Social Studies Archives

Chaos

Chaos in the streets ~ Chaos at the border ~ Chaos at the grocery store Chaos Chaos at the gas station ~ Chaos at the airport ~ Chaos in the schools
Chaos internationally ~ Chaos in the justice system ~ Chaos at the bank

President Joey says he wants to "finish the job." If his job was to ruin our country, I think the job has been finished quite well, thank you.

Posted by Rick | April 28, 2023 02:59 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Baseball Snowflakes

During the game on Saturday between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees, the Chicago catcher got in the face of Yankees third Josh Donaldson when he came to bat and then Tim Anderson came after Donaldson, and of course everyone was calling Donaldson 'RACIST'. 'Why all the fuss?' you ask? It seems that Timmy said of himself in an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2019: "I kind of feel like today’s Jackie Robinson” so it hardly seems ‘racist’ when Josh Donaldson said “What’s up, Jackie” to Timmy. Josh Donaldson was just ribbing him. It appears that Timmy is merely a ‘snowflake’, nothing more, nothing less. Timmy needs to find a ‘safe space’ before he melts if that is all it takes to set him off. Calling everyone ‘RACIST’ is really getting old.

Posted by Rick | May 22, 2022 03:24 AM | Just A Thought ~ | Just For Fun ~ | Social Studies

Pay Your Fair Share! Self Serving Tripe

Remember this every time Pelosi or Biden talk about paying your fair share.

From The Committee for A Responsible Government:

"The current version of the Build Back Better Act under consideration in the House would increase the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap from $10,000 to $80,000 through 2026..... there is no such thing as progressive SALT cap relief. Roughly 98 percent of the benefit increase would accrue to those making more than $100,000 per year, with more than 80 percent going to those making over $200,000."

In other words, if you (Nancy Pelosi) live in a multi-million dollar 16.55-acre estate with your own vineyard in Saint Helena, CA (Napa Valley) and pay $80,000 a year in property taxes, and you are in a 40% tax bracket this would allow you to deduct (write-off) $80,000, saving yourself $32,000 annually in federal income taxes.

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Posted by Rick | November 10, 2021 08:26 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Please Help Me, Im Falling

Before I’m accused of being as stupid as a suburban soccer mom who voted for Joe Biden, will somebody please tell me who this ‘Brandon’ is everyone is talking about.

Posted by Rick | October 27, 2021 02:12 AM | Just A Thought ~ | Just For Fun ~ | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Blood On Biden's Hands

I want to give a big shout out to President Biden for the BANG up job he is doing in Afghanistan. Only 12 13 American soldiers dead so far. Just don't forget he IS the President and the buck stops with him.

Posted by Rick | August 26, 2021 12:53 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

As Long As We're Woke

From the cadets at West Point, the sailors on our nuclear subs, to the Chairman of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff (JCS), our military is officially woke.

Unfortunately the military's job is not sitting around campfires singing Kumbaya. We have thousands of people who work in the Pentagon making plans, contingency plans, and contingency-contingency plans. Those plans are available to our civilian leaders but do us no good if we have idiots for civilian leaders who are more worried about sexual identity, skin color, and Critical Race Theory (CRT) than they are about protecting American interests. Our military can be very, very good at breaking things and killing people if left alone, but for many, many years this other crap has slowly become more important than their true mission which should be protecting America, first, last and always.

Today in Afghanistan there is chaos. If the current JCS, General Mark A. Milley, advised President Joey to do what is transpiring in Afghanistan, he should resign in shame. If he advised President Joey to do something different and was overruled he should resign in protest. The impolite term for this in military terms is a cluster fuck and it will go down in history as perhaps our military's second best cluster fuck rivialing Custer's battle at the Little Big Horn for first place.

But don't worry, no matter how many people die because of this failure of leadership, our military is woke. Thank God for that.

Posted by Rick | August 16, 2021 11:20 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

COVID 19 Deaths

Adriana Gomez Licon of the Associated Press wrote today:

The U.S. is now averaging about 650 deaths a day, increasing more than 80 percent from two weeks ago and going past the 600 mark on Saturday for the first time in three months.

Is that an average death toll since the beginning of the pandemic? It surely isn't the death toll for the past week, month or past three months. So what is the point in writing that?

It is however no surprise that there is an uptick in COVID deaths since the Biden administration is peppering American communities with thousand of COVVID positive illegal immigrants admitted into the US from our porous southern border.

How many American deaths is Biden responsible for because of his illegal handling of the crush of humanity coming across our border from Mexico?

Posted by Rick | August 14, 2021 06:57 PM | Social Studies

Mysterious Economic Policy Provides Jobs

Fell out of bed this morning upon hearing Marty Walsh, the new Labor Secretary in President Joey’s administration proclaim that the 916,000 new jobs were due to “good economic policy.” Of course there were no examples of this “good economic policy.” What could he possibly point to? Perhaps he was referring to President Joey’s destruction of the oil and gas industry in the United States.

This former mob union boss, and former mayor of Boston, who resigned that job to become Labor Secretary, claims among his accomplishments having introduced a bill to have The Modern Lovers song "Roadrunner" be named, and eventually became, the official rock song of Massachusetts.

This guy wouldn’t know economic policy from an insurance policy.

Posted by Rick | April 2, 2021 08:59 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Where The Hell Am I? - Can President Joey Answer Correctly

There is a crime being committed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C., and the American people are the victims. We are being told that Joe Biden is the President, however, even the casual observer using any semblance of common sense has to admit that President Joey is not playing with a full deck, so to speak.

Trotting President Joey out to read a few sentences on a teleprompter and then trotting him back to the Oval Office or White House residence doesn't mean that he knows what the hell is going on.

We were promised transparency in the Biden administration but we aren’t allowed to ask President Joey questions that aren’t scripted. Remember the good old days when President Trump would answer questions for 20 minutes before getting on the presidential helicopter. Reporters could ask anything they wanted and they did, no matter how important, inane or disrespectful.

President Joey isn’t allowed to answer even the simplest questions after reading his brief remarks from the teleprompter. Trotting him out to justify the 1.9 trillion dollar stimulus boondoggle isn’t going to happen. Letting him answer questions about the worthless bombing we did in Syria isn’t going to happen. The bombing took place twelve days ago but would he even remember the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the attack at this point?

Is Jill Biden running the country? Is Kamala Harris running the country? The time has come to unleash President Joey and let him answer some questions about all the illegal aliens, many who have contracted the Chinese Wuhan virus, being allowed to roam the streets of America with no means of support , no food, no money, no shelter.

Thousands of illegal alien minors are being detained in tents, shipping containers with a small window, or cages beyond the legal time frame for releasing them. We deserve answers directly from President Joey. If he can do that, fine. If he can’t do that then we have a right to know who is behind the curtain pulling his strings.

The 25th Amendment was enacted partly because after President Woodrow Wilson's stroke in 1919, his condition was kept secret by his wife, Edith Wilson, and the White House physician, Cary T. Grayson. No one officially assumed his powers and duties and the President’s wife and his personal secretary (chief of staff), Joseph Patrick Tumulty, effectively ran the Oval office. Wilson's condition became public knowledge with only a few months remaining in his term and Congressional leaders didn’t pursue the matter.

Back in 2018, President Trump, as part of his annual check-up, took the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a 30 point test designed as a rapid screening tool for mild cognitive dysfunction which will indicate a loss of memory and clear thinking ability that sometimes precedes dementia.

Maggie Fox, writing for NBC News on January 26, 2018 wrote:

“The 30-point test includes drawings of a lion and a rhinoceros, which patients must name. Test-takers are also asked to copy a simple line sketch of a cube; match the letter A to the number 1, the letter B to the number 2 and so on. They are asked to recall a list of five words and repeat very short lists of numbers forward and backward.

It also includes one of the best-known tests for early Alzheimer's disease -- the clock test, in which patients are asked to draw an analog clock face.

The exam assesses attention, planning, memory and visual skills, all of which deteriorate in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. A score of 26 or lower indicates dementia.

A Cochrane Collaboration review of the test showed it detects 94 percent of people with dementia.”

It was reported that President Trump scored a perfect 30.

It is likely that Jill Biden along with Biden’s chief-of-staff, Ron Klain, and perhaps VP Kamala Harris are hiding President Joey’s mental acuity, or lack thereof, and the true state of his overall mental health.

The time has come for President Joey to take the test. President Joey can pass the test and prove everyone wrong. If not , President Joey should relinquish his office and join Chomp, I mean Champ, back in his Delaware basement.

The American people deserve someone they voted for who knows what planet he’s on when answering the 3 A.M phone call. No one voted for Jill Biden or Ron Klain.

Posted by Rick | March 9, 2021 12:24 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

The Elephant InThe Room

I just heard that General Motors is planning to be manufacturing only all electric vehicles by 2035. I know that it is very fashionable to jump on the electric vehicle bandwagon right now but there are some things that no one is talking about that trouble me.

President Joey has promised to build 500,000 charging stations which will solve a small, actually very small, portion of the fueling problem for electric vehicles. The logistics of getting the electricity to those stations is going to be a huge undertaking. Of course, tens of millions of homes will have to be retrofitted with individual charging stations.

In California, where they don’t produce enough electricity to serve their population on a very hot day already, can you imagine a few million vehicles plugging into the electric gird after work every day. Can you spell rationing. Perhaps a few nuclear power plants will solve their energy problem if they can and are willing to build them fast enough. Wind and solar just aren’t capable of producing enough reliable energy to sustain the huge need for that many cars in California, let alone the rest of the United Sates, 365 days a year.

Watching all the pundits praising electric vehicles, I believe they are all ignoring the elephant in the room, namely lithium. Right now the average life of a vehicle in the United Sates is probably between 5 and 10 years before they hit the junk yard. We currently have places to recycle old vehicles. Some vehicles are crushed and recycled that way. Some can be found in pick-a-part junkyards. Tires are another thing altogether. There are some attempts to recycle the old tires but they mostly are stored in huge piles and left to rot in the baking sun. Imagine hundreds of millions of pounds of old lithium batteries sitting around leaking into the local water table with nowhere to safely store them. The nationwide need for a place to safely store our nuclear waste is currently a huge problem but no one wants to store it in their backyard. I’m sure most of you are aware of the fight over Yucca Mountain? Where in the world are we going to find a home to safely store all the old lithium filled car batteries? Rest assured Nevada won’t take them.

In one of the few news articles that address the battery waste problem it says that in the UK, a pretty small country by any standard, based on the relatively small number of electric cars sold there in 2017, “researchers in the United Kingdom calculated that 250,000 metric tons, or half a million cubic meters, of unprocessed battery pack waste will result when these vehicles reach the end of their lives.”

The article goes on to say:

“Currently in the United Kingdom, there are no dedicated operating facilities for processing electric vehicle waste batteries. What batteries do get processed are exported and recycled using a pyrometallurgical method, which uses high temperatures to smelt the batteries and extract some reusable components. However, it’s wasteful and inefficient, which means some materials can’t be recovered, he said.

The batteries produced by different manufacturers vary widely and the paper calls for more standardization to allow easier recycling. Current designs also don’t lend themselves to easy deconstruction by hand or machine.”

The article goes on to say that we are currently capable of recycling 95% of old batteries currently used in our nasty combustion engine automobiles.

You can read more about the problem here.

To sum up the electric vehicle situation -

The lack of charging stations is a major hurdle....500,000 stations are not going to suffice.

Retrofitting tens of millions of homes with charging stations won't happen overnight.

The lack of enough clean energy to supply the charging stations is a major hurdle.

The need for a place to safely store all the old batteries hasn’t been addressed by anyone that I know of.

I am confident our brand spanking new visionary President, President Joey, has thought about all of this and he will have solutions for us just soon as he wakes up from his nap.

Posted by Rick | March 2, 2021 01:05 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Misinformation And Biden

We know that President Joey doesn't write his own speeches. Most of the time he doesn't know what day it is, but yesterday in another of his brief speeches he proclaimed that the Wuhan virus had killed 500,071 Americans and he said that number of deaths exceeded the number of Americans killed in World War I, World War II, and the Viet Nam war combined. When he said that I knew that was a lie. Using round numbers, it is estimated that 116,000 Americans died in WWI, 418,000 Americans died in WWII, and 58,000 Americans died in the Viet Nam war. The total of those deaths is 592,000. President Joey needs a better speech writer.

It is important to remember that the number of Wuhan virus deaths is likely exaggerated. Two Minnesota state lawmakers recently said that the number of deaths being attributed to the Wuhan virus there might have as much as a 40% error rate. You can read about it here.

I am certain that the number of deaths attributed to this virus are also inflated in other states as well. Hospitals and other medical facilities make much more money if a death is attributed to the Wuhan virus than if someone dies from drowning, a fall, a heart attack, etc. Remember to always follow the money.

Posted by Rick | February 24, 2021 09:47 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

It's Official! Biden Won*

With all the electoral votes finally counted, it is a certainty that the Biden Crime Family will now occupy the White House for the next four years or until President-elect Biden is pronounced unfit to hold the office.

*Biden won with the help of corrupt election officials.

Posted by Rick | January 7, 2021 06:26 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Just Another Peaceful Protest

For 4 years the American public has been subjected to protests in virtually every major city and the press has continued to describe them as "peaceful" regardless of how may buildings were set ablaze, how many business were looted, how may police officers were injured, or how may citizens were killed. These "peaceful" protests were carried out by the members of the so-called left wing group, antifa; members of "black lives matter" and other ne'er-do-wells and criminal opportunists generally supporting a communist agenda.

Did we hear any Democratic leadership (Nancy Pelosi, Chuckie Schumer, former President Obama, former Vice-President Biden) or the press telling the jack-booted thugs to go home in peace? Not a word!

Members of the Trump administration and Congress were chased from restaurants, threated in their homes and assaulted in the streets. What did we hear from the left? Not a word.

Today a little peaceful protest in the nation's capital has these same 'leaders' and members of the press demanding that President Trump do something, anything, but make them stop their legal right to protest.

Maybe they'll set up a "peaceful" autonomous zone on the steps of the Capitol.

Posted by Rick | January 6, 2021 01:46 PM | Social Studies

Sometimes You Just Have To Laugh

As you may or may not know a number of rappers have decided to support President Trump ~ among them L'll Wayne and 50Cent. I had to laugh when 50Cent said that he didn't want to become 20Cent under Biden. You can see the news story at the New York Post here.

Posted by Rick | October 31, 2020 04:31 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

The Final Question

I just watched a Trump rally with tens of thousands of supporters in Reading, PA, and a competing Biden 'campaign stop' at an apparently undisclosed location somewhere in Michigan with about 50 people in attendance. It was very, very stark difference.

I guess the big question here in the few days before the election is ~ Will the Biden BLM/antifa supporters be able to tear themselves away from their looting, vandalism, arson and violence long enough to vote for the corrupt socialist/communist Joe Biden or are they just going to be too exhausted?

Posted by Rick | October 31, 2020 02:44 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Safer ~ I Think Not

In an amazing display of hubris during the Vice-Presidential debate last night, Kamala Harris actually said “I will not be lectured by the Vice-President on our record of what we have done in terms of keeping our communities safe and a commitment to reforming the criminal justice system of America.”

Consider these facts:

The Democrats are promoting defunding the police all across America, and many cities run by left-wing politicians, including Minneapolis, New York and Los Angeles, have actually begun doing so.

They, including Kamala Harris and many Biden staffers, have established funds to bail out the BLM and antifa looters, vandals, arsonists, and violent thugs so they can go out into the streets again the very next night.

They have said nothing to the “mostly peaceful” protesters demanding that they stop the destruction of their cities. The destruction by these “mostly peaceful” criminals which is costing insurance companies over $2,000,000,000. That’s Two Billion (with a B) Dollars. Never mind the cost of the damage to those who were uninsured and the physical damage to police officers, business owners and innocent citizens during the “mostly peaceful” protests.

They want to take away our 2nd Amendment rights and force us to sell the weapons we need to protect ourselves.

They have set up sanctuary cities to protect criminal illegal aliens and want to do away with ICE (Immigration And Customs Enforcement) which is tasked with removing the criminal element from the illegal alien population including the infamous gang, MS13.

They want open borders so that illegal aliens can stream across our borders unimpeded, which will in turn overwhelm our schools, hospitals, welfare and criminal justice systems.

Just as an afterthought , every Democratic presidential candidate said they supported providing free health care to illegal aliens. Good luck paying for that!

They certainly want to ‘reform’ our criminal justice system but somehow I don’t think we’re going to be safer.

Posted by Rick | October 8, 2020 07:43 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

BLM Football League On Display

Today the shooting of two Los Angeles county sheriff’s deputies in Compton, CA, on Saturday evening was actually being shown on TV. Both deputies were shot in the head by a lone gunman who casually walked up to their vehicle and shot them before running away.

Thankfully, it seems both will recover. Unfortunately, also being posted on TV are voices and images of people cheering the shooting, some even outside the hospital where the two officers were being operated on. BLM activist and advisor to Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, Kevin Wharton Price, proclaimed the shooting as “a good start.”

This must make the NFL (aka BLM Football League) proud.

Posted by Rick | September 14, 2020 06:36 PM | Social Studies

The BLM Football League

I tuned in briefly to the first game of the NFL season Thursday night but after listening to a story about all the racist bullshit the players were wearing on their helmets, an Addias ad about how ‘woke’ Adidas was, and being told that there was an upcoming story about racial injustice and social inequality at halftime I turned the television off and took my dog, Mathilda, for an evening swim vowing to forget about the Negro (BLM) Football League (NFL) for the foreseeable future.

All I need is 1600 unpatriotic, racist football players, who are unwilling to stand for the national anthem, telling me about my ‘white privilege' when they attended college on full-ride football scholarships while majoring in basket weaving and weight lifting. Of course, these ‘special’ student-athletes after graduating (or not) from the strenuous 4 year academic programs at their universities without being barely able to read, write, do basic math or speak in complete sentences are going to tell me that tell me that I am a racist who owes something to them.

I have better things to do than to watch this crap on TV and I suspect that there will be millions of other football fans who will manage to do without the lectures too.

Posted by Rick | September 13, 2020 11:28 PM | Social Studies

The NFL And Black Lives Matter

The NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, apparently felt that he had to commiserate with the black community because 70% of the players in the NFL are black or maybe he felt like he needed some attention so he said this:

“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people,” Goodell said. “We the National Football League admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest.”

“We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter. I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country. Without black players, there would be no National Football League.”

Commissioner Goodell seems to be speaking for the entire league so I guess “We, the National Football League” means that Commissioner Goodell, all the owners, all the coaches, all the players, and all the referees will be knelling with the rest of the idiots who want to disrespect the American flag and the playing of the national anthem before the NFL games.

I have a few thoughts for Commissioner Goodell to think about while he lies prostrate before the black lives matter mob.

First ~ All Lives Matter! The statement ‘Black Lives Matter’ is racist and divisive on its face. The fact is that Caucasian Lives Matter, Hispanic Lives Matter, Asian Lives Matter just as much as black lives. ALL LIVES MATTER!

Second ~ If the NFL is going to allow players to disrespect the flag and the national anthem millions of Americans won’t be watching. Go ahead and rename it the Negro Football League and the players can go out and riot after the games. I can find other things to do on Sunday.

Third ~ What is this much needed change you are talking about? I want specifics, not empty rhetoric, and I want a specific plan to implement said change. The United States has spent 15 trillion dollars, that’s trillion with a T, on Lyndon Baines Johnson’s ‘great society’ and where are we?

Fourth ~ There is no evidence that what happened to George Floyd was racially motivated. There are certainly incidents where race may or not have played a part, however, there is certainly no evidence that there is 'systemic racism' in America. There are, however, indications that remnants of affirmative action hurt whites and Asians while favoring blacks unfairly.

Fifth ~ It seems to me that if there is any systemic racism in the United States it is self inflicted by the black community upon itself.

Over 70% of black children are born out of wedlock. Black adults need to step up. Black men, in particular, need, to set a good example for their children: study, work hard, stay home and take care of their kids, stay off drugs, and show respect for themselves, their community, and their country.

The black population votes virtually en masse for leaders who protect the crappy teachers in the the teachers' unions. In some states as many as 50% of black youth do not graduate from high school and graduation rates are far below Caucasian and Asian graduation rates in all states. If blacks do manage to graduate, there is a good probability they cannot read or do math at the appropriate grade level. As an example, the school system in predominately black Baltimore (about 65%), spends $16,000 per student annually. Unfortunately, in 13 of the 39 public high schools there was not one, not one, student who was proficient in math in 2017.

Blacks oppose ‘stop and frisk’ which has proven to save black lives even though thousands of black people are shot and killed in our inner cities every year mostly by other black people.

Thousands of black men end up incarcerated (that’s ‘jail’ to folks in Yorba Linda) for committing any number of crimes - just watch the riots on television - robbery, destruction of property, arson, assaults and murders.

The blacks vote for the ‘free lunch’ time after time...unfortunately, there is no free lunch. The constitution guarantees us life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It does not guarantee us low income housing, day-care for our kids, Obamaphones, and $200 sneakers.

Blacks continue to vote for the people who oppose school choice which would free many of their children from failing schools.

And finally, when stopped by the police for whatever reason, show them some respect. If, in the moment, the police say jump, you should say, “How high?” In many of these high profile police encounters where the police end up hurting someone or getting hurt themselves, it seems that there is an unwillingness to cooperate with the police that escalates into a violent incident - i.e., Rodney King, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, and now, George Floyd. The police want to go home at night unscathed as much as the citizen they are interacting with. If they exceed their authority, that’s what the courts are for.
Sixth ~ Furthermore, I reject the assertion that there is 'systemic racism' in the United States. If there is this great systemic racist society in the United States that oppresses blacks, prove it. I’m listening.

Maybe if we all held hands (figuratively speaking ~ remember proper social distancing) and sang Kumbaya, everything will be better.

Posted by Rick | June 6, 2020 03:26 PM | Social Studies

YouTube And Twitter Want To Censor Free Speech

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has had his question he posed during the impeachment trial of President Trump about the alleged whistIe-blower, Eric Ciaramella, stricken from YouTube and Twitter. I'm surprised they are not calling for some good old-fashioned book burning.

If you are interested in reading more about Eric Ciaramella go here or here.

Posted by Rick | February 14, 2020 06:11 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Inmates Running the Asylum

The Orlando Sentinel, announced it was endorsing whoever challenges Trump in the general election no matter who it is.

"Enough of the chaos, the division, the schoolyard insults, the self-aggrandizement, the corruption and especially the lies. Trump's successful assault on truth is the great casualty of this presidency, followed closely by his war on decency."

Trump loves America and has a great vision for America. His vision has brought us lower taxes, energy independence, a revitalized steel industry, better trade agreements, a stronger military and his demands on our NATO allies has strengthened that organization. Lower business taxes and fewer regulations on our US businesses have transformed our economy into a financial juggernaut that is the envy of the world.

The democraps vision for America includes open borders, 'free' stuff, higher taxes, abortions on demand up until birth and infanticide after birth, socialized medicine, the "green new deal," 'free' stuff, legalized drug addiction, tent cities for the homeless, and 'free' stuff. Did I miss anything?

The people at the Orlando Sentinel are idiots.

Posted by Rick | June 18, 2019 01:17 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Lack Of Intelligence A Bipartisan Affair

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly has granted CNN's request for a temporary restraining order reinstating Jim Acosta's White House press pass.

After a ruling that said Acosta was entitled to due process if the White House wanted to revoke his access to the White House, one wonders how a judge like Kelly ever got a license to practice law, much less an appointment (by President Trump no less) to a district court judgeship.

Regardless of a ruling by another district court judge in 1977 that said the White House must give the reporter notice and the right to rebut a formal written notice, Judge Kelly should have denied the claim that this revocation would infringe on Acosta's freedom of speech rights. Television and radio stations abound, newspapers print daily and weekly editions, and websites and podcasts all provide free speech outlets for anyone inclined to speak their mind. The decision to revoke Acosta's pass didn't limit his access to any of the millions of the aforementioned outlets. Acosta had proven to be a 'bad actor' in and around the White House and his reprehensible performance at the press conference where he refused to surrender the microphone was the final straw that broke the proverbial camel' back. He deserved to have his press pass revoked.

Posted by Rick | November 16, 2018 09:30 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Macron Needs A History Lesson

It was rich that French President Macron lectured us and the rest of the world during the 100th anniversary celebration of the end of World War I about patriotism and nationalism.

In World War I France had over 4 million casualties and over 1 million deaths. By 1917 thousands of French soldiers were deserting and the French offensives against Germany had basically come to a halt while waiting for American and British troops to come save their bacon.

When Germany invaded France in World War II, the French armed forces folded like a cheap suit in less than a week. Romantic stories about the French underground to the contrary, if it wasn’t for our blood and treasure President Macron would be speaking German, drinking beer, and eating brats.

Posted by Rick | November 12, 2018 05:14 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

What the Hell Was That?

So much for egg on the face. That was the most underwhelming, pathetic performance by the attorney hired by the Republicans to question Dr. Ford anyone could possibly imagine.

Here are just a few more probing questions that might have shed a little light on the alleged attack by Judge Kavanaugh on Dr. Ford. Was anyone doing drugs that evening? Were the lights on in the bedroom where you were attacked? How long were you in the bedroom with the two boys? Did you bite him when he put his hand over your mouth? Did you fight back at all when he was on top of you? Were any of your clothes torn or damaged in any way? Why would you talk to Mark Judge at the Safeway store a few weeks after the attack on you when he was one of the perpetrators of said attack?

By the way, I don't believe that a polygraph exam can be completed correctly with only two questions. All questions are answered with a yes or no answer and a baseline for truthfulness is generally established before getting down to the nitty gritty. For instance: Is your name Richard Joseph Rasmusson? Were you born in Watertown, South Dakota? Is your birthday May 16, 1949? Then the rest of the questions can be asked but should be more specific than those asked by Dr. Ford's examiner.

Posted by Rick | September 27, 2018 12:32 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Egg Anyone?

It is being reported by Fox News and the New York Post that the Senate Judiciary Committee has interviewed two men who claim that they, not Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge, were the 'gentlemen' who were with Christine Blasey Ford on the night (nobody knows exactly what night) in question back in 1982. Is it possible that the accuser, Dr. Ford, and all the Democrats who said they ‘believed’ the 'good' doctor will be wearing their breakfast omelets instead of eating them?

Posted by Rick | September 27, 2018 04:57 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Nike Or Not

I will not support Nike since they have decided to promote Colin Kaepernick.

It is unforgivable for Nike to disrespect the national anthem, the police, the military and all that they stand for while making billions of dollars in this country.

Nike...not now, not ever!!!

Posted by Rick | September 5, 2018 08:38 PM | Social Studies

Songbird John McCain And The Truth

Thomas G. McInerney, a retired United States Air Force Lieutenant General, said on a Fox News program that Senator John McCain (RINO-AZ) was called 'songbird' because when he was tortured by the Viet Cong he apparently spilled his guts and admittedly made a tape confessing his war crimes. I say 'apparently' because I wasn't there but I'm guessing that if anyone would know it would be an Air Force Lieutenant General and the tape of McCain's confession is available here. A spokesman for Fox News said that because General McInerney spoke that insensitive truth Fox News was never going to have him on again.

I don't know General McInerney but it seems to me that when McCain interjected himself into the conversation about torture and the nominee to be CIA chief, Gina Haspel, from his home in Arizona it is fair to point out that torture does sometimes work, as it did with McCain, and it is also fair to point out that McCain voted to approve John Brennan, who had been Haspel's boss during the time that the prisoners at GITMO were subject to enhanced interrogations, as CIA chief in 2013.

The remark, while insensitive but true, would not have been made if McCain had remained silent while being treated by the Mayo Clinic near his home in Arizona. There would have been no reason to mention him. John McCain brought himself into the conversation.

It is also fair to point out that when John McCain came back to the Senate after being diagnosed with a brain tumor and dramatically voted to continue with Obamacare, he had a 'Cadillac' health care plan provided to him by his employer, the people of the United States, yet he voted to leave over 400,000 of the people he represents in Arizona with unaffordable or no health insurance. How selfish of McCain to deny those he supposedly represents affordable health insurance while those same people provide him with his health insurance. By the way, the 400,000 estimate was provided by none other than the junior Senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake (RINO-AZ), during an interview while on a book promotional tour a short time before the vote in the Senate.

Fox News can invite anyone they want to speak on their programs, but to ban someone because they spoke an insensitive truth doesn't seem fair and balanced.

Posted by Rick | May 11, 2018 02:02 PM | Social Studies

Melania's Hat And More

I just read a story in the Washington Post by Robin Givhan with the headline ’Melania Trump, fashion diplomacy was defined by the hat’ that was packed with information about ‘the hat’ and other asundry information about the clothes worn by First Lady Trump that were generally a celebration of French haute couture.

The article was interesting to me because there were no glowing statements praising Mrs. Trump’s fashion sense, but more a statement of fact about each outfit interspersed with little shots at Mrs. Trump. As an example, Ms. Givhan thought Mrs Trump was ‘overdressed’ for the dinner at Mount Vernon, stating "the first lady sometimes appears to be dressing for a fashion-shoot version of the event — a kind of heightened reality of an already rather surreal circumstance.” The hat was described as “It was a diva crown. A grand gesture of independence. A church hat. The Lord is my shepherd. Deliver us from evil. Amen.” Frankly, First Lady Trump was stunning In everything she wore during the Macron’s visit including her stiletto heels.

The reporter said “President Trump was wearing a classic tuxedo that, like most of his suits, looked too big for his frame. The trousers were akin to palazzo pants, and, no, he did not button his jacket. Emmanuel Macron wore a tuxedo that fit.” Ms. Givhan needs to stick to commenting on women's clothing.

While the tuxedo the President wore is larger than that of President Macron, he is a larger man and although it may have looked better in the photographs had President Trumps's tuxedo jacket been buttoned, tuxedo jackets are often not buttoned, hence the cumberbun. The pants were traditionally and perfectly tailored with a slight break at the ankle just above the shoe. President Macron’s pants were bunched around his ankles and could have been worn by a man 6 inches taller.

The tuxedo jacket President Trump wore was, just as the pants were, traditionally and perfectly tailored. I prefer a little more of the shirt cuff showing but the length of the jacket sleeves was perfect, right above the thumb bone. I am looking at the picture of the two couples as I write this and the length of President Macron’s jacket sleeves look like they could have been pulled down to his knuckles. I’ll take President Trump’s tailor every day, all day. I don't know what Ms. Givens was looking at but she needs new glasses, her political slip is showing.

The reporter also addressed the gowns the female guests wore to the state dinner, managing only two compliments, one to Henry Kissinger’s wife’s gown calling it a study in ‘classic elegance’ and noted that “Louise Linton, wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, sparkled in a dramatic silver Roberto Cavalli gown’ snipping that it was by an Italian designer.

Summing up the clothes the women wore, Ms. Givhan wrote “The gowns were perfectly lovely but a bit of a snooze.’’ I would like to remind Ms. Givhan that this was, after all, a state dinner with one of our closest allies and not the red carpet at the Academy Awards where there is always a contest to see who can show the most tits and ass without getting arrested for public indecency.

Posted by Rick | April 25, 2018 09:12 AM | Social Studies

FBI Screws The Pooch Again

It's worse than I initially thought!!

The FBI had another, more specific tip about the Florida school shooter, Nikolas Cruz, on January 5th of this year and they did nothing with it. Today they actually managed an apology. Sorry..... So Sorry.......

Trump is changing the name of the FBI to the Federal Bureau Of Incompetence.

Posted by Rick | February 16, 2018 03:22 PM | Social Studies

FBI Doing A Bang Up Job?

I am getting a little tired of everyone telling us what a great job the FBI rank and file are doing while the upper echelon at the FBI were plotting the demise of the Trump campaign and subsequent Trump administration.

Granted, the FBI was able to protect us from the likes of that notorious gangster, Martha Stewart, who got thrown in prison for lying to the FBI. The Mueller/FBI investigation into Russian collusion with Trump campaign/administration officials has extracted a guilty plea of lying to the FBI from another gangster, General Michael Flynn.

Mysteriously, former FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress that General Flynn didn’t lie to the FBI. Who's not telling the truth?

Unfortunately, the FBI famously missed the Tsarnaev brothers who were able to build and explode 2 bombs at the Boston marathon in 2013, killing 2 and gravely wounded 260 others. The FBI had been given a head-up from Russia about the Tsarnaev brothers, but the brothers went on their merry way after being interviewed by the FBI.

According to CBS news in an April 19, 2013, story, the FBI was also looking into Major Hasan Nadal before he killed 13 and wounded 29 others in the Fort Hood shootings and Carlos Bledsoe (Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad) of Little Rock, Arkansas, before he shot up an Army recruiting office on June 1, 2009, killing one soldier and wounding another.

Now, it's being widely reported that there was a posting on social media from Nikolas Cruz stating that he wanted to be a ‘professional school shooter’ yet the FBI didn’t bother to follow up on the posting other than to visit with the person who reported the posting.

I guess the FBI agents were too busy e-mailing each other anti-Trump messages to do any real work.

Posted by Rick | February 16, 2018 02:22 AM | Social Studies

Florida Shooting A Drop In The Ocean

The school shooting in Florida that left 17 dead and many others wounded was, of course, a tragedy for those involved and for America in general. News reports would seem to portray this as a common occurrence, just another day, just another school shooting. This was, according to Shepard Smith of Fox News, the 25th school shooting in the United States since the Columbine school shooting on April 20, 1999. ABC News reported on ‘20/20’ that FBI records show there have been 141 deaths in those school shootings. Of course, 1 school shooting is one too many but in a country of 320,000,000 people this is really a drop in the ocean. Hell, on a bad weekend in Chicago these days there are 25 shootings. In 2016 according to the Chicago Police Department, Chicago had 762 murders, 3,550 shooting incidents and 4,331 shooting victims. All this while Chicago boasts some of the strictest gun laws in the country. It is unlikely that more gun laws could do much to stem the violence. The problem is much deeper than a lack of laws.

Posted by Rick | February 16, 2018 02:17 AM | Social Studies

The American Thinker On The NFL Protests

Here is a link to a very insightful article by Shari Goodman in The American Thinker about the protests in the NFL.

Posted by Rick | September 29, 2017 01:41 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

The Left Just Can't Handle It

It's the funniest thing ever when Saturday Night Live pokes fun at Sarah Palin mercilessly. When Letterman skewered Palin's daughter, that was hilarious. When any number of late night 'comedians' hammer away on Republicans it is always 'in good clean fun.' Remember when former Vice-president Dan Quail had his problem with the word potato?

Cartoonist Dixon Diaz has done a some very funny cartoons aimed directly at HRH Obama and Hillary Clinton, but the LA Times decided that he isn't funny anymore and stopped carrying his strip.

Here are some examples that were sent to me that I find very amusing....

Posted by Rick | November 12, 2016 05:42 PM | Just A Thought ~ | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Clinton, Trump And The Women

Donald Trump is being excoriated by the left for speaking inartfully about women, particularly the f^t p*g Rosie O'Donnell. I must admit that, generally speaking, it isn't nice to speak the way he has about Ms. O'Donnell or anyone for that matter. Shame on you, Donald Trump.

On the other hand William Jefferson Clinton has been accused of RAPING Juanita Broaddrick.

Clinton has been accused of EXPOSING HIMSELF to Paula Jones.

Clinton has been accused of GROPING Kathleen Willey and essentially forcing himself on her.

Clinton has had affairs with Dolly Kyle, Gennifer Flowers, and most famously with the White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

There have been other accusations:

Eileen Wellstone claims to have been RAPED by Clinton while he was attending Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship.

Elizabeth Ward Gracen has admitted to a one-night stand with Clinton in 1982.

Sally Perdue, a former Miss Arkansas, claimed to have had a four month affair with Clinton in 1983.

Lencola Sullivan, a former Miss Arkansas, reportedly had a sexual relationship with Clinton according to Arkansas state trooper L.D. Brown, who was Clinton's body guard.

Clinton has reportedly taken 26 trips aboard 'Lolita Express' to his friend Jeffrey Epstein's private island nicknamed 'Orgy Island' where God knows what happens.

The left doesn't seem to care that Clinton just can't seem to keep it in his pants and that Hillary seems to be the enabler in all of her husband's despicable behavior.

The only jobs the Clinton's have ever really created are the army of attorneys who have been retained to control the 'bimbo eruptions'.

Words? or Deeds? What Trump said is child's play when compared to the deeds of our 'illustrious' former President who is doing whatever he can to occupy the White House once again.

I definitely don't want to see William Jefferson Clinton chasing any more interns around the White House!

Posted by Rick | October 7, 2016 05:08 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Obama Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot

Once again HRH Obama just can't control his big mouth. While eulogizing the five police officers who were killed in Dallas last week, HRH decided to bring up the black man, Alton Sterling, who was killed by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while resisting arrest. Truly insensitive.

In another part of his speech, HRH Obama said that it was 'easier for a teenager to purchase a Glock than obtain a computer or even a book.' Of course, that statement is patently false and just plain stupid.

Neither statement had any place in the memorial service for these officers. What is wrong with HRH???

Posted by Rick | July 12, 2016 06:19 PM | Social Studies

Michelle Fields vs. Corey Lewandowski - A Shakedown

First, it should be noted again that I am a Cruz supporter and have been disappointed by the name calling and other unbecoming behavior by Trump and the other candidates which ultimately demeans the office that all these 'gentlemen' aspire to.

That said, everyone of the taking-head attorneys on TV last night said they would much rather be the defense attorney than the prosecutor in the case of Michelle Fields vs. Corey Lewandowski. Ann Coulter, who knows a little something about being assaulted, could barely control her laughter when asked if she thought this was an assault.

I watched the tape of the 'incident' over and over and over and no where did I see anyone being thrown around. If anyone was out of line, it may have been Ms. Fields who apparently had already been told a couple times by the Secret Service to back down.

All the talk on the Fox News show, The Five, about issuing an apology to make this go away is a no-win situation for the Trump camp. Issuing an apology would be an admission that something wrong was done to Ms. Fields. Then, even if there were no criminal prosecution/conviction, Ms. Fields would run to civil court where the bar is much lower and, with apology (read admission of some guilt) in hand, would sue for monetary and other damages. The way juries are handing out money these days, she may get more than the $115 million Hulk Hogan was recently awarded.

This is nothing more than a political, and potentially financial, shakedown by Ms. Fields.

Posted by Rick | March 29, 2016 08:03 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Fox News Sunday Where They Report Half The Story

I am not a Donald Trump supporter per se and voted for Ted Cruz in the Nevada caucus. That said, I am concerned that Chris Wallace, who has a show called Fox News Sunday, is editing clips to make Trump look bad while leaving out things said by Trump that put perspective on his comments. Specifically, Trump explained that he had said that there were protesters who had brought things in to throw at him and that is why he told them to do whatever was necessary to stop the attacks and that he would pay their legal fees.

Fox always says they are fair and balanced and we report, you decide. If Wallace wants to tell the story, tell the whole story and let the audience decide. If not, Mr. Wallace can always go to work for MSNBC where half-truths are the rule rather than the exception.

Posted by Rick | March 13, 2016 01:47 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Eminent Domain Hypocrisy

Jeb Bush has been highly critical of Donald Trump for trying to acquire the home of a 'little old' lady who didn’t want to sell her home to him through eminent domain. Trump went to court and eventually lost.

It has just come to my attention that the Bush family, namely his brother, former President George W., profited handsomely through his interest in the Texas Rangers baseball team. The team uses a stadium in Arlington, Texas, which was built, while the former President was involved, with extensive use of eminent domain. Apparently, President George W. Bush, prior to becoming governor of Texas, invested +/- $600,000 in 1989 for a 1.8 percent interest in the team (plus another 10 percent bonus if the team is later sold and the investors get back their original investment plus interest) and ended up with +/- $15,000,000 in 1998 when the team was, in fact, sold . A very tidy profit to say the least.

You can read a more complete history of the Arlington stadium saga here.

I am sure that Jeb is demanding that all of his brother's ill-gotten gains be returned to those whose property was stolen from them at the point of a gun.

But for now, Jeb Bush, as he wipes all that egg off his face, should just sit down and shut up. How embarrassing!

Note: I would like to point out that I am not a fan of eminent domain for private use and have actually been victim of a taking of a property which was supposedly to be used for airport expansion, but is now a neighborhood Wal-Mart. We were forced to sell at appraised value and no one could really fight the taking because the individual properties were so inexpensive to begin with.

Posted by Rick | February 8, 2016 10:49 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Boy Scouts Now Gay Scouts

Robert Gates, former Secretary of Defense who helped do away with the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in the military, led the Boy Scouts into uncharted waters today, doing away with the blanket ban on adult Scout leaders. For the time being, church sponsored Scout troops will be excluded from the new policy.

It seems that becoming a young man is already tough enough without having to worry about whether your scout master has a crush on you. Just think what an openly gay scout master can teach impressionable young men. The sins of the Catholic priests who preyed on the altar boys will pale in comparison to the adventures of scouts with gay troop leaders.

Is there going to be a code of conduct for troop leaders that might include the prohibition of public displays of affection between troop leaders who fell in love while sitting around a campfire? Queen-size sleeping bags will be all the rage. Who knows? There may even be a merit badge for grab-ass.

Can't you just picture Robert Gates leading a merry band of gay troop leaders arm-in-arm with their gay scouts in San Francisco's gay pride parade.

Posted by Rick | July 27, 2015 06:29 PM | Social Studies

Texas Reducing Number Of Abortion Clinics - An Unintended Benefit

On Wednesday June 6, 2015, just before 5 P.M. Eastern , I was channel-surfing and stopped briefly on MSNBC and watched while the host, Alex Wagner, interviewed Planned Parenthood executive, Cecile Richards . The Ms. Richard was concerned about the fact that abortion clinics in Texas may be reduced to as few as 10 locations. While that number may or may not be adequate to meet the demands for abortions, one of the concerns that Planned Parenthood had was that that number of abortion clinics may force illegal immigrants to return to Mexico to obtain an abortion.

The following incredible exchange took place:

WAGNER: Because if you are asking a woman to drive hundreds of miles to get an abortion, that's limiting the number of women who can take work off, who have access to transportation. I mean, this law disproportionately it would seem targets poor women.

RICHARDS: Absolutely. It already targets women that have the least access to health care. And I think one of the really cruel ironies of this is that women on the Rio Grande border, one of the most under served areas of the State of Texas, many of those women are undocumented. They actually cannot drive to San Antonio. They cannot drive to Houston or Austin because they can't pass through the border check points. And so, we're really literally forcing women to go across the border to Mexico to get what is a legal procedure in the State of Texas or should be a legal procedure in the State of Texas.

Apparently, we are currently using tax dollars to give illegal immigrants abortions and by reducing the number of abortion clinics we can get the lawbreakers to go home. I just don’t see the problem.

You can read a transcript of the interview here:

Posted by Rick | June 11, 2015 06:17 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

It's A Matter Of Trust, And Bush And Huckabee Can't Be Trusted

While parents are outraged about Common Core, some Republicans, like former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, support the curriculum and say a name change is needed because "Common Core" has become toxic.

So that's it...kiss it and make it better. They must think everyone has the intellect of a four year old.

Posted by Rick | May 5, 2015 11:41 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Baltimore - The Charm City

After watching the events unfold over the past week in Baltimore, Maryland, I, for one, can't wait to invest in a new business in that beautiful city, and I am especially anxious to hire some of the wonderfully well spoken, well groomed, well mannered, and obviously well educated young people that that city has to offer.

Posted by Rick | May 1, 2015 11:24 AM | Social Studies

On Net Neutrality

I don’t believe that I understand everything that is being discussed with regard to net neutrality, but there are a couple of old adages that can usually be relied upon in cases like this:

1) If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

2) Leave well enough alone.

3) Always keep in mind the law of unintended consequences and make sure that any government intervention via new laws or regulations is needed and that the consequences of such governmental intervention have been fully considered.

To allow the FCC, directed by five unelected commissioners, to institute sweeping new regulations on the internet without any congressional hearings and/or input seems heavy-handed and un-American.

Posted by Rick | February 25, 2015 08:09 AM | Just A Thought ~ | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Anarchy In Ferguson, Missouri

The governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, called up the national guard and declared a state of emergency in Ferguson, Missouri. Unfortunately, the national guard rolled into Ferguson this morning, the morning after rioters in the area vandalized untold businesses, burned at least 12 buildings and countless automobiles racking up millions of dollars in property damage

Arsonists put countless lives at risk and destroy the dreams of the victims. They should be arrested or shot on sight.

If the police and national guard aren't going to protect the local citizens and their property, they should just quit. Why waste our tax dollars on them.

Posted by Rick | November 25, 2014 08:31 AM | Social Studies

Ferguson, Missouri

The governor of Missouri called up the national guard and dclared a state of emergency in Ferguson, Missouri. Unfortunately, the national guard rolled into Ferguson this morning, the morning after rioters in the area vandalized untold businesses, burned at least 12 buildings and countless automobiles.

Arsonists put countless lives at risk and destroy the dreams of the victims. They should be arrested or shot on sight.

If the police and national guard aren't going to protect the local citizens and their property, they should just quit. Why waste our tax dollars on them.

Posted by Rick | November 25, 2014 08:17 AM | Social Studies

Joe Scarborough...On Race...Really?

This morning while discussing the problems in Ferguson, Missouri, with co-host Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough compared the problems with the Trayvon Martin case.

Amazingly Scarborough said: "It’s not like Trayvon, where you had a guy chase a guy around a neighborhood and shoot him because..he was black."

Scarbouough seems to have rewritten the facts of that case, forgetting that George Zimmerman was getting the snot beat out of him by Trayvon Martin when he shot Martin.

Scarborough would have us believe that If Martin were white he wouldn't have been shot by Zimmerman.

Really Joe???

Posted by Rick | November 24, 2014 06:39 AM | Social Studies

Ebola

The family of Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who died from Ebola, is apparently suing the Texas hospital. Don't worry about the fact that, as a non-citizen with no medical insurance, it already cost the hospital around $ 500,000.00 to treat him, and, as it turns out, he infected one of his care-givers, whose care will probably cost as much or more than Duncan's short hospital stay.

Two aid workers who were working in Africa with Ebola went to a hospital in Georgia and survived, but at what cost? An NBC cameraman with the Ebola virus is being cared for in a Nebraska hospital. Again, at what cost?

If Duncan's case is typical, at $ 500,000.00 per patient, care of Ebola patients will bankrupt our medical system in short order.

New flash!! Another nurse, who was one of the approximately 50 people caring for Thomas Duncan at the Dallas hospital, has been diagnosed with Ebola. Since she cared for Mr. Duncan, she has apparently flown to Cleveland from Dallas and has now returned to Dallas on another flight from Cleveland. How many people could she have possibly infected on the planes and in the airports?

It is imperative that we close our borders to anyone who may be infected with the Ebola virus.

Posted by Rick | October 15, 2014 01:29 AM | Social Studies

Socialized Healthcare, Then And Now

Interestingly, socialized medicine was the debate topic when I was a sophmore in high school. I was against it then and nothing has convinced me to change my opinion. Virtually all the available information then, and now, indicate that health care suffers under a socialized medical care law.

Liberals seem to believe that the (Un)Affordable Care Act is the only plan out there and complain that conservatives don’t have a plan.

First: I don’t know why the liberals have to mess with those of us who already have health insurance. The (Un)ACA policies are discouraging businesses from hiring and making part-time workers out of full-time workers. If liberals are concerned about those who don’t have any insurance, deal with that problem and leave the rest of us alone.

Second: I would submit there is a conservative plan and it is called the free market. Let the insurance companies compete in all states for the business and it will keep prices down. The 30-40 million people who do not have health insurance could be asked to obtain, at a minimum, a major medical insurance policy so the country doesn’t have to pick up the tab if they have some type of catastrophic injury or illness.

Third: Do tort reform that will keep malpractice insurance costs down, which would, in turn, reduce the cost of care.

Fourth: Disallow the forgiveness of medical care costs in bankruptcy.

Fifth: A sales tax or value added tax on insurance policies and/or health care could be put in place to subsidize those who cannot afford the major medical policy.

Posted by Rick | November 16, 2013 01:57 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

A Liberal's Crocodile Tears

Kirsten Powers, staunch liberal and Fox News contributor, appeared on Special Report with Bret Baier Tuesday 11/12/2013, and complained that her health insurance had been canceled and her new insurance through the (Un)Affordable Health Care Act was doubling. She went on to say that the only reason it was so high was that she was now going to be paying for someone else's health insurance.

Where has Ms. Powers been? Mars? Did she just realize that the socialist scheme of our government, and Democrats in particular, has been all about the redistribution of wealth since the inception of the income tax?

The redistribution of wealth certainly looks a little different when it comes directly out of your pocketbook every month and ends up supporting some mooch in his underwear sitting on the couch playing video games all day, doesn't it Ms. Powers?

Ms. Powers' crocodile tears over her personal health care predicament couldn't make me happier.

Posted by Rick | November 13, 2013 12:06 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Trayvon Martin - Guilty!

The six women on the jury found George Zimmerman innocent last night.

In reality, they found Trayvon Martin guilty of attacking Zimmerman, who used his weapon to defend himself.

There were a lot of disturbing facts about Trayvon's behavior that didn't come out in the trial and apparently the prosecution did whatever it could to keep those facts from the defense. It took a whistleblower, who I believe was fired Friday, in the prosecutor's office to give the information to Zimmerman's attorneys. Geraldo Rivera mentioned a couple, but not all, of those facts after the verdict last night.

Posted by Rick | July 14, 2013 05:42 AM | Social Studies

The Hipocrisy Of Target, Walmart, etc.

Click On The Play Arrow To Activate

Posted by Rick | July 1, 2013 02:27 AM | Social Studies

Can We Trust Our Government?

We have had a government that has been able to listen to our electronic transmissions for decades. After some complaints it was decided that a judge would have to issue a search warrant before our privacy could be compromised by our government. Even after 9/11 when the federal government wanted to expand its capabilities to listen to our electronic transmissions, a FISA court was embodied with the power to authorize the enhanced government intrusions into our lives.

Because of a, some would say brave, even heroic, whistle-blower, it has come to light that our government has increased its collection and storage of the electronic transmissions, including information from Google, Facebook, Yahoo, cell phones, and emails, of hundreds of millions of US citizens.

In a smaller scandal where only 80,000 farmers were affected, the EPA recently released what should have been private information about the farmers to three radical environmental groups. Only after the release of the information was discovered by some US senators did the EPA ask for the return of the information from the environmental groups. If you believe that the information will be returned, you also believe in unicorns, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa Claus. A bell cannot be unrung.

And the abuses by this administration just seem to keep coming. Prior to the release of the farmers' information, it was discovered that Cindy Thomas, a unit manager in the Cincinnati IRS office, had illegally released the tax applications of nine conservative organizations to the left-wing group, ProPublica. Of course, the IRS has claimed that the release was accidental. It has also come to light that some pro-marriage groups had their information released to gay marriage advocacy organizations. I don't know if the IRS asked for the information from these illegal releases to be returned, but I doubt it. The IRS is probably a little more skeptical about human behavior.

In light of these abuses by this administration, do we really want our current, or future, government collecting and storing all this information from our electronic transmissions. We must also remember that our government is also going to collect and store all our medical information.

Posted by Rick | June 11, 2013 06:06 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Obama's 'Shameful Day"

Last week when the left's attempt to ram more gun laws down our throats failed, HRH Obama called it a "shameful day" in Washington.

Of course, if you follow current events at all, you know that the Obama administration picks and chooses what laws it will enforce.

This week in the NRA magazine Rifleman, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre wrote about all the existing gun laws that HRH Obama and his henchmen at the Department Of Justice never, or very rarely, prosecute. You can read more about guns in America here.

The following is Mr. LaPierre's entire article identifying the gun laws that are rarely prosecuted by the slackers at HRH Obama's Department Of Justice.

Standing Guard By Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President

Not Enforcing Existing Gun Laws—That’s A Crime

If anybody in Chicago is culpable for the armed carnage on that city’s mean streets, it’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who never misses an opportunity to blame peaceable, law-abiding gun owners for the daily bloodletting by violent Chicago thugs.

Emanuel steadfastly refuses to demand application of tough federal laws that would surgically rid the streets of criminals who currently terrorize many Chicago neighborhoods. And that represents a kind of aggressive political malfeasance.

For Emanuel—a former U.S. congressman, former chief of staff in President Barack Obama’s White House and former Bill Clinton White House gun-ban guru—to intentionally blow off federal laws punishing illegally armed violent criminals is especially vile.

The reason is simple. If Chicago citizens knew the extent of existing harsh criminal sanctions and that those laws could readily be applied to prosecute real criminals, Emanuel’s endless call for new “gun control” would be seen for what it is: an evil campaign to disarm the innocent. And those federal laws apply equally in every corner of the nation.

That reality goes for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and for every other mayor signed on to his phony national political machine, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. It also goes for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama.

A January 2013 Chicago Tribune story headlined, “U.S. struggles over which gun crimes to prosecute,” reported, “Obama’s Justice Department has shown little appetite to prosecute what it considers low-level firearms crimes… officials with the department said.”

If “low-level” prosecutions of the most violent armed criminals in Chicago were the norm, that city—with thousands of shootings and armed robberies added to its growing number of murders—would see scores of the worst violent gang members and armed drug dealers sent to prison in sure, swift prosecutions. That’s true for every city in America.

But Chicago, with the most vicious armed criminals in the nation, ranks 89th out of 90 U.S. Attorney districts. That ranking comes from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), which provides the gold-standard review of federal law enforcement performance.

Given thousands of violent crimes involving armed criminals, including record numbers of murders every year, Chicago has seen pathetically few federal gun-law prosecutions: 63 in fiscal year 2011.

How many of the 506 murders involving firearms in Chicago last year would never have happened had Obama’s Justice Department taken criminals off the streets?

A simple look at the law answers that question. Everything real violent criminals do to acquire a firearm is already a serious federal felony. Under federal law, lying to a licensed dealer, lying on the form 4473, and straw sales are all federal felonies that are almost never prosecuted. Holder’s Justice Department calls them “paper violations.” Yet those are the very crimes that they say demand a “universal background check”—a national registration scheme—for all of us.

So let me cite—from a federal public defender fact sheet—a few of the existing federal statutes dealing with armed criminals once they have their guns. I’ll give you the prison term first along with the citations in the United States Code (U.S.C.).

• 10 years—18 U.S.C. § 922(g)—for possession of a firearm or ammunition by a felon, fugitive, or drug user… And possession means touching a gun, any gun, handgun, rifle or shotgun. Any firearm that Dianne Feinstein would ban for us, is already an illegal gun for violent criminals.

• 10 years—18 U.S.C. § 922(j)—for possession of a stolen firearm.

• 10 years—18 U.S.C. § 922(i)—for shipment or transport of a stolen firearm across state lines.

• 10 years—18 U.S.C. § 924(b)—for shipping, transporting or receipt of a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a felony.

• 5 to 30 years consecutive mandatory minimum sentences—18 U.S.C. § 924(a)(1)(A)—for carrying, using, or possessing a firearm in connection with a federal crime of violence or drug trafficking.

• The death penalty or up to life imprisonment—18 U.S.C. § 924(j)—for committing murder while possessing a firearm in connection with a crime of violence or drug trafficking.

• 15 years mandatory minimum—18 U.S.C. § 924(e)—for a “prohibited person” who has three prior convictions for drug offenses or violent felonies.

• 10 years—18 U.S.C. § 924(g)—for interstate travel to acquire or transfer a firearm to commit crimes.

So, if every possible aspect of acquisition, possession, transport, transfer of a firearm by criminals demands harsh and swift punishment under existing law, what is it that Emanuel, Bloomberg and President Obama really want?

To criminalize—then prosecute—everything that we do as law-abiding, peaceable citizens who own and use firearms.

I want to ask a favor. Copy this column and give it to people in the media and to politicians. Put them on notice that their ignorance of law, feigned or real, and their unwillingness to push for prosecution of real criminals using existing federal law cannot be tolerated—EVER! Otherwise these agenda-driven politicians are complicit in criminal violence.

The bottom line is - Why do we need more gun laws when the existing laws aren't being enforced?

Posted by Rick | April 24, 2013 02:58 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Guns, Guns And More Guns

Jessie Duff, a very talented marksman, was on Sean Hannity's show the other night. She demonstrated an AR-15, a 30-06 rifle, a .45 caliber pistol and a 12 gauge shotgun with 2 types of shells. All the weapons were semi-automatics. If I had to defend myself against a number of people, the AR-15 with a 30 shot clip would be my weapon of choice. If there was just one person that I was defending myself against, the damage a shotgun does is quite impressive. There are, however, some concerns I have with the weapons Ms. Duff demonstrated. 1) Semi-automatic weapons can jam for no apparent reason. 2) The shotgun is limited by the number of shells you can put in the weapon at any one time - usually around three. 3) Rifles and shotguns can be a bit unwieldy. Therefore, I generally prefer a good old reliable .357 or .38 revolver for home protection. Revolvers are just point and shoot, and you don't have to worry about chambering the first round. Hopefully, we will never have to defend ourselves against any intruders but, if we do, heaven help them if they get past my guard dogs and my lovely wife...I will be waiting.

Posted by Rick | January 25, 2013 05:18 AM | Social Studies

Christmas Is Coming

The Christmas ornaments are up and the snow is falling at Red Meat blog. I just put the finishing touches on my 2012 Winter Wonderland music compilation and I think I am officially in the Christmas spirit.

This is my second Winter Wonderland compilation. (I did the first Winter Wonderland in 2009). All the songs in the Winter Wonderland editions are secular, seasonal songs so we can give them to everyone, and not just to our Christian friends and family. I am so PC sometimes, my head hurts. On second thought, it could just be after effects from too much eggnog.

The 2010 CD was entitled Christmas Chestnuts; and 2011 was a collection entitled Christmas Carols. I did an 'unofficial' bonus compilation last year called Rockin’ Christmas, but wasn't very happy with it. The CD for 2013 is already in the planning stages and will be....a surprise!!

You can listen to some of my favorites from this year's compilation on the red meat Jukebox. I snuck in, perhaps my favorite Christmas song, Please Come Home For Christmas by Dion after the selections from the new CD. Be sure to check them out.

This is what the cover of my 2012 compilation looks like...

and here are the songs found in said compilation in alphabetical order.

A Place For The Winter - Lettermen
Amid The Falling Snow - Enya
Baby, It's Cold Outside - She And Him
By The Fireside - Eddy Duchin And His Orchestra
Cold Winter Nights - Anita Kerr Singers
Dance Mister Snowman, Dance - Crew Cuts
Frosty, The Snowman - Swing And Sway With Sammy Kaye
'I Love The' Winter Weather - Jo Stafford
'It's A' Marshmallow World - Johnny Desmond
I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Red Norvo With Mildred Bailey
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Dean Martin
Looks Like A Cold, Cold Winter - Georgia Gibbs, Orchestra Directed By Glenn Osser
Our Winter Love - Bill Pursell, With The Anita Kerr Singers, Grady Martin, Orchestra Director
Skaters' Waltz 'Les Patineurs' - Al Goodman And His Orchestra
Sleigh Ride - Skitch Henderson With The New York Philharmonic
Snow - Johnny Mann Singers
Snowbound - Sarah Vaughan
Snowfall - Claude Thornhill Orchestra
The Coldest Night Of The Year - April Stevens And Nino Tempo
Violets For Your Furs - Frank Sinatra With The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
Warm - Lettermen
When Winter Comes - Tony Pastor With The Artie Shaw Orchestra
White World Of Winter - Bing Crosby
Winter In New England - Joanie Sommers, Arranged And Conducted By Stan Applebaum
Winter Snow - Booker T And The MG's
Winter Symphony - Beach Boys
Winter Wonderland - Soundtracks
Winter's Here - Robin Ward
Winter's Sadness 'From Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto' - Fantastic Strings Of Felix Slatkin

Posted by Rick | December 6, 2012 05:58 AM | Social Studies

Trayvon Martin - Not As Innocent As He Is Being Portrayed

In a UK news article, MailOnline has published an article that portrays Trayvon Martin in an entirely different light from the angelic pictures the American press continues to show of the teenager who was shot and killed during an altercation with George Zimmerman, who was on Neighborhood Watch in his Florida community about a month ago.

Speaking about Martin, the article went on:

It was also revealed that he might have attacked a bus driver, according to a Twitter account that it is claimed belonged to the teen.

The Miami Herald claims that in October, he was caught with a 'burglary tool' - a flathead screwdriver - and 12 pieces of women's jewellery. Martin insisted that they did not belong to him.

Earlier, he had been suspended for skipping school and showing up late to class. And most recently, in February, he was suspended again when officials found a 'marijuana pipe' and an empty baggie with traces of the drug.

The fresh claims are likely to be seized upon by supporters of George Zimmerman who say the teenager launched an unprovoked attack on the neighbourhood watch volunteer moments before Trayvon was shot dead.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120504/Trayvon-Martin-case-He-suspended-times-caught-burglary-tool.html#ixzz1qMuqF0xJ

Posted by Rick | March 27, 2012 05:57 PM | Social Studies

Sandra Fluke And Birth Control

Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University law student who testified before a partisan (Democrats only) Democratic Steering Committee about the high cost of birth control this past week, a slut.

Ms. Fluke may or may not be a slut, but without any 'hard' evidence that she is, in fact, a slut, the description was uncalled for.

What is not in question is that Ms. Fluke wants to be a parasite on the back of society. She would like other people to pay for her birth control whether they know her or not, or whether they agree with her position on birth control or not.

People have a right to do what they want to their bodies. Want a tattoo - knock yourself out. Want to pierce your ears, nose, lips, tongue or any other of the various body parts that can be pierced - be my guest. Want to get an abortion - it's your conscience you have to live with. Want to take birth control or the morning after pill - you absolutely have the right to do so. You have the right to do all of the above, but you do not have the right to force me to pay for any of the crap you do.

Ms. Fluke, and/or her parents, will end up paying tens of thousands of dollars for her law degree at Georgetown University, but she wants us to pay $3,000 (her estimate) so she can fornicate out of wedlock. Why shouldn't she ask her partner(s) to pay for a share of the costs. Another alternative would be to go to a less expensive law school so she can afford birth control pills and can fornicate to her heart's content. Georgetown University's published tuition per semester (2011-2012) for a full time Juris Doctor (JD) student is $23,432.50. Add $8,000.00 for room, board and incidentals per semester and the total cost per year is $62, 865.00 per year - $188,595.00 for three years.

She really has a lot of unmitigated gall to sit before any congressmen and cry poverty.

Note: I did a little online research and it appears that Ms. Fluke was padding the cost of her birth control pills. The annual visit to the doctor that is required in order to get the prescription for birth control pills will cost about $200 and the pills can cost between $20 and $50 per month. Therefore, using the maximum prices, the cost would be $800 per year and the minimum would be $440 per year.

Here's yet another, less expensive, alternative for Ms. Fluke. A well known brand of condoms, which have the added benefit of preventing some/most sexually transmitted diseases, can be purchased at drugstore.com for $ .50 each. Even if Ms. Fluke is a slut and is having sex on a daily basis, the annual cost of condoms would be less than $185. (I know quite a bit about condoms because while I was in college, I bought condoms by the gross (12 dozen) and sold them to my fraternity brothers. (Our motto was, not unlike the Boy Scouts, 'Be prepared!')

Posted by Rick | March 3, 2012 03:38 PM | Social Studies

Where Has The Liberal Outrage Been For The Last Ten Years?

Michelle Malkin's primer on liberal hate speech is here.

Where has the liberal outrage been over all this liberal hate been for the past 10 years? Maybe I missed it...

The time has come to merely ignore the left when they wring their sweaty hands over these arguments about right wing speech. They have no credability left.

Posted by Rick | January 20, 2011 02:04 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

New College Football Champions!!

Congratulations to the Auburn Tigers who beat the Oregon Ducks in a very exciting BCS championship football game tonight 22-19 with a field goal as time expired. They are the best college football team in the country money can buy.

Posted by Rick | January 10, 2011 10:46 PM | Social Studies

The NAACP Has Lost Its Way

For many years, there has been a problem with the extremely high dropout rate of African-American students. In an effort to fix this problem, Minneapolis School District Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson has recommended that a failing high school, North High School, be closed and the students moved to better schools.

Corey Mitchell of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on October 13, 2010,

The Minneapolis branch of the NAACP on Wednesday urged parents to consider pulling their children out of the Minneapolis School District in response to Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson's recommendation to close North High School.

Makes perfect sense to me...someone wants to make send my child to a better school and I pull them out of school to protest. I know of many parents who scrimp and save to send their children to better schools. Parents have been known to lie about where they live to send their children to a better school in a different district. Has the NAACP really thought this through? It doesn't seem that they are really looking out for the children.

Posted by Rick | October 14, 2010 03:14 PM | Social Studies

Oil Disaster Brings Joy To Left

The glee was palpable at MSNBC over the ecological disaster in the gulf coast. Ed Schultz, host of the Ed Show, was grinning from ear to ear and could barely contain himself as he interviewed comrades about the thousands of barrels of oil about to make their way onto the shores of Louisiana and Mississippi.

This is merely another example of the left rooting for America to fail in order to spread their left wing agenda. The left is going to find out just how effective their scheme to ween us off oil is when gas goes to $5 a gallon. The real losers are going to be the poor and lower middle-class who will have to leave their cars at home and will get to take the bus to work and to shop. I must admit I will enjoy the less crowded streets and parking lots.

Posted by Rick | May 4, 2010 10:17 AM | Social Studies

In Obama's Perfect World

We are pleased to introduce a new feature to our web site - a brand spanking new video player from CoffeeCup software. Click on the playlist and chose the video you would like to watch.

Posted by Rick | March 31, 2010 01:47 AM | Social Studies

Health Care Reform Is Really Welfare Reform

Obamacare claims that by forcing insurance companies to give insurance to people with preexisting conditions it is reforming the health care system. Of course, this is technically true, but it is really reforming the welfare system and redefining the insurance industry.

Dictionary.com defines insurance as "the act, system, or business of insuring property, life, one's person, etc., against loss or harm arising in specified contingencies, as fire, accident, death, disablement, or the like, in consideration of a payment proportionate to the risk involved."

Can you imagine an insurance company insuring your house after it burned down? Of course not!

Can you imagine an insurance company insuring your automobile after you totaled it? Of course not!!

Can you imagine an insurance company insuring your boat after it sank? Of course not!!!

Can you imagine an insurance company insuring your life after you died? Of course not!!!!

There are no insurance companies in their right mind that would insure you for anything after the fact. Barack Hussein Obama and the Democrats in Congress are merely forcing the insurance companies to dole out welfare under the guise of health insurance.

Posted by Rick | March 23, 2010 02:48 PM | Social Studies

Japanese Earthquake A 6.6 On The Richter Scale

An powerful earthquake struck Japan today, following in the wake of earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. You can read more about it here.

TOKYO – A strong magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit off the eastern coast of Japan on Sunday, rattling buildings across a broad swath of the country, including the crowded capital.

Al Gore will be holding a news conference this morning and is expected to blame the spate of earthquakes on global warming.

Posted by Rick | March 14, 2010 06:16 AM | Social Studies

Upper Deck Keeps Tiger Woods In Fold

In an announcement Tuesday, December 15, 2009, Upper Deck announced it was continuing its business relationship with adulterer Tiger Woods.

Could Upper Deck produce a set of cards featuring Woods mistresses? There certainly are enough of them for a nice set.

Posted by Rick | December 16, 2009 06:41 AM | Social Studies

Unemployment Black Hole

While the government is reporting that the official unemployment rate is at 10.2%, the New York Times is reporting a much bleaker, albeit unofficial, figure here.

In all, more than one out of every six workers — 17.5 percent — were unemployed or underemployed in October.

The economic stimulus that the Obama administration is overseeing is obviously not working. If anything is going to help get us out of this economic meltdown, tax cuts and incentives for the private sector to hire new workers would seem to be the answer to the increasing number of unemployed workers. Unfortunately, I don't believe Obama has the vision to see beyond his never-ending quest for undeserved income redistribution.

Posted by Rick | November 7, 2009 01:01 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

The Government Wants To Run Everyone's Heath Care

New flash!! There's waste in government run health care in Washington, D.C..

Our government can't run a dinky program like this AIDS program but believe they should run health care throughout the entire country. Good luck to us all. Read more here.

Posted by Rick | October 19, 2009 03:53 AM | Just A Thought ~ | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Nobel Peace Prize Committee A Joke

In his 1895 will, Nobel Prize award founder Alfred Nobel stipulated that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses."

With the Norwegian Nobel Committee buying into the rhetoric of Obama's campaign of 'hope' and 'change,' President Barack Hussein Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize today for accomplishing nothing,

In an article from the Miami Herald, Associated Press writers Doug Mellgren and Ian MacDougall wrote:

Obama embraced the goal of a nuclear-free world in an agenda-setting speech in April and renewed that commitment as the 15-nation U.N. Security Council last month unanimously approved an ambitious strategy to stop the proliferation of atomic weapons.

I am posting the announcement for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize below, which shows they bought into Obama's flowery, but empty, rhetoric hook, line and sinker. You can read more about Alfred Nobel and the Norwegian Nobel Committee here.

Announcement

The Norwegian Nobel Committee

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

Oslo, October 9, 2009

It is interesting to note that nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize had to be in by February 1, 2009, just 10 days after Obama was inaugurated as President. The committee doesn't reveal who nominates someone for 50 years, but one cannot help but wonder who would be so presumptuous to nominate someone who had been on the international stage for a mere 10 days.

The prestige of the Peace Prize has been waning for years. I'm afraid this year is a new low for the Peace Prize and the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Posted by Rick | October 9, 2009 10:42 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

What Is Walmart Thinking?

After corresponding with Walmart, a company that has been able to thrive as a big box company in a free market economy, all the while resisting every attempt to unionize, it is apparent that they have decided that the health care industry must become part of the nanny state with government telling health care providers and pharmaceutical companies what they can charge for their products and services.

How would Walmart like it if the government came in and told Walmart how much their executives could make and what they could charge for apples, tires and CD's?

Walmart should resist all government intervention into their business model and continue to be the low price leader.

No good can come from government taking over the entire health care system unless you believe higher taxes, long lines and rationing to be good.

Posted by Rick | August 22, 2009 03:05 PM | Social Studies

Boycott Procter & Gamble

I wrote to Proctor & Gamble a week ago and received a promise that they would get back to me about their boycott of the Glen Beck show on FOX News. I have not received a reply to date.

I am assuming from their silence that they have, in fact, removed their advertising from the Beck show and have decided that they have no desire to do business with listeners and/or viewers of Beck's show.

If you would like to show your displeasure with Procter & Gamble, let them know with your pocketbook. There are many great alternatives to Tide laundry detergent, Bounty paper towels, Charmin toilet paper, and Duracell batteries, etc. Click here to view a list of Proctor & Gamble products they would rather you not purchase if you support Glen Beck.

Update: While Procter & Gamble does not seem to be advertising on Glen Beck's show, they are advertising on MSNBC shows such as blow hard Keith Olbermann's show, the ED show, and Rachael Maddow's show. Beck crushes MSNBC's Chris Matthews and O'Reilly crushes Olbermann in the ratings while FOX News generally obliterates MSNBC in all time slots, yet P & G would prefer to advertise on MSNBC. They must be getting a great deal to spend their advertising dollars on MSNBC's third-rate programs.

Posted by Rick | August 20, 2009 11:50 PM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Left Playing Economic Hardball With Dissenters

A racist left-wing group that calls itself ColorOfChange.org has decided to try and silence FOX News channel's Glen Beck. Beck is the newest star at FOX and most of the time advertisers would be glad to advertise during his show because he crushes his competition by a huge ratings margin, but ColorOfChange.org is literally using 'Black'mail to 'encourage' advertisers to pull their advertising from Beck's show, which airs at 5:00 P.M. EDT on the FOX News channel.

ColorOfChange.org was founded in 2005 by its executive director, James Rucker, who, like President Barack Hussein Obama, was essentially a community organizer for MoveOn.org, serving as Director of Grassroots Mobilization for MoveOn.org Political Action and Moveon.org Civic Action; and by Van Jones, who now serves as Special Advisor for Green Jobs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. I don't know if he is considered one of President Barack Hussein Obama's czar's, but that certainly sounds like a pretty cushy job to me.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave. We now have at least one political operative in the White House with ties to a group he co-founded with a political operative from MoveOn.org, that is trying to silence a very successful member of the media who dares disagree with the President. Sounds like something Hugo Chavez would do if you ask me.

I am writing to the companies that have reportedly pulled their advertising from the Glen Beck Show and will post more about it later.

Posted by Rick | August 14, 2009 02:29 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Thoughts And Amazing Statements

1) Carl Bernstein, of Watergate fame, during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe said this about Sarah Palin:

She is a demagogue. She is ignorant. She's a flake.

Bernstein went on to say:

She's manifestly unqualified for high office. He (McCain) really committed an almost unpatriotic act in picking Sarah Palin...

I wonder what he comparing her to - the former community organizer and half term senator we currently have in the White House?

2) Meredith Vieira said this while speaking with President Barack Hussein Obama.

You are married to one of the most stylish women in the world...

OMG! I don't think she's been watching the same first lady I've been watching.

3) How is the Obama's trickle up theory of economics treating you?

4) If health care reform passes, get ready for long lines, rationing and the 'duty to die' theory of health care.

5) The administration is concerned about the next shoe to drop in the economic recession, commercial real estate. Of course, the administration helped trash commercial real estate by closing over 2,000 car dealerships all over the country, not to mention the loss of jobs in those communities.

The administration is really clueless. They should have encouraged the automakers to keep those dealerships open. The marketplace would have taken care of dealers who couldn't make it.

5) Defense Secretary Gates was just in Israel trying to convince Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and perhaps himself, that President Barack Hussein Obama is not naive in his dealings with Iran. ROFLOL Contrary to what Obama would like the Jews in America and Israel to believe, he is no friend of Israel.

Posted by Rick | July 27, 2009 08:13 PM | Just A Thought ~ | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

General Motors Files Bankruptcy

Congratulations to the
United Auto Workers Union
for making this possible!!

Posted by Rick | June 1, 2009 03:10 PM | Social Studies

Dumber Than Dirt

While visiting Africa, the Pope took the opportunity to reiterate the Catholic church's ban on artificial birth control including condoms, no matter that

More than 22 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are infected with HIV, according to a 2008 UNAIDS/WHO report. Nine out of 10 children with HIV in the world live in the region, which has 11.4 million orphans because of AIDS, the report said, and 1.5 million people there died of the disease in 2007.

Read the entire CNN.com article here.

This highlights how out of touch with reality the Catholic church really is.

Posted by Rick | March 17, 2009 08:02 PM | Social Studies

O, J. Simpson Still Searching

O. J. Simpson has moved the search for the killer of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman from the golf courses of Florida to the Nevada state penitentiary. It has not been announced how long he will be searchng there.

Posted by Rick | October 3, 2008 11:49 PM | Social Studies

Deterioration Of Social Mores In America

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin seems to be a fine candidate for vice-president.

However, the fact that she is going to parade her unwed, pregnant daughter, Bristol, and the kid who impregnated her before the Republican convention is really tacky. There is no shame in America anymore, and that is a shame.

It is fine to stick by your daughter if she makes a mistake but don't rub our noses in it. Bristol and her impregnator should stay home and read a book on birth control and/or parenting.

Posted by Rick | September 3, 2008 03:54 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Ocean Front Property In Arizona? Who You Gonna Believe?

If you are worried about the sea level rising as glaciers and the polar ice cap melt, read this interview.

Dr. Nils-Axel Mörner is the head of the Paleogeophysics and Geodynamics department at Stockholm University in Sweden. He is past president (1999-2003) of the INQUA Commission on Sea Level Changes and Coastal Evolution, and leader of the Maldives Sea Level Project. Dr. Mörner has been studying the sea level and its effects on coastal areas for some 35 years.

You can believe Dr. Nils-Axel Mörner or you can believe Al Gore. Personally, I'm not planning on investing in any ocean front property in Arizona.

Posted by Rick | October 21, 2007 02:48 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Prosecuting The Wrong Person

Yesterday, Warren Jeffs, 51, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), which has about 6,000 members in the towns of Hildale, UT, and Colorado City, AZ, with other members in Nevada, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota and British Columbia, was found guilty of 2 counts of being an accomplice to the rape of a 14 year old girl.

The FLDS believes that the prophet is told by God to arrange the marriages between members of this sect and that sex should occur only for procreation.

I should point out that I am not supporter of arranged marriages and do not believe that 14 year old girls should get married, but I don't believe that the authorities in Utah prosecuted the right person here.

The parents of the girl were her care givers and were the ones that allowed this to happen. It would have been certainly difficult for the 14 year old to leave her home to get away from this marriage, but the girl's parents did have the power to keep this from happening and should be the ones held accountable. To blindly follow someone like Warren Jeffs is unconscionable. The same God these people believe in gave people a mind to figure out right from wrong. No gun was held to their head that forced them to give control of their daughter to Jeffs. Unfortunately the parents did give their consent and the blame lies with them.

Posted by Rick | September 26, 2007 04:22 AM | Social Studies

Good 'Ol Boys At Work

Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong will spend merely 1 day in jail after being found in criminal contempt of court for lying to a judge when pursuing rape charges against three falsely accused Duke University lacrosse players.

Nifong could have (and should have) been sentenced to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500. Unfortunately Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III didn't have the good judgment to throw the book at the disgraced Nifong, who, showing that he still did not get it, pled not guilty to the charges he lied to the court.

Posted by Rick | September 1, 2007 05:35 PM | Social Studies

Ward Churchill - Going, Going, Gone

Ward Churchill, the tenured University of Colorado professor who was accused of falsifying his ancestry in order to obtain his position as professor of American Indian Studies in the Center for Studies in Ethnicity and Race in America (CSERA) at the University of Colorado at Boulder, was terminated by the University of Colorado's governing board on Tuesday by an 8-1 vote, finally ending the 2 year investigation and controversy.You can read the full Report of the Investigative Committee of the Standing Committee on Research Misconduct at the University of Colorado at Boulder concerning Allegations of Academic Misconduct against Professor Ward Churchill here.

Churchill claimed he was part American Indian although both of his parents are Caucasian. You can read all about Churchill's claims and the facts in a Rocky Mountains News article written by Kevin Flynn, June 9, 2005, here.

He was also accused of plagiarism and had been under fire for his comments likening some of the victims of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann.

Below are two works of art. The first, by the late artist Thomas E. Mails, was published in a 1972 book called The Mystic Warriors of the Plains. The second, titled “Winter Attack,” was “drawn" and signed by the now terminated University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill.

                                               Photos courtesy of CBS 4 Denver

There is a statement from Ward Churchill clarifying his "little Eichmans" remark here.

Churchill, who had vowed to sue if the Board of Regents took action against him, said immediately after the 8-1 vote was announced: "New game, new game."

I would like to know who the brilliant mind was behind the dissenting vote. Perhaps the University should look at his record next.

Posted by Rick | July 25, 2007 12:12 AM | Social Studies

Coulter On Injustice In America

Ann Coulter chimes in on 'injustice in America' with an article you can read here.

Posted by Rick | June 26, 2007 11:36 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Injustice In America

The justice system in America is, in theory, probably the fairest system in the world. Unfortunately, we have some judges with partisan or personal agendas who are more and more often screwing things up.

This has been quite apparent in some recent cases:

Sandy Berger, President Clinton's National Security Advisor, received no time in jail for stealing and destroying documents from the National Archives. I believe his sentence should have been 10 years in federal prison.

Paris Hilton gets 45 days for breaking the terms of her probation twice after her no-contest DUI plea. I believe her sentence should have been the 45 days the judge sentenced her to.

Mary Winkler received a sentence of merely 210 days in prison and 3 years probation for shooting her husband in the back while he slept and letting him die. I believe her sentence should have been 20 years of hard labor on a chain gang.

I. 'Scooter' Libby, Vice-President Cheney's chief-of-staff, received a sentence of 2 1/2 years in federal prison and fined hime $250.000 for giving conflicting accounts of his recollections involving CIA agent Valerie Plame. I believe his sentence should have been 2 years of probation.

12,000,000 illegal aliens who don't pay taxes, get free on-demand medical care at any emergency room and free education for their children in the over-crowded public school system (because they are attending) are going to be given amnesty and citizenship if President Bush and half the Congress get their way in return for a $5,000.00 fine. I believe none of the illegal aliens should be given citizenship, and they should all be deported when apprehended by any law enforcement agency. If they come back a second time, they should be given the pleasure of spending 5 years on a chain gang in Maricopa County, AZ.

Note: For an interesting analysis of the disparity between the Berger and Libby sentences, check out this article at Cronwatch.

Posted by Rick | June 8, 2007 06:00 PM | Social Studies

Big, fat, lesbian, loud Rosie

"Big fat, lesbian, loud Rosie" (O'Donnell), as she described herself, used a contributor to her blog by the name of Shelly to quote herself from a recent exchange with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, one of her co-hosts on The View:

O’DONNELL: …… I just want to say something. 655,000 Iraqi civilians are dead. Who are the terrorists?
HASSELBECK: Who are the terrorists?
O’DONNELL: 655,000 Iraqis — I’m saying you have to look, we invaded –
HASSELBECK: Wait, who are you calling terrorists now? Americans?
O’DONNELL: I’m saying if you were in Iraq, and the other country, the United States, the richest in the world, invaded your country and killed 655,000 of your citizens, what would you call us?
HASSELBECK: Are we killing their citizens or are their people also killing their citizens?
O’DONNELL: We’re invading a sovereign nation, occupying a country against the U.N.

Shelly went on to complain that that famous liberal hater Chris Matthews, who as everyone knows has a right-wing show called Hardball on the fascist MSNBC cable channel, had a panel of journalists (all known homophobes and right-wing conspirators) that included Howard Feinman, Jill Zuckman, and Jonathan Capehart that had the audacity to unanimously agree "with Matthews that she (Rosie) did call our troops terrorists. That conforms with the majority of journalists who have reported on this comment."

Forgetting ten years of American soldiers protecting the Kurds in Northern Iraq and brave American pilots patrolling the no-fly zone after Iraq was expelled from Kuwait in 1991; forgetting seventeen, that's right 17, United Nations resolutions condemning Iraqi behavior in the years after Desert Storm, Shelly blamed everyone in the elite media like the Hardball panel "who aided and abetted the rush to war in Iraq and fostered the terrorist policy that has resulted in this catastrophe."

Rosie's comment to Shelly's post: "THANK GOD 4 SHELLY"

WOW! That is quite an amazing alternate reality that Shelly and Rosie live in.

Note: I believe the site that Ms. O'Donnell is using to back up her claim of 655,000 deaths in Iraq is here. There are at least four other groups with estimates no higher than approximately 23% of Ms. O'Donnell's claim. All five estimates can be found at a table provided by NPR here.

Posted by Rick | May 25, 2007 11:14 PM | Social Studies

Don Ho Will Be Missed

Donald Tai Loy Ho, Hawaiian musician and entertainer, died yesterday. He was 76 years young.

(Rumor has it that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were going to boycott Hawaii unless he changed his name, but he died before any boycott could be arranged.)

Posted by Rick | April 15, 2007 06:03 AM | Social Studies

Santa's Got A Brand New Bag

Jimmy Kimmel says that, in light of the Don Imus fuss, Santa Claus is considering changing his laugh to "Ha! Ha! Ha!" and I heard from a reliable source that Al Sharpton wants to take away his reindeer if he refuses.

Posted by Rick | April 13, 2007 03:18 AM | Social Studies

How To Become A Millionaire

Not everyone will become a millionaire, but virtually everyone can become a millionaire...even a multi-millionaire. Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine published a "How to.." article on February 27, 2007. Unfortuantely, the link to the original article is dead, but the main points from the article are posted below.

12 Steps To Become A Millionaire

You don't have to own the company or be a CEO. Here's how to build a rich nest egg one paycheck at a time.

...working for the Man doesn't mean you have to be a wage slave or resort to buying lottery tickets to strike it rich. The trick is to maximize your income on the job (and know when to move on), make the most of your employee benefits and tax breaks and use that extra money to start investing.

1. Keep your eyes peeled for better ways to do your job.
2. Don't be afraid to negotiate.
3. Get your ducks in a row and your numbers on paper.
4. Plot your strategy when it's time to move on.

Milk your benefits

5. Contribute as much as you can to your 401(k) and other tax-deferred retirement plans.
6. Flex your tax-saving muscle.
7. Review your tax withholding.
8. Stash savings in a Roth IRA if you're eligible.

Invest like crazy

9. Don't delay.
10. Invest automatically, either through your employer's retirement plan or by setting up a regular deposit to a mutual fund or broker.
11. Watch for fund fees.
12. Keep it simple.

The bottom line is if you are spending your entire paycheck on car payments, clothes, and vacations, you won't become a millionaire. You've got to pay yourself first every paycheck.

So if you don't want to live on social security when you retire, start now and SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!

Posted by Rick | March 2, 2007 03:00 AM | Social Studies

Harley-Davidson Still On Strike

Winchester has long been a proud name in the firearms business. As a boy growing up, I wanted a Winchester shotgun so I could go hunting with my father, who used a Winchester when he went hunting for pheasants, ducks and geese.

Last year Winchester closed its manufacturing facility in the United States. They did not go out of business. Unfortunately for the American workers who made Winchesters, they are now manufacturing and assembling their rifles and shotguns in other countries. Are you listening Harley-Davidson workers?

From the Winchester web site:

There have been many questions over the past several weeks about the future and status of Winchester brand rifles and shotguns. We hope that the questions and answers below will help clear up any misconceptions and assure you that we are aggressively moving forward in providing a line of rifles and shotguns with the quality, durability and good design you expect from the greatest firearms brand of all time. Q. I heard that your company is closing down the Winchester firearms factory in Connecticut. Is this true? A. Yes, this is true. On January 17 of 2006 it was announced that U.S. Repeating Arms Company (the company that makes Winchester brand Model 94s, Model 70s and the Model 1300 Speed Pump Shotgun) would be shutting down one of the factories which makes Winchester guns. The factory is located in New Haven, Connecticut. Q. Why is the plant being closed? A. Over the years, many efforts were made to improve profitability at the manufacturing facility in New Haven, and the decision to shut this factory was made after exhausting all available options. Q. Are there other factories making Winchester products? A. Yes. Our other factories will continue production uninterrupted. Products made at these factories include the Super X line of shotguns including the new Super X3 autoloader and the new Super X Rifle (SXR) centerfire autoloader. Both are made in Belgium and assembled in Portugal. In addition, we will continue with our line of quality Select over and unders: the only production Belgium-made over and unders in the world. Our special historic guns -- 1885s, 95s, as well as other limited series rifles -- continue to be made at our factory in Japan. These factories are unaffected by the New Haven closure and we continue forward with our production and future plans.

You can read Winchester's official press release here.

Posted by Rick | February 21, 2007 02:45 PM | Social Studies

Harley Davidson - Hecho En Mexico

The 2,800 union workers at Harley-Davidson's largest manufacturing plant have walked off the job. It is just another case of arrogant American workers, unwilling to make any concessions, forcing manufacturing jobs out of the United States. In an article in the times-leader.com written February 3, 2007, by Martha Raffaele of the Associated Press:

The assembly line at Harley-Davidson’s largest manufacturing plant remained idle Friday as nearly 2,800 union workers walked off the job, saying they would strike for as long as it took to win a better contract.

The article went on to say:

The union voted Wednesday to authorize a strike after rejecting the company’s contract offer, which would have reduced pay rates for new hires, required employees to pay part of their health insurance premiums and forced pension concessions. In anticipation of the walkout, the company shut down production at the plant on Thursday.

If the union members at Harley-Davidson want their jobs back they better brush up on their Spanish, because it is likely they are going to have to move south of the Rio Grande. Perhaps the union will provide Spanish lessons for the workers who lose their jobs. Can you say, "Yo hablo Espanol?"

Posted by Rick | February 7, 2007 07:49 PM | Social Studies

Colts Win In First Afirmative Action Bowl

29-17

Lovey Smith and Tony Dungy

Posted by Rick | February 5, 2007 07:51 PM | Social Studies

Shame, Shame, Shame

It took almost ten years, but someone in Washington, D.C., namely Representative Mark Foley (R-FL), became a bigger scumbag than Bill Clinton.

Foley, who resigned Friday, was sending sexually explicit emails to a 16 year old boy who worked as a Congressional page. God only knows what else he was doing with the boy.

Foley should be tarred and feathered. Shame on him.

Posted by Rick | September 30, 2006 04:31 AM | Social Studies

Our Enemies Are Extremists! - Really? No Kidding!?

Today in a joint news conference, both U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff referred to the United Kingdom terrorists plotting to blow up planes departing from the United Kingdom en route to the United States as extremists.

Where did we find these politically correct Einsteins? Heaven forbid Gonzales and Chertoff offend, rather, they continue to be politically correct in the face of potentially thousands of deaths of innocent travelers.

There are a lot of extremists around, including the ACLU, MoveOn.org, the DNC, the KKK, the NAACP, and the New Black Panther Party. Fortunately, most extremists are not actively trying to kill us. While it is true the terrorists we are concerned about are extremists, they are also all Muslims and they are, at the very least, trying to destroy our way of life, and would ultimately like to kill us for being infidels/non-believers. Therefore, they should be described as Muslim extremists, or Islamofascists. I am also not prepared to believe that they are a small percentage of the Muslim community. I believe the reality is that these terrorists are an extremely large percentage of Muslims who live among us, worship at the local mosque, shop at the local grocery, send their kids to the local school, walk the local streets, and they want to kill their neighbors, and you, and me, and Bobby McGee.

Posted by Rick | August 10, 2006 05:17 AM | Social Studies

World War III - The New Crusades!

If you thought I was kidding after you read my last three posts, you must know that, in light of the arrest of 21 al Qaeda terrorists in London who were plotting to blow up 20 planes en route to the United States, I was not. This is a worldwide war against civilization as we know it by the Muslim world, and life is going to become much more complicated for us all in the coming days, months, and years.

The Muslim religion is infected with a virus - the virus of hate. Government and religious leaders who would have you believe that we need only worry about a few radical Muslims are delusional. We must not be diluted into believing that this is only a small radical fringe of the followers of Muhammad who are conspiring to undermine our way of life.

Mark my words...Take it to the bank...Write it in stone...Ultimately, this war will be waged by a majority of the Muslim world against us and our way of life and, unfortunately, they will keep coming after us until we eliminate them all by whatever means necessary.

Posted by Rick | August 10, 2006 02:54 AM | Political Science ~ | Social Studies

Peace, Baby, Peace

These pictures, which haven't appeared in the American MSM, are of Muslims marching through the streets of London during their recent "Religion of Peace Demonstration." There are nine pictures, however, the first picture really says it all.

Whether you think we are at war with the Muslim world, the Muslim world obviously thinks it is at war with the us. Civilization hangs in the balance.

Tip of the hat to G. Welty.

Posted by Rick | August 9, 2006 01:41 AM | Social Studies

Outlaw Islam

Just as Nazism, the ideology held by the National Socialist German Workers Party, has been outlawed in Germany for many years, and Shinto was completely separated from Japanese politics after World War II, the time has come to outlaw Islam.

Although Nazism is a social and political ideology, and not a religion as Islam purports to be, the basic tenants of both extol the supremacy of a certain group of people while attempting to speed the demise/extinction of other groups by whatever means necessary. The only real difference between Nazism and Islam is that, while Nazism spread its message in the beer gardens of Berlin, the Islamic religion spreads its message of hatred, death and destruction in its mosques hiding behind a twisted god.

From Wikipedia:

Nazism, or more correctly National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus, often abbreviated NS) is a political ideology promoting Germanic racial supremacy and a strong and centrally governed state.

Nazism has been outlawed in modern Germany, although remnants and revivalists, known as Neo-Nazis, continue to operate in Germany and abroad. The term is derived from the word Nazi, which is used to label the supporters of the National Socialism.

And just as Nazism has been outlawed in Germany, Shinto was outlawed in Japan as the state religion after World War II. From Encarta:

In 1946, during the American occupation of Japan following World War II, the cult was completely separated from the state by order of General Douglas MacArthur, supreme commander for the Allied powers. Government financial support of State Shinto was eliminated, the former practice of teaching cult doctrines in the schools was abolished, and the use of Shinto symbols for nationalistic purposes was forbidden.

Lebanese Islamo-fascists, aka Hezbollah, with a stockpile of over 10,000 rockets, have fired over 2,000 rockets into Israel in the past two weeks. Unable to really aim their rockets, the Hezbollah point them in the general direction of a town hoping to kill or maim somebody; anybody. Elsewhere in the world, Islamo-fascists are blowing up buses, trains, planes, ships, hotels, embassies and office buildings, indiscriminately killing innocent men, women and children in the name of Allah.

Left-wing ideologues would have us believe that there is some root cause of the violence. The notion that we have overtly done something to deserve the death and destruction by the Muslims is peddled by bleeding hearts, but the truth is that no matter what the civilized world does for the Islamic world, it would never be enough. The left would have us believe that we can negotiate with these animals. The bleeding hearts are delusional. The Islamo-fascists will not be satisfied until all secular laws are replaced with Islamic law and all non-believers are dead.

The civilized world is involved in a war against Islam. It's time to turn away all Muslim's who would emigrate to America. It's time to close the mosques in America and jail or expel the fascist clerics. It's time to jail anyone who outwardly displays any alliance with, or allegiance to, Islam. Just as Nazism has been outlawed in Germany and Shintoism was outlawed in Japan, the time has come to outlaw Islam worldwide.

If you do not believe this is World War III, you soon will. The bloodthirsty Islamo-fascists are willing to die for their religious beliefs, and the time has come to accommodate them. The sooner we start to kill them the better, because there will be no peace until they kill us or we kill them.

Go Israel!

Posted by Rick | August 1, 2006 02:47 AM | Social Studies

International Red Cross On The Job?

I'm sure that the International Red Cross is demanding that it be allowed to make sure the Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas and Hezbollah are being treated according to the Geneva Conventions.

You can email the International Red Cross at webmaster.gva@icrc.org and request that they protect the Israeli soldiers just as they do the prisoners at Guantánamo Bay who are not entitled to the protection of the Geneva Conventions.

Go here if you are interested in learning more about Hamas.

Go here if you are interested in learning more about Hezbollah.

Posted by Rick | July 14, 2006 10:20 PM | Social Studies

Fox News Cashin' In Challenge

I have been playing along with the Fox News Cashin' In Challenge since the 1st of the year. I am pleased to report that as of May 31, 2006, the stocks I have chosen have had a net year-to-date increase of 20.48%!

The closest expert on the show is Jonathan Hoenig, of Capitalistpig Asset Management LLC, who has had a respectible year-to-date increase of 8.60. Wayne Rogers, former televison star of Mash fame, is second with a year-to-date 7.95% increase.

I don't know how many people are ahead of me since they don't publish other competitors' results, but I know that I am at least in the top 20%.

If you want to play along, you can sign up anytime before the end of June. You can read more about the contest and sign up here.

Good luck!

Posted by Rick | June 1, 2006 06:08 AM | Social Studies

No Roundup Needed

President Bush gave a speech today and said it wasn't practical to round-up all the illegal aliens and deport them. I agree. But the argument is really disingenuous and I really expect more from a Republican president.

We have millions of people who break the laws of the United States every day. There are drug dealers, tax cheats, prostitutes, and the list goes on. It is impossible to incarcerate them all, or even to find them all. We deal with them one at a time. We try to make it harder to obtain drugs; harder to evade the IRS; harder to prostitute oneself. We make examples of the criminals we catch. We can make it much harder to be an illegal alien and we should make examples of the ones we catch.

We must make it illegal to hire illegal aliens. We must make it impossible to get an education, free health care, and welfare for all illegals. If we make it really tough to be an illegal, they will not come, and they may, in fact, leave.

Come on President Bush - make the right argument and the right decision.

Posted by Rick | April 25, 2006 02:59 AM | Social Studies

The Katie Couric Era Begins At CBS News

Perky...

Bubbly...

However you describe Katie Couric's demeanor, she certainly doesn't make one think of serious, hard-hitting news gathering and reporting. Perhaps, with a few more wrinkles, she will grow into the role of the face of CBS Evening News.

Demeanor aside, the larger question yet to be determined is: Will Ms. Couric, as anchor and managing editor of the evening news, be able to put aside her left-wing bias on a consistent basis, or will it be more of the same tripe we were served by her for the past 15 years on NBC's morning show, "Today"?

Couric, 49, who reportedly signed a five-year contract, will do prime-time specials and contribute to "60 Minutes" in addition to her duties on the nightly news broadcast.

Thank God for the Fox News channel!

Posted by Rick | April 5, 2006 06:30 PM | Social Studies

Cheney Knows Better

Vice President Dick Cheney went quail hunting on Saturday, but ended up shooting something much larger than a quail. He shot one of his hunting companions, attorney Harry Whittington, 78, in the face and upper body.

It was left to the ranch owner, Katharine Armstrong, to explain how it happened. Unfortunately, she said that it was the victim's fault for not notifying everyone that he had rejoined the hunting party after looking for a downed quail.

I have been hunting many times and own many guns but have never heard anything so asinine. The responsibility lies with the person pulling the trigger, period. A hunter must always be aware of his surroundings and must always know what is in the area he is shooting toward. The ranch owner can say whatever she wants in an effort to deflect blame from the Vice President, but if Cheney had killed one of her cows, she would have sent him a bill.

There is no excuse for shooting someone while hunting. Vice President Cheney needs to be a stand-up guy and accept full responsibility publicly.

Update: Today, Wednesday, February 15, 2006, Vice President Dick Cheney, in an interview with Brit Hume of the Fox News Channel, said:

Ultimately, I'm the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry. You can talk about all of the other conditions that existed at the time, but that's the bottom line and there's no...it's not Harry's fault. You can't blame anybody else. I'm the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend...

...And it was, I'd have to say, one of the worst days of my life, at that moment.

The Vice President got it exactly right. He is a stand up guy.

You can read a complete transcript of the interview here.

Posted by Rick | February 14, 2006 01:27 AM | Social Studies

Wealth In America - What A Country!!!

From Forbes.com comes the annual list of the 400 wealthiest Americans. Although inheriting your wealth is still a great way to become wealthy (see Walton family), America is still the land of opportunity for enteprenuers in every walk of life. Amazingly, you have to almost be a billionaire to make the list. The cutoff was $900 million, with seventeen people tied for that honor. If you are not even a millionaire yet, you better get busy if you hope to ever make the list. Here are the top 50 on the Forbes list of:

THE 400 RICHEST AMERICANS

RANK - NAME - NET WORTH ($MILLIONS) - AGE - RESIDENCE - SOURCE OF WEALTH
1 - Gates, William Henry III - 51,000 - 49 - Medina, WA - Microsoft
2 - Buffett, Warren Edward - 40,000 - 75 - Omaha, NE - Berkshire Hathaway
3 - Allen, Paul Gardner - 22,500 - 52 - Seattle, WA - Microsoft, investments
4 - Dell, Michael - 18,000 - 40 - Austin, TX - Dell Computers
5 - Ellison, Lawrence Joseph - 17,000 - 61 - Silicon Valley, CA - Oracle
6 - Walton, Christy - 15,700 - 50 - Jackson, WY - Wal-Mart inheritance
6 - Walton, Jim C - 15,700 - 57 - Bentonville, AR - Wal-Mart
8 - Walton, S Robson - 15,600 - 61 - Bentonville, AR - Wal-Mart
9 - Walton, Alice L - 15,500 - 56 - Fort Worth, TX - Wal-Mart
10 - Walton, Helen R - 15,400 - 86 - Bentonville, AR - Wal-Mart
11 - Ballmer, Steven Anthony - 14,000 - 49 - Redmond, WA - Microsoft
12 - Anthony, Barbara Cox - 12,500 - 82 - Honolulu, HI - Cox Enterprises
12 - Chambers, Anne Cox - 12,500 - 85 - Atlanta, GA - Cox Enterprises
12 - Johnson, Abigail - 12,500 - 43 - Boston, MA - Fidelity
15 - Adelson, Sheldon - 11,500 - 72 - Las Vegas, NV - Casinos, hotels
16 - Brin, Sergey - 11,000 - 32 - San Francisco, CA - Google
16 - Page, Larry E - 11,000 - 32 - San Francisco, CA - Google
18 - Omidyar, Pierre M - 10,200 - 38 - Henderson, NV - Ebay
19 - Kerkorian, Kirk - 10,000 - 88 - Los Angeles, CA - Investments, casinos
19 - Mars, Forrest Edward Jr - 10,000 - 74 - McLean, VA - Candy
19 - Mars, Jacqueline - 10,000 - 66 - Bedminster, NJ - Candy
19 - Mars, John Franklyn - 10,000 - 69 - Arlington, VA - Candy
23 - Kluge, John Werner - 9,000 - 91 - Palm Beach, FL - Metromedia
24 - Icahn, Carl - 8,500 - 69 - New York, NY - Leveraged buyouts
25 - Redstone, Sumner M - 8,400 - 82 - Beverly Hills, CA - Viacom
26 - Newhouse, Donald Edward - 7,500 - 75 - Somerset County, NJ - Publishing
26 - Newhouse, Samuel Irving Jr - 7,500 - 77 - New York, NY - Publishing
28 - Anschutz, Philip F - 7,200 - 65 - Denver, CO - Investments
28 - Soros, George - 7,200 - 75 - New York, NY - Hedge funds
30 - Ergen, Charles - 7,100 - 52 - Denver, CO - EchoStar
31 - Knight, Philip H - 6,900 - 67 - Beaverton, OR - Nike
32 - Murdoch, Keith Rupert - 6,700 - 74 - New York, NY - News Corp
33 - Johnson, Edward Crosby III - 6,500 - 75 - Boston, MA - Fidelity
34 - Duncan, Dan L - 6,000 - 72 - Houston, TX - Energy
34 - Perelman, Ronald Owen - 6,000 - 62 - New York, NY - Leveraged buyouts
34 - Taylor, Jack Crawford - 6,000 - 83 - St Louis, MO - Enterprise Rent-A-Car
37 - Arison, Micky - 5,800 - 56 - Bal Harbour, FL - Carnival Cruises
38 - Bren, Donald L - 5,700 - 73 - Newport Beach, CA - Real estate
39 - Broad, Eli - 5,500 - 72 - Los Angeles, CA - Investments
40 - Bloomberg, Michael Rubens - 5,100 - 63 - New York, NY - Bloomberg L.P.
41 - Menard, John R Jr - 5,000 - 65 - Eau Claire, WI - Home improvement stores
42 - Bezos, Jeffrey P - 4,800 - 41 - Seattle, WA - Amazon
42 - Rowling, Robert - 4,800 - 52 - Dallas, TX - Oil & gas, hotels, investments
44 - Moore, Gordon Earle - 4,600 76 Woodside, CA - Intel
45 - Geffen, David - 4,500 - 62 - Malibu, CA - DreamWorks
45 - Kaiser, George B - 4,500 - 63 - Tulsa, OK - Oil & gas, banking, real estate
45 - Koch, Charles De Ganahl - 4,500 69 Wichita, KS - Oil, commodities
45 - Koch, David Hamilton - 4,500 - 65 - Wichita, KS - Oil, commodities
49 - Warner, H Ty - 4,400 - 61 - Chicago, IL - Beanie Babies
50 - Perot, Henry Ross - 4,200 - 75 - Dallas, TX - Computer services, real estate

and here are the also rans from Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans:

375 - Sillerman, Robert FX - 975 - 57 - New York, NY - Entertainment
377 - Stewart, Martha - 970 - 64 - Bedford, NY - Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
378 - Bisciotti, Stephen J - 960 - 45 - Severna Park, MD - Outsourcing, football
379 - Pasculano, Lynne & family - 950 - 64 - New York, NY - Auto parts, candy
379 - Watkins, Edward G III - 950 - 69 - Concord, MA - Security systems
381 - Burrell, Gary L - 940 - 68 - Stilwell, KS - Navigation equipment
382 - McCaw, Bruce R - 925 - 58 - Seattle, WA - McCaw Cellular
382 - Rizzuto, Leandro P - 925 - 67 - Sheridan, WY - Conair
384 - Anselmo, Mary - 900 - 76 - Greenwich, CT - PanAmSat
384 - Bowes, William - 900 - 79 - San Francisco, CA - Venture capital
384 - Case, Stephen M - 900 - 47 - McLean, VA - AOL
384 - Cathy, S Truett - 900 - 84 - Atlanta, GA - Chick-fil-A
384 - Cayne, James - 900 - 71 - New York, NY - Bear Stearns
384 - Connell, Grover - 900 - 87 - Westfield, NJ - Real estate, heavy equipment
384 - Forstmann, Theodore - 900 - 65 - New York, NY - Leveraged buyouts
384 - Gilbert, Daniel - 900 - 43 - Livonia, MI - Quicken Loans
384 - Glazer, Guilford - 900 - 84 - Beverly Hills, CA - Shopping malls
384 - Magness, Gary - 900 - 51 - Denver, CO - Inheritance
384 - Mandelbaum, David & family - 900 - 69 - Livingston, NJ - Real estate
384 - Mansueto, Joseph D - 900 - 49 - Chicago, IL - Morningstar
384 - McCaw, John Elroy Jr - 900 - 54 - Seattle, WA - McCaw Cellular
384 - Oates, Marvin L "Buzz" - 900 - 82 - Sacramento, CA - Real estate
384 - Osher, Bernard A - 900 - 78 - San Francisco, CA - Banking, investments
384 - Robertson, Julian H Jr - 900 - 73 - New York, NY - Money management, wine
384 - Shorenstein, Walter Herbert - 900 - 90 - San Francisco, CA - Real estate

Posted by Rick | January 18, 2006 05:00 PM | Social Studies

It Must Be Something In The Water

New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin must be drinking the same water that television evangelist Pat Robertson is drinking.

By now, it is common knowledge that on January 5, 2006, Pat Robertson said that God was angry at Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon because he had abandoned some of the settlements in the Gaza Strip and that Sharon's stroke was some form of divine retribution.

Yesterday in a speech honoring Martin Luther King, the 'honorable' Mayor Nagin proclaimed that God was angry with the United States for going to war with Iraq and was sending the hurricanes to punish us. In additional comments, he proclaimed that after the reconstruction of New Orleans, it would once again be a 'chocolate' city. What is in that water anyway?

Posted by Rick | January 17, 2006 04:03 PM | Social Studies

Martin Luther King Jr. - Happy Birthday

Today as some of the country took the day off in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., I doubt that the black community took much time to truly reflect on the status of their community. The black community hasn't reflected on much or accomplished much since King's "I have a dream..." speech over 40 years ago. They have been too busy squandering the wealth of entitlements given to them.

If Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today he couldn't help but be embarrassed by the illiteracy, the out-of-wedlock births, the drugs, the gangs, the crime, the gangster rap, the poverty and the unemployment in the black community. After 40 years of busing, affirmative action (reverse discrimination), after-school programs, job training, low income housing, and every law imaginable to protect the rights of the black community, they are arguably worse off now than they were when MLK was alive.

Black community leaders like shake-down artist Jesse Louis Burns (AKA the 'Reverend' Jesse Jackson), the 'Reverend' Alfred Sharpton Jr., the Nation of Islam's Louis Eugene Walcott (AKA 'Minister' Louis Farrakhan, AKA Calypso Louie), and former President and Chief Executive Officer of the NAACP Frizzell Gray (AKA Kweisi Mfume) call themselves by fancy names, wear fancy suits and line their pockets from the sweat of the black underclass they supposedly serve. They have done little to lead their community out of the darkness.

It's time the black community looks to itself for answers, past their so-called leaders. Unfortunately, when a voice of reason from within the black community like Bill Cosby or Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks up, he is condemned as being an 'Uncle Tom' or worse.

In 2004, it is estimated that over 85% of blacks that voted cast their ballot for the Democratic candidate, John Kerry. Unfortunately, it is the Democratic Party that continues to divide the country with their class warfare mantra.

The black community needs to forget about what it thinks it is owed. The marketplace will provide for anyone willing to take advantage of the opportunities afforded all Americans who are willing to apply themselves in school and work hard when they get out of school.

Study hard and work hard...make Martin Luther King Jr. proud!

Posted by Rick | January 16, 2006 08:51 PM | Social Studies

Murderer And Crips Co-Founder Stanley Tookie Williams Eulogized

How many people do you have to brutally murder before the 'Reverend' Jesse Jackson, 'Minister' Louis Farrakhan, rapper Snoop Dogg and thousands of others come to honor and celebrate your life? Four...

How many violent gangs do you have co-found before the 'Reverend' Jesse Jackson, 'Minister' Louis Farrakhan, rapper Snoop Dogg and thousands of others come to honor and celebrate your life? One...

Yesterday, at a church in 'south central' Los Angeles, over 1,500 mourners attended the funeral of Stanley Tookie Williams during which the Crips co-founder and convicted murderer was eulogized as "a true revolutionary and a messenger of peace."

With heroes like Stanley it's no wonder that African-American community stays rooted in poverty and crime....

Shame on all those who went to mourn. Shame on Stanley Tookie Williams.

Posted by Rick | December 21, 2005 01:06 AM | Social Studies

Bush Screwed The Pooch On This One

Today President Bush gave the Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, to a number of distinguished Americans. Below is the official press release:

Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients

President George W. Bush today announced the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civil award. Established by Executive Order 11085 in 1963, the Medal may be awarded by the President "to any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." President Bush will honor these recipients at a White House ceremony on Wednesday, November 9, 2005.

Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He was the first three-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world, successfully defended the title 19 times, and was a Gold Medalist for the United States at the 1960 Olympic Games.

Carol Burnett is one of America's most accomplished comediennes and actresses. She debuted on Broadway in 1959 and starred for more than a decade on The Carol Burnett Show. Ms. Burnett won a special place in the hearts of people across America through her combination of creativity, humor, and compassion.

Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn designed the software code that is used to transmit data over the Internet. Dr. Cerf and Dr. Kahn have been at the forefront of a digital revolution that has transformed global commerce, communication, and entertainment.

Robert Conquest is a historian known for his groundbreaking work on Soviet history, politics, and foreign policy. More than 35 years after its publication, his landmark book, The Great Terror: Stalin's Purge of the Thirties, remains one of the most influential studies of Soviet history and has been translated into more than 20 languages.

Aretha Franklin has brought joy to millions with her music. She has nearly two dozen number-one singles and has won numerous awards. Ms. Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Alan Greenspan has chaired the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve for the last 18 years. Mr. Greenspan has been an extraordinary leader who has made great contributions to America's economic growth and prosperity.

Andy Griffith is an American icon of the stage, cinema, and television. He first achieved national acclaim in the 1950s for his stand-up comedy routines, and he went on to star in television shows such as The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock, as well as numerous Broadway productions and films.

Paul Harvey is one of America's most respected radio personalities and has set a standard of excellence for broadcasters. Since his radio broadcasts first aired nationally in 1951, Mr. Harvey has won the trust of millions of radio listeners.

Sonny Montgomery was a champion for veterans during his 30 years as a Member of the House of Representatives from Mississippi. His signature achievement was the Montgomery GI Bill, which has helped make education affordable for millions of veterans.

General Richard B. Myers served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during one of the most challenging and dangerous periods in American history. General Myers was at the forefront of preparing America's armed forces to meet the threats of the new century. His tenure was marked by the toppling of brutal dictatorships in Afghanistan and Iraq and the liberation of more than 50 million people.

Jack Nicklaus is the greatest professional golfer of all time. He won 18 majors as a professional, the first in 1962 and the last in 1986, and he won more than 70 PGA Tour events.

Frank Robinson is one of the greatest baseball players ever. Among his awards are National League Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player in both the American and National Leagues, and the American League Triple Crown in 1966. He also has been a top manager and earned Manager of the Year in the American League in 1989. He broke the color barrier for managers, becoming Major League Baseball's first African-American manager in 1975.

Paul Rusesabagina demonstrated courage and compassion by sheltering people at the hotel he managed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. By risking his own life, he helped to save the lives of more than 1,000 fellow Rwandans. Mr. Rusesabagina's selfless acts have inspired millions, and he represents the best of the human spirit.

Unfortunately but understandably, they left off the fact that Muhammad Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay, was a convicted draft dodger. Although his conviction was somehow overturned on appeal, the fact remains that when his country asked him to serve, he would not. It takes a lot of chutzpah for the President to give this award to a draft dodger when Americans that he sent to war in Afghanistan and Iraq are dying in the service of this country every day. This was a slap in the face to all those that serve and have served their country with dignity and courage when asked.

I don't know what the President was thinking when he decided to give this award to Muhammad Ali, but I know that the 'great' Ali did not deserve this honor.

I find it quite ironic that Sonny Montgomery, who was a advocate for veterans while a member of the House of Representatives, and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard B. Myers, were also honored. If I were them, being honored with the 'great' Ali would have turned my stomach.

No doubt about it, President Bush screwed the pooch on this one.

FYI: 'Screwed The Pooch' is commonly used in the military and generally means that a big mistake was made. If you are interested in reading about more about 'Screwed The Pooch', click here. Since the 'great' Ali didn't serve in the military, I know he will want to read all about it.

Posted by Rick | November 9, 2005 10:40 PM | Social Studies

NBA Dress Code = Lipstick On A Pig

In an effort to clean up the thug-life attitude portrayed by many NBA players, commissioner David Stern has initiated a dress code which bans baseball caps, doo-rags, pendants, medallions, sleeveless shirts, headphones, and sunglasses indoors. The dress code mandates jeans or slacks and shirts with collars while on league business. Players in street clothes who sit in the stands or on the bench during games must wear sport coats, shoes and socks. Here is the letter from commissioner David Stern to the teams:

NBA Dress Code Policy | Oct. 17, 2005 From the NBA: We know that you share our desire that NBA players be appreciated not only for their extraordinary talent and hard work, but also for their accessibility to fans, their community service, and their professionalism – both on and off the court. To that end, we will be instituting, effective with the start of the regular season, a league-wide “minimum” dress code. Many teams have previously issued their own dress codes, designed to demonstrate the seriousness with which their players take the representation of their teams, their cities, and our league; our new dress code is not intended to affect any of those that are more formal than what is set forth below:

1. General Policy: Business Casual

Players are required to wear Business Casual attire whenever they are engaged in team or league business.

"Business Casual" attire means:

- A long or short-sleeved dress shirt (collared or turtleneck), and/or a sweater.

- Dress slacks, khaki pants, or dress jeans.

- Appropriate shoes and socks, including dress shoes, dress boots, or other presentable shoes, but not including sneakers, sandals, flip-flops, or work boots.

- "Team or league business" includes all activity conducted on behalf of the team or the league during which the player is seen by, or interacts with, fans, business partners, members of the public, the media, or other third parties. It includes arriving at games (car or team bus to locker room), leaving games (locker room to team bus or car), attending games when not in uniform, participating in team or league events with business partners or in the community, conducting media interviews, and making promotional or other appearances.

2. Exceptions to Business Casual

There are the following exceptions to the general policy of Business Casual attire:

a. Players In Attendance At Games But Not In Uniform

Players who are in attendance at games but not in uniform are required to wear the following additional items when seated on the bench or in the stands during the game:

Sport Coat

Dress shoes or boots, and socks

b. Players Leaving the Arena

Players leaving the arena may wear either Business Casual attire or neat warm-up suits issued by their teams.

c. Special Events or Appearances

Teams can make exceptions to the Business Casual policy for special events or player appearances where other attire is appropriate -- e.g., participation in a basketball clinic.

3. Excluded Items

The following is a list of items that players are not allowed to wear at any time while on team or league business:

- Sleeveless shirts

- Shorts

- T-shirts, jerseys, or sports apparel (unless appropriate for the event (e.g., a basketball clinic), team-identified, and approved by the team)

- Headgear of any kind while a player is sitting on the bench or in the stands at a game, during media interviews, or during a team or league event or appearance (unless appropriate for the event or appearance, team-identified, and approved by the team)

- Chains, pendants, or medallions worn over the player's clothes

- Sunglasses while indoors

- Headphones (other than on the team bus or plane, or in the team locker room)

We know it's not possible to create a dress policy that will anticipate every possible situation. Our policy will therefore be interpreted in all cases to ensure that players are neatly and professionally attired, while not being unfairly burdensome.

Thank you in advance for your continued cooperation. Good luck to all for the 2005-06 season.

Unfortunately, the problems in the NBA go far deeper than gold chains and baseball caps, and have for many years. In an article posted April 29, 1998, CNN/SI reported:

According to SI, one of the NBA's top agents says he spends more time dealing with paternity claims than he does negotiating contracts. The agent tells the magazine that there might be more kids out of wedlock than there are players in the NBA.

Bill Redeker, reporting for ABC News on July 30, 2004, reported:

In recent years, the NBA and trouble seem to have become synonymous. In the past year alone, some of the biggest names in basketball — Jerry Stackhouse, Marcus Fizer, Darrell Armstrong, Allen Iverson and Glenn Robinson — have all had run-ins with the law.

So many members of the Portland Trail Blazers have had problems with the law in recent years, sneering sports commentators have begun calling them the "Jail Blazers."

Some players have been charged with spousal abuse, others have been caught carrying guns, while still others have gotten into brawls with police.

To counter the trend, the NBA sends rookie players each summer to a seminar that doles out advice on how to avoid trouble. Role playing is a major component, and off-the-court advice on how to deal with money, fame, and sexual situations is featured. Sexual conduct is high on the list, especially since the Kobe Bryant case sent shivers across the professional sports landscape.

The classes, however, have had only modest success.

It's going to take a lot more than a little lipstick to change the NBA's thug-life image. A pig wearing lipstick is still a pig.

Posted by Rick | October 23, 2005 10:55 PM | Social Studies

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

The Christian Science Monitor runs cartoons by Clay Bennett. Here is one that seems to hit the nail on the head.

To see more of his cartoons, click here.

Posted by Rick | September 26, 2005 10:10 PM | Social Studies

Go Ahead, Make My Day

President Bush said in remarks today that residents of the gulf coast need to be ready for the worst. So, in addition to stocking up on water, canned goods, plywood, and batteries, reliable sources tell me that residents of Houston are also stocking up on ammunition. I am guessing that the wide spread looting that occurred in Katrina's aftermath will not be tolerated in Texas. Residents in hurricane-ravaged areas should shoot first and ask questions later if they witness any looting. As Clint Eastwood said as he portrayed Dirty Harry in the movie Sudden Impact which was released in 1983, "Go ahead, make my day."

Here's a little movie trivia from IMDb - Earth's Biggest Movie Database concerning Dirty Harry's famous line:

The phrase, "Go ahead, make my day" was originally said by actor Gary Swanson in the movie Vice Squad (1982). Swanson, who played a Hollywood vice cop, said the line, "Go ahead scumbag, make my day," to actor Wings Hauser who played a pimp.

I like the earlier version better, don't you?

Posted by Rick | September 21, 2005 09:15 PM | Social Studies

The Politics Of Race, Poverty, And Class Warfare

In an article written by Ker Than at SPACE.com it was reported that "astronomers have detected a massive black hole but can find no traces of the surrounding galaxy that should be feeding it."

It is apropos that the announcement was made a day before President Bush’s speech to the nation from New Orleans on Thursday. President Bush declared war on poverty, but his war will be against poverty which has roots based on racial inequality. A war on poverty in New Orleans and the deep south that continues with larger and larger entitlement programs could very well become a massive black hole similar to the one just discovered in deep space that sucks up everything around it. America is already feeding the black hole of poverty at an alarming rate. Eventually, all that will be left are the impoverished.

President Bush's remarks, while attempting to comfort and encourage those who had to flee their homes because of Katrina, were more reminiscent of a speech LBJ might have given while promoting his Great Society than those of someone who proclaims to be a compassionate conservative. Seemingly oblivious to the massive entitlement programs of the past 40 years, the President, in a blatant attempt to pander to the African-American community, promised not only a chicken in every pot, but two, three or maybe even four for those that get lucky and win the lottery for free land that he is proposing. The entire transcript of the speech can be found here.

“Within the Gulf region are some of the most beautiful and historic places in America. As all of us saw on television, there’s also some deep, persistent poverty in this region, as well. That poverty has roots in a history of racial discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America. We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy of inequality. When the streets are rebuilt, there should be many new businesses, including minority-owned businesses, along those streets. When the houses are rebuilt, more families should own, not rent, those houses. When the regional economy revives, local people should be prepared for the jobs being created.”

By an arbitrary line written in sand somewhere in Washington, D.C., approximately 12.5% of Americans are living in poverty in the United States. Caucasians comprise approximately 75% of that group, while African-Americans comprise most of the remaining 25% of the population living in poverty.

Bill O’Reilly has written a column in which he points out some startling economic facts about the efforts we are already making on the war on poverty in these great United States.

"We'll begin by comparing the halfway point of President Clinton's tenure to the fifty yard line of the Bush administration. In 1996, the poverty level in the USA stood at 13.7%. In 2004, the poverty level was 12.7%, so Bush beats Clinton here by a full percentage point. To be fair, Clinton did bring the poverty rate down during his administration, while it has been rising slightly since 9/11. But at the halfway point, Bush wins.

As far as entitlement spending on poverty programs is concerned, it isn't even close. In 1996, President Clinton signed a budget that directed 12.2% of spending be directed toward the poor. In 2004, Bush's budget kicked 2% more than Clinton to poverty programs, an astronomical $329 billion dollars. In fact, President Bush is spending more on poverty entitlement programs and education than any President in history. What say you, Jesse and Howard?

For a country that is often accused by left wing loons of not caring about the poor, we are certainly putting up a good front. In 2006, almost $368 billion dollars will go for Medicaid, food stamps, family support assistance, supplemental security income, child nutrition programs, earned income tax credits, welfare payments, child care payments, foster care and adoption assistance, and child health insurance payments to the states. The truth is that the working men and women of this country are providing the tightest safety net in history for the poor. And our private charitable donations rank first in the world as well.

So the next time the poverty propagandists start with the "America ignores the poor" bull, simply walk away. These people are blatantly dishonest and could not care less that America does, indeed, help the less fortunate. The race and class baiters will always ignore the fact that some people simply cannot support themselves no matter what society does. The New Testament states it clearly: "the poor, they will always be with us." But America provides more opportunity for more people than anywhere else on the planet."

Yet on Friday night, September 16, 2005, Alan Colmes said on his show, Hannity and Colmes, Friday night:

"Not a lot of attention has been paid to the poor, paid to those that can't vote, that who are not empowered."

Apparently, Mr. Colmes would have us believe that $368 billion dollars is tantamount to ignoring the poor.

Talk show host Bill Maher, oblivious to the fact that perhaps more money has been spent on essential public works programs in Louisiana than in any other state in the nation, would have us believe that it's a class warfare issue. On his show Friday evening, Mr. Maher said:

"The levees didn't get built because the money for it went to rich people's tax cuts, and pork projects and corporate welfare."

The voices become even more shrill among African-American advocates who continue to try to divide the nation along racial lines.

As a guest on that same Bill Maher show Friday night, San Francisco mayor Willie Brown said:

"When you take a look at New Orleans for an example you see what occurred. You announce 'hey, let's get out of town, Katrina's coming.' Well you know the people who got that message who had cars, and who had airline tickets, and who had relatives in other places split. The only people left behind are the ones who couldn't split and they were there because America has never addressed the issue of that class of persons."

"If poor people were given the same resources or had the same resources made available that's been made available to Haliburton and to all of corporate America there wouldn't be any poor people. So be clear, when you give them only a piddlin', you're going to end up with people who are near..."

and he was then cut off.

And finally this from the honorable mayor:

"The policies of this nation that has allowed the issue of poverty, you understand, voting rights is one thing, but to just vote is not getting rid of the real problem in America. The Republican operation under George Bush has been consistently perpetuating the existence of an incredible number of very poor people all whom happen to be black in America."

From the MSNBC show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, radio talk show host Joe Madison came up with these pearls of wisdom:

"And this mess about is it economics or is it race? It's a double whammy when you're black. It's economics because poor people in this country are always marginalized. It's race because if you are poor and black you are marginalized doubly."

After that remark, I went out and put my hip-boots on. You would think that the lessons of the past 40 years of the Great Society would begin to sink in eventually. Throwing money at the impoverished without any level of personal responsibility on the recipient’s part is not the answer.

80% of success in life is merely a matter of showing up.

Poverty is rooted in laziness, not inability. While there are some in our society who are unable to cope for themselves because of illness or disability, most people below the poverty level are capable of providing a good life for themselves. However, it is much easier to let someone else provide life’s essentials and our society is willing to do it. Poverty in general, and poverty among African-Americans in particular, will be reduced substantially when individuals are forced to become self-reliant.

Every year thousands of dollars are spent per child in this country providing books, computers, schools and teachers, and it’s all free. Students who show up and put forth a modicum of effort can learn to read, write, and even add and subtract. If you can read, write and speak well in this country, the sky is the limit. Throw in the ability to do a little math, even if you have to use your fingers and toes, and you could end up as successful as Donald Trump.

American society is set up so that if you just show up, and keep your nose clean you can make a pretty nice life for yourself without breaking a sweat. Keeping your nose clean does not include having children out of wedlock or having more children than one can afford.

If merely showing up is not your style, and you want something better for yourself and your family, higher education abounds. Low interest school loans are available for students attending universities and trade schools. Scholarships for good students, students from poor families, and students who merely take the time to fill out the applications are there for the asking. Enter the military and the government will pay for most, if not all, of your higher education.

There is virtually no excuse to be uneducated in America. There is virtually no excuse to be on poor in America. The excuses must stop.

Everyone needs to show up, especially those living in poverty....

Posted by Rick | September 16, 2005 11:50 PM | Social Studies

Has The Federal Response To Hurricane Katrina Been Inadequate?

There are some realities that most of the critics of the relief effort seem to be overlooking. The New Orlean's mayor and police chief are responsible for preparing their local emergency plans and for carrying them out. If help is needed, it is their responsibility to ask the governor for that help. The governor of Louisiana is then responsible for activating the national guard and state police. If even more help is needed, the governor asks the federal government to come into the state with assistance. This doesn't happen in a vacuum and it isn't like ordering a Domino's pizza. Marshaling millions of meals, millions of gallons of water, thousands of trucks, hundreds of helicopters, thousands of troops, and all of the support staff and supplies to service the trucks, helicopters, and troops takes a day or two, not to mention the travel time to put everything in place. In good weather, with power and water, with telephone service, and with open roads, this takes time. In the middle of a flood with none of the above-mentioned infrastructure, it inevitably takes even longer.

It appears that the local authorities had nowhere near the foresight or preparation necessary for an event of this magnitude. (See the example of putting together an emergency shelter in Houston. The Astrodome was outfitted as a refugee site for the people of New Orleans. With time under ideal conditions, they couldn’t accommodate anywhere near the number of people needing a bed. When it became apparent that they could not accomodate all of the refugees, they began putting together sites in other cities in Texas; and other states have begun to offer accomodations for the refugees as well. They put together these sites under ideal conditions, where they had open roads, telephone service, water, and power. The sites still took a few days to come together.) Exacerbating the problem was the fact that the Louisiana’s governor was slow in activating the Louisiana national guard, and no one, not the police chief, the mayor, or the governor, was willing to do what was necessary to control the lawlessness which ultimately became a major impediment to the relief effort.

Marshaling the relief effort to a tragedy of this magnitude which covered three states and hundreds of miles of coastline in 4 days is truly a marvelous feat. Any blame of the President and FEMA for an untimely response to the emergency by the federal government is misplaced.

Posted by Rick | September 3, 2005 04:28 AM | Social Studies

"George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People" - Kanye West

On NBC's concert for the victims of hurricane Katrina, Mike Meyers reads prepared remarks off a prompter, then the microphone switches to black singer, Kanye West, who had this to say:

"I hate the way they portray us in the media.

If you see a black family, it says they are looting; if you see a white family, it says they are looking for food.

And you know that it’s been 5 days because most of the people are black and even for me to complain - I would be a hypocrite because I’ve tried to turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation , so now I’m calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give.

And just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there. So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help with the set up, the way America is set up to help - the poor, the black people, the less well off as slow as possible. I mean, Red Cross is doing everything they can.

We already realize a lot of the people that could help are at war right now fighting another way and they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us."

Mike Meyers makes a brief attempt to get back on message, then Kanye West ended his rant with this:

"George Bush doesn’t care about black people."

I don't know how long the video will be posted on MSNBC, but here is the link if you would like to see the video.

Mr. West would have been better off admitting that he had not learned to read the prepared remarks - the public school system had failed him and he would be spending whatever his business manager said he could on a remedial reading class. Going on national television with this ridiculous, unintelligible rant merely highlighted his ignorance, and his bigotry.

Posted by Rick | September 3, 2005 01:00 AM | Social Studies

Free Living Wills

I am providing some generic information regarding advance directive health care forms along with links to forms used in various states. You will notice the type of forms vary from state to state. A Living Will is different from a Health Care Power of Attorney in that the Living Will does not appoint another person to speak for you. It speaks for you in writing. While a Health Care Power of Attorney can include written instructions for your patient advocate to follow, the choices do not have to be included for the Health Care Power of Attorney to be used. If a Living Will also includes your choice as patient advocate, it automatically becomes a Health Care Power of Attorney and must follow the state law requirements for witnesses, required language, etc. This information will be updated from time-to-time with more forms and other information.

The following disclosure is from The People's Lawyer webpage entitled Death and Dying by Professor Richard M. Alderman of the University of Houston Law Center:

Disclosure Statement For

Medical Power Of Attorney For Health Care

INFORMATION CONCERNING THE MEDICAL POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH CARE

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT LEGAL DOCUMENT. BEFORE SIGNING THIS DOCUMENT, YOU SHOULD KNOW THESE IMPORTANT FACTS:

Except to the extent you state otherwise, this document gives the person you name as your agent the authority to make any and all health care decisions for you in accordance with your wishes, including your religious and moral beliefs, when you are no longer capable of making them yourself. Because "health care" means any treatment, service, or procedure to maintain, diagnose, or treat your physical or mental condition, your agent has the power to make a broad range of health care decisions for you. Your agent may consent, refuse to consent, or withdraw consent to medical treatment and may make decisions about withdrawing or withholding life-sustaining treatment. Your agent may not consent to voluntary inpatient mental health services, convulsive treatment, psychosurgery, or abortion. A physician must comply with your agent's instructions or allow you to be transferred to another physician.

Your agent's authority begins when your doctor certifies that you lack the competence to make health care decisions.

Your agent is obligated to follow your instructions when making decisions on your behalf. Unless you state otherwise, your agent has the same authority to make decisions about your health care as you would have had.

It is important that you discuss this document with your physician or other health care provider before you sign it to make sure that you understand the nature and range of decisions that may be made on your behalf. If you do not have a physician, you should talk with someone else who is knowledgeable about these issues and can answer your questions. You do not need a lawyer's assistance to complete this document, but if there is anything in this document that you do not understand, you should ask a lawyer to explain it to you.

The person you appoint as agent should be someone you know and trust. The person must be 18 years of age or older or a person under 18 years of age who has had the disabilities of minority removed. If you appoint your health or residential care provider (e.g., your physician or an employee of a home health agency, hospital, nursing home, or residential care home, other than a relative), that person has to choose between acting as your agent or as your health or residential care provider; the law does not permit a person to do both at the same time.

You should inform the person you appoint that you want the person to be your health care agent. You should discuss this document with your agent and your physician and give each a signed copy. You should indicate on the document itself the people and institutions who have signed copies. Your agent is not liable for health care decisions made in good faith on your behalf.

Even after you have signed this document, you have the right to make health care decisions for yourself as long as you are able to do so and treatment cannot be given to you or stopped over your objection. You have the right to revoke the authority granted to your agent by informing your agent or your health or residential care provider orally or in writing or by your execution of a subsequent medical power of attorney. Unless you state otherwise, your appointment of a spouse dissolves on divorce.

This document may not be changed or modified. If you want to make changes in the document, you must make an entirely new one. You may wish to designate an alternate agent in the event that your agent is unwilling, unable, or ineligible to act as your agent. Any alternate agent you designate has the same authority to make health care decisions for you.

THIS POWER OF ATTORNEY IS NOT VALID UNLESS IT IS SIGNED IN THE
PRESENCE OF TWO COMPETENT ADULT WITNESSES. THE
FOLLOWING PERSONS MAY NOT ACT AS ONE OF THE WITNESSES:
(1) the person you have designated as your agent;
(2) a person related to you by blood or marriage;
(3) a person entitled to any part of your estate after your death under a will or codicil executed by you or by operation of law;
(4) your attending physician;
(5) an employee of your attending physician;
(6) an employee of a health care facility in which you are a patient if the employee is providing direct patient care to you or is an officer, director, partner, or business office employee of the health care facility or of any parent organization of the health care facility; or
(7) a person who, at the time this power of attorney is executed, has a claim against any part of your estate after your death.

The information contained herein is not guaranteed to be accurate. We are not attorneys, and although these forms may have been prepared by an attorney or a state legislature, you should consult your own attorney before executing any of these documents.

Alabama Living Will and Health Care Proxy

Alaska Sample

Alaska Advanced Health Care Directive

Arkansas Living Will & Health Care Proxy

Arizona Living Will Sample

Arizona Health Care Power Of Attorney Sample

Arizona Mental Health Care Power Of Attorney Sample

California Advance Health Care Directive

Colorado Living Will

Connecticut Living Will

Delaware Advance Health Care Directive

District Of Columbia Advance Directive

Florida Living Will

Georgia Living Will

Hawaii Advance Directive

Idaho Living Will and Durable Power Of Attorney For Helath Care

Illinois Living Will Form & Power Of Attorney For Health Care Form

Illinois Health Care Surrogate Act

Illinois Living Will Act

Illinois Health Care Power Of Attorney General Information

Indiana Living Will

Iowa Durable Power Of Attorney For Health Care

Kansas Advance Directive

Kentucky Living Will

Louisiana Living Will and Power Of Attorney For Healthcare Decisions

Maine Advance Directive

Maryland Advance Health Care Directive

Massachusetts Advance Directive - The State of Massachusetts does not specifically have a Living Will or Advance Medical Directive statute. A valid Massachusetts Health Care Proxy or valid equivalent advance directive from another state shall be honored in accordance with Massachusetts and federal law. Other types of documents, such as living wills, may be used to assist with determination of the patient’s wishes, but are not legally binding on caregivers under Massachusetts’s law.

Michigan Living Will & Health Care Power Of Attorney Information

Minnesota Health Care Directive and Statutory Health Care Living Will

Mississippi Advance Health-Care Directive

Missouri Durable Power Of Attorney For Health Care and Health Care Directive

Montana Living Will

Nebraska Living Will

Nevada Living Will

New Jersey Advance Directives for Health Care

New Hampshire Durable Power Of Attorney For Health Care and Living Will

New Mexico Advance Health Care Directive

New York - Living Will

North Carolina Health Care Power Of Attorney and Living Will

North Dakota Health Care Directive

Ohio Living Will & Health Care Power Of Attorney

Oklahoma Advance Directive For Health Care

Oregon Advance Directive

Pennsylvania Living Will or Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care

Rhode Island Durable Power Of Attorney For Health Care and Living Will

South Carolina Health Care Power Of Attorney and Living Will

South Dakota Living Will

Tennessee Advance Care Plan, Appointment Of Health Care Agent, Physician Orders
For Scope Of Treatment, and Appointment Of Surrogate

Texas Advance Health Care Directive

Texas Medical Power of Attorney

Texas Out-of-Hospital Do-Not-Resuscitate Order

Utah Advance Directive and Power Of Attorney For Health Care

Vermont Advance Directive For Health Care

Virginia Advance Directive

Washington Durable Power Of Attorney For Health Care and Health Care Directive

West Virginia Medical Power Of Attorney and Living Will

Wisconsin Advance Directive - Power of Attorney for Healthcare and Living Will

Wyoming Advance Directive

Generic Living Will

Posted by Rick | August 31, 2005 02:40 AM | Social Studies

Louisiana Attorney General OK's Looting

Louisiana's attorney general Charles C. Foti, Jr., seems to be more concerned with the few businessmen charging a few extra dollars for items in short supply in the aftermath of huricane Katrina than he is in stopping the widespread looting by lowlifes stealing everything that isn't nailed down. On Hannity & Colmes last night Mr. Foti said:

"there is always the opportunity for looting when you think about that. You have no electricity, no food, you have limited water and the grocery stores are closed - that might not be looting; that might be self preservation. That food would go bad anyway."

Of course, the same thing could be said about every bank robber, mugger, purse snatcher, and for that matter every drug dealer. They are all doing what is necessary to survive.

There is no excuse for the looting. None! Mr. Foti should order looters to be shot on sight or he should resign immediately.

Posted by Rick | August 31, 2005 12:31 AM | Social Studies

Unconscionable Looting In Katrina's Wake

I remember the criticism our troops received after we entered Baghdad in 2003. Why didn't we stop the thieves who were stealing everything that wasn't nailed down in the aftermath of Saddam's ouster?

Now the pathetic sight of looting in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina has me asking why don't we stop the looting in our own streets. There is no good reason why we don't shoot looters on sight after natural disasters such as this. They won't be missed.

Posted by Rick | August 30, 2005 01:45 PM | Social Studies

More Perspective On Cindy Sheehan

Cindy Sheehan has captured the imagination of the anti-war activists, the anti-Bush activists, and the pro-terrorist activists. Ms. Sheehan claims to have absolute moral authority to speak for all the parents who have lost children because she is the mother of Army Specialist Casey Austin Sheehan who was killed in action in Iraq. Ms. Sheehan claims to be protesting the war because President Bush lied about why we went to war in Iraq, namely weapons of mass destruction, or lack thereof, and links between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, or lack thereof.

These activists conveniently forget that we were already in Iraq patrolling the no-fly zones and trying to monitor the cease-fire agreement agreed upon after the first gulf war. Our planes were in constant danger and the weapons inspectors were thwarted at almost every turn. The cease-fire had turned into a joke, and we were the butt of it. In sheer frustration, President Clinton pulled the weapons inspectors out in 1998, and bombed Iraqi military installations for 3 days beginning December 16, 1998. President Clinton in his announcement to the American people said:

Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. They are joined by British forces. Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.

Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States, and indeed the interests of people throughout the Middle East and around the world.

Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons.

I want to explain why I have decided, with the unanimous recommendation of my national security team, to use force in Iraq; why we have acted now; and what we aim to accomplish.

Six weeks ago, Saddam Hussein announced that he would no longer cooperate with the United Nations weapons inspectors called UNSCOM. They are highly professional experts from dozens of countries. Their job is to oversee the elimination of Iraq's capability to retain, create and use weapons of mass destruction, and to verify that Iraq does not attempt to rebuild that capability.

The inspectors undertook this mission first 7.5 years ago at the end of the Gulf War when Iraq agreed to declare and destroy its arsenal as a condition of the ceasefire.

The international community had good reason to set this requirement. Other countries possess weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. With Saddam, there is one big difference: He has used them. Not once, but repeatedly. Unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops during a decade-long war. Not only against soldiers, but against civilians, firing Scud missiles at the citizens of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran. And not only against a foreign enemy, but even against his own people, gassing Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq.

The international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again.

The United States has patiently worked to preserve UNSCOM as Iraq has sought to avoid its obligation to cooperate with the inspectors. On occasion, we've had to threaten military force, and Saddam has backed down.

Faced with Saddam's latest act of defiance in late October, we built intensive diplomatic pressure on Iraq backed by overwhelming military force in the region. The UN Security Council voted 15 to zero to condemn Saddam's actions and to demand that he immediately come into compliance.

Eight Arab nations -- Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman -- warned that Iraq alone would bear responsibility for the consequences of defying the UN.

When Saddam still failed to comply, we prepared to act militarily. It was only then at the last possible moment that Iraq backed down. It pledged to the UN that it had made, and I quote, a clear and unconditional decision to resume cooperation with the weapons inspectors.

I decided then to call off the attack with our airplanes already in the air because Saddam had given in to our demands. I concluded then that the right thing to do was to use restraint and give Saddam one last chance to prove his willingness to cooperate.

I made it very clear at that time what unconditional cooperation meant, based on existing UN resolutions and Iraq's own commitments. And along with Prime Minister Blair of Great Britain, I made it equally clear that if Saddam failed to cooperate fully, we would be prepared to act without delay, diplomacy or warning.

Now over the past three weeks, the UN weapons inspectors have carried out their plan for testing Iraq's cooperation. The testing period ended this weekend, and last night, UNSCOM's chairman, Richard Butler, reported the results to UN Secretary-General Annan.

The conclusions are stark, sobering and profoundly disturbing.

In four out of the five categories set forth, Iraq has failed to cooperate. Indeed, it actually has placed new restrictions on the inspectors. Here are some of the particulars.

Iraq repeatedly blocked UNSCOM from inspecting suspect sites. For example, it shut off access to the headquarters of its ruling party and said it will deny access to the party's other offices, even though UN resolutions make no exception for them and UNSCOM has inspected them in the past.

Iraq repeatedly restricted UNSCOM's ability to obtain necessary evidence. For example, Iraq obstructed UNSCOM's effort to photograph bombs related to its chemical weapons program.

It tried to stop an UNSCOM biological weapons team from videotaping a site and photocopying documents and prevented Iraqi personnel from answering UNSCOM's questions.

Prior to the inspection of another site, Iraq actually emptied out the building, removing not just documents but even the furniture and the equipment.

Iraq has failed to turn over virtually all the documents requested by the inspectors. Indeed, we know that Iraq ordered the destruction of weapons-related documents in anticipation of an UNSCOM inspection.

So Iraq has abused its final chance.

As the UNSCOM reports concludes, and again I quote, "Iraq's conduct ensured that no progress was able to be made in the fields of disarmament.

"In light of this experience, and in the absence of full cooperation by Iraq, it must regrettably be recorded again that the commission is not able to conduct the work mandated to it by the Security Council with respect to Iraq's prohibited weapons program."

In short, the inspectors are saying that even if they could stay in Iraq, their work would be a sham.

Saddam's deception has defeated their effectiveness. Instead of the inspectors disarming Saddam, Saddam has disarmed the inspectors.

This situation presents a clear and present danger to the stability of the Persian Gulf and the safety of people everywhere. The international community gave Saddam one last chance to resume cooperation with the weapons inspectors. Saddam has failed to seize the chance.

And so we had to act and act now.

Let me explain why.

First, without a strong inspection system, Iraq would be free to retain and begin to rebuild its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs in months, not years.

Second, if Saddam can crippled the weapons inspection system and get away with it, he would conclude that the international community -- led by the United States -- has simply lost its will. He will surmise that he has free rein to rebuild his arsenal of destruction, and someday -- make no mistake -- he will use it again as he has in the past.

Third, in halting our air strikes in November, I gave Saddam a chance, not a license. If we turn our backs on his defiance, the credibility of U.S. power as a check against Saddam will be destroyed. We will not only have allowed Saddam to shatter the inspection system that controls his weapons of mass destruction program; we also will have fatally undercut the fear of force that stops Saddam from acting to gain domination in the region.

That is why, on the unanimous recommendation of my national security team -- including the vice president, the secretary of defense, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the secretary of state and the national security adviser -- I have ordered a strong, sustained series of air strikes against Iraq.

They are designed to degrade Saddam's capacity to develop and deliver weapons of mass destruction, and to degrade his ability to threaten his neighbors.

At the same time, we are delivering a powerful message to Saddam. If you act recklessly, you will pay a heavy price. We acted today because, in the judgment of my military advisers, a swift response would provide the most surprise and the least opportunity for Saddam to prepare.

If we had delayed for even a matter of days from Chairman Butler's report, we would have given Saddam more time to disperse his forces and protect his weapons.

Also, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins this weekend. For us to initiate military action during Ramadan would be profoundly offensive to the Muslim world and, therefore, would damage our relations with Arab countries and the progress we have made in the Middle East.

That is something we wanted very much to avoid without giving Iraq's a month's head start to prepare for potential action against it.

Finally, our allies, including Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain, concurred that now is the time to strike. I hope Saddam will come into cooperation with the inspection system now and comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. But we have to be prepared that he will not, and we must deal with the very real danger he poses.

So we will pursue a long-term strategy to contain Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction and work toward the day when Iraq has a government worthy of its people.

First, we must be prepared to use force again if Saddam takes threatening actions, such as trying to reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction or their delivery systems, threatening his neighbors, challenging allied aircraft over Iraq or moving against his own Kurdish citizens.

The credible threat to use force, and when necessary, the actual use of force, is the surest way to contain Saddam's weapons of mass destruction program, curtail his aggression and prevent another Gulf War.

Second, so long as Iraq remains out of compliance, we will work with the international community to maintain and enforce economic sanctions. Sanctions have cost Saddam more than $120 billion -- resources that would have been used to rebuild his military. The sanctions system allows Iraq to sell oil for food, for medicine, for other humanitarian supplies for the Iraqi people.

We have no quarrel with them. But without the sanctions, we would see the oil-for-food program become oil-for-tanks, resulting in a greater threat to Iraq's neighbors and less food for its people.

The hard fact is that so long as Saddam remains in power, he threatens the well-being of his people, the peace of his region, the security of the world.

The best way to end that threat once and for all is with a new Iraqi government -- a government ready to live in peace with its neighbors, a government that respects the rights of its people. Bringing change in Baghdad will take time and effort. We will strengthen our engagement with the full range of Iraqi opposition forces and work with them effectively and prudently.

The decision to use force is never cost-free. Whenever American forces are placed in harm's way, we risk the loss of life. And while our strikes are focused on Iraq's military capabilities, there will be unintended Iraqi casualties.

Indeed, in the past, Saddam has intentionally placed Iraqi civilians in harm's way in a cynical bid to sway international opinion.

We must be prepared for these realities. At the same time, Saddam should have absolutely no doubt if he lashes out at his neighbors, we will respond forcefully.

Heavy as they are, the costs of action must be weighed against the price of inaction. If Saddam defies the world and we fail to respond, we will face a far greater threat in the future. Saddam will strike again at his neighbors. He will make war on his own people.

And mark my words, he will develop weapons of mass destruction. He will deploy them, and he will use them.

Because we're acting today, it is less likely that we will face these dangers in the future.

Let me close by addressing one other issue. Saddam Hussein and the other enemies of peace may have thought that the serious debate currently before the House of Representatives would distract Americans or weaken our resolve to face him down.

But once more, the United States has proven that although we are never eager to use force, when we must act in America's vital interests, we will do so.

In the century we're leaving, America has often made the difference between chaos and community, fear and hope. Now, in the new century, we'll have a remarkable opportunity to shape a future more peaceful than the past, but only if we stand strong against the enemies of peace.

Tonight, the United States is doing just that. May God bless and protect the brave men and women who are carrying out this vital mission and their families. And may God bless America.

President Clinton's speech lasted almost as long as the bombing but it certainly is interesting reading in light of the occurrences of the past seven years.

Eventually the weapons inspectors went back in, but nothing changed. The time had come to put an end to the game Saddam was playing. There would be no more cat and mouse with the dictator. Saddam could leave or we would forcibly evict him. He chose the latter.

It's now three years later, Saddam is gone and progress is being made toward establishing a government in Iraq with elections and everything. Unfortunately, we have lost over 1,800 brave souls fighting to bring about this momentous change, and the fighting isn't over.

Americans live in a world where everything can be delivered almost instantaneously. Pizza can be delivered in 30 minutes or less. Packages can be sent one day and delivered across country by 10:30 the next morning. Medical care is delivered with lightning speed. Our wars are expected to be won with little fanfare and few casualties. Americans have no patience and very short attention spans. We do not live in the same reality as the rest of the world. Unfortunately, we are fighting a war where we must be patient. The people we are fighting wear no uniforms, have no headquarters, have no consciences. They hide among the civilian population and behind a twisted religion. When we leave Iraq, unless we have exterminated the cockroaches, they will be swarming all over Europe and the North American continent in no time.

Ms. Sheehan would blame President Bush for her son’s death. Maureen Dowd, back from her book writing sabbatical, in an op-ed August 10, 2005, attempts to pile on the President along with all the other activists claiming some sort of absolute moral authority for Ms. Sheehan. Ms. Dowd’s op-ed is reprinted in the Common Dreams News Center.

But his humanitarianism will remain inhumane as long as he fails to understand that the moral authority of parents who bury children killed in Iraq is absolute.

It should be noted that Casey Sheehan was not drafted, but enlisted voluntarily and reenlisted when his first commitment was up. Some people are doctors, others lawyers. Casey Sheehan was a warrior and served his country valiantly.

Mark Steyn writing on August 21, 2005, in the Chicago Sun-Times noted about the brave men and women in our armed services:

They're not children in Iraq; they're grown-ups who made their own decision to join the military. That seems to be difficult for the left to grasp. Ever since America's all-adult, all-volunteer army went into Iraq, the anti-war crowd have made a sustained effort to characterize them as "children." If a 13-year-old wants to have an abortion, that's her decision and her parents shouldn't get a look-in. If a 21-year-old wants to drop to the broadloom in Bill Clinton's Oval Office, she's a grown woman and free to do what she wants. But, if a 22- or 25- or 37-year-old is serving his country overseas, he's a wee "child" who isn't really old enough to know what he's doing.

Of course, all of the activists would love for the United States to cut and run. They cut their teeth on the anti-war protests during the Vietnam war, and have just enough PoliGrip left for one more anti-war rally. Fortunately, Americans who remember 9/11 and all the other terrorist attacks during the past 20 or so years are not going to let the protests sway public opinion as easily as they did thirty years ago. This time we have a stake in the outcome and and we are not going to take our marbles and go home until the battle has been won.

Henry Kissinger writing on August 12, 2005, in the Washington Post:

American strategy, including a withdrawal process, will stand or fall not on whether it maintains the existing security situation but on whether the capacity to improve it is enhanced. Victory over the insurgency is the only meaningful exit strategy.

We are lucky to have had Ms. Sheehan’s son as an American soldier and patriot. On the other hand, Ms. Sheehan has my permission to go live in whatever country she believes is worth fighting, even dying, for. We really don’t need her kind of American living here. Bye bye Cindy, don't let the door....

God Bless America!

Posted by Rick | August 25, 2005 03:49 AM | Social Studies

"This country is not worth dying for." - Cindy Sheehan

Lee Kaplan reported in FrontPage magazine that Cindy Sheehan appeared at San Francisco State University with Lynne Stewart. Yes, Lynne Stewart,

the terrorist lawyer, who billed herself as a “Civil Rights Lawyer and Political Prisoner,” was recently convicted of conspiracy and for passing along fatwas (Islamic religious edicts) from Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman to his terrorist followers in Egypt’s Islamic Group. Rahman is the blind sheikh responsible for the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 that left six Americans dead and more than 1,000 people injured.

In the same article, Ms. Sheehan's appearance was recounted as follows:

Cindy Sheehan followed this act. Wearing a sweatshirt advertising the website for United for Peace and Justice, Sheehan was interviewed outside just before the meeting by an ABC-TV news reporter. Sheehan said then that military recruiters should not be allowed on college campuses, maintaining they trick naïve 18-year-olds with offers of money and scholarships. Tragically, Cindy Sheehan lost her son Casey who was in the Army and was killed two weeks after arriving in Iraq. She claimed he was promised a job as a chaplain’s assistant although once in the service was placed in a combat role and killed, certainly a moving story – one she exploits to promote venomous anti-Americanism. “George Bush and his neo-conservatives killed my son,” she said tearing up a bit. “America has been killing people on this continent since it was started. This country is not worth dying for.”

Sheehan said she considered Lynne Stewart her Atticus Finch, the lawyer who defended an innocent Black man accused of rape in the book and film “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

“They’re not waging a War on Terror but a War of Terror,” she said. “The biggest terrorist is George W. Bush.” She claimed “it costs $66,000 to recruit one soldier, not including training, and $49,000 a year to house a prisoner, yet only $6,000 per year is spent to educate a child in California. (Recruiting costs are actually $15,000 per soldier, the cost of housing a prisoner in California for one year is $26,000.)

Sheehan continued, “9/11 was Pearl Harbor for the neo-conservatives’ agenda” and declared the U.S. government a “morally repugnant system.” Then she raged:

We have no Constitution. We’re the only country with no checks and balances. We want our country back if we have to impeach George Bush down to the person who picks up the dog sh-t in Washington! Let George Bush send his two little party animals to die in Iraq. It’s OK for Israel to have nuclear weapons but we are waging nuclear war in Iraq, we have contaminated the entire country. It’s not OK for Syria to be in Lebanon. Hypocrites! But Israel can occupy Palestine? Stop the slaughter!

While one might dismiss some of Sheehan’s hyperbole due to grief over her son’s death, a little research about Casey Sheehan revealed that contrary to being tricked by military recruiters, Casey Sheehan had reenlisted in the U.S. Army voluntarily when he was 24-years-old, after serving his first hitch successfully. Casey Sheehan was in fact a hero who received a Bronze Star. He was attached as a mechanic to the artillery division of the 1st U.S. Cavalry in Iraq. When a convoy of soldiers from Casey’s unit was attacked in Sadr City by insurgents, Casey volunteered to join a rapid rescue force to get them out. His commanding sergeant told him he did not have to go into combat, because he was a mechanic and not an infantryman. Casey was quoted telling his officer, “I go where my chief goes.” He was tragically killed during the rescue attempt. The source for this story? Cindy Sheehan herself.

I also visited an army recruiting office on my way home and asked about Casey being promised a job as a chaplain’s assistant only to be thrust into harm’s way. The recruiter explained to me that on reenlistment, the Army’s B.E.A.R. program (Bonus Extension and Retaining) guarantees everything in writing. If Casey was a mechanic during his first hitch, that was the only thing he would have been guaranteed per his reenlistment contract. Further research showed that a chaplain’s assistant is a combat infantry position, whereas Casey was deployed in a non-combat job as a mechanic. Casey Sheehan sought combat duty for his country and should be honored for it, not used as a symbol of how evil the United States is.

I wonder what Ms. Sheehan thinks is worth fighting and dying for...

Apparently now that Ms. Sheehan has crawled into bed with anti-American left wing radicals like Michael Moore and Lynne Stewart, her husband of over 28 years, Patrick Sheehan, finds the bed a little too crowded and has filed for divorce. You can review the divorce petition here.

Posted by Rick | August 16, 2005 02:55 AM | Social Studies

Stalking The President - A Misguided Mother

Cindy Sheehan lost her son, Casey, in Iraq, but rather than honor his decision to join the armed forces and his service, she has decided to make the absurd allegation that the President killed her son. Sadly, she has also begun writing in Michael Moore's blog.

She has decided to stalk the President by holding court outside the President's home in Crawford, Texas, at what she calls Camp Casey all the while sputtering the same old tired liberal propaganda about stolen elections and misleading the American people. She dishonors her son Casey's service and his memory by making allegations fueled by her hatred of conservative values, embodied by the President.

The left doesn't care about her. Ms. Sheehan is the sound bite of the day for them. When she was the proud mother of a brave soldier, she was the scum of the earth. They will do and say anything, use anyone, to further their liberal agenda. Her son had the courage and the willingness to fight for our country. She dishonors that service by aligning herself with the Michael Moore's and Jimmy Carter's of this world.

She should be ashamed of herself.....

Army Specialist Casey Austin Sheehan would be ashamed of her.....

Posted by Rick | August 12, 2005 12:37 AM | Social Studies

Nike + Kobe = $$$ - Nothing Else Apparently Matters

The Associated Press is reporting that Kobe Bryant is back in Nike ads. Apparently there is no behavior that will eliminate someone from being a spokesperson for Nike.

Posted by Rick | July 11, 2005 01:43 PM | Social Studies

The Top 500 Jukebox Songs Of All Time

The following list of the top 500 jukebox songs of all time has been compiled from a number of radio station and jukebox operator surveys and my own list of personal favorites:

    1. CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE - ELVIS PRESLEY
    2. EARTH ANGEL - PENGUINS
    3. I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND - BEATLES
    4. MY PRAYER - PLATTERS
    5. DON'T BE CRUEL - ELVIS PRESLEY
    6. RUNAROUND SUE - DION
    7. DUKE OF EARL - GENE CHANDLER
    8. SIXTEEN CANDLES - CRESTS
    9. UNCHAINED MELODY - RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
  10. PRETTY WOMAN - ROY ORBISON
  11. MY GIRL - TEMPTATIONS
  12. SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU - SKYLINERS
  13. ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK - BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS
  14. AT THE HOP - DANNY AND THE JUNIORS
  15. YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELIN' - RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
  16. YESTERDAY - BEATLES
  17. THE WANDERER - DION
  18. SATISFACTION - ROLLING STONES
  19. IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT - FIVE SATINS
  20. JAILHOUSE ROCK - ELVIS PRESLEY
  21. WHISPERING BELLS - DEL-VIKINGS
  22. LOVE ME TENDER - ELVIS PRESLEY
  23. WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW - SHIRELLES
  24. SHERRY - FOUR SEASONS
  25. SHE LOVES YOU - BEATLES
  26. SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES - PLATTERS
  27. RUNAWAY - DEL SHANNON
  28. PEGGY SUE - BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS
  29. BE MY BABY - RONETTES
  30. THE GREAT PRETENDER - PLATTERS
  31. THEME FROM "A SUMMER PLACE" - PERCY FAITH
  32. HOUND DOG - ELVIS PRESLEY
  33. TWIST AND SHOUT - BEATLES
  34. SOUND OF SILENCE - SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
  35. THAT'LL BE THE DAY - BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS
  36. WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN - PERCY SLEDGE
  37. IT'S MY PARTY - LESLEY GORE
  38. I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU - FLAMINGOS
  39. JOHNNY ANGEL - SHELLY FABARES
  40. MACK THE KNIFE - BOBBY DARIN
  41. COME GO WITH ME - DEL-VIKINGS
  42. CHERISH - ASSOCIATION
  43. UNDER THE BOARDWALK - DRIFTERS
  44. RAG DOLL - FOUR SEASONS
  45. ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT - ELVIS PRESLEY
  46. BLUEBERRY HILL - FATS DOMINO
  47. STAND BY ME - BEN E. KING
  48. THE TWIST - CHUBBY CHECKER
  49. DREAM LOVER - BOBBY DARIN
  50. SHOUT - ISLEY BROTHERS
  51. LAST KISS - J. FRANK WILSON & THE CAVALIERS
  52. LITTLE DARLIN' - DIAMONDS
  53. CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' - MAMAS AND THE PAPAS
  54. VENUS - FRANKIE AVALON
  55. HELP! - BEATLES
  56. GOOD VIBRATIONS - BEACH BOYS
  57. HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN - ANIMALS
  58. HOLD ME, THRILL ME, KISS ME - MEL CARTER
  59. DONNA - RICHIE VALENS
  60. BABY LOVE - DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES
  61. SURFIN' USA - BEACH BOYS
  62. ALL SHOOK UP - ELVIS PRESLEY
  63. CHANTILLY LACE - BIG BOPPER
  64. BLUE MOON - MARCELS
  65. CHANCES ARE - JOHNNY MATHIS
  66. TEDDY BEAR - ELVIS PRESLEY
  67. YOU'RE SIXTEEN - JOHNNY BURNETTE
  68. UP ON THE ROOF - DRIFTERS
  69. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM - EVERLY BROTHERS
  70. JOHNNY B. GOODE - CHUCK BERRY
  71. CALIFORNIA GIRLS - BEACH BOYS
  72. I CAN'T HELP MYSELF - FOUR TOPS
  73. ONLY YOU - PLATTERS
  74. LOUIE LOUIE - KINGSMEN
  75. DIANA - PAUL ANKA
  76. SUSPICIOUS MINDS - ELVIS PRESLEY
  77. LET'S HANG ON - FOUR SEASONS
  78. BEAT IT - MICHAEL JACKSON
  79. ONE SUMMER NIGHT - DANLEERS
  80. DANCING IN THE STREET - MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS
  81. CRAZY - PATSY CLINE
  82. LOCOMOTION - LITTLE EVA
  83. HAPPY TOGETHER - TURTLES
  84. BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO - NEIL SEDAKA
  85. CRYING - ROY ORBISON
  86. NEVER MY LOVE - ASSOCIATION
  87. BECAUSE - DAVE CLARK FIVE
  88. DOWNTOWN - PETULA CLARK
  89. SOUL AND INSPIRATION - RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
  90. RESPECT - ARETHA FRANKLIN
  91. THIS MAGIC MOMENT - JAY AND THE AMERICANS
  92. LAST DATE - FLOYD CRAMER
  93. GREAT BALLS OF FIRE - JERRY LEE LEWIS
  94. CARA MIA - JAY AND THE AMERICANS
  95. YOU BELONG TO ME - DUPREES
  96. TIL - ANGELS
  97. ONLY THE LONELY - ROY ORBISON
  98. DREAMIN' - JOHNNY BURNETTE
  99. IT'S ALL IN THE GAME - TOMMY EDWARDS
100. THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN - BROOKLYN BRIDGE
101. I GET AROUND - BEACH BOYS
102. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER - SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
103. CHERRY PINK AND APPLE BLOSSOM WHITE - PEREZ PRADO
104. ITS ONLY MAKE BELIEVE - CONWAY TWITTY
105. HEY JUDE - BEATLES
106. TRAVELIN' MAN - RICKY NELSON
107. CALENDAR GIRL - NEIL SEDAKA
108. ALL OF MY LOVING - BEATLES
109. MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS - GRASS ROOTS
110. DAYDREAM BELIEVER - MONKEES
111. IN DREAMS - ROY ORBISON
112. PUT YOUR HEAD ON MY SHOULDER - PAUL ANKA
113. I GOT YOU BABE - SONNY AND CHER
114. JOY TO THE WORLD - THREE DOG NIGHT
115. TONITE, TONITE - MELLO-KINGS
116. HE'S A REBEL - CRYSTALS
117. I WONDER WHY - DION AND THE BELMONTS
118. SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN - CHUCK BERRY
119. OUR DAY WILL COME - RUBY AND THE ROMANTICS
120. SLEEPWALK - SANTO AND JOHNNY
121. TO KNOW HIM IS TO LOVE HIM - TEDDY BEARS
122. LIGHT MY FIRE - DOORS
123. IMAGINE - JOHN LENNON
124. LITTLE STAR - ELEGANTS
125. BABY, I NEED YOUR LOVING - JOHNNY RIVERS
126. CLOSE TO YOU - CARPENTERS
127. THE ANGELS LISTENED IN - CRESTS
128. I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU - STEVIE WONDER
129. CHAPEL OF LOVE - DIXIE CUPS
130. SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER - DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES
131. LONELY TEARDROPS - JACKIE WILSON
132. A WHITER SHADE OF PALE - PROCOL HARUM
133. DON'T WORRY BABY - BEACH BOYS
134. STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE - DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES
135. TAKE MY BREATH AWAY - BERLIN
136. I'M A BELIEVER - MONKEES
137. HEAT WAVE - MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS
138. NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN - MOODY BLUES
139. DENISE - RANDY AND THE RAINBOWS
140. WALK LIKE A MAN - FOUR SEASONS
141. THE WONDER OF YOU - ELVIS PRESLEY
142. CATHY'S CLOWN - EVERLY BROTHERS
143. LET IT BE - BEATLES
144. SINCE I FELL FOR YOU - LENNY WELCH
145. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT - BEATLES
146. EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE - POLICE
147. LETTER - BOX TOPS
148. MOONLIGHT COCKTAILS - RIVIERAS
149. TO THE AISLE FIVE SATINS
150. BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY - FOUR SEASONS
151. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN
152. DON'T LET THE SUN CATCH YOU CRYING - GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS
153. CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU - FRANKIE VALLI
154. SUMMER IN THE CITY - LOVIN' SPOONFUL
155. GROOVIN' - RASCALS
156. SO MUCH IN LOVE - TYMES
157. VENUS IN BLUE JEANS - JIMMY CLANTON
158. LOVER'S CONCERTO - TOYS
159. I SAW HER STANDING THERE - BEATLES
160. PLEDGING MY LOVE - JOHNNY ACE
161. HELP ME RHONDA - BEACH BOYS
162. YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE - DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES
163. IMAGE OF A GIRL - SAFARIS
164. THE TWELFTH OF NEVER - JOHNNY MATHIS
165. MORE TODAY THAN YESTERDAY - SPIRAL STAIRCASE
166. RHYTHM OF THE RAIN - CASCADES
167. BYE BYE LOVE - EVERLY BROTHERS
168. MY WAY - FRANK SINATRA
169. YOU SEND ME - SAM COOKE
170. TEACH ME TIGER - APRIL STEVENS
171. EIGHT DAYS A WEEK - BEATLES
172. I WILL FOLLOW HIM - LITTLE PEGGY MARCH
173. HIGHER AND HIGHER - JACKIE WILSON
174. RETURN TO SENDER - ELVIS PRESLEY
175. WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN - CARPENTERS
176. COPACABANA - BARRY MANILOW
177. A TEENAGER IN LOVE - DION AND THE BELMONTS
178. DAWN GO AWAY - FOUR SEASONS
179. PLEASE PLEASE ME - BEATLES
180. WINDY - ASSOCIATION
181. SURFER GIRL - BEACH BOYS
182. HEARTBREAK HOTEL - ELVIS PRESLEY
183. TWILIGHT TIME - PLATTERS
184. REMEMBER THEN - EARLS
185. REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE - FOUR TOPS
186. I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU - DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
187. I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW - JOHNNY NASH
188. GET BACK - BEATLES
189. YOUNG GIRL - GARY PUCKETT & THE UNION GAP
190. WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN' GOIN' ON - JERRY LEE LEWIS
191. MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK - ANGELS
192. TEN COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE - MOONGLOWS
193. IN THE YEAR 2525 - ZAGER AND EVANS
194. POOR SIDE OF TOWN - JOHNNY RIVERS
195. LIKE A ROLLING STONE - BOB DYLAN
196. ANGEL BABY - ROSIE AND THE ORIGINALS
197. THIS I SWEAR - SKYLINERS
198. STORY UNTOLD - NUTMEGS
199. CRY - JOHNNIE RAY
200. COME SOFTLY TO ME - FLEETWOODS
201. SOMETHING - BEATLES
202. IT'S NOW OR NEVER - ELVIS PRESLEY
203. CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION - TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS
204. MY GUY - MARY WELLS
205. MY TRUE STORY - JIVE FIVE
206. CAN'T BUY ME LOVE - BEATLES
207. ALWAYS LATE (FOR ALL OUR DATES) - TOP NOTES
208. WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE - FRANKIE LYMON & THE TEENAGERS
209. MONDAY MONDAY - MAMAS AND THE PAPAS
210. IF I FELL - BEATLES
211. CRY JUST A LITTLE BIT - SYLVIA
212. TEEN ANGEL - MARK DINNING
213. COULD THIS BE MAGIC - DUBS
214. POOR LITTLE FOOL - RICKY NELSON
215. THE NIGHT HAS 1000 EYES - BOBBY VEE
216. TWIST AND SHOUT - ISLEY BROTHERS
217. SIXTEEN REASONS - CONNIE STEVENS
218. SUSPICION - TERRY STAFFORD
219. TONIGHT COULD BE THE NIGHT - VELVETS
220. I'M SORRY - BRENDA LEE
221. SINCERELY - MCGUIRE SISTERS
222. I BELIEVE - EARLS
223. PAINT IT BLACK - ROLLING STONES
224. HURT - TIMI YURO
225. SILHOUETTES - RAYS
226. PENNY LANE - BEATLES
227. CRIMSON AND CLOVER - TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS
228. I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU - RAY CHARLES
229. FUN FUN FUN - BEACH BOYS
230. DO YOU LOVE ME - CONTOURS
231. BURNING LOVE - ELVIS PRESLEY
232. SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL - BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS
233. WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO - DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES
234. WOULDN'T IT BE NICE - BEACH BOYS
235. HAVE YOU HEARD - DUPREES
236. LA BAMBA - RICHIE VALENS
237. DEVIL WITH A BLUE DRESS ON - MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS
238. MAGGIE MAY - ROD STEWART
239. HE'S SO FINE - CHIFFONS
240. SOUL MAN - SAM AND DAVE
241. LOVE ME DO - BEATLES
242. MAYBE - CHANTELS
243. MY SWEET LORD - GEORGE HARRISON
244. BABY, I NEED YOUR LOVING - FOUR TOPS
245. SEALED WITH A KISS - BRIAN HYLAND
246. GLAD ALL OVER - DAVE CLARK FIVE
247. FOR ALL WE KNOW - CARPENTERS
248. END OF THE WORLD - SKEETER DAVIS
249. TEARS ON MY PILLOW - LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS
250. LOVE IS BLUE - PAUL MAURIAT
251. SONG SUNG BLUE - NEIL DIAMOND
252. JUMPING JACK FLASH - ROLLING STONES
253. THIS DIAMOND RING - GARY LEWIS AND THE PLAYBOYS
254. MONY MONY - TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS
255. WAKE UP LITTLE SUSIE - EVERLY BROTHERS
256. DAY TRIPPER - BEATLES
257. 96 TEARS - ? AND THE MYSTERIANS
258. YOU DON'T OWN ME - LESLEY GORE
259. THIS MAGIC MOMENT - DRIFTERS
260. PROUD MARY - CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
261. MANDY - BARRY MANILOW
262. RHIANNON - FLEETWOOD MAC
263. RAINDROPS - DEE CLARK
264. STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN - LED ZEPPELIN
265. THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO - TEMPTATIONS
266. LAVENDER BLUE - SAMMY TURNER
267. SURF CITY - JAN AND DEAN
268. BORN TO BE WILD - STEPPENWOLF
269. DONNA, THE PRIMADONNA - DION
270. COLOUR MY WORLD - CHICAGO
271. BLUE VELVET - BOBBY VINTON
272. GOOD LOVIN' - RASCALS
273. HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE
274. TEARS OF A CLOWN - SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES
275. FIRE - ARTHUR BROWN
276. BAD MOON RISING - CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
277. HEY PAULA - PAUL AND PAULA
278. LITTLE OLD LADY FROM PASADENA - JAN AND DEAN
279. BRANDY - LOOKING GLASS
280. LOST IN THE FIFTIES TONIGHT - RONNIE MILSAP
281. CHAPEL OF DREAMS - DUBS
282. POETRY IN MOTION - JOHNNY TILLOTSON
283. LIPSTICK ON YOUR COLLAR - CONNIE FRANCIS
284. PLEASE MR. POSTMAN - MARVELETTES
285. SWEET CAROLINE - NEIL DIAMOND
286. SHEILA - TOMMY ROE
287. FOR YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE - JERRY BUTLER
288. I FALL TO PIECES - PATSY CLINE
289. THE STROLL - DIAMONDS
290. WILD THING - TROGGS
291. LAYLA - DEREK AND THE DOMINOES
292. AT THIS MOMENT - BILLY VERA AND THE BEATERS
293. PRETTY LITTLE ANGEL EYES - CURTIS LEE
294. I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW - TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS
295. LOVE'S THEME - BARRY WHITE
296. FRENCH KISSIN' - DEBORAH HARRY
297. I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO - TONY BENNETT
298. BOOK OF LOVE - MONOTONES
299. BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON
300. LOVE LETTERS IN THE SAND - PAT BOONE
301. DA DOO RON RON - CRYSTALS
302. TURN TURN TURN - BYRDS
303. AND I LOVE HER - BEATLES
304. NATURAL WOMAN - ARETHA FRANKLIN
305. DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC - LOVIN' SPOONFUL
306. LET IT BE ME - EVERLY BROTHERS
307. JOHNNY GET ANGRY - JOANIE SOMMERS
308. YOU KEEP ME HANGING ON - DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES
309. WALK AWAY RENEE - LEFT BANKE
310. ALWAYS AND FOREVER - HEATWAVE
311. A KISS FROM YOUR LIPS - FLAMINGOS
312. WISHIN' AND HOPIN' - DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
313. WIPEOUT - SURFARIS
314. BEYOND THE SEA - BOBBY DARIN
315. HONKY TONK WOMAN - ROLLING STONES
316. HOTEL CALIFORNIA - EAGLES
317. SCOTCH & SODA - KINGSTON TRIO
318. STRANGER ON THE SHORE - ACKER BILK
319. SUMMERTIME BLUES - EDDIE COCHRAN
320. WALK ON BY - DIONNE WARWICK
321. I GO TO PIECES - PETER AND GORDON
322. WALKING IN THE RAIN - RONETTES
323. HEARTACHES - PATSY CLINE
324. ONE NIGHT - ELVIS PRESLEY
325. FUNNY HOW TIME SLIPS AWAY - JIMMY ELLEDGE
326. SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER - HAPPENINGS
327. TOSSIN' AND TURNIN' - BOBBY LEWIS
328. TWISTING THE NIGHT AWAY - SAM COOKE
329. AIN'T TOO PROUD TO BEG - TEMPTATIONS
330. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET 16 - NEIL SEDAKA
331. HEY GIRL, HEY BOY - OSCAR McLOLLIE & JEANETTE BAKER
332. BUS STOP - HOLLIES
333. SOLDIER BOY - SHIRELLES
334. STAYIN' ALIVE - BEE GEES
335. OH GIRL - CHI-LITES
336. STARDUST - WILLIE NELSON
337. I LOVE ROCK N ROLL - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS
338. BLUE SUEDE SHOES - CARL PERKINS
339. I SECOND THAT EMOTION - SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES
340. GONE - JOEY HEATHERTON
341. SCHOOL DAYS - CHUCK BERRY
342. OPUS 17 - FOUR SEASONS
343. SINCERELY - MOONGLOWS
344. CHURCH BELLS MAY RING - WILLOWS
345. SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME - DRIFTERS
346. WHO'S SORRY NOW? - CONNIE FRANCIS
347. THERE'S A MOON OUT TONIGHT - CAPRIS
348. I GOT YOU - JAMES BROWN
349. EVERLASTING LOVE - CARL CARLTON
350. MORE - KAI WINDING
351. LITTLE BIT ME, LITTLE BIT YOU - MONKEES
352. MY EYES ADORED YOU - FRANKIE VALLI
353. MISTY - JOHNNY MATHIS
354. DESIRIE - CHARTS
355. I FEEL FINE - BEATLES
356. SHUT DOWN - BEACH BOYS
357. TOWN WITHOUT PITY - GENE PITNEY
358. SO RARE - JIMMY DORSEY
359. THEN YOU CAN TELL ME GOODBYE - CASINOS
360. FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH - BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD
361. I LOVE HOW YOU LOVE ME - PARIS SISTERS
362. CALIFORNIA SUN - RIVIERAS
363. THAT'S MY DESIRE - PATSY CLINE
364. I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU - ELVIS PRESLEY
365. MORE THAN A FEELING - BOSTON
366. HURTS SO BAD - LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS
367. OH WHAT A NIGHT - DELLS
368. WE WILL ROCK YOU - QUEEN
369. YOU DON'T KNOW ME - LENNY WELCH
370. ONCE IN A WHILE - CHIMES
371. YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - DEBBY BOONE
372. PEPPERMINT TWIST - JOEY DEE & THE STARLIGHTERS
373. OH, BOY - BUDDY HOLLY/CRICKETS
374. DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE - SHIRELLES
375. WHERE THE BOYS ARE - CONNIE FRANCIS
376. THEN HE KISSED ME - CRYSTALS
377. GLORIA - CADILLACS
378. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FRANK SINATRA
379. THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON
380. CLASSICAL GAS - MASON WILLIAMS
381. GIVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME - CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
382. TELL HIM - EXCITERS
383. BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP - FOUNDATIONS
384. THE CLOSER YOU ARE - CHANNELS
385. SWEET DREAMS 'OF YOU' - PATSY CLINE
386. CRY TO ME - SOLOMON BURKE
387. WEDDING BELL BLUES - FIFTH DIMENSION
388. WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED - JIMMY RUFFIN
389. PATCHES - CLARENCE CARTER
390. WEDDING BELL BLUES - FIFTH DIMENSION
391. AIN'T THAT A SHAME - FATS DOMINO
392. IN THE GHETTO - ELVIS PRESLEY
393. ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART - GENE PITNEY
394. WOMAN WOMAN - GARY PUCKETT & THE UNION GAP
395. TIME WON'T LET ME - OUTSIDERS
396. A MILLION TO ONE - JIMMY CHARLES
397. SWEET HOME ALABAMA - LYNYRD SKYNYRD
398. SUMMERTIME - BILLY STEWART
399. IF - BREAD
400. HEART AND SOUL - CLEFTONES
401. DRIFT AWAY - DOBIE GRAY
402. ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT - SAM COOKE
403. THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT - LETTERMEN
404. WHERE OR WHEN - DION AND THE BELMONTS
405. ON BROADWAY - DRIFTERS
406. PRECIOUS AND FEW - CLIMAX
407. DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE - MAMAS AND THE PAPAS
408. GIMME SOME LOVIN' - SPENCER DAVIS GROUP
409. GIVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME - CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
410. THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD - BEATLES
411. TOUCH ME - DOORS
412. DEVIL OR ANGEL - CLOVERS
413. I HEAR A SYMPHONY - DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES
414. BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP - FOUNDATIONS
415. SORRY I RAN ALL THE WAY HOME - IMPALAS
416. STAY - MAURICE WILLIAMS/ZODIACS
417. CONEY ISLAND BABY - EXCELLENTS
418. MY SPECIAL ANGEL - BOBBY HELMS
419. BE BOP A LULA - GENE VINCENT
420. LADY WILLPOWER - GARY PUCKETT & THE UNION GAP
421. STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT - FRANK SINATRA
422. STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER - BEATLES
423. TILL THEN - CLASSICS
424. BERNADETTE - FOUR TOPS
425. WONDERLAND BY NIGHT - BERT KAEMPFERT
426. HEY BABY - BRUCE CHANNEL
427. LEADER OF THE PACK - SHANGRI-LAS
428. WOMAN - JOHN LENNON
429. BORN TO RUN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
430. IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA - IRON BUTTERFLY
431. MR. TAMBORINE MAN - BYRDS
432. ALONE AGAIN - GILBERT O'SULLIVAN
433. 1000 MILES AWAY - HEARTBEATS
434. SUGAR SHACK - JIMMY GILMER & THE FIREBALLS
435. OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL - BOB SEGER
436. COME SEE ABOUT ME - DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES
437. I'M SO YOUNG - STUDENTS
438. IF YOU WANNA BE HAPPY - JIMMY SOUL
439. DANCING QUEEN - ABBA
440. BORN TO BE ALIVE - PATRICK HERNANDEZ
441. KIND OF A DRAG - BUCKINGHAMS
442. CROCODILE ROCK - ELTON JOHN
443. WITHOUT YOU - NILSSON
444. GOD ONLY KNOWS - BEACH BOYS
445. WHEN - KALIN TWINS
446. CANDY GIRL - FOUR SEASONS
447. CHAPEL BELLS - FASCINATORS
448. OH HOW HAPPY - SHADES OF BLUE
449. TO SIR WITH LOVE - LULU
450. ONE FINE DAY - CHIFFONS
451. REVOLUTION - BEATLES
452. MR. BLUE - FLEETWOODS
453. NOWHERE MAN - BEATLES
454. FIVE O'CLOCK WORLD - VOGUES
455. BARBARA ANN - BEACH BOYS
456. INCENSE AND PEPPERMINT - STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK
457. PIPELINE - CHANTAYS
458. YOU REALLY GOT ME - KINKS
459. HUSHABYE - MYSTICS
460. EVERYDAY PEOPLE - SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE
461. OHH BABY BABY - SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES
462. JUST TO BE WITH YOU - PASSIONS
463. MEMORIES - ELVIS PRESLEY
464. ONLY SIXTEEN - SAM COOKE
465. I WRITE THE SONGS - BARRY MANILOW
466. DOWN ON THE CORNER - CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
467. I'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD - HERMAN'S HERMITS
468. AMERICAN WOMAN - GUESS WHO
469. LOVING YOU - ELVIS PRESLEY
470. ROCKIN' ROBIN - BOBBY DAY
471. CALL ME - BLONDIE
472. BOBBY'S GIRL - MARCIE BLAINE
473. MY OWN TRUE LOVE - DUPREES
474. WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW - JACKIE DESHANNON
475. IN MY ROOM - BEACH BOYS
476. SLIP AWAY - CLARENCE CARTER
477. JUST MY IMAGINATION - TEMPTATIONS
478. TEMPTATION EYES - GRASS ROOTS
479. LIGHTNING STRIKES - LOU CHRISTIE
480.WE CAN WORK IT OUT - BEATLES
481. SPANISH HARLEM - BEN E. KING
482. IF YOU DON'T KNOW ME BY NOW - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUENOTES
483. AQUARIUS - FIFTH DIMENSION
484. BABY, I'M YOURS - BARBARA LEWIS
485. YOU CHEATED - SHIELDS
486. THAT'S MY DESIRE - DION AND THE BELMONTS
487. DON'T SLEEP IN THE SUBWAY - PETULA CLARK
488. STEP BY STEP - CRESTS
489. SHE CRIED - JAY AND THE AMERICANS
490. RAVE ON - BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS
491. JUDY'S TURN TO CRY - LESLEY GORE
492. BUT IT'S ALRIGHT - J.J. JACKSON
493. MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF - JERRY BUTLER
494. GREEN ONIONS - BOOKER T. AND THE MG'S
495. LET'S DANCE - CHRIS MONTEZ
496. MAGIC CARPET RIDE - STEPPENWOLF
497. PAPERBACK WRITER - BEATLES
498. A SUMMER SONG - CHAD AND JEREMY
499. LOVERS NEVER SAY GOODBYE - FLAMINGOS
500. TEARDROPS - LEE ANDREWS & THE HEARTS

Posted by Rick | July 11, 2005 02:18 AM | Social Studies

Chirac Seeking New Career As Stand-Up Comeddian

Patrick Barkham is reporting in the Guardian that French president Jacques Chirac insulted the British cuisine just prior to the G8 summit which will be held in Gleneagles, Scotland, beginning Wednesday.

Jacques Chirac stirred the pot at a meeting in Russia on Sunday when he joked to Vladimir Putin and Gerhard Schröder that the British could not be trusted and worse food was only found in Finland.

In light of his comments, Chirac should probably bring a personal food taster to the summit just to be on the safe side.

Posted by Rick | July 6, 2005 12:12 AM | Social Studies

Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms

In his 1941 State of the Union address, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt promoted the concept of four basic freedoms he felt all people should be entitled to: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Two years later Norman Rockwell presented a patriotic series of paintings that appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post that had been inspired by Roosevelt's earlier speech. While the concepts of 'freedom from want' and 'freedom from fear' may not be freedoms found in our constitution, all the paintings inspire patriotic feelings of hearth and home and I'm posting them here in honor of America's 229th birthday.

Happy Birthday America!!

Posted by Rick | July 4, 2005 01:21 AM | Social Studies

Could Justice Souter Regret His Decision On Eminent Domain?

While a positive outcome is highly unlikely, a gentleman, Logan Darrow Clements, has petitioned the Town of Weare, New Hampshire, to take the property owned by Justice David Souter so that it might be rezoned and subsequently converted into a hotel. The letter to the town from the petitioner's web site, Freestar Media, LLC, is posted below.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Mr. Chip Meany
Code Enforcement Officer
Town of Weare, New Hampshire
Fax 603-529-4554

Dear Mr. Meany,

I am proposing to build a hotel at 34 Cilley Hill Road in the Town of Weare. I would like to know the process your town has for allowing such a development.

Although this property is owned by an individual, David H. Souter, a recent Supreme Court decision, "Kelo vs. City of New London" clears the way for this land to be taken by the Government of Weare through eminent domain and given to my LLC for the purposes of building a hotel. The justification for such an eminent domain action is that our hotel will better serve the public interest as it will bring in economic development and higher tax revenue to Weare.

As I understand it your town has five people serving on the Board of Selectmen. Therefore, since it will require only three people to vote in favor of the use of eminent domain I am quite confident that this hotel development is a viable project. I am currently seeking investors and hotel plans from an architect. Please let me know the proper steps to follow to proceed in accordance with the law in your town.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Logan Darrow Clements
Freestar Media, LLC

Posted by Rick | July 3, 2005 07:37 PM | Social Studies

Stick'em Up And Give Us Your Land - We Need A New Mall

This week the Supreme Court handed down a chilling decision in KELO ET AL. v. CITY OF NEW LONDON ET AL., which will continue to weaken the rights of private property owners in the face of greedy developers and spendthrift state and local governments.

Held: The city’s proposed disposition of petitioners’ property qualifies as a “public use” within the meaning of the Takings Clause. Pp. 6–20. (a) Though the city could not take petitioners’ land simply to confer a private benefit on a particular private party, see, e.g., Midkiff, 467 U.S., at 245, the takings at issue here would be executed pursuant to a carefully considered development plan, which was not adopted “to benefit a particular class of identifiable individuals,” ibid. Moreover, while the city is not planning to open the condemned land—at least not in its entirety—to use by the general public, this “Court long ago rejected any literal requirement that condemned property be put into use for the . . . public.” Id., at 244. Rather, it has embraced the broader and more natural interpretation of public use as “public purpose.” See, e.g., Fallbrook Irrigation Dist. v. Bradley, 164 U. S. 112, 158–164. Without exception, the Court has defined that concept broadly, reflecting its longstanding policy of deference to legislative judgments as to what public needs justify the use of the takings power. Berman, 348 U. S. 26; Midkiff, 467 U. S. 229; Ruckelshaus v. Monsanto Co., 467 U. S. 986. Pp. 6–13. (b) The city’s determination that the area at issue was sufficiently distressed to justify a program of economic rejuvenation is entitled to deference. The city has carefully formulated a development plan that it believes will provide appreciable benefits to the community, including, but not limited to, new jobs and increased tax revenue. As with other exercises in urban planning and development, the city is trying to coordinate a variety of commercial, residential, and recreational land uses, with the hope that they will form a whole greater than the sum of its parts. To effectuate this plan, the city has invoked a state statute that specifically authorizes the use of eminent domain to promote economic development. Given the plan’s comprehensive character, the thorough deliberation that preceded its adoption, and the limited scope of this Court’s review in such cases, it is appropriate here, as it was in Berman, to resolve the challenges of the individual owners, not on a piecemeal basis, but rather in light of the entire plan. Because that plan unquestionably serves a public purpose, the takings challenged here satisfy the Fifth Amendment. P. 13. (c) Petitioners’ proposal that the Court adopt a new bright-line rule that economic development does not qualify as a public use is sup-ported by neither precedent nor logic. Promoting economic development is a traditional and long accepted governmental function, and there is no principled way of distinguishing it from the other public purposes the Court has recognized. See, e.g., Berman, 348 U. S., at 24. Also rejected is petitioners’ argument that for takings of this kind the Court should require a “reasonable certainty” that the expected public benefits will actually accrue. Such a rule would represent an even greater departure from the Court’s precedent. E.g., Midkiff, 467 U. S., at 242. The disadvantages of a heightened form of review are especially pronounced in this type of case, where orderly implementation of a comprehensive plan requires all interested par-ties’ legal rights to be established before new construction can commence. The Court declines to second-guess the wisdom of the means the city has selected to effectuate its plan. Berman, 348 U. S., at 26. Pp. 13–20. 268 Conn. 1, 843 A. 2d 500, affirmed.

STEVENS, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which KENNEDY, SOUTER, GINSBURG, and BREYER, JJ., joined. KENNEDY, J., filed a concurring opinion. O’CONNOR, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which REHNQUIST, C. J., and SCALIA and THOMAS, JJ., joined. THOMAS, J., filed a dissenting opinion.

At issue was a clause in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution which provides:

"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb, nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process, of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." (emphasis added)

Having been the victim of a local entity taking a property in which I had an interest under the guise of "public purpose," I empathize with the property owners who now face eviction.

The majority opinion written by Justice Stevens which relied upon at least three suspect rulings from past Supreme Court cases including Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff, 467 U. S. 229 (1984), Berman v. Parker, 348 U. S. 26 (1954), and Strickley v. High-land Boy Gold Mining Co., 200 U. S. 527, 531 (1906), stated:

...when this Court began applying the Fifth Amendment to the States at the close of the 19th century, it embraced the broader and more natural interpretation of public use as “public purpose.”

“Public purpose” seems to have evolved into government willing to use its power to enrich itself and shopping mall developers at the expense of the little land owner. We're not talking about railroad right-of-ways, or land for dams, bridges, or power plants. This is about governmental greed and power.

If someone wants to develop land for a shopping mall, why shouldn't they be forced to give the property owners a share of the project rather than being allowed to condemn the property and pay off the owner at a reduced price, then rezoning the property, effectively enriching the condemning entity.

You can read the entire Supreme Court decision here.

Posted by Rick | June 26, 2005 12:04 AM | Social Studies

New Flash : Michael Jackson Not Guilty?!

I was wrong when I predicted that Michael Jackson would be found guilty when testimony of prior bad acts was allowed into the Michael Jackson trial. Michael Jackson has been found not guilty on all counts and will be heading back to Neverland a vindicated man.

News Alert: A sleep over will be held at Neverland to celebrate the verdict. Warm milk and cookies will be served to a dozen or so of Mikey's closest adolescent friends before being tucked in.

Posted by Rick | June 13, 2005 02:19 PM | Social Studies

Just A Little Nip And Tuck

A week ago last Thursday, I visited a surgeon's office for the first time with a small complaint. After a brief examination, the doctor acknowledged that I did, in fact, need a minor bit of surgery. When I asked if it could be done the following week on Friday, he said he did not see why not, and I was in the operating room at 7:30 A.M. last Friday. Then I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal on the Canadian medical system that I found very interesting:

"Access to a waiting list is not access to health care," wrote Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin for the 4-3 Court last week. Canadians wait an average of 17.9 weeks for surgery and other therapeutic treatments, according the Vancouver-based Fraser Institute.

A good friend of mine who happens to be a doctor near Toronto indicated to me that the wait for a surgery like mine could be as long as three years in Canada!! Would the liberals in Congress be willing to wait that long for their health care? I think not... Just as Congress has the ability to opt out of Social Security and invest in the stock market for their retirement accounts, I'm sure they would make sure only the common folk would be on the socialized medicine waiting list.

Posted by Rick | June 13, 2005 02:10 PM | Social Studies

This 'Torture' Is Just Too Much

TIME Magazine has obtained an interrogation log from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, that purportedly includes a moment-by-moment account of a detainee believed to have been the '20th hijacker' in which the treatment meted out is beyond horrific:

The quizzing now starts at midnight, and when Detainee 063 dozes off, interrogators rouse him by dripping water on his head or playing Christina Aguilera music.

While most of the past descriptions of torture were no worse than fraternity hazings meted out at university campuses every year, even I must admit that having to listen to Christina Aguilera is a torture far worse than anything I can imagine, except perhaps having to listen to Jessica Simpson. The interrogators have gone too far and they must be stopped at all costs before our credibility before the world is diminished beyond repair.

Posted by Rick | June 13, 2005 12:14 AM | Social Studies

Things Never Really Change

Andrew G. Bostom, in an extremely interesting article at The American Thinker, quotes noted archaeologist, explorer, and former British intelligence officer, Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), "who traveled extensively in the Middle East":

We are now in the middle of a full-blown Jihad, that is to say we have against us the fiercest prejudices of a people in a primeval state of civilization.

Gertrude Bell, Baghdad, Iraq, September 5, 1920

Really goes to show that no matter how much things seem to change, the more things remain the same.

Posted by Rick | June 9, 2005 02:54 AM | Social Studies

Someone Should Teach Them Some Respect

While we wring our hands over alleged mistreatment of the Holy Qur'an at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, American Muslims show their respect for the country they are living in by filming their desecration of its flag, the American flag - the flag of the country that brought freedom to millions of people in Iraq and Afghanistan within the last three years. WorldNetDaily has an article that describes the demonstration in detail.

I have no idea why we give the detainees at Guantánamo Bay the book they use to justify their war against us in the first place. If they want something to read, we should make sure they have a Bible to sooth their souls.

Amnesty International's web site has a bile-filled article on Guantánamo Bay that begins:

Hypocrisy, an overarching war mentality and a disregard for basic human rights principles and international legal obligations continue to mark the USA's "war on terror". Serious human rights violations are the inevitable result.

The detention camp at the US Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay in Cuba has become a symbol of the US administration’s refusal to put human rights and the rule of law at the heart of its response to the atrocities of 11 September 2001. Hundreds of people of around 35 different nationalities remain held in effect in a legal black hole, many without access to any court, legal counsel or family visits.

As evidence of torture and widespread cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment mounts, it is more urgent than ever that the US Government bring the Guantánamo Bay detention camp and any other facilities it is operating outside the USA into full compliance with international law and standards. The only alternative is to close them down.

Shouldn't Amnesty International have a page decrying the beheadings, the car bombs, the suicide bombers, and the wholesale murders of innocent men, women and children murdered by these wacko Muslims?

Posted by Rick | June 9, 2005 01:22 AM | Social Studies

Everybody's Doing It

CNN/Money senior writer Jeanne Sahadi reported in November of 2004 that the latest findings of the Affluent Market Research Program, an annual survey conducted by market information company TNS, show that over 7 percent of American households now have a net worth of one million dollars or more after excluding the equity in their primary residence from their assets.

And the point is....?

Every so often you see a news article bemoaning the fact that Americans don't save enough, and I'm sure that there are those that don't, but apparently there are also a lot of people who do.

The creation of wealth for most people is something that is achieved over a lifetime, as over half of the people interviewed for the TSN study were retirees. If you don't have anything put aside for a rainy day, as the saying goes - you have to start somewhere, so if you don't have a savings account, open one today. The rates of return are pretty low right now, but once you have a little nest egg built up, you can move into areas that may provide better returns such as real estate or stocks and bonds. As an aside, in Las Vegas, the natural gas utility, Southwest Gas, offers a stock purchase plan that allows customers to purchase stock every month at no cost for as little as a $100 initial investment and a minimum of $100 per year. You won't get rich if you only save $100 per year, but if you save $600 per year ($50 per month) for 25 years at 5%, you will accumulate approximately $30,000.

Bank of America has a road map for anyone who would like some help creating wealth.

Start today!! Go to your favorite bank or stock brokerage and open an account. Millionaire status awaits!

Posted by Rick | May 31, 2005 09:10 AM | Social Studies

Priest Attacks Someone His Own Size And Gets What He Deserves

Chris Dettro, staff writer for the Springfield Journal-Register, reported on Tuesday, May 24, 2005, that Jamie E. Gibson, 17, and Ryan Boyle, 15, who had beaten the Reverend Eugene Costa, each plead guilty to 1 count of aggravated battery. The priest allegedly offered them $50 for sex after he rubbed up against Gibson and touched the boy's leg, not once, but twice. The state agreed to seek no more than a three-year prison sentence for each teen in return for the guilty pleas.

Dettro also reported:

Costa later resigned as chancellor of the Springfield Catholic Diocese and pastor of parishes in Sherman and Athens. He remains a priest.

The Springfield Catholic Diocese said in a written statement that Costa's resignation would allow him to deal with "previous instances of inappropriate and risky behavior that have come to light" since the beating incident. Costa now is at an out-of-state rehabilitation facility for priests, nuns and members of religious orders.

Hopefully, Circuit Judge Leo Zappa will give the boys probation when he sentences them on July 19th. Too bad he can't give them a medal!

Posted by Rick | May 25, 2005 10:58 AM | Social Studies

Islam - Religion Or Joke?

Is Islam a religion or just an excuse to behave like Neanderthals?

On May 19, 2005, Jeff Jacoby wrote in the Boston Globe:

Christians, Jews, and Buddhists don't lash out in homicidal rage when their religion is insulted. They don't call for holy war and riot in the streets. It would be unthinkable for a mainstream priest, rabbi, or lama to demand that a blasphemer be slain. But when Reuters reported what Mohammad Hanif, the imam of a Muslim seminary in Pakistan, said about the alleged Koran-flushers -- ''They should be hung. They should be killed in public so that no one can dare to insult Islam and its sacred symbols" -- was any reader surprised?

The Muslim riots should have been met by outrage and condemnation. From every part of the civilized world should have come denunciations of those who would react to the supposed destruction of a book with brutal threats and the slaughter of 17 innocent people. But the chorus of condemnation was directed not at the killers and the fanatics who incited them, but at Newsweek.

You can read the entire article here.

Posted by Rick | May 23, 2005 10:39 AM | Social Studies

Blood And Guts In Iraq

In an article written yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, staff writer James Rainey decries the lack of photos of dead and wounded Americans in Iraq.

Has the LA Times shown pictures of the mass graves filled by Saddam, or of the men, women and children blown up by suicide bombers and IED's?

I think it should be just as important to document the reasons we are fighting as it is to show the tragedy's of the fighting.

Posted by Rick | May 21, 2005 03:36 PM | Social Studies

Fire!

The theory is that if someone yells "Fire!" in a crowded theater, and someone suffers an injury while exiting the theater, the person who yelled "Fire!" is responsible for said injury. But what if, on the way out of the theater, a group of people actually start a number of fires where none existed. Who is then responsible for the injuries?

Newsweek magazine, in their issue dated May 9, 2005, basically yelled "Fire!" in a crowded Muslim theater when they accused (erroneously, as it turns out) US soldiers in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, of flushing a Koran down a toilet. However, when Muslims rioted in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, after reading the report, they essentially started a fire storm during the theater exodus. Sixteen or 17 deaths ensued, while 100's of others suffered injuries. Who is really more to blame? If the fires had not been set, the resulting injuries may not have amounted to more than a stubbed toe or two. The worldwide Muslim community really needs to get a grip.

Posted by Rick | May 17, 2005 11:52 PM | Social Studies

CMA Awards

My lovely wife 'snuck' us into the Country Music Awards tonight (row V on the main floor). Every country artist that performed did a great job. Performances by Reba, the new group Big & Rich, and Toby Keith, who performed from Iraq, were perhaps three of the best. Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban had big years, and each won a couple of awards apiece. The big winners were Gretchen Wilson (Female Artist of the Year and Newcomer of the Year) and newly-wed Kenny Chesney (Entertainer of the Year). Rob Schneider, with co-presenter Neal McCoy as his straight man, was the funniest presenter, while Garth Brooks, in a touching presentation, honored Chris Ledoux, who passed away March 9 of this year, with the Pioneer Award. My lovely wife and I had a great time. Thanks Mandalay Bay!

Posted by Rick | May 17, 2005 09:08 PM | Social Studies

United Airlines Pension Fund Crashes And Burns

The airline union chickens are coming home to roost. United Airlines has agreed to turn over its obligations to its four employee pension plans to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the federal agency, created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, that guarantees pensions. The deal will release United from $3.2 billion in pension obligations, which cover about 134,000 people, over the next five years, thus becoming the largest pension default in the thirty-one year history of the PBGC.

The employees' unions must have hired Laura Bush's joke writing team to come up with their response to the pension default. The straight line...The unions threatened to strike. What is wrong with these union people? Obviously none of them graduated with a degree in common sense. Strike United Airlines, already operating in bankruptcy protection, and all the current employees will be out of a job faster than you can say Braniff Airlines. I remember flying into Dallas Fort Worth Airport in 1982 and seeing all the Braniff jets sitting idle on the tarmac. It was quite a sight. Go ahead...STRIKE! I heard Burger King is hiring.

The punch line...The unions also cautioned that employees' attitudes would suffer. Is it possible that the 'friendly skies of United', which haven't been that friendly for years, could really become less friendly? This would only be funnier if Laura Bush delivered the joke herself.

Read more about it here.

Posted by Rick | May 11, 2005 03:40 AM | Social Studies

Would You Hire The People At Homeland Security?

Homeland security has been a joke since 9/11. Yeah, sure, the screeners at the airport have made sure all the little old ladies don't take their fingernail clippers on the airplane, and virtually everyone with a one-way ticket has had their bags torn apart. Unfortunately, anyone with half a brain can walk across the Canadian and Mexican borders into the United States undetected, and millions of people do each year.

Now it is being reported that the $4.5 billion dollars homeland security spent to help protect the airline industry was either ineffective or too costly to operate. The real problem is that Tom Ridge was too busy playing big-shot to make sure the equipment his department was purchasing worked...and the Department of Homeland Security is going to fix the problems by spending another $7.0 billion dollars in the next few years. The Department of Homeland Security claims that it will make sure the new equipment actually works before they buy it. Too bad they had to spend $4.5 billion dollars before they figured that out.

Posted by Rick | May 9, 2005 01:49 AM | Social Studies

All That Jazz!!

Last night I was watching "Blue Note: A Story Of Modern Jazz" on the Encore - Drama channel. Known for superior quality recordings, Blue Note was the famous independent record label formed by German immigrants Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff in 1939. The label produced a majority of the jazz recordings in America from its inception until 1965, when it was sold to Liberty Records. Blue Note, now a division of Capitol Records has changed over the years. While reissuing many of the great jazz recordings of the past, its current roster of artists includes not only great jazz instrumentalists such as Wynton Marsalis and Greg Osby, but contemporary vocalists like Norah Jones, Al Green, Van Morrison and Anita Baker as well.

If you have read my bio you know I live in Las Vegas which is not really known as a jazz mecca. However, Las Vegas has had a few pretty good jazz venues over the years, and when they opened, I usually went a few times. I also have a few jazz albums (CD's) but, for the most part, they remain unplayed. It seems I just don't have a great appreciation for jazz.

In the Blue Note documentary, former basketball superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who also happens to be a huge (no pun intended) jazz aficionado, explained Americans' appreciation for jazz as follows:

The reason that Europeans could see something in jazz and Americans couldn't is the fact that anything that blacks in America have created or tried to offer to the culture at large has always been minimized and ridiculed. White people in America, they could only see jazz as bordello music because that is the only time they ever encountered it and that image stuck. So people from Europe who did not have the racist bias of Americans could come and see something that was incredibly creative and artistic, and they saw an opportunity to exploit it commercially and in doing so, helped a lot of these artists survive. If it was not for them, it might have always been thought of as bordello music.

As I listened to this it seemed that his comments could be interpreted a few different ways: 1) You have no appreciation of jazz because you haven't been to enough bordellos. 2) Europeans have been to a lot more bordellos and that is why they have a greater appreciation of jazz. 3) The Europeans were merely exploiting the black jazz musicians. 4) You are a racist and, because you are a racist, decided not to buy any jazz records in an effort to keep the black musicians from succeeding.

I may be naive (that, in and of itself, may explain why I don't like jazz) but, I don't believe that any of the above explanations really apply to me. It could be I am just not sophisticated enough to appreciate jazz, but what it really boils down to is: I just don't get it. And, if you want to know a secret, I don't get Picasso either.

Posted by Rick | April 21, 2005 02:34 AM | Social Studies

Pope John Paul II - A Legacy

Pope John Paul II, the 264th pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, has been laid to rest after the largest funeral in the history of mankind, and the Vatican and various groups within the Church are busy burnishing the late pontiff's legacy. I am struck, however, by the silence of most MSM, and even the bloggers, in any honest, rational evaluation of his papacy.

Since the death of Pope John Paul II, criticism of him or the Church of any kind has been verboten. Prior to the funeral, CNN's Christiane Amanpour had the audacity to point out that this Pope during his papacy had been largely inaccessible to the media. Ms. Amanpour was roundly excoriated for even a criticism as benign as that. How dare she! Yet, when the dust settles, I believe the legacy of Pope John Paul II, beloved as he was, will be viewed by historians as shortsighted; generally hurtful to the Church in general; and even disastrous for Catholicism in many parts of the world.

In the last one hundred years, the world has seen fantastic advances in mathematics and science, medicine, human rights, quality of life, and the education of mankind in general. There has been progress made in virtually every aspect of our lives, yet Pope John Paul II, seen within the Catholic Church as a defender of traditional faith, was content to advocate the status quo for over a quarter of that time.

To his credit, Pope John Paul II was a staunch advocate for peace in the world. He spoke out against communism in the late 1970's and into the 1980's, and his visits to Poland can be given some credit for rise of Solidarity and the demise of the communist regime there.

During his papacy, Pope John Paul II traveled almost 700,000 miles, visiting 129 countries, with huge crowds greeting him at every stop. During his funeral mass there were calls by some of the mourners for immediate sainthood for their late pontiff. He was loved and revered by the faithful everywhere.

For the Church's sake, it would have been nice to have had a pope who was good at more than pressing the flesh. History will record, after time and reflection, that the vision one might expect from a great leader was sorely lacking during Pope John Paul II's papacy. This lack of vision left a legacy in which there were three major deficiencies.

Change is often a hard thing to accept and the ability to envision and implement change is incrementally more difficult. People often rail against change when it is thrust upon them. Some people are dragged kicking and screaming to it. Sadly, change to Pope John Paul II was only the coins jangling around in the offertory. There was virtually no substantive change within the Church that he was prepared to embrace.

With the advent of HIV and AIDS in the early 1980's, Pope John Paul II's conservative, even medieval, viewpoints concerning birth control were shortsighted at the very least, and undoubtedly catastrophic, for an untold multitude. Even as the the HIV/AIDS epidemic raced across the African continent, this pope remained steadfast in his belief that the Church should promote the traditional values of abstinence and faithfulness (certainly worthwhile positions), and refused to allow the Church to sanction, much less the promote, the usage of condoms. This unyielding, traditional doctrine ultimately condemned many thousands of men, women, and children to slow, horrific, unnecessary deaths, with many more to follow in the coming years.

The Catholic News Service, in an article written by Carol Glatz, reported that Pope John Paul II, "from his 10th-floor room at Gemelli hospital" just four weeks before his death, "personally delivered a written message to Tanzanian Cardinal Polycarp Pengo of Dar es Salaam and Bishop Severine Niwemugizi of Rulenge." The the Vatican released the message on March 11, 2005, and the Catholic News Service quoted the message in part:

Programs that link economic aid to family planning are "affronts to the dignity of the person and the family" and must be resisted, Pope John Paul II said in a written message to bishops from Tanzania.

"The unjust practice of linking programs of economic assistance to the promotion of sterilization and contraception must be strenuously resisted," he wrote.

Such programs "threaten to undermine the authentic Christian understanding of the nature and purpose of marriage," which must always be open to the generation of new life, said the text.

and:

Part of the church's response to this epidemic must be to communicate that "fidelity within marriage and abstinence outside it are the only sure ways to limit the further spread of the infection," the pope wrote.

The Catholic News Service article went on to note that:

An estimated 2 million of Tanzania's 32 million people are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Seventy percent of those infected with HIV/AIDS worldwide live in Africa.

The National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services reported in July 2004:

As of the end of 2003, an estimated 37.8 million people worldwide - 35.7 million adults and 2.1 million children younger than 15 years - were living with HIV/AIDS. Approximately two-thirds of these people (25.0 million) live in Sub-Saharan Africa; another 20 percent (7.4 million) live in Asia and the Pacific.

Worldwide, approximately 11 of every 1000 adults aged 15 to 49 are HIV-infected. In Sub-Saharan Africa, about 7.5 percent of all adults in this age group are HIV-infected.

An estimated 4.8 million new HIV infections occurred worldwide during 2003; that is, about 14,000 infections each day. More than 95 percent of these new infections occurred in developing countries.

Yet the Roman Catholic Church, in the face of these horrific statistics, forbids the use of condoms in its doctrine.

In the United States, the proclivity of many priests to molest little boys went seemingly unnoticed by this papacy, the silence from Rome almost deafening. The child molestation scandal and the ensuing cover-up by the hierarchy has driven many congregants from the Church. At the present time, it is estimated that only 25% of Catholics in the United States attend mass on a weekly basis and, in the areas where the abuse was the greatest, the financial cost has driven many dioceses to the verge of bankruptcy.

When Cardinal Bernard F.Law of Boston, who swept the child molestations under the rug by moving the perpetrators around from one parish to another in effect allowing them to molest even more children, tendered his resignation under the weight of waning attendance, a lack of contributions, and a multitude of lawsuits, Pope John Paul II inexplicably named him archpriest of the patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the four major basilicas of Rome.

The seemingly indefensible appointment of Cardinal Law to such a prestigious position, albeit a largely ceremonial one, came only two days after the Archdiocese of Boston announced it was closing 65 parishes due, in large part, to the financial crunch caused by the scandal. It has been reported that the payouts to the sexual abuse victims in the Boston Archdiocese alone totaled close to $85 million dollars.

The parish closings created a second group of victims - the parishoners who would now have to deal in their own way with the scandal’s aftermath.

There was also a third group of victims in this case - the good priests who were now looked upon with a modicum of suspicion every time they may have been left alone with a young boy.

But it gets worse! Shortly after the death of Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Piero Marini, the Vatican's chief liturgist, announced that Cardinal Law had been inexplicibly chosen by his fellow cardinals to preside at the fourth of nine days of funeral masses being held in St. Peter's Basilica for the late Pope. Each cardinal who officiates during the Novendiales (nine days) is supposed to represent some important ancient or contemporary aspect of the Church.

This scandal has sorely stained the reputation of the Catholic Church and it will be many, many years before the Church is able to regain the trust of the flock. The questions remain: 1) Why was there such a silence from the Vatican about the child molestations? 2) Why was Cardinal Law promoted when he should have been shown the door? One can only speculate why Pope John Paul II did not accept Cardinal Law's resignation and proclaim Good riddance!, but promoting a co-conspiritor in the molestations to such a position only adds salt to the wounds of all the victims.

And finally, the Church, under the leadership of Pope John Paul II, has continued to deny women a voice, much less an equal voice, in the celebration of the Catholic faith. During the the last quarter century, women have risen to the task of leading congregations in virtually every Christian religion, except, notably, at the Roman Catholic alter. The Jewish faith has even recognized female rabbis. The Catholic Church, however, has steadfastly refused to allow women to rise above the second class status of the habit, forcing them to remain silent, prostrate to the priests and the Church.

Pope John Paul II seemed to be a very nice man. I'm sure that he did what he felt in his heart was right for the Catholic Church. The fact is that while he was able to travel like no other pope in history had, his travel is really the only remarkable thing about his papacy. Unfortunately, he didn't make the hard choices, but opted instead to bury himself in the doctrines of the past and hence the Church was not well served.

Every religion including Catholicism should be: a place where men and women have an equal voice; a place where reason will outweigh doctrine when it comes to the ravages of a disease such as HIV/AIDS; and a place where the the leaders are willing to admit when there have been abuses and take appropriate steps, to use a heavy hand when necessary, to cure ills within.

The Roman Catholic Church has a rich heritage and culture that has been dormant for much of the past twenty-six years. I pray that the new pope is a visionary, unafraid of change, and a leader with the courage and willingness to drag the Church, kicking and screaming if necessary, into the 21st century.

Posted by Rick | April 13, 2005 11:10 AM | Social Studies

'Hanoi Jane' Fonda or Bobby Fischer - Who's The Bigger Traitor?

In August of 1972, Jane Fonda took a two week 'vacation' to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam during what was commonly known as the Vietnam war and, in the process, became one of the most notorious traitors in American history. Although war was never officially declared, 58,229 Americans were killed during the conflict.

'Hanoi Jane', as she became known, posed for pictures while sitting on an anti-aircraft gun, participated in a news conference with POW's, and made radio spots for distribution to American troops detailing how futile she thought their efforts against the communist regime in North Vietnam were. If 'Hanoi Jane' had done those things during World War II, she would have been accused of treason, and tried as a war criminal. You can read more about her comments in an article written by Bruce Herschensohn originally published in the Washington Times on 07/08/2000, and reprinted here.

In 1975, shortly after the end of the hostilities, 'Hanoi Jane' returned to Vietnam for a special ceremony that would honor her for the aid and comfort she gave the communists during the war. With her newborn son in tow, 'Hanoi Jane' took the occasion to have her son christened and named Troy, after the Viet Cong hero, Nguyen Van Troi, who was executed by the South Vietnamese in 1963, for attempting to assassinate U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.

It is now 33 years since 'Hanoi Jane' first visited Vietnam. To date she has only given a partial apology, especially noting her regret for having her picture taken while sitting on the anti-aircraft gun, but has refused to apologize for her Radio Hanoi broadcasts to American troops, reminiscent of 'Tokyo Rose,' and for having her picture taken with American POW's.

Currently 'Hanoi Jane' is on a publicity tour of the United States, making the rounds touting her new book, "My Life So Far," published by Random House, and her appearance in the upcoming New Line Cinema movie, "Monster-in-Law," which stars Jennifer Lopez. Unbelievably, Jane Fonda is still a celebrity in America.

By comparison, Bobby Fischer, perhaps America's best chess player ever, sits in Iceland, unable to return to the United States without being thrown in jail. His crime? Fischer broke international sanctions by playing a chess match against Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia in 1992, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. If convicted of this crime, Fischer could spend up to 10 years in jail.

Bobby Fischer is hardly a sympathetic character. Despite having a Jewish mother, Fischer is rabidly anti-Semitic, and has also expressed support for the 9-11 attackers. In an article written by Allan Lengel, Washington Post saff witer, published July 16, 2004, Fischer is quoted as follows:

"America is totally under control of the Jews, you know. I mean, look what they're doing now in Yugoslavia. . . . The secretary of state and the secretary of defense are, are dirty Jews."

and

"This is all wonderful news. It's time . . . to finish off the U.S. once and for all. . . . This just shows what comes around, goes around."

Despicable behavior? O.K., I guess. Deplorable viewpoints? Absolutely. Treasonous? No. Traitorous? Again I say, No.

Bobby Fischer's real crime was economic in nature. Certainly no one was tortured or killed because he played his chess match. He had an opportunity to work, and he took the opportunity. Defiant? Yes. But a crime against the greater good of American society? Bobby Fischer's crime doesn't amount to a blip on the radar screen.

Would I go see Bobby Fischer play chess, or support him in any way?No. Beyond that, I could care less about him.

On the other hand, Jane Fonda is someone to be truly despised, yet continues to be welcomed on virtually every radio and television venue where she can promote her latest endeavors. 'Hanoi Jane' should have been locked up upon her return from Vietnam, and the fact that she wasn't is a stain on the government that sent 58,229 brave Americans to their deaths. Jane Fonda should be shunned. Let her buddies, the communists in Cuba, Vietnam and North Korea, support her...Americans should not.

Posted by Rick | April 6, 2005 03:45 AM | Social Studies

Unlimited Abortions Upon Demand

Apparently the courts in the United States are going to do their best to make all children wards of the state, stripping parents of their rights to supervise and care for their children.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an Idaho law requiring girls under the age of 18 to get parental consent before obtaining an abortion, and the Supreme Court in its ultimate wisdom decided on Monday, March 28, 2005, to reject an appeal which would have reinstated the Idaho law. By letting the lower court ruling stand, doctors can now perform abortions on young women of any age. The case before the Supreme Court was Wasden v. Planned Parenthood of Idaho, 04-703.

Was there any thought given to the potential complications that might arise from said abortions? Who is going to deal with the physical and psychological complications that might arise from the abortions? Who is going to deal with the damage done to the families resulting from such secret abortions? Perhaps Planned Parenthood should become responsible for feeding, clothing and providing shelter for these young women after they take it upon themselves to perform said abortions.

Unfortunately the only thing Planned Parenthood will have to say after performing a secret abortion on a 13 year old girl is 'Next.'

Posted by Rick | March 30, 2005 02:12 AM | Social Studies

Michael Jackson's Golf Game With O.J. May Be Postponed Indefinitely

Today the judge in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial decided to admit testimony from other accusers even though no charges were ever brought in those cases. I wrote on 3/22/2005 that I thought Michael would soon be playing golf with O.J. Simpson because the evidence was so weak and witnesses were so unbelievable, but testimony of this type, albeit unsubstantiated, will probably convict Michael thus postponing his golf game with O.J. indefinitely.

Posted by Rick | March 28, 2005 06:34 PM | Social Studies

Michael Schiavo - Evil Personified?

Michael Schiavo was interviewed by Chris Bury on ABC's Nightline March 16, 2005. I thought Michael's response during this exchange was interesting (my emphasis):

BURY: Your wife's family and their supporters have been arguing in the most graphic terms that what you are going to allow happen on Friday, in their words, is in effect condemning your wife to a cruel death by starvation.

I'd like you to address that charge from them.

SCHIAVO: That's one of their soapboxes they've been on for a long time.

Terri will not be starved to death. Her nutrition and hydration will be taken away. This happens across this country every day.

Death through removing somebody's nutrition is very painless. That has been brought to the courts many of times. Doctors have come in and testified. It is a very painless procedure.

Really Michael???

You can read the entire interview here.

Former caregivers have come forward to testify about Terri's condition. You can read the affidavit given in September, 2003, by one of Terri Schiavo's former nurses, Carla Sauer Iyer, here.

Rumor has it that Michael, against the wishes of Terri's parents, will have her cremated. The family filed a petition on January 10, 2005, to remove Michael as guardian noting his cohabitation with another woman with whom he has two children, and his plans to have his beloved wife cremated after she dies (remember Michael says she is not being starved to death). The petition was obviously denied since Michael is still calling all the shots.

Thankfully, once he carries out the cremation there won't be much more he can do to the Schindler family.

I have a couple final questions for Mikey:

What are you going to do with your beloved wife's ashes?

How much are you going to charge for the book advance and movie rights?

Posted by Rick | March 24, 2005 11:20 PM | Social Studies

We've Come A Long Way Since Tang

We've come a long way since Tang was one of the first products made famous by its use during space travel.

Now, a water purification system that has been developed for the space station will aid people in war-torn Iraq and areas where the tsunami left virtually all water unsafe for human consumption.

The truck mounted unit's initial cost of $29,000 is somewhat pricey for many of the affected areas but the $.03 per gallon it will cost to transform undrinkable water into potable water isn't bad at all.

Posted by Rick | March 23, 2005 08:00 PM | Social Studies

Michael Jackson's Accuser Is So Full Of It

I have refrained from commenting on the Michael Jackson trial in my blog, but, after seeing a news story about today's proceedings, I just can't help myself.

Comedienne Louise Palanker, a witness for the prosecution, testified today that she received a call from the mother of the accuser during which the mother claimed that she and her family were being held against their will at Jackson's Neverland ranch.

Now I know that if I were being held against my will somewhere and could get to a phone, the first person I would call is a comedienne. I wouldn't dial 911 - what could the police possibly do to free me? Nope, I would call the local comedy club in the hope that a posse of Roseanne, Carrot Top, Pauly Shore and Dana 'The Church Lady' Carvey would come rescue me.

This trial is funnier than any comedy club, and whether he did what he has been accused of or not, Michael Jackson is going be playing golf with O.J. Simpson soon.

Posted by Rick | March 22, 2005 10:13 PM | Social Studies

Another Reason To Boycott The French

Who do they think they are?

Agence France-Presse has sued Google News, a subsidiary of the web search engine Google for $17,500,000. AFP is alleging copyright infringement because Google News dared use AFP news summaries, headlines, and photographs without permission. I'm guessing Google News was linking to the articles because that's what they do, and in the process credited AFP. The harm must come from the fact that too many people were reading AFP articles.

It will be interesting to see how many readers AFP gets once Google News, its search engine, and the other search engines pull all references to AFP pieces. Don't you just hate it when you shoot yourself in the head?

Just another example of French arrogance, and another great reason to boycott France.

Posted by Rick | March 22, 2005 06:30 PM | Social Studies

Sick To My Stomach

Terri Schiavo is alive!

From an article posted March 5, 2005, on WorldNetDaily.com came this:

Yesterday, Nobel prize nominee Dr. William Hammesfahr issued a statement saying he had examined Terri Schiavo and believes her injury, hypoxic encephalopathy, is a type of stroke that he treats every day with success.

Yet, Terri, a disabled woman who is unable to speak for herself, is being tortured to death. Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo, with the blessing of the Florida judicial system, has decided she should die and is starving her to death. Not only are they starving her, they are withholding all fluids. This is as sick as it gets!!

Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a retired pathologist and currently prisoner #284797, is serving a 10-25 year sentence and a seven year sentence (sentences to run concurrently) in a Michigan prison. His crime? Kevorkian, aka 'Dr. Death,' helped long suffering and/or terminally ill people die. All of the people 'Dr. Death' aided were able to speak for themselves and had requested his assistance. The deaths of the people Kevorkian helped were quick and painless, their suffering was over in a matter of seconds. Yet a Michigan court decided that 70 year old Kevorkian had committed a crime so terrible that he should be punished severely.

In Florida, the courts have decided that it was Terri Schiavo's wish to die should she ever be unable to care for herself, and Michael Schiavo, with the aid of numerous Florida judges and appellate judges, is doing his best to carry out his helpless wife's wishes. Really no more than that which Jack Kevorkian was convicted of. There are, however, important differences. Kevorkian helped people die humanely, with dignity, and with the full knowledge of the suffering individuals. I seriously doubt Terri ever said she would like to be tortured to death to end her suffering, yet, courtesy of Michael Schiavo and the the state of Florida, Terri is suffering a slow, gruesome and painful death.

The courts protect terrorists, mass murderers, rapists, kidnappers, child molesters, jaywalkers, dogs, cows, horses and even cats from treatment far less egregious than the treatment being meted out to Terri Schiavo. Incomprehensibly, the courts won't protect her.

I am not against euthanasia. I am against barbarism, and Terri’s starvation and dehydration is exactly that.

This makes me sick - sick to my stomach.

Note: I liked Ann Coulter's latest column (3/24/2005) entitled Starved For Justice suggesting Florida Governor Jeb Bush ignore Judge Greer and intercede on Terri Schiavo's behalf.

Posted by Rick | March 22, 2005 02:10 PM | Social Studies

Baseball Hall Of Fame.. Shame.. Infamy

Mark McGuire had a 16 year career in major league baseball during which he hit 583 home runs and had a barely respectable .263 batting average. McGuire was a home run hitter who was not noted for his fielding or base running. McGuire was never the most valuable player of the league in which he played. It is well documented that McGuire used some form of drugs during his career in an effort to increase his strength. He will be eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Pete Rose had a 24 year career in major league baseball during which he hit 160 home runs and had a super .303 batting average. More importantly, Rose is the career hit leader with 4256 career hits. Rose was the National League's most valuable player in 1973 and was an all-star 17 years while playing 4 different positions (second base, third base, outfield, and first base). Although Rose has been eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1992, the The Baseball Writers of America Association has declined to elect him into the Hall of Fame because he has admitted betting on baseball while a manager.

Roger Maris had a 12 year career in major league baseball during which he hit 275 home runs and had a barely respectable .260 batting average. Although his career was hindered many years because of injuries, he had 2 spectacular back-to-back seasons and was named the American League's most valuable player both years. In 1961, Maris hit 61 home runs and broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record of sixty home runs that had been established in 1927. He was also noted as a fine fielder and excellent base runner. Maris has been eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1974, but to date has the distinction of being perhaps the finest baseball player not elected to the baseball shrine.

So here are the questions...

Should Mark McGuire be elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame by the Baseball Writers because he was able to hit 583 home runs, albeit with the aid of some form of chemical enhancements?

Should Pete Rose, who had one of the longest, most distinguished playing careers ever, but broke the rules by betting on the game as a manager, be elected to the Hall Of Fame?

Should Roger Maris, who had a short but distinguished playing career with two spectacular MVP years, be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Posted by Rick | March 19, 2005 04:22 PM | Social Studies

Terri Schiavo - Cruel And Unusual

The situation in Florida with the woman, Terri Schiavo, who is brain damaged and is scheduled to have her feeding tubes removed so she can die of dehydration and lack of nutrition is sad.

I do not know what amount of brain activity there is, and I do not know if there is any hope for improvement with therapy and/or future advances in medical technology. I do know that it is cruel and unusual to let this woman die like this. We treat mass murderers better than this when we execute them. I treat my sick pets better than this when there is no hope.

If there is no hope, give her a lethal injection and let her die with some dignity, without pain, without suffering any more than she has already.

Posted by Rick | March 18, 2005 01:09 PM | Social Studies

Modern Day Robber Barron Gets His Due - Ebbers Is Guilty As Sin

In an article written by Washington Post staff writer Brooke A. Masters in the Washington Post entitled Bernard Ebbers Guilty On All Counts it is reported that:

Former WorldCom Inc. chief executive Bernard J. Ebbers was found guilty on all counts against him -- conspiracy, securities fraud and making false filings with regulators -- for his role in a massive accounting fraud that led to the downfall of the nation's second largest telecommunications firm, costing millions of investors billions of dollars.

Former billionaire Bernie testified that he knew nothing of the accounting irregularities that forced WorldCom into bankruptcy. Even if it is true that he didn't know anything of the irregularities, he should have, and, in addition to the other charges that he has been found guilty of, he should be tried and convicted of defrauding the stockholders by collecting a multi-million dollar salary and not doing his job.

Running publicly traded companies bankrolled by stockholders hard earned money demands that the company officers protect the shareholders investments. That means they have to show up, ask questions, review the work of the staff they are hired to supervise, and make sound decisions. Whether he knew or didn't know, Bernie cost "millions of investors billions of dollars." Bernie is a crook and deserves every minute he spends in jail.

Posted by Rick | March 15, 2005 04:30 PM | Social Studies

Here Come The Islamofascists

I just came across a book review on WorldNetDaily of a book by Paul Sperry called Inflitration. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it sounds an ominous tone. The review begins:

While Americans continue to promote cultural diversity and religious tolerance as society's highest values, radical Muslims masquerading as "moderates" have insinuated themselves into the very fabric of American society, to the nation's extreme peril, says a startling new book by veteran investigative journalist Paul Sperry.

You can click here to purchase the book at a big discount.

Posted by Rick | March 14, 2005 09:53 PM | Social Studies

Why They Want To Destroy Us - The Underlying Causes

Anyone who thought that the message Ward Churchill has been espousing for the last few years is a new one has not watched Teacher's Pet, a movie dating back to 1958 starring Doris Day and Clark Gable. The movie is a comedy/love story with some typical Hollywood social commentary as a backdrop.

Without getting into all the movie's soporific details, at one point during the film a teenage urban thug kills a grocery store proprietor. Clark Gable's character, a gruff newspaper editor, suggests that the teenager 'pulled the trigger, but society loaded the gun.' Gable then goes on to suggest that the underlying causes of the killing were "poverty, prejudice, bitterness, and despair." The message is clear: violent attacks against the citizens of the United States are inevitable and deserved because of something we have done or failed to do. Ward Churchhill is merely regurgitating said message, using a Nazi reference in an effort to bring additional attention to the theory.

The Hollywood establishment, and now Churchhill, along with other bleeding hearts here in America and throughout the rest of the world would have us believe that the United States is the world's nursemaid, responsible for coddling every two-bit thug or hoodlum who thinks the world owes him something. If someone is hungry anywhere in the world they believe Americans should feed them; if someone is cold, Americans should clothe and house them; if someone is sick Americans should heal them; if someone is oppressed, Americans should shed our blood and spend our gold to free them. And because we can't or won't fix all the ills of the world, Americans should die. We failed in our duty to recognize the world's problems and did not subsequently fix all the underlying causations.

Professor Churchhill also makes the argument that everyone should go back where they came from and leave America to the native American Indians. But why should the Indians get to stay? They came from Asia, so, to be fair, the Indians may need to scoot back across the Beringia Land Bridge to Asia and America can be once again ruled by the buffalo and coyotes, the wolves and the eagles. Churchhill is only 1/16th Indian so only his head could go with the Indians and the rest of his body would have to go back to Europe.

These arguments are ridiculous on their face. The fact is that the Islamofascists are trying to kill us because we are free. We are free to: worship, travel, work, study, vote, dress, speak, disagree, and believe or not believe as we wish. The "poverty, prejudice, bitterness, and despair" argument made by the hug-a-tree liberals is merely an attempt to make us feel bad, but it is not why we have a bullseye on our back.

Make no mistake about it, we are involved in a religious war, the Crusades if you will, and the Saracens will not be happy until we are all nuts like them. They would like us all to hate non-believers, oppress women, accomplish nothing, study nothing but the Koran, and live as Muhammad did in the 7th century.

Forget the Ten Commandments in the public square, if the war on terror fails, the mutts nuts will have a Koran (also known as the Qur`an) in every home, in every school (only boys allowed), and every courtroom. The irony here is that, because of their ideology or lack thereof, the liberals will be the first ones beheaded by the Islamofascists. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights will be re-written. The Anti-American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will be a footnote in history. The National Organization For Women (NOW) will be outlawed. Christians, Jews and atheists will be exterminated in a blood bath that will make the holocaust look like a tea party.

Go ahead...tell me I'm wrong!!!

Posted by Rick | March 13, 2005 11:59 PM | Social Studies

Homage To Dan Rather Reinstated

In an article entitled Dan Rather Set To Leave 'CBS Evening News' written today by Associated Press writer David Bauder and published at AOL News, it is reported that at least one CBS affiliate, WWTV in Cadillac, Michigan, was asking its viewers whether or not it should run a prime-time homage to departing CBS news anchor Dan Rather:

WWTV in Cadillac, Mich., said it decided to let viewers vote on whether it should air Wednesday's prime-time tribute, "Dan Rather: A Reporter Remembers," after being inundated with "negative feedback" about Rather.

The CBS affiliate will air something else - it wouldn't say what - if a majority of voters turn thumbs down on Rather. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 1,000 people had cast ballots with 63 percent voting against Rather, station spokeswoman Tessia Klix said.

Apparently, CBS took offense at the poll and the powers that be at WWTV have issued a mea culpa and WWTV will now air the tribute.

Posted by Rick | March 9, 2005 09:54 AM | Social Studies

Dan Rather Will Be Going Out In A Baze Of Denial

CBS news anchorman Dan Rather, who is stepping down this week after 24 long years, is still unwilling to admit the documents purporting to indicate President Bush had received preferential treatment when applying for the Texas Air National Guard were forgeries. In an appearance on CBS' Late Night with David Leterman, Dan indicated that given a little more time, he believed that he would have been able to authenticate the documents.

"We were not able to authenticate the documents as thoroughly as I think we should have, given a little more time perhaps we could have."

Perhaps, now that he is retiring, Dan can devote his free time vetting the aforementioned documents. You can read good ol' Dan's remarks here courtesy of ratherbiased.com.

Posted by Rick | March 8, 2005 05:35 PM | Social Studies

Las Vegas Mayor May Not Fare Well On 'Survivor'

Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, when asked this past Monday during a question and answer session with a group of fourth graders what one thing he would bring if he knew he would be stranded on a deserted island, indicated he would bring a bottle of gin. For the city where 'what happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas,' Goodman is obviously the right man for the job. It should be noted that Goodman, known for being fond of a very dry gin martini, has been a spokesman for Bombay Sapphire gin since 2002. Of course the PC police, who thought the remarks were inappropriate for young, impressionable minds, were caterwauling to the media everywhere. You can read more about it here.

Posted by Rick | March 3, 2005 01:47 AM | Social Studies

Ward Churchhill Misquoted In Honolulu Star-Bulletin

In a correction printed Wednesday, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin News says it misquoted Ward Churchhill in its initial article covering his speech at the University of Hawaii. You can read the entire article along with the correction here. The correction is quoted below.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, incorrectly quoted University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill as admitting that he was not American Indian.

The story about Churchill's Tuesday night speech at the University of Hawaii-Manoa said the professor noted that his "white Republican" critics were asking, "Is he an Indian? Do we really care?"

"Let's cut to the chase, I'm not," the quote in yesterday's paper continued.

But a review of video and audio tapes of the speech shows that Churchill actually said: "Is he an Indian? We really care. We're trying to protect the rights of Indians to divine for themselves, say this circle of flies in the form of white reporters circling a manure pile like it's of all consequential importance. Cut to the chase on that."

Churchill went on to say that he is an associate member of the Keetoowah tribe and that associates are enrolled in the band after their genealogy has been vetted by the enrollment office. He said that he is less than one-quarter Indian, so he does not qualify to be a full member.

The issue of whether Churchill has Indian blood is part of the national debate over the controversial professor who gained notoriety for comparing some Sept. 11, 2001, victims to Nazis.

I, for one, am waiting for Churchhill to come forth with the proof that he is, in fact, any part Indian.

Posted by Rick | February 24, 2005 06:57 AM | Social Studies

Boycott French Made Products & French Owned Companies

I encourage you to boycott French products that are made, bottled or manufactured in France, including wine and cheese. I urge you to boycott goods and services that are produced by French owned companies. I admonish you to avoid travel to France regardless of the boycott. (The French are generally rude, they don’t bathe regularly, and they really don’t want us there unless they need someone to do their fighting for them.)

I have posted below a list of all things French to boycott until the French come to their senses. The list is compiled from websites promoting, and promoting boycotts of, French made goods and French owned companies including Boycott Watch, METROSPY, and Metro Calendar.

French Owned Companies and/or Goods Produced In France

Agence France-Presse (news service)
Air France
Airbus - partially owned French company (part of a European consortium)
Alcatel
Allegra (allergy medication produced by Aventis Pharmaceuticals)
AXA Advisors
Bank of the West (owned by BNP Paribas)
Baccarat (crystal)
Beneteau (boats)
Besson (brass musical instruments)
BF Goodrich (Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company owned by Michelin)
BIC (razors, pens and lighters)
Black Bush (owned by Pernod Ricard, made by Bushmills subsidiary) ***see below
Bollinger (champagne)
Bourgeat Cookware
Buffet Crampon (woodwind musical instruments)
Car & Driver Magazine *see below
Chanel
Chivas Regal (scotch - owned by Pernod Ricard) ***see below
Christian Dior
Club Med (vacations - owned in part by Paris based CDC (Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations)
Cointreau
Curtois (brass musical instruments)
Dannon (Groupe DANNONE, a French owned company - yogurt and dairy foods made in USA )
DKNY (Donna Karan New York)
Dom Perignon
Elle Magazine *see below
Erector Sets (owned by Meccano S.N. of France)
Evian (Groupe DANNONE)
Fina gas stations and Fina Oil (billions invested in Iraqi oil fields)
First Hawaiian Bank
Givenchy
Glenlivet (scotch - owned by Pernod Ricard) ***see below
Grand Marnier Liqueur
Grey Goose Vodka (Distilled and bottled in France - American owned)
Grey Poupon (mustard)
Hennessy (cognac)
Hermés International
Houghton Mifflin (books)
Jacobs Creek (owned by Pernod Ricard since 1989) ***see below
Jameson (whiskey - owned by Pernod Ricard) ***see below
Jerry Springer (talk show produced by Universal Domestic Television) **see below
Korbel (champagne)
Krups (coffee and cappuccino makers - part of T-Fal)
Krug (champagne)
Lancome
Le Creuset (cookware)
L'Oréal (health and beauty products - headquarters in France)
Lorina Beverages
Louis Vuitton
Martel (cognac - owned by Pernod Ricard) ***see below
Maybelline (owned by L'Oréal USA - headquarters in France)
Méphisto (shoes and clothes)
Michelin (tires and auto parts)
Mikasa (crystal and glass)
Moët & Chandon (champagne)
Motel 6 (owned by Accor Hotels)
Motown Records
MP3.com **see below
Mumms (champagne)
New Hermes (part of Gravograph, based in France)
Nexium (a.k.a. "the purple pill")
Nissan (cars; majority owned by Renault)
Perrier (water bottled in France, owned by Nestle which is based in Switzerland)
Peugeot (automobiles)
Phyto Hair Care Products
Pierre Cardin
Playstation Magazine
Princess House Crystal
Publicis Group (including Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising)
RCA (televisions and electronics; owned by Thomson Electronics, France)
Redken (beauty products - owned by L'Oréal)
Red Roof Inns (owned by Accor Hotels group in France)
Renault (automobiles)
Road & Track Magazine *see below
Rolling Stone Magazine **see below
Roquefort cheese (all Roquefort cheese is made in France)
Rowenta (toasters, irons, coffee makers, etc.)
Royal Canadian (owned by Pernod Ricard) ***see below
Salomon (skis)
Seagram's (owned by Pernod Ricard) ***see below
Sierra Entertainment (software and computer games) **see below
Smart & Final (California based with a French ownership of approximately 60%)
Sofitel (hotels, owned by Accor)
Sparkletts (water, owned by DANONE)
Spencer Gifts (Owned by Seagrams, which is owned by Universal Studios, which is owned by Vivendi-Universal)
Technicolor
T-Fal (kitchenware)
The French Trading Co.
Total gas stations
UbiSoft (computer games)
Uniroyal (tires - a subsidiary of Michelin))
Universal Studios (music, movies and amusement parks; owned by Vivendi-Universal) **see below
Varilix Lenses (Essilor Optical)
Veritas Group
Veuve Clicquot Champagne
Vivendi Universal Entertainment
Waterman (fine writing instruments/pens manufactured in France; owned by Gillette, a US company)
Wild Turkey (bourbon - owned by Pernod Ricard) ***see below
Woman's Day Magazine *see below
Yoplait (The French company Sodiaal owns a 50 percent stake - franchised to General Mills)
Yves Rocher (beauty products)
Yves Saint Laurent
Zodiac Inflatable Boats

*Owned by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc., a subsidiary of About Hachette Filipacchi Médias - France. Magazines published include: American Photo, Boating, Car and Driver, Car Stereo Review's Mobile Entertainment, Cycle World, ELLE, ELLE Decor, ELLEgirl, Flying, Home, Metropolitan Home, Popular Photography, Premiere, Road & Track, Sound & Vision, Travel Holiday, Woman's Day and Woman's Day Special Interest Publications.

**Vivendi Universal Entertainment, which is based in France, owns Universal Domestic Television, A & M Records, Motown Records, Sierra Entertainment, Canal Satellite, and the Sci-Fi channel.

*** Pernod Ricard owns the following brands: Scotch whiskies including Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, Clan Campbell, Something Special, Passport and 100 Pipers. Scotch Malt whiskies including Aberlourm, Glengrant, The Glenlivet and The Heritage Selection. Irish whiskeys including Jameson, Bushmills, Paddy and John Power. Bourbon including Wild Turkey. Other whiskies including Blenders Pride, Dunbar, Natu Nobilis, Royal Canadian and Royal Stag. Anise drinks including Henri-Louis Pernod, Ouzo Mini, Pacific, Pastis 51, Pernod, Pernod Absinthe and Ricard. Vodkas including Altaï, Huzzar, Lodowa, Orloff, Premium, Wyborowa and zubrowka. Gins including Cork Dry Gin, Larios and Seagram's Gin. Tequilas including Olmeca and Viuda de Romero. Rums including Havana Club and Montilla. Bitters including Fernet Capri, Ramazzotti, Suze and Becherovka. Cognac and brandies including Bisquit, Martell, and Renault. Liqueurs including Dita, Soho, Zoco, Rua Vieja and Eoliki. Wines including Jacob's Creek, Long Mountain, Palacio de la Vega, Etchart, and Wyndham Estate. Sparkling wines including Café de Paris and Carrington. Wine-based aperitives including Ambassadeur, Bartissol, Dubonnet and Sandeman. Ready-to-drink beverages including Ricard Bouteille, Two Dogs, Wild Turkey Mixers and Suze Tonic.

Please e-mail us at feedback@redmeatblog.com with any additions or corrections to this list.

French Companies - EXCHANGE - SYMBOL

ALCATEL - NYSE - ALA
ALSTOM - - ALS
ASSURANCE GENERALE FRANCES - - AGF
AXA SA - NYSE - AXA

BANQUE NATIONALE DE PARIS - - BNPPYP
BOUYGUES OFFSHORE SA - - BWG
BUSINESS OBJECTS SA - - BOBJY

CANAL PLUS SA - OTC - CNPLY
CIMENTS FRANCAIS - - CIMFY
CLARINS - OTC - CRASY
CLUB MEDITERRANEE SA - OTC - CLMDY
COFLEXIP - - CXIPY
COMPAGNIE DE SUEZ - - CSUZY
COMPAGNIE GENERALE DE GEOPHYSIQUE - NYSE - GGY
COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES EAUX - - CGDEY

DASSAULT SYSTEMES SA - NASDAQ - DASTY
DIFFUSION INTERNATIONALE - - DFUBY

EDAP TECHNOMED SA - - EDAPY
ELF AQUITAINE - - ELF

FIAT FRANCE SA (FFSA) - - FFSAY
FLAMEL TECHNOLOGIES SA - - FLMLY
FRANCE TELECOM - NYSE - FTE
FRANCE TELECOM (ADBR) - - FTENPB

GENSET - - GENXY
GROUPE AB - - ABG
GROUPE DANONE - NYSE - DA

ILOG SA - NASDAQ - ILOG

L'AIR LIQUIDE - OTC - AIQUY
L'OREAL - - LORLY
LAFARGE COPPEE SA - - LFGEY
LAGARDERE GROUPE SCA - OTC - LGDDY
LOUIS DREYFUS CITRUS SA - - DYRPP
LVMH - - LVMHY

PECHINEY - - PY
PERNOD-RICARD SA - OTC - PDRDY
PEUGEOT CITROEN SA - OTC - PEUGY

RENAULT - - RNAUYP
RHODIA SA - NYSE - RHA
RHONE POULENC SA SERIES A - - RP
RHONE-POULENC "PSSA" ADRS - - RPPPA
ROUSSEL-UCLAF SA - - RSUCY

SANOFI-AVENTIS - NYSE - SNY
SCOR SA - NYSE - SCO
SIDEL SA - - SIELY
SOCIETE GENERALE - OTC - SCGLY

TECHNIP - - TECHNYP
THOMSON-CSF - - TCSF
TOTAL SA - NYSE - TOT
TRANSGENE SA - OTC - TRGNY

USINOR SACILOR - - URSAYP

VALEO SA - OTC - VLEEY
VIVENDI UNIVERSAL - NYSE - V

General French Merchandise

Bordeaux and Burgundy wines
Champagne (all champagne is made in France)
Cognac (all cognac is made in France)
French cheese
French fashion
French perfumes

Below are various types of French wine, each representing a region of France from which the wine is made.

Alsace
Beaujolais
Bordeaux
Burgundy
Chablis
Champagne
Corse
Côtes du Rhône
Jura
Languedoc Roussillon
Loire
Lubéron
Rhône

Below are various types of French cheese. It doesn't matter what the brand name is, all of the following types are made in France.

Beaufort
Bleu d'Auvergne
Brebis
Bresse Bleu
Brie de Meaux
Brillat Saverin
Camembert
Cantal
Chabichou de Poitou
Chaource
Chaumes
Comte
Crottin de Chavignol
Epoisses
La Roche
Langres
Le Brin
Le Roule
Maroilles
Mimolette (Boule de Lille)
Morbier
Munster
Neufchatel
Pave d'Affinois Pur Chevre
Pelardon
Petit Brie
Picodon
Pont l'Eveque
Port Salut
Reblochon
Riblaire
Rocamadour
Roquefort
Saint Agur
Saint Felicien
Saint Marcellin
Saint Maure de Touraine
Saint Nectaire
Terroir
Tomme de Chevre
Tomme de Savoie
Tourree Le Rustique

Below are large French based contractors that contract with the United States government. Many of these contracts involve the exchange of top secret military information. Contact your congressional representatives and encourage them to make sure our tax dollars are not spent with French firms.

Thales
Snecma
TotalFinaElf
BNP Paribas Bank

Companies that may or may not be French owned - verifying:

Air Liquide
Aqualung (including: Spirotechnique, Technisub, US Divers, and SeaQuest)
Biotherm (cosmetics)
Durand Crystal
Essilor Optical Products
George Magazine *may be defunct
Glitter Art
Glu Stick
Lafarge building materials
Marie Claire
Normandy Butter
Parents Magazine
Nivea (Beiersdorf - German owned)
ProScan (may be owned by Thomson Electronics, France)
Red Magazine
Sundance Channel
US Filter
Vittel (water)

Posted by Rick | February 20, 2005 03:58 AM | Social Studies

Ward Churchill - de-evolutionary

In an interview published in Satya, Ward Churchill, the Colorado University at Boulder professor currently underfire for making some insensitive, volatile even incendiary comments concerning terrorism in America and the world, said while describing his ultimate political goals:

I want the state gone: transform the situation to U.S. out of North America. U.S. off the planet. Out of existence altogether.

A monthly publication focusing on vegetarianism, environmentalism, animal advocacy, and social justice, Satya claims to be committed “to continuing Gandhi’s legacy by increasing dialogue among activists from diverse backgrounds and engaging readers in ways to integrate compassion into their daily lives.” Satya published the interview, which contains a photo of a revolutionary looking Churchill dressed in camouflage, holding an AK-47, entitled Dismantling the Politics of Comfort in April 2004. Interestingly, Churchill, ensconsed in his comfy tenured position at CU, makes these comments while hiding behind the 1st Amendment and has threatened that should he be removed or punished for his intemperate comments he will 'own the university.' (As an aside, I wonder if the assault rifle Churchill is holding is his. If it is his, is it registered?...is it legal?)

The original essay that created the uproar, "Some People Push Back" On the Justice of Roosting Chickens basically said that the people killed on 9/11 got what they deserved because they had the audacity to go to work that day.

If there was a better, more effective, or in fact any other way of visiting some penalty befitting their participation upon the little Eichmanns inhabiting the sterile sanctuary of the twin towers, I'd really be interested in hearing about it.

Professor Churchill, in another essay, equates the naming of football teams 'Redskins' and 'Chiefs' and baseball teams 'Braves' and 'Indians' with the horrors of the holocaust.

Know that it causes real pain and real suffering to real people. Know that it threatens our very survival. And know that this is just as much a crime against humanity as anything the Nazis ever did. It is likely the indigenous people of the United States will never demand that those guilty of such criminal activity be punished for their deeds. But the least we have to expect - indeed to demand­ is that such practices finally be brought to a halt.

Should tenure ensure a professor a platform from which to spew hatred for the American citizens who pay his salary? The courts will ultimately decide Wade Churchill's fate, but, when this is over, I hope that the only soapbox left to him from which to spew his hate will be on the corner of Hell and Eternity.

Posted by Rick | February 8, 2005 01:04 PM | Social Studies

I'm For The Privatization Of Social Security But....

Let me begin by saying that I am generally in favor of the privatization of everything the government has its fingers in, including Social Security. Governments do very few things well and investing money is certainly not one of them.

As an investor in real estate and other things, I realize that if something is out there that everyone wants and there is only so much to go around, something has got to give.

In the early 1980's the Hunt brothers tried to corner the market on silver and the price soared to around $50 per ounce. When a hurricane strikes and there is a shortage of plywood, the price across the nation soars. When there is a shortage of gasoline because of a refinery fire or pipeline problem you can be sure that the price at the pump will skyrocket in no time at all.

So what is going to happen if people need to invest their billions of dollars in the stock market? I can tell you that in the long run, it will make the price of stocks go up, and the price to earnings ratio tumble. Perhaps some of the money will find a home in emerging markets like China, India and Brazil, which would be good for those economies, but investing in emerging markets is generally very risky. It will definitely place a huge burden on stock pickers and financial planners in their efforts to remain profitable and credible.

A 1.8% return on your money may ultimately look pretty good if everyone runs out and tries to buy Fortune 500 companies with their newly privatized social security funds. I don't know if you've looked lately but returns of 5% or more are higher than most blue-chip companies currently offer, and many are around 2-3% per annum. The only saving grace may be the fact that when you die, someone will be able to inherit your account rather than forfeiting everything to the government.

It's possible that I'm all wet, but I don't believe I will be the only one soaked without some better investment alternatives.

Posted by Rick | January 29, 2005 10:18 AM | Social Studies

An Extraordinary Week In Space

Last week, two extraordinary events happened in space exploration.

First, a missile carrying NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday, January 12, 2005. It is scheduled to encounter the comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005.

Deep Impact is comprised of two parts, a "fly-by" spacecraft and a smaller "impactor." The impactor will be released into the comet's path for a planned collision on July 4. The crater produced by the impactor is expected to be up to the size of a football stadium and two to 14 stories deep. Ice and dust debris will be ejected from the crater, revealing the material beneath.

You can read more about this exciting event in this press release from NASA.

Second, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft reached its final destination - Titan, one of Saturn's very chilly moons.

Forcing Titan to surrender its secrets was a principal goal when NASA and the European and Italian space agencies launched the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft in 1997 on a voyage of exploration to Saturn, its rings and seven of its 33 known moons.

Cassini, with Huygens riding piggyback, went into orbit around Saturn last June 30, and on Christmas Eve sent the 700-pound probe on a three-week transit to Titan that culminated in a two-hour, 27-minute parachute drop to the moon's frigid surface. By early afternoon Friday, Huygens had relayed all of its information to Cassini for retransmission to the European Space Operations Centre in this Frankfurt suburb.

Guy Gugliotta, of the Washington Post, wrote about it in a very interesting article.

Posted by Rick | January 17, 2005 02:52 AM | Social Studies

Elvis - Gone, But Not Forgotten

In honor of Elvis Presley's 70th birthday, I am posting The Top 25 Jukebox Songs Of All Time. Elvis has the number one song on the list - Can't Help Falling In Love, 4 songs in the top 25 and many more on the complete list of The Top 500 Jukebox Songs Of All Time.

  1. CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE - ELVIS PRESLEY
  2. EARTH ANGEL - PENGUINS
  3. I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND - BEATLES
  4. MY PRAYER - PLATTERS
  5. DON'T BE CRUEL - ELVIS PRESLEY
  6. RUNAROUND SUE - DION
  7. DUKE OF EARL - GENE CHANDLER
  8. SIXTEEN CANDLES - CRESTS
  9. UNCHAINED MELODY - RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
10. PRETTY WOMAN - ROY ORBISON
11. MY GIRL - TEMPTATIONS
12. SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU - SKYLINERS
13. ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK - BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS
14. AT THE HOP - DANNY AND THE JUNIORS
15. YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELIN' - RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
16. YESTERDAY - BEATLES
17. THE WANDERER - DION
18. SATISFACTION - ROLLING STONES
19. IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT - FIVE SATINS
20. JAILHOUSE ROCK - ELVIS PRESLEY
21. WHISPERING BELLS - DEL-VIKINGS
22. LOVE ME TENDER - ELVIS PRESLEY
23. WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW - SHIRELLES
24. SHERRY - FOUR SEASONS
25. SHE LOVES YOU - BEATLES

I gathered a number of surveys from radio DJ's and jukebox operators and compiled The Top 500 Jukebox Songs Of All Time which a friend of mine has posted for me on his blog, pj bottoms.

Do you remember where you were when you heard Elvis had died? I do...
Gone, but not forgotten.

Posted by Rick | January 8, 2005 06:15 PM | Social Studies

Do Christians Have The Courage?

In Mustang, OK, an $11 million bond issue was recently defeated, in part, because of school superintendent Karl Springer's decision to remove a Nativity scene from an elementary school performance while permitting symbols of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Apparently the separation of church and state applies only to the heathen Christian religion.

While activist judges can legislate from the bench, Christians and others of faith can legislate from the ballot box. We can vote out the bums that appoint these liberal judges and hire the activist school superintendents. We can send our children to private schools and refuse to pay for social programs until some reason returns to our society. Just say NO! The question remains: Are we going to be led as lambs to slaughter or are we going to to fight for our rights?

Posted by Rick | December 21, 2004 11:23 AM | Social Studies

There They Go Again

At an event sponsored by People For The American Way at the Kennedy Center Tuesday night, the host Chevy Chase hurt his back while spewing tasteless remarks regarding newly re-elected President Bush. I don’t know if Chevy’s backache was a message from God, but I do know that it is becoming more and more apparent that the Hollywood liberals still don’t get it.

After the uproar ensuing the Whoopi Goldberg, et al, Hollywood liberal debacle during the election, one might imagine that there would be an attempt to curtail inappropriate remarks of this type. Americans sent a message November 2nd. Another message needs to be sent to the perpetrators and their supporters of remarks such as these.

People with respect for this country, the office of the President, and the electoral process that has made us the world's greatest country need not engage in language that denigrates all three. Most people would not allow an employee of theirs to say these things to their customers. Most customers wouldn’t allow these things to be said to them. We are the employers and the customers of these celebrities and we can show our disdain for behavior of this type by walking; walking away from the movies and the television programs, and of course the sponsors of same, who hire the miscreants who behave this way.

Let the liberals support Whoopi and Chevy, but the national map is running red with conservative values. I urge anyone who gives a twit about of the United States to show their support for it by boycotting Chevy, Whoopi, Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand and anyone else who can’t show at least a modicum of respect for the voice of the people.

You can read the story by Richard Leiby in the Washington Post.

Posted by Rick | December 16, 2004 10:28 AM | Social Studies

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

A very good friend sent the following poem to me. It is obviously a revision of the original poem: 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (or Account Of A Visit From St. Nicholas). Until recently it was believed that the original poem was written in 1822 for Clement Clarke Moore's two daughters, Margaret and Charity, and later anonymously published in the Troy [New York] Sentinel on December 23, 1823. But, according to the University of Toronto English Library, in 2000, Don Foster, in his book Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous (New York: Henry Holt, 2000), was able to demonstrate that Moore could not have been the author. Foster concluded that it was probably written by Major Henry Livingston, Jr. For more interesting facts about the original poem see The Donner Party's Over. I have no way of crediting or verifying the author of this revision but it is quite good...please enjoy.

’TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE, IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND, ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS, A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY, I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE, CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER, NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ? CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED? I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT, OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY, AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE, ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE, I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE, "SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE, MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND SOON DRIFTED TO SLEEP, I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT, THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE, WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT. "MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

The following note accompanied the poem:

This poem was written by a U.S. Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.....

PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due our U.S. service men and women for allowing us to celebrate these festivities.

Let's try in this small way to pay a bit of what we owe. Hopefully this will make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

Posted by Rick | December 15, 2004 05:29 AM | Social Studies

2004 Weblog Awards

The results are in!

And the winner is....Powerline!

In the 'Best Overall Blog' category, the race between first and second was extremely close with Powerline edging out little green footballs in a well-deserved victory! Congratulations also go to Kerry Spot which was the winner by quite a large margin in the 'Best New Blog' category over INDC Journal. Click on the logo to be taken to the full results.

...While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

Wouldn't it be nice if this site were nominated in the 'Best New Blog' category next year? I can only hope there is someone reading this who gets at least a small amount of enjoyment from it.

Posted by Rick | December 13, 2004 03:33 AM | Social Studies

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another year gone by and there is so much to be thankful for personally and as a country. There are, of course, the obvious things to be thankful for.

I am thankful that my family and I are all healthy.

I am thankful for all the material blessings bestowed upon us.

I am thankful to be surrounded by so many loving friends and family.

I am thankful that we live in a country that has a big heart.

There are also many less obvious things to be thankful for.

I am thankful that I don't have to learn French. (If J.F. Kerry had won the election, French would have replaced Spanish as our national language faster than you can say French-Canadian.) Muchas, muchas gracias.

I am thankful that there are no hockey fights on TV. It's bad enough to have to watch all the fights during the football games, basketball games, and the increasingly violent award shows. And speaking of award shows...

I'm thankful that ABC decided to stop televising the Miss America Pagent. With violence and vulgarity permeating virtually every award show these days, it's hard to imagine airing that program any longer. Women working toward world peace will just have to find another outlet for all that pent up hostility.

I am thankful that I have Michael Powell and the FCC to make sure that my family and I are protected from having to see women's bare backs and legs on TV. Hopefully the women on Desperate Housewives will not be able to go out in public without their burqas anymore.

I am thankful that John Ashcroft has resigned so that we can remove the sheets from all the statues in Washington. Sorry. I forgot about all the things I was thankful for in the previous paragraph. And finally,

I am thankful that Martha Stewart is locked up this Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving dinner always seemed so inadequate after watching her prepare her Thanksgiving feast. I feel safer too.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Posted by Rick | November 23, 2004 11:36 PM | Social Studies