Maggie's Notebook

Maggie's Notebook New Blog Home

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:42:00 +0000

Readers and friends, I have finally taken the step and have a new home for Maggie's Notebook. I believe you will find it easier to read and navigate, and commenting will be much less troublesome.

Note: when you click the link below, it may look like it is not taking you anywhere, but be patient, it does.
Please visit me at the all new

Maggie's Notebook

This site will stay up, however I have migrated all posts on this site to the new one. I look forward to hearing your reactions, and don't forget to bookmark, or update the RSS feed for the new Maggie's Notebook

To everyone, thank you so much for making my first blog site a success.

It's time to move-on. I hope you will come with me.

Brits Paul Chandler Rachel Chandler Freed by Somali Pirates: Ransom Paid for Chandlers

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 05:31:00 +0000

Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple, have been released by Somali pirates who have held them in captivity "deep inland" for thirteen months, . The Chandler's were taken at gunpoint from their yacht on October 23, 2009 while sailing from Seychelles to Tanzania. Fox News said the couple appeared "well," but" tired." They were given cell phones once released. Information is scarce. Updates as available.

Paul and Rachel Chandler

AlJazeera English is saying a "significant amount of ransom money was paid."

Sources privy to the secret negotiations that led to the Chandlers' release have told Al Jazeera that $300,000 was paid to their captors - an amount far less than the millions of dollars the pirates initially demanded.

But the details of just who paid the ransom are sketchy. The British government has a long standing policy to not pay ransom to kidnappers.

Sources close to the case told Al Jazeera that the a money came from private donors and the Somali government, which has been involved in the negotiations to release them, and which is desperate for any positive news as it is rattled by daily fighting against al-Qaeda-linked groups.

Regardless of the source of the money, analysts believe that the captors lowered their ransom demand as the Chandlers became a security and financial liability.

"On the one hand, you had Al-Shabab fighters closing in on the captors, and on the other hand, the cost of securing and feeding the Chandlers was mounting," said Ali Omar Ahmed, a maritime security consultant.

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Why I quit...

noreply@blogger.com (Findalis) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:42:00 +0000

By Findalis

Desert Storm vet explains decision to leave Air Force after 22 years.

By MIKE BANZET

I never expected to write this letter, but my Mom e-mailed me to get information about my career for a writeup on Veterans Day, and as this is the first such holiday in 22 years when I will not be on active duty, I felt compelled to let you know why I decided to quit.

Quit is a strong word, I know. Everyone I’ve talked to has repeated that I’ve had a marvelous career and that I’ve retired with honor. Maybe that’s true on paper; I guess that it’s reflected by the record. But that’s not how I feel. I feel like I’ve quit. And because I’m not a quitter, I feel I have to explain why — not that anyone is asking, but because perhaps they don’t know to ask.

Briefly, my career had been a representation of the promise of this country. Starting out on the lowest rung of the rank ladder as an F-4G Wild Weasel crew chief, continuing on F-16s and the F-117A Stealth fighter in Desert Storm, then a small part of Desert Fox as a nuclear Maintenance Officer and finally a pilot that took part in numerous deployments in Southern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. I finished up an awesome year on the ground in Iraq, and was selected to receive a coveted “Definitely Promote,” assuring me of promotion to lieutenant colonel. They don’t pass out many of those. My dreams were right in front of me. All I had to do was grab them. And then I retired. Why?

Atlas Shrugged.

I had chosen, freely, to place my life between those that would do harm to the U.S. and those whom I would protect: her citizens. I had always believed in the best of America and the people of her lands; that despite occasional missteps there was a general “rightness” to our way. I lived that belief for 22 years, leading and following warriors into combat. I’m certainly no war hero; my brothers in arms have seen far more combat, more intense and personal than I. But I have become acquainted with death in a way that I hope you never do. My last tour, on the ground in Iraq was where my heart started to be hardened towards you, the electorate, and culminated in this letter, written two days before our elections. And here’s why.

You’ve elected officials who, for partisan points, spoke openly that the “…war is lost.” I happened to be in a dining facility in Baghdad that day, filled with the (mostly) young faces of (mostly) Army men and women. CNN was on the TVs, and things got very quiet when this elected official continued on, railing that the mission that some of these very people were here to do, had “…failed.” Yet, they would be donning their body armor, strapping on med kits and weapons, mounting HMMVs or MRAPs and heading outside the wire, ensuring that the newborn democracy in Iraq, purchased with so many lives, would be safe another night. The newly re-invigorated insurgents would be waiting, teeth bared back in a hateful smile, gripping the IED detonator, the RPG launcher, or the AK-47s to ply their trade with new energy, because the Senate Majority Leader had said they were winning.

You elected officials who continually defame and berate military members, whether it is the observation that if you’re not too bright, you’ll get “…stuck in Iraq” (this from a guy who has two Purple Hearts for self-inflicted wounds, and known for throwing someone else’s medals away in protest), or the calling of combat Marines cold-blooded killers (in a war; before trial). You’ve elected officials in the role of commander-in-chief who “loathe” the military, while using ROTC deferments and special treatment to avoid military service that the less “connected” take as a responsibility. On the basis of “change,” you elected someone who had close, ongoing associations with people who were part of an organization that tried to kill us [U.S. military] on our own soil.

You elected officials that promised to take property from some Americans, and give it to you, merely because they had more than you did. Those Americans that these officials have labeled as the “rich” are your neighbors, who provide jobs and pay far more in taxes than you ever will. That means they are already subsidizing your lifestyle choices; you just want more of their property without the responsibility of risking your wealth and labor to get it. You would rather hire someone to take it from them. And you have.

Yet these same officials from this same party are the wealthiest group of people in both the House and Senate. They have offshore accounts, forbid unions in their businesses and use every tax loophole they can find with their armies of accountants. But you keep sending them back to those jobs, because they promise to steal from some Americans and give to you.

You elect officials who openly embrace illegal activity; but they don’t have to live with the consequences. Other Americans pay the price. You support “sanctuary cities” and open defiance of federal law, including supporting administrations who sue our sister states as they desperately try to control a crime epidemic by supporting federal law. You support an administration that leads a party that gives a standing ovation to the leader of a country that exploits our kindness and actively encourages law-breaking in our country while insulting our fellow citizens who dare to try to enforce the law. Check out your elected officials; did they stand and applaud the racist diatribe of the president of Mexico? Did they join the attorney general and the head of Homeland Security in applauding this gaping hole in (homeland) security and law? Do you have locks on your doors? Why?

You elect officials who are openly racist, decrying that “White folks’ greed drives a world in need…” and that their own grandmother was a “…typical white person.” Someone who sits in admiration as their pastor (small p; no capital letters for racists), in a church he attended for 20 years, slanders the United States as the “…U.S. of KKK America” and delights that the 9/11 “…chickens have come home to roost.” Someone who refused to denounce a paramilitary, racist organization that placed its members in front of polling places armed with billy clubs, and yelling racist, threatening epithets. On video. And the Attorney General did nothing.

Oh, wait. The Justice Department is now apparently, under sworn testimony, the Department of Racial Payback. And you continue to support the party that supports this blatantly racist behavior because they say that they will stick it to “the man” on your behalf. A Nation of Cowards? I don’t think so; the courage of this breathtaking racism is without equal in modern times. One would think that you would use your votes to eradicate these racist policies from the U.S. But that assumes eradicating racism is your aim. It’s not, or you would be as incensed at this blatant racism as you would if sheet-covered whites were there. But longtime Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd’s old gang has been rightfully disgraced and shamed into a virtual non-existence. Thank goodness that 52 percent of you discourage that kind of behavior.

But you don’t. You support the tactic of using the epithet of “racist” as the cudgel of choice for racists who don’t like policies that conservatives advocate. Don’t like illegal activity? Racist. Your party insists that to provide a photo ID — proving you are who you say you are — is not only too much of a burden to ask a voter to bear, but it’s racist as well. This not only terribly insulting to all races, but when the burden of proof to rent the DVD “Second Hand Lions” (amazing movie!) is higher than that required to vote for someone who has control of nuclear weapons or deploying men and women into harm’s way, there is something wrong.

It doesn’t end there. Don’t like a particular female’s policies? Sexist. Yet, you support politicians who prey on 20-year old interns, seduce underage male interns, and, as a double bonus, support a person for the Supreme Court who says she is “wiser” than white people because of her race and sex. And any opponent of hers must be sexist and racist. Yet the prevailing double standard makes “bitch” an acceptable term for a conservative grandmother with the temerity to want to stop illegal activity. And “whore” is acceptable terminology for any conservative woman.

Sarah Palin seems to be a nice person, the kind you would love to have as a neighbor, regardless of her policies; but you insist that she is stupid and vile. She is ignorant and inexperienced, clearly not ready for anything, as holding a variety of elected and appointed positions culminating in the governorship of Alaska clearly doesn’t hold up against… an organizer of race-based communities. Sexist, if a conservative said those words about a liberal, but because she is not pro-killing-little-kids, 52 percent of you decided she was worth vicious ad hominem attacks that continue to this day. Not just saying that you disagree, but saying she is evil. You support it all. All because the folks that practice this abhorrent behavior promise to give you free health care stolen from other Americans who haven’t paid their ill-defined “fair share.”

My oath was this: “I, Mike, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

I took that oath seriously. But you have responsibilities, too. You should take them seriously.

Mike Banzet, a retired major in the U.S. Air Force, is a 1986 graduate of Flathead High School in Kalispell, Montana.

When I first read this letter I knew I had to post it in its entirety, without any embellishes or comments from me. Major Banzet's words speak louder, clearer, with an eloquence that stands alone without overt embellishments.

It is a shame that men and women who serve our nation find themselves disillusioned and repelled at the level of revulsion directed at them by many of the esteemed Members of Congress. Many of which never served a day of their lives in uniform, let alone in a combat zone. These respected public servants are not fit to lick the shoes of Major Banzet, let alone speak against them.

Let the words of Major Banzet be a wake-up call to us all. For if the Major Banzet's leave our military disillusioned and disheartened, we will be faced with the reality of a second class military incapable of defeating our weakest foe and unable to defend this nation from those who would destroy it from within. A military the former Soviet Union wanted us to have and their fellow travelers are trying to turn into the new reality.

In Tribute To The Men And Women Of the US Air Force

Wild Blue Yonder

Parable of Why Johnny Can't Borrow

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:01:00 +0000

I was in Las Vegas recently, after the November 2nd election. While having a casual dinner at the Trevi restaurant in Caesar's Palace, our waiter Ralph asked where we were from. We told him Oklahoma and he asked about our economy there and specifically the housing market. We chatted about that and then he told us he bought a house two years ago just north of the city of Las Vegas. He paid $256,000 and thought his property, usually in a hot market, would surely gain equity. Just the opposite happened, of course, and I began schooling him about Bill Clinton's Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), and Barney Frank and Chris Dodd's coddling of it. Had I had the Parable of Johnny, I would have been finished with Ralph before dessert.

Why Johnny Shouldn't Have Borrowed - Housing Crisis

Within a year, Ralph's home was worth not much more than $150,000.

So, I've talked about the reason for all of our economic woes on this blog many, many times. Rather than go through it again, Michael Prell at The Daily Caller has a post today that simplifies the roller coaster that repeated itself over and over again, until everyone wanting a house had one, whether they could pay for it or not. This is how I should have explained it to Ralph:

The "Parable of Why Johnny Can't Borrow:"

One day, Johnny woke up and decided to buy a house. But Johnny did not have enough money to buy a house. So he went to someone who did have enough money: Mr. Capitalist.

“Mr. Capitalist,” asked Johnny, “could you please loan me the money to buy a house?”

“Do you have good credit, a down payment, or proof of income?” asked Mr. Capitalist.

“No,” replied Johnny.

The End

And the end of the Global Financial Crisis.

The good news is that rather than abandon his home, which Ralph and his wife seriously considered, they refinanced and got their monthly payment greatly reduced and are once again hoping for a rise in equity.

Prell's article, QE2 vs the Titanic is a short and pithy narrative of the meaning and importance of capitalism and what happens when the free market is under assault. Prell is a strategist for Tea Party Patriots and the author of the forthcoming book, Underdogma: How America's Enemies Use Our Love for the Underdog to Trash American Power (release date January 20, 2011)

Related and Background:
Tracking the Mess of Fannie and Freddie
Financial Crisis Timeline: Republicans Warned of Economic Crisis
Bulldog Maxine Waters and her Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee

Carrie Prejean Kyle Boller Pregnant

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:37:00 +0000

Carrie Prejean and husband Kyle Boller are expecting their first child in May 2011. Prejean, 23, and Boller, quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, were married in July 2010. Prejean hit the world stage in a bigger way than expected when Perez Hilton, a gay judge for the Miss USA 2009 pageant, scuttled Prejean's chances for winning the Miss USA title when he asked Prejean's pageant question, and didn't like the answer: "Do you believe every U.S. State should legalize same-sex marriage?" See the video below.

Her answer:

Well I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And, you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that, I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that’s how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman.

What we learned from Carrie's time on the Miss USA stage is that contestants representing this country must not express opinions favoring traditional marriage or faith.

Carrie Prejean and Kyle Boller Pregnant (video)

Peter King: Bush 'Should Get a Medal" for Waterboarding KSM: A Reminder of What We Know

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 23:54:00 +0000

Congressman Peter King (R-NY) said Wednesday former President George W. Bush "should get a medal" for waterboarding Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM). Comforting words for conservatives coming from the man who may be the next Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) is calling for further investigations into treatment of terrorists during the GWB administration. Consider this: if we did not have KSM in custody, and did not know what we know today about his part in the September 11, 2001 attacks, where would we be today? What would Americans feel about knowing practically nothing about the day that changed this country forever? I can't imagine being completely in the dark about our attackers. Bring out the medal for George W. Bush.

Peter King

Bush said in his new book, Decision Points, that he ordered the waterboarding of terrorists, including that of KSM. While the news is old now, remember this:

KSM, as intelligence agencies call him, directed the September 11 attacks, which killed 2,978 people and injured at least 7,356. “I am the head of the al-Qaeda military committee,” he told Al Jazeera in April 2002. “And yes, we did it.” KSM wired money to his nephew, Ramzi Yousef, who masterminded the February 1993 World Trade Center blast that killed six and wounded 1,040. KSM and Yousef planned Operation Bojinka, a foiled 1995 scheme to explode 12 American jetliners above the Pacific. While some doubt his claim, KSM reportedly said, “I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew Daniel Pearl in the City of Karachi, Pakistan.”

U.S. and Pakistani authorities captured KSM on March 1, 2003 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. KSM stayed mum for months, often answering questions with Koranic chants. Interrogators eventually waterboarded him — for just 90 seconds.

KSM “didn’t resist,” one CIA veteran said in the August 13 issue of The New Yorker. “He sang right away. He cracked real quick.” Another CIA official told ABC News: “KSM lasted the longest under water-boarding, about a minute and a half, but once he broke, it never had to be used again.”

KSM’s revelations helped authorities identify and incarcerate at least six major terrorists: Read more.

A total of 90 seconds of terror for KSM. Years and years of grief that never goes away for the families and loved ones of those who died when the Towers fell. The site of the World Trade Towers 9/11 attack is in Congressman Nadler's congressional district, but he is not appreciative of the methods used to bring the attackers to justice. King, however, said Bush's actions "saved many, many lives," and he should receive "a medal," for doing what was necessary. If Nadler's loved ones had been in the Towers, would he still be pushing for an investigation of George Bush? There is one thing here that is true: waterboarding is scary - no doubt terrible for the one being waterboarded, but...let's face it, no one dies from waterboarding. Thanks to Weazel Zippers.

Tossing Millions - $150M More to Palestine

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:17:00 +0000

Hillary Clinton announced another $150 million to Palestine, bringing our total aid to $600 million this year. The story is that the $150 million will be used by the Palestine Authority to pay-down debt. Wonderful news, huh? The U.S. builds debt by helping others diminish theirs. Will any of this $150 million be diverted to purchase weapons? How naive are we, and speaking of the naivete of Americans, when will we demand that taxpayer funds stay in the U.S., at least until our fiscal disaster is corrected. Now is the time to shut down redistributing our wealth to the world. Source: Voice of America

Rand Paul Eliot Spitzer: Spitzer Pushes Pay Cut for Medicare Doctors

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 06:40:00 +0000

Client No. 9, also known as Eliot Spitzer, interviewed Kentucky's new Senator-elect, Rand Paul. Paul is a medical doctor and has said physicians pay for treatment of Medicare patients should not be cut unless all federal payrolls are cut. Spitzer thought he had Paul on the end of his pitchfork after showing the trillions spent on medicare, medicaid and social security. See the video below.

Rand Paul

Paul pointed out that further cuts in physician's pay would be on top of the already-implemented 50% cut. Spitzer wasn't interested and offered no follow-up. Then he tried to broadside Paul by asking what his income was as a physician treating predominately Medicare patients. Paul didn't skip a beat, and suggested if Spitzer wanted to talk about Rand's past, perhaps they might also talk about Spitzer's own (which undoubtedly would include the disgraced Governor of New York State being outed as "Client No. 9" in a prositution scandal which brought his resignation as governor).

Rand Paul will be a conservative voice to be reckoned with when he hits the Senate. It's a good thing.
See how successful Spitzer's recent gig is here. Read additional commentary on this story at FireAndreaMitchell - Stop The Leftist Propaganda Machine

Eliot Spitzer and Rand Paul

Child Soldiers Okay in Sudan, Yemen, Chad, Congo: Obama Funds Child Soldiers

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 05:52:00 +0000

U.S. law stipulates that we will not extend aid to any country utilizing "child soldiers." At least it was the law until Obama exempted Sudan, Yemen, Chad and the Congo. They use children for solidiers...we send money anyway. Barack Obama deemed it so. Congress wants to know why.

Child Soldiers

State Department spokesman, P.J. Crowley explained that these four countries "need more time" to implement the policies we object to, and to keep stability in these areas. We will break our own laws, because in The Time of Obama, the Rule of Law means nothing.

The law requires the State Department to list governments that recruit and use child soldiers in the annual “Trafficking in Persons Report.” Governments appearing on the list are prohibited from receiving military assistance or buying arms from the United States unless the president grants an exemption on grounds of "national interest."

Republican Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (Neb) says the waiver is an "affront to our principles," and is a "most serious human rights violation...." He is awaiting a memo of "waiver justification" from the White House, due in 45 days.

Think about these four egregious countries: the Sudan, Yemen, Chad and the Congo. None have the slightest penchant for human rights, especially for women and children. Children are routinely raped in each. There is no governmental stability in any of the four countries. Who will these children be fighting against? What are we thinking when we break our own laws designed to protect children? Do we consider that in each of these countries, Muslims are at the heart of the problem? Can't wait for Obama's "justification" memo.

Ariel Sharon Moved to Home Ranch from Long-Term Care Facility

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:25:00 +0000

Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon will be moved from the Sheba long-term medical center facility to his home ranch near the Gaza strip. Sharon suffered a massive stroke in January 2006 and has been in a coma for almost five years.

Ariel Sharon

Sharon is believed to be breathing on his own with occasional oxygen use. The actual date of the move is unknown for security purposes.

Mr. Sharon served as Israel's eleventh prime minister from March 2001 officially through April 2006. He is a retired general from the Israeli Army. He is 82 years old. He was succeeded by Ehud Olmert.

An elevator was installed in the home at Sharon's Sycamore Ranch, to enable moving him from the ground floor to his bedroom on the second floor.

Ariel Sharon was married twice, and twice widowed. His first wife Margalit was killed in a head-on auto accident in 1962. They had one son. He married Lily, who was Margalit's sister, in 1963. They had two sons. Lily died of lung cancer at age 63 in 1999. She is buried on the family farm.

The Legend Lives On!

noreply@blogger.com (Findalis) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:59:00 +0000

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle


The Edmund Fitzgerald

On this day 35 years ago a great ship and her crew were lost at sea. The Edmund Fitzgerald really was the "Pride of the American Fleet".

On February 1, 1957, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin contracted Great Lakes Engineering Works (GLEW), of River Rouge, Michigan, to design and build a taconite bulk carrier laker for Northwestern. The contract contained the stipulation that the boat be the largest on the Great Lakes. GLEW laid the keel on August 7 of that year, and some time between then and its christening and launch on June 7, 1958, Northwestern announced their decision to name the boat for its President and Chairman of the Board, Edmund Fitzgerald, whose father had been a lake captain.

The completed vessel had a capacity of 26,600 short tons (24,100 t). Its large cargo hold loaded through twenty-one watertight hatches, 11.6 by 54.1 feet (3.5 by 16.5 m) of 5⁄16-inch (7.9 mm) steel. The boat's boilers were originally coal-fired, but would be converted to burn oil during the 1971–72 winter layup. With a length of 729 feet (222 m), it met the demanding stipulation of the contract and until 1971 was the largest boat on the Great Lakes.

More than 15,000 people attended the Fitzgerald's launch. The event was troublesome. When Mrs. Edmund Fitzgerald christened the boat by smashing a champagne bottle over the bow, it took her three swings to break the bottle. The launch was delayed 36 minutes while the shipyard crew struggled to release the keel blocks. Upon launching sideways into the water, the boat crashed violently into a pier. Was it an omen of the violent end of the ship?

(CNN) -- The vicious, swirling storm that battered the Great Lakes region in late October inspired talk of a similar gale that brought about one of the great mysteries of the 20th century.

The mighty ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the largest ships on America's inland seas, seemed invincible in its bulk and mass, but it was no match for a howling Lake Superior gale on November 10, 1975.

A day earlier, the 729-foot behemoth, operated by mineral company Oglebay Norton, had chugged away from port in Superior, Wisconsin, on a course that would take it across the length of Lake Superior, through the Soo Locks and down Lake Huron to Detroit, Michigan, a journey that should have taken about 48 hours.

With the storm bearing down on them the next morning, the Fitzgerald and another freighter, the Arthur M. Anderson, took a northerly route, hoping the Canadian shore would provide a buffer. Icy rain was driven sideways by hurricane-force wind and monstrous 25-foot waves crashed over the main deck, which rode less than 12 feet above the waterline.

Capt. Ernest McSorley, a 37-year veteran on his last sail before retirement, stayed in radio contact with the Anderson and another ship, the Avafors. At 3:30 p.m., he reported his ship had suffered minor damage and was listing, or leaning to one side, in the storm, according to the Coast Guard report on the accident.

Things only got worse as the afternoon dragged on.

"I have a bad list, lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck," McSorley radioed around 6 p.m. "One of the worst seas I've ever been in."

The Lost Fitzgerald Search Tapes

He tried to make a run for the safety of Whitefish Bay on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. But about 7:10 p.m., the ship suddenly disappeared from radar and radio, without a call for help.

The Arthur M. Anderson made it to Whitefish Bay, but Capt. Bernie Cooper and his crew agreed to go back out into the maelstrom to search for survivors, as did the William Clay Ford. The searchers "went out and got the hell beat out of them," one observer said, but all they found were two splintered lifeboats and a single, unoccupied life jacket.

Nearly a week later, a U.S. Coast Guard sonar ship found the Fitzgerald. It had been wrestled to the ice-cold lake bed 530 feet below, its steel hull ripped into pieces, its 26,000 tons of taconite pellets spilled, McSorley and his 28 crewmen entombed forever.

Not one body was ever recovered, and no one knows exactly what caused the Mighty Fitz to founder. The mystery grew into legend over the years, helped along by a National Geographic special and a haunting popular song by Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot.

Full Story

29 men lost their lives that night. Each year on the anniversary of the wreck, the ship's bell is rung in their memory.

The Crew:

Michael E. Armagost 37 Third Mate Iron River, Wisconsin
Frederick J. Beetcher 56 Porter Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas D. Bentsen 23 Oiler St. Joseph, Michigan
Edward F. Bindon 47 First Assistant Engineer Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Thomas D. Borgeson 41 Maintenance Man Duluth, Minnesota
Oliver J. Champeau 41 Third Assistant Engineer Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Nolan S. Church 55 Porter Silver Bay, Minnesota
Ransom E. Cundy 53 Watchman Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas E. Edwards 50 Second Assistant Engineer Oregon, Ohio
Russell G. Haskell 40 Second Assistant Engineer Millbury, Ohio
George J. Holl 60 Chief Engineer Cabot, Pennsylvania
Bruce L. Hudson 22 Deck Hand North Olmsted Ohio
Allen G. Kalmon 43 Second Cook Washburn, Wisconsin
Gordon F. MacLellan 30 Wiper Clearwater, Florida
Joseph W. Mazes 59 Special Maintenance Man Ashland, Wisconsin
John H. McCarthy 62 First Mate Bay Village, Ohio
Ernest M. McSorley 63 Captain Toledo, Ohio
Eugene W. O'Brien 50 Wheelsman Toledo, Ohio
Karl A. Peckol 20 Watchman Ashtabula, Ohio
John J. Poviach 59 Wheelsman Bradenton, Florida
James A. Pratt 44 Second Mate Lakewood, Ohio
Robert C. Rafferty 62 Steward Toledo, Ohio
Paul M. Riippa 22 Deck Hand Ashtabula, Ohio
John D. Simmons 63 Wheelsman Ashland, Wisconsin
William J. Spengler 59 Watchman Toledo, Ohio
Mark A. Thomas 21 Deck Hand Richmond Heights, Ohio
Ralph G. Walton 58 Oiler Fremont, Ohio
David E. Weiss 22 Cadet Agoura, California
Blaine H. Wilhelm 52 Oiler Moquah, Wisconsin

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Some time during today will you take a moment and say a prayer for the men of the Edmund Fitzgerald!

Lost but not forgotten!

Video: Glenn Beck on Soros the Puppet Master Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (The Lonely Conservative) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 03:16:00 +0000

Here's video of Glenn Beck's special segment on George Soros the "Puppet Master."

Via Lonely Conservative

Sign The Petition!

noreply@blogger.com (Findalis) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 23:47:00 +0000

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

The Tomb of the Patriarchs

Recently UNESCO declared (Without Proof) that The Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb were not Jewish Heritage Sites, but in fact they were designated Mosques. This is being done to destroy any ancient connection between the Jewish people and the Nation of Israel by the Muslims who will stop at nothing to destroy every Jew in the World.

There's a petition online against UNESCO's actions in declaring Rachel's tomb to be a 'mosque' and trying to deny that the tomb and the Machpeila cave in Hebron are part of Israel's Jewish heritage.

We the undersigned protest The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) ruling that Israel has no right to add the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, where almost all of Israel’s patriarchs and matriarchs are buried, to the National Heritage list. The Tomb of the Patriarchs, the oldest Jewish shrine and the second holiest site in Judaism, centers around the Cave of Machpelah, an ancient double cave revered for almost 4,000 years as the burial site of the Hebrew patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives. The connection of the Jewish people to the Cave of Machpelah was established some 3,800 years ago, when Abraham, the first Hebrew, purchased it for the express purpose of using it as a burial site for himself, his wife Sarah, and their future generations. It is the cradle of Jewish history and the focal point of Jewish identity. The rectangular enclosure over the caves is the only fully surviving Herodian structure. Thus the Tomb of the Patriarchs is of inestimable historical value as well as great sacred significance for the Jewish people.

We also protest the decision by UNESCO to re-label as an Islamic mosque the tomb of Rachel, Israel’s other matriarch, and to demand that Israel remove the site from its National Heritage list. The Tomb of Rachel, Judaism's third-holiest site, has been the scene of prayer and pilgrimage for more than three thousand years, and has an especially meaningful connection for Jewish women. Rachel, the matriarch who died in childbirth and was buried at that spot on the road to Hebron, has been a comfort and hope to Jews since biblical days. “Thus says the Lord, 'Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded…and they shall return from the enemy's land and there is hope for the future'… 'Your children shall return to their own country.” Jeremiah 31:16-17. Until 2000, the Palestinians recognized the site as Rachel’s Tomb. It was called “Rachel’s Tomb” in Al-mawsu'ah al-filastiniyah, the Palestinian encyclopedia published after 1996 and in PALESTINE, THE HOLY LAND, a Palestinian publication, with an introduction by Yasser Arafat. However, during the second intifada, Al-Hayat al-Jadida, a Palestinian daily, announced a new-found historical connection to Rachel’s Tomb, declaring that is was "originally a Muslim mosque.”

In an effort to erase Jewish history and supersede Jewish religious sites with Islamic institutions, Muslims have intentionally built mosques upon numerous synagogues and Jewish holy sites. The clearest examples are the Al-Aqsa mosque which sits on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, and the Dome of the Rock, which was built on Judaism’s holiest site of the two biblical Jewish Temples. This pattern repeats itself at the second and third holiest sites. Thus at the Tomb of the Patriarchs, there are domes over the tombs of Abraham and Sarah and a mosque over the tombs of Isaac and Rebecca. Photos from the early 1900's show no Muslim cemetery near the Tomb or Rachel. After 1948 Muslims built their own cemetery surrounding three sides of Rachel’s tomb and now claim that Rachel's Tomb is one of their burial plots and that it contains a Muslim rather than Jewish notable.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office decried the ludicrous nature of the UNESCO decision:
“The attempt to detach the Nation of Israel from its heritage is absurd. If the nearly 4,000-year-old burial sites of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Jewish Nation – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah –are not part of its culture and tradition, then what is a national cultural site?”
“Sites such as the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb (which sits on the edge of Bethlehem) present an inconvenient truth for the pro-Palestine movement and its supporters, who want to claim that the Jews have no historic ties to this land.”

In cooperating with efforts to erase Jewish historical ties to Israel, UNESCO is aiding and abetting those who hope to and obfuscate Israel’s Jewish past and undermine Israel’s Jewish future.

The UNESCO mission states: “Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.”

We demand that there be no exception to UNESCO’s mission when it comes to Jewish heritage. Israel’s Jewish legacy must be recognized and preserved and not swept away to conform with the pro-Palestinian narrative. In attempting to sever the Jewish cultural, religious and natural heritage bond with the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb, UNESCO denies the history it is mandated to preserve, engages in a political maneuver designed to weaken a member UN nation, and undermines its own principles. It aims to rob the Jewish people not only of two sacred sites, which are irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration, but also of their past and a legacy to pass on to future generations. We demand that UNESCO, whose purpose it is to protect heritage, also protect Jewish heritage, rather than deny it.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Please sign the petition. This destruction of Jewish Heritage is taken directly from Hitler's playbook. If this angers you as it did me, then in addition to signing the petition, you can send a letter to your Congressman and Senator protesting the use of US funds for anti-Semitic actions.


Rachel's Tomb

MO's Mojo Delights Indian Children: Obama's Bomb-Proof Tunnel Astounds India

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 01:54:00 +0000

Michelle Obama's magical mojo delights some "disadvantaged" children in India shortly after Air Force One landed in Mumbai. She danced and played a game of "vocabulary-building hopscotch, telling the kids she loves to dance. The president did his own amazing, with the construction of an above-ground, bomb-proof tunnel to take him to a museum.

Michelle Obama's Mojo!

Michelle's mojo extended to decorator pillows being sold in bazaars with her very slender image perched on a swing, with the words "First Lady Fabulous," and "We Love Her." Just like the cover of Oprah's O mag, Oprah looks nothing like herself, Michelle looks nothing like the beautiful, swinging lady in pearls.

POTUS' mojo includes the first ever over-ground, 12' X 12' bomb-proof tunnel, with closed circuit cameras and air conditioning, to allow the President and his "cavalcade" to travel safely to "Mani Bhavan - the Gandhi museum - on Saturday." Once the entourage passes through, the U.S. military will dismantle (or perhaps after the "cavalcade" returns) the tunnel in about one hour's time. The tunnel is the answer to a skyscraper which loomed nearby with a clear view of Obama route to the museum.

Coconut trees were robbed of their coconuts. The reason for doing so was not given. Must assume that falling coconuts are lethal.

The cost of this grand tour is reported to cost taxpayers $200 million a day. The White House says that figure is "wildly overflated," but there has been no attempt to correct the reports, or disclose the actual cost.

Photo credits: AP

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327223/Obama-India-I-love-dancing-Michelle-Obama-does-Bollywood-routine-plays-tambourine-orphans-runaways-Mumbai.html

Cuba Iran Korea Review U.S. Human Rights Violations: Obama's Voluntary Shellacking

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 19:29:00 +0000

Barack Obama joined the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2009 and thus put us on the road to "universal periodic review" of this country's human rights.

For several hours, some 56 countries took to the podium and condemned the U.S. Unbelievably, the hate for our republicanism is so intense, many "stood in line overnight to be near the top of the list of speakers.

Cuba said the U.S. blockade against them is a "crime of genocide." They harangued us about our "violations against migrants," and they didn't forget our rampant brutality against our mentally ill. We were advised to feed our people and keep them healthy.

Iran is deeply concerned by "systematic widespread violations" in the U.S. and warned us about our abuses against women.

North Korea wants us to take care of our "housing inequalities," and prohibit violence of law enforcement.

Libya points to our "racism.

In the Bush years, the U.S. delegation refused to join this farcical Commission, populated by the most heinously cruel human rights violators on the planet.

The Obama administration could not wait to subject us to the scrutiny of tyrants. Now they have until Tuesday to accept or reject the recommendations also coming from Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia:

The whole list of criticisms and recommendations, as well as our response, will be put together in a document distributed globally by the U.N. for the edification of America-bashers around the world.

The United Nations is a pit of vipers. We stroke them and coddle them, and fund their atrocities. We make a mockery of our own democracy by acknowledging their right of communist and totalitarian states to address the human rights of any other country. While their people starve, are tortured in prisons for speaking out about their oppressors, live with no electricity, have their children taken from them, and see women so unspeakably abused - we submit to their scrutiny. Why would we join this hateful coalition?

At some point we must pull out of the United Nations, and form a body of true democratic countries. The sooner the better. Maybe the next President will have a heart for the benevolence of the U.S. and move to dump this obscene United Nations.

Why is Dan Maffei Fundraising for Absentee Ballot Count in NY25?

noreply@blogger.com (The Lonely Conservative) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 02:54:00 +0000

In the NY25 race, Republican Ann Marie Buerkle leads incumbent Democrat Dan Maffei by 659 votes. We're waiting for the absentee ballots to be counted to find out the final tally. Ann Marie released the following statement today:

“Our lead in the initial vote count reflects what we have said throughout this campaign –that the people of Upstate New York want to reign in the excesses of the last two years and regain their voice in Washington. I am pleased to have won the initial count. We are confident that when all eligible absentee ballots are counted – that we will remain ahead – and victorious.

“Our success in this campaign is due in large part to the tireless efforts on the part of our volunteers. We still need their help and support as the process continues.

“Please go to www.Buerkleforcongress.com to get involved and help us cross the finish line.”

From everything I've heard, it could be a few days, or even weeks before every ballot is counted.

According to Robert Harding, Dan Maffei sent out an email asking his supporters for more money.

What happened to the $2 million plus Maffei raised for the campaign? Is there nothing left over after running all of those attack ads against Ann Marie Buerkle day in and day out? And why does he need money? What's he got planned? Doesn't he trust the Board of Elections to count the votes? Are a few thousand Maffei ballots going to magically appear?

Keep an eye on this one - I smell a rat.

Update: Here's the text of the email. (Links disabled - LOL!)

It's been a long few days, but I wanted to give you an update on my race. While it still has not been called, we are neck and neck, with thousands of absentee ballots to be counted. National Republicans are already starting to send folks up to my district - and as Florida in 2000 showed us, they will do anything to win.

We need to make sure that every vote is counted.

Can you contribute today?
We need your help right now. We are in the process of assembling our team to help ensure that every vote is counted, but this is a costly process. We need to raise $25,000 by Monday to make sure that we have the strongest team possible. Your generous support has gotten us to this point - but we need your help to ensure Republicans can't steal this election

Can you contribute today?

This process could take days, possibly weeks, but I have every confidence that we will come out victorious.

Oh yeah, Republicans steal elections. Tell that to Al Franken!

Cross posted from The Lonely Conservative

Barney Frank Looking Forward to Lame Duck Session

noreply@blogger.com (The Lonely Conservative) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:40:00 +0000

When I watched Barney Frank's angry tirade of a victory speech, I missed this warning he had for us. I suppose it's the Charlie Brown effect the Democrats have on us. That and the irrational fear that his spit would somehow fly through my monitory into my eye.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) prefers the upcoming ‘lame duck’ session to facing a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.During his acceptance speech last night, the incumbent Democrat criticized Republicans, the Tea Party and the incoming house.

“I go back to Washington in two weeks, in the lame duck session, and uh, actually, compared to what it will be next year lame duck is probably going to look good by comparison. Because we’re going to have a difficult time in which the far right wing dominates that party and they’ll get a chance to see what they really can produce,” Frank said.

They're counting on his being preoccupied with our holiday preparations and reveling in victory while they ram through more of their radical agenda. Beware!

Cross posted at The Lonely Conservative

Video Tribute to Nancy Pelosi: Thanks for the Memories

noreply@blogger.com (The Lonely Conservative) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:21:00 +0000

If you ask me, the folks at Right Network were a bit too kind to Madame Speaker. But this is still funny.

See ya' Nancy, don't let the door hit ya' on the way out!

Cross Posted from The Lonely Conservative

Nov. 2, 2010 Live Blogging Election Night: Updates as they Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 04:55:00 +0000

Ongoing updates ~~in the order I find the breaking news,~~ hopefully in alphabetical order. Ongoing updates on Wednesday. Please refresh the page to latest results updated throught Wednesday.

*Bumped to Top Wednesday morning*
Scroll down for current posts

NANCY PELOSI RIDES IN THE BACK!

OBAMA TO CALL FOR PARTISANSHIP IN NEWS CONFERENCE TOMORROW.

11:40 p.m. CDT 11/2/10
Republicans reach 218 in the House,
and climbing.

8:45 a.m. CDT 11/3/10
Republicans @ 239 in House,
hopefully climbing
Democrats in House @ 184

Republicans in Senate @ 46
Democrats in Senate @ 49

11/2/10 8:20 p.m. from Drudge: Republicans wine Senate Seats in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, New Hampshire, South Dakota.

11-2-10 8:20 p.m. from Drudge: Democrats win Connecticut, Deleware, Maryland, New York, West Virginia.

11-2-10 8:20 p.m. from Drudge: Too close to call: Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin.

11-2-10 8:30 p.m. Fox says Nevada is too close to call.

ALASKA 11/3/10 8:00 a.m. CDT: Fox this morning reports that Lisa Murkowski holds the lead at this time. The rece is still too close to call.

ARKANSAS: Republican John Boozman wins the U.S. Senate seat, and sends Democrat Senator Blanche Lincoln back to Missouri.

ARIZONA: Republican Senator John McCain keeps his senate seat - says this will be his last race. McCain defeated Democrat Rodney Glassman.

CALIFORNIA: Democrat Jerry Moonbeam Brown wins California governship, defeating Republican Meg Whitman. California, don't even think of a bailout!

CALIFORNIA: Democrat incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer defeats Republican Carly Fiorina for the U.S. Senate. Babs, remember when you told Republican Senator Jim Inhofe: "We won, get over it" (or something similar), wish I could hear what Inhofe has to say to you in private. 12:11 a.m. CDT: About an hour after reporting that Boxer has won, twitterers tweeted that the race is tied with Fiorina slightly ahead of Boxer. So, what's going on? Take a look at this time stamped two hours behind Oklahoma time, which is correct. It shows Fiorina in the lead 47.3% to 47% for Boxer.

11/3/10: Final results this morning show Boxer defeating Fiorina 52% to 42%.

COLORADO: 11:55 p.m. CDT Democrat incumbent Senator Mike Castle is slightly behind Republican challenger Ken Buck at this time.

CONNECTICUT: Democrat Richard Blumenthal (who lied about his military service - several times) wins the U.S. Senate seat over Republican Linda McMahon.

DELAWARE: Fox News calls the Delaware U.S. Senate race for Democrat Chris Coons. The controversial Republican Christine O'Donnell loses, as many predicted.

FLORIDA: Fox News calls the Florida U.S. Senate race for Marco Rubio! Woot! Rubio received 50% of the vote with former Republican Charlie Crist (who couldn't win the Republican primary - and filed Independent), losing big time with only 29% of the vote. Democrat Kendrick Meek almost did as well as Charlie Crist with 20% of the vote.

Marco Rubio

FLORIDA 8th District: According to CNN, incumbent Democrat Congressman Alan Grayson has lost his U.S. House seat. They nasty, rude and contention congressman lost to Republican Dan Webster, who Grayson called "Taliban Dan." WOOOOOHOOOOOO!

FLORIDA 22nd District: Republican Lt. Col. (ret) Allen West has defeated incumbent Democrat Ron Klein. Wooot!

FLORIDA: Republican Rick Scott defeat Democrat Alex Sink for Florida governor.

Rumored that Charlie Crist has a real estate agent hunting for tanning salons at a bargain basement price, since Obama hit them with a "special tax." [Just kidding...but who knows?]

IOWA: Republican Senator Charles Grassley retains his U.S. Senate seat, defeating Democrat Roxanne Conlin.

ILLINOIS: Republican challenger, Congressman Mark Kirk defeats Obama's close friend Alexi Giannoulis, for Obama's previous U.S. Senate seat. Kirk replaces Roland Burris who was appointed to Obama's seat after the 2008 elections.

INDIANA: Republican Larry Bucshon defeated Democrat Trent Van Haaften. According to CNN, this seat of one of three in the state Dems are in danger of losing.

KENTUCKY: Fox News has just called the Kentucky U.S. Senate race for Republican Rand Paul, leaving Jack Conway, known for hitting below the belt, trailing Paul 53% to 47%.

RAND PAUL: "I have a loud and clear message that doesn't mince words, we've come to take our government back!"

LOUISIANA: Republican Senator David Vitter retains his U.S. Senate seat, defeating Democrat Congressman Charlie Melancon.

MARYLAND: Democrat Senator Barbara Mikulski retains her senate seat, defeating Republican Eric Wargotz.

MARYLAND 1st District: Democrat incumbent Frank Kratovil is defeated by Republican andy Harris, 55% - 41%.

MASSACHUSETTS: Democrat Barney Franks goes back to Washington, defeating former Marine Sean Bielat. (I really hate this!) If there was any justice....

MASSACHUSETTS: Democrat Governor Deval Patrick retains the governorship, defeating Republican Charles Baker.

MICHIGAN: Republican Rick Snyder defeats Virg Bernero for Governor.

MICHIGAN 1st District: Democrat incumbent Gary McDowell has been defeated by Republican Dr. Dan Benishek.

MINNESOTA 5th District: Incumbent Democrat Keith Ellison has defeated challenger Republican Joel Demos.

MINNESOTA 6th District: Incumbent Republican Michelle Bachmann defeated Democrat challenger Tarryl Clark.

MISSISSIPPI 4th: Democrat incumbent Gene Taylor defeated by Republican Steven Palazzo. Taylor is a 21-year-veteran of the House.

MISSOURI: Republican and current Congressman Roy Blunt has defeated Robin Carnahan for Republican Kit Bond's seat in the U.S. Senate. Another seat staying Republican.

MISSOURI 4th District: Democrat incumbent Ike Skelton has been defeated by Republican Vicky Hartzler. This is a big one!

NEVADA 9:45 p.m. CDT The U.S. Senate race between Democrat incumbent Harry Reid and Republican Sharon Angle is still too close to call. Get this: Skelton is pro-life, voted against health-car and was endorsed by the NRA - and he lost to a Republican.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Republican candidate, Kelly Ayotte wins the U.S. Senate seat retiring Republican Senator Judd Gregg's will vacate. The losing Democrat is Paul Hodes. The win was 62% to 35%. Ayotte was endorsed by Sarah Palin.

NORTH CAROLINA 2nd District: 10:20 pm CDT It appears Republican Renee Ellmers may have defeated Bad Bob Etheridge for the U.S. House seat. Still awaiting confirmation

NEW YORK: Democrat Andrew Cuomo will be New York's next governor, defeating Republican Carl Paladino.

NEW YORK 15th District: Corrupt Congressman Charlie Rangel keeps his seat in the U.S. House.

NORTH DAKOTA: North Dakota Governor John Hoeven has won a U.S. Senate seat for ND, defeating Democrat Tracy Potter. The state has not had a Republican govenor for 24 years.

OHIO: Senator Rob Portman retains the Republican seat in the U.S. House, defeating Lee Fisher.

OHIO: Democrat Governor Ted Strickland defeated by former Republican Congressman, John Kasich.

OKLAHOMA: Senator Tom Coburn retains the U.S. House seat.

OKLAHOMA: Republican Congresswoman Mary Fallin will be the first woman in the Governor's mansion, and steps into the office with a Democrat term-limited-out. Jari Askins, the former Democrat Lt. Governor was defeated by Fallin 58% to 42%.

PENNSYLVANIA: Fox at 8:46 p.m. CDT The race between incumbent Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey is too close to call. 10:40 p.m. CDT: I'm reading that Toomey is up 120,000 votes and that Toomey wins, but this is unconfirmed. 11:10 p.m. CDT Fox calls it for Pat Toomey for Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat.

PENNSYLVANIA: Republican Tom Corbett is projected to defeat Democrat Dan Onorato for Pennsylvania's governors race.

PENNSYLVANIA 10th District: Democrat incumbent Chris Carney was deafeated by Republican Thomas Marino, 54% - 46%.

PENNSYLVANIA 11th District: Republican Lou Barletta takes Congressman Paul Kanjorski's U.S. House seat, 54% - 46%, in a very blue district.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Fox News has called the South Carolina Senate race for Republican incumbent, Senator Jim DeMint challenged (kinda-sorta by Democrat Alvin Greene). Greene is facing felony charges for showing lewd material to a college student.

SOUTH CAROLINA: 9:20 p.m. CDT Governor's race between Republican Nikki Haley and Democrat Vincent Sheheen is too close to call.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Republican challenger Renee Ellmers has defeated man-handling-Democrat-incumbent-Bob Etheridge. Woot!

SOUTH CAROLINA 2nd District: 9:20 p.m. CDT Still no word on the U.S. House race between incumbent Congressman Joe Wilson and Democrat challenger Rob Miller.

SOUTH CAROLINA 5th District: Democrat 28-yr incumbent John Spratt is defeated by Republican Mick Mulvaney, 54% - 46%.

SOUTH DAKOTA: Republican Kristi Noem defeats Democrat-at-large incumbent Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

TEXAS: ABC calls Texas governor for the sitting-Republican-Governor Rick Perry.

TEXAS 17th District: Republican Bill Flores becomes a new congressman in Texas, defeating long time congressman Chet Edwards, 61% - 37%.

WEST VIRGINIA: Democrat Governor Joe Manchin wins the U.S. Senate seat, defeating Republican John Raese.

VERMONT: Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy retains his U.S. Senate seat against Republican challenger Len Britton.

VIRGINIA 2nd District: Democrat incumbent Glenn Nye is defeated by Republican Scott Rigell.

VIRGINIA 5th District goes to Republican Robert Hurt, defeating Democrat Tom Perriello - who Obama showed up to campaign for just a few days ago. Perriello loses to Hurt 52% to 46%.

WISCONSIN: 8:45 p.m. CDT U.S. ~~Senate race between Democrat incumbent Russ Feingold and Republican Ron Johnson is too close to call.~~ Democrat incumbent Senator Russ Feingold is defeated by Republican Ron Johnson.

NOTE: CBS is whining that only 8% of Hispanics turned out to vote.

Thanks for the Memories, Nancy

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Thanks for the memories, Nancy...those memories we will NEVER forget. We've learned our lesson.

Nancy Pelosi

Memories of Speaker Pelosi

Thanks to RightChange.com

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Content Scrapers: Until I can figure out what to do about your confiscation of my work for your own website, please be sure to give a link back as shown above.

Sarah Palin Geraldine Ferraro: Ferraro "Not a Political Earthquake"

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 13:41:00 +0000

Sarah Palin is a class act. Watch the video with Ferraro and Palin sitting side-by-side.

FERRARO: Not the political earthquake, not the tsunami everyone expected. Not even going to be the big numbers...Nancy Pelosi is as smart as hell.

Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin

John Boehner Breaks Down in Remarks on Republicans Controlling the House

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:53:00 +0000

An emotional Congressman John Boehner (R-OH) breaks down during remarks on Republicans taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives on election night, November 2, 2010.

John Boehner

John Boehner Breaks Down

I live-blogged election results last night until about 12:30 a.m. CDT. Read it here.

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Breaking: Voters On Obama's ....

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:53:00 +0000

You want to know this, you need to know this: Breaking at Social Sense.

Missiles in a Shipping Box: Game Changing Weaponry: Club-K Container Missile Program:

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:08:00 +0000

New technology to hit surface and land targets is being developed by a Russian company, and will allow rogue nations like Iran to purchase cruise missiles built into standard 40' shipping containers. The containers can travel by 18-wheelers, rail and sea. See an excellent video below, showing clearly what these missiles can do.

Missiles in Shipping Containers

This weapon is clearly intended for anti-American countries or individuals. In the video below you'll see how Iran, Syria and Palestine might even the playing field with the Club-K Container Missile Program. How about Yemen? How about al-Qaeda?

Priced at an estimated £10 million, each container is fitted with four cruise anti-ship or land attack missiles. The system represents an affordable "strategic level weapon"...

"This is ballistic missile proliferation on a scale we have not seen before because now you cannot readily identify what's being used as a launcher because it's very carefully disguised.

"Someone could sail off your shore looking innocuous then the next minute big explosions are going off at your military installations."

FrontPage Magazine: A Game Changing Weapon:

The Russian company Concern Morinformsystem-Agat is marketing a deadly new weapon, one that can allow a rogue state to overcome the technological superiority of Western militaries. The system can even be used to carry out devastating attacks on the U.S. homeland with little means of defense...

In addition, these vehicles can cross borders, making it more difficult to identify the perpetrator of an attack and impossible to predict where an attack might come from. The missiles might from a shipping vessel off the coast or a truck that crossed via the Mexican border. With a range of 220 kilometers, or about 136 miles, they can either be fired from a safe distance from the border or the distance can be minimized by getting close to the target by being hidden.

Club-K Container Missile Program: Missiles in a Shipping Box

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Content Scrapers: Until I can figure out what to do about your confiscation of my work for your own website, please be sure to give a link back as shown above.

New Jersey Teachers Caught on Video: NJ Teacher Unions Gone Wild

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie Thornton) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:10:00 +0000

James O'Keefe has new investigative videos out: New Jersey Teachers Gone Wild, which he says was taped by "citizen journalists," some of them actors, inside a meeting of the New Jersey Education Association. The videos are said to be undercover audio and camera footage from the NJEA summer leadership conference at the New Brunswick Hilton, as well as a phone conversation with a school principal regarding an issue of race. See the videos below.

James O'Keefe

A spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, Steve Baker, appears briefly in the video twice, says "the whole thing is a complete fabrication, built on lies." The most shocking thing to me is in the first video, you hear that in collective bargaining, the NJEA "fixed some of those things," they did not agree with, after the "bargaining" was closed. The speaker said Christie was not aware that the bargaining had been "fixed," [changed].

You hear a man say he was educated at Rutgers, could be a principal, and could F**k with the kids!

In the video, you hear this chant, among others:

"Let's have a whiskey and get a little misty. Join me now and slander Chris Christie"

A woman seen in the video (and identified as a teacher from Passaic) is playing a video game:

"That's why we're laughing here, we're playing video games on their dime."

Another woman who identifies hereself as a teacher from Passaic, says:

"It's really hard to fire a teacher."

"like you have to seriously be in a hallway F-ing somebody."

"...a tenured teacher would need to perform a sex act in a hallway in order to be fired."

You can also hear a chant, part of which is inaudible, but you clearly hear the group saying they will "kick Chris Christie in the toolbox."

If you have a child, or a grandchild, a niece or nephew in New Jersey schools, this has to make you both physically sick, as well as saddened that our schools employee teachers who are delighted knowing the taxpayer is funding their "play time," would call a child the "N" word, would illegally change an agreed upon contract, and use the "F" word in the same sentence with the word "kids."

These videos will be intensely scrutinized for editing and audio verification. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out, Governor Chris Christie said the videos are "distressing - and revealing - to say the least."

(James O'Keefe is one half of the Pimp and Prostitute videos which busted ACORN from shore to shore, along with Hannah Giles).

James O'Keefe - New Jersey Education Association (Video 1)

James O'Keefe - New Jersey Education Association (Video 2)

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Content Scrapers: Until I can figure out what to do about your confiscation of my work for your own website, please be sure to give a link back as shown above.