It's Unofficially Official

This year there have been 2 things that have been commented on & sightings of claimed more than about anything else, the Motu Proprio from Papa Benedetto to allow a greater use of the Tridentine liturgy & Fred Dalton Thompson's candidacy for the Republican nomination for president.

I've mostly kept from commenting on either event. 1 of the few things I said about the Moto was my 2007 prediction saying the sightings of it would rival those of Elvis. In recent weeks the same could be said about Fred Thompson's running for president.

Well, the dates of both events actually occuring seem to be drawing closer as insiders are now making statements.

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos made the claim that it was on the way when he adressed the Latin American Bishops earlier this month at CELAM. He is head of the Vatican commission Ecclesia Dei. The commission was founded to help reconcile the Vatican with Lefebvre's followers. & if anyone should know what is up, he should.

& in an Op-Ed piece in today's (30 May 2007) NY Times, John L Allen Jr. says "A Senior Vatican Official" has confirmed that it will happen soon. He also refers to "Vatican authorities' & "Sources close to the pope" for back up at various points in the article. (Note that the officials are all unnamed, making his statements unconfirmable.)

So, while no actually date is out there, it seems like it will be sometiome in the next few months, MAYBE.

Meanwhile, it sounds like a more definite date for Sen. Thompson's announcement exists, shortly after 4 July 2007 to be exact. In a FoxNews report, they quote "inside sources" for the potential date. The report does caution that plans have not yet been solidified. But thigs are serious as they also quote a report from The Politico that he has raised millions of dollars.

Meanwhile a Newsmax report has 4 July as a possible date. But a later date is also possible. This article includes the following quote from Mark Corallo, a Thompson spokesman: "Senator Thompson is still seriously considering getting into the presidential contest and he is doing everything he has to do to make that final decision.said Stay tuned." So, we may see the announcement in early July, MAYBE.

Even though the 2 stories are basically unrelated, they do have a few interesting parallels. They include named & unnamed inside sources, possible dates, & plenty of speculation by the press, bloggers & others.

If &/or until either becomes official , the unconfirmed sightings will continue.

In the meantime, I wonder what poor Elvis is doing now that he is not the center of attention?

(For a good analysis of John Allen's piece, check out what Fr. Z has to say about it: John Allen in Hell’s Bible on the Motu Proprio .)

Bob Hope, Our Greatest Political Philosopher

Something to ponder on what would have been Bob Hope's 104th birthday:



Anyhow, "Thanks for the Memory" Bob:

It's Only "Common Sense" to Remember His Birthday!

G. K Chesterton, known as the Apostle of Common Sense was born on this day in 1874. He was an essayist, artist, author, biographer, newspaper editor etc. He was a convert to Catholicism. His book, The Everlasting Man, played a role in CS Lewis' conversion to Christianity. He was a friend of George Bernard Shaw & creator of Fr. Brown. & that is only the hilights of the highlites of his life. In his honor here are a few of his quotes to ponder:

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." - Chapter 5, What's Wrong With The World, 1910

"The Declaration of Independence dogmatically bases all rights on the fact that God created all men equal; and it is right; for if they were not created equal, they were certainly evolved unequal. There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man." - Chapter 19, What I Saw In America, 1922

"A citizen can hardly distinguish between a tax and a fine, except that the fine is generally much lighter." - ILN, 5/25/31

"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions." - ILN, 4/19/30

"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it." - Everlasting Man, 1925

"The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice." - A Defense of Humilities, The Defendant, 1901

We Have a Winner!

James Wigderson of Wigderson Library & Pub recently announced a contest to select a campaign theme song for Hillary Clinton. The prize for the winning song was Big Willies Edible Cigar. There were many good entries that would have been appropriate for Hilly's campaign. The winner: Devil With A Blue Dress. The person who sumbitted the winning song, me. So, soon my prize will be winging its way to me. In his post announcing We have a winner, he said he is expecting me to get my prize "personally autographed as Hillary campaigns for the Iowa Caucus".

I can't guarentee that I'll be able to be able to do so. Hilly is looking for interns for her DBQ office. Unfortunately, I am too old to get the job. Besides, I doubt if she would appreciate the connection of cigars, interns & blue dresses (stained or not).

For those of you who may not know the song, it was recorded by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. In the movie Repossessed Leslie Nelson plays a priest who is called upon to do an exorcism on Linda Blair. In the process of the exorcism he sings (lipsyncs actually) the song backed up by Pope John Paul. (See if you can guess the various artists he spoofed.)

Memorial Day 2007

As another Memorial Day winds down, I hope that this was much more than just a day off for all (or at least most) of you. Memorial Day started after the Civil War as a way to honor the war dead. General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic issued a proclaimation in 1868 calling for a nationwide "Decoration Day" to honor the military dead by decorating their graves. The date, 30 May was chosen because it didn't mark the anniversary of any battle. It didn't officially become Memorial Day until 1967. Beginning in 1971 it was moved to the last Monday in May. & while it still retains it emphasis on remembering those who have died that were in the military, it has also ebeen expanded to remember all of our loved ones who have passed on. Unfortunately, in recent years more emphasis has been placed on the date as a 3 day weekend & the unofficial start of Summer than on what it truly stands for.

I remember the ceremonies held in my hometown from when I was a child. There was a dawn ceremony at Lake Oelwein honoring the Navy dead, a breakfast at the American Legion Post, then at 9:30 am the Memorial Service & benediction in the military section of Woodlawn Cemetery (originally the old military section, then the new section where they build a special podium for the event) They have recently added events at the other local cemeteries. & yes, there was often a politician speaking. & there was 1 of the older Italians who would put a palm cross on the grave of every Italian in the cemetery.

I grew up in the Vietnam War era. My Dad went over in 1962. In 1968, an Oelwein boy, Nabor Tafolla USMC, died. I can still close my eyes & see them carrying his casket down the front steps of Sacred Heart Church after the funeral Mass. (He was 1 of 3 Oelwein boys to die in the war, all Catholic.)

After 1984 when my Grampa Stasi died, Memorial Day has had an added meaning to me. (He was in the US Cavalry in WWI.) & over the last 20+ years I have come to a greater appreciation of what this country ment to him. This has included a deeper appreciation of the sacrifices made by those who have served in the military, esp in the various wars, police actions, etc. I always try to get to Mass on this day as a special way to remember, pray for & honor those who served us in all brances of the military.

I got an e-mail from Dan Myers today with a copy of a post he put on his blog. I'd like to share it with you now as it contains a lot of how I feel about this day:

"It wasn't too long ago when I got an email from a Soldier who was on his way to Iraq. He emailed me and told me of how thankful he was that I was doing what I was doing. He encouraged me to go on with my dream to pursue Politics and told me that I could achieve anything if I fought hard enough to do so. He said you really know how much you love something when you'd do anything to keep it. He said that he has witnessed that first hand. He said I've been over there in Iraq once before. This will be my second time going, and something that caught my attention while over there was the dedication that so many of my fellow comrades had while fighting. He said however when I came back from putting my life on the line over there, I never would have thought that I would come back to negative talking and slandering. He said that while over there he did alot of good. New Schools were built, Families were being re-united after years in torture chambers and he said when he got back he thought people would be talking about all the good he and his fellow comrades had done over there, but instead they trashed us. Wanted to cut our funding and never even mentioned of all the good we had done. He said if all the media reported was even as half bad as they made it sound, he too would be against this war. He said but you know, We did alot of good over there. And people were thankful for it, more so then the very ones we were fighting to protect back home.

That message got to me, ALOT. It made me think, These Soldiers are over there doing alot of good for the people in Iraq. And on Memorial Day we should be thinking of all those who laid down their lives throughout History to protect our Freedom. A Freedom that we take for granted. I would like to take this time to give my thoughts on Memorial Day. Memoral Day shouldn't be about bashing our Leaders and talking trash to our Military Men and Women.

Memorial Day shouldn't be about the could of's and would of's and should of's. Memorial Day is a time to remember the fallen. And for some reason that seems to be a hard thing to do here lately. I dont want to talk about Politics today, I dont want to talk about all the negative stories the media reports to make it look as though we are loosing a War for no reason. I am thankful for the Men and Women who laid their lives down on the line for a greater cause then we could imagine. I dont have alot to say, but I think that sometimes thats the best thing, to not say anything but to just remember. So this Memorial Day, dont debate and argue about all the Political Pros and Cons of this War, Today its not about us, its about them. Remember them, Remember Those who Died, and Remember Those who still live on to Protect our Great Nation. Stand with me in saying. "WE WILL REMEMBER"" (Mille grazie Daniel.)

To all of you who fought & especially those of you who sacrificed your lives that we might enjoy the God-given freedoms that we have to day, from the wars in the colonial era, to the Revolutionary War that won our country's independence, to all who fought & died in all the wars since then your sacrifice is truly appreciated.

MILLE GRAZIE !!!!!

Te salute!

It's Just a Jump to the Left

Magenta (Lady Stephens, Patricia Quinn) is 63 today. In her honor "Let's do The Time Warp again!

Looking Out My Backdoor at Centerfield

Happy 62nd Birthday

JOHN FOGERTY !!!!!

Ian Fleming gives Gladys Knight her "License to Kill"

Today would have been Ian Fleming's 99th birthday. It is also Gladys Knight's 63rd birthday. She sung the title song for License to Kill. So in honor of both here is the gunbarrel opener, 1 of the trailers & a video of Gladys Knight singing the title song.

Rudy Giuliani - Lady Macbeth had Nothing on Him

PENTECOST

Veni Sancte Spiritus

Veni, Sancte Spiritus,

et emítte caélitus

lucis tuae rádium.

Veni, pater páuperum,

veni, dator múnerum,

veni, lumen córdium.

Consolator óptime,

dulcis hospes animae.

dulce refrigerium.

In labóre réquies,

in aestu tempéries,

in fletu solácium.

O lux beatíssima,

reple cordis íntima

tuórum fidélium.

Sine tuo númine,

nihil est in hómine,

nihil est innoxium.

Lava quod est sórdidum,

riga quod est áridum,

sana quod est sáucium.

Flecte quod est rígidum,

fove quod est frigidum,

rege quod est devium.

Da tuis fidélibus,

in te confidéntibus,

sacrum septenárium.

Da virtútis méritum

da salútis éxitum,

da perénne gáudium.

Amen. Alleluia

- Attributed to Pope Leo III

Come, Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

And from Thy celestial home

Shed a ray of light divine!

Come Father of the poor!

Come source of all our store!

Come within our bosoms shine!

Thou, of comforters the best;

Thou, the soul's most welcome guest;

Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;

Grateful coolness in the heat,

Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine

Shine within these hearts of Thine.

And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, man has naught,

Nothing good in deed or thought,

Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;

On our dryness pour Thy dew;

Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;

Melt the frozen, warm the chill;

Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful who adore

And confess you, evermore

In your sev'nfold gift descend;

Give them virtue's sure reward;

Give them Thy salvation, Lord;

Give them joys that never end.

Amen. Alleluia

(Sequence for Penetcost Liturgy, Latin Rite)

Happy 100th Marion Robert Morrison

The Duke (& another Iowa Boy) John Wayne would have been 100 today. He was born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, IA. He didn't spend much time there. His dad, Clyde Morrison, who was a pharmacist, had to leave the area due to health problems when Marion was 3. Eventually the family ended up in California. While at USC Tom Mix got him a job as a prop man. There he met John Ford & began getting bit parts in movies. Eventually he went on to be in over 250 movies over various genres. & while he is mostly remembered for his patriotism & his Westerns & War movies he was actually quite talented in other areas. Here he shows off his talent

as a singer (The Dean Martin Show):

& as a dancer (The Fighting SeaBees):

He also appeared several times on Laugh-In where he showed off his comedic talent (& a willingness to spoof himself). On 1 appearance he did the following poem entitled The Sky:

"The sky is blue, the grass is green.

Get off your ass and join the Marines."

Still, it is his many great movie roles he will be remembered for, too many to list here. My favorite Wayne movie is Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo. In it he plays Sheriff John T. Chance. He co-starred with Dean Martin (1 of his best roles), Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan & Angie Dickinson. Unfortunately, the trailer isn't available for posting (you can see it here) but here is a video of the song My Rifle, My Pony and Me as sung by Dino & Ricky Nelson:

Winterset, IA has a John Wayne museum in the works & is having a centenial celebration this weekend.

HAPPY 100TH DUKE!

What Defines Excessive Profits?

The following example is simplified to prove my point.

Lets look at a mythical company & how record profits can come about.

1st year - 1 item sold - 5 cents profit
2nd year - 2 items sold - 10 cents profit
3rd year - 10 items sold - 50 cents profit

Lets play with the stats.

Year 2 saw a 100% increase, a doubling, in profits, year 3 saw a 500% increase from year 2. Years 2 & 3 saw record profits. Why, increase in sales.

This is a very simplified view of part of the reason a companies profits go up, increased sales.

It is also a part of the reason that oil companies profits have set new records, they are selling more, because we are using more. (There are some other reasons that I will talk about in another post.)

A lot of times when companies have huge increases in sales they lower the price because they can make enough profit without having to charge so much.

4th year - 100 sold - $5 profit

Corporation sees that it is going to see a long range increase in sales so he can lower the profit margin.

5th year he lowers the profit margin to 2.5 cents, he sells 1000 & makes $25 profit. Another record.

Wait a minute, in some states, if he is a gas dealer he now runs into another problem. The law sets a exact profit margin. Why? to prevent unfair pricing.

This recently happened in Wisconsin when a station owner tried to offer a 3 cent discount for those who bought a special card to support a youth hockey group in the area. He also offered a 2 cent senior citizens discount He got threatened by the state's AG with fines for doing so. Wisconsin state law has a minimum mark up requirement for gas. The law supposedly exists to prevent preditory pricing. What it does is prevents competition.

Then the US House just passed H. R. 1252 to deal with oil price gouging. (Again more at another time as I still have to go over it all.) So, if I lower my prices I get in trouble, if I charge what the law requires, I may be breaking another law?

WHAT IS AN EXCESSIVE PROFIT? Esp when I have no control on the amount that that profit is.

Now a short plug for free market economics:

The more I see these pazzo laws that alledgedly protect us doing more harm than good, the more I want scream. & the more I want to see an authentic free market allowed to flourish. The type of market that both Catholic social teaching & The Austrian School of Economics (Check out the Mises Institute website for more info on this.) calls for. As I've said before, see Dr. Thomas E. Woods Jr. 's book The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy back's me up on this compatability.

If it is allowed to flourish in the gasoline market I suspect the prices would drop. & more alternative fuels would appear. But that would make sense. Besides, 1 of the big reasons that the state & federal governments wouldn't want lower prices is that their tax revenues would drop. But more about that in the other post I promised. In the meantime your reading assignment, courtesy of the Mises Institute, is: Oil or Tax Gouging by Christopher X. Coyne. Reading it will give you a good idea of where I am heading.

Papa Benedetto's Intro to "The Last Fatima Visionary

The other day I mentioned the fact that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (Vatican Secretary of State)had a new book coming out entitled The Last Fatima Visionary:My Meetings With Sr. Lucia. Zenit has made the intro by Papa Benedetto available on its website:

Pope's Intro to Cardinal Bertone's Book

To Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

Vatican Secretary of State

Venerable Brother,

Sister Lucia entrusts so many memories to the book "The Last Fatima Visionary" that treat of events that have marked the history of the last part of the 20th century. She has entrusted them to this book so that they do not remain merely precious baggage of personal emotions, but be handed over to the collective memory as they are not without significance for secular history.

In reality, during that memorable time that was the Jubilee Year of 2000, we experienced together the chapter that treats of the publication of the third Fatima secret: I, as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and you, as the secretary of the same dicastery. The great Pontiff who preceded me, John Paul II, fecund with prophetic inspirations and personally convinced that the "maternal hand" of the Virgin had deflected the bullet that could have been fatal for him, saw that the time had come to remove the veil of mystery that covered the last part of the secret that the Virgin had consigned to the three little shepherds of Fatima. The congregation, which conserved the precious document written by Sister Lucia, was put in charge.

It was a time of light, not only because the message could thus be known by all, but also because the truth could be unveiled in the midst of the confusion of apocalyptic interpretations and speculations that circulated in the Church and created anxiety among the faithful instead of inviting them to prayer and penance. Nevertheless, on the other hand, one could see the comforting development of Marian piety, authentic font of Christian life, around the imposing shrine of Fatima and in every part of the world where devotion to the Virgin, under the influence of the apparitions of Fatima, took deep root in the faith of the people, inviting men and women to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The conversations between the visionary, the last remaining of the three shepherd children, and you, a bishop sent by the Pope, have been important not only for the verification of the veridicality of the facts, but also as an occasion to know the limpid freshness of the soul of Sister Lucia, the intelligence of the heart typical of her femininity, transferred into a robust Christian faith. Through this humble nun, there shines the role of the Virgin Mary who with her maternal hand accompanies the Christian through life's bitterness.

I myself oversaw the drafting of the theological commentary on the event, after having intensely prayed and deeply meditated on the contents of the pages written by Sister Lucia. I was deeply affected by the consoling promise of the Most Holy Virgin, which was like a synthesis and precious seal: "My Immaculate Heart will triumph." As it had been written, "Mary's 'fiat,' the word of her heart, changed the history of the world, because it introduced the Savior into this world -- because thanks to this 'yes' God could become man among us and he will remain such forever."

And again, "From the time that God himself has a human heart and directed human freedom toward the good, toward God, freedom for evil does not have the last word." The message of Fatima is a further confirmation of this.

I invoke the protection of the Most Holy Virgin for all those who will read the testimony offered with this book and to you, dear cardinal, and to Doctor Giuseppe De Carli, who shared the work of producing this memoir, I impart the apostolic blessing.

From the Vatican, Feb. 22, 2007.

[Translation by ZENIT]

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Thomas J. Woods on EWTN Live

You have heard me talk about Dr. Thomas E. Woods Jr. in some of my previous posts. This Wednesday nite he is scheduled to appear on EWTN Live. From the program description it looks like he has a new series coming to EWTN based on his book How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization (Regnery). It should be well worth tuning in to see what he has to say about the book/series.

The show will 1st air at 7:00 pm CDT on Wednesday 23 May 2007 (repeats Thursday Midnite CDT & 8 am CDT).

Again, if you haven't read the book, get it & read it. I can not recommend it highly enough. He has well documented every claim he make in it.

(Photo: Taken from his Mises Institute webpage.)

This Raises Some Questions in My Mind

World CO2 output to rise 59 pct by 2030: U.S.

The article states the following statistics that make me wonder why the USA is considered the bad guy in global warming:

"Global carbon dioxide emissions will hit 42.88 billion tonnes in 2030, up from 26.9 billion tonnes in 2004, and 21.2 billion in 1990, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its annual International Energy Outlook."

Sounds bad for the USA at 1st glimpse until you read the rest f the story.

"The percentage of total CO2 emissions from plants that burn coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, will rise from 39 percent in 2004 to 43 percent by 2030."

What is interesting is where all this CO2 will come from.

"By 2010, CO2 output in rapidly growing China, which is rapidly building coal plants and highways, will edge out emissions from the United States, by 6.49 billion tonnes to 6.21 billion tonnes, the EIA said. That confirmed a report this spring from the Paris-based International Energy Agency that said China would overtake the United States as the world's biggest CO2 emitter either this year or next.

By 2030 Chinese emissions will be 11.2 billion tonnes annually, while U.S. output will be 8.0 billion tonnes, the EIA said."

"In 2003, U.S. individuals were far bigger emitters, at 20 tonnes per capita against China's 3.2 tonnes per capita and a world average of 3.7, according to the U.N."

What, not the USA who will be to blame, but China? Yet, they still find a way to make the USA the villian.

This is where the playing with stats comes in. China tries to justify its level of output thus: "Chinese officials point to their country's relatively low per-capita emission of greenhouse gases, saying that historically, the main culprits of the emissions buildup in the atmosphere are developed nations, which have no right to deny economic growth to others."

OK maybe that was true in the past when the technology didn't exist to cut emmisions while allowing econ0mic growth to happen. Now it does exist. Yet it sounds like you can't have both according to China. I'm sorry, but I don't believe the 2 are mutually exclusive. If the technology is there to cut emmisions it is available now for China to put into use at its plants, it should. Given how the USA is still growing with the new technology, to claim it would hurt them is bogus.

The article says that China is trying to cut emmissions: "Many environmentalists say China is working hard to cut emissions. "In terms of absolute emissions China may overtake us, but they are much larger in terms of population ... and have actually put in some real policies in place to reduce emissions," said Gary Cook, director of the U.S. Climate Action Network, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations. " OK, what 1 of the policies they have put into effect that they are lauding China (& India) for doing, that these same environmentalists are keeping the USA from doing?, generating more electricity nuclear power. This will result in a boost of "electricity generation from low-emissions nuclear power 7.7 percent annually in China and 9.1 percent a year in India from 2004 to 2030." What's wrong with this picture?

I suspect that the reality is that this isn't so much a pro-environment but an anti-American, anti-capitalism stance. France is generating enough nuclear energy to sell some to Germany. Do you hear the environmentalists decrying that? NO!

Yes, there is more the USA could do & SHOULD DO to be a good steward of the environment. Good environmental stewardship is a moral imperative that is not limited to developed nations, but the responsibility of ALL. Allowing capitalism to work will cause it to come about. As more people by cars from companies that make more fuel efficent cars the American Auto makers will have 2 choices, increase their fuel efficeny to compete or go out of business. Allowing US power companies to do what is OK in other countries, generate more power with nuclear generators is another.

But back to another fact that is ignored. China is NOT a capitalistic country. It is a communist country that isn't looking to play fair. If it did play fair then it wouldn't need to worry about the so called "unfair advantage" that developed nations alledgedly have. Given the limits they have on imports from most countries versus the almost unlimited exporting to those same countries, they seem to be the ones who aren't playing fair. Another real "unfair advantage" comes from their not having the same environmental limitations put on industry that developied nations have on theirs. Reality seems to point to China trying to sabatoge, not fairly compete with, our economy.

Then there is 1 other problem I have with all this, in 30-40 yrs who will be responsible for cleaning up the damage done by China & India to its environment? Logic would seem to dictate that if the damage could be avoided in the 1st place & done while sustaining economic development (& it can) then avoid the damage in the 1st place. In the short run the initial costs may be a little higher, in the long run, the cost savings by not having to clean up the mess, as well as having saved the environment from greater damage seems to make the most sense to me.

Yes, we do have a moral responsibility to be good stewards. Yes, we can do so here in the USA & sustain economic growth with a capitalistic system operating according to the moral standards that Vatholic teaching outlines (those standards are the only way a truly capitalistic system can work, or even be considered truly capitalistic). But, the same standards need to be applied across the board, otherwise the system is anything but fair, or capitalistic. & it is definitely anything but a moral system.

Sad, But True

YOU BET YOUR SWEET BIPPY!

Does Rosie Know About This 9-11 Conspiricy Theory?

I know this is a parody, but it would be nice if the real newscasters would treat the wacko conspiricy theorists moonbats (esp Rosie) the way Lorenzo Lamas was treated here.

Paper or Plastic?

Both of them would, for different reasons.

Yet Another Story the MSM is Ignoring Because it Doesn't Fit Their Agenda

(CAUTION: Contains some graphic description of the crime.)

A young couple go out on a date, they are carjacked & kidnapped at gun point. They are taken to a home where the guy is gang raped (prison style) & his penis cut off while she watched. Then he is taken to a nearby railroad track shot & set on fire. They return to to gang rape her, repeatedly & in various ways over the next 4 days. They cut of 1 of her breasts. They pour bleach down her throat to destroy any DNA. She is still alive at this point. They take turns urinating on her. They then set her afire. Her body was found in the residence in 5 trash bags. 5 people were arrested & charged with a wide variety of crimes.

Didn't hear about this on the evening news? Sad to say this really happenned. It happenned in Knoxville, TN to 2 University of Tennessee students, Hugh Christopher Newsom, age 23 and Channon Gail Christian, age 21. They were out on a date on 6 January 2007 when this happenned. They were taken to 2316 Chipman Street where the brutal torture, rape, mutilation & 1 of the murders took place. 1 other thing, the couple (picture right) was white, the suspects, black.

The Knox County DA has charged the following 5 people: Lemaricus “Slim” Davidson, age 25 (owner of the home where the crime occured), 46 charges; Latalvis “Rome” Cobbins, age 24, 46 charges; George “Detroit” Thomas, age 24, 46 charges; Vanessa Coleman, age 18, 40 Tennessee State charges; & Eric “E” Boyd, age 24, federal charge of accessory after the fact. (You can read the complete list of state & federal charges here: Rape, Mutilation and Murder)

& while it hasn't received much media coverage, the blogosphere is beginning to take note. Some questions about why this hasn't received the same coverage as the Duke Rape case have been raised. & the MSM is coming off the worst for how its appears that they are handling it.

On her blog La Shawn Barber said: "In light of the blanket coverage the Duke “rape” case received, the paucity of coverage in this case seems a bit unbalanced. I mean, isn’t the brutal, black-on-white gang-rape, mutilation, and murder of two people more than or at least as newsworthy as a white-on-black gang-rape (which obviously was phony)? Even if the stripper’s allegations had been true, why was the Duke case burning up the airwaves while the Christian-Newsom case barely emits a spark?"

She goes on to comment: "The media should be swarming around this story. What happened to Christian and Newsom should be all over the airwaves and printing presses." She goes on to question the silence of "so-called black leaders", "feminist types and hate-crime proponents".

Her take on why this is so: "But if you try to pretend that it’s not a serious problem that blacks commit a disproportionate share of crimes — an incontrovertible fact — or that the lack of blanket media coverage and outrage has nothing to do with race, you’re being willfully blind and foolish.

As I see it, black crime is so commonplace that it’s just not interesting to white liberal journalists, especially black-on-white crime. And white liberal feminists are more outraged when white men use a so-called sexist term than they are with black-on-white rape statistics. I have yet to hear a feminist condemn what was done to Christian." (Media Blackout On Christian-Newsom Murders?)

Matthew Sheffield, co-founder of RatherBiased.com, had this to say: "The sudden force that the liberal press brought to bear on the falsely accused Duke lacrosse team has been curiously absent on a much more grisly crime committed against a white couple by a group of black youths."

Later he adds: "(T)he media's coverage of crime by race is tough to characterize because the same national press that is refusing to cover this story is also the same media that obssesses over missing white women to the exclusion of women of any other race. It also seems true that the press is more likely to show pictures of criminals if they are black than if they're white.

What to make of all this? My preliminary theory is that the media at both the local and national levels is more interested in the white audience than the black one. That makes sense from an economics point of view considering there are more whites than blacks in America. Accordingly, the media are more likely to tailor news coverage to white viewers. This explains why you continue to see "news" stories about cold cases such as Natalee Holloway or JonBenet Ramsey and are more likely to see pictorial coverage of black criminals than white ones.

Things change at the national level, however, because there is an added component--political correctness. The national press is more liberal than most local media outlets. In the guilty liberal worldview, it's wrong to promote stories about minority criminality. This explains why the Duke "rape" case was so extensively covered and the lacrosse team not afforded any presumption of innocence and why stories of black hate crimes are underreported. The same thing happens often in coverage of crimes committed by Islamic young people being blamed on "youths" that Charles Johnson is so adept at pointing out." (National Media's Refusal to Cover White Couple's Murder Suggests PC at Work)

Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit on if it is a hate crime: "Well, "hate crime" goes to motivation and I'm not so sure that there was a racial motivation here -- and I don't really like the "hate crime" concept anyway. Murder is murder either way. And the story's bad enough without that."

"(I)t's certainly true that if the races were reversed the media would be employing an irrebuttable presumption that it was a hate crime. This double standard, though, is actually unfair to blacks, assuming that horrific crimes by white people must be motivated by something special, like racial hatred, while similar crimes by black people are just par for the course. Like so many of those double standards, it manages to be racist in both directions at once." (12 January 2007 post)

Michelle Malkin did a Vent for HotAir entitled "When is a horrific story not a story?" that looks at the coverage of the crimes by the blogs while being ignored by the MSM. (The local media such as the KnovxilleNews Sentinal is the 1 natural exception to this.) As Michelle sees it: "The mainstream media finds some crimes more useful than others." "It doesn't fit any particular agenda."

She thinks it is a national story. Why? "The details of the crime make it a national story. The brutality and the horror make it a story. The trial may include capital punishment. That should make it a story." But "Somehow it ain't fit to print or air my MSM vultures who are too busy picking at the latest celebrity carcasses."

Is the MSM ignoring the story? Obviously. Why? I think that there are several good reasons that the blogs have raised that may be the answer. Which 1 or 1s? I'm not 100% sure. It may be 1 or a combination of them all depending on a specific network or paper. What I am sure of is that this is more evidence of the fact that the MSM is allowing itself to be marginalized by going after an agenda that is anything but main stream, rather than reporting the news.

An agenda isn't always bad, lets face it. I have an Pro-Life or pro-Catholic Church agenda for many of my posts. I don't hide it. & when it is for a just cause letting the agenda motivate your coverage is good. But, don't hide the agenda & claim that you are unbiased. It will destroy you & the message, even if it is for a good cause.

Why Isn't the MSM* All Over This?

* Main Stream Media

Over the last few years the MSM has spared no effort to cover, not always defining terms accurately, the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. While this was newsworthy, the MSM failed to report the fact that when it came to other professions (teachers for example), that the number of cases of abuse was equal if not greater. But it wasn't surprizing that they would ignore the huge scandal in many of these groups. After all, these same groups are lined up with the media in its pro-gay, pro-fetal murder (abortion) agenda. So, it should also come as no surprize that the MSM would mostly ignore the huge scandal that is brewing involving Planned Parenthood's covering up of statuatory rape & molestation.

Several cases have recently come out that show the reality of Planned Parenthood & the myth that it is concerned about the women that it provides abortions for.

The 1st case that I'd like to point out took place in Cincinnati, OH. Planned Parenthood of Cincinnati is being sued for failing to report 2 specific incidents. In 1 of the cases a 16 yr old girl was brought in by her father for an abortion that was a result of his ongoing sexual molestation of her. She reported the abortion at the clinic, but they did nothing. Finally she told a Mason HS official who reported it to the authorities. The father was recently convicted & sentenced to 5 yrs in prison.

According to her lawyer, Brian Hurley: "She tried to put an end to this abuse by informing a Planned Parenthood employee that she has been forced to have sex and to do things she did not want to do. Tragically for her, Planned Parenthood's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy was in full force."

State law requires teachers, clinic workers and others to report suspected abuse to police. But Planned Parenthood "completely ignored her cry for help," Hurley said, and his client was "raped on many occasions over the next one and one-half years.""

Becki Brenner, president of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio denies the existance of a "don't ask, don't tell" policy & claims that when the facts come out "I think people may be surprised."

This isn't the only person Brian Hurley is representing in a lawsuit against this Planned Parenthood location. Because this victim is still under 18 she is only known as "Jane Roe". According to the article she was "a victim of sexual abuse by her soccer coach at age 14. She was taken by the abuser to Planned Parenthood in the fall of 2004 for an abortion. Although she used a junior-high school I.D. and the coach, 21, paid with a credit card and driver's license, Planned Parenthood failed to report the abuse."

In this case, Planned Parenthood officials claim they were misled. However, their ""Documentation Form for Suspected Sexual or Child Abuse Report" says:

"Patient reports pregnancy is a result of sexual assault by a stranger."

"After consultation with (Planned Parenthood) attorney, report of a crime to the police was not made; due to physician-patient privilege, we are prohibited from reporting as no severe bodily injury was reported."" There is no such prohibition in existance in Ohio.

And Hurley has this to say about the records he has seen so far: "My guess is that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and that is why Planned Parenthood will do anything to prevent us from seeing its records."

The article goes on to report: "Hurley also found a note in Planned Parenthood files about sexual abuse that mentions "don't ask, don't tell."

"If we ever do get a look at all the records, it will not only show neglect. They set up a system to prevent reporting abuse," he said. "Some people roll their eyes when you bring up abortion. Nobody rolls their eyes about abuse.""

According to Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel, who prosectuted the father, she is "keeping the door open" for possible criminal prosecution depending on what is revealed in the civil case.

"By failing to report it and giving her an abortion and birth-control pills, they sent her home with him and he abused her for another year and a half," she said. "That had to have been one of the darkest days of her life. She has just had an abortion, now she has to get back in the car and go home with him."" (Planned Parenthood looked the other way, Mason rape victim says, The Enquirer, Cincinnati, 10 May 2007)

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Similar reports have occured in Indiana & Kansas. According to a report by ProLifeAmerica.com: "Planned Parenthood of Indiana, under investigation by the Attorney General's Medical Fraud Unit, has denied investigators access to the medical records of 12- and 13-year-old child abuse victims. In Kansas, abortion clinics have failed to turn over court subpoenaed medical records to Attorney General Phill Klein's investigation of unreported child rape and illegal late term abortions. Child rape is a serious crime, and when a girl under 14 is pregnant, under Kansas law and Indiana law, she has been raped. And abortion clinics routinely cover up child rape as was previously proven by Life Dynamics.

During a two year investigation, Life Dynamics legally recorded over 800 calls to Planned Parenthood and NAF facilities in which the caller portrayed a 13-year-old who was pregnant by a 22-year-old and wanted an abortion in order to hide this relationship from her parents and the authorities. While many clinic workers can be heard on the tapes telling the caller that this situation was unlawful and that they were legally mandated to report it to the state, 91% of these facilities still agreed to illegally conceal it. So it's no wonder that abortion clinics are refusing to cooperate with law enforcement efforts to investigate child abuse. In Kansas, abortion clinic representatives have even gone so far as to state in published reports that they will not comply with the state's mandatory reporting laws." (See the ProLifeAmerica article ABORTION CLINIC INVESTIGATIONS SEEK EVIDENCE OF CHILD ABUSE for more on this as well as multiple links with more details on all the different coverups. They include info on attempts by the different Planned Parenthood offices to keep their medical records from law enforcement officials. The number of links to articles is nauseatingly long.)

Next lets head out to Los Angeles, CA & the campus of UCLA where a reporter for the Pro-Life student newspaper, The Advocate, did a little undercover investigating of the local Planned Parenthood (PP) clinics. The findings were anything but comforting. Editor-in-Chief Lila Rose, who is 18, posed as a 15 yr old girl who had gotten pregnant by a 23 yr old boyfriend. In California the ages made it automatic stauatory rape. Yet, when she called a Santa Monica PP Clinic she was told that if she was 16 there wouldn't be a problem & to "figure out a birth-date that works".

According to a 10 May 2007 report by LifeNews the PP staff told her to do this in order "to obtain the abortion and avoid getting the man in trouble with the police." The story goes on to say: ""California's mandatory reporting laws for statutory rape are supposed to protect pregnant minors," Rose told LifeNews.com in a statement Thursday.

"Underage girls are being targeted by predators, and Planned Parenthood is busy covering up the evidence. How many other rapes has this one clinic covered up?" she asked."

As a part of her investigation she used undercover techniques regularly used by the MSM to gather evidence to back up her claims. Now, the PP Clinic in Santa Monica where she & James O’Keefe (who posed as the boyfriend) went sent a letter threatening to sue her if they don't take down the videos from YouTube. (Advocate Press Release)

Here is the video of the visit that PP doesn't want you to see:

Pt 1 (Contains the "figure out a date" line)

Pt 2

Fortunately some media is paying attention. Here is a report made on HotAir by Michelle Malkin's Vent for 17 May 2007 (Michelle echoes my comments on the MSM.:

Why is Planned Parenthood covering up? Maybe they know that if they reported this sort of incidents several facts that they don't want out there about abortion would get out. I recently read another article about the unsanitary conditions at many of the PP abortion clinics. (see Woman in coma after surgery at Planned Parenthood & Planned Parenthood Continuing a Legacy of Harm to Women in 21st Century for example) These are the conditions that legalized abortion was supposed to prevent, WEREN'T THEY?

Abortion is a big source of income for PP. & they will go to any length to cover up the truth about what an ugly proceedure it is. They don't want people to know the truth about their lies, failure to follow proper medical proceedures or even to have properly trained health care personnel in many cases. & they will use threats, harrasment, lawsuits, whatever they can to strongarm & silence those who are trying to get the truth out.

Like I said at the start, most of the MSM won't ever cover this. It would hurt their friends at Planned Parenthood & shoot down their agenda. & in ignoring it, they are once again putting another nail in their coffin. They didn't learn from Rathergate, etc that this info will get out. & as it does, the coverup will cause people to trust the MSM less & less. The result, fewer viewers & less income. Even worse, by covering up, they have become accomplices in a multitude of statutory rapes & sexual molestations. Adding this to the blood on their hands from the over 48 million abortions over the last 34 + yrs & you have a group of people that are in need of much prayer for the Holy Spirit to convict & lead to repentance before it is too late & they stand before God in judgement.

Kudos to Lila Rose & those brave victims across the USA that are having the courage to finally speak up & tell the truth about Planned Parenthood. They need our prayers & support.

The Advocate Issue 1, Issue 2

Some of the many more articles on the above worth checking out:

A Rare Rose by Michelle Malkin (National Review)

Planned Parenthood Threatens to Sue Undercover Activist (Cybercast News Service article has the above video PP is suing to stop)

'Pedophile protection racket' still going strong (World Net Daily)

Pro-Life Activists Protest Outside Planned Parenthood Event (KMBC-TV 9)

This Would Explain A Lot About the Democrats!

According to an entry on Batman on Wikiality: "The Joker, Batman's nemesis, is a registered Democrat, and hates our troops accordingly."

(Photo: The Joker taken from Wikiality. Wikiality.com, the Truthiness Encyclopedia! Documenting Stephen Colbert's Gut Since August 1, 2006 )

Iowa's Own Music Man

Meredith Willson was born on this day in 1902 in Mason City IA. While he is most famous for his musical The Music Man(1 of 3), he also composed 2 symphonies & several movie soundtracks including Chaplin's The Great Dictator . He was also musical conductor on Burns & Allen's radio show. The Music Man was a love letter to his home state. & the tunes were recorded by a wide variety of people, including The Beatles (Till There Was You). Meredith is still remembered fondly in his hometown. His family home is open for tours. They even have a recreation of the Main Street of River City, Iowa from The Music Man. (I've been there, it is well worth visiting.)

The Music Man

54th Tony Awards

Till There Was You

(The Beatles & Paul McCartney solo)

& finally, something I'll bet you didn't know that he composed:

Chicken Fat

Sing to Me, Mr C.

Today would have been Perry Como's 95th birthday. He was often made fun of for his laid back style. The fact is, he was so talented that it came easy. He could take any song & make it his own. I have many happy memories of watching him on TV with my Grandpa. & it wasn't Christmas without his annual special. He died 6 years ago.Here are a couple of my favorites (Believe me, it was difficult to pick just a few) & an appearance on Il Musichiere, a popular Italiano TV program in the 50s:

Chincherinchee

Seattle (Theme from Here Come The Brides)

Delaware

O Marie (Il Musichiere)

& probably my all time favorite Perry Como recording (This is a live performance from 1994):

Ave Maria

Felice Compleanno Paisano!!!!!

Pierino Roland Como

Sen. Harkin, OK to Kill Children before Birth, But Not OK to Let Them Eat Sugar After They Are Born!

While he would see what he says is consistant, it isn't. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA[alledgedly]) supports abortion, but is opposed to junk foods being marketted to children. Choice to kill, OK; choice of what to eat what isn't good, not. He approves of abortion which, besides killing an innocent life, has been proven to be proven to often be psychologically harmful to the woman. But, when it comes to allowing children & their parents to chose junk food based on advertising, not OK.

Yes, a lot of junk food advertising is aimed at kids. But, it always has been. It was when I was a child, it was back in the 30s (If you doubt that watch A Christmas Story for a prime example), etc. It isn't the advertising that is causing the increase in childhood obesity that Harkin decries. It is a lot of other factors. & despite what Harkin claims, advertising isn't undermining parental authority. My parents said no to a lot of my demands for junk foods. It is that parents today, for a variety of reasons, opt to take the route of least resistance.

Yet, when it comes to protect the lives of these children before birth Harkin, who claims to be Catholic, is opposed to any limits on abortion. Here is what he had to say in an-email response to my asking him to support the Hyde Amendment (Caution, the roller coaster of double speak may cause dizziness &/or nausea):

"People of strong faith and good conscience have very different views when it comes to abortion, and I respect the views of people on both sides of this often divisive issue. It is my strong belief that the most personal and heart-wrenching decisions of a woman's life should be left up to the woman, her family, and her doctor -- not politicians. Furthermore, I do not think that this decision should be made due to financial reasons. I feel we need to ensure that all women have access to the proper health services regardless of income.

I hope that in the 110th Congress, people on both sides of this issue can work together on a goal we all share: preventing unintended pregnancies and reducing the number of abortions. I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of S.21, the Prevention First Act, which would expand access to preventive healthcare services that help reduce unintended pregnancies, reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women's healthcare. This legislation would create state grants for pregnancy prevention programs, increase funding to Title X, educate health care providers about emergency contraception, provide equity in prescription coverage of contraceptives, and ensure that federally-funded sexuality education programs provide accurate and comprehensive information.

I believe we must also work to improve overall economic prosperity, and access to affordable healthcare and child care services, for American women and families. Research shows that over 70 percent of women who have abortions say that they "cannot afford a child," and that 60 percent of abortions occur in families making less than $28,000 per year. It is not surprising that in the 1990s, when wages rose and health coverage increased, abortions declined by 300,000 per year - a 24-year low.

You can be assured that I will continue to work to ensure that no woman has an abortion because she is unable to afford the services she needs to take care of herself and her baby. As the Chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, I will continue to work to provide more resources for the Maternal and Child Health program, the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, and the Adoption Opportunities Program, which helps eliminate barriers to adoption and find permanent homes for children. I believe these are important efforts that will contribute to a reduction in abortions."

Where do I begin? Respect for the Pro-Life position? I think not given his track record.

Personal decsisions being left up to woman, family & doctor, not politicians? Yet he is speaking out against junk food & threatens government action. That would mean that politicians would be involved in something that should be left between a family & its physician. What's the difference?

I'd also like to know where he gets the link between a decline of abortion in the 90s & Clinton's economic possibilities. What about parental consent laws that were upheld, what about the cut in funding by states? Maybe those are the real reasons (although that funding reason wouldn't be liked by Harkin.) To say that progams like WIC could help reduce the number of abortions could easily be proven to be false. You also notice that in all the government funded sex ed programs he says nothing about the only proven way to prevent pregnancy, abstainance. In fact, you will note that what he said is taken right out of the Planned Parenthood playbook.

I could go on & on. It boils down to this, he is so deluded that he doesn't see the hypocricy of his stands. he doesn't see how morally bankrupt he really is & that much of what he stands for is actually causing more harm than good.

But does this double (& triple) talk from Harkin surprize me? NO! I've been dealing with it for years. & frankly, I am disgustedly tired of it. I expect no less from someone who claims to be an Iowan yet his only home is in the Bahamas. He does have an Iowa address that is only used for him to be able to be registered to vote & run for office in Iowa. He may have been born in Iowa, but he is not an Iowan. Yet, for some reason he keeps getting reelected. This cannot stand.

So far 1 candidate has announced his candadicy for the Republican nomination to oppose Harkin, Steve Rathje. More people may yet announce that they are running. I don't know if they will or not. What I do know is that we need to work here in Iowa to get the truth out, Harkin does NOT represent Iowa values & is actually betraying the very people he claims to represent.

I pray that God will change Harkin's heart & that he will repent of his sins, that he will truly practice his Catholic faith instaed of betraying it. & I pray that God will open the eyes of Iowa voters to see the truth, & vote in a Pro-Life Senator instead.

Daniel Myers - A "Fresh" Voice in Politics

I've said it before, I enjoy seeing young people getting involved in the political process. & I will do what I can to encourage them. That is part of the reason I became an advisor to the College Republicans at Loras.

My desire to encourage the next generation is the purpose behind this post. Some months ago I heard from a young man by the name of Daniel Myers. Daniel is a 16 yr old from Tennessee who has his own blog, Politics One. He began the blog in October 2006. This is the raison detat as well as raison d'etre he gives for his blog: "A "Fresh" Voice in Politics. Daniel Myers Brings you Valuable Information about National Politics, Current Events and the 2008 Presidential Race for ALL Parties and Candidates. -It's about bringing a Voice to the Voiceless!" Since then he has also begun his own talk radio program on BlogTalk Radio entitled (naturally) Politics One.

Things have come a long way since I was his age. He has so many tools out there that, thanks to the internet, I never had back then. When the USA started it took weeks & months for political news & info to be disseminated. Then the telegraph & telephone came along & even though the information was sent faster, it still had to wait for the paper to come out for most people to learn about it. Radio & TV sped up the process as live feeds & satellites came along to the point that we got live pictures from the Moon (but sometimes we still can't do so from some places on Earth). Each step of the way there were pioneers who saw the potential & took the risks needed to blaise the trail for those that followed.

Like those early radio & TV broadcasters, he is helping to open up new vistas. He is pioneering the future of politics.

Daniel has worked hard to accomplish what he set out to do with both the blog & the talk show. & from what I have seen he has succeeded. His posts often raise some interesting topics. The result is often some lively discussion. He also reports a lot of bits of news that often get lost in the shuffle.

They same can be said about his talk show. He has had a lot of Presidential candidates from the various parties on his talk show. He is still trying to get some of the top names from the Democratic & Republican parties. & I fully expect him to succeed at this as well.

Recently I e-mailed him with some questions. I wanted to find out a little about him & his experiences. I also did so to be able to write this post so I could promote & support his work. Like I said, I like to encourage the next generation who will be responsible for the future of our country.

Anyhow, here is the interview. When you are done, be sure to check out his blog & radio program. & don't forget to vote in his polls.

Q1: Thanks for taking time to answer a few questions. Tell us a little about yourself. How old are you?

A1: 16

Q2: Where are you in school? What sort of activities are you involved in at school?
A2: I am homeschooled

Q3: What about outside of school? Besides you PoliticsOne activies what are you involved in

A3: I used to work for a sign company making yard signs for realtors, campaigns, and businesses etc. But I am now a Public Relations for a local AM Radio Station here in my hometown

Q4: How about music, any special types that you like, artists that interest you most, are your favorites?
A4: I really only listen to Christian Music, my favorite artists are Israel Houghton, Hillsong, and Jeremy Camp

Q5: How about books?
A5: My Favorite book would have to be Saddams Secrets by Georges Sada

Q6: How about Movies?
A6: Anything to do with Action, Adventure, and Mystery I'm all for it!

Q7: How about TV?
A7: The shows I love to watch are CSI and Heroes, I also watch a little of American Idol

Q8: What got you interested in poltics in the 1st place?
A8: When my dad made his first run for public office in 2001 I was 10 years old, I learned alot about Politics and how it works. I enjoyed so much and I guess it stuck with me.

Q9: What led you to decide to create your blog, Politics One?
A9: Well for two reasons, 1. I enjoyed Politics and telling people about it, I thought by starting a blog what better way to do so. 2. I heard the cry for a Bi-Partisan Report in Politics, people want to hear the positive, negative, and inside scoop from all the parties and candidates. That's something major news coverages won't do.

Q10: What has been the reaction to it from your readers?
A10: I have had a HUGE Positive Response from thousands of readers. I have only had two negative people so far both upset at me being involved in Politics at such a young age.

Q11: What has been the reaction from Candidates?
A11: Every Candidate I have contacted has contacted me back. It has been an honour to talk to the variety of Candidates. My goal is to get other well known Politicians on the show.

Q12: Are there any interesting stories about any of your posts?
A12: Oh yes!! I have gotten to talk with many other Politicians and Party Leaders and have been able to get the "inside story" on many HOT Topics that most would not have heard. I recently did an article about how a Minor Democrat announced his run for President yet cannot do so because he was born in another country. Its pretty cool actually.

Q13: You also have a talk show on Blog Talk Radio. What led you to decide to do that?
A13: Sometimes It's hard for my viewers and myself to express themselves through writing, its better just to do it in voice conversation. A friend I met through Politics told me about Blog Talk Radio and I got interested right away. Since then I have been featured as a Special Host and am even on the Site's Recomended Shows.

Q14: I know that you are trying to get as many of the candidates from all of the parties that you can. What has been the response so far?
A14: I would say about 95% of the Candidates I contact agree to come on to the Show for an Interview or plug in. Its been a blessing.

Q15: Who is (are) the candiate(s) you haven't heard from that you would most like to get?
A15: I would love to get Candidates like Giuliani, McCain, Clinton, Obama, and Edwards

Q16: Are there any other figures like President Bush, VP Cheney, Nancy Pelosi that you have tried to get on the show?
A16: I am working with 4 well known Politicians to try and get them on the show, they are RNC Chair Martinez, TN US Senator Bob Corker (R), Fmr. US Senator and Presidential Candidate Mike Gravel (D) and US Senator Chris Dodd (D)

Q17: What has been the listener reaction?
A17: Amazing, many call ins and questions. I had 1,800 listeners a couple of weeks ago. It was my best show yet.

Q18: When you finish HS what are your plans, college, job etc?
A18: I plan on getting a degree in Political Science, and if not run for office at least continue in Political Communication.

Q19: What about politics, your blog etc, will you continue them?
A19: Absolutely. I enjoy it to much to quit.

Q20: What do you see as the key issues in the 2008 Presidential election?
A20: Most of my viewers seem to be concerned about our National Security and Imiigration. I would have to agree with them.

Q21: Any predictions?
A21: Yes, don't be surprised if a Democrat or Republican does not win the Presidency in 2008

Q22: Is there anything else you would like to add?
A22: I want to say thanks very much for allowing me to express my answers with you and your viewers. I encourage them to check out my blog at www.politicsone.blogspot.com where they can catch up on the inside stories and also vote on polls. Also add me on myspace and facebook if they'd like www.myspace.com/politicsone http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=593806700 And also catch my shows which air LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday Night at 7:00 PM EST. Visit www.blogtalkradio.com/politicsone to listen LIVE, check my schedule and catch previous shows.

Again, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Mille grazie!

I'd like to end with a prediction of my own. I think Daniel is going to go far. & when he gets elected president I expect him to appoint me as ambassador to the Vatican or Italia. I may be joking a little, but if he ever did decide to run, I wouldn't be surprized if he won.

(Photo: Daniel Myers from His BlogTalk Radio website)

Happy 54th Pierce!

Pierce Brosnan turns 54 today. His 2 best known roles are that of James Bond & Remington Steele (the 1 that originally got, then temporarily cost him Bond).