David Drake

"Karl Rove is a brilliant strategist. So, if I were thinking about this," she told WROW-AM radio in Albany, "I'd say, why are they spending so much time talking about me?"

According to the Sentinel: "Clinton attributed increased support for the Democratic Party to GOP ethics scandals, as well as national spending and military death tallies."

Clinton said critical infrastructures like seaports must be operated by the United States, not foreign-owned companies. However, Hillary Clinton critics have pointed out that during her husband Bill Clinton's administration, several ports -- including a US naval base -- were turned over to companies based in communist China, as well as other nations.

According to columnist Charles Krauthammer, in spite of objections voiced by the intelligence community, Clinton pushed for deals with communist China after he allegedly received campaign contributions from Chinese lobbyist Johnny Chung.

"While Hillary and other politicians are demagoguing the issue and calling for port management to be performed by US companies, they all know there are no companies in the US that perform such work except for perhaps Haliburton(sic).

// posted by David Drake @ 3:27 PM 0 comments

Was a former Track and Field athlete from the University of Oklahoma. [He] placed 6th in the 1948 Olympic Trials in the Decathlon. Bob Mathias placed first; Weaver won the final event, the 1500 meter run.

Gave his character Chester on Gunsmoke a bad leg and a limp out of fear that he would not be noticed when playing scenes with the 6' 9" James Arness unless his character had an unusual trait that would call attention to him.

// posted by David Drake @ 1:50 PM 2 comments

Updated February 25, 2006: It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Darren McGavin at approximately 7:10 A.M. Pacific time today, Saturday 25, 2006. Darren was just three months short of his 84th birthday. While we suspect none of us can imagine a world without the beloved, feisty little red-head, it is time to reflect, give thanks for his life and hold in reverence his memory. Darren is gone, but in many respects he will always be with us: as Carl Kolchak...

// posted by David Drake @ 8:31 PM 0 comments

Don's big break before he hooked up again with Andy Griffith was a regular gig on the "Tonight Show" hosted by Steve Allen, starting in 1956. He became well-known for his "nervous man" shtick in the "Man-on-the-Street" segments that were a staple of Allen's show. His character in the segments was a very nervous man obviously uptight about being interviewed on camera. He developed this into the fidgety, high-strung persona that he limned successfully for the rest of his career.

// posted by David Drake @ 7:57 PM 0 comments

The Minnesota legislature is considering universal mental health screening for K-12, pre-school, all kids at least once by age three, and infants. Mental Health screening is subjective and inaccurate in children. Diagnoses very often reflect simple behavioral issues or politically incorrect attitudes and values. Powerful medications with serious side effects are almost always used as the treatment.

Over 60% of foster children in Texas, nearly two-thirds in Massachusetts, and 55% of foster children in Florida are on as many as 16 different psychiatric drugs, starting as young as age 3.

This program is called the State Early Childhood Comprehensive System (SECCS), administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The paper containing the graphic is all about infant mental health, as well as the integration of mental health into early childhood programs.

The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (NFC) report was bad enough, suggesting mental health screening and intervention should begin in preschool to "ensure that children are ready for school." This UCLA document, however, demonstrates the clear presumption of government to interfere in the mental and emotional lives of citizens from birth on.

Although parental consent for any kind of screening and stopping coerced medication are vital, the even more immediate issue is to fight back against the presumption that any government local, state, or federal -- has the right to screen, treat, or intervene in the emotional life of any citizen, much less an innocent and vulnerable infant. Here and now, EdWatch is sounding the alarm. Will you join with us to protect the lives and minds of your babies?

// posted by David Drake @ 5:13 PM 2 comments

The Wisconsin law bans protests within 500 feet of a funeral before, during and after the service.

Labels: Westboro Cult

// posted by David Drake @ 2:04 PM 1 comments

...politicians and much of the media are shocked, shocked, to discover that the government has been listening in on calls involving international terrorist networks. Congressional leaders of both parties have in fact known this for years without saying a word.

Hundreds of raw FBI files on Republicans were sent to the Clinton White House, in violation of laws and for no higher purpose than having enough dirt on enough people to intimidate political opponents. But domestic spying against Republicans did not shock nearly as many people as intercepting phone calls from terrorists.

Paul O'Neil, 33, held his three-month-old son's face against a gas fire because he was jealous of the attention the boy's mother gave the baby.


Then four days later - on February 10 last year - the fatal final injury was inflicted by O'Neil as he shook and then fractured Aaron's skull from a blow to the head.

// posted by David Drake @ 3:33 PM 0 comments

"Supporting an LGBT fundraiser for Hillary Clinton will actually hurt our community. It will send a message to other elected officials that you can be working against us during this critical time and not suffer a negative pushback from the gay community."

[Hillary] Clinton opposes gay marriage.

// posted by David Drake @ 2:57 PM 0 comments

Brian Hooks and William Ammons, both 18, and 17-year-old Thomas Daugherty were indicted earlier this month on murder charges in the killing of 45-year-old Norris Gaynor and attempted murder in the beatings of Raymond Perez and Jacques Pierre.

[The] teens' attorneys described each youth as contrite and upset about what had happened.

"He's got the weight of the world on his shoulders," said Daugherty's attorney, Michael Gottlieb. "He definitely feels bad."

A mobile phone seized by detectives investigating the killing of a teenager contained graphic footage of 14 violent assaults, the police have revealed.

They were discovered when officers examined a group of mobiles removed from teenagers after a fatal attack on 18-year-old Triston Christmas - which itself was captured on a phone video.

The images were described by senior officers as "incredibly violent" and the alleged offences are being classed as serious assaults.

The footage includes clips of a woman being deliberately knocked off her bicycle and into a road by two youths, and a man being punched in the face.

Kurt Walker, a friend of the group, approached and was asked by his mates what he was up to - he replied, with a swear word, that he was not doing anything.

But a female officer overheard the 18-year-old student's reply and gave him a fixed penalty notice.

Kurt, from Deal, who had been on his way to a youth centre where he volunteers, said: "She just slapped on the fine and then left. I walked off up the street furious. It's my right to swear in a private conversation.

// posted by David Drake @ 3:21 PM 3 comments

Dave,

Greetings from [the East Coast]. I found a coffee house in Maryland with plush leather couches, reggae, Cuban and French cuisine, an actual alcohol bar in the corner (shhhh) and smoking out back! This is a hard place to leave. (My note: I am so totally jealous and envious of your coffee/alcohol/smoking house find!)

I hope you are doing well and I miss our discussions.

I really appreciated your pieces on the temperance movement and Osama. I still don't understand why we as a nation have taken our eyes off him. Maybe we are too busy musing over non-events like Cheney's hunting accident.

I also agreed with your assessment that too much politicking happened at Corretta Scott King's funeral. I thought I might throw my own two cents in about a few details.

My former boss's wife worked for Lyndon Baines Johnson and some of the things that trickled to me from him were that he cursed like a sailor but more importantly that he never forgave Martin Luther King for turning on him in terms of the war. LBJ gave MLK most of what he campaigned for regarding civil rights and took it personally when a year or so later (when) MLK was a voice of anti-war protest. Who knows if this is the reason he didn't attend the services but it seems likely.

I agreed with much of what you stated, the Left wrongfully claims in that piece. I thought I would try to distinguish between Left, Right, Democrat and Republican. It is strange to me that people don't really consider the prance around the Maypole these four take, releasing each other and grabbing a new partner. Without a doubt Democrats were the feet-draggers with civil rights. However, the party ranged from left to right at the time. The "Dixiecrats" fought for segregation while Hubert Humphrey type northern Liberal Democrats did the opposite. I am not very up on that period's Republican response to civil rights but I wouldn't be surprised if they same diversity of opinion existed.

In a somewhat related topic I had to brush up on some Slave narratives collected in the 1920's of very elderly x-slaves. In the opposite manner of today, almost without an exception, they stated they would never vote Democrat. But then again if there was a Fremont (Civil War ERA Radical Republican) today he would likely be in neither party but in correspondence with Howling Howard Dean.

Dave, this is just some food for thought. America breaking down into two major pockets of group thinking is a terrible thing. I pray someday soon rural/suburban and urban America realize we are all American and our destiny and well-being is intertwined.

Yours,
Keep Us Free,
JMW

Dave,

Back to the Coretta Scott King thing for a second. One small current of thought bouncing around [my] Black (oooops African-American [I prefer American first and then descent following, myself an American of African and Swedish descent, e.g.]) mind is a disgruntledness revolving around Betty Shabazz not getting the same treatment as Coretta Scott King and this having to do with Euro-American discomfort with the spouse Malcolm X. What a bunch of BS. Betty faded into obscurity as a community college professor and cashed in [on] the speaking tour. She was nice but hardly profound or even relevant after awhile. Coretta worked to continue MLK's vision. Don't get me wrong there are some issues AA's should focus on but the disgruntled over nothing schtick is getting old and that's why I prefer someone like Barack Obama as liberal as he is to a [Al] Sharpton or grumbling entitlement minded speaker. Things will never be perfect, they aren't for anyone, so focus on opportunity unless something is absolutely necessary to address. Okay off my soapbox but that was a kind of sub-community non-issue in-group undercurrent to the Coretta funeral that pissed me off. Ok, off the soap box for me.

Stay warm and free,

Yours
JMW

// posted by David Drake @ 5:35 PM 0 comments

Labels: Ted Kennedy

// posted by David Drake @ 5:19 PM 1 comments