Drew eating his oatmeal just like his daddy used to do every morning.

It's real simple. Everything else is trivial when compared to the threshold question of how the two presidential candidates will protect America. In his acceptance speech, Democrat Party nominee John Kerry stated his position: "Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response." The problem is that the precondition before action is an "attack." In other words, only after it's too late does Kerry promise action.

Senator Kerry provided further clarification of his position in his preceding sentence: "Let there be no mistake: I will never hesitate to use force when it is required." The problem is that "required" smacks of too little too late. If "required" is the standard then, let's try one more attempt at a group hug, will always win out.

What about using force before an "attack" and before we're left with the only option of it being "required"? Such as, pre-emptive strikes against developing threats or because we think it will prevent the loss of American lives even though Sen. Kerry's Euro-weenie friends are against it?

So there it is. Do you want a president who promises to be reactive? Or, one who has proven himself to be proactive...taking the fight to the terrorists, wherever they are? Come November, the choice is simple.

Drew's first swim at his grandparents, second swim ever, with a little assistance from his aunt.

I can't decide. Is Kerry more of a Woody Allen playing a sperm in the 1972 movie Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex?

Or, is Kerry more of a 1988 Michael Dukakis riding a tank?

Lance Armstrong today became not only cycling's greatest rider ever but one of the greatest athletes of all time. He is the first to win six grueling Tour de France races, cycling's equivalent of the World Series, the Super Bowl and the Indy 500 all wrapped up into one. And, this after having been given less than a 50% chance of living in 1996 when he was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer which had spread to his lungs and brain.

In the 101 year history of the Tour de France (but only 91 races due to war), four other riders have won five times: Belgian Eddy "the Cannibal" Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil.

The 2004 Tour de France covered more than 2100 miles comprised of 20 stages including 11 flat stages, 6 mountain stages, 2 individual time-trial stages, and 1 team time-trial stage. The layout of the race this year was admittedly designed to make it as difficult as possible for Lance to win. However, the race officials couldn't overcome the fact that Lance has no weaknesses as he can hold his own against anyone in the flats, he can out climb everyone in the mountains and he can blow everyone away in the time trials.

Lance's victories are in no small part due to his tremendous teammates who ride for the U.S. Postal team known as the Blue Train which this year included: Portuguese Jos頁zevedo, Spaniard Manuel Beltran, Russian Viatceslav Ekimov, American George Hincapie, American Floyd Landis, Spaniard Gonzalez Noval Benjamin, Czechoslovakian Pavel Padrnos and Spaniard Jos頌uis Rubiera.

The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) arrived at its homeport in San Diego Bay for the first time Friday, July 23, 2004. The ninth Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is the most modern and sophisticated carrier in the world, 1,092 feet long, towering 20 stories above the waterline, home to 6,000 sailors, carrying more than 80 aircraft, with a 4.5 acre flight deck and a cruising speed in excess of 30 knots (34.5 mph). (Detailed cutaway diagram.)

The next and last Nimitz-class aircraft carrier will be the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77). After that, a new carrier class will start (CVNX-1). I wonder who it will be named after?

To me it's mind-boggling. In one self-contained vessel, you have a full self-contained small city, a cruise liner, a military base, an airport, and a nuclear power plant.

In the fall of 2002, I had the good fortune of visiting Newport News, Virginia, where I took found some photos of the USS Ronald Reagan under construction. For those who haven't been to Newport News, it is nothing like Norfolk. It is not a tourist destination and you are most certainly not allowed to wander around and photograph naval ships under construction, especially just a year after 9/11. But it was the freaking USS Ronald Reagan, so what could I do? The photos are poor but the experience was awesome.

So, I'm on my way to work on the morning of July 20th and I was having a problem with the AM band on my radio and so I switched over to FM and...*shudder*...NPR (National Public Radio). I figured I could stand a few minutes of opposition research without becoming sick to my stomach or my temper boiling over...I was wrong.

The show was Morning Edition hosted by Steve Inskeep featuring Mario Cuomo, the former New York governor and very liberal democrat, discussing his new book, Why Lincoln Matters: Today More Than Ever, which examines the writing and speeches of Abraham Lincoln. Since, Cuomo claims to have written a book on President Lincoln's speeches, grossly inaccurate statements about Lincoln and one of Lincoln's most famous speeches cannot properly be called mere errors as much as a flat out disgusting lies made for the worst possible motive for someone writing a historical text, that of revising history to fit their own current day political agenda.

Cuomo stated, "[Lincoln] doesn't talk about God. He [only] talks about creator." I thought this was odd since, while I was never a history major, I have read many of Lincoln's speeches and I could have sworn Lincoln had specifically discussed God and not in the sense of just some generic creator. So I pop open the internet and instantly, Cuomo's assertion is objectively refuted by Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address (quoted in full at the end of this tirade) wherein, by my count, in just the last 10 sentences of his address, Lincoln made 6 references to "God," 6 references to God using "He/His/Him," one reference to the "Almighty," one reference to "Lord," and quoted Psalm 19:9 along with two references to the New Testament, Matthew 7:1 and 18:7. It sure sounds to me like Lincoln specifically talked about "God"!

Cuomo tried to down play Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address admitting Lincoln mentions God, "but he never makes an argument for God." This is absurd. In this post I've mentioned Cuomo about as often as Lincoln mentioned God in his Second Inaugural Address. How can anyone say with a straight face that I don't think Cuomo exists? Or, that Lincoln doesn't think God exists? The fact that I don't additionally make an argument in favor of Cuomo's existence does not in any manner support the notion that I don't think Cuomo exists. Please just read the Address at the end and decide for yourself if Lincoln fervently believed in God or not.

Cuomo concluded the interview with this final nugget of putridness: "Would a politician stoop so low as to use religion to get close to voters? Yeah. I hope I didn't do it too much, because when I drop dead and I find out there is a God and indeed, he has a big book with everything noted--yeah, of course, politicians do it. Did Lincoln do it for that reason? All I know is Lincoln was a master politician."

Isn't that all wonderfully smarmy. Cuomo avoids actually stating his obvious opinion that Lincoln stooped so low as to use religion to get close to voters, but that is exactly what Cuomo wants the listener, and no doubt the reader of his book, to believe since after all "Lincoln was a master politician" and "politicians do it." Disgusting revisionist lies. The particular nature of Lincoln's religion has long been the subject of much historical debate, however, until Cuomo's remarks, I did not think knowledgeable persons debated whether he was religious at all.

Most certainly everyone (in America) has the absolute right to believe or not believe in the God of their choosing, but no one should be allowed to get away with revising history and recharacterizing a man of faith as a cynical manipulator of a gullible public. Shame on you NPR. Shame on you Steve Inskeep. And, shame on you Mario Cuomo. Finally, Mr. Cuomo, without discussing the likelihood of such a scenario, if we both get past the pearly gates, I would very much like to be there when you meet up with President Abraham Lincoln. Do they allow ass-kickings in heaven?

[The following is a partial transcript of the July 20, 2004, Morning Edition program:]

INSKEEP: President Lincoln never professed to belong to an organized church...
CUOMO: Absolutely.
INSKEEP: ...of any kind.
CUOMO: Yeah, well, that's absolutely accurate, and if he was anything, he was a rationalist.
INSKEEP: And yet, even though he did not belong to an organized religion, Lincoln often did invoke God in his speeches and used the language of the Bible in his speeches...
CUOMO: Oh, he used the lang...
INSKEEP: ...which is a way that he's like modern politicians, isn't he?
CUOMO: He used the language of the Bible over and over. In his second inaugural, how religious his references are, and that's absolutely true. But he never talks about Jesus as God, and he doesn't talk about God. He talks about creator. He was clearly not a person who accepted any specific religious faith.
INSKEEP: In the second inaugural, there's the line about "as God gives us to see the right." I mean, there are references to God.
CUOMO: Yeah. Well, yes, but he never makes an argument for God.
INSKEEP: I just wonder if it says something about the electorate that politicians were addressing then and now...
CUOMO: Oh, I...
INSKEEP: ...something practical.
Mr. CUOMO: Well, yeah. Let me ask a really grubby political question. I'm better at this than you are. I lived that life for a long time. Would a politician stoop so low as to use religion to get close to voters? Yeah. I hope I didn't do it too much, because when I drop dead and I find out there is a God and indeed, he has a big book with everything noted--yeah, of course, politicians do it. Did Lincoln do it for that reason? All I know is Lincoln was a master politician.

[On March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office for President of the United States for the second time. On that occasion, with the end of the Civil War in sight, he gave one of the most famous speeches in American presidential history, his Second Inaugural Address:]

Fellow-Countrymen:

At this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.

On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, urgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war--seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.

One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding.

Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

[Abraham Lincoln was assassinated just one month and 10 days after he delivered this speech.]

The National Review Online solved the identity of the 14 Syrian men aboard the chilling flight Annie Jacobsen described in Womens Wallstreet (Terror in the Skies). This is now my third post on the topic (Post I, Post II). It seems the Syrians were musicians who performed with an artist named Nour Mehana and were flying to Sycuan Casino & Resort, near San Diego for a gig on July 1, 2004. Whew! I for one am relieved, since we all know musician can't be terrorists. The smart-alecky NRO article mocks the fact that no one else could identify the "musicians," but somehow fails to explain why these 14 individuals behaved like idiots ignoring FAA mandated rules and making inappropriate throat-slitting jesters.

Now we learn through MSNBC's Scarborough Country, July 22, 2004, that all of the 14 terrorists' musicians' visas had expired! We're not talking about their credit cards here. These guys were officially in this country illegally! Why is this stuff not checked post-9/11? Our boarders are non-existent and our immigration policies and procedures are a joke--I'm beginning to think we deserve whatever consequences come our way from decimation of California schools, hospitals and social services to planes being hijacked. Here's some straight talking common sense from the show (individuals who put political correctness above the security of our country may not want to read further):

"If 14 Anglo-Saxon high school students from Kansas who were on a band trip to Los Angeles did the same thing, the flight attendants would go back and tell them to sit down and put their seat belts on. Do you think political correctness played into the fact that they let these 14 Syrians run around the plane and break all the rules?"

"Absolutely. Absolutely, Joe. It is a no-brainer. And it is symptomatic of what's going on with regard to airline security. The fact of the matter is, we are in a war against Arab religious extremists. And nobody wants to face that fact."

"[C]ommon sense dictates that if a group of 14 Arab males in that age group are flying together, before they get on that plane in Detroit headed for L.A., they are the ones who need to be subject to secondary screening."

Finally, the Washington Times reports: "Flight crews and air marshals say Middle Eastern men are staking out airports, probing security measures and conducting test runs aboard airplanes for a terrorist attack."

"'No doubt these are dry runs for a terrorist attack,' an air marshal said. Pilots and air marshals who asked to remain anonymous told The Washington Times that surveillance by terrorists is rampant, using different probing methods."

Drew on our couch striking some poses...the little ham.

My sister reminded me that I have not been keeping up with my "weekly" flower posts. So, here is a photo of one of our Zuni Crape Myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica). It's incredibly common in Oklahoma as it very heat and disease tolerant and blooms throughout the summer.

This is a follow up to my prior post about a terrifying first hand account of Syrian terrorists conducting a dry-run for more 9/11 style attacks (Terror in the Skies). These are must read articles for anyone who considers themselves even marginally informed about our current war against terrorism.

This follow up article (Part II: Terror in the Skies, Again?), provides evidence of how common these dry-runs are and what little is being done about them.

"Gary Boettcher, Member, Board of Directors, Allied Pilots Association, said, 'Folks, I am a Captain with a major airline.' [Your incident] is not a singular nor isolated experience. The terrorists are probing us all the time."

"Boettcher told me that based on his experience, it was his opinion that I was likely on a dry run. He said he's had many of these experiences and so have many of his fellow captains. They've been trying to speak out about this but so far their words have been falling on deaf ears."

And what are authorities doing about this threat? Rand K. Peck, captain for a major U.S. airline provides the following common experience of any repeat traveler: "I've observed matronly looking grandmothers practically disrobed at security check points and five-year-old blond boys turned inside out, while Middle Eastern males sail through undetained."

"We have little to fear from grandmothers and little boys. But Middle Eastern males are protected, not by our Constitution, but from our current popular policy of political correctness and a desire to offend no one at any cost, regardless of how many airplanes and bodies litter the landscape."

A good friend and avid fan of the classic rock group Rush has written an incredible review of Rush's now ongoing 30th Anniversary Tour. While there may be a greater Rush fan, although it's hard to imagine, there probably is not one who is as intelligent and articulate. Reading his review brought back memories of my own Rush experiences as he recounts the band's history through the songs they play, and don't play, during the concert. Below is JR's review:

I have been a fan of the band for most of their 30 years. The first time I saw them was on the Moving Pictures tour. It was Independence Day at Alpine Valley ("acoustically designed by Mother Nature" - ask if you want to know) and the Joe Perry Project was the opener. I remember enjoying the show immensely, even though (or maybe because) I had some drinks thanks to my older cousin who wasn't drinking age himself.

I have seen the band at least once on every tour since then. The band could do no wrong for a while. They always seemed to play the favorites and most of the new album when they came to town. And they'd usually bring along a good opening act (Gary Moore, Marillion, Primus, Mr. Big), so I could act cool (just an act, though) because I knew and/or liked the opener. Hey, it was the '80s.

During the mid to late '80s, the band made good music even though it didn't do as much for me as other stuff (Power Windows & Hold Your Fire are good records - I just preferred their bookends much more). They seemed to want to experiment more and, I feel, they lost touch a little bit with their essence as a rock band. I liked Presto and Roll the Bones (hell, I like all of the records - even the one with John Rutsey). When Counterparts came out, it was a revelation for me. They ROCKED again. The only problem with them as a touring act was that their back catalogue was becoming too large for a normal set and they were going to be leaving out more and more as they continued forward.

They read my mind and starting with the Test for Echo tour, they played 2 sets and, in a sense, opened for themselves (and it's cheaper that way, I'd imagine). Now. if they'd just kill off some of the big radio hits and open up the set for the freaks like me, I'd achieve nirvana (or Xanadu)...

The band is celebrating 30 years as a touring act and they refer to this as their birthday party. A few days before the show, I looked at the songs in iTunes and picked out material they haven't played forever or for a while and left out the hits. I gave up at Hold Your Fire because I had about 40 songs...

I saw them in Chicago with a long-time friend and in Milwaukee with another group of people while some long-time friends were in the audience.

Show time was 7:30 and they started just about on time (better than many airlines, I might add). There was a video montage which featured all of their album artwork morphing into one another and was very cool. Then we discover a short film featuring the world's oldest RUSH fan, Jerry Stiller. As he does a skit and as implores the guys to get on stage, Alex Lifeson rushes on to the stage and the band launch into a medley of snippets which has the crowd in a tizzy. We go from Finding My Way to Anthem to Bastille Day to Passage to Bangkok (yes, that song) to Cygnus X-1 to Hemishperes/Prelude. As the crowd (and Jerry Stiller) roar their approval, Alex Lifeson starts playing the famous intro to Spirit of Radio and off we go again. As the band and crowd catch their collective breaths, the taped intro to Force Ten breaks the chronological order of the set and hurtles us into a later phase of the band's career. Next up was Animate, a personal favorite of mine and one I was happy they wheeled out (it was not played on VT tour). Old studio/live favorite, Subdivisions, gets the crowd excited. A VT song, Earthshine is up next and features some excellent video work as stars appear to be shooting from the guitar during the solo. (Cynical comment alert) The crowd, weaned on today's Classic Rock stations which ignore bands current material and, thus ensures an aging and potentially dwindling listener base, heads for the bathrooms. I hope they washed their hands before they ran back to hear Red Barchetta (for the first time since Power Windows tour, I think). After Bravado, they play YYZ (sans drum solo) and The Trees. They have a new CD, Feedback, out now which features RUSH covering some '60s & '70s tunes and we get their take on The Seeker (The Who) before One Little Victory heats things up again and the band head off and take a well-earned break.

After 15 minutes or so, another funny video montage starts and leads us into Tom Sawyer. Secret Touch (VT) is an impressive live song and is noticeably heavier live. My other favorite for the evening was Between the Wheels which I may have never seen live (can't remember them playing it on GUP tour). My only real complaint about the show was that they played Mystic Rhythms and followed it up with Red Sector A. I really like these songs - I just felt they stunted the momentum that was building. After Neil Peart's drum solo on his wicked looking new kit, we get Resist and Heart Full of Soul (cover #2) acoustically with Geddy Lee playing a Taylor (a man after my heart!). In the band's defense, they may have slowed down the pace because they increased the energy at the end as they ripped through Overture/Temples/Finale, La Villa Strangiato, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Xanadu (ALL of it), and Working Man. Whew. Did I mention they weren't done? Sorry 'bout that.

For an encore they played a couple of covers and another song you might know. We heard Summertime Blues, Crossroads and Limelight before Jerry Stiller and the band's light set said "Bye bye."

A tremendous evening of awesome music played by people passionate and talented for a very partisan crowd. Besides Camera Eye, what else could I ask for...

For anybody that was wondering, we heard something from every album except Presto.

If you made it this far, thanks.

Any complaints, you've got the e-mail address. Just remember, this is one-take with no overdubs or tapes used. Just spell check.

Special thanks to Murph Dog (for asking me to do this) and to Randy and Dave for always being there as 2 shining examples of what friendship is truly about as well as tremendous RUSH fans.

JR

Gridlock, by Corwin Derkatch, is a donationware puzzle game with 40 addictive levels where all you have to do is slide the blue block out the right hand side exit. It's a very elegant game which is simple to play but yet has a difficulty to solve akin to Solitaire or FreeCell which is perfect for playing during a conference call or short break. I