FAA fines Victoria Osteen $3,000

Well more fall out with regards to Houston's First family of Religion.
FAA fines Victoria Osteen $3,000

The Federal Aviation Administration has fined Victoria Osteen, wife of Lakewood pastor Joel Osteen, $3,000 after determining she had interfered with a Continental Airlines crew member aboard a flight late last year.
And this week, a flight attendant filed suit claiming she was assaulted by Victoria Osteen during that flight to Vail, Colo., for the Christmas holidays.
Osteen has paid the penalty, which is not an admission of guilt.

Aboard the plane, according to the letter, Osteen asked flight attendant Verssie Ray for napkins to clean a liquid on the armrest of her first-class seat. When Ray returned with the napkins, Osteen told Ray she should clean the armrest because it was her job to do so, according to the findings of the FAA investigation.

After Ray told Osteen she would get another flight attendant, Osteen left her seat and asked flight attendant Maria Johnson to clean the seat.

"You (Osteen) grabbed FA Johnson's right forearm and led her to your seat," the FAA report stated.

Johnson told Osteen she would get aircraft-cleaning personnel to take care of the liquid stain and headed for the cockpit. Osteen followed Johnson toward the front of the airplane where she encountered flight attendant Sharon Brown and asked to speak to someone in authority.

"You (Osteen) then tried to get past FA (Sharon) Brown by pushing her out of the way and elbowing her in the left breast," the FAA report stated.

"Both FAs told you (Osteen) that you could not go into the cockpit. You (Osteen) then grabbed the arm of FA Johnson who had just exited the cockpit, said then come here and pulled her into the galley stating that you had enough of FA Brown."

Johnson and Brown then asked to have Osteen to be removed from the plane, but she and her family left voluntarily.

It is quite obvious that this woman is used to being waited on hand and foot and when her whims were not taken care of right away she lost control. It is really sad that this "christian" would behave in this manner. But it proves one thing money and success do not promise good behavior. Also it looks like the issue is not resolved because there is now a civil suit involved.

Claims filed in civil suit
In her civil suit, Brown, a flight manager aboard Continental Flight 1602, stated she was pushed and elbowed in the chest by Osteen, who had walked up to the cockpit demanding "to speak with someone of authority."

The lawsuit, filed Monday, is seeking unspecified damages.

Hardin said Osteen did not assault Brown.

"Victoria Osteen never assaulted her, absolutely never assaulted her," Hardin said.

"This flight attendant just flipped out. I can't answer why, the only thing I can say is that Victoria Osteen is the last person in the world who would assault someone.

This is typical of all lawyer talk but I find the last two paragraphs a riot

"Victoria Osteen sent a letter out to her congregation saying she acted in a Christianlike manner. We're going to let a jury of 12 people from Harris County decide whether she acted in a Christianlike manner," McKamie said.

Why would you not file a civil suit against someone who has been physical with you when you are simply doing your job.

"It's unfortunate that the flight attendant thought it necessary to file a lawsuit over a verbal misunderstanding. It was never assault," Hardin said. "She would never had paid the fine if the finding had a finding of an assault."

Two killed in River Oaks Intersection Traffic Accident.

Two killed in River Oaks Intersection Traffic Accident.

Houston police are investigating a two-car accident that left two people dead in River Oaks Wednesday night.

A 22-year-old man driving a 2006 Mercedes Benz was speeding on Westheimer Road around 10 p.m. when he ran a red light at South Shepherd Drive, police said.

The Mercedes then struck a Pontiac traveling north on Shepherd Drive.The man driving the Pontiac died at the scene and his passenger, a woman, was taken to the hospital where she later died.

The driver of the Mercedes is in police custody after he was taken to Ben Taub Hospital where he was treated and released, police said.

Question to Mayor White and Chief Hurtt, would this have been prevented by your camera program?

Two killed in collision at River Oaks intersection

Alvarado tells grand jury her side in bonus scandal

Alvarado tells grand jury her side in bonus scandal

Alvarado tells grand jury her side in bonus scandalPanel to decide Friday if criminal charges warranted. The grand jury hearing evidence about alleged payroll padding at City Hall expects to decide Friday if criminal charges are warranted, a prosecutor said Wednesday. The panel's last witness was Councilwoman Carol Alvarado. She was mayor pro tem when four employees in the Office of Mayor Pro Tem, which handles administrative duties for the City Council, took bonuses the city says were unauthorized.

Alvarado, who hasn't been implicated in any wrongdoing related to the $143,000 in bonuses, testified voluntarily. The four employees appeared before the panel last week in response to subpoenas. "She testified, answered all the questions that we had," said Harris County Assistant District Attorney Don Smyth. "I think the grand jurors received the information they wanted."

He said prosecutors are expected to ask the jurors to decide on felony charges of theft by a public servant and tampering with a government document, and perhaps others. "They'll go behind closed doors and determine whether any indictments should be returned," said Smyth, who heads the office's governmental relations division. "I think that their determination will be made on Friday."

Alvarado has stepped down temporarily from the largely ceremonial mayor pro tem post pending the prosecutors' investigation. She said Wednesday the questions were "very procedural," after she emerged from the grand jury room with her attorney, Rusty Hardin. What's said in the grand jury is secret by law. Alvarado spoke briefly with reporters after her testimony, but couldn't detail what she told the panel.

"I'm glad that I had the opportunity to tell my side of the story," said Alvarado, who has said the Mayor Pro Tem employees violated her trust and sought the bonuses without her knowledge. "I answered the questions and told the truth. That's what I was looking forward to doing." An earlier city investigation of the fired employees — Rosita Hernandez, Florence Watkins, Christopher Mays and Theresa Orta — found that they used their official positions to enrich themselves and that some conspired together to do it.

A lawsuit filed against them by the city also accuses them of taking steps to shield the payments from Alvarado. Employees in Alvarado's council office, as distinct from the separate mayor pro tem operation, did not receive bonuses and are not suspected of wrongdoing. Smyth, who can't disclose grand jurors' deliberations, declined to answer a question about whether any of the indictments the panel will consider Friday might have Alvarado's name.

"I'm not going to say whether she's a target or not a target," he said. The investigation into the bonuses is just one phase of a larger probe sparked after Mayor Bill White disclosed the suspensions of the four employees seven months ago. Prosecutors have said they are also reviewing other city procedures and the actions of other officials for potential wrongdoing but have declined to elaborate.

This is for all of you who thought the bonus scandal was being swept under the rug

Several City Council members exit after Sekula-Gibbs' remark

Several City Council members exit after Sekula-Gibbs' remark

Several City Council members walked out on Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs Wednesday, saying her rhetoric against a police policy on illegal immigrants exploited for political gain the death of an officer whose funeral they had just attended.
The symbolic move was the only time in recent memory that a group of council members left the chambers to protest a colleague's comments.
"It's disrespectful that she has used this tragic event to make a political statement," said Councilwoman Carol Alvarado, one of the nine members who walked out.
Sekula-Gibbs is running as a write-in Republican candidate to succeed U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, as illegal immigration has emerged as a hot-button political issue nationwide.
Wednesday's walkout occurred near the end of the weekly council meeting, when members get time to talk about issues of their choice.
Dressed in black after attending the morning funeral, most members offered condolences to the family of Rodney Johnson, who police allege was killed by an illegal immigrant he took into custody last week.
Johnson's death has reignited debate about whether police should be able to ask people about their immigration status, an inquiry now prohibited by police policy unless the person has already been arrested on a serious misdemeanor or felony.
Several council members said they were proud that Houstonians had put that debate aside for the day as the city joined Johnson's family in mourning his death.
When it was Sekula-Gibbs' turn to speak, she said Mayor Bill White now had the chance to repeal what she calls the department's "sanctuary" policy.
"I hope that you will use this opportunity to make this change that has been needed for many, many years," she said.
Several returned later
At that, members of varying political stripes rose from their chairs and left the chambers. They returned after Sekula-Gibbs finished speaking.
"I was embarrassed to be in the room with somebody talking like that," said Councilwoman Toni Lawrence, a Republican and one of the first to leave.
"There's a lot of things I disagree with, maybe the way immigration is handled, federally, and this is not the time to make a comparison."
Alvarado, a Democrat who has been on council since 2002, said she couldn't remember another time when council members walked out on a colleague because of a comment. Some members left a meeting with former Mayor Lee Brown, but that move was a parliamentary tactic to keep the panel from voting on a contentious issue, she said.
Sekula-Gibbs later defended her statement, saying such an important issue cannot be ignored. "The sanctuary city policy may or may not have contributed to this officer's death, but it certainly needs to be addressed," she said amid a flurry of reporters' questions after the meeting.
The debate centers on a 14-year-old police general order that says officers can't detain people solely on the suspicion that they're in the country illegally. Police and White say the policy is critical to maintaining trust between officers and immigrant communities, and the department doesn't have the resources or training to support what they believe is a federal responsibility.
Critics, though, say the policy gives illegal immigrants a haven in the city.
White reiterated Wednesday that Houston doesn't offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants.
"Every single day we arrest people who are undocumented who engage in illegal conduct," he said. "And we have lost an officer who was doing just that."
White did not exit
White did not join the other council members when they exited the room during Sekula-Gibbs' comments. When asked why, he said he was presiding over the meeting and filling out paperwork at the time.
"I'll let other people judge whether they should make death a political issue," he said.
Councilman Ronald Green, who spoke after Sekula-Gibbs, was applauded by his colleagues for denouncing her comments.
''You wouldn't stoop so low to use this man's memory to advance a political career that may or may not be going anywhere," he said.

I'll leave this for you to decide who is correct.

ESPN.com's NFL Football more like the Saturday Police Report

Ok here are 5 of the top headlines on ESPN's NFL page...
ESPN.com - NFL - Le Batard: I believe T.O.
ESPN.com - NFL - Bengals' Thurman suspended for season following arrest
ESPN.com - NFL - Bears' Manning says he plead no contest to avoid trial
ESPN.com - NFL - DEA: Chargers' Kiel shipped prescription drugs
ESPN.com - NFL - Report: Dolphins DT Traylor facing NFL discipline

Here we have 1 supposed suicide attempt, 1 drug trafficking arrest, 1 drunk driving arrest, 1 plea of no-contest to an assault charge, and one personal conduct problem. This is all a direct result of young men who are being paid large sums of money to play a game, making huge mistakes.
The reason? Well we all have our own thoughts, I personally think that there are several causes that lead to this behavior.

1) most of these young men come from backgrounds that did not include a strong father or father figure.
2) most of these men were from the lower half of the income bracket, and are now in a position of making more money than they ever dreamed of.
3) these men are not held accountable when younger because they are "special" athletes.

Sorry but they are all adults and need to be held to the same standards of behavior as the rest of society. Plain and simple.

City of Katy lowers tax rate

Hold on to your hats people. There are actually more governments that are interested in lowering your taxes. See the headline City of Katy lowers tax rate.

Katy City Council members unanimously approved the proposed 2006-07 budget on Monday night, saying they were pleased that it lowers the tax rate to 60.54 cents per $100 in property valuation from the current level of 61.466 cents.
Mayor Doyle Callender said the new budget, which begins Oct. 1, is proof that elected officials are serious about saving money.

"We want to get the best deal we can for our citizens," the mayor said.

No complaints
He noted that since no one appeared to complain about the tax rate at either of the council's public hearings for the proposed budget, citizens must think city officials are doing a good job.
He also noted that this is his sixth and last budget before his term ends in 2007.
"I've enjoyed them all," he said, adding, "Well, not quite enjoyed them."
City Treasurer Byron Hebert said the lower tax rate will not mean reduced services.
"We are reducing our tax rate from 61 cents to 60 cents, but we're still receiving more money from property tax than we did before," he said.
City Administrator Johnny Nelson said earlier that increased appraisal values have allowed the city to adopt a lower tax rate. Katy officials also expect to see an 8 percent increase in sales tax revenues during the coming fiscal year.
The new budget includes $13.1 million for the city's general fund and another $3.08 million for the water and sewer fund. Important spending areas for the 2006-07 budget are $230,000 for a 3.5 percent pay increase for city employees plus another $27,000 to finance a $1-an-hour pay raise for part-time employees, mostly in the emergency medical services.
City officials do not plan to add any new employees in the coming year, but do want to fill several vacant positions.
Three major expendituresHebert said the city's extra revenues will be spent in three other major areas: parks, streets and emergency medical services. He said several city parks will receive some new playground equipment and upgrades to existing ball park lights.
In addition, Katy will continue its street overlay program, which, together with sidewalk projects, will cost about $360,000 in the coming fiscal year. And another $50,000 in the new budget will go to add a second fully staffed ambulance.
In the water and sewer enterprise fund, city officials plan to spend $100,000 upgrading water lines and another $20,000 to purchase a new vehicle.
Some new vehicles Increases in the police department include three new vehicles, one new vehicle in the criminal investigation department and new furniture and fixtures and new rolling filing systems for the renovated police station. In addition, the new addition to the police station will increase utilities.
Overall, higher electricity and fuel costs are expected to add another $102,000 to Katy's operating costs.

All I am going to say is Mayor White and Governor Perry need to look at Katy and Friendswood as examples of how to take care of the tax payers.

The Scotsman Song

The Scotsman Song
Well, a Scotsman clad in kilt once left a bar one evening fair,
And one could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share.
He fumbled 'round until he could no longer keep his feet.
Then he stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street.

Ring ding diddle iddle i de o,
Ring die diddley i o.
He stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street..

About that time two young and lovely girls just happened by.
One said to the other with a twinkle in her eye.
See yon sleeping Scotsman so strong and handsome built.
I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt.

Ring ding diddle iddle i de o,
Ring die diddley i o.
I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt.

They crept up on that sleeping Scotsman quiet as could be,
Lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see.
And there behold for them to view beneath his Scottish skirt,
Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.

Ring ding diddle iddle i de o,
Ring die diddley i o.
Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.

They marveled for a moment and then one said we must be gone.
Let's leave a present for our friend before we move along.
As a gift they left a blue silk ribbon tied into a bow,
Around the bonnie star the Scot's kilt did lift and show.

Ring ding diddle iddle i de o,
Ring die diddley i o.
Around the bonnie star the Scot's kilt did lift and show.

Now the Scotsman woke to nature's call and stumbled toward the trees.
Behind the bush he lifts his kilt and gawks at what he sees.
And in a startled voice he says to what's before his eyes,
Oh! lad I don't know where you've been but I see you won first prize.

Ring ding diddle iddle i de o,
Ring die diddley i o.
Oh! lad I don't know where you've been but I see you won first prize.

Katy TKD Project D.A.R.E fundraiser

Our Tae Kwon Do Booster club is going to be having a board breakathon on October 14th to help raise money for Katy ISD’s D.A.R.E program. Detailed information about the event will be posted here, I am going to be participating in the event and am looking for sponsors. You can help with as little as a single $5 per board sponsorship you can help support fantastic program . Your participation will be greatly appreciated. Contact me here or here through this site and I'll provide the information on where to send the sponsorships. Thank you in advance.

Michigan Marching Band- This is for Matt

This is for Matt.... Good luck the rest of the season and I did love your singing....

Talking Veggies Stir Controversy at NBC

Ok everyone, the secular PC police are at it again... This time NBC is basically ripping what is the core message out of Veggie tales. See the story below. This is just another example of people thinking that they know what is best for us. The sad thing is most of these same people are liberal left leaning people who are anti-family, anti-church, anti-responsibility. Read the quote at the end by the creator of the series and for once the PTC has it right.


Talking Veggies Stir Controversy at NBC

LOS ANGELES — Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber always had a moral message in their long-running "VeggieTales" video series. But now that the vegetable stars have hit network television, they can't speak as freely as they once did, and that's got the Parents Television Council steamed.
The conservative media-watchdog group issued a statement Wednesday blasting NBC, which airs "VeggieTales," for editing out some references to God from the children's animated show.
"What struck me and continues to strike me is the inanity of ripping the heart and soul out of a successful product and not thinking that there will be consequences to it," said L. Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council. "The series is successful because of its biblical world view, not in spite of it. That's the signature to `VeggieTales.'"

"VeggieTales" is a collection of animated home videos for children that encourage moral behavior based on Christian and biblical principles. More than 50 million copies have been sold since 1993, according to Big Idea Inc., which produces the series.
Two weeks ago, NBC began airing 30-minute episodes of "VeggieTales" on Saturday mornings. The show was edited to comply with the network's broadcast standards, said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks.
"Our goal is to reach as broad an audience as possible with these positive messages while being careful not to advocate any one religious point of view," she said.

Buffalo Chips. They are simply trying to eliminate all references to God or faith because they do not want to offend anyone.

"VeggieTales" creator Phil Vischer, who was responsible for readying episodes for network broadcast, said he didn't know until just weeks before the shows were to begin airing that non-historical references to God and the Bible would have to be removed.
Had he known how much he'd have to change the show — including Bob and Larry's tagline, "Remember kids, God made you special and he loves you very much," that concludes each episode — Vischer said he wouldn't have signed on for the network deal.
"I would have declined partly because I knew a lot of fans would feel like it was a sellout or it was done for money," he said, adding that "there weren't enough shows that could work well without those (religious) references."

This is someone who is standing up and telling things like they are

All programs set to air on NBC must meet the network's broadcast standards, said Alan Wurtzel, a broadcast standards executive. "VeggieTales" was treated the same as any other program, he said.
"There's a fine line of universally accepted religious values," he said. "We don't get too specific with any particular religious doctrine or any particular religious denomination."
Vischer said he understands the network's position.
"`VeggieTales is religious, NBC is not," he said. "I want to focus people more on `Isn't it cool that Bob and Larry are on television.'"
Marks said the network is "committed to the positive messages and universal values" of the show and expects "VeggieTales" to continue airing.
But Bozell isn't satisfied.
"If NBC is so concerned about that four-letter-word God, then they shouldn't have taken `VeggieTales'," he said. "This just documents the disconnect between Hollywood and the real world."

You sit and hear the garbage coming from the network executive's mouth and are amazed that he is in the position that he is. However that along with the fact that he signed a show that is 100% Christian and think that you can rip it apart and still have the same show? Please I do not agree with a lot of things that l. Brent Bozell says but this time he is right on track with his last comment

Hustle Season 1 - Danny Joins the Con

The con is on. Enter a world where the good guys can be very bad and you can't always trust what's in front of your eyes. Great TV.

F-14 Tomcat Videos

Commerce Dept: More than 1,100 laptops missing since 2001

Anybody who has ever had a laptop that was provided by your employer know how paranoid the IT and corporate security departments are with regards to the how's, where's, and what's of your PC. I mean you will have the desktop support and help desk people reminding you that you need to secure the laptop in it's dock or in a locked drawer if you are not taking it with you during the day. Corporate security will be harping on you to make sure that your passwords, are secure as well as making sure that any data on the hard drive is encrypted and protected against "theft". On top of that if you happen to lose the laptop for some reason or another you are all but branded a traitor.

So with all of this why does this headline Commerce Dept: More than 1,100 laptops missing since 2001 scare the living hell out of me. Well there are several reasons, first the financial reasons just simply look at the cost of 1100 laptops. Since most laptops run at least $1000 and in most cases when corporations buy large quantities they will usually upgrade them even more, so let's just be conservative and say $1200 per laptop. That means the Commerce Department has had lost or stolen over 1.3 MILLION Dollars in equipment in less than 5 years. That comes to about $300,000 per year in lost equipment. That figure does not included the time that it takes to replace the laptop, nor does it include any lost productivity of the person that lost the laptop, oh what am I saying these are government employees, they have no productivity.

What really gets me are the following comments from the article

The Census Bureau, the main collector of information about Americans, lost 672 computers. Of those, 246 contained some personal data, the department said in a statement. However, no personal information from any of the missing computers has been known to have been improperly used, the department said.

Ok, so there is a chance that my personal census information may be floating around in some criminal's hand?

"All of the equipment that was lost or stolen contained protections to prevent a breach of personal information," said Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. "The amount of missing computers is high, but fortunately, the vulnerability for data misuse is low."

Is Mr. Gutierrez an IT professional? Does he do this for a living? Who is telling him this?

The truth be told if the equipment was set up correctly he is right about the risk of information getting into the wrong hands, however mistakes can be made, and there are people out there who could crack the encryption software if they got their hands on the laptops. Still it is disgusting that one portion of the federal government seems to take the point of view that it is no big deal that they have had to replace almost $300,000 of equipment that should not have been needing replacement. This is the sort of waste that is forcing our federal government to record spending levels and it has to stop.

Navy retires F-14, the coolest of cold warriors

Navy retires F-14, the coolest of cold warriors The headline says it all. Due to rising maintaince expense as well as fewer "natural" enemies the F-14 that we all have seen and dreamed of riding in is being retired by the US Navy today. This is the aircraft that was pouplar even before the 1986 move "Top Gun"

VIRGINIA BEACH — Today the Navy holsters the F-14 Tomcat, the top gun in its Cold War arsenal and one of the most recognizable warplanes in history.
Maintenance costs for the F-14 have soared, and its replacement, the F/A-18 Super Hornet, is more versatile and cheaper to maintain.

The Super Hornet is unlikely to surpass the F-14's following. Furiously fast, deafeningly loud and lethal to enemy aircraft, the Tomcat had attained legendary status by the 1980s. The 1986 film Top Gun, in which Tom Cruise portrayed an F-14 pilot in training, cemented the supersonic warplane's reputation in the popular culture.

"There's something about the way an F-14 looks, something about the way it carries itself," says Adm. Michael Mullen, chief of naval operations, the Navy's top officer. "It screams toughness. Look down on a carrier flight deck and see one of them sitting there, and you just know, there's a fighter plane. I really believe the Tomcat will be remembered in much the same way as other legendary aircraft, like the Corsair, the Mustang and the Spitfire."

The Tomcat was designed in the late 1960s with one enemy in mind: the Soviet Union. The jet was typically launched from an aircraft carrier, and its twin engines could propel it at twice the speed of sound. Its armaments deterred Soviet bombers designed to fire missiles at U.S. Navy ships.

"It was intended to do one thing really well," says John Pike, a military analyst at GlobalSecurity, a think tank based in Alexandria, Va. "The Soviets evidently respected it. Their answer was to build bigger and faster bombers."

After the Soviet Union crumbled in 1991, the F-14 was something of a stray cat. It had no real enemy in a world with one superpower. Eventually, the Navy armed it with precision bombs and targeting systems and added attack missions to its résumé.

Tomcats, with their two-member crews of a pilot and a backseat radar officer, flew missions in Desert Storm, in the Balkans and, until February, in Iraq.

"The Tomcat has been a dogfighter, an interceptor, a reconnaissance platform, even a bomber — whatever the Navy needed it to do," Mullen says.

Pike calls it "a crowning achievement of 20th-century aviation."

After today's ceremony, the Navy will mothball some F-14s in the Arizona desert and ship others to aviation museums.

A monument at Oceana Naval Air Station will be dedicated to the 69 Tomcat crewmembers killed while flying the jet, says retired rear admiral Fred Lewis, chairman of the Tomcat Sunset Committee, a non-profit group established to organize farewell ceremonies for the F-14.

"That's the risk we all accepted when we flew the plane," Lewis says.

The only other country flying F-14s after today will be Iran, Pike says. Starved for spare parts, the Iranians struggle to keep the jets in flight.

Smuggled parts will be even harder to come by after the Navy retires the Tomcat.

"Nobody will be sorrier to see them go than the ayatollahs," Pike says.

Cmdr. Curt Seth will miss them, too. He runs his hand across his F-14's aluminum skin, ducks down to examine its landing gear, pats a wing and stands back for a full view of his Tomcat fighter before one of its final flights this week.

"It's the only plane that looks fast sitting still," says Seth, 41, whose call sign "Opie" fits his freckled face and sandy hair.

The aging Tomcat requires 40 or more hours of maintenance for a single hour of flight, says Seth, executive officer for the "Tomcatters" of Fighter Squadron 31. The Super Hornet requires less than half that maintenance time.

It may be old and expensive, but the Tomcat hasn't lost a step.

"The F/A-18 is like a Porsche; it handles really well," Seth says. "The F-14 is like a Corvette, a muscle car. It just has tremendous power. It's just a fun plane to fly."

And it's fast. Minutes after it roars down the runway and takes off from Oceana Naval Air Station, the Tomcat is over the open ocean and in airspace restricted for military aircraft.

Quickly, smoothly and quietly — at least inside the cockpit — the Tomcat breaks the sound barrier.

"It's not like it was in Chuck Yeager's day anymore," says Seth, referring to the venerable test pilot who was the first in the world to fly at supersonic speed in 1947.

"Ten or 11 miles per minute," Seth says. "That's pretty quick."

For all its speed, the F-14 is remarkably nimble. It's capable of razor-sharp, stomach-churning banks, climbs, rolls and dives. Seth happily demonstrates.

All the while — whether upside down or plastered to his seat by forces several times that of gravity — Seth chats matter of factly.

"That's 4½ Gs," he says of the gravitational pull that makes your arms feel like they're encased in wet cement.

Back on the ground, Seth turns wistful.

"It's a great airplane," he says. "The Tomcat is going out on top."

Here are a couple of videos of the F-14. The first is during a Friends and Family Cruise. The second is at an airshow and is almost 7 minutes, and finally at Miriamar.

This plane/warrior is a wonderful example of what American technology, and design can do. But its time has unfortunately passed and we move on to newer but maybe not better equipment. Enjoy your retirement .

Attention Mr. Chavez, George is our whipping boy.

Apparently the Democrats are not as unpatriotic as I once thought. Check out these 2 events. First Nanci Pelosi whom I have been very critical of with regards to not getting it apparently does get it with regards to some things.

Full article is here

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of President George W. Bush's fiercest political opponents at home took his side on Thursday, calling Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a "thug" for his remark that Bush is like the devil.

"Hugo Chavez fancies himself a modern day Simon Bolivar but all he is an everyday thug," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said at a news conference, referring to Chavez' comments in a U.N. General Assembly speech on Wednesday.

"Hugo Chavez abused the privilege that he had, speaking at the United Nations," said Pelosi, a frequent Bush critic. "He demeaned himself and he demeaned Venezuela."

Simon Bolivar led the fight for independence against Spanish rule in several South American countries in the early 19th century and is cited by Chavez as a political model.

Chavez, a vociferous critic of Bush and the United States, has allied himself with U.S. opponents Cuba and Iran and has led a resurgence of left-wing populism in Latin America.

"The devil himself is right in the house. And the devil came here yesterday. Right here," Chavez said as he stood at the U.N. podium where Bush spoke the day before.

"It smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of," Chavez said.

His remarks drew applause from many of the delegates.

Bush administration officials have not responded directly to Chavez's remarks.

"I am not going to dignify a comment by the Venezuelan president to the president of the United States. I think it is not becoming for a head of state," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday

No I give both Condoleezza Rice and Nanci Pelosi credit, Ms. Rice for taking the high ground and not responding to the remarks, and Mrs. Pleosi for actually showing that she has some pride in the US after all. On Top of this apparently Charles Rangle is calling out the nutcase that is currently running Venezuela.. More info on that on the Drudge Report

AN ATTACK ON BUSH IS AN ATTACK ON ALL AMERICANS... 'You do not come into my country, my congressional district, and you do not condemn my president. If there is any criticism of President Bush, it should be restricted to Americans, whether they voted for him or not. I just want to make it abundantly clear to Hugo Chavez or any other president, do not come to the United States and think because we have problems with our president that any foreigner can come to our country and not think that Americans do not feel offended when you offend our Chief of State'...

Then there was this attack on President Bush by Chavez.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez launched a new personal attack against President George W. Bush, calling the US leader an "alcoholic" and a "sick man" during a tour of the New York district of Harlem.
Speaking while walking in a Harlem street, Chavez told a group of passers-by: "Bush is an alcoholic, a sick man with a lot of hang-ups."

"He walks like John Wayne," declared the left-wing Venezuelan leader. "He doesn't know anything about politics, he got there because of Daddy." Bush's father, George Bush, was also a US president.
In a controversial speech before the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Chavez called Bush "the devil" and "a tyrant."
Chavez went to Harlem to announce the expansion of a programme to send cheap Venezuelan oil to poor families in New York.

Suffice it to say at least the President of Iran was civil while on our soil. Granted he still is being a stubborn SOB with regards to his nuclear program.

Swallow a Roach move to the front of the line

Ok, I always knew the real freaks came out during Halloween season but this story is beyond all comments, The latest Six Flags promotion is just proof that there are some strange ones out there.

GURNEE, Ill. (AP) -- Why wait in line when you can just eat a cockroach? That's the question Six Flags Great America is asking its thrill seekers during its Halloween-themed FrightFest. The amusement park is daring customers to eat a live Madagascar hissing cockroach in exchange for unlimited line-jumping privileges.
The promotion, which has Lake County Health Department officials shaking their heads, starts Oct. 7.
Anyone who chows down the entire 2- to 3-inch horned cockroach gets a pass for four people to cut to the front of ride lines through Oct. 29.
Park officials insist it's safe to eat the crunchy critters, but health officials are cautioning participants.

Consuming live roaches might increase risks of gastrointestinal illness and allergies, according to Bill Mays, Lake County Health Department's community health director.
Cockroach eaters will have to sign waivers and still pay admission fees, said Six Flags spokesman James Taylor.
The bug buffet continues with a cooked roach eating contest Oct. 13 - Friday, Oct. 13.
Taylor says he's hoping someone can beat the 2001 Guinness Book of World Records feat in which a British man downed 36 cockroaches.

"I've heard people say, 'Wow,' 'Ew,' a lot of one-worders," Taylor said. "A lot have said that they wouldn't eat a cockroach, but they sure would like to see someone else do it."

I will reserve comment simply because I am still eating my lunch...

Annan, Bush on 2 sides of policy divide- 2 Peas in the same pod?

This article in the USA Today really had me laughing, Annan, Bush on 2 sides of policy divide. Here we are with our President the "conservative" actually trying to be nice to the globalist, and liberals at the UN. What a f'n joke. It is really getting sad that GWB is playing nice with these people who have absolutely no backbone, and no moral compass. The United Nations is the biggest piece of liberal propaganda that is still around outside of the DLWM™ For example,

President Bush and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan say they get along fine on a personal level. It's the issues, from the Iraq war to nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, that divide them.

Well I sure am glad that they are buddies, yet they cannot work together. To bad. the problem is the UN wants the US to be it's sugar daddy, and the US is tired of being in that position. I would bet good money that if a poll was started today, asking if the US should tell the UN to move somewhere else, that a HUGE majority would say that they should. Also if that same poll asked if the US is spending to much money supporting the UN the responses would be about the same.

He plans to discuss efforts to promote democracy in Iraq, the greater Middle East and beyond. "The civilized world must stand with moderate, reformist-minded people and help them realize their dreams," Bush said at a news conference Friday.
Bush's remarks underscored lingering U.S.-U.N. tensions. The president said the U.N. has been slow to address growing violence in the Darfur region of the Sudan and again questioned the institution's stewardship of its finances.
"I think a lot of Americans are frustrated with the United Nations, to be frank with you," Bush said.

Sometimes I wonder if President Bush is talking to 3rd grade kids when talking to the media. Or if the media is simply dumbing down the President to keep up the doofus image they have built. The majority of US Citizens see no redeeming value in the United Nations, especially after the oil for food scandal that took place during Saddam's final years as ruler of Iraq. It comes back to a credibility issue, and the UN has a long way to go before I see it as a credible organization again.

Bush said there is general agreement within the U.N. to stop the violence in Darfur and to deny Iran the ability to make a nuclear weapon. But members are divided on whether to send a U.N. military force to Darfur, or slap economic sanctions on Iran if it continues to refuse suspension of a uranium enrichment program.

Again it comes down to the UN not willing to make the HARD DECISIONS that all leaders have to make at one time or another during their lives. Leaders lead, and make the hard decisions even if they are not popular. Until the real world powers start to force the UN to make some hard decisions and stand by them they will be nothing more than a club for the little guys to try to act like the big boys. There is no reason that the leader of the UN should come from a third world country that is SMALLER that TEXAS add to that a GDP that is 1/20th of Texas alone 55 Billion Ghana, 980Billion Texas. How in the world can someone from there even know how to handle countries that are hundreds of times more diverse and wealthy. The UN is now a club for those countries that are poor to try to grab some of the wealth of those that have built themselves up to what they are today. I for one say bye bye UN and have fun finding a new home. We can use the office space in lower Manhattan for real pursuits of capitalism that has made this country what it is today. The best in the world.

Candidates speaking their minds and offending people

Here in Texas we are having a very interesting Governor's race, as well as several interesting other elections. One election that is all but settled is for Texas Senate District 7 where conservative talk-radio host and devout Christian Dan Patrick is al but a lock to win. On the business front Dan has purchased a radio station in Dallas to help spread the independent conservative word some more and in the process he has "pissed some people off" . That is just the tip of the iceberg, Kinky Friedman, independent candidate for Governor has also spoken his mind about the remaining Katrina evacuees with his "Thugs and crack heads" comments. He has pissed off many of the ultra liberal black leaders in the state. Seems to me that maybe the comments, despite the fact that they were generic struck a little bit close to home for those people. These two post on Lone Star Times.com are proof that when people use common sense and speak honestly and do not worry about being politically correct, those who have things to hide or actually fit into whatever description will show their true colors.

Story 1

Story 2

You read them for yourself and make your own decisions.

NCAA gets it right in case of student athlete.

I am glad to see that the NCAA is not simply a group of overbearing rule watchers and that they know when they need to allow for an exception to their rules. This article is a perfect example of how the NCAA can do the right thing. McElrathbey granted waiver to care for brother

Here are a couple of paragraphs from the story

Ray Ray McElrathbey, 19, has temporary custody of his 11-year-old brother, Fahmarr, because of his mother's continuing drug problems and his father's gambling addiction. The brothers have moved from foster homes and now share an apartment near the Clemson campus.

The school had asked the NCAA for a waiver of its rule prohibiting athletes from obtaining gifts, cash or other benefits not provided to the general student population.
"Once the NCAA became aware of the circumstances, we immediately began working with the Atlantic Coast Conference and Clemson University to address this unique situation," said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president of membership services. "NCAA extra benefit rules are designed to ensure student athletes do not receive financial or other benefits that are not readily available to all students.
"If there is a special circumstance, like this case, the institution and conference may seek a waiver."
McElrathbey will be allowed to receive assistance, such as local transportation and child care for Fahmarr.

My 15 Minutes of fame

A few days ago I got an e-mail from an AP reporter Liz Austin Peterson who was interested in one of my comments about Kinky Friedman over on lonestartimes.com. She wanted to interview me for an article that she was doing with regards to Kinky's appeal to a growing number of disgruntled conservatives. Well I figured I had nothing to lose and called her back. We had a very interesting conversation that lasted about 15 to 20 Minutes and she used my comments in the article. Here is the article in it's entirety.

Friedman saying what angry conservatives want to hear
09/11/2006
By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON / Associated Press
Cigar-chomping cowboy Kinky Friedman seems to be offering a home for conservatives disgruntled by Gov. Rick Perry's administration.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman has said he'll reduce state spending, eliminate the new business tax and use the state surplus to curtail illegal immigration and crime in Houston if he's elected in November.

It's a platform that resonates with Republicans who say they feel betrayed by Perry's policies, especially the new business tax they call a state income tax in disguise.

His platform so closely matches the agendas of groups like Texans for No New Taxes and Citizens for Lowering Our Unfair Taxes, that conservative radio host and state Senate candidate Dan Patrick wonders whether Friedman stole their ideas.

"What his campaign platform is now is what I've been talking about for years," said Patrick, who is heavily favored to win his northwest Houston district in November. "I think it's fascinating that he has figured out in his campaign where the majority of conservatives stand on the issues when others have not."

Friedman also stands with Republicans who want to see prayer and the Ten Commandments back in schools and he frequently quotes or praises conservative icon Ronald Reagan and other GOP leaders.

And he's taking a harsh stance on illegal immigration, saying he'll add 8,500 National Guard troops to the border, fine companies tens of thousands of dollars for hiring illegal immigrants and force migrants who want jobs in Texas to pass a criminal background check and buy a foreign taxpayer ID card.

Experts say Friedman has almost no chance of pulling enough voters away from Perry to win the race. And Perry spokesman Robert Black said he believes conservative voters will stick with what they know.

"This (Perry) is far and away not only the most conservative candidate on the ticket, it's the most conservative governor the state's ever had," Black said.

Friedman campaign manager Dean Barkley says Friedman is just speaking his mind, with no strategy to jockey for the anti-Perry favorite among the three other gubernatorial candidates. "Why would you impose a brand new large tax burden on any Texan when you're sitting on a pile of money?" Barkley said, referring to the state's multibillion-dollar surplus. "It just makes no logical sense of why you'd do that."

The Legislature approved the new tax format this spring, bringing in new business tax money to replace local school property taxes they cut to answer a Texas Supreme Court ruling that declared the state's dependence on property taxes illegal. The tax takes effect next year, and the first due date for businesses is May 2008.
Supporters of the new tax say it's more fair because only about one in every 16 Texas businesses paid the tax it replaces. Most Texas businesses, including Dell Inc., use well-known accounting tricks to avoid paying it.

But critics say businesses that lose money could still owe money because the tax is based on a percentage of net receipts instead of net income.

Friedman and other opponents of the tax say that amounts to a state income tax. And he says he worries the tax will hurt small businesses the most because they don't own as much property as bigger companies and won't get as much relief from the property tax reductions.

"That is simply taxing the people who have been a bit successful and been playing by the rules," Friedman said recently. "It shifts the tax burden. It doesn't create new revenue as something like legalizing casino gambling would do."

Harris County Republican chairman Jared Woodfill says true conservatives will be turned off by Friedman's support of gambling, gay marriage and abortion.

He's won the support of Bill Weldon, a 39-year-old project manager for Continental Airlines and lifelong Republican who's mad about the business tax and skyrocketing property appraisals.

Weldon says he likes Friedman's ideas about education, the border and taxes. And he's willing to live with his qualms about the death penalty and his support of abortion rights because the governor has little power over those laws.

"He can throw out all the crazy ideas he wants, you know, but if he doesn't have the senators' and the House members' support, it doesn't matter," said Weldon, of Katy.

While Patrick says 90 percent of his callers tell him they plan to vote for Friedman, as a Republican, he says, he wants "the home team to win."
But it's not that cut and dry for Weldon.

"I'm a conservative first. I'm a Republican second," he said. "I believe in a common sense approach to things. The way things are sitting right now, there is no common sense in what Gov. Perry has been doing."

I give Liz credit for keeping my quotes accurate and not trying to twist my words around. Granted the discussion covered many other topics including the Trans Texas Land Grab, and Death Penalty, but the comments she has included get my point across.

Attention Gov Perry You have lost my Vote

Well I have been waiting for my property appraisal hearing to be completed, and it was just this last week. So I can now start to look at what I am going to owe in property Taxes for next year. If we all remember what our esteemed Governor said after the last special session of the Texas Legislature, that he had just signed legislation that would provide homeowners a $2000 dollar property tax cut over the next three years. Well I have some numbers for Governor Perry to chew on, and maybe after the November elections come around and he has lost, or possibly barely won re-election he will know why he is in the situation he is in.

For starters, a couple of pieces of information for general consumption, I protested my appraisal value so I have 3 appraisals to work from 2005 , 2006 pre protest, 2006 post protest.

2005 $114,400
2006 pre protest $118,000
2006 post protest $105,000

so my base taxable value in $100 units is as follows
2005 1144
2006 pre 1180
2006 post 1050

My tax rates are as follows
Katy IDS 2.00
Harris County items with homestead exemptions available .64627
that rate with exemption applied is 0.517016
Harris county items with no homestead exemptions 1.13984

So I had with only the flat $15000 school district homestead exemption left a tax rate of $3.656856. Applying that to my tax bases and taking into account the School district exemption I paid around $3,883.44 in property taxes last year.

So going forward and working off of the assumption that the taxing entites are going to be happy staying at the appraisal cap trough I would be paying $3,991.49 in taxes this year if nothing changed other than my appraisal increase. that is a 2.75% increase in my taxes with no other action going on.

I however have been proactive and have protested my appraisal value and it has been reduced to $105,000 which is about a 11% decrease in my taxable value. With that in hand my taxes should be $3,642.16 which is a reduction of $241.28, simply because I was proactive, it will turn out to be the best $85 spent this year.

Now Governor Perry was so kind to sign into law a 12% M&O rate reduction for all school districts, Katy ISD's M&O rate was $1.63 so the new legislation will reduce it to $1.45 added with the $.37 Debt poriton of the school taxes my new tax rate is $1.8153 which is not bad, however if I had not protested my appraisal value my taxes would have been $3,824.87 a savings of all of $58.57 .

So where do I sit for this year? Well with a successfully protested appraisal value, include the fact that my MUD district will be reducing the tax rate by at least $.02 or more, and add on Governor Perry's legislation, I will be obligated to pay approximately $3,352.49 which is a savings of $530.96 which is a 16% reduction in the amount of taxes I will pay verus last year.

for your final evaluation here are the different numbers
2005 Taxes paid $3,883.44
2006 Taxes w/o HB3 or protest $3,991.49 difference +$108.05
2006 Taxes w/o protest w/HB3 $3,824.87 difference -$58.57
2006 Taxes w/o HB3 w/protest $ 3,642.16 difference -$241.28
2006 Taxes w HB3 and Protest $3,352.49** difference -$530.96

** Please note this is my best estimate, I will not know what my taxes are untill I get the statements from the respective entities.

So for those of you who say you cannot fight "city hall" with regards to property taxes you are wrong.... It just takes some time and being willing to get some help. These fine folks were the ones who handled my protest and it will be the best money I ever spent. They will have taken the meager savings of Governor Perry and increased it by almost 10 times. The sad thing is that unless meaningful appraisal reform is passed that savings as well as the other tax decrease that HB3 enacted will dissappear in 3 to 5 years. Governor Perry had a perfect opportunity to kill 2 birds with one piece of legislation what with the changes in school financing being required. He cold have very well pushed through a 5% appraisal cap but he chose instead to side with TML and Texas association of Counties and ignore the truth that property tax reform is only half done with out appraisal reform.

You can check my other posts here in the archive about the falicy of the $2000 tax savings.

Congress eyes 'pork-barrel' reforms

Check this out Congress is actually looking a some rules to help maintain some fisical responability.. Congress eyes 'pork-barrel' reforms (Hat tip to www.porkbusters.org and www.csmonitor.com )

WASHINGTON – Facing unprecedented public scrutiny and an election this fall, Congress is under the gun to tighten the rules on the time-honored lawmaker practice of slipping pet projects into legislation - and it has about 30 days left to get the job done.

All I have to say is it's about time something atleast came up for debate

In the Senate, new obstacles are surfacing to a bill that would create an easily searchable - and public - database of all government contracts, grants, and earmarks.

If passed, information now requiring months of research and Freedom of Information Act requests could be acquired with the click of a mouse.
Together, the reforms would mark a sea change in the way Congress does business, especially in the Senate, where project add-ons are seldom challenged before a vote - and where a senator's "secret hold" on a bill is enough to derail it quietly.
And that's the rub. When an anonymous senator last month slapped a secret hold on a popular bipartisan bill to publish earmarks, contracts, and grants, public-interest groups mobilized to "out" the source, who turned out to be Sen. Ted Stevens (R) of Alaska. Sen. Robert Byrd (D) of West Virginia confirms he also once put a hold on the bill, but withdrew it.

All clear? Not quite. Early this week, at least two other secret holds surfaced on the bill. Groups rallying in Washington on Wednesday called on Senate majority leader Bill Frist to sweep aside the holds - a senatorial courtesy, not a rule - and move the bill to the floor.

"The time for secret holds and keeping taxpayers in the dark is long over. We appreciate Senator Frist committing to bring this bill to the Senate floor for the up-or-down vote it deserves, and we hope he will announce a specific date for the vote as soon as possible," said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, which supports earmark reform.

AMEN, and pass the ballanced budget...

Public support for change should be credited to former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R) of California, whose vast defense earmark-for-bribe scam - some earning his co-conspirators profit margins in excess of 800 percent - stunned many colleagues and sent him to prison. It also raised the profile on the hidden process of securing funds for member projects and mobilized public-interest groups and bloggers to shine a bright light both on earmarking and moves to reform the process.
Even if negotiations fail to produce comprehensive lobby reform, House and Senate leaders say they will change the rules of both bodies to require disclosure of all member projects and their sponsors.

"One way or another, we will address this issue," said House majority leader John Boehner, as Congress resumed work Tuesday. "It's important to use taxpayers' resources wisely - and important [that] we move forward on reform."

Take a look at who is on the sponsor list, maybe it is bandwaggon jumping, but we can at least hold them accountable if we find pork laid out by them for their states.

"This now has a very good chance of passing," says John Hart, a spokesman for sponsoring Sen. Tom Coburn (R) of Oklahoma. Other lead sponsors include Sens. John McCain (R) of Arizona, Barack Obama (D) of Illinois, and Thomas Carper (D) of Delaware.

Now I realize that they will probably make enough loop holes for a blue whale to swim through, but the positive of this is if it ever were to come to a vote we would see who really likes pork and who does not.. check out this link..
http://porkbusters.org/hall_of_shame.php

After joke at Panthers game, 'Catman' to get truck

ESPN.com - NFL - After joke at Panthers game, 'Catman' to get truck

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Greg Good, the Carolina Panthers fan who dresses up as "Catman" at home games, will receive a new pickup truck from Fox Sports after an on-air practical joke during a preseason game went awry.
During the second half of the Aug. 24 game between the Panthers and Miami Dolphins, Fox Sports announcers Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston started billing a car giveaway as a reason for fans to stay tuned after the teams' starters left the game.
"Now all you fans out there, you might be thinking, 'Well, the starting units are out, we might change the channel.' We're going to do something special to try and keep you here tonight. We're giving a car away tonight," Johnston told viewers.
With 1:56 remaining, the telecast went to a shot of sideline reporter Tony Siragusa standing in front of the 6-foot-4, 340-pound Good, who was sitting in a front-row end zone seat wearing an electric blue wig and black-and-blue cape.
"The car is coming in right now," Siragusa said. "Here it comes. Beautiful. It's white. It's a Porsche."
He then handed a toy car to Good.
Good says he believed the toy was a token of the real car he was to receive and expressed excitement and joy. That turned to anger after Good, who counsels troubled youths, found out it had all been a joke.
A Charlotte Observer sports columnist took up Good's cause, writing a front-page column in Wednesday's newspaper that resulted in outraged fans e-mailing Fox Sports.
That led Fox Sports chairman David Hill to announce he would personally give Good the keys to a new Ford F-150 pickup.
"I'm coming to Charlotte Friday to apologize to Mr. Good for a joke that went terribly, terribly wrong," Hill said.
Hill said there would be punishments at Fox Sports over the incident, but said none of the announcers involved will be taken off the air.
"I take the reputation of Fox Sports very seriously and I don't want it to be sullied," he said.
Good expressed excitement at the turn his story had taken.
"I'm so surprised and so happy," he told The Observer. "I thought all I was going to get was an apology."

Well I am glad that Fox stepped up to the plate and is doing the honorable thing. This bit of humor would have been a lot better if the person who was getting the "car" had been in on the joke. I have no problem with the network trying to keep viewers around to watch a game that has absolutely ZERO value other than to the team and players. However the context of the prank went beyond good taste, and I am glad that someone at Fox had the integrity to do the right thing.

Houston Tops for Patient Trust in Doctors

The headline says it all....Houston Tops for Patient Trust in Doctors

FRIDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Patient trust of doctors is highest in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston, Denver and Philadelphia, according to a new survey.
The survey of 41,148 people also found that doctors in all the nation's 20 largest cities scored higher than doctors in rural areas in terms of trust, whether the patient would recommend the doctor, and other indicators of patient satisfaction.
The results were released by the health-care ratings organization HealthGrades.
In the 20 cities, an average of 66.2 percent of patients said they "definitely, yes" trusted their doctors to make decisions/recommendations in their best interests, compared to an average of 61.1 percent in rural areas.
Here are the results for the 20 cities: Houston (70 percent); Dallas-Fort Worth (69.2 percent); Boston (68.2 percent); Denver (67.9 percent); Philadelphia (67.8 percent); Chicago (67.7 percent); Miami (67.4 percent); Washington, D.C.-Baltimore (67.3 percent); Seattle (66.7 percent); New York (66.4 percent); Detroit (66.3 percent); Cleveland (66.2 percent); Phoenix (64.9 percent); St. Louis (64.5 percent); Tampa-St. Petersburg (64.4 percent); San Diego (64.2 percent); Los Angeles (63.4 percent); Orlando (62.7 percent); Atlanta (62.6 percent); San Francisco (62.1 percent).
The findings, released Thursday, are based on questions asked between July 31, 2005 and July 31, 2006. Patients were also asked: whether they felt their doctor spends an appropriate amount of time with them; whether their doctor helps them understand their medical condition; and whether they would recommend their doctor to other people.
"The same group of cities rose to the top in each of our questions related to doctor satisfaction: Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.," Steve Wood, an executive vice president with HealthGrades, said in a prepared statement.

I just love to see validation for our city. This story proves that we are world class even without a "world class mass transit system" We have the best doctors, hospitals, and care anywhere. And this is in spite of the ocean of expenses that we waste because of illegal immigrants. I mean from the looks of it we are one of the 8 best cities for doctors and facilities in the US... Hey LA, and NYC where are you all.

This is something that the Greater Houston Partnership needs to follow up on.

CNN.com - Who do celebrities love most? Themselves - Sep 6, 2006

CNN.com - Who do celebrities love most? Themselves Does this headline really suprise anyone?

That's the conclusion drawn by Drew Pinsky and S. Mark Young of the University of Southern California, whose study of 200 celebrities will appear in the Journal of Research in Personality.

It's not the entertainment industry that turns stars into narcissists, the study found. Rather, it suggests, the self-adoring seek jobs in show business.

It's "common sense" that celebrities are narcissists, said Jeremy Ritzlin, a longtime Hollywood psychologist who has not seen the study.

"Narcissism is really being in love with yourself," he said. "So it would be natural for narcissists to gravitate toward the spotlight, where other people will also think highly of them."

I guess they are right about birds of a feather......

USATODAY.com - Kids run, shout, fight and foil abductions

When I mention that my whole family is taking Tae Kwon Do, they look at me and ask why I would have a my 2 daughters ages 4 and 7 in such a program. All I have to do is give them this article now.... USATODAY.com - Kids run, shout, fight and foil abductions It explains with perfect clarity why I want my girls in this program. It teaches them how to react, defend themselves and above all avoid the situation that this young lady faced. However if they ever were faced with it I am confident that they would be able to handle things and escape.

Just a bit from the article but it speaks volumes.

Stephanie Quackenbush recalls walking to school on a sunny morning in Albany, N.Y., last year when, a block from school, a man grabbed her from behind.

He put a towel over her face. She screamed for help. "Shut up! Shut up!" he ordered. "I have a knife. I'll stab you." "He was trying to force me to walk with him, but I kept fighting him," says Stephanie, then 14. Two men working nearby heard her yell and ran to help.

The attacker dropped the towel and ran off. DNA on the towel linked Darius Ashley to her assault and to the abduction and rape of two other young women. He's now serving a 25-year prison sentence.

Stephanie's case fits the pattern of most attempted abductions, according to a study released today by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The typical victim is a teenage girl on her way to or from school.

The study, released as a new school year gets underway, examined 403 attempted kidnappings by strangers or slight acquaintances that were reported by police or news media in 45 states from February 2005 to July 2006. It was conducted to learn how such attempts are foiled. The study did not look at successful abductions.

Six in 10 victims fought back and escaped, according to the ongoing study's initial findings. Three in 10 ran away before any physical contact, and about 10% were saved when an adult nearby intervened.

"It is more important than ever for parents to empower their kids," says Ernie Allen, the center's president. He says he doesn't want to scare children, but they need to learn to recognize danger and, if attacked, draw attention by screaming, kicking and running away.

Good advice, and it is important that everyone teach their children this both male and female, and that is the best empowerment that a parent can provide for their children.

Robert Kemmet, a detective with the Oklahoma City Police Department, has studied 170 local kidnapping attempts and says identifying patterns has led to several arrests.

"We can create an environment that makes it very difficult for a predator to operate," says Kemmet, who orders extra surveillance when he knows of an area where someone has repeatedly approached children.

He cites common lures: "Hey, little girl, do you want a piece of candy?" Or "Can you help me look for my puppy?" Some predators, he says, are "bus trawlers" who drive behind a school bus, watching for a child to get off alone. "That's what the predator is counting on: the lone child," Kemmet says.

Stephanie's mother, Rhonda Quackenbush, says she always taught her seven children to yell or fight back if attacked. Never was it more important than when her family suffered an unimaginable tragedy nine years ago. Her husband and one of her two sons were shot to death at a friend's house. Another daughter, Stacey, then 12, screamed and ran away.

Good news is the young lady both testified in court against the perp, but is now speaking to groups about the importance of knowing how to protect yourself.

CNN.com - Mexico's president-elect appeals for unity - Sep 6, 2006

CNN.com - Mexico's president-elect appeals for unity - Sep 6, 2006

With that headline you would think that things will be business as usual south of the border. Not so, here we sit just north of a country that is being pulled apart along political lines that is not to dissimilar to what has happened here in the USA. The only difference is the opposition is all but trying to start a civil war because they lost. Look at some of the things that the losing side have done....

1)Lopez Obrador's supporters threw trash at the headquarters of Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal, whose seven magistrates voted unanimously Tuesday to declare Calderon president-elect

2) But Lopez Obrador refused to accept Calderon's victory, vowing to hold a national convention in which delegates would elect him as Mexico's alternate president.
"We are going to exercise our sovereignty to construct a new government ... cast aside the simulated republic and create a true, authentic republic," he said.

3)Lopez Obrador's movement has become increasingly radical since the election, and polls indicate he lost support after lawmakers from his party blocked Fox's last state-of-the-nation address Friday. (Watch as leftists force Fox to give a TV address from his office -- 1:49)

And people wonder why mexicans are streaming across the border by the thousands. Look at how corrupt and insane their political process is. We still need to build the fence and get the illegals out and let the new president and the radicals deal with their issues first BEFORE we help them.

Nine weeks till election and I still have a decisions to make

As the November elections approach, I am faced as a conservative with a problem. Whom do I vote for in the Texas Governors race. Normally I would have chosen a someone and would be supporting that person in any way that I possibly could. This year is different and I'll try to put things in perspective with this post and others over the next few weeks.

Below are links to 4 of the 5 candidates for Governor of Texas

http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/
http://www.chrisbell.com/
http://www.rickperry.org/
http://www.carolestrayhorn.com/

Can Pence-Hutchison help save the GOP from itself?

Can Pence-Hutchison help save the GOP from itself? That is quite a headline from a liberally-biased newspaper like the Houston Chronicle. Those people really are hoping that the GOP continues with the way things are right now so that their buddies can get back into power.

A couple of quotes from the article from Craig Hines.

I agree with a Wall Street Journal editorial about every fifth Tuesday, give or take a decade, but only in months with a blue moon. I hold the hardly original view that they are most often brilliantly written and unfathomably wrong.

Now that does not surprise me in the least, liberals will never admit that someone else could be right unless they follow their talking points in lockstep.

Pence-Hutchison was near the top of my list of column topics anyway, so I'll use the Journal's welcome foray to chime in.
Pence-Hutchison is far from a perfect piece of legislation (and several nitpicks in a moment), but it is a serious attempt to move forward on a comprehensive approach to remedying the increasingly untenable status quo.

Quick side bar here, for those that do not know what he is talking about. Pence-Hutchison is the compromise legislation that has been proposed to deal with the immigration debate that is going on in congress. Here is the link to the Executive Summary and here is the Detailed Summary and finally here is what they want to do to Secure the Borders, and track those that enter the country legally. Granted the plan has it's questionable ideas, however it does close the borders and sets up a program for increased immigration and better controls on who is entering the US, It also provides an opportunity to the millions of illegals to stop living in fear and possibly earn a chance to gain citizenship.

What the House should do, of course, is pass the comprehensive Kennedy-McCain bill that cleared the Senate on a strong vote. It addresses border security as well as labor issues and regularizing the status of the 11 million or so illegals now in the United States. The path to citizenship it offers to some currently undocumented immigrants is stringent enough — including a fine — that in no way is it "amnesty." The Senate hoops also include a criminal background check, payment of any back taxes and English proficiency.

But House passage of Kennedy-McCain is not going to happen, if for no other reason than House Republican leaders will not let it come to the floor. No, those leaders, instead, are sponsoring a series of show hearings (yes, they're ludicrous, but I'll stifle the urge to use the adjective "Stalinesque") around the country, attempting to keep anti-immigrant sentiment at a now-to-November hard boil.

Shamefully, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., is baying at the head of the pack.

Oh, the article had potential until I got here. Look at what he is saying, pass legislation written by the biggest liberal in the Senate and the biggest panderer in the Senate. Yeah what they want does nothing to secure the borders, all it does if allow the Democrats the chance to pander to nearly 12 million voters, saying that they are the ones that got them citizenship. That and then the shameless liberal tactic of name calling but not calling some one a name.

Despite pleas from President Bush for a comprehensive immigration bill (such as Kennedy-McCain), the most vocal House Republicans are insisting that they will not retreat from the Berlin Wall approach in the legislation that their side of the Capitol has adopted. It's not hard to picture Hastert and House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis., flying to the border to help affix the broken bottles that they seem to want to crown their cherished idea of a fence from the Gulf to the Pacific.
Given the House Republicans' attitude, you would think that illegal aliens were all gay married couples intent on opening abortion clinics where they will burn U.S. flags and resolutely refuse to say "under God" in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Ok, one more time Berlin Wall? broken Bottles? Illegals = Gay married couples. These 2 paragraphs are just proof that the liberal press does not want anything changed, nor do they want anyone held accountable for their actions. I could rant forever on those quotes but I chose to let them stand on their own level of maturity.

As drafted, the measure would require illegals to return home to apply for a guest-worker visa. There's no reason such paperwork could not be accomplished in this country (even if it's to be handled by private U.S. employment firms, which got the Journal's free-market juices flowing). Why would illegals take the chance that they would never be allowed back into the United States?
Pence-Hutchison's 17-year path to prospective citizenship is too long, feeding the idea that the labor market, rather than our nation's democratic principles, is driving the process.
So there are many issues to discuss, and House Republicans should get down to business.

And finally why should the time needed to get citizenship be 17 years, besides if Mr. Hines had carefully read the documentation and plans for the program he would realize that during the time these people are in this program, they can at any time go back to their home country and start the process for legal permanent residence at any time, it also has a provision to keep families together during this process. Check out the clips below from the detailed summary

· Undocumented residents currently in the U.S. will not receive an automatic path to citizenship by virtue of participating in the Good Neighbor SAFE Visa Program. However, participation in the program will not preclude participants from returning to their country of origin at any time, surrendering their Good Neighbor SAFE Visa, and applying for legal permanent residence under current law.

· Spouses and minor children of Good Neighbor SAFE Visa holders will be allowed to enter the U.S. on an accompanying Good Neighbor SAFE Visa as long as they pass the criminal background check and public health screening.

So in conclusion the author again shows that the Chronicle and it's staff are so far to the left and uninformed that they cannot be considered a serious news outlet.

Teamsters leader calls for tightening borders

Just look at the headline and tell me that I am not dreaming....
Teamsters leader calls for tightening borders
Here we are in the middle of one of the biggest discussions about illegal immigration, and one of the bastions of Democratic support is calling for us to SHUT the borders down. Check out these quotes. I mean I nearly fell off my throne when I read the headline and then the article.

James Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, called for tighter U.S. border control, saying the country must stop illegal immigration so it can focus on the undocumented workers already here.

"We have to control our borders," Hoffa said in an interview Thursday in Detroit. "Let's stop for a while, so that we can basically take a breath and find out what we do with the people that are here.

"We have to have time to digest the people that are here, assimilate them into the culture," he said.

I had to pinch myself, here the leader of the Teamsters union, a historical support of Democrats around the country, is calling for us to do more to shut down the borders, and deal with the illegals we have here first.

Hoffa has urged Congress to pass immigration legislation that includes both tighter border controls and a path to citizenship for illegal workers already in the U.S.

Ok, so he wants these law breakers to have a chance to become citizens, While I don't necessarly agree that they should be allowed citizenship, he is right on target that we cannot do anything without dealing with the 2 issues that he addresses FIRST. Read the whole article for more info.

USATODAY.com - 'It's part of our life': Polygamy persists despite society's rejection

I try very hard to allow others to live their lives the way they want. I may not agree with what they do, say or believe, but I am willing to let everyone do what they want, as long as they do not force their lifestyle or beliefs on me. That being said, I have to wonder about what/how some people end up believing some things. This is article below is a perfect example. I will not comment on them or their beliefs, I'll let you decide for yourself

USATODAY.com - 'It's part of our life': Polygamy persists despite society's rejection