Thursday, June 28, 2007

What Ann Coulter REALLY said...

You know, context is everything. So often we hear things that people have said and we think that they must be an idiot or something, but a lot of times it's because we don't hear the whole comment that someone said. Case in point is the Rodney King video. The MSM kept playing the video of him being beaten by the cops. What most people didn't see, was the first part where they kept telling him to lay down on the ground. And they never showed the part where he lunged at an officer which is when they went to town on him. So, most people only saw King getting beaten and not what happened before, making it appear that the LA police were beating up a poor defenseless black man.

Now, what happened the other night on "Hardball" with Chris Matthews with Ann Coulter and Elizabeth Edwards is almost the same thing. It's what we in the media call "ambushing" someone. Coulter was ambushed by Matthews and Edwards after her comments on GMA. I found the GMA clip and you can see what she said. Whether or not you like Coulter, the MSM has this nasty habit of setting people up to be ambushed. Ann can be a bit caustic at times, but she tells it like it is. How is it that Elizabeth Edwards had the phone number to call Matthews at the very moments when Coulter was on, yet didn't have another number for average viewers to call? And, why is Elizabeth Edwards calling in to try and have Coulter stop her "attacks"? Where is John Edwards? hiding behind her dress? And, the Edwards have been using the whole Coulter thing to try and raise money, which in itself has "fairness doctrine" written all over it, which is basically the Democrats way of trying to silence Talk Radio. The Democrats can't field a liberal on the radio with any sound ideas because liberalism doesn't have any!

So, I have here the transcript from Matthew show, courtesy of Rush Limbaugh, taken from the soundbites where Edwards calls in. Ann was unfazed and just rolled with it. Edwards accuses Coulter of bringing up the death of their son, Wade, yet the Edwards have been expoiting his death for years and there is all kinds of documentation about that. Somehow, it's okay for say, Bill Mahrer to lament that the vice president is not killed in a terrorist bombing and not a word is said, but let someone on the right, the very vocal Ann Coulter say anything about a Democrat and these people all of a sudden are offended! The hypocrisy is amazing. The Edwards have used their son's death and Elizabeth's health to further (or try at least) John Edwards political ambitions.

During the interview with Ann Coulter, Elizabeth Edwards called in to the show and it was set up with NBC that she would call in. Coulter was sandbagged. She was set up, didn't know it, but it didn't faze her. Chris Matthews says to Elizabeth after she called in, "Do you want to say something directly to the person who's with me?"

ELIZABETH EDWARDS: In the South, when someone does something that displeases us, we ask them politely to stop doing it. I'd like to ask Ann Coulter, too, if she wants to debate on issues, on positions, we certainly disagree with nearly everything she said on your show today, but it's quite another matter to -- for these personal attacks, the things that she has said over the years not just about John, but about other candidates, it lowers our -- our -- our political dialogue precisely at the time that we need to raise it. So I want to use the opportunity, which I don't get much because Ann and I don't hang out with the same people, to ask her politely to stop the personal attacks.

COULTER: Okay, so I made a joke, let's see, six months ago, and as you point out, they've been raising money off of it for six months.

COULTER: I didn't say anything about him actually either time.

ELIZABETH EDWARDS: Ann, you know -- you know that's not true, and once more, it's been going on for some time --

COULTER: And I don't mind you trying to raise money, it's better this than giving $50,000 speeches to the poor just to use my name on the web pages, but as for a debate with me, yeah, sure, we'll have a debate.

ELIZABETH EDWARDS: I'm asking you politely to stop -- stop personal attacks --

COULTER: How about you start raising money on the web page, then? No, you don't have to, because I don't mind.

ELIZABETH: It did not start with that. You had a column a number of years ago --

COULTER: Okay, the wife of a presidential candidate is calling in asking me to stop speaking? You're asking me to stop speaking? Stop writing your columns. Stop writing your books.

ELIZABETH: -- which made fun of the moment of Charlie Dean's death and suggested that my husband had a bumper sticker on the back of his car that said, "Ask me about my dead son."

COULTER: That's -- now -- three years ago.

ELIZABETH: -- dialogue. It debases political dialogue, it draws people away from the process.

So, the bottom line is this; it's okay for Democrats to say hurtful and mean things about Republicans, whether the President or wish the death of the Vice President, but once you have someone on the right hit back with anything, then all of a sudden, somehow it's terrible and they need to be muzzled. For what it's worth, Ann Coulter is not an elected public official, she is not running for political office. Much like Bill Maher, she is a commentator. Now Ann can be a bit caustic as I said, but she is entitled to her opinion. The Democrats think that they are the only ones who can say anything and that dissenting opinions are somehow wrong.










Ann Coulter on GMA 6/25
Uploaded by dollarsandsense123

Monday, June 25, 2007

This one needs no description

Except notice the title of the book, "Melancholy Baby". For some reason, Shammi likes to sleep on books. Figure that one out



While I am at it...Coffee anyone?

I love coffee. Always have, probably always will. There is nothing like a good cup of coffee freshly brewed first thing in the morning, or in my case, mid-morning since I work nightside usually and don't get up until around 9am or so.

I had to buy a new coffee maker. My old one was just getting old and sometimes it would just spill over the basket as the spout would get clogged. Well, seeing as how I have no desire to buy a HD TV anytime soon, I mean, who wants to watch a lot of crap in sharper definition anyway? I decided to splurge and buy a new HD coffee maker. I actually had to read the manual on this thing and it's impressive.

I still haven't figured out how to get the Ipod to play in it and where the hell
the USB port is or the DVD drive to install new software updates, but I will learn. I think it even has bluetooth capability so that I can be anywhere near and tell it to brew when I want coffee. Hell, for all I know, I might be able to use it to make phone calls! Screw that new IPhone, I bet this puppy will give it a run for it's money!

It's a Mr Coffee Model, sleek Black and Red (2 of my favorite colors) and it goes pretty fast. It has this green clock on the front that is eerie to see when you are half asleep at 4 am in the morning. I have been trying to find out where I can buy some headers, a 3/4 race cam and a high rise Edelbrock Interceptor intake Manifold and maybe some pop up pistons when I decide to hot rod it. Then maybe, I will be able to make coffee twice as fast!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Closer to the dream-Warning, TV geek alert!

Since I work in TV, have for many years, I have no doubt been exposed to the next generation of TV, Hi-Def, or as we call it in highly technical terms, "HD". Channel 12, KPNX is the first station to go to HD in the Phoenix market, and now KTVK Channel 3 is HD. I am sure that the rest of the stations will be following suit anytime now.

But, one of my biggest dreams was to finally re-configure Master Control and the TOC. The way it is currently laid out is inefficient, what I call "Drive-by Installation". That is where engineers have gotten a new piece of equipment and just basically thrown it in rack, powered it on and then said to the "vidiots", "you're on your own, good luck", leaving the operators to de-bug the stuff by themselves. You can't really blame the guys, because it's ultimately up to the higher ups with the money who really ought to just do it right instead of trying to scrimp on cost. That really does end up costing them more in the long run as many times we end up having to do something else to make it work correctly. Sometimes I really wonder how this country works if management at our company does everything the way they do, how many other company's do the same thing? I also think sometimes I work at "Initech" of "Office Space" fame. But hey, every place has it's Lumberg and Milton right?

One of my major pet peeves in the TV industry is that for some reason, new equipment has to be installed during sweeps periods which is not a good idea. The reason I am sure is that management wants to show off new stuff to impress the viewers, which is really kinda dumb, given the fact that if the operators are not up to speed, it can be a train wreck if something goes wrong and then you have management breathing down your neck thinking it was your fault!

Anyway, the engineers at the station have started to work on installing the new HD ready switcher and ancillary equipment. I am excited as I had a hand in laying out how it will look and work, keeping in mind that the operators need to be able to access everything in one place. The city of Phoenix is currently building the new light rail system right on Central Ave where we are located, and I have joked under the old configuration, we would need track to get to everything in master to do our job. If you want to do A, you have to go over here, if you want to do B, you have to go over here, so you get the idea, it's all not very efficiently laid out for the MCO's.

So, below is a pic of the new desk with the new flat screen monitors they just installed. They also hooked up the new Miranda PresStation SD/ HD switcher (below), which I understand from the lead engineer, "Darth Voss" (God love him, he's great) that it's is not as good or as versatile as the old standby, Grass Valley M-2100 (up above, it looks better when lit up like in the shot below). I have been reading the manual (am I a geek or what?) and it does have some pretty neat functions and I am looking forward to learning how to use it. The PresStation is capable of controlling up to 200 different channels (can you say Network?) although I am not sure of the configuration the station got. On top of all that, KPNX has finally made a move toward dedicated digital as they just installed the GVG Trinix routing system, which is the industry standard.

I would have preferred they upgraded the M-2100 to handle HD since all the MCO's are familiar with that switcher and it wouldn't take any more time to familiarize ourselves with it. But hey, management are not normally known for their common sense and to me it's another example of the powers that be wanting to get the "bestest, mostest and newest" with as little money as they can. Word has it that we may end up with a new switcher in '09 as the Miranda is not as versatile for a market the size of Phoenix, more like Tucson or even Flagstaff. but here are a few pics I took the other day.




One of the best and funniest shows on TV today

I love Robot Chicken. I started watching that show, well, for awhile now. The other day they ran the star wars robot chicken marathon. I have seen this particular clip before, but it's hilarious. So I had to post it. That show just rocks. It's on Adult Swim, the cartoon network, usually on Tuesday nights, but they have adult swim Sunday -Thursday. This is just too funny.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

There is something disarming about a kitten. They are so little and vulnerable and it's funny to see them exploring the big bad world. And they sleep a lot. Shammi was playing earlier, just running around the house investigating all that is hers, finally settling down for her afternoon nap. So, I decided to snap a pic of her.

GWB Rap

I found this, of all places, tucked inside a daily TV news rag I get called "TV Shoptalk". I get it every weekday and it's for TV people to kind of see what is going on in the industry. It was good today as it has several clips of promos and opens from various TV stations that I may post here at a later date. The editor found them on YouTube and gathered them all up. Some of them are pretty funny. This one falls under the heading of "just for laughs" and has no significance to the TV industry.

Now, I am a supporter of President Bush, I do have some issues with some of his policies, but overall, I think he is a decent guy and trying to do what is best for the country. But, this rap is obviously taking yet another swipe at him, albeit in jest. But I just thought it was funny and felt I that I should post it.



Yep, The United Nations is just as Batty as the Looney Left

So, if you're not familiar with the new secretary general of the "League of Nations" i.e., The United Nations, his name is Ban Ki-moon. Now, I was hoping that the new secretary general would be a more rational and fair guy than Kofi Annan, but I think this guy is nuttier than Auntie Matilda's trail-mix fruitcake or Michael Moore testing various samples of LSD, but then again, Michael Moore is just a whacko anyway.

I found this on the Investor Business Daily and read Mr. Ki-Moon's "logic" on why there is the genocide in the Dafur Region. This is really scary, although almost funny. Knowing that people like this can get into such positions of power, if you think the League of Nations has any power anyway.



Ban, The Bomb


INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 6/19/2007

Leadership: The new U.N. secretary general invokes a Twinkie defense, excusing Islamofascist genocide in Darfur by blaming it on global warming. Forget the Chinese weapons. According to Ban Ki-moon, your SUV is responsible.

We never thought we'd miss Kofi Annan, but Ban has succeeded in making Annan seem like the voice of reason. In a Washington Post op-ed titled "A Climate Culprit in Darfur," he opines: "The Darfur conflict began as an ecological crisis, arising at least in part from climate change."

His theory, which should cause Al Gore to sue for copyright infringement, is that global warming heated up the Indian Ocean, which altered the monsoon cycle, which caused famine and drought, which forced people to fight and die over food.

Ban cited U.N. data showing rainfall declined 40% over two decades as a rise in Indian Ocean temperatures disrupted monsoon patterns. "It is no accident that the violence in Darfur erupted during the drought," he said. But he's wrong both on the politics and the science.

Ban forgot the part about the Islamic dictatorship of Sudan becoming a virtual client state of the People's Republic of China, contracting with Beijing to develop its oil reserves, then selling them to China and using the money to buy not food, but attack helicopters, tanks and other weapons to massacre its own citizens. It's not global warming that unleashed the militia on the people of Darfur.

Ban also forgets that before the Darfur slaughter, which has resulted in 200,000 deaths and the displacement of 2 million people, Khartoum fought a 21-year war against the largely Christian and animist south that ended in 2004, resulting in 2 million deaths.

In Darfur, the tribes are Muslim, but not Arab Muslims. They reject the government's brand of radical Islam. The Darfur slaughter is in fact a continuation of the government's efforts to Arabize and Islamicize the country as well as clear unwanted civilians from the oil fields being developed by China.

A team of four researchers led by Martin Hoerling of NASA recently looked at the African drought from the scientific side. They compared actual precipitation data with the simulations from 18 different climate models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Fourth Annual Assessment Report.

They found "the ensemble of greenhouse-gas-forced experiments, conducted as part of the Fourth Assessment Report of the (IPCC), fails to simulate the pattern or amplitude of the 20th century African drying," and that they "therefore concluded that greenhouse gases played little or no role in the observed African drying trends."

In laymen's terms, global warming and your SUV were not responsible. The Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Climate Change analyzed the Hoerling team's findings and concluded that "there is absolutely no evidence that the 20th century drying of much of Africa was in any way related to CO2-induced global warming, nor is there any model-based reason for supposing it will be so related over the next century."

Writing recently in the Financial Times, Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, quotes author Michael Crichton as saying that "the greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda."

Klaus has called global warming a "religion." Ban Ki-moon is apparently a high priest of this religion, blaming the evil perpetrated by dictatorships on your tailpipe instead of the guys with the guns.


Tuesday, June 19, 2007

And people don't think the networks lean to the left...

I have aquaintances (usually liberal, hard to believe but it's true) that argue that the networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, have no left leaning bias. Now I have to disagree as I work in the TV industry and have for some years, so I know they do have a left leaning bias. So I found this story from James Hirsen who writes "The Left Coast report" about Media industry related subjects. I think if this holds true, we will see even more Bush and Republican bashing from the peacock network and I think it will just push my network into last place behind the "LOGO" channel or "MSNBC".



NBC's 'Totally Liberal' New Program Chief

NBC News tilts to the left. MSNBC tilts even further.

Now apparently NBC's entertainment television division intends to follow suit.

Ben Silverman, Jeff Zucker's choice for NBC Universal's TV entertainment chief, is "totally liberal," wants to "shift the tidal wave" of public opinion to favor loose immigration laws, sung the praises of the immigration plotline on ABC's "Ugly Betty," is "a Kennedy sort of guy," is "as liberal as Norman Lear," considers Lear a source of "counsel" and wants to program "big bold TV shows" like Lear did, according to the L.A. Weekly.

Silverman has reportedly let it be known that he's "fed up" with the Bush administration as well, but not with Rosie O'Donnell. He has articulated a desire to put O'Donnell on NBC.

The new NBC suit is already talking about future plans after he leaves the network.

He just may run for public office.


Monday, June 18, 2007

We have JUST TEN YEARS to save the planet from "Blowhard Smarming", oh the humanity!

Well, the "messiah" of the latest crisis-du-jour, the Rev Al Gore, sat down for an interview with info-babe, Victoria Newton from "The Sun". The Sun is a rag tabloid out of Britain that is somewhat like the "National Enquirer" here, though I think the Enquirer has a bit more credibility.

As usual, Gore is hand wringing that the world is more taken with the Paris Hilton story than worried about "Blowhard Smarming". Well, Al, does that not tell you something? So, I decided to post some excerpts from the interview.





The Sun
Victoria Newton

AL GORE is a man on a mission to save the planet – and is enraged that everyone else seems more interested in saving Paris Hilton.

The former US Vice President turned environmental campaigner is doing his best to raise awareness about global warming.

He believes we have just TEN YEARS to begin saving the planet before it is too late.

But he struggles to get his message across when TV networks are donating the majority of their airtime to American socialite Paris Hilton’s stint behind bars.

In an exclusive Sun interview, Mr Gore said: “The G8 have been meeting in Germany and the United States is throwing a monkey wrench in the efforts to get a consensus.

"The planet is in distress and all of the attention is on Paris Hilton. We have to ask ourselves what is going on here?”

The only thing that was slightly off-putting was the orange make-up he had plastered on for the cameras (a look perfected by the ghastly Donatella Versace).

Just one thing though . . . did he manage to also persuade Madge (Madonna) to ditch her private jets in favour of commercial airlines to help reduce her own carbon emissions?

Mr Gore said: “Well, I appreciate and respect her as an artist and as a person and there are many artists who are offsetting their role in contributing to the CO2 build-up and I understand that.

“The essence of this problem is that we live in a civilisation that has developed rather fully according to a pattern that emphasises the burning of carbon-based fuels.

“So making the shift to renewable energy is a challenge for everyone that will be a lot easier when governments around the world adopt the new strategies that will make this shift a lot easier to accomplish.”


Then he delivered his final message.

He said: “I don’t want to convey the impression, that some people feel, that this problem is going to have to be solved by our children.

“We have to solve it. Because if we wait until the next generation takes the reins, it may be too late.”
___________________________________________________________

Really Al? Does anyone Remember Ted Danson of "Cheers" when he said in 1988 that we had 10 years left to save the oceans or we would have to suffer the consequences. Well, the last time I checked, the oceans were doing fine, thank you very much. Hey Al, did it ever occur to you that most people don't buy into your alarmism? The only ones that seem to are the ones that follow you from the KOS-kids, whacko left. Spare me, jeez.

Speaking of Rap "Music"...

This has been around the internet for awhile now and I happen to run across it again. Now, for those of you that know me, I just can not stand Rap or Hip Hop "music", (but then again, I find most "country" and some "gothic death metal" annoying as well). I think it's annoying, tasteless, monotonous and repetitive kinda like a old record stuck in one groove or the sound of a flat tire going round and round.

But I've always wondered how they came up with their 'music'. Well, I think I finally found the answer courtesy of Microsoft. I guess they have a 'hit wizard' included in their windows operating system for people with no talent that want to create 'music', LOL.


click on the graphic to see how it's done!

Friday, June 15, 2007

When News Breaks...

Man, I feel bad for the driver of this ENG truck from KTVK, channel 3 in Phoenix. He was out to cover a story and "masted" up and well, it looks like the mast gave out and fell over on the photog's truck. But I think this falls under the heading of "When news breaks, it really breaks...". Notice one of our ENG trucks in the background and the photog shooting video of the thing, I don't know which station he is from.


Why does this need to be put on the AOL splash page?

You know, I really don't have anything against anyone, other than the terrorists that want to destroy our society. But the other day, when I signed on to AOL, this was the splash page. Why does this need to be the focal point of AOL's splash page? I don't agree with the homosexual lifestyle, I find it abhorrent and an aberration, but I don't really care what they want to do with themselves behind closed doors. I figure that's between them and their creator.

But I am of the belief when "God made man, he made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." I know people who are homosexuals. That's their business as long as they don't try and tell me that "I have to accept their lifestyle as legitimate". Nope, I don't have to accept anything. I think this is one more attempt at trying to legitimize homosexuality. I have often thought that the whole "gay marriage" issue was just a way for the homosexual community to try and legitimize their chosen "lifestyle" and get society as a whole to accept it as normal. And I prefer not to call them "gays" or "gay" as I find nothing "gay" about that lifestyle.

Some might think I am homophobic, which is not true. I would find the same thing a bit offensive had it been a hetero couple, except in my mind, it's more acceptable for a man to be kissing a woman than well, you know. I just thought this was inappropriate to put on perhaps the major ISP in the world, where children are probably signing on. Whatever your sexual preference, just keep it to yourself is what I think.






Wednesday, June 13, 2007

An example of Hyprocisy from the left, do they think we have short term memories?

Well, well, well. I had forgotten about this, I actually saw it during the campaign many years ago, but the patron God of the looney left's latest religion and crisis-du-jour and the "blowhard smarming crowd", none other than the Rev. Al Gore is here on tape criticizing George H.W. Bush in 1992 over his Iraq policy and it's ties to "Terror".

Hmmm, and people wonder why I trust Gore, Clinton and Pelosi about as far as I can throw a train. Watch this and see for yourself how these people contradict themselves all the time. If he does this over Terrorism, whose to say he isn't trying to sell you snake oil over the farce that is "Blowhard Smarming?". Hey Al, instead of buying 'carbon credit offsets', why don't you and Hillary try buying some 'truth credibility'?




What passes for "mainstream music" & "popular culture"

Ya know, when I was a kid in Colorado, I became fascinated with music. I don't know why, but I remember watching the movie, "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles and the scenes I remembered were the ones when they were "recording" in the studio.

That has stuck with me through all the years that I have lived. I was so struck with that image, I took my mom's microphone and hung it from the ceiling in the laundry room and plugged it into her reel to reel and started teaching myself how to write songs.

From there it evolved into teaching myself music, learning guitar and well, just writing music. My father would tease me about wanting to buy a Led Zeppelin record because he said, "why would you want to listen to that hippie music?". I never thought about being a hippie until years later and I never was a "hippie". Just because you grow your hair long and play music, doesn't make you a "hippie" in the pure sense of the word.

I just always loved the act of creating a song, and then seeing if I could translate it to tape the way I hear it in my head. Though I haven't done anything lately, and I am hoping that will change, I still love the process of recording.

So, I was doing my usual reading on the net and ran across this story about some cat named "Stack Bundles" who was gunned down in an apparent robbery. Yeah, right. Maybe it's true, but having worked in the media for as long as I have, something is wrong with this story. I think it might have more to do with gang rivalry or drugs.

Now, I would not wish anything bad on my worst enemy if I had one, though "I wish Alec Baldwin would move to France", but I think the following article says a lot about the whole "rap culture" and the "thug" thing. I understand that it is supposed to be a reflection of contemporary black culture and there is some good music that I am sure has come from it, but I said some. Most of it to me is monotonous, uninspired, talentless, crude and well, just bad. I found this article pretty interesting for a few reasons.

I listened to 2 of "Stack's" recordings and it was the same old stuff. A lot of profanity and lewd remarks. And, trying to portray the "little guy from the streets that pulled himself up and is a gangsta" persona, which I find laughable. It's funny to me how many of these people take themselves so seriously like they really have a monopoly on life's injustices. What it seems more to me is that they are trying to appeal to the younger people out there with this crude, degrading "music" that seems to be popular.

Hey, I don't even really like country all that much, but I do have to say, country artists haven't yet sunk to the profane level that these "gang banger wanna-be's" have. And the violence associated with the whole culture. You have Tupac Shakur, Biggie Small's, Jam Master Jay from Run DMC (who were pretty good actually) and people like 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg, who glorify violence and drug use. Now, to be fair there are rock acts out there that are just as bad, if anyone remembers Blackie Lawless and W.A.S.P. and I personally find Marilyn Manson repulsive.

To each his own, I don't listen to any of it anyway and if you do, well, more power to you. I think there is enough anger, hatred, greed, violence in the world and listening to music that just keeps perpetuating that kind of attitude does nothing to change anything. I think there is a very valid reason to write about angst, whether it's life, love or whatever, but for educated people to somehow embrace "music" like that of any kind, I think serves no purpose. The reason being, kids start emulating what they see and hear and I do believe it leads to a "dumbing down" of society even more, just like watching worthless tv shows like "Springer" or "Desperate Housewives" or anything that is currently on network tv (and cable tv for that matter). It's bad enough when you are trying to hold a conversation with someone that can't speak English correctly because jewelry is "bling" and slang has seemed to replaced English.

And hey, I am not a snob, I just think that our language loses a lot when people can't speak correctly. And language is communication. You can't communicate effectively when you can't even pronounce words correctly and start resorting to slang to describe the world around you.
And I did grow up on the "streets" like almost everyone else, but I think the true measure of a person wanting to improve their lot in life is reflected in the way they speak and act. There is a lot to be said about someone that can effectively communicate ideas and thoughts without having to resort to using slang and verbal "hieroglyphics" to make a point, which is what a lot of street slang seems to be.

To borrow from one of my favorite phrases, no I do not speak "fluent moron" which is what I consider that kind of slang, When a "gangsta" type tries to speak to me in "street slang" I just ignore them until they can talk like an intelligent human being, which sad to say, is almost never.

So, read this article and and then read the comments that people posted about the death of "Stack Bundles". I really do have to wonder how the image these guys try to portray do anyone in the black community ( or society as a whole) any good when all you see in the media is the violence and crudeness of the whole "gangsta rapper" thing.




Stack Bundles Murdered, Details Begin To Unfold
By: MetroGnome
Published: Jun. 12, 2007 - New York, NY

Stack Bundles, a Byrd Gang member and native to Far Rockaway, Queens, was shot and killed early yesterday morning near his home off Beach Channel Drive.

Details are beginning to surface, but no arrests have been made or assailants identified in connection with the homicide of Bundles, born name Rayquon Elliott.

Stack was seen earlier that night at Stereo nightclub with his crew enjoying a problem-free evening. A friend traveled home with Bundles and had entered the building before the rapper. Upon hearing gunfire, the unidentified associate ran back into the building lobby to find Stack shot once in the head and the neck. The gunman had already fled the scene.

Cash and credit cards appear to have been untouched, but a medallion necklace seems to have been taken from Elliott.

Freekey Zekey of Diplomat Records issued a statement after hearing of the unfortunate news. He cited, "I just want to say life is never promised tomorrow, so you have to live your life to the fullest. Sometime you question the Lord's actions on certain things, but you just got to live steadfast. So don't make this a situation where you clam up and go in a shell. Big shout out to the big homie, we love you and will always remember you."

Additionally, Lupe Fiasco, a close friend and one-time labelmate with Bundles, issued a statement on Myspace about the incident. Lupe wrote:

"R.I.P. Stacks Bundles...My Homey

My Dear Friend...it hurt so much to wake up to this...So sad...I've watched from the humble beginnings...when he used to live with me out in Chicago we rocked together everyday...He'd write rhymes in one room and I'd be writing rhymes in the other...He was there with me through many a milestone in my life , the up's and the downs, and I was so proud and happy to see him achieve success in his life at what he loved...Hip-Hop...Stacks was the first person that was signed to 1st&15th way back when it first started FYI...Even beyond that I considered Stacks family...My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends in this time of sadness...We all lost a Good Friend today...But He wont be forgotten...May God have mercy on his soul, Forgive him for his sins in this Life, and watch over him in the next..."

SoundSlam will continue to provide updates as they surface.

Comments (3)

Vanz says: RIP to Stack Bundles..you seemed like a good dude caught up in the wrong elements...you were something like a role model for us young dudes out here...God had another plan for you apparently.

CARLA says: R.I.P MY NIGGA U KNO I WILL ALWAYZ MISS U FARROCK IZ GOIN 2 MISS U...I REMEMBER DA 1ST TIME WE MET IT WAS AT UR GODMOTHER CHRISTMAS PARTY... I WILL NEVA FORGET DAT DAY...R.I.P AND MAY GOD BLESS UR FAMILY...FRM CARLA FARROCKAWAY

Billy guy says: r.i.p to the nigga stack.may allah bless him and his family

Monday, June 11, 2007

An Observation about the President in Albania

While I was at work today, I have to 'clock' NBC Nightly News to get the time that the local break hits. So, I had the audio up while I was working and a tape rolling so I could get the time. I stopped to watch this story about President Bush visiting Albania and was struck at how warmly he was received.

I started thinking about how spoiled many Americans are (read liberal) after hearing some of the comments from the citizens of Albania. They had American Flags all over Tirana and called out to him as "Welcome Bushie, Welcome, Bushie". I was proud to see a country welcome him in that manner as it just seemed that they get it.

If you watch this story (courtesy NBC Nightly News) you see how the people were just so happy to have President Bush in their country. If anyone knows about oppression and tyranny, the Albanians do, given their history going way back. What struck me most was what one man said;

"Most people who protest against Bush do not understand what evil means, because they never had communism"

Read that again and notice 2 words he says, "evil" and "communism". You can see the video of protesters in the street doing the usual BS that they do. Funny that this happens in Germany where 1) they were liberated from very evil regimes (the Nazis and the Soviet's) largely by the United States. And 2) The Germans do not have much of a military presence in Iraq so why are they worried what we are doing there? more than likely, the protesters are the paid lackeys' of the left and communist groups, and to some extent the American Democratic Party and the MSM. After all, the media skews everything and had the president been a democrat, chances are, the Germans would have been out there with American Flags as the media would have portrayed him in a positive light. What the German protestors and public learn about the President, they get from the MSM.

That man had it right. I get so tired of the usual crap from the left equating the President to Hitler or some kind of mass murderer. Why didn't they protest when Saddam was murdering thousands of his own people? Funny how they never did that (as well as the left in this country) when the Taliban had taken over Afghanistan and was wreaking havoc on their people. And if they cared that much, why didn't they go to Iraq or Afghanistan and help liberate those nations themselves? Funny how only when we are attacked, 3000 people murdered and we decide to take out threats to our country that these moonbats show up calling us "murderers" and wanting us to leave the nations responsible alone. What utter rubbish.

Watch this story from NBC and see how it is heartwarming to see a nation that respects and likes us and our president. But notice then how they (NBC news) adds a BUT... when they talk about his low approval numbers back here. I just thought the citizens of Albania, including the children, have more insight into real world politics and understand what the war in Iraq & Afghanistan means more so than the average KOS-kid looney American, and about what the war on Terror really is about. After all, Islamofacism is really just another form of communism or Nazi-ism and it's nice to know that at least some people in the former Eastern Bloc Countries still love the United States for causing the fall of the Soviets and the Nazi's. It's really kind of sad to think that some American's don't appreciate the good of freeing 50 million in Iraq & Afghanistan and that the former Soviet satellite states that lived under such oppression still do.

Till the next time,


Friday, June 8, 2007

A great comment

One of the guys I work with, Ray, found the following comments in one of the local papers and passed it on to me.

"It would be nice if the media would do a short story on each one of the so many anti-American groups. They could start out with those like al-Qaida, al Fatah, al Islam, Al Franken, Al Sharpton and Al Gore."

Nice.

And a big Amen to that

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

FDR's D-Day Prayer

(Editor's note: I decided to delete the player with the prayer of FDR reciting the prayer as I could not get the player to wait until prompted to play, which was annoying. I posted the link to the file below so that you can go to see it as I did have complaints from friends of mine who said it was crashing their browsers.)


This is a prayer that President Franklin D. Roosevelt read on the radio on D-Day in 1944. I got this from InterviewwithGod.com and decided to post it here. The pictures were added by Gary Lamb, the owner and operator of the site, to represent a contemporary touch, and he did a wonderful job. To hear this powerful prayer, knowing that Roosevelt was speaking to the American people, is just astounding and inspiring. He was praying for guidance, strength, courage and...

Victory.

When was the last time you ever heard a democrat do what FDR did in 1944? much less pray for victory. And to hear a democrat actually pray for victory, that wouldn't happen today. More than likely, they will be praying to lose the war on terror.

So, I decided to post this in honor of those brave men (and women) who served their country on that day and also to all our current and retired military men and women. I received a nice comment from the mother of a solider who read my post about Memorial Day. Like her, my father fought in WWII and I wish the best for her son. God bless them all.

Take time out of your day to say a prayer for all our military folks, and thank a vet,
Hua!

Click the link to see and hear FDR's D-Day prayer;

FDR's D-Day Prayer to the Nation

June 6, 1944

It was 63 years ago today that the world watched with breathless anticipation as the Allied Nations invaded Normandy to liberate Europe from Adolf Hitler and the Nazi's. We find ourselves in much the same situation today, except the enemy doesn't wear uniforms and hides in the shadows. So much can be learned by studying the Normandy invasion. I was going to post some thoughts on that fateful day in 1944, but decided to just create a little montage of some of the pictures from that day and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's speech to the troops before the landings. It's a little rough, as it is the first time I have worked with the editing program I cut it on and I haven't cut video in a while, but still, perhaps it's better than words.

DOUBLE-CLICK ON THE PIC BELOW TO PLAY



Interesting study I found

While cruising around the net doing some reading, I ran across this study that I found interesting. Check it out, I think they may be on to something here.











Report: 70 Percent Of All Praise Sarcastic

G. Washington responds to President Bush's invasion of Iraq on "Meet the Depressed"

Ya know, with all the pundits out there slamming President Bush over the invasion of Iraq, Carter, Clinton, Kerry, Edwards, etc., I knew it was only a matter of time before some of our other ex-presidents got in on the act. Now we have none other than President George Washington on "Meet the Depressed" offering his view on the subject. I found this on that great site "The Onion"



Retired Gen. George Washington Criticizes Bush's Handling Of Iraq War

June 6, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC—Breaking a 211-year media silence, retired Army Gen. George Washington appeared on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday to speak out against many aspects of the way the Iraq war has been waged.

Washington likens Vice President Cheney to controversial British Chancellor of the Exchequer and Stamp Act architect George Greenville.

Washington, whose appearance marked the first time the military leader and statesman had spoken publicly since his 1796 farewell address in Philadelphia, is the latest in a string of retired generals stepping forward to criticize the Iraq war.


"This entire military venture has been foolhardy and of ill design," said Washington, dressed in his customary breeches and frilly cravat. "The manifold mistakes committed by this president in Iraq carry grave consequences, and he who holds the position of commander in chief has the responsibility to right those wrongs."

Washington noted that while Saddam Hussein was an indefensible tyrant, that alone did not justify a "conflict that seems without design or end."

"The Iraqi people did suffer greatly under unjust rule," Washington said. "But in truth, it is the duty of any people that wishes to be free to fight for its own independence. Had France meddled in our revolution beyond the guidance and material assistance they provided, I should think similar unrest would have darkened our nation's earliest hours."

Washington made the cable news rounds, telling Wolf Blitzer that the war was a "tragic mistake
for our nation."

The Virginia-born Revolutionary War veteran and national-capital namesake also expressed his worry over the state of the American militia, the unchecked powers of the executive branch, and the lack of a congressional declaration of war.

"The very genius of the American presidency is that it is an office held by an elected representative of the people, not by a monarch who can rule by fiat and enact policy at will," Washington said.

The retired general asserted that many of the current problems in Iraq could easily have been predicted by wiser civilian leadership.

"I can say from personal experience that even a malnourished force with feet clad in rags should not be underestimated, even by a far superior power," added Washington, who has disavowed further comparison between the Iraqi insurgency and the American colonists. "There is nothing a committed fighting force cannot accomplish if bolstered by the strength of its convictions."

Washington's critical comments echo those of other retired generals, including Maj. Gen. John Batiste and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark, who attacked Bush's Iraq policy in a series of television ads run by political action committee VoteVets.org during the 2006 midterm elections.

"We're very happy that someone of General Washington's stature is speaking out," said Jon Soltz, cofounder and chairman of VoteVets.org. "He has impeccable conservative credentials, extensive foreign policy experience, is a true citizen-soldier with a proven commitment to his country, and, if that's not enough to get Bush to listen, he's the face on the dollar bill."

However, White House response to the former general's criticism was swift and sharp. Spokesman Tony Fratto dismissed Washington as "increasingly irrelevant" and "a relic" who "made some embarrassing gaffes" during his own military career, such as the Continental Army's near destruction in the Battle of Long Island in 1776.

"The general's reckless and irresponsible comments show that he clearly does not understand the realities of 21st-century warfare," Fratto said.

Conservative pundits moved quickly to discredit the decorated general.

"I don't care who you are—or if you cannot tell a lie—it's un-American to question the president in a time of war," Sean Hannity said on his radio program Monday. "Plus, I find it very interesting that a man who owned slaves and sold hemp thinks he's entitled to give our Commander in Chief lessons on how to run a war."

Toward the end of his Meet the Press interview, Washington expressed fears for the future of Iraq, Middle East policy, and America itself.

"These convoluted foreign adventures were not what I envisaged for my young nation," Washington said. "Certainly the citizens of the republic deserve better than this. Had I but known this was the fated course of my country, I might not have found the strength to liberate Her from the mantle of King George."

copyright © 2007 The Onion

Good video from Iraq-WARNING! Graphic Language

My friend Ronnie ( "RP" as I mentioned him in an earlier post) sent me this video. It's great video, but it's the reaction of the Marines that is great. It has some graphic language, but hey, it's the Marines, God Bless 'em. Ooo-Rah.

"Some U.S. Marines, pinned down by an insurgent Iraqi sniper on top of the building decided that they'd had enough. They marked his location with a smoke grenade and called for close air support. The aircraft was an F-16 from the 192nd Fighter Wing of the Virginia Air National guard."

F-16.....$21 Million
Smoke grenade......$1.16
Camcorder from Best Buy......$249.99
The audio track on this clip......Priceless.

Yep, that's why the US Military is the best!