..........has the "missing link" finally been found?

The sweeping motions of the arms and the look backwards are very similar. Could this be the evidence evolutionists have been looking for?

..........I'm with the coach on this one!

I normally don't defend coaches, because most are jerks; and this one probably is too; but, I think he has a good point. Mike Gundy recently went on a rant over a newspaper article that targeted one of his players. He went as far to call the paper, "garbage", among other comments. Of course, everyone in the media is expecting an apology for the rant and the name-calling, etc. The writer of the article falls directly behind the 'ole "freedom of speech" thing. Yeah, you do have the freedom to speak your mind; but, when you attack someone, expect them to possibly exercise their "freedom of speech" to retaliate. I would be a hypocrite not to expect some to question and rant over what goes on this blog at times. It's a "freedom of speech" to many only if their opinion is the right one. Being the "right opinion" is definitely on a sliding scale. Newspaper people need to be questioned; just as all media need to be questioned, and our leaders questioned. If it's an expressed opinion, then you should expect the other side to voice their feelings. Media folks hate to be questioned and I love it when they are called on the carpet; especially when it's someone with a hot temper. Go get 'em, Mike!!!!

..........after sensing the threat,

quick thinking Secret Service Agents wrestled the statue to the ground and disarmed it.

..........taking a stroll in France,

.......a young Jack Nicholson spies tourists, eager to take a picture.

..........where do I start........

........the Crocs, the Presidential Seal socks, or the Scottie Dog hat????

..........wow, you have to admire a guy who doesn't exploit the suffering of others!

A supporter of Rudy Giuliani's is throwing a party that aims to raise $9.11 per person for the Republican's presidential campaign. Abraham Sofaer is having a fundraiser at his Palo Alto, Calif. (wow, talk about being in the heartland of liberal territory) home on Wednesday, when Giuliani backers across the country are participating in the campaign's national house party night. But Sofaer said he had nothing to do with the "$9.11 for Rudy" theme. "There are some young people who came up with it," Sofaer said when reached by telephone Monday evening. He referred other questions to Giuliani's campaign. "I'm just providing support for him. He's an old friend of mine," Sofaer said of Giuliani.
Sofaer was a State Department adviser under President Reagan and is a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution Giuliani's campaign had no immediate comment. According to the invitation, "$9.11 for Rudy" is an "independent, non-denominational grass-roots campaign to raise $10,000 in small increments to show how many individual, everyday Americans support `America's Mayor.'" Can you say; "In bad taste?"

.........."you may call me, Count Rudi von Dracula".

..........whoa!!

You know what they say about a guy with big hands!!!

..........another thought.

I forgot to tell you about the high school football game that was played this past Friday. We traveled into western Forsyth County to play Ronald Wilson Reagan High School. Now, Regan HS is only in its third year of existence, and they have won very few games. In fact, they have won three games in those three years; all of which, were this season! They won their first game early in the season. A forfeit gave them the second win, and the mighty Huskies gave them their third win on Friday. Fumbles and the inability to react to the quaterback sneak play six times in a row sealed a loss for the Huskies. I was there to support my oldest daughter as she is on the cheerleading squad. Being seated in the stands without the band is a new thing for me. It's great. I don't care if we win or lose, and I have no attachment to anything at all that's happening. The parents in the stands are a hoot. A smaller kid (boy) was seaten near us. When Reagan got ahead of us 29-26 in the fourth quarter, the kid says; "well, that's the end for us." At once, dad whirls around and says, quite sternly; "You'll never learn to win ballgames thinking like that." And you know, it's all about winning ballgames, right? In spite of the fumbles, dropped passes, and constant penalties for quick starts; the parents still managed to blame the coaches. Now, I don't care if they blame the coaches or not; but, at some point do they not see that a lack of athletic ability, timing, and inattention to detail have something to do with the loss? I guess not. Anyway, Reagan's students stormed the field after the game and rallied around their team in victory. We slinked off in disgrace. You see, Reagan has lost so many games; two of which, have been to us since their school opened. We beat those guys bad last year and surely they wouldn't pose a threat to us this year. It's been a great year for upsets - Appalachian State vs. Michigan; Wofford vs. Appalachian (oops!!!). I didn't see that loss coming either. At any rate, upsets prove that almost anyone can beat anyone if the time is right. Oh, and Reagan's fight song - it was written by Dr. Harbinson at ASU - the title: "The Communicator". I know what they were going for with that, but isn't that a bit cheesy?

..........another good weekend!!

I had another pretty good weekend here in western NC. Last week was really busy, with something every night except for Thursday. The same will go for this week, too. Tonight is percussion and Flag Corps rehearsal, Tuesday is Band Boosters meeting, Wednesday is church choir rehearsal, Thursday is free, Friday is homecoming, and Saturday we have our first band competition. We had a four-hour band rehearsal this past Saturday, and it went very well. We had 100% attendance, and the kids worked hard the entire time. I was proud of them. One of our former DM's (Courtlyn), came in to work with the present DM's, and did a great job! We are close to the band competition that we host here (only two weeks away), and things are going to get hectic in a hurry. There is still much to do, and I'm not convinced that the band parents realize the time that they will have to contribute beforehand to get it done. I've done about all I can do to convince them of it, but they still think all can be done a couple of days before. I'm going to stand back and watch this one play itself out. Oh well, back to the weekend. After band rehearsal, Lisa and I went out for a nice meal at Outback. We had the worst waitress! Her attention to detail was reflected in the tip. She'll be able to purchase a gallon and one-half of gas with that tip, if she doesn't decide to get it in Blowing Rock after her shift is over. Our steaks came to us before we got the salads, and nobody offered to knock some off the bill as a result of the poor service. We had a great sermon at church on Sunday about leaving your fears in God's hands. I definitely will strive to do just that. It's all about faith and trust. Oh, I yelled at one of my adult choir members. So as not to use actual names, we'll just call him, Swift. I was working with the ladies on a section of our music before the service and this idiot, excuse me, male choir member, butts in and makes a smart a** comment as to not knowing where we were in the music. I looked up and stated in a "very professional way" that we were in the same place that we have been all morning long, measure 34 on page 5. My voice was strong and stern, and my brow arched for the comment. I got the, "he just yelled at me for being a dumba** look". The anthem went fine during the church service. Even that person payed more attention. After church on Sunday, I did my usual drill by going to the high school and lining off the practice field. And yes, a stupid and highly inconsiderate bald coach watered the field after I left! Following the field lining, I went home to relax for awhile. There was a marathon of Survivorman on the Discovery Channel yesterday, with some episodes I haven't seen. I really like that show. The guy who is the survivor, Les, is a former British Commando; but, he is also pretty accident prone and kind of a dork sometimes. I watched some of the Panthers vs. Falcons game. I didn't really ever get into the game though. It started at 4:00 PM EST, and I would rather watch a football game earlier in the afternoon. I don't even know if the Panthers won or not??? Lisa had book fair a couple of weeks ago at her school. As a result, she got to choose a free book for herself. She got this recipie book of restaurant knock-off recipies. We proceeded to try Outback Steakhouse "Shrimp on the Barbie" and their signature "Remolaude" dipping sauce. I must say, it was quite tasty. The shrimp itself is nothing more than a mixture of pretty common spices (dry). You peel the shrimp (which Lisa did and spent a long time on - way to take one for the team, Lisa), dip it in lime or lemon juice and then in melted butter. After that, you just spinkle on the dry spices and grill for about 3 minutes on each side. The Remolaude sauce took a bit longer to make, but it was worth it. If you make this recipie, make the sauce several hours or even the night before you use it. I tasted it right after I made it and it tasted too much like mayonaise. Lisa told me the taste would change in a few hours after the flavors went together in the fridge - she was right. (If anyone wants these recipies, let me know and I'll email it to you). After dinner, the show of shows came on PBS - the new Ken Burns documentary on WWII - The War. It comes on every night this week, and it is outstanding! I can't wait to see the whole series. Anyway, another good weekend with family.

..........Friday Funny: "Ride the S.L.U.T."

Wait, don't leave the site! I'm not trying to be crude. This was reported on CNN this week.

Officially, it's the South Lake Union Streetcar. But in the Seattle, Washington neighborhood where the new line runs, it's called the South Lake Union Trolley -- or, the SLUT.
At Kapow! Coffee, a shop in the old Cascade neighborhood, 100 T-shirts bearing the words "Ride the SLUT" sold out in days, and another 100 are on order.
"We're welcoming the SLUT into the neighborhood," said Jerry Johnson, 29, a part-time barista.

Some claim -- incorrectly, according to representatives of Vulcan Inc., the company that is developing the area -- that South Lake Union Trolley was the original name and that it was changed when officials belatedly realized the acronym.

..........what a great weekend!!!

This is the weekend I've been waiting for. First, the football game scheduled for last Friday was cancelled due to the rain from Hurricane Humberto. That all seemed like a great idea (to cancel the game) until today. Yep, we play here tonight. That's okay, I got a free Friday night out of the deal, and some much needed R&R as a result thereof. Saturday was outstanding! I had nothing scheduled and just did as I pleased. I got up, made some coffee and relaxed during the morning. Lisa made a full breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage links, grits, and croissants. More relaxing took place in the afternoon as some great documentaries were on TV - yes, I am a nerd. Lisa and I went out for dinner on Saturday night and had a great time. Some of the band students actually had a car wash on Saturday to help raise money for some of the other kids who were going to have problems paying for our bowl game trip this year. I was really excited about what they accomplished. First, one of the students initiated the idea. I told her that she could hold the car wash in the name of the band; but, that it had to be completely organized by students, completely run by students, and had to have a couple of band parents there to supervise. The kids did it all and things went great! I was expecting they would make about $200. I was amazed when I got a call from this young lady who organized the car wash, and she told me they had earned $834!!! I am so very proud of them! This money will be used to help other kids. They participated in this project and expected nothing for themselves. That shows great values among these kids - selfless service is, too often, rare at best. Sunday, I got up made some coffee, made waffles for breakfast, and went to church. Prior to Sunday morning, I asked our pastor if I could address the congregation concerning a student at the high school who was really in need. One of our guidance counselors sent out an email last week asking for some money to help buy this new girl at the school a few changes of clothes. She stated that the kid only had a couple of outfits to her name, and hoped that we could help. I talked to our congregation about 10 minutes before the offering and told them about the young girl. This has always been a very generous church, but I had no idea what was to come. I asked them to put money in a special envelope with ACHS on the outside or write checks to ACHS (our school initials). I thought we might get a couple of hundred dollars or so for the girl. We collected $1,200 for that child - another act of selfless service. That has always been one of the things about the United Methodist Church that has impressed me. One of the major ministries that our founder, John Wesley, made well-known was the fact that the UMC would be the champion for the poor and needy. That is certainly true in our congregation. We intend to put some of the money in a fund to help with this student's needs as they arise. After church, I went over to the high school and set a new practice field lining record - 20 minutes!!! No, I'm not telling a lie. I got a new paint sprayer a few weeks ago with 6" pneumatic wheels, and it holds 22" cans of field paint. Being able to see the lines already (no stretching the string today), and the new equipment made everything go quick. After that, Lauren drove me home (she has her NC Learner's Permit), where I would watch the Carolina Panthers vs. the Houston Texans. Well, the first ten minutes of the game went well. Fourteen unanswered points by the Panthers! Then came the 31 unanswered points by the Texans. At any rate, I had my favorite beer and my big screen TV. The Cottonwood Brewery Pumpkin Ale is in season for a few weeks right now! It's my favorite micro-brewery beer. They sell it on tap at some restaurants in Blowing Rock/Boone; but I enjoyed it from bottles yesterday. Lisa bought me two packs on Saturday. It will be gone soon, and those two packs will last several weeks. During the game, I started grilling some ribs. Oh my gosh, if you could have only smelled them cooking. I got this new thing that will allow you to stand the ribs on their side while cooking with indirect heat. It worked great. I cooked three racks of ribs in about 1/3 of the normal space. I used a charcoal fire and put big chunks of hickory wood for smoke. I can't believe I didn't take a picture - they were magnificent! They had the red smoke ring down for about 1/8 of an inch all the way around. Following dinner, we watched a little TV, I took Megan's boyfriend home (he's a great guy - yes, I actually do like this kid), and we went to bed. Not a bad weekend at all.

..........puttin' the squeeze on "The Juice".

Wow, O.J. Simpson in the headlines again! I think we all knew it would only be a matter of time. Sooner or later something would happen. This seems pretty serious and could be the ticket to jail that most of America has been waiting on.

Simpson, 60, told The Associated Press that he did not call the police to help reclaim the items because he has found the police unresponsive to him ever since his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman were slain in 1994.
"The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me," he said, noting that whenever he has called the police "It just becomes a story about O.J."

"The Juice" is currently being held in a county jail without bond. The audio tape is going to be a big problem! It'll be interesting to see how the whole thing plays out. When did these sports memorabilia items get stolen? Who took them? Who had possession of them? No doubt that this will cover the news for the foreseeable future.

..........Friday Funnies!!!

Wow, it's been a while since the last edition of Friday Funnies. The football game just got cancelled (lots of rain from what is left of Hurricane Humberto)! That's cause to celebrate with some great humor. Enjoy.............

Earlier today was the big Iraq report. General Petraeus said the troops can start coming home next summer. ... I believe his exact words were, 'And then it's Hillary's mess.'" --David Letterman

"Another big day on Capitol Hill. General Petraeus testified again today before Congress about the Iraq war. Some Democrats are claiming that Petraeus' answers are scripted by President Bush. Which explains Petraeus' use of the word 'surgerrific.'" --Conan O'Brien

"Petraeus gave his progress report on Iraq to Congress. Many of the senators commented to the general. Senator Barbara Boxer said Petraeus was overly optimistic; Mel Martinez of Florida thanked the general; Senator Larry Craig of Idaho said, 'There's something about a man in uniform.'" --Jay Leno

"With most of the country against the war, our top military man in Iraq, General Petraeus, says he does not know if the war is making us safer. ... In fact, for a lot people, it's more dangerous ... like Republicans." --Jay Leno

"A New Orleans prostitute has come forward and said she has had sex with married Louisiana Senator David Vitter two or three times a week over a four-month period. This is actually good news for the Republicans. Finally a sex scandal involving a woman." --Jay Leno

"Senator Vitter is denying this woman's allegations. Who are you gonna believe? A U.S. senator or a hooker? I've gotta go with the hooker." --Jay Leno

"Yesterday, General David Petraeus testified before the Senate for 10 hours with just two bathroom breaks. During the same period, Senator Larry Craig took 73 bathroom breaks." --Conan O'Brien

"Restroom enthusiast Senator Larry Craig said today the only reason he plead guilty to that incident in the Minneapolis airport bathroom was because he was being hounded by reporters investigating rumors that he was gay. And what better way to shoot down those rumors, really." --Jay Leno

.........."who kin ah attack while he's asleep"?

This is probably the scariest moment our country has seen is recent memory! Wake up, Dick; please wake up soon. Oh no, I hope the "device" hasn't gone bad already!

.........."how soon after the speech.....

kin Ah announce we're goin' after Eye-ran"?

It's going to happen. You know it, I know it, and the Murikan people know it. We'll start with a few covert operations. Iran will retaliate with something more in the open, and we will retaliate with more than that. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't like Iran and would like nothing more than to see them wiped off the face of the planet. My only concern is the number of troops that we have available to do the job. Draft, Draft, Draft!!! Who will be the first to demand a military draft? It will certainly not be anyone running for office. No doubt that this guy will leave the next guy (gal) a heckuva war to finish! We didn't attack the right country in the first place. What about Saudi Arabia? Those rag-heads are still funding the insurgents and terrorists almost openly. And Pakistan is our friends? Who am I, a regular citizen, to make comments like that - after all, I'm not a seasoned military man like our Commander in Chief and his VP.

.........."oh, hi.

No, it was no trouble. I decided to park around back."

.........."Condi, get over here quick......

and adjust the strings before he says or does something that I'm not thinking."

- V.P. Cheney

.........."move along ma'am".

Laura Bush is finally arrested and taken to the brig for crimes against fashion.

.........."and, oh, those men's rooms"!

Quote by Senator Larry after his recent vist to the Mall of America.

..........my deepest, darkest, nightmare!!!

..........do I really need a caption for this?

They have both made movies; but, who is the better leader????

.........."Okay, sweetie, we're going to play a little game.........

you pull your hand out of the way before I slam the book shut, and you win"!

.........."now 'ah will bomb all 'uv you 'Murika haters"!

Don't expect ANYBODY in the "liberal media" to mention THIS:

HUNDREDS OF Iraqi insurgents killed or captured in battle by American-led coalition forces have been found to be wearing state-of-the-art Czech-manufactured body armour… The real surprise of the Prague investigation, carried out by the Czech organised crime squad, was that the vests had been legally supplied to the Iraqi police at a cost of $2.7million (£1.33m).

The heck with Iran, let's start bombing Czechs....oops, they don't have much oil. Never mind, nothing to see here, move along.

..........a day of respect.

September 11, 2001 will always be a day for remembrance in America. It's the day everything changed for us. There's no doubt that many will use the day to push a political agenda. Hopefully, they won't go straight to hell, but have a chance to redeem themselves beforehand. I've been getting all kinds of "touchy-feely" emails about 9/11 for the past several days. The latest one was; "burn your headlights whenever you drive today. Pass this on to eleven other people you know". I'll just choose to remember the victims and set aside some prayer time today. One of my cousins was in the plane that went into the Pentagon that day. I will remember her and her family today. Her father, my cousin; said he just wanted to spend the day by himself. He plans to go fishing all day. We need to remember all who have died and made other sacrifices as a result of this horrific attack. That would include our military and their families. They, too, have my ultimate respect and gratitude. God will allow us to win this fight in the end. I'm completely confident of that. I hope it comes soon.

..........so, what do you expect this guy to tell us this week about progress in Iraq???

General Petreaus is going to talk to members of Congress today about our progress in Iraq; and in an odd turn of events, President Bush is supposed to address the nation later in the week. What? The Commander in Chief is going to inform the American people? That will be odd. Shouldn't the "sheeple" of 'Murika just follow blindly? That's the idea in Washington. This stubborn arrogance is getting old! If the plan is a winner, then the American people should be able to "get on board" with the proper communication. No, I don't want to know all of the details of attack; but, we should be able to get a broad view of what is trying to be accomplished without jeopardizing our troop security. Leadership is about information, and it's also about being able to sell your plan to those you lead. Don't expect people to follow just because you hold the position of authority. Sure Mr. Bush, you were elected to lead; but that's only part of the plan. You have to prove that you and your strategies are winners; especially when so many of our brave men and women are being wounded and dying overseas. Do you sense frustration? Everyone in America should be frustrated at this point. Is there a plan that could win this war? I don't really know; and, "no", I don't have the answer either! There are some fights which become impossible to win. This may or may not be one of them. The current "trial and error" method with American lives is not one I would be willing to encourage my children to take part in. One thing is for sure, it's becoming a tough sell for the military recruiters to get enough men and women to join-up and relieve those who are serving 2, 3, 4, and even 5 deployments overseas in a combat zone! Ask yourself this; "Would you drop everything you're doing right now to join the military and become part of the fight? Would you encourage your children to join?" Many have joined, and I salute their sacrafice. We, the American people, owe it to these brave men and women to make sure the policy is not flawed. If you're going to be stubborn Mr. President, be ready to justify your actions!

..........trainin' for the fight to come! Those liberal media dogs!

benchmark - noun

1. a standard of excellence, achievement, etc., against which similar things must be measured or judged: The war in Iraq sets a benchmark in poor leadership.

2. any standard or reference by which others can be measured or judged: The president's surge in Iraq may become the benchmark for wartime propaganda.

We've been hearing it for more than a month now: "The surge is working." Despite the administration's assertions, a new Government Accountability Office report to be released sometime in early September will report that at least 13 of the 18 benchmarks to measure the surge of U.S. troops to Iraq are unfulfilled ahead of a September 15 deadline -- this, according to the Washington Post, which has seen a draft of the report. That's when Bush is to give a detailed accounting of the situation eight months after he announced the policy. The GAO is the investigative arm of Congress, charged with examining matters relating to the receipt and payment of public funds.Anticipating the failing marks, the Bush Administration is preparing to attack the 69-page report.

An internal White House memorandum, prepared to respond to the GAO findings, says the report will claim the Iraqis have failed on at least 13 benchmarks. It also says the criteria lawmakers set for the report allow no room to report progress, only absolute success or failure.The memo argues that the GAO will not present a "true picture" of the situation in Iraq because the standards were "designed to lock in failure," according to portions of the document read to the AP by an official who has seen it. Congress, which controls spending, told the GAO to "assess whether or not such benchmarks have been met," and the administration plans to assert that is too tough a standard to be met at this point in the surge (Note: In January of this year, September was given as the time the surge would last until), administration officials said. Back in January, when the president announced his plan to temporarily surge an additional 30,000 troops in and around Baghdad, he described how he would use benchmarks to measure its success. The administration accepted the notion of benchmarks to measure the plan's progress until only recently, after it had become clear that those benchmarks would not be met.
The GAO questions some of the White House's conclusions, and says that, in the future, the administration should take more views into consideration and back up its findings more extensively. The GAO found there really hasn't been a decrease in violence against Iraqis and says there has been a marked decrease in the number of Iraqi army units that can operate without assistance. Even though the GAO's mandate was to provide a yes or no judgment on the benchmarks, it does say two have been "partially met." A government official apparently gave the report to the [Washington] Post fearing the "pessimistic conclusions would be watered down in the final version."

Expect......the administration and conservative media outlets to aggressively undermine the findings in the GAO report, the GAO itself, Congress for requesting the report in the first place, and anyone who dares accept the GAO's conclusions.

The 18 Iraq Surge Benchmarks...

Benchmark No. 1: The Constitutional ReviewForming a Constitutional Review Committee and then completing the constitutional review.Benchmark

No. 2: De-Ba’athification and reconciliationEnacting and implementing legislation on de-Ba’athification reform.Benchmark

No. 3: Hydrocarbon law

Two parts: a. Enacting and implementing legislation to ensure the equitable distribution of hydrocarbon resources to the people of Iraq without regard to the sect or ethnicity of recipients, and; b. enacting and implementing legislation to ensure that the energy resources of Iraq benefit Sunni Arabs, Shi’a Arabs, Kurds, and other Iraqi citizens in an equitable manner.

Benchmark No. 4: Semi-autonomous regionsEnacting and implementing legislation on procedures to form semi-autonomous regions. (Primarily Kurdistan, but could eventually extend to some other minority groups in concentrated locations such as Assyrian Christians).

Benchmark No. 5: Regimes for Free and fair electionsThis is actually four different benchmarks: Enacting and implementing legislation establishing ana. Independent High Electoral Commission,b. provincial elections law, c. provincial council authorities, andd. a date for provincial elections.

Benchmark No. 6: Amnesty & reconciliationEnacting and implementing legislation addressing amnesty.

Benchmark No. 7: Militia disarmamentEnacting and implementing legislation establishing a strong militia disarmament program to ensure that such security forces are accountable only to the central government and loyal to the constitution of Iraq.

Benchmark No. 8: Non-military support of security goalsEstablishing supporting political, media, economic, and services committees in support of the Baghdad Security Plan.

Benchmark No. 9: Developing national militaryProviding three trained and ready Iraqi brigades to support Baghdad operations.

Benchmark No. 10: Enabling Iraqi militaryProviding Iraqi commanders with all authorities to execute this plan and to make tactical and operational decisions in consultation with U.S. Commanders without political intervention, to include the authority to pursue all extremists including Sunni insurgents and Sh’iite militias.

Benchmark No. 11: Rule of lawEnsuring that the Iraqi Security Forces are providing even-handed enforcement of the law.

Benchmark No. 12: Arresting security failure/ save havens/terrorism

Benchmark No. 13: Reducing sectarian violenceReducing the level of sectarian violence in Iraq and eliminating militia control of local security.

Benchmark No. 14: Neighborhood watchEstablishing all of the planned joint security stations in neighborhoods across Baghdad.

Benchmark No. 15: Security independenceIncreasing the number of Iraqi security forces units capable of operating independently.

Benchmark No. 16: Minorities as important as majorities Ensuring that the rights of minority political parties in the legislature are protected.

Benchmark No. 17: Reconstruction efforts Allocating and spending USD 10 billion in Iraqi revenues for reconstruction projects, including delivery of essential services, on an equitable basis. No worries here, we can just print more money!

Benchmark No. 18: National unity, part one of one millionEnsuring that Iraq’s political authorities are not undermining or making false accusations against members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).

If there were another benchmark, I would ask if we are safer from terrorists now as a result of this war. And how does Afghanistan fare? One thing is for sure there - the poppy crop (which funds the Taliban and the terriorists quite well) was a bumper crop this year! It's frustrating at best to determine what would work against the terrorists - I openly admit that; but, the present course is doing things to America that will take decades to overcome, if we are to do so. Wheather anyone wants to admit it or not, the military and their families are strained beyond all resonable expectations, and recruitments are suffering due to the war. I want to win the war, and I want America to be a safe place for its citizens. I don't care who makes that possible! They can come from either side of the political aisle. Maybe I'll become a Fredhead???

..........Senator Larry takes a wider stance on his decision to resign!

Senator Larry Craig, who was not gay and was never gay, but was resigning even though he wasn't gay, and then was not resigning because he was still not gay, is resigning again. But he is still definitely not gay. Craig leaves the back door open to remain in the Senate. Headline earlier this week: Senator Craig has reconsiderd his decison to resign, and has hired Vick's lawyer to defend him. Just when Republicans thought things could not get much worse, Idaho's Sen. Larry Craig leaked {heh!} word Tuesday night that he is reconsidering his premature plan to withdraw from the Senate in the wake of his pleading guilty to soliciting gay sex. Top Republican strategists were biting their pillows over the senator's decision, says CNN: Craig's backtracking upset the Republican leaders, an aide said, because they thought Craig's intended resignation put the controversy behind them. A senior GOP Senate strategist said Republican leaders want him gone now and will press for him to keep his promise to resign. The strategist warned Craig is "losing any goodwill built up among his colleagues," the same colleagues that unceremoniously dumped him from his committees and practically kicked him out onto the pavement. "It simply defies reality," said a Senate GOP aide. "You can't make this up even if you are heavily medicated. The American people heard from Larry Craig that he would resign and using the word 'intent' as a back door doesn't work with them. Nice choice of words.

In another turn of events, this guy was on Larry King last night defending Senator Larry. Maybe he could learn something about political survival from President Clinton. If only Senator Craig was not the only one in his party to "turn the other cheek".

..........upset in the making???

As long as we're making news with historic upsets, lets consider what happens if 'da Bears upset that "teachers college" up on the hill. Being a graduate of "that little school off the mountain", I'll choose not to hold my breath; but, I will be waiting to see "pigs fly" as the drama unfolds. Talk about history - would it not be a historic football moment if Lenoir-Rhyne would knock-off Appa-lay-chian State this weekend? The tickets are going fast down in Hickory and the Bears are expected to show-up in great force. Side note: even if the entire student body showed for the game, it would only bring 1,400 fans to ASU's visitor side! As a proud graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College, I place my loyalty with the Bears as history making moments will surely be made for the Lutherans.

..........keepin' us safer!!!

Great Quiche Lorraine, Batman! That smoking mushroom cloud could have come ... from us! An Air Force squadron commander has been relieved of his command after five nuclear weapons were flown cross-country on a B-52 from North Dakota to Louisiana last week. The nuclear warheads should have been removed before the missiles were mounted onto pylons under the bomber's wings for the Aug. 30 flight. Gee, do 'ya think?? That makes me feel good about some of the dumb stuff that I do!

..........what compels someone to become a public school teacher? - Part Deux

I was soooo frustrated when I wrote the original post - not that there's anything wrong with that! I know that all jobs have their ups and downs, but it happens so very quickly in teaching teenagers. Our jobs are dependent on how our students perform, and that in itself is frustrating. We are dependent on 14-18 year old people to determine our destiny. At any rate, I don't regret anything I stated in the last post. I guess I just needed to vent some and get it out of my system. It's a pretty lonely thing being the only person in your place of work that does what I do. I'm always watching the History guys talking among themselves and doing group problem solving. I don't have anyone to help me out with problem solving and troubleshooting. That's probably a big reason for my frustration. It's hard to make anyone outside of the whole music community, and specifically the band community, to understand what is actually going on. Everyone thinks we (the band in general) are great. That's because they only see the finished product - a product, mind you, that has a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (one of my favorite groups) in it. I have a great listener in my wife. She listens patiently as I go on about how I have so many things to get done by a specific date, etc. I know she gets tired of hearing the same old song and dance all the time; but she still helps me out. I did have a very good phone conversation Sunday afternoon with my best friend, Josh. He always helped me out with his listening, reasoning skills, and suggestions a great deal. And if you're reading Josh; "thanks"! Being a public school teacher is a privilege that I never have taken lightly. It is frustrating and rewarding all in the same breath. No, we don't make a lot of money to do what we do; but it's really not an issue for me. At this point in time, I really don't know exactly how much I make. I know that sounds stupid, but I guess I just assume I'm being paid on the level that the state says is correct. I'm not going to get all "touchy-feely" about the whole thing. I just know that there is a great deal of satisfaction when I see the kids come onto the field, the crowd screams, and they exit the field with a smile of accomplishment on their faces. That's worth a whole lot to me, and that keeps me going when I get frustrated. I'm a "work in progress". I've always said that teaching is like raising children, once you have it all figured out, they're gone and on their own. What a cycle of events.