Back of the BUS George, Back of the BUS!

I didn't want to watch the Oscars but there was nothing else on and we're down to only one TiVo'ed episode of 24. I usually watch the pre show and skip the Oscars because I do like to see the dresses. I was curious about Jon Stewart and how far he would go with the political humor. Unfortunately for me George Clooney's best supporting actor win occurred early in and I was subjected to his self righteous little speech. I can summarize his speech in one sentence. "Hollywood is out of step with America because we are better than America".

George Clooney is the male version of a "dumb blonde". He is so darn good looking that he never had a need to develop any brain power. Actors as a group emote for a living. Their stock in trade is emotions not thought. That they are exceptionally talented and endlessly celebrated causes them to be fooled into thinking that they are exceptional in other areas. Since everything they say is reported and repeated they mistakenly believe that what they say has some heft or value. They could not be more mistaken.

Barbara Strisand thinks she is an expert in, oh gosh, I guess just about everything. Ms Strisand can sing and act and has made millions using those God given talents. This blinds her to the reality that she knows nothing about how America should run our foreign or domestic policies. Even more hilarious than her attempts at stating her policy preferences, usually followed by blaming the multiple spelling errors on staff underlings, are her disparaging remarks about our President.

President Bush graduated from Yale and earned an MBA from Harvard. Ms Strisand has a high school diploma. George Clooney thinks blacks were forced to sit in the back of the theater and although at one time there were probably theaters with signs stating "Whites Only" it was the back of the bus George, the back of the bus. So collect your awards Hollywood, and pat yourselves on the back for being such great guys and gals. Those of us out here in America who buy the movie tickets, or more often than ever don't buy the movie tickets will continue to vote with our dollars. When the gross for all the best picture nominees totaled is a mere fraction of the gross for Chronicles of Narnia, who really got the last laugh?

Looney Left Plans Coup d'`etat

The following is from Newsmax.com. Who are these nut jobs? Slave owners? Assassins? What are they talking about? If these idiots actually try this there will be blood on the moon!

Thursday, March 2, 2006 1:41 p.m. EST
Protesters Urge 'Storm the White House'

An anti-war group that belongs to the umbrella organization United for Peace and Justice has announced that it intends to topple the Bush administration during a March 15 Washington, D.C. protest.
In a message headlined "Storm the White House" that appears on the UPJ web site, the group "Political Cooperative" is urging its members:
"TAKE THE WHITE HOUSE BY STORM," Stop Genocide, Torture and Occupation."
"We will not allow the Slave Holders that Still Prevail in this Country to Rule us any longer . . . The Administration is Criminal and if they will not step down, we must storm in, show them how many of us do not accept a criminal government."
The Political Cooperative goes so far as to announce its plans to install an interim government after the Bush administration is toppled:
"The Political Cooperative will put a new, temporary government in place that is comprised of people from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and all the organizations that have finally made us aware of the truth of the savage practices and illegal policies of our government in assassinating our own officials as well as people throughout the world who oppose their criminal activity."
Bush-bashing filmmaker Michael Moore apparently endorses the coup plan, linking to the "Storm the White House" message on his web site.

The Big "C" and Me?

Yikes. After years of having dermatologists scrape samples of skin from me and later call to say "Nothing to worry about" I've finally gotten the other result. I had a six month appointment with my dermatologist on Monday. Dr C, as we call her (her full name is a tongue twister) found one spot on my neck and two spots on my back that required testing. Today she called me to say that all three are some form of skin cancer. Now I have to go back to have them removed completely. If that isn't annoying enough I must have them done one at a time beginning with the neck on March 13th.

This is not unexpected and not a terribly serious concern. This is the result of dozens of Florida summers spent on the beach and by the pool and at the Palm Beach Hawaiian. It shouldn't shake me like it did. I was in the grocery store when I got the call from Dr. C. I hadn't begun shopping yet and I had a pretty long list. I considered skipping the shopping and going home. I considered calling Jack at work to tell him. I felt light headed and a little sick to my stomach. I thought I was being silly and completed my shopping before heading home.

I made a meatloaf, went to the bank, went to have lunch at the elementary school with the little girl I mentor only to find there was no school today (some sort of teacher event). I'll tell Jack tonight. This is not a big deal but it is cancer.

My Biggest Fan

When I was active in a big club in South Florida I was young and pretty. I took great care with my appearance when attending club events but was always surprised to learn that anyone had discussed my appearance. One year at the Christmas Party I learned one of the men present had asked another man "Have you seen Leslie yet?". Although he described my appearance with a modest "Not all bad" the point he was making was "Do not miss seeing Leslie tonight." He was an architect and expressed amazement that the color of my lipstick exactly matched my dress. I didn't bother to tell him I was wearing a blend of two lipsticks and the result did not really match the dress exactly (men are notoriously color blind).

At another meeting I chose to wear my glasses rather than bother with my contacts and donned a demure dress. This was an outfit I often wore to work and described as my "School Marm" look. I was accosted by a member of the club whom I didn't really know. I couldn't tell you his name or pick him out of a police lineup but he felt perfectly comfortable giving me fashion advice. I shouldn't dress like that he told me. "you are too pretty to wear such a long skirt and you shouldn't wear glasses", he said. That wouldn't have left much of an impression except he was so adamant about it. He seemed personally upset that I had toned down my look for one evening.

He should see me now!

DUBAI OR NOT DUBAI

That is the question and I do not yet have the answer. I heard yesterday that 97% of people polled were against the sale of a British firm to Dubai Ports World, a firm in the United Arab Emirates. Whenever nearly 100% of Americans agree on something we need to take a second look. Then there is Jimmy Carter, the worst president in my lifetime, coming out in favor of the sale. Carter has opposed President Bush on every issue for the past 6 years. I don't know if this is a case of "even a broken clock being right twice a day" or if Carter finally realized that he can do more harm to the Bush administration by siding with them, than he can by siding against.

On Fox and Friends yesterday their guest, whose name I didn't get, was against the sale. In making his case he mentioned the general lack of port security and the "smart containers" that are used in Hong Kong's port as an example of something we should be doing. I don't know if he was aware that port is run by the Dubai Ports World. I heard the explanation from the Bush administration for this plan and there is something in the Wall Street Journal I'd like to read before I make my decision.

The one thing I am sure of at this point is that I am sick of our legislature taking responsibility for nothing. Whatever goes wrong the members of our House and Senate act like they just got there and are quick to blame the President or whomever is handy. Congress insisted on a Department of Homeland Security and pilloried the President until he agreed. They were the ones who set it up with FEMA included in this huge bureaucracy and when FEMA was unable to respond adequately to Hurricane Katrina they blames President Bush like they had no hand in setting FEMA up for failure. The vetting process the Dubai company went through was designed by our elected representatives in the House and Senate. It was a long process but did not call for congressional review yet now they cry "Why was this done in secret?" "Why weren't we consulted". I am just sick of it!

So The Veep Shot Someone, Big Deal

The MSM is going ape over Vice President Dick Cheney having a hunting accident and not advising them immediately. My thoughts are; Hey, if the guy who got shot isn't complaining then no one else has any reason to gripe!

There have been some reasonably good jokes like;

VP Cheney was hunting quail. Does anyone know if Dan is okay?

Leno Provided the Following

Although it is beautiful here in California the weather back east has been atrocious. There was so much snow in Washington, D.C. Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fat guy thinking it was a polar bear.

That’s the big story over the weekend. On a quail hunting trip in Texas, Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter, a 78 year old lawyer. In fact when people found out he shot a lawyer his popularity is now at 92%!

Cheney’s defense is that he was aiming at a quail when he shot the guy. Which means that Cheney now has the worst aim of anyone in the white house since Bill Clinton.

and my personal favorite.............

What a nightmare I had last night .. I dreamed I was at a Washington party and I had to choose between Dick Cheney taking me on a hunting trip or Ted Kennedy driving me home.

So, The Arab Street Has Finally Erupted in Violence

We have been warned time and time again about the "Arab street". We were told that the Arab street would erupt in violence if we invaded Afghanistan and again if we invaded Iraq. We heard this again about Abu Gharib, which the media reported endlessly. There were 28 front page stories about Abu Gharib in 30 days at the New York Times and today a Yahoo search of Abu Gharib detainees will recover 1,870,000 results. We were warned again when Newsweek published a bogus story about a Koran flushed down a toilet and there were violent demonstrations about that. Newsweek lied, people died! Still there was never anything that could accurately be described as the "Arab street erupting in violence" until now.

What exactly was the necessary provocation for this long awaited response. Some cartoons printed in a Danish newspaper over five months ago. You may not have seen any of the cartoons or perhaps saw only the one with Mohammad with a bomb shaped turban. I viewed all 12 cartoons today and they are absolutely innocuous. Yet newspapers all over this country are allowing themselves to be bullied into not publishing those cartoons. Freedom of the press will bow to political correctness as long as it is the Muslims who are upset. If Christians or Jewish people were angered by a cartoon their feelings would be ignored while they were chastised for being intolerant.

Leave it to Bill Clinton who apologized all over the world during his presidency to run to a microphone and join the PC crowd.

Clinton warns of rising anti-Islamic feeling

Bill Clinton, former President condemns freedom of speech. Former US president Bill Clinton warned of rising anti-Islamic prejudice, comparing it to historic anti-Semitism as he condemned the publishing of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper.

"So now what are we going to do? ... Replace the anti-Semitic prejudice with anti-Islamic prejudice?" he said at an economic conference in the Qatari capital of Doha.
"In Europe, most of the struggles we've had in the past 50 years have been to fight prejudices against Jews, to fight against anti-Semitism," he said.

Clinton described as "appalling" the 12 cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September depicting Prophet Mohammed and causing uproar in the Muslim world.
"None of us are totally free of stereotypes about people of different races, different ethnic groups, and different religions ... There was this appalling example in northern Europe, in Denmark ... These totally outrageous cartoons against Islam," he said.

I think you are missing the point Mr Ex-President. Anti-Semitism is alive and well especially in the Arab world where there is no hesitation to print cartoons depicting Jews as animals. Where news articles are printed describing Jewish religious ceremonies which require using the blood of Muslim children.

FREE SPEECH OR JUST BAD MANNERS

In Natan Sharansky's book "The Case for Democracy" he makes reference to the "town square test". If you cannot go to the town square and express your point of view freely without fear of arrest, imprisonment or harm you do not live in a free society. Free speech is not however, an absolute right and an invitation only event at the Capital is not the town square.

We all know you cannot yell "fire" in a crowded theater or make jokes about bombs in the airport. Cindy Sheehan has had plenty of opportunities to express her point of view including during a meeting with the President of the United States of America. The MSM has given her a megaphone that few have access to. Just last week she appeared with Hugo Chavez to lend support to his oppressive rule of Venezuela.

The same crowd that criticize this country and every action of the Bush Administration is up in arms that her attempt to disrupt the State of the Union speech last Tuesday was thwarted. "Free speech, Free speech" they all cry but we heard nary a peep from them when the last administration was really infringing on citizens constitutional rights.

Senator Hillary Clinton was in Chicago speaking at a crowd where several professional liberal hecklers tried to interrupt her speech by shouting her down. A transcript follows below.

HILLARY: You know, I have to say that I appreciate the passion --
PROTESTER'S: Troops out now!
HILLARY -- and the intensity that you feel about Iraq.
PROTESTER'S: Troops out now!
HILLARY: I share it, and you're here expressing your opinion, but let's make sure that people have a chance to be part of a dialog, and I do not believe that they want to hear from you at this moment.

Well I'll give Hilary the benefit of the doubt. I don't know the circumstances of this speech, perhaps it too does not rise to the standard of the public square. How about protesters lining a parade route, surely that should be considered "the public square...............


Hillary 'Goon Squad' Victim Goes Public

One Clinton "goon squad" victim has come forward to tell his story.

The incident took place at New York City's Israeli Day parade at the height of Mrs. Clinton's 2000 campaign for the Senate, where, by all accounts, the-then first lady was roundly booed by the crowd as she stoically marched from block to block.

A member of the conservative Web site FreeRepublic.com, dressed for the occasion as the Devil, joined the crowd to add his voice to the protest. He recounted the episode Tuesday:

"To suppress opposing views in the crowd the Clinton campaign had people on both sides of the street walking the route with Hillary - but behind the barriers. They were carrying professionally printed pro-Clinton signs."

"Before she passed," he recalled, "they shoved me back and got in front of me, holding their signs in front of mine. However, my signs had a 3 foot handle and I raised them up."

At that point, recounts the FreeRepublic protester, "I was poked in the eye by a finger inserted to the eye-hole in my mask."

Oh well, surely this was just an isolated incident, or was it?

In his recently released book "On the Road with Hillary," Mr. Halley details his eight year stint as Mrs. Clinton's advance man, where one of his most important jobs was stifling protests like those staged by FreeRepublic, using even physical intimidation when he deemed it necessary.

"Less genteel souls," Halley explained, sometimes referred to his protest-busters as "goon squads" - although he preferred the term "etiquette squads." "I was proud of the fact that not one of them had ever been arrested," he boasts in the book.
Every now and then, Halley said, even he would have to throw a punch or two.
During a trip to Moscow while Mrs. Clinton was first lady, the advance man recalled:

"A photographer blocked my way and, trying to get a picture of Hillary in her limo, pushed me. I hit him square in the face so hard I thought I'd broken my hand. His nose exploded in an eruption of blood and I was able to shove him out of the way and jump into the lead car.

When it came to his protest busters, Halley says he "never advocated physical confrontation and always insisted that the etiquette squad stay within the boundaries of the law." But in the next breath he confessed, "Sadly, but inevitably, things sometimes got a little frisky, but my recruits knew how to handle themselves.... I had heard rumors that they had been very adamant about defending themselves when set upon by protesters."

Wow a bloody nose and a gouged eye, sounds bad but surely no one was arrested for expressing their point of view?

If you ever, ever diss the Clintons while in their presence you'll get arrested. On July 1996, in the public record, Patricia Mendoza was arrested in Chicago for shouting "You suck, and those boys died!" (in reference to the Khobar towers bombing in June 1996) at Bill Clinton in July, 1996. But the Clinton's SS troops claimed it was a death threat. Yeah, right. Can't even express a dislike in front of the president's face.

After their arrest, the Mendozas spent 14 hours in a Cook County lock-up. Though the Secret Service eventually dropped all charges, the couple, who ran a small electronics business, was soon audited by the Clinton IRS.

Ralph Grayson, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Chicago office, said his agency has an "ongoing investigation" into the matter.The Secret Service said Mrs. Mendoza made a "threatening statement" to the president.

The "town Square test" no fear of arrest, imprisonment or harm. The Mendozas were arrested and I'd call an IRS investigation harm. The Democrats have been suppressing a government report for over a year which discloses misuse by the Clinton Administration of the IRS. American citizens who were audited by the IRS (some of them repeatedly include Gennifer Flowers, Bill O'Reily and multiple conservative organizations).

The Capital police have made a grave error in apologizing to Mrs. Sheehan and stating publicly that it is not against the rules to wear an advocacy shirt in the Capital. I can just see next years SOtheU with wall to wall slogans and maybe a few commercials on the shirts in the gallery.
If folks had better manners none of this would be necessary.

Party, Party, Party

Well our party for the remaining management folks at Jack's office has finally come and gone. All in all they seemed to be a very nice group of people. I was a little freaked out. I had planned for so long and then had everything ready at 5pm, since Jack had told me the party was from 5 to 10pm. Well, he had told the guests to come "anytime after 5pm" So when we had only guest at 6:30 and I had the food set to begin serving at 6pm I got a little freaked out.

All our guests arrived between 6:30 and 7:30 and we had about 12-15 people. Not big drinkers and I nearly ended up with more wine than I began with. It was a pleasant evening although as the hostess the whole thing kind of flew by for me. With the exception of Lana whom I was pals with proir to the party I didn't really connect with anyone. Tuesday night I'm going to a party to watch the State of the Union address. Hopefully I'll meet some interesting people there.

Did You Hear Me On Rush?

Yesterday at about 1:39 pm eastern time I was on the Rush Limbaugh show. You may have guessed I'm a fan by the name of my blog. I was identified by Rush as "Leslie from Carol Stream, IL" I think I spoke too quickly but pointed out that since Osama bin Laden recommended a book called Rogue State in his recent audio release, sales of the book have increased. Personally I don't read books recommended by Oprah Winfrey so I would certainly not read anything OBL suggested. Who would? It must be all those hand wringing wimps who keep asking, "Why, why do the terrorists hate us?"

Rush was ready with a critique of the book that compared the writer to that wack job Professor in Colorado, Ward Churchill who said those who died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11th were "little Eichmans" who deserved their fate. So, please do not read this book. It was written by a rabid anti-American who sides with our enemies.

Can't Something be Done About Jimmy Carter?

The worst President of my lifetime is a gift that just keeps giving, to our enemies. As President, Carter allowed our one ally in the Middleeast to be deposed by radical islamofascists. During his presidency we had double digit inflation and unemployment Anyone remember the "misery index"? Since being thrown out of office by the Reagan revolution Carter has attempted to improve his image with Habitat for Humainty. I would sum up thie "feel good" organization using words from a recent Hillary speach, never has so much been done to help so few who need it so little. I'll explain the ineffectiveness of Habitat at another time. Even the most liberal among us sidesteps the Carter presidency by awarding his the title of "Greatest Past President".

After his stunning defeat in 1980 Carter had to keep his head down for a while. Emboldened by Clinton's 1992 victory he reappeared. Sadly, and to the detriment of the entire world Carter decided to insert himself into the negotiations with North Korea. Thanks in part to his involvement we now have a nuclear North Korea. Over the years Carter has embraced many a ruthless dictator. Castro is one of his particular favorites and Hugo Chavez benefited greatly from Carter's endorsement of his sham of an election.

I have always believed that it is little incidents in ones life that reveal character and here is my most recent little story about Carter. When the Pope John Paul II died Carter's people contacted the White House. Carter was volunteering to lead a delegation to attend the funeral. When Carter learned that the President would be attending personally he was no longer interested in going. If Carter could not lead the delegation there was no reason for him to attend simply to pay homage to a great man. Carter is a small self serving individual who never met a socialist dictator he didn't like and who should never have been President of the United States of America.

Now he is singing the praises of Hamas, on Friday, Carter said that although Hamas were "so-called terrorists," so far "there have been no complaints of corruption against [their] elected officials." Excuse me Mr. Carter, how could there be complaints about corruption in an organization that has yet had any offical power? Hpwever if Carther has his way members of Hamas will be elected soon. Carter apparently thinks being a terrorist is just another political party. No surprise since his Camp David accords gave the "father of modern terrorism" Yassir Arafat the status of a elected world leader. Carter also said sometimes you have to learn to work with terrorists and glossed over the declaration from some in Hamas that Israel has no right to exist.

No wonder that rabbit attacked him!

Winter WOW!

This morning we had what was referred to during my snow skiing days as a "white out". Cloudy, foggy with a sky the same color as the snow covered ground. I took a few photos of the invisible lake and my bird feeder with an icicle hanging from it. Although I noticed the frost clinging to the branches of our tree I was not prepared for the sights I enjoyed on our way to breakfast. To see row after row of big bare trees with a crispy coating of frost over every tiny twig is amazing. Even the marsh grasses on the edges of ponds were transformed into delicate works of art. Ice sculptures too fragile to ever be created by human hands. When we parked the bushy pines which had held large clumps of snow yesterday now had a thin skin of frost covering each individual pine needle.

Then this big studly guy opened the door for me at the restaurant and flirted with me. Jack really does take his time getting out of the car and when it's 22 degrees I don't wait. All in all a pretty nice morning. Hope your weekend went well also.

FINALLY, This is More Like It!

The lack of snow has been really getting me down. Finally last night I got what I have been hoping for, several inches of snow. The last time we had snow the lake was frozen so the view is a bit different now. Jack and I really love it up here.

OH, Did MLK Have a Birthday Too?

Jack and I were in Florida this past weekend for my Dad's 80th Birthday. We arrived at PBIA at 10:10pm on Friday and needed to get to our hotel in Stuart before the front desk closed at midnight. We were staying at the Suburban Extended Stay in Stuart which I thought was a fairly new hotel. Perhaps due to our late arrival we got a room that was less than impressive. Two beds, a refrigerator and microwave, all the comforts of home but...........The carpet was a bit worn the curtain was hanging oddly from only 4 hooks above the rather noisy airconditioner, a window style model and the room didn't smell fresh and clean. Well, we've had a few mediocre accommodations in our time together and they did have Fox News Channel so we just settled in and attempted to get to sleep before 1 am.

My Mother was the one who had recommended the Suburban Extended Stay in Stuart which she assured me was brand new. My Mother was a bit miffed when I suggested to her that she not recommend the Suburban to anyone else in the future. I'm pretty sure she agrees with me now however. In the Monday morning paper my Mom learned that while Jack and I were nestled all snug in our beds two of our fellow guests at the Suburban were having a fight. The loser was stabbed to death with a steak knife. Oh well I guess that could happen anywhere.

Anxious to see my nieces and nephews I was up and out by 7:30 am. Suprisingly, everyone was up. Apparently my Brother and Brother-in-law woke everyone as they got ready to leave for golf. The children all gave me a hug but once they saw there were no presents forthcoming they lost interest in me. It was terribly chilly and windy but Katie was determined that she was going swimming. I don't blame her. Katie is old enough to remember living in Wellington with a pool in the backyard and endless opportunities to swim. So, three out of four children got in the pool. Debi and I watched as did Madison dressed in Katie's parka.

There was a party at Ruthann's starting at 2pm which was very nice. There were lots of foods to choose from spread out on their pool table and beer and wine. The party kept going strong since more folks were arriving than leaving throughout the afternoon and evening. My Uncle Ted and his Daughter Nancy and Son-in-law Jack had driven down from Daytona and lots of friends from Palm Beach County drive up.

On Sunday we were all supposed to meet at Mom and Dad's for a family day. My Dad's brother Leo with his wife Nancy arrived from Lakeland and we all watched the Pittsburgh game together. I made several attempts to get some good photos of my nieces and Nephews but Katie squints if the sun is out and Cameron didn't have a shirt on all day. Oh well, I still have the photos from last June.

Jack and I flew out first thing Monday. All in all it was a very nice week-end and we didn't learn about the homicide until we were back in IL.

Sen Kennedy at it again

Ted Kennedy exemplifies a life without consequences. Born into privledge he has never had to pay for any of his mistakes. Kennedy was allowed into Harvard as a legacy and thrown out as a cheater. No matter, I am sure most of his supporters are unaware of his college history. Senator Kennedy drove drunk and allowed his young female passenger to drown. There was one small consequence for this action, he could never be President of the United States of America and had to settle for a lifetime appointment to the Senate. Thanks Mary Jo, your sacrifice may have saved us all. In many instances over the years Kennedy has lived his life like a libertine.

With a history like his anyone else would keep their head down and their mouth shut, but not Senator Kennedy. The Senator is the main attack dog for the Democrats whenever a Republican President dares to exercise his authority to appoint a Supreme Court justice. Note to Democrats, in order to appoint judges you need to win elections. At the beginning of the Bush administration in 2001 seventy-five percent of the judges in America had been appointed by Clinton over the prior eight years. Even when a uber-liberal like Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nominated by Clinton the Republicans did not attempt to "Bork" her nomination.

Then the unimaginable happened, a Republican was elected President and all the rules were thrown out the window once again. The Senate's responsibility of advise and consent is to approve any qualified nominee. The Democrats refuse to do this. We saw it with Bork, and again with Clarence Thomas and to a lesser degree with David Souter. All the liberal groups tried to block Roberts and now have Judge Alito squarely in their sights. Now they could run their ads and write their editorials promising Armageddon if Alito is confirmed without affecting the proper process if not for Senators like Kennedy.

Kennedy and others allow the hysteria into the confirmation process, acting as a mouthpiece for the left wing nuts. Kennedy claims Judge Alito is a bigot or a homophobe or remarkably this time sides with government against the "little guy". This from a Senator who would like the government to control every aspect of your life beginning with your healthcare.

Finally the Democrats are having to face reality. They are in the minority and no longer have a monopoly on what will be reported by the media. The Dems cannot prevent a qualified upstanding man like Judge Alito from being confirmed. The worst they can accomplish is to bring his wife to tears with their outrageous attacks. Still they will have their way by delaying the vote on Alito for an additional week. So very childish!

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF IT IS TRUE THAT SENATOR KENNEDY HAS A DOG NAMED "SPLASH"?

It Took ALMOST 24 Hours

From Newsmax.com

President Bush Blamed for Mine Disaster

Less than 24-hours after 12 of the 13 workers trapped by a West Virginia mine explosion were found dead, critics were already politicizing the disaster, with at least one mine safety expert blaming President Bush.
"This mine should have been closed," former director of the National Mine Safety and Health Academy, Jack Spadaro, told Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" Wednesday night.
"There were too many serious [safety] violations and the record is very clear," he added.
Asked why the allegedly unsafe mine continued to operate, Spadaro contended:
"I think it's because of the current Bush administration's policies toward mine operators and their reluctance to take the strong enforcement action that's sometimes necessary."
Spadaro insisted that "there has been a significant change since the Bush administration took over the enforcement of mine safety."
He said that the White House's lax approach to mine safety had made mine operators "reluctant to follow the law."

Are you as glad as I am that the holidays are over?

Are you as glad as I am that the holidays are over? I'm not complaining, I had a great time. The visit to Florida was great and went really fast. It was fabulous to see you and get caught up. My trip home was very nice. Upgrades to first class on both flights, no delays no waiting in lines. I can only assume most folks were returning home later in the day or on Tuesday.

Jack's daughter arrived with her boyfriend on Thursday Dec. 30th and son David arrived the next day. We had a very nice visit and everyone left on Sunday the 1st. I took all the Christmas decorations down yesterday and went into the city today.

A week of temps in the high 30's and low 40's and some rain has melted every flake of snow in our yard (and almost everywhere else). The only snow remaining is the dirty stuff that was plowed to the edges of the parking lots and roads. Hopefully, we can start anew with fresh snow one day soon.

I'll be in Fla with Jack January 13th through the 16th but don't get in until 9pm Friday and leave first thing Monday morning so I doubt we will be able to visit anyone but family.

Hello From Chicagoland

Tuesday, November 01, 2005 12:21 PM

The gray skies I have been expecting for weeks now finally arrived yesterday, but didn't last. It was warm yesterday with a high of 62 degrees but the weather looked bleak and I expected it to last all winter. The two trees behind our home which were beautifully gold in recent weeks are now nearly completely bare and the one out front which was green yesterday went yellow overnight. A soft rain fell into the evening, soaking my 8 foot inflatable spooky tree. I had a big bowl of candy ready last night and only got 3 chubby, obnoxious preteen boy trick-or-treaters. As greedy as they were, Jack will have enough candy to last him though next summer.

Sunday, while Jack made full use of his Direct TV Sunday Ticket I went to a Halloween party and fund raising event in nearby Elk Grove. It was fun seeing all the kids in their costumes. I feel a bit guilty because I went to support the event and came away with a painting I really like for only $40 in the silent auction.

Today according to the weather folk on the radio I've gotten yet another reprieve from the coming weather. It is cool and sunny and expected to stay nice and get warmer until Friday. I plan to go into the city tomorrow. Jack and I will be spending the first weekend in December in the city. I'm using the last of my Hilton points to spend two nights in the Chicago Hilton and we plan to go out on the town, see an exhibit at the Museum and experience the last Christmas ever at Marshall Fields in downtown Chicago.

Thu Nov 03 06:59:59 2005

It was an amazing day in Chicago. Sunny, warm (62 degrees). I went to see if I could get a ticket for Wicked. They have a drawing at noon and sell 20 tickets for $25 in the front row. There were only 21 people there and only one didn't get a ticket. I didn't care as I had already decided I would try again next Wednesday and would rather not spend what might be the last nice day for months indoors. So I went to Marshall Fields! I really need to dress better when I go into the city. Jackcalled me and I left Marshall Fields to get better reception. While I was talking to him I walked over a subway grate while the train passed below. It blew my hair straight up for a second, not exactly a Marilyn Monroe moment but it gave me a chuckle.

I took a walk along the Miracle Mile and walked all the way back to Union Station. I was just loving it! Soaking up the energy of the city, Then I came to an intersection lined with police. I love to see their hats with the checkerboard strip. Unfortunately I had happened upon the anti Bush administration rally called "The World Can't Wait". Stinking anarchist nitwits, ruining my mood! The President was reelected just one year ago but they want to override that election and have him step down. Then what? They hate Chaney worse than Bush and if he steps down Dennis Hastert becomes President which I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate any better. Idiots! I chatted with the cops briefly and continued on, they were with me on this issue.

I hope I am slowly learning my way around downtown. I learn something new with each visit. For example, the corner of the bus stop shelter that best protects you from the wind will always smell of pee, so put on your scarf and mittens and stand outside. Also, just because a fire truck is bearing down on you that doesn't necessarily mean you should wait to cross the street.

The cold hasn't bothered me yet but the locals don't seem to react to temperature changes like I do. I was wearing a sweater and got too warm shortly after I entered Marshall Fields but other women there seemed comfortable even though they weren't taking off their coats and scarves, unless they were having lunch. I considered buying a tee shirt but the only ones I saw were $75 and UGLY! I can hardly wait for next Wednesday. I'd go into town again today but we have a leak that needs to be dealt with and the men are coming at 1pm today.