I received this motivational poster yesterday and am pleased to offer it to you, my dear and valued reader, as a free holiday gift.
Ted Kennedy on why he supports amnesty for those sneaking across the Rio Grande.
BASTOGNE, Belgium, Dec. 21, 2007 - Standing next to the killing field where he once found himself face-down in the snow surrounded by the dead and dying, Ted Paluch said his return wasn't as emotional as it once was, especially having visited three other times.His resiliency and composure quickly crumbled, though, when asked to honor 84 U.S. soldiers murdered near Malmedy, Belgium, in World War II.
As the 85-year-old from Philadelphia gingerly stepped on the frozen turf -- the ground as hard as it was 63 years ago when he served with 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion -- Paluch's eyes brimmed with tears. Clutching a wreath and almost whispering to himself, he said: "One of my guys was found here, in this exact spot. I wish he was standing next to me now instead."Similar sentiments were heard 50 miles away in Bastogne, a Belgian city forever linked with the massive World War II campaign officially tagged Battle of Ardennes, but better known as the Battle of the Bulge.
Invited to the dedication of the Baugnex 44 Historical Center, a museum that recounts American prisoners of war being executed in 1944 by a German SS Panzer unit, Paluch was one of several hundred veterans and current soldiers who commemorated Battle of the Bulge ceremonies Dec. 15-17.The 30th Bastogne Historic Walk, which paid tribute to 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, kicked off three days of remembrance. Roughly 3,000 participants, including 900 U.S. servicemembers, marched along the outskirts of Bastogne and through the villages of Hemroulle, Champs and Longchamps, where the "Five-Oh-Deuce" fought and bled.
Following a narrow road reduced to muck in places, marchers went past grasslands and thick forests. It is here where great tank battles took place in the open, while hand-to-hand combat spilled from one foxhole to another.
Carl Dalke, 82, who served with the 101st Airborne Division's 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, recalls the first 24 hours of the fight as being the toughest, with his unit surrounded and trapped in arctic-like conditions. He labeled it "gut wrenching," especially when his best friend died -- one of 19,000 Americans killed, along with another almost 60,000 injured."But at no time did we ever think that we would lose, ... even though we were outnumbered seven to one," said Dalke, outfitted in 1940s-era military clothing and sporting several rows of medals, including a Bronze Star.
At a small memorial hugging the road, Dalke, like Paluch, laid a wreath to personally recognize those who didn't survive the costly monthlong struggle.
Along the walk, marchers passed by several such memorials and realistic scenes of uniformed reenactors digging foxholes, stealing through the woods, manning crossroads and driving authentic vehicles of that era. Adding to the setting were 22 parachutists jumping from a C-47 Dakota transporter.Later in the day, a formal wreath-laying ceremony was held in Bastogne's McAuliffe Square, named after Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, who famously replied "Nuts!" when asked to surrender by the Germans. Prior to the ceremony, the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux Honor Guard led a parade formed by dignitaries, beret-wearing veterans, Belgian troops, and soldiers from USAG Benelux and USAG Brussels. Also included in the mix were school-age children carrying flags of every U.S. state.
The procession, with a sidewalk-lined crowd tagging along, made its way from downtown to a small park and monument dedicated to Gen. George S. Patton, commander of the 3rd Army, which relieved besieged 101st Airborne Division forces. Afterward, the parade returned to McAuliffe Square, where U.S. and Belgian officials, military leaders and Battle of the Bulge survivors remembered those who fell.
Army Col. James Drago, commander of USAG Benelux, joined Marcel D'Haese, of the Belgian 5th Fusiliers, which fought alongside the Allies, in presenting a wreath. Drago, a veteran of operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, called the moment "truly amazing."
"The amount of energy that the Bastogne community expends to show their heartfelt appreciation each year reminds us all of the awesome sacrifices our soldiers made in that cold winter of 1944-1945," the colonel said. "Knowing that people from around the world participate in such large numbers annually confirms just how important these sacrifices were."
A single guy lived in this townhouse in Ogden, Utah for eight years. The landlord thought he was the best renter because he never called or complained and was never late on a payment.These pictures don't even come close to what it really looked like. The realtor had already moved some of the cans out, and they had caved in the tunnels that the renter had made to get to the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.
All this, yet you don't see any dust or scattered clothes or dirty dishes anywhere.
Other than having a minor drinking problem, he was basically a very clean, organized person. Add to this, he was concerned about his health, proved by the fact that he drank a "Light" beer.
The 8-year resident of the building was apparently exceedingly fond of Coors Light beer, drinking a couple of dozen cans a day, every day, for the length of his residence, saving all the empties as well as the cartons they came in... The townhouse was found to contain an estimated 70,000 empty beer cans which reportedly fetched a total of $800 when they were delivered to a recycler.
...here is the group in question and their promises that they wish to be held to:...This is the Majority in the US Congress, the august body that has been in session since mid-January of this year after winning a bare majority to get its candidates in office. As they came in espousing benchmarks for everything, it is time to apply their own benchmarks upon them to see just how they are doing...
That was the headline for a syndicated Gannett column by Deborah Barfield Barry.Choosing a 2008 presidential candidate might be confusing enough, but some voters will face an additional challenge next year — remembering to bring the right identification to the polls.
Opponents of [voter ID] laws, including Democrats and the AARP, say the measures would suppress voter turnout among the elderly, poor and minorities who are less likely to have government-issued photo IDs... "It's another hurdle in the way of voters," said Neil Bradley of the Voting Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.

Kimyatta Tillman of Indianapolis said she didn't vote in elections in November because of Indiana's new ID law... Tillman, 32, doesn't have a driver's license and lost her birth certificate when she moved from Michigan to Kentucky and then to Indiana last year...
"I want to participate," Tillman said. "As a citizen of Indiana, I should have a voice too."
Interestingly, Google tells us that Tillman appears to be running a small business and therefore must have a bank account.
Voter ID is a simple, pragmatic way to minimize fraudulent voting practices. And without it, the dead will walk again and vote Democratic, as they did recently in King County.[Hillary] has 30% of all voters definitely supporting her. However, she goes in the opposite direction from Romney with unaffiliated voters. Her numbers actually get worse when going to the center. Her rating among that group approaches the negative numbers Ron Paul receives from this group, -26% to -29% respectively...
Hillary’s Christmas ad says nothing at all about Christmas. The gifts make the connection, of course, but check out what the gifts are: universal health care, bring the troops home, etc. All of the gifts are funded in one way or another with your money. ...she’s portraying herself as a thoughtful gift-giver by taking your money and giving it back to you in the form of expensive government programs, some or all of which you might not actually want or need.
I'm Hillary Clinton and I must say that I adore Christmas - it's my favorite time of year. Next year, I hope to give a lot of gifts that the current administration is too cheap to pay for.
We'll provide superb, free healthcare for everyone, just like in the U.K. and Canada!
We'll pay billions to invent amazing new sources of energy!
We'll increase taxes on the "rich" even more, redistributing wealth to primarily folks who don't want to work!
And we promise to create brand new federal bureaucracies for programs nobody's even asking for, like "Universal Pre-K"!
Since we can't compete with them in the marketplace of ideas, we'll silence conservative talk radio hosts using the "Fariness Doctrine."
We'll take care of our enemies, especially the domestic ones.
And, it goes without saying, we'll have thousands of secret earmarks for any special interest that can fill our campaign coffers! Remember: lobbyists are our friends!
I'm Hillary Clinton and I approved this message. Peasants.
After months of discussion within her campaign over how heavily she should draw on her husband's legacy, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is closing out her Iowa and New Hampshire campaigns in a tight embrace of Bill Clinton's record, helping fuel a debate about the 1990s...

Both Clintons are making the case that theirs was a co-presidency -- an echo of Bill Clinton's controversial statement during the 1992 campaign that voters would get "two for the price of one" if they elected him. At times, the former president has seemed to cast the current race as a referendum on his administration.
...the Clintons regard any discussion of the Nineties to be good for them, evoking memories of a booming economy and a time when the United States enjoyed greater popularity around the world.



She employed the same playbook that won in 1992 in 2007. That might work if there were no Fox News, no Internet, no 9/11 and no liver spots on Bill.
Stuffington Roast: Kerrey Says Obama Attended A Secular Madrasa
The Onion: Thousands Wait Overnight At Microsoft Stores For Second Generation ZuneThe bedrock of the Clinton campaign remains women, especially older women... The Clinton campaign believes that women will solidly back Clinton while Barack Obama and John Edwards will split the male vote.
Fischer sees it somewhat differently. “Hillary’s ‘you-go-girl’ pitch is double-edged,” he says. “Some women are turned off by it, and she is still a polarizing figure among women as well as men.”
She's never kicked Bill out the door for all of the things he did to her. She made cheating look acceptable. I can't stand how she allowed him to get away with it and then stuck with him just for her own good.
You know what I would have done if I caught Monica servicing my husband? I would have kicked him out of the White House on his ass. I don't care what the Constitution says. He could go live with Al Gore. A cheater is always a cheater. She's saying it's okay for a man to cheat on you.
She allowed all of that to go on for so many years and she's still with him. If she's such a genius she would have known he was cheating.
I think it would have helped her if she would have knocked him out on his ass. Any woman can do anything, even if they're single. And she probably would have gotten a lot more votes.
And then, right after the affair, the press shows them on an island slow-dancing together? Give me a f*****g break. She's so fake. She makes me sick.
One of two University of South Florida students accused of transporting explosives has asked the courts to throw out the evidence against him because the search was racially motivated and illegal...In Berkeley County, S.C., Megahed and Mohamed were pulled over for speeding, Smith wrote. While sheriff's deputy Lamar Blakely radioed a dispatcher to look up Mohamed's driver's license and registration information, he had a conversation with his partner, the court document states.
On videotape, Blakely tells his partner that Mohamed and Megahed are "graduates of suicide bomber school" and members of the "Taliban." He also jokes that they have a copy of the Quran with them. At one point, the court document states, Blakely becomes concerned that the remarks are being taped.

Shockingly, on the video, [the] Deputy... expresses concern over the fact that his ethically [sic] - inappropriate remarks were being recorded by his in-vehicle video recorder.
[The Deputy] quickly asked Mr. Mohammed, “You don’t mind if I search the vehicle do you?” After Mr. Mohammed acquiesced to Deputy Blakely’s show of authority, Deputy Blakely ordered Mr. Megahed out of the vehicle and proceeded to search its contents. While searching the interior of the vehicle, Deputy Blakely found a box of ammunition.

Deputy Blakely Lacked Probable Cause to Stop the Vehicle...
Deputy Blakely’s questioning of Mr. Megahed concerning his travel plans was unrelated to why Deputy Blakely stopped the vehicle for speeding... this Court should find that such questions were illegal and Mr. Megahed’s response should be suppressed.
Next time, Messrs. Megahed and Mohamed, may I suggest that you hire an attorney who can spell? And that you refrain from transporting devices that look like pipe bombs?
Can you imagine the gall of Mike Huckabee? Accusing Rush Limbaugh of being a shill? A mouthpiece for the Bush party line? After Limbaugh hammered the administration on their pathetic attempts at immigration reform, Harriet Miers, the Dubai Ports deal, GOP spending abuses, and so on?Huckabee and his crowd aren't being all that careful when they fire their shots. Let's see, in one week, he or his supporters have dismissed National Review as the "chattering class", criticized Bush in terminology straight out of the Kos and Moveon.org playbooks, dissed Condoleeza Rice, took on Rush Limbaugh and quoted scripture comparing those that oppose Huckabee to those facing God's wrath (right out of Isaiah). Can't wait to see what next week brings. Is this who you expect to unite the party and face the Dems in the general election!? Try again.













Note the Printed in Western Germany reference. And an oscilloscope came with each system? Debugging must have been a joy if it required an oscilloscope.