JK's Southern Style

Take me out to the Ballgame

2006-07-18T23:30:00.000-05:00

Don't Tread On Me

2006-06-09T21:51:00.000-05:00

Speedy politician signs deal with Roush racing, Cheetos

2006-03-31T12:42:00.000-05:00

Lt. Gov. Bauer making move to NASCAR

Speedy politician signs deal with Roush racing, Cheetos

By: 6 feet 9 inches, 210 pounds">Stephen Fastenau
6 feet 9 inches, 210 pounds

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer won't be running in June's GOP primary. Instead, he's decided to pursue a different type of race.

Bauer announced Thursday that he'd be leaving politics to pursue a career in NASCAR racing and is expected to join the Roush racing team as early as May.

A Roush spokesman confirmed the news early Thursday evening. Bauer will join a team that includes legendary driver Mark Martin and current Nextel Cup points-leader Matt Kenseth.

"We're really excited to bring Andre into the Roush family," said team owner Jack Roush. "I've seen what he can do behind the wheel, and this is in no way a bad move for us."

Bauer signed on to drive the "SC2" Ford Crown Victoria, and his sponsorships will include Dr. Scholls and Cheetos.

With Bauer out of the primary race, Michael Campbell, son of the late Gov. Carroll Campbell, emerged as the leading GOP candidate.

"Obviously this is a boost to our chances," Michael Campbell said Thursday. "This is obviously a good career move for Bauer and something that really plays to his strengths."

According to reports by The State, Bauer was clocked by a highway patrolman doing 101 mph on Feb. 25. Roush was alerted to the reports and was impressed by Bauer's ability to maintain such speeds while using a radio to talk to authorities, something he said would be good for "team communication."

Some are skeptical about Bauer's ability.

"It'll be interesting to see if he doesn't have some rust come May," said NASCAR expert Jake Broom. "I've heard that he's walking everywhere now."

Bauer's resume also includes being clocked at speeds of 77-78 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to The State.

"This could be a good fit," Broom said. "Bauer's from the heart of NASCAR country, a sport that has roots in high speeds and lawlessness. It'll be interesting to see how he does with the Roush team."

Noted: This story is based completely in satire and is all but completely untrue, with the only truth coming in what The State reported. Jack Roush, a Roush spokesman and Michael Campbell, as mentioned, were not interviewed for this story.

from The Gamecock, March 31, 2006

The Mid-terms

2006-02-24T00:13:00.000-05:00

Class, Karl Rove is a Genious

At first glance the Dubi World Port's Deal looks as if the Bush Admin.......while making the right decision failed to reconize how congress would react. Thats at first glance...........congress..........who has the votes to overide Bush's Veto......has bush in a pickle. The truth is Rove and the White House knew exactly what they were doing in stiring this hornets nest.........Rove today said the Admin had no problem allowing Congress to delay the deal for a week or two to investigate what is already a good deal..........this will allow GOP congressmen to cast off the "rubber stamp for bush" lable and inturn win the midterms beacuse these hearning show thier John McCain side just enough to destroy the Dems only chance of defeating them..........Bush's Poll Numbers. This is where Rove looks back to the "Bad Boy" himself, Lee Atwater. In a move right out of Lee's Playbook the GOP steal the dems only issue by pinning any blame on a Second Term President with a legacy intact who's name will never again apear on a ballot.

More to come let your mind catch up.................

RUSH Threatened...Silly Dems

2006-02-22T22:03:00.000-05:00

Enjoy Rush being insulted and threatened by the longshoremen of long beach today

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Jerry in Long Beach, I'm glad you waited, sir, welcome to the program.

CALLER: Uh, Rush, I'm a proud member of the longshoremen's union.

RUSH: Yes, sir.

CALLER: I don't appreciate you attacking our union, try to make this part of this debate. Are you telling us that Republicans don't care about our jobs? Are you telling us that Republicans want to break our union?

RUSH: No.

CALLER: Is that what this deal was about?

RUSH: No! No.

CALLER: Or is this about -- Or is this about President --

RUSH: There you go again! There you go stereotyping! There you go stereotyping.

CALLER: Is he afraid he's not going to get his commission?

RUSH: I'm telling you that from everything I know, nothing's going to change. I have said this for the past two days.

CALLER: So why are you attacking my union?

RUSH: I'm not "attacking your union"! I'm simply pointing out who your union donates to and explaining why Schumer and Hillary and these other Democrats are speaking out in opposition to the deal. While they're telling us it's about national security, it's not, they're telling it because they're trying to loyal to you. You're the ones that --

CALLER: What you're not saying is [sic] that this is a violation of the Trading with Enemies Act. You couple this with the violation of the Espionage Act, a violation of the Foreign Intelligence --

RUSH: It's none of that.

CALLER: -- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, you've got this president committing three felonies, sir!

RUSH: It's none of that!

CALLER: He's a criminal.

RUSH: (laughing)

CALLER: And what you're doing is criminal -- and don't you attack my union!

RUSH: I didn't attack your union, but I'm about to start --

CALLER: Well, let's get it on, buddy.

RUSH: -- because you are so dead wrong about this. You Democrats, all it takes, give you one little shred of rope, and you've got a noose around your neck inside of 30 seconds! This is not trading with the enemies. Your union was not "attacked." Your union is not going to be put out of business. Where did you go to the idea that Bush wants the deal to go through to put the longshoreman out of business is beyond me. That's paranoia. That's stereotypical. You are profiling. You are profiling Republicans -- and you're doing all with that absolutely zero knowledge. Trading with the Enemy Act! Three felonies!

You wish. (sigh)

If these are felonies, give me one.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

If you missed the previous -- well, the last call in the previous hour, a man identifying himself as a proud member of the longshoremen union in Long Beach, a man named Jerry, called and said, don't you threaten my union, or don't you criticize my union. Well, what he was referring to is that I continue to dig deep on the port deal, and I have learned that much of the opposition to the port deal -- from the likes of Senator Schumer and Senator Clinton, Senator Lautenberg, Senator Menendez, Senator Boxer and others -- may not be what it seems. They're hiding, I think, under the cloak of being concerned about national security, but when you look at it what really is happening here is that they are all huge recipients of large contributions from the longshoremen's union, which, I mean, that's not a surprise to anybody. Organized labor supports the Democratic Party en rote. They just don't even think about it. It's a reflex action -- and it's a little hypocrite because we already have all kinds of business deals and arrangements with the United Arab Emirates and the Clinton administration way back when sold them 60 F-16s.

We've allowed them to own property in this country and so forth. But when the longshoremen union member threatened me, it jogged my fertile memory, ladies and gentlemen. I recalled in recent years -- I thought it was two or three years ago, turns out it was, well, a little over three, 2002 -- there was a strike by the Long Beach longshoreman over the modernization of procedures cataloging and inventorying cargo that was on ships and was off-loaded. You'll remember this. It was the bar code scanning controversy. They wanted to put bar code scanning on all of the incoming cargo to help find out where it is, rather than send off a bunch of human beings to try to find it.

"Let's find out exactly where it is; let's computerize it," and the longshoremen fought this. This is nothing new. Unions have been fighting advanced technology since there has been advanced technology. I mean, they're afraid it will affect their jobs -- and they went on strike right around Christmastime in this year in order to make their case, and they had ships that couldn't get into port because the ships that were in port wouldn't be off-loaded, and those ships couldn't be reloaded and sent back out. You had a fleet of cargo ships out in the Pacific waiting to get in, and it got so bad that people were demanding that President Bush get involved. This was Christmas, after all.

The longshoremen -- let me read to you, this is from a little website here, Slate.com -- and it's titled, "Short Port Report," and I'll just read you an excerpt: "...and organized workers have resisted new technology since the 1800s," and that's exactly what the longshoremen are doing now. "The port operators want to start using bar code scanners to speed cargo through terminals. More likely than not those operators will want to engage outside contractors to run the new scanners, and those contractors will employ nonunion labor. It's easy to sympathize with workers whose jobs are displaced technology. EZ Pass has meant the elimination of many decent paying jobs for toll booth clerks," and, of course, we used to have a buggy whip industry and a buggy industry. But with the car, out went the buggy and the buggy whip industry. "Union members in question here get paid more like accountants than day laborers. According to Pacific Maritime Association, the average annual salaries at the ports for longshore workers is $82,895 a year for class A workers, $118,444 for clerks, and $157,352 a year for foremen."

This piece published, by the way, Wednesday, October 2002. "The six-figure clerks who chart the inflow and outflow of the trucks in the containers frequently by hand say they'll be happy to use these new gizmos, but only if the bar code jobs are unionized," and that's what the fight was over," and I am sure that that's what the concern is here. You say, "What's this God to do with the UAE port deal, Rush? Stick to the issues!" I'm getting there, folks, stick with me. Realize I never get lost in this program. I never lose my train of thought. I never forget what I'm going to say. I always stay on track.

There is no doubt that the concern in these six ports is -- that longshoremen have --0 is exactly over the same thing. We have, I shared with you a story today from the New York Sun about how the United Arab Emirates port company is modernizing and streamlining all of its ports around the world. I told you that the number two -- I say number one port operator -- in the world is owned out of Hong Kong, and they don't want to buy the six ports in question here because they don't want to deal with the union regulations. I doubt that anything is going to change, and I've been saying that all week. But I can understand their fear that things might change, and so that's why they're donating heavily all these years to protect their jobs. That's what the union people do.

So we're faced with the age-old problem of how do we modernize and advance technologically without putting a whole bunch of people out of work. And so there has to be obviously thought attached to all of this. What always happens, I mean I hate to tell you something, but during the NAFTA debate, you know, all we heard about was the Singer sewing machine plant up in New Hampshire, you know, and how people would be put out of jobs. But, you know, economics is what it is -- and the global market is what it is. It can't go back with a wall around the country and pretend that this global economy, interlinked economic dependence is not happening.

You can't turn back the hands of time on things like this. I actually think this. I was telling my staff here during the break, "What I fully expect to happen is if the UAE deal does go through, after all of this tsunami and all the bad PR, the UAE people are going to bend over backwards to show they have no intention of causing anybody here any harm, and they'll probably hire more longshoremen and they'll say, 'Just sit on the dock. You're on permanent break, and we're going to pay you whatever you get paid for it. We're going to increase the number of longshoremen,' and they'll do this for a while just as a PR issue." I know some of you are saying, "What's the difference between a permanent break and a regular job?" Don't make that joke, folks.

I have been threatened by these longshoreman people now, and we're not going to make jokes about them. I've already had to beef up security. You start telling jokes about them, I'm going to be in even further peril. But there's no question that at some point these ports are going to have to be modernized. I mean, it's just the way of the world! There's going to be new technology. There's going to be faster ways of getting port in and out of the docks, off-loaded and on-loaded. It's going to happen, and there will be steps taken to as this modernization takes place to incorporate everybody involved. Found another longshoremen story for you. This is from the Capital News Service.

It's from Friday, March 12th of 2004. "Longshoremen worry that port security proposals could hit them hardest." I'm just going to read to you what the story says. "Men with criminal past the in need of a job have long turned to the one industry here that would take them," this is from Baltimore, "the waterfront." Well, don't blame me. I'm not the one who said yesterday, "Let the Mafia have this." Somebody said, "Turn this back over to the Mafia," and Snerdley agreed that it would be better than the UAE. That's what you said yesterday. The guy who wrote this is named Joe Eaton, E-a-t-o-n, and that lead story is his, for those of you who are members of the longshoremen's union.

"Many of the same longshoremen who found a solid paycheck at the port of Baltimore worry that could change under a 2002 law that aims to protect American ports from terrorism. The law requires criminal background checks for longshoremen and other dock workers who could lose their jobs if they have a conviction in their past. The Department of Homeland Security is still developing rules for the checks and could not say when they might take effect but any time is too soon for longshoremen here. 'The waterfront saved a lot of people, man, I mean a lot,' said Anthony White, 36, a second-generation longshoremen who's been at the port of Baltimore for five years. White conceded he has a felony conviction for a crime he refused to talk about that's 17 years old. He said he knows several other longshoremen with records. He worries about their families. He questions how they'll pay their bills. 'You gotta get your life together, man. Why do they want to take that away from you? You have a car payment, you have a house payment, what are you supposed to do?'"

Well, obviously we need income insurance. Just like we have health insurance, income insurance. Speaking of that, I can't wait to get to this story in the Wall Street Journal about health care costs and how fast they're rising. It might be cheaper to just buy every employee a house than give them health care. That's how out of control it's gotten. I will have the details coming up for you. The bottom line here in this Baltimore story, the longshoremen opposed background checks on dock workers passed in 2002 intended to improve national security. They opposed it -- and they contribute to Democrats. That's the connection here.

So when you hear these northeastern liberal Democrats talking (nattering Democrat voice), "Nat'nal security! Nat'nal security! Nat'nal security!" Think: "Longshoreman union. Longshoreman union. Longshoreman union contributions."

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

Let me address something I think that's bothering those of you who oppose the deal, and I think it's part of the tsunami effect, and it's quite understandable too -- in a mass hysteria way -- given the post-9/11 world we live in. Well, that's what the tsunami is. It's been mass hysteria. That's one of the reasons red flags went up, and I would imagine that when you some of you first heard this, you had pictures form in your mind. You had visions of Abdul and Sahib wearing turbans operating the cranes and driving the equipment on these docks at these six ports, and, "Good God, what are we doing? How stupid can we be?"

Admit it, that's what you saw. If we're going to have a United Arab Emirates company owning it, then you concluded that they're going to hire their own people. Now, if that were going to happen, that would change the whole tenor of the deal. There is no question. Now you are talking about a genuine legitimate security risk, because you'd have to go through all kinds of hiring practices and steps. You would have to implement the Patriot Act practically as an employment tool -- and I can understand people having that attitude.

I also know that when you hear me say, "Well, the Dutch companies, Denmark, that's a big company out there, and the Brits, they're in the port business and getting out of it and so forth," you think, "Okay, fine. Well, those are nations that we have had a long and traditional relationship of trust with." The United Arab Emirates, even if what we're being told is true that they're new allies in the war on terror and that they are on our side in this, and if you happen to believe what I do that what they actually want to do is be like us, then you say, "Well, yeah, but that's just been since 9/11, and can we trust them?" Because you don't have a long period of institutional trust such as that that we have with long-term allies like the allies -- or the British and the -- well, not the French and not the Germans. Well, some of the Germans, but the Danes, the Dutch and so forth. So all these things are understandable. People in a post-9/11 world are being asked to trust some things that that's not an institution of trust to trust, or to believe in -- and I understand. I understand all these things, which is, you know, why I'm spending the time on this that I am and as I say, I'm just sharing with you the thought processes that I have, and as I learn things.

For example, reading the Wall Street Journal today, they got an editorial, "Ports of Politics." And an interesting paragraph here. "The timing of this sudden uproar over the port deal is a tad suspicious. A bidding war for the British-owned P&O has been going on since last autumn, and the P&O bored accepted Dubai's latest offer last month. The story only blew up last week as a Florida firm that is a partner with P&O in Miami, Continental Stevedoring and Terminals, Incorporated, filed a suit to block the purchase by Dubai. Miami's mayor also sent a letter of protest to President Bush." As the Journal editorial writers say, "It wouldn't be the first time certain politicians were acting here on behalf of private American commercial interests." So we now know also that there is a partner of P&O in Miami which doesn't want this sale to go through, and has enlisted political support from the mayor of Miami. It's common, no big deal, but there are elements of this that are being reported, you just have to dig deep to find them.

The mainstream press is simply doing what it's been reduced to doing: "Bush is bad; Bush is selling us out, and let's give the Democrats 90% of our broadcast time to express their thoughts on it." They're not giving us any reporting on this, which is why I'm spending the time here doing it myself. I also -- after having been threatened by the longshoreman in Long Beach -- I asked Cookie to find out who owns the Port of Long Beach because I wanted to find out if perhaps it was foreign owned. Turns out it is not. The Port of Long Beach is owned by the City of Long Beach and it is governed by the board of Harbor Department Commissioners. We called them, and the Port of Long Beach operates as a landlord. The Board of Harbor Commissioners leases port shipping terminals and other facilities to private firms, and some of them are no doubt foreign. No question about it. Phil in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Thank you for waiting. You're up next on the EIB Network.

CALLER: Dittos, Rush. It's good to talk to you.

RUSH: Thank you, sir.

CALLER: I was wondering, are you having a little bit of a double standard here? You talked about the importance of the Patriot Act and keeping the Patriot Act in full force, and not letting down our guard. Are we letting down our guard on the ports?

RUSH: Well, I thought I just addressed that. If the fear that a lot of people first had no doubt was that every employee of these six ports would become essentially a foreigner, somebody from the Emirates or somebody from the Middle East, then you'd have to almost have a Patriot Act to go through the employment procedure to check security and backgrounds and all of that. That's not the case. The case is that the United States will continue to -- and its laws will -- oversee the operation, the union contracts will remain the same, the Coast Guard and Customs are still going to be doing what they're doing, as though they do it now. Somebody else is going to be writing the checks. Just somebody else going to be writing the checks and making the prophet on the operations at these six ports, but I don't know what this has to do with the Patriot Act.

Like I say, if you're going to attach this danger to the UAE, then you gotta stop them from flying into the country with their commercial airlines. You've gotta make sure that whatever property they own here, they divest themselves; they get out of it. Freeze their assets, and then we've gotta make sure that if they are funding -- which they are at Columbia University -- Muslim studies courses, we have to shut that down. You know, we gotta stop selling them fighter jets like Clinton did back in 1998: sixty F-16s. They could have used those against us already.

END TRANSCRIPT

Viva la Weezles

2006-02-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

Another Example of how Frogs are Spineless and pretty much worthless………….$1.19 as a fine………..its so absurd its not worth the words

Paris court fines photographers for invasion of privacy in Diana's crash

PARIS (AP) - A Paris appeals court fined three photographers the equivalent of $1.19 US each for invasion of privacy for taking pictures of Diana, Princess of Wales, and boyfriend Dodi Fayed the night of their fatal 1997 car crash, officials said Wednesday.

The appeals court fined them the symbolic sum in a ruling on Friday, which was not announced until Wednesday. Jacques Langevin, Christian Martinez and Fabrice Chassery were acquitted of the invasion of privacy charge in 2003 after judges said a crashed vehicle on a public highway is not a private area.

But France's highest court disagreed in a ruling last April and sent the case to the Paris appeals court for review.

The court also ordered them to pay for the publication of announcements of the conviction in three newspapers or magazines.

Fayed's father, Egyptian-born billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed, filed the invasion of privacy complaint. Diana's relatives and the British royal family were not plaintiffs in the case, which focused on three photos of the couple leaving the Ritz Hotel by car and three after the accident on Aug. 31, 1997, in a tunnel alongside the River Seine.

The defendants, whose photos were confiscated and not published, were among the swarm of photographers who pursued the car carrying Diana and Fayed across Paris, and took photos after it slammed into the pillar of the traffic tunnel.

The judges in the appeals court determined that the photographers invaded Fayed's privacy twice: first with photos of the couple as they emerged from the Ritz, and later by photographing him in the crashed car.

Fayed and driver Henri Paul were killed instantly. Diana died later in a hospital. Only the bodyguard survived. A five-year investigation into the crash concluded that Paul had been drinking and was speeding.

In 2002, France's highest court dropped manslaughter charges against nine photographers - including Langevin, Martinez and Chassery.

Sabbatical Over

2006-02-21T21:08:00.000-05:00

Well Students the Sabbatical is over, The Doors are open and Class is in session.

The First Order of Business on our Syllabus, This Cartoon Business.

I understand that the world’s Muslim community feels that portrayal of the prophet is blasphemy. The portrayal………which the US Press wont show but JK’s Southern Style will…..is maybe not the most tasteful thing but it does sum up a view of Islam which is held by most of the world of a radical militant religion. This is not Islam, but this is the dark side of Islam that radicals showed to America on 9/11 and our brothers across the pond we call the Atlantic were scarred by in London on 7/7. This dark interoperation of a generally peaceful religion is practiced by a minority of Muslims. They ask the question how does one avoid the image these cartoons portray?

Well for starters don’t riot and burns down cities several months after the cartoons were published.

The second topic will be the UAE Port argument……………its plain and simple……..They are a company taking over a contract from another company (which happens to be British) Our unions will still do the work, our security and law will be upheld and finally this UAE company already operates numerous facilities ports around the world most notably Hong Kong. And for the record they operate “port facilites” not ports…….there will not be a United Arab Emirates Flag flying over Baltimore and other US Cites any time soon………..

Well were out of time for now………more to come and don’t forget your homework

Hamas Chapters 1-4

Iran Nuclear Stand off Chapters 3-9

Urban Myth

2005-11-12T21:12:00.000-05:00

HE IS WORKING FOR US NOW

Cocky Top

2005-10-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

COCKS WIN!!!!
16-15

Happy Birthday

2005-08-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!!!!

Return of Darth Visor

2005-08-01T12:15:00.000-05:00

Req. reading Class........enjoy Darth Visor saying Phillip......i am your Father.........more like your daddy

The Following by By Pat Forde

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- And so, at the end of an afternoon unlike any other in the long and cliché-ridden oral history of Southeastern Conference media days, Dixie reunited with the Head Ball Coach.

"I appreciate all of you hanging around," Steve Spurrier said to a ballroom jammed with reporters. "I figured you'd all be gone."

Right. And Spurrier will run the wishbone this year at South Carolina.

Even after the leadoff segment with World's Hottest Coach Urban Meyer, after the Phillip Fulmer Alabama Manifesto and after Ed Orgeron's blunt-force-enthusiasm debut. This was the climactic scene. Nobody was going anywhere without hearing from Ol' Stevie Boy.
"It's good to be back," he said. "I've missed you guys."

No need to doubt the sincerity of those sentences. After flopping as an NFL coach, it was gloriously good for Steve Spurrier to be back in the conference he ruled in the 1990s. And he did indeed miss us guys in the media -- and, by extension, the millions of Southerners who coronated him, cussed him and obsessed over his every compulsive tug of the trademark visor.
After watching a herd of television cameramen record for posterity Spurrier's walk through the Wynfrey Hotel second-floor lobby, South Carolina linebacker Lance Laury said, "I thought he was the president walking through here." Hail to the 'Dog.

Fulmer said Wednesday that his first reaction upon hearing that his old Florida nemesis was returning to the league was, "Oh, crap." Everyone else's reaction was, "Oh, boy!" (With the exception of some Gators fans who label Spurrier traitorous for going to a Eastern Division rival. Spurrier himself sidestepped questions about playing his alma mater.)

It's a better league with Spurrier. It's a more dramatic league with Spurrier now competing against the school he led to the 1996 national championship and seven SEC titles. And it's a more enjoyable league with Spurrier's fresh mouth and flamboyant offense to spice things up.

But in the one true upset of the day, Darth Visor packed it in and played defense rhetorically. The serial smart-ass who gave us "Free Shoes University" and "You can't spell Citrus without UT" says he's cut out the digs at rivals when talking to booster clubs, and that has carried over to talking with the press. Spurrier even took a stab at humility at times Wednesday.
"Sometimes, the head coach may be as good as his team is," he said. "We've learned that recently."

Humble Steve apparently is making a good-faith effort to go along and get along with the schools he once delighted in needling.

For now.

"Until we start beating somebody, nobody's gonna worry too much about South Carolina," Spurrier said.

Of course, nobody worried too much about Florida when Spurrier arrived there as Head Ball Coach in 1990. When he left 12 years later, he was second only to Bear Bryant in historical impact on the SEC.

Comparisons between this year and 1990 were plentiful from Spurrier. That year, he took over a program under NCAA investigation and led it to stunning success, finishing with the best record in the league (on probation, Florida couldn't officially be named league champs). A historically second-rate program then went on to a decade of dominance.

South Carolina is also under investigation, also has a long history of football futility -- and now also has Steve Spurrier to save the day. He'd clearly love to author another shock-the-South season, but it will be much tougher the second time around.

Spurrier isn't entering a league that's behind the times strategically. Pat Dye doesn't coach here anymore, and neither does the run-first, run-second, throw-only-if-absolutely-necessary mindset.

"Everyone thought you couldn't be a passing team at all and win the championship," Spurrier said. "We proved that you can throw the ball."

Nor is he inheriting a team that's flush with talent. Florida of 1990 had a ton of good players. South Carolina of 2005 has just nine returning starters, a major question at quarterback and the residue of a program that developed a lousy attitude in the last days under Lou Holtz.
There was a spate of discipline problems shortly after Spurrier arrived, and the coach said he's been displeased with the commitment to "voluntary" summer workouts. Combine that with South Carolina's perennial inability to get past Tennessee, Florida and Georgia, and there are real reasons to suspect that this will not be an instant program transformation.

"Our goal is to have more wins than losses and go to a bowl game," said tight end Andy Boyd, hardly providing bulletin-board material for the rest of the league.
The guy who talked loudest Wednesday was Fulmer, whose appearance actually was the story of the day locally.

One way to know this was when the Tennessee coach headed up the hotel escalator just as several TV cameramen were heading down. They tried to stampede back up the down escalator, and one cameraman went down in the panic. Another way to know is to look at the body of summer work from outstanding Birmingham News columnist Kevin Scarbinsky: 18 of his 30 columns since June have related, in some form or fashion, to the Alabama-Tennessee feud and the recruiting scandal that spawned it.

A year ago, Fulmer caused a furor -- and incurred a $10,000 fine from commissioner Mike Slive -- by refusing to come to media days. Most everyone thought Fulmer was ducking a possible subpoena by grandstanding lawyer Tommy Gallion, who was representing former Alabama coaches Ronnie Cottrell and Ivy Williams in their civil suit against the NCAA and others -- and who publicly tarred Fulmer as a no-account weasel for informing the NCAA about Crimson Tide recruiting violations.

(As everyone knows, Alabama subsequently was body-slammed by the NCAA and booster Logan Young was found guilty by a federal grand jury of paying Albert Means to come to 'Bama to school. The Tide is still trying to dig its way out of that hole.)

Fulmer has since said he stayed home last July because of a jurisdiction issue regarding another lawsuit -- one that names him as a defendant -- but the no-show cemented Fulmer's weasel status to embittered Tide fans. This was his first public appearance back in Alabama, and it happened to come after the Cottrell/Williams Trial of the Century had dominated headlines all summer.

So Phillip came prepared. Reading a mini-speech that had the feel of a ghostwriter somewhere in the process, Fulmer talked about a trial that included "theatrics that were worthy of Oscars, legal battles that went on and on, and even some threats of harm to some of the people involved and their families, including mine. I do not take that lightly and I am not well over that yet as far as being angry."

Fulmer didn't go into specifics of the threats, but said he received them on his cell phone shortly after an Alabama paper rather ham-handedly failed to redact the coach's phone number and home address from documents on its Web site pertaining to the Cottrell/Williams suit. Fulmer got his point across about the threats, and about where he stands on The Issue That Won't Go Away.

"I have and will defend my program, my coaches and their families and their livelihoods, our loyal fans, and especially defend my player's rights to have a level field to compete on," Fulmer said. "As we stand here today the court cases are almost done. Some people may choose to wallow in the stench of cheating for publicity purposes; the only ratings that I am looking for is in the SEC East and a chance to be a part of an SEC Championship game."
The Vols are considered the favorites in the Eastern Division to do exactly that. But one of the teams they'll have to beat to get to the Atlanta championship game is South Carolina, coached by the leading curiosity of 2005, Steve Spurrier.
"Everyone wants to see what happens with our team that first year," Gamecocks tight end Boyd said. "How's it going to turn out?"

Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at ESPN4D@aol.com.

SECond Comming

2005-07-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Ol' Ballcoach ready to stir up SEC once again

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The University of South Carolina charter plane is scheduled to leave here Wednesday at 1 p.m. and land in Birmingham less than two hours later. That's when The HBC and his small Gamecock entourage will make their way to the Wynfrey Hotel, site of the annual pigskinpalooza known as SEC Football Media Days or, as some are calling it: Return of the Visor.
Some things just don't seem right: Hooters waitresses wearing cardigans ... french fries dipped in yogurt ... Steve Spurrier in the NFL. This -- The Head Ballcoach returning to the league and college game he once ruled -- seems right. That's because Spurrier and Saturdays in the SEC go together like Ohio State and investigations.

Steve Spurrier has a new look on the golf course. Will the Gamecocks look any different on the field?
Nearly 700 media credentials have been issued for the three-day football fest, which is more than were issued for the SEC championship game and only about 100 fewer credentials than were issued for last January's national championship in the Orange Bowl. Those were actual games. This is a dozen coaches wearing suits, droning on about their two-deep depth charts.
But Spurrier will liven things up. He always does.
"I don't have any profound words of wisdom or predictions for the [media]," said Spurrier, as he sat in a restaurant booth Monday evening, just hours removed from attending the funeral of a University of Florida friend. "They may be a little disappointed. I'm going to say we're going to have a competitive team. What our record is, who knows?"
I've listened to Spurrier before at these SEC preseason gigs. I'll take the over on profound, on predictions, on moments when Spurrier won't be able to press his own mute button. That's why there won't be an empty seat in the hotel auditorium when Spurrier arrives for his late-afternoon session. That's why 20 sports talks shows have reserved space on Radio Row, the long hallway just a few steps from the Wynfrey's registration desk.
When Spurrier ended his self-imposed one-year stay on Elba and replaced a Lou Holtz regime that had atrophied and resorted to NCAA rules cutting, it was as if the SEC suddenly chugged a case of Red Bull. Now there are so many storylines this week that you need a valet parker for them all.
Not only do you have Spurrier's return after a confusing, dysfunctional two-year tenure with the Redskins, but you have Urban Meyer replacing Ron Zook at The HBC's old dynasty -- Florida. You have Les Miles replacing Nick Saban at LSU, Ed Orgeron replacing David Cutcliffe at Ole Miss, and Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer almost replacing Auburn as the person/rival Alabama fans would most like to see hideously scarred by a lava flow (Fulmer, among others, ratted on 'Bama to the NCAA, and the testimony became public).
But make no mistake: Spurrier is the SEC Media Days headliner. He's the reason why South Carolina's leading newspaper, The State, runs a daily "Countdown to the Spurrier Era."
Until Monday evening, the last time I saw Spurrier was in April, the week of the Masters. Back then he still didn't completely know his way around Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium, but he knew more than $3 million worth of donations had streamed in since he took the job.
He gave me a tour of the new football facility attached to one end of the concrete stadium. He showed me the football-only weight room, the sprint track, the state-of-the-art film rooms. But there was an awkward silence when he stopped at the sparse trophy case, which featured hardware from a 2001 Outback Bowl victory.
"Outback Bowl, that's about it," said Spurrier, who won a national championship, seven SEC titles, and 122 games during his 12-year stay at Florida. "Yep, Outback Bowl."
His third-floor office, which overlooks the field, had been aired out to rid the place of Holtz's pipe smoke. On a shelf in back of his desk was his original Florida helmet (a MacGregor model) from his days as a Gator star, as well as helmets from all of his playing/coaching stops (San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Bucs, Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL, Duke), except the Redskins. Spurrier would rather sing "Rocky Top" than acknowledge his employment experience with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.
He pulled out a blue-and-white seersucker outfit and said he was going to wear it on the sidelines one day. He clicked on a battery-operated mascot doll called, "Little Cocky," and happily watched as it strutted and played the school fight song. He pointed toward the empty stadium and said he was going to have the place painted, that he wanted to make South Carolina "a cool school ... get a buzz going about it."
The buzz will reach critical mass the moment he steps foot into the Wynfrey and becomes close, personal friends with the army of waiting minicams. And just wait until the Gamecocks' Sept. 1 season opener against Central Florida, or the Sept. 10 game at Georgia, or the Oct. 29 visit to Tennessee (he loves to push Fulmer's buttons), or the Nov. 12 game against Meyer and the Gators.
Spurrier turned 60 in April (as part of his birthday present, staffers arranged a call with one of his longtime favorites, John Wooden), but looks 50. He follows the advice of Satchel Paige, who once said something to the effect: How old would you act if you didn't know how old you were?
Once again, free of the 12-20 Redskins experiment, Spurrier doesn't know how old he is.
"I feel rejuvenated," he said at dinner's end. "I feel a lot like my first year at Florida in 1990."
That was the year the Gators finished 9-2 and ranked 13th in the polls. Do that this year at Carolina and the Outback Bowl hardware is going to have to find a new home.Gene
Wojciechowski is the senior national columnist for ESPN.com. You can contact him at gene.wojciechowski@espn3.com.

A Cheesy Way To Lure Voters

2005-07-22T12:30:00.000-05:00

Class, This is what We Call Elections Fraud...............

In Philadelphia they're calling it "The Cheese Caper." A Deputy City Commissioner asked the District Attorney's office to investigate who passed out flyers on primary election day -- May 17 -- promising free cheese to voters for particular candidates.

The flyers are topped by a handwritten scrawl, "Come Out + Vote," adding below, "For Who Ever." In type, they say "Free Cheese." The flyers list two candidates, both Democrats, running in an area dominated by the 300-plus-unit Hill Creek housing project.

"This guy comes to the polls, votes, and asks us for his free cheese," says Eileen Kleindienst, a Republican judge of elections. Geraldine Hacker, the Republican official who sent Kleindienst's complaint to the DA, thought the food might be from a government nutrition program.

The woman who wrote the flyers, Hill Creek tenant council President Gerri Robinson, doesn't think she did anything wrong. "The people around here, you can't get them to come out and do nothing unless you're giving them something," she says. Besides, she adds, the flyers worked: The two cases of cottage cheese were gone by day's end.

Quote of The Day

2005-07-22T08:14:00.000-05:00

Well Class Scuba Steve Gets the Gold Star Sticker for this Quote

"The only way a supreme court nominee could win the approval of
NARAL and Planned Parenthood would be to actually perform an
abortion during his confirmation hearing, live, on camera, and
preferably a partial birth one."

--The Always Cynical but still Funny Ann Coulter

"A" for Effort

2005-07-22T08:06:00.000-05:00

Now this is a nice use of City Reosources & Your Tax Dollars....so class the most important lesson here is while he does get an "A" for effort.....Dont Be this Guy

Fire Captain Uses Fire Truck to Water Lawn
By The Associated Press
Wed Jul 20, 8:36 AM ET

KOKOMO, Ind. - A city fire captain has gotten in trouble for mixing work with his home life.

Capt. Kevin Shaffer must repay the department $120 for using a fire truck to water his yard. He also was reprimanded and must pay 35 cents per gallon for the water he used, officials said.

Shaffer and other firefighters were training recently on the south end of town, after which Shaffer wanted to purge the truck's tank.

Instead of dumping the water down on the street or down a drain as is normal procedure, Shaffer put the water on his lawn in the city 50 miles north of Indianapolis, Deputy Chief Pat Donoghue said Tuesday.

"We consider that a misuse of fire department equipment," Donoghue said. "He said he didn't want to waste it. If he didn't want to waste it, he could have watered the department's lawn."

Shaffer said he did not plan to appeal the reprimand or fine.

Roberts May Lead a Conservative Shift on High Court

2005-07-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

July 20 (Bloomberg) -- John G. Roberts Jr., President George W. Bush's first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, may nudge the high court in a more conservative direction, according to legal experts and interest groups.

Roberts, who would succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, offers top academic marks, a resume laden with conservative connections and a bipartisan list of high-powered admirers acquired over the course of a 25-year career as a Washington lawyer.

The 50-year-old jurist's intellectual heft and personal skills offer at least the potential to influence other justices and shift the court to the right, said Pepperdine University law professor Douglas Kmiec, who worked with Roberts in the Reagan administration.

``This is the makings of a conservative Bill Brennan,'' Kmiec said, referring to the justice who was the intellectual leader of the liberal court under Chief Justice Earl Warren in the 1960s. ``Combine his work ethic with a downright dynamite personality, and you've got somebody who will be extremely effective.''

With barely two years judicial experience and only a handful of academic articles to his credit, Roberts doesn't have much of a track record on many of the issues he likely would consider as a justice. And justices have been known to surprise their presidential sponsors. On the current court, Republican appointees David Souter, Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor and John Paul Stevens all proved less conservative than some of their supporters had hoped.

Conservatives Applaud

After Bush nominated Roberts to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2001, 150 Washington lawyers signed a letter saying he ``represents the best of the bar'' and ```would be a superb federal court of appeals judge.'' The group included a number of prominent Democrats, among them former top Clinton administration lawyers Seth Waxman and Lloyd Cutler.

``I don't see ideological underpinnings,'' said A.E. Dick Howard, a law professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. ``Conservative, yes, but ideology, no,''

Conservative groups reacted with pleasure -- and liberals with trepidation -- at Bush's choice of Roberts. ``His nomination is a solid first step towards returning the federal judiciary to its proper role in our system,'' said former White House Counsel C. Boyden Gray, chairman of the Committee for Justice, which was formed to support Bush's judicial nominees.

``It is extremely disappointing that the president did not choose a consensus nominee in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor,'' said Ralph Neas, president of Washington-based People for the American Way. The group's legal director, Elliot Mincberg, once worked with Roberts at the Washington law firm Hogan & Hartson.

Adhering to Precedent

The biggest question may be how quick Roberts would be to overturn Supreme Court precedents with which he disagrees. In a 2003 case involving the Endangered Species Act, he suggested he may take a cautious approach toward the law.

Roberts voted to reconsider a three-judge panel's ruling that upheld application of the law to protect a California toad species, saying it ``seems inconsistent'' with Supreme Court precedent. At the same time, he suggested he would be open to other arguments in favor of the law.

Abortion-rights groups point to a Supreme Court brief he filed in 1990, calling on the justices to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion-rights decision. Roberts signed that brief in his official capacity as a lawyer for President George H.W. Bush's administration.

Settled Law

In Senate testimony in 2003, Roberts called Roe, which the high court reaffirmed in the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, ``the settled law of the land.'' He added: ``There's nothing in my personal views that would prevent me from fully and faithfully applying that precedent, as well as Casey.''

In its next term, the high court is set to decide whether states that require parental notification before a minor can get an abortion must make an exception when the procedure is needed to protect the girl's health.

Roberts, who grew up in Indiana and earned both his undergraduate and law degrees with honors from Harvard University, came to Washington in 1980 to clerk for William Rehnquist, then an associate justice and now chief justice.

The two have remained close, friends said. Roberts attended Rehnquist's annual law-clerk reunion earlier this year and imitated the chief justice as part of a good-natured skit.

After his clerkship, Roberts was a special assistant to then- Attorney General William French Smith before joining the White House counsel's office under Reagan. Roberts left the government to join Hogan & Hartson in 1986.

Supreme Court Practice

He rose to head the firm's Supreme Court practice and in 2003 earned slightly more than $1 million, according to his federal financial disclosure form.

Roberts left the firm in 1989 for four years to work in the first Bush administration, serving as deputy to Solicitor General Kenneth Starr. With his time at the Justice Department and in private practice, Roberts has argued 39 cases at the Supreme Court.

``He is without question, one of the best Supreme Court advocates of his generation,'' said Gregory Garre, a former colleague at Hogan & Hartson.

As a private litigator, Roberts often served corporate clients, among them Toyota Motor Corp. and the American Gaming Association. Roberts also argued before a lower court for a group of states suing Microsoft Corp. for antitrust violations.

Legendary Preparation

Roberts's preparation for arguing at the high court is legendary at Hogan & Hartson, said Garre.

Weeks before he was due to appear in court, Roberts would carry around a legal pad and scribble questions he might be asked, and his expected answers. As the date approached, Roberts would have ``literally hundreds'' of potential responses. He would also hold at least three mock arguments, honing his reasoning.

As a boss, Roberts was demanding, said H. Christopher Bartolomucci, another Hogan partner, who worked for him as a younger attorney. ``You know what he's expecting of you, but he doesn't wield a stick,'' he said.

Roberts is an avid golfer who hasn't been able to spend much time on the course since adopting a son and a daughter about five years ago, Bartolomucci said.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.net.

John G Roberts Jr., Nominee 109th US Supreme Court Justice

2005-07-19T20:30:00.000-05:00

Bush Chooses Roberts for Court

By Peter Baker and Jim VandeHei

President Bush nominated U.S. Court of Appeals Judge John G. Roberts Jr. for the Supreme Court last night, passing over several female candidates to replace the retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in favor of a well-regarded litigator with conservative credentials and friends in both parties.

Bush introduced his choice for the nation's 109th justice in a prime-time East Room ceremony broadcast live on national television after a dramatic day of shifting speculation that captivated Washington. The president hailed Roberts as an impressive legal figure who would interpret the Constitution and laws rather than legislate from the bench.

"John Roberts has devoted his entire professional life to the cause of justice and is widely admired for his intellect, his sound judgment and his personal decency," Bush said, with Roberts at his side. The president added, "He is a man of extraordinary accomplishment and ability. He has a good heart. He has the qualities Americans expect in a judge: experience, wisdom, fairness and civility."

Liberal advocacy groups immediately assailed Roberts for his positions on abortion and other issues. Before the announcement, Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) ordered his fellow Democratic lawmakers to offer a more measured response to whomever Bush chose to avoid appearing knee-jerk negative, aides said. But Democrats expect to eventually wage a fight

"The president has chosen someone with suitable legal credentials, but that is not the end of our inquiry," Reid said in a statement. "The Senate must review Judge Roberts's record to determine if he has a demonstrated commitment to the core American values of freedom, equality and fairness."

Roberts, 50, a resident of Chevy Chase, clerked for William H. Rehnquist when the chief justice was still an associate justice and worked in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He was appointed by the current president to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit two years ago and confirmed by the Senate on a unanimous voice vote. But Roberts made his mark in Washington as one of the most successful advocates before the same high court he would now join.

As a successor to O'Connor, a centrist-conservative who cast the swing vote for years, Roberts is expected to move the court further to the right, but legal experts do not consider him among the most ideological of the candidates Bush considered. Often described as steady and even-tempered, Roberts has accumulated a slim record as a judge but has a longer paper trail as a lawyer for the government and in private practice. That paper trail will surely become fodder for debate in the coming weeks

Critics have already called attention to his writings on abortion. As deputy solicitor general in the George H.W. Bush administration, Roberts signed a brief on abortion financing that argued in a footnote that Roe v. Wade , which established a constitutional right to abortion, should be overturned because it "finds no support in the text, structure or history of the Constitution."

Some allies and analysts cautioned against reading too much into that because Roberts was reflecting Bush administration policy at the time. At his confirmation hearing for the appellate bench in 2003, he offered a careful answer to the abortion question that likewise was open to interpretation. " Roe v. Wade is the settled law of the land," he testified, adding: "There is nothing in my personal views that would prevent me from fully and faithfully applying that precedent."

Bush picked Roberts after interviewing five finalists Thursday, Friday and Saturday alongside White House counsel Harriet Miers, according to aides. Roberts, who has been teaching international trade law in London, secretly flew back to Washington to meet with the president in the executive mansion's residence for an hour on Friday. Bush spent much of the weekend consulting with his chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., and then "essentially" decided Monday night, aides said.

The White House that night called Roberts, who had returned to London for a class, and told him to fly immediately back to Washington without telling him whether he had the nomination. Bush telephoned Roberts at 12:35 p.m. yesterday to offer him the nomination, the aides said. "I just offered the job to a great, smart 50-year-old lawyer," the president told aides afterward. The judge and his family then joined Bush at the White House for dinner.

In selecting Roberts, Bush passed up the opportunity to name his friend and attorney general, Alberto R. Gonzales, as the first Hispanic on the court, after conservatives attacked him for being too moderate. And Bush chose not to take the advice of first lady Laura Bush, who publicly suggested that O'Connor, the nation's first female justice, be succeeded by another woman.

White House officials said Bush considered several women and minorities, but the aides did not explain why he bypassed them. He began the process by taking the files of 11 candidates with him to a European summit two weeks ago, but the list shifted repeatedly since, aides said. Bush interviewed Judge Edith Brown Clement of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit at the White House on Saturday, and Republican allies were told Monday night and yesterday morning that she probably would get the nod.

Within hours, though, the White House signaled that she was not the choice, leading some GOP strategists to wonder aloud whether they had been used to spread disinformation or whether Bush changed his mind at the last minute. White House officials said last night Roberts was the only candidate Bush offered the job to and blamed reporters for trusting uninformed Republicans.

The nomination comes at a delicate moment for Bush's presidency, which was struggling with sagging poll numbers, a relentless war in Iraq and a stalled domestic program even before disclosures about the role of his top adviser, Karl Rove, in the CIA leak investigation. Some Republican strategists said the nomination could help the White House divert attention from the Rove scandal and reinvigorate Bush's political prospects.

The prospect of filling the first Supreme Court vacancy in 11 years has already mobilized political forces on both sides to raise vast financial resources in preparation for a struggle akin to a presidential campaign. From the moment O'Connor announced her retirement July 1, interest groups have been airing television and Internet advertising, blitzing supporters with e-mail, and pressuring elected officials to stand strong.

Liberal organizations that have been collecting dossiers on Roberts for months quickly moved to portray him as more extreme than his reputation.

"While he may not have been on Jim Dobson's short list of pre-approved nominees, let's be clear: John Roberts is no mainstream judge," said Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, referring to one of the nation's most prominent conservative leaders.

Reid wanted to avoid such a reaction from Senate Democrats, concerned about falling into what he considered a Republican trap of condemning a nominee before hearings start, aides said. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview that the Democratic strategy is to withhold judgment for now, but he predicted an inevitable fight with Republicans over opening up Roberts's records and forcing him to talk about abortion and other topics. "The threshold question is: Will he be forthcoming in both answering questions and making available documents about his previous record?" he said. If Roberts refuses, as many Republicans expect, Schumer said Democrats will take the question to the public.

"We know Judge Roberts is no Sandra Day O'Connor, and the White House has sent a clear signal," Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who lost the presidential election to Bush in November, said in a statement. "There are serious questions that must be answered involving Judge Roberts's judicial philosophy as demonstrated over his short time on the appellate court."

Conservatives who have pressured Bush to fulfill what they saw as a promise to appoint a justice in the mold of Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas pronounced themselves satisfied. "He's going to be a fabulous justice," said Todd F. Gaziano, a scholar at the Heritage Foundation. "He's a very thoughtful person, a very collegial person, a very deliberate person."

Republican senators quickly rallied behind Roberts. "I don't know what his views are [about Roe v. Wade ], but groups have raised a lot of money to oppose this nominee," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said on CNN. "It is incumbent on these senators not to let these groups decide it, and listen to what he says. He has been exceptional in every way."

Roberts, who was born in Buffalo and raised in Long Beach, Ind., and earned undergraduate and law degrees at Harvard University, worked in the Justice Department and the White House during the Reagan administration. After a stint at Hogan & Hartson in Washington, he served as deputy to Solicitor General Kenneth W. Starr under President George H.W. Bush. He was nominated for a seat on the D.C. Circuit in 1992, but his bid disappeared along with the president's reelection hopes. Roberts spent the Clinton administration back at Hogan & Hartson and participated in the recount fight after the 2000 election before being installed on the D.C. Circuit by the current president in 2003.

Suave, telegenic and well-traveled in Washington circles, Roberts is popular in both parties and widely considered among the most talented appellate lawyers of his generation. He argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court and spoke with awe about joining the justices he has appeared before so many times. "I always got a lump in my throat whenever I walked up those marble steps to argue a case before the court, and I don't think it was just from the nerves," he said last night.

Bush has been waiting since the day he took office for an opportunity to reshape a court that, except for the recount case, has bitterly disappointed conservatives over the years.

Although seven of the nine current justices were appointed by Republican presidents, the court has preserved abortion rights, affirmative action and a ban on school prayer -- if sometimes in a more circumscribed form -- while banning the death penalty in some instances and overturning laws against sodomy.

Perhaps no voice on that court has been more pivotal than O'Connor's. With three staunch conservatives on the right and four liberals on the left, O'Connor and sometimes Justice Anthony H. Kennedy have often cast the swing votes, and O'Connor's case-by-case pragmatism has generally forged the tone and direction the court has taken in key opinions. When she announced her retirement, it raised the stakes all the more.

The Passing of a Giant

2005-07-19T08:04:00.000-05:00

The Following is Gov. Mark Sanford's Statement on The Passing of Frm US Army COS and West Point Legend Gen. Westmoreland, a great american who's greatness is summed up well by Marky Mark below heres a little info for those who don' know.............. Although mostly associated with the Vietnam War, Gen.Westmoreland had a 36-year military career spanning World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Cold War. After his retirement, he was once acandidate for South Carolina governor, recieiving more than 42% of thevote in the 1974 Republican primary against eventual Gov. James Burrow Edwards.

WESTMORELAND "STOOD TALL, STOOD UNAFRAID,STOOD FOR WHAT HE BELIEVED IN"

Columbia, S.C. - July 19, 2005 -

Gov. Mark Sanford today issued thefollowing statement on the passing of South Carolina native and former U.S. Army Chief of Staff General William C. Westmoreland:"Whether it was leading an army into the unknown in South Asia orleading its survivors to accept their tribute at the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, General Westmoreland always stood tall, stood unafraid and stood for what he believed in," said Gov. Sanford."He's a personal friend who's had a tremendous impact on my life, he's someone I've always looked up to and had the deepest respect for, and his loss is one that will be felt by everyone who has committed their lives to the notion of spreading freedom across the globe. I'd ask all South Carolinians and all Americans to join Jenny, the boys andI in offering our thoughts and prayers to Kitzy, their children and themany friends and family members whose lives were touched by this American hero."

CGS Creative

2005-07-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Just an FYI, I have Recently Taking a Position within CGS Creative, A Washington DC Consulting firm specializing in Creative Marketing/Brand development. Sorry for the lack of new post during the move, should get back up to speed once I get settled in.

Check Us out at www.cgscreative.com

Heres to you Big Tom

2005-07-12T22:13:00.000-05:00

Class we continue our tributes today with the best version of my good mate Tom Greeves of the United Kingdom, So Heres to you Big Tom...........

Rome goes Hollywood

2005-07-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

Well a little fun for all my fellow Catholics and pretty much anyone else with a sense of humor.....The First Testament says "an Eye for an Eye", The Second Testament says "Love Thy Naighbour", and the Third Testament.....KICK ASS!!!!!....this ones for you Scuba Steve

From Across the Pond

2005-07-11T16:51:00.000-05:00

2005-07-07T15:44:00.000-05:00

McGee did it his way USC Athletic director calls it a career
By David Cloninger The Herald (Published June 30‚ 2005)

This isn't the story of a beloved elder statesman riding off into the sunset after a glorious reign or the story of a scoundrel being ridden out of town on a rail. This story falls somewhere in the middle.
This is the story of Mike McGee, who ran the University of South Carolina athletic department for 12 1/2 years and did it his way. He didn't do it to appease or annoy anyone -- his goal was to improve the USC athletic department, and his decisions reflected that goal and more often than not, achieved it.
"I'm not a particularly good salesman," McGee said with no shame. "I'm direct. I say, 'Here's the way we see things, here's our goals, and the budget,' and those kind of things."
When McGee walks out of the Rex Enright Athletic Center today, his tenure at USC will end and his legacy will be set. McGee will be praised by many and scorned by a few, but even his detractors have to admit McGee improved USC immeasurably.
"No question about it," said Columbia mayor Bob Coble when asked if he and McGee had ever clashed. "We fought over a number of issues relating to professional sports, but we came together for the big picture in how the Colonial Center and (USC's new baseball) stadium were to be used."
It's not like McGee is the most hated man in the state or even close to it. It's just that his abrasive style and legendary stubborness sometimes hindered business and, some say, made USC suffer as a result. Critics point out McGee's spats with Coble over the Columbia Inferno minor league hockey team and the Capital City Bombers minor league baseball club. They also bemoan the Carolina Panthers' decision to play at Clemson's Memorial Stadium during their inaugural season instead of Williams-Brice Stadium.
What many don't see is that McGee's decisions usually benefited USC in the long run.
"We received some criticism from the merchants in Columbia about not making (the Panthers) deal work," said Kerry Tharp, USC's sports information director and McGee's right-hand man for all but the last two months of his tenure. "Actually it was a financial deal. He wasn't going to sell the farm just to have pro football spend a season at our stadium, to shortchange our program at all."
As Tharp pointed out, Memorial Stadium had more luxury suites and fit better into the Panthers' plans to generate revenue than Williams-Brice, which was undergoing a renovation at the time. McGee did negotiate with the Panthers but at the end of the day, they decided to look elsewhere.
McGee never apologized because he felt there was nothing he needed to feel sorry about. The tactic helped when he began negotiating with the city of Columbia on the use of the new Colonial Center for USC basketball and hockey.
"He was not a fan of minor league pro sports," Coble said.
When the Inferno were new and were drawing fans, playing their home games in Carolina Coliseum while the Colonial Center was being built, it seemed McGee made a mistake. Today, the Inferno's attendance has dwindled and the Colonial Center has become a jewel for basketball and other events.
It's also worth pointing out that the Colonial Center is configured for hockey but the Inferno still play in the Coliseum.
"The Colonial Center, we retrofitted that for hockey," Tharp said. "The point of contention was the hockey team wanted us to pay their freight. We weren't going to do that.
"We had an extra locker room we had set aside for hockey. The way the floor and the configuration is, you could play hockey there."
The same situation arose with the Bombers, who played in a decrepit ballpark and were hinting they'd like to share in USC's new venture, a new baseball stadium adjacent to the Colonial Center set to open in 2007. That idea fell by the wayside as well.
The Bombers left town a season ago and USC will be the only tenant in the new field.
"The city, we encouraged them to participate," McGee said. "It was originally looked at as kind of a grander stadium, but not responded to favorably."
McGee leaves USC with a new basketball arena that draws several high-profile events, a new baseball stadium in the works, a twice-renovated football stadium that draws over 80,000 people for every home game and an athletic department that earned $52 million last year, just a shade up from the $18 million during McGee's first year.
There's also plans in the works to try and develop the Farmer's Market area next to Williams-Brice Stadium for a spring sports complex and to possibly purchase the property on the other side of the stadium for a new athletic department building.
Yet, McGee will leave with little fanfare from the people he was trying to serve. His prickly personality wasn't going to win over many of the Gamecocks' fans, despite him doing what he thought was best to serve them.
"At times he made some tough decisions, they may not have been the most popular," Tharp said. "He always had the best interests of the university, and sometimes they didn't coincide maybe with the best interests of the city, but his job was to lead the athletic department."
McGee did it well. He hired "name" coaches like Lou Holtz, Ray Tanner, Curtis Frye, Dave Odom and most recently, Steve Spurrier, to lead USC's athletic teams. Even if the teams didn't have tremendous success, they put USC into the national spotlight. He took over when USC was entering its first year in the Southeastern Conference, and pulled the necessary triggers to make sure the Gamecocks could compete.
If he had to step on a few toes along the way to make that happen, so be it. McGee saw what needed to be done and did it.
"Since I left South Carolina and came to Clemson, I just haven't discussed any of that," said Brad Scott, a former USC football coach who McGee fired. "I'm not going to comment on that."
When McGee announced his retirement in January, it disappointed a lot of university personnel. It also sponsored some muted cheers across the state. Since then it's been a case of tying up loose ends and preparing for successor Eric Hyman to start July 1. Hyman will be entrusted with the task of keeping a financial empire afloat and to take USC into the next phase, with only the dragged-out NCAA investigation of the football program lingering.
"I thought it'd be all wrapped up by now," McGee said.
The only question left is what McGee will be remembered by. The Colonial Center and the new baseball stadium will certainly be the tangible pieces of his reign, and the coaches he put in place should be staying for years to come.
Tom Price, USC's historian who's had an association with the school for almost 50 years, said McGee would rank among the best of USC's ADs. Price worked under a few others as the school's SID for just under 31 years, retiring when McGee was just beginning. He said McGee was at the top of the heap when it came to effectiveness.
"He was always looking out the interests of the university, which is his job," Price said. "Any confrontations he may have had were based on his feelings for the basis of his university. I'd say that he, in some respects, might have been the most controversial of all the athletic directors."
"He was pretty steadfast in his thoughts about putting the interests of say, a professional franchise ahead of USC," Tharp said. "He'd been in the pro markets before. He knew how difficult it could be to succeed."
McGee, of course, didn't really care what he'd be remembered as. He did his job and that was it.
"I think that's tough for me to answer to some extent," McGee said. "I think I've been persistent in going after people, and hopefully, the university was well-served during that period."
It was, and he was. He may not have been friendly and he may not have been gung-ho, but he did what he set out to do.
"I'm not on last legs, but I've been in this business a long time," McGee said. "I've been here 12 years and I planned to come for five."
David Cloninger • 909-4218

Prayers for our Trans-Atlantic Brethren

2005-07-07T08:28:00.000-05:00

Prayers for all in London on this sad sad Day...........

Yahoo's Top 100 Movie Quotes

2005-06-22T11:32:00.000-05:00

The Following was Yahoo's Top 100 Quotes.............Enjoy Most are quite good some good memories

1. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
2. "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse," "The Godfather," 1972.
3. "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am," "On the Waterfront," 1954.
4. "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
5. "Here's looking at you, kid," "Casablanca," 1942.
6. "Go ahead, make my day," "Sudden Impact," 1983.
7. "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," "Sunset Blvd.," 1950.
8. "May the Force be with you," "Star Wars," 1977.
9. "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night," "All About Eve," 1950.
10. "You talking to me?" "Taxi Driver," 1976.
11. "What we've got here is failure to communicate," "Cool Hand Luke," 1967.
12. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," "Apocalypse Now," 1979.
13. "Love means never having to say you're sorry," "Love Story," 1970.
14. "The stuff that dreams are made of," "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.
15. "E.T. phone home," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.
16. "They call me Mister Tibbs!", "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.
17. "Rosebud," "Citizen Kane," 1941.
18. "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!", "White Heat," 1949.
19. "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!", "Network," 1976.
20. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," "Casablanca," 1942.
21. "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti," "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.
22. "Bond. James Bond," "Dr. No," 1962.
23. "There's no place like home," "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
24. "I am big! It's the pictures that got small," "Sunset Blvd.," 1950.
25. "Show me the money!", "Jerry Maguire," 1996.
26. "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?", "She Done Him Wrong," 1933.
27. "I'm walking here! I'm walking here!", "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.
28. "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By,'" "Casablanca," 1942.
29. "You can't handle the truth!", "A Few Good Men," 1992.
30. "I want to be alone," "Grand Hotel," 1932.
31. "After all, tomorrow is another day!", "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
32. "Round up the usual suspects," "Casablanca," 1942.
33. "I'll have what she's having," "When Harry Met Sally...," 1989.
34. "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow," "To Have and Have Not," 1944.
35. "You're gonna need a bigger boat," "Jaws," 1975.
36. "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!", "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.
37. "I'll be back," "The Terminator," 1984.
38. "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth," "The Pride of the Yankees," 1942.
39. "If you build it, he will come," "Field of Dreams," 1989.
40. "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get," "Forrest Gump," 1994.
41. "We rob banks," "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.
42. "Plastics," "The Graduate," 1967.
43. "We'll always have Paris," "Casablanca," 1942.
44. "I see dead people," "The Sixth Sense," 1999.
45. "Stella! Hey, Stella!", "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.
46. "Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars," "Now, Voyager," 1942.
47. "Shane. Shane. Come back!", "Shane," 1953.
48. "Well, nobody's perfect," "Some Like It Hot," 1959.
49. "It's alive! It's alive!", "Frankenstein," 1931.
50. "Houston, we have a problem," "Apollo 13," 1995.
51. "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?", "Dirty Harry," 1971.
52. "You had me at `hello,'" "Jerry Maguire," 1996.
53. "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know," "Animal Crackers," 1930.
54. "There's no crying in baseball!", "A League of Their Own," 1992.
55. "La-dee-da, la-dee-da," "Annie Hall," 1977.
56. "A boy's best friend is his mother," "Psycho," 1960.
57. "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good," "Wall Street," 1987.
58. "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer," "The Godfather Part II," 1974.
59. "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again," "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
60. "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!", "Sons of the Desert," 1933.
61. "Say `hello' to my little friend!", "Scarface," 1983.
62. "What a dump," "Beyond the Forest," 1949.
63. "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?", "The Graduate," 1967.
64. "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!", "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.
65. "Elementary, my dear Watson," "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," 1929.
66. "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape," "Planet of the Apes," 1968.
67. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine," "Casablanca," 1942.
68. "Here's Johnny!", "The Shining," 1980.
69. "They're here!", "Poltergeist," 1982.
70. "Is it safe?", "Marathon Man," 1976.
71. "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!", "The Jazz Singer," 1927.
72. "No wire hangers, ever!", "Mommie Dearest," 1981.
73. "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?", "Little Caesar," 1930.
74. "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown," "Chinatown," 1974.
75. "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers," "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.
76. "Hasta la vista, baby," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," 1991.
77. "Soylent Green is people!", "Soylent Green," 1973.
78. "Open the pod bay doors, HAL," "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.
79. Striker: "Surely you can't be serious." Rumack: "I am serious ... and don't call me Shirley," "Airplane!", 1980.
80. "Yo, Adrian!", "Rocky," 1976.
81. "Hello, gorgeous," "Funny Girl," 1968.
82. "Toga! Toga!", "National Lampoon's Animal House," 1978.
83. "Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make," "Dracula," 1931.
84. "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast," "King Kong," 1933.
85. "My precious," "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," 2002.
86. "Attica! Attica!", "Dog Day Afternoon," 1975.
87. "Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!", "42nd Street," 1933.
88. "Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor. Don't you forget it. You're going to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go!", "On Golden Pond," 1981.
89. "Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper," "Knute Rockne, All American," 1940.
90. "A martini. Shaken, not stirred," "Goldfinger," 1964.
91. "Who's on first," "The Naughty Nineties," 1945.
92. "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac ... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!", "Caddyshack," 1980.
93. "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!", "Auntie Mame," 1958.
94. "I feel the need — the need for speed!", "Top Gun," 1986.
95. "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary," "Dead Poets Society," 1989.
96. "Snap out of it!", "Moonstruck," 1987.
97. "My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.
98. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," "Dirty Dancing," 1987.
99. "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!", "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
100. "I'm king of the world!", "Titanic," 1997.

US Open

2005-06-19T12:34:00.000-05:00

Remember Final Round of the US Open is today.......enjoy the wonder of Pinehurst #2

Dirty Laundry

2005-06-19T12:22:00.000-05:00

Hey class just a quick one today on fathers day...............and if your a daddy...........pay your child support.......just kidding............Just outraged to know that now thanks to the lovely media in out county and i know they learned this from the BBC......(right tom)...........that You can File a false police report (claiming you were kidnapped)with the FBI, go on the run cost your locality hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime and spending searching for you, all just because you could not take the pressure of going to your own wedding.........and GET PAIDED 500,000 for your story.........completely crazy how the world works huh...........bellow is a little musical treat on the subject for you study up may be a quiz on the subject...................

Dirty Laundry by Don Henley

“I make my living off the Evening News
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose, They love dirty laundry

Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here
I just have to look good,
I don't have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em all around

We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who comes on at five
She can tell you 'bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye
It's interesting when people die- Give us dirty laundry
Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a running bet
Get the widow on the set! We need dirty laundry

You don't really need to find out what's going on
You don't really want to know just how far it's gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're stiff
Kick 'em all around

Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybody's pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry

We can do "The Innuendo"
We can dance and sing
When it's said and done we haven't told you a thing
We all know that Crap is King
Give us dirty laundry!”

Enjoy your weekend class and your Dirty Laundry

HARRELL ELECTED SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

2005-06-03T20:21:00.000-05:00

Office of the Speaker
SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Christy Cox
June 2, 2005 (803) 734-3125

HARRELL ELECTED SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

Charleston Republican officially assumes his post on June 21(Columbia) * Charleston Republican Robert "Bobby" Harrell is the newly elected Speaker of the South Carolina House. He takes over the reigns from Speaker David Wilkins who is resigning his seat after 25 years in the House to become the United State's Ambassador to Canada. Harrell received the support of the body after Richland County Representative Jim Harrison dropped out of the race earlier this morning."I am profoundly grateful to the members of the House for this great honor," Speaker-elect Harrell said. "I especially thank Jim Harrison, Doug Smith and Doug Jennings for their support and friendship. And I thank my Speaker * David Wilkins * for his steadfast leadership through the years, for being both my mentor and friend."Harrell, 49, will officially take over as Speaker on June 21 when Wilkins resignation goes into effect. Wilkins expects to be sworn-in as the new Ambassador to Canada on that day. Harrell is the current Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. He was first elected in 1993 and served as House Majority Leader from 1997-99. He and his wife, Cathy, have two children * Trey and Charlotte and reside in Charleston."Bobby Harrell is a real leader and I know he will work every single day to bring honor and dignity to this House," Wilkins said. "It is so hard to say goodbye but knowing the House is in such capable hands makes it a whole lot easier."

###

Modern Marvel:The Capital Beltway

2005-06-03T20:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome Class sorry for the gap between post been working on moving into a new job as well as dealing with other issues regarding the move back to DC.

Today’s lesson is the Modern Marvel of The Washington DC Capital Beltway. Enjoy a Short History lesson below.

The I-495 Capital Beltway was completed in August 1964. The first section was opened on December 28, 1961, and included the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River near Alexandria, Va. I-495 is 64 miles long; with 22 miles in Virginia, and 42 miles in Maryland. When opened, road was four lanes wide (two each way) from I-95 at Springfield, Va. to the George Washington Parkway interchange near the American Legion Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River near Cabin John, Md. The bridge and the rest of the Beltway (50 miles) had six lanes (three each way).
In 1972, Maryland completed Beltway widening to eight lanes (four each way) from MD-210 Indian Head Highway to MD-97 Georgia Avenue, a distance of 29 miles. In 1977, Virginia completed Beltway widening to eight lanes from US-1 Jefferson Davis Highway to VA-193 Georgetown Pike, a distance of 21 miles. In 1990, Maryland completed Beltway widening to eight lanes from MD-97 Georgia Avenue to I-270/MD-355, a distance of 4 miles. In 1991-92, Maryland and Virginia completed Beltway widening to eight lanes from I-270 Spur to VA-193, a distance of 5 miles; this included the American Legion Bridge and approaches to each interchange closest to the river, which was widened to 10 lanes. The 3 miles of Beltway between I-270/MD-355 and I-270 Spur is adequate at six lanes, as the traffic volume is about 1/2 of that of the adjoining sections of the Beltway.
The Beltway was designated I-495 throughout from 1964 to 1977. In 1977, the eastern portion became I-95, and Shirley Highway inside the Beltway was changed from I-95 to I-395. This was done because of the cancellation of proposed I-95 from New York Avenue in D.C. northward into Prince George's County to I-495. The I-95 designation was moved to the eastern half of the I-495 Beltway in 1977, and I-495 was removed from the eastern half of the Beltway, and I-395 replaced the I-95 designation on Shirley Highway from I-495 to the 14th Street Bridge, on the 14th Street Bridge itself, on the Southwest Freeway in D.C. and on the Center Leg Freeway in D.C.
Motorists never fully adjusted to having a full-circle beltway with halves with two different numbers (I-95 and I-495). In 1989, the I-495 designation was applied back to the eastern portion of the beltway, so the whole beltway is again I-495, and the eastern portion is I-95 also. The beltway has the clockwise direction (as in looking at a map of the Beltway) signed as the Inner Loop, and the counter-clockwise direction is signed as the Outer Loop.
The Capital Beltway was originally built with 38 interchanges, and today it has 40 interchanges (Eisenhower Avenue and FedEx Field were added recently). High-speed directional ramps were built at the northern I-95 junction in 1986. A number of interchanges have been expanded. There are studies underway at present to widen sections of the beltway to ten or twelve lanes. The traffic volumes on the beltway range as high as 225,000 vehicles per day.
The only remaining six-lane Beltway section (other than the adequate six-lane section between near I-270 ) is the 2 miles of Beltway comprised of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and approaches from US-1 to just east of I-295.

Good Morning Class

2005-05-22T19:19:00.000-05:00

I bid Greeting to all as i make my début in the Wild World of Blogging and as my good friend and associate in the art of spreading truth, Tommy G, put it "It's Going to Be a Rollercoaster of a ride". Could Not have said it better myself.........Still in the process of working on the site and developing an appropriate topic for my first rant.........I mean Blog.........feel free to leave comments and thoughts but if you choose to argue its welcome if but post some liberal crackpot save the animals point with no evidence I will remind you, You are so out of your league you need a new sport.

I look forward to writing for you and I hope you look forward to reading it.
Check Back soon for my First Post and Thanks for Reading.

JK's Southern Style

Take me out to the Ballgame

Don't Tread On Me

Speedy politician signs deal with Roush racing, Cheetos

Lt. Gov. Bauer making move to NASCAR

Speedy politician signs deal with Roush racing, Cheetos

By: 6 feet 9 inches, 210 pounds">Stephen Fastenau6 feet 9 inches, 210 pounds

The Mid-terms

RUSH Threatened...Silly Dems

Viva la Weezles

Another Example of how Frogs are Spineless and pretty much worthless………….$1.19 as a fine………..its so absurd its not worth the words

Paris court fines photographers for invasion of privacy in Diana's crash

Sabbatical Over

Urban Myth

Cocky Top

Happy Birthday

Return of Darth Visor

SECond Comming

A Cheesy Way To Lure Voters

Quote of The Day

"A" for Effort

Roberts May Lead a Conservative Shift on High Court

John G Roberts Jr., Nominee 109th US Supreme Court Justice

The Passing of a Giant

CGS Creative

Heres to you Big Tom

Rome goes Hollywood

From Across the Pond

Prayers for our Trans-Atlantic Brethren

Yahoo's Top 100 Movie Quotes

US Open

Dirty Laundry

HARRELL ELECTED SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

Modern Marvel:The Capital Beltway

Good Morning Class

By: 6 feet 9 inches, 210 pounds">Stephen Fastenau
6 feet 9 inches, 210 pounds