Congressional Race in Virginia Has Gone Wacko: Where Has Decency Gone?

And people thought the Foley scandal was bad.

I'm just going to link this story and say little else about the subject matter itself. Hopefully the voters of Virginia vote for decency.

Revolting!

Justice Delivered: Ricky Holland Murder Case is Done, Parents are Going to Jail

The tragic Ricky Holland murder case is finally over, and justice was delivered for Ricky.

The jury convicted Lisa Holland of first-degree murder this morning. Her husband had already taken a plea deal in return for turning state's evidence against his wife.

I have no sympathy whatsoever for Tim or Lisa Holland. This is totally their fault. What they did to a defenseless 38 pound boy who they were supposed to be raising has entitled them to a life's stay in prison, where they will stay until they arrive at their own personal Judgment Days.

Tim and Lisa abused Ricky, murdered him with a hammer, dumped his body in a swamp, and then asked the public to join them in the search for Ricky, to which hundreds of people from neighboring communities responded. CERT teams, law enforcement and search and rescue teams came in from all over the state and region to assist.

The Hollands knew full well that Ricky was already dead, and not missing. The case finally broke when Tim and Lisa began accusing the other of murdering the seven-year-old. Tim lead the police to the body in the swamp, and quickly agreed to a plea deal.

This crime was so heinous that they should have told him to "go to hell" and gone for the first-degree murder conviction. His testimony was shattering not only to the defense, but to the entire area as well. The reverberations are still being felt.

Hopefully this conviction will begin the healing for the community of Williamston, the detectives who recovered Ricky's body and for all those searchers who scoured the land looking for Ricky.

Lisa will be sentenced November 28th.

They should throw the Hollands into vast underground jail cells that are so far away from civilization that the guards will have to shoot their beans to them (the Hollands) with a shotgun!

Diplomatic Ties With Iran and North Korea Should Be Established Sooner Rather Than Later: Even During Cold War, We Talked to Soviets

What would have happened if we hadn't been in direct communication with the Soviet Union during the Cold War?

There may well have been a nuclear war in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Or military clashes in a number of situations with the USSR as the two nations were constantly at odds.

If there was no U.S./Soviet diplomacy, there would have been no reductions of nuclear arms between the U.S. and USSR. No recognition of the concept of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) if one side started firing nuclear missiles at the other. No realization that both sides didn't want war between them.

Even with diplomacy, U.S./Soviet relations were strained, so a reality where there were no direct ties between the two superpowers is downright terrifying to imagine.

The fact that we do not have diplomatic ties with Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and (sometimes) Syria is a cause for concern. We have conflicts going with Iran and North Korea that could turn into military situations in very short order. Why not talk to them directly instead of using intermediaries? If we can defuse North Korea without letting the missiles fly, why aren't we taking full advantage of that avenue?

Our history shows that we can talk with foreign governments, even if we don't like them.

We should have full diplomatic relations with every nation on earth.

CNN Airs Enemy Propaganda of Snipers Shooting U.S. Troops

CNN sank to a new low over the last couple of days in their coverage of the Iraq War, airing enemy footage of insurgent snipers shooting U.S. soldiers.

I'm not alone in believing that CNN has become an enemy propaganda tool. It has for quite some time. Anderson Cooper tried to explain that the scene was faded to black before the bullet impacted out of sensitivity, and that the subsequent interview with a terrorist was a CNN exclusive. Oh, joy.

CNN's doors would be broken down and they would be SKINNED ALIVE if they had dared to show the bullets hitting our soldiers.

They ought to be ashamed of themselves for showing something like that on their show. One can only hope that family members didn't recognize their loved ones being targeted by the enemy.

Crooked CNN hatchet job!

U.S. Military of the Future Should Not Be Engaged in Nation Building: It Should Go In, Destroy the Enemy, Then Leave

One day in the future, most (if not all) U.S. forces will be out of Iraq and the massive retooling of the U.S. military will commence.

Equipment needs will be properly addressed, lessons learned from the Iraq War will be taught to new generations of soldiers, and military technology will take several leaps forward. Tomorrow's U.S. military will be deadlier and more efficient than ever before.

Along with manpower, equipment, technological needs, planning the next war will be addressed.

In that planning, I hope that U.S. politicians and military leaders never again plan on using the military in nation building, except if it's part of our country that they're trying to help rebuild, or disaster relief services, such as those provided by the U.S. military to the South Asian region of the world after the disastrous tsunami of December 2004.

Nation building is not for the military.

The U.S. military has two jobs: to kill the enemy, and to break things. That's what their training is for, that's what their equipment is meant to do. That means they go in, do their jobs, and then leave. If they're not doing that, they should be not involved with the situation.

If any future Commander-in-Chief decides to use a military option, he or she must be determined to destroy whatever they're choosing to attack, whether it's a terrorist training camp, or an enemy nation. If they've decided to use our nation's military might to solve a problem, that decision should not be made lightly.

Conquering another nation is prohibitively expensive, in terms of lives lost, material losses, collateral damage, loss of goodwill, and the myriad of other problems that arise when one nation occupies another. We've learned this from the Iraq War.

It's safe to say that America's experiment with invading other nations to effect regime change is effectively over. It's proven to be too costly to consider repeating.

I hope the planners think this out carefully.

Venezuela Promises to Interfere in Bolivia's Internal Affairs If Current Leader is Voted Out

Venezuela's President Chavez has announced his intention to interfere in nearby Bolivia's internal affairs if it's Chavez-friendly government is threatened by outside sources, or by it's own people---whether by popular revolt or in an election that the opposition wins.

It's become clear that he's planning on doing what he's accused the United States of: setting up an empire (with himself as absolute ruler).

And people wondered why the U.S. objected to the massive Venezuelan arms build-up?

It's because Chavez exports trouble to his neighbors, and U.S. officials predicted that the gun-toting dictator of Venezuela would try to export his Marxism outside of his own nation through use of force. And he's begun doing exactly that by promising to use force against his neighbors and refusing to recognize the new government of Mexico.

The true test of Chavez's words will come when a South American nation that he's targeted elects someone opposed to Venezuela's imperialism, or Venezuela itself votes Chavez out of office in the future. Would he go peacefully, or would he use violence and suppression to stay in power?

North Korea Tests Nuclear Weapon: They're in MAJOR Trouble

North Korea apparently detonated a nuclear device late last night (Eastern Standard Time) in direct defiance of it's few friends, neighbors and the international community that had come out in opposition to this nuclear weapons test.

The fact that they defied China, their main ally in the region, speaks volumes to the level of opposition to North Korea's rash actions.

On the surface, it looks like resolutions condemning North Korea in the United Nations will face little opposition in the U.N. Security Council, but any authorization of military action will face stiff resistance from China and Russia. That hasn't changed.

The leadership of North Korea is so erratic that they may not be fully aware of how this is playing out in the rest of the world. They'll soon find out; hopefully it will topple North Korea's government and pave the way for peaceful reunification with South Korea. A united Korea that is free from communism and nuclear weapons would benefit the starving masses in the north as well as the region in general.

How much money has North Korea wasted on this needless course of action, and how many of their people have died from starvation as a result?

Michigan Schools Post Lower Test Results in Social Studies and Language Arts Because of "No Child Left Behind" Legislation

Michigan school districts have been struggling with how to deal with low test results in Social Studies and other non-"No Child Left Behind" testing focuses.

Because NCLB tests solely in math and reading to grade the progress of the schools, they and their teachers have shifted their focus to concentrate on those two subjects, at the cost of all other subjects that they are required to test for in the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) as well as their own standards of performance.

No Child Left Behind needs to be reformed so that it doesn't ignore other important subjects. Education needs to be more well-rounded than what No Child Left Behind calls for.

Children may not be left behind, but something definitely is.

Lettuce Pulled in Several States: Contamination From Same Source as Contaminated Spinich

It appears I wasn't overreacting when I wrote back on September 27th that I wasn't eating any vegetables coming from Salinas Valley, California. Irrigation water there was found to have been heavily contaminated by E. coli bacteria.

Investigators now believe that lettuce is also contaminated and have begun taking preliminary steps to pull it off the shelves in several states.

There's no telling when this will end, so my refusing to eat vegetables from that region of the country will continue. Unfortunately, Meijer and Wal-Mart import all of their salad vegetables from Salinas, and they are the two major grocery stores in my area. I've switched over to local farmers for my salad stuff for now.

Wisconsin Lawmaker Suggests Arming Teachers to Make Schools Safer: BAD IDEA

A Wisconsin lawmaker is suggesting that arming educators will keep schools safer from assaults like the ones we have seen the last couple of weeks and could help to prevent Columbine-style attacks.

There is a solution out there to making the schools safer, but this isn't it.

Teachers, principals and support staff have no business carrying concealed weapons into schools. It would actually increase the danger to everyone in attendance. Most teachers are not expert marksmen, and bullets have a tendancy to go through things, such as people that they're aimed at, though walls, ceilings, chalk boards, glass, wooden doors and other objects found in schools.

They'd be better off building satellite police stations on school property/buildings and having them manned before, during and after school hours. This would cut their response time down to seconds instead of minutes. But this wouldn't be the perfect solution either in every case.

Difficult problem.

Foley Sex Scandal Brings Out Some Long-Contested Hot Topics

Former House Representative Foley's admission that he is a gay man is the homosexual lobby's worst nightmare come true.

It's going to further muddy the water as to where the boundary is between a gay man and a pedophile.

For years the homosexual lobby has insisted that gay men are not pedophiles (and branded anyone who said so a "homophobe" or "gay basher"), while the opposition has said that the line is much thinner than the gay lobby would allow to be discussed.

The opposition has long said that the line between a homosexual "relationship" and a case of child molestation boils down to age, and that since a gay man is already predisposed to be attracted to men, what's to stop him from going beneath the age of consent if someone young catches his eye?

And here we have a formerly closeted gay man propositioning an underage boy for sex, proving the point.

And he may not be prosecuted for it either due to "gray areas" in the law.

Foley Sex Scandal Shows Congress Isn't Immune to Scandals Like This

People seem to be shocked that a former Representative of the House stands accused of soliciting Congressional pages (aides in training--usually under age 18) for sex.

I'm not.

NOTE: I am not defending the accused. He needs to be in jail for what he has done, and the page system needs to be revamped with protection guidelines for everyone under age 18 who participate as a Congressional page.

Everyone needs to remember that Congress is made up of people, and sometimes Congress is a mirror image of society in all of it's beauty, and in all of it's ugliness...and everything in between. Sometimes those with criminal intent make it past all of the background checks, psyche profiles and other standards of testing to get into positions where they have access to kids. Or get access to kids through programs like the page program, which has been around Congress for decades.

Every part of society has seen scandals like this; why do people consider Congress any different?

Remember: hypocrisy is a part of politics, and Congress is all about politics. Even Jay Leno showed unaltered clips of the accused talking about "sicko predators" to John Walsh on America's Most Wanted during last night's Tonight Show.

People should probably get used to the idea that this is probably just the tip of the iceberg and could get a lot worse before it gets better.

But it should also be noted that there are plenty of good apples in Congress and that there are bound to be some bad ones in there too, just like the rest of society. People need to remember that.

Military Chaplains Should Be Allowed to Invoke Jesus's Name Whenever They Wish

This is ridiculious...U.S. military chaplains cannot invoke the name of Jesus during public prayer services...including battlefield services over the bodies of dead American soldiers who were practicing members of a religious faith. This, because they don't want to offend secular members of the unit who might be offended by the mention of Jesus or God as a priest is giving Last Rites or whatever the religious practice calls for.

What is the point of having a chaplain if he cannot practice his or her religion and lead others in observances of that same religion? That's why they have chaplains of every faith there--so soldiers can choose their "flavor" and pray in whatever fashion they wish. Those that choose not to--don't.

But the Congress should leave the chaplains alone and let them do their work without barriers. Let the military brass deal with this issue.

The long and the short---if it's billed as a non-denominational service, then it should be. But chaplains need to be able to perform their jobs for the religious.

Chavez's Claim of Informant Inside White House is Attempt to Destabilize U.S. Government--Nothing More

Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's left-leaning adolescent leader, made a claim recently that he has an informant inside the White House and that a plan to assassinate him and overthrow his government exists.

This scenario is highly unlikely.

It is more likely he is trying to take advantage of the recent news involving information leaks from the White House to destabilize our government.

If he gets overthrown, it will be by his own people who want their freedom back, not by us. And he knows it.