Help send Alaskans to the Inaugural! Alaska’s only HS marching band set for Inaugural without bailout

Bet you never thought this space would be asking you to help send Alaskans to Washington, D.C.  Well, I am.

Alaska’s only high school marching band remains on its own to raise money to cover a trip to Washington, D.C. , to march in the inaugural parade.

PALMER — The Colony High School marching band will have to continue raising funds for a trip to Washington, D.C., without monetary help from the Mat-Su Borough School Board.

The board voted 3-3 Monday on a decision of whether to give the band $15,000 to help cover expenses for a trip to play in the Jan. 20 Inaugural Parade.

The tie vote effectively becomes a failed vote.

Source:  Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

Board members opposed to covering the band’s $15, 000 shortfall said it would set a bad precedent and open the board to many more requests for special funding.

Marching band director Jamin Burton said he disagrees.

“How many other groups will be invited by the President-elect to play?” Burton asked after the vote failed.

That notion seemed to be one reason the board members in support of the funding found it to be a good idea.

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Colver said of the funding. “It’s history in the making.”

Still, Welton, who said she received a threatening letter attempting to influence her decision, said setting a precedent where the board acts like a bank is bad.

“We cannot be the cash cow,” Welton said.

Source:  Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

However, the band and its supporters say the youngsters will march one way or the other and fundraising will continue.

The Colony High School marching band is the only marching band in the state, and was invited to play in the inaugural parade over scores of other bands that applied to do so.

Source:  Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

The band is receiving some help from Alaska Airlines, which waived its second bag luggage fee for the students. A church in Fairfax, Va., has agreed to lodge the band.

Burton said anyone who wants to donate money to help the band get to Washington, D.C., can still do so at any Wells Fargo Bank. There is also a Web site, www.chsmusicboosters.com., that will accept online donations.

So far, a gauge on the Web site shows 12 percent of the $45,000 the band still needs to get to the Inaugural Parade.

Source:  Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

You really cannot blame the school board and I am not calling them out on this.  There are kids in bands in similiar situations all over the country right now.  Part of it, I admit, is the irony.  The other is that these kids will be representing kids from all over Alaska and they’d like to know the other states know they are here, especially on the 50th Anniversary of statehood.

Please send money.

Kittens in Arlington, Texas, need a home

Please, if you are looking for a pet and can offer a good home, please think about adopting these rescued kittens in Arlington, Texas.

The lovely lady who rescued the kittens doesn’t want to turn them over to a shelter, but taking of these and her own cats is starting to drive her crazy.

A Chainsaw Christmas

The attempt at lyrics here was inspired by this story –

The little girl had been good all year.

Even in October when they took her to the “haunted house,” and it got a little scary.

So the mother asked her friend to write the little girl a letter from Santa.

The woman did and laid it on thick about how wonderful she was.

The mom got the letter, addressed it to the little girl and put a stamp on it.

Unfortunately, as soon as that was done, the little girl started to act up.

Some other children came over and she didn’t seem to appreciate her not getting all of the attention.

She was three.

The kids left and mom and dad took her to the mall to see Santa.

As soon as she got on his lap she told him in no uncertain terms,

“I hate Christmas.”

He shook that off, and asked her “Well, then, what do you want for Christmas?”

She told him, “A chainsaw!”

His jaw fell open.

After they got home and put her to bed, the mom said to the dad, “What do we do now? The letter
to Santa is already sealed.”

Then she said, “Maybe I’ll just write something on the back of the envelope.”

She wrote, “Dear Emma Grace, I was very saddened to hear that you hate Christmas. But I forgive
you, and I hope you will be a better little girl than you were last night.”

Then she signed it “Santa.”

And then below his name, she added:

“P.S. No Chainsaw!”

StandUpToRacism, NowPublic Crowd Powered Media

A Chainsaw Christmas

It’ll be a chainsaw Christmas from the break of dawn

I’ll start with the lights and crap out there on the lawn.

Then I’ll shred the mailbox before I leave the yard

So, I’ll never have to suffer another Christmas card.

Inside, me and my chainsaw will be as ferocious as we can be.

The lights will spark and fizzle as we chainsaw the Christmas tree.

We’ll sit and wait for “It’s a Wonderful Life” and take out the TV.

I hear roaring of the engine, the spinning clatter of the chain

as I take out sweaters and underwear and Johnny’s electric train.

It’ll be a chainsaw Christmas with shredded turkey and splattered ham

Flying mashed potatoes and pureed sprouts with yams

Yes, a chainsaw Chrismas, I’ve had all that I can take

and my chainsaw Christmas ended when I took on the fruitcake.

Blue Ball in Cowtown!Celebrate the inauguration of Barak Obama

This just in from the Tarrant County Democratic Party!

The Tarrant County Democratic Party’s Inaugural Ball.
The rebirth of Hope.
The Tarrant County Democratic Party proudly invites you to a once-in-a-lifetime event—-the inauguration of our 44th President. This will be an evening you will never forget. It promises to be an event worthy of the most historic inaugural ceremony our country is likely to ever experience. It will be a chance for all of us to wear our finest, and to share the joy and the glory of this celebration with hundreds of Tarrant County Democrats who worked so hard to make it happen.
Cocktails from 6:00-6:30
Inaugural Ceremony 6:30-7:00
To be viewed on tape delay.
Dinner and Dancing 7:00-midnight
Black Tie Optional
When: Tuesday, January 20, 2008
Cocktails from 6:00-6:30
Inaugural Ceremony 6:30-7:00
Dinner and Dancing 7:00-midnight
Where: The Historic Hilton Hotel
Downtown Fort Worth

For tickets, CLICK HERE

Vote for most inane remark by talking chowderheads, uh, political pundits

Media Matters, a lefty liberal watchdog, wants our help in picking the most inane political punditry of the year.  It must have been hard to narrow it down, but they have picked ten, and have an online poll.

Choose one from this list of ridiculous remarks:

• Fox News’ Hill criticizes Clinton for leaving too large a tip, accuses her of “spending like a Learjet liberal”
• Barnes: Obama not “strong on national security” because he opposed war “when the entire world believed” Saddam had WMD
• Defending Givhan’s cleavage coverage, Harwood asserted “calculati[ng]” Clinton knew “what she was communicating by her dress”
• On Hardball, Matthews and Shuster critiqued Obama’s “weird” beverage selection at Indiana diner
  Matthews on Obama shooting pool: “[I]t’s not what most people play. People with money play pool these days”
• Politico’s Simon now on to a different part of Romney’s anatomy:  “shoulders you could land a 737 on”
• Matthews: “Who would win a street fight … Rudy Giuliani or President Ahmadinejad”
• Brooks thinks Obama wouldn’t seem to “fit[] in naturally” at an Applebee’s salad bar — maybe because Applebee’s doesn’t have them
• Cokie Roberts on Obama’s vacation: “I know his grandmother lives in Hawaii and I know Hawaii is a state,” but it looks “foreign, exotic”
• Scarborough on Obama’s “dainty” bowling performance: “Americans want their president, if it’s a man, to be a real man”

B-O’Reilly is not in the mix.  Perhaps outright lies and conniption fits don’t qualify.

They left out this one:

• Fox News’ E.D. Hill said: “A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? … We’ll show you some interesting body communication and find out what it really says.”

However, I guess that fits more into the inane anchor chatter category.

I am trying to think of more, but I think my brain already has started to shut down Campaign 2008 memories as a defense mechanism.  Any ideas?

My vote goes to Cokie.  You know, real Americans vacation in “Sarah Sax Pack” places like Kennebunkport, Maine, and Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, all so accessible to the average American.  Only “elitests” vacation in Hawaii. Personally, I think we should send the lot of them, politicians, pundits and staffers down to Spring Break in Port Aransas, Texas, and see how they survive.

B-24 Memories

My work on the documentary series “World War II: In Our Words” gave me a whole new appreciation for the B-24 Liberator bomber. I already had a link as my maternal grandfather had helped build them in WWII here in Fort Worth.

In April, 2007, my documentary producing work got me on board the Collings Foundation’s B-24. I got to fly from San Antono to Austin, not just a loop around the field. It was terrific! I returned with video for the documentary, along with personal photos and video.

Most of the bomber crew members I interviewed for “In Our Words” flew on the B-24.

Consolidated’s B-24 was used in every theater in WWII, to only bomber to have that distinction. It still holds the record for the most U.S. combat planes produced. Despite all that, the B-17 got all the glory, and it also was a fine aircraft (and more hearty and survivable by some accounts).

I found B-24 aficionados have few places to go for memorabilia. Thus, I offer up some of my humble efforts. This make great gifts, especially for the men who flew and maintained these aircraft and the men and women who built them.

Click here to get B-24 Gear

Still no bailout check; contributions are gratefully accepted

The following is from whatsdrivingyoucrazy.com

Still no word from the Treasury about my bailout check. Sigh, I am beginning to feel unloved. You don’t think ol’ Boy George Bush, that man of the people kind of guy, would forget the little people, do you?

Yeah, right. I know.

Anyway, enough of that. What we desperately need here is a massive infusion of cash. I speak not of the nation, or its banks or industry. I speak of me, myself and this site.

How about a new twist on the “Support Our Troops” bumper sticker?
In the case of this design and all the rest shown in this post, if you click on the image, you will be taken to the appropriate store.

These stores include the What’s Driving You Crazy? Shop, Haricot Vert Expeditions Commissary, NO BAILOUT!, Pilot Gear, B-24 Liberator Shop, Culinary Cowboy Shop, 2C-Fry Pan Commissary and many more.

You can just drop a few coins in my cup if you click here.

(read more)

In Texas fields, no poppies blow; “forgotten” Canadians and Britons

more about "In Texas fields, no poppies blow; "fo…", posted with vodpod

During World War I, thousands of Royal Flying Corps officers and men came to Texas for flight training. However, many came only to die without ever facing the enemy and never returning home to Canada or the UK.
This video is about eleven of those men.
The graves in the video are at Greenwood Cemetery. Every other year, the cemetery hosts a commemoration at the site on Memorial Day, the American holiday honoring war dead.
My mother says in World War II, a Canadian cousin ( a real cousin by blood) came to Fort Worth for flight training. He then went to Liberal, Kansas, for advanced training and was lost in a crash. My mother says the kids in the family first suspected Nazi sabotage, but eventually they blamed the government. Wayne washed out of pilot school and became a navigator. Mother says the kids decided it was the government’s failure to make Wayne a pilot that cost his life and the lives of his crew. Not sure which government she meant.

How I did my part to help Republicans win in Texas

For the last couple or three days, I have been sitting here mostly wondering if that gurgling noise is coming from my lungs or the vaporizer.  There has been no “thrill of victory or agony of defeat”, just the trudging through the day one does when hosting the viruses of the cold from hell.

Still, on Tuesday morning, I was up and at ‘em to be at Tarrant County Election Headquarters at 06:00, where I reported for duty as an emergency election clerk.  We were the unassigned, yet willing, fresh from three hours of training over the weekend and ready to do our bit to guarantee a fair, legal and problem-free election.

Armed with snacks and two thermos bottles filled with tea, I was prepared for the call to duty.  It was at this point I discovered I had forgotten to bring a book to read.  It should have served as an omen.

The large screens at the front of the room onto which presentation slides had been shown Saturday were now filled with the Today show.  National news teams reported lines around the block at some voting places.  Locally, reporters stood in front of voting places talking about the crowds which were expected but so far had failed to materialize.

At first, there were calls for help, but mostly for bilingual Spanish/English speakers; each precinct is required to have one.  By 09:00, It was just us and the Today show.  As Kathie Lee Gifford and some other woman started yakking about the election and arts and crafts or some such thing, a warning sign blinked on the screen. saying – “Auto Cutoff Initiated”.  We applauded an AV system with such taste as the screens went blank.

Shortly before noon, they started drafting us as runners to take supplies out to the precincts.  I was given a map, a stack of signs and a hearty farewell in exchange for my name and mobile phone number.  I headed out to an area senior citizens center.

When I arrived, I saw the one public door in sight already had posted on it one of the signs which I was delivering.  I went inside.  Many nice elderly ladies smiled as they looked up from their lunches.  One relatively younger woman came toward me.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“I am looking for the election judge,”  I said.

“We don’t have one,” she responded.  “I’m as close as we get.”

What’s this about two election days and other voter questions

Tuesday, 4 November 2008, is the last day to vote in this year’s general elections. Looking for where you vote? Try starting here at www.whatsdrivingyoucrazy.com. You’ll find detailed links for Northeast Texas, including the Fort Worth/Dallas area, as well as links for national and Texas sites with voter information.

In all cases, it is best to check out local information from local officials on where to vote and what is required.

As usual, there are many myths and malicious rumors circulating again this year.  Let’s start with an oldie, but a goodie.

There is only one election day. Do not believe any flyer, email or anything that says one party votes on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday. It is a lie.

Jurisdictions differ on what kind of identification you are supposed to show.  Sometimes, election judges, for whatever reason, exceed the law in requesting more information than is required.  Take good ID with you just in case.  Good ID can include your voter certificate, drivers license, state-issued ID card, US passport, birth certificate, picture ID from work, a bill or government mailing addressed to you at your address and even a photo ID for school or shopping.  You should be prepared.

There’s been so much confusion about voting in this area that the Tarrant County Elections Department has put up a webpage that chases rumors. Here’s some examples:

• RUMOR:
  I heard that absentee ballots aren’t counted unless a race is very close. Is that true?
• FACT:
  That is not true. Every eligible ballot, whether cast in person or by mail, is tabulated and included in the official election results.
• RUMOR:
  Is it true that voters who have unpaid traffic tickets can be arrested if they show up to vote?
• FACT:
  This is not true. Section 276.005 of the Texas Election Code provides that a voter may not be arrested at a polling place or while going to or returning from a polling place except if the voter commits one of the following crimes on the day of voting: treason, any felony, or a breach of peace.
• RUMOR:
  I’ve heard that I can’t wear a campaign t-shirt into a polling place and that if I do, I will be asked to leave.
• FACT:
  Wearing campaign clothing, hats, pins, buttons, etc. inside a polling place or within 100 feet of an outside door through which a voter may enter the building in which a polling place is located is considered “electioneering” and is a violation of election laws (Texas Election Code Section 61.003). Persons wearing campaign materials into a polling place are generally asked to remove or cover their campaign materials or to turn their shirt inside-out.
• RUMOR:
  I received an e-mail suggesting that I “Video My Vote”. Can I take a camera into the polling place to record my voting experience?
• FACT:
  Section 63.013 of the Texas Election Code provides that a person may not use any mechanical or electronic means of recording images or sound within 100 feet of a voting station. In addition, this section also provides that a person may not use a wireless communication device within 100 feet of a voting station.

Source:  Tarrant County Elections Department

Let me emphasize here that all the previous responses are based on Texas law.  The situation could be different in your state.  So, it’s best to check to see if there is a local website with voting information.

There is a lot of confusion over voting a straight ticket on electronic machines.  If you vote a straight ticket, the vote for the presidential candidate is entered.  If you vote a straight ticket and then go and mark the presidential candidate of your choice, chances are you are deleting your vote for president.

If you are voting on an electronic voting machine, there should be some way for you to review your final vote before you press the final button to cast your vote.

If you don’t understand, ask a poll worker.  They can go over the procedure with you .  They are not supposed to tell you how to vote, but they can tell you how to go about it.

Remember this:

• If this is your first time to vote, ask questions and make sure you understand the procedure.
• If you do not understand the equipment, ask questions until you do.  You don’t want to throw away your vote through a technical glitch.
• Be prepared for long lines and be patient.  As long as you are in line before the polls close, you are allowed to vote.
• Don’t show up wearing your campaign gear.  Leave it in the car and put it on after your vote.  You could be sent to the end of the line.
• If you see something wrong, don’t play cop, tell the election officials.  If you don’t think they handle it correctly, report it to the government agency responsible for the election.

Most of all, get out and exercise your right to vote. This is a groundbreaking election no matter who wins. You don’t want to be telling your grandkids you stayed home.