“The Donald” wants to put his own name on a Rancho Palos Verdes road now called “Ocean Trails Drive” and call it “Trump National Drive.” Other than immense ego, why would anyone want to change a poetic name like that to something that rhymes with “rump” or “frump?” I don’t get it. It should be enough to merely have a big, gaudy stone and brass monument at the entrance — like this one . . .
In March, we wrote about Tom Heidenberger’s memorial bike ride to honor the memory of the 33 flight crew members that were killed on 9/11/2001. Tom and his riders have now completed their journey.
Bike riders travel 3,800 miles to honor 33 victims of 9-11
The cyclists made the pilgrimage from Los Angeles to the three crash sites to raise money and awareness of the Sept. 11 memorials.
Thomas Heidenberger ended his cross-country bike ride this month the same way he started: asking himself what the heck he was thinking.
He knew, of course. He had done it for his wife, Michele, a flight attendant killed aboard a hijacked airplane on Sept. 11, 2001. He had done it for all 33 airline crew members killed that day.
The ride had taken him and four other riders from Los Angeles to a wind-swept field in Pennsylvania, a gaping hole in Manhattan, the scarred Pentagon in Washington. They did it to raise money and awareness for Sept. 11 memorials, and they dedicated each day of their ride to one of the crew members.
Image: Cyclists complete journey arriving at Pentagon.
[ . . . ]
The Airline Ride Across America was supposed to raise $300,000 for the Sept. 11 memorials in Pennsylvania, New York and Washington. It has raised about a third of that so far, and Heidenberger hopes to raise the rest with his Web site, www.airlineride.org.
He’s working on a book about the ride, and talks about dividing it into 33 chapters, each with a short biography of one of the crew members killed on Sept. 11. He thinks he may call it Why I Rode My Bicycle for 3,800 Miles.
“It’s a good story, a happy story,” he said. “It’s a story about life continuing on.”
This is a very touching story where each day the riders dedicated their ride for that day to one of the 33 crew member victims. The last day’s ride was dedicated to Tom’s wife, Michelle, Read the whole story.
Despite what you may have heard about Mel Gibson‘s critical remarks regarding the Republican Administration, you can be sure that his political leanings trend toward conservative values. Recently, a letter arrived at our household from the McClintock for Lieutenant Governor organization. The letter itself was from Mel Gibson who endorsed Tom McClintock to be California’s Lieutenant Governor.
Excerpts from the letter:
When I find that rare politician who will stand his ground for what is right–no matter what the pressure or consequences–I take notice.
During the recall election in California, I saw such a person. He stood solidly for principles that might not be politically correct — but that were right and true. And because he stood his ground, millions of Californians heard his message and recognized that it was the direction California needed to take. And even though he didn’t win their votes, he won their hearts and minds.
[ . . . ]
I am convinced that there is no one on the political scene today who can articulate these positions more clearly and compellingly. Tom McClintock proved in the recall election that he can reach voters across a wide political spectrum — by the end of that campaign, he had the highest approval rating of any of the candidates among ALL voters!
And here’s some of Tom McClintock’s conservative credentials from his website:
First elected to the California Assembly at the age of 26, McClintock quickly distinguished himself as an expert in parliamentary procedure and fiscal policy. He served in the Assembly from 1982 to 1992 and again from 1996 to 2000. During these years, he authored California’s current lethal injection death penalty law, spearheaded the campaign to rebate $1.1 billion in tax over-collections to the people of California, and became the driving force in the legislature to abolish the car tax. He has proposed hundreds of specific reforms to streamline state government and reduce state spending.
In 2000, McClintock was elected to the California State Senate, where he has continued to develop innovative budget solutions such as the Bureaucracy Reduction and Closure Commission and performance based budgeting, and to advocate for restoring California’s public works.
I watched the White House press conference yesterday. Long-time press corps matriarch Helen Thomas tried to rant about the administration’s international surveillance of potential terrorist communications. She repeated her talking points over and over while Tony Snow diffused her poison apples until she was silenced by this last exchange:
Image: Helen Thomas prepares a poison apple for Tony Snow
Thomas: Privacy was breached by turning over their phone numbers.
Snow: Well, again, you are jumping to conclusions about a program, the existence of which we will neither confirm, nor deny.
Thomas: Why? Don’t you think the American people have a right to know–
Snow: Because–what’s interesting is, there seems to be a notion that because the president has talked a little bit about one surveillance program and one matter of intelligence gathering, that somehow we have to tell the entire world we have to make intelligence gathering transparent. Let me remind you, it’s a war on terror, and there are people–I guarantee you, al Qaeda does not believe–
Thomas: He doesn’t have a right to break the law, does he?
Snow: No, the president is not talking about breaking the law. But al Qaeda doesn’t believe in transparency. What al Qaeda believes in is mayhem, and the president has a constitutional obligation and a heartfelt determination to make sure we fight it.
Tony then went on to the next reporter while the wicked witch Thomas sputtered her way to silence.
Perhaps James Taranto of National Review Online made the best point about Tony Snow’s value to the White House when he wrote this about Thomas in his Best of the Web column yesterday:
All you have to do to win an argument with Helen Thomas is let her gibber; she discredits herself with her outlandish and tendentious statements. It’s to Snow’s credit that he’s not satisfied outwitting her by default but instead used her embarrassing performance to make a serious and substantive point. This is what we need more of from the White House.
More and more I think Dubya made an excellent choice when he named Tony Snow to be Press Secretary.
Well, just what shall I get Damsel for Mothers Day? BLING-BLING? Naw, she has plenty of that already. This time she needs BANG-BANG!
As usual, I met with the boss last week to discuss current activities, progress and problems. When it came time to discuss planned absences, I mentioned that I needed some time off that afternoon to go and pick up Damsel’s Mothers’ Day gift.
“That’s fine,” he said, “What are you going to get her?” he asked.
“A Smith & Wesson 686-6 three-fifty-seven magnum revolver,” I answered.
“No, really . . .” he chuckled.
“Seriously,” I replied, “that’s what she wants. You should have seen her face light up the first time I suggested such a thing. You would have thought I offered her a pair of 200 karat diamond-encrusted slippers and a coach ride to the Prince’s Ball.”
“The Damsel takes pride in our home and garden,” I said, “and home security is definitely on her list of essential ‘housewares.'”
“Right,” the boss said slowly as he mused, as though to ponder how his spouse might consider such a concept, “that’s important these days.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Inset: Not a bad first firing group – five of seven rounds in the “stop zone.”
I had a Cockney friend who used to use the expression “pissed as a newt” for describing someone who was “buzzed.”
Is it just me, or was Newt Gingrich a little buzzed during his appearance on Hannity and Colmes tonight? Overmedicated? Brain hemorrhage? He was even agreeing with Colmes! Sleep it off, Newt. We love ya, but ya gotta be in working shape when you get in front of the camera.
Samuel F. B. Morse (1791 – 1872), artist, inventor, politician and professor, is credited with the invention of the telegraph in 1844; at that time, he sent a telegraphic message from the Supreme Court in Washington, D. C., to his assistant in Baltimore, MD. The message, “What hath God wrought?” a Biblical quotation from Numbers 24:23, was sent in the code that Morse devised. Morse Code (International) is still used today by the Military, amateur radio operators, and Boy Scouts. Some traditionalist ham operators still use the original American Morse Code.
Right: Portrait of Samuel F. B. Morse by Mathew Brady
While Morse had a tendency towards eccentricity and had some heretical religious views, there is one “Morse Code” which no American should ever forget:
“If you beat your sword into a plowshare, you will probably end up plowing for someone who kept their sword.” — Samuel F.B. Morse