It seems that trouble always seems to follow Duane Chapman. After having been arrested on a warrant from Mexico, Chapman is playing to the religious right in an effort to keep from being extradited back to face his charges. The problem is, it just might work!
Duane Chapman is a bounty hunter, and I ask you, what does a bounty hunter do? He tracks down those who have "JUMPED BAIL". This is exactly the same thing Duane Chapman did in Mexico....he was arrested on an illegal detention warrant for his illegal bounty hunting in Mexico (where it is illegal). As a matter of fact, bounty hunting is illegal in several states in the United States so its not just the Mexican government that does not like his tactics.
Duane Chapman knew it was illegal to operate as he was in Mexico and he did it anyway, why? Because he has a history of not following the law. He has been arrested 18 times for ARMED ROBBERY and was convicted for Accessory to Murder. I do not care how many or who he puts away, his contributions do not ever wipe that slate clean. You would think that after the first arrest he would have learned his lesson; ok, that's a bit much he should have learned after the second arrest.....still asking too much of the guy? Ok, he should have learned after the 10th arrest....still too much? How many times are we going to let this guy get arrested and still call him some kind of hero? Certainly not 18!
The bottom line is Duane Chapman broke the law, he skipped on his bond and should be immediately returned to Mexico to face the charges! He should have KNOWN BETTER considering what he does for living.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Calling Dr. Brock (Cont'd)
Have you ever started the day with what appears to be a simple question, and the answer prompts another two or three additional questions, a greater need to research the matter, which again prompts another round of questions and before you realize it has become an all day event?
That is what has happened today. After my discussion yesterday with my friend ( we will call her Martha - not her real name) I began to ponder the issue of divorce and religious service. As we all know our civil (government) courts in almost every state permit no fault divorce; which in essence allows one party to seek a termination of the marital status without the other party needing to agree.
What we are left with is a college that much to my suprise, not only refuses to employ faculty members who are divorced or married to someone who is divorced, but they also will not allow a divorced student or a student who is married to someone who is divorced to attend the college. I have seen some extreme interpretations but this one is certainly farreaching. It begged the question, "Do other colleges and universities of the same religious background hold the same type of dogmatic policy?"
So my quest began. I contacted Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO. I spoke with the Deans office and with the academic affairs office to determine their policy and position. BBC is by no means a liberal Baptist college and anyone claiming such is either lying or greatly misinformed. Their policy is to review the circumstances and make a decision based upon the individual and do so in a private and respectful manner. They do ** NOT ** outright reject anyone on the basis of a divorce alone.
I then contacted Bob Jones University which took the same approach as BBC. Pilsbury Baptist Bible College again does not outright reject either faculty or students on the basis of divorce alone.
I have several other colleges that I plan to contact as well so that I can fairly evaluate this issue.
I still firmly believe that Dr. Brock and Maranatha have an obligation to disclose the basis for their policy. It is stated clearly on their website and in their applicaton process; therefore, it is a matter which is open to discussion - they made it that way by stating the policy openly.
I again call on Dr. Brock to provide the reasoning behind the policy openly and pubicly. No ridicule will come from me on the matter, and although I am sure I will have further comments to make afterwards (if he grants my wish) but I will in no way make it personal or attack the college directly. I may respectfully disagree and that will be that.
That is what has happened today. After my discussion yesterday with my friend ( we will call her Martha - not her real name) I began to ponder the issue of divorce and religious service. As we all know our civil (government) courts in almost every state permit no fault divorce; which in essence allows one party to seek a termination of the marital status without the other party needing to agree.
What we are left with is a college that much to my suprise, not only refuses to employ faculty members who are divorced or married to someone who is divorced, but they also will not allow a divorced student or a student who is married to someone who is divorced to attend the college. I have seen some extreme interpretations but this one is certainly farreaching. It begged the question, "Do other colleges and universities of the same religious background hold the same type of dogmatic policy?"
So my quest began. I contacted Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO. I spoke with the Deans office and with the academic affairs office to determine their policy and position. BBC is by no means a liberal Baptist college and anyone claiming such is either lying or greatly misinformed. Their policy is to review the circumstances and make a decision based upon the individual and do so in a private and respectful manner. They do ** NOT ** outright reject anyone on the basis of a divorce alone.
I then contacted Bob Jones University which took the same approach as BBC. Pilsbury Baptist Bible College again does not outright reject either faculty or students on the basis of divorce alone.
I have several other colleges that I plan to contact as well so that I can fairly evaluate this issue.
I still firmly believe that Dr. Brock and Maranatha have an obligation to disclose the basis for their policy. It is stated clearly on their website and in their applicaton process; therefore, it is a matter which is open to discussion - they made it that way by stating the policy openly.
I again call on Dr. Brock to provide the reasoning behind the policy openly and pubicly. No ridicule will come from me on the matter, and although I am sure I will have further comments to make afterwards (if he grants my wish) but I will in no way make it personal or attack the college directly. I may respectfully disagree and that will be that.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Calling Dr. Brock
Earlier today I was received a call from a close friend of mine who happens to be of the female persuasion, she is a fine upstanding member of her community, and has ** FIVE ** bachelor degrees not to mention two masters and a doctorate in microbiology. She is a atypical harvard graduate in that she is highly conservative and holds deeply rooted religious beliefs. She attends her local Baptist church regularly and for her that means about four trips a week. She teaches Sunday School, is the mother of four wonderful children all of whom attend the local Christian school.
When I sit back and think about her accomplishments, I cannot help but think that G-d has bestowed upon her a very large helping of blessings and abilities. She is one of the finest ladies I know. She has given very serious thought to moving to the upper midwest and would like to teach on the college level. Certainly she is more than qualified, and is, what I think most people would consider the quintessential definition of a moral and upstanding young lady (she is only 39). Yet, there is a problem.
One of the colleges she was considering applying to is Maranatha Baptist Bible College. When she was reviewing their website looking for information on any open positions and to whom she would need to forward her resume, she came across the following qualification:
She is divorced. Her husband left her and her children to fend for themselves and he initiated the divorce proceedings not her. She does not believe in divorce however her particular divorce was not of her own choosing, it was her husbands and with no fault divorce law she could not prevent the court from granting the divorce even if she had been so inclined.
I am saddened that a college of Maranantha's caliber which teaches forgiveness and that "sins" once forgiven are no more; can possibly conclude that she should be penalized for the rest ofher life for one singular mistake. It appears as though Maranantha believes that they are better than she is and that is something I truly detest.
Knowing that she would not be considered for a faculty position with them she gave up on the idea of actually presenting her credentials, she was hoping however, to gain an understanding why the college is so dogmatic on this particular issue. She sent a very polite and courteous email to Dr. John Brock, Vice President of Academic Affairs, for an explanation. Suprise suprise, no response. So she sent him a second email; again no response. She sent an email a third time and again after a week no response.
Dr. Brock will not even give her the courtesy of explaining the justification of the rule and on what biblical basis it was made.
It is this elitist attitude that makes my stomach churn. In absence of a response from Dr. Brock one can only make assumptions as to motives and I think everyone can agree that assumptions are generally incorrect, but as humans, we all make them.
Maranantha as a private college can set whatever standard they so desire for their faculty and students and I would never argue that they do not have that right - they do. I do believe that since they call themselves "Christians" and claim to to be forgiving and compassionate, they obligate themselves to at least explain their reasoning and allow someone to disagree as long as that disagreement is given politely and courteously.
Bob Jones University for many years prohibited their students from engaging in interracial dating; I disagreed completely with their standard, but I also acknowledged that as a private university where students attend by choice and with full knowledge ahead of time what the rules are, in regards to dating, they have the right to impose such a rule. in 2000, Dr. Bob Jones III, BJU Chancellor, acknowledged that the policy was not based upon any particular biblical principle and he was throwing the policy out. I applauded him for having the courage to take such action as it eliminated a contentious issue which took away from the universities excellent academic record.
So I call on Dr. Brock to step forward and explain the policy and what biblical basis it is supposedly based upon. If for no other purpose than to eliminate an issue which will take away from the Colleges excellent academic record.
When I sit back and think about her accomplishments, I cannot help but think that G-d has bestowed upon her a very large helping of blessings and abilities. She is one of the finest ladies I know. She has given very serious thought to moving to the upper midwest and would like to teach on the college level. Certainly she is more than qualified, and is, what I think most people would consider the quintessential definition of a moral and upstanding young lady (she is only 39). Yet, there is a problem.
One of the colleges she was considering applying to is Maranatha Baptist Bible College. When she was reviewing their website looking for information on any open positions and to whom she would need to forward her resume, she came across the following qualification:
- Faculty members must be fundamental Baptists by practice and conviction - Certainly meets this qualification .
- Individual life styles must be in conformity to Biblical teaching related to morality and virtue - No issue on this one either .
- The sanctity of the Christian home is guarded by never employing or retaining faculty or administrators who are or have ever been divorced - Here is the Problem! .
She is divorced. Her husband left her and her children to fend for themselves and he initiated the divorce proceedings not her. She does not believe in divorce however her particular divorce was not of her own choosing, it was her husbands and with no fault divorce law she could not prevent the court from granting the divorce even if she had been so inclined.
I am saddened that a college of Maranantha's caliber which teaches forgiveness and that "sins" once forgiven are no more; can possibly conclude that she should be penalized for the rest ofher life for one singular mistake. It appears as though Maranantha believes that they are better than she is and that is something I truly detest.
Knowing that she would not be considered for a faculty position with them she gave up on the idea of actually presenting her credentials, she was hoping however, to gain an understanding why the college is so dogmatic on this particular issue. She sent a very polite and courteous email to Dr. John Brock, Vice President of Academic Affairs, for an explanation. Suprise suprise, no response. So she sent him a second email; again no response. She sent an email a third time and again after a week no response.
Dr. Brock will not even give her the courtesy of explaining the justification of the rule and on what biblical basis it was made.
It is this elitist attitude that makes my stomach churn. In absence of a response from Dr. Brock one can only make assumptions as to motives and I think everyone can agree that assumptions are generally incorrect, but as humans, we all make them.
Maranantha as a private college can set whatever standard they so desire for their faculty and students and I would never argue that they do not have that right - they do. I do believe that since they call themselves "Christians" and claim to to be forgiving and compassionate, they obligate themselves to at least explain their reasoning and allow someone to disagree as long as that disagreement is given politely and courteously.
Bob Jones University for many years prohibited their students from engaging in interracial dating; I disagreed completely with their standard, but I also acknowledged that as a private university where students attend by choice and with full knowledge ahead of time what the rules are, in regards to dating, they have the right to impose such a rule. in 2000, Dr. Bob Jones III, BJU Chancellor, acknowledged that the policy was not based upon any particular biblical principle and he was throwing the policy out. I applauded him for having the courage to take such action as it eliminated a contentious issue which took away from the universities excellent academic record.
So I call on Dr. Brock to step forward and explain the policy and what biblical basis it is supposedly based upon. If for no other purpose than to eliminate an issue which will take away from the Colleges excellent academic record.
Blagojevich's baby sitter sits on Civil Service Commission
Apparently Blago does not have enough legal and ethical questions on his plate, he now has the added issue of his babsitter sitting on the Civil Service Commission!
See the following Link for further details:
www.sj-r.com/extras/breaking/index.asp#1625
See the following Link for further details:
www.sj-r.com/extras/breaking/index.asp#1625
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Madigan wins ruling
Lisa Madigan, who recently filed suit in federal court demanding that the Illinois Department of Transportation and an outside law firm turn over records regarding a pending suit won a ruling in court today.
Madigan who is the Attorney General for the State of Illinois, is the top attorney for the State of Illinois and its various agencies and who has the constitutional duty to represent them in any legal proceedings.
IDOT was wrong in their attempt to keep Madigan out of the matter. It was her office that hired the outside firm to start with, and it was her office that ultimately is responsible for the performance of that firm and the status of the case.
This really has more to do with the Governors office attempting to keep Madigan from discovering what appears as an illegal hiring practice implemented by the Governor. IDOT is being sued for wrongful terminations to allow room for politcal friends of the Governor to appointed in their positions.
There is no doubt that the hiring practices as they are currently implemented are in shambles and have become a disgrace to the State of Illinois. Blago ran on the issue of cleaning up state government yet, he has allowed the same illegal practices that he opposed under Ryan to continue unchecked for the past four years.
There is no doubt that with Lisa Madigan investigating the hiring practices she faces a potential conflict of interest here; and must tread lightly and carefully; but, considering her family I have no doubt that Lisa Madigan is well equipped to sidestep the various landmines she faces.
I am a Republican, and did not vote for Madigan. I probably would not vote for her in the future; that said, however, I do applaud her efforts her in seeing that the rule of law was upheld. It is now entirely her responsibility to properly defend the state and to ensure that nobody is wrongfully terminated.
Not an easy task to say the least, but it is one challenge that I truly believe Lisa Madigan is ready for.
Madigan who is the Attorney General for the State of Illinois, is the top attorney for the State of Illinois and its various agencies and who has the constitutional duty to represent them in any legal proceedings.
IDOT was wrong in their attempt to keep Madigan out of the matter. It was her office that hired the outside firm to start with, and it was her office that ultimately is responsible for the performance of that firm and the status of the case.
This really has more to do with the Governors office attempting to keep Madigan from discovering what appears as an illegal hiring practice implemented by the Governor. IDOT is being sued for wrongful terminations to allow room for politcal friends of the Governor to appointed in their positions.
There is no doubt that the hiring practices as they are currently implemented are in shambles and have become a disgrace to the State of Illinois. Blago ran on the issue of cleaning up state government yet, he has allowed the same illegal practices that he opposed under Ryan to continue unchecked for the past four years.
There is no doubt that with Lisa Madigan investigating the hiring practices she faces a potential conflict of interest here; and must tread lightly and carefully; but, considering her family I have no doubt that Lisa Madigan is well equipped to sidestep the various landmines she faces.
I am a Republican, and did not vote for Madigan. I probably would not vote for her in the future; that said, however, I do applaud her efforts her in seeing that the rule of law was upheld. It is now entirely her responsibility to properly defend the state and to ensure that nobody is wrongfully terminated.
Not an easy task to say the least, but it is one challenge that I truly believe Lisa Madigan is ready for.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Sheriff Neil Williamson Taking Heat
Sangamon County Sheriff, Neil Williamson is taking some strong heat since his son-in-law was arrested in the federal cocain ring investigation.
He has been painted with a pretty broad brush as if he had or has any control over what his son-in-law does. Granted, parents can and should be held responsible for what their children do, but when a child becomes an adult - they are on their own and no longer the responsibility of the parent.
Neil Williamson has done an outstanding job as sheriff and deserves better from the local media. Attempts to paint him in a bad light for something of which he had absolutely no control over is not just wrong, its morally corrupt reporting.
The sheriff has endured heat before and I have no doubt that he will endure this episode in time, I can only hope and suggest that the State Journal Register be honest with their reporting and not label a man for what someone else has done.
He has been painted with a pretty broad brush as if he had or has any control over what his son-in-law does. Granted, parents can and should be held responsible for what their children do, but when a child becomes an adult - they are on their own and no longer the responsibility of the parent.
Neil Williamson has done an outstanding job as sheriff and deserves better from the local media. Attempts to paint him in a bad light for something of which he had absolutely no control over is not just wrong, its morally corrupt reporting.
The sheriff has endured heat before and I have no doubt that he will endure this episode in time, I can only hope and suggest that the State Journal Register be honest with their reporting and not label a man for what someone else has done.
Democrats Crying Foul
Democrats are now crying foul over Senator Joe Lieberman's decision to run as an independent for this falls Connecticut general election.
It should come as no suprise to them, the Senator stated emphatically that barring Lamont trouncing him in the primary (which did not occur) he would be running an independent campaign. It was not a secret and he was honest about it. Now that he has been certified for the general election, Democrats are screaming.
Turn around is fair play, as the saying goes, and after some of their support in previous elections (John B. Andersons in 1980) along with their support of dead candidates, allowing candidates to drop out of a race and appoint a replacement in violation of state law (Minnesota, New Jersey) I find their hand wringing and crying foul to be hillarious.
The Senator stands a very good chance of upsetting their own nominee this fall (Lieberman is so far leading in the polls) with strong support from moderate to liberal Republicans. The Senator is an upstanding, honest, stand by his principles kind of guy and even though I am a die hard Republican, Joe Lieberman is the type of Democrat I can support.
A Rod Blagojevich he is not.
It should come as no suprise to them, the Senator stated emphatically that barring Lamont trouncing him in the primary (which did not occur) he would be running an independent campaign. It was not a secret and he was honest about it. Now that he has been certified for the general election, Democrats are screaming.
Turn around is fair play, as the saying goes, and after some of their support in previous elections (John B. Andersons in 1980) along with their support of dead candidates, allowing candidates to drop out of a race and appoint a replacement in violation of state law (Minnesota, New Jersey) I find their hand wringing and crying foul to be hillarious.
The Senator stands a very good chance of upsetting their own nominee this fall (Lieberman is so far leading in the polls) with strong support from moderate to liberal Republicans. The Senator is an upstanding, honest, stand by his principles kind of guy and even though I am a die hard Republican, Joe Lieberman is the type of Democrat I can support.
A Rod Blagojevich he is not.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Foie Gras
Up until recently I had no clue what this delicacy was; that is until several animal rights nutties started their march through Chicago to have it banned from the menus.
As of today, it is now illegal in Chicago for any establishment to serve Foie Gras.
I am all for protecting animals from mistreatment, animals such as dogs, cats (which I am not a real big fan of) hamsters, etc. When I say mistreatment I am talking about abusing them for abuse sake. I am an avid bird hunter and make no apologies for walking out into the field, loading up a nice big twelve gauge shotgun and after the dog(s) point it out, to take aim and send feathers flying in all directions. I eat what I shoot and I enjoy every single bite.
As for Foie Gras, I am not a fan of liver and it makes little difference on whether its chicken, beef, or some other bird; but in protest of this lunacy, I actually had it for lunch today and I will admit it T-A-S-T-E-D G-R-E-A-T!
I would like to thank all the animal rights nuts for pointing this dish out to me.....I thoroughly enjoyed it.
As of today, it is now illegal in Chicago for any establishment to serve Foie Gras.
I am all for protecting animals from mistreatment, animals such as dogs, cats (which I am not a real big fan of) hamsters, etc. When I say mistreatment I am talking about abusing them for abuse sake. I am an avid bird hunter and make no apologies for walking out into the field, loading up a nice big twelve gauge shotgun and after the dog(s) point it out, to take aim and send feathers flying in all directions. I eat what I shoot and I enjoy every single bite.
As for Foie Gras, I am not a fan of liver and it makes little difference on whether its chicken, beef, or some other bird; but in protest of this lunacy, I actually had it for lunch today and I will admit it T-A-S-T-E-D G-R-E-A-T!
I would like to thank all the animal rights nuts for pointing this dish out to me.....I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Calvary Temple Public Works Meeting
Well tonight was the night for Calvary Temple and their final meeting with Public Works. In essence what they are asking for is a zoning variance to allow them to build R-1 homes along the Eastern edge of South 2nd Street, North of I-72 and due South of Southern View Village.
According to the church they plan on building single family homes and their church in this area. Now when I say single family homes, I am not referring to their IDA plan which does include low income housing subsidies. They apparently are saving that one for a later date.
Now, before I go any further I believe I have an obligation to let everyone know that I have a vested interest in this proceeding. I am a resident of the Timberline Trail Subdivision and also happen to be the President of the Homeowners Association. I never considered it before so I apologize for not making that clear earlier.
The problem with this developmentn has been how Calvary and their engineers will handle the watershed as the runoff water moves South, under I-72 and along side of Timberline. One change they have made is to construct a water retention pond along the East edge of their property and they believe that by controlling the amount of water that is discharged from this retention pond, they will not adversely impact the existing retention pond and homes that sit along the Nothern edge of Timberline.
Tomorrow Phil Marten with Marten Engineering will be reviewing the valves and natural drainage to the east of the subdivision to ensure the Board of Directors that whatever water is released will not find its way into the already existing retention areas. If that is the case, it would appear at this juncture that the HOA would reconsider its decision to oppose the development.
More to follow in the coming days.
According to the church they plan on building single family homes and their church in this area. Now when I say single family homes, I am not referring to their IDA plan which does include low income housing subsidies. They apparently are saving that one for a later date.
Now, before I go any further I believe I have an obligation to let everyone know that I have a vested interest in this proceeding. I am a resident of the Timberline Trail Subdivision and also happen to be the President of the Homeowners Association. I never considered it before so I apologize for not making that clear earlier.
The problem with this developmentn has been how Calvary and their engineers will handle the watershed as the runoff water moves South, under I-72 and along side of Timberline. One change they have made is to construct a water retention pond along the East edge of their property and they believe that by controlling the amount of water that is discharged from this retention pond, they will not adversely impact the existing retention pond and homes that sit along the Nothern edge of Timberline.
Tomorrow Phil Marten with Marten Engineering will be reviewing the valves and natural drainage to the east of the subdivision to ensure the Board of Directors that whatever water is released will not find its way into the already existing retention areas. If that is the case, it would appear at this juncture that the HOA would reconsider its decision to oppose the development.
More to follow in the coming days.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Hat Tip to Capitol Blog
The Capitol Fax Blog picked up my comments regarding the recent State Journal Register article regarding a neighbor who apparently shot a dog which then deteriorated into what was a blatant anti-semitic rant. The State Journal Register claims that it screens all comments prior to posting them but that (as we hunters like to say) dog just won't hunt. I would like to thank the Capitol Blog for the hat tip and I respectfully give them one in return. This is a good blog with excellent sources of information and although I do not always agree with the editorials, I respect the editors enormously.
[Follow up to original article]
After writing my article, I dropped an email to the reporter who wrote the article and explained my disappointment in the papers decision to allow those posts, and after a few days I finally received a response. I have yet to send a follow up email, as I know it will do little good other than make myself feel better, but alas I do plan on following up with her tomorrow.
Here is the response in its entirety:
Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. I apologize for mydelayed response as I was out of the office on Thursday and Friday withoutaccess to my email account.
I am very sorry to learn how offensive you found some of the remarks on themessage board accompanying my story. I, along with all of our reporters, donot see or approve comments before they are posted. The newspaper's onlineeditor Jason Piscia and other editors are responsible for the screeningprocess with the message boards. I have forwarded you email to him, and heis aware of your concerns.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Thank you,
I did appreciate the response from Amanda Reavy and I am sure she was being honest with her comments; what bothered me the most is that it was an editor who was approving these comments and apparently they did not find them the least bit offensive. Maybe it was an overreaction on my part and yes I will admit that at times I can be a tad bit sensitive to such comments, but when a newspaper claims to screen reader comments to avoid such remarks and then allows then it calls into question their motives and honor.
[Follow up to original article]
After writing my article, I dropped an email to the reporter who wrote the article and explained my disappointment in the papers decision to allow those posts, and after a few days I finally received a response. I have yet to send a follow up email, as I know it will do little good other than make myself feel better, but alas I do plan on following up with her tomorrow.
Here is the response in its entirety:
Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. I apologize for mydelayed response as I was out of the office on Thursday and Friday withoutaccess to my email account.
I am very sorry to learn how offensive you found some of the remarks on themessage board accompanying my story. I, along with all of our reporters, donot see or approve comments before they are posted. The newspaper's onlineeditor Jason Piscia and other editors are responsible for the screeningprocess with the message boards. I have forwarded you email to him, and heis aware of your concerns.
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Thank you,
I did appreciate the response from Amanda Reavy and I am sure she was being honest with her comments; what bothered me the most is that it was an editor who was approving these comments and apparently they did not find them the least bit offensive. Maybe it was an overreaction on my part and yes I will admit that at times I can be a tad bit sensitive to such comments, but when a newspaper claims to screen reader comments to avoid such remarks and then allows then it calls into question their motives and honor.
Calvary Temple to appear before Public Works
It appears that the joint low-income housing / church facilities that Calvary Temple has been pushing for this past year will finally receive a final hearing before the Public Works Committee on Monday, August 21, 2006 at 5:00pm.
Over the past year Calvary has been pushing for approval of their plans to construct approximately 75 low income houses on their property bordering South 2nd street in Springfield and Southern View. Up to this point the entire project (including construction of their new church facility) has been tied up in committee with Mark Mahoney not pushing to have it brought forward.
Southern View has opposed it all along for several reasons, one being the watershed that would invariably effect them to the north. In addition, these homes are touted as homes worth more than a hundred thousand apiece and with the average Southern View home in the forty to 70 thousand range they are rightly concerned about their property taxes increasing substantially.
Appearing as a sleeping giant is the Trevi Garden and Timberline Trail subdivisions directly to the south. Trevi has an average home value of approximately one hundred and twenty thousand and Timberline Trail with an average of one hundred and fifty thousand, they have almost three hundred homeowners lining up behind them. They have also opposed the Calvary plans for the same watershed issues but on the property tax side it is for the opposite reason as Southern View. They have a considerable investment already in their homes, neighborhoods, and associations and any construction that would devalue those properties are going to lead to some potential legal action.
The Timberline Trail Homeowners Association Board of Directors has already met and voted to oppose any development by Calvary Temple that would lead to any increase in water transferred south of Interstate 72 in their direction. They have also voted to oppose any development of homes which would involve the construction of homes that would sell for less than $150,000.
It will be interesting to see how this develops tomorrow evening and with two separate City Council members (Mark Mahoney represents Southern View and Frank Edwards represents Trevi and Timberline Trail) each taking up their respective sides it could prove interesting.
Over the past year Calvary has been pushing for approval of their plans to construct approximately 75 low income houses on their property bordering South 2nd street in Springfield and Southern View. Up to this point the entire project (including construction of their new church facility) has been tied up in committee with Mark Mahoney not pushing to have it brought forward.
Southern View has opposed it all along for several reasons, one being the watershed that would invariably effect them to the north. In addition, these homes are touted as homes worth more than a hundred thousand apiece and with the average Southern View home in the forty to 70 thousand range they are rightly concerned about their property taxes increasing substantially.
Appearing as a sleeping giant is the Trevi Garden and Timberline Trail subdivisions directly to the south. Trevi has an average home value of approximately one hundred and twenty thousand and Timberline Trail with an average of one hundred and fifty thousand, they have almost three hundred homeowners lining up behind them. They have also opposed the Calvary plans for the same watershed issues but on the property tax side it is for the opposite reason as Southern View. They have a considerable investment already in their homes, neighborhoods, and associations and any construction that would devalue those properties are going to lead to some potential legal action.
The Timberline Trail Homeowners Association Board of Directors has already met and voted to oppose any development by Calvary Temple that would lead to any increase in water transferred south of Interstate 72 in their direction. They have also voted to oppose any development of homes which would involve the construction of homes that would sell for less than $150,000.
It will be interesting to see how this develops tomorrow evening and with two separate City Council members (Mark Mahoney represents Southern View and Frank Edwards represents Trevi and Timberline Trail) each taking up their respective sides it could prove interesting.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Almost cried
From time to time I come across a tribute or website that gives thanks to our soldiers, servicemen and women, for their sacrifices and commitment to keeping us free that really grabs my attention.
The Iraq war for all the political hype that the press constantly puts out, is a war. Men and women are putting their lives on the line day by day for me, for you and for all Iraqis. Words cannot possibly express my thanks and heart felt gratitude for their valiant efforts.
I came across this link today which comes close. You can find the original article at backyardconservative.blogspot.com.
The Iraq war for all the political hype that the press constantly puts out, is a war. Men and women are putting their lives on the line day by day for me, for you and for all Iraqis. Words cannot possibly express my thanks and heart felt gratitude for their valiant efforts.
I came across this link today which comes close. You can find the original article at backyardconservative.blogspot.com.
Post Katrina - Whose to blame?
It has almost been a year since Katrina brought her fury ashore in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and left a disaster of epic proportions in her wake. New Orleans received the most in both aid and publicity of their plight and probably because it was the largest city in the disaster zone.
Parts of the city remain uninhabitable, with clouds of mosquitoes, festering sludge and stagnant water, dilapidated houses and buildings, and a rescue and rebuilding effort in tatters. Who is to blame? The Mayor? FEMA? The President? The Governor? The French for being foolish enough to build a city on top of a swamp?
All of them, including the homeowners for not leaving the city. I understand the plight of many and how they were caught in the seemingly endless and empty-filled promises of assistance and fervently believe that once help is offered the agencies have a responsibility to provide that help and not take a year to do it. However, in looking back it’s important to realize the many mistakes that were made which will hopefully prevent us from making them again.
The French were / or should I say ARE the biggest idiots of all. Nobody with even the slightest amount of common sense would in their right mind build a city on top of what is basically a swamp. Of all the dumb things they could have done, this is the biggest. Swamps are by their very nature unstable, and with New Orleans sitting approximately 8 feet below sea level, you would think that someone would have stood up and said "This is crazy! We are asking for trouble here." Nobody did, and now we can see the result - billions upon billions of dollars in reconstruction costs which at the end will simply put us back at the same point we started at.
The Army Corps of Engineers for the most part is a solid organization that does their job and does it right; HOWEVER!, after spending this past year dealing with engineers, I have come to the conclusion that most of them have spent little time reviewing disasters and preparing for them. One aspect of software design and engineering that is beat into the heads of mush at every college and university is that you TEST, TEST, TEST, and TEST the TESTS. You look for problems; you consider every possible point of failure and make adjustments for each one of them. If a programmer can get it right, I fail to see why an Army Corps Engineer cannot. Their planning of the levee system and shipping channel was a complete disaster and had they considered and double checked their own work and that of their contractors they could not have possibly missed the problems that were inherently built in.
Hours before Katrina came ashore, Mayor Ray Nagin had at his disposal, hundreds upon hundreds of city and school buses which he could have used to ferry the residents out of harms way. Did he do it? Nope, he sat on his ass and played the blame game. Now, what I cannot for the life of me figure out is why after this debacle, the residents of New Orleans in their infinite wisdom reelected this fool. Nagin may be a nice guy, I have no issue with that; however, his inept handling of this tragedy borders on the criminal. He ** LEFT ** people to die whereas if he would have simply used the brains that G-d gave a horse he would have saved hundreds if not thousands of people.
FEMA - What can one say about this organization besides that it should be dismantled, everyone fired, and reorganized. Federal Emergency Management Agency should be renamed "Federal Emergency MISMANAGEMENT Agency. They screwed everything up from not preparing for the oncoming storm, to wasting hundred of millions of dollars, to making unfilled promises in a political attempt to cover up their own ineptness. I understand that the FEMA director is a political appointment, but come on Mr. President, this idiot had trouble managing horses let alone a Federal Agency.
The Governor of Louisiana completely and utterly failed in her job. I am not sure if Katrina was more than she could handle or if she simply froze? Either way, she failed and because of that failure people died. There is nothing else that can be or should be said.
I lay far less blame at the feet of the President, he has staff to handle these agencies and problems and he cannot personally respond to each and every single one; however, he committed hundreds of millions of dollars in reconstruction money (which I believe was a huge mistake), and then failed to deliver it. One tenet of Judaism is to not make promises and commitments unless you are willing and able to deliver on them. PERIOD. Helping others is a Mitzvah and it is an important part of Judaism, but that does not require you to throw good money after bad.
Rebuilding New Orleans in the same fashion as before will only result in 10, 50 or a hundred years from now our grandchildren having to face the same type of disaster we are paying for.
The best thing that could happen at this point is to bulldoze the city under, return it to the swamps and give every homeowner $200,000.00 to move elsewhere. It would be cheaper and more efficient use of our tax dollars. The delta would eventually restore the area to its natural setting and we would not have to worry about the destruction of a city called New Orleans again.
Parts of the city remain uninhabitable, with clouds of mosquitoes, festering sludge and stagnant water, dilapidated houses and buildings, and a rescue and rebuilding effort in tatters. Who is to blame? The Mayor? FEMA? The President? The Governor? The French for being foolish enough to build a city on top of a swamp?
All of them, including the homeowners for not leaving the city. I understand the plight of many and how they were caught in the seemingly endless and empty-filled promises of assistance and fervently believe that once help is offered the agencies have a responsibility to provide that help and not take a year to do it. However, in looking back it’s important to realize the many mistakes that were made which will hopefully prevent us from making them again.
The French were / or should I say ARE the biggest idiots of all. Nobody with even the slightest amount of common sense would in their right mind build a city on top of what is basically a swamp. Of all the dumb things they could have done, this is the biggest. Swamps are by their very nature unstable, and with New Orleans sitting approximately 8 feet below sea level, you would think that someone would have stood up and said "This is crazy! We are asking for trouble here." Nobody did, and now we can see the result - billions upon billions of dollars in reconstruction costs which at the end will simply put us back at the same point we started at.
The Army Corps of Engineers for the most part is a solid organization that does their job and does it right; HOWEVER!, after spending this past year dealing with engineers, I have come to the conclusion that most of them have spent little time reviewing disasters and preparing for them. One aspect of software design and engineering that is beat into the heads of mush at every college and university is that you TEST, TEST, TEST, and TEST the TESTS. You look for problems; you consider every possible point of failure and make adjustments for each one of them. If a programmer can get it right, I fail to see why an Army Corps Engineer cannot. Their planning of the levee system and shipping channel was a complete disaster and had they considered and double checked their own work and that of their contractors they could not have possibly missed the problems that were inherently built in.
Hours before Katrina came ashore, Mayor Ray Nagin had at his disposal, hundreds upon hundreds of city and school buses which he could have used to ferry the residents out of harms way. Did he do it? Nope, he sat on his ass and played the blame game. Now, what I cannot for the life of me figure out is why after this debacle, the residents of New Orleans in their infinite wisdom reelected this fool. Nagin may be a nice guy, I have no issue with that; however, his inept handling of this tragedy borders on the criminal. He ** LEFT ** people to die whereas if he would have simply used the brains that G-d gave a horse he would have saved hundreds if not thousands of people.
FEMA - What can one say about this organization besides that it should be dismantled, everyone fired, and reorganized. Federal Emergency Management Agency should be renamed "Federal Emergency MISMANAGEMENT Agency. They screwed everything up from not preparing for the oncoming storm, to wasting hundred of millions of dollars, to making unfilled promises in a political attempt to cover up their own ineptness. I understand that the FEMA director is a political appointment, but come on Mr. President, this idiot had trouble managing horses let alone a Federal Agency.
The Governor of Louisiana completely and utterly failed in her job. I am not sure if Katrina was more than she could handle or if she simply froze? Either way, she failed and because of that failure people died. There is nothing else that can be or should be said.
I lay far less blame at the feet of the President, he has staff to handle these agencies and problems and he cannot personally respond to each and every single one; however, he committed hundreds of millions of dollars in reconstruction money (which I believe was a huge mistake), and then failed to deliver it. One tenet of Judaism is to not make promises and commitments unless you are willing and able to deliver on them. PERIOD. Helping others is a Mitzvah and it is an important part of Judaism, but that does not require you to throw good money after bad.
Rebuilding New Orleans in the same fashion as before will only result in 10, 50 or a hundred years from now our grandchildren having to face the same type of disaster we are paying for.
The best thing that could happen at this point is to bulldoze the city under, return it to the swamps and give every homeowner $200,000.00 to move elsewhere. It would be cheaper and more efficient use of our tax dollars. The delta would eventually restore the area to its natural setting and we would not have to worry about the destruction of a city called New Orleans again.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
sj-r.com article on dog shooting smacks with anti-semite comments
The State Journal Register posted an article today about a man who apparently shot a neighbors dog after the dog apparently chased after his turkey which was apparently running loose on the dog owners property. Now, if that is not enough to confuse the hell out of you; your better than I am.
As with most articles posted on the sj-r.com website, readers can leave comments on the stories which has certainly brought about some rather lively discussions. This one happens to have what appears to me (and this of course is only my personal opinion), a comment that smacks of anti-semitism.
This of course has nothing to do with the article or its subject matter, but the reference was clear to me.
"To: rondmon wrote at 8/17/2006 9:18:56 PM
Have them put up a yelloe flag & we will get to them...Do you want an Air Force jet(ours) or a F-16 piloted by a Jew?"
It is amazing how some people fail to stay on topic and then without any provocation, decide to bring up the "Jews". I would almost like to run into this moron just once, but then again its the Sabbath now, so I will mind my manners and just say "Shabbat Shalom".
As with most articles posted on the sj-r.com website, readers can leave comments on the stories which has certainly brought about some rather lively discussions. This one happens to have what appears to me (and this of course is only my personal opinion), a comment that smacks of anti-semitism.
This of course has nothing to do with the article or its subject matter, but the reference was clear to me.
"To: rondmon wrote at 8/17/2006 9:18:56 PM
Have them put up a yelloe flag & we will get to them...Do you want an Air Force jet(ours) or a F-16 piloted by a Jew?"
It is amazing how some people fail to stay on topic and then without any provocation, decide to bring up the "Jews". I would almost like to run into this moron just once, but then again its the Sabbath now, so I will mind my manners and just say "Shabbat Shalom".
Justice can be extremely slow
At the time of the Jon Benet Ramsey murder I was living in Wheat Ridge, Colorado; just a few minutes from her home and spent a considerable time in and around the Boulder area. It rocked the entire community including Denver.
I had little doubt then as I do now that the Boulder PD blew this case. They lost evidence, allowed police personnel to walk in discriminitely throughout the house and grounds, allowed Mr. Ramsey to wander through the basement area - and it was here that he found his daughter.
It has been ten years, ten years of a little girl going without justice, ten years of parents operating daily under a cloud of suspicion, ten years of accusations from wannabe reporters and freelance writers accusing Patsy Ramsey of her daughters murder, ten years of screwing up a case by the Boulder PD.
Justice can be slow, and although I have no idea if John Karr is in fact the killer, only time and the courts will tell us for sure, however if he is justice may be extremely slow but it eventually shows its face.
I had little doubt then as I do now that the Boulder PD blew this case. They lost evidence, allowed police personnel to walk in discriminitely throughout the house and grounds, allowed Mr. Ramsey to wander through the basement area - and it was here that he found his daughter.
It has been ten years, ten years of a little girl going without justice, ten years of parents operating daily under a cloud of suspicion, ten years of accusations from wannabe reporters and freelance writers accusing Patsy Ramsey of her daughters murder, ten years of screwing up a case by the Boulder PD.
Justice can be slow, and although I have no idea if John Karr is in fact the killer, only time and the courts will tell us for sure, however if he is justice may be extremely slow but it eventually shows its face.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Cease Fire - will it last?
Doubtful, you need to remember what the purpose was behind the Hezbullah attack to start with. They had two primary goals in mind, extract prisoners Israel is currently holding for crimes they committed against the Israeli people and to create a backlash against the Israelis from within the Muslim community. As a secondary goal, if they could goad the Israelis into attacking it would whip up anti-semitism throughout the world and thus continue their quest in destroying Israel.
By crossing the Israeli and kidnapping two members of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), they thought they could extract some prisoners from Israel through an exchange (which Israel has mistakenly done in the past). How did Israel react? They hit back this time and hit back hard; unfortunately not hard enough.
What amazes me is that if Hezbullah had done this with any other country, the reaction would have been far different and certainly more devastating. Could you imagine what the United States would do if Canada or Mexico without provocation, crossed our border and kidnapped two of our soldiers? Now you say "Well, Hezbullah isn't Lebanon". To which I would reply - BULLSHIT! Hezbullah has been allowed to control the entire southern region of Lebanon for better part of the last 20 years, if that does not make them a part of Lebanon, nothing will.
Israel has also been very restrained in their response. Case in point. During WWII the Germans launched well over 4,000 boms and missiles at the civilian areas of England; their goal was to completely destroy England. They did this over an 18 month period. That time frame is important here. The Allied response was to drop bombs and missiles in such a manner that they killed over 100,000 military and civilian personnel. That included men, women and children.
In less than 31 days, Hezbullah has launched over 3900 bombs at Israel; bombs packed not only with explosives, but glass, metal fragments, nails, staples, etc. In effect creating the worlds largest claymore mine. These bombs have been specifically directed at civilian areas with the purpose of exacting as much civilian loss as possible on the Israeli side. Israel's response has been to target known military and command positions. What hezbullah has done (which is a war crime in and of itself), is position these military and command operations right in the middle of civilian areas.
Now, what is Israel supposed to do? Not destroy those operations and allow them to continue bombing their country? You cannot possibly think that any other sane country would allow the same would you? I thought not.
The cease fire that has been in place for a few hours now will calm the region down some, but with Hezbullah's refusal to disarm and their penchant for causing havoc and their blood thirsty desire to completely destroy Israel will unfortunately cause this case fire to fail.
Lebanon made their bed with Hezbullah and now is suffering the consequences of that action. You may feel for them and understand their plight, but they made the bed and it is up to them to fix it themselves. Without fixing it, they will never have peace.
By crossing the Israeli and kidnapping two members of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), they thought they could extract some prisoners from Israel through an exchange (which Israel has mistakenly done in the past). How did Israel react? They hit back this time and hit back hard; unfortunately not hard enough.
What amazes me is that if Hezbullah had done this with any other country, the reaction would have been far different and certainly more devastating. Could you imagine what the United States would do if Canada or Mexico without provocation, crossed our border and kidnapped two of our soldiers? Now you say "Well, Hezbullah isn't Lebanon". To which I would reply - BULLSHIT! Hezbullah has been allowed to control the entire southern region of Lebanon for better part of the last 20 years, if that does not make them a part of Lebanon, nothing will.
Israel has also been very restrained in their response. Case in point. During WWII the Germans launched well over 4,000 boms and missiles at the civilian areas of England; their goal was to completely destroy England. They did this over an 18 month period. That time frame is important here. The Allied response was to drop bombs and missiles in such a manner that they killed over 100,000 military and civilian personnel. That included men, women and children.
In less than 31 days, Hezbullah has launched over 3900 bombs at Israel; bombs packed not only with explosives, but glass, metal fragments, nails, staples, etc. In effect creating the worlds largest claymore mine. These bombs have been specifically directed at civilian areas with the purpose of exacting as much civilian loss as possible on the Israeli side. Israel's response has been to target known military and command positions. What hezbullah has done (which is a war crime in and of itself), is position these military and command operations right in the middle of civilian areas.
Now, what is Israel supposed to do? Not destroy those operations and allow them to continue bombing their country? You cannot possibly think that any other sane country would allow the same would you? I thought not.
The cease fire that has been in place for a few hours now will calm the region down some, but with Hezbullah's refusal to disarm and their penchant for causing havoc and their blood thirsty desire to completely destroy Israel will unfortunately cause this case fire to fail.
Lebanon made their bed with Hezbullah and now is suffering the consequences of that action. You may feel for them and understand their plight, but they made the bed and it is up to them to fix it themselves. Without fixing it, they will never have peace.
What a weekend
What a weekend this has been; all in all it was a very enjoyable one. Unfortunately the kids did not have the level of success they experienced on Thursday or we had hoped for; however, we did enjoy watching them go through the program and hopefully will have better success in Louisville.
Since the schedule for them was relatively light, we were able to get out and around the fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday. I would like to congratulate all the 4-h'ers on their respective projects, there was nothing there that I did enjoy. You made the effort, expended the time and resources and even if you did not win you can take away the knowledge that you have improved yourself because of it. Good luck next year!
I have to say that the conservation area has been greatly improved! although there are a few tough hills in the area, all in all Dawn was ab le to get around with just Oxford (service dog) assisting.
I would be remiss if I did not at least say hello to Bo, it was good running into you and hopefully you won't lose my number AGAIN!
Since the schedule for them was relatively light, we were able to get out and around the fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday. I would like to congratulate all the 4-h'ers on their respective projects, there was nothing there that I did enjoy. You made the effort, expended the time and resources and even if you did not win you can take away the knowledge that you have improved yourself because of it. Good luck next year!
I have to say that the conservation area has been greatly improved! although there are a few tough hills in the area, all in all Dawn was ab le to get around with just Oxford (service dog) assisting.
I would be remiss if I did not at least say hello to Bo, it was good running into you and hopefully you won't lose my number AGAIN!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Slow weekend
It will be a bit slow around the blog this weekend. Dawn and I will be attending the Illinois State Fair to watch her nieces and nephew as they show their cattle in the respective classes.
The two youngest won their respective showmanship classes yesterday, so it is turning ot to be a very successful trip.
The two youngest won their respective showmanship classes yesterday, so it is turning ot to be a very successful trip.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
The more I think about CWLP
The more I think about CWLP and how they handled this Sierra Club agreement the madder I get. The self appointed King of Springfield got upset when he lost the vote last week. So what does he do? He calls it back for another vote and that worthless wuss Mark Mahoney who was absent for the first vote knows he controls how it will end and there is no way he can vote against the self appointed King.
Mahoney was playing pure politics earlier today when he was critical of how it was handled, but he damned well knew he was going to vote for it.
The figures as put forth by CWLP just do not add up and they know it. They lied about the alderman being told previously (Todd Renfrow is someone whom I could never trust now) and are lying about the numbers and frankly they (Renfrow and his chief alien engineer) should be immediately fired. Do not hold your breath though, this King only fires Republicans.
Mahoney is a liar, a turncoat, a wuss, too damn chicken to stand up on his own two feet and I am fearful this moron is really going to screw some of us over on a proposed deal with Calvary Temple.
I can only hope that when its time to vote the next time the voters remember this fiasco and toss both of these leftists out on their preverbial ear;.
Mahoney was playing pure politics earlier today when he was critical of how it was handled, but he damned well knew he was going to vote for it.
The figures as put forth by CWLP just do not add up and they know it. They lied about the alderman being told previously (Todd Renfrow is someone whom I could never trust now) and are lying about the numbers and frankly they (Renfrow and his chief alien engineer) should be immediately fired. Do not hold your breath though, this King only fires Republicans.
Mahoney is a liar, a turncoat, a wuss, too damn chicken to stand up on his own two feet and I am fearful this moron is really going to screw some of us over on a proposed deal with Calvary Temple.
I can only hope that when its time to vote the next time the voters remember this fiasco and toss both of these leftists out on their preverbial ear;.
Mike Wallace shows his true colors
Mike Wallace apparently has become smitten with the Iranian President. Mr. Wallace recently completed an interview with the terrorist (why do old out of date reporters feel the necessity to interview these killers?) Ahmadinejad.
"You'll find him an interesting man," the 88-year-old Wallace said. "I expected more of a firebrand. I don't think he has the slightest doubt about how he feels ... about the American administration and the Zionist state. He comes across as more rational than I had expected."
Interesting? Sorry Wally, I find him nothing more than a killer and murderer whose hell bent on destroying Israel, interesting? No, I find this maggot deplorable, and unfortunately I now am finding myself labeling you the same way.
"You'll find him an interesting man," the 88-year-old Wallace said. "I expected more of a firebrand. I don't think he has the slightest doubt about how he feels ... about the American administration and the Zionist state. He comes across as more rational than I had expected."
Interesting? Sorry Wally, I find him nothing more than a killer and murderer whose hell bent on destroying Israel, interesting? No, I find this maggot deplorable, and unfortunately I now am finding myself labeling you the same way.
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