Friday, October 31, 2008
Get Off Of My Ride Sucker
Play my way or get off of my ride. This reminds me of kids when I was young who if they couldn't have it their way, just picked up all their marbles and went home. This person is a looser, acts like a looser and looks like a looser. His big heartbreak will be here next week.
PURGE: SKEPTICAL REPORTERS TOSSED OFF OBAMA PLANE
Fri Oct 31 2008 08:39:55 ET
NY POST, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, WASHINGTON TIMES TOLD TO GET OUT... ALL 3 ENDORSED MCCAIN
**Exclusive**
The Obama campaign has decided to heave out three newspapers from its plane for the final days of its blitz across battleground states -- and all three endorsed Sen. John McCain for president!
The NY POST, WASHINGTON TIMES and DALLAS MORNING NEWS have all been told to move out by Sunday to make room for network bigwigs -- and possibly for the inclusion of reporters from two black magazines, ESSENCE and JET, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
Despite pleas from top editors of the three newspapers that have covered the campaign for months at extraordinary cost, the Obama campaign says their reporters -- and possibly others -- will have to vacate their coveted seats so more power players can document the final days of Sen. Barack Obama's historic campaign to become the first black American president.
Some told the DRUDGE REPORT that the reporters are being ousted to bring on documentary film-makers to record the final days; others expect to see on board more sympathetic members of the media, including the NY TIMES' Maureen Dowd, who once complained that she was barred from McCain's Straight Talk Express airplane.
After a week of quiet but desperate behind-the-scenes negotiations, the reporters of the three papers heard last night that they were definitely off for the final swing. They are already planning how to cover the final days by flying commercial or driving from event to event.
Developing...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Vietnam may ban small-chested from driving
Now this just beats anything I have ever heard of. Hell when I was there most of them were very small, and I doubt much has changed as far as their size. They are very strong even if they are small. I guess that is what communism is all about.
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam is considering banning small-chested drivers from its roads — a proposal that has provoked widespread disbelief in this nation of slight people.
The Ministry of Health recently recommended that people whose chests measure fewer than 28 inches (72 centimeters) would be prohibited from driving motorbikes — as would those who are too short or too thin.
The proposal is part of an exhaustive list of new criteria the ministry has come up with to ensure that Vietnam's drivers are in good health. As news of the plan hit the media this week, Vietnamese expressed incredulity.
"It's ridiculous," said Tran Thi Phuong, 38, a Hanoi insurance agent. "It's absurd."
"The new proposals are very funny, but many Vietnamese people could become the victim of this joke," said Le Quang Minh, 31, a Hanoi stockbroker. "Many Vietnamese women have small chests. I have many friends who won't meet these criteria."
It was unclear how the ministry established its size guidelines or why it believes that small people make bad drivers. An official there declined to comment.
The average Vietnamese man is 5 feet, 4 inches (164 centimeters) tall and weighs 121 pounds (55 kilograms). The average Vietnamese woman is 5 feet, 1 inch (155 centimeters) tall and weighs 103 pounds (47 kilograms).
Statistics on average chest size were unavailable.
The draft, which must be approved by the central government to become law, would also prohibit people from driving motorbikes if they suffer from an array of health conditions like enlarged livers or sinusitis. The rules would cover the vast majority of Vietnam's 20 million motorbikes. It would not apply to drivers of cars or trucks.
Motorbikes account for more than 90 percent of the vehicles on Vietnam's chaotic roads, which are among the world's most dangerous.
Nearly 13,000 road deaths were recorded last year, and Vietnam has one of the world's highest rates per 100,000, according to the World Health Organization. The majority of accidents involve motorbikes, which many workers in the nation of 85 million need to do their jobs.
When Nguyen Van Tai, a motorbike taxi driver, heard about the proposal, he immediately had his chest measured. Much to his relief, Tai beat the chest limit by 3 inches (7 centimeters).
"A lot of people in my home village are small," said Tai, 46. "Many in my generation were poor and suffered from malnutrition. And now the Ministry of Health wants to stop us from driving to work."
Vietnamese bloggers have been poking fun at the plan, envisioning traffic police with tape measures eagerly pulling over female drivers to measure their chests.
"From now on, padded bras will be best-sellers," said Bo Cu Hung, a popular Ho Chi Minh City blogger.
Newspapers were inundated with letters today from concerned readers who worried that they wouldn't measure up.
"I'm not heavy enough, what am I going to do?" Le Thu Huong asked in a letter to Tuoi Tre newspaper. "And what about people whose chests are small? Most of them are too poor to afford breast implants!"
Wednesday Hero
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Been Down With The Crud
This is just about the first time I have been online sense last week. I really got sick over the weekend. I took two days vacation on thur and fri, and started feeling bad on fri. Sour throat, caugh etc. I started pumping up on vit c, but didn't do anygood. Yesterday I went to the doctor, which I should have done sooner. She said I had a severe sinus infection and that my thorat looked to be on fire. Well it was. Everytime I swallow it feels like someone is just ripping my thorat out. Got a shot in the ond backside and started on antibiotics, feeling better today, still not back at work. I hope to go back tomorrow. Oh well luck I have some time to burn. Slept pretty good last night, throat much better.
Sphere: Related ContentWednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday Hero
22 years old from South Royalton, Vermont
2nd Brigade Troop Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
August 06, 2006
Sgt. Carlton Clark graduated from South Royalton High School in 2002. While in high school, he was co-captain of his soccer team and a member of the track and field and basketball teams. He graduated from basic combat training and advanced individual training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. in 2002 and was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. as a combat engineer. He was air assault qualified and deployed during the initial wave of Operation Iraqi Freedom for one year. He was subsequently assigned to West Point to train cadets. He re-enlisted and was deployed for a second tour of duty in Iraq. He earned a Purple Heart, an Army Commendation Medal with Valor, a Bronze Star Medal and was posthumously awarded a second Purple Heart.
Sgt. Clark was killed in action when an IED detonated near his Humvee while conducting combat operations in Baghdad. Also killed in the attack were Staff Sgt. Stephen A. Seale and Cpl. Jose Zamora.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
We Need God In America Again
Some may not like this, but I do, so I am posting it. Makes a lot of sense to me.
Foolish Filly Was Having A 'Mare
And on the lighter side of life
Jason Harschbarger, from Pullman, West Virginia, heard his horse winnying on the hill next to his house, only to discover the silly filly had lodged her head into a tree cavity.
Luckily the young horse managed to escape her ordeal with just a few minor injuries.
But the tree wasn't so lucky - Mr Harshbarger had to use a chainsaw to set his filly free.
He said: "She has a few cuts on her face and ear. Last I heard her jaw was a little dislocated but I think it is healing up and she can eat on her own again."
But that didn't stop Mr Harschbarger pausing to take a cracking photo of his horse having a 'mare - before coming to its rescue.
No doubt she'll think twice before horsing around again.
Monday, October 20, 2008
At long last, hero vet’s kin to receive 100-plus medals
This is a ture American Hero, one who didn't see any fanfare in advertising his accomplishments. This is what the American Military is all about. I salute him for his accomplishments.
Helen Tilgner remembers seeing a scar on her father’s left knee and realizing he had earned a Purple Heart as a chopper pilot in Vietnam.
But she had no idea that her father had won more than 100 medals and awards until this year - 26 years after he died in Malaysia.
Today, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) will present Tilgner and her two sons with the awards earned by Chief Warrant Officer Armit Tilgner.
“I feel like it is recognition that he should have had long ago, to be remembered with honor, and it’s a legacy I get to pass down to my sons so they are better aware of who he really was,” Tilgner said.
Armit Tilgner served six tours in Vietnam, earning four Bronze Stars, five Army Commendation Medals, three Meritorious Unit Commendation Medals, two Valorous Unit Awards and 136 Air Medal Awards. But he never talked about his military honors.
Tilgner retired after 20 years in the Army in 1973 and went to work for a medflight firm, transporting sick people from remote villages in Malaysia. In 1982, his helicopter crashed during a severe thunderstorm. Helen Tilgner, then 23, never knew where he was buried. Five years ago, she contacted Kerry, who helped locate his grave in Sarawak, Malaysia.
The late Tilgner’s grandsons have followed in his footsteps. Sgt. Jason Kendrick, 28, has done two tours in Iraq and is scheduled to fly out for his third next month. Specialist Jerrod Kendrick, 27, returned in May from Afghanistan
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Londonderry Teen Left Out Of Obama Rally
Well this does not surprise me at all. He dosen't even endorse America by wearing a lapel pin flag, so what would make him allow thes singing of the national anthem at one of his little get togethers. I think we are in for a real shock come November, and bad times are on their way. Nothing we can do about it now.
LONDONDERRY, N.H. -- A Londonderry high school student was supposed to sing the national anthem at Barack Obama's rally Thursday, but he ended up not being able to.
Just hours before he was to hit the stage, the Obama campaign told him he was no longer needed.
Zach Bengal, 17, said he was bumped because the campaign had to make time for more speeches.
He said the campaign worker who broke the news was apologetic and said they'd keep him in mind for the future. In a written statement, the campaign said it regretted what it called a miscommunication with Bengal, but it said several other New Hampshire residents were able to speak at the event.
Friday, October 17, 2008
I Am Gonna Plant A Garden
I have been looking at GUYK's' garden for a long time, and I think I am going to give it a go. I am not sure how to set one up, but I assume there is some art to it. I think a raised bed would work better for me, due to the hadrness and sand soil in my back yard. I printed out a chart from the web indicating what you can plant at certain times of the year, so that may be a start. Any advice please email me or post it. If I can figure out how to keep the tree rats out, I should be OK.
Sphere: Related ContentThursday, October 16, 2008
Sarah Stops At Wally World
This was an imprssive and good thing for Sarah to do. Stop and mingle with the little people at WalMart and even make a puchase. Bet her security detail were not to happy, but it just shows the kind of women she is.
By Kevin Kelly
Published:
Monday, October 13, 2008 3:04 AM EDT
GALLIPOLIS — Gallipolis Wal-Mart shoppers were at first surprised and then excited on Sunday to find a national political figure in their midst who was, just as they were, picking up a few things she needed.
Accompanied by her youngest son Trig, security, staffers and a small pool of news media, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin stepped off the “Straight Talk Express” bus to enter the store around 1:30 p.m., where she purchased a bag of Parents’ Choice brand disposable diapers and a toy.
But it was also an opportunity for the first-term Alaska governor to meet the public at large and win some votes for the ticket on which she’s running with the GOP White House nominee, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Palin did not have time to answer questions from the media following her trip through southeastern Ohio, but left some folks exhilirated at meeting her.
“It was so exciting,” said Pat Miller of Patriot, accompanied by her daughter Amber, a student at South Gallia High School. “She seemed to be very sweet, and if she could stop and take the time to buy some diapers for her son, it tells you that for her, family is first.”
Palin was to speak at a rally in St. Clairsville later in the day. After arriving at Tri-State Airport near Huntington, W.Va., Palin boarded the bus for the what would be her single stop for Gallipolis.
“I told the governor when she arrived at the airport she would see the most beautiful part of Ohio when she traveled up this way through Lawrence and Gallia counties,” said former Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who with his wife Fran traveled with the Palin entourage.
The other announced stop was for Marietta, and reports Palin would make a stop at the last day of the Bob Evans Farm Festival proved incorrect as the entourage was seen traveling north on Ohio 7 after leaving Gallipolis.
“I think it’s a great thing for us,” said Andy Fisher of Gallipolis, present with his wife Jo Ellen and daughter Ashley when Palin stopped. “She has a good Christian heart and will make a fine vice president.
“She really cares about people with special needs and she’s not afraid to stand up to big business,” he added.
“She was really down to earth,” Ashley Fisher said. “There was no ego and she treated us with respect, which sometimes you don’t get from political people.”
Palin, who spoke Thursday in Wilmington, a city to be hit hard with the loss of jobs from the DHL delivery service hub based there, spoke later in a community where union sentiment runs high.
St. Clairsville is the seat of Belmont County, won by John Kerry in the 2004 presidential race, and also the home of U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, a first-term Democrat whose Sixth Congressional District includes Gallia and Meigs counties.
“I think we will do well in southern and southeastern Ohio,” DeWine reflected. “Even in more Democratic counties we’re seeing more people coming in for McCain signs.”
“I try to look at both sides,” Pat Miller said. “I want to vote for the best person for my country because I have to think about my children’s future.”
With three weeks left in the campaign, Ohio — considered a major swing state for McCain and Democratic opponent Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois — has becone a regular stop for the candidates. Obama spoke in Dayton, Cincinnati, Portsmouth, Chillicothe and Columbus late last week, and plans a visit to Toledo today.
Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, Obama’s running mate, will also speak in St. Clairsville on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Ohio University Eastern Campus, and in Marietta at Armory Square Wednesday at 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Wednesday Hero
25 years old from Mount Airy, North Carolina
391st Engineer Battalion, Army Reserve
March 12, 2006
Misty Hiett, the widow of Sgt. Anton Hiett, said in an interview that he, Sgt. Hiett, asked to transfer to the 391st Engineering Battalion when it looked like his reserve unit would not be deployed.
Sgt. Hiett was a truck driver who joined the military right out of high school because he "wanted to go help out" during the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. After his transfer to the 391st, he was deployed to Afghanistan on April 22, 2005.
On March 12, 2006, Sgt. Hiett, and three fellow soldiers from the 391st, Staff Sgt. Joe Ray; Spc. Joshua Hill and Sgt. Kevin Akins, were killed when an IED detonated near their Humvee during combat operations west of Asadabad, Afghanistan. He left behind his wife and their then 2(now 4)-year-old daughter Kyra.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Monday, October 13, 2008
School takes 1st-graders to see lesbian teacher wed
Call me what you will, but this crap just isn't right
© 2008 WorldNetDaily
Photo courtesy Liz Hafalia, San Francisco Chronicle
A public school in San Francisco bused 18 first-graders to City Hall yesterday, so the youngsters could scatter rose petals in celebration of their lesbian teacher's wedding.
The students, from Creative Arts Charter School, waited on the steps for their teacher with bags of pink rose petals, bottles of bubbles and, at least for some, with political buttons asking Californians to vote down Proposition 8, a ballot measure that seeks to define marriage in the state as a union between one man and one woman.
"She's a really nice teacher. She's the best," 6-year-old Chava Novogrodsky-Godt told the San Francisco Chronicle, wearing a "No on 8" button on her shirt. "I want her to have a good wedding."
As WND reported, supporters of California's Proposition 8 have claimed that combining legalized same-sex marriage with the state's mandate that schools "teach respect for marriage and committed relationships" would result in kindergartners being taught the virtues of homosexual marriage. Opponents have called such arguments fabrications and scare tactics.
Yesterday's field trip wasn't quite kindergartners, but it was close.
"It shows that not only can it happen, but it has already happened," said Chip White, press secretary for the Yes on 8 campaign.
"It's just utterly unreasonable that a public school field trip would be to a same-sex wedding," White told the Chronicle. "This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to have an understanding of its purpose."
The school's interim director Liz Jaroflow, however, defended the field trip to a homosexual wedding as academically justifiable.
"It really is what we call a teachable moment," she told the Chronicle. "I think I'm well within the parameters."
Jaroflow also told the Chronicle that despite the potential objections of some the decision was not controversial for her, and that "it's certainly an issue I would be willing to put my job on the line for."
According to the Chronicle, the field trip was a surprise to the teacher, Erin Carder, and originally proposed by a parent.
"How many days in school are they going to remember?" asked parent Mark Lipsett. "This is a day they'll definitely remember."
Carder married Kerri McCoy on the office balcony of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who officiated the ceremony.
As the couple held hands on the balcony overlooking the City Hall's rotunda, Carder proclaimed, "With this ring I thee wed!" shouting the last word for emphasis.
The couple told the Chronicle that they have participated in campaigning against Proposition 8 and planned to travel around the city after the ceremony in a motorized trolley car with banners reading "Just Married" and "Vote No on 8."
Two families of children in the class chose not to give permission for the trip, their children remaining at the school with another first-grade class.
Chase in Montgomery County leads to fatal shooting
Lesson number one (1) never try and outrun the law
Lesson number two (2) never fire a weapon at the Law
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 13, 2008, 4:09PMShare Print Email Del.icio.usDiggTechnoratiYahoo! BuzzMontgomery County Sheriff's deputies fatally shot a man who led authorities on a chase this morning, tried to evade a roadblock and then shot at the deputies, officials said.
Three other people in the man's car, all passengers, were injured and taken to area hospitals, authorities said. No authorities were injured, the sheriff's office said.
No identities have been released.
Authorities said the man killed was a wanted felon. He was thought to be carrying a weapon and had a history of evading law enforcement.
Investigators with the office's Special Investigations Unit were following the man, who was driving a black Ford Mustang, authorities said. They stopped the Mustang at the intersection of FM 1488 and Honea Egypt.
The man refused to comply with commands and tried to evade the roadblock set up by the deputies, authorities said. He then fired upon the deputies, who returned fire, fatally striking him, authorities said.
One female passenger was taken by helicopter to Hermann Memorial Hospital in Houston. Another female and a male passenger were taken to Memorial Hermann The Woodlands.
Officials said they have not determined how many shots were fired.
The office's Detective division and the Texas Rangers are investigating, along with the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Friday, October 10, 2008
4000 Dead People Found On Voter Rolls In Houston
You see, we are so patriotic in Texas we even come back from the dead to vote. Right Si
HOUSTON -- Note: The following story is a verbatim transcript of an Investigators story that aired on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2008, on KPRC Local 2 at 10 p.m.
Local 2 investigates dead voters.
The push to register voters for this year's presidential election is breaking records.
More than 1.9 million people are registered to vote in Harris County alone.
But how many of the people listed on the voter roll are actually eligible to cast a ballot?
Investigative reporter Amy Davis shows you how hundreds of voters could sway this year's election -- voters who are not even alive.
"All-in-all, a great person, a great woman, just a wonderful person" is how Alexis Guidry described her mother to Local 2 Investigates.
"As far back as I can remember, they've always voted in the election," Guidry said of her parents.
The March 2008 Primary was no exception. Voting records show Alexis' mom, Gloria Guidry, cast her ballot in person near her South Houston home.
"It was just very shocking, a little unsettling," said Alexis Guidry.
It's unsettling because Gloria Guidry died of cancer 10 months before the March Primary.
"She'd be very upset," Guidry said when asked what her mom would think.
Trent Seibert, of Texas Watchdog, says you should be too.
"This is really disquieting. It's concerning. It's worrisome," said Seibert.
He heads up the non-partisan news group on the web.
Texas Watchdog compared Harris County's voter registration roll with the Social Security death index and found more than 4,000 matches -- registered voters that, it appears, are already dead.
ome of them, like Henderson Hill's late wife Linda, voted postmortem.
"I would like to know who did it, myself," Hill told Davis.
We don't know who used Linda Hill's or Gloria Guidry's IDs to vote, but we do know if their names had been purged from voter rolls after they died, using their IDs wouldn't have worked.
"This is a red flag. No matter where you are, this should set off alarm bells," Seibert said. "Someone needs to take a look at this."
Local 2 Investigates took the information to the Harris County Voter Registrar.
"We just kind of work with the systems that we're allowed to," explained George Hammerlein, the director of Harris County Voter Registration.
The county's system for culling deceased voters from the roll seems painfully primitive.
We watched employees clip obituaries from the newspaper and sort through probate records for names matching those on the roll. But, Hammerlein says while fraud is a concern, for his office, disenfranchising voters is a bigger one.
"We do all we can, but you know we'd rather err on the side of leaving people on the roll instead of taking them off inadvertently," he said.
But could that cautious "better safe than sorry" standard sway an election some say will be a close one?
Texas Watchdog found 4,462 registered voters who appear to be deceased.
In 2000, George Bush won the presidential election by a mere 537 votes in Florida.
"We've never had any evidence there's a concerted attempt at fraud," Hammerlein told Local 2.
But there is evidence the state agency in charge of ensuring only eligible voters can vote is not.
The State Auditor's Office conducted an audit of the voter registration system at the Secretary of State's Office last November.
Auditors identified 49,049 registered voters state-wide who may have been ineligible to vote. Approximately 23,576 may have been deceased and another 23,114 were possible felons. And they found more than 2,359 duplicate records.
The auditor did not find any instances in which potentially ineligible voters actually voted, but they wrote, "Although the Secretary of State's office has processes to identify many ineligible voters and remove them from the State's voter registration list, improvements can be made."
Almost a year after this audit, we wanted to know if the Secretary of State has made any improvements. Have they added any safeguards to the process?
No one from that office would talk to us on camera, but the Director of Elections told us, "We'd rather err in leaving someone on the roll than taking someone off."
"If there's something wrong here, if there's something amiss, this is the worst election to have that happen, "Seibert warned.
And Guidry agrees.
"I don't think it's a matter that she would take lightly," she said of her mom.
In what she calls an historic election, Guidry says her mother wouldn't want anyone speaking for her.
"I think she would definitely do all that she could just to make sure things were on the up and up."
W sent the information we showed you to the Director of Elections in Austin. She said her office refers any credible allegation of election fraud to the Attorney General for investigation.
She said the cases we presented would be felony violations.
Visit www.texaswatchdog.org for more information about how Texas Watchdog found dead voters on the rolls.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Texas now requiring proof of legal status before issuing a driver's license
Well surprise surprise.
By CLAY ROBISON
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
Oct. 8, 2008, 11:59PM
Gov. Rick Perry applauded the change, which went into effect Oct. 1, as a way to strengthen the state's security.
"Texas is a great place to live and work, and while we welcome legally documented individuals to the Lone Star State, we must ensure that this privilege is not abused by those seeking to enter our country illegally," he said.
But Jim Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said the policy change is a bad idea because illegal immigrants are going to drive anyway.
"People have to drive to get to work. You want people to get (auto) insurance. They can't get insurance if they don't have a driver's license," he said.
The immigrant driver's licenses will look different than regular licenses so that they are immediately recognizable to police, Perry said.
The immigrant licenses will have a "temporary visitor" designation and the date the driver's legal U.S. admission expires.
No driver's license will be issued for anyone whose legal entry into the country expires in less than six months.
People with indefinite admission periods will get one-year licenses that will have to be renewed in person with proof that the applicant's lawful status has been extended.
Under the change, people who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States must present valid governmental documentation that they are in the country legally before they can obtain a driver's license or personal identification card.
The documents must be issued by the Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Natu-ralization Service or Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Border crossing cards won't be accepted.
Lawful permanent residents must present valid immigrant visas or U.S. resident alien cards before getting licenses.
U.S. citizens seeking an initial application for a license have various options for proving citizenship, including a U.S. passport, citizenship certificate or a combination of other documents, including a birth certificate, military records and voter registration card.
State law also requires all applicants for driver's licenses to provide a Social Security number.
But applicants can bypass that requirement by signing an affidavit that they have been deemed ineligible for coverage.
The affidavit doesn't require applicants to state why they have been denied Social Security coverage, DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange said. And, she added, illegal immigrants could have obtained licenses by submitting fake Social Security cards.
She said the Public Safety Commission, the DPS' governing board, imposed the new restrictions for immigrants on its own. Similar changes in policy have been proposed by legislators, but none of those bills has ever become law.
"The commission wanted to make sure the driver's licenses and identification cards were as secure documents as we could make them," she said.
The DPS estimates that as many as 2 million of Texas' 16 million licensed drivers — one in eight — may be immigrants, many in the country illegally, Mange said.
"That's nonsense," Harring-ton said of the estimate. "I don't think anybody has any idea."
Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, agreed.
"The idea that there's a flood of people (illegal immigrants) going into DPS offices, signing a form saying they're not eligible for a Social Security card and then getting driver's licenses is unbelievable," he said.
Coleman said the crackdown was election year "demagoguery" by Perry.
"It (immigration) is the issue that galvanizes their (Republican) base," he said.
Public Safety Commission Chairman Allan Polunsky, of San Antonio, said he initiated the policy change after learning of a taxi driver in Dallas who had brought undocumented workers into Texas from other states so they could obtain Texas driver's licenses.
Polunsky said he didn't know the taxi driver's motives but found it disconcerting that illegal immigrants could easily obtain driver's licenses in Texas.
He said the new restrictions also bring Texas into closer compliance with the federal REAL ID Act, which requires states to create specially marked licenses for some immigrants.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Wednesdays Hero
21 years old from Upland, Indiana
2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
November 15, 2004
The father of Cpl. Lance Thompson said his son would be proud knowing he fought and died to help Iraqis vote in an election.
Cpl. Lance Thompson died in during fighting in Ramadi by a truck bomb. His father, Greg Thompson, said his son sent him a letter in September of '04 which said, "Freedom is not free. It requires sacrifice."
Greg Thompson said the millions turning out to vote in Iraq was "fantastic" and said it was a "momentous day in the Middle East."
"Are you asking me was it worth Lance losing his life?" he asked a reporter. "Being the gung-ho Marine that he was, he would say yes. So I'll say yes. That is a tough, bitter pill to swallow. It hurts. God, I didn't want to give up my son."
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Astro's arrest leads to Galveston PD internal probe
Must have been quite a wedding reception. Humm, who to believe. I did see the video last night, and Brandon did have the crap beat out of him for sure
By HARVEY RICE Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 7, 2008, 8:39AM
Karen Warren Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros pitcher Brandon Backe was among 10 people arrested during an incident involving Galveston police at a hotel bar.
Share Print Email Del.icio.usDiggTechnoratiYahoo! BuzzGALVESTON — Police have begun an internal investigation of a weekend confrontation between police and members of a wedding party that led to the arrest of Astros pitcher Brandon Backe.
Witnesses said Monday that police needlessly beat, Tasered and pepper-sprayed wedding guests who were trying to comply with police commands during an incident in which officers arrested 10 people, including Backe, at an outdoor bar at the San Luis Hotel on Seawall Boulevard.
Daniel Cole O'Balle, 19, was injured during the incident and flown by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. Backe was charged with three counts of assault on a public servant and two counts of retaliation. He was released on $115,000 bond.
Galveston police spokesman Cpt. Walter Braun said the department's office of professional conduct was conducting an internal investigation, although no formal complaints of officer misconduct had been received. "This administration is taking a proactive step," Braun said.
Police said a melee ensued after an officer approached O'Balle about entering the pool area with an open container of alcohol.
Witnesses' versions of the Saturday night confrontation differ widely from the description in the police report. Five witnesses told the Houston Chronicle they saw no one, including Backe, resist police.
They also said that there was no fight in the bar as described by police.
Witnesses described dozens of police storming a shocked and unresisting wedding party, shouting profanity and roughly shoving men and women.
Michael McMillan, 36, of Houston, said he and Backe walked up to see what the commotion was about and saw O'Balle on the ground bleeding, being shocked with a Taser and handcuffed. Police began shouting at them to back up and they complied, he said.
After they backed up as far as they could, McMillan said, officers continued shouting, "and Brandon Backe said, 'Sir, be cool, we're backed up as far as we can go.' "
As soon as Backe spoke, several officers wrestled him to the ground, punching him as he went down, McMillan said.
"A police officer kicks him right in the face," he said.
Backe never used profanity, insults or resisted the officers, McMillan said.
McMillan said he moved away and began walking down the hill with his wife when an officer ran at him and struck him with an elbow, knocking him to the ground. Several officers piled on and one put a foot in his back, he said.
He was put in a police car with Backe, he said. When they complained about their handcuffs being painfully tight, officers increased the pain by cornering at high speeds and forcing them to slide along the seat, he said. He said officers laughed as they cried out in pain.
Describing the experience, McMillan said, "You will feel the most helpless, humiliated, betrayed, that you will ever feel."
Chris Cornwell, 26, of Galveston, said police threw him to the ground when he asked them to stop shoving his pregnant wife. An officer put his foot on Cornwell's head until he stopped talking, he said.
Matt Goodson, 26, of Galveston, said he was taken down next to Cornwell. One of the officers picked up his head and pepper-sprayed him in the face for no reason, he said.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Just Another Perfect Day In Houston
Well today was another great looking day. I got a lot of yard work done, still cleaning up from the storm, but things are looking better. Got my daughter and my middle son in the back yard, and we got it done, well I should say they got it done, I just sorta supervised. Anyhow they did a good job, so as a reward, I did a little BBQ, and everyone was happy for it. I don't care that much about BBQ'ing anymore. I did it so much while we were without power for those 11 days after IKE, that it kinda reminds me of the bad times. But being a good Texan, I will get over it. There is still a lot of mess around my neighborhood and around most of this whole area. The work crews are really working hard, so it should be all back to normal in a few months.
Sphere: Related ContentSaturday, October 4, 2008
Just Chillin Tonight
Guess ya'll can tell by the vids I put up, that I am just chillin and enjoying a few cold beers. I like to find old stuff at times like these, so the vids as I am sure all of you know are from one of the classics. I am enjoying this first weekend I have had off in about a month. I had planned to sit on my ass and drink beer all day and bbq a little, but that went out the window when I walked out to my backyard to turn on the pool pump. I saw how messed up my yard still was from Ike, and I had to do something about it, so I spent the next four hours raking, trimming and picking up the remains of all of the crap that was still there. A buddy of mine came over to work on the backyard of his rent house, but decided it was to much to do, so he helped me cut down a few things. Now my yard has more shit in it than when I started. Oh well. We had a couple of beers to cool off, and had a few more just to make sure we were well cooled down. Now all in all it has been a good day, and I plan to do nothing tomorrow, but sit on my ass and watch the Texans loose again.
Sphere: Related ContentFriday, October 3, 2008
Playing Catch UP
This has been a week from hell. I haven't even had much time to get online and read my favorite blogs, or post my usual BS, but time marches on. We are still catching up at work from IKE, and also trying to get our new release finalized for release, so I am busy as hell. My internet at home is in and out due to the storm as well. They came out today while I was home for lunch and connected a new cable and put it under the ground, so I will see if all is back to normal tonight when I get home. Damn, I need this weekend, it will be the first full weekend I have had off in a long time, and I am looking forward to knocking back a few cold ones for sure.
Sphere: Related ContentWednesday, October 1, 2008
Air Force Staff Sgt. Moses E. Willoughby, 72; Rescued 6 Men
Another of the Vietnam Heros passes on to his reward. He wll be missed.
By Patricia Sullivan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 28, 2008; Page C07
Moses E. Willoughby, 72, who as an Air Force staff sergeant in 1968 rescued six men from a burning crashed aircraft, died of congestive heart failure Sept. 4 at his home in Lothian. After his military career, he worked for the D.C. police department.
Sgt. Willoughby, an ordnance supervisor, was doing maintenance chores Nov. 19, 1968, at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, when an explosives-laden B-52 bomber bound for Vietnam crashed at the end of a runway on takeoff.
Fire immediately consumed the aircraft, and most of the crew scrambled into a nearby ditch as the full fuel tanks ignited, just before the bombs detonated. The tail gunner, who had escaped through the back of the bomber, ran back to the runway, where emergency vehicles had been held back because the bombs were about to explode.
Sgt. Willoughby and another airman noticed human motion through the 450-foot flames, jumped into an ordinary military pickup and drove to the crew.
Gary Sible, the B-52's navigator, had broken his leg during the crash but with another crew member managed to climb a chain-link fence to escape the burning jet fuel.
He told the Willoughby family in an e-mail that he and his buddy, who also had a broken leg, were hobbling along an adjacent road when he saw Sgt. Willoughby's pickup, already loaded with four other crew members.
"Nothing ever looked so good," he wrote. "I do not know which of the guys drove the truck but the other was in the rear with the rest of the crew giving aid as best he could. The driver tore out toward the infirmary at a pretty high rate of speed. We could not stay on the road because there were fires all over the place.
"We dodged them all and came roaring into the infirmary with the horn of the truck blaring. The staff of the infirmary came running out. They could not believe anyone (let alone all) could have lived through the explosions."
Two badly burned crew members later died of their injuries. Sgt. Willoughby received the Airman's Medal for his actions.
The crash drew little attention in the United States, but it fed opposition within Okinawa to the existence of the base on the island, which the Americans had occupied since World War II. The crash occurred just 300 yards from a huge ammunition dump rumored to contain nuclear weapons. Okinawans staged a series of large protests, which eventually contributed to the reversion of the island to Japan in 1971.
Sgt. Willoughby became a transportation coordinator upon his return to the United States and supervised the motor pool at Andrews Air Force Base for a time. He retired from the Air Force in 1975 and joined the D.C. police force as a tow crane operator. He retired from the police department on disability three years later.
He was born in Winterville, N.C., and joined the Air Force after high school.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Betty Cornwell Willoughby of Lothian; four children, Moses Willoughby Jr. of Medina, Ohio, Laurie Ann Callahan of Crofton, Dwayne Willoughby of Mechanicsville and Joseph Willoughby of Brandywine; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
New Web Site Aims At Ensuring Overseas Military Votes Are Counted
Senator John Cornyn is making it easy for our military heros delplyed to cast their votes.
Voting is one of our democracy’s highest privileges.
Register/Request Absentee Ballot
U.S. Senator John Cornyn, Texas
Voting is a privilege guaranteed by our Constitution and ensured by our men and women in uniform. Yet, for far too many military personnel stationed away from home, it is difficult or even impossible to exercise their right to vote.
Nearly 1,000,000 military and overseas absentee ballots were requested for the 2006 election, but only one-third of them were actually counted. That means that more than 660,000 interested military voters were ultimately not able to have their voices heard. This is unacceptable.
We must protect the rights of our soldiers—and their families—to vote and have that vote counted. Help a loved one or friend make sure they are registered, their ballot application is processed, and their vote is delivered and counted. Democrat, Republican, Independent…party affiliation or personal views are irrelevant. We ought to make certain they are able to vote.
This web site is a portal to great information that will make it easier for our men and women in uniform to do that which they have worked so hard to make so simple for the rest of us. They often put their lives on the line to guarantee the freedoms that make this country exceptional, and they deserve every opportunity to exercise the basic right to vote themselves. Let’s make certain they have exactly that.
God Bless our troops and the United States of America,
John Cornyn
U.S. Senator from Texas
Wednesdays Hero
This Week's Post Was Suggested And Written By Kathi
44 years old from Webster New York
401st Civil Affairs Battalion
September 1, 2008
SSGT Renee A. Deville was an Army Reservist who deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion from Webster, N.Y. She arrived at Walter Reed August 10, 2006, after being injured in a mortar attack.
While at Walter Reed, Deville was assigned to Chosen Battery, Warrior Transition Brigade, and was among three graduates of the Army's first Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course Stand Alone Common Core offered to Warriors in Transition.
Deville, who successfully completed every aspect of the course from a wheelchair, was lauded by SGT Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston as exemplifying the Army's 'Warrior Ethos', at the graduation ceremony for the course on March 28, 2008.
Deville was also the impetus for a new playground being built behind the Mologne House at Walter Reed in 2007.
An October 2007 Washington Post article about the opening of the playground says that SSGT Deville's mention of her children's limited recreational options to Col. Bruce Haselden, the garrison commander, helped set in motion the playground project.
Staff Sgt. Renee Antoinette Deville died September 1, 2008 in her room at the Mologne House at Walter Reed. She was 44.
She is survived by her husband and 4 children, her mother, a brother, and two sisters.
SSGT Deville was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery on September 19, 2008.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
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