Politics: MSNBC Poll

How does President Bush's plan for victory affect your confidence for a good outcome in Iraq? * 1883 responses
Thumbs up: The president's plan shows the United States has both a vision of Iraq after the war and a sound strategy to realize it
21%
Thumbs down: The president's plan is more of the same recycled pledges and flag-draped bromides we've heard before
79%

Do you agree with 79% of Americans? Or is this a good plan?

Politics: Bush War Plan - Then & Now

Cnn has done a great job of just showing the President then and now. His words on Iraq. I am not going to say anything other than... the video shows it all.

CNN: Bush Then and Now - His Own Words

Politics: The Slick Politics of 2005

In just another of a landslide of corrpution cases...

Republican Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges, admitting taking $2.4 million in bribes in a case that grew from an investigation into the sale of his home to a wide-ranging conspiracy involving payments in cash, vacations and antiques.

Calif. Congressman Admits Taking Bribes from the AP

Makes you sick to think about this one. And all the other cases we've seen this year. When will this madness stop?

Joke: 56 Million Happy People

My dad sent this to me:

The President, the First Lady and Dick Cheney are flying on Air Force One.
George looks at Laura, chuckles and says, "You know, I could throw a $1,000.00 bill out the window right now and make somebody very happy."

Laura shrugs her shoulders and says, "Well, I could throw ten $100.00 bills out the window and make 10 people very happy."

Cheney says, "Of course then, I could throw one-hundred $10.00 bills out the window and make a hundred people very happy."

The pilot rolls his eyes and says to his copilot, "Such big shots back there . hell, I could throw all of them out the window and make 56 million people very happy."

Made me chuckle.

Sports: Irvin Goes Back to the White House

Read this on SportsJusticeBlog - Richard Justice, writer Houston Chronicle

If you're like me, you probably do a lot of favors for friends. This morning, I'm reminded that there are risks in helping your fellow man out.

Please do what I did this morning. Check your car for drug paraphernalia. Maybe a friend has left his pipe in your car. If you're caught with that pipe, some might get the wrong impression.

Of course, this is a tonge in cheek reaction to this story:
Irvin Charged in Texas; says pipe belong to friend Errr, or my brother... which ever gets you off my case.

Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin spent Monday explaining his side of the circumstances leading to his drug arrest Friday in Texas, while court documents made public appeared to contradict an important detail of his story.

Irvin, an NFL studio analyst for ESPN since 2003, discussed with ESPN's Stuart Scott and ESPN Radio's Dan Patrick that the pipe found by police during a traffic stop on Friday belonged to a longtime friend battling addiction. He said he put the friend's pipe in his car on Thanksgiving Day, thinking it was a better place than his home or the trash.

But according to court papers obtained by The Dallas Morning News, Irvin told police "It's my brother's, he left it in there," when he was pulled over in Plano, Texas on Friday.

Another document described the pipe as being multicolored with marijuana residue and that police also found plastic baggies with marijuana residue.

The page that included the quote was part of notes the officer wrote to himself, but are entered into public record, Plano police spokesman Mike Johnson said. The officer also wrote that the pipe was found in a Versace sunglasses case under a driver's seat compartment, with a "baggie corner sticking out of it."

Irvin was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after police searched his vehicle and arrested him on an outstanding warrant for speeding.

Irvin, who pleaded no contest to felony cocaine possession charges in 1996, told Scott during an interview on "Monday NFL Countdown" that he is not using drugs and is trying to help his friend beat addiction.

"I'm going to do anything to clear my name," said Irvin, a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Wow, I could never have imagined he was smoking something! Was that why everytime he opens his mouth on tv something stupid comes out of it?

Sports: Irvin Goes Back to the White House

Read this on SportsJusticeBlog - Richard Justice, writer Houston Chronicle

If you're like me, you probably do a lot of favors for friends. This morning, I'm reminded that there are risks in helping your fellow man out.

Please do what I did this morning. Check your car for drug paraphernalia. Maybe a friend has left his pipe in your car. If you're caught with that pipe, some might get the wrong impression.

Of course, this is a tonge in cheek reaction to this story:

Politics: Biden's plan "remarkably similar" to Bush

This cracked me up tonight when I read it:

White House lays foundation for US troop withdraw

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House for the first time has claimed possession of an Iraq withdrawal plan, arguing that a troop pullout blueprint unveiled this past week by a Democratic senator was "remarkably similar" to its own.

It also signaled its acceptance of a recent US Senate amendment designed to pave the way for a phased US military withdrawal from the violence-torn country.

The statement late Saturday by White House spokesman Scott McClellan came in response to a commentary published in The Washington Post by Joseph Biden, the top Democrat of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in which he said US forces will begin leaving Iraq next year "in large numbers."

This has got to make conservatives cringe. They hate Biden. To hear the President say, "Yeah,... what he said!" and point towards Dem Biden must make them sick.

Quiz: What kind of pie are you?

You Are Mud Pie

You're the perfect combo of flavor and depth Those who like you give into their impulses

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Norma was pumpkin. I am mud.

I do love chocolate.

Pictures: Thanksgiving Vacation

"The pig is in the basket." The Xbox360 launch provided me with some very fun holiday entertainment. This photo is at 1 am just as I was about to open it on Tuesday morning.

Here is Aidan in the newly renovated "office" turned "game room/play room" and the 360 is behind him below the tv.

Aidan's first Thanksgiving meal. He ate some corn and pees, but LOVED pumpkin pie and whipped cream. Mmmm, mmm.

Aidan is so lucky to have such a great mom!

My Life: Weekend

Had a great weekend. Saw Harry Potter last night. It was really cool. Norma was itching to see it and to be honest I thought it was the very best Potter movie yet. Incredible action and great story.

Today we went to the Texans-Rams game. Long story short, we still have the best worst record in football and our eyes set on USC #5 Reggie Bush with the first pick in next spring's NFL Draft. :) The Texans played awesome in the first half. Up 24-3 - they blew it. Lost in overtime.

At least my brother-in-law was happy! He drove the whole way out from San Antonio to see the game. So it made his drive home a lot nicer.

The week was awesome. A great Thanksgiving break. I got a TON done around the house. I now have a clean office, turned playroom for Aidan. That had been a mess for a year! With a baby, it was the last thing on my to do list. I also have a freshly cut lawn and a totally cleaned out garage. Man, I am a happy father of the house.

Tomorrow is back to school. And the only thing I can really say is I am teaching about the Renaissance... as far as I can remember.

Politics: Cowards and Heroes

via Daily Kos:

Cowards:
Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V,Purple Hearts.
Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam. Paraplegic from war injuries. Served in Congress.
Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars,and Soldier's Medal.
Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
Chuck Robb: Vietnam
Howell Heflin: Silver Star
George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311.
Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and AirMedal with 18 Clusters.
Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.

Heroic Defenders of Liberty:
Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
Tom Delay: did not serve.
Roy Blunt: did not serve.
Bill Frist: did not serve.
Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
Rick Santorum: did not serve.
Trent Lott: did not serve.
John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
Jeb Bush: did not serve.
Karl Rove: did not serve.
Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." (The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism.)
Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
Vin Weber: did not serve.
Richard Perle: did not serve.
Douglas Feith: did not serve.
Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
Richard Shelby: did not serve.
Jon! Kyl: did not serve.
Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
Christopher Cox: did not serve.
Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; failed to show up
B-1 Bob Dornan: enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
Phil Gramm: did not serve.
John McCain: Vietnam POW, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
John M. McHugh: did not serve.
JC Watts: did not serve.
Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem, " although continued in NFL for 8 years as quarterback.
Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
George Pataki: did not serve.
Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
John Engler: did not serve.
Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.

Pundits & Preachers
Sean Hannity: did not serve.
Rush Limbaugh: did not serve
Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
Michael Savage: did not serve.
George Will: did not serve.
Chris Matthews: did not serve.
Paul Gigot: did not serve.
Bill Bennett: did not serve.
Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
John Wayne: did not serve.
Bill Kristol: did not serve.
Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
Ralph Reed: did not serve.
Michael Medved: did not serve.

My Life: Weekend

Stayed up a little late tonight playing Perfect Dark Zero and Madden on Xbox360. It was a nice night of gaming. But, time for bed. Before I do... what a nice weekend we are planning.

Tomorrow afternoon Norma's brother and sister-in-law come in from San Antonio. We are hoping they'll be up for watching Aidan for a couple of hours while we go take in Harry Potter at the theatre. Norma is a huge Potter fan. She loved this book and can't wait to see the movie.

On Sunday we are going to the Texans-Rams game. Norma's brother is a huge Rams fan. He lived in LA when the Rams played there and has been a fan ever since. It'll be neat to go. We haven't been to Reliant Stadium in a couple of years. Since the baby has been born, it is just not something I have wanted to do much. But, it'll be neat to go again. We've spent max time with Aidan over the past week. A couple of hours in the afternoon on Sunday isn't going to hurt.

The little guy is pretty dang cute though. A person at Walgreens told Norma today that he looked "Presidential" and said "Really, he's that cute... some day he could run for President." Pretty odd. Running for President would be about the last thing Aidan should do. Unless I hit the lottery, his chances are pretty $lim.

Well, time to hit the hay! I am wide awake. Looks like I'll be cranking up the iPod shuffle as I drift off to sleep.

Mmmm, smells of Turkey Day

Aidan, Norma and I took a nap upstairs in Aidan's room this afternoon while the turkey cooked. We woke up around 2:30 and walked downstairs. On Christmas morning as a kid, you come down the stairs to the sight of presents under the tree. On Thanksgiving, you walk down to the smells of Mmmm, Mmmm, good turkey in the oven. It was deliciousness.

Norma is doing the fixings now while Aidan plays up here in his new 'playroom/my office' -- I think I am going to start calling it the "gameroom." Even though we have a couple of desks up here, I have cleared a big area for him to play in. I am also going to put the little couch that we have up in the room so that Norma and I can sit and watch some tv while the baby has fun.

I am keeping him busy while Norma gets all the extras done. The gravy and mashed potatoes, the corn, the stuffing, the rolls. The... Mmmmm. I can't wait. We ate a real light lunch and the feast will begin soon.

Norma and I have always done iced cinammon rolls on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Kind of a tradition and we continued it today. That was the warmup for the feast at dinner. Afterwards we'll take a nice walk. Afterall it is 80 degrees here in Houston today! Typical Thanksgiving weather. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Have a Great Turkey Day!

We have a huge bird to cook. Norma makes the best Thanksgiving Day meal. And this year Aidan will actually get some turkey. Sweet. I can almost smell it all now. I can not wait.

And two decent football games on tomorrow also. So it'll be a nice T'day 2005. Hope everyone spends quality time with family and gets some good eats.

I am thankful this year to have a beautiful wife and child. And very thankful to have my house. So many in neighboring Louisiana are not at home this year. I hope we can think of them and send our best wishes on to them. Hopefully Thanksgiving 2006 will find Louisiana on it's way to being rebuilt and home again for so many.

I saw one of my students from New Orleans at the mall tonight and met her mom. It is amazing how well she has adapted to Houston after having been uprooted. I can only hope others find their way as well as she has.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Xbox360: Cool content on Live

One of the truly neat things about the 360 is the downloadable content. Some is free, others you would have to buy credits to pay for. But, tonight I booted up the system with Halo in and it went to download the update to play the game from the Live service online. When I came back there was a free download for Audioslave's video for "Show me how to live." Very cool.

Downloading it now.

Stuff like this is going to be neat to play around with over time.

And I haven't booted up my rented version of Perfect Dark Zero yet. Still playing around with the 360 console. What's wrong with me?

Schmidt: Backing a war based on lies, with more lies

Schmidt in war of words

A woman who has spent 79 days in congress helps to slander a man that served 37 years in the Marine Corps and Reserve. She also broke house rules by using the name of a fellow lawmaker to criticize them.

Schmidt - decked out in a red-white-and-blue suit that resembled the U.S. flag - went to the floor and quoted from a telephone conversation with Danny Bubp, a freshman state rep who is a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve: "He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course.

"He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: That cowards cut and run, Marines never do."

But Danny Bubp told The Enquirer that he never mentioned Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., by name when talking with Schmidt, and he would never call a fellow Marine a coward.

So she lied. And she can't understand why everyone is so upset. Sound familiar?

My Life: Getting Stuff Done

My to do list this week:

*Get our alarm system fixed (done)
*Get our washer fixed (done)
*Fix the toilet in the bedroom - leaking
*Fix Aidan's crib - it is too loose
*Clean out the garage
*Cut and trim the grass for the last time for winter
*Wash car
*Clean out the garage
*Turn our upstairs office into gameroom/playroom for Aidan

I haven't gotten much done because of this stomach flu that hit both Norma and I. But, today I finally got people out to the house to fix our alarm system and the washer. It took two visits by the washer guy to get that done. The water pump needed replaced and the new one he put in was also broken. Yeah!

Now I am at the point where I am fixing the toilet. I am not a fix-it kind of guy. I am great with computers. I love troubleshooting them. But, my love for that does not slide over into tools and handy man stuff. In fact, I am quite the opposite. I despise it. Hate it. But, these things need to be done.

So I need to go buy a tool to fix the toilet. Yipee!

Tomorrow I am doing nothing but eating Norma's awesome dinner... playing with my boy... and watching football. :) The rest of my list can wait until Friday.

Electronic Arts - the Wal-Mart of Software

To say that I am disappointed in EA Sport's Madden 06 for the Xbox 360 would be an understatement. I am depressed. The game is a mere shadow of it's former self. Obviously this is a rush to production. They also knew the limitations and poor effort of their release. Yet, they charged 60 bucks for this game?

I am going to rightfully admit - I am stupid for buying it. I read a review that said not to. But, I couldn't believe it. I thought, it's football I will love it. I don't.

There is no doubt that the graphics engine is awesome. The actual gameplay is pretty sharp. But there are big, big holes in the strategy. No replays. No ability to overturn calls with instant replay (been in video football for years). Only 32 teams. No practice mode. Sad.

The online play is horrible. I don't know if I have the heart to go into all the ways that this game has broken MY heart. So I won't.

Just DO NOT BUY Madden 06 for the 360. I wish I could take it back. But, I know the return policy of software when it is opened. They will not accept it back.

I may take it down and see what kind of money I can get for it by trading it in. Either way I will take a bath on it.

Regardless, this does not color my viewpoint of the Xbox360 itself. It is a great system. And there will be some wonderful games for the system. There already are. I will rent some tonight - Perfect Dark Zero and Call of Duty 2. But, the NFL and EA with their 'exclusive rights deal' has together taken quality away from a video game series that was once king and is now just a ruthless tyrant. Without another football video game to be released on this system until next summer - I will be left out in the cold.

My Life: Xbox360 Rules

I am loving playing the 360.

Everything is setup and it is playing well. Madden is not quite as 'complete' as I had hoped. Very slimmed down on the options, but the graphics and gameplay are outstanding. I am going to try to play online tonight. Won my first game vs. the computer last night - with the TEXANS! So i must be ready. :)

I added a gamertag to my blog here on the right pannel below my picture & chatbox. It should change and update as I play new games and gain a better reputation online. Interesting.

At 3am the night I got the system, I felt a twinge of wierdness. Yeah, I am 35 years-old and still playing video games and standing in line to get my pre-paid system at midnight with 8 other kids. What is wrong with me? Then I realized...
*I don't cheat on my wife
*I don't go to bars or drink
*I don't golf

So that pays for it. It is my one vice. Mostly I love football video games... and I love football. But, Perfect Dark Zero looks pretty sweet right about now as well!

Time to hit that really cool X button my wireless controller and 'Get it on!'
So far I am a satisfied addict.

My Life: My luck is changing

EBGames just called. My Xbox360 is in. Launch party tonight at midnight. Woooo hoooooo!
Madden 06 for 360. Sweet.

I can't wait. This is going to be fun.

My Life: Tough Weekend on all Fronts

This weekend was a big time bummer. It was supposed to be a celebration of sorts. We are on Thanksgiving Break from teaching and we will have until next Monday off. But, Saturday afternoon the stomach flu from hell hit both Norma and myself.

We are feeling a lot better today. We haven't eaten much more than cherios and bread. My allergies jumped up and bit me on Sunday. That'll happen anytime I am worn out or don't eat right. So the stomach flu was an invitation to allergy headache and crappiness.

I woke up this morning to check scores. My hometown team - The Houston Texans played on Sunday night football on ESPN last night. I went to bed when the game was 31-7... at halftime. Ouch. The final was worse. 51-17. At least we'll get Reggie Bush with the #1 pick! (but that won't help over the next 6 weeks) We head out to Reliant Stadium next Sunday for the Rams game. Norma's brother lives in San Antonio and he's a huge Rams fan. I am sure we will have fun... but, this season is SAD.

Then I checked my fantasy football scores. Just a couple of weeks ago my two teams were both 8-1. Now they are skidding. My "family league" team looked invinsible all season. But, I have lost back-to-back games now to my wife and my dad! Crushing. Joey Galloway, WR, Bucs really, really cost me! He scored a big goose egg. Didn't even score a point. Didn't catch a pass. And I lost by 5 stinking points. I still have the #1 spot in the league but barely. My step-mom has the same record but is just below me in points. We have 2 more weeks before the playoffs. And as luck would have it, I play her in the last week. We'll probably be battling to get the top spot.

In my other fantasy league, I have been in first all year as well. I only lost one game to another guy in my division who was the pre-season favorite. He had only lost 2. In that game I also got a terrible, terrible performance from one of my key players. Steven Jackson got 1 point. Ouch. He is usually such a stud. And that was against the freaking Cardinals at HOME? Yikes. Drives me crazy. At this point in my game I am down 46 points. The only player I have left in the Monday Night Game is Brett Favre. All I can do is hope he has a MONSTER game. It's possible that I could win, but unlikely.

Like I said, tough weekend.

Oh yeah, our washer broke. Argh!

My Life: Weekend from Hell

Norma and I have been battling the stomach flu this weekend. I feel absolutely awful. Words can not do this thing justice.

It has been about 24 hours and my fever has lifted so maybe this thing is about to break?

I sure hope so. I don't know how much more of this I can stand.

Aidan keeps looking at us like, "What's wrong with you guys?" I am sure he is wondering why we aren't smiling and playing with him. But, we have absolutely no energy. Last night was awful.

Hopefully we will get back on track soon. We are on Thanksgiving Break! We are supposed to be enjoying ourselves.

CNN.com - Education, health spending bill rejected - Nov 17, 2005

CNN.com - Education, health spending bill rejected - Nov 17, 2005

Are you surprised this corrupt government would cut spending in areas like Health and Education?

Yet the gap between the wealthiest and poorest grows wider with todays tax cuts & continued spending for Alaskans and their Bridge to Nowhere.

What a country.

My Life: Tough Day in the Trenches

Many people say teaching is 'getting down in the trenches.' I agree to a point. It is definitely a 'roll your sleeves up' kind of job. There aren't many days when my tie isn't loosened and my sleeves aren't rolled up by the end of the day. But, today was even worse.

Coming from first period and heading to the teacher's lounge, I saw out of the corner of my eye a fight. I walked over to stop it as it escalated and about 40 kids were surrounding the two girls that where fighting. After breaking my way through the throng (or should I say mob) I grabbed the closest girl to me and tried to pull her off the other. I just wanted to get my body in there to basically stop the rest of the kids from hauling off on both of them, until the cops and principals could arrive.

This is in the busiest hallway of the absolutely busiest school in Texas. We are the second largest high school in Texas and it's a campus bursting at the seams. We are going to completely remodel the school starting this spring. And an entire new campus is opening up next fall to alleviate the crowding problem. But, it didn't help my situation today.

Before I knew it all 'hell had broken loose'. Kids were running up and kicking and punching the girls that were tangled up. I am not sure if I got kicked or punched, but my back is killing me now. Just below my shoulder blade on the left side it feels like there is a huge knot. It is kind of a 'tooth ache' type of pain. Constant and doesn't let up much.

Regardless of my health, I didn't walk away looking as bad as one of the girls. She looked like she had her face mauled off. Fingernail marks all over her and blood everywhere. After the cops and principals arrived and the halls cleared, I looked down and saw blood and hair. Gross.

These girls are so stupid. I just don't get the mentality. But, I am not living in their world either. Many of these kids feel that fighting is just another way of expressing themselves. It is really not something I can relate to. And it is a shame that the many thousands of kids at my school have to put up with a few hundred thugs (be they boys or girls).

It made for a rather 'interesting' day. Not one I will forget so soon. My classes were great - as always. The kids tested on the Middle Ages and the scores have been good so far. Tomorrow is Friday. It's the last day before the Thanksgiving break. We have next week off completely. Love it. It will probably be the last year like this one for a while. Our new calendar may be completely different next year.

Anyway, I will go to work tomorrow and put this fight and my aching back behind me (literally). You can't come back to work mad. The good kids need you too badly.

Senior Democrat calls for U.S. troops to leave Iraq

CNN.com - Senior Democrat calls for U.S. troops to leave Iraq - Nov 17, 2005

I agree... this is getting ridiculous already.

White Phospherous

Iraqi Torture Prisons

Murtha called it a "flawed policy wrapped in an illusion."

"I resent the fact that on Veterans Day, they criticized Democrats for criticizing them," Murtha said. "This [the war] is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public knows it, and lashing out at critics doesn't help a bit. You've got to change the policy. That's what's going to help the American people. You need to change direction."

It is time to change direction. The American people know it. And so do most sane people in this country.

No Body Will Be Left Behind

"No Body Will Be Left Behind" -- Haven't we heard that one before? As a teacher, I certainly have. But, in New Orleans, La. it is simply not true. This person's blog: Black Bodies Remain Still.....Part II wrote about the horrible discovery some New Orleans 9th Ward residents are making as they return home. Dead bodies.

Can you even imagine? You already expect the worst damage wise for your homes. But, to find a loved one... dead... decomposing... it is unthinkable.

Our government called off the search for bodies 5 weeks after Katrina and said, "We are finished." Hardly! Can anyone explain to me why the 9th ward was not searched? Could it be because it is black & poor? This is ridiculous.

This can happen in America?

I think Homeland Security Chief Chertoff got off pretty easy after Katrina/Rita. He should not skate free on this one. This happened on his watch. I am absolutely flabbergasted by this one.

On a happier note... my "Katrina Student" earned herself a trip to Washington DC and is going in a couple of weeks. Couldn't have happened to a better person. She has been through a lot. Her dad (family is divorced) is still in New Orleans and is a police officer there. I tell her all the time that she should be proud of her dad. He stayed and worked and did his job through terrible circumstances. I wish the same could be said about FEMA.

Write to your Senator or Represenative today and demand that action be taken in New Orleans!

Baby: Aidan's New Laptop

Aidan has always been excited about banging on our laptops when we are not looking.

He wants to press the keys... or rather, bang on them. I finally decided to grab one of the old laptops I have up in my office closet. It is years in the grave. No harddrive, no cd rom, but Aidan didn't seem to mind. He had a good time playing with it.

Could he possibly be an IBM Toughbook Tester? Maybe.

I am just waiting for the day when he starts plucking off the keys. It won't be long.

Maybe now my little guy will feel like he doesn't have to bang on our laptop keys.

Ahhhh, I doubt it.

[that last picture just reminds me of Schroeder from the Peanuts. We have been wondering if he'll have a favor blanket like Linus. Maybe this will be his favorite security toy? Doubt it, but it is funny to imagine.]

Animals: Weekend Pictures

These are a few shots from our weekend in San Antonio. We were at Norma's brother's house in Bandera, Texas. They live in the hill country and there are some really beautiful deer that live right there in their neighborhood with them.

They were great to watch. "Shooting" one with my digital camera is as close as I could ever come to interrupting their lifestyle. I know that hunting is important for thinning out their numbers and their herds, but I will leave that to 'better men' then I. It's just not something I can do.

Norma's brother Junior bought some corn feed and put it out for them on Friday night. It was amazing watching them come up real close to us and eat. Later that night I heard them on the porch breaking into the bag and getting some more. The next day I walked out to put our suitcase in the car and they were looking at me like, "Where's the grub?" So I took a few pictures.

Amazing creatures. So beautiful and so graceful. It was a lucky day to share that with Aidan. He really got a kick out of seeing the "Kit-Kat" as he called them. Every animal is a cat to him. Harley (our siamese) and Milo (our black cat) have a big influence on him.

My Life: Great Weekend

Aidan, Norma and I had a really great weekend.

We did all of these things in a powerpacked few days:
1) Visited family in San Antonio. Aidan slept most of the way there and the ENTIRE way home, which was amazing. We had a really good time visiting with Norma's dad, brothers and family. Great food and the weather was awesome. We took some cool pictures off all the deer on their property and I'll post a few of them later. They live out on a lake in Bandera County west of San Antonio.
2) Hit Katy Mills Mall and got some really incredible deals on shoes and a backpack to carry Aidan. This thing is cool. We used it that night and it worked very well.
3) Went to the Humble High School playoff football game. The game was played at the district field where I used to teach and coach. But, it is a brand new facility. Amazing really. It has field turf, a video replay scoreboard... well, let me just paste what one internet site says about the field:

This brand new facility is unmatched in the state. At a cost of ~ $22 million, it has numerous features. A jumbotron scoreboard with instant replay. A VIP section with individual seating and cup holders. TV. monitors in the concession areas. A double-decker press box that has tons of space for every group to be happy. The scouts have seating capacity of about 30. The coaching boxes can seat up to 16. There are separate rooms for the press, radio, video deck, the dignitary section, and much more. Papasitos is served to all in the box at halftime and a standing buffet line of chips and dips, fruit and vegetable trays are there throughout the game.

All I can say is that the field is outstanding... but I wonder about the cost to taxpayers. With average teacher salaries less that $40K... is this appropriate? It's nice, but necessary? The Wildcats won the game and play there again this Saturday night in their second playoff game vs. LaPorte. Aidan had a great time. We saw a lot of students that we had and they were excited to get to see our little guy.

It was a busy weekend. Lots of fun. The weather is perfect right now in Houston and we are taking advantage of it.

Politics: You are losing it Pat

CNN.com - Robertson warns Pennsylvania voters of God's wrath - Nov 10, 2005

Conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck.
"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city," Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, "The 700 Club."

"And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there," he said.

This guy is nutz.

Sports: Steve Courson Dead at 50

KDKA - Fallen Tree Kills Courson

Growing up as a kid, I was a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan. My dad sent me an email tonight with the link that is shown above. Sad. Steve Courson was an offensive lineman during the Steelers hey-day Super Bowl Dynasty teams.

When I was a lot younger & a lot skinner I was lucky enough to attend Jack Lambert's football camps for kids during the summer. While running at the camp big Steve ran into me... swooped me up in his huge arms and plopped me back down on my feet without missing a stride. I'll never forget that.

He was a mountain of a man, first for being a great football player. Then for abusing steriods. And later in his life realizing how wrong it was. He cleaned up his life and his image. He had been a health food nut late in his life and believes that is what kept him alive after the abuse of steroids nearly killed him.

Sadly ironic that a fallen tree would down this giant of a man. But, I guess it would take one of those super large Pennsylvania trees to bring him down.

It was 22 years since he'd suited up for the Steelers. Seems like yesterday to me.

Rest in peace #77.

Politics: The Comedy of Torture

"Last month, the Senate voted for a ban on torture 90-9. You heard me correctly: Nine United States Senators refused to vote against torture. Those senators included Illinois Democrat Thumbscrews McGee, Iowa's Cattleprod von Analpair and, of course, Ted Stevens [of] Alaska."
---Jon Stewart

Politics: There is a God - House GOP makes concession on Arctic drilling

House GOP makes concession on Arctic drilling - Politics - MSNBC.com

What a week for the Dems.

The GOP takes arctic drilling off the table. I am shocked.

Also, this report:

MSNBC/Journal Poll data:
According to the poll, Bush’s approval rating stands at an all-time low of 38 percent, a one-point decline since October; in fact, this is the third consecutive NBC/Journal survey showing Bush at an all-time low on his job approval. And it doesn’t stop there: Approval for his handling of the economy (34 percent), foreign policy (35 percent), terrorism (39 percent), and Iraq (32 percent) have all hit rock bottom.

Wow. If that isn't a sign for Democrats to start stepping up, I don't know what is. It is time to grab the bull by the horns and start getting the message of what their agenda will be for 2006 and the Congressional elections.

I believe all their plans are good ones, but a clear and concise message needs to rise. And a clear direction on Iraq as well. After Dec. 15th and the elections, is it time for Dems to say - "Let's get out of there!"??? Certainly this spring it will be talked about as a viable strategy. How much longer can we tredge through this war?

Baby: He loves to throw

Aidan has really been enjoying throwing balls and yelling lately. It is one of his favorite games. He gets a big kick out of it.
Click on images to see them in full glory.

Townhall.com Kills Off It's GOP Elephant

Republican Website Portal Shows Dead Elephant on Frontpage

Yesterday was a tough, but not unexpected day for the GOP, as Democrats retained control of the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey. California voters, meantime, defeated all eight of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ballot proposals."

Ouch. I guess the truth hurts, even for die hard GOP'rs.

Politics: The Insourcing of Jobs: Immigration bill gets support - Metropolitan - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

Immigration bill gets support - Metropolitan - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

This is an article that I found Dvorak talking about on his blog. It really upsets me. To think that you are going to increase American competition by hiring immigrant teachers frustrates me. What about giving an incentive to Americans to become teachers? Would that not help to increase competition here while also creating higher paying jobs for the best teachers. Not just the people that will come here to do it cheaply?

This article is frustrating to say the least. As a teacher I find it offensive to suggest that Americans can't teach. What we have is a society of people that do not value the job. Whether by pure salary or status in our American life, teachers are not valued today. If teachers were given competitive salaries and benefits many more Americans would decide on careers in teaching.

Regardless, I teach because of the students. This slap in the face to hard working American teachers will not stun me. I already know my government does not appreciate the work that we do. But, I will not let it stop me from doing the best I can. I know the value and that is all that is important in my life. I just wish that we had enough people in America that agreed with me. We could turn this thing around by focusing on getting the best to teach and mentor our kids so that they are then competing at the highest levels in the world.

But it is not about that. It is about bringing in cheap labor to fill jobs that we have decided not to fund. Lovely, it all comes down to the American dollar.

Politics: Election Day 2005

This is hard to believe. If I didn't hear it myself, I wouldn't believe it.

DailyKos: VA-Gov: Dirty tricks, the robo call

Here's is an MP3 of the robocall from an answering machine. The quality is a bit ugh, so the transcript is included.

Robocall MP3

[Voice of Tim Kaine] I am running for Governor and I am not afraid to tell you where I stand.

I am conservative on issues of personal responsibility. As a former Christian missionary, faith is central to my life. I oppose gay marriage. I support restrictions on abortion: No public funding and parental consent. And I've worked to pass a state law banning partial birth abortion.

Paid for and authorized by Honest Leadership for Virginia PAC.

Registration number 05-034.

So here's the deal -- the Republicans took statements Kaine has made and spliced them together to put together this out-of-context call. The horrible music in the background is there to mask the splicing.

This call is being played in liberal areas. A different spliced version of the call, talking about how liberal he is on choice and all those other hot-button social issues, is being played in conservative areas.

And it's all being funded by the Republican Governor's Association, as Bob at the Swing State Project has noted.

So is it a reason to vote for your local area Dems? Maybe not. But a good reason not to vote for the GOP. Dirty tricks, lies, and scandals. And a war that is out of control. Will Dems gain seats of government today and foreshadow 2006 when they take back Congress?

The Silly Internet: Baseball of Paint

As this couple would surely testify, nothing enhances a marriage like spending 28 years applying 18,655 coats of paint to a baseball. Truly, a life well lived.

It is stories like this that make - life worth living & the internet a fun thing!

Politics: Torture is Choking the President

Check out this article by Fareed Zakaria in Newsweek:
Psst... Nobody Loves a Torturer

The article points out that things turned south in Iraq just after Abu Ghraib. Today the President made headlines when he announced, "We do not torture." To which many people around the world said, "Whhhhaaaaa????" The collective moan was audible, even in conseravtive Texas.

The President should take a harder line on this. Instead of denials of wrong doing, he should admit that lines were crossed. Even if it was unintentional, it does seem as if the lines of interrogation into torture have been crossed. So, admit it and then fight it. He could back John McCain's legislation that makes it clear what the Americans can and can't do. But, the White House is actively trying to defeat the measure.

Will this President ever learn? The American people don't care if you screw up. They care if you cover up and deny. We all make mistakes. No one is perfect. But, those that claim to be rub us the wrong way.

It rubs those around the world the wrong way as well:

A few months before the scandal broke, Coalition Provisional Authority polls showed Iraqi support for the occupation at 63 percent. A month after Abu Ghraib, the number was 9 percent. Polls showed that 71 percent of Iraqis were surprised by the revelations.

Ouch. Want to know why Iraq is not going anywhere anytime soon? The bucks stops at you Bush.

TheCrazyInternet: Man Leaves Millions to His Cat

I don't know what is more amazing in this story... the fact that dood left all his dough to his cat... or that he amassed his millions "living simply" as a gardener in public service.

Man Leaves $1.1 Mill to his Tabby

Political Cartoon: "Super Dome"

Karl Rove Pictured as "Super Dome: You really don't want to know what's going on in there.
This one cracked me up.

The Weekend

Great weekend here in Houston. The weather this time of year is just incredible. We are going through a bit of "Indian Summer." When we went out to the grocery store at 7pm tonight, my car said 86 degrees. Wow.

Aidan really enjoyed his time at Gabe and Anna's on Saturday. They had a big air filled "Moon Walk" machine for the kids. Aidan went in while they were unwrapping presents for the twins. He was laughing and stumbling around like crazy in there. Silly boy. Only one and he thinks he's so much bigger and older.

We turned Aidan's car seat around and now he is a big boy. He faces the front now and it is super nice for me. I can just turn around and see him. He probably won't sleep as much now in the car. He has too much to look at now.

Tonight we got back from the grocery store and we were carrying in the bags and setting them on the floor in the kitchen. Aidan grabbed a tomato sauce while Norma wasn't looking and dropped it to the floor. The glass broke and he had sauce everywhere. I walked in and Norma had him held up in the air and all I could see was spaghetti sauce on his feet and legs... which of course I thought was blood! I was a little freaked out. He was ok though. And we are just minus one jar of sauce. There was a big old pile of sauce on the floor, it smelled good while I was cleaning it up though.

I am a combined 16-2 right now in my two fantasy football leagues. One of them is a family league and it is neat to play against Norma, my dad, my step mom, my sister and her boyfriend. Also in the league are a few of my buddies I have worked with at different companies. My teams have been so lucky this year. No injuries. Everyone is having a great season. Each week I wait for the entire thing to collapse like a house of cards, but I keep winning.

On one of my teams I have Ladanian Tomlinson. He scored 5 touchowns today. Amazing.

My Texans and Rockets are looking pretty bad right now though. Texans lost their 7th game today and it was a game they really should have won in Jacksonville. The Rockets are without their top player T-Mac. He has an injury that could keep him out a month. At first, I was like... "Well, it's the beginning of the season, it'll be fun to see some of the other guys play for a few weeks and then we'll be even better when we get T-Mac back." After losing Saturday night to the Hornets... I feel differently. I want T-Mac back now. :(

Tonight I am recording a 2 hour special on the History channel about the Crusades. Looking forward to cutting the video up and showing it in class. It is simply odd how often the History channel is showing something that we are currently studying. We start Ch 9 the Middle Ages on Tuesday.

Tonight I also went for a good long run. A long run at this point amounts to a mile and a 1/2. I am super out of shape. After being as sick as I was for months... it is time to get things back in gear. I really need to work hard and get myself back to where I was last spring. One day at a time. I'm pretty beat tonight. And I will be "feeling it" tomorrow.

Well, I finished my notes for Tuesday tonight and now it is bed time. G'nite blogreaders.

Yeah! Another grading period in the books

I haven't been posting many blog entries this week. It has been a very, very busy week at work. The final week of a grading period is always hectic. It is filled with many students rushing to get work made up, parents emailing and calling about why their "Johnny" is failing, and double/triple/and quadruple checking the gradebook to be sure everything is right.

I graded about 200 projects on World Religion in the past 4 days and I am beat. It was worth it. The kids did a great job. I just finished posting 10 of them in my classroom. It will be neat to see the kids walk around and check out the 'best of the best' next Monday.

Now it is time for a nice relaxing weekend.

Planning on making a nice big chicken paramsean and angel hair pasta dinner tonight. It will be great to do a little cooking, have an awesome meal, take a walk with the baby and just relax.

On Saturday we are looking forward to going to a friend's house for their twins 2nd birthday party. It will be cool to see how big they have grown and to see if Aidan will want to play with them now. The last time Aidan saw them, he was sooo small. Now he's a 'big boy.' :)

The bell is about to ring... and the week is about to be over. Yippee.

Bush’s popularity hits new low

Bush’s popularity hits new low - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

60 percent disapprove of his performance.

This is not good. Not good for this country. We have 3 more years left with this President. Sad.

Politics: Assualt on the Middle Class

Well, folks... not that I told you so, but... yeah, I told you so:

CNN Video Segment: Bush's Tax Shuffle to Put the Squeeze on the Middle Class: President Bush's tax reform panel released a report that included proposals that hurt the middle class. CNN's Lisa Sylvester reports (November 2)

Just another reason I can proudly complain... because I didn't vote for this guy. Every day another piece of information comes out that just makes me shake my head.

Democrats close Senate to push war probe

CNN.com - Democrats close Senate to push war probe - Nov 1, 2005: "Democrats close Senate to push war probe"

Isn't it about freaking time?

Deal struck to advance investigation on prewar intelligence

Tuesday, November 1, 2005; Posted: 8:12 p.m. EST (01:12 GMT)
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, invoked this rule when he asked that the Senate close its doors to discuss prewar intelligence.

1. On a motion made and seconded to close the doors of the Senate, on the discussion of any business which may, in the opinion of a Senator, require secrecy, the Presiding Officer shall direct the galleries to be cleared; and during the discussion of such motion the doors shall remain closed.

2. When the Senate meets in closed session, any applicable provisions of rules XXIX and XXXI, including the confidentiality of information shall apply to any information and to the conduct of any debate transacted.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democrats forced the Senate into a closed session Tuesday to pressure the Republican majority into completing an investigation of the intelligence underpinning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Democrats demanded that Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts move forward on a promised investigation into how Bush administration officials handled prewar intelligence about Iraq's suspected weapons programs.

The probe would be a follow-up to the July 2004 Intelligence Committee report that blamed a "series of failures" by the CIA and other intelligence agencies for the mistaken belief among U.S. policymakers that Iraq had restarted its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs.

The Republicans have put this off for 18 months. It is about time Harry Reid and the Dems put their foot down. The American public deserves to know how we were misled. Will it happen? It is an election cycle in Congress next fall and there are plenty of Republicans that want to step away from partisanship and appear to their constiuents that they are eliminating government corruption. It's pretty simple really, if they don't they may be voted out anyway. So it's possible they will play ball and we may get a few answers.

I know one thing is for sure... this was a bunch of CRAP:
Jan. 28th, 2003 State of the Union Address
“The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa .” -- President Bush