Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Boycott

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Victoria, Texas (Pop. 55,000) is a town about 125 miles southwest of Houston.

Local Hispanic leaders, in opposition to pending Immigration Legislation, boycotted all Caucasian owned businesses in the Victoria area this weekend as a demonstration of their economic impact on the community.

The boycott was declared a success in the Hispanic community, noting that revenue in Caucasian owned businesses was down 19%.

Business owners declared the boycott a success as well, pointing out that shoplifting was reduced by 77%.

Stolen from Rodger

Alan Keyes exits GOP!

HAZLETON, Penn. — Former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes officially announced his split with the Republican Party, at a press conference held in Hazleton, PA.

Saying the Republican Party "has become a dark and confusing place," and "there are clear signs that our leaders no longer have an allegiance to the sovereign people of the United States," Keyes added that he is considering running for president on the Constitution Party ticket in the 2008 general election.

The city of Hazleton made news for taking a firm stand against illegal immigration when it passed the Illegal Immigration Relief Act in 2006.

A life-long Republican, Keyes was a diplomat in the Reagan administration who served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, Ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and staff member of the National Security Council.



Vet Faces Lawsuit For Flying American Flag

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CLERMONT, Fla. -- A Central Florida war veteran faces a lawsuit for flying the American flag on a pole in his front yard.

"I don't understand why it would bring down the values of our homes by flying the American flag from a pole in my front yard," homeowner Jimmie Watkins said.


Watkins and his wife, Ria, received a final notice from the Sussex homeowners' association in Clermont that they must remove the flag or face legal action.

The former retired U.S. Navy communications officer said he refuses to back down for the American flag.

"Our people are serving today to give us freedom to do as we like here within the law of America," Watkins said. "It is my right to fly my flag from my pole and until a court of law tells me to haul that down, I will not haul it down. I think about all of the people who have served our nation and all of the lives that it's cost and all of the friends that I've lost."

Local 6 reported that all surrounding subdivisions in Kings Ridge allow a flag pole display in a person's front yard.

Jim Hart, who handles property management for 1,500 properties, including Sussex, said it is the association's call and not his.

"Each sub-association has its own set of documents and they can differ," Hart said. "The rationale for that only exists within the minds of the folks that are doing it. I can't sit here and tell you why."

The homeowner's association is not commenting about their rules. But state law said anyone can display a flag in a "respectful manner" as long as it is removable, Local 6 reported.

http://www.local6.com/news/16399678/detail.html

Monday, May 26, 2008

A Family of Motorcyclists

Been gathering pictures over the weekend, so Julie at work can put together a custom frame for me.

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^ This is my Dad, don't know the year, probably around 1940. Dad passed away in 2003.

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^This is my eldest brother Harlan. Harlan passed away unexpectedly this last winter.

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^ This is my brother Lee. Lee has a natural talent for building and repairing things. He is presently building a trike for my sister in law.

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Here's yours truly Rex Dart, the only one not sitting on a Harley.

Woman Wakes Up After Family Says Goodbye, Tubes Pulled

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A West Virginia woman is at the Cleveland Clinic after walking the line between life and death.

Doctors are calling Val Thomas a medical miracle. They said they can't explain how she is alive.

They said Thomas suffered two heart attacks and had no brain waves for more than 17 hours. At about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, her heart stopped and she had no pulse. A respiratory machine kept her breathing and rigor mortis had set in, doctors said.

"Her skin had already started to harden and her fingers curled. Death had set in," said son Jim Thomas.

They rushed her to a West Virginia hospital. Doctors put Thomas on a special machine which induces hypothermia. The treatment involves lowering the body temperature for up to 24 hours before warming a patient up.

After that procedure, her heart stopped again.
"She had no neurological function," said Dr. Kevin Eggleston.

Her family said goodbye and doctors removed all the tubes.

However, Thomas was kept on a ventilator a little while longer as an organ donor issue was discussed.

Ten minutes later the woman woke up and started talking.

"She (nurse) said, 'I'm so sorry Mrs. Thomas.' And mom said, 'That's OK honey. That's OK," Jim Thomas said.

Val Thomas and her family strongly believe that the Lord granted them their miracle and they want everyone to know.

"I know God has something in store for me, another purpose. I don't know what it is but I'm sure he'll tell me," she said.


She was taken to the Cleveland Clinic for specialist to check her out. Doctors said amazingly she has no blockage and will be fine.

http://www.newsnet5.com/health/16363548/detail.html
Thanks Ken!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

WET HEAT - Trailer

"The Adventures of Jack the One-eyed Dog"

aka Tales of the Gold Monkey



This was and still is one of my favorite tv series.

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The adventures of seaplane pilot and soldier of fortune Jake Cutter in the South Pacific of 1938. Jake, a former Flying Tigers pilot, made his home on the island of Boragora along with his one-eyed dog Jack and his mechanic Corky. Other companions were Bon Chance Louie, the local magistrate and owner of the Monkey Bar hangout, Sarah Stickney White, the bar's singer who was actually an American spy, and Dutch minister Willie Tenboom who was actually a German spy. Rounding out the cast of schemers was Princess Kogi, ruler of the nearby island of Matuka, and the samurai warrior Todo who commanded her private army.

Dog Bite

Stevie found this;



Punchline is the dog's name is Happy.

/he can make-a loove but he won't have babies

Memorial Day National Moment of Remembrance

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The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks Americans wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day to pause in an act of national unity (duration: one minute).

The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom.

It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans.

Friday, May 23, 2008

The 10 best beer names ever

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10. Unibroue La Fin Du Monde How can you not love a beer that calls itself "End of the World?" Fortunately, the only thing that will end after enjoying this complex brew is your ability to make do with just any beer.

9. Harveistoun Old Engine Oil Mega-breweries spend millions of dollars on image building, cultivating a look, image and an enticing name that's not distasteful. Then there's the Harviestoun brewery in Scotland that simply looked at its tasty old ale and named it after the first thing that came to mind: Old Engine Oil.

8. Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout The name refers either to living happily ever after or the beer's great finish. It has nothing to do with massage parlors. Would a brewery that also has beers named Donkey Punch and 420 go there? I think not.

7. Ridgeway Santa's Butt A butt is a wooden keg of beer. The picture on the bottle of jolly St. Nick's butt crack peeking out from his baggy pantaloons ensures no one misses the double entendre. It has the distinction of having been banned in Maine and New York.

6. Buffalo Bill's Alimony Ale Billed as "the bitterest beer in America," this India Pale Ale is clearly the brainchild of someone disenchanted with the notion of till death do us part.

5. Dogfish Head Golden Shower Originally named Prescription Pills, the brewery was forced to change the name, lest someone think it was a pharmaceutical. Golden Shower saw one release before the government folks figured out what they'd approved. The beer is now known as Golden Era.

4. Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast Pooh Coffee The coffee added to the beer is pooped out by a civet (a catlike mammal that loves coffee). A bit literal? Yes. But still funny.

3. McQuire's I'll Have What The Gentleman On The Floor Is Having Barley Wine The name is a subtle hint that at 12 percent alcohol by volume, this beer is meant to be sipped. If you can drink it faster than you can say it, slow down!

2. Avery Collaboration Not Litigation This beer typifies the spirit of the craft brewing community. Vinnie Cilurzo of Russia River Brewing and Adam Avery of Avery Brewing realized they both had beers named Salvation. Showing a selfish disregard for the financial health of America's lawyers, the two brewers decided that instead of suing each other, they'd team up to brew this bold beer.

1. Wasatch Polygamy Porter The slogan explains perfectly why this is the coolest beer name ever: "Why have just one?" I have big love for this beer's name.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Cops Arrest Woman Hiding in Clothes Dryer

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GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) - A woman wanted on a drug-related warrant was arrested after she was found hiding in a clothes dryer, authorities said.

Tamara Jean Rysavy, 34, had failed to comply with requirements for her bond on drug charges, so a judge ordered her taken into custody, Grand Forks Sheriff's Maj. Mike Fonder said.

When deputies arrived at her mobile home Tuesday night, Fonder said, they were told Rysavy had just gone inside. They knocked, but the door was locked and windows closed. She did not respond when they asked her to surrender.

Monday, May 19, 2008

POTD

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It Will Answer LIVE FISH OF INDIANA on the Phone

I'm just gonna post this AutoTrader ad for a 2001 Honda Insight in its entirety. There is really no good way to sum it up and I wouldn't want you to miss any of the details.

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I got this car in Dec 2005 for my new wife 19 and she never got a drivers lic and divorced me in 2007. I never one time drove the car it was damaged and has a rebuilt title. It still needs work because we never complete fixed it. It needs airbags and seatbelts, ( about $500 used ) and the rear battery is not charging due to sitting. If you drive the car it might start charging or you can have a new battery placed in it. I have an extra battery a man sold me. I have an extra engine with 50,000 miles on it I will sell for $300 if u take the car $500 without the car I gave $900 for it. The car needs some paint on doghouse. It has very low mileage and would go 200,000 if fixed more. I got the car to take my cheater wife on trips, but her last trip was with another man so I just drive my new dodge truck & have no need for any car. You can drive the car without the battery working and it might then take charge if the engine forces the charge or the dealer has 144 Volt chargers to try charge it. It gets 61 MPG on the dash reader. It starts and runs good but I never drove it so you might want to tow it home. I am firm on the price. I am 60 years old and have a new wife 20 whos a nurse so she is away doing hospital work and we go no place. She is wife #6 not the one I got the car for. I am going to sell my farm an everything I do not need this car. I have $8000 invested in the car now and need $5000 as I still owe that on the car. No lien on title I got it on credit cards at 30 % interest is why I am selling to cut my interest down. Location is 17 miles west of Bloomington Indiana. Leave a message it will answer LIVE FISH OF INDIANA on the phone.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Classified Ad of the Day

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The 6 Worst Movies Hollywood Almost Made

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You know how NASA occasionally comes out and announces an asteroid nearly missed Earth? And you can't help but think about the disaster that was averted?

This is like that.
http://www.cracked.com/article_16256_near-misses-6-worst-movies-hollywood-almost-made.html

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Kennedy Air Guitar on Ebay

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Extremely rare oppurtunity

up for auction is the only air guitar known to have been owned by US president JFK

President Kennedy was under constant stress from political rivals and upsets,

so its only natural he would have taken up playing air guitar

Many silent and melancholy impromptu jam sessions haunted the air in Kennedy's office as US president

it was discovered recently in a cold storage unit in its case

the atmospheric conditions left the case with some of the usual imperfections found in

aging vintage sound equipment, but the guitar itself (a red solid-body electric resembling a Mustang)

is as it was in Kennedys hands

Kennedy entertaining premier Khruschev in a moment of naive peacefulness with his faithful air guitar

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Human Statue of Liberty

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"On a stifling July day in 1918, 18,000 officers and soldiers posed as Lady Liberty on the parade [drill] grounds at Camp Dodge." [This area was west of Baker St. and is currently the area around building S34 and to the west.] "According to a July 3, 1986, story in the Fort Dodge Messenger, many men fainted-they were dressed in woolen uniforms-as the temperature neared 105 degrees Farenheit. The photo, taken from the top of a specially constructed tower by a Chicago photography studio, Mole & Thomas, was intended to help promote the sale of war bonds but was never used." (Grover 1987)

Happy Mother's Day!

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Friday, May 09, 2008

Walgreens Thanks Nurse For Rescuing Comatose Diabetic By Sending Her Glucometer Bill

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A woman went into a potentially fatal diabetic coma while in line at a New York-area Walgreens. Two nurses and an off duty sheriff's officer happened to be in line. They grab a carton of OJ, some sugar, and a glucometer and manage to raise her blood sugar a little bit. According to their reports, after the paramedics took the patient away, the Walgreens manager came out to demand that the merchandise be paid for, otherwise it's shoplifting. Good thing they were there, otherwise he might have tried to fine the diabetic for blocking the checkout line.

http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=358DBB76C0FF429E4BC63BAFFC3535C3?contentId=6470886&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Al Qaeda In Iraq Leader Nabbed

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(CBS/AP) The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday.

Spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said the arrest of al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was confirmed to him by the Iraqi commander of the province. There was no immediate confirmation or comment from U.S. forces on the arrest.

The U.S. military in Baghdad says it is aware of the reported arrest, but has no "operational reports" and is looking into it, reports CBS News correspondent Cami McCormick.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said that Mosul police "arrested one of al Qaeda's leaders at midnight and during the primary investigations he admitted that he is Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir."

News of the arrest was also reported by Iraqi state television and Arab satellite TV stations.

The state channel, Iraqiya, said that Minister of Interior Jawad al-Bolani would reward Mosul police for the capture.

If confirmed, the arrest would represent a major blow to al Qaeda in Iraq, which has been on the run for the past year following a shift in alliances by Sunni tribesmen in western Anbar province, and elsewhere, and an influx of thousands of U.S. troops.

The U.S. military considers the organization its number one enemy in Iraq.

"The commander of Ninevah military operations informed me that Iraqi troops captured Abu Hamza al-Muhajir the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq," al-Askari told The Associated Press by telephone.

He did not have any further details nor did he say when the al Qaeda leader was arrested. According to unconfirmed reports he was caught Thursday evening in the Tayran area in central Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

Mosul is currently a major battleground for U.S. forces and al Qaeda.

Al-Masri, an Egyptian militant, took over al Qaeda in Iraq after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed June 7, 2006 in a U.S. airstrike northeast of Baghdad.

The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella organization that includes al Qaeda in Iraq, last year announced an "Islamic Cabinet" for Iraq and named al-Masri as "minister of war."

U.S. officials said al-Masri joined an extremist group led by al Qaeda's No.2 official in 1982. He joined al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan in 1999 and trained as a car bombing expert before traveling to Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

According to associates in Afghanistan, al-Masri has been involved in Islamic extremist movements since 1982, when he joined Islamic Jihad, a terror group led by Ayman al-Zawahri, who became bin Laden's chief deputy.

Al-Masri fought with Muslim rebels against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s and later ran al Qaeda training camps there.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Illinois Man Orders Custom Beer-Can Coffin

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SOUTH CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) ― Bill Bramanti will love Pabst Blue Ribbon eternally, and he's got the custom-made beer-can casket to prove it.

"I actually fit, because I got in here," said Bramanti of South Chicago Heights.

The 67-year-old Glenwood village administrator doesn't plan on needing it anytime soon, though.

He threw a party Saturday for friends and filled his silver coffin -- designed in Pabst's colors of red, white and blue -- with ice and his favorite brew.

"Why put such a great novelty piece up on a shelf in storage when you could use it only the way Bill Bramanti would use it?" said Bramanti's daughter, Cathy Bramanti, 42.

Bramanti ordered the casket from Panozzo Bros. Funeral Home in Chicago Heights, and Scott Sign Co. of Chicago Heights designed the beer can.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Franken on front page of Star Tribune and Pioneer Press

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Great Read!

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Reading this book after R.G.'s recommendation.

Except:


1-4 CAV Update #7

September 07
Family and Friends of 1-4 CAV,

War is a very personal endeavor. We find ourselves here involved in close friendships with one another as well as with the many Iraqis we interact with every day on the streets. We are also very close to our interpreters who share every danger with us. We are all intertwined and nothing happens to one group without it affecting the other.

Recently, I found myself in the 28th Combat Support Hospital emergency room where one of our most loyal interpreters was being treated after being injured in an attack. While his prognosis was excellent, he was very shaken. As he lay on a gurney with his head wrapped and an oxygen mask on his face, he saw me approach and immediately grabbed my arm and began to ask me about each soldier in the truck. He referred to them all as his “brothers” and he meant it. Not knowing his own condition he told me he loved Americans and America. He made me promise that I would take his heart to America if he died. He was going to be fine (he left the hospital the next day) but I could not convince him, so I promised.

Around the corner, the CSM and I walked up to one of our Valorous Award winners who suffered a severe hip injury in that same attack. The first thing he asked me was if I thought he would be able to recover and get back to his platoon before we redeployed. A few days earlier, two other Cavalry Troopers were in the emergency room being treated. CSM Jones and I walked in together and as we approached our first soldier he yelled out,”Prepared and Loyal, Sir”. His face, arms and legs were speckled with shrapnel but all he could think about was the unit. As the nurse wheeled himout for further examination, he unashamedly told his fellow injured platoonmate that he loved him and he got the same response back. I have seen the toughest men I know cry for one another and encourage each other through some difficult times. Whoever you know in this unit, know that they are heroes. This is a very personal endeavor, indeed.

While conditions in our area of responsibility are vastly improved from about four months ago, it remains a dangerous place. Since my last update, we have lost three of our best. Specialist Braden J. Long from Sherman,Texas was performing his duties as a gunner for 3rd Platoon, A Troop on August 4th when his vehicle was attacked. Braden survived to the hospital but his injuries were too severe and he passed away.

Braden enlisted in the Army when he was seventeen years old, married his high school love, Teresa, and fought on some of the most dangerous ground in Baghdad all before the age of twenty. He was a brave young man and committed to the mission here.

Specialist Rodney Johnson from Houston, Texas was performing his duties on September 4th pulling dismounted security for 1st Platoon, A Troop when his life was taken by an explosion in a small courtyard in Eastern Doura. Rodney is survived by his wife, Ashley, who is expecting their second child at the end of September. Rodney displayed an uncommon courage every day and never faltered from anything he was asked to do.

SSG Courtney Hollinsworth from Yonkers, New York was performing his duties on September 9th as a section sergeant leading a mounted patrol when his vehicle was attacked and he lost his life. Only recently promoted to SSG, he flawlessly served as the platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon over a three-week period whenever he was called upon. A true patriot and leader in this organization, he will be sorely missed. SSG Hollinsworth is survived by his wife, Stephanie.

Please remember these men and their families in your thoughts and prayers. We will never forget them or their sacrifice. Also, please remember all of our wounded soldiers who are at Fort Riley, Brook Army Medical center in San Antonio, and Walter Reed in Washington DC. These Troopers are still a part of our unit and deserve our support as they recover. If you are in a position to do so, please pay them a visit.

We are not fighting a faceless enemy here, however. We have detained at least 120 criminals and insurgents in just the past few months to include those directly linked to the attacks on our soldiers. While most detainees end up in a holding facility run by the Army in Baghdad, a very small percentage are prosecuted in the Iraqi Criminal Court System. To date, we have had one prosecuted in this manner and two more selected for such prosecution. This is a big deal because someone found guilty in the Iraqi System can go to prison for 10-30 years as opposed to 1-5 years under our detention.

The personal relationships built by the Troopers of 1-4 CAV with individuals on the streets here is the key. Like any good relationship, we care for the people in our area without condition. We are there every hour of every day and do our best to change the conditions on the ground that allow an insurgency to flourish. We will never detain or kill them all so we work to create an environment where they cannot survive.

One other example, recently we had seven IEDs discovered or detonated in a single seven day span. On every one, we got a phone call from a local national telling us exactly where it was or we were called immediately after and told who emplaced it. For the record, not one IED was effective.

C Troop even caught one emplacer who videotaped his buddies setting in the IED and then blowing it (no one was injured!). Thinking quickly, the 1st Platoon maneuvered through some side streets and the perpetrator literally ran right into them with the video on a thumb drive in his pocket! Perhaps one of the tightest cases ever!

While the situation is always fragile, we have the initiative and the enemy here spends much more time reacting to us than we do to him. He can hide from us but he cannot hide from his neighbor.

Once abandoned streets are now filled with families and budding entrepreneurs who continue to open new small businesses every week. We have made available grants for small businesses in our area and they have become immensely popular as you can imagine. I cannot walk the streets without children asking me for a soccer ball and “chocolate” (meaning any kind of candy) and adults asking for a micro grant application or for the status of the one they already filled out. They use these grants to open new businesses or improve their existing one and it is working well.

Our area now has a men’s fashion store, fish markets, pharmacies, bakeries, and even two new gyms. We recently helped refurbish a once neglected clinic into a first class location for health care. They have a small lab, dentists, a sonogram machine, x-ray machine, and other new equipment. Our medical platoon recently spent several hours with local doctors and nurses treating patients for every day aches and pains with donated medical supplies from a humanitarian organization. I even watched our physician’s assistant pull a watermelon seed out of a young girl’s ear (sound familiar to any one?).

We also recently completed work on a soccer field that is used nightly by the young people here. Much to our surprise, on the opening night, each team had “1-4 CAV” printed on the back of their soccer jerseys. It is not uncommon for us to see guys with these jerseys on walking down the street. A second soccer field will open shortly.

Next we are working to repair transformer and powerline issues, open a private doctor’s office, and recruit locals to serve in the Iraqi Police. There is always plenty to do.

Other good news; It is over! 1-4 CAV has the highest reenlistment rate of any battalion level unit in all of Baghdad; and A Troop has the highest reenlistment rate of any company level organization in all of Baghdad for this fiscal year. I don’t know how many companies are in Baghdad right now but there are a lot!

Each year, units are given a reenlistment mission inorder to retain good soldiers in the Army. For example, the Squadron had a mission to reenlist two soldiers who are still on their initial enlistment during this fiscal year. Well, we reenlisted forty-two.

While each soldier reenlists for their own personal reasons, I think it is safe to say that these soldiers believe in what they are doing, they see a difference because of their efforts, and they have tremendous NCO leadership. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Due to recent events in Washington DC, rumors are rampant here about when we might redeploy to Fort Riley. The absolute truth is that no one official or unofficial has told us anything different than fifteen months. As the situation becomes clearer over the coming months, we will put out all that we know. Even if you hear that I said it, remember that the only people who speak for me at Fort Riley are my wife, and our Rear D Commander.

Please continue to support our rear detachment and your FRG. Remember, the FRG family members are volunteers who help us pass information to families; they are not designed to solve tough family problems. Our rear detachment either has the answer or can find someone who can get you the answer on Fort Riley.

I am proud to serve with the soldiers in this unit. Their professionalism,courage, and tenacity are unmatched. Thank you for your continued support as we still have a way to go. Fall is here, however, with football on TV and the temperature hovering at a “cool” 105 degrees here. May God bless each one of you!

PREPARED AND LOYAL!
DUTY FIRST!

LTC Jim Crider

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