AFTER 20 YEARS OF MEMBERSHIP, OBAMA RESIGNS FROM HIS CHURCH OF CHOICE: TRINITY UNITED--updated

Obama's church controversy just won't go away. Earlier today, Obama announced that he was resigning from Trinity United. Malkin posted the breaking news.

As bad as this story is for the Obama campaign, they are making the best of it. Timing is everything. The news was announced on Saturday and in the middle of the Florida-Michigan delegate debate, which, of course, will be the BIG story all weekend and next week. The church resignation will get second billing by the MSM, and then we can all move on to more "hope" and "change."

Yesterday, Malkin posted a few videos highlighting the "pulpiteering" (not sure if that's a word) at Trinity; videos that forced Obama to finally ditch his church of choice once and for all. Watching those videos, again, will tell you what Trinity United is all about: "Balancing" and "gettin' even" is my take. You decide.

The story is still developing, so be sure to check out our man in Chicago, Marathon Pundit, for the latest from his area. (John, I think this Sunday would be a great time for you to attend services at Trinity)

UPDATE: Via the NYT:

"Mr. Obama informed his campaign advisers of his decision today, according to people familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for the candidate. Mr. Obama is scheduled to explain his decision tonight in South Dakota."

This should be good. But will he be taking questions? Will Mrs Messiah be at his side? My guess is "no" and "no."

USA TODAY has details of Obama's presser: "No reason to denounce his church." What??

WORLDNETDAILY coverage.

THE PRESSER:



Post presser Q&A:

"FINAL APPROACH"--NOT FOR ROOKIES

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - "A Salvadoran passenger plane skidded off a rain-soaked runway on landing at Tegucigalpa airport in Honduras on Friday, killing five people and injuring 38 as it veered onto a road and smashed into cars and a building." Continue reading.

I loaded this airport into my flight sim with a Boeing 737. Clear weather, no wind, daytime, same approach with short final. In these perfect conditions, I had to perform a "go-around" as I was long on touch down. Second approach I thought I was ok, but it's clear you must hit close to the numbers, otherwise you're out of luck. I was on the brakes and reversers all the way--no one was injured, just shook up. I can't imagine how difficult this is for a pilot at night, or anytime in less-than-ideal conditions with these terrain issues.

Videos below show how treacherous this approach is. Listen to the pilot's comment in the second one--near the end.



Cockpit view:

ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR TONY REZKO; COULD HELP HILLARY WITH SUPERS--UPDATED !!

Marathon Pundit is posting about the latest troubles for Tony Rezko. BIG troubles. Keep in mind, Rezko is awaiting a jury verdict on federal corruption charges in Illinois, a verdict that could come down at any minute.

Rezko has close ties to Obama--fundraising and a land deal. Obama was hoping that his connections with Rezko had become "old news" but this story will bring them back into the light of day, and there is no way Obama can be happy about it. Hillary must be giddy.

Of course, Obama will again downplay his relationship with Rezko and the MSM will provide the necessary assist. Read Ruberry's post--unbelievable.


UPDATE: Marathon Pundit follows up with some dot connecting.

DUNKIN' DONUTS DOES THE RIGHT THING

The Dunkin' Donuts--Rachael Ray ad controversy has come to an end. Michelle Malkin explains the whole situation in her newest column, which includes DD's official response.

This story has received tons of attention on the internet--I don't remember ever seeing it on the news, though--but you can get the latest news at Malkin's or over at this Radio Patriot round up.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AARON AT LLP, INC.

Aaron Matthew Arnwine (pictured above on the right) is one year older today. Aaron owns and operates LIFELIKE PUNDITS and has been a good blog friend of mine for several years now.

Aaron says he has a regular job in the federal government, yet it's rumored he has vast real estate holdings in the Washington D.C. area--I don't know, always sounded suspicious to me. So young, so rich. A Washington thing, I guess.

Well, before the investigation into your "D.C. Empire" hits the papers, I'd just like to wish you a Happy Birthday. You're a good man. Enjoy your day!!

A good man, indeed.

MELANIE MORGAN, ANDREA SHEA-KING SHARE MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTES

From Melanie Morgan:

"Have you ever walked through an airport and seen a soldier? Have you ever felt awkward about reaching out to them and saying THANK-YOU?

As we enter this long Memorial Day Holiday, designed to honor the men and women who have laid down their lives for this great country of ours, please watch this short video."

Airport, grocery store, gas station...there was a time when I felt awkward about going up to a service member or an old guy wearing a hat indicating he's a vet from a war long since past. But nowadays, I just go right up to them as if I know them, shake their hand and say "thanks for your service." They truly do appreciate the acknowledgement, and it always leads to a great conversation.

I'm ok walking up to someone I don't know and thanking them. But not every one's comfortable with that approach. And let's face it, sometimes things work out so that you just don't have time. Whatever the case, Melanie will introduce you to an alternative method, and one our GIs will appreciate just as much.

Go over to Melanie's and read about "Operation Gratitude."--SOMETIMES IT'S THE SIMPLEST THINGS THAT MEAN THE MOST. Watch the video--Pass it along to others, too.

I've decided to attach the above Memorial Day cartoon to each post this weekend. No other single-frame cartoon could possibly say more about the cost of freedom. (click to enlarge)

This weekend there will be many posts about Memorial Day. Andrea Shea-King--The Radio Patriot--has posted hers early, and it's a great one. Speaking of great, check out Col. Broome's photo at the top of her post. Too cool, I'd say.

In the post, she introduces you to Pentagon Chaplain Col. William "Whiz" Broome, Mary Lou Wade, and Mary Lou's brother, Capt. Herbert Crosby. Andrea provides links in this post that will explain the decades old story these people all share a part in. Last year, this story was finally provided with an ending; an ending in which Andrea was a participant. It is an amazing story--a story that I'm sure one day will be told in a book or movie.

Andrea includes that she'll be emceeing a special Memorial Day observance held in her area. An honor, to say the least. Also, on a personal note, she announces that this Sunday night's show at WDBO--The Andrea Shea-King Show--will be her last. More details can be found at Andrea's Post--MEMORIAL DAY-FOR THOSE WHO PURCHASED OUR FREEDOM.

***Now, in addition to the posts by Melanie and Andrea, I'd like to introduce, or re-introduce, you to what I think is the best patriotic video made to date. There's many of them out there but this is my favorite. Period. If you're interested in the lyrics, they're posted here.

A little trivia: When the man behind the counter turns to place the flag on the shelf, the camera pans to the right and you see a photo of a young man in uniform. The young man pictured is Fred Ferguson--MOH recipient. Ferguson is also the man behind the counter. I originally found this video at this site.

FIVE FOR FIGHTING--FREEDOM NEVER CRIES:

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

The Radio Patriot observes the Memorial Day weekend.

BONNIE AND CLYDE'S LAST DAY

74 years ago today, Frank Hamer and his posse finally caught up with Bonnie and Clyde. Without warning, the posse, armed with BARs, shotguns and pistols, opened fire on the duo as they sat in their car on the side of a road. Here's a video that explains how the ambush came about:


Everyone, of course, remembers the ambush scene in the movie "Bonnie and Clyde"--it can be seen here. Actual footage of the "death car" just after the killings.

OBAMA SAYS HE'S "NOT FAMILIAR" WITH THE HANFORD NUKE SITE DESPITE VOTING ON IT IN THE PAST (12-19-05 5:53 PM)

**Welcome Readers HOT AIR, MEDIA MYTHBUSTERS, RADIO PATRIOT, BLOGMEISTER USA, MARATHON PUNDIT, MICHELLE MALKIN, MELANIE MORGAN, REDSTATE**

***AP DOING DAMAGE CONTROL

The transcript via Michelle Malkin's site:

"Here’s something that you will rarely hear from a politician, and that is that I’m not familiar with the Hanford, uuuuhh, site, so I don’t know exactly what’s going on there. (Applause.) Now, having said that, I promise you I’ll learn about it by the time I leave here on the ride back to the airport."

Here's the question: Why would Obama answer the way he did when he's voted on the Hanford site in the past?

H.R. 1815 [109th]: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006--introduced by Rep. Duncan Hunter. (btw, Duncan'$ boy i$ running for congre$$--he could u$e your help)

The bill's summary section:

Section 3114 -
Directs the Secretary to submit to the defense and appropriations committees any reports received from the Army Corps of Engineers evaluating costs, schedules, and technical issues associated with the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Project at the DOE Hanford Site.

The bill's details:

Introduced--Apr 26, 2005
Scheduled for Debate--May 20, 2005
Amendments (10 proposed) [details]
Passed House [details]--May 25, 2005
Passed Senate--Nov 15, 2005
Differences Resolved--Dec 19, 2005
Signed by President--Jan 6, 2006

Obama's vote on H.R. 1815 via Govtrack (scroll down to Illinois)

Obama's vote via his official website agrees with Govtrack--senate vote 360.

As does the U.S. Senate site--senate vote 360 taken on 12-19-05 at 5:53 PM.

Again, why would Obama say he's not familiar with Hanford? With a little more searching--I'll leave that to you--I bet you could find more Hanford legislation that he's voted on.

Wondering out loud here--Does Obama not read a bill's text before voting on it? Is he instructed by Durbin on how he's to vote? Does he hate doing his homework? Was he spending too much time with Ayers and Rezko? Or, maybe he doesn't give a rat's a** about legislation this important? Go figure.

I'd just love to know what the policy wonk said to him on the ride back to the airport...

Again, the transcript:

"Here’s something that you will rarely hear from a politician, and that is that I’m not familiar with the Hanford, uuuuhh, site, so I don’t know exactly what’s going on there. (Applause.) Now, having said that, I promise you I’ll learn about it by the time I leave here on the ride back to the airport."

Is it me, or does The ObamaChrist seem a bit inexperienced...kinda like Jimmy Carter?

JIM BROOKS AND HIS P-51 MUSTANG

The importance of passing along the stories of our heroes from WWII can't be stressed enough. I firmly believe that it's our duty, our responsibility, to keep their stories alive and moving forward through the generations. All we have today, and all we'll ever have, was bought and paid for by these brave and heroic men and women.

This story is about one of those heroes, and he's passing his story on to his grandchildren so that one day they can do the same.

He flew the mighty P-51 Mustang--his name is Jim Brooks and a man you should know. After watching the video presentation, hit the links to the left and read more about Brooks' story and that of the P-51.

My thanks to Rudy for sending this story to me.

TONIGHT--AMERICA'S FAVORITE MOM

Andrea interviews AMERICA'S FAVORITE MOM, Patti Patton-Bader. Watch as Patti is crowned on NBC's America's Favorite Mom by Donnie and Marie.

Former congressman Bob Barr and Mat Staver--Dean of Liberty U's Law School--will be with us as well.

More show details here.

THE ANDREA SHEA-KING SHOW

9 PM ET AM580 WDBO--streaming "live" on the internet.

Chat room

Call-in number 1-800-329-5858

HEALTH SCARE FOR SENATOR KENNEDY

Early reports this morning were that Mr. Kennedy suffered a stroke. But later reports indicated that it wasn't that serious. That's good news. I'd like to wish Mr. Kennedy a full and speedy recovery. He's in good hands in Boston and I'm sure he'll be up and about in no time.

IS THERE A MICHELLE OBAMA "WHITEY" BOMBSHELL FOR THE FALL CAMPAIGN?

The Reverend Wright controversy seems to have diminished and it looks like the Obama campaign has weathered the storm. Credit the MSM and some spineless republicans for that one. But, could the controversy resurface? You decide.

Today, I ran across a post at No Quarter regarding a video that has been discovered within the archives of Wright's church. Note: I don't know if any of this is true, but one can HOPE. NQ says the video shows Michelle "railing against 'whitey' at Wright's church." The plan is to drop this bombshell late in the fall.

The post also includes the latest video being played for the voters in Tennessee. It features Michelle and her "not so proud of America" moment. Read the post.

The picture below has nothing to do with Michelle Obama, and I know we're not too pleased with Condi, but I thought it was funny since "whitey" is used.

CO-BLOGGING AT MARATHON PUNDIT

John Ruberry called me this morning from Mississippi. Yep, he's on the road again. Anyway, he asked if I would do a post for him at his site, Marathon Pundit.

It was an honor to fill in for him. Hope I didn't embarrass myself...or him.

I-C-E RAIDS FOOD PLANT IN IOWA; BIGGEST RAID IN IOWA HISTORY

As far as ICE raids go, this one is big. About 700 illegals is what the feds figure on arresting, but, I still think it's all window dressing directed at the general public so it'll appear ICE is on the job. I'm fairly certain that ICE could do raids such as this one 7 days a week for years.

There's a lot of stuff in this article--illegals, and not just Mexicans; meth, weapons, and of course, stolen SSANs. However, the one thing that should be mentioned, and isn't, is health.

Why health, you say? Because the illegals in this case are handling food that you and your family consumes. I just know these fine folks skipped their health checkups, shots, etc., prior to walking through our open border doorway. So, with that in mind, no one has a clue as to the health status of these workers, and that, MY FRIEND, is dangerous. It's a big issue with me and one that is never mentioned in these articles. Here's a preview:

"According to search warrants, ICE agents interviewed a former plant supervisor – identified as “Source 1” – in November 2007, who told them that the plant employed foreign nationals from Mexico, Guatemala and Eastern Europe. Roughly 80 percent of those workers were living illegally in the U.S., the supervisor said."

Oh, please, read on...it gets better.

THE FINAL DAYS ?

From inside her campaign bunker, Hillary reviews the situation, plans to continue until the very end.


Hat tip to Ace

TRACK 61

If you enjoy a little top-secret history from time to time, then this is for you.

IS THERE SOMETHING WASHINGTON D.C. ISN'T TELLING US?

It seems the government is preparing for some sort of disaster. But, of course, there's nothing to be worried about as it's just a routine exercise. I wonder if the test includes the topic in the post below this one? Here's a snip from WaPo:

Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, May 7, 2008; Page B08

"Thousands of key federal employees are being whisked from the Washington area by helicopter and car for a three-day test of their ability to run the government from remote locations during a disaster."

Like I said, there's nothing to worry about. Nothing to see. Move along, now.

Read the article.

THE DAY THEY CAME FOR THE GUNS

Friends Rudy and Vic sent me a link to a video put together by the NRA that recounts the gun confiscation during Katrina. I've seen the vid before but I don't think it can viewed enough, because this is what our Nation is coming to.

It's happened in other countries and all the signs are there for it to happen--by law--in this country too.

This isn't a theory regarding what could happen--this did happen, and it could happen again if we don't involve ourselves. Watch the video here. Then think.

NOTE: ABC News reports--rich or poor, you were giving up your weapons.

AQ LEADER CAPTURED--updated

UPDATE: Now they say it's the wrong guy. Just looked like him.

Fox News reports:

BAGHDAD — The leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday.

In Iraq, no less. Just more progress in Iraq for the dems to ignore.

MSM PUTTING THE PRESSURE ON CLINTON

As of 5:45 PM PT, this video tops Drudge. Clinton is being pressured from all sides.

LONG NATIONAL NIGHTMARE CONTINUES FOR DEMS

Lots of people are saying it's over for Clinton--Malkin has several links; Powerline offers cold advice. Is there a Rezko angle?

The talk last night seemed to indicate that it was, in fact, over for her campaign. But news reports this morning are indicating the opposite. Her Royal Pantsuit will be giving speeches in West Virgina as well as a presser at noon ET.

TODAY COULD BE THE END OF THE LINE FOR CLINTON CAMPAIGN; BEGINNING OF POST-CLINTON YEARS

This analysis from Tim Russert sums up the situation Hillary Clinton finds herself in. The fact that she cancelled all her appearances tomorrow, says it all, I think. If Clinton drops out, we are screwed.

AND THE ENDORSEMENT GOES TO...OBAMA

Obama received a huge Hollywood endorsement today from Tom Hanks. I find Hanks' endorsement just as unsettling as the post I did this morning about Bill Ayers. Most unsettling about this endorsement is Hanks' explanation for doing so--Newsmax:

"It's because of his character and vision, and the high road he has taken during this campaign. He has the integrity and the inspiration to unify us, as did FDR and Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy and even Ronald Reagan when they ran for the job."

He's kidding, right? Character and vision? Integrity? Hanks is beginning to sound a lot like Caroline Kennedy. Not to worry, though, he has plenty more to say, so watch the vid:

CHICAGO TERRORIST, OBAMA SUPPORTER, BILL AYERS, SHOWS HIS COLORS--INDIANA, NORTH CAROLINA, WHAT SAY YOU?

Obama's buddy and political supporter, Bill Ayers, stepping on Old Glory back in August of 2001. Says Ayers, "Guilty as hell, free as a bird, it's a great country."

Chicago's Marathon Pundit has the whole story. And for other Marathon Pundit posts on Ayers, click here.

Below is Radio Patriot's colorized version from the Ayers article.

SOME FUNNIES TO BEGIN YOUR WEEK

IT'S ALL ABOUT "CHANGE"

It appears that Obama is picking up more support, but I doubt he'll have this one posted at his campaign site.

Read it and decide for yourself.