down 14 of his coworkers then commits suicide.

1998 - Supreme Court of Canada states Quebec cannot legally secede from Canada without the federal government's approval. (They should have let them leave)

Michael Vick Pleads Guilty today

2007-08-20T16:05:00.000-04:00

Today, Michael Vick announced he would plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, which is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 fine, although most legal scholars believe he will receive much less jail time.

While i find Vick's actions, if true, and we don't know if they are true, deplorable and barbaric, i find what the federal government is doing to him much, much worse. If Vick is guilty of dogfighting charges, then he's only guilty under Virginia state law, which outlaws dogfighting. There is no federal law outlawing dogfighting. The Feds have no jurisdiction in the matter. Why were there no state charges filed? The Feds constantly invoke the "Interstate Commerce Clause" of the Constitution in cases like this. The Interstate Commerce Clause was originally created so Congress could deal with issues involving commerce between the states, but now it is used by the federal government to increase federal authority over nearly every aspect of our lives.

It looks like Vick has plead guilty because the feds were promising more indicitments to follow under the RICO statute. Its another instance of the disappearance of a right to a fair trial. RICO is just a fancy way of charging people with a whole bundle of "imaginary" crimes. It was first used to go after the mob, but the statute has been perverted ever since then. The law is fashioned in such a way as to make it impossible for a jury to render a "not guilty" verdict. If Vick had gone to court to fight the charges, he most likely would have lost and could have faced up to 20 years in prison. This way, he only probably serves a year or so, then can possibly return to the NFL after a brief hiatus. Vick had no choice but to plead guilty.

I'm not for animal cruelty and if Vick was guilty of harming dogs, then he should have been punished by the state of Virginia. It was barbaric and sick what happened to those dogs, but is far more dangerous what the federal government imposes on us on a daily basis. This is the important issue in this case, not the dog fighting.

As a Virgina Tech fan, i've been disturbed by what the Vick family has done to the Tech name. It seems like Tech always has something hanging over it, and i think the success of the football program has put a microscope on all these things. I'm usually pretty sceptical of athletes and such anyway, but as we found out in the Duke lacrosse case, sometimes the story isn't as always as it seems. Hopefully, we will know the truth in a shorter time than it took to exonerate the Duke 3.

Bonds tonight hit 759

2007-08-15T23:20:00.000-04:00

I have been negligent in my congratulations to Barry Bonds. He broke Hank Aaron's record and now he's eclipsing it. Tonight in Atlanta he hit #759 in the 6th inning. The greatest baseball of all time is still doing it. He could hit 30 HR this year, and it won't be because of steroids.

If you hear the people who are upset, its media people, not baseball players.

Congrats Barry, and keep 'em coming.

Nifong finally admits "no credible evidence"

2007-08-15T23:12:00.001-04:00

On July 27th, disgraced former Durham, NC prosecuter Mike Nifong, finally admitted that there is "no credible evidence" that the 3 Duke lacrosse players committed any crimes he accused them of, offering for the first time a complete and unqualified apology. "I agree with the Attorney General's statement that there is no credible evidence that Mr. Seligmann, Mr. Finnerty or Mr. Evans committed any of the crimes for which they were indicted - or any other crimes against [the accuser] - during the party", said Nifong.

I believe he did this as the judge began considering whether to hold Nifong in criminal contempt or court for his handling of this case. But, as someone who closely followed this case, it is finally good to hear Nifong admit he was wrong and that the boys were innocent.

Guiliani says he can end Illegal Immigration

2007-08-15T22:57:00.000-04:00

Guiliani said yesterday that as President he would end Illegal Immigration.

He says he would: require a Uniform I.D. card for foreign workers and students and he would create a central database to track the legal status of visitors to the United States. He wants a tamper-proof card that includes fingerprinting for everyone entering the country.

He said there would be a pathway to citizenship only for illegal immigrants who identify themselves as illegal, who learn English and who go to the back of the line to apply.

When on the campaign trail in SC, Guiliani said he would continue construction of the border fence, deporting illegal aliens who commit felonies and proposes that all immigrants who want to become citizens learn English.

Editors Note: We have to do something about all the illegal aliens who are killing Americans while drunk driving. Nothing has happened to the illegal who killed the 2 girls in VA Beach, the author of the great Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story" was killed by a drunk illegal in Los Angeles. We have to be able either to immediately deport them or try them here in America. Too many innocent Americans are dying at the hands of these illegal aliens. Also, When our politicians finally make ENGLISH the offical language of America and our national language, then we will be on the right track. Every illegal who works here, shops here, eats here, does anything here should have to speak English and we have to stop allowing the illegals in this country to only communicate in their native language. If you're in America, you speak English.

Iowa Straw Poll Results

2007-08-15T22:49:00.000-04:00

The results of the Iowa Straw Poll are as follows:

Mitt Romney, the winner, with 4,516 votes. With the money he spent on votes, he should have one. Not a good sign for the future.

Mike Huckabee was the real surprise, coming in 2nd with 2,587 votes.

3. Sam Brownback - 2,192 (says the the "pro-life" candidate this time.)
4. Tom Tancredo _ 1,961 (The "immigration candidate")
5. Ron Paul - 1,305 (The candidate who we need to support this time. Could the "perfect storm" happen in '08.)
6. Tommy Thompson - 1,039 (now out of the race)
7. Fred Thompson - 203 (he didn't even go to Iowa till the Straw Poll. The question is, Does he really want to win this thing?)
8. Rudy Guiliani - 183 (He will be the Republican nominee)
9. Duncan Hunter - 174 (who??)
10. John McCain - 101 (He's finished. Its only a matter of time)
11. John Cox - 41 (Was this his family and immediate friends? Well, at least he had a pretty balloon at the Straw Poll.)

Tancredo to offer amendment to free Ramos and Compean

2007-07-25T23:42:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-CO (Presidential Candidate) plans to offer an amendment intended to get unjustly jailed US Border Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean released from prison immediately.

Tancredo will attach his amendment to H.R. 3093, Appropriations bill for Dept. of Commerce, Justice and Science, stating that none of the funds may be used to carry out the 11 and 12 year sentences imposed respectively on Ramos and Compean by US District Court for Western District of Texas.

I will let you know tomorrow how the vote goes. To read further info on this, go to http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56812

Bonds Just 2 Away

2007-07-25T23:39:00.000-04:00

Barry Bonds hit 2HR on 7/19/2007 (752, 753) to get within 2 HR of tying Hank Aaron's record. Its only a matter of time before Bonds breaks the record.

July 19th, This Day in History

2007-07-25T23:27:00.000-04:00

1692 - Salem Witch Trials - 5 women hanged for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts

1879 - Doc Holliday kills for the first time after a man shoots up Holliday's New Mexico saloon

1940 - Army Order 112 forms Intelligence Corps of British Army.

1967 - A Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727 and Cessna 310 collided in mid-air over Hendersonville, NC, killing 82

1979 - The Sandinista rebels overthrow US backed Somoza family in Nicaragua.

1980 - Opening Ceremony of 1980 Summer Olympic games in Moscow, USSR.

1989 - United Airlines flight 232 crashes in Sioux City, IA, killing 112 of 296 passengers.

1994 - 4 26 Ft. Ceiling Tiles fall from the roof of the Kingdome in Seattle, just hours before a scheduled Mariners game.

1996 - Opening Ceremonies of 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA.

Our New American Hero...

2007-07-08T19:51:00.000-04:00

Joey Chestnutt. Chestnutt, on Independence Day, defeated Japan's Takeru Kobayashi in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island. Chestnutt ate 66 hotdogs to defeat the 6 time Champion.

Its time we brought the title back home to America. Joey Chestnutt, you are our American Hero.

Happy Independence Day, July 4th

2007-07-08T18:24:00.000-04:00

1636 - City of Providence, Rhode Island forms.

1776 - American Independence Day: The US Declaration of Independence by the 2nd Continental Congress is signed in Philadelphia, declaring the US free from British rule.

1802 - United States Military Academy opens in West Point, NY.

1826 - Former US Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson die, fifty years to the day after the adoption of the US Declaration of Independence.

1845 - Near Concord, Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau embarks on a 2 year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond.

1855 - First Edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, Leaves of Grass is published in Brooklyn, NY.

1863 - War of Northern Aggression: Confederate forces in Vicksburg, MS surrender to Gen. Grant after 47 day seige. On the day in Helena, Arkansas, a Confederate force is repulsed at the Battle of Helena and Gen. Robert E. Lee leads his beaten Army of Northern Virginia out of Gettysburg after suffering defeat to Gen. Meade. The War of Northern Aggression was over that day, the 4th of July.

1865 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is published.

1934 - Joe Louis wins his first professional boxing match.

1939 - Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, tells a crowd at Yankee Stadium that the considered himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he announces his retirement from major league baseball.

1966- President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into law. The Act goes into effect the next year.

1970 - Popular syndicated radio show, "American Top 40" debuts with host, Casey Kasem.

1976 - The United States celebrates its bicentennial.

1987 - In France, former Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie (aka "the Butcher of Lyon") is convicted of crimes against humanity and is sentenced to life imprisonment.

1997 - NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.

This Day in History, June 28th...

2007-06-29T14:57:00.000-04:00

1776 - Thomas Hickey, Continental Army private and Life Guard to General George Washington, was hanged for mutiny and sedition.

1865 - The Army of the Potomac is disbanded.

1894 - Labor Day becomes and official US holiday.

1914 - Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria, and his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo by young Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, the casus belli (justification for acts of war) of WWI.

1919 - 5 years later, The Treaty of Versailles is signed in Paris, formally ending WWI between Great Britian, France, Italy, the United States and allies on one side and Germany and Austria Hungary on the other side.

1950 - Seoul is captured by troops from North Korea.

1978 - The US Supreme Court, in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke bars quota systems in college admissions.

1997- Tyson v. Holyfield II - Tyson is disqualified in 3rd round for biting a piece of Holyfield's ear.

2004 - Sovereign power in handed to interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the US-led rule of that nation.

2005 - Canada becomes the third country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.

Notable Birthdays:

1491 - King Henry VIII of England
1703- John Wesley, English Founder of Methodism
1706- Benjamin Franklin, Scientist, Philosopher and Founding Father.
1926- Mel Brooks
1932- Pat Morita, (Mr. Miyagi)

Ding Dong, the Wicked Witch is Dead!!

2007-06-28T23:38:00.000-04:00

No, we're not in Munchkin land, but for a while, I thought we were in La La land with the US Senate trying to pass a bill that over 70% of the country opposed. Today, on a vote of 46-53 on a motion to invoke Cloture and end debate on S. 1639, the US Senate killed Amnesty and the sham of immigration reform until after the 2008 election. President Bush lost the last piece of legislation that he was hoping would be his legacy, but its dead. What we have seen in the last 2 weeks is the power of grass-roots activism still being the tool that affects change. What every politician fears the most is their constituency and the fear of losing. Sometimes, you have to make it painful for them to do the right thing. Politics without pressure is ineffective. I thank groups like ProEnglish, Howard Phillips, American Conservative Union and Lou Dobbs for helping to derail this legislation.

People will try to blame one side over the other, but it was both Democrats and Republicans who fought to bring this down. Democrats said it didn't protect immigrants enough and Republicans said it was Amnesty. In the end, the fragile coalition couldn't keep people in line and were just hell bent on getting this bill passed, no matter the price. Both of my Senators, Webb and Warner from VA voted against cloture today and Webb has not been happy with this legislation for a while. The Big defections for the Dems were Bryd and Rockefeller from WV, surprisingly Harkin from Iowa, Bernie Sanders from VT and Debbie Stabenow from MI. On the Republican side, while Lott, McCain, Graham and Kyl have been on the side of evil, Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell from KY, Kay Bailey Hutchison from TX, and Saxby Chambliss from GA, who supported this bill the entire time finally voted right. I knew when Hutchison said she would vote no that the bill was DOA.

I do feel bad that no REAL Immigration reform was addressed, but anything without border security, English only, and other guest worker provisions just cannot be seriously considered.

John McCain suffered 2 big blows this week. First, the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of McCain-Feingold Incumbency Protection act (Campaign Finance Reform) and then the immigration bill goes down in flames. When you're on the wrong side of every major issue, you can't be a serious contendor for President of the United States. I'm just glad that the Kennedy-McCain bill failed.

To see how your senator voted, go to thomas.loc.gov and then go to Roll Call votes, then US Senate. You will find it there.

What's been in the news lately...

2007-06-28T23:27:00.000-04:00

Since i last posted, Barry Bonds is now at 749 Homeruns. I can't believe we are having the debate if he should be in the All-Star Game. There is no discussion. He should be in and I urge all the fans to vote him in. The greatest baseball player of all time should be in the All-Star Game, especially when it might be his last, if he retires next year.

Paris Hilton went to jail, although i'm still not sure why. I don't think she should have gone, but I really don't care. Bob Barker retired from the Price is Right. That was a sad day, as a true American Icon is now finished. The Price is Right will never be the same, but thankfully, it looks like Drew Carey is in line to get the gig, and not that loudmouth Rosie O'Donnell.

Rogue Duke prosecutor, Mike Nifong was disbarred and immediately removed as District Attorney in Durham after his reckless and unethical handling of the Duke lacrosse Non-Rape case. Only, at the end, did Nifong apologize to the 3 Duke players who had their lives ruined for 390+ days by Nifong, Duke University, the Media, and the people of Durham and Raleigh. I am glad that the University had to pay some Money to the boys and their families. Now, if we could hold the "Duke 88" accountable for their actions, then it would be progress. I thank William Anderson, a columnist on LewRockwell.com, for keeping the heat on Nifong, the Attorney General of NC and for being the first person to right about the real facts of the case and to proclaim the innocence of the players. We owe him a debt of gratitude.

Finally, the Amnesty Bill was defeated today, which i will talk about in an upcoming post.

Charleston and Savannah, Great Towns

2007-06-28T23:10:00.000-04:00

On our Honeymoon, we went to Savannah and Charleston. After overcoming some flight cancellations and the 24 loss of our luggage, we really got started on Tuesday morning in Savannah. We stayed at the Olde Harbour Inn on Factors Walk, which overlooks River St. If you're looking for a good B&B to stay in while in Savannah, I highly recommend the Olde Harbour Inn. For the price and the location , you can't beat it. While in Savannah, we ate at great restuarants, such as The Cotton Exchange and The Boars Head Inn. The best meal, was Tuesday at lunch, when we dined at Mrs. Wilkes Boardinghouse. Our cab driver told us it was better than Paula Deen's restuarant and a little cheaper, so we tried it out. Boy, was he right. We had to wait an hour to get in, but when we did, it was well worth it. The serve food family style, so we had about 14 sides at our table, then they brought us biscuits and cornbread, and then Fried Chicken. The food was great and the chicken was good, but in my opinion, not quite as good as the chicken I had at Stratford Hall once. That fried Chicken was incredible. Anyway, for $15 each, you get a huge Southern meal at Mrs. Wilkes. If you ever make it to Savannah, go there. We took a ghost tour and then a trolley tour of the city. We got to visit the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Lowe, the woman who founded the Girl Scouts. Our last night on our honeymoon, we came back to Savannah and took a riverboat cruise for dinner, and that was enjoyable.

Charleston is a totally different city. Its a little more ritzy, but still enjoyable. We stayed at the French Quarter Inn, and boy, was it nice. Every day we had a wine and cheese reception at 5 and then milk and cookies at 9pm. That was a nice treat. The hotel was right on Church and Market St., so the location was great. I highly recommend this hotel if you want luxury and location. In Charleston, we took a carriage ride at night and toured the downtown area . That was very nice. We dined at Poogan's Porch, T-Bonz and Ghirabaldi's while we were there. The food was great. The last day in Charleston, I went to Ft. Sumter which was nice, but hot.
For me, I think the stop off in Beaufort, SC on the way to Charleston was one of my favorite stops. Beaufort is a great town on the water. I could live there easily.

I think Savannah is a little better than Charleston, but i like both immensely.

Its Been So Long...Now I'm Married

2007-06-16T12:26:00.000-04:00

Its been such a long time since I last posted that now I'm married. I married the love of my life, Rachel Henderson, on May 26, 2007 in Glen Daniel, WV. We were blessed to have about 130 of our closest friends and family to attend. The wedding was wonderful and my bride looked breathtaking. We were married by Rachel's brother, Roger, who is in fact an ordained minister. Her other brother, Rodney, who looks like Joel Osteen, and his wife Jennifer performed at the wedding. Rodney is an accomplished guitarist while Jennifer is a very good singer. For me, the highlight of the wedding was when Rachel performed a song for me during the ceremony. It brought everyone to tears. I almost cried, but tried not too.
Following the ceremony, we had a reception at Lake Stephens pavilion. It turned out well, although it was hot, as there is no A/C in the building. Lots of friends and family from all across the country helped make our day very special. For that, we are eternally grateful.

We went to Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC for our honeymoon and I will post more on that later.

Goodbye, Dr. Falwell, 1933 - 2007

2007-05-15T15:03:00.000-04:00

Today,

One of my heroes and the reason i went to Liberty University, Rev. Jerry Falwell, died of an apparent heart attack in his office at Liberty this morning. He was 73 years old. Dr. Falwell founded Thomas Road Baptist Church back in the 50's and grew it to the largest activist church in America. In the 80's, he mobilized millions of Christians to register to vote and helped to sweep President Reagan into power. The Moral Majority was a very influentual political force back then. In 1971, he founded Liberty Baptist College, which became Liberty University. Liberty has become the largest Christian University in the World, with over 22,000 students. Dr. Falwell was an inspiration to me while i was there. He would come and eat lunch with us in the dining hall. He would attend all the sporting events at the college, even the girls softball games. I was priviledged to have 2 incredible men shake my hand as i received my diploma: Dr. Falwell and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Dr. Falwell had the habit of winning over those who once hated him or disagreed with him. After their infamous Supreme Court trial in the 80's, Dr. Falwell on several occassions met with Larry Flynt and they discussed their relationship. I remember seeing Dr. Falwell as a weekly guest on Geraldo's MSNBC show. They were strange bedfellows. These people may not have always seen eye to eye with him, but they always respected him because he was a man of unflinching conviction and integrity. He never wavered in his beliefs.

Now, i know he has made many controversial statements in the past, but for the most part, he was right about most all of them. Dr. Falwell was first a pastor, then an activist. For those who don't know, he started the Liberty Godparent Home, which is a home for unwed pregnant women who do not want to have an abortion and he also started a home for alcoholics. He was a fine Christian man, a wonderful father and grandfather. You will things about him in the coming days, but I hope you'll take it with a grain of salt. I hope i someday can be half the Christian the Jerry Falwell was. Today, he is where he longed to be the most, in the presence of HIS FATHER, the Lord Jesus Christ. How i would love to hear those conversations. The last great man of the 20th Century has left us.

Dr. Falwell, I will miss you. I feel like my grandfather just died. Thank you for all you have done for the cause of Christ and for the inspiration you have given millions of us. Liberty and Lynchburg will never be the same. Today, you are home.

Bonds Hits 745, within 10 of record

2007-05-08T23:59:00.000-04:00

Tonight, in the 4th inning, Barry Bonds homered off of Tom Glavine for this NL leading 11th Homerun of the season and the 745th of his illustrious career, pulling him withing 10 of Hank Aaron. This could happen soon than most people thought.

That ass-clown, Curt Schilling, today ran his mouth about stuff that has not been proven at all, that Bonds didn't pay his taxes, took steroids and cheated on his wife. I think Schilling should worry about pitching and maybe not trying to be a press whore with his daily blog in Boston. He should be worried about how Roger Clemens is going to outshine him in a month in his return to the Yankees in Fenway. Schilling's teammate, David Ortiz today defended Barry Bonds. You can check out http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2863623 to see what Schilling and Ortiz have to see about the greatest baseball player of OUR LIFETIME.

This day in History, May 7th

2007-05-08T23:39:00.000-04:00

1429 - Joan of Arc ends the Siege of Orleans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning wounded to lead the final charge. The victory marks a turning point in the Hundred Years' War.

1824 - World premier of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria.

1847 - In Philadelphia, the American Medical Association (AMA) is founded.

1915 - WWI: a German U-20 submarine sinks the RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans. This turned many pro-Germans in the US against the German Empire.

1946 - Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later remaned Sony) is founded with about 20 employees.

1960 - Cold War: U2 Crisis - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers. It is rumored by some that Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK patsy, while serving as a double-agent for the CIA and the KGB, provided the Russians the location of Power's U2 spy plane.

1964 - Pacific Airlines Flight 773, a Fairchild F-27 airliner, crashes near San Ramon, California, killing all 44 aboard. The FBI later report that the cockpit recorder tape indicates that the pilot and co-pilot had been shot by a suicidal passenger.

1998 - Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 Billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history.

1999 - A jury finds The Jenny Jones Show and Warner Bros. liable in the shooting death of Scott Amedure, after the show purposely deceived Jonathan Schmitz to appear on a secret same-sex crush episode. Schmitz later killed Amedure and the jury awarded Amedure's family $25 million.

2002 - A China Southern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people.

2006 - Rolling Stone magazine publishes its 1000th issue.

This day in History, May 6th

2007-05-08T23:31:00.000-04:00

1536 - King Henry VIII orders translated Bibles be placed in every church.

1816 - American Bible Society is founded in New York City.

1861 - War of Northern Aggression: Arkansas secedes from the Union.

1882 - The Congress of the U.S.A. passes the Chinese Exclusion Act

1937 - Hindenburg Disaster: The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, NJ. 36 people are killed.

1940 - John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.

1942 - WWII: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japenese.

1994 - Former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones files suit against President Bill Clinton, alleging he sexually harassed her in 1991.

2007 - Nicolas Sarkozy is elected the 23rd President of the French Republic, giving the Conservative party the victory by 6% of the vote over the Socialist Party.

This Day in History, May 5th

2007-05-04T16:01:00.000-04:00

1260 - Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.

1809 - Mary Kies shatters another stereotype by becoming the first woman awarded a U.S. Patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.

1865 - In North Bend, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati), the first train robbery in the United States takes place.

1891 - The Music Hall in NY (now known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as guest conductor.

1893 - Panic of 1893: Crash on NY Stock Exchange starts a depression.

1925 - Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is served an arrest warrant for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.

1961 - Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 3 - Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into space, making a sub-orbital flight of 15 minutes.

1992 - The 27th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, 233 years after its initial submission in 1789.

1992 - Wolfenstein 3D is released, the first-ever first-person shooter computer game.

2002 - The World Wrestling Federation changes its name to World Wrestling Entertainment due to lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund.

This Day in History, May 4th

2007-05-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

1494 - Christopher Columbus lands in Jamaica.

1776 - Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III.

1814 - Emperor Napoleon I of France arrives at Portoferraio on the island of Elba to begin his exile.

1863 - War of Northern Aggression: Battle of Chancellorsville - The battle ends in dramatic fashion after Stonewall Jackson's troops flanked the Union line, resulting in a Union retreat.

1865 - Abraham Lincoln buried in Springfield, IL, 3 weeks after his assassination.

1904 - Construction begins by the United States on the Panama Canal.

1932 - In Atlanta, GA, mobster Al Capone begins serving an 11 year prison sentence for tax evasion.

1945 - WWII: Surrender of North Germany Army to Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.

1953 - Ernest Hemingway is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.

1964 - The long-running soap opera Another World (one of the soaps i grew up on), which would run until 1999, debuts on NBC.

1970 - Vietnam War - Kent State Shootings: The Ohio National Guard, sent to Kent State University after the ROTC building was burnt down, opens fire on students protesting the US invasion of Cambodia. 4 students are killed and 9 are wounded.

1979 - Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

1981 - Donald Eugene Webb is placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. Webb was on the list longer than any other person, over 25 years. He was removed on March 31, 2007, never located.

1989 - Iran-Contra Affair: Former White House aide Oliver North is convicted of 3 crimes and acquitted of 9 other charges. The convictions were later overturned on appeal.

1998 - A federal judge in Sacramento, California gives "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski 4 life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepted a plea deal that spared him the death penalty.

2002 - An EAS Airlines BAC 1-11-500 crashes in a suburb of Kano, Nigeria shortly after takeoff, killing more than 148 people.

Verse of the Day, Romans 10:15

2007-05-03T13:48:00.000-04:00

How can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!"

---Romans 10:15

Today in History, May 3rd

2007-05-03T13:35:00.000-04:00

1494 - Christopher Columbus first sights land that will be called Jamaica.

1802 - Washington, DC is incorporated as a city.

1921 - West Virginia imposes the first state sales tax.

1937 - Gone With the Wind, a novel by Margaret Mitchell, wins the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

1951 - The US Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committee begin their closed door hearings into the dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur by US President Harry S. Truman.

1956 - The judo World Championships are first held.

1973 - The Sears Tower in Chicago is topped out as the world's tallest building.

1979 - Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher becomes United Kingdom's first female Prime Minister as the Labour government is ousted in parliamentary elections. She was a great one and she is missed right now.

1987 - A crash by Bobby Allison at the Talledega Superspeedway, Alabama fencing at the start-finish line would lead NASCAR to develop restrictor plate racing the following season at Daytona International Speedway and Talledega.

1988 - The White House acknowledges that first lady Nancy Reagan has used astrological advice to schedule her husband's activities.

2001 - The US loses its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947. This isn't a bad thing, in case people were wondering.

2006 - Armavia Flight 967 crashes into the Black Sea, killing 113 people on board, with no survivors.

2006 - Zacarias Moussaoui is sentenced to life in prison in Alexandria, Virginia.

House fails to override Veto, Bonds homers again...

2007-05-03T13:12:00.000-04:00

The US House failed to override President Bush's veto of the troop pullout legislation. I think the Dems now realize that they will not be able to get any bill passed that has anything linked to early withdrawal or withdrawal timetables. Bush has one another skirmish in this battle. We will see where we go next.

It was learned today that the White House issued a veto threat Thursday against legislation that would expand federal hate crime law to include attacks motivated by the victims' gender or sexual orientation. This legislation is headed for passage today in the House and is moving through the Senate. But the legislation, which also would increase the penalties for bias-based violence, has met outspoken resistance from conservative groups and their Republican allies in Congress, who warn that it undermines freedom of speech, religious expression and equal protection under the law. The White House, in a statement, said state and local criminal laws already provide penalties for the crimes defined by the bill and "there has been no persuasive demonstration of any need to federalize such a potentially large range of violent crime enforcement." It also questioned the constitutionality of federalizing the acts of violence barred by the bill and said that if it reaches the president's desk "his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill." The White House also noted that the bill would leave out other classes such as the elderly, members of the military or police officers. (excerpts taken from AP story).
I think the President is right on this issue. We already have laws in place to deal with this. We don't need other classifications just to politicize these crimes so other groups can benefit.

The greatest baseball player alive Homered again last night, making that career no. 743. Now he's just 12 away from tying Hank Aaron. This will definitely happen this year. Bonds also hit 4 RBI's last night, tying him for 4th all time with Stan Musial at 1,951. I think if he keeps batting over .300 like he's doing now, he'll definitely pass Lou Gehrig at 1,995 RBI's.

Lost is getting good. Last night's episode was great. I'll go into it tomorrow, as some dumb people haven't watched it yet.

This Day in History, May 2nd

2007-05-01T23:33:00.000-04:00

1863 - War of Northern Aggression: Stonewall Jackson is mortally wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after being in reconnoitering for the Battle of Chancellorsville. His arm would be amputated and later buried at the battlefield. I have seen the marker marking the site of where his arm was once buried. 8 days later, Jackson dies of pneumonia, effectively killing the South's chances in the war.

1885 - Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for first time.

1918 - General Motors acquires Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.

1932 - Comedian Jack Benny's radio show airs for the first time.

1939 - Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive Major League games played comes to an end. The record will stand for 56 years until Cal Ripken Jr. breaks it.

1955 - Tennessee Williams wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".

1972 - Buddy Baker becomes first stock car driver to finish 500-mile race in less than 3 hours enroute to winning the Winston Select 500 at Talladega International Raceway in Talladega, Alabama.

1997 - The Labour Party's Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, ending 18 years of Conservative Party rule. At age 44, Blair is the youngest Prime Minister in the UK for 185 years.

2005 - The Pontiac Grand Am ceases production at the 100 year old Lansing Car Assembly Plant.

Bush vetoes troop withdrawal legislation

2007-05-01T23:26:00.000-04:00

Today President Bush, in only the second time in his Presidency, vetoed the troop withdrawal bill submitted to him by the Democrat controlled Congress. He rejected legislation pushed by Democrat leaders that would require U.S. Combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later. I think Bush had to veto this. Even though I didn't agree with the Iraq War, we cannot leave now. If we pull out before the Iraqi govt. can take over, then we make the situation worse. I firmly believe that as long as we have been fighting Al-Queda over there, they have not been able to attack us here. We have new information that possibly the Al Queda leader in Iraq has been killed. If we get confirmation on this, then this is another major victory.

We are winning the war on terror. That point cannot be debated. Now, we will see what happens next. Lacking the votes to override the President's veto, Democrats have already signaled they intend to approve a replacement bill stripped of the troop withdrawal timetable. Determined to challenge Bush's policy, they are turning their attention to setting goals for the Iraqi government to meet as it struggles to establish a more secure, democratic society.
The White House and congressional Republicans have also called for so-called benchmarks, but only if they don't mandate a troop withdrawal or some other major change in war policy.

This Day in History, May 1st

2007-04-30T23:22:00.000-04:00

1751 - The first cricket match is played in the United States.

1834 - The British colonies abolish slavery.

1863 - American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville begins.

1884 - Proclamation of the demand for 8-hour workday in the United States.

1898 - Spanish-American War: The Battle of Manilla Bay - The US Navy destroys the Spanish Pacific fleet in the first battle of the war.

1930 - The dwarf planet Pluto is officially named.

1931 - The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.

1941 - Orson Welles's Citizen Kane premiers in New York City. Citizen Kane is listed by the American Film Institute as #1 on the Top 100 list.

1956 - The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.

1960 - Cold War: U-2 Crisis (not the band) - Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 Spyplane, is shot down over the Soviet Union, sparking off a diplomatic crisis. It has long been speculated that JFK patsy Lee Harvey Oswald, while working as a dual agent for the CIA and the KGB, gave the Russians military secrets, including the location of Powers' spy plane.

1989 - Disney-MGM studios opens in Orlando, FL.

1991 - Rickey Henderson would steal this 939th base, making him the all-time leader in this category. However, his accomplished would be overshadowed later that evening by Nolan Ryan, who would pitch his 7th career No-Hitter (breaking his own record).

2003 - 2003 Invasion of Iraq: In what would become known as the "MISSON ACCOMPLISHED" speech, Pres. George Bush declares "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" on board the USS War Criminal (Abraham Lincoln) off the coast of California.
Little did we know that major combat operations would still be going on 4 years later. Now, Iran looms in the horizon.

This day in History, April 30th

2007-04-30T23:12:00.000-04:00

1492 - Spain gives Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration

1789 - On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.

1803 - Louisiana Purchase: The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 Million, more than doubling -overnight-the size of the young nation.

1900 - Casey Jones dies in a train wreck in Vaughn, Mississippi, while trying to make up time on the Cannonball Express.

1927 - The Federal Industrial Institute for Women, opens in Alderson, WV, as the first women's federal prison in the United States.

1939 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to appear on television during the World Fair's opening ceremonies broadcast.

1945 - Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for one day.

1973 - Watergate Scandal: Pres. Nixon announces that top White House aids H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and others have resigned.

1993 - During a tennis match between Monica Seles and Magdalena Maleeva, Gunter Parche plunged a steak knife between Seles's shoulderblades. Seles did not return to competitive tennis for over 2 years.

Verse of the Day, Philippians 4:19

2007-04-30T17:32:00.000-04:00

"And My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19

Today in History, April 28th

2007-04-28T16:24:00.000-04:00

1789 - Mutiny on the HMS Bounty. Capt. William Bligh and 18 sailors set adrift and rebel crew returns to Tahiti briefly and then sets sail for Pitcaim Island.

1930 - First night game in organized baseball history takes place in Independence, KS.

1945 - Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are executed by firing squad consisting of members of the Italian resistance movement.

1952 - Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Commander of NATO.

1970 - Vietnam War: President Richard Nixon formally authorizes American combat troops to fight communist sanctuaries in Cambodia.

1987 - U.S. Engineer Ben Linder is killed in an ambush by U.S. Funded Contras in northern Nicaragua.

1994 - Former CIA official Aldrich Ames pleads guilty to giving U.S. Secrets to Soviet Union and later Russia.

1996 - Whitewater Scandel: President Bill Clinton gives 4 1/2 Hour videotaped testimony for the defense.

2003 - Apple Computer iTunes Music Store launches, selling 1 million songs in its first week.

Verse of the Day, James 1:26

2007-04-27T15:21:00.000-04:00

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

James 1:26

Today in History, April 27th

2007-04-27T15:09:00.000-04:00

1667 - John Milton, blind and impoverished, sells the copyright of Paradise Lost for 10 pounds.

1773 - British Parliament passes the Tea Act, designed to save British East India Co. by granting it a monopoly on North American tea trade.

1813 - War of 1812: US Troops capture capital of Ontario, York (present day Toronto, Ontario).
I'm glad we gave it back to them. We don't want that.

1861 - War Criminal Abraham Lincoln suspends writ of habeas corpus, allowing for the unlawful imprisonment of congressmen and other people who oppossed His Tyrannical policies.

1911 - Following resignation and death of William P. Frye, a compromise is reached to rotate the office of President pro-tempore of the U.S. Senate.

1974 - 10,000 people march in Washington DC calling for impeachment of President Nixon.

1981 - Xerox introduces the computer mouse.

2006 - Construction begins on Freedom Towers for new WTC in NYC.

Today is the birthday of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Not that anyone cares, but i thought i'd throw it out there.

This Day in History, April 26

2007-04-25T23:39:00.000-04:00

1607 - English colonists of the Jamestown Settlement make landfall at Cape Henry, VA.
I've been to the Cape Henry Lighthouse.

1865 - Union cavalry stormtroopers corner and kill Virginia patriot John Wilkes Booth, the alleged assassin of war criminal President Abraham Lincoln, near the Northern Neck of Virginia. I have always believed that nothing good ever happens in the Northern Neck, aka The Land that Time Forgot. I don't believe there was any real proof that Booth killed Lincoln.

1933 - The Gestapo, the official secret police of Nazi Germany is established.

1967 - NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.

1986 - In the Ukraine, a nuclear reactor accident occurs at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, creating the world's worst nuclear disaster.

2005 - Syria, under intense international pressure, withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending the 29 year military occupation of that country.

News of the Day

2007-04-25T23:30:00.000-04:00

A majority of the Supreme Court appears to be skeptical of the landmark McCain-Feingold campaign finance law's restrictions on pre-election issue ads that mention a candidate by name.
The law prohibits interest groups from running corporate-funded radio and TV ads that mention a candidate's name within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election. With John Roberts and Alito now on the Court, it seems to me that this may tip the scales in favor of repealing provisions of this awful legislation. All the McCain-Feingold act does is to protect incumbents.

As of 11:33pm, Barry Bonds hit HR # 741. He now has 14 HR to go to break the record.

The Dow passed 13,000 today, setting an all time high.

The House of Representatives today passed legislation 218-200 requiring that US troops start pulling out of Iraq by Oct. 1 of this year. This has set up a showdown with the President, who has threatened to veto any legislation that included a troop-withdrawal timetable. I believe we will see President Bush veto this legislation. If he does, the Democrats do not have enough votes to overturn the veto. Even though i have thought this war was a bad idea, we cannot pull out now. That would just embolden the enemy further.

Verse of the Day, Psalms 146: 1-2

2007-04-25T00:08:00.000-04:00

I thought I would put a verse of the day. We all need to get more scripture and maybe this speak to someone in whatever way is needed. The verses are brought to you daily by Heartlight.org and I will post them here on this site.

"Praise the Lord, O My Soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live."

Psalms 146:1-2

Barry Bonds is on a roll

2007-04-25T00:02:00.000-04:00

I can't wait for Barry Bonds to break the Home Run record. I know A-Rod is on an incredible tear right now, but no one is talking about the fact that Barry is now 15 HR away from tying Hank Aaron's record of 755. Bud Selig needs to be there when its broken and if Aaron is the ambassador of baseball he claims to be, he'll be there to celebrate too. I know lots of people don't like Barry and think he's on steroids. Maybe he did take steroids, but he has never failed a drug test. Everyone is basing all of the theories on accusations from 2 reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle who may very well have their own agenda.

Bonds is the greatest baseball player of my lifetime. He's one many Gold Glove awards and at near 40 or maybe he's 40 now, he is still destroying the baseball. All without steroids. Steroids don't affect bat speed, or the fact that the walks more than any other player in the game. I hope that pitchers will pitch to him as he gets closer to the record.

I'll keep you posted on his progress.

This Day in History, April 25th

2007-04-24T23:46:00.000-04:00

1719 - Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is published.

1792 - Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes first person executed by guillotine.

1847 - The last survivors of the Donner Party come out of the wilderness.

1898 - Spanish American War: The U.S. Declares War on Spain.

1944 - The United Negro College Fund is incorporated, because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Harlem Globe Trotter Meadowlark Lemon and Scent of a Woman's Al Pacino were born on this day in different years. Talia Shire was also born on this day in some random year. She's a horrible actress who's been in 2 of the biggest movie sets of all time: The Godfather Trilogy and the Rocky movies.

This Day in History, April 24th

2007-04-24T23:40:00.000-04:00

1184 B.C. - The Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse.

1880 - U.S. Library of Congress established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress."

1913 - Skyscraper Woolworth Building in NYC is opened.

1953 - Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

1979 - Georgia On My Mind adopted as the official state song of the State of Georgia.

1990 - Hubble Space Telescope launched into outer space by space shuttle Discovery.

Today in History, April 23

2007-04-24T23:29:00.000-04:00

1564 - William Shakespeare born at Stratford-on-Avon

1616 - William Shakespeare dies at age 52. How ironic. Same day

1974 - Pan Am World Airlways Boeing 707 crashes in Bali, Indonesia, killing 107

1982 - The Conch Republic in Key West Established

1988 - Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, after spending a record 741 consective weeks (over 14 years) on the Billboard 200, left the charts for the first time ever. Dark Side of the Moon is the 20th biggest selling album in history, while The Wall is the 4th biggest selling album in music history in the U.S.

1990 - Namibia becomes 160th member of the United Nations.

This day in History, April 22

2007-04-21T07:55:00.000-04:00

1509- Henry VIII ascends the throne of England after death of his father.

1864- US Congress passes Coinage Act which mandates inscription "IN GOD WE TRUST" be placed on all coins minted as US Currency.

1876 - Boston Red Stockings defeat Philadelphia Athletics 6-5 in first National League baseball game.

1912 - Pravda, the "voice" of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publications in St. Petersburg.

1970 - First Earth Day celebrated. "Woo Hoo. Fantastic"

1975- Barbara Walters sings 5 year $5 Million contract with ABC, making her the highest paid TV newsperson.

1993- Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC dedicated.

2000 - Feds seize 6 year old Elian Gonzales from relative's home in Miami and send him back to his father in Cuba, where he belongs.

Charlotte Rae, Mrs. Garrett, was born this day in 1926.

Today in History, April 21

2007-04-21T07:44:00.000-04:00

753 BC - Romulus and Remus founded Rome.

1836 - Texas Revolution: Battle of San Jacinto - Sam Houston, leading Republic of Texas forces, defeats the Mexican forces of Santa Anna. During the Charge, the Texans yelled: "Remember the Alamo".

1918 - WWI: German fighter ace, Manfred von Richthofen, otherwise known as "The Red Baron", was shot down and killed in Vaux sur Somme in France. Some speculate he was killed by Snoopy.

1962 - Seattle's World's Fair opens. Its the first World's Fair in US since WWII.

1975 - Siagon falls to the North Vietnamese.

Despite his 11th and 12th HR's, the Red Sox rally for 5 late in the game to beat the Yankees 7-6.
It took the Nats extra innings again, but they won 6-5.

Today in History, April 20

2007-04-19T23:30:00.000-04:00

1653 - Oliver Cromwell dissolves Rump Parliament

1861 - Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the U.S. Army in order to command the forces of state of Virginia

1862 - The first pasteurization test completed by Louis Pasteur & Claude Bernard

1912 - Opening Day for Tiger Stadium in Detroit and Fenway Park in Boston

1978 - Korean Air Flight 902 shot down by Soviets

1979 - Jimmy Carter attacked by Swamp Rabbit

1986 - Michael Jordan sets all time record for points in an NBA game with 63 against the Celtics

1999 - Columbine High School Massacre

Notable Birthdays:

Muhammed (Founder of Islam) - 570

Adolf Hitler (Leader of the Third Reich in Germany) - 1889

Bruce Cabot (American Actor) - 1904

George Takei (Sulu) - 1937

John Paul Stevens (U.S. Supreme Court Justice) - 1920

Luther Vandross (no description necessary) - 1951

Don Mattingly (great Yankee of 1980's and 1990's) - 1961

Carmen Electra (actress, sex symbol) - 1972

This Day in History, April 19th

2007-04-18T22:35:00.000-04:00

1587 - Sir Francis Drake sinks the Spanish Fleet in Cadiz harbor.

1775- The first battle of the American Revolution starts, the battle of Lexington and Concord.

1933- FDR announces that the US will abandon the Gold Standard. Our money has been worthless ever since.

1961- Bay of Pigs invasion ends in failure because Kennedy refuses to commit enough resources to finish it.

1987- The Simpsons make their TV debut on the Tracey Ullman Show.

1993- Janet Reno orders the Branch Davidian compound in Waco to be stormed. The seige ends.

1995- The OKC bombing. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City is bombed, killing 168 men, women and children. It is the worse act of terrorism on American soil at that time. 12 years later, we still don't know what really happened, but since Timothy McVeigh is dead, we will never truely know.

2005- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is elected Pope Benedict XVI.

I will post more on the OKC bombing at a later date.

More VT News and various other thoughts

2007-04-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

Today we learn the the killer at VT sent a package to NBC News in NYC that arrived today. He mailed it at 9:04am, which explains the 2 hour gap from the first shooting in the dorm and the second shooting in Norris Hall. I won't go into all the details, but clearly, his manifesto, video files and audio files were included in the package. After viewing the videos, which are availabe on MSNBC.com, you clearly see what a nutjob this guy was. We continue to learn more everyday about this creep. More to come in the days to follow on this...

Sanjaya was finally sent home from American Idol. I was starting to worry that America would let him win it. I think Melinda will win it all. Its clearly between her and Jordin. The guys suck this year.

I thought the Nats might win another game, but they've blown a 4-1 lead and have taken a 4-4 tie into the 11th inning.

This Day in History, April 18

2007-04-18T22:20:00.000-04:00

1775 - 2 Lanterns hung in the Old North Church in Boston to signal the British were coming by Sea. Paul Revere made is famous ride this very night.

1923 - Yankee Stadium - "The House that Ruth Built" opens.

1942- WWII - The Doolittle Raid on Tokyo occurs.

1987- Mike Schmidt joins the 500 HR Club

2007- U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Partial Birth Abortion Act on a 5-4 decision. Justices Kennedy, Alito, Roberts, Scalia and Thomas voted in the affirmative.

VT Shooting

2007-04-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

I can't believe what happened at Virginia Tech. I never thought anything like that would ever happen there. I didn't go to Tech, but I consider myself a Hokie. When i was younger, the only school I wanted to go was VT. It was only because my grandfather went there and I thought it would make him proud. After community college, I knew i needed to go to a smaller school, so I went to Liberty University. Even though I never went there, most of my life has been linked to that school. I was brought up to despise UVA and the elitists that went there. Tech was the school anyone could go to. It was closer to where i grew up than UVA. I went to many football games. I remember when it was still called VPI. When a friend told me yesterday that there was a shooting on campus, i didn't believe him at first. He went there, so i figured he must know what he's talking about but i also thought that shootings don't happen at Tech. Well...It did happen. I admit i spent most of the day on Monday watching the news coverage. Fortunately, no one I know attends there now, but I still felt for everyone there.

The media has really tried to pin this on the school and the police force. I feel that they probably did the best they could in this situation. Maybe they should have locked down campus and warned some of the students earlier, but I really don't think they could have done it in time. Nothing like this has ever happened before, so there was no precedent. You really can't plan for crazy people, and it is clear now that this dude was nuts. Cho Seung-Hui, a South Korean born student, killed 33 people yesterday, including himself, in 2 buildings at VT. Everyone who knows me knows I'm a little prejudiced and i was really upset when i found out the killer was Asian, but I shouldn't be mad that he's Asian, i should really be mad that he has no regard for life and is a cold-blooded assassin. What he did was clearly an assassination. I am really trying to be less prejudiced, but sometimes its really hard. I know him being South Korean has no real bearing on this.

Now, the liberals have already tried to push for additional gun control laws, but this killer didn't break any laws. He lawfully purchased all of his handguns by legal means. If he wanted to do this and couldn't legally get the guns, he would have gotten them on the black market, where most criminals get their guns anyway. If students and faculty would have been allowed to have concealed weapons on campus grounds, this lunatic may been taken out before he massacred all those innocent people. More will come out in the days to come about this guy, but in simple terms, he's just a nutjob who blamed everyone for his problems and took the cowardly way out of this situation by killing himself.

My prayers go out to the familes who've lost a loved one, to the students who have had to live through this tragedy and to the entire Tech family. We as Hokies will overcome. It has been incredible the last 2 days to once again see the closeness of this university. Hokie fans are really like family. This campus will overcome and come out of this tragedy. I urge everyone to continue praying for everyone involved in this situation. I used to think that the fear I felt on 9/11, being trapped in DC while the Pennsylvania plane was on its way back to DC, was something so enormous that nothing would be worse. I think those students who were trapped in their classes while this madman slaughtered their classmates and professors and tried to slaughter them have experienced more than I ever did.

President Bush did not do a good job in conforting the nation after this tragedy. He didn't seem like he cared, unlike when President Reagan gave us the conforting after the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion. I remember watching the explosion in school and i remember feeling better that night after the inspiring words of the great communicator. If you'd like to see how a real leader comforts in a time of crisis, please take a look at the entire speech right here...http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/challenger.asp. Reading that speech again and hearing his words make me feel better now. I want to thank all the other schools around the state that have rallied around Tech to support them. That's why I love Virginia. We take care of our own.

To the ones who lost their lives and to those injured, i pray they are in Paradise right now with our Lord. To their families, i'd like to say I know its hard and I can't comprehend how you feel, but know that the Lord will watch over you and carry you through this time.

Long Live Virginia Tech.
Hoki, Hoki, Hoki, Hy.
Techs, Techs, V.P.I. Sola-Rex, Sola-Rah.
Polytechs - Vir-gin-ia.
Rae, Ri, V.P.I.

I'll post more in the coming days, but i had to get this off my chest now.

Don Imus firing and Duke exoneration

2007-04-17T22:05:00.000-04:00

I don't know how to respond to the Imus firing. Look, he shouldn't have said "Nappy Headed Ho". He's had a long history of saying stupid things and it finally got him fired. I don't think he should have gotten fired. I think the suspension was warrented, but I don't believe he should have been fired.

There is a double-standard when it comes to speech. I know blacks can say things that whites can't say...I don't think its fair but that's the way it is. What really irks me is how the black radio hosts, like Steve Harvey, basically equated free-speech with race. Last time i checked, free speech wasn't exclusive. I think we have opened up Pandora's Box and now everyone will be watched, including Hip Hop. And yes, it is the same to say the "N" word and use "hoes and bitches" in songs and and also for someone to say them in public. Even though the hip-hop community doesn't think its the same, it is.

What i'm really upset about in this whole mess is that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson once again get to use their terrorist tactics on people and there is no one to call them out on it. All they are is money-grubbing terrorists who have not only gone after whites in America with lies and hate, but have also held the black community hostage for a long time. I would like to know why we call them "reverends." I have never seen them act like Pastors. I don't even think Jesse or Al has seen a Bible in a long time, much less opened one up. I'd like for someone to correct me if I'm wrong on this.

I would also like to say "Its About Time" in the exoneration of Reade Seligman, Collin Finnerty and David Evans in the false rape charges at Duke University. It only took 390 days for these guys to finally be cleared of ALL CHARGES. The witchhunt that was leveled on them was incredible. I have always hated Duke and the elitist attitude that accompanied its students and the school, but from Day 1, i believed these boys were innocent. Mike Nifong, who stood amongst the black community in Durham, trying to get reelected, called these boys thugs and rapists and said he would bring them down. He almost succeeded. When evidence didn't go his way, he withheld it. I have never seen such a rouge prosecutor in my life. Now, he has his own problems. For those of you who have not followed this case and would like to get additional info on this case, please read the columns of Dr. William Anderson at www.lewrockwell.com. His current piece is today, which is an open letter to the 3 guys. you should read it and here it is...http://www.lewrockwell.com/anderson/anderson182.html. I'm waiting for Jesse Jackson to publicly apologize to these 3 boys, as he vilified them many times in the last year. Just as he demanded an apology from Imus, i'm demanding one from him. Those boys will never get one, but in the end, who really cares. At least they can now go on with their lives, exonerated from the heinous charges leveled against them.

Been a while

2007-01-16T23:53:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since i last posted. A lot has happened. I'll be making a lot of posts in the next couple of days. There's a lot on my mind concerning Sports, Politics, Entertainment and whatever is floating around in that insane mind of mine.

Quickly... it looks like the Colts might make it to the SuperBowl, in a year when everyone said they weren't that good. American Idol started tonight, so it will be a while before we get into the real competition, so i'll save my analysis until then. It looks like the Democrats have wasted no time in doing whatever they can to quickly raise taxes and to try and pull our troops out of Iraq.

In the next coming days, you will see some posts by me concerning the War on Terror, specifically: how there is credible evidence to show how the Clinton Administration was negligent in the war on terror and also how there are links to Iraq and Al-Queda concerning the first WTC bombing in 1993, Oklahoma City in 1995, the downing of TWA 800 in 1996 and then the terrorist attacks on 9-11. Most who know me know that i fancy conspiracies, but I can say with most confidence that after spending a year in Oklahoma City and doing my own research, I have no doubt in my mind that Timothy McVeigh was not a lone bomber, that Terry Nichols helped him build the bombs and that there was a "John Doe #2" who was probably an Iraqi agent. Jack Cashill, an Emmy-award winning independant writer and producer and co-author of "First Strike" with James Sanders, the United States Congress, the Oklahoma City Bombing Commission; Jayna Davis, a former journalist and author of "The Third Terrorist" will provide a lot of the information I will post on this site concerning OKC Bombing, TWA 800 and other information. Also, i will let you in on the frightening insanity in my own head.

Please feel free to post, comment and send me your own thoughts.

I'll talk to you again tomorrow.

Kudos to the US Military

2006-06-24T15:57:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the US Military for killing Al-Queda second in command Zarqawi. I feel this is a great victory for us in the war on terror. Even though i don't think we should have gone to Iraq, i do feel we should do all we can to win, and the military's perserverance in this has been very commendable. After his death, the military made about 144 raids on Al-Queda and then we found the chest of information that told us that the enemy was in disarray. I really felt we were making strides, it was just that everytime someone died, it was a major news story. Our soldiers have made a great sacrifice, but i truely believe we are winning the war on terror and it is clearly evident now that the tide is turning. We still may not be able to leave Iraq for a while, but at least the enemy, and all of our enemies, including Iran, North Korea, etc. that we will not break and we will stay until the last enemy is destroyed.

That has to be our mission. Anything short of that would be criminal.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Is it OK to use the term "Fag"

2006-06-24T15:40:00.000-04:00

This week in sports, Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen called Chicago Sun Times columnist Jay Mariotti "an -- fag" because Mariotti wrote critically of Guillen. Guillen said that he didn't mean it as a slur, but that it meant that Mariotti wasn't a real man because he won't stand accountable in the White Sox locker room for the things the writes about the team. Mariotti says he fears for his life if he was to go into that locker-room and has been threatened before. Guillen has been attacked by most media outlets this week and ESPN has lost its mind by not even saying the term "fag", instead saying " a word that rhymes with bag". That is just ridiculous. But that got me to thinking, why is everyone so upset over the term. There have been many articles and columns written this week about this and no one has mentioned why they are so upset with the term "fag."

I understand that fag can be used as a slur against homosexuals, but i've used the term for a long time with my friends. I call close friends "fags" and them likewise. Are we being told "fag" is a slur because it hits close to home about Mr. Mariotti? I have never read anything about him being homosexual and no one mentioned this week, well at least no one at ESPN mentioned it. Are they upset because a member of their fraternity was outed, or do they have a real problem with the term. I think if you are not homosexual, then you should not get upset if someone calls you a "fag".

Also, what is the real reason Mariotti does not feel safe in the locker-room? Is it because he was threatened because he is a homosexual and homosexuals are not prevelant nor sometimes welcome in professional sports locker-rooms? I'm not saying Mr. Mariotti is gay, because i have no proof of that. I'm just saying that if he was, a lot of this would make more sense.I don't know. Maybe he feels threatened just because of a story he wrote, and if he does, then things are in sad shape. I would like someone in the media to ask the questions i've asked here today. Then, i believe, will the have, as Paul Harvey used to tell us everyday, the REST OF THE STORY.

Sorry for the delay

2006-06-24T00:06:00.000-04:00

I know it's been a while since my last post, but i've been busy. A lot has happened in June. We first went from having an Amnesty bill out of the US Senate to now having been told that there will be no immigration legislation to come out of the House this election year. Barry Bonds has now passed Babe Ruth and we have learned that there are other people who have taken steroids in baseball, instead of just the accusations against him. President Bush has seen a small rise in his poll numbers as things in Iraq had stabilized, but then we had 2 soldiers brutally murdered and now we have Marines being accused of murdering civilians. I have had to move because of things happening to my old roommates' house. I cannot move into my new place until August 1, so now i'm staying with friends for the next 40 days or so.

Nacho Libre has taken the place as the new "Napoleon Dynamite" movie out right now. It could be the next cult classic. I urge all to see it.

Tomorrow i will post on the Ozzie Guillen - Jay Mariotti "fag" slur. Are we being told all we need to know about this story? you decide tomorrow.

Goodnite.

Senate passed Amnesty

2006-06-02T11:30:00.000-04:00

Last week, the US Senate passed its Amnesty legislation, cleverly called the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act or S. 2611. It passed with a vote of 62-36, with 2 senators not present. Votes of note are from Republican Presidential hopefuls John McCain, who is the presumptive nominee, and from Senate Majority leader Bill Frist, both of whom voted yes. George Allen, whom i think will win the nomination, voted NO. The Democrat frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, voted Yes as well, although if any Democrat emerges in the next 2 years strong on Immigration Reform, then she may have a challenge. The other vote of note is from Sen. Robert Byrd of WV, whom has voted NO on every bad amendment and the final passage of the bill. This now goes to Conference Committee where both House and Senate conferees will try to hammer out a bill that the House will accept. I do not believe the House of Representatives will pass this bill, as it currently is now, and may not pass any revised version either. The House has been very adament on what they consider important, and none of that was addressed by the Senate.
To find out more about what actually the bill looks like in its current version, check out the US Congress roll call votes section at: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00157.

I will keep you updated on its progress through conference and the House.

Today's Rant

2006-06-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

Lynyrd Skynyrd puts on a great show. I forgot how good they sound live. Even in the rain, it was a great show. But i did learn that unisex bathrooms are not popular when there is a long line of people waiting to use the bathroom.

One of my readers gave me a great update. It seems that Lark Vorhees has been fighting the tabloids on rumors that she used to be a "coke head", claiming those allegations ruined her career. The last time i saw her was on Days of our Lives and that was years ago. Here is a link to the story if you are interested...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/01/AR2006060100117.html.

More to post later...