Daylight Savings time ends at 2:00 am local time Sunday morning.

Don’t forget to set your clock back one hour if you are in a time zone that observes Daylight Savings time.

As a proud member of the Red Sox Nation I congratulate the Red Sox on their 2-0 lead against the Rockies in the World Series.

While Former President Clinton was attending a fund-raiser in Minnesota some hecklers claimed 9/11 was an inside job.

The following video gives you his response:

Thank you, Mr. President.

If you have family or friends in California as I do, there is a live blog at the LAT which might be helpful in keeping up with the latest information involving these terrible fires.

Let’s hope the winds die down enough to allow those planes in the air so as to assist the weary firefighters.

Hope you find the above site helpful if you are following this story.

The picture inserted in this post is priceless.

Nancy Pelosi has rebuked Pete Stark for his comments Thursday saying the president gets amusement from seeing our troops killed:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rebuked a fellow San Francisco Bay-area liberal Friday for what she said were “inappropriate” comments about Iraq during a congressional debate.
During a debate on children’s health care Thursday, Rep. Pete Stark accused Republicans of sending troops to Iraq to “get their heads blown off for the president’s amusement.”

Condemnations rolled in from Republican politicians, right-leaning bloggers had a field day, and a White House spokesman declined to “dignify those remarks” with a response.

Pelosi issued a statement Friday evening rapping Stark, who is in his 18th term representing the liberal East Bay. He’s California’s longest-serving House members.

“While members of Congress are passionate about their views, what Congressman Stark said during the debate was inappropriate and distracted from the seriousness of the subject at hand—providing health care for America’s children,” Pelosi said.

Just thought you’d like to know:

Apparently, part of our national character — optimism — keeps us from interpreting feedback accurately.

Are these people filled with that much hatred or are they simply “preaching to the choir?

Either way, I pity them.

Yesterday my very good blogging friend The Anchoress read about the death of our precious Silky and wrote a post called All Dogs Go to Heaven, asking pet lovers to come over and commiserate.

You all have been wonderful in your comments and some of you are suffering the recent loss of a beloved pet.

I received private emails from the Anchoress and I value them as I value any she sends me. She is one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of communicating with.

In honor of all who have lost their beloved pets I offer you this poem:

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….

Author unknown…

I’m like Truman who says dogs don’t have souls and I’m also like him and the Anchoress who believe our pets will be with us in Heaven.

After all, if God knows it will make us even happier He’ll have our loving pets by our side for all eternity.

The brain is fuzzy from a touch of the flu so I hope you will bear with me as all I have the intelligence (and energy) to do right now is link to what I thought were a few interesting reads.

You know that BDS we have all come to recognize instantly? Here’s a piece at Wizbang, with some interesting insight into the topic.

Neither President Bush nor Vice-President Cheney are running for any office next fall; indeed no one in the Bush White House has expressed a desire to be the nation’s next President or a Senator or Congressman. Yet the leading Democrats are all running against President Bush, as if he were the GOP’s nominee. Hillary Clinton leads the pack, and acts as if it were the 2004 election again, not 2008.

And the Left’s mob of frenzied trolls shows the same confused devotion to the President. One recent example is the protest against the tasering of a Leftist student who disrupted an appearance by Senator Kerry. A student newspaper, after weighing all the evidence and considering the circumstances, chose to reference the event with a profane insult directed at President Bush.

Cal Thomas at Real Clear Politics thinks fair is fair. I tend to agree.

I would not be as bothered by Columbia University’s decision to host Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad if Columbia and other universities had a consistent policy toward those they invite to speak and the rules applied equally to conservatives and liberals; to totalitarian dictators and to advocates for freedom and tolerance.

For a feel good story this Tuesday morning it’s The Wide Awake Cafe. It’s just wonderful for so many reasons.

Finally:

For those interested in the upcoming Senate races in 2008 GOP Bloggers links to the brand new NRSC website.

Lot’s of information and a place for us on the republican side to follow the races closely. It’s one I know I’ll bookmark.

Here’s hoping you all have a great Tuesday.

There has been so much written about both Dan Rather and OJ Simpson that I hesitated to put up this post, but because this piece at Pajamas Media by Roger Simon takes a unique look at both situations I chose to pass it along.

OJ, as everyone knows was a huge sports, movie and media star. Rather was an anchorman of the most celebrated sort – the one to “interview” Saddam as if representing all of us, among other flak-jacketed, high profile activities. In fact, his demise helped put a stake in the heart of that particular occupation, the television anchor a la Cronkite. The idea that one individual has that much power over the public’s view of the world now seems almost Neanderthal and certainly reactionary.

In the case of OJ, we see our television lives dominated once again by the bizarre saga of an unpunished celebrity murderer.

We have lived for some time in a society in which stardom seems to motivate people to lose contact with reality. The more attention they get – the crazier that get. And if they feel that attention diminishing, they act out to regain it. It’s like a drug – media crack cocaine.

Thus we have a Sean Penn opining on Katrina, sailing about New Orleans like some junior Ahab or Sally Fields telling us – using an obscenity of course, lest we ignore her - that the world would be different with women in control. It can be argued that OJ’s looney break-in in Vegas was, more than anything, a plea for attention.

Rather’s new lawsuit against CBS also seems, most of all, the cry of a lonely desperate man – Remember me! Remember me!

I believe Mr. Simon is correct. Stardom has created monsters out of many. Hollywood “stars”, radio personalities, news and sportscasters, journalists and even politicians feel they are the authority on all topics and we like sheep should just listen and believe. Hope you enjoy the read if you choose to head on over to PJM.

Weekends are usually so busy for all of us, so wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to get back to nature and a bit of quiet at a whim?

This, animated video’s creator must have had that same thing in mind. (FYI-Papiroflexia is Spanish for Origami)

Here’s to all of us having a few of those quiet moments each and every day, even if it’s just in our imagination.

After a fly around the web on Friday, here are a few reads I thought I might share. Hope you find them informative and enjoyable.

“On the Theological Basis of Prayer and Liturgy”: is an offering from No Left Turns.
In one brief paragraph Peter Lawler makes some very interesting points about man, God and freedom.

Once again, short and sweet but very much to the point is this post at the Analyst Blog. Good for a chuckle and oh so true.
HT:
American Thinker

Feeling the need to include a 9-11 post which might have been missed by some, I submit one which is simple yet poignant. If you have the time and wish to be inspired again the videos are well worth review. I wish my week would have been as short and sweet as these posts as this one from Classical Values requires only seconds to view sans videos.

Check out this piece at Say Anything and if you are a parent, I am certain that you can relate to this piece. What is particularly wonderful is it proves Patriotism is alive and well in our country.

and last but most certainly not least:

Today was the last day at DOJ for Attorney General Gonzales. This post at the Law Blog in the Wall Street Journal sums up the situation quite well.

Have a great beginning to the weekend.

If you have been following the story on Norman Hsu, (heck, even if you haven’t), you must go to Captain’s Quarters and treat yourself to what may become a priceless work of art. Well done Captain Ed. (Oh, and the post was great too!)

Jerusalem has such a wealth of history I do not know if all of it will ever be unearthed, but this is an amazing story of the latest archaeological find.

Under threat from Romans ransacking Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, many of the city’s Jewish residents crowded into an underground drainage channel to hide and later flee the chaos through Jerusalem’s southern end unnoticed.

The ancient tunnel was recently discovered buried beneath rubble, a monument to one of the great dramatic scenes of the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 A.D.

The channel was dug beneath what would become the main road of Jerusalem, the archaeology dig’s directors, Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa and Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said Sunday. Shukron said excavators looking for the road happened upon a small drainage channel that led them to the discovery of the massive tunnel two weeks ago.

There is a great photo of a portion of this tunnel available at the Star Tribune and one of a few of the artifacts unearthed at Power Line.

I do not have the slightest idea if anyone from the Clinton camp ever entered Ms. Willey’s house nor that of David Schipper or what their motive might have been if they did. This latest story does give one pause though, if World Net Daily has all the facts in order.

David Schippers at President Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1998
After reading WND’s report of Kathleen Willey’s stolen manuscript, David Schippers – the chief counsel for the 1998 impeachment trial of President Clinton – told Willey he had a remarkably similar experience prior to publication of his best-selling book and believes the Clintons also were behind it.

During the writing of “Sellout: The Inside Story of President Clinton’s Impeachment” in the spring of 2000, an intruder came into his suburban Chicago home at least four times while his wife was alone upstairs, Schippers told WND in a phone interview from his Chicago law office.

On the third or fourth occasion, a box of impeachment-related documents was stolen, he said.

The intrusions followed a series of claims by his wife, Jackie – who typed the manuscript from his handwritten text – that her computer was being hacked.

It might just be me, but I cannot wrap my arms around people who are somewhat prominent leaving front doors unlocked even during the day and windows wide open at night. I am not saying the incidents did not happen but those little facts gnaw at my brain.

Once again, this is not an accusation, just a reporting of what Mr.and Mrs. Schippers have supposedly told the WND. Strange, huh?

A look at the week through pictures courtesy of BBC News.

My personal favorite? Number five.

Have a great weekend.

Very, very true. And pretty darn clever too!

Poor Abe wouldn’t stand a chance today.

Early details from the San Franscisco Chronicle.

Fugitive political fundraiser Norman Hsu, who skipped out on San Mateo County authorities this week rather than face sentencing in a fraud scheme, was apprehended tonight by federal and local lawmen in Grand Junction, Colo.

Authorities said Hsu was taken into custody at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction at 7 p.m. local time. He had been on the lam for almost two days after failing to appear in a Redwood City courtroom Wednesday to surrender his passport.

I will update this post as further information becomes available.

A bit more information.

Hsu turned himself in to the San Mateo County Superior Court Friday, but when he failed to show up yesterday a warrant was issued for his arrest. The FBI said the federal charge of unlawful flight will be dropped after Hsu is handed over to California officials.

More

Hsu was traveling on an Amtrak train when he became ill. Grand Junction paramedics were summoned to the Amtrak station near downtown about 11 a.m. Thursday to treat a patient, Battalion Chief Robert Ferguson said.

The patient, whom Ferguson said he found out eight hours later was a fugitive, was not in great pain, Ferguson said.

“There was no extrication needed,” Ferguson said. “He walked out of the train on his own.”

He is currently in federal custody at St. Mary’s and is listed in fair condition, said St. Mary’s nursing supervisor Pete Smarr.

HT:Allahpundit

Democratic fund raiser Norman Hsu, who has been a fugitive for 16 years, has turned himself in to authorities in California.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) - A top Democratic fundraiser wanted as a fugitive in California turned himself in Friday to face a grand theft charge.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge H. James Ellis ordered Norman Hsu handcuffed and held on $2 million bond. A bail hearing was scheduled for Sept. 5, at which the judge will consider reducing his bail to $1 million.

Hsu appeared in court accompanied by a lawyer and publicist, both of whom declined to say whether the New York apparel executive would immediately post bail. A warrant was issued for his arrest after he skipped the sentencing for a 1991 grand theft charge.

In the ensuing years, Hsu became a top donor to numerous Democratic candidates and was a fundraiser for presidential contender Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. He also had contributed to Sen. Barack Obama’s past Senate campaign and his political action committee.

On Friday, Hsu, who has an apparel business in New York, also resigned from the board of trustees of The New School and from the board of governors of The New School’s Eugene Lang College. The college received a federal appropriation secured by Clinton last year, but a spokesman for the school said Hsu was not involved in seeking money for the school.

After reports surfaced this week of Hsu’s fugitive status in California, Clinton joined other candidates in returning thousands of dollars he raised, but the allegations distracted her campaign just as it prepared to ramp up for the intense post-Labor Day stretch.

With a $2 million bond he’ll be out in an hour.

To view the entire video visit Townhall.

There has been no word to my knowledge from either of these camps as to their thoughts concerning this endorsement.

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro is tipping Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to team up and win the U.S. presidential election.

Clinton leads Obama in the race to be the Democratic nominee for the November 2008 election, and Castro said they would make a winning combination.

“The word today is that an apparently unbeatable ticket could be Hillary for president and Obama as her running mate,” he wrote in an editorial column on U.S. presidents published on Tuesday by Cuba’s Communist Party newspaper, Granma.

Full printed story here.

Turn on your speakers and just enjoy.

Anyone who has had children who reach their teenage years, (or perhaps pre-teen), has probably noticed that their sleep habits change a bit.

This is not to say that as parents we relinquish control, but increased school assignments, social activities, clubs and sports sometimes make both parent and child wish the day was 10 hours longer.

Therefore, even if the reasons stated in this article do not apply, children can become a bit sleep deprived.

Teenagers often get as little as four hours of sleep a night because they secretly play video games or watch TV until the early hours.

One in three secondary school pupils survives on short bursts of “junk sleep” and turns up exhausted for lessons the next day, according to a survey.

The Sleep Council warned that its results showed parents were being too lenient compared to previous generations by failing to impose a strict “lights out”.

I believe this is an age old problem as I can remember many years ago (yes, many) when I was still in school there would be children who had to tough out the day due to lack of rest. I don’t think this problem is something for which only today’s generation of parents should be taken to task.

Teenage years can be a bit rough on parents and children alike. Proper rest is not only beneficial to a childs education but also their overall ability to cope with the day to day peer pressure they face. Parents are the ones who need to grab all the “junk sleep” they can just to keep up with the pace. That study will be for another day I am sure.

It’s too bad they can’t get everything in his bank account.

The Falcons will try to recoup $22 million already paid to suspended quarterback Michael Vick, a person with knowledge of the team’s plans told the Journal-Constitution on Saturday.

Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Friday after he pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges in Virginia. That cleared the way for the Falcons to pursue money paid to Vick in signing bonus money.

Vick has received roughly $40 million in guaranteed bonuses — and even more in base salary — but teams are only allowed to try to recoup money paid in signing bonuses, per the collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union.

To collect the money, Vick must remain on the Falcons’ roster. Therefore the team will not release Vick until the matter is resolved, the person familiar with the situation said.

The Falcons are expected to cut ties with Vick, once their most popular player, once the signing bonus matter is finalized.

Source.

Much has been written and said about the Michael Vick situation so I will not post on the well known details. I am pleased however, to see that the Commissioner of the NFL has done what I believe to be not only correct but admirable.

The NFL indefinitely suspended Michael Vick without pay Friday just hours after he acknowledged in court papers that he did, indeed, bankroll gambling on dogfighting and helped kill some dogs not worthy of the pit. Vick, however, insisted he placed no bets of his own nor took any winnings.

In disciplining Vick, commissioner Roger Goodell said Vick’s admitted conduct was “not only illegal but also cruel and reprehensible” and regardless whether he personally placed bets, “your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL player contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player.”

I would say this is one of the stronger statements to come from a Commissioner in any of the major sports in some time. In my opinion, for the activities he was involved in, Vick, deserves this punishment and more.

Here’s one for ya.

The government has issued a rare written apology in a case involving an Iraqi refugee who was improperly imprisoned and pushed toward deportation by federal agents in Montana, the American Civil Liberties Union branch in Seattle announced yesterday.

The A.C.L.U. said the case should make clear to the Customs and Border Protection agency that racial profiling was both illegal and ineffective.

“The whole reason that he was stopped to begin with was that he appeared Middle Eastern to the agents at the train station,” said Doug Honig, the spokesman for the A.C.L.U. in Washington State. “This sends a strong message that basing law enforcement solely on ethnic profiling is not proper.”

Jeffrey C. Sullivan, the United States attorney for the Western District of Washington, who signed the apology, said the case was about getting the law concerning refugees wrong and nothing else.

In another rare move, Mr. Sullivan’s office joined the A.C.L.U. in seeking to remove the initial court ruling in the case.

Story

What happened to the rest of the Quote?

In an August 17 New York Times article about how presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (IL) is “increasingly drawing sharp contrasts with his rivals” for the Democratic nomination, reporter Jeff Zeleny wrote: “Even Michelle Obama presented a contrast [during a campaign event] on Thursday as she introduced her husband in an open-air barn at the Cass County fairgrounds. She told a crowd of more than 200 people that family values and trust were important in the next presidential candidate. ‘Our view is that if you can’t run your own house, you certainly can’t run the White House,’ Mrs. Obama said.” Zeleny did not provide Michelle Obama’s full quote, nor did he explain to whom Michelle Obama was purportedly drawing a contrast. In the part of the quote The New York Times left out, Obama — as blogger Greg Sargent noted — immediately went on to discuss measures her family was taking to keep thei