The Path to 9/11

Over the weekend there were a firestorm of stories of how high ranking members of the Democratic Party demanded that ABC pull the broadcast of The Path to 9-11. Immediately there were comparisons to the CBS mini-series about Ronald Reagan, only that time conservatives were the ones screaming that the mini-series was factually inaccurate. The producers called both mini-series "docu-dramas", this is just deceptive term that is only meant to confused viewers into believing that that what they are seeing is actually the truth but sprinkled with enough lies to keep the drama moving forward. I hate this "docu-drama" term, lets stop pretending that this is a "fair and balance" news report. There is no way that the people in charge of the creative process of creating any "work" can remove their personal emotions from their representation of the truth. It's naturally going to be slanted. I personally don't believe that there is anything wrong with that. It's not that hard to understand, imagine the difference if the Passion of the Christ was directed by Rob Reiner rather than Mel Gibson.

I think I am one of the few people in this country that saw both the Reagan and the 9-11 mini-series. One difference I noticed during the entire controversy was the way liberals went about lobbying ABC vs. the way conservatives went after CBS. The Pull the Reagan mini-series was a grass root movement of people who were ready to boycott any advertiser sponsoring the program. The Yank 9-11 Campaign consisted of a few high ranking Democrats and Clinton advisors who threatened ABC's license to broadcast. Not that any of this matter because the real difference between the two shows was that the Reagan mini-series was downright horrible (which is the real reason why CBS pulled it) and The Path to 9-11 was exceptional, probably the best mini-series aired on any broadcast network in decades (which is why ABC aired the program).

The Greased Wheel Continues to Roll

With the Illinois State Primary quickly approaching I can't help reflecting on the worst vote I ever made. In 1998 George Ryan, then Secretary of State, was running to be Governor of Illinois. Ryan was what is called a moderate Republican, a deceptive term. Moderate enough to gain trust of centrist democrats and a wink to say to republicans that I am one of you. That vote taught me that you can trust anyone that tries to please everyone. Ryan raised tax after tax, made inappropriate overtures to Fidel Castro, handed government contracts to cronies, gave truck driver licenses in exchange for a campaign donation and subverted state law by placing a moratorium on the executions of death row inmates. Ryan's actions as governor were no where close to my values as a republican and if the 5 month trial against the former governor proved anything at all, it is that Ryan did nothing moderately. This week the jury will begin to decide Ryan's fate on charges of mail fraud, tax invasion, conspiracy and racketeering. One can only hope they throw the book at him.

Judy Barr Topinka, a moderate Republican with political ties to George Ryan, leads the pack of hopefuls to unseat Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Topinka is an interesting character, cut from the same pack of cigs as Marge Schott, and like Marge, has a tendency to run her mouth a bit too much. Yesterday, while speaking to a group of supporters she said, "It's hard to debate when you have to debate a bunch of morons." Topinka was referring to her more conservative challengers in the primary. I all can think is here we go again.

Conventional wisdom says that Illinois isn't ready to elect a conservative. I don't necessarily buy that, Peter Fitzgerald won his election for the U.S Senate in '98 and was very popular for his independent conservative thinking and being a fierce defender for a clean government. In fact, his nomination of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (no relation to the former Senator) began the investigation into Ryan's ethical problems. Perhaps this was the reason why in 2004 Topinka, then Chairperson of the State GOP committee, lead the effort to defeat her own party's incumbent Senator and refused to give him the GOP's endorsement. The net result was Sen. Fitzgerald retiring rather fighting an uphill battle against party officials (Topinka) who remained loyal to a crooked Gov. Ryan. Add the incompetent campaigns of Jack Ryan and Allen Keyes and you had the makings of an easy victory for Barak Obama. Smooth move Judy.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for a big tent Republican Party, it's the main reason why I gave Ryan my vote in '98, but apparently Topinka doesn't have any tolerance for those she calls "right wing wackos". Therefore, she won't be getting my support in this election.

King Mell and Queen Judy share a warm and fuzzy moment

Even without my vote Topinka stands a good chance of winning in November. Topinka is a master of political maneuvering and understands how the Chicago machine works. She has made allies with the men that control the Chicago voting machine, including Dick Mell, who just so happens to be the father-in-law to Blagojevich. Mell's talent to get out the vote is well known; somehow he was able to deliver 92% support from the Chicago's northside for his son-in-law in the last gubernatorial election. That's not likely to happen this election as Blago and Mell have been publicly feuding and Topinka is more than capable to exploit this troubled relationship. Ryan may die in jail but that's not going to stop the insider deals and corruption in this state.

One of Largest Biodiesel Plants To Be Built in Indiana

This report posted on Green Car Congress

8 March 2006

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels announced that Louis Dreyfus Agriculture Industries plans to build one of the world’s largest biodiesel plants yet near Claypool, Indiana. Daniels made the announcement during his remarks at the 2nd National Agriculture/Forestry Renewable Energy Summit in Washington, DC.

With this facility—which will ultimately produce up to 250,000 gallons of biodiesel per day, or more than 80 million gallons per year—two other biodiesel and six ethanol plants currently under construction, Indiana will become a leading producer in the biofuels industry.

Several firms in Malaysia are planning palm-biodiesel plants with annual outputs of 300,000 tonnes—about 90 million gallons per year. (Earlier post.)

It’s been a hectic year of dramatic progress in renewable fuels development in our state. If Indiana can do this, think what America can do to work toward energy self-sufficiency. In just one year, we’re growing from one alternative fuels plant to nine, with more to come. We said our ag sector would be a big part of our economic comeback, and here’s the proof.

—Governor Daniels

Indiana is the fifth-largest corn state and the fourth-largest soybean state. With the facilities under construction, the state will produce an additional 400 million gallons of ethanol annually and 95 million gallons of biodiesel (including Louis Dreyfus). Indiana’s goal is to produce a combined 1 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel annually.

Louis Dreyfus will build the project in two phases. The first will be a 50-million bushel per year soybean processing plant, and the second phase will be the biodiesel production facility. The plant will utilize Indiana soybeans.

Upon completion, the Louis Dreyfus facility will be one of the first biodiesel production plants to be fully integrated with a soybean processing plant. About 260,000 metric tons of soybean oil from the plant will be used each year for biodiesel production. In addition, 1 million tons of protein-rich soybean meal produced each year will be used by the livestock and poultry industry.

Kirby Puckett
1960-2006

"I was told I would never make it because I'm too short. Well, I'm still too short, but I've got 10 All-Star games, two World Series championships, and I'm a very happy and contented guy. It doesn't matter what your height is, it's what's in your heart."

– Puckett, at his 1996 retirement press conference.

    Year     Tm  Lg  G   AB    R    H  2B 3B  HR  RBI     BA    OBP   SLG  TB

    1984    MIN AL 128  557   63  165  12  5   0   31    .296  .320  .336  187
    1985    MIN AL 161  691   80  199  29 13   4   74    .288  .330  .385  266
    1986    MIN AL 161  680  119  223  37  6  31   96    .328  .366  .537  365
    1987    MIN AL 157  624   96  207  32  5  28   99    .332  .367  .534  333  
    1988    MIN AL 158  657  109  234  42  5  24  121    .356  .375  .545  358  
    1989    MIN AL 159  635   75  215  45  4   9   85    .339  .379  .465  295  
    1990    MIN AL 146  551   82  164  40  3  12   80    .298  .365  .446  246
    1991    MIN AL 152  611   92  195  29  6  15   89    .319  .352  .460  281
    1992    MIN AL 160  639  104  210  38  4  19  110    .329  .374  .490  313
    1993    MIN AL 156  622   89  184  39  3  22   89    .296  .349  .474  295
    1994    MIN AL 108  439   79  139  32  3  20  112    .317  .362  .540  237
    1995    MIN AL 137  538   83  169  39  0  23   99    .314  .379  .515  277   

My Thoughts On The Oscars

The Oscars over and hopefully so is the endless chatter about Brokeback Mountain. Don't get me wrong, Brokeback Mountain is a good film. The film looked good and the acting was fine. However, Crash is a great film and certainly was the most important movie of the year. I'm very glad it won. This is the second year in a row that Paul Hagis wrote the best film of the year, he was responsible for last year's winner Million Dollar Baby.

Congratulations to Eric Simonson for his Best Documentary (Short Subject) Oscar. Eric was my acting ensemble teacher at Columbia College. I know an Oscar winner, how about that!

I thought it was interesting that Sid Ganis (President of the Academy) and Jake Gyllenhaal made comments that movies were meant to be seen on the big screen. Do they believe that home theaters are the reason why the box office receipts are down this year? Heaven forbid Hollywood should make better movies.

When Hard Out Here for a Pimp won for Best Song I couldn't help but think of Kristi Hoening, who was died last week after her pimp collected $120 from the man who would later kill her. The pimp is sitting in jail after he failed to make his $5 million dollar bond. After honoring a song like that is it any surprise to hear people say Hollywood is out of touch?

Well apparently being out of touch fits George Clooney just fine. Clooney claims that an out of touch Hollywood brings attention to important social problems, such as AIDS awareness. Clooney didn't realize that it was nearly 10 years after AIDS came to the forefront of public conscientiousness that a major film released from Hollywood finally addressed the AIDS issue (Philadelphia-1993). If Clooney considers this a good response time then we can all thank goodness he isn't running FEMA.

Clooney spoke with pride when he mentioned Hattie McDaniel's Oscar award winning performance as an example of Hollywood's help in advancing the civil rights movement. You have to wonder if Clooney has ever seen Gone With the Wind. I would hardly call McDaniel's "Mammy" the role that broke racial barriers, just the opposite, it probably did more to reinforced stereotypes. Maybe someone should tell George that it was 33 years before the next black woman was nominated for a best actress award (Diana Ross - Lady Sings the Blues) and 62 years before a black woman won the Oscar again (Halle Berry - Monster's Ball). George Clooney, you’re not out of touch. You're out of your mind!

Hate Begets Hate

Thanks to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich we now know what happens when the members of the Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes hate each other. In 2005 Governor Blagojecvich apointed to serve on the panel Sister Claudette Marie Johnson, an official in Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam. Considering Farrakhan's and the Nation of Islam message of intolerance towards Jews, homosexuals and "the man" (the white man), it is hardly suprising that such an appointment would raise a few eyebrows.

For those of you that are unfamilar with the message the Rev. Louis Farrakhan preaches to his followers I thought I would share a few remarks that Sister Johnson refuses to disavow herself from:

Expert from Farrahkan's Saviour Day's Speech, 02/26/06 - Chicago, IL
“These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength…It’s the wicked Jews the false Jews that are promoting Lesbianism, homosexuality. It’s wicked Jews, false Jews that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic!”

Remarks at a Huricanne Katrina Shelter, 09/15/05 - Charolette, NC
“I heard from a very reliable source that under that levee there was a 25 foot hole, which suggested that it may have been blown up, so that the water would destroy the black part of town, and where the whites lived, it would be dry.”

National Black Agenda Conference, 03/18/04 - Boston, MA.
“I call them the so-called Jews because to be a Jew you have to adhere to the statutes and laws that create the special relationship. How can you be a Jew and promote homosexual marriage?”

To date four Jewish members of Commission have chose to resigned rather than serve alongside a high ranking official of the Nation of Islam, but supporters of Sister Johnson claim to remove her from the Commission would be nothing more than guilt by association. Well, thats right. Sister Johnson was given ample opprotunity to refute Farrakhan's statements and she has refused. To me that is tacit approval to Farrakhan's message of hate. Because of this Sister Johnson is not someone who should serve on a commission whose mission is to foster education efforts and help implement policies and state laws that battle violence and acts of discrimination which are based on ethnicity, religion, skin color, gender, disability or sexual orientation.

Pete's Worse Bet

In 1970 I saw my first major league baseball game at Crosley Field. To be honest I don't remember much of the game, but I do remember the walking up to the gate, the poles used to support the upper grandstand and the excitement of the crowd. I was 5 years old at the time and my love affair with the Cincinnati Reds began with that one game.

When you are 5 years old the entire world is bigger than you, but nothing was bigger than the Big Red Machine. Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Pete Rose, these guys were my heroes and they could do no wrong! Years pass and you begin to realize that the heroes you held so high are merely human, imperfect in every sense as we all are. No one typifies this point more so than Peter Edward Rose. Pete Rose is about as human as it gets.

The days leading up to August 24th, 1989, when Pete was banished from baseball, were the craziest days that Cincinnati had ever seen. This was when 24 hour news reporting was beginning to hit stride and filling air time was at a premium. I remember going to a Reds game in late July of '89 and seeing a city of satellite dishes fill the plaza at Riverfront Stadium and parade down towards Mehring Way. Rumors and allegations were flying everywhere, there was no escaping the Pete Rose gambling story. It wasn't a surprise to see your neighbor, grade school teacher or knothole coach being interrogated by a TV reporter on how Pete Rose affected their lives. Until I witnessed the O.J. Trial I never saw news agencies hunger for more angles to a story than the Pete Rose gambling scandal.

Anyone who knows me can attest that the 14 years following Bart Giamatti's banishment decree I stood by my fallen hero and defended him at every opportunity. Then in January of 2004 Pete Rose finally admitted that he bet on baseball including games involving the Cincinnati Reds. The admission also came with an apology. Pete was sorry for lying to his fans and to the game of baseball. I was crushed but was able to admit to myself that Pete Rose broke the cardinal rule of baseball, albiet 14 years too late. Before this, so long as there was a mere doubt of Pete's guilt, I was hoping that he would be reinstated to the game that made him my hero. Now that Pete Rose has admitted he put the integrity of the game in jeopardy and any doubts of innocence that may have existed are gone, I feel that he should be banned for life.

But there is something to this story that nags at me, why after 14 years of fierce denials would Pete finally come clean to the baseball world and his fans? This month, Phillies slugger and Pete's friend, Mike Schmidt releases a book that details meetings Pete Rose had with MLB officials, including Bud Selig. Pete was assured that his reinstatement would be considered so long as he admitted his guilt and apologized for allowing this cloud to hang over the baseball world. I would have never made this deal, you see I believe in the rule of law and the rules state that if you bet on baseball you are out of the game. But the rule of law should include that a person has the right to the assumption of innocence and the protection from self-incrimination. Bud Selig and his cronies enticed Rose to incriminate himself with the bargain that it will get him reinstated to baseball. Pete Rose lived up to his side of the deal but Selig still refuses to consider reinstatement. According to Schmidt, "He (Selig) told me he got the confession he had expected, but not the expression of genuine remorse he had hoped for."

One has to wonder what Selig considers an expression of genuine remorse, for that matter, what makes him qualified to recognize true remorse. At this point I have to believe that Pete was duped. Nothing Pete could have done would have satisfied Bud Selig and MLB. They never really intended to reinstate Pete Rose in the first place, regardless of how much remorse Rose showed or didn't show. All they were concerned with was that they got Pete to admit to the public that he lied as a means to stop all the urging from his fans to bring Rose back into the game. Shame on you Bud Selig, for as righteous as you think you are in that lofty perch called the Commissioner's Office you are no better than Pete Rose. The gamble that Pete took that Selig's word was worth more than his own was a bet that Pete lost.

Help Wanted

This posting for an internship at the Bill Clinton Foundation (sometimes commentary isn't needed).

We Can Make a World of Difference

Upon leaving office, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation with the dual missions of constructing and endowing the Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock, Arkansas and continuing the work of his presidency to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. The Clinton Foundation advances its mission by using President Clinton’s public and private networks to initiate research, dialogue, and action, and is currently focusing its work in four critical areas:

• Health Security
• Economic Empowerment
• Leadership Development and Citizen Service
• Racial, Ethnic and Religious Reconciliation

If you are an undergraduate, graduate or professional student or a recent graduate with your own strong interest in crucial issues of our day, the Clinton Foundation Intern Program offers a unique opportunity for growth, learning and meaningful service. We are looking for people who are dependable, enthusiastic, professional, and intelligent.

Hands-on experience: Interns have the responsibility of interacting directly with staff, volunteers and Foundation stakeholders, in such activities as communications, development, and scheduling. Through firsthand experience you learn how the Clinton Foundation functions on a daily basis, and assist with this process directly.

Joke Time

Uncle Ed sent this to me. I just love jokes like this :).....

The Moles

A mama mole, a papa mole, and a baby mole all live in a little mole hole.

One day the papa mole sticks his head out of the hole, sniffs the air and says,"Yum! I smell maple syrup!"

The mama mole sticks her head out of the hole, sniffs the air and says "Yum! I smell honey!"

The baby mole tries to stick his head out of the hole to sniff the air, but can't because the bigger moles are in the way so he says, "Geez, all I can smell is....MOLASSES"

------
Coffee Dilemma

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.

The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee".

The husband said, " You are in charge of the cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."

Wife replies, "No you should do it, and besides it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."

Husband replies, " I can't believe that, show me."

So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and shows him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says:

"HEBREWS"

----

What did the fish say when he swam into a wall?

Dam!

----

Two Peanuts went to the Police Station to file a complaint that they were a salted.


----

One day there was these three tomatoes walking down the street, a mama tomato, a daddy tomato and a baby tomato. the baby tomato was walking too slow, so the daddy tomato went back, stepped on him and said ketchup!

Shani Davis, A Smile Can Go A Long Way.

It seems that the biggest story coming from the Winter Games in Torin, Italy is the lack of viewers. Well, there are some very good reasons why Americans are choosing to watch alternative programming. The first being that we really do have a choice these days, 200 plus channels of choice. So whatever NBC execs decide to broadcast better be compelling enough to sit through. Sorry to say, but men wearing crush velvet and rhinestones, who float on and off the ice just doesn't cut it.

You also have to fault NBC for not having enough of a build up leading into the games. When ABC had the games they used their Wide World of Sports to introduce us to the leading characters in the events. When Franz Klammer came up on the hill we already knew who he was and were ready to root for him. These insipid human interest stories designed to get me to have some type of emotional response to the athletes should be delegated to a segment on Oprah not cluttering up your prime time coverage. Not to mention that it helps to get the story right, many Chicagoans were surprised to find out that Hyde Park and Evanston are in the ghetto. Believe me, if Hyde Park was part of the ghetto the Rev. Jessie Jackson wouldn't be living there.

Does anyone at NBC realize there is a 5 hour delay? How about editing some of the events so we can get straight to the action! Do I really need to see a hockey match between Latvia and Kazakhstan? I barely need to know the score, yet alone seeing every power play. But I have to admit I am falling in love with Curling, what a fun sport. Almost makes me want to go to Minnesota just to have a beer with those guys.

For the next games lets hope that the network and corporate sponsors put their money on the right horse and not one that just looks like a horse. The Bode Miller hype has been a complete disaster! No matter how hard you try, you can't get away from the Nike commercials. Though you have to smile when you hear him say "...You can either learn from me or not learn from me." Really? I think we all learned that it's not the best training practice to close the bars the night before your competition. And 'Be a Bodeist', that's on the fringe of being offensive. Let's just hope the Muslim radicals don't see that commercial, they will be rioting for the next month and I might just join them.

And finally, someone at NBC needs to learn that a bitter rivalry is not necessarily good TV. The Chad Hedrick - Shani Davis drama is more disturbing than interesting and the media just wants to fuel the fires. What's not being understood is that both men came to the games wanting to make history. Hedrick wanted to be the first speed skater to win five medals in one games since Eric Hieden did it in 1980, and Davis wanted to become the first black man to win a gold medal ever at the Winter Games. Lofty ambitions are good for anyone to aspire and inspire. But Hedrick doesn't comprehend that his ambitions are his ambitions and it's not right for someone to have to sacrifice reaching their goals just for his interests. The fact of the matter is that Davis trained for years for this opportunity, the relay race was the day before 1000 meter event, the best chance for Davis to medal in these games. Why should anyone risk fatigue or potential injury when they are so close to reaching the pinnacle of their career? Don't go saying "There is no I in Team", heard it all before. Speed skating has never been a team event. In fact, this relay race is a relatively new event. What Shani Davis needs is a good PR man to change the angry way he is handling the controversy. He is making Leon look like the most sensitive man in America since Alan Alda.

It's Morning in America Mr. Gumbel!

You don't hear very much from Bryant Gumbel since his exile (banishment) from morning television. But apparently at least one person viewed his Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO, where Gumbel's remarks on the Winter Olympics is quoted as saying:

"...try not to be incredulous when someone attempts to link these games to those of the ancient Greeks who never heard of skating or skiing. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention."

Even more surprising than Gumbel’s correct usage of the word "paucity", is his comparison of the "white" winter games to a GOP Convention. It seems that Bryant has been out of "real news" reporting a bit too long. While you can make the case that "paucity of blacks" exists among the athletes at the Winter Games, you would be hard press to make that argument in the big tent called the Republican Party. Three of the highest profile election races this year features African Americans who are all Republicans. Early polls shows Lynn Swan and Ken Blackwell leading in their race to be become Governors of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and Michael Steele is making a strong case for victory in his U.S. Senate race in Maryland. What is even more amazing is that these men are running as conservatives in the tradition of Ronald Reagan!

Let’s look at what has happened since Bryant Gumbel stopped giving Americans their first look at the daily news. The 2004 Presidential Elections showed a 4% evaporation of the nationwide black support of Democratic candidate John Kerry. In the state of Ohio, George Bush won 17% of the African American vote thanks in large part to Ken Blackwell. A recent AP-AOL Black Voices poll showed Condoleezza Rice and Collin Powell finishing right behind Jessie Jackson as the "most important" black leader in America today. These are not just "token" voices; In addition to Powell and Rice, President Bush has brought to his administration J.C. Watts, Rod Paige, Claude Allen and Michael Powell. At the same time we have seen the emergence of outspoken social commentators like Armstrong Williams, Joseph C. Phillips, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell and TV's Good Times star Jimmy "JJ" Walker.

Yes Mr. Gumbel, whether you want to admit it or not, as the average African-American combats the daily threats to their community caused by a poor educational system, crime and moral decadence, they turn more and more to conservatism to provide much needed solutions.

This is not lost on the Democratic Party leadership, which explains why Michael Steele is pelted with Oreo cookies at every rally and Hillary Clinton's "plantation" remark to a black audience in Harlem. But if claims of "Uncle Tom-ism" and race-baiting are the only answers the Democratic Party has to solve the problems facing African-Americans then they will continue to lose elections in November.

News from the H'Wood

Just when you thought Hollywood couldn't get loonier, along comes this story reported on http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2006-02-16/.


Hilton To Play Mother Teresa?

Socialite Paris Hilton has reportedly been asked to play celebrated humanitarian Mother Teresa in a movie biopic. Indian director T. Rajeevnath has contacted the hotel heiress about taking the lead role in his new film, which will chronicle the late nun's life. He tells MTV.co.uk, "My agents in California have contacted Paris Hilton. Although there are several actresses willing to play the role of Mother Teresa, the most widely respected and loved person, the history of the actress who is finally chosen for the role would have to be analyzed thoroughly before she is chosen."

The Media and the Story They Want To Tell

The press, out of tradition, has always taken great joy in tearing down larger than life characters and great institutions of society. However, over the past decade the mainstream media has gotten incredibly lazy. Rather than researching and reporting the facts of the story, they seem to take their cue directly from the talking points of the mouth piece of the left wing political machine. Two stories of the day illustrate this perfectly; Dick Cheney's hunting accident and the British Soldiers apparent beating of Iraqi protestors.

Despite the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department report, finding no alcohol at the scene and no obvious intent, meaning they ruled it an accident. And despite witness accounts that describe the accident as an error in hunters' judgment, the liberal left immediately(Paul Begala and Joshua Michan Marshall) began to cast suspicion on Cheney and the White House because of an 18 hour delay in the announcement of the accident. Naturally, the media picked up on this, prompting the White House Press Corps to ask no less than 25 questions and follow-ups on the subject. Apparently Iraq, Iran, Energy Policy, unemployment numbers, the upcoming Katrina Report and the most severe winter storm in years, all take a back seat to the hunting accident and possible conspiracy. Hells bells, even Helen Thomas didn't get a chance to do her daily diatribe on how President Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. One has to ask what was the press hunting for after the same question was asked over and over? Even after White House Spokesperson, Scott Mclellan reasonably explained that the immediate focus and concern was getting Mr. Whittington the medical attention he obviously needed, the pursuit of the cover up continued. If the press thinks there was some type of conspiracy here they should go out and get the story. The truth is that there is no conspiracy. Cheney and Whittington, both, had valid hunting licenses and was up to date on hunting fees. The Vice President was given a warning because he failed to have a $7 stamp affixed to the license, a new requirement (within the last five months) in the state of Texas. Instead, it's so much easier to speculate on unfounded suspicions and premature allegations. Lazy, lazy, lazy.

The second instance of the slothful media is the overly repeated broadcast of the video apparently showing British soldiers beating Iraqi protestors. While the video appears to be brutal, the press glosses over the fact that the video begins at the start of the beating, and offered no account of what occurred before British soldiers took it out on the protestors. From viewing the video on the news networks, it's obvious to me that there was at least 4 edits on the tape. No one mentions how much time has passed in between the cuts. Why not? And no one knows when the incident actually occurred (it was sometime in 2004). You would think that any respected journalist would want to know this. Could it be that the mainstream media doesn't want the facts to get in the way of the story they want to tell?

Grammy Watchers...

At 2:54 am on Sunday morning the Grammy Awards presented the last prize of the year when the Best American Folk Music with String Orchestration by a Female Solo Clogger Artist Named Martha was presented to Barbra Lotton for her work on Clog-In: 10 Cents a Dance. This was the second award of the ceremony presented to Ms. Lotton, she also won for Best Album Cover Featuring the Seduction of a Minor, beating out Grammy favorites R. Kelly and Michael Jackson.


Ms. Lotton accepted her awards in a stunning wet tee shirt designed by Armani, inspiring co-presenters Courtney Love and Dennis Rodman to urinate on each other.

Alternative Fuels Links

You may notice on the navigation bar there are now links so you can gather information on alternative fuels. My goal here that people get information they need to apply pressure to those policy makers to make a change in our energy policy strategy. Strategy is the correct word because we need to tie the energy policy to winning the War on Terror. Day after day this region's leadership continues to demonstrate their unreasonableness. And day after day it becomes all the more clear that now is the time to eliminate the world-wide dependence on their oil.

Moving on up.....

Not many people can take being called a "honkey" or a "cracker" but Tom Willis, George Jefferson's neighbor, took it all with a smile.

Franklin Cover
1928-2006

You're mad? Tell Me Something I Don't Know

A few months ago Muslims ran rampant in the streets of Paris, now it's world wide protests over editorial cartoons that appeared in a Danish newspaper. Story after story the press reports on how angry the Muslims are. All I can say is that I don't care anymore. It seems that the Muslims have been mad about someone or something my entire life. After 40 plus years of seeing these people ticked off I think it's about time someone tell these people that if you are constantly angry it looses it impact. I am no longer surprised to see flag burnings. In fact, I'm kind of tickled to see the Danish flag in flames along with the American and Israeli flags.

Now I know there those that are going to tell me that it's not fair to stereotype all Muslims, not all Muslims riot and burn cars. Fair enough and probably true, but that's real the problem. Where are the moderate Muslims that will show me a balance view of what it means to be a Muslim? Don't they see their religion being hijacked, or are they just scared to have a target put on their head by thugs posing as spiritual leaders? The day that I will be shocked is the day I hear the voices of Muslims angered at Muslims for allowing what the radicals did to their religion. Until then I'm not listening any more.

Sit Down President Carter!

When former President Jimmy Carter left the White House he was a disgraced man, a failure, the nightly butt of Carson's monologues. After today's remarks at Mrs. King's funeral, 25 years later, I have come to the conclusion that the only thing that has changed is that Johnny Carson is now dead.

Who can forget the "Misery Index" of the Carter economy, the idiotic Olympic Boycott and the disastrous foreign policy decision that allowed Ayatollah Khomieni to hold America hostage? No one can, except those at the New York Times, CNN and today's Democratic Party. For decades the far left has made it their mission to rehabilitate Carter's image. This is the elder statesman that brought peace to Haiti and stopped North Korea from being a nuclear power. Let's give him the Nobel Peace Prize and maybe the world will buy into his advice on national security matters given at a funeral. It's got to be a joke! After all, here is a man whose solution to airplane hijackings was to send a secret letter to Kaddahfi telling him to stop or else! Then brags about its success in a 1991 speech to the Chicago Economic Club. That's three years after Pan-Am Flight 103 exploded over Scotland! Who was responsible for that? You guessed it Kaddahfi.

It was just last week President Carter advocated to continue giving the Hamas run Palestinian Government financial aid. This opinion based on Hamas leadership telling Carter they want a peaceful administration. Carter noted, Hamas has adhered to a cease fire, which "indicates what they may do in the future..... Hamas is highly disciplined and capable of keeping any promise of nonviolent it might make." Really? Did it ever occurred to Carter to demand that they promise to renounce their party platform calling for the destruction of Israel?

Lets not forget last year's Venezuelan re-call election of Hugo Chavez. The European Union determined that the election was so rigged and the observers rules were so absurd, that they declined to send representatives in the "interest of honesty". Reports of voter intimidation was so wide spread that opposition parties refused to participate in the elections. Yet this did nothing to stop Carter from monitoring and certifying Chavez's victory. Carter didn't even feel the need to investigate the fact that independent organizations reported a 40 point swing between the vote tabulation and exit poll data. Don't blame Jimmy, he probably had to run off to give another speech in Europe where he calls President Bush and Tony Blair liars.

This brings us to Coretta Scott King's funeral. Carter thought it appropriate to politicized the event and like so many other times in the past he was proven to be foolish and wrong.

Congratulations to the Squeelers

The Payoff?

No Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words......

I've been reading CNN's coverage of the Mohammed cartoon scandal in Europe. At the end of the article there is the following note:

"CNN has chosen not to show the cartoons out of respect to Islam."

I don't remember CNN having the same editorial concerns when they were reporting on the New York gallery exhibition of the Crucifix in a jar of urine.