Can you say don't talk on cell phones and drive.. Here's your sign.
The silver Mercedes sedan was bogged down in wet cement.
DALLAS — Here's a story that gives new meaning to the phrase "stuck in traffic."
News 8 viewer and freelance photographer Alison Bristol said she was passing a construction crew at the corner of Lemmon Avenue and Inwood Road Monday when she noticed a Mercedes sedan embedded in some freshly-poured concrete.
"Apparently, the driver didn't realize the construction crew just finished pouring cement on the road," Bristol said, adding that the car drove into a work area clearly marked by signs and cones.
The driver had to be helped out of the car because the vehicle was completely surrounded by wet pavement.
As for the Mercedes, a wrecker was called to extract it from the southbound lanes before it became stuck in traffic permanently.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Stuck in traffic: Mercedes gets lodged in freshly-poured concrete
Monday, March 30, 2009
Numerous injuries reported in crash of Houston firetrucks
This could have been a lot worse than it was. Thank goodness no one was killed. I saw it on Fox News. It isn't often Houston makes the big time news. Except when stealing is going on.
Eleven people were injured today, one of them critically, after two Houston Fire Department trucks collided in the Montrose area as they were responding to a fire alarm.
The injured included nine firefighters, but Assistant Chief Omero Longoria said their injuries are not life-threatening.
One of the trucks flipped onto a car and also struck a bicyclist after the initial collision in the 2600 block of Dunlavy at Westheimer. The bicyclist, a woman whose name has not been disclosed, is listed in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
The trucks were responding to a report of a possible fire in the 2100 block of San Felipe, but other firefighters later determined that there was no fire, said District Chief Tommy Dowdy.
"A lot of injuries are caused by responding to alarms," Longoria said. "The job doesn't start when you get to the location. It starts when you get on the truck. It's a dangerous job."
Dowdy said the five firefighters who were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center downtown will be released after treatment.
One firefighter was admitted to Ben Taub General Hospital in stable condition, Dowdy said, while one also was admitted in stable condition at Memorial Hermann and two others were to be released.
The other injured civilian, a woman who was in the car, was expected to be released after treatment at Methodist Hospital, Dowdy said. She is a 48-year-old Bellaire resident.
Mayor Bill White went to the hospitals to check on the injured.
The crash, at 10:48 a.m., involved trucks from fire stations 7 and 16. One of the firefighters was thrown from a truck, Dowdy said.
The ladder truck was northbound on Dunlavy and the pumper truck was heading west on Westheimer, Dowdy said. The pumper truck struck the rear of the ladder truck from the side and the ladder truck rolled onto the front half of a white Infiniti sedan.
"Whoever has the green light has the right-of-way," Dowdy said. "We don't know who had the green light."
He added that no skid marks were found at the site. The pumper was filled with 500 gallons of water, Dowdy said, but it is equipped with brakes that are made to stop it in such situations.
Bernard Proctor, who witnessed the accident, said he heard a loud boom when the firetrucks collided, then a sharp crack when one of the trucks struck a utility pole on the corner.
"It was the loudest sound I ever heard," Proctor said. "It was crazy."
Mario Casas, who works in a boutique at the intersection, said he saw the trucks collide and ran outside to help. Sparks were flying from cables that came down with the utility pole, he said.
Casas, 23, said he saw a passerby pulling the bicyclist from under the overturned ladder truck.
``I saw the lady. I thought she was dead, but she was breathing,'' he said.
Casas added that several other people from nearby businesses ran to the crash site to help the injured.
Glenn Stanton, a 53-year-old retired restaurateur who lives nearby, heard the crash.
"Our house is about a half a block away and maybe a little more and the impact shook the house," Stanton said. "The sirens were nonstop and the power went out immediately."
He said he went outside and saw the ladder truck from Station 16 lying atop the car in front of Café Brasil.
"It's quite gruesome just to see the fire engine on its side, its wheels in the air like that," Stanton said. "Its wheels are horizontal and the cab is up on the curb and hit a (utility) pole, so all the power's out."
He said he helped direct traffic as police and firefighters pushed onlookers back and swarmed the accident scene.
The Fire Department will pay other firefighters overtime to fill in while the injured crews are out of service, Dowdy said.
The pumper, which weighs about 40,000 pounds, is about a year old and cost about $400,000, Dowdy said. He said the ladder truck, which weighs about 80,000 pounds, cost about $800,000 and has been in service for about six months.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Working On A Saturday
What kind of crap is this?? I took a personal day on Friday, so that I could continue my Spring cleanup around the house and that all ended Friday night when my boss called me and wanted to know how much of his expense report for 2008 I had completed. I told him I had gotten thourh Jan and Feb. I could tell he was a little stressed, but being the man that I am, I said, however I was planning on going in on Saturday for a while to finish is up. He was happy. So here I sit in my office working on his shit. I do hardware and software, so messing around with expense reports is not exactly what I am know for. Oh well I just consider myself very lucky to even have a job in these times. So, it is now 2pm and I have most of it done and I am going home to do a litle work, then start enjoying several adult beverages. Ya''ll have a good weekend.
Sphere: Related ContentFriday, March 27, 2009
Tornadoes, baseball-sized hail possible north of Houston
We got some hail at my house. Not a lot, but enough to get my attention. It was about marble size. No vehicle damage. It came and left within about 4 minutes.
HOUSTON – Spring thunderstorms are stirring up trouble in several area counties.
March 27, 2009 View larger E-mail Clip More Video An 11 News weather watcher in Cleveland reported a tornado touched down near FM 105 and Travis. He said it uprooted some trees and knocked a light pole over on a truck.
The Cleveland Regional Medical Center also had wind damage during and the town was hit by hail as big as two inches in diameter.
The National Weather Service Doppler radar said the thunderstorm "is capable of producing large damaging hail up to baseball size."
Golf-ball sized -- possibly larger -- hail broke home and car windows in Cut and Shoot and Conroe.
"Wow! We just had to biggest hail storm I’ve ever seen," Patricia Williams reported in an e-mail from Conroe. "The wind was blowing what seemed like as hard as during our last hurricane. The roar was deafening."
“The storm is heading off to the east, with it about to cross the Trinity River,” said 11 News Chief Meteorologist Gene Norman.
A Tornado Watch is in effect until 8:00 p.m. for Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Liberty and Polk counties.
“The chance for large hail-producing thunderstorms and winds can reach over 100 mph,” said Norman.
Norman says there is still the potential for more tornadoes to develop in the watch area.
This is hail damage reported in Conroe.
The good news is, once that passes through, the weekend will be sunny and cool.
“We will get some chilly air coming in here for the weekend. No freeze, but it’s going to get much cooler,” Norman said.
In fact, the same front that will cool us off is responsible for blizzard conditions in the Texas Panhandle.
We won’t be getting any winter weather here, but we will have highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s this weekend.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
If you are a REAL TEXAN, ...
Just a little education for you non Texas types out there. Enjoy.
1. You measure distance in minutes.
2. You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
3. Stores don't have bags; they have sacks.
4. Stores don't have shopping carts; they have buggies.
5. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in
it no matter what time of the year.
6. You use "fix" as a verb. Example: I am fixin' to go to the store.
7. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit,
vegetable, flower, or animal.
8. You install security lights on your house and
garage and leave both unlocked.
9. You carry jumper cables in your car ... for your OWN car.
10. You know what "cow tipping" and "snipe-hunting" are.
11. You only own four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
12. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.
13. You think sexy lingerie is a tee shirt and boxer shorts.
14. The local papers covers national and international news on one page
but requires 6 pages for football and hockey.
15. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
16. You know which leaves make good toilet paper.
17. You find 90 degrees F "a little warm,"
18. You know all four seasons:
Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, and Christmas.
19. You know whether another Texan is from southern, middle, or
northern Texas as soon as they open their mouth.
20. There is a Dairy Queen in every town with
a population of 500 or more.
21. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past-time known
as "goin wal-martin" or off to "Wally World"
22. You describe the first cool snap
(below 70 degrees) as good chili weather.
23. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola, or pop ... it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor.
24. You understand these jokes and forward them to your friends no
matter where they live in case they are planning to visit.
A wise man once said, "Never ask a man where he's from;
if he's from Texas, he WILL tell you.
If not, there's no need to embarrass him!"...
State bill OKs guns in cars at work
It's no so easy to seperate a Texas from his guns. Many have tried, and all have failed.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texans who love guns and pickup trucks with equal fervor could soon have the right to keep them together all the way into the company parking garage.
The Texas Senate gave unanimous approval to legislation Wednesday that would allow people to carry firearms to work and then store them in their parked vehicles outside. Businesses could still keep guns out of their offices and company-owned vehicles.
But the bill, a top priority of the National Rifle Association, would no longer let employers ban guns in company parking facilities—as long as they remain locked up inside an employee’s vehicle.
“Here in Texas, people like their firearms,” said Republican Sen. Glenn Hegar, author of the legislation. State law already allows Texans to carry concealed handguns in their vehicles, with some restrictions.
The bill drew criticism from business leaders, who called it an affront to property rights. Bill Hammond, president of the Texas Association of Business, warned that it could also spark more workplace gun crimes—particularly at a time when more and more people are losing their jobs.
“People could go out to their car, get their weapon and go after their supervisors or co-workers who hadn’t been laid off,” Hammond said.
Senators engaged in a sometimes lively debate, but—in a state where guns are generally pried away from cold dead fingers—not a single “no” vote was cast. Business groups are hoping to derail the legislation behind the scenes, but if it makes it to the House floor, passage is considered likely there, too.
The bill states that Texans carrying legal firearms, including concealed handguns, could store them in locked vehicles in company-owned parking lots.
Employers could still ban firearms from secure, fenced parking lots and garages, but they would have to provide an alternative parking area.
The bill would not apply to school parking lots or federal property where firearms are already banned.
Even in Texas, as Hegar noted, “we can’t trump federal law.”
Last month, a Denver-based federal appeals court ruled that Oklahoma’s law protecting employees’ rights to have a guns in their locked vehicles at work is constitutional.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Air Force jet crashes in California
What an expensive toy we just lost I am glad the pilot got out ok though.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Air Force F-22A fighter jet crashed Wednesday near Edwards Air Force Base in California, Air Force officials said.
An F-22A fighter jet similar to this one crashed Wednesday during a test mission in California.
The single-seater crashed about 10:30 a.m. for unknown reasons, the officials said.
The status of the pilot was unknown.
At $150 million apiece, the F-22A is the most expensive Air Force fighter.
The fighter was on a test mission when it crashed about 35 miles northeast of Edwards AFB, where it was stationed, the Air Force said in a news release.
In 2004, an F-22 Raptor crashed on a training mission in the Nevada desert. The pilot ejected and was not hurt, though the jet was destroyed.
The plane was designed in the 1980s to provide a stealthy method to enter Soviet air space and strike Soviet bombers if the USSR attempted a nuclear strike.
Once the Cold War ended, the Air Force found a new mission for the F-22 as a long-range fighter with a sophisticated stealth design and state-of-the-art equipment that no other plane could rival.
However, the rising cost of the plane and numerous design and software problems threatened the program, which was almost killed by Congress.
In the end, the aircraft survived, and most of the problems were fixed, except for the price tag, which forced the Air Force to buy fewer aircraft.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wednesday Hero
This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Elena
"Chief Airey was an Airman’s Airman and one of the true pioneers for our service," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff. "He was a warrior, an innovator… and a leader with vision well ahead of his time. His legacy lives today in the truly professional enlisted force we have serving our nation… and for that we owe him a debt of gratitude."
Chief Airey was born in Quincy, Mass., on December 13, 1923. At age eighteen, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December, 7, 1941, Airey quit high school to enlist in the Army Air Forces on November 16, 1942. He later earned his high school equivalency certificate through off-duty study. During World War II he flew as a B-24 radio operator and additional duty aerial gunner. On his 28th mission, then-Technical Sergeant Airey and his fellow crewmen were shot down over Vienna, Austria, captured, and held prisoner by the German air force from July 1944 to May 1945. During his time as a prisoner of war he worked tirelessly to meet the basic needs of fellow prisoners, even through a 90-day forced march.
Chief Airey held the top enlisted from April 3, 1967 to July 31, 1969. During his tenure he worked to change loan establishments charging exorbitant rates outside the air base gates and to improve low retention during the Vietnam Conflict. Chief Airey also led a team that laid the foundation for the Weighted Airman Promotion System, a system that has stood the test of time and which is still in use today. He also advocated for an Air Force-level Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy. His vision became reality when the academy opened in 1973, becoming the capstone in the development of Air Force Senior NCOs. Chief Airey retired August 1, 1970. He continued advocating for Airmen’s rights by serving on the boards of numerous Air Force and enlisted professional military organizations throughout the years. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Airmen Memorial Museum, a member of the Air Force Memorial Foundation and the Air University Foundation.
On the north wall of the Air Force Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Airey’s thoughts on Airmen are immortalized, "When I think of the enlisted force, I see dedication, determination, loyalty and valor." The Air Force Association honored Airey with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Chief Airey passed away on March 11, 2009 at his home in Panama City, Florida
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.
Parrot that warned of choking baby hailed as hero
I think this is the first time I have ever heard of anything like this involving a bird. It is nice to read someting that makes you feel good these days.
DENVER — A parrot whose cries of alarm alerted his owner when a little girl choked on her breakfast has been honored as a hero.
Willie, a Quaker parrot, has been given the local Red Cross chapter’s Animal Lifesaver Award.
In November, Willie’s owner, Megan Howard, was baby-sitting for a toddler. Howard left the room and the little girl, Hannah, started to choke on her breakfast.
Willie repeatedly yelled “Mama, baby” and flapped his wings, and Howard returned in time to find the girl already turning blue.
Howard saved Hannah by performing the Heimlich maneuver but said Willie “is the real hero.”
“The part where she turned blue is always when my heart drops no matter how many times I’ve heard it,” Hannah’s mother, Samantha Kuusk, told KCNC-TV. “My heart drops in my stomach and I get all teary-eyed.”
Willie got his award during a “Breakfast of Champions” event Friday attended by Gov. Bill Ritter and Mayor John Hickenlooper.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Texas 10 Commandments
Cowboy's Ten Commandments posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas :
(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa..
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting..
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff
Now that's kinda plain an' simple, don'tcha think?
CDC ALERT!!!
Pay close attention to this virus, it is a bad one especially on Friday
The Center for Disease Control has issued a medical alert about a highly contagious, potentially dangerous virus that is transmitted orally, by hand, and even electronically. This virus is called Weekly Overload Recreational Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from your boss, any of your colleagues or anyone else via any means whatsoever - DO NOT TOUCH IT.
This virus will wipe out your private life completely. If you should come into contact with WORK you should immediately leave the premises.
Take two good friends to the nearest grocery store and purchase one or both of the antidotes - Work Isolating Neutralizer Extract (WINE) and Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK
has been completely eliminated from your system..
You should immediately forward this medical alert to five friends. If you do not have five friends, you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Subject: 359lb Grouper
This is not a hoax,, I checked.
Subject: 359lb Grouper
i dont think it would have lived anyway after the fight....and no way i would eat a fish that big and old! full of mercury!
Why would anyone want to kill a fish of this size???
Who would be in charge of skinning and cooking that thing
Medical student lands 359-lb grouper
The giant hauled in by J.J. Tabor of Thibodaux is 12 ounces above the previous Louisiana state record, a state biologist confirmed.
It's been cut down to fillets. The first fillet weighed 53 pounds, Tabor said. He caught it near an oil rig 70 miles south of Fourchon, in 400 feet of water. He won't give a more specific description.
Lawmaker wants to DNA test abandoned pet poop
Hey something smells around here and it's not in Washington for a change.
Nobody likes it when Rover comes over and leaves a lawn ornament in their yard.
But one German lawmaker wants to take that fight to a whole new level, the AFP reports.
Peter Stein, a state parliamentarian who apparently has already solved all of his homeland's other pressing problems, wants officials to use DNA testing on abandoned dog dung and then fine the offending owners.
That's right. He's going to call out the CSI squad ... for poop.
Don't even think about it, Fluffy.
Currently, German dog owners are fined $40 - $50 if they don't clean up after their pets, but very few of them are ever busted. (Shock!)
Under Stein's proposal, the AFP reports that officials would compare the DNA from the doodoo samples to a doggie database, thereby locating - and punishing - naughty pet owners.
Never mind the expense - these folks have justice to serve.
I kind of see the whole scenario going down like this: First, a dog will do his dirty business and his owner will pretend he doesn't see it, choosing instead a life on the lam.
Then, the mayor will shine a special 'scat alert' signal into the sky.
And that's when the panic will take over. Babies will cry and the townspeople will draw their shades tight, waiting anxiously inside to see if someone will save them.
Newspaper boys will emerge from nowhere peddling special editions in the dark, rain-soaked city streets, with bold-faced headlines screaming "DEVASTATING DOODIE" or "PANIC OVER POOP IN PARK!"
And then finally, the poop patrol will swoop down from the heavens, scoopers in their hands and courage in their hearts, ready to collect the evidence for the greater good.
Consider yourself warned, Fido.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Gun owners struggle to find ammo amid industry-wide shortage
HOUSTON—Gun enthusiasts started snatching up firearms all over the country after the presidential election.
That led to an industry-wide shortage in ammunition.
For customers looking to buy, it’s been a frustrating search.
“A lot of people are coming in and desperately searching for ammo, and not many places have it right now,” Jeff, the owner of the Shiloh Gun Range, said.
Gun shop owners say the demand for ammo is stripping supply – so much so they’re forced to take whatever they can get from their vendors.
The shortage may be real, but even gun shop owners say nothing in the law has changed.
So far, that is.
But lawmakers in a number of states, not including Texas, have proposed requiring identification codes on ammunition.
“The problem is, the cost per round per pullet will not only go up, think cents per round. It will be dollars per round,” Jim Pruett of Jim Pruett’s Guns and Ammo said.
“I think a lot of people are scared they’re not going to be able to get ammunition in the near future. So they are buying as much as they can right now,” Jeff said.
“Instead of one box or two boxes, which would be normal, they’d buy ten,” Pruett said.
Stocking up – just in case.
Wednesday Hero
This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi
Kevin George Baker, a disabled Navy veteran, had been riding his hand-propelled bicycle from his hometown through Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Marseilles, Illinois to support a new flag designed to honor fallen members of the military. His trip began at his home on Saturday, March 7 and sadly ended on March 13 when he passed away in his sleep. Baker, who is unable to use his legs due to a neurological impairment, was flying the Honor and Remember Flag from his bike and encouraged people along the way to sign a petition urging Congress to adopt the flag as a new national symbol by passing HR Bill 1034.
You can read the rest of Baker's story here
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, March 17, 2009
Cops: High-priced hooker ring busted in Houston
This one will be interisting to watch.. Who will be on her list??
By Jeff McShan / 11 News
HOUSTON -- The arrest of a Houston woman on prostitution charges has women gossiping and husbands sweating.
Houston police say Deborah Turbiville and her husband Charlie ran one of the biggest call girl rings the city has ever seen.
Their client list has more than 1,500 names, including professional athletes, doctors, and lawyers, according to investigators on the case.
They say Turbiville called herself the "Heidi Fleiss of Houston."
Turbiville went before a judge Monday morning on a charge of promotion of prostitution.
Investigators say she recruited some of her high-priced call girls on Craig's List.
HPD
Deborah Turbiville, left, and Charlie Turbiville
Undercover investigators say the women met their clients at upscale hotels in the Galleria area and charged about $350 an hour.
They sometimes went to a luxurious three-bedroom apartment in the Memorial area to have sex.
Computer forensic experts are busy dissecting hard drives to complete the client list that they say could trigger a citywide scandal.
They've already found several names through credit card receipts.
HPD's Vice Division began working the case two years ago after they arrested a prostitute who was advertising on the Internet.
Police say she told them about the call girl service and a madam known as Vivian.
Police say she ran several different Web sites over the years, including viviansfriends.com and houstongirlfriend.com.
Turbiville was arrested at her West Houston home last week.
Police seized more than 50 pounds of paperwork and a safe full of gold bars and coins.
Investigators believe the couple laundered their money into precious metals and they expect to file money laundering charges.
Police also confiscated about $40,000, a Lexus and a Chevy Tahoe.
Investigators are trying to track down the girls who allegedly worked for the Turbivilles and they plan to interview the clients, as well.
Houston Rockets' Carl Landry shot in leg
And the so it continues. Going crazy here
KHOU.com staff report
Video
11 News video
March 17, 2009 View larger E-mail Clip More Video HOUSTON – Houston Rockets forward Carl Landry was shot in the leg early Tuesday morning, police said.
Investigators are searching for two suspects in connection with the incident.
Team officials said Landry had just returned from New Orleans when he went out to get some food around 3:30 a.m.
Police said he was driving along Leeland near downtown when two suspects, who were heading the opposite direction in a grey Honda Civic, sideswiped his SUV.
Both Landry and the men in the Civic turned around after the wreck, and police said the Civic rammed Landry’s SUV again.
AP image
Carl Landry
At that point, police said Landry got out of his SUV, and the suspects fired two shots.
One of those bullets grazed Landry’s left calf.
Police said Landry turned around and ran, and the suspects also fled on foot, abandoning their vehicle.
Landry was treated at Memorial Hermann for a flesh wound in his left calf and a dislocated finger on his left hand. He has since been released.
It was unclear how many games Landry might miss as a result of the injury, but team officials said they expect him to make a full recovery.
“We are very thankful and relieved that Carl’s injuries are relatively minor, and that he’s doing well,” Rockets GM Daryl Morey said Tuesday in a statement.
Three shot in drive-by on Katy Freeway
Like I said yesterday, something strange is going on in Houston. Believe it or not for the 4th largest city in America, these types of crimes are rare. Must be something in the water.
HOUSTON—The search was on Tuesday for a gunman who opened fire on the Katy Freeway.
It happened in the early morning hours where I-10 meets the West Loop.
Police said three people in a white Impala were shot by a suspect or suspects in a 1993 white Toyota minivan.
The three victims were taken to Ben Taub, one of them in critical condition.
The minivan was last seen traveling northbound on the West Loop.
Investigators were forced to close the exit ramp under N. Post Oak for two hours while they processed the scene.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Deputies: 13 people held against their will in Cloverleaf-area home
Strange things going on in Houston these days.
Leticia Juarez / 11 News
HOUSTON—Harris County deputies on Sunday said they arrested six suspects after finding 13 people allegedly held against their will in a Cloverleaf-area home.
The sheriff’s office was alerted to the situation by one of the alleged hostages’ children.
A spokesperson for the department said they got the call around 3:30 p.m.
The caller told deputies that his father was being held at a home in the 1400 block of Hillsboro.
At 4:30 p.m., deputies set up a perimeter around the home.
They said some of the suspects attempted to leave out of the back, but they were apprehended.
Deputies said they then entered the house, detained the six suspects and found the 13 other people inside.
It was unclear how long the people had been there and what their living conditions were like.
EMS was called to the scene to check them out.
Investigators said the situation could be part of a smuggling ring.
ICE officials reportedly took the victims to their detention facility, where they will be questioned.
Police: Man ran over woman several times with SUV, killing her
This is a cold SOB
HOUSTON—Police on Monday were searching for the suspect in a woman’s gruesome death.
It happened at the Las Americas apartments at Glenmont and Rampart around 8:45 p.m.
Witnesses told police that a man in his 40s was arguing with a woman in a green Isuzu Rodeo in the parking lot. They said the fight escalated, and they saw the man punching the woman.
Police at the scene said he then got out, pulled her out of the car and threw her to the ground.
Before the woman could get back into the vehicle, witnesses told police the man jumped in and ran over the woman several times before driving off.
The woman died at the scene.
“It’s unknown right now her identity. We think she may be a tenant at the complex, but we’re just not sure at this time,” Sgt. Robert Torres of HPD Homicide said.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
What a message from a Marine
This is a little long, but is is well worth 5 minutes of your time. It seems to reflect at least my views, and I am sure it will yours to.
This Marine seems to hit all the salient points......
Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts state senate.
I'll be 63 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.
I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth around" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy or stupid to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the leftwing Congresscritters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them-with their own money.
I'm tired of being told how bad America is by leftwing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the religious freedom and women's rights of Saudi Arabia, the economy of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China, the crime and violence of Mexico, the tolerance for Gay people of Iran, and the freedom of speech of Venezuela. Won't multiculturalism be beautiful?
I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor;" of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers;" of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery;" of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.
I believe "a man should be judged by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin." I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of President Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of US Senators from Illinois. I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the emancipation proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less in an all-knowing government.
I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful. That thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress, that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his, that slammed Palin with two years as governor for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever.
Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.
I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military. Those are the citizens we need.
I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people then themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years-and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found
in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.
I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers-bums are bi-partisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bi-partisanship. I live in Illinois, where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats and Republicans has worked together harmoniously to loot the public for years. And I notice that the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet are bi-partisan as well.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.
Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination, or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to get to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.
Robert A.. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts state senate.
Obama may send Guard to help stem border violence
This one will be interisting to watch.. If the Guard is deployed wht will the rules of engaagement be, will they have ammo this time..
By MARIA RECIO
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
March 12, 2009, 12:37AM
President Obama weighed in Wednesday on the escalating drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border, saying he was looking at possibly deploying National Guard troops to contain the violence, but ruling out any immediate military move.
“We’re going to examine whether and if National Guard deployments would make sense and under what circumstances they would make sense,” Obama said during an interview with journalists for regional papers.
“I don’t have a particular tipping point in mind,” he said. “I think it’s unacceptable if you’ve got drug gangs crossing our borders and killing U.S. citizens.”
Already this year there have been 1,000 people killed in Mexico along the border, following 2008’s death toll of 5,800, according to federal officials who credit Mexican President Felipe Calderon for a crackdown on drug cartels.
But the spillover on the border — for example, to El Paso from neighboring Ciudad Juarez — has created a political reaction. In a recent visit to El Paso, Texas Gov. Rick Perry called for 1,000 troops to protect the border.
Obama was cautious, however. “I’m not interested in militarizing the border,” he said.
The president praised Calderon, “who I believe is really working hard and taking some extraordinary risks under extraordinary pressure to deal with the drug cartels and the corresponding violence that’s erupted along the borders.”
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., chair of a key subcommittee on border security, will hold a hearing today on Mexican border violence.
“Last week Mexico sent an additional 3,200 soldiers to the border,” Sanchez said in a prepared opening statement for the hearing, “increasing the total number of Mexican soldiers combating drug cartels to more than 45,000.” Sanchez chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security’s subcommittee on border, maritime and global counterterrorism.
“It should be noted that over 200 U.S. citizens have been killed in this drug war, either because they were involved in the cartels or were innocent bystanders,” she said. “With those concerns in mind, it is essential that the Department of Homeland Security, along with other relevant departments, continue to pursue a contingency plan to address ‘spillover’ violence along our border.”
Obama predicted new policy would be enacted soon.
“We expect to have a comprehensive approach to dealing with these issues of border security that will involve supporting Calderon and his efforts,” said Obama. “Our expectation is to have a comprehensive policy in place in the next few months.”
Drug czar named
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Teen gunman who killed 15 in Germany slain by police
WINNENDEN, Germany — A 17-year-old gunman dressed in black opened fire at his former high school in southwestern Germany today then fled in a hijacked car, killing at least 15 people before police shot him to death, state officials said.
The gunman entered the school in Winnenden and opened fire, shooting at random, police said. He killed nine students, three teachers and a passer-by outside the building, officials said.
“He went into the school with a weapon and carried out a bloodbath,” said regional police chief Erwin Hetger. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
Triggering a land and air manhunt, he hijacked a car, freed the passengers and drove about 25 miles (40 kilometers) before police found him. When confronted, he killed two bystanders in a shootout with police before he was slain, Baden Wuerttemburg governor Guenther Oettinger said. Two officers were seriously injured, but there was no immediate information on other casualties.
Four hours after the shootings began, police announced the teenager’s death.
It was the nation’s worst shooting since another teenage gunman killed 16 people and himself in another high school in 2002.
Concerned parents quickly swarmed the school, which was evacuated.
Police have have identified the gunman only as Tim K, who graduated last year from the school of about 1,000 students.
The German government was “deeply shocked and incensed about the appalling killing spree,” Ulrich Wilhelm, a spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, said in Berlin.
In 2002, 19-year-old Robert Steinhaeuser shot and killed 12 teachers, a secretary, two students and a police officer before turning his gun on himself in the Gutenberg high school in Erfurt, in eastern Germany.
Steinhaeuser, who had been expelled for forging a doctor’s note, was a gun club member licensed to own weapons. The attack led Germany to raise the age for owning recreational firearms from 18 to 21
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Wednesday Hero
27 years old from West Seneca, New York
2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)
November 07, 2004
Near his hometown, the flag flew at half-staff outside the East Concord Volunteer Fire Department where Baker had been a junior firefighter. He joined the Army shortly after graduating from Springville-Griffith Institute in 1996 with the goal of making it his career, friends said.
"You might say it was his calling," said Lori Ploetz, a longtime family friend. "He was great at what he did. He was respected by his peers."
Spc. Brian Baker was killed when a vehicle-borne IED detonated near his security patrol in Baghdad. He leaves behind his parents, his wife, Amy, and two daughters who were born after his death.
All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com
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.
Soldier's precious belongings found inside a foreclosed home
At least some things in life work out sometimes, and I am happy that it did for this soldier.
By Jeff McShan / 11 News
HOUSTON -- For two years, realtor Kim Stacy has been looking for Army Sgt. Armando Carbajal. This is because she has some of his most precious belongings.
Video
Soldier's precious belongings found inside a foreclosed home
March 9, 2009 View larger E-mail Clip More Video “I want to return these items to him, but I haven’t been able to find him after looking for two years,” said Stacy.
Stacy has two large boxes filled with Carbajal’s belongings, including his Army uniform, jewelry, and even pictures from his wedding.
She discovered the boxes inside a foreclosed home in 2007.
A management company took over the home and hired Stacy to put it on the market. That’s when she went inside and found all of the sergeant’s stuff. She says she didn’t have the heart to throw it away.
Instead, Stacy began to look for him.
“I tried to find him. I called the Army and I called the recruiting office in Rosenberg,” said Stacy.
Digging through one box, our 11 news reporter found a copy of an old driver’s license that revealed his hometown of Alice, Texas.
11 News called Alice High School, and in 15 minutes, the school’s receptionist had found him.
Carbajal said he spent time in Iraq, and then he was shipped off to Korea.
He said the loan for his house was an adjustable rate mortgage, and like so many other Americans, the interest rate jumped too high for him and his wife to handle.
Back then, it was a sad time for the sergeant. But now that he knows someone had finally found his cherished possessions, he’s smiling.
“I am really glad she saved my stuff. Twice, when I went to Houston, I went to the house and knocked on the door and nobody answered,” said Carbajal.
Carbajal said he was never able to get in contact with anybody.
It took Stacy two years to track him down, but he’s thankful she never gave up the search.
Monday, March 9, 2009
SEAL lost eye, but teammates never lost nerve
Nothing more to say about this Hero.
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 9, 2009 9:10:18 EDT
CORONADO, Calif. — The story floated around this naval amphibious base last year: An instructor of SEAL candidates yanked out his prosthetic right eye, presumably while lashing out at tired-out candidates suffering from the chilly Pacific surf.
The sun’s rays would reflect the SEAL trident symbol etched onto the surface of the eye. The effect of the trident coming alive, in a way, unnerved quite a few first-phase students who hoped to earn themselves the famous pin.
The story was no tall tale. The Trident eye belongs to retired Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Mark Robbins, who lost his eye in combat in Iraq.
“[The students] didn’t want to look me in the eye. It’s intimidating,” he said. “I tried to use it as a motivational tool, a reason to stop thinking of themselves, maybe to think as a team.”
A bullet went through Robbins’ skull during a battle between a close-knit SEAL team and well-armed insurgents in a farming area near Habbaniyah, Iraq, on April 2, 2007. That day, Robbins’ teammates thought he was dead. Even after a medevac helicopter took him to a military trauma team, they feared that since the bullet cut through his head, he would not live to see another day.
The events that led to the loss of his eye remain fuzzy. “I remember what people tell me,” Robbins said, speaking by telephone from Chicago. Details relayed by his teammates from SEAL Team 5 have helped paint the picture of what happened that day, events that earned one of the SEALs the nation’s third-highest combat award for valor.
Navy Times interviewed several SEALs involved. Some asked that their names not be used. Here is their account.
N. Korea warns intercepting 'satellite' will prompt counterstrike
These North Koreans are going to have to be delt with one of these days.
PYONGYANG/BEIJING, March 9 (AP) - (Kyodo)—North Korea warned Monday that any move to intercept what it calls a satellite launch and what other countries suspect may be a missile test-firing would result in a counterstrike against the countries trying to stop it.
"We will retaliate (over) any act of intercepting our satellite for peaceful purposes with prompt counterstrikes by the most powerful military means," the official Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesman of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army as saying.
If countries such as the United States, Japan or South Korea try to intercept the launch, the North Korean military will carry out "a just retaliatory strike operation not only against all the interceptor means involved but against the strongholds" of the countries, it said.
"Shooting our satellite for peaceful purposes will precisely mean a war," it added.
North Korea earlier announced it is preparing to put a communications satellite into space, but outside observers suspect it may in fact be a test-firing of a long-range ballistic missile.
The United States, Japan and South Korea have said that even if Pyongyang calls the launch a missile test, it would violate existing U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The same North Korean statement said the country's military will cut off communications with its South Korean counterparts during the U.S.- South Korean exercises for the duration of the exercises beginning Monday.
A separate, more rare statement by the KPA's Supreme Command was quoted by the KCNA as saying that its soldiers are under orders to be "fully combat-ready" during U.S.-South Korean military exercises beginning Monday.
The North's armed forces have been ordered to "deal merciless retaliatory blows" should there be any intrusion "into the sky and land and seas of the DPRK even an inch."
DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
North Korea has demanded a stop to this month's U.S.-South Korean exercises, and said earlier it cannot guarantee the security of South Korean civilian airplanes flying through its territorial airspace while they are under way.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Officer shot, suspect killed
One our our Houston Heros was shot last night in the line of duty. My best to him for a speedy recovery.
Michael Paulsen Chronicle
Scene near 9338 East Avenue O where a police officer was shot Thursday night in Houston.
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A Houston police officer remains in critical condition but is expected to survive after being shot in the face while attempting to serve a narcotics warrant at an east Houston residence late Thursday.
In the gunbattle that followed that shooting, a suspect at the home in the 9300 block of East Avenue O was killed after three officers, including the wounded lead officer, opened fire, the Houston Police Department said.
The undercover narcotics officer, Rick Salter, was listed in critical but stable condition after surgery at Ben Taub General Hospital.
The incident is still under investigation, said Chief Harold Hurtt.
At least one gun was found at the residence. The chief did not know if other guns or drugs were found.
Hurtt said the wounded officer is 54 and has been with the department for 28 years. He is married and has two adult children.
On Thursday night, Salter and two other officers approached the house near the Houston Ship Channel about 9:05 p.m. They were dressed in black shirts bearing the word, "POLICE" on them. As they removed burglar bars from a window, they yelled "Police! Search Warrant!" twice, said HPD spokesman John Cannon.
That's when the suspect fired multiple shots at the lead officer, Salter, striking him in the jaw, Cannon said.
All three officers fired at the suspect. He was pronounced dead at the scene, his gun nearby, police said. The body was taken to the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.
Police later discovered surveillance cameras feeding video to a television at least 55 inches wide inside the home, Cannon said. The recordings will become a part of the investigation.
"We believe he knew exactly what was going on,'' Cannon added, noting that such set-ups are not uncommon in homes where narcotics operations are conducted.
"When suspects see police, they try to get rid of the drugs,'' Cannon said.
The suspect's 5-year-old and 5-month-old sons were in the home at the time of the shooting and were discovered in a back bedroom by officers. They were released to their mother pending further investigation, Cannon said.
Devastated family members of the dead suspect said the man had no drug ties.
Olivia Aviles said the shootings took place at her sister’s home. She believed her brother-in-law was killed. She said her sister’s husband was at the home with his two young sons when the incident occurred. Aviles said her sister was not at the residence.
Aviles said her brother-in-law did not do drugs. She said she couldn’t understand why police entered the home.
“I don’t understand,” she said repeatedly with tears in her eyes. “I’m her sister; I would know something.”
Aviles’ husband, who declined to give his first name, said his brother-in-law was in the back room of the home playing a Nintendo Wii when the officers entered.
Aviles’ husband, who lives about a block away, said he came to the home after hearing the gunshots. He said he entered the residence and saw two officers standing over the wounded officer.
The family, he said, was immediately rushed from the home by authorities.
The mood was somber late Thursday as investigators continued to canvass the scene. The neighborhood is pocked with boarded-up homes and graffiti.
At Ben Taub, Mayor Bill White and Hurtt joined dozens of officers. Many gathered near the emergency room and waited for news of the wounded officer. Dozens of patrol cars lined the service road near the trauma center.
Doctors met with Salter's wife and updated her on his condition late Thursday, officers said.
"Right now it's still touch and go, but we're pretty optimistic,'' said Gary Blankinship, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union.
As with all officer-involved shootings, the incident is being investigated by HPD's homicide department, Internal Affairs and the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Judges: Coach can't bow head while players pray
This is not new, but it is comming to a head.
Court decision affirms school's 'hostility' to religion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: March 03, 2009
1:29 pm Eastern
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a case involving a high school football coach's effort to respect his players' tradition of stopping for a moment of prayer prior to games, leaving in place an appeals court decision that essentially mandates a school policy of "hostility," according to a law firm whose members worked on the case.
Coach Marcus Borden huddles with his players
"This [decision] undermines a time-honored tradition that has less to do with religion than it does athletic tradition," said John Whitehead, chief of The Rutherford Institute, which argued the case on behalf of Coach Marcus Borden of East Brunswick High School in New Jersey.
"It's a sad statement on our rights as Americans that schools are no longer bastions of freedom. We've become so politically correct and secularized that religious individuals who seek the same First Amendment rights as others are censored," Whitehead said.
As WND reported, a federal court of appeals concluded the high school coach broke the law routinely when he would bow his head or "take a knee" while his team prayed before games – a school tradition for 25 years.
Borden has defended himself, saying, "We're teaching kids values. There's nothing wrong with being spiritual."
The case originated in 2005 when school officials adopted a policy prohibiting employees and representatives of the school district from taking part in student-led prayer. The school said even bowing a head violated the "separation of church and state."
Nonsense, concluded U.S. District Judge Dennis Cavanaugh, who ruled the following year the district's interpretation was wrong and that school officials were infringing on Borden's right to free speech, freedom of association and academic freedom.
Then officials with Americans United for Separation of Church and State joined the school district's side and argued Borden lacked any constitutional right to expression or academic freedom as a public employee.
A ruling from the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals agreed with the activists, saying Borden was endorsing religion unconstitutionally.
The Rutherford Institute said the decision was a blow to athletic coaches across the nation, because the rights of coaches to silently bow their heads in respect while student players are offering a pre-game prayer has been called unconstitutional.
The bottom line, Whitehead said, is that the logical interpretation now is that coaches – as well as teachers – have no constitutional rights of liberty, expression or academic freedom in connection with their jobs
The American Football Coaches Association had filed an amicus in support of Borden, declaring that "when the federal courts interpret the Constitution in a way that intrudes into the locker room, invades the player-coach relationship, and undermines a coach's ability to maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect and team unity by showing deference to the prayers of this nation's youth, that concerns the AFCA."
In its brief requesting a Supreme Court review, the Rutherford Institute warned of the impact of the decision.
"By enjoining Coach Borden from showing respect for his players voluntary prayer acts, the decision … requires public school educators to violate the Establishment Clause by showing disrespect and hostility towards student-initiated religious practices," the brief said.
Prior rulings from at least three other federal court circuits have established that schools cannot show hostility to religion, and even the Supreme Court's prior decisions reflect that belief, the institute argued.
"In Lynch v. Donnelly, this Court recognized that the Establishment Clause 'affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any,'" the Rutherford Institute said.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Wednesday Hero
Sgt. Stephen Howell, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band percussionist, races a student at Palisades Elementary School in Pearl City, Hawaii during an 11-event circuit course Feb. 20. More than 20 Marines assisted local park volunteers with manning the different events.
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, March 2, 2009
DIVORCE AGREEMENT
THIS IS SO INCREDIBLY WELL PUT AND I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT'S BY A YOUNG
PERSON, A STUDENT!!! WHATEVER HE RUNS FOR, I'LL VOTE FOR HIM.
American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and
Obama supporters, et al:
We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest
election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we
tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations,
but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides
of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let's just
end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable
differences and go our own way.
Here is a model separation agreement:
Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking
a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides
can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively
easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets
since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.
We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome
to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we'll
take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah,
Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell (You are, however, responsible for
finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).
We'll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies,
Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys,
hippies and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy
CEO's and rednecks. We'll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and
Hollywood.
You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to
invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and
war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault,
we'll help provide them security.
We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values.. You are welcome to Islam,
Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N., but
we will no longer be paying the bill.
We'll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take
every Subaru station wagon you can find.
You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors.
We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right.
We'll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I'm sure
you'll be happy to substitute Imagine, I'd Like to Teach the World to
Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.
We'll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty
your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our
name and our flag.
Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded
liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit
delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you ANWAR which one of
us will need whose help in 15 years.
Sincerely,
John J. Wall
Law Student and an American
P.S. Also, please take Barbara Streisand & Jane Fonda with you.
Pan Am/Delta pilot involved in shooting
Be aware of Senior Citizens, especially ones that are ex military. Old habits die hard.
Plantation, FL -- Last week police were called to investigate an attempted armed
robbery:
The 71-year-old retired Marine who opened fire on two robbers at a
Plantation, FL, Subway shop late Wednesday, killing one and critically
wounding the other, is described as John Lovell, a former helicopter
pilot for two presidents. He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke, and he
works out everyday. Mr. Lovell was a man of action Wednesday night.
According to Plantation police, two masked gunmen came into the
Subway at 1949 N. Pine Rd. Just after 11 p.m. There was a lone diner, Mr.
Lovell, who was finishing his meal.. After robbing the cashier, the two
men attempted to shove Mr. Lovell into a bathroom and rob him as well.
They got his money, but then Mr. Lovell pulled his handgun and opened
fire. He shot one of the thieves in the head and chest and the other in
the head.
When police arrived, they found one of the men in the shop, K-9
units found the other in the bushes of a nearby business.. They also
found cash strewn around the front of the sandwich shop according to
Detective Robert Rettig of the Plantation Police Department.
Both men were taken to the Broward General Medical Center , where
one, Donicio Arrindell, 22, of North Lauderdale died. The other,
21-year-old Frederick Gadson of Fort Lauderdale is in critical but stable
condition
A longtime friend of Lovell was not surprised to hear what
happened. The friend said, ''He'd give you the shirt off his back, but
he'd be mad as hell if someone tried to take the shirt off your back..''
Mr. Lovell was a pilot in the Marine Corps, flying former Presidents John
F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He later worked as a pilot for Pan Am
and Delta.
He is not expected to be charged authorities said. ''He was in
fear for his life,'' Detective Rettig said, "These criminals ought to
realize that most men in their 70's have military backgrounds and aren't
intimidated by idiots."
Something tells me this old Marine wasn't 'in fear for his life',
even though his life was definitely at risk. The only thing he could be
charged with is participating in an unfair fight. One 71 - year young
Marine against two punks. Two head shots and one center body mass shot -
outstanding shooting! That'll teach them not to get between a Marine and
his meal.
Don't you just love a story with a happy ending?
Florida law allows eligible citizens to carry a concealed weapon.
Every state should.
Small Post Pulls Community Together to Provide “Help for Heroes”
This is what it's all about. These fine Southern Folks know what true values are and taking care of our Vets in need is one.
At just 25 feet long by 55 feet wide, VFW Post 5180 in Seale, Ala., doesn’t exactly grab your attention. Though it’s possible you might overlook the Post physically, it’s nearly impossible to ignore the amazing work they do for veterans and their community.
Post 5180 started “Help for Heroes” in December. Its primary mission is to offer necessary home repairs to veterans in the community.
“We created the program [Help for Heroes] to allow both VFW members and nonmembers to work together to pay back our heroes for the blank checks they wrote our nation,” said Post Commander Mike Craig, founder of “Help for Heroes.”
Led by the first crew called Mule Team 1, the workers have volunteered every second weekend of the month since its inception. They have built porches and ramps, repaired roofs and provided other vital home repairs. Supplied only with donations from members, all of their repairs come free of charge.
“We have many highly skilled workers,” said Craig. “So many actually, that we’re running out of work to keep everyone busy!”
“Help for Heroes” has not only made significant improvements in the lives of those they’ve helped but also in the lives of everyone in town.
“There’s no better way to galvanize a community than by working within that community for the betterment of everyone,” explained Craig. “When you’re a part of something, you take pride in it.”
Post 5180 participates in other programs as well. Over the holidays, they sent over 800 individually addressed cards to troops in Iraq. They also visited Ft. Benning Hospital to deliver gifts to each patient and staff member.
The Post has become a positive fixture in Seale. They put to rest many of the old stereotypes once affiliated with them, a primary goal of Craig when he took over as Commander. Now, they can proudly claim title to the No. 1 Post in Alabama for community service programs.
Their service has impacted their membership. The Post now has 132 life members, an increase of over 150 percent from a year ago.
“We’re a small Post doing big things in Alabama,” concluded Craig.
