Gasp! Now Who's Going to Tell Us the Rest of the Story?

News flash: Paul Harvey Passes Away
Saturday, February 28, 2009 5:58:28 PM · by GoodDay · Source: Free Republic
Mark Simone - ABC Radio | 2/28/09 | GoodDay
Mark Simone just announced on his radio show that legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey has passed away. He was 91 years old.

A short bio and tribute by blogger Debbie Schlussel.

Ross Kaminsky wrote an obituary for HumanEvents.com.

R.I.P., Rocky Mountain News, 1859-2009

The Rocky Mountain News, one of the oldest newspapers in the western half of the United States, has breathed its last. The Denver Post, which absorbed its list of subscribers, ran its obituary.

My Amazing Friend Larry

Bill K wrote:

Dear Family and Friends,

At http://www.coloradoconnection.com/news/video.aspx?id=248601 is a TV show about volunteers at the Crawford veteran’s house in Colorado Springs and hear my friend, Larry Johnson’s, comments.

The Crawford House helps homeless, mentally and/or physically disabled veterans recover. We provide housing to veterans during and after VA homeless, substance abuse, psychological and/or physical treatments. Six to seven hundred veterans lived at the Crawford House since its creation. I am proud to say I helped, with a team of devoted veterans, build this vet charity and have been on its board of directors since its early days in 2000.

Back to Larry. Larry is a personal and family friend who has come a long way since he was released from prison a few years back (BTW, where he rediscovered Jesus.) Here are a few of Larry’s accomplishments since his prison release.

· Immediately joined a local Christian church who helped support him in his transition from prison

· Became a resident at the Crawford House

· Became a men’s bible study and worship leader at his church

· Became a deacon for his Christian church

· After completing VA treatment programs, was selected to be one of 3 resident Crawford House managers

· Enrolled in Pikes Peak Community

· Promoted to lead all Crawford House manager

· Completed an Associate Degree in Construction Management

· Now re-enrolled in Pikes Peak Community to complete a Bachelors Degree

· Lives on his own in the community

· Runs a part-time private business doing construction and other projects

· Now an assistant to the Director, Colorado Veteran’s Resource Coalition

· Last month was the first and only former resident to earn a position on the Crawford House board of directors.

UPDATE: Appointed as Leading Deacon for his entire church

We are very proud of Larry and many other veteran graduates for their successful recoveries!

As We Bitterly Cling to Our Guns...

John Hawkins wrote the following Townhall.com column, "Fifteen Reasons I'm Already Tired of the Obama Era." Here's an excerpt:

"3) Barack Obama is like Jimmy Carter on speed. In anticipation of the American people vomiting at the mere mention of his name in the future, he's trying to cram every single thing on the liberal wish list through so fast that our legislators don't even have time to read the bills that they're voting on."

Ted Nugent shows he has a way with words by weighing in on Attorney General Holder's charge that "Americans are cowards for not having a deeper discourse about race."

I am a proud, large and in charge American man who was born, raised and cut my rhythm and blues musical teeth in the guts of Motown, the Mighty Motor City. All of my musical heroes were and are black musical gods. If you don't enjoy my soulful music, blame musical mastersoulblasters Chuck Berry and James Brown. They taught me how to dance, play outrageous music and scare people.

Quite honestly, I have no idea what Attorney General Holder was speaking about. Does he want white, red, yellow and black folk to get together to discuss culinary similarities, religious views, cultural differences, political ideologies? I have neither the time nor inclination for this kind of trivial small talk. I like to get next to the matter real quick like.

Instead of tossing out racially-loaded bombshells, Attorney General Holder should have used a few personal anecdotes about his distrust or misunderstanding of white folk, Mexicans, Chinese, Japanese, or Arabs. That would have displayed true leadership, shown that even he harbors ugly racist views in the privacy of his own home. Surely there must be some racist skeletons hanging in his closet or he wouldn't have made such a comment.

Meanwhile, we are reminded every so often that desperate times call for desperate measures, but Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, understandably worried about the lowest approval ratings in his political career, seems to have carried that maxim a little too far. In her op-ed piece for FOX News, "Is Chris Dodd Worried About Reelection or Simply Off His Meds?" Liz Peek wrote:

"Dodd set off another run on the bank stocks Friday by encouraging speculation that the country’s biggest financial institutions were headed for nationalization. Speaking on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt”, Dodd’s comments that “it’s possible it (nationalization) may happen” undermined efforts by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs who was across town trying to defuse the issue. The result? Another plunge in the stock prices of Citigroup — down 20 % and Bank of America — off 12%. The market took its cue from the beleaguered sector, selling off another 100 points to the lowest level since 2002."

The Little Green Footballs blog ran this article about Scientologists blaming psychiatry for 9-11 and the Holocaust. Here are a few paragraphs from that article:

...prominent members of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (a Scientology front group whose overwrought website dedicated to exposing psychiatry as an “Industry of Death” can be seen here) calmly explain that bin Laden was brainwashed into committing acts of terrorism by his “psychiatrist”, Al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Chairman of CCHR Florida Dave Figueroa claims that terrorism is inextricably linked to psychiatry. As he puts it: “behind those individual acts of mayhem you find psychiatrists, you find psychologists and their drugs”. In bin Laden’s case it was Zawahiri: “that ideology of terror was coming from bin Laden who was influenced by a psychiatrist and that really is the bottom line.”

Neither Figueroa nor Clarke seems overly worried about the fact that Zawahiri is in fact an eye-surgeon and not a psychiatrist, that there is absolutely no evidence for what they’re saying, nor that religious violence predates psychiatry by, oh, several thousand years.

Does the Army Really Want This Deserter Back?

The Boulder [Colorado] Daily Camera reported this curious capture:

A 21-year-old man wanted by the U.S. Army for desertion was arrested in Boulder over the weekend.

In a strange twist, he was found wearing a woman’s thong and had three pairs of women’s underpants stuffed in his shirt pocket.

Boulder police said they received an anonymous tip Saturday that Christopher Mauger, who has a nationwide felony warrant for desertion, could be found in an apartment unit at 770 29th St. in Boulder.

Police went to the apartment around 4 p.m. and caught Mauger, who was wearing Army camouflage pants, at the back of the building trying to climb down to the ground from the deck....

We Love Lists like "America's Most Miserable Cites"

ABC News made the shocking announcement that Detroit is NOT the most miserable city in the United States this year! Here's the Forbes.com top 10 listing:

1. Stockton, CA
2. Memphis, TN
3. Chicago, IL
4. Cleveland, OH
5. Modesto, CA
6. Flint, MI
7. Detroit, MI
8. Buffalo, NY
9. Miami, FL
10. St. Louis, MO

It Takes More than a TV Special to Tell the Full Story

Fark.com reported it this way:

"Eastern Kentuckians angry at top-rated '20/20' report that portrayed Appalachia as hive of people with missing teeth, mired in hopeless poverty, and strung out on drugs."

We Told You We're Sorry!

The New York Post issued a conditional apology for the controversial cartoon associating President Obama to the Connecticut chimp that went on a rampage and was shot dead. During his 8 years as President, George W. Bush was the subject of so many comparisons to chimpanzees that it became a cliche, but once again we see that Obama and his followers are far more thin-skinned.

Mentally Ill No More Violent than Other People

An Associated Press-MSNBC article cited a large study that confirmed what we have believed for some time, that mental illness alone is not a significant trigger for violent behavior. This goes against some cherished stereotypes, but facts are facts. More meaningful risk factors include drug abuse and a history of violent behavior.

Oregon Brewers Hopping Mad Over Proposed 1900% Beer Tax Hike!

Five Oregon state lawmakers want to impose a hefty tax on beer and have introduced a bill that brewers say would cripple them.

Four Portland legislators joined a Springfield senator to introduce Oregon House Bill 2461, which would impose a $49.61 tax on each barrel of beer produced by Oregon brewers.

The tax would raise revenue for the state at a time when budgets are running in the red. Specifically, the bill says it would fund prevention, treatment and recovery programs for those addicted to alcohol and other substances.

The bill's language defends the tax by arguing alcoholism and “untreated substance abuse” costs the state $4.15 billion in lost earnings as well as more than $8 million for health care and nearly $1 billion in law enforcement-related expenditures.

Oregon ranks 49th among states in its malt beverage taxation rate, which has not been raised in 32 years, according to HB 2461.

Brewers say Oregon's low beverage taxation rate is what makes the state such an attractive place for crafting beers. The state’s brewery guild claims it would also amount to the single largest beer tax hike in the nation's history. For the rest of the story, visit the KGW News Channel 8 Web site.

Obama Books Displayed in Bookstore under "Religion"

This is one of those things we would scarcely believe, if it weren't for the fact that WorldNetDaily ran the above photo.

"Gary Stone of Texas said he got the image in an e-mail and couldn't believe it, so he drove to the Borders bookstore in nearby Dallas and found exactly this: A series of books about Barack and Michelle Obama featured under a 'Religion' sign in the store's childrens section.

"He said he sent the information to a list of e-mail buddies.

"'Holy False Prophets, Batman,' he wrote. 'When I received this e-mail, my first thought was "photoshop." It can't be that bad out there, can it?

"It can and it is. I drove down to this Borders location at lunch and not only confirmed this picture, I got a couple of my own on my cell phone,' he said.

"Borders corporate spokeswoman Ann Roman told WND there was no intention on the part of the staff to associate books about the Obamas with religion.

"'We are a completely politically neutral organization,' she said. 'As you can imagine we carry every political perspective, authors from both parties.

"What happened here is those books were for kids and they were put under an overarching sign. Our team did not mean to imply an inappropriate classification,' she said."

EDITORIAL NOTE: We have heard that many Borders bookstores are averse to selling books by conservative authors, and often place them in areas that are not easy to access, even though if they displayed them in more prominent locations, someone is likely to buy them.

"Stimulus Plan Explained," a Parable for Our Times

This was part of a Townhall.com column by Michael Barone, "The Real Lessons of the Great Depression," which is also worth reading.

STIMULUS PLAN EXPLAINED

Shortly after class, an economics student approaches his economics professor and says, "I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you explain it to me?"

The professor replied, "I don't have any time to explain it at my office, but if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me with my weekend project, I'll be glad to explain it to you." The student agreed.

At the agreed-upon time, the student showed up at the professor's house. The professor stated that the weekend project involved his backyard pool.

They both went out back to the pool, and the professor handed the student a bucket. Demonstrating with his own bucket, the professor said, "First, go over to the deep end, and fill your bucket with as much water as you can." The student did as he was instructed.

The professor then continued, "Follow me over to the shallow end, and then dump all the water from your bucket into it." The student was naturally confused, but did as he was told.

The professor then explained they were going to do this many more times, and began walking back to the deep end of the pool.

The confused student asked, "Excuse me, but why are we doing this?"

The professor matter-of-factly stated that he was trying to make the shallow end much deeper.

The student didn't think the economics professor was serious, but figured that he would find out the real story soon enough.

However, after the 6th trip between the shallow end and the deep end, the student began to become worried that his economics professor had gone mad. The student finally replied, "All we're doing is wasting valuable time and effort on unproductive pursuits. Even worse, when this process is all over, everything will be at the same level it was before, so all you'll really have accomplished is the destruction of what could have been truly productive action!"

The professor put down his bucket and replied with a smile, "Congratulations. You now understand the stimulus bill."

Accident Waiting to Happen

You know what's going to happen next!

Oops, We Goofed!

Fark.com phrased the story this way:

"Hey Bob, where's that giant shipment of guns that just came in for the troops?" "Oh, no worries. I have the receipt here. Some guy named Al Kida signed for them"

BBC News told the same story with these words:

The US military has failed to keep track of thousands of weapons shipped to Afghanistan, leaving them vulnerable to being lost or stolen, a report says.

The report has been compiled by congressional auditors, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

It found that, in the four years up to June 2008, the US military failed to keep complete records on some 222,000 weapons entering the country.

The report will be discussed in the US House of Representatives on Thursday....

EDITORIAL NOTE: Ah, how history repeats itself! Although BBC isn't a friendly news source, this is not the first time such a snafu has been reported in Afghanistan. The same government that generously supplied both sides during the Vietnam War wants to take over the healthcare industry, banking industry, and domestic auto production. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Las Vegas Alarmed by President Obama's Statements on Executive Junkets

This latest variaton of "Don't *#$@ with my livelihood" appeared in Townhall.com:

In the past two weeks, two financial institutions that received a combined $35 billion in federal bailout money pulled out of large events in Las Vegas at the last minute. Obama, who has been mustering public support for economic stimulus legislation, said during a town hall meeting this week in Indiana that companies shouldn't hold such events at taxpayers' expense.

"You can't get corporate jets, you can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime," Obama said.

[Mayor] Goodman said he is worried that Obama's comments are discouraging travel to a city already suffering a steep drop in tourism business and revenue.

"Mr. President, I understand the enormous burden you carry in dealing with the worst economy since the Great Depression," Goodman wrote in the letter, sent late Tuesday.

"I also understand the need for accountability, but your comments are harmful to the meetings and convention industry as a whole and Las Vegas specifically," he said.

Burger King Customer Desperately in Need of a Life

From "The Smoking Gun" -- "You cannot dial 911 'cause you're unhappy with your burger." That's what a police operator told a Florida man early Saturday morning when he called 911 to complain about his order at a Burger King in Boynton Beach. As can be heard on the below police recording, Jean Fortune, 66, called 911 when a Burger King employee told him that they did not have lemonade. Fortune told cops that he had placed an order for a #7 combo meal (chicken fries, French fries, and a soda for $4.49) while in the drive-thru line. But when he got to the window, Fortune was told the fast food outlet did not have lemonade.

To listen to the 911 call, click here.

Weld County (Colo.) DA Is Selling T-Shirts to Fight the ACLU

Weld County DA Jabs at ACLU

Updated: Feb 10, 2009 08:40 AM MST

WELD COUNTY - The Weld County district attorney has made 160 shirts to take a jab at the American Civil Liberties Union for recently filing a lawsuit against him.

The black lettering say on the front: "The ACLU Sued My District Attorney & Sheriff."

The ACLU's lawsuit alleges District Attorney Ken Buck and the county sheriff illegally seized records from an income tax service as part of an identity theft investigation.

Buck alleges more than 1,300 immigrants filed tax returns with false or stolen identities.

The back of the shirts, designed and paid for by Buck, read: "Weld County Standing Up For Americans."

Buck is taking his identity theft cases to a grand jury after a judge ordered him to stop filing more cases because they included confidential information.

For instructions on how to order a T-shirt from Mr. Buck, click here.

Uh-Oh! Dr. A.Q. Khan Released from House Arrest!!!

The following BBC report has this to say:

A court in Pakistan has freed disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan from house arrest.

Dr Khan, who has been under tight restrictions since 2004, can now leave home and receive visitors.

Dr Khan welcomed the ruling and said he was not bothered what the international community thought of his release.

The US has described the move as "unfortunate", with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying she was "very much concerned" by Dr Khan's release.

Dr Khan admitted transferring nuclear secrets to other countries in 2004 but was later pardoned by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

The US has repeatedly said it wants to question Dr Khan, but Pakistan has always refused access.

What next? A remake of "The Wrath of Khan?"

A Brilliant Move, or an Act of Desperation?

Here's an excerpt from a Politico.com article:

Joe the Plumber advises GOP-ers
By ALEX ISENSTADT | 2/2/09 7:26 PM EST

Fresh off his stint as a war correspondent in Gaza, Joe the Plumber is now doing political strategy with Republicans.

When GOP congressional aides gather Tuesday morning for a meeting of the Conservative Working Group, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher – more commonly known as Joe the Plumber — will be their featured guest. This group is an organization of conservative Capitol Hill staffers who meet regularly to chart GOP strategy for the week.

Wurzelbacher, who became a household name during the presidential election, will be focusing his talk on the proposed stimulus package. He's apparently not a fan of the economic rescue package, according to members of the group....

G.O.P. Has a New Meaning