Man Found Guilty Of Planning Super Bowl Slaughter

According to an AP report:

Authorities alleged the 36-year-old [Kurt] Havelock bought an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition from the Scottsdale Gun Club on Jan. 30. The documents say Havelock wanted to kill people at the Feb. 3 Super Bowl in Glendale and was armed when he reached a parking lot near University of Phoenix Stadium where pre-game activities were happening. However, Havelock had a change of heart. He called his parents, and they persuaded him to turn himself in to Tempe police.

While it's horrific that somebody would air his grievances by planning a massacre at football's premiere game, at least I know my Detroit Lions will always be far away from any danger involving the Super Bowl.

Millionaire Jim Johnson Has To Leave Obama's Team

Jim Johnson, former CEO of Fannie Mae (where he once made $21 million in a single year *cough*) has been around Washington for a while. He helped to vet VP candidates for Walter Mondale, John Kerry and, if that wasn't enough for the resume, he also "received favorable loan terms from lender Countrywide Financial Corp., a firm Obama has criticized for contributing to the home mortgage crisis." It was The Wall Street Journal's revelation of the last item that led to Johnson "stepping down" (read: being thrown under the bus like granny) from Barrack Obama's VP vetting committee, though having Mondale and Kerry as references would have been enough for me.

Of course, when something like this happens somebody inevitably makes some obvious insight the turns out to be my favorite tag of the entire affair:

“Jim Johnson’s resignation raises serious questions about Barack Obama’s judgment,” spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement, adding “the American people have reason to question the judgment of a candidate who has shown he will only make the right call when under pressure from the news media. America can’t afford a president who flip-flops on key questions in the course of 24 hours.”

What? B. H. Obama has poor judgment? Seriously, do we really need any more examples to demonstrate that Obama makes George Armstrong Custer seem battle savvy? I know the world needs a Messiah, but I'm baffled how people can follow this guy.

Renaming Acts Of God

Let me guess, it's global climate change that caused two storms to pass through my area taking away Ben Franklin's gift while dropping trees on unsuspecting houses. If that's the case, then how are insurance companies going to handle claims that used to be labeled "acts of God." If it's my fault because I ran my mower during an ozone awareness day, isn't it time we stop blaming the big guy? Or maybe this should be considered an Act of SUVs.

Now if this really was an act of God then I have a bone to pick with the Almighty.

Lord, thou knowest that I try to be a good father. But please, I beg of thee, let the school of my children reopen so I can return to work. I have not the strength nor endurance of a homemaker. They have conquered my will and I beg respite. I ask this in thy Holy name. Amen

You Track The Red And Blue States

I've been turned on to a fun and fantastic . . . a funstastic political website by Mike over at The Pluribus Driver. The site, www.270towin.com, allows you to manipulate the political landscape by painting the states red or blue, depending on how you think they'll fall. Talk about fun!!! Check it out and I'll know how you'll be spending the rest of your weekend.

Mayor Kwami Kilpatrick Booed At The Parade

And this was supposed to be a happy occasion.

The Detroit Red Wings victory parade took them from The Hockeytown Cafe to Hart Plaza in the center of Detroit with thousands lining the streets to cheer on their beloved hockey team. And the cheering only stopped when Detroit mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, to the stage.

Kilpatrick walked up to the microphone and said something that I suspect had to do with the Wings' victory . . . it was hard to tell since the mayor's speech was drowned out by all the booing. I thing I may have also heard hissing, but that could have been somebody letting air out of the tires in Kilpatrick's ever-present mile-long motorcade.

Perhaps the most stunning moment came when the mayor ended his speech with, "Because we're all here together and you're all having a good time, the beer is on me. God bless you. Go Red Wings." Only to be greeted by more boos. Imagine that, hockey fans booing beer, and free beer on top of that. I suppose they were just skeptical that even if the mayor actually did follow through on his promise of free suds, it would end up being just one more thing he would put on the city's tab.

And we already know the spin the mayor will throw on this one. Detroit loves him, it was all those evil suburbanites in the crowd who were making the racket.

What Does "Winning In Iraq" Mean For Obama?

Even the folk at the Washington Post found they could no longer view the war in Iraq like Helen Keller viewed ROY G BIV after a rainfall. In a recent editorial they had to open blind eyes and declare, "Don't look now, but the U.S.-backed government and army may be winning the war." Yes, Virginia, there must be a sanity clause in their newsroom. The editorial went on to explain:

There's been a relative lull in news coverage and debate about Iraq in recent weeks -- which is odd, because May could turn out to have been one of the most important months of the war. While Washington's attention has been fixed elsewhere, military analysts have watched with astonishment as the Iraqi government and army have gained control for the first time of the port city of Basra and the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, routing the Shiite militias that have ruled them for years and sending key militants scurrying to Iran. At the same time, Iraqi and U.S. forces have pushed forward with a long-promised offensive in Mosul, the last urban refuge of al-Qaeda. So many of its leaders have now been captured or killed that U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, renowned for his cautious assessments, said that the terrorists have "never been closer to defeat than they are now."

Of course, all of this begs the question: if the rest of the media begins treating the war with a thimbleful of honesty, what is Barack Obama supposed to do? The lamb from Illinois has built his campaign on the folly of Iraq and even Husseined Hillary with his own liberal WMD by repeating that she once supported the war while he always knew it would fail. Could we see yet another Obamanable flip-flop?

The Wings Win Lord Stanley's Cup

The Detroit Red Wings have won their 11th Stanley Cup!!

After losing a nail biter at home, the Wings skated into Mellon Arena and captured hockey's greatest prize by defeating the Penguins 3-2 in game 6. Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe, Lidstrom won his fourth cup, and Hockeytown won its rightful hardware.

Thanks for a great season guys!

Go Wings!

Barack H. Obama Claims The Nomination

According to CNN, Barack Obama has accumulated the delegates necessary to win the Democratic nomination for presidency, making history as the first African American candidate who has participated in racist-based theology, demonstrated limitless naivety concerning foreign policy, befriended an unrepentant terrorist, insulted working-class Pennsylvanians and thrown his own grandmother "under the bus" as a typical white person to win the nomination of a major political party.

"Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another -- a journey that will bring a new and better day to America," Obama said. "Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States."

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton continues to see the emperor's new clothes draped across her hopes of nomination. "This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight," She said.

We all knew this was coming, so let's get ready to rumble.

Geoffrey Fieger Found Not Guilty

I haven't been this stunned since The Crying Game. Prominent legal sleaze Geoffrey Feiger was found not guilty of campaign finance violations and obstruction of justice. According to one juror interviewed after the decision, "the government was not able to prove Fieger was aware of the law and deliberately broke it." Yes, how could one of the country's leading lawyers who at one time was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Michigan have any knowledge about campaign finance law? Is it me or is Michigan becoming the Randy Hickey of Midwestern states?

McCain v. Obama on the GI Bill

OK, I'm a little late to the table on this one but I don't want to let the blog-free vow that I took for the family vacation to get in the way of this beautiful tussle between presidential candidates over Senator Jim Webb's GI Bill that promises increased education funding for U.S. troops. During the debate on the bill, Obama, a supporter of the legislation, took a shot at McCain, who has opposed the bill.

“I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country. … but I can’t understand why he would line up behind the president in opposition to this GI bill. I can’t believe he believes it is too generous to our veterans. I could not disagree with him and the president more on this issue. There are many issues that lend themselves to partisan posturing but giving our veterans the chance to go to college should not be one of them.”

Of course, McCain didn't appreciate the junior senator from Illinois accusing him of being a Bush puppet who would sell out his fellow veterans for a taste of political Turkish Delight.

“I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did.”

McCain's concern over the bill stems from it's probable impact on reenlistment, which is why his version of the bill increases benefits based on length of military service. And keep in mind that we are not talking about the number of young people who volunteer, but those who rise in the ranks because they reenlist, thus providing the military with much needed experience in positions of leadership. Mac went on to explain in his response statement that:

“It would be easier politically for me to have joined Senator Webb in offering his legislation. More importantly, I feel just as he does, that we owe veterans the respect and generosity of a great nation because no matter how generously we show our gratitude it will never compensate them fully for all the sacrifices they have borne on our behalf. ... Perhaps, if Senator Obama would take the time and trouble to understand this issue he would learn to debate an honest disagreement respectfully. But, as he always does, he prefers impugning the motives of his opponent, and exploiting a thoughtful difference of opinion to advance his own ambitions. If that is how he would behave as president, the country would regret his election.”

This also leads me to once again call into question Obama's judgement. Does this guy really think it's wise to debate McCain on how America should treat its military heroes? What's next? Is he going to confront Derek Jeter on how to treat a wicked hop after Magglio Ordonez has turned on a fastball?

Scott Mcclellan's Book "What Happened" . . . To Content

I admit that I haven't read McClellan's book, not while I'm in the middle of a Harry Dresden file. I should probably also admit that I don't intend to pick up a copy even after I've finished Butcher's fourth wacky wizard romp. What Happened just doesn't seem that interesting to me. Oh, I know that Keith Olberman has soiled himself talking about the novel . . . I mean, "book," but Olberman has been soiling himself for years over contrivances (which is probably why he forgets to pay all those silly taxes). For me, I just haven't seen a take on the book that has given me any motivation to pick up a copy. In fact, I think Dick Morris' blog says it all:

[T]he fact is that McClellan’s book doesn’t have anything in it. It is not really derogatory and makes no important new revelations. It says Bush was negligent on Katrina. So that’s news? That he used “propaganda” to convince us to invade Iraq - well, what was the Gettysburg address but propaganda to encourage us in wartime. That’s what a president is supposed to do. And it says that Karl Rove and Libby conspired to conform their testimony in the Valerie Plane affair. Who cares? This is a scandal that shouldn’t ever have happened. The special prosecutor revealed that no crime was committed when her name was leaked because the guy who leaked it didn’t know she was handling covert material. And the guy who was convicted — Libby — wasn’t the guy who leaked it. So what difference does it make.

As Morris pointed out during an appearance on FOX, this is only news because left-wing media types are looking to influence the upcoming election. Fortunately, that left-wing media charge is being led by the Olbermann's of the world so pardon my lack of concern.

Of course, not everything about this book has bored me to apathy. I certainly did appreciate that it inspired Bob Dole to write an e-mail to Mcclellan, one that I happily set aside Summer Knight long enough to read. Lord, but I love cranky old guys.

Scott,

There are miserable creatures like you in every administration who don’t have the guts to speak up or quit if there are disagreements with the boss or colleagues. No, your type soaks up the benefits of power, revels in the limelight for years, then quits, and spurred on by greed, cashes in with a scathing critique.

In my nearly 36 years of public service I’ve known of a few like you. No doubt you will “clean up” as the liberal anti-Bush press will promote your belated concerns with wild enthusiasm. When the money starts rolling in you should donate it to a worthy cause, something like, “Biting The Hand That Fed Me.” Another thought is to weasel your way back into the White House if a Democrat is elected. That would provide a good set up for a second book deal in a few years.

I have no intention of reading your “exposé” because if all these awful things were happening, and perhaps some may have been, you should have spoken up publicly like a man, or quit your cushy, high profile job. That would have taken integrity and courage but then you would have had credibility and your complaints could have been aired objectively. You’re a hot ticket now but don’t you, deep down, feel like a total ingrate?

BOB DOLE

Back From Vacation

Our trips back to my old home town of Orlando are fun but I'm always thankful to make it home, leaving behind daily restaurant meals, ill-timed traffic lights and that ever-present mouse.

Now, I'm not one to share vacation photos or tales from the road, but there was one episode that struck me to the point of sharing . . . and it's not the guy at Epcot sporting a "World's Greatest Dad" t-shirt who hopped on the tram leaving his beloved family behind. No, it is actually a story from the plane ride home.

I sat next to a young couple who were smiling at my "mildly" out-of-control toddler leading me to make some comment about their new-found desire to have kids. They told me that they did have children, four in fact, all young and equally insane. As we got to know one another I learned that they would soon be moving to a military base in Germany. You see, the man had just finished a 15-month tour in Iraq, his second there, and they had just taken a vacation for the two of them before their 3-year reassignment . . . well, 3 years unless he is called back to Iraq.

He fought in Baghdad. It was tough, but he excitedly told me about the progress they'd made. They had reduce attacks on the troops as well as Iraqi-on-Iraqi crime by several hundred percent while at the same time helping to open schools and libraries for the people. "General Petraeus's strategy is working," he explained, and I could see that it was his heart talking. And I couldn't help thinking that we could win this thing because of the type of soldiers our volunteer military produces. The best of the best.

Before we said our goodbyes I told the couple that our kids pray for the soldiers nearly every night. And not just the soldiers, but for their families who share in the sacrifice. I promised to add them to our list.

So, Matthew and Heidi, if you happen to stumble across this blog, know that we are praying for you. We are praying for you and for all of those who risk their lives with an honor and dignity beyond expectation. Be safe. Feel peace. God bless.