Archive for April, 2011
Wednesday Open Thread: April 27th, 2011
Be careful out there today. Lots of bad weather from Chicago to New Orleans and it’s moving east.
The people at the Weather Channel are just about overwhelmed with excitement. Someone needs to cut off their caffeine. (but I really appreciate the work they do to keep us up to date)
Tell us your weather stories as they happen and stay safe.
What else is on your minds today?
What are people talking about in your part of the world?
Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal…a man on a mission.
Governor Nathan Deal
Since I live in the south, I’ve been following what the Governor’s and the state legislatures have been doing and what bills they are signing into law. For example, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley just signed into law a bill that requires a roll call on every bit of legislation…as it should be. Alabama’s Governor Robert Bentley is poised to sign a new bill that would crackdown on illegal immigration. All these things are happening quietly but they are happening… which is why it is so important to have good and sane state legislators.
So…I’ve been watching Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal and I am very impressed with what has been happening. Georgia is, no doubt, a red state, but Governor Deal is making it a very red state….no purple to be found anywhere. Here are some of the bills that he has signed (or will sign) into law so far…
H.B 461: The Interstate Health Care Compact- Georgia will now be able to enter into compacts with other states to create a joint health care system. This will nullify several provisions of Obamacare for states that are in the compact.
H.B. 87: This is Georgia’s illegal immigration crackdown law. It will allow police to check for proof of citizenship for certain criminal offenders and detain anyone who is in the country illegally. Needless to say…there have been protests by many pro-illegal immigrant groups. An activist group based out of Philadelphia, The Diversity Projekt, has set up camp in Atlanta and are claiming that this bill is supported by the KKK. All that is needed now is for Governor Deal to sign the bill into law. I can’t see any reason why he wouldn’t sign the bill since he supported anti-illegal measures while he was in Congress. Keep your fingers crossed.
S.B. 79: This bill allows Governor Deal to remove members of the Atlanta Public School Board if they fail to reach their goals for accreditation by September of this year. That may not sound like a big deal to most but it’s a very big deal in Atlanta. The Atlanta public school district is about as corrupt as they come and they are currently on probation. The school district is under investigation for cheating on the CRCT’s, a nationally required achievement test. Several school employees have admitted to changing test scores and school officials are suspected of participating in a massive cover-up. The district superintendent, Beverly Hall, won National Superintendent of the Year in 2009 but has since been placed under investigation with the rest of the district for the cheating scandal. SB 79 will allow Governor Deal to remove the members of the school board if they don’t clean up their act by September. This will be very interesting to watch.
There are other smaller bills that Governor Deal has signed that indicate that he is the “real Deal” (sorry…I just had to say it). Hopefully he will continue on this path.
For those of you who live in Georgia, I encourage you to write to Governor Deal and let him know that he’s doing a great job.
Here’s his contact info:
Phone: 404-656-1776
The Governor’s who are doing the right thing for their states (and our country) need our support. If you like what your Governor and state legislators are doing….let them know.
Consider this a Red Team Action Item.
Tuesday Open Thread: April 26th, 2011
What’s on your minds this Tuesday?
What are people talking about in your part of the world?
Prison break…Taliban style
Kandahar, Afghanistan
Well….over the weekend, 450+ militant Taliban prisoners escaped from a prison in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The plot took more than 5 months of work and planning by other Taliban members who dug a tunnel over 1,000 feet long from a house nearby the prison to inside the prison walls. The escapees were identified as insurgent fighters and high ranking Taliban members. This is, of course, a major setback for US forces in the region and really makes it clear that Afghanistan is a quagmire. It feels like we take 3 steps forward and then 5 steps backwards.
A spokesman for the Afghanistan president was quoted as saying…
”This is a blow. A prison break of this magnitude of course points to a vulnerability.”
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
Monday Open Thread: April 25th, 2011
h/t imaksim
What’s on your minds this Monday?
What are people talking about in your part of the world?
2011 Easter in Boystown Photos
Robbie Williams’ Easter Bunny video – “Do You Know Me?”
This video’s been in heavy rotation all around Boystown for Easter.
Robbie Williams as the Easter Bunny.
Kind of.
Any other fun Easter videos you know and love?
