Swine flu comes to Kentucky

One Confirmed, One Probable Case Of Swine Flu In KY

Gov. Steve Beshear announced that the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) will report one confirmed case and one probable case of swine flu to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday.

"Like the rest of the nation, we are concerned about the spread of this new strain of swine flu," said Beshear. "I want to assure Kentuckians that health officials here are responding aggressively to detect possible cases of swine flu and respond with the appropriate preventive measures. Individuals should continue to monitor this situation as it develops and practice basic measures to stay healthy, such as hand washing and staying home when sick."

The confirmed case involves a woman from Warren County who had recently traveled to Mexico. The patient is currently hospitalized in Georgia, and samples were submitted to CDC for confirmation by Georgia health officials. Officials from the Barren River Health District are actively investigating the circumstances of this case to determine whether any contacts of the patient may be ill or need preventive treatment.

The probable case that is being reported involves an infant from another area within the Barren River Health District who had been in close contact with an individual who recently traveled to Mexico. It is unrelated to the confirmed case. The child's family and other close contacts are being evaluated for illness and possible preventive treatment. The child has not been hospitalized. A sample from the patient has been sent to the CDC for further testing to determine whether swine flu is the cause of illness. The name of the county in which the patient resides will be released if the case is confirmed.

Why Having Wolverine's Claws Would Suck

Why Having Wolverine's Claws Would Suck -- powered by Cracked.com

Next a law to ban children from bathing with hair dryers

Senate votes to prohibit possession of machine guns by children

The state Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to ban the possession and use of machine guns by children under the age of 16.
The 31-2 vote comes in response to the accidental shooting death last October of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy, Christopher Bizilj, who was allowed to shoot an Uzi submachine gun at a Massachusetts gun fair. The boy lost control of the gun as it fired, shooting himself in the head.
Three people, including the police chief who organized the show, have since been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter in Massachusetts.
But in Connecticut, no similar prohibition on the use of military-style machine guns existed under law.
Leaders of both parties in the legislature said such a prohibition was simple common sense, particularly since many of their constituents likely believed that it was already illegal to let children handle such weapons.
“It seems extraordinary that we would have to legislate something that in my opinion would be a matter of ordinary prudence,” said Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, the co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which raised the bill.

Helpful swine flu website

Do I have swine flu?

Obama tax credit bait and switch

INSIDE WASHINGTON: Rude surprise awaits taxpayers

Millions of Americans enjoying their small windfall from President Barack Obama's "Making Work Pay" tax credit are in for an unpleasant surprise next spring.

The government is going to want some of that money back.

The tax credit is supposed to provide up to $400 to individuals and $800 to married couples as part of the massive economic recovery package enacted in February. Most workers started receiving the credit through small increases in their paychecks in the past month.

But new tax withholding tables issued by the IRS could cause millions of taxpayers to get hundreds of dollars more than they are entitled to under the credit, money that will have to be repaid at tax time.

Suckers

Nail in the coffin of GM and Chrysler

UAW and Obama Motors will own GM and Chrysler. Its not rocket science to see that our govt cannot run anything and that the UAW has been sucking the life out of the Big 3 forever.

I like how Obama blasts hedge funds as Chrysler files for bankruptcy for simply trying to collect as much money possible for their shareholders from the loans. Apparently it is wrong somehow to collect what you are owed. The investors are going to be soaked not once but twice as they get back very little of their investment and then see their tax dollars wasted to support the automakers.

Can't wait to see who GM and Chrysler borrow from next after this move. UAW better enjoy the govt tit while they can because I think the next President will no longer deem them too big to fail.

Census GPS mapping flap

Its making the blog rounds like it was a new idea but has actually been planned for some time a simple Google search reveals:

Census Bureau Adopts GPS to Find American Homes

July 31, 2006 · Two-and-a-half years from now, in early 2009, the Census Bureau plans to send an army of 100,000 temporary workers down every street and dusty, dirt road in America. They will be armed with handheld GPS devices.

Robert LaMacchia, head of the Census Bureau's geography division, says they'll capture the latitude and longitude of the front door of every house, apartment and improvised shelter they find.

"We will actually knock on doors and look for hidden housing units," he says. "We will find converted garages; from the outside, it may not look like anybody lives there."

But census workers will add each dwelling, legal or not, to the Census Bureau's Master Address File.

Recent proposed budget cuts have put part of this plan in jeopardy. But if Congress restores the money, the census will end up with the geographic coordinates — accurate to within 10 feet — for about 110 million residences.

But the Census Bureau can't, by law, share that list with anyone, even local governments. LaMacchia says the information has to be treated as confidential. Otherwise, people might lie, and the census wouldn't be accurate.

But of course after they collect that data the law can be changed.

Private Companies Push for Data

Pressure is growing to change the law and make this information available. Demand for geographic data is booming.

Private companies would love to get their hands on the Census Bureau's data. Web sites like Mapquest.com or maps.google.com, usually show addresses within the correct city block, but they will point to the correct house less than half the time.

Don Cooke, an executive from the mapping company TeleAtlas, says the Census Bureau's database would immediately solve that problem, and he'd like to use it.

"The laws basically say the intellectual property that's generated by the government belongs to us citizens, so I'd like to get it," he says. "Because I don't want to spend the money to go out and compile it!"

Of course the Census workers cars will be plainly marked with ACORN and Obama stickers.

1976 Swine Flu Propaganda

Whats in a name?

WHO to stop using term 'swine flu' to protect pigs

GENEVA – The World Health Organization announced Thursday it will would stop using the term "swine flu" to avoid confusion over the danger posed by pigs. The policy shift came a day after Egypt began slaughtering thousands of pigs in a misguided effort to prevent swine flu.

WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said the agriculture industry and the U.N. food agency had expressed concerns that the term "swine flu" was misleading consumers and needlessly causing countries to ban pork products and order the slaughter of pigs.

"Rather than calling this swine flu ... we're going to stick with the technical scientific name H1N1 influenza A," Thompson said.

Why not just call Egypt on its stupidity. Certainly there would be many broken relationships if it were sheep flu instead.

Advance team member for Obama Mexico trip sick

White House aide's family likely has swine flu

WASHINGTON (AP) - A member of the U.S. delegation that helped prepare Energy Secretary Steven Chu's trip to Mexico City has demonstrated flu-like symptoms and his family members have tested probable for swine flu.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday that three members of an aide's family are being tested to see if they have the same strain of swine flu that is threatening to become a pandemic. The aide worked in presidential advance, which is responsible for planning and preparing trips.

Gibbs said that Secretary Chu has not experienced any symptoms. The spokesman also said that President Barack Obama also has had no symptoms of the virus and doctors see no need to conduct any tests on his health.

Bad PR for Disney

South Carolina students report flu-like symptoms after Disney trip

Officials in South Carolina shut down a school today and are disinfecting the building after 16 to 18 students in their marching band reported flu-like symptoms after visiting Walt Disney World.

Reports from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control show lab results released today indicate that 10 students from a different school probably have the swine flu virus after a recent school trip to Mexico.

Those lab results have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for final confirmation, which can take up to 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Orange County Health Department officials said test results on a tourist who had visited Disney earlier this week and also displayed flu-like symptoms are expected sometime today.

WHO Pandemic Phase 5 (of 6)

WHO raises flu threat level, warning pandemic imminent

Its on now Skippy.

So you think American politicians are wierd?

Politician admits to leg extension surgery

A Queensland councillor has revealed she flew to Russia to have her legs surgically lengthened because she believed she was too short.

Hajnal Ban, 31, spent $40,000 to extend her 154cm frame by 8cm when she travelled to Siberia eight years ago, Fairfax websites report.

Surgeons broke her leg in four places and inserted metal rings, causing her to grow about 1mm per day over a painful period of nine months.

Cr Ban, then a lawyer, returned to Australia and wrote a book titled God Made Me Small, Surgery Made Me Tall under the pseudonym Sara Vornamen.

The book became a bestseller but her real identity was not revealed until this morning.

"This is purely a personal matter — I don't know what all the fuss is about," Cr Ban was quoted as saying.

Maybe if you didn't want a big fuss a book wasn't the best idea.

Interesting data about Vitamin D and Flu

Vitamin D deficiency linked to more colds and flu

Is sunshine more than just a home remedy for a cold? New research suggests it may be: In a study that will be published tomorrow, people with low levels of vitamin D — also known as the "sunshine vitamin" — were more likely to catch cold and flu than folks with adequate amounts. The effect of the vitamin was strongest in people with asthma and other lung diseases who are predisposed to respiratory infections.

People with the worst vitamin D deficiency were 36 percent more likely to suffer respiratory infections than those with sufficient levels, according to the research in this week's Archives of Internal Medicine. Among asthmatics, those who were vitamin D deficient were five times more likely to get sick than their counterparts with healthy levels. And the risk of respiratory infection was twice as high among vitamin D-deficient patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than in lung patients with normal levels of the vitamin.

Having asthma perhaps I need to get my Vitamin D level checked when I get my lipid profile done.

Obama hates red people

Navajo Tribe Eyes Coal Plant As Economic Savior

When the coal-fired, air-polluting Mohave Generating Station was forced to close in 2005, the Navajo tribe paid the price. The plant ran on coal mined by Peabody Energy (nyse: BTU - news - people ) from Navajo lands 270 miles away in Arizona. The closing wiped out $40 million from the Navajo's annual budget, a 25% slash. The unemployment rate today among the 200,000 Navajo is 50%. "Crime is up, drug use is up. I'm losing people every day," says Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr.

So the tribe, with help from New York power speculator Sithe Global, wants to build an ultraclean $3.5 billion power plant on tribal land in New Mexico near Four Corners. But putting up a coal plant these days involves a struggle, and if anything, federal oversight means it's even harder to build a power plant on a reservation than off it. The tribe's opponents: the Sierra Club and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, among others.
..........................
The Environmental Protection Agency says the Desert Rock Energy Project, as the Navajo plant is dubbed, would be one of the cleanest coal plants in the nation. The 1.5-gigawatt monster would emit 0.26 grams of sulfur dioxide per kilowatt-hour generated, 20% as much as an average coal plant. Situated adjacent to a mine operated by bhp Billiton, it would bring the tribe at least $50 million a year in royalties and tax revenue while creating 1,000 construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs.

EPA withdraws permit for massive Navajo coal plant

U.S. environmental regulators said they have withdrawn a permit for a massive coal-fired power plant that had been scheduled to be built on the Navajo Nation to send electricity to populated areas to the West.

The Environmental Protection Agency late on Monday withdrew the air permit that was issued last summer for the proposed 1,500 megawatt Desert Rock power plant. Sithe Global Power, LLC had planned to build the plant in northwestern New Mexico and send its power to rapidly-growing cities in Arizona and Nevada.

The regulators found the permit was issued before complete analysis of its emissions and impact on endangered species.

The move was another example of President Barack Obama's administration cracking down on coal

I'm thinking the land belongs to the Navajo and they should be able to build any damn thing they want. I don't recall them asking to be part of the United States but were subjected to it.

BTW as far as the red people comment my Great Great Grandmother on both sides was full blooded Cherokee so I am playing my own damn race card.

Armageddon: Unconfirmed report of swine flu infected Mexican tourist at Disney Orlando

Florida Hospital Denies Swine Flu Case Has Been Confirmed

Looks like the results are still pending. No need to stop Mexican tourists from entering the US though to visit the number 1 theme park in the world.

I'm thrilled to see you go

Obama 'thrilled to have' Specter

President Obama talked to Sen. Arlen Specter at 10:32 this morning from the Oval Office, said Dems are "thrilled to have you," according to a White House aide.

Obama was informed of Specter's decison to switch parties at 10:25 this morning while receiving his daily economic briefing in the Oval Office, according to a White House official.

Obama was handed a note by an aide that read: "Specter is announcing he is changing parties."

The president reached Specter, one of only three Republicans to support his stimulus package, on the phone at 10:32 and told him "you have my full support." He added that we are "thrilled to have you."

Swine flu is offensive

Israeli official: Swine flu name offensive

I bet the pigs think so too.

The outbreak of swine flu should be renamed "Mexican" influenza in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork, said an Israeli health official Monday.

Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said the reference to pigs is offensive to both religions and "we should call this Mexican flu and not swine flu," he told a news conference at a hospital in central Israel.

I'm sure the Mexicans would appreciate that.

In the Obama Administration 1+1=3

Napolitano: Closing border not the answer to flu

"We're already doing passive surveillance at the border," Napolitano said. "You would close the border if you thought you could contain the spread of disease, but the disease already is in a number of states within the United States."

Mexicans take swine flu lightly on U.S. border

TIJUANA, Mexico, April 27 (Reuters) - Many Mexicans crossing into the United States on Monday at one of the busiest crossings on the border shunned advice to wear surgical face mask to curb the spread of a deadly new flu.

Most Mexican immigration officials at the Tijuana-San Diego crossing were using masks and surgical gloves, but Mexicans crossing by car and foot seemed unconcerned by the influenza scare and only a handful wore masks.

"I don't think anything will happen to me, it's old people and children we need to look after," said Gloria, a 35-year-old woman waiting to cross by car into California who declined to give her last name.

Many of the up to 149 people who have died of the new virus in Mexico have actually been aged between 25 and 45, a worrying sign as pandemics tend to target healthy young adults.

As Insty says we are in the very best of hands.

RIP Night Stalker

Special Operations Aviation Soldier died following marathon participation

Staff Sgt. Benjamin “Levi” Pigman, 25, died April 25, 2009, at Nashville General Hospital after he collapsed following completing the Country Music Half-Marathon in Nashville earlier that morning.
Pigman was a native of Hamilton, Mont., and volunteered for Army service in October 2001. Following basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., advanced individual training at Fort Eustis, Va., and Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., he successfully assessed with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) as a helicopter engine mechanic. Pigman arrived to his first duty station with the 2nd Bn., 160th SOAR(A), at Fort Campbell, Ky., in July 2002.
He is a combat veteran with five deployments, four in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan and once in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
His military training includes U.S. Army Airborne School, Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course, Warrior Leader Course, Airloaders Course Special Operations Aviation assessment and training program and Combat Life Savers training. Pigman’s awards include four Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, two Army Good Conduct Medals, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global on War Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Aviation Badge, Parachutist Badge, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon and Army Service Ribbon.
Pigman is survived by his father and step mother, Ronald “Chip” and Anne Pigman and his three brothers, Timothy Pigman, Tyler Pigman, and Dillon Pigman of Hamilton; and his mother and step father, Pamela D. Koreski and Chris Koreski, also of Hamilton.

Marijuana for Swine Flu?

One interesting thing about the avian flu H5N1 was that the Cytokine Storm as seen in severe sepsis was responsible for many of the deaths. It may have also played a large role in the 1918 Pandemic and in the SARS deaths. Research has shown those on statin therapy for cholesterol can reduce mortality from the avian flu and presumable the swine flu as well.

So in researching that last night on line I ran across another intersting study on reducing the effects of the cytokine storm and cytokine production.

Marijuana and Cocaine Impair Alveolar Macrophage Function and Cytokine Production

So we all just need to get some Tamiflu, take some Zocor and smoke some pot while we watch it spread across the google map?

WHO goes to Pandemic level 4

WHO said the new phase 4 alert means sustained human-to-human transmission is causing outbreaks in at least one country, signaling a significant increase in the risk of a global epidemic, according to Mexico health department spokesman Carlos Olmos. Phase 4 doesn't mean a pandemic is inevitable, but many experts think it may be impossible to contain a flu virus already spreading in several countries.

WHO raises pandemic alert; Mexico deaths climb

Pandemic Google Map

View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map

WHO stuck at Pandemic Phase 3 reality at Phase 5

Politics are obviously hampering the efforts of the WHO and the CDC. I'm just a lowly RN but seems to me by the WHO's on criteria we are way past level 3 but they will not meet again until Tuesday.

In nature, influenza viruses circulate continuously among animals, especially birds. Even though such viruses might theoretically develop into pandemic viruses, in Phase 1 no viruses circulating among animals have been reported to cause infections in humans.

In Phase 2 an animal influenza virus circulating among domesticated or wild animals is known to have caused infection in humans, and is therefore considered a potential pandemic threat.

In Phase 3, an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus has caused sporadic cases or small clusters of disease in people, but has not resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to sustain community-level outbreaks. Limited human-to-human transmission may occur under some circumstances, for example, when there is close contact between an infected person and an unprotected caregiver. However, limited transmission under such restricted circumstances does not indicate that the virus has gained the level of transmissibility among humans necessary to cause a pandemic.

Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region (Figure 4). While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way.

During the post-peak period, pandemic disease levels in most countries with adequate surveillance will have dropped below peak observed levels. The post-peak period signifies that pandemic activity appears to be decreasing; however, it is uncertain if additional waves will occur and countries will need to be prepared for a second wave.

Previous pandemics have been characterized by waves of activity spread over months. Once the level of disease activity drops, a critical communications task will be to balance this information with the possibility of another wave. Pandemic waves can be separated by months and an immediate “at-ease” signal may be premature.

In the post-pandemic period, influenza disease activity will have returned to levels normally seen for seasonal influenza. It is expected that the pandemic virus will behave as a seasonal influenza A virus. At this stage, it is important to maintain surveillance and update pandemic preparedness and response plans accordingly. An intensive phase of recovery and evaluation may be required.

Pandemic outbreak in Mexico City? 61 dead

Deadly new flu breaks out in Mexico, U.S.

A deadly strain of flu never seen before has killed as many as 61 people in Mexico and has spread into the United States, where several people were reported ill.

Mexico's government said on Friday that at least 16 people have died of the disease in central Mexico and that it may also have been responsible for 45 other deaths.

The World Health Organization said genetic tests of the virus in 12 of the Mexican victims had the same genetic structure as a new strain of swine flu, designated H1N1, seen in seven people in California and Texas. [nLO274836]

Because there is clearly human-to-human spread of the new virus, raising fears of a major outbreak, Mexico's government canceled classes for millions of children in its sprawling capital city and surrounding areas.

"It is a virus that mutated from pigs and then at some point was transmitted to humans," Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said.

It first looked mostly like a swine virus but closer analysis showed it is a never-before-seen mixture of swine, human and avian viruses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [nN24420522].

Humans can occasionally catch swine flu from pigs but rarely have they been known to pass it on to other people.

Preparations to me made.

Death by nailgun

Man Dies After Being Shot 30 Times With Nail Gun

A shocking X-ray shows how a man died with up to 30 nails fired into his skull by a high-powered nail gun.

Sydney, Australia, homicide squad detectives have released the graphic image as they make a fresh appeal for information about Chen Liu's murder.

The decomposed body of the 27-year-old, also known as Anthony Liu, was found dumped in the Georges River last November, wrapped in a domestic rug.

He was bound with electrical wires and an extension cord and the carpet was neatly folded with each end tucked in and then bound with three strips of wire.

Ross Perot awarded honorary Green Beret

Brig. Gen. Michael S. Repass, commanding general, Unites States Army Special Forces Command, presents an honorary Green Beret to Ross Perot at the Banquet for the 2nd Annual Special Forces Symposium Banquet, April 22, while Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland Jr., commanding general, United States Army Special Operations Command, and Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Csrnko, Commanding General, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, look on. Perot was presented the Green Beret for his remarkable contributions to the Special Forces community. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Curt Squires, USASOC News Service)

I think most people would be surprised to learn how much Perot gives to charities without seeking any publicity.

Life is tough but double so when you are stupid

RIP Ranger Pat Tillman 5 years ago today

RIP Ranger

Perez Hilton should probably just stay in Hollywierd

I caught the stupidity of the Miss USA on the news last night and I have to say I was surprised. I had never seen Hilton before but had read the name in news headlines on the yahoo front page and in Meghan McCain's Twitter feed about a party recently but always thought it was a woman. I would think that is because I like most Americans outside Hollywierd could give 2 shits about Hilton and am against gay marriage.

I have to wonder though if Miss USA is a family show why the question should even be asked. Maybe NBC and Miss USA should look a little harder for judges next time.

Even California voted against gay marriage what does he think the rest of America thinks about it? Maybe if he doesn't want her opinion to a political question why ask?

On a related note why would Meghan be so interested in hanging out with such an obvious douche bag?

Memorial to Warriors

Special Operations Soldiers honor fallen comrades with new memorial

RELEASE NUMBER: 090421-01
DATE POSTED: APRIL 21, 2009
Special Operations Soldiers honor fallen comrades with new memorial

Kabul, Afghanistan (Courtesy of CJSOTF-A Public Affairs, April 21, 2009) -Soldiers from the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan unveiled a memorial dedicated to its fallen brethren killed in Operation Enduring Freedom during a ceremony at Camp Vance, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan April 9.
new memorial

It was a somber occasion as formations of Soldiers observed a moment of silence while the monument, dedicated to those CJSOTF-A Soldiers who have died in service to their nation, made its second debut.

Standing in its humble grandeur in front of the CJSOTF-A headquarters, aptly draped in an olive drab parachute, the new memorial was rededicated at the site of the new headquarters which moved to a new location on Bagram Airfield.

“Today, once more, we set in stone the anchor which honors our past, and sets a standard of excellence for the future,” said the CJSOTF-A Commander, Col. Gus Benton II.

Ninety six names have been etched into the marble stone of the memorial over the past seven years beginning with Sergeant 1st Class Daniel Petithory, of Cheshire, Mass. who was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, of Fort Campbell, Ky. Petithory was killed in action Dec. 5, 2001.

“We are here today,” said Benton, “to honor the selfless service and sacrifice of the men of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force; to preserve the memory of their service to their nation, and set an example for future generations; so that they will never forget and will continue forward.”
remembering the fallen


“These soldiers to whom we pay special homage are much more than names on a wall or gravestone,” Benton added, “they are symbols of our march toward a time when the world order will stand for justice, democracy, and economic freedom.”

Benton, along with the CJSOTF-A Command Sergeant Major, Terry Peters, slowly peeled away the chute to reveal the newest tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

“It is absolutely critical for us to both remember and to mark the occurrences of that incredible loss of life for something much greater than ourselves,” said Peters.

“We take the time here to recognize them because we understood them before when they were alive, we appreciated them in their passing, we honor them every day and we will always remember what they have meant to both us and this great nation,” added Peters.

“Let us not mourn in sadness for the loss of these extraordinary men,” said Benton, “but rather revel in their greatness, be honored to have served alongside them, remember them, and thank God that such men lived. De Oppresso Liber.”

--usasoc--

RIP to the last of the "Bedford Boys"

Last surviving D-Day 'Bedford Boy' dies at 94

When World War II broke out, the "Bedford Boys" left home to serve. Many of them didn't come home — so many that the community had among the greatest losses per capita on D-Day.

Now the last survivor has died.

Elisha Ray Nance died Sunday in Bedford, a spokesman at Tharp Funeral Home and Crematory said Monday. He was 94.

Nance was among 38 National Guardsmen from the close-knit community of Bedford who were in Company A of the 116th Infantry, a spokeswoman at the National D-Day Memorial Foundation said. On June 6, 1944, 19 were killed when they landed on Omaha Beach at the start of the D-Day invasion. Two more died later.

The great loss from a town of 3,200 and its surrounding area led Bedford's selection as the site of the D-Day Memorial.

Deer hunting with a falcon

Just wow

New project

Blogging will be light until I finish up a new project: Lexington Wood Gym Set

Irony

What Democrats dont understand about States Rights

Gov Perry of Texas is taking some heat over his comments yesterday. We are Americans but we all live in separate states with their own laws and customs. The Federal govt is intruding increasingly into states rights issues and is becoming more of a burden to some states than a help. Its obvious from this Congress that they are enjoying asserting more control over the states but they still work for us. Maybe they are spending too much time in DC and not in their home states.

Speaking of Somalia

Somali Pirates

I didn't bother to blog about the pirates since everyone else was talking about it. I have been blogging about them for a while now. Obviously since they have operated without serious consequences and have made a great deal of money they are undeterred. I'm sure the threat of an American jail has them very worried now since they live in Somalia for fucks sake.

Congrats to the shooters though for a job well done.

Are the Democrats that attended the Tea Party offended by their Speaker?

House Democrat Leaders: Tea Partiers Are Racist, Nazi, Gun Nuts

But in an interview on Fox TV in San Francisco, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) chalked up the GOP grass-roots effort as “AstroTurf.”

“This initiative is funded by the high end; we call it AstroTurf, it's not really a grass-roots movement. It's AstroTurf by some of the wealthiest people in America to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of for the great middle class,” Pelosi said.

Other House Democratic leaders took a different tack: One senior aide has been circulating a document to the media that debunks the effort as one driven by corporate lobbyists and attended by neo-Nazis...

In addition, the tea parties are “not really all about average citizens,” the document continues, saying neo-Nazis, militias, secessionists and racists are attending them. The tea parties are also not peaceful, since reporters in Cincinnati had to seek “police protection” during one of the events, it states.

Is your Speaker out of touch with her voters?

Personally I think she is out of touch with reality.

Ralph Peters on DHS Vet Threat

THE VET 'THREAT'
GOV'T IDS PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1


DHS is obviously in the very best of hands.

Small town Kentucky Tea Party

Madisonville's T.E.A. Party

Sounds like there were as many fed up Democrats as there were Republicans. So much for the theory that this was orchestrated by the GOP and FOX news.

Only the Hopkins County Attorney showed up? Where was the Mayor and County Judge Executive during all this?

Update on VA funeral home abuse story

Army vet’s family sues Va. funeral home

FAIRFAX, Va. — The family of an Army veteran whose body was allegedly mishandled as it awaited burial at Arlington National Cemetery is suing a Fairfax County funeral home.

The lawsuits against National Funeral Home and parent company Service Corporation International of Houston seek $60 million in damages.

The family alleges that the body of retired Army Col. Andrew DeGraff was left in an unrefrigerated garage and “negligently defiled” as it sat in storage more than two months between his death in October and burial at Arlington in January.

The four lawsuits follow a report in The Washington Post that numerous bodies were neglected by the home, which was already on probation with state regulators.

An SCI spokeswoman said an investigation is under way.

Dr. Rand Paul at Bowling Green KY Tea Party

Related media coverage: Bowling Green Tea Party Draws Hundreds

Dr. Rand Paul on Foreign Policy

Dr. Rand Paul speaks at the 2009 Knob Creek Kentucky Machine Gun Shoot.

My sign from the Lima Ohio Tea Party

Yeah my art sucks but the best I could do on short notice. I have seen mentioned various places that this is a Right wing or Ron Paul driven event. That was not the case where I was. The people are fed up with wasteful spending, high taxes, and the increasing debt from both parties.

Lima Ohio Tea Party Protest

A few pictures I took at the Lima Ohio Tea Party today at the Town Square. Not sure on turn out but for 50 degrees in misting rain I think it was pretty good.

Ralph Peters in praise of Bob Gates

GATES: CHAMPION OF OUR TROOPS by Ralph Peters

GOD bless Bob Gates: Our secretary of defense can't be bought, can't be bullied and can't be fooled. And he values our men and women in uniform.

"This is a reform budget," the SecDef stated yesterday as he unveiled the Pentagon's new priorities. He insisted that we must "critically and ruthlessly separate appetites from real requirements."

Translation: We need to give our troops the numbers and gear they need, not the gilded garbage defense-industry cartels foist upon us -- on loan-shark terms.

Peters is always a good read.

Happy Easter

RIP Russell E. Dunham MOH

Medal of Honor recipient dies at 89

Although he survived World War II to receive the Medal of Honor and was the region's most decorated veteran, Russell Dunham now has joined the ranks of those that live on only in memory.

Dunham, 89, died of congestive heart failure in his sleep at 12:56 a.m. Monday at his home in Godfrey.

Citation from Wikipedia

DUNHAM, RUSSELL E.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 30th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kayserberg, France, 8 January 1945. Entered service at: Brighton Ill. Born: 23 February 1920, East Carondelet, Ill. G.O. No.: 37, 11 May 1945.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. At about 1430 hours on 8 January 1945, during an attack on Hill 616, near Kayserberg, France, T/Sgt. Dunham single-handedly assaulted 3 enemy machineguns. Wearing a white robe made of a mattress cover, carrying 12 carbine magazines and with a dozen hand grenades snagged in his belt, suspenders, and buttonholes, T/Sgt. Dunham advanced in the attack up a snow-covered hill under fire from 2 machineguns and supporting riflemen. His platoon 35 yards behind him, T/Sgt. Dunham crawled 75 yards under heavy direct fire toward the timbered emplacement shielding the left machinegun. As he jumped to his feet 10 yards from the gun and charged forward, machinegun fire tore through his camouflage robe and a rifle bullet seared a 10-inch gash across his back sending him spinning 15 yards down hill into the snow. When the indomitable sergeant sprang to his feet to renew his 1-man assault, a German egg grenade landed beside him. He kicked it aside, and as it exploded 5 yards away, shot and killed the German machinegunner and assistant gunner. His carbine empty, he jumped into the emplacement and hauled out the third member of the gun crew by the collar. Although his back wound was causing him excruciating pain and blood was seeping through his white coat, T/Sgt. Dunham proceeded 50 yards through a storm of automatic and rifle fire to attack the second machinegun. Twenty-five yards from the emplacement he hurled 2 grenades, destroying the gun and its crew; then fired down into the supporting foxholes with his carbine dispatching and dispersing the enemy riflemen. Although his coat was so thoroughly blood-soaked that he was a conspicuous target against the white landscape, T/Sgt. Dunham again advanced ahead of his platoon in an assault on enemy positions farther up the hill. Coming under machinegun fire from 65 yards to his front, while rifle grenades exploded 10 yards from his position, he hit the ground and crawled forward. At 15 yards range, he jumped to his feet, staggered a few paces toward the timbered machinegun emplacement and killed the crew with hand grenades. An enemy rifleman fired at pointblank range, but missed him. After killing the rifleman, T/Sgt. Dunham drove others from their foxholes with grenades and carbine fire. Killing 9 Germans--wounding 7 and capturing 2--firing about 175 rounds of carbine ammunition, and expending 11 grenades, T/Sgt. Dunham, despite a painful wound, spearheaded a spectacular and successful diversionary attack.

DIY Auto upgrade failures

I was looking at the New York auto show pics over at http://jalopnik.com/ when I ran across this post: 30 Epic Do-It-Yourself Automotive Fabrication Failures

More pics at the link but here is a sample:

These are not the girls you are looking for

Lessons learned from Columbine?

More on the Binghamton Massacre from NRO

Maybe or maybe not. I'm not going to Monday morning quarterback the response but I would like to know if the dept trains for the Active Shooter.

I would like to know if there is a Gun Free Zone sign on the front door of the place. Just another reason why citizens need to conceal carry. By the time the police get there it will likely be too late.

I'm glad the officer in the nursing home shooting didn't wait for backup because those patients were sitting ducks.

Kumar goes to the White House

Actor Kal Penn joins White House team

White House spokesman Shin Inouye said Tuesday that the actor who had a recurring role on Fox's TV show "House" and has starred in several movies would join the staff as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison. His role will be to connect Obama with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as arts groups.

They should make him Treasury Secretary he couldn't do any worse.

Funeral Home Mistreated Veterans Corpses headed to Arlington

Dignity Was Denied the Dead as Bodies Were Stored and Handled Using 'Disturbing' Methods, Area Funeral Home Workers Say

Heads should roll these Veterans were heading to final rest in Arlington as someday my fathers body will.

Navy SEAL and author of Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell's dog shot

Glenn Beck: Teen punks murder American hero's dog

I don't think I would have shown the same restraint with armed men standing over my dead dog in my own yard.

Newt states the obvious

Newt: U.S. at greater risk under Obama

Gingrich also called the administration’s response to the North Korean missile launch a “vivid demonstration of weakness in foreign policy.” He said Obama’s proposals for a resumption of nuclear arms limitation talks reflected “a dangerous fantasy that runs an enormous risk. ... Not since Jimmy Carter have we had an administration this out of touch with reality.”

The second coming of Jimmy Carter. I think I said that last year.

Can George Obama beer be far behind?

US Interior Secretary living in fantasy land

Salazar: Eastern wind could replace coal for power

Salazar said ocean winds along the East Coast can generate 1 million megawatts of power, roughly the equivalent of 3,000 medium-sized coal-fired power plants, or nearly five times the number of coal plants now operating in the United States, according to the Energy Department.

Salazar could not estimate how many windmills might be needed to generate 1 million megawatts of power, saying it would depend on their size and how far from the coast they were located.
................
New Jersey is tripling the amount of wind power it plans to use by 2020 to 3,000 megawatts, or 13 percent of New Jersey's total energy. In October, Garden State Offshore Energy, a joint venture of PSE&G Renewable Generation and Deepwater Wind, was chosen to build a $1 billion, 345 megawatt wind farm in the ocean about 16 miles southeast of Atlantic City.

Want to guess how much it would cost to plant all those windmills in the ocean?

Not hard if $1 billion buys you 345 megawatts then 3000 megawatts would be around $10 billion if that also pays for the lines.

Too bad Islam is at war with us

Obama tells Muslim world that U.S. is not at war with Islam

Welcome to 9/10/2001 folks

Nunchucks

They need to make one you can tube behind

Blow Up the Death Star!

Fans looking to spend some time at the pool or park this summer can look forward to a great new selection of Star Wars inflatables and kites from Jakks Pacific now hitting store shelves!

Available at Target stores in the US and at Walmart Canada are four new inflatable starships and a Death Star beach ball (why has it taken 31 years to get one of these?!):

* Millennium Falcon and Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter are over three feet long!
* X-wing and Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Starfighter each measure over five feet long and include a direct-draw water cannon!
* The Artoo inflatable drink server won't be available until next year, but we couldn't resist sharing this one early!

Well of course he does

Fannie, Freddie regulator stands behind bonuses

I wonder if Barney Franks boyfriend is getting a bonus? Other than the rear end bonus from Barney of course.

Pitchforks?

Obviously Obama misunderstands for whom the tea party pitchforks are for.

Politico: Inside Obama's bank CEOs meeting

Arrayed around a long mahogany table in the White House state dining room last week, the CEOs of the most powerful financial institutions in the world offered several explanations for paying high salaries to their employees — and, by extension, to themselves.

“These are complicated companies,” one CEO said. Offered another: “We’re competing for talent on an international market.”

But President Barack Obama wasn’t in a mood to hear them out. He stopped the conversation and offered a blunt reminder of the public’s reaction to such explanations. “Be careful how you make those statements, gentlemen. The public isn’t buying that.”

“My administration,” the president added, “is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”

Tauntaun Sleeping Bag

Oh yeah I would buy one!

Old school Sony Walkman

I remember getting one of these when I was in jr high. Lost or stolen on a field trip to the Huntsville Alabama NASA Space and Rocket Center and was last seen with an Iron Maiden Piece of Mind cassette inside.

Blow it out your ass Lenin

Lenin gets it in the end

Vandals blew a gaping hole in the rear end of a statue of Communist leader Vladimir Lenin on Wednesday, but Russian officials were not amused by the "monstrous" act of vandalism.

Nice!

Where our tax dollars go

9 patients made nearly 2,700 ER visits in Texas

No surprised at all. I bet I could think of a few here that match those numbers.