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The Lunch Counter
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Wednesday, August 31, 2005
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The only working AM radio station in New Orleans has now gone out. This is not good for the people seemingly 'left behind' with no information available. Living in Pensacola I can share some of what they are going through. Katrina pretty much missed us compared to the rest of the gulf coast going west. We all remember what Ivan did to our area, but for what it is like to go through isolation caused by no transportation, no electric, no water, and in their case no nothing, having a way to get information is just as important as getting water and ice.
With nothing but a portable radio to get news from, the local AM radio stations were necessary for a lot of reasons beyond, where do we go for MRE's and ice, to where the help is and will be coming from. The whole town only had the battery-operated radio as a means to help us through the storm and recovery afterwards.
The 24hr continuous live talk and information was a godsend. Now the people in NO don't have any radio station to listen to. I can't imagine the added pain to their situation by not knowing ANYTHING about what to do or what is coming or where to go. It's frightening.
I think the DHS needs to have an AM station on a truck if necessary to broadcast all the local EOC (Emergency Operations Center) briefings and recovery information. Aside from the obvious need for such an option for disasters like this, it goes a long way to help maintain your sanity and sense of calm or sense of normalcy in the community with chaos all around, when you can listen to people you know keeping you informed of what is going on out there. It really played an important part in our living through those tough times.
There's got to be a way to set this up, the people need to know that something is going on out there that will help them, and what they can do to help themselves.
4:25:09 PM 
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Well this certainly has the potential to fix two problems at once. The port's insolvency and helping our country in one fell swoop. But are Pensacolians ready for this kind of progress? Is building a commercial operation on the waterfront a better investment than the Port of Pensacola?
Port of Pensacola could be alternative for storm-closed ports. Ports in Mobile, Gulfport and New Orleans are closed and cargo ships and cruise ships are looking for a temporary home in Pensacola. [PensacolaNewsJournal.com - Local News]
3:56:46 PM
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Somebody who counts ought to suggest that the cruise lines that normally do business in New Orleans return to pick up evacuees. Presuming of course that the Mississippi river is still navagable.
10:20:38 AM
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Way to go Jesse. Meet Venezuela's new Secretary of State, Jesse Jackson. Jackson says Pat Robertson's comment was illegal, and President Hugo Chavez calls for Robertson's arrest. Pick any 10 floors Hugo.
Chavez threatens UN complaint, if no action against Robertson (AFP).  AFP - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has warned he will lodge a complaint against the United States at the United Nations and other international bodies if the US government fails to act against television evangelist Pat Robertson, who has called for Chavez's assassination.
[Yahoo! News: Politics News]
2:18:59 AM
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On the day after, they were using helicopters, military vehicles, and boats, emergency services were asking for volunteers who had a boat and could help rescue people. It was a total effort, and will continue to be.
People on Canal St. use a boat to get to higher grounds as water began to fill the streets in New Orleans, Louisiana. Fresh floods, fires and looting rode in the destructive wake of Hurricane Katrina, deepening a humanitarian crisis that left hundreds feared dead and sections of New Orleans submerged to the rooftops.The(AFP/Getty Images/Mark Wilson)
2:06:03 AM
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Speaking from Coronado CA today, President Bush commented on the hurricane victims all along the gulf coast.
This morning, our hearts and prayers are with our fellow citizens along the Gulf Coast," Bush told Navy sailors and World War II veterans, the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier at his back. "We know that many are anxious to return to their homes. It's not possible at this moment."
The federal, state and local governments are working together side-by-side to help people get back on their feet.
The president asked individual Americans to get involved with the relief effort, suggesting anyone who wishes to help could call 1-800-HELPNOW, log on to the Red Cross Web site at http://www.redcross.org or get in touch with the Salvation Army.
1:12:15 AM
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Big Fat Liar Al Franken tells another one, that Cindy Sheehan didn't say that America is not worth dying for. A cut-n-paste from anyone who reads the text that the liar posts reveals these words from Cindy Sheehan "I’m going all over the country telling moms: “This country is not worth dying for."  It's the same speech where she said "We’re waging a war of terror. The biggest terrorist in the world is George W. Bush." This is not smearing Cindy Sheehan, it is revealing her, and Al Franken. Well, if he isn't telling a lie then he obviously doesn't check sources he espouses. Liar or incompetent, pick one. The Sheehan Smear.
Okay, that should actually read: "A Sheehan Smear." The right claims Cindy Sheehan said America's not worth dying for. She didn't. Here's what she really said. [The Al Franken Show | Air America Radio -]
12:21:19 AM
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Monday, August 29, 2005
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Well, we made it out all right. Had power & phones until 9am today. Still no phones (land line) or power, but hopefully it will only be a matter of hours and not days to come back up. And again, the COX cable did not go out so we can still communicate along with the handy dandy emergency electrical generator. The PhillyCam is up and running under generator power. I'm seriously considering changing my phone service as well to the cable.
Conditions aren't bad right here right now, with 40mph winds from the south, and the rain has stopped. All bridges are still closed but expect to be opening later today or until they can be properly inspected. Philly's will remain closed until the power comes back on.
1:50:47 PM
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Iraqi constitution is signed, to go to a public referendum in October this year. Good news. Would have been better if the Sunnis had signed on to it, but as it is it is now supported by the 80% of the Iraqi people. Lest we forget, in our own development, there were several states that didn't sign on to our own constitution. Taken into context, Iraq is nothing like Vietnam, it is taking a positive step forward. Draft constitution signed but rejected by Sunnis [Telegraph News | Breaking News]
12:28:43 AM
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I didn't know Venezuelan communist leader (dictator) Hugo Chavez was in so dire straits that Rev. Jesse Jackson feels it important to stick up (no pun intended) for him. I wish he would pick a specialty, either you're going to perpetuate racial tensions in this country or you're going to attempt to embarrass and interfere with the Bush administration in any way possible. He doesn't miss the opportunity to blur a racial component against the administration and for a half-baked dictator.
Rev. Jackson Lends Support to Chavez (AP).  AP - The Rev. Jesse Jackson offered support for President Hugo Chavez on Sunday, saying a call for his assassination by a U.S. religious broadcaster was a criminal act and that Washington and Venezuela should work out their differences through diplomacy.
[Yahoo! News: Politics News]
12:18:00 AM
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Sunday, August 28, 2005
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Florida panhandle gets spared. With hurricane Katrina bearing down on New Orleans, we who live in the Florida panhandle are breathing a sigh of relief. We're now happy to get rain and 70 mph winds after going through both Ivan and Dennis in the last 11 months.
It is not going to be a pretty sight in New Orleans very soon. Flooded, washed out, washed in, graveyard remains and caskets in the water along with toxic wastes of all sorts. I'm praying for those holed up in the shelters and the Superdome.
The feeling in Pensacola is that of relief, in as much as a 10-foot storm surge and hurricane category 1 type winds is considered a relief. The Pensacola Civic Center and other places in the area have opened up to shelter evacuees from the hurricane. If you can get to Pensacola you'll have a place to stay.
11:26:55 PM
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Saturday, August 27, 2005
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No one will have the opportunity to ask Sen. Hillary Clinton her thoughts on Cindy Sheehan and company, she is so well insulated from hard questions, especially extemporaneous ones. What about Bill Clinton or John Kerry or John Edwards? What do they think about the so-called grieving mother and her statements? Another case where they can't tell you what they believe or they would become an even smaller and more insane minority.
12:51:02 AM
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Friday, August 26, 2005
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Thursday, August 25, 2005
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Left Sinks to New Low (Yes, It's Possible).
This is what happens when people do not govern their usage of the First Amendment with simple, common decency.
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the current home of hundreds of wounded veterans from the war in Iraq, has been the target of weekly anti-war demonstrations since March. The protesters hold signs that read "Maimed for Lies" and "Enlist here and die for Halliburton." Take it from a wounded soldier.
Kevin Pannell, who was recently treated at Walter Reed and had both legs amputated after an ambush grenade attack near Baghdad in 2004, considers the presence of the anti-war protesters in front of the hospital "distasteful."
When he was a patient at the hospital, Pannell said he initially tried to ignore the anti-war activists camped out in front of Walter Reed, until witnessing something that enraged him.
"We went by there one day and I drove by and [the anti-war protesters] had a bunch of flag-draped coffins laid out on the sidewalk. That, I thought, was probably the most distasteful thing I had ever seen. Ever," Pannell, a member of the Army's First Cavalry Division, told Cybercast News Service.
"You know that 95 percent of the guys in the hospital bed lost guys whenever they got hurt and survivors' guilt is the worst thing you can deal with," Pannell said, adding that other veterans recovering from wounds at Walter Reed share his resentment for the anti-war protesters.
"We don't like them and we don't like the fact that they can hang their signs and stuff on the fence at Walter Reed," he said. "[The wounded veterans] are there to recuperate. Once they get out in the real world, then they can start seeing that stuff (anti-war protests). I mean Walter Reed is a sheltered environment and it needs to stay that way." Now, before the liberals start ranting and raving about their freedom of speech, this is not about that. It's about decorum and respect. They can protest, but they ought to be more thoughtful about it.
"[The anti-war protesters] have no business here. If they want to protest policy, they should be at the Capitol, they should be at the White House," said [counter-protester] Nina Burke. "The only reason for being here is to talk to [the] wounded and [anti-war protests are] just completely inappropriate."
[GOP Bloggers]
3:08:17 PM
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Wednesday, August 24, 2005
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African-American Leaders Call Press Conference to Discuss Record of Judge John Roberts
Project 21 Member Mychal Massie is participating in a
Thursday press conference
at the National Press Club in Washington on the record and beliefs of Supreme Court nominee Judge John Roberts.
Says Mychal:
John Roberts is the type of jurist who represents the beliefs of great Americans such as James Madison and Martin Luther King, Jr. Roberts is someone who can be relied upon to administer our Constitution as it is written and not how he or his political benefactors think it should be.
Other prominent African-American leaders expected to appear with Project 21's Massie include Niger Innis of the Congress of Racial Equality, Robert Woodson of the National Council for Neighborhood Enterprise and Phyllis Berry Myers of the Center for New Black Leadership.
10:22:15 AM
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Tuesday, August 23, 2005
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Get Out There and Fight Like a Liberal!
(from gopbloggers.org)
That, at any rate, is the idea behind Brendan Miniter's latest over at Opinion Journal - the idea that we on the right are takings pages out of the left's playbook and using them to advance conservative positions:
on a variety of fronts conservatives are using arguments and tactics heretofore under patent protection by the left, including pushing for activist judges (with four decades of liberal jurisprudence on the books, the left's best hope is judges who respect precedent above all), using federal dollars to build political constituencies, filing lawsuits, launching boycotts, and arguing for free speech and "diversity" in education. The last has drawn a surprising amount of attention lately with a debate over evolution and "intelligent design"--the hypothesis that evolution isn't random but rather the mechanism an intelligent being uses to change the universe.
I'll dissent slightly from any concept that we are actually fighting like liberals - we do, after all, adhere to truth and common-decency in our battle tactics. But, on the other hand, it is rather fun to push for massive increases in the budget of the Department of Education and then use the money to promote accountability and school choice. This is, actually, part of the brilliance of President Bush's political tactics - pour very new conservative wine into very old liberal bottles...it isn't as pretty or as pure as some conservatives would like, but the howls resulting from liberals as they watch it done indicate that its striking home.
It is hoped, of course, that a long period of advocacy and agigtation will eventually lead the American people to embrace pure, unadulterated conservatism - but, meantime, we can get a lot of good done by using liberalism against itself.
[GOP Bloggers]
4:18:57 PM
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Sunday, August 21, 2005
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Is the Cindy Sheehan of late a grieving mom, or an anti-war activist? Take the quick poll
11:59:08 AM
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It must be flattering to have people tug at you to run for office. But in the end, Joe Scarborough did the right thing for the right reason. If the fire isn't in your belly then the reason for running is not right. Joe received a lot of input from his former Pensacola constituents who were about 3 to 1 against him running for Senate according to a phone poll taken by the local ABC TV affiliate WEAR-TV.
Would you vote for Joe Scarborough if he ran for the U.S. Senate? 28% Yes 72% No
In reality, Joe would be a good candidate, a shoe-in in fact, were it not for the bad taste left in the mouths of his constituents over two things, his quitting 6 months after being re-elected, which also cost taxpayers money to have a special election to replace him, and his announcing that he would be working with the Levin Law firm. The latter being the home of Air America Radio host big-law type Mike Papantonio, a raging liberal in a law firm full of them.
Pensacola is unique in politics in that there are nearly as many democrats as republicans, but they have a conservative voting record producing conservative landslides of the kind that got him elected 4 times.
Had he made it known that he had left the Levin firm a couple years ago then things may have been different. It is or was a costly PR oversight. But this didn't come out until he spoke about it in an interview just a few days ago. That notwithstanding, his belief that if you have to be coaxed into running then you would be running for the wrong reason. Hats off to our 'regular Joe' for his candor. One reason he has been as popular as ever. The time isn't right for him now, but if he gets the fire in his belly to effect some change in Washington, Pensacola would once again support him.
Missing in all this hoopla is the cowardly or fearful attitude surrounding declared candidate Katherine Harris. Some republicans are afraid of the 'baggage' of the 2000 election. She did nothing wrong or illegal. The republicans need to stand up and support her and quit trying to duck the criticism that will come no matter who runs against Bill Nelson. The republican establishment, to their detriment, is too quick to discard good people under fear of the inevitable attacks that could be expected from the left. They need to find their backbone in cases like this. Although Scarborough will not challenge Harris for the Senate seat, the question remains will he support her?
Scarborough Won't Challenge Harris in Fla. (AP).  AP - Talk show host and former congressman Joe Scarborough said Saturday he had decided not to challenge U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris in the Republican Senate primary.
[Yahoo! News: Politics News]
reference
9:27:14 AM
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Saturday, August 20, 2005
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What a brilliant way to unite the country. Why didn't I think of that?
Sen. John Kerry Blisters Republicans (AP).  AP - Sen. John F. Kerry told state legislators Friday the Democratic Party doesn't need to undergo an extreme makeover, saying "the last thing America needs is a second Republican Party."
[Yahoo! News: Politics News]
Sounds like their advisors want them to act more like mainstream America. Well, he'll have nothing of that.
Sen. John F. Kerry is referring to the left's recent obsession with political think tanks. They believe that republicans got to their superior (but way under utilized) political position because they had better think tanks and have had them for decades. So some democrat think tanks are thinking hard on . . . what? What do we, as democrats, believe in? I don't think so. It's more like how can we tell people what we believe in without really telling them what we believe in?
A republican wouldn't have a problem naming core principles.
1:09:03 AM
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Friday, August 19, 2005
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Diplomacy like this goes unnoticed. Does not fit the template of world conquerer does it? All those who are against human rights please raise your hand.
Bush names envoy for North Korean rights (AFP).  AFP - US President George W. Bush has appointed a former senior domestic policy aide, Jay Lefkowitz, as special envoy to promote human rights in North Korea, the White House announced.
[Yahoo! News: George W. Bush]
4:29:47 PM
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The message is powerful and genuine. If you heard it live Thursday your eyes would have welled up. Debbie from Indianapolis called into Rush Limbaugh's show to share her feelings about her son serving in Iraq. It's entirely appropriate that Rush told her that she was The Voice of America. Graciously lifted from Rush 24/7. Folks, if you're not already a subscriber to Rush's website, shelling out the $39 just to be able to hear Debbie's call would be worth it. This mother's story is one you won't hear of or see in the media today. Doesn't fit the template, all their energies are in Crawford Texas.
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: This is Debbie in Indianapolis, named after Indians, and it's the headquarters of the NCAA. Welcome to the program.
CALLER: Hey, Rush we come from a super mega dittos household. When my 13-year-old was born she said ditto before she could say mom.
RUSH: (Laughing.) I'm not surprised. The future of America.
CALLER: Absolutely. I'm a MOM, which stands for, "Mother of a Marine", and I'm looking for a bumper sticker that says, "Your son got an A in college; my son got a Purple Heart in Iraq." His vehicle ran over a land mine twice in one day. We always talk about "if" something would happen to my son, I would never dishonor him. I'm sorry. I'm getting emotional in this. I would never dishonor his actions by doing what this woman is doing. My son volunteered to join the Marines. When he was 18 years, one month, and ten days old on September 12th he announced that he was joining the Marines after he saw the Twin Towers fall. When his first orders to Iraq were canceled he told us that, "Bush better not pull out before I get there." He knew it was something that needed to be done. He's going back for his second tour next month. What she's doing is not only dishonoring her son, she's dishonoring mine.
RUSH: Debbie, I can't thank you enough for calling, and I can't thank you enough for doing another thing. You have just spoken for the vast majority of Americans in your call. You have just echoed exactly what they think. God bless you. Thanks so much for your call.
CALLER: I hope so. Thank you.
RUSH: You have, trust me on this. You are far more a voice, a representative voice of the people of this country than any of the rabble rousing malcontents that are being given airtime in a failed attempt to destroy the policy by the mainstream press. Trust me.
CALLER: It hurts me that she's sending the message that it seems like her son died for nothing. He didn't die for nothing. He died in the United States Armed Forces. There's nothing more honorable than that. These kids volunteered. They were not yanked from their cradle by an evil government to send them someplace they didn't want to go. My son knew on September 12th he was going over. My son knew what was in store for him, and my son stepped up to the plate. The caller you had on Monday, he was talking about, "Gee, how come these senators' kids aren't volunteering if the war is so great?" We're not going to talk about if the war is so great, let's talk about these kids who are great who stepped up to the plate and said, "You know what, I need to do something about this. There's something bigger than me out there."
RUSH: Debbie, exactly right. Debbie, thank you again. You just heard it, Debbie in Indianapolis, the voice of this country.
END TRANSCRIPT
2:24:07 AM
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Wednesday, August 17, 2005
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Joe Scarborough, circa 1994 U.S. representative (FL) and now MSNBC cable TV talk-show host, is saying that he is being coaxed into challenging Katherine Harris for the U.S. Senate. What is all this resistance to Katherine Harris? I don't like nor understand this apparent opposition to Harris now. She stepped aside for the party in the last election. This time she deserves the party's support.
Scarborough ended up to be a disappointment in Congress. Started off strong for a few years then seemed to lose interest or give up. What happened to his 'reason for quitting' in 2001, which was to be with his children?
1:51:44 AM
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Tuesday, August 16, 2005
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No need to read any further. This is what they do. Candidates with brains of their own would be a good start. Out of the four, none of them uttered their vision for the city. No, this is not a joke. It's not even funny. It is pathetic.
Democratic Challengers Meet, Slam NY Mayor (AP). AP - The four Democrats hoping to unseat Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg met during their first debate Tuesday, using most of their time to criticize him rather than tussle with each other. [Yahoo! News: Politics News]
11:04:14 PM
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Here is what it sounds like in my backyard at night after a light rain. The enclosure is a small (231k) wav file.
1:54:29 AM
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Says Larry Kudlow at NRO "Unless Social Security is reformed substantially, by providing for the ownership of personal savings accounts that will permit stock and bond investments to finance benefits rather than tax hikes, the system will continue to deteriorate." Using that which makes this country great, freedom and free enterprise, is where the answer is to solving Social Security's insolvency problem.
Ref: Investing In America Will Save Social Security
12:15:04 AM
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Monday, August 15, 2005
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Isn't it just like the liberal spin that tax cuts are 'costs' that the government has to 'pay?' There's a perpetual denial going that tax cuts are the reason the deficit is lower by billions of dollars.
To wit "If Bush's tax cuts are renewed, the deficit picture would worsen by $204 billion in 2011 — to perhaps $327 billion or so. By 2015, the cost of extending the 2001 and subsequent tax cuts would reach $432 billion."
In other words, if the stimulus that has been reducing the deficit with increasing speed were to remain that it would all of a sudden make the deficit worse. And that makes sense to who?
That $432 billion isn't a cost, it's a stimulus. The liberal perspective is that tax revenue is the government's money, disassociated from the taxpayer who pays it. Except when more money is needed, then they zero in on 'the rich' to finance it. Money the government spends is our cost, money the people spend is the stimulus. The more money the people can keep, the more money the people will spend or invest. That's what creates jobs. It is economic principles rather than political ideologies that is moving the economy along, at twice the rate of any country in Europe. Why won't they admit that?
Forecasters See Drop in Budget Deficit (AP). AP - Congressional forecasters said Monday the federal deficit this year, though still huge, won't be as bad as originally projected — a welcome turn for President Bush who inherited healthy surpluses four years ago and saw them disappear in a sea of red ink. [Yahoo! News: Politics News]
9:34:22 PM
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"I realize how tragic your loss is and I know how much pain there is crushing your heart and | |
Yahoo! News: Politics News