The 464th Armored are spending their 3rd 4th of July in Iraq. They were apart of the Thunder Run which was one of the important maneuvers used to take Baghdad. It is sad that they are back in Iraq. If we are going to fight prolonged wars then we need to have enough troops to give guys like these the rest that they need. ShareThis ...

I will have a lot more to say about Senator Jessie Helms later on this afternoon. Right now, I can say that Helms should be admired by all. Whether you believe in his politics or not, he did stand by his convictions. He also showed everyone what a determined Senator can do. Think Progress points out that former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, who ran against Helms in 1990, was defeated in part by a racially based ad which re-enforced North Carolinians worst racial fears. From NYT: Jesse Helms, the former North Carolina senator whose courtly manner and mossy drawl ...

Have a Happy and SAFE 4th of July!! ShareThis ...

July 4, 1776 - NOT. This is a neat video which points out that we didn’t even declare our independence on July 4, 1776. This is just a little bit of history. It is painless. Enjoy and be save on the 4th of July weekend. ShareThis ...

I saw this piece yesterday and I just now have a chance to talk about it. Fox News has done some really bad reporting over the years. They have pushed stories that simply weren’t true. Now, a new low, they have Photoshopped photos to make 2 guys from the New York Times (reporter Jacques Steinberg and editor Steven Reddicliffe ) look uglier. How juvenile!!! ShareThis ...

Dolley Madison, the former Dolley Payne, was maybe the first First Lady to be public figure on her own account. She was smart enough to land James Madison and he was smart enough to listen to her counsel. From her White House profile– With her charm and her laughing blue eyes, fair skin, and black curls, the young widow attracted distinguished attention. Before long Dolley was reporting to her best friend that “the great little Madison has asked…to see me this evening.”……Dolley’s social graces made her famous. Her political acumen, prized by her husband, is less renowned, though her gracious tact smoothed ...

You can get out your protractor and pocket calculator and try to tell me that we aren’t in a recession because of this or that but we are in a recession. The question I have is how ugly is this market going to get. Obama calls on Bush and Congress to do more. McCain has stated that people are hurting and let’s not do anything. I look for some thoughtful analysis of these numbers from the Economic Policy Institute. Update: GM shares have dropped below $10 per share. From CNN.com: Employers trimmed jobs from their payrolls in June ...

Senator Russ Feingold has a little more to say on FISA. We have more work to do. Enjoy July 4th. Be safe but get ready to rumble. ShareThis ...

After 6 years, the Columbian government rescued 15 hostages. I’m amazed at this rescue maybe it is a sign that the Columbian government is taking back their country. From NYT: Colombian commandos disguised as rebels spirited 15 hostages to freedom on Wednesday, including Ingrid Betancourt, a French-Colombian politician held for six years, and three American military contractors, according to the hostages and the Colombian authorities. “I never expected to get out of there alive,” said Ms. Betancourt, 46, her voice sounding frail but charged with excitement, in comments broadcast on the radio. On Colombian television, Ms. Betancourt wept and smiled ...

Progressives, including myself, have become somewhat disillusioned over the last couple of days as we watched our candidate seemed to drop some of his core beliefs and move towards the center. Look, I have no problem with a politician changing his or her mind. Heck, if George W. Bush would have changed his mind, our troops would’ve been home four years ago. So changing your mind is not necessarily a bad thing. What made Barack Obama different was that he offered a new kind of politics, one that was not about political calculation but instead was about doing what was ...

If you eat out on the Fourth of July, or if you use any service that normally involves tipping, it is the right and patriotic thing to do to tip the person helping you at a time-and-a-half rate. This is the pay rate you would expect to be paid if you were to work on a holiday. If you are not paid this rate for work on a holiday, please don’t take that out on somebody else. Celebrate Independence Day by doing right by your fellow American. Also, do right by any immigrants you encounter.  ShareThis ...

Here is the “Statement of Affirmation” from the well-known Trinity Church in Boston—-  “Trinity Church of Boston welcomes and honors everyone,. In accordance with our baptismal covenant, we affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person, We strive to to include all persons without regard to sexual orientation, race,gender, family configuration, ethnic background, economic circumstance, difference in ability, culture, or age. Our love and acceptance of each other embody our commitment to unity with God and each other in Christ.”   Trinity is an Episcopal church that dates back to 1733. The building (above) is something to see and worth a ...

Here is a picture I took last week of the grave of Paul Revere. You can find this grave in the Granary Burying Ground which is part of Boston’s Freedom Trail. Here is information on Revere’s life. He lived 1734-1818.  I had hoped the ghost of Paul Revere would rise and give me and the wife a tour of Boston. No such luck.   ShareThis ...

There has been this dust up over Wesley Clark’s comments. So, I figured that I would go to CBS news and find out what he said. So, what did General Clark say that was bad? General Clark is correct. Being in the Vietnam, doesn’t make anyone more qualified to be president of the US. I continue to say that the qualifications for president are written in our Constitution. From Article II, section 1 - No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be ...

There are places in the US where you can’t turn around without seeing 2 or 3 Starbucks. I stayed in the Westin hotel in Manhattan. There were 5 or 6 Starbucks with in a couple blocks of the hotel. Is this a sign that Americans are cutting back on coffee or is this a sign in the economy turning down. ShareThis ...

We are starting to get into Biblical events. Flooding. Tornados. Now, fires. —————- From AP: With hundreds of wildfires raging across remote, rugged parts of California for a second week, fire officials have been forced to strategically choose which to fight and which to leave to burn for weeks or even months. The number of fires burning in central and Northern California — more than 1,000, according to state fire officials — means authorities can’t send firefighters to battle every blaze, Jason Kirchner, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, said Monday. (more…) ShareThis ...

Congratulations, Glenn Greenwald. Glenn Greenwald challenged both Barack Obama and Keith Olbermann over this FISA legislation. The bottom line, as Glenn pointed out, was that Barack Obama stood firmly against immunity for the telecom companies during the primaries. Now that he is one step away from the White House, he appears to be playing politics, and backing off from this pledge. Keith Olbermann did his homework, or rather, he had John Dean do his homework for him. Over the weekend, John Dean not only read the FISA legislation also look related statutes. He concluded that the telecom companies would be immune ...

#3 - Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana who is vying for a VP spot on McCain’s ticket. He didn’t know that there were massive oil spills with Katrina. #2 - Monica Crowly for being a moron. #1 - William Kristol for stating that the Democratic party were sexist and completely forgetting his own sexist statement back in February of this year. ShareThis ...

It is very hard as a freshman Senator to get anything of substance done in Congress but Senator Jim Webb of Virginia has done exactly that. He pushed the GI Bill through both houses of Congress. He attached the bill to other legislation and dared the President to veto it. Senator Jim Webb may be that rarest of politicians. One who has principles and sticks by them. He is someone who said that he supports the troops and then proved to EVERYONE that he, in fact, supports the troops. From WaPo: POLITICAL PROMISES are easy to make, harder to ...

There’s been a lot of speculation on who Senator John McCain then Senator Barack Obama would choose as their running mates. Almost everyone with a computer has speculated on who could be a possible running mate. Thomas Friedman, from the New York Times, has thrown his hat into the ring. Friedman presents some good evidence to show that our economy is in significant trouble. I think anyone with a couple brain cells that are firing should be able to see the decline of the American economy. We manufacture almost nothing in this country anymore. Our banking ...