Yeah, Right, Whatever

This is cool (and cute). I love the uniform.

It's a whole lot better than the video of Kermit covering Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt"- it's just plain wrong to see Kermit shooting up, ya know? (h/t to Ace)

Going against what every single military expert has said, Rep. John Murtha wants to bring back the draft.

If you don't want to click the link and upset your stomach, here are some key quotes:

• "I vote against the volunteer army.”
  
• “We ought to not have a select few who volunteer. I think everybody ought to be obligated to serve.”
• “I think [the draft is] absolutely needed.”

Lovely, don't you think? When it was just Charlie Rangel, we could just laugh and call him eccentric. Now there are two of them. It's contageous!

The military doesn't want anyone who doesn't want to be there. It's as simple as that.

The only reason they would want a draft that I can think of is that it would make the public opinion of the war even worse than it already is.

That explains everything. Do things that will weaken our fighting force, set us up for surrender, and then pretend that you're trying to help.

Like I said... lovely.

(with apologies to Gordon Lightfoot) When we first moved to Texas, I was told about the drought. "It so dry here" I heard as I packed up for a trip to Central Texas. Then I got here, and it rained so much I was trying to figure out how to build an ark (just in case). Seriously, it rained more days than it didn't that first spring I was here.

The past week or so has been eerily similar. Granted, my back yard isn't flooded (yet), but there's still an awful lot of wet stuff falling from the sky.

I just wish my dog wasn't so afraid of thunder... he looks goofy curled up in a ball, shaking.

Jack was sweet enough to name me to his "Thinking Bloggers" List... (Here's where the meme started.) Here are the rules:

If you decide to participate the rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

Hmmm... This is harder than it might seem. I mean, the bloggers that I've met, for the most part, make me think on a daily basis, because I have some idea of the person behind the persona. So... I think I'll focus on bloggers I haven't met... yet.

Now... who to pick... who to pick...

1. The GodDivas- proving you can blog about stuff and not get completely caught up in the drama.
   
2. GuyK- he has such a down-to-earth common sense about his blogging.
   
3. Blackfive- he (and his contributors) keep us focused on the men and women fighting half a world away.
   
4. Sig, Carl, and Al - always an interesting dive into the brain-pans of those in the middle of current events.
   
5. Cassandra - snarky one-liner or deep essay- she always makes me think.
   

If I left you off, I'm sorry. I could only choose five. And if I've met you, you didn't pay attention. I excluded y'all 'cause you usually make me think entirely too much.

Thanks, again, Jack.

Yes, Dr. Dobson, I'm talking to you.

"Everyone knows he's conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for," Dobson said of Thompson. "[But] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression," Dobson added, saying that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party's conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Thompson, took issue with Dobson's characterization of the former Tennessee senator. "Thompson is indeed a Christian," he said. "He was baptized into the Church of Christ."

In a follow-up phone conversation, Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger stood by Dobson's claim. He said that, while Dobson didn't believe Thompson to be a member of a non-Christian faith, Dobson nevertheless "has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian—someone who talks openly about his faith."

News flash, Dr. D... not everyone talks openly about their faith. If you ask (which you SHOULD have), then they'll tell you about it. Some people are a little more private than you are.

That being said, I do think that voters should know the religious affiliation (or lack thereof) of potential candidates. Many people won't vote for an atheist (and a whole lot of evangelicals are going to have a problem voting for a Mormon if Mitt gets the nomination). You need to know a candidates moral framework in order to get a good idea of what they really stand for.

Here's what Dr. D. should have done. He's already sat down with Mitt, and he's talked to Newt several times. He could have invited Fred to Colorado for a little chat, ask the tough questions in private, and then make a personal decision about who's best in your opinion to lead our country (I'm guessing Rudy's right out). A lot of people respect your opinion. Don't blow it by making judgements with little or no fact to back it up.

No, none of this is surprising, but... y'all should know what the Congress Critters you voted for are up to.

First, we have the "Iraq Emergency Supplimental" bill. (Here's the text) Should be one, maybe two sentences, right? Something along the lines of "we give Gen. Petraeus $ X bazillion to kick insurgent butt." They could even add "at his earliest convenience" to the end of it. Well, it says that (sort of)... it gives the dollar amount along with the "hey, bad guys, y'all come back now... ya hear" date of March, 2008. Then, just for good measure, they added billions of dollars in pork (aid for spinach growers, peanut storage, and some money for tours of the Capitol- so you can see Congress at work... no thanks.) We're not even going to get into Chuck "What Party am I in?" Hagel and some Senator from Oregon (probably a Duck) who voted with the Dems, or Mark Pryor (D) who isn't planning on having much of a leadership role in the Democratic party. (And that was just the Senate version vote.) Or even the fact that it wasn't exactly constitutional.

Oh, yeah... General Petraeus said that they need the funding by April 15th. It doesn't look like the bills will get out of reconciliation committee anytime soon. Congress is going on Easter Break until the 16th. Too bad, soldiers. Ration your bullets even more.

Next, we have the new budget they're working on. They promised no tax increases for the middle class, right? Well, remember all those tax cuts W gave us? They're going to let them expire. What does that mean? Approximately $2700 per family. And that not including any of the "reserve funds" in the budget. Here's a Heritage Foundation video clip on it.

And we can't support our allies, can we, Madam Speaker? It's a resolution, for goodness sake.

Finally, when is she going to be indicted? Just wondering...

So, I'm watching Fox & Friends this morning, and they have a minister on whose church started a "no complaining" campaign. They wear purple bracelets, and if they complain, they have to move the bracelet to the other wrist. The goal is to be goal-free for 21 days in a row. (The minister said it took him over 3 months and 3 bracelets before he reached his goal.)

You know, it's not such a bad idea. People could stand to be a bit more positive most days. Choosing to think (and speak) positive could do some people a lot of good.

Me? Nah... wouldn't that make blogging pretty darn pointless?

OK... so I wasn't going to vote for him in the first place, but... after hearing the first '08 Presidential campaign ad this morning, I can guarantee that I won't be voting for him. Desperation is not presidential.

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi

Billy Hodges, kneeling center.


Billy Hodges, who served in the U.S. Army and Texas National Guard between 1971-1979, is not only being profiled for his service, but also for what he's done since then. Mr. Hodges runs an organization based in El Campo, Tx called Hunts For Heroes. They also have chapter in South Carolina , Arkansas , Mississippi , and California and what they do is take soldiers who've been wounded in battle on hunting and fishing trips and other outdoor related activities. All free of charge.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.

A group of children are playing soccer in an empty lot. Sounds like a peaceful afternoon in American Suburbia, right? Sure... unless you include the machine gun fire- aimed at the kids.

Near the shops, a group of children — Sunni and Shia — were playing football on an empty site. As Selim, his wife and brother, walked past, two cars pulled up. Four or five men in tracksuits got out and opened their car boots. They pulled out belt-fed BKC machineguns, a weapon known in Iraq as “the harvester” for its ability to kill lots of people quickly.

“We heard the shooting of the machineguns. It was so loud and continuous we thought they were targeting us,” said the 28-year-old Shia, his eyes red and brimming with pain.

But they were not the targets.

“I started looking, and they are shooting the kids,” he said. “Eight of the kids already fell on the ground. The guys kept shooting, they just wanted to make sure everyone was dead.”

And then it just got worse.

As the killers drove away unharmed the local men rushed home to fetch their guns. Instead of trying to catch the gunmen or help their victims, Sunnis began shooting at Shia houses and Shias began firing on Sunnis.

... As the neighbours blasted away at each other no one dared to venture out to help the children bleeding on the makeshift pitch for two hours, until people started to run out of ammunition. It was only when the firing subsided that the nine small bodies were picked up and taken to the mortuary of Yarmouk hospital.

This isn't a group of religious zealots going after infidels. These are 2 sects of the same frickin' religion fighting it out. (It would be like the Lutherans and the Methodists shooting at each other.) And the first gunmen- they're just a bunch of thugs whose sole purpose is to encourage division in Iraq- the theory being that once Iraq descends into complete chaos, then some nice neighbors can help put the pieces back together again. Nice of them, eh?

The article goes on to point out the plight of the children in Iraq. It's not nice, not right now. But there is hope for the future, right?

Someone interviewed in the article mentioned the civil war going on in Iraq right now, and how difficult reconcilliation will be until the bloodshed is over. The insurgency is just fueling the divisions, and it needs to be stopped.

I'm not in favor of pulling out of Iraq. Not at all. When stuff like this happens, though... it makes me wonder if we shouldn't just mine and patrol the borders, pull out of the interior, and let them beat the tar out of each other. We'll work with the winner to establish a democracy.

Yeah, I know... that won't work. We need to make Iraq work, and letting them destroy each other isn't part of a workable plan. But... sometimes... it sounds like a good idea to me...


(h/t to Linda)

Let me set the scene for you. It was sometime during the '83-'84 school year, and I'm sitting in Honors Social Studies (a freshman class at Althoff Catholic High School). Somehow the topic wandered to ERA (whose deadline had passed in '82), and one of the boys in the class said to me, "you, of all people, should be in favor of that amendment." "Why?" "To help you go into space." (I had really wanted to be an astronaut.)

At that point, I asked him to tell me one thing that the ERA would do for me that isn't already in the Constitution. He sat there, thinking. Then I said, "you can't, because there's nothing new in that amendment. It's just to make women feel good and vote for candidates who supported it. It has nothing to do with equal rights for women. We already have them."

Fast forward 23 years (yikes!), and evidently some politicians don't know now what I knew at 14.

Liberal Democrats in the Senate and House plan to resume "the fight for women's equality" on Tuesday, when they reintroduce the Women's Equality Amendment.

Sens. Ted Kennedy (Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler, both of New York, plan to join Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority, in making the Tuesday afternoon announcement.

They claim they want to make equal rights for women "official." As if that will change anything. It won't. Men and women have the same rights.

Want me to prove it? Here's the text of the ERA:

Section 1. Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.

Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

Have any of these politicians bothered to read any of the anti-discrimination legislation they've voted for lately? Been there, done that. There's nothing new under the sun.

If you ask women around the country, the vast majority will probably tell you that we've come a long way, and there isn't a need for the ERA. But will NOW and the Dems in Congress listen? Of course not- they never spoke for us, and they never will.

General:

• I'm sorry, but she deserves to be sick. What was she thinking? Oh, wait... she wasn't.
  
• Clinton (Bill, not Hillary) is being asked to testify at a Congressional hearing. This should be entertaining. Probably not informative, but entertaining.
  
• Why did they even let him drive a Ferrari Enzo to begin with?
• Time magazine wants the Bible taught in school? And Hell sees its first snowfall.
  
• Man wins the batter to not take his meds... and kills his roommate. Is the judge responsible?
  
• If you're going to risk crossing a river in order to get into the United States, this is probably the wrong one, especially this close to the Falls.
  
• In a way, I agree with this judge. Women do have some responsibility in many cases (violent attacks not included). And "no" does mean "no." Always. But... here's a hint, guys... if she's barfing but seems willing, just walk away. It's an arrest waiting to happen.
  
• Prisoners given the keys to their cells? No, prisoners don't deserve respect. They deserve punishment- that's why they're there.
  
• Proof positive that banks are stupid. How in the world is a 102 year-old man going to pay off a 25 year mortgage?
  
• How many DUIs do you have to get before you realize you have a problem? Evidently the number is more than 28.
  
• Roger is mature and wise beyond his years. Grab a tissue before you start reading.
  

Politics:

• Reason #348597345 not to vote for Hillary.
  
• Here's Reason #348597346.
  
• And she made it to South Park. No, I don't think I'll watch it.
  
• The Supremes are being asked to reconsider parts of McCain-Feingold. We wish!!
• ERA isn't as dead as everyone thought. Why, people? Why? (Rant to follow)
• Fred's moving on up in the GOP polls. Run, Fred! Run!
• Waxman really liked this book, didn't he?
  
• Have you ever heard of Leo Penn? Neither had I, but, evidently, the rotten apple doesn't fall far from the rotten tree.
• Nope. No bias there.
  

Science:

• To quote the article, I'd hate to meet this frog's big sister!
• Climate zones might disappear by 2100. uh-huh... suuuuure...
  
• Pizza as health food? The boys will be happy.
  
• Why do they study things like this? Because they can (and their brains would overheat if not kept constantly active).
  
• Once again quoting an article, sometimes a green comet is just a green comet. Right?
  

Weird:

• Women have special parking spots? So much for an egalitarian society, eh?
• The RAF has a new clothing line. That t-shirt is cute!
• Having turn-by-turn GPS is no excuse for not watching where you're going.
  
• This mouse must really have bad teeth or something.
  
• Patriotic tree rats.
  

The White House Deputy Press Secretary has just announced that Tony Snow's cancer has returned, this time to his liver.

He survived it once. He can do it again. Prayers and best wishes to him and his family.

Anyone want to go to DU or HuffPo to check out the well-wishers? I didn't think so.

Not too long ago, I asked for summer reading suggestions for the Ts. Newt Gingrich turned in his suggestions here.

"Team of Rivals," by Doris Kearns Goodwin

"Revolutionary Wealth," by Alvin Toffler and Heidi Toffler

"Leadership," by Rudy Giuliani

"The Turnaround: How America's Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic," by William Bratton and Peter Knobler

"Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game," by Michael Lewis

"The Life of Andrew Jackson," by Robert V. Remini

"The Changing American Voter," by Norman H. Nie

"Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln," edited by John G. Nicolay and John Hay

"Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President," by Harold Holzer

And, of course: "Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's History and Future," by Newt Gingrich

Anyone want to pick up a couple of those for me? I'd let you.

It's not a complete look around the news- it's what caught my eye. YMMV.

General:

• The first of many ANS mysteries solved- accidental overdose. Not a big shocker there.
  
• If you're not paying your child support, you might end up on a pizza box. Is this to shame the dead-beats?
  
• Intellectual freedom on campus? Not so much.
  
• Dueling abortion campaigns- "pill patrol" (to make sure you can get the abortion pill in every neighborhood in America) v. $500 to prevent abortions.
  
• Speaking of preventing abortions, best wishes to (ex)Miss Jamaica for returning her crown instead of having an abortion.
  
• This might set back gay rights decades. (And I'm not saying it's a bad thing... far from it). Of course motherhood trumps lesbianism... one is genetically coded, and one... isn't.
  
• If I have to choose between a better vocabulary or better behavior for my kids... I'll take the behavior. They can always learn more words. (And my kids have a very well-developed vocabulary, thankyouverymuch.)
  
• Feminism is bad for your health. Go figure.
• Who would ask a woman to smuggle 3 crocs across the border... strapped to her body???
• For some people, global warming wouldn't be a bad thing.
  
• A home intruder was shot... by a pellet gun. Not deadly, but... ouch. I'd love to know why he's recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center, though.
  
• A Brazilian immigrant had this to say about illegal immigration at a recent rally: "We all know this is Mexican land. They didn't cross the border. The border crossed them." Wow... that's just... nuts. (And if you read the last paragraph, you'll see one of many reasons to not respect these morons.)
  
• Jesus wasn't a vegetarian, and PETA is just trying to rile Christians... again...
  

Politics:

• Is Chuck Hagel still running for President? If so... for which party?
  
• The Goracle might not get his concert on Capitol Hill after all... oh, darn...
• For this week's scandal, we have this. (You know... I think I've figured this out. The Dems keep coming up with all of these weird scandals, and I know how. They just think about what they would do if they were in the White House, and then they blame Bush, Co.)
• Rick Santorum, filmmaker? Cool.
  
• Edwards doesn't want your sympathy vote. How else is he going to get any?
• Sean Penn gave another anti-war speech. This one is interesting only because of this quote: "Those who bathe in the moisture of your soiled and blood-soaked underwear" ewww... then again... they were in San Francisco, so... no... I'm sticking with "ewww"
• Fred is tied with Hillary, and he's not even in the race (yet). Go, Fred... GO!!!
  

Science:

• Evidently, internet access in the US isn't so much as "the haves and the have-nots"... it's more like "the haves and the don't-wants."
• There's a sheep that's 15% human... I'm guessing he's not dinner, right?
  
• How weird- I was just trying to explain semi-identical twins to someone just the other day.
  
• Here's your phrase for the day: "Carbon Dictatorship"- that's what activists are warning will take over if "we don't take care of global warming," leading to the creation of an "Earth Commission for Thermostatic Control." Man, I just love these people- hours of fun and frivolity.
  
• Wasn't there something like this in Back to the Future?
  
• Woohoo! More coffee for me!
  

Oddities:

• Stalin, known for killing millions of Russians (by order and by policy) is being used as a symbol of order and discipline by a utilities company wanting overdue bills paid up. Does anyone else think that's just a little off?
  
• The longest address on the web is www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochuchaf.eu Got that? It's part of the official site of a Welsh village (I got that from the "llan"... it's pronounced "clan", in case you were wondering...)
  

A couple of years ago, I made some snarky comments about a person I saw at Wal Mart, and then I followed it a week or so later with some observations from Six Flags. Got a whole lot of comments on those. Let's see what this one does.

You see, I wandered into Wal Mart again today, and I noticed two people "worthy" of note. I'm sure there were plenty more people that I could mock and ridicule, but these two just... stood out to me. I think you'll understand why in a moment.

The first one was this cute little teenie bopper with a t-shirt that read "FITCH." (I can only guess that "FITCH" is a contraction of two words, one of which rhymes with "duck" and the other a proper term for a female dog.) Why would a parent buy that for their precious little princess? Or, if they had just handed her some money and send her shopping for clothes, why in the world would they let her actually wear the dang thing once she brought it home? What does that say about her (and her parents)?

Our second notable was an older woman (by older, I mean somewhere over 40, and... um... I being generous). At first glance, she wasn't half bad, just a little off. Her hair was dyed jet black, pulled up into high pig tails. Black t-shirt, jeans, and tennies. (I've worn a black t, jeans, and tennies to Wal Mart- no biggie.) Then she turned around, and it took everything in me to not drop my jaw to the floor. On her t-shirt was a long saying (I didn't get the chance to read the whole thing- my loss, I'm sure) which ended with "you can go f*** yourself" (without the *s- it was the real word that rhymes with "duck"). When I thought it couldn't get any worse, she opened her mouth to tell her daughter (?) "you'd better hurry before I lose my mood."

I'll admit. I've led a sheltered life. My parents raised me (to the best of their ability) to be polite. In my little world, women act like ladies in public, even if they're really not all that lady-like. Men act like gentlemen in mixed company, no matter how much they really don't want to. There is a subtle hint of propriety in everything you do. Some people might say I'm snobbish now, and I'm ok with that if that means I expect people to act civilized in public areas.

Needless to say, I can't remember ever seeing t-shirts with offensive sayings when I was growing up (for the sake of this discussion, I am defining "offensive" as anything I wouldn't say in front of my grandmother). Then again, I don't remember hearing a lot of offensive things until I was in high school, at least, and even then it wasn't that bad. I started hearing some of the "really" bad stuff when I got into college (go figure), but there have been times in recent history when I've had to look some sayings up to find out what they mean. And I'm doing my best to raise my boys the same way.

That's not to say that I treat every person who cusses as if they are lesser beings. Far from it. Some very good friends of mine swear a blue streak. They're adults. They can say whatever they want, whenever they want. Fortunately, they usually choose to edit their vocabulary when they're in public (especially around children). What you say in private among friends is your deal. (And, yes... I do cuss a little bit. I try not to, and it's pretty rare, but it happens. I'm human.)

But, back to our female in the t-shirt. She was in public, and there were a bunch of kids wandering around Wal Mart. And there were a lot of kids who were too young to know what the words meant, but they read it. If a grown-up has it on a t-shirt, it's not wrong, right? And the older kids... the ones who knew what it meant... they read it, giggled to themselves, and thought, "well, if adults are wearing that word in public, it must not be that big of a deal." And then there were all of the adults who read it, looked at the woman, and immediately labeled her as "white trash."

She might not care what people think about her (that's pretty obvious, isn't it?) But I care what people think about her. More importantly, I care what two 13 year-old boys think about her. I don't want them to be judgemental based on looks alone, but I want them to know that looks can tell you something about a person. Not everything, just something. It's a place to start sometimes. What she was wearing told me that she was someone I wouldn't really want to get to know.

No, I don't expect people to dress up to go to Wal Mart. Duh. I was wearing jeans and a (plain) t-shirt. I do expect people to have a shred of self-respect and dress accordingly. I expect people to respect others enough to not wear things that are so obviously offensive. I expect people to act in a socially acceptable manner.

Yeah, I know. I expect far too much.

No, not Sport Utility Vehicles. SPACE Utility Vehicles.

So, The Goracle was on Capitol Hill yesterday, blaming humanity for the earth's "fever." He compared himself to Leonidas (Yes, he really did it, and no, I don't want to see him in a Spartan costume, thankyouverymuch.) He refused to pledge to only use the same amount of energy as an average American, but that's ok, because... well... he's The Goracle, dontchaknow.

So, today, NASA releases some way cool pics of the Sun along with some tidbits of solar-knowledge that has the top eggheads in the space research saying, "huh???"

"Everything we thought we knew about X-ray images of the Sun is now out of date," says Leon Golub from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. "We've seen many new and unexpected things. For that reason alone, the mission is already a success."

And then we have this little piece from last month that the MSM has chosen to completely ignore.

Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory.

Earth is currently experiencing rapid warming, which the vast majority of climate scientists says is due to humans pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory.

Earth is currently experiencing rapid warming, which the vast majority of climate scientists says is due to humans pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Well, I guess all of those H3s that we shipped to Mars must be working, right? I hope the Martians liked the accessory packages that were picked out for them. Looks like the Land Rovers on Jupiter are up and running, too. The evil industrial complex on Saturn is at full production. Neptune? Check. No official news from Pluto yet, but it looks promising. No news from Uranus, but it is the solar system's most boring chunk of rock, so...

I mean, the Sun couldn't be responsible for all of this warming, could it? It's all our fault. It has to be. There was a consensus. The Goracle has spoken.

In other related news (work with me here), I had the radio on when Coast to Coast AM came on. George Noory was talking about a round table discussion they were trying to put together on global warming (cyclic v. human origins). He's having trouble getting experts to agree to appear in a round table format... human origin experts, that is. They'll come on by themselves for the whole show, but they will not agree to debate. hmmm... wonder why...

So, The Goracle wants us to completely destroy our economy... for a flawed increasingly discredited theory... just making sure I was clear on that one.

BONUS: Here's a great little audio bit from my favorite non-candidate.

(all links except for CtC shamelessly stolen from Ace)

I just saw this on FoxNews. It's a parody of "Baby Got Back." It's just... goofy...

They promoting GodTube. Interesting. Might be a good site, if they can keep up with the traffic. (They haven't officially launched yet, and they're on pace to be the largest Christian site by the time they do launch.)

For cancer survivors, the return of cancer is one of their greatest fears. For Elizabeth Edwards, the fear is reality.

John Edwards said Thursday his wife's cancer has returned, but said he will continue his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

How her doctors came to find the small tumor is just... weird. She injured her back, so she went to the doctor. When Senator Edwards came home from a campaign stop, he gave her a big hug, which hurt her back. So she twisted a bit to try to get more comfortable, and something "popped." She went back to the doctor, who did an X-ray to make sure she didn't crack a left rib. On the X-ray, they saw a shadow on the other side of her rib cage. A CT scan and a biopsy confirmed that she had a small malignant tumor in a right rib. Her oncologist is optomistic that, since she is so far asymptomatic, that her outlook is good.

My best wishes go out to Mrs. Edwards as she continues this fight. She will have cancer the rest of her life, but, hopefully, it will be a long life, symptom-free for years to come.

(One snide side note... Conservative glee and hopes for pain and suffering in 3..2... 1... oh, wait... We're not the Liberals... we don't rejoice in the suffering of others...)

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Jenn

Capt. Alan B. Rowe
35 years old from Hagerman, Idaho
1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center
September 3, 2004


The Perfect Marine. That's how many describe Capt. Alan B. Rowe. Respected and dedicated to the Corps and still able to be a husband and father.

Rowe, who was on his fourth deployment since joining the Corps in 1985, died with two other Marines, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Wilt, 23, of Tampa, Florida, and 1st Lt. Ronald Winchester, 25, of Rockville Center, N.Y., when a remote-controlled explosive device detonated as they returned to their vehicle after inspecting a bridge in Anbar province, near the Syrian border.

"He was a quiet, humble person and extremely polite," his widow, Dawn, recalled from their early days of dating. "He was a traditional type of gentleman. My mom was surprised to meet such a ... perfect-picture Marine." "He did a great job balancing a pretty intense Marine Corps career with also being a great husband and father. He worked extremely hard to balance it." "He was so dedicated to the Marine Corps. He was really driven and believed in what he did. He was a Marine’s Marine. Tall, blond and fit. Kind of the mental image you think of when you think of the Marine Corps."

A week after his death, Capt. Rowe was posthumously promoted to major. He leaves behind his wife and two children.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.

Last year, I told you about the Gateway Grizzlies' ode to fat, the Krispy Creme burger. Yes, the 1000 calorie, 45 grams of fat monstrosity. This was after their "Baseball's Best Hotdog" and the "Swiss Brat."

Well, it looks like they've done it again. This time, they've outdone themselves. No, really. Allow me to introduce you to the One... the Only... The Deep Fried White Castle Cheeseburger.

Baseball's Best Sliders will come in a two-pack for $4. A cheese sauce on the side is $1 extra. So now what you've all been waiting for -- the calorie count. I didn't say this before but not only is it fried, but it's battered first. It's just an estimate, but it looks to be around 600 calories and 40 grams of fat for the two-pack. That's 90 percent of your daily recommended fat based on a 2,000 calorie diet. The Grizzlies open their season on May 23.

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I'm a big fan of the Slider. Deep fried? I'm not sure, but... I'd give it a try.

I'm not getting on that thing.

HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, United States (AFP) - What is being billed as one of the newest architectural wonders of the world was to be unveiled here later Tuesday when a gleaming glass-bottomed walkway jutting out over the edge of the Grand Canyon welcomes its first visitors.

The Skywalk (official site), a horse-shoe shaped observation deck extending 70 feet over the western lip of the vast chasm in the Hualapai Indian Reservation, about 120 miles east of Las Vegas, will carry tourists who will be able to peer straight down 4,000-feet to the canyon floor below.

...Weighing around 500 tonnes, the walkway is constructed with four inch thick glass and is supported by massive steel bolts that have been driven 46 feet into surrounding bedrock. Giant shock absorbers will also prevent the structure from quivering under the weight of visitors, architects say.

Engineers say it will withstand winds up to 100 mph and can support the weight of several hundred people. It will cost $25 (or more) to take the "walk on air."

Do I care? Nope. I'm not going.

Yesterday, the MSM was all atwitter about a 1984-style video on YouTube that compared Senator Hillary Clinton to Big Brother. (It was a take-off of an Apple Superbowl ad, complete with a chick in an Obama t-shirt swinging a sledge hammer.) Today, we have the pro-Hillary response. (Allahpundit is right- the punchline is pretty good.)

Speaking of Obama, he's more liberal than our favorite House Loon, Dennis the Menace Kucinich. (I think most people knew that already, but it's nice to have the numbers.) On the flip side, Duncan Hunter is the most conservative candidate (well... the most conservative candidate that's actually announced he's running... Fred... hint... hint...) And which Republican keeps slipping further and further toward the dark side? McCain, of course.

While we're on the subject of the Maverick John McCain, he's evidently got something in common with Lurch (besides that they both served in Viet Nam). He's becoming well-versed in the art of the flip flop. Here, we have one of many of McCain's flips. Someone better get him a waffle iron or something.

"Limbaugh is irrelevent." Well, Arnold, you just made your party switch official. You do know that, right? (Yeah, I know he can't run for President. But he can campaign for candidates, and I'd think twice about anyone he'd back.)

Here's the bottom line. On the Dems side, we're going to have a liberal. An uber-liberal, in fact. On the GOP side, so far we have a bunch of moderates who have perfected the fine art of giving in to the Dems so that they'll be liked by the other side of the Aisle. What we need is a true conservative who wants to do what's right, not what's liked.

Twelve-year-old Boy Scout Michael Auberry has been found alive in the North Carolina mountains.

Park rangers were escorting a weak and dehydrated boy out of the rugged North Carolina mountains on Tuesday, four days after a 12-year-old Boy Scout wandered away from his troop's camp site, officials said. "We have our missing Boy Scout," said a jubilant National Park Service spokeswoman Tina White.

I guess he was paying attention to all of the BSA training.

Congrats to all the S&R folks who are bringing him off the trail.

My dad reads the dead tree edition in the morning. Me? I read the cyber-edition. Look at me, the environmentalist whacko.

Let's see where my mouse wandered this morning:

General:

• Evidently, smoking is a form of slavery. Glad to know that.
  
• Soldiers wanting to go home is news? Of course they want to come home. They're in a war zone, for goodness sake.
  
• I'm not entirely sure this was a good use of a concealed weapon, ya know? That's just plain scary.
  
• Wow... a $38 million keystroke. That's not good.
  
• When going to a golf course, one does not usually expect to find a skull at the 14th tee.
  
• Chiquita paid terrorists millions in protection money. Not surprising, considering where they harvest.
• How much do taxpayers get to pay to have R2-D2 collect their mail? "Too much" is my guess.
  
• "God has no borders." God also has a problem with breaking the law, if I remember my Bible verses correctly.
  
• Rosie's a Truther? Who knew?
  

Politics:

• In the world of "well, duh", we have the double standard when it comes to scandals (and non-scandals) in DC. GOP knows it, DNC knows it, and the MSM ignores it. Like I said... well, duh.
  
• Pro-Life groups are gunning for "Catholic" politicians. Good for them. How they can divorce their politics from their supposed belief system is beyond me. Personally, I think it shows their true belief system.
  
• Neal Gabler says he knows who signs his paycheck. I'm not so sure he does. Either that, or he just doesn't care.
  
• The Prancing Pony is having trouble in his home state. Isn't that how The Goracle lost in 2000?
  

Science:

• Is it just me, or are super-mosquitoes scary?
  
• Scientists are studying why people's thought-trains tend to jump the tracks.
  
• Secular creationism? huh?
  
• Playing music can make you smart. Makes sense.
  
• Can you wrap your brain around the concept of a 248-sided object? Scientists have mapped one.
  
• Playing crash/smash racing video games leads to reckless driving on the road. Go figure.
  
• Knut the polar bear should be killed, according to some people. Why? What was his crime? Well... he didn't die when his mother abandoned him, and he's been hand-raised so far. "It's unnatural. He'll never be a proper polar bear." He lives in a zoo, people. He doesn't need to know how to kill dinner.
  

Environmental:

• How exactly did The Goracle become an expert anyway?
  
• Someone wants to debate The Goracle on global warming. Will he accept?
  
• There's a new global warming documentary... one I'm more apt to see. Probably because it refutes The Goracle's fanciful tale.
  
• So... a NASA scientist has been muzzled because of his global warming beliefs, eh? Well, yeah... except for all those on-the-job media interviews he's done. All 1,400 of them.
  

Sports:

• Fans asked for this policy? Sounds more like the PC police.
  
• Woohoo! The Lady Sooners are still in the NCAA tourney.
  

Whacky:

• Suing because of a cat bite? Well, if the insurance won't pay, I guess...
  
• Maybe more people would have showed up for his "funeral" if he wasn't such a paranoid jerk. Just a thought...
  
• This headline sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.
  
• His cheekbones were killing his wife? Huh?
  
• Cool story. He got his truck back. But... why does he drink his coffee in his garage... in his undies?
  
• An 85-minute wait at a restaurant? I think I'll pass.
  
• Since when do Hooters' girls wear skirts? (The article is about a new Hooters opening up in Tel Aviv. I'm not sure about this one... )
  
• Stupid trademark lawsuit. I hope the chocolate shop loses this one.
  

Coffee... need more coffee...

... I'm not sure it means what they think it means.

The next time one of those deluded libs tell you "I support the troops but not the war", just think of these photos and tell them where they can stick that support.

Here's one of the photos, just in case you don't want to click over to the drivel or just in case Rachael decides that she doesn't like us warmongers to have access to the photos of the "peace" rally.

In case you're wondering, it's a photo of a soldier being burned in effigy.

If that's what you mean by support... I think I can probably speak for the troops when I say "no thanks." (h/t to LGF)

Charlie Daniels has always been a proud waver of the Red, White, and Blue. The WoT has made him a little more vocal about it. His latest trip to the Soap Box is a perfect example.

Somebody's Got To Say It

I am sick, disgusted, exasperated, aggravated, ticked off, and fed up with the politically correct exaggerated and downright dumb attitude that some wiser than thou, condescending, hypocritical, la la land people in this country have.

Okay, I'll explain myself. If you say something about illegal Mexicans,
you're a bigot and hate all Hispanics and don't want anybody to come into
this country unless you have a two-generation pedigree of waspery.

If you say something about Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton or Rodney King you're a predjudiced bigot who wants to hold all African Americans down.

If you say something about Rosie O'Donnell, you're a homophobic
Redneck who wants to go around beating up gay people.

You people are disgusting.

You claim to be the protectors of Free Speech. Yet if a speaker of
dissenting opinions comes to one of your colleges you just get up and shout him or her down.

You claim to value the lives of the Iraqi babies but you won't raise one
self-righteous finger to save the millions of innocent unborn who fall
victim to the abortion assassin's knife.

You smear and try to ruin men of good character just because they don't
ascribe to the same beliefs you do.

You claim to be the champions of the poor but you always give them a fish
instead of a fishing pole.

You criticize the way that Saddam Hussein, one of the most evil men who ever walked, spent his last few minutes on earth, saying there should have been more dignity. Well the Iraqis don't believe in dignified hangings and it was their business, not yours. Live with it.

You get together over your vodka martinis and pat each other on the back and celebrate being the bigoted fools that you are. Yes I said bigoted, you
don't even want to consider somebody else's opinion.

You stoutly defend Islam, claiming it to be a peaceful religion. It never
has been and it never will be, but that doesn't make any difference to you,
the truth doesn't matter, only the perception.

You say that all religions are the same, they all lead to the mountaintop,
but I've got news for you. Nobody lives on the mountaintop except God and there's only one path to Him.

You make heroes out of people like Cindy Sheehan who obviously hates America and everything it stands for. A woman who goes around the world consorting with America's avowed enemies.

You defend nutcases like Ward Churchill who from the safety of his classroom acts as if the 9-11 attacks were a righteous execution of the guilty.

You weaken this country and embolden our enemies by your attitude because all you do is criticize. You have no answers or in many cases not even any ideas, you take no action but you are always ready to criticize those who have the initiative to do something.

And before you cherry pickers, (people who cherry pick this column and try
to twist it to make it say what you want it to) get your long johns in a
twaddle let me inform you that I am not defending any politicians.

This is not necessarily about politics but about attitudes, naive
tunnel vision, condescending attitudes.

Somebody's got to say it.

Pray for our troops

What do you think?

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels

March 16, 2007

Here is where he posted it. He has a Soap Box entry every now and then. They are all awesome. And, you can comment, too! Go, check him out. (h/t to Linda)

Today is the 4th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

No, the war hasn't gone "perfectly." Yes, there have been problems, but in planning and execution. I'm sure it's not where anyone in the Bush Administration wanted it to be at this point. But, we're there. An evil dictator and his sociopathic sons are gone- permanently. The surge seems to be working.

On the flip side, surrounding Islamofascist countries are doing everything they can (under the radar, of course) to keep Iraq from becoming a democratic country. If they're against something we're doing, to me, it means we must be doing something nice.

Y'all knew where I was going to stand on this one. President Bush is not the perfect president (far from it), but he's been right, in principle, on this one. More importantly, we still have boots on the ground- and they deserve our unconditional support.

Mr. President, get it done... then bring them home.

Saint Patrick was named Maewyn Succat at his birth, somewhere near the end of the fourth century. He took on the name Patrick or Patricus, after he became a priest, much later in his life. At the age of sixteen Maewyn Succat was kidnapped from his native land of Britain by a band pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. Maewyn worked as a shepherd and turned to religion for solace. After six long years of slavery he escaped to the northern coast of Gaul.

In Gaul, Maewyn became Patrick (a more christian name) and studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for twelve years. He came to believe that it was his calling to convert the pagans of Ireland to Christianity.

Patrick was about sixty years old when he arrived in Ireland and it is said that he had a winning personality that helped him win converts. He used the shamrock, which resembles a three-leafed clover, to help explain the concept of the Trinity (father, son, holy spirit).

Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries and setting up schools and churches to aid in converting the Irish country to Christianity. Legend has it that Saint Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. The snake is a pagan symbol and perhaps this is a figurative tale explaining that he drove paganism out of Ireland.

Patrick's mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. He then retired to County Down and died on March 17 in 461 AD. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since. The first year St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in this country was 1737 in Boston, Massachusetts. As the saying goes, on this day "everybody is Irish!" Over 100 U.S. cities now hold Saint Patrick's Day parades. (found at CNS)

I was reading the comments on the Media Matters site that had the Glenn Beck quote about Hillary, and I came across these comments:

But Hillary is on the enemy's side. She's not a liberal progressive, she's a right-wing reactionary in the pay of corporate fascism and Isreal. Putting her into any office is not victory...she's not for the cause. She's against it.

And:

Unlike the Right-wingers, you'll find that the left wing of American politics expects some form of integrity from their leaders, and will criticize them when they rightly deserve it. This is not "bashing" - this is discussion and should never be silenced. Just because the Right will circle their wagons around crooks and liars does not mean that we should be expected to do the same with candidates of lesser integrity and quality.

I was going to give these comments some serious thought and write engaging commentary on their commentary. There was just one problem. I can't stop laughing. Hillary's not a leftist loon? The Left doesn't circle their wagons around crooks (Jefferson from Louisiana) and liars (Bill Clinton, John Kerry, the list goes on and on)? Since when?

"Left Integrity- thy name is Bill Clinton."

It's been a while since I linked to any military videos. I should do that more often. Here are a few good ones.

This is one of my favorites:






If that's not enough, MNFIRAQ has their own YouTube page. Too cool.

Here are some news stories that caught my eye. YMMV.

General News:

• Greek audiences liked 300.

  Greek audiences showed notable fervor for Zack Snyder's violent adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel about the battle of Thermopylae. "300" set a record for best Greek opening with $3.1 million at 138.

  In other news, the sky is blue and the grass is green.
• Does this mean that people will learn what really happened in the Civil War?

  A panel of Georgia lawmakers signed off Thursday on a plan to create a Confederate heritage month, even as legislative leaders reacted coolly to a push to apologize for the state's role in slavery.

  Sen. Jeff Mullis' bill would dub April as Confederate History and Heritage Month to honor the memory of the Confederacy and "all those millions of its citizens of various races and ethnic groups and religions who contributed in sundry and myriad ways to the cause of Southern Independence."

  I'm not holding my breath.
  

• Rep. Waxman needs to read the Constitution again.

  A new plan proposed in Congress would establish that every American is a "citizen-lobbyist" and force executive branch officials to record and publish all contacts with them, virtually eliminating the free exchange of ideas needed for open representative government, say critics.

  A similar plan was defeated in the Senate. We can only hope this plan has the same fate.
  
• May 14th is the 400th anniversary of the settlement at Jamestown. Sad that this is happening now.

  Tour guides at the American birthplace of Jamestown, Va., are being prevented from explaining Christian history and are under orders to refer to items such as the Ten Commandments and Lord's Prayer only as "religious" in nature.

  In case you were wondering, Jamestown had 2 purposes- to make money for the Virginia Company and to spread the Gospel (according to the first Virginia charter).
  
• I can't wait to hear what The Donald has to say about this.

  Rosie O'Donnell, hosting ABC's popular "The View" morning show, came to the defense of terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed today, suggesting the government elicited a false confession from the 9/11 mastermind by using torture, robbing him of his humanity and treating him like an animal.

  She has completely lost her mind. Fortunately for her, that's a feature and not a bug to the wonderful world of daytime tv. There's a little part of me that hopes she gets her own gig. It'll be like watching a trainwreck daily. (No, I won't actually watch it... duh...)
• It was just the right thing to do, and she shouldn't expect her landlord to have a change of heart, but... it would be nice.

  A tenant in court defending herself from a civil complaint by her landlord suddenly had to shift gears. La Tina Osborne, a pediatric nurse, was speaking when she noticed that the plaintiff, Genevieve Zumuda, 77, appeared stricken. ...Osborne placed Zumuda on the floor and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. A court clerk assisted. Someone went for help, and paramedics arrived and used a defibrillator to regain a heartbeat. Zumuda was taken to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, where she was in stable condition Wednesday.

  Like I said, it was the right thing to do. I'm glad Ms. Zumuda is doing ok.
  

Sports:

• Pete Rose finally 'fessed up.

  Pete Rose revealed Wednesday that he bet on the Reds "every night" while he was manager of the team and that the Dowd Report was correct when it said he did so.

  Yeah, it was wrong, but it's not like he was throwing games. He wanted his guys to win. Hey, Bud... can he get in now?
  
• Izzy's back.

  Jason Isringhausen made his first game appearance since hip surgery last year, pitching a scoreless inning Thursday for the Cardinals against the Dodgers. The closer allowed the Dodgers to load the bases with no outs in the first, then escaped trouble.

  For some reason, I don't think my grandma's going to be happy about this.
  
• Coach K gets to watch the rest of the tournament from his livingroom.

  It's significance is even larger considering the Rams (28-6) handed the Mike Krzyzewski-coached Blue Devils (22-11) their first first-round loss since 1996. The loss also ended the sixth-seeded Blue Devils' string of Sweet 16 appearances at nine. It was the longest active streak and second-longest behind North Carolina's 13-year run.

  I'm not a Duke fan. I'm not even a basketball fan. But... dang... it's Coach K. Everybody loves Coach K (even if they can't pronounce his name).
  
• Evidently, the Penguins have a thing for teenaged players.

  Having an NHL star for an older brother isn't always the easiest thing (just ask Brett Lindros), but with every game and shift, Jordan Staal is making a name for himself.

  In this week's Facing Off, the 18-year-old Penguins rookie gives his take on the Chris Simon suspension, tells us which of the four Staal brothers is the best NHL player and explains what it's like riding shotgun with Sid the Kid.

  The Penguins also have Sid the Kid (age 19). As for Jordan, I guess it's literally in his blood. His big brother, Eric plays in the NHL, and his other big brother, Marc, plays for the OHL. And there's another one still at home. Geez...
  

Politics:

• Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama don't think homosexual behavior is immoral. Then again, Hill has to deal with Bill (different story-B) all the time, so her standards are a little on the low side.

  Senators Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) responded on Thursday to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace's comments that homosexual behavior is "immoral," but only after they were criticized for failing to do so by a homosexual advocacy group.

  Oh, so they're just pandering again. N'er mind. Nothing new here.
  
• Not only did Harry not get passage of his Iraqi Surrender Ammendment, he didn't even get plurality.

  A Democratic proposal (the Reid resolution) to begin pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq within 120 days -- with the goal of redeploying all but a few combat forces by March 31, 2008 - was defeated 50-48. That was 12 votes short of the 60 needed for passage.

  Mitch McConnell (Minority Leader and deliverer of the dreaded "Mitchslap") chose to focus on the Dems bad politics instead of questioning their patriotism. Drat.
  
• Funny how Armitage's name hasn't been mentioned at all in Plame's testimony.

  "It was a terrible irony that administration officials were the ones who destroyed my cover," she told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

  She also claims that the "cocktail crowd" in DC didn't know where she worked. Time to not pay attention to House Committee hearings... again...
  
• Oh, dreams of what could have been...

  The New York senator and former first lady was on a list of possible running mates for 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, according to an upcoming book by top Kerry strategist Bob Shrum.

  But Clinton was quickly ruled out because quiet polling found she was too polarizing, Shrum writes.

  Lurch wasn't polarizing enough? Having her in the '04 race would have been so much fun... In '08, not so much.
  

• I love Glenn Beck.

  She is like the stereotypical -- excuse the expression, but this is the way to -- she's the stereotypical bitch, you know what I mean? She's that stereotypical, nagging, [unintelligible], you know what I mean? And she doesn't have to be saying -- she could be saying happy things, but after four years, don't you think every man in America will go insane?

  He's got a point, you know. Her voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard.
  

Science:

• Once again, science catches up with common sense.

  The man-of-steel mentality, often associated with military men and those in other high-risk occupations, can boost and speed up a guy’s recovery from a serious and/or traumatic injury possibly.

  No... having a healthy dose of self-confidence can help men heal faster? Who knew? I mean, besides everyone.
  
• Laughter makes you a nicer person?

  A good laugh may not only lift your mood, but can make you more cooperative and altruistic towards strangers, according to a new study.

  Who pays for these studies?
  
• Well, this explains our "need" for vitamin suppliments.

  Fewer than a third of American adults eat the amount of fruits and vegetables the government recommends, a trend that's remained steady for more than a decade, health officials said Thursday.

  They probably blame McDonald's. Personally, I blame lazy folks who won't pick up an apple or some carrot sticks when a doughnut and some Pringles are nearby. (No, I don't always get all my fruits and veggies. I try, though.)
• Is the Yellowstone caldera about to blow its... um... top?

  Though the Yellowstone system is active and expected to eventually blow its top, scientists don’t think it will erupt any time soon. Yet significant activity continues beneath the surface. And the activity has been increasing lately, scientists have discovered.

  There are some sites (no, I'm not going to link them) that are warning that Yellowstone is going to blow any day now and destroy most of the US. Oh, yip...
  
• Pluto is no longer a planet, but it's still getting a lot of press.

  Telescopes all over the southwestern United States will turn toward Pluto as it meanders Sunday across the face of a star in the constellation Sagittarius. The observations could help researchers better understand the dwarf planet's atmosphere.

  Some people would say Pluto isn't worth studying. I'm of the opinion that we want some of these guys to be staring off into space instead of messing with stuff down here. It's just safer this way.
  

Whacky:

• Can you say, "malpractice"? I knew you could.

  A German belly dancer has been awarded £12,000 compensation after a plastic surgeon accidentally sucked away one of her buttocks.

• Oh, for the love of Pete... another kid?

  But now Johnny Soto and his son are poised to throw yet another monkey wrench into the surreal soap opera of Anna Nicole Smith's life and post mortem. According to Soto, his son is the result of a torrid love affair between himself and the 42DD femme fatale in early 2001, while Smith was vacationing at Paradise Valley's Sanctuary Resort and Spa. He has the birth certificate and other documents to prove it.

  At first, it sounded totally bogus. Why would she give the baby to the father? Then I remembered what one of her friends said- ANS wanted a blond-haired, blue-eyed baby that looked like her and Daniel. Little Marshall... um... doesn't. This is just insane...
  
• He just wanted to go to Vienna. Is that so wrong?

  A flight was delayed for several hours after a tiny bird flew into the cockpit of the plane and refused to leave.

• Even the local imam thought this one was goofy.

  The Three Little Pigs have earned a reprieve after they were ditched from a children's show to avoid offending Muslims. Organisers of the Kirklees Primary Music Festival changed the traditional tale to Three Little Puppies, reports the Telegraph.

• At first, this seems sweet, until you read how stupid the elder Ghineas were. At least the grandson is getting this right.

  Three generations of a Romanian family had their weddings on the same day.

  They claimed "they never had time to go to the registry office before. Uh-huh... that's why the middle Ghinea has 6 kids... he had time to do something.
• This "non-judgemental" post-abortion e-card business is... let's see... T2 used "disturbing" to describe it.

  Greeting card companies may not - yet - offer products to send to someone after an abortion, but a California-based organization that offers a "non-judgmental" talk line service for women in that position are hoping to fill the gap in the market.

  Sick... twisted... wrong...
  

The hiccups are back.

During her second day back at school since her hiccups began in January, Jennifer Mee had to leave class again.

Mee's nose started to bleed Thursday morning, and then the hiccups from which she has suffered for more than a month returned.

Mee's mother, Rachel Robidoux, said her daughter is upset, discouraged and in pain.

''I'm at my wit's end,'' Robidoux said.

Mee returned to St. Petersburg's Northeast High School on Wednesday, and the 15-year-old ninth-grader hiccuped only twice.

But on Thursday, the hiccups returned with almost the same intensity they had several weeks earlier.

She had them for 5 weeks the last time. If nothing else, doctors are learning an awful lot about hiccups from her (especially what doesn't help stop them).

"Righteous Among the Nations" is a Jewish term refering to non-Jews who follow the seven laws of Noah and are assured of meriting paradise. In modern use, Yad Vashem (Israel's official memorial to the Holocaust victims) uses this title to honor non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

This woman is most assuredly Righteous Among the Nations.

Irena Sendler saved nearly 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazis, organizing a ring of 20 Poles to smuggle them out of the Warsaw Ghetto in baskets and ambulances.
The Nazis arrested her, but she didn’t talk under torture. After she survived the war, she expressed regret - for doing too little.

Lawmakers in Poland’s Senate disagreed Wednesday, unanimously passing a resolution honoring her and the Polish underground’s Council for Assisting Jews, of which her ring of mostly Roman Catholics was a part.

...The resolution honored Sendler for organizing the ”rescue of the most defenseless victims of the Nazi ideology: the Jewish children.” Sendler, now 97 and living in a Warsaw nursing home, was too frail to attend but sent a letter read by Elzbieta Ficowska, one of the children she rescued.

...”Every child saved with my help and the help of all the wonderful secret messengers, who today are no longer living, is the justification of my existence on this Earth, and not a title to glory,” Sendler wrote. ”Over a half-century has passed since the hell of the Holocaust, but its specter still hangs over the world and doesn’t allow us to forget the tragedy.”

She was honored as one of the first Righteous Among the Nations in 1965, received the Order of the White Eagle (Poland's highest civilian honor) and the Commander's Cross by the Israeli Institute.

There aren't enough awards on this Earth to honor this woman and people like her, and the Nobel Peace Prize (which the Polish president thinks she should receive) isn't worthy of having her name attached to it. No, her prize is waiting for her in Heaven.

Words almost fail me on this one.

Andrew Riley faced 128 felony charges Tuesday that included theft, vandalism and intimidation, but he is no adult; he is a seventh grader.

Riley, 13, is accused of burglary, theft, stolen property and vandalism. It stems from a crime spree that the Athens County assistant prosecutor said lasted a year.

"He's so young, we need to try and get him rehabilitated through the system," said Assistant Prosecutor Keller Blackburn.

Blackburn said the Full Brooks Cafe was one of his many targets. Owner Miki Brooks said the restaurant has been robbed twice.

No matter what the prosecutor says, Andrew isn't going to be rehabilitated in the system. He's going to just hone his skills in the system. That's how it works. He's going to be in and out of prison the rest of his life.

Who gets the blame? I'm looking at the parents on this one.

His family did not deny he has been in trouble, but they said he could not commit so many crimes.

"Honestly, you know, we are baffled by all the charges," said stepfather James Blake. "We suspected a few could come out of this, but nothing like what's been going over."

The charges came after a fellow student went to police, then Riley allegedly beat up that student and now faces charges for intimidating a witness.

His stepfather said Riley had a rough childhood.

"He's our oldest, you know. He's our first born and he's been through a lot," said Blake.

Oh, poor little baby... he's been through a lot. He had a rough childhood, and we should feel sorry for the little monster. That's is a pile of bs, and he knows it. They knew he was a problem child, and they didn't do anything about it. They probably said, "He's just acting like a boy... he'll grow out of it." No, he doesn't just grow out of it unless you do something about it. And Andrew's parents couldn't be bothered to actually raise their child.

Lovely. Parents refuse to properly rear their kid, and society gets to pay for it, probably for the rest of the kid's life.