Somebody take the ball and run, please.

From the Lewinsky “affair” to Impeachment: End of December 1997 to December 19, 1998. Almost one year to the day.

June 17, 1972 police arrest five men attempting to break into Democratic party offices to set up wire taps. Nixon resigns August 9th, 1974. 2 years.

Kennedy is shot, November 22, 1963. Lee Harvey Oswald is caught, but then killed 2 days later by Jack Ruby. In September of 1964, The Warren Commission decides Oswald was the Lone Gunman, but theories and reenactments occur to this day. Some concur with the W.C., others poke holes in the findings. The point is that while many believe that the official Warren Commission was a “cover up” the Conspiracy Theory element has been in the headlines and news ever since.

The Manhattan Project employed over 130,000 people and existed in secret for about 2 years before the blasts on Japan.

Now for 9/11.

I am not exactly sure how long it took for people to start bringing up the Operation Northwoods concept (hatched by the JFK administration, which Kennedy, to his credit disciplined the CIA, for such terrible ideas), radio-controlled planes with missiles, controlled demolitions, stand-down orders, missiles flown into the Pentagon, terrorist boogey men, etc. The point is even after the 9/11 Commission report these Conspiracy Theories remain firmly in the background next to Project Blue Book, 5 years after the fact.

Pause for a minute and think about what it would take for all this 9/11 stuff to be what some people believe it to be. How many people would be involved? How much planning would be necessary? How much time would it take to organize such an effort and find the right people to keep it all secret? How do you sell the idea to all these people.

If there really is an ocean of solid, real evidence that points to our government as being traitorous murders that these Theories suggest, why hasn’t somebody gotten behind it? The anchors on the nightly news surely have enough clout to get this story in front of the world and give it credibility.

There are countless national radio personalities who seemingly want to see the Bush Administration swing from the gallows. To those people "Bring on this evidence and make my country a better place, please. You have the resources and the voice to do this".

Surely there is somebody with guts to stand up and tell the story. There has to be some politician to see the gain from releasing the facts of this atrocity on the world.


Yet all I ever hear is “journalism” in the form of infotainment. Their job is to get you to listen to their program and entice you to tune in tomorrow because it makes them money!

The internet is a blessing and curse. You can get information about anything at the drop of a hat, but that information isn’t always the most reliable. It also gives everybody and anybody a voice (this blog is a great example!)

There is a difference between facts and opinions. Even scientists, have opinions mingled in with facts.

I want to know where the outrage is? If there really is enough evidence that shows OUR OWN GOVERNMENT orchestrated an attack on our own country why hasn’t there been some kind of uproar???

A Revolution was started 200 years ago due in part to unfair taxing.

Attacking your own country has to be a little higher on the outrage meter than that, yes?

Until then, I have to believe the much simpler scenario that 19 terrorists hijacked 4 planes, flew them our buildings and killed thousands of people.

Did they really all talk like that?

I have been on a quest to find some good movies for my family to watch together (Me, Wife, son (8), and daughter (5). It's not an easy task. I know some parents let their kids watch Alien, or Heat, or Nightmare on Elmstreet, but we feel that stuff is a bit too "mature" for our kids to have to deal with right now. The real news is bad enough.

So I went to the library.

Side note here: My public library is incredible. Their catalog of movies, books on tape, video games, and of course books, is second to none. They offer a lot of relevant seminars and activities for all ages. And it's all free. Yes free. ;)

I thought it would be great to try out a few movies that the kids might like without getting hit up $3.99 each from Blockbuster.

Remembering back to the weekly ritual of spending Sunday afternoon at my Nana's house (amazing Italian cooking for dinner....YUM!) and watching The Wonderful World of Disney on a 10 inch black and white TV while the adults played Bridge, I thought "I wonder if those Kurt Russell "Dexter Reilly" movies are on DVD. You know "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" and "The Strongest Man in the World" and such. And the library did have them! Excellent.

I picked "The Strongest Man in the World" because I thought it would make a good intro for my kids. You know, with the blue special formula spilling on the cereal which turned it into a hyperactive bowl of rice crispies, then the smoke cloud, and them whammo! Strength!

The other movie I picked was "Around the World in 80 Days". I admit I have never seen this movie, but I had always wanted to. With 5 academy awards, it had to be good (right?)

Cool. I got my movies.

We popped some popcorn - a ritual that my kids have come to love, even expect, when the DVD player gets fired up.

They were all excited to sit down for a movie, up until they found out the movies were "old".

Uh oh.

My son explained to me that he didn't like watching "old" movies because everybody talked the same. It took me a second to understand what he was talking about. I want to point out here that "The Strongest Man in the World" was made in 1975, 2 years before "Star Wars" which my kids love.

Ok, so I figured I knew what my son meant when he said that everybody talks the same in "old" movies and I proceeded to do my best impression of the guy reporting the eyewitness account of the Hindenburg disaster and asked him if that's what he meant.

Sure enough, that's what he was getting at.

Unphased, I started the movie anyway because I knew for a fact that this wasn't how they sounded in this movie.

The first scene is in the Dean's office with Joe Flynn and Harold Gould, and I'll be damned if they didn't have that "old timey" sound to the way they delivered their lines. I couldn't believe it.

My kids eyes glazed over, and sure there were some things in it that they laughed at, but they became disengaged by the time A.J. Arno (Cesar Romero - The Joker himself!) got out of prison.

Strike one.

We have yet to watch "Around the World in 80 Days" but I am guessing there will be more of the same dialog and delivery.

I'll let you know. :)

It's a window, not an escape route

Well, I'll just hit the ground running. I am in the Midwest, one dog short of the Nuclear Family, living in the suburbs of Chicago.

The picture window in the front room of my house reflects light just right on the outside - perfect for birds to get fooled and try to fly "through" it. They are always banging their heads on it. Some just get shaken up, others break their necks and die. The other night there was the typical loud "thud" and I looked over to see the bird fall over the side. The next thing I saw was a big bird flying low with something in it's talons. This was a hawk or a falcon of some kind! The bird flew across the street to the peak of the neighbors garage and started on supper. I grabbed some binoculars and watched this predator rip that thing apart. Pieces were dropping off the rooftop as it picked and pecked and tore. The carnage was savage to me, but just another meal for this incredible bird.

As I watched, the meal started to look like it was actually another bird. It got me thinking, I wonder if the bird strike on my window was the prey trying to escape. Once it hit the window and dropped, the larger bird grabbed it and went off for a meal. If that large bird hit my window, I have to believe it would have broke it.

Life in the suburbs.....