Breaking News - Rush Limbaugh Hospitalized With Chest Pa

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was rushed to a hospital in Hawaii tonight with chest pains. Hope it is a false alarm.

Time Warner vs. FOX - Who Will Blink First

The current deal between News Corp., parent company of FOX, and Time Warner Cable expires at midnight Thursday. The negotiations have been at an impasse for some time. They are not close to a deal. News Corp. is asking for one dollar per subscriber while Time Warner is offering 30 cents. Here is FOX' side:

News Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey said: Fox's "requested compensation is about equal to what Time Warner Cable pays TNT, a network with a fraction of the ratings and original programming of Fox, or about a quarter of what they pay ESPN, a network we again dwarf in ratings. Time Warner Cable will claim they cannot afford the rates we are requesting and try to blame us for rate increases to their customers."

Cable Companies pay the various networks a fee in order to carry their signal. My guess is the fee's frequently don't line up very well with the volume of viewers. Or a better way of putting it, how much of my monthly bill goes to pay for networks I never watch? Over the years there has been talk of an al a carte billing for cable. Quite a few networks would cease to exist if people got to pick and choose which ones to pay for individually.

2009 Year in Review

There are thirty some hours left in the year 2009, so something momentous could still happen between now and the end of the year, but I take the risk and post this now. I'm not going to do a blow by blow review of the year. I'll do a quick overview of what I thought of 2009 and then post various reviews of the past year from different perspectives.

Personally, this was a pretty good year. We have our health. We survived the stock market meltdown and actually have recovered okay. As a nation things are not going quite as well. Unemployment is over 10% and still climbing. While it looks like the recession is winding down, the recovery is being slowed by the uncertainty over what legislation Washington may throw at us. Between the threatened health care "reform" and the looming danger of the Cap and Trade scam there is too much uncertainty going forward for any chance of small business hiring increasing. Politically, some would say that the Obama administration has not been the unmitigated disaster that was predicted (talk about damning with faint praise). In answer to that, I'd say wait a little bit. Damage caused by politicians is often not immediate. The economic troubles of the last couple years took decades to completely unravel. Biggest political news of the year in my opinion was the Tea Party push back against government growth and intrusion. I did not believe the Obama mystique would crumble as quickly as it has and it will be interesting to see if his poll numbers will continue to slide. Clearly he overplayed his hand. As a Cleveland sports fan, well lets just say this was not a year to remember and leave it at that.

Here are some Year in Review columns and other stuff:

Dave Barry's year in review: 2009. Always worth reading, Dave remembers things somewhat stuff differently.

Politico.com reviews the year in politics. Slight left leaning, but it is useful to understand the oppositions point of view.

Investopedia re-runs some of their top stories from the past year.

From WTMJ of Madison, Wisconsin we get the Top Weird Stories.

2009 Sports Year in Review.

YAHOO's Top Ten Searches of 2009

CNN's Year in Review. Pretty comprehensive look back.


Finally, we get the annual JibJab review:

Breaking News: Texas Tech Coach Leach Suspended for Alamo Bowl

Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach was suspended from coaching the team in the Alamo Bowl after allegations of player abuse.

A source close to the family told ESPN's Joe Schad that James sustained a concussion on Dec. 16, was examined on Dec. 17 and told not to practice due to a concussion and an elevated heart rate. The source said Leach called a trainer and directed him to move James "to the darkest place, to clean out the equipment and to make sure that he could not sit or lean. He was confined for three hours."

According to the source, Leach told the trainer, two days later, to "put [James] in the darkest, tightest spot. It was in an electrical closet, again, with a guard posted outside."

An attorney for Leach said that while James was secluded twice, the circumstances were not as portrayed in that account.

Making this story stranger is that the player in question is the son of former NFL running back Chris James. The senior James works for ESPN and was scheduled to call the Alamo Bowl. No word on whether that will change.

I don't know what to make of these allegations, but I do know Leach is done at Texas Tech. A school doesn't suspend a coach unless there is something smoldering under that smoke. Leach has had trouble with team discipline earlier in the year and this lawsuit is a sign that he has lost the team. There is a lot of pressure in big time college football as evidenced by the weekend announcements out of Florida. That pressure can lead to coaches making bad decisions and team discipline is an area where excesses can occur.

Weird Coincidence

Tonight at supper a friend was discussing how busy this month has been and mentioned December birthdays of her kids and grandkids and then mentioned in passing that the 26th was her father's birthday. I said "Really? That was my late father's birthday as well." Then my brother-in-law piped up that the 26th was his father's birthday also. So, out of five people at the table, three (or 60%) had fathers born on 26 December. None were born in the same year (1918, 1926 and 1927). What are the odds?

America Loses Another Hero - Col. Robert L. Howard, USA (ret) - RIP

Retired Army Col. Robert L. Howard, 70, who died Wednesday in Waco, was a Medal of Honor winner who at the time of his death was believed to be the most-decorated living American soldier. Amazingly, this man was recommended for the Medal of Honor for three separate actions. Here is the citation for the one that was approved:

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 30 December 1968. Entered service at: Montgomery, Ala. Born: 11 July 1939, Opelika, Ala. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Howard (then Sfc .), distinguished himself while serving as platoon sergeant of an American-Vietnamese platoon which was on a mission to rescue a missing American soldier in enemy controlled territory in the Republic of Vietnam. The platoon had left its helicopter landing zone and was moving out on its mission when it was attacked by an estimated 2-company force. During the initial engagement, 1st Lt. Howard was wounded and his weapon destroyed by a grenade explosion. 1st Lt. Howard saw his platoon leader had been wounded seriously and was exposed to fire. Although unable to walk, and weaponless, 1st Lt. Howard unhesitatingly crawled through a hail of fire to retrieve his wounded leader. As 1st Lt. Howard was administering first aid and removing the officer's equipment, an enemy bullet struck 1 of the ammunition pouches on the lieutenant's belt, detonating several magazines of ammunition. 1st Lt. Howard momentarily sought cover and then realizing that he must rejoin the platoon, which had been disorganized by the enemy attack, he again began dragging the seriously wounded officer toward the platoon area. Through his outstanding example of indomitable courage and bravery, 1st Lt. Howard was able to rally the platoon into an organized defense force. With complete disregard for his safety, 1st Lt. Howard crawled from position to position, administering first aid to the wounded, giving encouragement to the defenders and directing their fire on the encircling enemy. For 3 1/2 hours 1st Lt. Howard's small force and supporting aircraft successfully repulsed enemy attacks and finally were in sufficient control to permit the landing of rescue helicopters. 1st Lt. Howard personally supervised the loading of his men and did not leave the bullet-swept landing zone until all were aboard safely. 1st Lt. Howard's gallantry in action, his complete devotion to the welfare of his men at the risk of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Colonel Howard thank you for your service and may you rest in peace.

Nuttiest Thing on the Internet Today

Read this story and then tell me something isn't wrong in the world, or at least in this little corner of the world.

April Wright is 21 years old and is going through a divorce with her husband who is in jail. She says she is not sure how her 4-year-old managed to get out of the house, open a beer, and steal the neighbors presents from under their tree. Now she's just glad he's okay and says she won't let it happen again.

The child, Hayden Wright, was found around 1:45 am Tuesday, wandering the streets of his neighborhood. In a police reports, officers said he was wearing a little girl's dress and drinking a beer.

All of a sudden I feel a little better about my parenting efforts & results. *

Oddly enough, that was actually not the nuttiest thing I read all day. I picked up the USA Today Sports Weekly newspaper and read this quote from Michael Irvin:

Michael Irvin, the Hall of Fame wide receiver who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, said Sunday he would trade in his championships and his spot in the Hall of Fame for a perfect 19-0 season. "I would turn in all three Super Bowl rings and my Hall of Fame bust for one undefeated season," Irvin an NFL Network analyst, said on NFL Gameday Morning.

His math stinks. Three championships are better than one - no matter how special that one might sound.

* - knock on wood

Chris Henry - Rest in Peace

Wide Receiver Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals died this morning from injuries sustained yesterday after falling out of a truck bed he jumped into during a domestic dispute. Henry had a checkered behavioral history, but he was an exceptionally talented athlete. As a Browns fan I can remember a couple great games he had against Cleveland. Henry seemed to have made great strides at putting his negative off field problems behind him. I don't know how he was raised, but his actions over the years spoke of a young man who did not have a positive male role model growing up. His life also highlights the problem of talented athletes that often aren't held fully accountable for their actions. Did his high school or college coaches discipline him when needed or did they coddle him to keep him on the field? In the end, Henry was responsible for his actions, but it seems that he didn't have much help becoming an adult.

As to the football impact, he was already on the injured list and not going to play again this year. However, he was on the Bengals off and on for five years. The team will take the field against the Chargers in San Diego less than four days after losing a friend and teammate. This is the second very emotional loss for the Bengals this season. In October, Vikki Zimmer, the wife of Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer, passed away suddenly.

Browns Beat the Steelers!!!!!!!!!!!

The Cleveland Browns are in the middle of another miserable season. However, tonight we saw a flicker of the light at the end of the tunnel. They played great defense, no seriously, great defense and beat the defending Super Bowl champions 13 to 6. The defense sacked Roethlisberger 8 times (EIGHT SACKS!) and for the first time beat a Steelers team quarterbacked by the Miami of Ohio graduate.

Josh Cribbs, like usual, was the biggest offensive weapon. He averaged over 20 yards on kickoff returns and over 30 yards on punt returns. He isn't a running back (played quarterback in college), but he rushed for 87 yards on 8 carries. That's 10.9 yards per carry for those scoring at home. For good measure he also caught one pass for nine yards. Give him a couple games balls and sign him to an extension!

Oh yeah, and another thing, Cribbs also leads the team in tackles on special teams.

Brian Kelley to be Notre Dame's Next Coach

CBS Sportsline and ESPN are reporting that Notre Dame has hired University of Cincinnati Coach Brian Kelly as their next head football coach.

While some in Cincinnati will be angry over his departure, I can't blame Kelly for pursuing a higher level job. In my opinion he has taken this team as far as they will go.

I wish Coach Kelly luck in returning the Fighting Irish to a position of prominence in college football. Like his predecessor (Charlie Weiss), Kelly is known as an offensive minded coach. He will need to focus on improving the Irish defense if he wants to be more successful. Notre Dame couldn't stop anyone this year and that proved to be their undoing.

Ignorant or Dishonest - You Decide

Watch that youtube recording and then decide for yourself if the U.S. Senator from Rhodes Island is incredibly ignorant of the last decade or just another lying Democrat. For the record a Google Image Search for "Bush Hitler" returns 17,700 results, "Bushitler" returns 9,820 results, and Bush Hitler without the quotation marks gets two million results. Here is one example of the liberal lunacy of the recent past that suddenly none of them seem to remember as they cry about criticism of President Obama:



Just for clarification it is stupid for anyone to compare a president of the United States to Adolph Hitler regardless what political issue you may be protesting. In fact there is an internet term called Godwin's law which has come to mean any reference to Hitler in an argument basically ends the discussion. I would recommend people only bring up Hitler when discussing Hitler, WW II history, etc.

(h/t Park Bench)

Another Hero Falls - Colonel Lewis Millett, U.S. Army (ret) - RIP

An American hero passed away this week.

Colonel Lewis Millett was so determined to fight the Nazis that he deserted the US Army as a teenager and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Artillery Regiment in 1940.

“He was mad because it didn’t look like the United States was going to go,’’ said his brother Albert of Mechanic Falls, Maine. “He went to Canada because he wanted to fight against Hitler.’’

Colonel Millett, a career Army officer who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1951 after leading a bayonet charge up a hill in Korea, said in a 2006 interview, “I must be the only regular Army colonel who has ever been court-martialed and convicted of desertion.’’

Colonel Millett, who grew up in Dartmouth, died Saturday of heart failure at a veterans hospital in Loma Linda, Calif., near his home in Idyllwild. He was 88.

President Truman presented him with the Medal of Honor, citing his actions in leading his men under heavy fire in a ferocious attack to take Hill 180 near the village of Soam-Ni on Feb. 7, 1951.

Colonel Millett, then a captain, had seen Chinese propaganda fliers saying that Americans were afraid of hand-to-hand combat. “When I read that, I thought, ‘I’ll show you,’’ he said in a 2006 interview with the journal Military History.

He trained his men in “cold steel’’ combat. After one of his platoons was pinned down, he ordered his men to fix bayonets. Despite being wounded in the leg by shrapnel, he led the charge while lobbing grenades and bayoneting and clubbing the enemy.

The official medal citation reads: “His dauntless leadership and personal courage so inspired his men that they stormed into the hostile position and used their bayonets with such lethal effect that the enemy fled in wild disorder.’’

The assault, according to historian S.L.A. Marshall, was “the most complete bayonet charge by American troops since Cold Harbor,’’ a Civil War battle in 1864.

We owe more than we can understand to men like Colonel Millett. Greatest generation indeed.

(h/t CDR Salamander)

Shouldn't Ohio's Attorney General Know and Follow the Law?

During the final weeks of the 2008 presidential election then Senator Obama was doing a grip and grin walk through a Toledo neighborhood. He came across Joe Wurzelbacher who asked the candidate a question which was answered with more than intended truth as the candidate made a now infamous comment about spreading the wealth around. In the weeks that followed that encounter, some Democratic political operatives/Ohio government employees who were upset about their candidate's socialistic leanings being exposed abused their official governmental positions to invade Wurzelbacher's privacy. Now, Wurzelbacher is suing them for their illegal actions. Which led to this item in Politics Daily:

After investigating, Ohio's independent inspector general concluded there was "no reasonable basis" for the searches. Wurzelbacher subsequently filed a civil rights lawsuit against the three employees. Now, as Bill Hershey reported in the Dayton Daily News, Democratic Attorney General Richard Cordray had agreed to represent them in court.
The problem with Cordray's decision is that an Ohio statute states, "The attorney general may not represent an employee who acts recklessly, maliciously or in bad faith outside the scope of his employment." The inspector general's conclusion that there was "no reasonable basis" for the searches suggests that they were done outside the scope of the workers' employment and should absolve the attorney general from the responsibility of defending these individuals.

Corday's screw up has legs, as former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, who is running for attorney general, is making political hay about this and it reflects on the governor who will have a tough reelection next year if the economic situtation doesn't improve markedly.

DeWine authored an op-ed in the Dayton Daily News. "Cordray's decision to provide legal representation in the face of Ohio law may provide political cover to the (Democratic Ohio Gov. Ted) Strickland administration, which appointed the wrong-doers, but it is no way to run the attorney general's office," he wrote. "Ohioans deserve an attorney general who will make decisions based on the law, not politics."

If this case is delayed and drags on for a while it could have serious impact on next years elections. Regular folks who are not tied to either party (independents?) frown on government hacks using their access to attack citizens.

Afternoon Sign of the Apocalypse

I have no right to expect that other people should share my belief system. However, when someone professes to share a belief in God I can't help but be perturbed when they publicly mention God in an attempt to justify evil. Here is an example:

Rev. Carlton Veazey, president and CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, told a small crowd of pro-abortion protesters that women have a “God-given right” to abortion and that opposition from pro-life congressmen and religious leaders would never take it away.

I can almost understand an atheist saying they don't believe in God so they have no problem with the notion of killing little kids. However, there has to be a special inner circle of hell reserved for someone who calls himself a Christian (Baptist) reverend and then actively promotes the advancement of evil by referring to it as a "God given right." Disgusting.

Why Are a Couple Sectors of the Economy Facing Steep Inflation During a Deflationary Era

Our economy has been in a prolonged period of moderate or low inflation that has lasted almost a decade. This past year has seen such low inflation that for the first time there will not be an automatic Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for Social Security. However, at the same time we hear our congressional leaders saying action must be taken immediately on health care reform because of the escalating costs. Why is the cost of health care increasing during a deflationary time? Here is a video that attempts to explain how the lack of free market capitalism has lead to the spiraling costs.



You really ought to watch the video. However, if you didn't watch the video, the biggest point was they used the example of a couple health care treatments that are not covered by insurance to show how free market competition can lead to lower costs. Lasik eye surgery used to be very expensive when the technology was first developed. However, in order to be a successful business model, doctors had to reduce the cost enough to make it viable for more people. Now Lasik eye correction is actually relatively inexpensive considering how much we value our sense of sight.

What's the other sector with double digit inflation during this deflationary period? I bet most of you have already guessed that post-secondary education is the answer. What do those two sectors (health care & college education) have in common? Oh yeah, the majority of end users are not paying. If everyone had to pay for college (not decades later, but now) the cost would stop increasing as colleges would have to compete for students.

It is Economics 101. Competition drives down price.

How Can Anyone Not Know This???

National Review Online provided a link today to the results of a survey done by the American Revolution Center which attempted to gauge our understanding of the various events and participants in the American Revolution. I was curious and went ahead and scrolled through the results looking for a trend. The results to each question was broken down by various demographic categories; age, gender, income, education level, political affiliation. As a conservative, I enjoyed confirmation of my opinion in seeing Republicans do better than Democrats on most questions with Independents falling between the two. However, I lost respect for people in any demographic group who got this question wrong:

When did the American Revolution begin? Was it in the . . .

If the choices were several dates in the 1700's, I somewhat could understand a few people over thinking and getting the wrong answer since people have different opinions on what was the tipping point which led to the war (Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, Designated Hitter Rule, etc). Problem is, the choices were: 1770's, 1640's, 1490's, 1800's or Don't Know. How does anyone answer 1490's? Did they think the Italian born Christopher Columbus, who just finished a voyage that didn't actually reach the American mainland, which was funded by Spain, immediately turned around and declare independence from England which did not have any presence in the new world yet??? Also, how did people conclude that the American Revolution started in the 1800's (after George Washington died)? Turns out only 65 percent of Americans could place the beginning of the American Revolution in the correct decade and century. Now that's scary stupid.

An American Hero Passed Away

Is this the face of a hero?

Well, though he looks like a kindly old grandfather in that picture, Leonard Keller definitely was a hero. He died in a motorcycle accident in October and I didn't hear of his passing until today. 42 years ago and a couple thousand miles away from home, Leonard was a young Army Sergeant in Vietnam. On 2 May 1967 he displayed an extraordinary level of heroism for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Here is his Medal of Honor citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sweeping through an area where an enemy ambush had occurred earlier, Sgt. Keller's unit suddenly came under Intense automatic weapons and small-arms fire from a number of enemy bunkers and numerous snipers in nearby trees. Sgt. Keller quickly moved to a position where he could fire at a bunker from which automatic fire was received, killing 1 Viet Cong who attempted to escape. Leaping to the top of a dike, he and a comrade charged the enemy bunkers, dangerously exposing themselves to the enemy fire. Armed with a light machinegun, Sgt. Keller and his comrade began a systematic assault on the enemy bunkers. While Sgt. Keller neutralized the fire from the first bunker with his machinegun, the other soldier threw in a hand grenade killing its occupant. Then he and the other soldier charged a second bunker, killing its occupant. A third bunker contained an automatic rifleman who had pinned down much of the friendly platoon. Again, with utter disregard for the fire directed to them, the 2 men charged, killing the enemy within. Continuing their attack, Sgt. Keller and his comrade assaulted 4 more bunkers, killing the enemy within. During their furious assault, Sgt. Keller and his comrade had been almost continuously exposed to intense sniper fire as the enemy desperately sought to stop their attack. The ferocity of their assault had carried the soldiers beyond the line of bunkers into the treeline, forcing snipers to flee. The 2 men gave immediate chase, driving the enemy away from the friendly unit. When his ammunition was exhausted, Sgt. Keller returned to the platoon to assist in the evacuation of the wounded. The 2-man assault had driven an enemy platoon from a well prepared position, accounted for numerous enemy dead, and prevented further friendly casualties. Sgt. Keller's selfless heroism and indomitable fighting spirit saved the lives of many of his comrades and inflicted serious damage on the enemy. His acts were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.

Rest in peace, Leonard Keller. Thank you for your service to our nation.

The Climate Science Isn't Settled

While I acknowledge that it is actually a much bigger story than a golfer getting in a fender bender, I haven't weighed in on Climate-gate (or climaquidick as some call it) because Anthropogenic Global Warming has been so thoroughly discredited that the only fools who still believe in it are those (like Newsweak's Eleanor Clift) who view it from a faith basis just as normal people view their religious beliefs. However, their are some folks in positions of power (Like White House spokesman "Bagdad Bob" Gibbs) who are clinging to the defense mechanism of "it's settled science" in an attempt to squelch disagreement.

Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal titled "The Climate Science Isn't Settled." Unlike most articles on the subject which are written by journalists who fall for the party line because they have no real scientific knowledge or experience, this column is penned by Richard Lindzen who is professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Don't know about the rest of you guys but I'll listen to Professor Lindzen a little more closely than to Eleanor Clift. He speaks common sense. Here is a taste:

The notion that complex climate "catastrophes" are simply a matter of the response of a single number, GATA, to a single forcing, CO2 (or solar forcing for that matter), represents a gigantic step backward in the science of climate. Many disasters associated with warming are simply normal occurrences whose existence is falsely claimed to be evidence of warming. And all these examples involve phenomena that are dependent on the confluence of many factors.

Our perceptions of nature are similarly dragged back centuries so that the normal occasional occurrences of open water in summer over the North Pole, droughts, floods, hurricanes, sea-level variations, etc. are all taken as omens, portending doom due to our sinful ways (as epitomized by our carbon footprint). All of these phenomena depend on the confluence of multiple factors as well.

When people are trying to get you alarmed about a problem and claiming massive actions and changes are required to avoid a catastrophe watch your wallet.

Congressional Fraud, Waste and Abuse

In the Navy it seemed every supply office or storeroom would have a poster listing a toll free number you could call to report Fraud, Waste and Abuse. It originated from the loss prevention belief that if we cut down on small losses everywhere it will add up to large savings fleet wide. Well, they need to post those Fraud, Waste and Abuse posters in every congressional office. Here is an article detailing some expenses congresscritters paid out of money confiscated from tax payers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spent $2,993 in taxpayer money on flowers between June and October. House Majority Whip James Clyburn has a thing for Chantilly Donuts, spending about $265 at the Virginia shop in the past quarter. And Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), a fiscal conservative, decided to give about $2,000 in unused office funds back to the government to help reduce the deficit.

These expenditures – culled from thousands of line items released Monday by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House – are just a fraction of the $300 million spent last quarter by House offices. But while the bulk of congressional office spending goes to salaries and routine office expenses, some of the line items offer a window into the personalities and priorities of each congressional office.

Pelosi, who has come under fire in the past for spending on flowers, also spent roughly $30,610 in food and beverage and about $2,740 on bottled water, contributing to the nearly $120,531 total from all congressional leadership accounts. Her offices defended the charges, saying the Speaker’s office holds more ceremonial events with visiting dignitaries than other congressional offices. They also use a local florist, and about a third of her flower expenses this quarter were for Jack Kemp’s funeral.

Hey Nancy, Guess what? If one of my friends dies and I want to send flowers I pay for them. You are not honoring Jack Kemp (a fiscal conservative) by sending him flowers with money stolen from taxpayers. She and 99% of the rest of congress should be locked up for theft.

The national deficit would go away in time if our elected representatives respected the value of each dollar and only spent taxpayer money on matters the federal government is constitutionally required to handle. Unfortunately, the mindset is "Hey, we routinely waste millions, sometimes billions, so why should we worry about thousands." Well, believe it or not pennies become dollars. Every candidate for office should be asked if they will respect the value of every dollar spent.