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FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) ― Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, visited wounded soldiers and their families near the site of the worst mass shooting on an Army post in the United States. The Bushes made their private visit to Fort Hood's Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday night. Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in an e-mail that the couple thanked Fort Hood's military leaders and hospital staff for the "amazing care they are providing."

No one saw the truck drive off, it left the alley between the bank and another business. You could pick up the cash and no one would see you. What should you do?

Recently I revisited The Visual Craft of William Golden, a book published in the early-Sixties about the legendary CBS creative director. There is an essay in the book by CBS exec John Cowden that sheds light on Golden’s artistic integrity, and helps to explain why the advertising work created under his guidance remains to this day the strongest body of advertising ever created for a TV network. Golden’s world revolved around graphic design, illustration and advertising, but I find his experiences to be relevant to creative people working in any commercial field, and especially animation. For example, Cowden recounted how...

What would make a fitting legacy for Ted Kennedy in the Senate? I think it would be the election of a Senator to take his place, who committed to the same great public ideas that Senator Kennedy spoke about, so often and passionately. Teddy often spoke of his dedication to and respect for the Constitution. This is to be expected where Sam Adams created the Sons of Liberty who threw the tea in Boston Harbor. And where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired at, and later fired by, the Minutemen at Concord and Lexington. So, the person...

This was filed with the following: State of Nevada Office of the Attorney General Southern Nevada Public Integrity Unit Office of Clark County District Attorney Office of the Clark County Managers Office July 27, 2009 page 1-2 Re: Las Vegas Township Constable Robert Gronauer On July 25, 2009 we had Las Vegas Township Constable Robert Gronauer on the Veterans In Politics Talk Show on All Talk Radio. Since the interview we have had several disturbing comments from our listeners. Mr. Gronauer made a statement that he has not had an Audit in over Eight years and he claims his office...

A Letter to Our Readers By Katharine Weymouth Sunday, July 5, 2009 Dear Reader: I want to apologize for a planned new venture that went off track and for any cause we may have given you to doubt our independence and integrity. A flier distributed last week suggested that we were selling access to power brokers in Washington through dinners that were to take place at my home. The flier was not approved by me or newsroom editors, and it did not accurately reflect what we had in mind. But let me be clear: The flier was not the only...

Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth said yesterday that a hasty time frame, haphazard planning and miscommunication led to the release of a promotional flier that inaccurately described the newspaper's plans for a series of sponsored "salons" with influential insiders. "We decided to throw this particular event very recently," Weymouth said in an interview. "We said, 'Let's not wait. Let's pick a date and let's go for it.' When you rush like that, you make mistakes." Weymouth said she takes responsibility for the controversy, and she took the rare step of writing a letter to readers, which appears today on the...

Providing all of my research were the "family values" Republicans. Last week, second-term Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina disappeared for six days, leaving the state without a chief executive who could make decisions in an emergency. His Republican lieutenant governor didn't know where he was, and had not been given any authority to make decisions in his absence. The state police said they had not been informed. His wife told the Associated Press she didn't know where he was, wasn't worried about him, and thought he was "writing something and wanted some space to get away from the kids"...

If you've spent any time at all on Internet message boards or in college debate class you'll have seen the rafters vibrate with righteous condemnation against the "slippery slope argument." It is claimed that a worst case, ultimate extrapolation of a thing is a bad argument because it isn't necessarily a truism. Supporters of the Second Amendment, for instance, are scolded by liberals when the supporter says that any new gun law is "one more step to banning guns." The gun restricter says that the gun supporter is employing a "slippery slope" argument and that it is idiotic to claim...

Over the past 3 decades of bashing my head against the stout wall of public apathy, ignorance and stupidity (igorance can be cured but stupidity is forever), I sometimes found myself mutttering that "Like a dog that soils a carpet in the living room, these dummies need a SERIOUS dose of rub-your-noses-in-it statist socialism to get a good close look at the thing" But as I reflected on what I'd just said, it struck me that -- with much help from the government endoctrination centers called "schools" and the 501(c)(3) neutered churches yammering away on Romans 13 -- they might...

It is now over 5 month since the best President of this century has left office . Do I miss the years he was our President and Commander in Chief.? You betcha. Today, I will post photos from June 2001 and June 2002. snugs will post photos from June 2003. (She might do it tomorrow though instead.. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Remarks of U.S. Senator Barack Obama on the nomination of Justice Janice Rogers Brown June 08, 2005 Remarks as Delivered The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois. Mr. OBAMA. I thank the Chair. I rise today to speak on the nomination of California Justice Janice Rogers Brown to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Now, let me begin by saying that the last thing I would like to be spending my time on right now is talking about judges. I am sure that is true for many in this Chamber. I know that I certainly do not hear about filibusters...

The National Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Jeff Roy, and Governor Sarah Palin, will hold a press conference at 10:00 am on May 30, 2009 at Mt View VFW Post 10252 located at 3105 Mt View Drive, Anchorage. The purpose is to launch an extraordinary expedition by America’s heroes to successfully summit 20,320 ft. Mt. Denali, the highest peak in North America, after more than a year of intensive preparations. Commander Roy will introduce the members of this team of wounded warriors who symbolize the strength of our Nation and those who defend it. The team...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The State Personnel Board today dismissed an ethics complaint filed against Gov. Sarah Palin. The governor's office says it was the 13th ethics complaint filed against the governor or her staff that has been resolved with no finding of a violation of the state ethics law. Andree McLeod of Anchorage filed the complaint. Among the allegations was that Palin violated the Executive Branch Ethics Act in using state resources and staff to further her own national political aspirations.

Before a woman who "lost everything" in an Alton fire last year learned a 10-year-old found more than $8,000 of her money, Arie Johnston had to defy his grandmother's orders. The drama unfolded Saturday, when the Garrison School student from Dover was in Alton again helping his grandmother, Nancy Merrill, and the town with its annual roadside cleanup. "We were out there picking up debris, rubbish, whatever," she said. And as Arie went about his work he spotted a bag across the street. He wanted to check it out, but his grandmother wasn't having any of it. "I'm yelling at...

BREAKING NEWS... Kansas Gov. Kathleen Seblelius has won approval from a divided Senate panel to become secretary of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration ... The head of the Family Research Council says he hopes the latest revelation about the "blood money" Health and Human Services secretary nominee Kathleen Sebelius received from Kansas abortionist George Tiller will cause senators like Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts to reconsider their support for her appointment. Family Research Council (FRC) and other pro-life groups have obtained a copy of a 2002 letter [PDF] in which notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller claims that...

He mishandled her national rollout to the public, botched her relationship with the media and now supporters of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin are charging Sen. John McCain with snubbing his former running mate during an interview on NBC’s “Tonight Show With Jay Leno” Monday night. Mr. McCain is coming under fire for his conspicuous memory lapse when listing the names of Republican governors who could be the next in line to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012. Mrs. Palin did not make the cut. “We have, I’m happy to say, a lot of voices out there,” Mr. McCain told host...

April 13, 2009, Juneau, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin will attend the Vanderburgh County Right to Life dinner in Evansville, Indiana on Thursday as well as a breakfast the next morning for S.M.I.L.E., a nonprofit organization for families with members who have Down Syndrome. Governor Palin had previously personally informed the legislative leadership of her upcoming event and asked if legislators had any problem with her attendance at an event outside the Capitol building. None expressed concerns. And this event doesn’t cost the state a dime – the governor has no staff, not even state security, with her, though her...

The sands of the legislative hour glass are running out, and lawmakers have nine days left before the session comes to a close. Their relationship with Gov. Sarah Palin has been an ongoing source of speculation, and a move Thursday from the Senate Finance Committee turned some heads when the committee released a draft of its capital budget. The budget was short about a half billion dollars in projects the governor had proposed. There have already been complaints in the Mat-Su Borough over some of these cuts, but none on Friday from Palin, who invited reporters into her office for...

The mainstream media has once again taken delight in reporting salacious news about Governor Palin and her family as the Johnstons are traveling the talk show circuit for the express purpose of bad-mouthing the mother of his child and the Governor. While this blog normally focuses exclusively on the Governor's accomplishments, some recent developments dictate that the subject of Levi and Bristol once again be covered. There is more to this story than meets the eye -- particularly regarding who is financing these appearances, what the financier's motives are and who the financier is connected with. The Johnston family's trip...

Why? The Left and its media allies fear the prospect of Sarah Palin in the White House. So they pile on, and on . . . Governor Sarah Palin's now 18-year-old daughter Bristol, the new mom, gets lots of attention from the mainstream media (MSM) simply for being a daughter of the one-time veep candidate. No other reason, to be sure, for the intense focus on the kid. Like dogs shaking new bones, news media couldn't let go. They covered the Palins' daughter's pregnancy and birth and now, incredibly, the "breakup" of the star-crossed teenage couple. Such breathless reporting has...

In October of 1964 Ronald Reagan addressed the Republican National Convention and a television audience. At the time America was headed into liberalism in a big way.. Democrats were looking to grow the government in ways our founders never dreamed of. The "Great Society" was upon us. Reagan, a newly minted Republican, remarked that he didn’t leave the democrat party, the party left him. Reagan spoke of American exceptionalism and determination. He spoke of conservatism. He also spoke of the evils of liberalism, and communism. Reagan’s speech, entitled "A Time For Choosing" is one of his best works. It is...

On April 3, 2009, a "perfect storm" of negative publicity surrounded Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in matters pertaining to her family. In the first item, her husband's half-sister was arrested on two charges of felony burglary. In the second item, Levi Johnston appeared on the Tyra Banks show to discuss his sex life with Bristol Palin. Apparently, another appearance is to occur on April 6. Of course, those who hate Governor Palin have gleefully jumped on this "news" to proclaim her unfit for POTUS and unfit as Governor. First are some items to consider regarding Tyra Banks: 1. The Tyra...

Dozens of arts and education supporters gathered on the Capitol steps at noon last Friday to protest Gov. Sarah Palin's rejection of federal stimulus dollars. The state of Alaska was offered approximately $930 million from the federal government. Last Thursday, Palin decided to reject almost $288 million, much of which would have gone toward arts and education programs. Palin met protesters on the steps during the protest to answer questions and defend her decision. She said that rather than following national opinion on the matter, she is more concerned with managing Alaskan's expectations."I'm going to do what's best for Alaska,"...

WASHINGTON, March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Please find, below, the statement of Democratic National Committee communications director Brad Woodhouse on Governor Sarah Palin's decision to reject over $500 million in federal funds due the state of Alaska under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: "After soliciting and accepting more federal dollars per capita than any other governor in the union, Sarah Palin's decision today to deny the state of Alaska over half a billion dollars in recovery and reinvestment funds - including millions for schools, energy and public safety - appears to be nothing more than political posturing. At a time...

Vanderburgh County Right to Life confirmed today that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will speak at the group's annual banquet April 16 at The Centre. The event in The Centre's Bill Brooks Exhibition Hall has sold out of about 2,050 dinner tickets, but Right to Life Executive Director Mary Ellen Van Dyke said arrangements have been made to accommodate an additional 2,500 people for a simulcast with theater seating in The Centre's auditorium. If both rooms are filled, the Right to Life banquet will be the largest event in The Centre's history, said Dave Rector, general manager of the Evansville Vanderburgh...

March 10, 2009, Juneau, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin pledged her support today for Senator Bettye Davis' bill to extend Alaska's suspension of the motor fuel tax. Senate Bill 14 extends a portion of the governor's multi-phase statewide energy plan she introduced last year to help Alaskans combat the high cost of energy. "Alaskans are unique among Americans in the contiguous states in terms of transportation costs," Palin said. "In rural Alaska, particularly, many people are still paying outrageous fuel costs. Heating and fuel bills are double and triple what others pay in the Lower 48. I support any sound...

Editor's note: Gov. Sarah Palin's new rural affairs adviser, John Moller, responded today to Nick Tucker's criticism of the governor from her recent visit to western Alaska. Tucker lives in Emmonak and brought media attention to food and fuel shortages in his community in January. On Thursday, Alaska Dispatch and ANI Newspapers published a letter by Tucker that took Palin to task for allegedly disrespecting rural Alaskans during her visit to the villages of Marshall and Russian Mission. Here is John Moller's complete statement in response to Nick Tucker: I was a member of the fourth team of state officials...

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is still standing strong, admitting she didn’t do anything wrong, but has agreed to reimburse the state almost $7,000 for nine trips taken by her children. This payment settles an ethics complaint that was filed back in October. The trips in question include Bristol accompanying her to a conference in New York City and another as her husband Tom competed in the Iron Dog snow machine race. The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate said in a written statement that she’s obligated to meet Alaskans across the state. She insists, “I am blessed to have a large...

Governor’s Staff Addresses Expenses Issues on News Media Coverage of Per Diem FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 09-35 Governor’s Staff Addresses Expenses Issues February 23, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska – Staff for Governor Sarah Palin today responded to persistent news media coverage of the per diem the governor has collected while working away from her official duty station of Juneau, while pointing out significant savings the governor has achieved in regard to the way she has discharged her official duties. “The news media have been focused on the $8,500 the governor has collected in per diem annually while working in Anchorage, almost...

When famous soprano Leontyne Price was hailed by an opera critic as, “perhaps the greatest black opera singer of all time, ” she responded with, “What’s black got to do with it?” Exactly. Her fierce dedication, discipline, training and hard work – in a word, her character – not color, defined her. Yet news & feature editors around the country today are still rummaging through their archives for old columns to recycle in commemoration of February as “Black History Month.” Expect articles on the usual suspects: Frederick Douglass, WEB DuBois, Martin Luther King Jr., and my favorite, Booker T. Washington....

February 11, 2009 Murphy's Law, the Peter Principle and Barack Obama By Kyle-Anne Shiver What happens when everything that can go wrong in a person's character formation does go wrong, and that person continues to be promoted to his level of incompetence? President Barack Obama happens. I'm well into my sixth decade of life and have yet to see a more perfect collision of Murphy's Law with the Peter Principle in a single individual. Proper character development is the overriding aim of good parents in raising their children. Mature parents, especially those Judeo/Christian parents with faith, believe it sinful to...

IntegrityDear Spirit and Life readers,One of my most memorable experiences in Marine Corps boot camp was the lesson of integrity. Certain infractions of the strict code of discipline were considered "integrity violations" such as lying or undermining the chain of command, etc. We all implicitly understood that term to mean the breaking of rules of conduct or ethics that bind men together for the common mission. We did our best to avoid committing any violations of integrity, not merely to avoid penalties, but more so because we sought to form ourselves as honorable, trustworthy men deserving of our uniforms.Ironically, the...

In what appeared to be Sarah Palin’s lowest attempt to stay in the public spotlight last Tuesday, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate and current governor of Alaska launched a new political action committee, SarahPAC. The model, which is an obvious mirror to that of Hillary Clinton’s HillaryPAC, already has people in Washington, and throughout the blogosphere talking about what appears to be Palin’s almost definite 2012 presidential run. The PAC is going to be raising money for Republican candidates, and most likely exploring a winning strategy for Palin in 2012. Before going any further with my analysis of Palin’s new...

Daniel White graduated from the University of Hartford majoring in Criminal Justice with minors in Sociology and English. He currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of Ohioans For Concealed Carry and is a NRA Training Counselor. Why bother reporting something you disagree with? Earlier this week, I wrote an article for the OFCC website about a Morning Journal story covering the "Take Back Elyria" event held this past Sunday. In it, I wondered about the lack of mention of the right to use firearms for self defense when the whole point of the event was described as "dedicated to teaching residents how...

Gov. Sarah Palin didn't ask for a pay raise and won't accept one during her current term, a spokesman said Wednesday. (please see url for full story)

A group of French research students is launching an online register to flag up scientific papers that have been tainted by fraud and other types of scientific misconduct. Claire Ribrault, a PhD student in neurobiology at Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, unveiled the Scientific Red Cards project last month at a workshop on research integrity sponsored by the European Science Foundation (ESF). The idea is to identify papers that have been shown to be fraudulent but are still in circulation. Scientific journals are the primary means by which the results of research are made public. Emma Campbell, of the European...

He had the chance to write the biography of Cheeta, known as the world's oldest and most famous chimp. But his research led him into serious monkey business. ... But one oft-repeated fact about the chimp's life nagged at me. It was one of the standard stories in Cheeta's biography -- repeated in Newsweek and other magazines, recited by Cheeta's current owner and many Cheeta admirers -- that the first of his two owners, animal trainer Tony Gentry, had gotten him in Liberia as a baby and smuggled him under his overcoat aboard a Pan Am flight home in 1932....

It will come as no great surprise to regular readers of this blog that I have decided to not vote for Barack Obama next month. Since several repected Republican pundits and politicians have stirred the pot recently by making their reasoning for endorsing Obama part of the political discourse, I thought I might reveal some of the reasons why I am not supporting him, especially since McCain was not my first, or even my second choice in the Republican primary. One of the great pleasures of self employment for me is the freedom to decide with whom to do business....

As the media turns over every rock in the past of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, there has been shockingly little vetting of Barack Obama’s background. Although candidates should not be judged solely by their behavior as adolescents, an examination of their overall past is fair and important, especially as we pick our next president. And former schoolmates can help provide character clues, such as the former Obama schoolmate who told Newsmax that she is surprised he is running for president.

Palin Helps McCain With Christian Voters By Deal W. Hudson 09/29/2008 The evening Gov. Sarah Palin spoke at the Republican National Convention a cry went up from the floor so loud, so thunderous, that you would have thought you were at the Super Bowl. This was the sound of Christian voters, the ground troops of the GOP, expressing their relief that John McCain had embraced one of their own. Immigration aside, Christian voters have no serious problem with Mr. McCain's record. They have had a problem with a candidate who did not associate with them. Over the years, Mr. McCain...

UD persusasion expert gives debate edge to McCain By William Hershey | Saturday, September 27, 2008, 02:15 PM In presidential debates, what counts is not just what the candidates say but how they say it. Randy Sparks, a persuasion expert at the University of Dayton, gave Republican John McCain a slight edge over Democrat Barack Obama in the second category in their debate on Friday, Sept. 26. McCain over and over made the same point, simply and clearly, that Obama does not understand the complex issues facing a president, said Sparks, associate professor of marketing. “The cumulative effect of that...

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Sarah Palin visits The Villages Jim Stratton | Sentinel Staff Writer 7:37 PM EDT, September 21, 2008 THE VILLAGES - With thousands of supporters packing the streets and sidewalks of this massive retirement community, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Sunday that she and John McCain would reform Washington, put America on the path to energy independence and nurse a struggling economy back to health. Palin, who has become a Republican phenomenon, also slipped comfortably into the role of political hit man, stoking the cheering crowd with jabs at Democrat Barack Obama. Obama "likes to point the finger of blame," she...

McCain was scheduled to appear in Scranton, PA this coming Monday morning,with Cindy. However, this event is no longer listed at johnmccain.com. http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=9032827

Has anyone seen or know how to find the TV ratings for the Hannity TV show with the Sarah interviews?

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Army wants every Iraqi Soldier to receive ethics training just like he receives marksmanship or drill and ceremony training. Since 2003, the primary focus for the Iraqi Army has been building the force. Getting Soldiers trained to fight took precedence over many other military functions. Iraqis came from all locations and all walks of life to join the fight to secure their country from terrorists. Every one of those Soldiers brought a unique set of values with him: personal values, family values, community values and religious values. Creating a culture of ethical behavior means that each...

ST. PAUL - John McCain's campaign hoped that the five days between the introduction of Sarah Palin as his running mate and her high-stakes speech tonight to the Republican National Convention would let it weave a narrative about the Alaska governor as a kindred maverick reformer who shares McCain's disdain for pork barrel projects and political corruption.[snip] McCain told reporters yesterday that "the vetting process was completely thorough" and gave a vote of confidence to Palin. However, campaign officials have acknowledged that they limited their vetting in Alaska because they wanted to keep the possible selection of Palin a secret.

Think the liberal mainstream media don't like the thought of Sarah Palin becoming president? Check out the editorials blasting John McCain's choice as vice president on the GOP ticket: The New York Times: "Governor Palin’s lack of experience, especially in national security and foreign affairs, raises immediate questions about how prepared she is to potentially succeed to the presidency. That really is the only criterion for judging a candidate for vice president." The Los Angeles Times: "In Palin, who is just halfway through her first term as governor, McCain has found an ardent opponent of abortion rights who won't provoke...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – While many studies have examined cheating among college students, new research looks at the issue from a different perspective – identifying students who are least likely to cheat. The study of students at one Ohio university found that students who scored high on measures of courage, empathy and honesty were less likely than others to report their cheating in the past – or intending to cheat in the future Moreover, those students who reported less cheating were also less likely to believe that their fellow students regularly committed academic dishonesty. People who don’t cheat “have a more...