Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The DooDoo Bandit Strikes Again

Yes, it’s true. We got doodoo! Doodoo for you too?

At 12:30 today they found e.coli in Greenville’s water, so we’re all on doodoo alert apparently for the next 48 hours. No rinsing dishes without boiling water, no brushing teeth without boiled water, no cooking without boiling water… wait a minute… I’m back in Libya. lol.

 

Greenville got a little taste today of what its like not to have clean water and my God the town has fallen apart. Yes, there is e.coli and apparently trace amounts of feces in the water ( and by “trace amounts” I mean few particles per billion). While I’m not happy about the prospect, I’m not freaking out either. We had almost full-scale riots in Wal-Mart, Sam’s club, Food Lion, etc.

 

April and I did get 5 gallons of water to last us through the “crisis” but that’s primarily because I really want my coffee and I’m not much inclined to wait for boiling water when I want it.

The point of all of this is to bring one thing to light: Within 2 hours of the notice that all restaurants, and anyone who has a sanitation grade had to close business, people were leaving work, flocking to stores to buy out all the water, sharing worst-case scenarios that generally put people in a panic, and just acting like idiots.

 

It wasn’t until I started writing this that I remembered that I lived in a country for two years where no one is advised to drink the water because of WAY worse things than we have here in ours today. Hey people, relax a little and consider this a reminder of how good you have it the next time you start complaining about how rough life in the US is. One hour with a little dirty water and you’re crying like babies and burning up the news station web sites with ridiculous comments… it’s really sad.

 

For the official story, and to see some of the ridiculous comments people have made, visit the local news web sites.

WITN TV: http://www.witntv.com/home/headlines/21453854.html

WNCT TV: http://www.wnct.com/midatlantic/nct/news/local_news.apx.-content-articles-NCT-2008-06-25-0015.html

 

Here’s a few excerpts I like most:

You would have thought this was an outbreak of Smallpox to read this guy’s post:

Posted by: Zachary Hardin Location: West Side of Greenville on Jun 25, 2008 at 02:25 PM
I agree...where is Dr. Joh Morrow who is supposed to be in charge of public health? This is AMERICA not some second or third world counrty...We have had no major rain or floods in recent days. How is it possible that an contamination on this level could occour? Think about all the people at the HOSPITAL that can't wash thier hands properly to operate on people or the hundreds of food establishments that cant serve water or ICED TEA!! AHHHHH!...what a nightmare!!....As if the water in Greenville didnt already have enough lead in it, now I have to worried about crap contaminating my water?...Greeeaaat...Greenville...Whats next? An out break of the "Bubonic plague"?

Here’s one who needs to check her facts first: Do you REALLY think PCMH would buy all the water in the grocery store?

Posted by: LMP on Jun 25, 2008 at 05:32 PM
I went to Sam's club today to get water of course and when I got there, none was left. The lady working said PCMH has called all the grocery stores and bought all the water. Sorry for the sick people but they are gonna have even more problems on there hands because they left not water for the rest of us~!!!!

Here’s a gem too:

Posted by: Alecia Location: Greenville on Jun 25, 2008 at 05:57 PM
I had to go and pick up my children from daycare early today because of the water siuation. Why is this affected daycare centers?? I mean we are paying for disgusting water, high gas prices, poor air and now I have to miss work because the daycares are closed. WITN do you know why daycare centers are closed because of this?? I can understand restaurants. Thanks WITN

Maybe because they have to WASH the crap your kids are putting in their mouths? And they have to give them stuff to drink? And because the Sheriff’s department made them close?

 

 

My inspiration for DooDoo Bandit… This is the comment that made me write this post! I love this guy!

Posted by: Big Dog Location: Gvegas on Jun 25, 2008 at 04:37 PM
We need some doo-doo bandits to clean the water!

 

 

This one gets the dipshit award:

Posted by: G Vegas? Really? Location: Greenville on Jun 25, 2008 at 07:06 PM
For those people who experienced the symptoms before this story broke, is there any type of action we can take? Can we file a law suit? Class action? If so, what are the chances of actually winning or settling without having it stalled up in court for 7 years? Now that Dr. John Morrow has said that we should not even shower with this water, are businesses going to close down and let their employees off tomorrow? Specifically is the City of Greenville going to allow non-essential personnel to stay home? What about the Pitt County Gov't and NC State Gov't places of business here in Greenville? I mean this is a City wide emergencey no doubt. Not only that, it stems from a City institution. Stands to reason that we would not have to shower in this mess to have to go to work. Imagine all of us walking around in the same building with fecal matter all over our bodies.

 

 

Ooh.. a brain surgeon.. good damn thing she’s still a student. There’s time to save her intelligence.

Posted by: PCC Nursing Student Location: G-ville on Jun 25, 2008 at 07:14 PM
This report is WRONG....you boil the water for only ONE min, your still going to get sick! You MUST boil the water for at least 10 min. to kill the bacteria. Any Microbiologist will tell you that!

Sweetheart, if you boil water for one minute, it’s exceeding 212 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point “most” everything dies. Boiling for ten minutes will not raise the temperature over 212 degrees. The only way to boil it over that temperature is to use a pressure cooker or an autoclave… go read your textbooks, kid. Alternatively, you MAY have to boil it longer if you live on top of Mount Everest because the altitude makes the boiling point lower, allowing some resistant strains to survive. Considering we are about 10 feet above sea level, I think we’re excluded from this requirement.

Supreme Court Says Child Rape is OK! We’ll make the rest of you pay!

Wow.. our country really is going to hell in a handbasket. I’ll include the article here from CNN, but here’s the general viewpoint of the Supreme Court of the United States, or at least of Judge Anthony Kennedy:

 

Raping a 5 year old girls is bad, but death is too severe. Instead, we’ll put them in prison where the rest of the taxpayers have to pay for their crimes by continuing to fund them through taxes for the rest of their long, comfortable life.

There are currently only two people in the entire United States sick and twisted enough to currently be on death row for that particular strain of perverted criminality, both from Louisiana. Not only did this ruling free them from their death row sentence, but it also invalidates the laws in every other state that serve the death penalty for that crime.

 

Hey Judge. You’re a sick bastard and a sorry human being. You have three kids?! What exactly would you feel needs to happen to the twisted animal who decided to rape your daughter, Kristin. I hope to God you rot in hell for what you’ve just sentenced every parent and family of every raped child to deal with and for every child that has to wonder someday if the freak that raped them as a kid will cross them again on the street one day. You deserve to die in the most painful way possible you sick son of a bitch! For the love of God, Treason is still a sentencing offence, so I can sell trade secrets to Iran all day long and that’s worse than brutally raping an innocent child? Holy shit you’re sick! (PS:Reagan put him in power… another tick against the forgetful old guy)

 

Now.. I feel better. Here’ the article:

 

 

High Court Spares Lives Of Child Rapists

 

CBS/ AP) The Supreme Court declared Wednesday that executions are too severe a punishment for child rape, despite the "years of long anguish" for victims, in a ruling that restricts the death penalty to murder and crimes against the state.


The court's 5-4 decision struck down a Louisiana law that allows capital punishment for people convicted of raping children under 12. It spares the only people in the U.S. under sentence of death for that crime - two Louisiana men convicted of raping girls 5 and 8.


The ruling also invalidates laws on the books in five other states that allowed executions for child rape.


However devastating the crime to children, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in his majority opinion, "the death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child." His four liberal colleagues joined him, while the four more conservative justices dissented.


CBS News chief legal analyst Andrew Cohen says the ruling "makes it virtually impossible now for any non-capital crime to have as its punishment the death penalty. I don't think the Justices could have been much clearer."


There has not been an execution in the United States for a crime that did not also involve the death of the victim in 44 years, a factor that weighed in Kennedy's decision.


Rape and other crimes "may be as devastating in their harm, as here, but 'in terms of moral depravity and of the injury to the person and to the public,' they cannot be compared to murder in their 'severity and irrevocability,"' Kennedy said, quoting from earlier decisions.


The victim in the case decided Wednesday was an 8-year-old girl raped by her stepfather at their home in Harvey, La., outside New Orleans.


Angry Louisianans who backed the law said the court was out of touch.


"The opinion reads more like an out-of-control legislative debate than a constitutional analysis," said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican. "One thing is clear: The five members of the court who issued the opinion do not share the same 'standards of decency' as the people of Louisiana."


With the court already on record this term reaffirming the constitutionality of capital punishment in a case dealing with lethal injection, Kennedy dwelt at length on the need to limit the death penalty to the most heinous killings.


Cohen says Wednesday's ruling "is completely in sync with the Court's recent trend, which is to generally narrow the circumstances in which the death penalty is available as a sentencing option."


The decision allows death sentences to continue to be imposed for crimes such as treason, espionage and terrorism, which Kennedy labeled as crimes against the state.


The Supreme Court banned executions for rape in 1977 in a case in which the victim was an adult woman.


Forty-four states prohibit the death penalty for any kind of rape, and five states besides Louisiana have allowed it for child rapists. Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas allow executions in such cases if the defendant had previously been convicted of raping a child. Georgia's statute is broader, Kennedy said.


The court struggled over how to apply standards laid out in decisions barring executions for the mentally retarded and people younger than 18 when they committed murder. In those cases, the court cited trends in the states away from capital punishment.


In this case, proponents of the Louisiana law said the trend was toward the death penalty, a point mentioned by Justice Samuel Alito in his dissent.


"The harm that is caused to the victims and to society at large by the worst child rapists is grave," Alito wrote. "It is the judgment of the Louisiana lawmakers and those in an increasing number of other states that these harms justify the death penalty."


But Kennedy said the absence of any recent executions for rape and the small number of states that allow it demonstrate "there is a national consensus against capital punishment for the crime of child rape."


Kennedy acknowledged that the decision had to come to terms with "the years of long anguish that must be endured by the victim of child rape."


Still, he concluded that in cases of crimes against individuals, "the death penalty should not be expanded to instances where the victim's life was not taken."


The author of the Louisiana law, former Republican state Rep. Pete Schneider, said even opponents of the death penalty told him they would kill anyone who raped their children. "When are you going to have the courage to stand up for what's right for all of the people - but especially the children under 12 that have been brutally raped by monsters?" Schneider demanded, directing his comments to the justices in Wednesday's majority.


The last executions for crimes other than murder took place in 1964, according to a database maintained by the Death Penalty Information Center.


Ronald Wolfe, 34, died in Missouri's gas chamber on May 8, 1964, for rape. James Coburn was electrocuted in Alabama on Sept. 4 of that year for robbery.


The case before the court involved Patrick Kennedy, 43, who was sentenced to death for the rape of his 8-year-old stepdaughter in Louisiana.


Kennedy was convicted in 2003. The girl initially told police she was sorting Girl Scout cookies in the garage when two boys assaulted her.


Police arrested Kennedy a couple of weeks after the March 1998 rape, but more than 20 months passed before the girl identified him as her attacker.


His defense attorney at the time argued that blood testing was inconclusive and that the victim was pressed to change her story.


The Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the sentence, saying that "short of first-degree murder, we can think of no other non-homicide crime more deserving" of the death penalty. State Chief Justice Pascal Calogero noted in dissent that the U.S. high court already had made clear that capital punishment could not be imposed without the death of the victim, except possibly for espionage or treason.


The girl's mother was reached by The Associated Press following the court's decision Wednesday. "We don't talk about that," she said and hung up.


A second Louisiana defendant, Richard Davis, was given the death penalty in December for repeatedly raping a 5-year-old girl in Caddo Parish.


Local prosecutor Lea Hall told jurors: "Execute this man. Justice has a sword and this sword needs to swing today." Both men will get new sentences.


The case is Kennedy v. Louisiana, 07-343.

 

By the way, if you want to share your own opinion about the this, you can reach the supreme court at:

 

Supreme Court
To send a comment or obtain information on the U.S. Supreme Court, go to www.supremecourtus.gov or contact the Supreme Court's Public Information Office at (202) 479-3211.

 

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Happy Birthday, Tommy!

Hey, Old Man! Just a simple birthday wish: sending you all the best today! May the day be filled with joy. These past months have been very challenging for you and your family, but know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, my friend. BTW, this birthday means that you are creeping closer to the year of perfection (42)! Peace!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Updates on the Man in the North

My brother just hit me on Twitter a moment ago to tell me where he was. He's got a 4,338 mile journey from North Carolina to Alaska to make this week and I'm worried about him being on the road that much. That's a lot of highway in which something can go wrong.

Here's his trip outlined below..... pretty amazing trip to make by truck. I'm jealous as hell. I'd love to have a road trip to Alaska.

 

NCto alaska 

 

As of 9 AM this morning, he's in Benton, Illinois. (shown below)

benton ill

 

Long way to go!

 

Follow Ray on Twitter

Something is going right.

Since I have nothing better to do this morning I thought I would take a moment to share an update with you on the dove nest that has taken over my potted plant outside on the porch.

 

 

Robins Nesting 052608

May 26th: While watering my plants I spotted some unusual brown in the plant. Rather than pull it out, I decided to get a chair to see what it was first. As I suspected, it looks like that Dove has chosen to nest here again this year. Now I love birds, and most all of the rest of God's creatures too, but she had better not kill my plant or we are gonna fight!

 

Robins Nesting 052608 (4)

May 27th: It looks like Mama-Bird has decided on a family of two this year. I took this photo the following day. I had to shoo her from the nest to get a good picture, but it's ok as long as you don't touch the nest or get your scent on it. If she smells me on it, she'll abandon the eggs and try again somewhere else.

 

DSCN1260

June 12: One day old. She actually hatched these on the 11th, but I didn't want to rush her off her nest that early, so I had to wait until the babies were older to get this picture. I waited until she was off hunting food for the family before sneaking up to check in on things.

 

 

DSCN0001

June 14: The babies are looking good, but still haven't opened their eyes yet. She caught me on her return trip and chattered at me angrily from the porch rail until I left her babies alone.

 

DSCN0009

June 15: Their eyes opened up today for the first time. Not really sure what I am, they don't have enough sense to be either scared or curious yet, so they just sit there placidly awaiting food. They originally thought I was coming to feed them. When I put the camera up over them, they responded as if I was their mother bringing a snack.

 

DSCN0011

June 18: They are now eight days old and their feathers are starting to thicken and cover their little bodies. At this point, they are about two inches from breast to tail, still very small.

 

DSCN1299

June 22nd: Now at eleven days old, they will soon be gone off into the wild. You can see their feathers are fairly developed at this point and they are developing reflexes and movement patterns. They've learned enough behavior from their mother to be wary of me now. The one in the back almost fell out of the nest trying to back away from me. I'll try to get more pictures before they are gone completely for the year, but I don't know many more I'll get the opportunity to get.

 

In related news, the rest of my patio garden is doing well. My cucumbers are starting to grow, tomatoes are ripening, and my passion-fruit flower is doing its own thing like it always does.

DSCN0006

Cucumbers on the vine, almost ready for picking.

DSCN0008

This is my Better Boy tomato bush, sporting three tomatoes. Considering the tomato problem this season I think I'm the only one in town with fresh tomatoes. I don't even like the darned things.

 

DSCN0007

This is my upside-down tomato plant. This is a cherry-tomato bush, so it won't get very big or very heavy. At the time of this writing there are about eight baby tomatoes starting, so we'll see how that goes next week. This is the first upside-down tomato I've ever grown and already it's outperforming my regular bush.

 

Miserable Morning...

Well, it's 7:23 in the morning and I'm here talking to you on a Sunday? Does that sound like the beginning of a bright and cheery day? It's not. I went to bed at 3:30 in the morning and can't sleep anymore. I've got a damned tooth infection that's killing me and got my face swollen up to twice it's normal size on the right side. I look like I'm trying to swallow a baseball whole and my mood is less than optimal. Right now, I'm waiting on my cocktail to work. Two advil, one Excedrin migraine, two amoxycillin and one erythromycin, coupled with a panadol for good measure.... we'll see how it goes. Something has got to give. My face is so swollen the skin is about to break in places and I can't get my mind off it for more than two seconds at a time. I could really just use a strong right jab in the jaw... that would take care of about 90% of the problem right there. I'm going back to being miserable now... I'll write more later.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Support HR 6233 & S 3113 and Save Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area

This post is long overdue and I apologize for the delay in writing it. I've been wrestling with fact-checking my information before posting and making sure I have the right personal perspective before launching a campaign that only gets smeared because of my hostile attitude towards Judge Boyle. Having said that, this still may be controversial, but that's as may be.

 

Some of you are aware that on June 11th, 2008, members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation introduced House of Representatives bill 6233 and Senate bill  3113 before congress. Some of you are unaware why this is important. Others are having their judgement clouded by poor journalistic skills on the behalf of the News and Observer and the Virginian Pilot. Still others just aren't sure what's going on. Let's recap again:

 

I have written three prior articles related to this situation. They are:

In short these are first my plea not to try to close our beaches, my further plea to Judge Boyle to keep his nose out of where it doesn't belong, and my final post was an "I told you so, you jackass" (even though it didn't say that) in response to what happened after he made his ridiculously poor ruling.

 

The Defenders of Wildlife and Audubon Societies, while still in negotiated rulemaking processes, decided to try and end-run around the negotiations procedure and try to close the beaches of OBX by taking the matter straight to a federal judge and basically saying "We're too inept to make our point in negotiations, so can you please handle this, Daddy?" First off, what kind of scum-bag organizations pretend to be negotiating on an issue of this magnitude all the while trying to poise the knife at the unwitting throat of their opponent? I thought we reserved that kind of behavior for Corporate America, not preservation societies!

 

Judge Boyle, continuing in his pattern of abject stupidity, walked into court one morning this year and said in open court (and I'm paraphrasing here) "You two sort it out or I'm going to vote to support the Defenders of Wildlife in their decision to destroy your beaches!" What did the attorneys for the state say? Nothing. What did the defense attorneys for the Federal government say? Nothing. In fact, no one who was "authorized" to speak had anything to say on the matter. So, in the utmost haste, the DoW agrees to meet with the interested parties to try to come to some negotiation... WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THE POINT? The Judge just said openly that he was going to rule in your favor! Why in the hell even waste our time with this pretense of negotiation?

 

What was the conclusion? If you still don't know, just stop reading now and go beat your head against a wall.  Of COURSE Judge Terrence Boyle ruled in favor of the DoW and Audubon and closed our beaches!

 

Thankfully, since this has happened, members of organizations dedicated to protecting our rights screamed, petitioned, begged, rallied, and in general made such a ruckus that now Senator Elizabeth Dole, (who originally voted to put Boyle in office ) [See footnote 1] and Senator Richard Burr have filed a motion to have this Consent Decree repealed and to have the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Area restored to the Interim Management Plan that existed before  Judge Boyle stepped his big foot all over our economy, our way of life, and our rights granted under Congress in 1937 when the park was given to us! (Notice I said US, not the piping plover or any other animal? Here's my unfettered opinion on the Piping Plover: Screw that little bird and all the MILLIONS of dollars it has cost PEOPLE for two birds to be born this year!)

*calming down... see why I didn't write this earlier?*

 

What happens when the beaches go back to how they were? It's real simple. Life returns to normal for the beaches of North Carolina and its people are happy once again.

 

Negotiated Rulemaking:

 

I'm going to put this out there for those of you who want to throw the "You Were Warned" card in my face: Over 35 years ago, President Nixon ordered the National Park Service (NPS) to implement a plan to manage access to the beaches while at the same time keeping consideration for the wildlife. No one did it. OH MY GOD, SOMEONE DIDN'T DO WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID!! That was over three decades ago people! Only recently has the NPS tried to handle this and implement a plan. Why only recently? Because the people BEFORE Mike Murray didn't give enough of a damn to preserve our beaches! However, Mike Murray has done an AMAZING job of managing the plan he's put into effect on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  This is a man who actually WORKS for a living!

 

When Defenders of Wildlife have a problem with people accessing the beaches because they are disrupting a nesting area, Mr. Murray drives out onto the beach and examines the problem himself. Sometimes he agrees and he has a perimeter established to protect the nesting area. Other times, as is his right, he disagrees for whatever reasons motivate him and the affected area remains open to the public.

 

When the Beach Access Organizations (OBPA, NCBBA, CHAPA, and others) have a problem, they call Mike Murray. They might say "Sir, this part of the beach is closed for no good reason" or voice whatever complaint they have. At that time, Mr. Murray again goes out to the area, evaluates the area himself and decides "Yes dear citizen, you're right!" He makes a phone call and voila the beaches are opened. Other times he tells them "Well, there happens to be a nest of turtles over that dune that we're protecting during their nesting cycle, so unfortunately I can't open this stretch of beach yet. Sorry." Guess what? We acquiesce and accept his judgement. This is what he's there for. Even the beach organizations agree that while he doesn't always rule in their favor on access issues, he is indeed fair handed with his careful consideration of the impact of either closing or opening a certain stretch of seashore.  This method, outlined above, is known as the "interim plan".. the plan we use in the "interim" until the Negotiated Rulemaking has had time to A) Negotiate and B) Make a rule. (see why it's called Negotiated Rulemaking?)

 

The Consent Decree Destroyed Negotiated Rulemaking

Much like when Judge Boyle made his massive mistake by issuing his opinion that he was going to rule in favor of the DoW during the court session, the Negotiated Rulemaking process has suffered similarly during the Consent Decree . Here's how negotiated rulemaking worked in each scenario:

 

Netogiated Rulemaking Under the Interim Management plan:
Us: We want the beaches open to people.

Them: We want to save some birds...

Us: We'll agree to close sections A,B and C of the seashore until (insert date here) to protecting the nesting habitats of your endangered species of bird, plant, whatever.

Them: Fine. We'll agree to leave you sections D, E, and F all year round and to open up A, B, and C again once the nesting season is over.

(Then they back and forth about it all for all the related sections of seashore as concerns arise.)

Seems like it makes sense, right?

 

Netogiated Rulemaking Under the Consent Decree:

 

Us: We want the beaches open to people.

Them: We don't have to give you shit. We already won. We're not agreeing to anything. In fact, we're not going to say ANYTHING at all!

Us: Ok, um, well, can we discuss item A?

Them: We're not talking to you. Daddy Boyle said we have to show up, not that we have to participate....

Us: Ok, um, well, can we discuss item B?

Them: Still not talking to you....  la la la la la la

 

This LITERALLY happened! Ever since the Consent Decree, the Defenders of Wildlife and Audubon people have arrived to the meeting and not discussed ONE THING. They don't have to! They already won. Why the hell would any judge smart enough to pour piss from a boot ruin the negotiating process by putting all the power in the hands of one side while then stating "This is going to stay in effect until you kids agree on something!"... Guess what, Your Highness? They don't have to agree! You already ruled in their favor, you freaking idiot! (Can you get in trouble for calling a federal judge an idiot? IDIOT!)

 

It got so bad that select members of the Negotiations committed had to file a petition to have some of the Defenders of Wildlife members removed from the rulemaking process because they refused to negotiate or to even discuss anything! They just sat there wasting everyone's time.

 

What was the impact?

The impact of the Consent Decree is so extreme that hotels on the beach have had to lay off staff for the first time in their lives! Come on people! Can you imagine a small economy that survives through the winter solely on the money it makes during the summer months being hit so hard that not only can they not afford to hire all the tourist college kids that come visit us each year, but they are even laying off locals! That has never happened! EVER on the outer banks! EVER!!! 

 

Who's buying Ice for their coolers? Nobody.. they can't walk on the beach for most of our 69 mile seashore!

Who's buying beach t-shirts from the local stores? Nobody.. they can't get to the beach to enjoy it, so they stayed home!

Who's buying hotel rooms? Nobody. They'll go to Myrtle or Atlantic Beach instead, where they can enjoy the BEACH!

Who's eating in the restaurants that give all the locals their jobs? No one.. they're not here this year!

Who's fishing at the billfish capital of the world this year? No one! It's not worth it to us to come down and spend $700.00 per person for a boat trip when we can't do anything else on the beach now, so we're going to Myrtle Beach with the guys above!

 

You get it people? Tourism, Restaurants, Hotels, Retail Sales, Amusement Parks, Realty, construction, tourist services, fishing.. all negatively affected by the fact that this judge is an idiot!

 

Here is a quote I found from a local hotel owner on the Outer Banks:

 

I am a motel owner ,family owned and operated for 52 years. The economic impact this beach closure has had on us has been detrimental . Our business is off 65 % from the past 5 years. People have called and canceled reservations who have been coming here for 30 years. If they cannot enjoy the beach they do not want to come here. Another five months of this I can honestly say we will probably have to close our doors after 52 years. This is a sad state of affairs when a bird not even native to this area has precedent over a human being and their livelihoods. (Source: [See Footnote 4])

 

The Virginian Pilot shares their opinion:

I'm going to quote their article,available online here: http://hamptonroads.com/2008/06/orv-fight-no-place-congress. I'm really glad the papers decided to FINALLY pick up the stories but I'm not so enthused at how they massacre the facts and portray the "us" side as a bunch of rednecks in ford trucks.

 

ORV fight is no place for Congress

The Virginian-Pilot
© June 16, 2008

A CONSENT decree establishing protections for vulnerable species of birds and sea turtles on the Outer Banks may need tweaking, but it's a job best left to the National Park Service, islanders and conservationists - not Congress. (You're in Virginia you twits! You hate your beach so much that you come to ours instead, so what the hell would you know about NC beaches?)

On Wednesday, three North Carolina Republicans - U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, and U.S. Rep. Walter Jones - introduced bills that would scuttle a court agreement reached by environmentalists, a local coalition of off-road vehicle users, federal park officials and others in April. ( I want to draw attention to the word "Court Agreement." There was no agreement. Agreement is defined as" the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises;" according the University of Princeton. What exactly was the "exchange of promises" in this process? I, Judge Boyle, agree to ruin your OBX economy  for two birds (yeah, that's how many have been saved this year so far!) and you agree that I'm a federal judge (read as turd) and there's nothing you can do about it.)

The agreement, approved by a federal judge, settled a lawsuit filed by the National Audubon Society and the Defenders of Wildlife to set up temporary boundaries around wildlife nesting areas.

Critics contend the new rules are too restrictive; to a degree, they have a point. When U.S. District Judge Terence Boyle signed off on the deal, few anticipated that acts of vandalism would threaten to undermine the fragile compromise. (Few anticipated? Few? You really are dense! Wow. "Hey, we're gonna close your beaches. You don't need 'em! There's only a hundred thousand or so dissenting... only a few.. no big deal... Just a few...")

On separate occasions, someone has knocked down fences and signs around protected areas, triggering automatic expansions of areas off-limits to ORVs and pedestrians. We've argued that those expansions should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

The legislation proposed by Dole, Burr and Jones goes much further - and too far. They're asking for reinstatement of a weaker interim plan that prompted the lawsuit by environmentalists.

The consent decree isn't popular with some island residents and visitors, including people who've engaged in a longstanding Outer Banks tradition of driving up to the shoreline and casting a fishing line. But the boundaries aren't onerous, and they're designed to change as shorebirds and sea turtles come and go.

According to a National Park Service report dated June 5, approximately 12 miles of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Park were closed because of the consent decree. Another 32 miles were off-limits because of safety or seasonal closures. But ORV drivers still had access to 22 miles, and pedestrians were free to roam roughly 55 miles more, according to the Park Service report. (They never mention that you can't get to half of those 22 miles because the only access ramps happen to be in the CLOSED parts! And Ooh.. 55 more miles of beach? Really? Exactly what 55 miles of OCEAN are you referring to.. we don't have enough beach for your math to work you idiot! 12 miles + 32 miles + 22 miles + 55 miles =  THE BEACH ISN'T THAT LONG YOU IDIOT!)

Environmentalists say they're already seeing benefits. After years of declines in nesting, the number of breeding pairs of piping plovers has increased by at least one and the number of breeding pairs of American oystercatchers has risen by 11. (Holy freakin batshit! We've saved ONE BIRD. Nationally the Plovers numbers are up, not down & on the Atlantic coast the Piping Plover numbers have increased from 790 pairs in 1986 to 1,386 pairs in 1999 (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). Also according to this document: http://fresc.usgs.gov/products/ppl/ "Overall winter numbers were very high..." & "Breeding season numbers also appear higher than 2001 in general" [See footnote 2]).

The restrictions are undoubtedly an inconvenience for people accustomed to driving on the beach nearly anywhere they pleased.( You completely forget the mention the other economies affected and choose to say it's an "inconvenience for people".. wow, you dense idiot. Nice representation of the facts there, Shakespeare!)

But the facts remain that (1) President Nixon ordered the National Park Service to institute a management plan for off-road vehicles at the seashore park more than 35 years ago, and (2) a long-overdue interim plan, belatedly set in place last summer, was insufficient to protect the park's wildlife. ( So, why don't you and everyone go blame the retired people who didn't do as told, not the ones who are working VERY HARD to clean up the messes left by others in the past, kind of like the next reporter is going to have to do after you're fired over reader backlash!)

Under terms of the consent decree, the Park Service has until Dec. 31, 2010, to adopt a long-term management plan. At the agency's Internet site, officials say they hope to work with residents and conservationists to find a way to end "decades of conflict and uncertainty" over ORV use and wildlife management at the park.

It's difficult to envision how Congress could wade into these murky waters and improve the situation. (No it's not. Congress would be doing exactly what everyone who has been directly affected by this catastrophic lack of good judgement has been begging them to do. Isn't that why we elect congress? )

The legislation introduced Wednesday is a political response to a political controversy. The management plan is better left where Judge Boyle wisely placed it - in the hands of National Park Service scientists, islanders and conservationists (Holy crap! You did NOT just say that Judge Boyle placed control in the hands of the park service! He did not! He DECREED what would be closed, how it would be closed, and what each and every response was to closure. He placed it in the hands of himself! Real nice journalistic integriry there! Way not to present your opinion and instead represent the facts! )

 

The News and Observer Share their Opinion too:

In another example of nothing good coming from Virginia, here's some more sensational work by a newspaper in regards to the topic. In an article titled "Drive On?" located at: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/story/1108607.html, here's what they had to say.

 

The threatened piping plovers of Cape Hatteras National Seashore already face lots of obstacles to breeding and survival. Now add three more: North Carolina's two U.S. senators, Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole, plus U.S. Rep. Walter Jones.  (Piping Plovers are NOT native to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area.)

The congressional trio has ridden to the rescue of beach-driving surf fishermen at the National Seashore. The anglers are irked at the recent court settlement between environmental groups and the U.S. Park Service. That pact has closed off their access to several miles of beach, some of it prime fishing territory.  (I like the use of Beach Driving Surf Fishermen... that's who you really think is affected by this?)

Fishermen vote, shorebirds don't. Dole, Burr and Jones introduced bills Wednesday to reinstate what's called the Interim Management Strategy governing off-road vehicle use. If enacted, their bills would nullify the consent decree presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle (a fellow Republican).  (Fisherman vote, shorebirds don't? Did you think of that all on your own? Do me a favor: Go stand over there *points* beside the editor from the Pilot Online so I can shoot you both with the same bullet. I'd hate to waste two on your collective idiocy)

This is serious stuff, asking Congress to circumvent a court settlement that was concurred in by pro-beach-access organizations. And reverting to the interim strategy is unlikely to nurture healthy colonies of plovers and other imperiled birds. They don't stand a chance against the hundreds of vehicles that flocked to the shore under that plan. (What the hell are you talking about? Please enlighten us all on exactly who of the "pro-beach-access" organizations concurred with this? Please  name just one of them. Just one! Check your damned facts!)

In fairness, beach closures, which affect walkers as well as drivers, have been more extensive than some environmentalists predicted. Time and patience could resolve that, as nesting season ebbs and the Park Service reopens areas. The right course, supported by law and science, is to protect nature while allowing as much access as is reasonably possible. The Dole-Burr-Jones plan fails to do so.

All rights reserved. (Guess what? When the nesting season ends, tourist season ends.. it's called Summer! Then everyone who pays us to be here goes home and we have no economy left to speak of! And actually the "right course" is for the government to leave it as it was intended, as a "recreation area" for humans. Just because it is a national seashore makes it fall under the same jurisdiction does NOT make it a state park. It's not a wildlife preserve and it's not a state park! It's the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area!)

This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner (Or what???)

 

Who else thinks Judge Boyle is an idiot?

Apparently the Fourth Circuit Court does too... read on

Overview of Judge Terrence Boyle’s Record
Nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

 

Examples from Judge Boyle’s Record:


Gender Discrimination. Judge Boyle twice refused to approve a settlement involving
gender discrimination in hiring and promotions practices by the North Carolina Department of
Corrections. The Fourth Circuit ultimately ordered him to approve the settlement, in an opinion
highly critical of how he handled the case. In another case, Judge Boyle dismissed a sexual
harassment case, concluding that the plaintiff was unreasonable for not filing a complaint given
that the company manual included a sexual harassment policy. He paid little attention to the
surrounding facts, such as the company’s alleged history of not believing staff complaints, or
whether the company’s harassment policy was communicated effectively. The mere existence of
a policy on paper, without more, should not be enough to justify dismissal of the entire case.


Race Discrimination. Judge Boyle dismissed the claim of an African American health
technician who sued her employer, the state of North Carolina, for racial discrimination after she
was dismissed from her job. The Fourth Circuit summarily reversed his decision, rejecting Judge
Boyle’s apparent view that the state was immune from suit.


Age Discrimination. Judge Boyle dismissed an age discrimination complaint because
the plaintiff failed to attach the official letter allowing him to file suit, even though the letter had
been submitted with an earlier filing. On appeal, the Fourth Circuit reversed, finding that Judge
Boyle should have allowed plaintiff to amend the complaint by simply attaching the letter.
Voting Rights. Judge Boyle was reversed twice by the Supreme Court for rejecting a
North Carolina congressional district drawn to have a population that was approximately half
African-American. In both cases, he was criticized for failing to extend proper deference to the
state legislature.


Disability rights. Judge Boyle tried to limit the reach of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, the law that protects disabled workers from discrimination. While “disability” is defined in
the law to cover impairments that substantially limit major life activities, such as walking or
working, he refused to include working as a major life activity. The Fourth Circuit expressly
rejected this conclusion, and criticized Judge Boyle’s eagerness to defer to the employer’s
business expertise in determining a reasonable accommodation of a disability.
As these and other alarming examples demonstrate, Judge Boyle’s elevation to the Fourth Circuit
would put many critical women’s rights and civil rights protections at risk. We urge the United
States Senate to reject his nomination

 

You want the full details? [See Footnote 3]

 

What Can I Do To Help?

Complaining about unfair treatment and improper press coverage is one thing, but it does nothing to actually remedy the problem. It was the large public outcry from individuals that got this issue the attention it needed from Senators and that was a good thing. Now it needs support from Congress and YOU are who elects congress. It's up to everyone (including you reading this) to take a few moments to make sure your congressperson knows how you stand on this issue. This is no longer a North Carolina Senate issue. It has been brought before congress and now lies in limbo awaiting the consensus of those in power to affect the decision.  There are lots of web sites out there right now who are offering to tell people how to help out. I'll list a few below for your convenience. Use them. Contact your congressperson and make your voice heard on this issue!

 

To thank Senators Dole and Burr for their support of this critical issue:

Senator Elizabeth Dole (R- NC)
202-224-6342
FAX 202-224-1100
http://dole.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?

Senator Richard Burr (R- NC)
202-224-3154
FAX 202-228-2981
http://burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home

 

Write Your Congressmen: (and ask their support for HR 6233 & S 3113)

https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

 

Write Your Senators: (and ask their support for HR 6233 & S 3113)

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

 

Other Sites who are trying to help:

Many others are fighting this issue as well. If you would like to read more about what others are saying themselves, please do. Check out the forums. See how locals are crying out to get help to save their businesses, their economies, and their way of life.

  1. Island Free Press:
    http://islandfreepress.org/2008Archives/06.11.2008-LegislationSeeksToNullifyConsentDecreeAndReinstateInterimPlanOnORVUse.html
  2. Red Drum Tackle Forums:
    http://forum.reddrumtackle.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2
  3. OBPA
    http://www.obpa.org/
  4. Cape Hatteras Access Prevention Alliance (C.H.A.P.A.)
    http://www.capehatterasapa.org
  5. United Mobile Sportfishermen
    http://www.umsnet.com/
  6. North Carolina Beach Buggy Association (NCBBA)
    http://www.ncbba.org
  7. Sign the Petition (sponsored by CHAPA)
    http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/cape-hatteras-access-preservation-alliance.html
  8. Cape Hatteras Ocracoke Beach Access Issues Forum
    http://savehatteras.forumandco.com/index.htm

Thanks Gene Mueller (Washington Times)

My thanks to someone for writing an editorial that doesn't make it sound like a bunch of rednecks are just pissed off because can't four wheel any more! Take a moment to read the editorial: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/18/lawmakers-aim-to-aid-seashore-access/

 

Citations

 

1) Senator Dole Votes for Boyle:

STATEMENTS BY SELECTED SUPPORTERS OF JUDGE TERRENCE W. BOYLE

The Honorable Elizabeth Dole, United States Senator, Washington, D.C.

"Those of us who know Judge Boyle appreciate his intellect, even-handedness and record of distinguished service on the district court. A former North Carolina Democratic Party chair said, ‘I think he would happily rule against me and happily rule for me whether I’m a Republican or Democrat. I think he makes his decisions on the facts, and that’s the best we could ever hope.’

I believe Judge Boyle deserves to be confirmed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Most importantly, however, he deserves an up or down vote." (April 28, 2005)
Source: White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/judicialnominees/boyle.html

2) Citation for Quote:
I took the factual part of this quote from: Privitization of Cape Hatteras beaches is unconstitutional, available at: http://hamptonroads.com/2008/06/orv-fight-no-place-congress#comment-621904

 

3) More Info on Boyle:

Read more here: http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/TerrenceBoyleJudicialRecord.pdf?docID=1032

 

4) Local Motel Owner Shares their Opinion

Source material can be found at: http://savehatteras.forumandco.com/cape-hatteras-seashore-beach-access-it-will-affect-everyone-f1/economic-impact-t180.htm

 

 

 

Crossing 7,000 Photos and Puttin' The Screws to Applied Technology

If you've been looking at my flickr photostream for the last few days you will have noticed it's just about the most boring computer related stuff you can imagine. Bear with me. I'm not uploading all these because I think they're fun to look at.

 

Most of you know that my previous CEO, Dr. Moe Elgamal, screwed quite a few of us out of money he owes us. I know he owes me over $9,000, a little less then a thousand to Tim, and over $3,000 to Chris and Mike. As usual with Moe, he plays the innocent card and claims he has no idea what we're talking about. Well, I've decided to take things to the next level a little bit with him. Since I was the Project Manager for the GECOL and VEBA (Petro Canada) projects, I was privy to most all the information about the projects. Over 90% of the projects were designed by my team during the two years we were working for Applied Technologies. 

 

Further, I was an independent contractor, not an employee, as were my fellow teammates. Unfortunately for Dr. Moe, the law is a little more on my side than on his in this instance, or so he's about to find out. Since I invoiced him for all the materials and back payroll, and since he's never paid those invoices, the materials remain my property until such time as I'm paid up. And since he owes millions of dollars to just about everyone he's ever known, I stand little chance of recouping the monies he owes us.

 

I've decided that since this material is all mine to do with as I please, that I'm going to publish it, everywhere, en masse. Quite frankly I have enough information in just a few little file folders to bring down the entire electrical grid of Libya if one were so inclined; photos, equipment manifests, computing infrastructure, precise GPS coordinates for all the equipment, usernames and passwords, software platforms, key personnel information, and just about everything else one would need if one were so inclined. I have the full network and fiber maps for the country's electrical backbone, mainly because we installed it.

 

I've been debating on this for almost a year now, as to whether to try to fight him in court for the money he owes me. To be frank, I don't have the money for a court battle. Additionally, by the time the court battle was over the US Government will probably already have him in prison for the crimes they are investigating him for, so there wont BE any monies to recoup at that point anyway.

 

Meanwhile, Dr. Moe is overseas trying to drum up more business from companies in Libya. Libya and many of the other African countries aren't exactly on the top of the technological food chain, so they do what many other people do when they want to learn something... they Google it. Before yesterday, there was very little to Google about Applied Technologies, or Moe Elgamal, except a few press releases from back in the early years of the new century. However, when I'm done anyone who is considering hiring ATI Wave for work will have no problem finding all the unethical things he's done and been indicted for.

 

I'm going to systematically publish every photo, every email, every correspondence, chat log, sms message, and other communications that were turned into me between the time of the GECOL and the VEBA projects. I'm sure the Libyan government would love to learn that Dr. Moe knowingly and criminally exported equipment to a country in which it was illegal to do so. I'm sure they'd love to know he asked us to install illegal operating systems and server platforms for the Libyan Centers for Disease Control because he didn't want to have to pay $1500.00 for two licenses legally. They'd REALLY  love to see all the "don't tell the customer..." emails we've exchanged over the years I worked for him.

 

New prospects will love the idea of knowing he doesn't actually have a staff of employees. He hires a guy or two here and there to help him creatively manipulate enough of a proposal to get them interested and then tries to flub his way through it, while skimping on parts, licenses, legalities, and payroll. He tells his clients he has offices in three continents.. he doesn't even have ONE office. The only office he's had is the one he had to rent in Raleigh in order to impress VEBA when they came to town to inspect his facilities.

 

Since he's adamantly refused to even acknowledge the debt owed to his former employees, I'm going to launch a smear campaign on the web to make sure everyone he ever does business with is able to easily become intimately aware of the depths of his illegal and unethical practices. The emails he sent after the FBI raided his office were sent through my server, which I own and pay for, which makes those emails my property, not the property of ATI. (and no, I never was asked to sign a non-disclosure or non-compete agreement).

 

Since the FBI raid two years ago, I have been subpoenaed to Washington DC three times to testify to a grand jury about what he's done and what he almost got us in trouble for doing. Hell, I even have the shipping manifests and fed-ex receipts for when he illegally shipped 22 servers and 2 power vault DELL's to libya because Dell told him it was illegal. Rather than just bother to understand his field of work,he just ordered the equipment sent to himself and then air-freighted it to Libya. I've got the receipts, the pictures of the materials being delivered to the sites, everything!

 

So, this is why there are a ton of new photos in my Flickr account over the last two days. I'm not going to post all this here on my blog because that's not the point of my blog. Rather, I'm going to post it all in chronological order on a new blog. The address of the new blog, if you are interested in following the account, is http://moe-elgamal.blogspot.com.

 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to start the process of collecting my money...

 

PS: On the chance that you, the reader, are thinking "wow, what an asshole this guy is for publishing this information like this" I beseech you to read all the materials before making such a conclusion. We have been trying for over a year to get the money he owes us. We were underpaid to begin with, cheated on Per-Diem , and left in a foreign country with no way to purchase the materials HE demanded unless we purchased it out of pocket. Not knowing any better, we purchased the materials for him with the understanding that he would pay us back immediately when he came to visit in Libya. That was August 18th, 2006... I'm still not paid back. So, know before you judge me that I've done everything under the sun possible to avoid this scenario, but now I'm taking it to the next level. There are family issues at stake which make it imperative that I get this money as soon as possible, before it's too late for it to matter.

 

 

Friday, June 13, 2008

4,529 & Counting...

I'm uploading photos again. Good Lord this is an exercise in tedium. I just crossed 4,529 photos uploaded, very close to 30% of the total library completed. Most of the albums on my computer are sorted alphabetically, but keyworded so that all the similar albums will be near each other in the list. I had no idea how many albums started with the word "Birthday-" which was followed by "Christmas-." I am now finally through with those and on to other more random collections. That's both a blessing and a curse. With almost 15000 photos to upload, there's no way to know what's not been appropriately tagged after they're all uploaded, so I have to tag each one and apply it to a set as it goes up in a batch. Trying to find every time Tommy, Tom, April, and Bridget are all in a concert photo from the Rascall Flatts concert and then labelling each one takes almost half an hour for one album. Time can slip away from you quickly, as evidenced by the time stamp on this post. It's 9:06 AM and I belong at work right now. I've been working on these things since about 7:25 this morning.

 

Check out the new stuff if you want, but I have to head to work! More posts soon.

When Doves Cry


My doves hatched., originally uploaded by alornmage.

The baby doves have made it thus far. My pothos is a little less for wear for being used as a nest, but I'll concede the rental space to the mother for a few more weeks while she feeds and weans her young. They're not asleep here, but I don't think they've opened their eyes yet. They're about 2 inches from beak to tail at this point and growing very fast.

If you want to share this image, the img location is:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/2575523578_4bbe060959.jpg

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Flickr wont' beat me!

I shant be beaten! This Flick'r uploader is written in Java and is full of bugs. You have any idea how annoying it is to upload 260 pictures, complete with tags and descriptions, only to have the freakin' uploader lock up halfway through? Flick'r Rocks! Flickr's software sucks!

Regardless, I am now at 4,245 photos uploaded to Flick'r, almost 30% complete!

Back to real life now.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Tommy and April

Tommy and April, originally uploaded by alornmage.

Taken at Christy's 40th Birthday Party

If you want to share this image, the img location is:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/2563311090_22b3d67cd4.jpg

Fact about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

I've stood in awe at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier myself, toured Arlington National Cemetery, and been stunned at the graves of those who have died for our freedom. This was another email I received the other night, with some information I thought you might want to know. Take a moment to read. It's really interesting.

 

On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns ------ All three missed it ---This is really an awesome sight to watch if you've never had the chance Very fascinating.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

clip_image001

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?

21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

 

 clip_image002

 

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?

21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1

 

clip_image003

 

3. Why are his gloves wet?

His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

 

clip_image004

 

4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why not?

He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

 

 clip_image005

 

5. How often are the guards changed?

Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

 

clip_image006

 

6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?

For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be  between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30." Other requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol or smoke on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin. The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror. The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

 

 clip_image007

 

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

 

 

clip_image008

 

God Bless and keep them.

Orange County California Newspaper

This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made so many good points. For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper..................

 

Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!

 

From: 'David LaBonte'

My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to 'print' it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined. Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:

 

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island a and other ports of entry. Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer.

Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented . Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home. They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany , Italy , France and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan . They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France , no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country.

Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.

Here we are in 2008 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags. And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty , it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

(signed)

Rosemary LaBonte

 

(my two cents)

Amen Dude! It's my country. Love it, or leave it. Your choice!

Andy Rooney on CBS

Surprised CBS let him get away with this even though he's right

clip_image001
Right on, Andy Rooney ! Andy Rooney said on "60 Minutes" a few weeks back:
I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America.

Try to have things like the United Caucasian College Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happens...Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.


Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.
I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, which is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong in the Girl Scouts! ARE YOU LISTENING MARTHA BURKE ?


I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is not a phobia, it is an opinion.

I have the right "NOT" to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off.


When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling; it is the Law of Probability.


I believe that if you are selling me a milkshake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen, you should have to speak English!
My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours.


I think the police should have every right to shoot you if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word "freeze" or "stop" in English, see the above lines.


I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business.


We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms, so that decades later they could come over here and tell us our constitution is a living document; and open to their interpretations.


I don't hate the rich; I don't pity the poor.


I know pro wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television. That doesn't stop you from watching them.


I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's better, and put your name on the building.


It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid; and smack their little behinds when necessary, and say "NO!"


I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And, please, stay home until that new lip ring heals. I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me French fries!

( I LOVE THIS LINE BELOW)

I am sick of "Political Correctness." I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa ; so how can they be "African-Americans"? Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European-American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe . I am proud to be from America and nowhere else .


And if you don't like my point of view, tough...


I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA , AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!
I was asked to send this on if I agree or delete if I don't.  It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a problem in having "In God We Trust" on our money and having "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.  Why don't we just tell the 14% to  BE QUIET!!!

From Paul Harvey

HOORAY, HOORAY, HOORAY for Paul Harvey. I myself have been grumbling and wondering how a handful of people have been able to take our right to pray in public places away from us. So, agreeing with Paul, I GLADLY will forward this email AGAIN, AGAIN AND AGAIN. Folks, this is the Month that we RE-TAKE AMERICA (and Canada !!!)

clip_image001


Keep this going around the globe .. read it and forward every time you receive it. We can't give up on this issue.

Paul Harvey and Prayer

clip_image002
Paul Harvey says: I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December.  I don't agree with Darwin , but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution. Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game.  So what's the big deal?  It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts.  They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game. But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue. Yes, and this is the United States of America , a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1.  So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?


If I went to a football game Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.
clip_image003


If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad , I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.
If I went to a ping pong match in China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.


clip_image004

And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit.
When in Rome ..
But what about the atheists? Is another argument. What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized.  We're not going to pass the collection plate.  Just humor us for 30 seconds.  If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs.  Go to the bathroom.  Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer! Unfortunately, one or two will make that call.  One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations. Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights.  Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep.  Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing.  Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.
God, help us.  And if that last sentence offends you, well, just sue me. The silent majority has been silent too long.  It's time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority doesn't care what they want. It is time that the majority rules!  It's time we tell them, You don't have to pray; you don't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him.  That is your right, and we will honor your right; but you are no longer going to take our rights away.  We are fighting back, and we WILL WIN! God bless us one and all .. especially those who denounce Him ,God bless America , despite all her faults.  She is still the greatest nation of all. God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.
clip_image005
Let's make 2008 the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions ... and our military forces come home from all the wars.