Living in the Cone 2008 (Part III); July is the Ugliest Month

Busy week around South Texas.

Dolly hit Category 2 just before she came ashore around Padre island, and just as the warmest part of the day was really ramping up. As a result, she cartwheeled from a low-grade Category 1 right up to a strengthening Category 2 very quickly -- so quickly, in fact, that the storm continued to strengthen briefly even after it was mostly ashore.


Even last night Dolly continued to maintain it's rotational momentum and spiral off lots of dense, dangerous thunderstorms, like the ones that hit San Antonio Thursday. A tornado breifly touched down on the near south side of San Antonio. Damage was limited to a few square blocks near the Patrician Movement Detox Center I used to work at a few years ago. Tornados are an oddity in South Texas; they mainly strike in north and east Texas and farther north, so this was quite a news event for San Antonio.

The gulf coast fared far worse, as these photos from an e-mail from an acquaintance show. Damage was much worse than expected, with one wag commenting :If this was a Category 1, then I never want to see a Category 2 or a Category 3!" Fishing and tourism will suffer the most, although major damage seems suprisingly light. The causeway to South Padre Island never closed except at the ehight of the storm, and re-opened immediatley afterwards. While many area of the Rio Grande valley remain without power, almost everyone has either water service or access to fresh water.


There are no reports of the damage to Mexico where the storm has burrowed deep into the Sonorran desert. Much like the old Soviet Union, the current Mexican administration is loathe to describe just how ineffective and powerless it is to provide relief to it's own beleaguered people.


Nevertheless, the people of Mexico continue to suffer from the inactivity of it's own government while America (and Americans) are busily involved in relief operations on both sides of the border.

So, we've been busy. how was your week? Obama been acclaimed king yet?

~~JD~~

Living in the Cone 2008 (Part II); July is also the Wettest Month

Well, Dolly has come ashore, and as I expected, she hit just north of the Texas-Mexico border. She actually struck South Padre Island, then turned north for a bit, sideswiping the island full-force for a few hours before actually coming ashore on Padre Island to the north. Expect some severe damage to the tourist locales of South Padre.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see parts of either island disappear into the sea entirely.

The feeder bands of rain started hitting San Antone about 2pm. Right now it's a solid steel-grey sky with high humidity. The feeder bands are weird experiences to this midwestern-raised farm boy -- not at alllike the great majestic thunderstorms of the plains that lumber through majestically. The feeder bands rumble past, suddenly dropping huge drops of rain that hit with the force of golf balls. The cats and dog ran into the kitchen for shelter from the noise, which lasts all of five minutes, then stops as suddenly as it started.

Then we wait an hour or so for it to start again -- which I think it just did as I'm writing this. In the graphic accompanying this post, that upper-left corner of the tornado watch box is me in San Antonio. Lucky Me.

The storm is breaking down rapidly as it moves inland. Should it follow I-37 north from Corpus, the mass of rain will hit tonight and thoroughly soak our drought-striken pastures.

Which would be good. At any rate the agricultural Rio Grande valley, which rivals Florida and Southern California for it's produce and citrus, will get a ton of much-needed rain.

That's good too.

~~JD~~

Living in the Cone 2008 (Part I); July is the Windiest Month

Hurricane Season 2008 looks to be ramping up fast. Hurricane Dolly is the third "named" storm of the year, and it's only July. (Usually the season doesn't really get going good until August sometime.) So we're already geting the storm warnings and Weather Updates, and bottled water prices are slowly climbing upwards again. We're getting the highway warning signs as well, which are lots of fun to read on the way to work.



As of tonight the projections appear to place Dolly hitting somewhere near the Texas-Mexican border, and most weather-people projecting it will hit just the other side of the border. My guess is that this thing will go to ground on the Texas side of the border as the storm heads more northerly tonight (the winds skew north after sunset and blow north-northwest inland all night. When these inland night winds start blowing tonight, Dolly may well follow.) I'm betting somewhere between Corpus Christi and Victoria (more toward Corpus.)

I noticed on the way home that the usually coludless blue south Texas sky was full of big honkin' cumulonimbus clouds laden with storm water, as the first feeder bands from Dolly agitate the upper atmosphere into action.


Good. We needed the rain.


Meanwhile, Governor Perry has already alerted the National Guard, and every nurse and physician in South Texas has received this e-mail yesterday:

As Tropical Storm Dolly threatens to grow as a Hurricane towards to the Texas border we are encouraging our Nurses and CNA's to call our office and offer your assistance to help others. Additional deployment information will be available within the next 24-48hrs depending on weather.

All Angels will be compensated for their time and efforts at the following rates:

RN's $40/hr
LVN's $30/hr
CNA's $15/hr

Transportation and meals will be provided as well as hotel accommodations. All Angels will be required to bring the following for their personal use:

Sleeping Bag/Pillow
Towel/Soap
Weather appropriate clothing and comfortable footwear
Hat/Cap
Non perishable food/snacks
Drinking Water
Hand Sanitizer
Kleenex
Toilet Tissue
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Medications
Prescribed Eyeglasses/Hearing Aids

Please Contact:

Debbie or Ann Marie
210-616-9526

We truly look forward to helping others, together we can make a difference!

And this follow-up today:

Thank you to all the Angels who have responded in this time of need!

We have been informed that possible Deployment will occur Friday from the AT&T Center in San Antonio. More information will follow as it becomes available.

As Hurricane Season approaches we kindly remind you that even if there is no deloyment this time there may be some in the furture. Please look for updates from Angel Staffing as events occur. Please contact Debbie or Ann Marie at 210-616-9526 in order to be added to our list.

Gotta go buy bottled water . . . . and fill up my gas tank.

~~JD~~

You May Have Noticed I've Been Posting Less Lately . . . .

Well, just a Bit less, anyway . . . .

Welcome to the Nursing Shortage 2008. Here in beautiful South Texas the economy is thriving and the housing market continues to boom. It's no small coincidence that we have one of the lowest tax rates in the country -- hell, no state income tax at all. So jobs are abundant and plentiful. Texas employers are recruiting all through the Katrina impact zone for construction workers for South Texas. Some road work has even been delayed due to a shortage of trained construction workers.

San Antonio alone has a ridiculous number of hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes, and skilled nursing facilities. Just by working Temp Agencies like NursFinders a nurse with a modicum of skills can work until they drop. This week alone I've worked 36 hours at a downtown hospital (night shift); then this morning I turned around and started 3-ten hour shifts at my Dialysis Clinic. Then this Saturday I'll work 2 back-to-back shifts at the Hospital.

To pull off this small trick I have to work two of the days this week around the clock. Like today -- I got off the hospital job working all night, then worked all day at the clinic.

I'll do this again Saturday, in reverse order. So if I only post once a dy instead of three times, you know why.

By the way, if you know a teen-ager looking for a career, recommend Nursing.

Please.

~~JD~~

"Bozo" Larry Harmon Passes Away at 83

Presented with great solemnity, from CNN.com:

Bozo actor dead at 83

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Larry Harmon, who turned the character Bozo the Clown into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.
Although not the original Bozo, Larry Harmon portrayed the popular frizzy-haired clown in countless appearances.

His publicist, Jerry Digney, told The Associated Press he died at his home.

Although not the original Bozo, Harmon portrayed the popular clown in countless appearances and, as an entrepreneur, he licensed the character to others, particularly dozens of television stations around the country. The stations in turn hired actors to be their local Bozos. "You might say, in a way, I was cloning BTC (Bozo the Clown) before anybody else out there got around to cloning DNA," Harmon told the AP in a 1996 interview.

"Bozo is a combination of the wonderful wisdom of the adult and the childlike ways in all of us," Harmon said.

Pinto Colvig, who also provided the voice for Walt Disney's Goofy, originated Bozo the Clown when Capitol Records introduced a series of children's records in 1946. Harmon would later meet his alter ego while answering a casting call to make personal appearances as a clown to promote the records.

He got that job and eventually bought the rights to Bozo. Along the way, he embellished Bozo's distinctive look: the orange-tufted hair, the bulbous nose, the outlandish red, white and blue costume.

"I felt if I could plant my size 83AAA shoes on this planet, (people) would never be able to forget those footprints," he said.

Susan Harmon, his wife of 29 years, indicated Harmon was the perfect fit for Bozo. "He was the most optimistic man I ever met. He always saw a bright side; he always had something good to say about everybody. He was the love of my life," she said Thursday.

The business -- combining animation, licensing of the character, and personal appearances -- made millions, as Harmon trained more than 200 Bozos over the years to represent him in local markets. "I'm looking for that sparkle in the eyes, that emotion, feeling, directness, warmth. That is so important," he said of his criteria for becoming a Bozo.

The Chicago version of Bozo ran on WGN-TV in Chicago for 40 years and was seen in many other cities after cable television transformed WGN into a superstation. Bozo -- portrayed in Chicago for many years by Bob Bell -- was so popular that the waiting list for tickets to a TV show eventually stretched to a decade, prompting the station to stop taking reservations for 10 years. On the day in 1990 when WGN started taking reservations again, it took just five hours to book the show for five more years. The phone company reported more than 27 million phone call attempts had been made. By the time the show bowed out in Chicago, in 2001, it was the last locally produced version. Harmon said at the time that he hoped to develop a new cable or network show, as well as a Bozo feature film.

He became caught up in a minor controversy in 2004 when the International Clown Hall of Fame in Milwaukee took down a plaque honoring him as Bozo and formally endorsed Colvig for creating the role. Harmon denied ever misrepresenting Bozo's history. He said he was claiming credit only for what he added to the character -- "What I sound like, what I look like, what I walk like" -- and what he did to popularize Bozo. "Isn't it a shame the credit that was given to me for the work I have done, they arbitrarily take it down, like I didn't do anything for the last 52 years," he told the AP at the time.

Harmon protected Bozo's reputation with a vengeance, while embracing those who poked good-natured fun at the clown. As Bozo's influence spread through popular culture, his very name became a synonym for clownish behavior. "It takes a lot of effort and energy to keep a character that old fresh so kids today still know about him and want to buy the products," Karen Raugust, executive editor of The Licensing Letter, a New York-based trade publication, said in 1996. A normal character runs its course in three to five years, Raugust said. "Harmon's is a classic character. It's been around 50 years."

On New Year's Day 1996, Harmon dressed up as Bozo for the first time in 10 years, appearing in the Rose Parade in Pasadena. The crowd reaction, he recalled, "was deafening." "They kept yelling, `Bozo, Bozo, love you, love you.' I shed more crocodile tears for five miles in four hours than I realized I had," he said. "I still get goose bumps."

Born in Toledo, Ohio, Harmon became interested in theater while studying at the University of Southern California. "Bozo is a star, an entertainer, bigger than life," Harmon once said. "People see him as Mr. Bozo, somebody you can relate to, touch and laugh with."

Besides his wife, Harmon is survived by his son, Jeff Harmon, and daughters Lori Harmon, Marci Breth-Carabet and Leslie Breth.

~~JD~~

Happy 4th of July!

I don't know if there's anything more American than Jimmy Cagney tap-dancing to "Yankee Doodle" on the 4th of July.

Very Likely Not.





And here's something else to Cheer your Fourth: A link to the National Republican Committee asking about Why You Are Proud of your Country. Here's mine:

I am proud of my country because we can make mistakes here. And God knows, we've made some Lulu's over the years; but if there's something going on and it's wrong, we have the innate ability to see the wrong, make the change, and come out better for it.

Re-writing the Constitution from the Articles of Confederation. Paying Mexico after we seized the southwest in the Mexican war, even though we didn't have to do so. Repealing slavery, and making freed slaves full citizens with voting rights. The Civil Rights movement. Everything we learned from Vietnam that made Iraq, Afghanistan, Panama, and Grenada so right.

In so many countries around the world "that's the way it's always been done" is a way of life, if not the Status Quo. In America we not only right the wrongs, we go beyond. We see the possibilities, and reach for the stars. No other nation has walked on the moon, or built an international space station that invites other nations to participate freely.

And no other nation forgives our enemies quite like we do. Rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan. A Free South Korea and Japan. The whole Marshall Plan. Mexican reparations in the Gadsden purchase.

For everything "wrong" with America, there's ten things right nobody else in the world would even think of doing.

And here's another link to make you proud of our country if you haven't seen it already: Real American Stories.

Happy Fourth of July, wherever you might be today.

~~JD~~

I Love . . Little Baby Ducks . . .

***UPDATED***

There used to be this weird little country song by the great Tom T. Hall in the late 1970's that went like this:

I . . . love . . . little baby ducks,
old pick-up trucks,
slow movin' trains, and rain.

I love little country streams,
sleep without dreams,
Sunday school in May, and hay.

And I love you too.

One of my friends from my first posting in the Army at Fort Campbell, Kentucky adulterated the lyrics, like so:

I . . . love . . . little baby ducks,
kids that screw on rocks,
monkeys in the air . . . , and shit.

Well, as of right now, My son the world traveler is one of those things; and fortunately it's not "kids that screw on rocks." He is officially a "monkey in the air" somewhere between Hawaii and the Phillipines as I write this, on his way to a month as an exchange student in China.

Freaking China!

That's him to the right, being interrogated by the TSA as we put him on the plane this morning before church. Fortunately, I refrained from the near-overwhelming urge to yell out "Strip Search Him! as he passed Security, and he called from San Francisco to say he'd make the connection and was fine, and excited.

I'll try to post some more pictures from the trip as they occur. Not bad for the kid who took this course to impress a girl only a year ago.

UPDATE: Talked to him this morning; apparently they are 13 hours ahead of us in Beijing. It was 6:30am our time; he hadn't slept on the plane at all during the flight (sounds like me at 17, too) -- and the phone rang while he was in the introduction class in Beijing. (Apparently you can call straight through to Beijing from San Antone -- my bad!)

He's having a blast. Through the exhaustion you could hear how excited he was. More as we know it.

~~JD~~

There's Still Plenty of Time for Obama to Blow It

Today is Monday, June 23rd; 113 Days to the General Election, as we watch the Wheels come off the Obama Bus; and, alternately, who's been thrown under the wheels of that bus today.


One of the things I remember vividly about my father is that he was a Cubs fan. Many a day I'd come home from work and he'd be parked in front of the TV tuned to WGN in Chicago, watching his beloved Cubbies play.

On one of those rare days the Cubs were ahead and I expressed any optimism, he'd quickly chime in, "Don't worry. There's plenty of time for them to lose it." Invariably, being the Chicago Cubs, they would, indeed, lose it. And, of course, Barack Obama's home is in Chicago as well.

Coincidence?

REDSTATE has this wonderful little summation that comes to the same conclusion I did a few weeks ago: (a) Obama's not that bright, and (b) he's beginning to believe his own PR.

I'm sure this will be pretty spectacular when he really well and truly blows this thing.

Obama Might Just Blow It
This is Not the Moderate You are Looking For
By Mark I

The biggest danger to Sen. Barack Obama's campaign comes not from his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, nor from his former rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, but from Barack Obama himself. Obama has sold himself as a new kind of politician, even an anti-politician, a practitioner of a new kind of politics. The Achilles heel of this strategy is that Obama is not really that different from other politicians; and if he can be shown to be just like every other candidate, save for his eloquence, voters who invested in him on a personal level may begin to feel like they have been had.

The past week provided Obama with a few opportunities to show that he really is a different kind of candidate, indeed a different kind of Democrat, than the standard variety. But in each instance, he espoused the typical liberal position.

The Supreme Court's wrongheaded decision in Boumediene, for the first time granting habeas corpus rights to terrorist detainees, was embraced by the "different" Obama as an important step in preserving civil liberties for American citizens. But the decision has nothing to do with Americans. It grants the rights of Americans to non-Americans who want to harm American citizens, but it does not one thing to advance any American's civil liberties.

Obama then compounded his error by holding out the example of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing as a model for how an Obama Administration would deal with terrorists and terrorist acts. He assessed the trial and conviction of the terrorists in that first Islamic terrorist attack on American shores as having been a success. "They are in U.S. prisons, incapacitated," he boasted of the terrorists responsible. He did not address how, if the trial and conviction of those terrorists was so successful, the September 11th attacks took place. Clearly, the trial did nothing to prevent further acts of terrorism on America at home or abroad. Obama missed a chance to take a post-September 11th position on terrorists, a more robust one than federal prosecutors can implement, in favor of a tired old liberal worldview.

But Obama was not finished. He capped off the week by suggesting that if Osama bin Laden himself were captured alive during an Obama Administration, the mastermind of the murder of more Americans than any other person in history would not be subjected to the death penalty. Obama said that the U.S. should deal with a captured bin Laden in a way that does, "not make him a martyr." That may be a popular position in the liberal salons of Cambridge and New Haven, but it is not one that will resonate with an overwhelming majority of Americans. Even those personally opposed to capital punishment will have a hard time finding any sympathy for bin Laden's soul. Obama could have easily said that bin Laden deserved "ultimate justice" for his crimes, or some other suitable euphemism for execution, and he would have been praised as a "new" kind of Democrat, tough on terrorism. But instead he went out of his way to take the liberal position, even for the worst of America's enemies.

Since securing the nomination, Obama has been trying to tack back to the center, walking back pledges to meet personally and unconditionally with the leaders of Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. But there's nothing new about that strategy either. Presidential candidates since time immemorial have campaigned to the fringes in the primary and to the center in the general election. What is new about Obama, however, is the length to which he has gone to convince voters that his greasy fast food served on fine china is really nouveau cuisine. It's not. If Obama doesn't start to come up with some genuinely new positions and fresh ideas, he will lose in November, and become just another bitter liberal former nominee.

And THERE'S something to look forward to!

Happy, Happy Monday everybody!

~~JD~~

Happy Juneteenth!

I can't believe I've never blogged about this before! It's so uniquely Texan.

From Wikipedia:

Though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had little immediate effect on most slaves’ day-to-day lives, particularly in Texas, which was almost entirely under Confederate control. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. Legend has it while standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3”:

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.^[8]

That day has since become known as Juneteenth, a name derived from a portmanteau of the words June and nineteenth.

Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations. Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the following year.^[8] Across many parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land specifically for their communities’ increasingly large Juneteenth gatherings — including Houston’s Emancipation Park, Mexia’s Booker T. Washington Park, and Emancipation Park in Austin.^[8] Juneteenth celebrations include a wide range of festivities, such as parades, street fairs, cookouts, or park parties and include such things as music and dancing or even contests of physical strength and intellect. Baseball and other popular American games may also be played.

In literature

Ralph Ellison's second novel Juneteenth deals with this holiday and its traditions. Juneteenth was published posthumously.

Carolyn Meyer's novel Jubilee Journey is the story of one young biracial girl celebrating Juneteenth with her relatives in Texas, while also learning to be proud of her African American heritage.

Ann Rinaldi's historical novel Come Juneteenth is the story of how Juneteenth came to be, and follows the life of the daughter of a young white plantation-owner's daughter in Texas during the Civil War whose family faces tragedy after their mulatto half-sister runs away when learning they lied to her about being free.

Traditions

Juneteenth is traditionally celebrated with a large feast served as an all day meal in a park or outdoor space. The traditional dishes of Juneteenth are served pot luck and usually include portions of barbecue, cakes, fresh fruit and vegetables, and pies.

Now from today's San Antonio Express-News:

Juneteenth sparks memories of celebrations long ago
Web Posted: 06/19/2008 01:51 AM; By Jeorge Zarazua

One of Jerelyne Castleberry Williams' earliest memories of celebrating Juneteenth in San Antonio is being able to, as a teenager, get into Playland Park, an old amusement park on North Alamo Street that shut down in 1980. “Playland

Park was closed to African Americans all year long,” said Williams, now 73. “One day we could go, and that was the 19th of June. I remember getting off from the little job I had and taking my little money to spend. That was the day when the park was open to blacks.”

Williams recounted the story to illustrate not only how much progress has been made, but to show how far back she recalls celebrating Juneteenth in San Antonio.

Juneteenth — an official state holiday since 1980 — commemorates June 19, 1865, the date Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger landed in Galveston to impose an order freeing more than 200,000 slaves in Texas. The order came two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union forces and more than two years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. A second order instructed the remaining rogue Confederate troops in Texas to surrender to Union troops in the state's larger cities, including San Antonio. As a result, celebrations marking the freedom of slaves have been held in the Alamo City as far back as 1866, the year after Granger's arrival in Galveston.

Today, the Juneteenth celebrations enjoy resurgence across the state, and specifically in San Antonio, where various groups have been able to put together more events in observance of the date than in recent memory.

Highlights include today's Juneteenth Parade, which kicks off at the base of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue on the corner of East Houston and South New Braunfels and ends up at the Freeman Coliseum. Additional festivities will follow there with speeches, re-enactments and music. Celebrations will culminate Saturday with the 13th annual Juneteenth Festival and Family Reunion Picnic at Comanche Park No. 2.

Byron Miller, a member of the Texas Emancipation Juneteenth Cultural and Historical Commission, has been putting together the event, modeled on traditional Juneteenth picnics, since former Gov. Bush appointed him to the commission. “I've seen it grow by the fact that people are a lot more educated by the significance of the holiday,” Miller said. “The major thing that we want folks to understand about Juneteenth is that it not only marked the last day of slavery but it also marked the first day of freedom.”

Williams, as president of the African American Genealogical and Historical Society, said she's excited to see more people celebrating Juneteenth because of its importance to the African American community. “I firmly believe, if you don't know where you've been, you don't know where you're going,” she said.

EN Video: There's also a video repeort on "Juneteenth on the River Walk" HERE.

Juneteenth is significant to me personally because in June 2002 I traveled to San Antonio from the Chicagoland area prior to our move in August of that year. I drove straight through (26 hour drive!), slept the next day, then went out the third day to interview for jobs. That day was June 19th, 2002, and everywhere I went they had a barbecue going and people were wishing me a "Happy Juneteenth." It was a great way to get introduced to South Texas culture.

Being a Yankee most of my life, I didn't have a clue. But I love the tradition and the celebrations today.

Happy Juneteenth!

~~JD~~

San Antonio Sunrise

~~JD~~

Democratic Delegate Stuns Party, Shuns Obama; Gets Boot in Butt

Today is Sunday, June 15th; 121 Days to the General Election, as we watch the Wheels come off the Obama Bus; and, alternately, who's been thrown under the wheels of that bus today.

Little Green Footballs has a story of a Democratic Party delegate who's made her decision -- she'd rather vote for McCain than Obama. And, my, aren't the wheels on the bus pretty from underneath!!!

Democratic Delegate Stuns Party, Shuns Obama

Sun, Jun 15, 2008 at 2:34:01 pm PST

A Democratic delegate from Wisconsin is about to find out what happens to apostates from the party.

Washington - As an avid supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries, Debra Bartoshevich is not alone in her frustration over Clinton’s defeat. And she’s not entirely alone in saying she’ll vote this fall for Republican John McCain instead.

But what makes her unusual is that she holds these views as an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer.

“I’m sure people are going to be upset with me,” said Bartoshevich, a 41-year-old emergency room nurse from Waterford in Racine County, and convention delegate pledged to Clinton.

Joe Wineke, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, reacted with disbelief when first told Friday afternoon that one of his state party delegates is now a McCain supporter. “Not a delegate? To the national convention?” said Wineke, who was getting ready for the start of the Wisconsin state party convention Friday in Stevens Point.

“We have a Clinton national (convention) delegate who says she’s voting for John McCain?” Wineke repeated, for clarification. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Wineke said “almost everybody I know who was for Hillary” is solidly behind Obama now. As for Bartoshevich, he said, “my suspicion is she doesn’t know what she’s getting into” because “the delegates to this convention will be very upset.”

UPDATE at 6/15/08 2:39:21 pm:

Well, she was right -- they certainly were upset. Delegate Stripped of Position After Pledging to Vote Republican.

The Wisconsin Democratic Party has stripped a woman of her position as delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Last night in Stevens Point, state party members held a unanimous vote to strip Debra Bartoshevich of her delegate status and appoint an alternate for the Denver Convention.

Yeah, yeah -- that's the ticket boys! We don't wanna have no dissent in the Democrat Party. How can we have Diversity with all this damned dissent in the ranks?!?!?

Hat Tip: Little Green Footballs

~~JD~~

Lessons Unlearned from the 1970's -- Why We Have an Energy Crisis

GATEWAY PUNDIT has this perfect article about why we're having an Energy Crisi today.

Again.

Welcome to the 1970's.

Republicans Launch Effort To Force Pelosi Congress To Address Energy Crisis

Good News!...
Republicans act to address America's energy crisis.

For 30 years Democrats have blocked domestic energy development.

Why is America NOT energy independent?
Because, over the past 30 years:

Democrats have blocked the development of new sources of petroleum.
Democrats have blocked drilling in ANWR.
Democrats have blocked drilling off the coast of Florida.
Democrats have blocked drilling off of the east coast.
Democrats have blocked drilling off of the west coast.
Democrats have blocked drilling off the Alaskan coast.
Democrats have blocked building oil refineries.
Democrats have blocked clean nuclear energy production.
Democrats have blocked clean coal production.

And, what is the democratic solution to the current energy crisis?
--Democrats want to tax oil companies and sue OPEC!

Democrats like to attack evil American oil companies and block them from drilling for energy off our coasts. It doesn't seem to bother Democrats that China and Cuba are drilling for oil in these same areas 50 miles from Key West.

Unlike Democrats, Republicans vow to bring American Energy Online.
Today, House Republicans vowed to push the do-nothing Pelosi Congress on responsible energy plan for America.
Michelle Malkin posted Minority Leader John Boehner's memo to democrats:

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today issued the following statement on a discharge petition filed by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) to force Democratic leaders to schedule a vote on the No More Excuses Energy Act (H.R. 3089), legislation authored by Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) to increase U.S. energy production and invest in alternative sources of energy:

“The Democratic Majority’s callous indifference as American families and small businesses struggle with $4 per gallon gasoline is both inexcusable and irresponsible. By flatly refusing to schedule votes on the House GOP plan to help reduce fuel costs and achieve energy independence, the Democrats in control of Congress are proving themselves complicit in our nation’s energy crisis, which is growing worse by the day on their watch.

“Where Democrats refuse to lead, Republicans will. Beginning today, House Republicans will offer a series of discharge petitions aimed at forcing the Democratic leadership to schedule several GOP-sponsored bills to increase production of American-made energy, reduce America’s costly dependence on foreign sources of energy, harness new alternative energy technologies, and lower gas prices. I thank Rep. Tim Walberg for offering the first discharge petition in this effort – one that seeks to force Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer to schedule Rep. Mac Thornberry’s No More Excuses Energy Act. The Thornberry bill will open new American oil refineries, invest in alternative energy sources, and increase environmentally-safe exploration of untapped oil resources in the United States.

** Senate Republicans blocked the Democratic plan to tax US corporations out of the current American energy crisis.

House Republicans are working for the American People...
Repubican Representatives Unveiled a Plan to Bring Down Energy Prices:

There is much more on the Republican plan at Real Energy Solutions.

One more thing...
You can sign a petition (it takes about 15 seconds) to demand Congress remove government obstacles to increasing our energy supplies.
Newt Gingrich started this movement a couple of weeks ago and already there are more than 500,000 who have signed the petition.

Power Line has a great chart from Mel Blunt's office showing the practical effects of Democratic vs. Republican policies on the price of gasoline at the pump; click to enlarge:

(Click to Enlarge)
This is great!

Dog Survives Toto Impression During Tornado

CBS-2 in Chicago has this neat story (yes, I said "neat -- get over it) about a happy ending for a dog after the recent tornado activity there ove the weekend.

If you love dogs, you'll like this story.

Dog Survives Toto Impression During Tornado
RICHTON PARK, Ill. (CBS) ― Chase certainly doesn't look like Toto from "The Wizard of Oz." He's a big rottweiler, not a little cairn terrier. But he certainly does a wonderful impression.

On Saturday, when a tornado swept through Richton Park, Chase was hanging out the backyard of Sandra Holmes' house. That is, until the tornado picked him up and took him on the ride of his life.

"People started coming up and saying 'we saw your dog in flight,'" said Holmes, Chase's owner. Neighbor Tatyiana Smith saw it. "The dog was in the air, he was going around like he was pulled out of the ground," Smith said.

Luckily, Chase didn't get whisked away to the magical land of Oz. Instead, residents found him more than a block away in the woods, dazed and shocked, but alive.

"It's a miracle," Holmes said. "It's a blessing from God."

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov contributed to this report.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Hat Tip: The Drudge Report

~~JD~~

Monday Morning North Central Baptist

Yes, that **IS** a Starbucks at the back of the atrium.







See why I love working here?


~~JD~~

Saturday Afternoon San Antonio

~~JD~~

Tuesday Afternoon; Small House, Big City

~~JD~~

Happy Memorial Day!

Since I'm a Nurse, I'm working today (of course). Just a few random juxtapostions to help you through the day.

Remembrance, gratitude, fortitude; By Michelle Malkin



"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his." -- General George S. Patton

And here's the video to accompany that thought:




Finally, my wife's favorite scene from the movie "Independence Day" -- "I could have been at a BARBECUE!!!!"




Which I'm sure i'll hear half-a-dozen times at work tomorrow . . . (sigh)

~~JD~~

Inspiration for 'Family Circus' Mommy dies at 82

A sad note, indeed -- "Mom" Keane was always one of my favorites. From the Northwest Indiana Vidette-Times:

Inspiration for 'Family Circus' Mommy dies at 82

By AMANDA LEE MYERS | Sunday, May 25, 2008

PHOENIX - Thelma Keane, the inspiration for the Mommy character in the long-running "Family Circus" comic created by her husband, Bil Keane, has died. She was 82. She died Friday of Alzheimer's disease, the family said.

"Family Circus," which Keane began drawing in 1960, depicts the good-humored life of two parents and their four children. It is now featured in about 1,500 newspapers. "She was the inspiration for all of my success," Bil Keane, 85, told The Associated Press from his home in Paradise Valley on Sunday. "When the cartoon first appeared, she looked so much like Mommy that if she was in the supermarket pushing her cart around, people would come up to her and say, 'Aren't you the Mommy in 'Family Circus?' and she would admit it."

Bil and Thelma "Thel" Keane met during World War II in the war bond office in Brisbane, Australia. She was a native Australian working as an accounting secretary, and Bil worked next to her as a promotional artist for the U.S. Army. "I had this desk alongside the most beautiful Australian 18-year-old girl with long brown hair," Bil Keane said. "And I got up enough nerve to ask her for a date." The two married in 1948 and moved to Bil Keane's hometown of Philadelphia. They had five children and moved to the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley in 1958.

Not only was Thelma Keane the inspiration for the always-loving and ever-patient comic character also named Thel, but she worked full-time as her husband's business and financial manager. Her family says she was the reason Bil Keane became one of the first syndicated newspaper cartoonists to win back all rights to his comic. "There was nothing that I did in the cartoon world or in the business world that she wasn't the instigator of, and she certainly deserves all the credit that I get credit for," Bil Keane said.

Thelma Keane's Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed about five years ago, and she had been at an assisted-living center near the family home for the last three years, said her daughter, Gayle Keane, 58, of Napa, Calif. Just last month, Gayle Keane said, her mother was singing and dancing as the family visited her and celebrated her birthday. "We all had a time to say goodbye in the end," Gayle Keane said. "I just think she's in a better place, and she's not dealing with that fog and confusion that Alzheimer's brings into your life."

Bil Keane continues to produce "Family Circus" with the help of his youngest son, Jeff. Keane sketches out the ideas, characters and captions and sends them to Jeff for inking. In addition to Bil, Gayle and Jeff Keane, survivors include her sons Neal, Glen and Christopher, and nine grandchildren.

Keane said that although his wife is gone, she is still with him. "The losing of Thel is a heartbreaking thing for me," he said. "However, it makes me realize how important she was to my worldly success, and I know where she is now, I feel that she's still helping me and probably giving me the inspirations you can only get from an angel in heaven."

On the Net:

Family Circus: http://www.familycircus.com/

~~JD~~

Saturday Morning San Antonio, Memorial Day Weekend 2008

~~JD~~

May 23rd, 2008; My Grandmother's 102nd Birthday

And I still miss her -- every single damned day.


Five points if you can identify this post's author in that picture.


I'll be off the grid this weekend as I travel to Dallas for my Dialysis Certification.



~~JD~~