THE GRAY BAR HOTEL

Though their accommodations aren't the most comfortable or inviting, the Gray Bar Hotel is located in nearly every town across the nation. They have many advantages over most other hotels, too: Open 24 hours. No need to worry about the check-out time, either. If they're full, no problem, they'll make room for you the best they can. No money, no problem. You can pay in other ways. Food? Lots of it.

I am happy to report that my local GBH has one less cell available to the general public. However, if you feel the need to stay there, they'll make room for you, and at no extra cost.

Today, right in the middle of a Tiger Woods birdie attempt, my phone rings and on the other end is the detective working my case. It turns out they had snagged a guy trying to ply his trade here in town, and they wanted me to take a look at him. It wasn't a line-up like on Law and Order, instead, they came to my house, picked me up and drove me to where they caught the guy. I was to view the suspect through the window of the police car, but after we arrived they let me get out and walk up to him face to face. Not only was it the same guy, the little perp had the exact same clothes on too. I guess crime hasn't been paying too well lately. Times are bad.

So off he goes to our local GBH for an extended stay. Geez, I hope the little bastard gets a room overlooking the "yard" so he can watch the other perps frolicking about.

Put it all on my tab, please. I insist.

I would like to thank everyone who commented, emailed or called me on the phone...it is most appreciated and it helps a great deal. For the next few days I probably won't be posting. Please don't forget me or take me off your blogrolls; I'm taking an extended lunch break due to the events of last Friday.

Again, thanks for the words of support.

WHEN YOU OPEN YOUR DOOR, YOU NEVER KNOW

This post will be short because I am still a nervous wreck. Early this afternoon, while I was watching Neil on Fox News, they were discussing all the latest in London. Authorities had shot a suspect and they were giving all the details. Awful stuff.

Just a few moments later someone came to my door. That someone soon had a gun pointed at me and I don't think he was selling magazines. I will give all the details later, but the picture is what is left of the encounter...the man's holster.

It looks like this crime will be solved soon and when I have more information, I will fill in all the blanks. In the meantime, please be very aware of your surroundings and listen to your gut; today I didn't and it almost cost me my life.

FROGGY ON THE TANCREDO OPTION

With all the talk about the possibility of a nuke being set off in one of our cities, it makes you stop and think about what our response should be. Tom Tancredo recently mentioned something about the US bombing Mecca in response to such an attack, and now he's in some hot water.

Matthew Heidt of Froggy Ruminations has posted his views on what would happen in the event of the unthinkable. It's a sobering account of the beginning of WWIII, in my opinion. His site is in my blogroll and it's a daily read for me. I can only hope our leadership has the same ideas as Matthew.

PUSHING AND SHOVING IN SUDAN

I was listening to Imus this morning (3 am pst) and heard that Andrea Mitchell was involved in an pushing and shoving match overseas. Actually, I think he said she was "bitchslapped." This morning I couldn't find anything about it, because I was looking for a story about her. It turns out that the story was about Rice's trip to the Sudan, where things got a bit nasty at a meeting there. I think there's more to this story than has been reported so far, and it's reminiscent of the problems Bush had when a host country's security forces refused to allow his bodyguard to accompany him. I think it was in South America, correct me if I'm wrong.

It concerns me that other Nations are treating our visiting leaders in this fashion and the apology Rice received doesn't make me feel any better about this latest trend. And what the hell is going on with the MSM media treating this story as a sidebar add-on? At the very least this should be a headline story. The situation sounded borderline dangerous to me.
After reading the article in USA Today, it seems Andrea Mitchell got the worst of the situation after she opened her big mouth at the wrong time and place, but, being that she's Andrea Mitchell, she couldn't help herself. Here's a snipet:

"The reporters were told not to ask questions, over State Department objections. When NBC diplomatic reporter Andrea Mitchell tried to ask el-Bashir about his involvement with alleged atrocities, guards grabbed her and muscled her toward the rear of the room. State Department officials shouted at the guards. "Get your hands off her!" Wilkinson demanded. But all the reporters and a camera crew were physically forced out as Rice and el-Bashir watched. "

Mitchell isn't one of my favorites in the media, not by a long shot; just watch her sometime during one of her lovefests with Chris Matthews or David Gregory on Hardball. It's vomit bag time for me. However, she doesn't deserve to be treated in this manner, nor does my girl, Condi.

Condi Rice can handle herself just fine, thank you, but the Sudanese had better watch themselves or Alan Greenspan will be forced to open a can of whoop ass!

Note: Get over to Lucky Dawg News for the latest scoop on another story that has been buried by the MSM. And Mrs. Media Matters has something that won't be on the MSM's radar, either. Blogging works.

WHEN NOT BLOGGING....

....Kitty over at Kitty Litter is pounding(her words) on the keyboard. I certainly hope her "pounding" isn't like this 'toon's. Pound forth, Kitty!

Hat Tip: Ranting Right Wing Howler

If the pic isn't looping, just refresh the page.

FLY THERE, DRIVE BACK

"Million Dollar Baby" is out in DVD now. However you choose to get it, buy or rent, just get it. Clint Eastwood is part of the Hollywood we used to know and love, so if you haven't seen this movie yet, I urge you to do so. It's his best work yet.

Prior to the Oscars, I posted my review of the movie and included my Oscar picks. Take a peek.

MR. ROBERTS GOES TO WASHINGTON, ECT

I'm not a lawyer and the law isn't my strong suit, so I look to Hugh Hewitt and the boys at Power Line for my legal education regarding Mr. Roberts. He certainly seems qualified for the position and the ones I look to appear happy with Bush's choice. Well, Hugh might be a little more than happy. Having said all that, I will agree with what Mr. Media Matters had to say on the subject and leave it at that.

ECT:

***Speaking of Mr. Media Matters, his lovely wife, Mrs. Media Matters, has a nice pic of Scotty getting his star in Hollywood. She's new to blogging and has just recently incorporated pictures on her site. About time! Trackbacks and a counter are in her future, I just know it.

***Some blogs feature videos and no one does them better than My Take On Things and Lucky Dawg News. I really enjoy the ones where the bad guys(terrorists) are getting their asses shot off in action. Can't get enough of that stuff. Recently, LDN took a post of mine about pilots cheating on their health status, re-posted it at his site but improved on it a bit. He included a video of a classic scene from the movie "Airplane." LDN has always been good to this site and it's most appreciated. Slide on over and take a look at their video selections, here and here.

***From the Feisty Republican Whore: In case you need a refresher course on why we're fighting terrorism, or you have some "libtard" friends that don't "get it," click here. This is a must see!!! Don't make me come over to your house.

JULY 20TH 1969

Remembering America's greatest accomplishment 36 years ago today. If you want to look back on the other space missions, click here.

Collins, Armstrong, and Aldrin.

FLYING, FISHING, AND HOOSEGOW CHOW

Ever wonder who's at the controls of the flight you're on? Well, thanks to a Homeland Security investigation, I can tell you about 40 pilots that won't be filing flight plans anytime soon, if ever.

As it turns out, HS was looking into the use of social security numbers and stumbled across some pilots that were gaming the system for personal gain, while putting the general public at risk. So far, here in Northern California, 40 pilots have been arrested for lying about their health conditions. Here's a sample from USA Today:

"Illnesses ranged from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to drug and alcohol addiction and heart conditions — all of which would disqualify them from holding a medical certificate, which is necessary to maintain a valid pilot's license."

Personally, I don't mind if the Captain of my flight is having a martini or two, however, bi-polar and schizophrenia are cause for concern. Shaken, not stirred. One olive.

***If you like to fish where the authorities are very PC with regards to breaking the law, then I've got the place for you. Datkota Pundit posts about the authorities in her area and how "sensitive" they are to the local lawbreakers. You'll get your limit with this post.

***It seems that Judith Miller is having some difficulties adjusting to her new confines. Specifically, her digestive system is grumbling over the menu offered at the hoosegow she finds herself in. I don't really care about her troubles, but I would like to know who she's covering for. Pam over at Blogmeister USA has taken the trouble to write poor Judith a Rx for her ailment. I wonder what kind of wine they serve with baloney sandwiches?

***I totally forgot about this last week and had to catch a re-run of it. And I forgot about it, again, until I checked in at Kitty Litter. The previews for tonight's episode look good. Thanks, Kitty.

JUST ANOTHER DAY FOR "WHISKEY TED"

Doesn't this picture of Ted make you feel sorry for him? He got a neck brace out of the deal and Mary Jo got a coffin. After all, Ted was facing drunk driving charges, and we couldn't have that, could we? So, Mary Jo would have to be expendable; she's just another chick in the life of "Whiskey Ted."

Ted celebrated his 73rd birthday this year; Mary Jo didn't live to see her 29th. If Teddy would've been a man, she would be celebrating her 65th birthday next week. I imagine her having a party with all her family, friends, children and grand-children around her. But, Teddy wasn't a man, so there won't be a party.

You have to be a real piece of crap to let some poor girl die so you can get out of a drunk driving charge, but, I guess, sometimes a Kennedy has got to do what a Kennedy has got to do. It baffles me as to why the people of Massachusetts feel the need to have this criminal represent them in the US Senate. Did daddy Joe leave everyone in the state some money so they'd continue voting for him? I wonder.

With each day that Ted wields power in the Senate, our Nation fights for its life the same as Mary Jo did on this day 36 years ago at Chappaquiddick.

NOTE: Kennedy's "explanation" to the people of Massachusetts after the funeral. A sickening read.

NOTE II: The comments section has taken on a life of its own, so Chris at Lucky Dawg News has dedicated a video to "People doing stupid things." Good job, Chris!!

WATCH AND LEARN, MAGGOT!!!

I bet you'd like to know who in Washington D.C. has served our Nation in uniform. Black Five linked to a site that breaks it all down for ya real simple like. It's the kinda site the Gunny would enjoy.

When you get to the site, the left margin lists all the categories of positions in government and service periods. The one I thought the most interesting was the breakdown of State Delegations. Overall, I was surprised at how few in government have service records. As an example, check "Little Dicky Durbin's" military service record.

Semper Fi.

Hat Tip: Black Five

MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!!!

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors should invite Dick Durbin to join their ranks so he can lead them in the fight against America's military, and finally send the USS Iowa to the bottom of SF Bay. The Iowa has spent many a tour of duty in hostile waters, but never has this proud Battlewagon suffered such a devastating enemy attack.

Michelle Malkin posts about San Francisco's leadership rejecting the USS Iowa on the grounds of the US military's policies towards gays. Even Dianne Feinstein has blasted the board's membership for their decision. I can't say I ever agree with her, but this time I do.

I don't think SF deserves to have a great naval icon like the Iowa docked in the Bay Area waters; she belongs in a port where she's celebrated, appreciated, and admired. She belongs around people that will show her off with great pride, and use her to teach our young.

I hope this latest slap at our military finally wakes up the great military community in and around the Bay Area. Now, maybe, they'll realize they are being humiliated by a band of left-leaning, bed-wetting, gay activists, who are putting their beliefs on how to live their personal lives above that of our military and its history. This is way beyond petty.

The military history of the San Francisco area is one of the proudest in our Nation; it deserves better leadership than this group of anti-military, anti-American lunatics have thus provided.

STS-114 RED LIGHTED

After being scrubbed, the space shuttle sits on the pad waiting for the clock to begin ticking again. NASA just had their news conference and said this Saturday is probably the next possible launch opportunity. For the latest details about STS-114, click here.
------------------------
OTHER STUFF...
------------------------

***Marathon Pundit has a post about a man driving a van full of explosives in Illinois. This is scary stuff. Here's a taste:
A Cedar Rapids, Iowa, man was driving a van eastbound on Interstate 80 when he used the terms "bomb," "explosive," "Washington, D.C." and "president," over a CB radio, Princeton police Chief Tom Root told the (LaSalle) NewsTribune.

***Wide Awakes is posting about "America's Hiroshima." Not many talk about this possibility and I agree it's likely to happen.

***Dakota Pundit posts about a do-gooder in her locale that didn't do any good...and she admits to her own "bad parenting skills."

***Kitty Litter drags Steven Bochco into the litter box along with his upcoming tv show, "Over There". I'm betting he takes the low road on this one.

***Chris at Lucky Dawg News has a new video posted, and, as usual, it's a must see.
***Michelle Malkin has a great story about our newest American friend. Extra cheese on mine.

STS-114: ALL SYSTEMS GO

After two-and-a-half years of being grounded, the shuttle program will return to flying status today at 3:51 pm EDT.

STS-114 will be piloted by James Kelly, and the Mission Commander will be Eileen Collins.

If you've never witnessed a launch, I encourage you to put it on your list of things to-do before you die. It's an awesome thing to see.

When I was 16, I moved to Titusville, Florida, to stay with my brother. Florida was another world compared to Illinois. Hot, muggy, and the bugs were out of control. Other than those few pesky items, it was beautiful. The space center is several miles away from Titusville, across the Indian River. But you can see the rocket on the launch pad at night because they bathe it in flood lights. Pretty cool.

Anyway, I was very excited about seeing the launch. I couldn't wait. However, I worked at a gas station at night and I asked for the night off so I could go to the Indian River shore line to watch. My boss wasn't inclined to allow this. I made attempts to get someone to cover my shift, but after a week, no luck. I really wanted to watch the blast-off as it sat on the pad, but if I had to work that wouldn't be possible.

On the night of the launch, I went to work and again asked for time off. After all, this was a big deal to me and I figured I wouldn't have another chance. The reply was still "no."

It was late at night on December 7th, 1972, when Apollo 17's Atlas rocket roared to life; the power of the boost phase literally turned night into day. The rumble shook the ground and even broke windows.

A few minutes later, Cernan, Evans, and Schmitt were safely in orbit and on their way to the moon. As it turned out, it was Apollo's last moon mission.

After it was all over with, I was very proud to have witnessed one of our Nation's greatest accomplishments, even though I was unemployed.

***For all the details about today's shuttle launch, click here.

JUST MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS....

....when Pam over at Blogmeister USA came up behind me and tagged me "it" in the following meme: What ten events would you care to witness if you could travel back in time. Only witness, not change.

1. Around 1778 in New York when General Washington and his army were in utter despair. I would like to have been there to see him rally his officers and troops with the fighting spirit it took to eventually win against the British. Without Washington's genius, we wouldn't enjoy the life we have today. I've often thought he never got as mush credit as he deserved.

2. Lincoln practiced law as a young man in my hometown of Urbana, Illinois, a couple times. The courthouse still stands to this day. I'd like to have been in the courtroom to view his work.

3. Any day with General Patton during the final push into Germany.

4. August 1945 aboard the "Enola Gay" with Col. Paul Tibbets at the controls. The day the world changed forever.

5. On the "grassy knoll" in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963. Just to see for myself.

6. In the locker room at half-time of Super Bowl #1 listening to Vince Lombardi's speech. It must have been a good one, because in the second half Green Bay scored 21 points and KC scored zip.

7. Cocktails with Ronald Reagan on January 20th, 1981. Another day that changed the world.

8. Gilman, Illinois, December 1989, holding my mother's hand late at night as she died. She was alone and frightened.

9. On board the USS Abe Lincoln when "W" landed. What a proud day.

10. Sitting next to Dan Rather when he first realized that his career as a newsman was going down the shitter because of a blogger in pajamas. That was a good day.

There are so many events I would enjoy witnessing in history, but this is my list on short notice. I now "tag" Shadow of Diogenes, Mr. Media Matters, and Mrs. Media Matters for this meme. Looking forward to them.

FRANCES LANGFORD 1913-2005

The greatest entertainer of all, in my mind, was Bob Hope. Not only was he funny, he took care of our fighting men and women while they were in harm's way. Hope took many stars with him while touring for the troops. Frances Langford was one of those stars. She took the stage with Hope and made sure our troops got a little happiness while they were away from home.

Obit: Langford regarded her experience entertaining the troops as, "the greatest thing in my life."

Bless her soul.

BLOOD IN THE WATER

The "who outed who at the CIA" story is now building up a big head of steam, and it looks to blow soon. I have no idea if Karl Rove is the guilty party but my first inclination is that he isn't. The dems, on the other hand, have high hopes that he is.

I just saw Harry "Lighthouse" Reid speaking on the subject, and while doing so he mentioned how this is a national security issue. Harry smells blood in the water. He and the other dems are circling their prey hoping for the green light so they can go in for a quick kill.

If Rove is guilty, the dems, and more importantly the MSM, will feed on his carcass for weeks on end. As of now, it's speculation as to who outed the CIA agent, however, the MSM has begun to nibble at Rove, anyway.

I'm more curious about Bob Novak's role in this affair than anything else.

Check out The RightWing Nuthouse's post about Rove.

TRACKBACK MADNESS

I inserted the code for trackbacks, now I have two comment sections and one for trackbacks. At least I have the trackbacks. I have no knowledge of html, so it's hit and miss whenever I mess around with the template. The instructions, of course, and FAQs, don't mention my particular situation, but I figure there's some code in there I'm supposed to remove.

Another beer and I'll have the courage to dive in and start removing whole sections of code. If my site isn't up tomorrow, you'll know why.

Wish me luck.

P.S. : If anyone knows about the problem of which I speak, step forward and HELP ME!!!

UPDATE: Thanks goes out to Brainster for his advice. And thanks to Lifelike Pundits for the post.

UPDATE II: Pat at Brainster has gone the extra mile in explaining trackbacks. If you want to learn about them, he has a great explanation on his site.

HE'S BEEN SUPPORTING US

Tony Blair has been supporting the U.S. without hesitation. You can send your support to him at 10 Downing Street by clicking here. I'm sure he'd appreciate it.

FOCUS SHIFTING

The focus of the G-8 meeting is shifting from global warming and African poverty, to where it should've been all the time: Terrorism. There isn't a more important topic and the bombings in London have demonstrated this all too well. Issues like global warming and poverty don't have a chance for resolution with the threat of terrorism in our face.

Getting the G-8 to focus on terrorism could be the one good thing to come out of these attacks.

HAND WRINGERS UNITE

I was up for 20 hours when the first reports began showing up on tv this morning. I was too exhausted to blog and forced myself to stay awake until Tony Blair held his press conference.

Rush opened his show this morning with statements he figured the hand-wringing left would soon be blurting into the closest mic: "Get out of Iraq, close Gitmo." He was correct, because it didn't take long for just that to happen, as Lifelike Pundits and Brainster point out. Michelle Malkin has the pedal to the metal on the bombings. She's in blog over-drive.

Rush correctly pointed out that this was not an attack on London but an attack on Western Civilization.

Obviously AQ was trying to send a message to the G-8. However, I think they made a big mistake. Hand-wringers aside, this act of brutality drives home the importance of defeating terrorism.

I wondered what some of Illinois' finest leaders had to say about the attacks, so I called Durbin, Hyde and Hastert this morning:

Durbin: No comments.
Hyde: No comments.
Hastert: Statement was released and will be on the web soon.

Today, we're all Brits.

EXTRA!!

Senator Pete Domenici was doing a radio show today and Lucky Dawg News was able to ask him a couple questions about Durbin. No form letter response, just Domenici's words.

Read all about it here.

43 IS 59

George W. Bush, born July 6th, 1946. Happy Birthday, Mr. President!!

Go ahead, wish him a Happy Birthday......... president@whitehouse.gov

TRUTH TOUR

"Move America Forward" is a Sacramento based organization that is taking a truckload of conservative talk show hosts to Iraq. They will be reporting what the MSM has missed so far: The truth. This project isn't going over well in the MSM, either, as Michelle Malkin points out in this post. You can get all the details and some broadcast dates at Newsmax and MAF. This should be very interesting as their coverage from Iraq begins to unfold.

I live in Folsom, a suburb of Sacramento. Having said that, I thought I would venture into the on-line edition of the Sacramento Bee to see if they had write-up regarding the Iraq trip by MAF. I was certain they would have a big story about it since the group is based here in Sac, and one of the biggest names in Sac radio, Mark Williams, will be one of those going on the trip. Mark will be broadcasting from Iraq and his show will be heard on KFBK here in Sac, the same station Rush launched his national career from.

So, do you think I found an article about the trip? No friggin' way. But I did find this important news item on the front page, with the headline that reads: (free reg req)

"MOSQUE COMING TO FOLSOM"

"Soon, Folsom's 27 churches will be joined by suburban Sacramento's first traditional mosque, complete with a 70-foot minaret like those that mark skylines from Morocco to Malaysia."

That figures.

Hat Tip goes out to Marathon Pundit.

A MEMO

Please initial this memo to indicate you have read and understand the policy. Thank you.

KEEP THEM IN YOUR PRAYERS

I'm sure by now everyone's heard that one of our UH-47s was downed the other day. For now the MSM doesn't have much. Froggy is posting all the time and seems to have connections to what is going on. Also, he has many family support links up now. I recommend stopping by his site for updates. We lost some very special people this week.

IT'S OFFICIAL, WE HAVE A "WITCH HUNT"

As I suspected, the Diana Griego Erwin story flew through the MSM radar systems undetected. A stealthy B-2 story. "Undetected" might be the wrong word; "ignored" may describe it better. At any rate, I had more questions about Erwin, so I called the reporter charged with following up on her past work, Dorothy Korber.

First, this story is interesting because it says a lot about the state of the MSM, and not only about the writers, but the editors who are supposed to oversee them. Most editors probably do a great job, however, it's apparent some don't. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Many of you out there have a better feel for the writer/editor relationship and how it works. I know I don't.

When I got Korber on the phone, my main question was what Erwin was doing for employment?

Korber said she had no idea if Erwin was working and she directed me to a recent interview Erwin gave to a local publication, The Sacramento News and Review. It's one of those "give-away" papers that highlight local events, restaurant reviews, ect. Korber went on to say that many of Erwin's long-time readers have contacted the paper to say they didn't care that she made-up the stories, because they were "good" stories. Korber was puzzled with this outpouring of support.

I went on to ask how a journalist of Erwin's ability and fame gets started down this path? Korber didn't have an answer but added that the pattern was established early on, at least with her employment with the Bee, which was over a decade. The interview in the SN&R sheds light on where Erwin's head is now: Deep in the depths of denial. Or, she's flat-out lying. You make the call.

In the interview she makes statements like, "I didn't make anybody up." "There's a witch hunt going on in American journalism." A witch hunt? Please. You got caught with your journalistic panties down, Diana. Pull 'em up and move on.

Getting back to my original question to Korber regarding employment, it appears that Erwin may take a crack at writing fiction.

Good choice.

Erwin interview in the SN&R here.
Other Erwin posts here and here.