Bet at Dappled Things has several good posts on Bush's visit to Baghdad--including a link to the Drudge Report where one of the correspondents on the trip has his raw notes.
In response to another of her posts, I predicted the flak that Bush will catch from the press for the trip. That has begun. Bet has one post on that.
Also, CNN is upset, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, because they were left out of the small reporters pool. Maybe their trustworthiness has been found wanting...
Ex-president Clinton has released his favorite reads. It has to do with his new library...(I'm not making any jokes on that one.)
I thought for sure he'd manage to squeeze in the Bible--after all, he's a good Southern Baptist as we all know. But it's not on the list. I dare say that's but one difference between Clinton and our current commander-in-chief.
There are some interesting choices, though.
See what they are in this article.
A trucker was stopped in Texas. Things didn't match up, so a search was initiated. Officials found an estimated $6 million dollars in cash in and around a load of brown-and-serve rolls.
I have just a few questions:
(1.) Did they move everything around to make sure that Saddam wasn't in there? Sounds like how he handles money.
(2.) Are we sure that officials didn't actually find him by tracking all the moolah on satellite? You know, the little strips in the $20 bills...
Here's the article: Texas troopers find $6M in 18-wheel truck
Bush's recent visit to upstate SC failed to create the controversy that it could have when compared to his last visit to Greenville.
Since nothing developed, the media used the joking that Bush got at the economic forum as a platform to mention his comments at a church earlier in the week. Seems to me like they were trying to stir up controversy by doing so. (Read what I'm referring to from the AP here.)
Bush's comments at the church were excellent, but I've only seen one column saying he had no reason to say what he did.
What do you think?
Without going into the historical Armistice Day discussions, I'd like to touch on what Veteran's Day means to me.
My father is a retired U.S. Air Force Reservist, so I've grown up patriotic and appreciative of what our Armed Forces do. But when Sept. 12, 2001 dawned in New York, I gained a new appreciation for what our military is protecting.
After the tumultuous day on the 11th (see An unwanted anniversary), none of us -- my wife, my Dad, nor me -- slept well at our Brooklyn apartment. During the night, we had to get up to close the windows because the hideous smoke from the World Trade Center site was drifting through our windows.
So we rose relatively early. Dad and I headed out in search of any and all newspapers we could get our hands on -- as much for information as for their historical significance. Many papers were sold out already, and others had not arrived because of the disruptions in the city.
But when we got our stack of papers home, we turned to a page that carried a photo of FDNY firefighters hanging an American flag on a lightpole at Ground Zero. It was not what would become the famous flag-raising photograph, but it was the same sentiment.
And we saw that the flag WAS still there. That's what our troops risk their lives to protect.
May our prayers go out in support of those in harm's way even now.
Consider the long-forgotten final stanza of our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war�s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav�n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: �In God is our trust.�
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O�er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Is it just me or did the media just adopt "Gitmo" as the official nickname of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba? I started seeing this term about a month ago when the detention facility at Guantanamo hit the headlines again. I could figure it out, but how many were in the dark? How does the media decide such a nickname is mainstream?
Am I just to young? Was that a popular nickname after the Bay of Pigs?
The Virginian-Pilot has a reporter covering the DC sniper trials in Virginia Beach. Nothing new, right? Wrong. The reporter is using a weblog as the medium. The reports are brief, giving play-by-play and a feel for the courtroom setting.
What do you think of this new reporting tool? How else can it be used?
Author Douglas Gantenbein wrote an article titled Smoke and Mirrors on Slate.com, criticizing the firefighting profession.
In response to Gantenbain's article, Dave J. Iannone wrote a piece that appeared on Firehouse.com, THE source for firefighting news/and other content.
Iannone is the publisher of Firehouse magazine, which has spawned major trade shows and seminars, as well as Firehouse.com.
Former POW Jessica Lynch is going to be married, according to Fox New website. (People knew it was coming, thanks to her young cousin's loose lips.)
More than a year ago, my wife and I discovered rail-trails. A rail-trail is a recreational pathway for walking, jogging, roller-blading, or biking that follows the right-of-way of an abandoned railroad.
We've ridden our bikes on several, all over the east coast and I am accumulating a list of others we would like to try.
The Fox News website has an article about rail-trails that gives more background info.
If you're interested in the concept, a little web-searching and reading at bookstores will give you all you need to know.
Anyone else tried rail-trails?