Gay Marriage End-Run

End-run: A maneuver in which impediments are bypassed, often by deceit or trickery. I think that what the New York appeals court did in February was an end-run around a vote by New Yorkers.. or at least their representatives. In essence they legalized gay marriage in New York.. another example of activist judges legislating from the bench. Here is the story in brief from Reuters:

New York state has instructed government agencies to recognize same-sex marriages conducted out of state or abroad, renewing debate on an issue that was used to rally conservatives in the last U.S. general election.

The directive could impact everything from health insurance to public housing and organ donation. It was welcomed by the New York Civil Liberties Union, which posted a copy on its Web site and said it was "a milestone in the fight for fairness."

In the memo dated May 14 but not publicized at the time, Gov. David Paterson's legal counsel, David Nocenti, said state agencies that do not recognize gay marriages could be subject to liability.

The directive follows a New York appeals court ruling in February that valid same-sex marriages performed in other states or countries must be recognized in New York.

Smokin' Obama

Check out the dialog over at Barbara's place.

Numb What?

Video from the 2008 National Spelling Bee of 13-year-old
champion Sameer Mishra spelling an unusual word :)

A McCain Senior Moment

A few excerpts from this article about McCain's mis-speak about troop numbers:

MILWAUKEE - Republican John McCain's estimate of U.S. troop levels in Iraq touched off squabbling with Democrat Barack Obama on Friday, the latest turn in the presidential rivals' escalating disagreement over the war.

The likely GOP nominee told an audience Thursday: "We have drawn down to pre-surge levels. Basra, Mosul and now Sadr City are quiet."

Obama responded: "That's not true and anyone running for commander-in-chief should know better."

In fact, U.S. troop levels are not yet down to levels before President Bush's troop increase last year, a strategy shift McCain had pushed for some four years before the president authorized it.

There were 15 combat brigades in Iraq before the increase began. Five were added, and the United States has been reducing numbers since December. As of Friday, there are 17 brigades in Iraq, another brigade will depart in June and the plan is to pull out another in July, returning the level to 15.

Prior to the increase, there were 130,000-135,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. As of this week, that number was 155,000, and the Pentagon plans to drop that to 140,000 by the end of July.

Kiss and Condi

Someone seems out of place in this picture :)

What Happened

A few interesting excerpts from this AP article on former Bush White House spokesman Scott McClellan's new book:

• The White House responded angrily Wednesday to McClellan's confessional memoir, calling it self-serving sour grapes.
• He reveals that he was pushed to leave earlier than he had planned.
• The news media, he says, were "complicit enablers" for focusing more on "covering the march to war instead of the necessity of war."
• The heart of the book concerns Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq, a determination McClellan says the president had made by early 2002 — at least a full year before the invasion — if not even earlier.
• In Bush's second term, as news from Iraq grew worse, McClellan says the president was "insulated from the reality of events on the ground and consequently began falling into the trap of believing his own spin."
• McClellan ticks off a long list of Bush's weaknesses: someone with a penchant for self-deception if it "suits his needs at the moment," "an instinctive leader more than an intellectual leader" who has a lack of interest in delving deeply into policy options, a man with a lack of self-confidence that makes him unable to acknowledge when he's been wrong.

I found the complicit enablers comment to be insightful.. so often the talking heads are mere pawns of our leaders and rarely ask the right questions at the right time.

Jeopardy Record Breaker

My wife and I love to watch.. this gal was really great.


Grad student makes 'Jeopardy!' history

CULVER CITY, Calif., May 29 (UPI) -- Larissa Kelly, a 28-year-old graduate student from El Cerrito, Calif., has become the biggest female winner in "Jeopardy!" history, the game show said.

Kelly had a seven-day total of $222,597.

In addition to being the "winningest" female champion in the quiz show's 24 seasons, she also has become the third biggest money winner behind all-time "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings, who went home with $2.5 million, and David Madden, who won $430,400, representatives for the series said.

"My husband and I have been grad students for awhile now, so it will definitely be nice to have a down payment on a house," Kelly said in a statement.

Kelly's husband Jeff appeared on the program in 2004 and her sister Arianna is scheduled to appear on the show July 8.

The Bus Train

What do you get when you cross a bus with a train? A dual-mode vehicle that has the versatility of a bus, the speed of light rail and fuel economy vastly better than either.

Toyota and its truck-making subsidiary Hino Motors have signed on with Japan Rail Hokkaido to develop the vehicles, which carry 25 people and reportedly burn one-fourth the amount of diesel fuel required by conventional buses. Japan Rail started testing them about 18 months ago, and bringing Toyota aboard could speed up development and commercialization of what may be the mass transit vehicle of the future. More here.

Prosecute Criminals, not Barbers

HOUMA, La. - Police in this town wouldn't cut a break for a barber who ran afoul of an obscure law barring him from working Sundays and Mondays.

Clyde Scott had opened his shop May 19 just to trim up a few students getting ready for their graduation ceremony when an officer gave him a citation.

A law on the books in Houma for decades bars barbers from working Sundays, Mondays, any of several holidays and even the day after Labor Day.

"I didn't know it existed," said Scott, 32, who has owned Clippas barbershop for about two years. "It's crazy."
...
District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr. won't be prosecuting the case. In fact, he's asking the parish council to repeal the law as unconstitutional.

"It's our job to prosecute criminals, not barbers," he said.

You can read more here.

What do you think about laws that prevent businesses from opening on certain days? Do you think that it may be a way to protect WalMart employees from having to work on Christmas?

Anais Nin

Anaïs Nin (born Angela Anais Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell) (1903-1977) was a Cuban-French author who became famous for her published journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death. Here are a few of her quotes:

Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat.

We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Do not seek the because - in love there is no because, no reason, no explanation, no solutions.

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.

Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together.

Dreams are necessary to life.

We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.

The Green Civic

Each year, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) puts out its list of the 12 "greenest cars", taking into account tailpipe emissions, gas mileage, and curb weight.

The Civic GX comes in as the ACEEE's greenest car, largely due to the fact it runs on natural gas, which gives off fewer smog-producing pollutants and greenhouse gases than gasoline-powered cars. The Civic GX uses a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that gets 24 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, and is rated as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle by the California Air Resources Board.

It's brother, the Civic Hybrid, came took place, the vanilla Civic scored 11th place and the Honda Fit 12th. Check out the rest of the list here.

Sir Doctor Paul McCartney

According to this article the ex-Beatle was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University. Knighted by the Queen and now doctored by Yale. Give Me a Break!

Comedian Dick Martin dies at 86

I will always have fond memories of Dick Martin and his "Laugh-In" co-host Dan Rowan.

Laugh-In was a great show that introduced us all to some great new talents like Goldie Hawn. Here are some classic lines from the show:

Sock it to me!

Look THAT up in your Funk and Wagnall's

You bet your sweet bippy.

One ringy-dingy. Two ringy-dingies.

Very interesting, not very funny, but very interesting.

This show was prerecorded earlier, because it didn't make much sense to prerecorded it later.

Rowan: Say good night, Dick.
Martin: Good night, Dick!

Nike Hercules

This article brought back tons of memories because it showed the picture below with this caption:

A Nike Hercules surface-to-air missile at the only restored Nike missile site in the United States. The site is in the Marin Headlands, near Sausalito, Calif. The missile could carry a nuclear warhead of up to 40 kilotons.

From 1968-1971 I trained to be a technician on these missiles and worked as launcher chief at a Nike firing site. Several times a month National Guard and Army squads would come out to the middle of the New Mexico desert and fire a few of these missiles down range - it was an awesome site to behold.. you get a small glimpse of it from the video. Often I would be in the control center about 15 feet below the launch.. even the sound was amazing. Maybe I'll make it out to this museum in San Francisco some time.

Happy Memorial Day

Solid State Hard Drives

I am looking forward to buying my next laptop with one of these 256gb lightweight highspeed drives.

Here's hoping my laptop lasts until they are in mass production :)

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was the foremost English novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous social campaigner. Considered one of the English language's greatest writers, he was acclaimed for his rich storytelling and memorable characters, and achieved massive worldwide popularity in his lifetime. Here are a few things that he said:

No one is useless in the world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else.

Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts.

Charity begins at home, and justice begins next door.

I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.

Regrets are the natural property of grey hairs.

I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free.

If there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers.

It is a melancholy truth that even great men have their poor relations.

There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart.

BlogBlast For Peace

Join the blast.

Find out more here.

Tornado Footage

A slow-moving storm packing tornadoes and hail battered rural Oklahoma yesterday, destroying several buildings, tearing up trees and tossing a mobile home onto a highway. The bodies of two storm victims were found in Kansas.

Kaptain Knievel

Honoring Veterans

I really wish that this picture showed John McCain saying this words. Unfortunately Senator McCain's support of our soldiers seems to only extend to lifer-soldiers and not those who leave the military after fighting several tours in Iraq. Consider this excerpt from this article:

The Arizona senator opposes the scholarship measure, as does the Pentagon, because it applies to people who serve just three years. He fears that would encourage people to leave the military after only one enlistment even as the U.S. fights two wars and is trying to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps.

Instead, McCain and Republican colleagues proposed a bill to increase benefits in conjunction with a veteran's length of service. Senate Democrats blocked that measure.

Sadly Senator McCain has forgotten that the GI Bill was originally intended for veterans of World War II.. veterans who, like our Iraqi War veterans, risked all they had - for a season but not a lifetime. This is one of the reasons that I will not be supporting McCain this fall. We need a president who will give more than lip-service for our veterans.. a president who will vote for our soldiers and not our generals.. a president who will chart a new course in Iraq.

Cindy McCain: Private Citizen

5/25 Update: Well two weeks after she vowed to not release her taxes Cindy McCain revealed Friday that she had a total income of more than $6 million in 2006. I applaud her for doing so.. yet it is a smaller number than most of us thought she made. More info on this here.

5/11: According to this AP article

"Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady."

Here is her rationale:

"You know, my husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years. This is a privacy issue. My husband is the candidate."

What do you think about this idea of privacy? I don't care for it. I think that if you want to be the First Lady of this country you need to stretch a bit and reveal your sources of income and not hide - it is a trustability issue.. for Cindy and her husband. Just my opinion.. what's yours?

Birth of the Blue Jeans

May 20, 1873: Blue jeans assume their distinctive form when a patent is issued for the rivet process used to strengthen the pockets on what were then called "waist overalls."

Jacob Youphes, a Latvian immigrant who changed his name to Jacob Davis after coming to the United States in 1854, was working as a tailor in Reno, Nevada, when he hit on the idea of using copper rivets to reinforce denim working pants. Since he obtained his denim from Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco, Davis approached Strauss with an offer to file for a joint patent.

Strauss -- knowing a good thing when he saw it -- accepted, and the modern "blue jean" was born.

Freedom and the Soldier

Husbands of the Year

Vote for Cook

Limbaugh's Operation Deception

I am adamantly opposed to Operation Chaos. It is sad that so many listen to a guy who seems to enjoy making a mockery of our political process. Limbaugh has deceived his listeners and has caused them to vote a lie. Where is the patriotism in that?

McCain Spoofs McCain

John Croyle

Brody Croyle is the starting quarterback for the hometown team - the Kansas City Chiefs. The is an interview with his father John Croyle who began the “Big Oak Ranch—A Christian Home for Children Needing a Chance” in 1974 after passing up a promising professional football career. Since then, thousands of abused, neglected or abandoned children have found a home and Christlike love there.

Manifesto Responses

From a Washingtom Post forum:

Some Christian leaders issued An Evangelical Manifesto last week to depoliticize the term 'evangelical.' "We evangelicals are defined theologically, and not politically, socially or culturally," they said. In your mind, what is the definition of an evangelical?

Here are some excerpted answers to the question:

But in general I welcome this as an open-hearted and generous statement. -NT Wright

These Evangelical leaders have come to rue the day they were discovered as a voting bloc by Republican strategists. They have been manipulated and “that way faith loses its independence.” -Susan Brooks

I wasn't aware of a demand for an "evangelical manifesto." -Cal Thomas

The Manifesto well defines the character of evangelicalism as a theological movement. Though it seeks always to bring Christian truth to bear in all of society, including politics, evangelicalism stands astride the mainstream of the church and apart from and independent of any worldly structure. -Chuck Colson

The most helpful, though not original, feature of the Manifesto is to show that the Evangelicals represented in it are more and other than scrubbed-up and toned-down ex-Fundamentalists. -Martin Marty

Slutbucks

Group finds Starbucks logo
too hot to handle
By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune


Seems that one person's smut is another person's morning latte.



A Christian group based in San Diego found grounds for outrage over the new retro-style logo for Starbucks Coffee.

The Resistance says the new image "has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute," Mark Dice, founder of the group, said in a news release. "Need I say more? It's extremely poor taste, and the company might as well call themselves Slutbucks."

The group, which claims more than 3,000 members nationwide and has found a place on the fringe advancing various conspiracy theories, is calling for a national boycott of the coffee-selling giant.

Read the rest of the article here.

New York Bob Pillow

On very rare occasions.. when I am a bit ornery.. my co-workers call me New York Bob. This week one of these "friends" gave me this pillow for my birthday and recited the instructions below as we ate some cake.


New York Bob Syndrome Reliever Pillow

The New York Bob Pillow has been found to be one of the fastest and safest new devices for relieving the stress of the chronic disease of New York Bob. In tests done with New York mice it has been found to quickly relieve their stress and once again have them behaving like good old Kansas Bob again.

1. Please read all safety instructions before attempting any use.

2. Ask all family and friends to stand back as pillow is removed from packaging.

3. Remove from reusable protective sack when frustrated, angry, upset, confused and disappointed or other symptoms of New York Bob are becoming visible to others.

4. Hold pillow firmly in both hands about chest high

5. Locate center of pillow

6. Using right or left arm punch pillow as hard as strength allows. Repeat as often as needed to relieve symptoms of New York Bob.

7. Alternate use instructions: Hold up to face and scream into pillow preferably with rag in mouth to prevent soiling pillow for future use.

8. As the characteristics of Kansas Bob return allow yourself the time to rest from treatment.

9. Limited warranty on pillow, we take no responsibility for unlawful use of pillow. We recommend a protection plan on all pillow devices.
(All use should preferably be done privately or in padded room)

Hagee apologizes to Catholics

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - John Hagee, an influential Texas televangelist who endorsed John McCain, apologized to Catholics Tuesday for his stinging criticism of the Roman Catholic Church and for having "emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the Jews."
...
In a letter to William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, Hagee wrote: "Out of a desire to advance a greater unity among Catholics and evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful."

Donohue, one of Hagee's sharpest critics, said he accepted the apology and planned to meet with Hagee Thursday in New York.

"I got what I wanted," Donohue said in an interview. "He's seen the light, as they like to say. So for me it's over."
...
"In my zeal to oppose anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its ugly forms, I have often emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholics and Protestant relations with the Jews," Hagee wrote. "In the process, I may have contributed to the mistaken impression that the anti-Jewish violence of the Crusades and the Inquisition defines the Catholic Church. It most certainly does not."

I applaud Hagee's apology. You can read the entite article here.

Henin Retires Ranked #1

Justine Henin retired from tennis Wednesday, an abrupt ending to a short and successful career in which she won seven Grand Slam singles titles and leaves while ranked #1. She is the first woman to quit the sport while atop the WTA rankings.

EDS makes HP #2

Hewlett-Packard will become the second-largest technology services company after IBM with a deal announced Tuesday to buy Electronic Data Systems (my one-time employer) for $13.9 billion. As the picture denotes, IBM can't be too happy about the news :)

Sex, the City and the Hat

Wind Power

According to this report wind turbines could generate power about 20 percent of the US electrical grid by 2030.

Now that is some hot air I can believe in :)

Evangelical Moniker

Sadly, I voted with the 31% ... I wanted to vote with the 18% but I simply don't like the political connotations associated with Evangelicalism. How would you vote?

Communion Vetoed for KS Governor

A few excerpts from a column by Archbishop Joseph Naumann appearing in the area Roman Catholic newspaper:

On the day of my return (Monday, April 21) from the exhilarating experience of participating in Pope Benedict’s pastoral visit to the United States, I learned that Governor Kathleen Sebelius had vetoed the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act (HS SB 389), which had been passed by significant majorities in both chambers of the Kansas Legislature.
...
Since becoming archbishop, I have met with Governor Sebelius several times over many months to discuss with her the grave spiritual and moral consequences of her public actions by which she has cooperated in the procurement of abortions performed in Kansas. My concern has been, as a pastor, both for the spiritual well-being of the governor but also for those who have been misled (scandalized) by her very public support for legalized abortion.
...
The governor has spoken to me on more than one occasion about her obligation to uphold state and federal laws and court decisions. I have asked her to show a similar sense of obligation to honor divine law and the laws, teaching and legitimate authority within the church.

I have not made lightly this request of Governor Sebelius, but only after much prayer and reflection. The spiritually lethal message, communicated by our governor, as well as many other high profile Catholics in public life, has been in effect: “The church’s teaching on abortion is optional!”

I reissue my request of the faithful of the archdiocese to pray for Governor Sebelius. I hope that my request of the governor, not to present herself for holy Communion, will provoke her to reconsider the serious spiritual and moral consequences of her past and present actions.

A few reflections on this by this Kansan:

1. I am impressed that the archbishop had several conversations with the governor.. it seems that he was interested in a dialog with her.
2. I like that he considered this a pastoral matter and he is personally concerned for the governor.
3. I like the legislative bill because it addresses (to some degree) the idea of fetal viability.
4. The legislature lacked only 2 votes to overturn the veto.. wow.. talk about the impact of a lone vote!
5. I am wondering if it is appropriate to refuse communion to an elected official because of their governmental actions.

I'd like to open that last reflection up for your input.. admittedly I am on the fence on this one and would like to have your input. Here are three questions for you:

1. Do you think that a church leader should take actions similar to the archbishop if the elected official is openly pro-choice?
2. Would it make a difference if they are openly pro-abortion?
3. What other actions should warrant similar religious censure?

I look forward to your feedback!

Idol Recap: Cook Comes Home

Yesterday was David Cook Day in Kansas City. This video is from a lunch time venue in the new Power & Light District in downtown KC. It was fun to watch the parades and all of the hoopla around David's homecoming.

CT Candidate Poll: No Majority

One might perceive from this poll that John McCain is the Christian favorite.. to those folks I have to say that even on this heavily evangelical (online) publication he still didn't get a majority.. I think that there is more here than meets the eye.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. -Mother Teresa

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. -Albert Einstein

Today's opportunities erase yesterday's failures. -Gene Brown

The promises of yesterday are the taxes of today. -William Lyon MacKenzie

Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely. -Kay Lyons

Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it. -Groucho Marx

Yesterday's just a memory, tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be. -Bob Dylan

Idol Recap: Dreadful Dreadlocks

I like Jason Castro and featured him here a month or so ago when he did Daydream. That said I have to agree with Simon and say that he needs to pack his bags after last nights show.. I hope Syesha doesn't leave.. never know.. at this point it is more about popularity than anything.. but I'll be surprised if either of the Davids leave tonight.

Blu-ray for $600

This low-end Pioneer brand player will go for $600 this summer - the more expensive one is $800. Anyone out there own a blu-ray player? Are they worth the investment? Are they better than HD-TV?

Letter to Dennis Moore

Following is an email message that I sent to my US Congressman Dennis Moore in response to an email message that he sent to me about rising gas prices.

Thank you for your email message addressing the current oil crisis. I don't think that you are in agreement with me on this but I believe that you should be looking to enact legislation that will open up land in places like Alaska and our coastal areas that are currently off limits for the drilling of oil. Instead of thinking of ways to lecture us on the efficient usage of our automobiles (as you did in your email message) you should have been (over the last 10 years) working on legislation to free us from the grip of foreign oil.

I want you to know that I am disappointed that Congress seems to be so reactionary to this issue. Really, many of us hoped that things would be different when the democrtic party gained a majority in congress. Much seems to be just more of the same - no leadership on the deficit, Iraq, oil, health care, social security or about anything else.

Please change things.. please get past the rhetoric.. please work with republicans and others to solve these problems which are at a near-crisis state.

I may not get more than a form letter response but at least I voiced an opinion to one of our congressional leaders. Do you all get messages from your leaders? Do you ever respond? Not saying you should - just wondering.

Sky Angel Cowboy

An inspirational story of God speaking from the mouth of a child.

The Thankful Heart

The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! -Henry Ward Beecher

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. -Jean Baptiste Massieu

When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself. -Tecumseh Shawnee Chief

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. -William Arthur Ward

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. -Gladys Browyn Stern

Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality. -Alfred Painter

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. -Cicero

An Evangelical Manifesto

According to this Associated Press article:

Conservative Christian leaders who believe the word "evangelical" has lost its religious meaning plan to release a starkly self-critical document saying the movement has become too political and has diminished the Gospel through its approach to the culture wars.

The statement, called "An Evangelical Manifesto," condemns Christians on the right and left for "using faith" to express political views without regard to the truth of the Bible, according to a draft of the document obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

"That way faith loses its independence, Christians become `useful idiots' for one political party or another, and the Christian faith becomes an ideology," according to the draft.

The declaration, scheduled to be released Wednesday in Washington, encourages Christians to be politically engaged and uphold teachings such as traditional marriage. But the drafters say evangelicals have often expressed "truth without love," helping create a backlash against religion during a "generation of culture warring."

"All too often we have attacked the evils and injustices of others," they wrote, "while we have condoned our own sins." They argue, "we must reform our own behavior."

Useful idiots - ouch.. I wish that I couldn't relate.. does this resonate with your politcial experience?

Derby Dark Side

I watched the Kentucky Derby on Saturday and was shocked when second place finisher Eight Belles had to be euthanized after she broke both of her front ankles. Here is an excerpt from Fox that sums up my feelings:

If Big Brown had broken his ankles after winning, he would have been the biggest story in America this morning. There would be many calls to rethink the sport of horse racing. There would be a national conversation about whether horse racing is a worthy sporting endeavor or unfit for a civilized society.

If a horse had broken his ankles after finishing last, it would have been one paragraph in newspaper stories — a footnote. Fans would not have paid much attention, because it would be easy to separate the death from the reason we watch the Kentucky Derby — to see who wins.

But when the second-place finisher breaks down and must be euthanized on the track, it becomes a nasty little thought that you can't get out of your head. You might just find yourself blocking it out and concentrating on the winner, but that will only bring guilt.

Why? Why do we put racehorses at risk for our own amusement? Where do we draw the line?

I felt very sad about Eight Belles death and have a new question mark in my head about this "sport". What do you think?

Blue Jean Blog

May seemed to be a good time to change my blog.. and I am a jeans type of guy :)

Let me know if you like - or not.. and let me know if you have an suggestions.

Bill and Hillary

No, not Chelsea's parents.. well one of them anyway. I watched O'Reilly grill Clinton last night on Foreign policy (and other stuff) and came away impressed with her ability to hold her own against the loud-mouthed shouting-over talking-head. For me it was better than any of the democratic debates. You can catch the whole interview in snippets on YouTube.

I don't like O'Reilly's show but I plan to watch McCain next week and hope to watch Obama at some time in the future. It may give us all a picture of how these candidates react to bullies :)