Thursday, June 30, 2005
Frontline: Better there than here
There is a fundamental point that is being missed in the analysis of Iraq. Iraq is a magnet for anyone wanting to blow themselves up right now. The large collection of US troops in Iraq gives the would be terrorists a huge target. Yes, there is a legitimate mission in Iraq and the Iraqis will be better off once the job of building a government and creating a self-sufficient Iraqi security force in complete. The work in Iraq is benefiting Americans more than some would care to admit. The simple fact is that these troops are our family and friends. The US troops are taking the bull’s eye off of the American soil while helping a country take back their land from a tyrant. These troops are fighting these terrorist on their own soil not ours. It is much easier for a would be suicide bomber to carry out his dirty work in Iraq right now rather than do it here on US soil.
No one should take this as a view of US soil being safe. There are gapping holes in our security. For instance, just over two years ago the following was reported by our government.
That was leaving over 20,000 containers per day to be moved onto US soil without any screening in 2003. There is no way to know exactly how many of these containers are entering the US without being screened today. That lack of information is a good thing relative to the terrorists, but there are still plenty of opportunities for some nasty stuff to have made its way onto US soil. The amount of nuclear material required to make a ash pile out of a small metropolitan area will fit into your average microwave oven. It is not likely that a terrorist could put together anything nearly as sophisticated and as powerful as one of our nuclear weapons. What is possible is that one of these guys might be able to put together a dirty version of one that could kill many and make a ton more people very sick.
Now the war in Iraq was not started to distract terrorist, but it seems to be doing just that. We continue to read stories like Sen. Feingold put out in response to President Bush's speech where the critics rant about how insecure we have been as a result of the war in Iraq. Well why don't they name a few examples of how we have suffered from a security perspective on US soil as a result of the war in Iraq? This may be news to some, but the US military is not you local police, FBI, or even border patrol. The troops in Iraq would not be combing the streets for terrorist if they were back on US soil. Again, why exactly are we less secure with a large number of troops in Iraq? Let's look at the global Army commitment of troops. This graphic shows less than half of our Army deployed world wide. This graphic also shows less than one third of our national guard deployed.
The war in Iraq has not caused us a lack of security on US soil. There have been a total of zero terrorist attacks on US soil while our troops have been deployed in Iraq.
No one should take this as a view of US soil being safe. There are gapping holes in our security. For instance, just over two years ago the following was reported by our government.
Currently, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection in the Department of Homeland Security inspects only a small percentage of cargo containers. Some are scanned with x-ray equipment; others are physically opened to verify their contents. Either way, the process is time consuming and burdensome, and historically, Customs has been able to physically screen only about two percent of these containers.
That was leaving over 20,000 containers per day to be moved onto US soil without any screening in 2003. There is no way to know exactly how many of these containers are entering the US without being screened today. That lack of information is a good thing relative to the terrorists, but there are still plenty of opportunities for some nasty stuff to have made its way onto US soil. The amount of nuclear material required to make a ash pile out of a small metropolitan area will fit into your average microwave oven. It is not likely that a terrorist could put together anything nearly as sophisticated and as powerful as one of our nuclear weapons. What is possible is that one of these guys might be able to put together a dirty version of one that could kill many and make a ton more people very sick.
Now the war in Iraq was not started to distract terrorist, but it seems to be doing just that. We continue to read stories like Sen. Feingold put out in response to President Bush's speech where the critics rant about how insecure we have been as a result of the war in Iraq. Well why don't they name a few examples of how we have suffered from a security perspective on US soil as a result of the war in Iraq? This may be news to some, but the US military is not you local police, FBI, or even border patrol. The troops in Iraq would not be combing the streets for terrorist if they were back on US soil. Again, why exactly are we less secure with a large number of troops in Iraq? Let's look at the global Army commitment of troops. This graphic shows less than half of our Army deployed world wide. This graphic also shows less than one third of our national guard deployed.
The war in Iraq has not caused us a lack of security on US soil. There have been a total of zero terrorist attacks on US soil while our troops have been deployed in Iraq.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Online Truth Part Three: Phishing
The word phishing may not be understood by the average person on the street, but if you use email you might want to understand it. The following is a good definition found on Wikepedia:
It goes like this. You recieve an email that LOOKS very legitimate from a well known company that you might normally do business with like Ebay. The email has very professional wording that sounds very conviencing. It might say that your account will be closed if you do not take immediate action by clicking the link provided in the email. The link may look conviencing like this: Google. I'll bet you thought you were going to Google, and if you didn't think you where goign to Google you probably had no idea that 69.454153 would take you to the HOEI.COM main page. I will explain that numberic thing another day, but the point is that things are not always what they appear to be in an email or on a web site for that matter.
I have recently recieved phishing emails that apeared to be from Ebay, PayPal, Wells Fargo, and others using similar tactics as described above. Most of the others were from people pretending to be respresentatives of some deceased forigner, usually from Africa with a ton of cash that needs to be claimed by someone in the USA. I was randomly chosen as the luck person to help this representative free up the cash and in return I will get a healthy percentage of the millions of dollars.
There are many people on the Internet that think you can hide from receiving these emails by obfuscating or masking their email addresses. For instance they say you should display your email as hank DOT osborne AT hoei DOT com instead of hank.osborne@hoei.com when posting comments or building web pages. Hog wash! I have a hug problem with this approach. Not everyone that surfs the Internet knows what you are trying to say when you use the ATs and DOTs. Furthermore, even though I do understand, I don't want to have to convert a persons obfuscated email address into a real one just so I can send them a message. Yes, you might avoid having your email picked up by a bot or crawler, but you may also turn away some potentially valuable contacts.
Here are a few recommendations for how to deal with phishing and spam:
You can use a separate email address for all online transactions, posts, advertisements, etc. This will not guarentee that your fiends, family, or other contacts are going to protect your address even if you ask them. For instance your Mom may forget your privacy request and sign you up for some cool offer that she found on the Internet not realizing that your email addresses are going to be sold on the open market as a result of her thoughtful gesture.
The bottom line is that if you use the Internet you are going to incure some level of risk. A little risk is okay, but you have to use a little bit of common sense. It is like driving a car. You could bar your doors like a race car and wear a helment and a fire resistant clothing, but who would want to ride with you? Instead, use your seatbelts, door locks, and keep your care in good repair. Oh yeah, don't pick up strangers. This same level of caution should keep you pretty good shape while using the Internet.
This message is also posted on The Tech Land of Ozz.
"In computing, phishing is the act of attempting to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business with a real need for such information in a seemingly official electronic notification or message (most often an email, or an instant message). It is a form of social engineering attack."
It goes like this. You recieve an email that LOOKS very legitimate from a well known company that you might normally do business with like Ebay. The email has very professional wording that sounds very conviencing. It might say that your account will be closed if you do not take immediate action by clicking the link provided in the email. The link may look conviencing like this: Google. I'll bet you thought you were going to Google, and if you didn't think you where goign to Google you probably had no idea that 69.454153 would take you to the HOEI.COM main page. I will explain that numberic thing another day, but the point is that things are not always what they appear to be in an email or on a web site for that matter.
I have recently recieved phishing emails that apeared to be from Ebay, PayPal, Wells Fargo, and others using similar tactics as described above. Most of the others were from people pretending to be respresentatives of some deceased forigner, usually from Africa with a ton of cash that needs to be claimed by someone in the USA. I was randomly chosen as the luck person to help this representative free up the cash and in return I will get a healthy percentage of the millions of dollars.
There are many people on the Internet that think you can hide from receiving these emails by obfuscating or masking their email addresses. For instance they say you should display your email as hank DOT osborne AT hoei DOT com instead of hank.osborne@hoei.com when posting comments or building web pages. Hog wash! I have a hug problem with this approach. Not everyone that surfs the Internet knows what you are trying to say when you use the ATs and DOTs. Furthermore, even though I do understand, I don't want to have to convert a persons obfuscated email address into a real one just so I can send them a message. Yes, you might avoid having your email picked up by a bot or crawler, but you may also turn away some potentially valuable contacts.
Here are a few recommendations for how to deal with phishing and spam:
Do not visit web sites using links provided in emails that are from businesses. Hand type the address into you browser or use a bookmark from a previous visit.
Do not vistit web sites using links provided in emails from persons that you do know know and trust.
Don't be afraid to verify the sender of an email. Send a response email to the person or company using an email address in your address book and ask them if they recently sent you a link in an email.
Use filters and rules on your email application. If you only want to receive email from people you know, then set up a filter to do this. I recommend reviwing the list of filtered emails before deleting them.
You can use a separate email address for all online transactions, posts, advertisements, etc. This will not guarentee that your fiends, family, or other contacts are going to protect your address even if you ask them. For instance your Mom may forget your privacy request and sign you up for some cool offer that she found on the Internet not realizing that your email addresses are going to be sold on the open market as a result of her thoughtful gesture.
The bottom line is that if you use the Internet you are going to incure some level of risk. A little risk is okay, but you have to use a little bit of common sense. It is like driving a car. You could bar your doors like a race car and wear a helment and a fire resistant clothing, but who would want to ride with you? Instead, use your seatbelts, door locks, and keep your care in good repair. Oh yeah, don't pick up strangers. This same level of caution should keep you pretty good shape while using the Internet.
This message is also posted on The Tech Land of Ozz.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Rove > Durbin = Lott
The democrats would have you believe that Dick Durbin's recent comments comparing our troops to Nazis is equal to Rove's comments comparing the differences in how conservative and liberals responded to the 9/11 attacks. Michelle Malkin offers an explanation of the democrat's equation: DEMS WANT TO PLAY ROVE=DURBIN. The correct equation is Durbin = Lott. That would be where the Democrats join in the call for the resignation of their own party member the way the Republicans joined in to ask for Lott to step down.
My favorite radio talk show host has helped me come to the equation of Rove > Durbin = Lott. Glenn Beck has challenged Dick Durbin to a offer a real apology and resign. Here you can see the count down timer that Glenn is running on his web site to show how long it has been since Durbin offered his non-apology apology. Here is a link to the actual audio from the Glenn Beck show.
You can read more reactions on Rove and Durbin here, here, here, and here.
My favorite radio talk show host has helped me come to the equation of Rove > Durbin = Lott. Glenn Beck has challenged Dick Durbin to a offer a real apology and resign. Here you can see the count down timer that Glenn is running on his web site to show how long it has been since Durbin offered his non-apology apology. Here is a link to the actual audio from the Glenn Beck show.
You can read more reactions on Rove and Durbin here, here, here, and here.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Online Truth Part Two: Personal Information
There has been a lot of buzz lately about personal information being acquired from online resources without the knowledge or permission of the target. The stealing of credit card information is one thing. Many people are surprised to find out how easy it is to acquire specific information online like home address, phone number, social security number, and more. For years there have been free or very cheap resources available online that assist in gathering information on just about anyone. These resources are just online versions of the same resources that have been around for decades via other avenues like the local court house or the local library.
I will to demonstrate to you a few exercises in acquiring some basic information about a person or business without spending a dime. These resources are legitimate, free, and pretty accurate. I spent a short time working as a licensed private investigator (PI) back in the early 90s. Oh, and if you are cheating or thinking about it, don't do it! It is not that hard to catch someone even when they are trying very hard to hide it. While I did do some of this dirty work, most of my work consisted of serving summons and subpoenas for the courts in my area. Most of the resources I used to track people for serving court papers are now available online. I can not imagine how much easier that job would be today. I was serving an average of 200 court papers per month back then.
The first thing that alarms people is how easy it is to find an address from a phone number. Here is an example. I will use a pizza restaurant phone number in my home town of Clinton, SC. First I will enter the phone number into Google and click search. I entered 864-833-4373 and clicked search. The first result gave me the name of the restaurant and three choices for mapping the location of that address using Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest. The results were accurate and two of the three map options displayed an accurate map of the location of the restaurant. This feature can be used for any listed phone number. There are ways to get your address and phone number removed from this list, but your effort will be futile. Why? Because there are a few dozen other ways to accomplish the same thing on the Internet without using Google. Just type the words "reverse lookup" into your favorite search engine. One of the first few things to pop up is AnyWho.com. I have been using AnyWho for at least five years to do what Google is offering in their search engine. Services like AnyWho that offer reverse lookup of phone numbers have become much more accurate in recent years. Back in the mid 90s you would get information that was at least a year old. Today the information is much more current.
The feature of finding an address using a phone number is not new and is not limited to only Google. The feature of locating a person has been available on the Internet for almost as long as the World Wide Web has been around and may go back into the old Gopher days for all I know. Keep in mind that the Internet as you know it has been around just over a decade. The features that you get from the Internet today were unheard of in the even as recent as the early 90s. Google through multiple acquisitions has just tied up the loose ends so you don't have to use multiple sites to find the address for a person anymore. The old school way was to use a reverse lookup tool like AnyWho.com to find the address associated with a phone number. You could then open up you favorite map web site or software to locate the address. This still works quite well. The new features of Google Maps like the satellite images of the local area of an address make Google my new first stop when doing a reverse lookup these days. Keep in mind that many of the satellite images of rural areas will give a picture much like you see from a commercial jet at 30,000 feet. The Satellite image of my local area is more like flying at 10,000 feet.
There are a number of services that allow you to do things like gathering credit history, criminal background, and other information for a fee. Most of this stuff if not all of it can be gathered for a single person for under $100. This is a small price to pay considering the amount of information you get. So ladies, when your dad or you brother says that they are going to check out this new boyfriend, they are probably not kidding if they are willing to spend a little time on the Internet or part with a few bucks.
My wife was absolutely shocked at the amount of information that could be gathered about a person on the Internet without that person ever knowing. Most of the detailed financial things like credit card and bank account numbers are harder to come by legally but not impossible as you have seen in recent headlines. Things like a phone number, address, and family history are a difference story. The more you want to know the more likely you are to end up spending money. If you want to get down in the weeds of a persons past without hiring a PI then you will need to spend a little money and have a lot of patience. I have been able to gather a ton of information on my own family history by using Ancestry.com. They have a paid service that will allow you to gather more information over a longer period of time, but I just used their 14-day trial. I got full names, addresses, social security numbers, birth dates, and more for everyone from my dad plus everyone in the family for several generations before him.
Here is another big surprise for most people. Many counties now list property cards on the Internet. For instance, the county that I live in will allow for anyone with Internet access to see what I paid for my house, how much I paid in property taxes each year, and the names on the deed. All of this can be seen by just knowing the street address and the county that I live in. Similar options are available on the web sites for surrounding counties. This is all information that could be gathered with a trip to the local courthouse, but the Internet has brought this information to your finger tips in your living room.
The unfortunate thing is that most people have no idea of the amount of information that is available to the general public about just about anyone. You really don't have to hire a PI to gather detailed information these days. You can actually be a PI from the comfort of your couch.
Don't forget to read: Online Truth Part One: Junk Email
This story is also posted on The Tech Land of Ozz
I will to demonstrate to you a few exercises in acquiring some basic information about a person or business without spending a dime. These resources are legitimate, free, and pretty accurate. I spent a short time working as a licensed private investigator (PI) back in the early 90s. Oh, and if you are cheating or thinking about it, don't do it! It is not that hard to catch someone even when they are trying very hard to hide it. While I did do some of this dirty work, most of my work consisted of serving summons and subpoenas for the courts in my area. Most of the resources I used to track people for serving court papers are now available online. I can not imagine how much easier that job would be today. I was serving an average of 200 court papers per month back then.
The first thing that alarms people is how easy it is to find an address from a phone number. Here is an example. I will use a pizza restaurant phone number in my home town of Clinton, SC. First I will enter the phone number into Google and click search. I entered 864-833-4373 and clicked search. The first result gave me the name of the restaurant and three choices for mapping the location of that address using Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest. The results were accurate and two of the three map options displayed an accurate map of the location of the restaurant. This feature can be used for any listed phone number. There are ways to get your address and phone number removed from this list, but your effort will be futile. Why? Because there are a few dozen other ways to accomplish the same thing on the Internet without using Google. Just type the words "reverse lookup" into your favorite search engine. One of the first few things to pop up is AnyWho.com. I have been using AnyWho for at least five years to do what Google is offering in their search engine. Services like AnyWho that offer reverse lookup of phone numbers have become much more accurate in recent years. Back in the mid 90s you would get information that was at least a year old. Today the information is much more current.
The feature of finding an address using a phone number is not new and is not limited to only Google. The feature of locating a person has been available on the Internet for almost as long as the World Wide Web has been around and may go back into the old Gopher days for all I know. Keep in mind that the Internet as you know it has been around just over a decade. The features that you get from the Internet today were unheard of in the even as recent as the early 90s. Google through multiple acquisitions has just tied up the loose ends so you don't have to use multiple sites to find the address for a person anymore. The old school way was to use a reverse lookup tool like AnyWho.com to find the address associated with a phone number. You could then open up you favorite map web site or software to locate the address. This still works quite well. The new features of Google Maps like the satellite images of the local area of an address make Google my new first stop when doing a reverse lookup these days. Keep in mind that many of the satellite images of rural areas will give a picture much like you see from a commercial jet at 30,000 feet. The Satellite image of my local area is more like flying at 10,000 feet.
There are a number of services that allow you to do things like gathering credit history, criminal background, and other information for a fee. Most of this stuff if not all of it can be gathered for a single person for under $100. This is a small price to pay considering the amount of information you get. So ladies, when your dad or you brother says that they are going to check out this new boyfriend, they are probably not kidding if they are willing to spend a little time on the Internet or part with a few bucks.
My wife was absolutely shocked at the amount of information that could be gathered about a person on the Internet without that person ever knowing. Most of the detailed financial things like credit card and bank account numbers are harder to come by legally but not impossible as you have seen in recent headlines. Things like a phone number, address, and family history are a difference story. The more you want to know the more likely you are to end up spending money. If you want to get down in the weeds of a persons past without hiring a PI then you will need to spend a little money and have a lot of patience. I have been able to gather a ton of information on my own family history by using Ancestry.com. They have a paid service that will allow you to gather more information over a longer period of time, but I just used their 14-day trial. I got full names, addresses, social security numbers, birth dates, and more for everyone from my dad plus everyone in the family for several generations before him.
Here is another big surprise for most people. Many counties now list property cards on the Internet. For instance, the county that I live in will allow for anyone with Internet access to see what I paid for my house, how much I paid in property taxes each year, and the names on the deed. All of this can be seen by just knowing the street address and the county that I live in. Similar options are available on the web sites for surrounding counties. This is all information that could be gathered with a trip to the local courthouse, but the Internet has brought this information to your finger tips in your living room.
The unfortunate thing is that most people have no idea of the amount of information that is available to the general public about just about anyone. You really don't have to hire a PI to gather detailed information these days. You can actually be a PI from the comfort of your couch.
Don't forget to read: Online Truth Part One: Junk Email
This story is also posted on The Tech Land of Ozz
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Online Truth Part One: Junk Email
How many times have your heard a friend or family member say that junk mail is one of their pet peeves? They hate getting so much stuff in the mail that they did not ask for and have no interest in. And then how many of those same people have forwarded an email to you with some outrageous claims to earn cash. Maybe you got an email containing a tear jerker story about some poor child with a terminal illness or a family that was the victim of a horrible tragedy with a weird twist of events that ends up giving you chills. The truth is that a large majority of these emails containing FW: FW: FW: in the subject line are what my wife calls hog wash.
I have successfully converted my wife to a truth wielding respondent to these outrageous emails. Now don't get me wrong, neither of us mind a good story. What we don't like is getting a story from a person that we trust where they have blindly forwarded a story that is obviously suspect. At least it usually seems obvious to me when I receive an email that is suspect. All I ask is that people make it clear whether the story is true or not before they forward it again. My posting on "Billy Graham and the Limo" is a prime example. I told where I got it and what I know about the story from doing a few short minutes of research.
Now I am not going to leave you hanging here. There are some good resources on the Internet that help clarify or expose the most popular emails that you might get. I want to give you a few pointers on when to utilize these resources and then I will list some of my favorite places for gathering the latest facts on a story.
Here are a few guidelines to follow before forwarding easy cash, latest computer virus that formats you hard drive, tear jerker, chain letter, or outrageous sounding stories via email.
Now that is not a very hard list of suggestions. I do not plan on leaving you hanging here. I want to point you to a few of my favorite resources.
These are just a few that I have used recently with great success. I have also used search engines like Google, but you have to be careful with search engines. They can lead you to some unreliable sources of information. You will be able to find reference to a large percentage of your suspect emails using the sites listed above. For those you can not verify, you can put something like "could not verify this but it is funny" at the beginning of the message. Why not take a few minutes to verify something if you were planning on spending a few minutes sifting through your address book picking victims to receive your junk emails? It only takes a few minutes and you become better educated and prevent yourself a little bit of embarrassment. Yes! Your friends might be saying to each other, “I wish that person would stop sending out all of that junk.”
Those on the receiving end of the junk emails will just have to keep a health stock of replacement delete keys for your computer. I would suggest adding the offender to your spam list, but I for one get many valid emails that I do need to read from a number of the people who are habitual junk email forwarders. In the meantime, be patient with them and send them a courteous reply with your findings on the truth about the suspect email that you receive.
Next: Online Truth Part Two: Personal Information Sharing
This message is cross posted on The Tech Land of Ozz
I have successfully converted my wife to a truth wielding respondent to these outrageous emails. Now don't get me wrong, neither of us mind a good story. What we don't like is getting a story from a person that we trust where they have blindly forwarded a story that is obviously suspect. At least it usually seems obvious to me when I receive an email that is suspect. All I ask is that people make it clear whether the story is true or not before they forward it again. My posting on "Billy Graham and the Limo" is a prime example. I told where I got it and what I know about the story from doing a few short minutes of research.
Now I am not going to leave you hanging here. There are some good resources on the Internet that help clarify or expose the most popular emails that you might get. I want to give you a few pointers on when to utilize these resources and then I will list some of my favorite places for gathering the latest facts on a story.
Here are a few guidelines to follow before forwarding easy cash, latest computer virus that formats you hard drive, tear jerker, chain letter, or outrageous sounding stories via email.
- If all else fails ask me to help validate a story.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.
"True Story" in the subject line should raise a flag.
More than one instance of the "fw" in the subject line should raise suspicion.
Do a quick check for validity of the story. (See a few resources below)
Ask a friend who knows a little more about how to track down a story's history.
Add a comment at the beginning or end of your email with your findings about the story.
Easy Cash: Forward only information based on personal experiences or of those who are close friends or family. Those experiences told about a guy who my friend's friend knows do not usually hold water.
Now that is not a very hard list of suggestions. I do not plan on leaving you hanging here. I want to point you to a few of my favorite resources.
About.com's Current Netlore - My favorite, but have your popup blocker enabled.
HOAXBUSTERS
Symantec - Virus Hoax Page from the producers of Norton Anti Virus
McAfee - Virus Hoax Page
These are just a few that I have used recently with great success. I have also used search engines like Google, but you have to be careful with search engines. They can lead you to some unreliable sources of information. You will be able to find reference to a large percentage of your suspect emails using the sites listed above. For those you can not verify, you can put something like "could not verify this but it is funny" at the beginning of the message. Why not take a few minutes to verify something if you were planning on spending a few minutes sifting through your address book picking victims to receive your junk emails? It only takes a few minutes and you become better educated and prevent yourself a little bit of embarrassment. Yes! Your friends might be saying to each other, “I wish that person would stop sending out all of that junk.”
Those on the receiving end of the junk emails will just have to keep a health stock of replacement delete keys for your computer. I would suggest adding the offender to your spam list, but I for one get many valid emails that I do need to read from a number of the people who are habitual junk email forwarders. In the meantime, be patient with them and send them a courteous reply with your findings on the truth about the suspect email that you receive.
Next: Online Truth Part Two: Personal Information Sharing
This message is cross posted on The Tech Land of Ozz
Friday, June 17, 2005
Online Polls - Read the fine print
The WorldNetDaily ran a story tonight about an MSNBC online poll. The poll shows that 94% of the respondents voted yes when asked if they thought that President Bush misled the nation in order to go to war in Iraq.
The WorldNetDaily did not show reference to the fine print clearly posted on the survey with a link to more detailed information on the inaccuracies of online voluntary polling. MSNBC News tells About our Live Votes and surveys right at the bottom of the survey results.
Who in the heck is up watching MSNBC this time of the night anyway? WorldNetDaily reported approximately 6,000 responses to the poll at 10:05PM ET. This posting was put together three hours later and the count was up by another 10,000 to over 16,000 voters. At this hour most of the nation is asleep except for me and at least a few thousand folks on the West Coast watching MSNBC while surfing. That said, I can see that this poll could be accurate given the predominately liberal West Coast. That is considering that there are probably not more than 960 (6% of 16K) Bush supporters on the West Coast anyway. Of course I am joking.
All joking aside, I was beginning to trust some of the WorldNetDaily content. After all they do say in their mission statement which is quoted on their about page that they are, "...a guardian of liberty, an exponent of truth and justice, an uncompromising disseminator of news." It looks like they are at least compromising a little bit of the truth by not giving the whole truth in that this survey is very likely to be inaccurate. The MSNBC poll and survey disclaimer page uses an example of a poll taken on the subject of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal where there was a 40% difference when compared to another poll on the same subject.
The WorldNetDaily story can be found here.
The WorldNetDaily did not show reference to the fine print clearly posted on the survey with a link to more detailed information on the inaccuracies of online voluntary polling. MSNBC News tells About our Live Votes and surveys right at the bottom of the survey results.
Who in the heck is up watching MSNBC this time of the night anyway? WorldNetDaily reported approximately 6,000 responses to the poll at 10:05PM ET. This posting was put together three hours later and the count was up by another 10,000 to over 16,000 voters. At this hour most of the nation is asleep except for me and at least a few thousand folks on the West Coast watching MSNBC while surfing. That said, I can see that this poll could be accurate given the predominately liberal West Coast. That is considering that there are probably not more than 960 (6% of 16K) Bush supporters on the West Coast anyway. Of course I am joking.
All joking aside, I was beginning to trust some of the WorldNetDaily content. After all they do say in their mission statement which is quoted on their about page that they are, "...a guardian of liberty, an exponent of truth and justice, an uncompromising disseminator of news." It looks like they are at least compromising a little bit of the truth by not giving the whole truth in that this survey is very likely to be inaccurate. The MSNBC poll and survey disclaimer page uses an example of a poll taken on the subject of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal where there was a 40% difference when compared to another poll on the same subject.
The WorldNetDaily story can be found here.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Female to Fly Right Wing for Thunderbirds
Congratulations to Capt. Nicole Malachowski for being named the first female pilot assigned to the US Air Force Thunderbirds. She is currently an F-15 Strike Eagle pilot for the USAF and recently served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Read the complete story here.
Thanks to CNN.com for running such a great story.
Thanks to CNN.com for running such a great story.
Disrespect of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Graduates
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was the guest speaker at Santa Monica Community College yesterday where the audience included some very rude protestors. The college is reported to primarily enroll lower income students and has recently raised tuition due to budget cuts under Gov. Schwarzenegger's short time in office. The governor is also pushing for a special election for a ballot that would give some unions the short end of the stick if it passes.
The speech yesterday was not well received by some in the audience including some of the faculty. There were some very rude gestures from some members of the audience holding up signs and booing as the governor spoke.
This type of activity from those who disagree with Gov. Schwarzenegger was done in poor taste in the wrong forum. This was a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates. This was not a time to grind an ax over political disagreements.
These bully tactics from those opposing Gov. Schwarzenegger will not gain respect from conservatives. If they can't come up with a better answer to complex problems they resort to bashing those who do have a plan. Governor Schwarzenegger is doing what he thinks is best for the state of California. Those who believe his ideas are wrong should gather their friends and visit the polls on November 8th. These tactics of booing and protesting will not gain the respect of people who are looking for answers. What will gain their respect is another good idea.
The speech yesterday was not well received by some in the audience including some of the faculty. There were some very rude gestures from some members of the audience holding up signs and booing as the governor spoke.
This type of activity from those who disagree with Gov. Schwarzenegger was done in poor taste in the wrong forum. This was a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates. This was not a time to grind an ax over political disagreements.
These bully tactics from those opposing Gov. Schwarzenegger will not gain respect from conservatives. If they can't come up with a better answer to complex problems they resort to bashing those who do have a plan. Governor Schwarzenegger is doing what he thinks is best for the state of California. Those who believe his ideas are wrong should gather their friends and visit the polls on November 8th. These tactics of booing and protesting will not gain the respect of people who are looking for answers. What will gain their respect is another good idea.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Modern Church Movements
I was recently asked by a friend to comment on modern church movements. The particular movement in focus was the seeker friendly church movement. I attend a church that displays some of the characteristics that some would try to criticize as being seeker friendly.
The opinions I have about my research on the "seeker friendly" movement are a little unique from any other that I have found so far. My approach to this subject falls near to the struggle that I live with every day. My struggle is to love others unconditionally and display that love in everything I do and say. I will share a scripture to begin my response to what I have found concerning this modern church movement.
I start with this scripture because I believe it is where critics begin to go astray when targeting seeker friendly church practices. Almost everything I have found on this subject is not done in love but in pure criticism. A large majority of the criticisms I have found are focused on Rick Warren the author of "The Purpose Driven Life". My opinion is that these critics should look in the mirror.
These critics are forgetting something very important. We should all focus on living in a way that strives to be Christ like. Spending hours, days, and months in trying to discredit others does not display very much love. Our energy should be focused on sharing the word of God in a positive manner. If the practices or teachings are leading people towards Christ rather than away then it is good. Those who openly critisize their fellow Christian brothers are doing far more harm than good in the face of those who have not found Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Those who are ministering incorrectly will be held accountable. Those who are doing good will be rewarded.
This scripture does not say to minister only to believers. There is an emphasis on ministering to believers, but all people are included without restriction.
I have intentionally left out references to those who criticize the good efforts of Rick Warren and other well known preachers and authors. I have not read any of Warren's books in entirety and I am not biased in his favor. I have read some of "The Purpose Driven Life" but I have not found time to complete it. What I did read was not flowing with criticisms like the things I have read about the seeker friendly practices that Warren is criticized about. I look at the criticism of Rick Warren and others as far from loving. Any preachers or churches that are deviating from the word of God will answer for it one day. That day is not today and we are not the judges. The last few verses of the Bible make clear the result of misusing the Bible.
I attend Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant, SC. My church is seeker friendly as well as believer friendly. The Holy Spirit is alive and well in my church. I have met some of the most dedicated Christians I have ever encountered in my life. These are not Sunday morning dress up Christians. These are full blown, 24/7, fired up, and ready to share the good news of Jesus Christ anywhere anytime kind of Christians.
Remember to ask yourself a question when reading criticisms about the practices of other teachers, churches or preachers. Are the words you are reading likely to lead someone to Christ or away from Christ? Is the author following this scripture?
When you enter into a church take the same approach at reviewing what you see. Are the practices of this church leading people towards Christ or away form Christ? Seek the final answer to these questions through prayer and then by reading the Bible for yourself. You do not have to be a preacher, teacher, author, or theologian to find answers through prayer and reading the word of God.
The opinions I have about my research on the "seeker friendly" movement are a little unique from any other that I have found so far. My approach to this subject falls near to the struggle that I live with every day. My struggle is to love others unconditionally and display that love in everything I do and say. I will share a scripture to begin my response to what I have found concerning this modern church movement.
Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:18-20 (NLT)
I start with this scripture because I believe it is where critics begin to go astray when targeting seeker friendly church practices. Almost everything I have found on this subject is not done in love but in pure criticism. A large majority of the criticisms I have found are focused on Rick Warren the author of "The Purpose Driven Life". My opinion is that these critics should look in the mirror.
These critics are forgetting something very important. We should all focus on living in a way that strives to be Christ like. Spending hours, days, and months in trying to discredit others does not display very much love. Our energy should be focused on sharing the word of God in a positive manner. If the practices or teachings are leading people towards Christ rather than away then it is good. Those who openly critisize their fellow Christian brothers are doing far more harm than good in the face of those who have not found Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Those who are ministering incorrectly will be held accountable. Those who are doing good will be rewarded.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)
This scripture does not say to minister only to believers. There is an emphasis on ministering to believers, but all people are included without restriction.
I have intentionally left out references to those who criticize the good efforts of Rick Warren and other well known preachers and authors. I have not read any of Warren's books in entirety and I am not biased in his favor. I have read some of "The Purpose Driven Life" but I have not found time to complete it. What I did read was not flowing with criticisms like the things I have read about the seeker friendly practices that Warren is criticized about. I look at the criticism of Rick Warren and others as far from loving. Any preachers or churches that are deviating from the word of God will answer for it one day. That day is not today and we are not the judges. The last few verses of the Bible make clear the result of misusing the Bible.
And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!"
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:18-20 (NLT)
I attend Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant, SC. My church is seeker friendly as well as believer friendly. The Holy Spirit is alive and well in my church. I have met some of the most dedicated Christians I have ever encountered in my life. These are not Sunday morning dress up Christians. These are full blown, 24/7, fired up, and ready to share the good news of Jesus Christ anywhere anytime kind of Christians.
Remember to ask yourself a question when reading criticisms about the practices of other teachers, churches or preachers. Are the words you are reading likely to lead someone to Christ or away from Christ? Is the author following this scripture?
Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:17-19
When you enter into a church take the same approach at reviewing what you see. Are the practices of this church leading people towards Christ or away form Christ? Seek the final answer to these questions through prayer and then by reading the Bible for yourself. You do not have to be a preacher, teacher, author, or theologian to find answers through prayer and reading the word of God.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Main Stream Media (MSM) Changing?
A story about how the MSM is or at least needs to change the way they do business was posted by a seasoned MSM member Jeff Jarvis. Reading blogs is as important as posting to them. Mark Tapscott's quote of the Proverbs 18:2 in the description of his blog reminds us of that. Mark gives comments on the BuzzMachine "A new newsroom" posting by Jeff Jarvis. These postings are a must read for those who want to know how blogs might play into the future of MSM.
Who Wants to Blog?
I ask who wants to blog because I really do want to know. I have offered space to friends on my server. I will set up the blog with trackbacks, comments, and blogrolls. These are people who I like to listen to and I think others would enjoy their views as well. The underlying motives are simple. I want to help disperse useful information on subjects that I feel are important and I want to make a few bucks.
There are plenty of subjects that I find important. Many things I like to weigh in on are covered very well by many others, but they are not me. I believe that it is important to stand up for what you believe in. I believe in good Christian values. There are few subjects that I believe can have a long lasting impact if they are shared clearly and with love. I am still working on the love part. I can be abrasive at times and that is why I am looking for a few people to help soften up my site and the subjects that I believe are important.
The idea of making a few bucks is not new. I have been running web sites for almost ten years now. I know how it works. I know it takes money and/or time to make money. I know that you can make a lot of money in a short amount of time if you have a ton of money to start with. I do not have money, but I do frequently have some time on my hands. Now making money on the Internet without a lot of money to begin with can only be accomplished with time, patience, and most importantly a good web site. The numbers that I have come up with are pretty simple. It takes about 100 unique visitors to a site before an ad is clicked. It then takes about 100 ad clicks to get a purchase. That comes out to roughly one purchase that results in a commission for every 1000 unique visitors to a web site. My numbers are based an my personal experiences, and a few statistics that I have found on other web sites. How much commission is earned depends on the amount of the purchase and the details of the affiliate agreement that is going to track and pay you for your referral.
I am looking to spread good information and make enough money. I do not expect to get rich. I do expect to make enough to pay for hosting and be able to throw a bone to the contributors once in a while. I plan on holding off on advertising until I get the content rolling. I believe that the content I am planning on offering will be helpful and sought after. More to come later.
There are plenty of subjects that I find important. Many things I like to weigh in on are covered very well by many others, but they are not me. I believe that it is important to stand up for what you believe in. I believe in good Christian values. There are few subjects that I believe can have a long lasting impact if they are shared clearly and with love. I am still working on the love part. I can be abrasive at times and that is why I am looking for a few people to help soften up my site and the subjects that I believe are important.
The idea of making a few bucks is not new. I have been running web sites for almost ten years now. I know how it works. I know it takes money and/or time to make money. I know that you can make a lot of money in a short amount of time if you have a ton of money to start with. I do not have money, but I do frequently have some time on my hands. Now making money on the Internet without a lot of money to begin with can only be accomplished with time, patience, and most importantly a good web site. The numbers that I have come up with are pretty simple. It takes about 100 unique visitors to a site before an ad is clicked. It then takes about 100 ad clicks to get a purchase. That comes out to roughly one purchase that results in a commission for every 1000 unique visitors to a web site. My numbers are based an my personal experiences, and a few statistics that I have found on other web sites. How much commission is earned depends on the amount of the purchase and the details of the affiliate agreement that is going to track and pay you for your referral.
I am looking to spread good information and make enough money. I do not expect to get rich. I do expect to make enough to pay for hosting and be able to throw a bone to the contributors once in a while. I plan on holding off on advertising until I get the content rolling. I believe that the content I am planning on offering will be helpful and sought after. More to come later.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Dean Opens Mouth - Inserts Leg
Howard Dean is rapidly becoming a republican party ally. Some larger democratic party supporters question his ability to do anything more than give republicans a victory on a silver platter. Scott Ott at Scrappleface pulls the highlights out of Dean's latest side show.
Read Scott Ott's story here.
Part II:
I don't think Howard Dean has taken the time to read the platform of the party that he leads. The last two sentences of the PDf reads like this:
See the entire PDF here.
The Wikipedia has this to say about civility:
I consider Dean's comments to be very disrespectful and racist towards white Christians.
Read Scott Ott's story here.
Part II:
I don't think Howard Dean has taken the time to read the platform of the party that he leads. The last two sentences of the PDf reads like this:
We are committed to resolving our differences in a spirit of civility, hope and mutual
respect.
That's the America we believe in.
See the entire PDF here.
The Wikipedia has this to say about civility:
Whereas incivility is defined here as behavior that causes an atmosphere of animosity, disrespect, conflict and stress, the Civility rule states that people must act with civility toward one another.
I consider Dean's comments to be very disrespectful and racist towards white Christians.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Yee Haa..I got my first trackback
I did get a trackback and I am excited. It was not the most positive trackback on the planet, but it was a trackback. The blogger (Joseph Weisenthal) was rather critical in using me as an example of what he thinks blogs should not be. He has a right to voice his opinion and he expresses it very well. I do not agree with everything he says, but he will make my blogroll just for giving me my first trackback. Here are a few things he said about me in his posting and what I have to say in response:
Response: I am not trying to imitate, but I am hoping like a bunch of other nobodies to get noticed by a more popular blogger. Look at one of the "blogfathers" Glenn Reynolds. His blog site the InstanPundit consists mainly of postings that are 12 words or less with a link to someone else. I don't see a problem with this type of posting, but I am criticized for not being original. Don't get me wrong, Glenn Reynolds is far from unorignal, but most of his posts have little meat to them. I hope that Glenn Reynolds or one of the other "blogfathers" reads their trackbacks one day and realizes that I post relative information from time to time. Maybe one of them will throw me a bone. Maybe I am dreaming, but it is my dream and I have a right to it. I do know that Glenn Reynolds was writing long before he started blogging, and I will be blogging long before if ever I write professionally. I have got to start somewhere. Oh yeah, this is not where I started. I started with Caden's Page before I even knew that the term blog existed. I had written over 20,00 words before I ever realized I was blogging. I started converting over to a more formal blog format a few months ago. Now here I am getting recognized/criticized. I never claimed to popular in he things I have been involved in, but rather well known. I guess bad reviews is better than no reviews for now.
Response: I have been exposed. I do look at my own blog for a number of reasons. Joseph didn't look very hard at the details though. The image below is from my site meter statistics. Maybe he could not access the details or he was just not very thorough. Anyway, it shows only 15% coming form BellSouth. Oh yeah, he pegged me on that too. I do use BellSouth and so does my wife along with just a few other people I am sure. My wife looks at what I post on Caden's Page. We both get a ton of support from the emails that we receive from the several dozen repeat visitors to this blog. Most are brought in via an email subscription that allows them to get notified when I post an update to Caden's Page. By the way, the 15% BellSouth traffic really is not all my wife and me. Our traffic accounts for approximately 8% of the total traffic to www.hoei.com and www.hankosborne.com. Right now both hoei.com and hankosborne.com live on the same server. I will move www.hankosborne.com later.
Response: Yes the blogshpere does need more of this. Why? Because believe it or not there are people who read my site that may have never heard of Glenn Reynolds, Black Five, or Michelle Malkin. And yes, my views may echo some of the same things that others on the Internet say, but I did not learn those feeling here. I have been less than pleased with MSM reporting practices of bias news reporting for over a decade which is a heck of a lot longer than any of these blogs have been around. There is always another side to a story and the MSM generally in my opinion tends to track to the liberal side of most issues. That is not an original thought, but the MSM continues to deny that there are masses of people like me who believe this way. I live in a fairly conservative area of the country. I have spent about half of my adult life in or working for the military. These two groups in particular get a pretty bad wrap from the MSM. You don't have to look past the first page of most major newspapers to see this trend these days. How many articles make the front page or cover of the LA Times, NY Times, or Newsweek where the members of the military are getting praised for their service no matter who sent them or why they were to sent their current post? Not very many compared to the negative stuff. Since when does the economics of making the sell need to over power the whole truth and the morals of doing the right thing? This is not what our children need to be learning, but it continues to be what is getting shoved down our throats by mediums (TV news, print news, and Hollywood) that we have absolutely no control over if we dare turn on our TV or step foot into the checkout isle in a grocery store.
Is this a waste of time? Absolutely not! If there are members of the MSM who believe that there are just isolated pockets of people like me, then they are wrong. Why do I echo my blogfathers? There are people who like to go to someone they trust to lead them to more credible information. I beleive I have access to people that others do not. I will continue to lead my friends and fans to the stories that I feel display more of the truth. There are plenty of people like me who are fed up with masses of filth and half truths that the MSM pushes on us every single day. I have a voice and here is a place where I can speak out. I will continue to do so no matter how insignificant or redundant my critics find me to be.
You can read the full story that Joseph Weisenthal wrote here. Thanks again to Mr. Weisenthal for the trackback.
Stay tuned. More to come...
Unfortunately a lot of bloggers at the long-end of the blogtail instead of differentiating themselves, and making something unique, do their best to imitate their blogfathers. Like this guy Hank Osborne.
Response: I am not trying to imitate, but I am hoping like a bunch of other nobodies to get noticed by a more popular blogger. Look at one of the "blogfathers" Glenn Reynolds. His blog site the InstanPundit consists mainly of postings that are 12 words or less with a link to someone else. I don't see a problem with this type of posting, but I am criticized for not being original. Don't get me wrong, Glenn Reynolds is far from unorignal, but most of his posts have little meat to them. I hope that Glenn Reynolds or one of the other "blogfathers" reads their trackbacks one day and realizes that I post relative information from time to time. Maybe one of them will throw me a bone. Maybe I am dreaming, but it is my dream and I have a right to it. I do know that Glenn Reynolds was writing long before he started blogging, and I will be blogging long before if ever I write professionally. I have got to start somewhere. Oh yeah, this is not where I started. I started with Caden's Page before I even knew that the term blog existed. I had written over 20,00 words before I ever realized I was blogging. I started converting over to a more formal blog format a few months ago. Now here I am getting recognized/criticized. I never claimed to popular in he things I have been involved in, but rather well known. I guess bad reviews is better than no reviews for now.
Mr. Osborne averages 40 hits a day, and I suspect about 50% come from himself. If you scroll back throuh his "Details" section on the sitemeter, you see an inordinate number of hits from bellsouth.net, which I suspect is his own computer.
Response: I have been exposed. I do look at my own blog for a number of reasons. Joseph didn't look very hard at the details though. The image below is from my site meter statistics. Maybe he could not access the details or he was just not very thorough. Anyway, it shows only 15% coming form BellSouth. Oh yeah, he pegged me on that too. I do use BellSouth and so does my wife along with just a few other people I am sure. My wife looks at what I post on Caden's Page. We both get a ton of support from the emails that we receive from the several dozen repeat visitors to this blog. Most are brought in via an email subscription that allows them to get notified when I post an update to Caden's Page. By the way, the 15% BellSouth traffic really is not all my wife and me. Our traffic accounts for approximately 8% of the total traffic to www.hoei.com and www.hankosborne.com. Right now both hoei.com and hankosborne.com live on the same server. I will move www.hankosborne.com later.
MSM MSM MSM, come on guy. Dude, your readers are reading all the big blogs too you know, where they are force fed this MSMeme down their throats. Does the blogosphere really need more of this? Isn't this a waste?
Response: Yes the blogshpere does need more of this. Why? Because believe it or not there are people who read my site that may have never heard of Glenn Reynolds, Black Five, or Michelle Malkin. And yes, my views may echo some of the same things that others on the Internet say, but I did not learn those feeling here. I have been less than pleased with MSM reporting practices of bias news reporting for over a decade which is a heck of a lot longer than any of these blogs have been around. There is always another side to a story and the MSM generally in my opinion tends to track to the liberal side of most issues. That is not an original thought, but the MSM continues to deny that there are masses of people like me who believe this way. I live in a fairly conservative area of the country. I have spent about half of my adult life in or working for the military. These two groups in particular get a pretty bad wrap from the MSM. You don't have to look past the first page of most major newspapers to see this trend these days. How many articles make the front page or cover of the LA Times, NY Times, or Newsweek where the members of the military are getting praised for their service no matter who sent them or why they were to sent their current post? Not very many compared to the negative stuff. Since when does the economics of making the sell need to over power the whole truth and the morals of doing the right thing? This is not what our children need to be learning, but it continues to be what is getting shoved down our throats by mediums (TV news, print news, and Hollywood) that we have absolutely no control over if we dare turn on our TV or step foot into the checkout isle in a grocery store.
Is this a waste of time? Absolutely not! If there are members of the MSM who believe that there are just isolated pockets of people like me, then they are wrong. Why do I echo my blogfathers? There are people who like to go to someone they trust to lead them to more credible information. I beleive I have access to people that others do not. I will continue to lead my friends and fans to the stories that I feel display more of the truth. There are plenty of people like me who are fed up with masses of filth and half truths that the MSM pushes on us every single day. I have a voice and here is a place where I can speak out. I will continue to do so no matter how insignificant or redundant my critics find me to be.
You can read the full story that Joseph Weisenthal wrote here. Thanks again to Mr. Weisenthal for the trackback.
Stay tuned. More to come...
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Senator Lindsay Graham's Hot Seat
Well, is it really a hot seat? Sen. Lindsay Graham(R) is the senior of two fairly junior senators from my home state of South Carolina. There are reports floating around about the fallout of Sen. Graham's involvement in the recent compromise to get judicial nominees confirmed.
The GOP Bloggers' Mark Noonam published a story here about "The Wages of Compromise" where he quotes the AP as making it sound like S.C. republicans are ready to replace Graham in the next election. Well, this is no more than the MSM trying to make you think that a good republican senator is straying to the left. I do not believe that for a second. I do believe that the recent compromise was not the best thing that has happened for conservatives in Washington lately. That said, I am not upset enough about it to call the republican headquarters and whine like the AP story reports that other conservatives are doing. I know plenty of hard core republicans in S.C. and none have mentioned a movement against republican headquarters.
I think that Sen. Graham has to pick his battles and this is one that will ultimately be won by conservatives whether a big deal was cut or not. I believe Senator Graham is smart enough to realize that fact. The reality is that the war over judicial nominees will be won, but as much as I or any other conservative may not like it, this battle had to be sacrificed to get things rolling.
I do not know Senator Graham personally, but I know people that I trust who do know him. I believe he is much like Governor Mark Sanford. I look at both men as conservatives first and republicans second. Neither of these men has a problem holding someone's feet to the fire no matter which side of the isle they sit on. I like this about both of them and I will vote for both of them again given what I have seen so far.
The GOP Bloggers' Mark Noonam published a story here about "The Wages of Compromise" where he quotes the AP as making it sound like S.C. republicans are ready to replace Graham in the next election. Well, this is no more than the MSM trying to make you think that a good republican senator is straying to the left. I do not believe that for a second. I do believe that the recent compromise was not the best thing that has happened for conservatives in Washington lately. That said, I am not upset enough about it to call the republican headquarters and whine like the AP story reports that other conservatives are doing. I know plenty of hard core republicans in S.C. and none have mentioned a movement against republican headquarters.
I think that Sen. Graham has to pick his battles and this is one that will ultimately be won by conservatives whether a big deal was cut or not. I believe Senator Graham is smart enough to realize that fact. The reality is that the war over judicial nominees will be won, but as much as I or any other conservative may not like it, this battle had to be sacrificed to get things rolling.
I do not know Senator Graham personally, but I know people that I trust who do know him. I believe he is much like Governor Mark Sanford. I look at both men as conservatives first and republicans second. Neither of these men has a problem holding someone's feet to the fire no matter which side of the isle they sit on. I like this about both of them and I will vote for both of them again given what I have seen so far.
Way to go Michelle Malkin
I have been meaning to post a link to this. It is great. You can always count on Michelle Malkin to dig up the good stuff. Here she pay a special tribute to the CNN 25th anniversary.
WHAT is that smell? Oh, that's the MSM again
Yes the MSM is stinking up the airways again with reports of abuse of the Quran without giving the whole story. With the violence that erupted after the Newsweek story, you would think that the MSM would be a little more laid back on the subject. No. It's like they want to see if they can stir another riot that kills more people. Then they could report on how it was the alleged abuse of the Quran that caused the riots and not their own reporting of the false or incomplete information.
The more disturbing fact is that the MSM continues to disregard the rest of the story. Michelle Malkin dug out some interesting facts from the original report from the investigation into the Gitmo Quran abuse claims. Her finds tell a different story than many of the MSM reports. She links you to several of the reports that are starting to spin up. Malkin says:
You can read her full story here. Mark Tapscott adds to Malkin's findings here. The bottom line is that the MSM is not interested in telling the whole truth and sometime it seems as if they want to tell no truth. Black Five provides a quote from a Vietnam VET that says it best and you can read it here.
The more disturbing fact is that the MSM continues to disregard the rest of the story. Michelle Malkin dug out some interesting facts from the original report from the investigation into the Gitmo Quran abuse claims. Her finds tell a different story than many of the MSM reports. She links you to several of the reports that are starting to spin up. Malkin says:
***Don't trust the MSM reports. Read the Pentagon's investigative findings for yourself here.
You can read her full story here. Mark Tapscott adds to Malkin's findings here. The bottom line is that the MSM is not interested in telling the whole truth and sometime it seems as if they want to tell no truth. Black Five provides a quote from a Vietnam VET that says it best and you can read it here.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Take Back America 2005: - NOT
The political radio shows yesterday were filled with news from the Take Back America Conference where Howard Dean promoted what he thinks are the three big openings for the democrats to make a move. Two of his ideas were related to voting procedures and the other was on making pensions portable. You can here is from the horses mouth by playing a video at Take Back America 2005: The Conference for America's Future. I have more thoughts on this pension portability idea and I will write more later on that.
I am not convinced that the democrats are doing anything but falling in a death spiral. How can they survive? Well, they can move a little closer to the moderates. The GOP Bloggers give a spill on The "Progressive" Dillema. The real dilemma is how quick can they replace Dean if they want a prayer of a chance in the 2008 election.
I am not convinced that the democrats are doing anything but falling in a death spiral. How can they survive? Well, they can move a little closer to the moderates. The GOP Bloggers give a spill on The "Progressive" Dillema. The real dilemma is how quick can they replace Dean if they want a prayer of a chance in the 2008 election.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Runaway Bride Pleads No Contest to Felony - Yahoo! News
That's what I'm talking about. This woman did one of the most irresponsible things I have heard of in a while.
She obviously had people who thought much of her. She was about have a wedding with more bride's maids than I have ever witnessed. You mean to tell me that she could not find someone to talk to about her cold feet.
Here is the story of her court appearance: Runaway Bride Pleads No Contest to Felony - Yahoo! News
I would have been okay if they sent her to jail for a while. At least she is not getting off with no punishment.
She obviously had people who thought much of her. She was about have a wedding with more bride's maids than I have ever witnessed. You mean to tell me that she could not find someone to talk to about her cold feet.
Here is the story of her court appearance: Runaway Bride Pleads No Contest to Felony - Yahoo! News
I would have been okay if they sent her to jail for a while. At least she is not getting off with no punishment.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Billy Graham and the Limo
I have no idea where this originated. There are several versions floating around on the Internet. I received it in an email from my friend Robin. The story has not been verified to be true or false and should be considered only for its entertainment value.
Enjoy!
Billy Graham was returning to Charlotte after a speaking engagement and when his plane arrived there was a limousine there to transport him to his home. As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped and spoke to the driver.
"You know" he said, "I am 87 years old and I have never driven
a limousine. Would you mind if I drove it for a while?"
The driver said, "No problem. Have at it."
Billy gets into the driver's seat and they head off down the highway.
A short distance away sat a rookie State Trooper operating his first speed trap. The long black limo went by him doing 70 in a 55 mph zone.
The trooper pulled out and easily caught the limo and got out
of his patrol car to begin the procedure.
The young trooper walked up to the driver's door and when the glass was rolled down he was surprised to see who was driving.
He immediately excused himself and went back to his car and called his supervisor.
He told the supervisor, "I know we are supposed to enforce the
law but I also know that important people are given certain courtesies. I need to know what I should do because I have stopped a very important person."
The supervisor asked, "Is it the governor?"
The young trooper said, "No, he's more important than that."
The supervisor said, "Oh, so it's the president."
The young trooper said, "Not, he's even more important than that."
The supervisor finally asked, "Well then, who is it?"
The young trooper said, "I think it's Jesus because he's got Billy Graham for a chauffeur!"
True or Not it is a great story. I laughed so hard I could barely breathe.
Enjoy!
Billy Graham was returning to Charlotte after a speaking engagement and when his plane arrived there was a limousine there to transport him to his home. As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped and spoke to the driver.
"You know" he said, "I am 87 years old and I have never driven
a limousine. Would you mind if I drove it for a while?"
The driver said, "No problem. Have at it."
Billy gets into the driver's seat and they head off down the highway.
A short distance away sat a rookie State Trooper operating his first speed trap. The long black limo went by him doing 70 in a 55 mph zone.
The trooper pulled out and easily caught the limo and got out
of his patrol car to begin the procedure.
The young trooper walked up to the driver's door and when the glass was rolled down he was surprised to see who was driving.
He immediately excused himself and went back to his car and called his supervisor.
He told the supervisor, "I know we are supposed to enforce the
law but I also know that important people are given certain courtesies. I need to know what I should do because I have stopped a very important person."
The supervisor asked, "Is it the governor?"
The young trooper said, "No, he's more important than that."
The supervisor said, "Oh, so it's the president."
The young trooper said, "Not, he's even more important than that."
The supervisor finally asked, "Well then, who is it?"
The young trooper said, "I think it's Jesus because he's got Billy Graham for a chauffeur!"
True or Not it is a great story. I laughed so hard I could barely breathe.
