Democrats on Verge of Breaking Promise Not to Cut Funding to Troops in Iraq

The Democrats in Congress are on the verge of breaking their promise not to defund the troops in Iraq. This is hardly a surprise given many ran on anti-war platforms. And their defeatist Republican lap-dog colleagues are too weak and ineffectual to disagree with them. I believe de-funding was always inevitable--it's what the Democratic majority wanted all along.

But still, to cut off reinforcements and bullets and equipment to the soldiers who are over there now is irresponsible. And Congress will be unable to keep dodging their collective responsibility in authorizing the war in the first place. Their votes gave Bush the authority to invade Iraq, whether his intel was good or not.

They keep saying they are a co-equal branch of government, yet they clearly don't want to take their share of the blame. They're co-equal all right, but only to a point.

The military needs to complete their mission and soon. We have bigger fish to fry and Iraq is taking up too much time, attention and resources. Blindly cutting their funding to bring them home in six months without a measure of success will only make the situation worse, not better.

All that will happen is the next President will have the unenviable task of sending troops back in once terror groups use Iraq the same way they used Afghanistan to attack New York and Washington. And Congress will blame Bush for that too, for stopping the war too soon.

And this will be after Congress and the next Administration decide to slash military rebuilding funds, too.

What a vicious cycle we find ourselves facing.

French Darken Eiffel Tower to Promote Climate Change Concerns: Meaningless Display

In an effort to bring attention to an upcoming conference on global change, the electrical company that operates the lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris will shut them off for five minutes.

Five WHOLE minutes on ONE evening.

Why don't they turn the lights off after 11pm EVERY night--on a permanent basis, except for the aircraft warning lights at the top of the tower? That would be more meaningful than turning the lights off for five minutes on one evening.

I wonder how much energy and money will be wasted when they power the projectors back up. I believe they will use up more energy than if they had simply left the lights on.

Wasteful publicity stunt. Perhaps they should let Greenpeace keep it's banner on the tower--that seems more effective way to bring attention to global climate change.

Child Rape Movie Appears to Be a Dud: They're Talking Going Straight to DVD

This is my final post on this movie, unless someone says something really outrageous and deserves some attention.

I'm still fuming over the Hounddog movie (that features a child rape scene) over the moral lines that it succeeds in crossing.

Dakota Fanning remains in the news, telling the media that some of the criticism leveled at her and her parents have been "uncalled for and hurtful."

She and her parents should have thought about the storm of controversy before they "decided" to do this movie and offend so many people; not the least of whom are rape victims and sexual molestation survivors. Many are coming forward and posting their thoughts online.

Just because child rape is a fact of life doesn't make it right, or acceptable, or something to be worthy of presentation in a movie. That's what has people so hot.

Some of the criticisms that have been expressed about her mother have been harsh; the minor tongue-lashing I administered in my last post pale in comparison.

But "uncalled for?" She's playing an adult game in an adult world under adult rules, and if she can't take the heat for her (and her mom's) bad decisions, perhaps she should stick to more appropriate venues, such as her recent film "Charlotte's Web", which was brilliantly executed and did more to further her career than a child-rape scene in an adult-themed movie.

It's pure exploitation and the proof is in what happens before the rape scene: reportedly her character dancing in wet underwear and t-shirt, her waking up as her naked father climbs into bed with her, her demanding that a young boy expose himself in exchange for a kiss, doing some kind of provocative pole dance, and then a teenager raping her.

And she really should stay out of the news on this controversy. She doesn't have enough life experience or judgment to speak on this issue or lecture adults on whether child rape is any more acceptable on the big screen than it is in real life.

"It's just acting" she says, but that's the tip of the iceberg. If acting out a scene causes a huge tidal wave of controversy, then they should probably find out more about what the underlying issue is.

This is also where her parent(s)--and all the other parents of children in this film--should have put their foot down and said "I won't allow this. It's crossing too many lines and you don't want this kind of bad publicity at this stage of your career" or "And as a parent, I object to the very idea of my child participating in a movie like this."

That's it from me.

12-Year-Old Child Actress Defends Her Child-Rape Scene in New Movie: She Has No Idea What She's Done

It's more than a little offensive when a 12-year-old not only participates in a simulated brutal child-rape scene in a movie, but then defends her "decision" and says that the controversy is "blown out of proportion." I think not.

Her parents ought to exercise some parental authority and keep her out of the limelight for a while. Then again, maybe they should have their heads examined too, for green-lighting this scene in the first place. What were they thinking?

This is a line that shouldn't have been crossed. Some groups are saying that there should be a federal probe to see if any laws were broken. I support that idea.

The big question (among many) is whether the scene is simulated child pornography (which is illegal in the United States.) It doesn't sound like it's actual child porn under this definition, but the laws on simulated porn are very complex and do not necessarily involve nudity--or even kids (see above link).

It doesn't matter that Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster played controversial roles in films when they were young too--the laws concerning child welfare are much stricter now and this controversy should be looked at in the current climate, not in yesterday's.

If there is a federal probe, many of these troubling questions will be addressed, and this controversy will be with us for some time to come. But if there isn't, it will blow over quickly and Hollywood's reputation will take another (well-deserved) blow.

I will not be going to see this movie as I find the idea of child rape abhorrent and won't support an "artistic" portrayal of it in a movie or any other medium. And no 12-year-old has any business participating in or defending a child-rape scene. Does she have any idea the damage she's helped to do? I suspect she doesn't have a clue.

Chavez's Latest Tirade Against American Officials: "Go to Hell, Gringos!"

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said that U.S. officials should quit commenting on his country's problems (Chavez-caused, of course) and told American officials via the media "Go to hell, gringos!"

He's stifled dissent in his own country, now he's trying to stifle international coverage and commentary of his ruining his country.

Official Washington won't comment on his comments, but here's what they'd love to say:

Get over it, Mr. Chavez. First, go jump in a lake and cool off. Then go back to the zoo where you belong. Or perhaps you should follow your own advice.

What's not funny is his mismanagement of the Venezuelan economy. No economy can survive what he's doing for very long, and when their economy crashes in the next year to sixteen months, what will be funny is his attempts to kiss up to Washington for aid--if it gets that bad. Then we'll see if Washington has a long memory or not.

GI Attempting to Get Sleeping Mats Sent to Iraq Gets Nothing But Insults Back From Company: Disgraceful

An American soldier attempting to order some sleeping mats for his soldiers and himself got a rude e-mail back from the company he was attempting to order from, saying that if he had any sense, he and his men should get out of Iraq.

What a darn shame.

There's a time and a place to express one's views on Iraq, but not in the course of a business transaction, and not against a soldier who's trying to make life a little easier for the people in his unit. A simple "Sorry, we don't, but you may want to try..." would have been acceptable, but whoever was reading the e-mail had to choose that way to express his political views.

I would encourage people not to do business with this company.

Hillary in '08: NO WAY JOSE

Hillary Clinton came out and announced she was forming an exploratory committee as a precursor for a run at the Presidency in 2008.

As promised on December 27, 2005, this blog will be partially dedicated to campaigning against her candidacy.

It's not that the country isn't ready to have a woman for it's President; it's that Senator Clinton isn't ready to be President of the country.

I stand by my words. Vote against Senator Clinton in 2008. Remember: if we get her, we get HIM too.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Proves War Critics Over Here Wrong: They Will Bring the Battle to Our Own Streets

Remember the debate over the statement that "if we pull out of Iraq now, the terrorists will come over here and start killing us in our own streets?"

Critics of the war said "nope. Won't happen. That's pro-war propaganda."

I came out in support of the above statement on November 12, 2005, on this blog, saying that ..."and yes, if we leave before the job is done, we may as well put armed troops into our own streets because that's where al-Qaeda will show up next. Once American and foreign troops are gone from Iraq, the war will shift to Europe and North America and those parts of the world where Westerners have a presence.

The peaceniks can go bury their heads in the sand if they want, but the problem will NOT go away that easily. Bin-Laden has said that he wants four million dead Americans before he will even consider stopping his jihad. Where, pray tell, might he find four million Americans? Not in Iraq. Not in Jordan or Indonesia. Not anywhere else in the world, but here in our own country. Duh!!

So for those stupid enough to believe that ending the Iraq War will appease bin-Laden, or any of his followers into not launching suicide attacks on the United States, think again. Get your heads out of your butts!"

The media is reporting today that al-Qaeda in Iraq tried to get terrorists into this country on student visas for the purpose of launching attacks on our civilian population.

Excuse me, but what more proof do the nay-sayers need, thousands of dead American civilians in body bags at their feet? Like I said before...they need to get their heads out of their butts!

Bush Criticizes Hanging of Saddam and Others: Did the Pot Just Call the Kettle Black?

President Bush told the press that he wasn't happy with how the Iraqi government executed Saddam Hussein, his half-brother and another aide who was in charge of Iraq's Revolutionary Court under Saddam's reign of terror.

Bush said that it looked like revenge killings to him.

Well, DUH!!

ALL death penalty cases are about revenge, even in this country.

Deterrence, my afterburner! When are people going to learn that some criminals crave death, and don't care that they might face a death penalty?

Who does the death penalty really deter? Those unlikely to commit a crime-- whether or not there is a death penalty, or the criminal who's made up his/her mind to kill or hurt someone?

The President has no leg to stand on when it comes to criticizing the capital punishment systems of other nations, since the United States engages in death penalty barbarity itself.

This, coming from the man who, as governor, had more people executed during his time in office than any other governor in U.S. history.

I'd rather not hear another word about botched executions from President Bush or anyone in his Administration who isn't an ardent death penalty opponent. I don't have the stomach to listen.

CNN Joins the Obama/Osama Slip-Up Crowd, Substituting the Senator's Name for the Terrorist's in Caption

CNN messed up last week and put Senator Barack Obama's name into a caption that was meant to read "Where's Osama?"

The Situation Room's Wolf Blitzer apologized on-air and called Obama personally to apologize, but the gaffe is the latest in a string of accidental and intentional substitutions of Senator Obama's last name for bin-Laden's first name; CNN is definitely not the first to do this.

Numerous instances of this have happened since Senator Ted Kennedy uttered the first public instance of "Osama/Obama" and conservative talk show hosts picked it up to ridicule Kennedy and Obama.

It's easy to make a slip of the tongue since the two first names are similar in spelling and pronunciation. Osama. Obama.

Still, I'm not comfortable with with this kind of accidental or intentional name-calling. It comes across (to me) as calling someone a Nazi, a choice of words for which I have nothing but contempt.

Those who delight in calling the senator "Osama" really ought to come up with something that doesn't have racial overtones to it. This is just nasty.

Sunni Rage Builds Over Saddam Execution: All-Out Civil War is Now Within Realm of Possibilities

The Iraqi government's decision to execute Saddam Hussein is backfiring on them, big time.

Saddam was executed at the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday, on the day that the Sunnis were to begin the observance. Further, he was taunted by Shiite executioners in his last moments. Enraged Sunnis in Iraq and across the Arab world took to the streets and that anger isn't going away. It's worsening.

The taunting was inappropriate and the timing was simply terrible. Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam consider the other heretics, and this merely reinforces that belief.

By executing Saddam, they denied his other victims--living and dead--and their stories to be told in an Iraqi court of law and in Saddam's presence. They were all robbed of justice--all but 148, for whom Saddam was executed.

It's more likely that non-combatant Sunnis will join the fight against the Shiite government because they don't trust it, believe it's behind the attacks on the Sunni population, and doesn't respect their religious beliefs.

It's safe to say that Iraq is in more danger of fragmenting now than it was before the Iraqi government decided to be hasty and execute the former dictator, though he was causing no harm while he was in U.S. custody.

Was what the Iraqi government did justice for ALL of Saddam's victims, or could they have benefited by keeping this man tied up in court for years to come? The full scope of this man's reign of terror will never be fully explored now.

Saddam Execution Denies His Other 100,000 Victims a Share of His Hide

The execution of Saddam Hussein was carried out a couple of hours ago by the Iraqi government. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity in the slaughter of 148 men and boys in a Shiite village following an assassination attempt on Saddam's life in the early 1980s.

But what of his 100,000 other victims?

My feelings on the death penalty notwithstanding, this sentence should have been delayed until the entire picture of Saddam's atrocities was known and he was held to account for every single life that he and his cronies took.

148 victims out of 100,000 were given justice. That amounts to less than 1% of 100,000 murder cases against Saddam.

He should have been forced to hear the names of every one of his enemies that he had murdered before any sentence was carried out. Now that will never happen.

Duke Rape Case Continues to Unravel: DA Should Drop ALL Charges and Prepare to Face the Music

The Duke lacrosse rape case continued to unravel this week with some of the charges being dropped, and the North Carolina state bar association filing complaints against the DA's inept handling of the entire affair.

The "victim" keeps changing her story and it's clear that there isn't enough evidence to carry anything forward. In addition, blunders in the interviewing of the victim (it never happened) and improper line-up identification procedures added to the prosecutor's problems. His prosecution of the suspects in the media is the main basis for the state bar complaints against him; the case against the DA opened two weeks after the woman reported the alleged rape.

Even if something did happen, the victim is unreliable. She's changed her story so many times that the entire case has been seriously undermined.

The remaining charges should be dropped.

Strategy for Winning In Iraq Isn't Working Because It Wasn't Designed for Muslim Country: It Was Designed for a Liberated Eastern Europe

The anticipated strategy change in Iraq needs to include a change in mind-set about HOW to win that war.

By mind-set, I mean the thinking that when our tanks rolled into Iraq, our politicians believed our troops would be warmly welcomed into Iraq and democracy would be embraced by all. "We are not conquerers, we are liberators."

The strategy used thus far in Iraq is from a playbook that was designed for if we got into a war with the Soviet Union in the 1980s and seized control of Eastern Europe after turning back a Soviet military thrust into central Europe. Or if NATO attacked the Warsaw Pact first to get rid of communism.

Something's got to change and soon.

Why "ThunderFerret" and Not "Johnny Specific Somebody" On this Blog?

I recently received an e-mail from someone asking why I didn't use my real name on this blog.

There's a specific reason that I do not use my real name or identity on here, and it's definitely not because I fear retribution.

It's because several years ago, I had a web site domain name registered in my real name instead of a more anonymous "pen" name. From bits and pieces of stuff on the site, someone was able to figure out who I was, where I was and and acquired an address for me. Since I was working for a not-for-profit in a very public position at the time, they were also able to figure out where I worked, who my boss was, and got all of his personal information as well.

The person who did this did it with me watching from behind him to see how easy it would be for someone to put 2+2 together and steal my identity. All he had was the web site address. It was shockingly easy for him to acquire other information from there.

I deleted the site, and reformatted many parts of it to exclude most of my personal information.

Today, there was a news article on MySpace users having their identities stolen because they have WAY too much information out there for troublemakers to data-mine. This was confirmation that I'm correct in limiting my information and remaining anonymous online.

There's too much danger of having one's identity stolen and a world of financial ruin that could follow a such theft. I also don't want some Mexican to illegally acquire an American job with my (stolen) identity.

Bloggers who write that anonymous blogs are bad and have their personal information posted for anyone to see are hypocrites, since many of them actually post false names instead of their real ones; and those that publish their actual information are just looking for trouble from identity thieves.

Any legislation that requires bloggers to identify themselves should reflect identity theft realities and not arbitrarily force people to put revealing information online because of WHAT they're writing about. Senator McCain should keep that in mind as he's proposed anti-blogging legislation in the Senate.

"Thunder" was one of my ferrets; his picture is posted on this blog.

Merry Christmas, All

Hope everyone had a blessed and happy Christmas today.

Iraq War Limits Our Options Against North Korea, Iran and Sudan: Shortsightedness in Political Planning of Iraq War Is Biting Us Now

The U.S. involvement in Iraq is having a detrimental impact on America's foreign policy objectives and more attention needs to be paid to keeping order in America's other foreign endeavors.

Six-party talks with North Korea ended without agreement yesterday. On the agenda for the five powers talking to North Korea this Friday is whether to continue the six-party negotiating format, or to go over to something else. They're waiting to find out what impact last month's U.S. elections will have on America's foreign policy.

Sudan has until December 31st to accept a U.S.-brokered deadline to admit United Nations peacekeepers into Darfur or else face "consequences." But we don't have an ambassador at the U.N. right now to keep up the pressure. Stronger resolutions were opposed by some of the other veto-wielding nations on the Security Council.

Iran faces a weak U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an end to their nuclear enrichment program, or other (undefined) steps will be taken, leaving Iran free to do what it wants. The same powers (Russia and China) also threatened to veto the entire resolution if it wasn't watered down.

Political mistakes and manipulations by the Bush Administration in the Iraq War are backfiring big time right now. When January comes around President Bush needs to have a master plan to deal with all of these critical foreign policy situations. And this should not include unilateral military approaches to dealing with the issues.

For instance, when December 31st comes and goes, the U.S. shouldn't announce that it alone is imposing a no-fly zone over Darfur to force compliance with the U.N.'s wishes when the Sudan tells the international body what to go do with itself. And Sudan is going to do exactly that.

It also shouldn't abandon the talks in favor of unilateral miliary action against Iran or North Korea. We have one major war going on, one smaller war, and not enough available ground troops to handle much more. At this stage of the game, we won't be able to help South Korea with sizable U.S. ground forces if North Korea decides on one final gamble to settle the score with South Korea. All of our heavy divisions are tied up elsewhere.

And if Washington chooses to settle the Iran question with force of arms, it's likely that U.S. forces in the region will be fighting the Revolutionary Guards in Iraqi and Afghan cities as well as the insurgency, al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

America's enemies are taking full advantage of the fact that the Iraq War is a tar baby and the U.S. military's strongest arm is already stuck. This perceived weakness is what is driving Iran and North Korea to be sure.

All of these problems can be dealt with if we have a cohesive strategy for Iraq, followed by a withdrawal and retooling of the U.S. military to put Iran and North Korea in their places.

Rosie and Trump Trade Insults: Now THIS is Good Television

Insults continued to fly between Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell as their on-air feud intensified.

I'm enjoying it a great deal.

It started with Trump's public redemption of the current Miss USA, who has been under fire for underage drinking and other major issues. He gave her a second chance and Rosie weighed in on The View.

She said that Trump was no moral authority given his track record of being divorced twice. Then she was wisecracking about his bankruptcies, but made some mistakes about whether they were business bankruptcies or personal ones. Trump has never gone bankrupt personally; it was his businesses that went under. But she didn't make that distinction. She also said he was like "one of those snake-oil salesmen from Little House on the Prairie."

Trump fired back saying he was going to sue her for the bankruptcy comments, then went on a blitz of news and talk-radio programs to throw insults at Rosie's openly gay lifestyle, her weight and other points of (dis)interest.

Then Rosie's girlfriend got in on it and Trump took some potshots at her too.

This is GREAT! Trump won't back down from anyone and all Rosie's done is made another enemy who won't let this thing die. The sort of war of words that is going on between them is Trump's kind of slugging match, so look for it to get wilder and wilder.

Presidential Pardon for Two Border Patrol Agents is a Great Idea: They Did Their Jobs

There has been a stir since August over the fate of two former Border Patrol agents who were forced to shoot a drug smuggler as he brought his poisons over the border from Mexico into the United States.

Former agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean were in pursuit of the suspect and believed he had a weapon and shot him in the buttocks to keep him from escaping, while in the course of their duties.

Charges were brought against the two agents; when they were convicted a couple of months ago, the department dismissed them. They were subsequently sentenced to 11-12 years for the shooting.

In addition, the drug fiend is suing the Border Patrol for $5 million. For what, denial of trade? He's lucky that the agents didn't hit him somewhere more vital and that he's still alive. The feds already paid his medical bills; that should be more than enough for a foreign drug smuggler who was engaged in breaking our laws and bringing his filthy poisons with him.

The convictions of the ex-border agents should be pardoned as soon as possible. 48 Senators and Representatives sent a letter to President Bush asking for his consideration. I hope he listens.

Deploying 40,000 More Soldiers to Iraq May Not be Enough

The White House is batting around an idea to briefly increase the number of troops in Iraq to stabilize it before beginning a gradual withdrawal from the war zone. The increase could raise the number of American troops in Iraq to around 180,000.

Let's put this into a historical analysis:

During Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. military used 575,000 soldiers to liberate a nation the size of New Jersey. It took 100 hours and an air campaign that took several weeks.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the U.S. military used 100,000 soldiers to conquer a nation the size of California. They've been fighting for three years and there's no end in sight. Current troop levels are around 140,000 in Iraq.

Guess what? An additional 40,000 soldiers won't make a whole lot of difference in the long run. Bumping the number up to 500,000 would.

They need to really think this through before sending more troops in.

Calling Someone a Nazi to Score Political Points is Reprehensible; This Tactic Has No Place in Civilized Discourse

Public figures shouldn't launch personal attacks on others by labeling them as "Nazis." I don't like it when liberals do it to conservatives, I don't like it when conservatives do it to liberals, and I don't like it when people in general do it to other people to score political points.

The latest example of a TV personality attacking someone by comparing them to Nazis or to Hitler was The View's Joy Behar. She initiated a blatant attack on outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld while discussing the cover of Time magazine's Person of the Year issue. She didn't think naming everyone ("You") the Person of the Year was good enough, so she said: "You have to put, like, a Hitler type on the cover. Like, you put Don Rumsfeld there, or something."

Like, like, like.

Is she, like, a teen-aged teeny-bopper trying to sound intelligent? I'm not impressed.

Make no mistake: I'm not a fan of Donald Rumsfeld (see my prior posts), but I abhor the comparison that was made. It was sickening and wrong; even the audience didn't agree with her fine forensic analysis of the Time choice for Person of the Year.

Rosie ought to break out the duct tape and shut her up.

It seems like the more often people call one another Nazis or other adjectives which poison the atmosphere, the more the door to other bad words, such as the "n" word (for which other comedians have been heavily criticized for recently) is opened.

I think if things keep going as they are, we are in for a lot of terrible comments which will make the current atmosphere seem tame by comparison.

NO To Secular Christmas Cards: Happy December Won't Cut It

Here we go again with Grinches trying to hijack CHRIST-mas.

Some cards this year and my reactions:
Happy Holidays. (Fine.)
Merry Christmas. (Excellent.)
Happy Christmas. (Excellent.)
Happy Hanukkah. (Excellent.)
God Bless You... (Excellent.)
Happy December. (Straight into the garbage can.)
Merry Xmas. (See "Happy December")
Happy New Year (in place of proper Christmas cards). (See "Happy December")

Bah humbug to secular holiday cards. The Grinch-people are at it again, banning everything in sight and Christmas cards are being given special attention this year.

Happy December indeed. Thhhhp!

Iranian Conference on Holocaust Denials is Reprehensible and is a Cover for His Hostility to Israel

Iran's terrorist leader continued his anti-Jewish tirade with the announcement of a Holocaust conference to be held in Iran on Sunday and Monday.

The conference brought howls of protest from Germany, from Jewish leaders from around the world, from Israel (who the conference is targeted against) and from many others. It is expected that sixty leading Holocaust deniers from thirty countries will attend the conference.

President Ahmadinejad has already called for Israel to be destroyed and called the Holocaust a "myth."

He's also claiming that Iran is not hostile to Jews, despite forcing Jewish schools to teach an Islamic curriculum, forbidding Jewish texts to be taught in the Hebrew language but only in the Persian language, replacing Jewish principals and teachers with Muslim ones and forcing Jewish students to go to school on the Jewish Sabbath and pray on Muslim holy days. Jewish Iranians are also denied entry into institutions of higher Iranian education. (See the Reference.com entry here and scroll down to discrimination.)

This sounds like he's trying to turn Jewish Iranians into Muslims, doesn't it?

In any case, Iran is definitely hostile to Israel and this conference proves it.

People Need to Wear Seat Belts: Chances of Being Ejected from Vehicle in a Crash Increase Exponentially if They Don't

Too many people are losing their lives because they aren't buckling their seat belts. It happens every day, and the public isn't doing enough to educate itself on what can happen when someone neglects strapping themselves in.

Here's a demonstration of what can happen when someone falls asleep at the wheel and isn't wearing a seat belt. That's no crash dummy being tossed about. And he did not survive.

Here's what a crash looks like from the outside. It isn't funny.

Consider: it takes an average of three seconds to fasten the darn thing. Three seconds of sacrifice can save an entire lifetime.

I wrote a heartbreaking letter of sympathy to a friend of mine a couple of years ago who lost her youngest son to an auto crash after he was forcibly ejected from the back seat of the car in which he was riding in rural Houghton County, Michigan. I mourned his loss along with others who knew him better: his family and friends and his mom, Mary, who I knew particularly well from our Scouting activities together.

Two teenagers needlessly died in that accident. The 16 year-old driver was charged in the accident.

This year it happened again. This time it was one of my brother's friends who died early Friday morning after he was ejected from a SUV and it rolled over him.

I graduated with his sister Darcy from high school; his older brother was a year ahead of me; his younger brother was a year or two behind my brother. I wish there was something I could do; but there isn't.

All I can do is raise public awareness of how dangerous it is to not buckle up and I hope others will do so as well. Please encourage your loved ones, friends and strangers to use their seat belts; not only for the holidays, but always. There is simply no excuse for not buckling up.

I've been known to turn off the engine of my vehicle and wait until someone who was refusing to put a seat belt on did so. Aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors have fallen victim to this tactic; even a former camp supervisor did about four years ago.

I wouldn't recommend what followed that incident: he ordered me out of the driver's seat, switched places with me, started the camp truck (I had hurriedly put my seat belt on in the passenger's seat), put it in gear and mashed on the gas. He promptly slammed us into a tree. I stayed in my seat; he hit the steering wheel and cracked his sternum and broke his nose. He was lucky that we hadn't built up much speed. I didn't have a scratch on me, except for some frayed nerves. Our boss was definitely not a happy camper and his boss wasn't either.

And the funny part was that I was held blameless as he was driving (and had been warned by the boss about speeding in camp before) and did not have his seat belt on. The truck was totaled.

Everyone in the car should have a seat belt on, no matter where they're sitting. We can reduce traffic fatalities immediately and substantially if everyone takes an additional three seconds....

Actor Wesley Snipes Surrenders to IRS at Orlando International: Faces Tax Evasion Charges

"Blade" actor Wesley Snipes surrendered to agents of the Internal Revenue Service this morning as he re-entered the U.S. through Orlando International Airport. He had been in Africa filming a new movie when a warrant was issued for his arrest. Two months of negotiations lead to a deal where he would turn himself in.

His accountant is on trial right now for tax fraud in Philadelphia.

Snipes plead not guilty to all the charges and posted bond. He will be allowed to return to Africa to finish filming on the movie before returning January 10th for another hearing.

It should be interesting to see how this develops.

Congress Only Worked 103 Days Last Year and Got Little Accomplished: Exactly What Are We Paying Them Full Wages For?

Democrats in the House of Representatives announced a five-day work week for the House when the new Congress is seated in January.

HUH??!

That's what they're supposed to be doing!

As it turns out, the House was in session for 103 days last year. And they received full pay for working less than 1/3 of the year??!

They ought to repay the other two thirds for not showing up for work. No wonder Congress didn't get anything done!

Is Anyone Out There REALLY Surprised That Hillary is Exploring Running for President in 2008?

Hillary Clinton's exploring whether or not to run for President in 2008 should come as no surprise to anyone. She was running the moment she and Bill checked out of the White House in 2001.

And even if she says she's not interested in running in 2008, she's already said that (then changed her mind.) She isn't officially out of the running until AFTER the primaries are held and the Democrats have their elected nominee.

It is a stated goal of this blog to campaign against HRC should she run. Remember--if SHE gets into the White House, we'll get HIM again, too.

Richards' Tirade Against African-Americans is a Total Farce: He Should Have Apologized and then Shut Up

"Seinfeld" star Michael Richards' racially charged tirade against two African-American men in a comedy club was bad enough by itself, but his appearances on Dave Letterman's show and on Rev. Jesse Jackson's talk-radio show were perfect examples of what not to do in a situation like that.

The aftermath of the tirade has been a total farce. His going on Jackson's show was a total waste of time; all the civil-rights leaders did was make an example of him, and Jackson later said that he didn't believe the apology that Richards mumbled WHEN they allowed him to talk. He was on the air for two hours; Jackson and his associates spoke for three quarters of the time, taking turns lecturing the comedian.

I listened to the entire show and from my point of view, they didn't care about what Richards said; all they did was climb on the soapbox that he provided for them and beat the daylight out of him with his own words. They were clearly out to destroy him for what he said.

He should not have gone on Rev. Jackson's show. It was all showboating by Jesse Jackson and his colleagues; nothing of substance came of it.

What he should have done was gone on a neutral show where he could have explained himself completely, apologized, then disappeared from sight for a while. Instead he's been in the news just about every day waging a PR campaign. And no, Jesse Jackson's radio show isn't neutral ground on most issues.

Richards is compounding his original mistake with more mistakes that are causing further damage to his reputation. He needs to get out the news and get his act together.

One Major Mess: What Do We Do With 80 Year-Old Nazi SS Guards Accused of Aiding in the Holocaust?

Ever since the end of World War II, the U.S. government and outside agencies have discovered the presence of Nazi SS prison guards who quietly escaped justice in Europe and ended up over here living amongst us. All concealed their true identities; many became U.S. citizens. When they're been discovered, they've been stripped of their citizenship and taken into custody to await transport back to Europe to stand trial for their alleged crimes during the Holocaust.

Now these former SS men are 80 years old or older. And their home nations don't want them back. They don't want to hold trials because of the embarrassment it would cause them.

Six such men are in such a situation in Michigan.

They've been stripped of their citizenship and are awaiting expulsion. But Europe doesn't want them back. The International Criminal Court cannot put them on trial as their crimes predate the ICC's founding in 2002. And these men have fewer years ahead than they do behind.

It's kind of hypocritical that Germany is willing to press charges against Donald Rumsfeld for alleged crimes against humanity in Iraq, but won't put members of the SS on trial for crimes committed during the Holocaust against Jews in the name of the German people.

So what is to be done with these SS men now?

If we do nothing and let them go, justice remains undelivered for their victims. If the decision is made to prosecute them here, will they all understand what's going on, especially those suffering from dementia or from Alzheimer's?

What a major mess.

Iraq War and World War II Timeline Comparisons in Press Are Misleading

The press made a huge deal about the fact that the Iraq War has lasted longer than United States involvement in World War II.

The United States fought the Axis Powers for 1,347 days according to their timeline and the day that they made mention of it was when the Iraq War entered it's 1,348th day.

There's a few things that they left out of their figures.

The war against the Iraqi army lasted 28 days when the coalition partners declared the war against Saddam Hussein's government finished.

The ongoing sectarian violence and insurgency is not being waged by Saddam's government as it no longer exists. The resistance is being waged by people who want the U.S. out of Iraq, and want members of their specific religion in charge of Iraq. Some of them may have been part of Saddam's government, but they aren't exactly trying to put him back in charge, are they?

The media reports forgot to mention that lengthy occupations followed the end of World War II. They ignored the entire Cold War in Europe and the occupation of Japan which lasted longer than the actual fighting did.

For the record:

The war against Germany ended on May 2, 1945.
West Germany was declared fully sovereign on May 5, 1955.
East Germany was declared sovereign in 1955 as well, though the Soviet Union had primacy there through force of arms until 1989.

Both joined the United Nations in 1973.

The war against Japan ended on September 2, 1945.
Japan was declared fully sovereign in 1952; it joined the United Nations in 1956.

The press should report the rest of the story and not just the parts that they like.

Lisa Holland Sentenced to Life In Prison; More Indictments in Case are Possible

Lisa Holland was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole yesterday. The judge said that she enjoyed handing down this sentence a great deal due to the horrific nature of the crime which ended the life of her adopted son, Ricky Holland.

So much for the Hollands. Unfortunately, they are not out of the news yet. Both Lisa and her husband Tim are saying that they will appeal their convictions and sentences.

In addition, the state has opened full-scale investigations of other family members who knew the Hollands had killed Ricky and helped them concoct the tale that Ricky was missing; Lisa's dad is at the top of the list. Also, state agencies have been conducting their own reviews of their conduct in the case but won't comment until the criminal cases are completed.

Looks like this is going to be in the news for quite some time to come.

Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789 by President Washington

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

President George Washington

Iranian Plan to Fingerprint Americans Entering Their Country is Fine: But Who's More Likely to Send Suicide Bombers to Attack the Other?

Iran's parliament recently passed a law that mirror-images a U.S. law (that allows for fingerprinting of all Iranian nationals entering U.S. territory) with a law that requires all Americans entering Iran to likewise be fingerprinted. Both sides require that the other's citizens go through extensive background checks. The measure is now before the Iranian Guardian Council for final approval.

Question: is it more likely that Iran would send suicide bombers to the U.S. to hit American targets, or would America send suicide bombers to Iran to attack Iranian interests?

Who was it who said they had 40,000 suicide bombers ready for attacks against Western targets if there is a U.S./Iranian military confrontation over Iran's nuclear program? It sure wasn't the U.S. who said that.

The Iranians are free to do what they want to control entry of foreign nationals into their country, but they should acknowledge that the U.S. has that same right, especially in the face of their threats.

Judge Sentences Tim Holland to 30-60 Years for His Involvement in Murder of Ricky Holland

I've beat up on the Hollands enough in this space, so I'm through thumping them, but the judge in the case was not in a similar mood and decided to go straight for the jugular, sentencing Tim Holland to 30-60 years for his involvement in the killing of his seven-year-old son, Ricky.

The sentencing guidelines called for a sentence of 13.5 to 22 years, but the presiding judge decided that wouldn't cut it and imposed a much more severe sentence for his failure to act.

His wife is to be sentenced in a couple of weeks.

My only comment is that I hope that the stiffer sentence doesn't lead to a protracted appeal. The ugly mood that festered down here during the trial has abated and most want the Hollands out of the news as soon as possible.

OJ Simpson is OUT of His Mind: New Book Describes How He Would Have Killed His Ex-Wife IF He Was to Do It

OJ Simpson is insane.

What other explanation is there for this?

He's publishing a book on how he would have killed his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman, HAD he been involved.

But he WAS involved. He avoided going to prison but was found responsible for their deaths in a civil trial, which lead to the judgment of $33.5 million against him.

Every penny he makes off of this should go toward paying off this judgment. What a dirty rotten thing to do.

Fox should not promote OJ's book by giving him interview time on their channel, and bookstores should avoid carrying the book like the plague. He needs to go back into his hole that he crawled into after the trial, and stay there.

Revolting.

Before Too Many Republicans Tuck Tail and Run, They Need to Remember That They're Still on the Taxpayer Time Clock

Republicans like Senator Lincoln Chafee need to remember that they're STILL in office, STILL on the taxpayer time clock and BEHOLDEN to fulfill the promises that they made to those who elected them six years ago.

The new Congress isn't seated until January, so this Congress is still very much in session. There's still work for them to do.

The recent election sets a mandate for the 110th Congress and for the President to follow. But the current Congress already has a mandate from prior elections that they should honor until they recess and the new Congress takes over.

They need to get back to work, and stop wasting time.

If they decide to keep the seat warm and do nothing, they should resign immediately and get off the taxpayer time clock. We aren't paying them to keep the seat warm and vote themselves pay raises until January. There's been enough of THAT already.

Arab Leaders Have Good Reason to Be Uncomfortable With Saddam's Death Sentence

This is not an endorsement of the death penalty on my part by any means.

Arab governments are beginning to register their discomfort with Saddam Hussein's death sentence.

Egypt's President Mubarak has made it clear that he is against the Iraqi government hanging Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity for fear of an escalation of violence in Iraq between Saddam's supporters and everyone else. Other Arab leaders are also squirming.

I notice that not one has publicly come to Saddam's defense or to protest the immorality of the death penalty the way many Western governments have.

Here's what Mubarak and other Arab leaders meant: "Oh crap. If Saddam can be tried, found guilty and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, what happens if our own people get the same notion against us?"

Some Middle Eastern governments should be squirming for what they've done to their own people.

Defection of GOP Senator Sinks Ambassador Bolton's Nomination to United Nations: Who Will President Bush Nominate Now?

John Bolton's days as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations appear to be numbered as the Senate Foreign Relations committee is deadlocked over allowing an up or down vote on his faltering nomination.

A tie vote is the same as a 'no' vote; Republicans had the upper hand until Senator Chafee lost his re-election bid on Tuesday and decided the election results were a mandate for change on how business is being done in Washington. He made up his mind about supporting the nomination of Bolton in that spirit, which created a tie in the committee. The incoming Democratic majority leadership called further discussion of a Bolton nomination as "pointless" so his candidacy is all but dead.

This is not an altogether bad thing; Bolton had a reputation for being an abusive boss before; he has a reputation at the U.N. as being confrontational; diplomacy is about building consensus and Bolton doesn't help his own cause with his tactics. This was not a good choice to begin with; hopefully President Bush will nominate someone who is better suited to the position.

Bush Finally Allows Rumsfeld to Resign; Robert Gates Nominated to Be New Defense Secretary

Finally, some common sense from the White House.

Donald Rumsfeld was finally allowed to resign by President Bush yesterday; Robert Gates was introduced as the new nominee for the post.

It's unfortunate that the President waited so long to replace Rumsfeld; it should have happened after the Abu Gharib sex scandal in 2004, when Rumsfeld offered to resign. Bush said "no" then, but he should have said "yes" and put his Secretary of Defense out to pasture.

Why the Administration didn't forsee the insurgency or Iraq becoming a magnet for terrorists and jihaddis was never articulated by Rumsfeld; nor was an effective battle plan to deal with them developed by the Pentagon under Rumsfeld's watch.

Hopefully Gates (or whomever is eventually nominated if it isn't Gates) listens to his generals when they say they need more men and arms over there, or when they say that things are as good as they're going to get and it's time to start drawing back our forces and redeploying them elsewhere in the world. Rumsfeld turned deaf when told it would take an army of 400,000 to secure Iraq properly, and then fired generals who wanted more "boots" to get the job done right.

He was arrogant and didn't listen to his people in uniform.

It was very unfortunate that he wasn't more flexible in maintaining sufficient heavy divisions but allowed them to bleed out in favor of lighter more mobile divisions. Lighter and mobile is good, but not for Iraq. Nor for North Korea. These are plans that are going to need to be rethought by the new SecDef. The military was resistant to those changes to their structure in the first place, but Rumsfeld didn't care.

Bye bye, Don Rumsfeld.

Democrats Take Over House: GOP Did This To Themselves

It appears that the Democrats did very well for themselves this time around, capturing control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

How bad the GOP did is still in the air and will be for some time to come as a number of Senate races are still too close to call.

President Bush and the GOP did this to themselves by not doing what they were supposed to over the last year with regards to illegal immigration, spending, fighting corruption and improving the situation in Iraq. They allowed election year politics to interfere with doing their j-o-b-s.

In some cases, moderate Republicans were defeated by conservative Democrats. That's not an altogether bad thing.

It will be interesting to see how this shapes up in the coming weeks and months. But if the Democrats go too liberal on the issues, they may make themselves as vulnerable as the GOP was in this election for the next time around.

Kerry Issues Apology To Military Personnel: Better Late than Never

Democratic leaders got hold of John Kerry very early today and "sent out a call for duct tape" according to Katie Couric and Bob Schieffer at CBS News. It was kind of funny to see how they described Kerry as being "taken out to the woodshed" by the party and that he was under orders to keep his mouth shut.

The apology itself was satisfactory, though he didn't mean it. He was pressured into making the statement by his fellow Democrats, who were worried about the splash that Kerry was making.

This very public thumping is very bad news for Kerry's hope of a 2008 presidential run.

(Awww, too bad.)

Kerry Will Be Democratic Scapegoat If Dems Don't Carry House and Senate

Senator Kerry acts upset when people don't believe that he didn't mean to insult the U.S. military, yet his history of playing both sides is entirely of his own creation. He's a master flip-flopper, as was demonstrated during the fiery Presidential campaign of 2004. Many people just don't believe him because of his history.

The Senator should apologize for giving offense instead of digging in his heels and trying to shift the story to President Bush. Everyone is well aware of the Bush Administration's faltering Iraq policy, but that is NO excuse for taking a pot shot at the military that is carrying out the orders that the civilian leadership gave them, WITH Senator Kerry's now-famous 'yes' vote on the Iraq War resolution.

Botched joke or not, he owes the military an apology for making a highly insulting comment.

The Democrats now have a scapegoat if they don't carry both the House and Senate. The groans from Democrats began almost immediately and have been reverberating from coast to coast ever since. No one thought that a Democrat as prominent as John Kerry would deliver the October Surprise to aid the GOP.

And this is the first time in a long while that Limbaugh, Hannity AND Savage have been in total agreement on their respective radio shows. That's amazing in itself.

It's highly doubtful that Kerry will be out of the news by tonight as a CNN analyst predicted. The Republicans are just going to keep egging Kerry on, and Kerry's going to keep responding, unless the Democratic party leaders get control of him.

I think it's safe to say that Senator Kerry has guaranteed an increase in conservative voter turnout next Tuesday. Should be interesting to see what effect this has on campaigns around the country.

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.

Is There a Real Need for Coast Guard Gunboats on Great Lakes?

I'm troubled by the deployment of armed U.S. Coast Guard boats with .30 caliber machine guns on the Great Lakes and the inauguration of live-fire exercises.

Are relations so bad with Canada that we're going to need to repel Canadian mounties showing up in rowboats to plant their flag on the U.S. side of the border?

Are we going to deploy sonar sensors to detect enemy submarines in Lake Superior?

What about putting a radar base on Isle Royale and reactivating KI Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to blow intruders out of the water?

The Great Lakes aren't the problem...the Mexican border is. They should secure that instead of scaring our Canadian neighbors and our own people who enjoy the Great Lakes.

If the Coast Guard wants it's sailors to practice with firearms, then they should deploy them to Florida periodically and help with drug interdiction efforts. That's about as live-fire as they can get without deploying to a combat area.

I don't want anyone I know getting their boat blown out from underneath them while they're fishing and minding their own business.

Klingon Bat'leth Seized in London Raid: Police Take Full Advantage of PR Stunt for Their Knife Amnesty Program

Star Trek fans who collect replicas of Klingon weapons could face prison time in London, England.

A bat'leth was seized from a home in Gloucaster, England, and put on display as an example of the terrible problem of knife violence in the streets of London.

Except that the bat'leth is too big and unwieldy to use in street crime. The bat'leth (a Klingon word for 'sword of honor') is between four and five feet long and has a wicked curve. The bat'leth was seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in episodes where the Klingons were engaged in combat. It's designed to be seen.

I think that the London police are after switchblade and butterfly knives and not the hobbies of Star Trek fanatics (who are not predisposed to cut off someone's head or take off someone's arm.) The bat'leth is an attention-getter. If someone is going to mug a person with a knife, they're going to use something small and can be easily concealed as they flee the crime scene.

And if people in London are afraid of a bat'leth, remember that a canoe paddle can separate a man's head from his body too. And so can a whole host of other common items that aren't thought of as dangerous weapons.

This entire affair is pretty dumb.

Heartbreak in Colorado: Gunman Kills Hostage, Self in Platte Canyon High School as SWAT Moves In

Memories of the terror at Columbine High School bubbled back to the surface again today as a gunman seized hostages in a Colorado high school and threatened to kill all of them if his demands were not met.

He had released four of them thanks to the efforts of intense police negotiations, but the situation began to deteriorate until the man broke off the dialogue and set a time for the police to meet his demands. SWAT stormed the building and blew open the door to the classroom, but the gunman killed one of his two hostages and then killed himself.

Why do these madmen target kids?

This time it looks like it was someone from outside the school system who attacked, and not students targeting students. They've GOT to lock down the schools tighter to keep those whose intentions are nasty OUT of there.

Contaminated Spinich Leads to Huge Questions: Where in Salinas Valley Did E. Coli Bacteria Start, and Are Other Vegetables Contaminated?

Perhaps I'm over-reacting, but I bought a package of Classic Iceberg vegetables (not mixed with spinich) the other day and noticed later that it was from Salinas, California, where health experts suspect that E. coli-contaminated spinich came from.

I decided not to open it, just to play it safe.

Then the news came that the E. coli bacteria was found in a processing plant, plus in five rivers in the Salinas Valley watershed, back on June 30th. Blame was cast on factory farms in the region, where liquid waste made it into the water table.

I've subsequently thrown the bag of Iceberg out and am looking for vegetables that do not come from the area.

So far people are sick or dying from the spinich that came out of there, but if E. coli IS present in the water, then it may be spread into the crops by the factory farms, which draw water out of the river system to irrigate the crops. I'm told that using river water to irrigate is a very common practice, and not just in this part of the country.

The questions that need to be answered and soon:

Is E. coli present in the watershed as is being reported by the media? If it is, has the contaminated water been used to irrigate the crops?

How widespread is the E. coli contamination in the watershed?

Is there a connection between the contaminated water and the bad spinich, or is it a mere coincidence?

Is the processing plant currently being examined by investigators used to process other vegetables? And if so, which ones?

Should we be buying any fruits or vegetables from the Salinas Valley for now?

How worried should we be?

The local supermarket only carries bagged vegetables from Salinas, so for the moment, bagged salads from Salinas are off my menu, until they nail down the problem and fix it.

Pope Should Not Go to Turkey: Danger is Too Great

Pope Benedict XVI should not go to Turkey in November.

It's too dangerous and he's too tempting a target for a dunderheaded extremist to ignore. What kind of situation will exist if a Roman Catholic Pontiff is assassinated in a Muslim country, even if it's considered a moderate government and friend of the West?

I hope the Pope does reconsider going to Turkey. Now isn't the time.

US Navy Retires F-14 Tomcat: F/A-18 to Replace Cold War Weapon

The United States Navy retired the F-14 Tomcat from service today after 34 years of service. The fighter projected American air power into all corners of the world and protected the various U.S. Navy fleets and bases.

The F/A-18 Hornet will replace it.

Most will remember the F-14 from the Tom Cruise film "Top Gun" in 1986.

It got very expensive to maintain the fighter, which required forty hours of service on the ground to keep it in the air for one hour of flight time. Over the last year every F-14 squadron was deactivated and their equipment flown back to the United States for mothballing, dismantling, or preparation for their new role as museum pieces.

The Soviets definitely didn't like the F-14; it was designed to shoot down Soviet bombers and fighters that were threatening U.S. Navy aircraft carriers or military bases. Now Iran is the only nation left in the world flying the F-14 and they're in various states of disrepair since the U.S. government won't sell them spare parts to maintain the air-superiority fighter.

Wikipedia has a fairly complete list of F-14 squadrons and their histories. It should be noted that some of the F-14 squadrons now fly the F/A-18 as well as other combat aircraft.

Chavez Uses the Very Free Speech to Criticize Bush That He Denies to His Own People

Much is being said about Venezuelan President Chavez's juvenile comments at the U.N. and in Harlem the last couple of days.

Ironic that he criticized Bush on a free speech platform that he denies to his own people. He ought to allow that kind of speech at home against him, as he is not as universally loved by his people as some would have you believe.

Churches Set on Fire, Nun Murdered by Uneducated Dolts Professing to Belong to Islam: Divine Retribution Awaits Them, Not Virgins in Paradise

As predicted, news broke that the uneducated dunderheads began killing Roman Catholics and burning down churches belonging to several Christian denominations, and not only the Roman Catholic Church.

Seven churches have been damaged or destroyed by firebombs. Also, an elderly Roman Catholic num was gunned down in a childrens' hospital in Somalia in apparent revenge for Pope Benedict XVI's remark about force-conversion of the unwilling being evil. She was shot three times in the back and died in an operating room a short time later.

So what did the nun do wrong that made her a victim of Somali gunmen in a hospital? What earned her a death penalty from Muslim extremists?

Not a thing, except that she was a Catholic and she was a convenient target.

Islam, Judism and Christianity all share some core beliefs found in the Old Testament. Among those are a strict prohibition against the murder of innocents. Yet these dunderheads persist in slaughtering innocent people under the banner of a religion that says their actions are "un-Islamic." They bring shame to their entire religion and add to the misunderstanding and distrust about Islam that already exists in the West.

Some of their senior clerics were on the radio yesterday, calling the murder of the nun a vile act from those who profane Islam with their ill-considered actions.

Someone needs to tell her killers that the only one going to heaven out of that situation will be the nun, who was killed while caring for the sick and injured in that hospital, and forgave her killers with her dying words.

No virgins await the killers in paradise. All that awaits them is God, who abhors the murder of innocents and has already welcomed Sister Leonella into heaven.

Crocodile Hunter Remembered: Steve Irwin's Life Celebrated in Memorial Service

Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, was remembered in a memorial service at the zoo that he co-owned and loved. Some 5,000 people were in attendance and the service was carried live around the world.

It was a celebration of Steve Irwin's life and comes two weeks after his fatal encounter with a stingray, which perceived his presence as a threat and rammed it's tail barb into his chest, killing the popular conservationist and TV star.

It was a very nice service.

May he rest in peace.

Muslim Reaction to Pope's Words are Confusing: Are They Defending Spreading Their Religion Through the Sword and Proving the Pope's Point for Him?

Pope Benedict XVI is under fire from Muslims around the world, and angry demonstrations are taking place in many Muslim countries because of his quotation of a Byzantine emperor who criticized Mohammed's use of jihad to force-convert others to Islam. Muslims are taking offense...when they shouldn't.

The pope was making the point that religious teachings that call for forced conversions to any religion were and are evil. So he was also criticizing Christianity too, but the Muslims seem to be ignoring that fact.

No apology from the Pope is warranted.

On a related topic, I see the Jewish population around the world hasn't held violent street protests over the publication of Holocaust cartoons in Iran and Europe. They haven't burned down any embassies or murdered bystanders in those countries.

Oh, right. The Jews don't do that. The extremist Muslims do.

Strange how some members of a so-called "religion of peace" throw it straight into the garbage can whenever it suits them, whether it's over a publication of a cartoon of Mohammed, or the Roman Catholic Pontiff pointing out that any religion that resorts to violence to convert the unwilling is worthy of that same garbage can.

When will the extremist Muslim double-standards stop? And how many embassies are they going to burn this time with their (barely) adolescent behavior? How many (of their own) people will pay the ultimate price when they're killed in the streets to satisfy their religious blood-lust?

September 11th Observed: We Will Never Forget the Heroes of 9/11

No politics today.

Patriot Day went off without a hitch, as millions from around the world paused to remember the horrifying events of September 11th, 2001, and to remember the names of the lost.

May they rest in peace.

9/11 Video of South Tower Collapse: Video Debunks "Building Brought Down by Explosives" Argument

I had not see this video of one of the World Trade Center towers collapsing before. This particular video was shot over on 6th Avenue according to the caption as the South Tower began to break apart. It is zoomed in so close that you can see debris falling away from the building, then the corner twists inward and the entire thing just caves in.

This video seems to debunk the 9/11 conspiracy theorists that the building was brought down by demolition charges. It is clearly a structural failure.

What I found amazing was that the floors on the top part of the building were pancaking the same way as the floors that were at the line of collapse as the whole thing caved in under its own weight. This was all going on simutaneously.

Pay particular attention to the hole in the concrete slab on the corner of the building as it twisted in on itself.

Withdrawing From Iraq Immediately Won't Change the World Situation One Bit: Americans Will Continue to Die

It's amazing that people assume that if we pulled out of Iraq immediately that the violence would stop and Americans would cease being killed by terrorists, both in foreign lands and in our own lands. That's not what would happen. History proves it.

To illustrate that point, let's take a look at how many Americans have died and been maimed since the jihaddis declared war on us before we realized we were in a war. I've also included figures for the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

1993 World Trade Center Bombing---------6 dead, >1,000 wounded
1/25/93 Shooting at CIA HQ------------------2 dead, 3 wounded
1998 Embassy Bombings--------------------12 dead, unknown number of wounded
Khobar Tower Bombings--------------------19 dead, 24 wounded
2000 USS Cole Bombing--------------------17 dead, 39 wounded
9/11 Terror Attacks------------------------2,902 dead, >10,000 wounded/sick
Afghan War*----------------------------------329 dead, 893 wounded
Iraq War*------------------------------------2,974 dead, >19,773 wounded
*As of 9/5/06

Totals:
6, 261 dead Americans
>31,732 wounded Americans

All of this due to the jihaddis deciding to murder people to protest U.S. foreign policy decisions.

They won't stop once the war in Iraq is over. They've already been killing Americans for over ten years...both here and over there, and before we went after Iraq and Afghanistan. And the number would be worse if we included all the 1980's hijackings of airliners, passenger ferries and bombings, such as the 1986 Berlin nightclub bombing and Pan-Am Flight 103.

A pullout from Iraq now would simply be a signal to the terrorists that the old target was taken down and a new one put up in it's place.

Honestly, how long after a pull-out would it be before an Iraq War jihaddi walked into a New York cafe with an explosive belt and blew himself to hell and brought the war to our streets? It would only take one incident like that to prove that the "fight terrorism over there to keep it from coming over here" crowd was right. ONE.

As much pain as the Iraq War has caused here, we can't leave until the Iraqi government is strong enough to stand alone and rely on it's own resources to secure itself.

More Election Year Politics: Immigration Reform Set Aside By GOP Despite Major Problems Across the Border in Mexico

In a very unwise move, the GOP shelved plans to address immigration reform before Election Day, in spite of Mexico's continued disputed Presidential Election and growing threat of political violence across Mexico.

This decision may come back and bite them hard.

Mexico's Supreme Court upheld the election results this morning, but Mr. Obrador has vowed to disregard the decision if it didn't go his way.

He's also said that he would form a rival government and attempt to run Mexico, while disrupting the legitimate leadership of Mr. Caulderon. This can only go so far. With President Fox vowing to install the winner by any means necessary, this escalates the possibility of violence.

The GOP is trying to focus attention on their political strengths in order to reinforce their election campaigns, but securing the border will quickly become a national security issue if Mexico erupts in violence. This is not a problem that they should sweep under the carpet. Immigration reform includes securing the border, which is also a national security matter, but they're choosing to ignore it because it doesn't help them win their elections.

People will start to come across the border in force if violence does begin in earnest and our immigration problem will be ten times worse in very short order. And in a worse-case scenario, Mexicans already living here take up arms against other Mexicans living here who support the opposite side.

We don't need this. Like I said before, Mexico's problems have to stay south of the Rio Grande.

Mexican Election Court Set to Make Final Ruling Tuesday: Leftist Challenger Vows to Form Second Government, Setting Stage For Civil War

The Mexican court system is set to make it's final ruling on the disputed July 2nd presidential election sometime Tuesday.

It is widely believed that it will choose to affirm the results of the election. But the challenger has vowed not to accept such a decision, claiming that he will form a new government in Mexico City, attempt to collect taxes, and to put the winner of the election, Felipe Calderon, "under seige."

Protests have already turned violent, with police using clubs and tear gas to break up a small protest after the protesters began throwing rocks at them. This is merely a sign of things to come if the court affirms the election results.

Outgoing President Fox has vowed to make sure that the winner is installed as Mexico's sole leader, whether it's Calderon or his opponent, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. This is going to get a lot worse real quick.

TV's "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin Dies: Severe Injury From Stingray Kills TV Star

Well-known Austrailian "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin died early today from a severe injury caused from a stingray stabbing him in the chest.

It happened as Irwin was scuba diving and swam over the top of the stingray. It reacted and one of the fish's tail barbs hit him hard, going through his chest and into his heart.

Fans and detractors alike are in shock. He was 44 and leaves his wife and two children behind.

Many questioned his wisdom over doing the kind of stunts that he did, but over time he just seemed to anticipate every possible behavior displayed by the creatures he stalked. His reaction time was nothing short of astonishing. He didn't die facing a crocodile on land. He was hurt underwater, where his speed and reaction time were neutralized and the advantage belonged to the creatures of that underwater realm.

I still think his decision to hold his baby while feeding one of his crocodiles a couple of years ago was a very bad mistake and it harmed his public image. I referred to him as an idiot at the time. But the work he has done since then in the area of crocodile research aided the scientific community and his popularity rebounded after a while. His documentaries are facinating.

His legacy will endure through his research.

His death is being described as a "freakish" accident, but that's a demeaning way to describe how a man died. May he Rest in Peace.

Mexican Democracy Under Fire: Mob Rule Reigns in Halls of Mexican Government

Mexican democracy is in grave danger of being toppled.

Opposition members of the Mexican Congress physically took control of the floor of their chamber, preventing President Fox from delivering his final State of the State address. The protesting members are supporting leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's challenge of the July 2nd presidential election which he lost by a slim margin.

Huge street protests have been taking place, and though no one has said it openly, Mexico is headed toward a civil war. That's my opinion. Now is the time to reinforce our border with Mexico as Mexican problems need to stay south of the Rio Grande. We don't need their political problems to spill over our border.

Democrats Haven't Articulated What Their Party's Alternatives to GOP Plans Are: They Can't Replace Something With Nothing and Expect to Win Election

The Democratic are employing their "stealth" strategy again across the country, refusing to take positions on anything. They are very vocal in saying "NO" to GOP legislation, "NO" to President Bush, and "NO" to those in their own party who disagree with the activists who appear to have captured control of the Democratic Party.

So far they are sitting back and enjoying making the GOP squirm as early polls point to voter dissatisfaction with the GOP-controlled House, which is dominated by "moderate" (aka closet liberal) Republicans.

Does anyone remember the "Anyone but Bush" mantra employed by the Democrats during the 2004 Presidential campaign? They used this to draw attention away from Kerry's terrible record of being on both sides of an issue and flip-flopping like a fish out of water during the campaign itself; Kerry's unwillingness to take a side on specific issues didn't help them either.

There's no doubt that the Republicans will definitely lose some seats in the House, but how many? Pundits have already awarded control of the House to the Democrats, but it isn't over until the fat lady sings. And she isn't singing until Election Day is over.

If the Dems rely too much on voter dissatisfaction alone to win the day, they may not have things go their way. Voters want to hear what candidates stand for. And they want to cast their vote based on those views. The Republicans are speaking loud and clear, but the Democrats aren't.

They're using a failed tactic again, hoping that voters will put them back in charge of the government BEFORE they put their platform together.

Casting a blind vote like that is not an option. People need to think before they vote.

No Word on Damage to Wake Island from Super-Typhoon

There's no word yet on how Wake Island fared from taking a direct hit from Super-Typhoon Ioke. The island atoll was expected to be completely submerged as the storm pushed water over the top of the low-lying island.

The U.S. Navy and Air Force are sending units to assess the damage to the island and to see if the waters have receded.


Should be interesting to see.