Cash Eternal

Kevin Russell walked into a Chase Bank in Hobart, Indiana on Monday intending to cash a check. Two things got the teller's attention:

1. The check was made out in the amount of $50,000.00, and...

2. It was signed by God! (Or as the signature line said, "King Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Servant.")

...along with "For miracles rendered" on the memo line, I'm sure.

The Story of the First Man Wounded In Iraq

ABC News tells the story of Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva:

As troops began to push into Iraq, on March 21, 2003, Alva was leading 11 Marines among 75 or so sailors and Marines in a 50- to 55-vehicle convoy on its way from the desert in Kuwait to Basra, Iraq.

It was a logistical convoy moving through the desert at night, lights out, night-vision goggles on. The sand was so kicked up it was nearly impossible for Alva to even keep track of the vehicle in front of him. At one of three stops along the way, Alva, who hadn't eaten for a full day, was heating up an MRE when he went to get something out of his Humvee.

"I took maybe a step or two," Alva said, "and that is when the explosion went off." It was a land mine. "I stepped on a land mine with my right foot," Alva said. "The explosion went off and threw me about 10 feet. I was in severe pain."

His hearing was temporarily lost, so he couldn't hear his own screaming. His hand was covered in blood; the tip of the index finger on his right hand was blown off, and the nerves had been damaged forever. Marines ran to him.

"They lifted my left foot and cut the bootlaces from the bottom, and they lifted my heel, and they took the boot off from the heel," Alva said. "And they never touched the right leg. So I remember even asking the chaplain, 'What is wrong with my legs? What is wrong with my legs?' And the chaplain - because we had chaplains with us - and he said, 'There is nothing wrong. You are fine. You are fine.'" But he wasn't. Evacuated to Kuwait by helicopter, Alva woke up hours later in the post-op recovery room. His leg was gone.

Alva - who received the Purple Heart for his actions - appeared in Washington D.C. today with Rep. Martin Meehan (Democrat-MA) and Rep. Christopher Shays (Republican-CT) and came out as a gay man. Both Meehan and Shays will introduce legislation today aimed at repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy currently in place - and allow gays to serve in the military without fear of dismissal.

Said Alva:

Who would have ever guessed that the first American wounded [in Iraq] was a gay Marine?

I would have, Staff Sgt Alva. And I thank you, from the very depths of my American soul, for your bravery on the frontlines in the sand over there...and in the halls of our Government here at home.

An Adult Conversation

Quote of the Day:

Ninety seconds to answer is designed largely to test glibness, memory, spontaneity and theatricality. What you should be testing is the person’s judgment, wisdom, experience. You don’t get that by hiding the questions from him and seeing if you can catch him by surprise.

-Former Gov. Mario Cuomo (Deomcrat-NY) on the "debates" held between major presidential candidates today, compared with how it was done back in the days of Abraham Lincoln.

Cuomo is set to join former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Republican-GA) this evening at New York's Cooper Union for a true adult discussion of the issues facing America today. The debate was arranged in part to encourage the 2008 presidential candidates to dump the 30-second soundbites that have become so common, and engage instead in a serious debate.

Gingrich:

The gap between the challenges we face as a country and the trivializing of politics as "Entertainment Tonight" is so stunning.

The former House Speaker suggested the presidential candidates should agree to nine weekly 90-minute debates after the party conventions in 2008 - each on a single topic - with a timekeeper but no rules.

The country gets to watch two adults have a conversation. By the end, the candidates would be different people.

I tend not to agree with Mr. Gingrich on much. But I must say such a series of debates would have me - and much of the nation, I think - rivited.

Once the debate is over, it is to be posted on Gingrich's website. I will provide a link tomorrow.

The Ultimate Dumb Down

Even the dumbing down of America is getting dumbed down.

The debut of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" on Fox last night scored the highest rating of any new show this season.

With our education system in the toilet (China and India are going to give America's next few generations a run for their money...and America could very well lose that race), this is what Americans tune into in "record numbers"?!?

What a sad (& rather scary) state of affairs.

Cuba Leads U.S.A. On Equal Rights?

First South Africa, the home of apartheid, legalizes gay marriage; and now the Communist nation of Cuba is thinking about doing the same thing.

Going Bat Shit

The Fascist wing of the Republican Party is going bat shit over Al Gore's win at the Academy Awards on Sunday night. Unable to bring arguments of any substance to the table regarding the effects of global warming, these idiots have gone after Gore's...

...electric bill.

The story, and Gore's response, here.

Sore Loser

About 20 minutes after Alan Arkin won the Best Supporting Actor prize at the Oscar ceremony on Sunday night, I noticed Eddie Murphy was no longer in the front row. I leaned over to Brent and said, "How much you wanna bet he's already left?"

Sure enough, ungracious in defeat, Murphy left in a huff, proving exactly why the Academy bypassed his name on their ballots.

According to his publicist, Murphy's early departure "was planned."

Al's Second Act

Quote of the Day:

Gore would not have taken the United States to war in Iraq. He would have finished the job in Afghanistan -- it was al-Qaeda and its Taliban enablers who were responsible for the attacks on us on Sept. 11, 2001, not Saddam Hussein, no matter how vile he might have been. Gore would not have dealt with the Iranians and the North Koreans in such a juvenile fashion -- axis of evil, after all -- and all over the world, wherever you and I went, we would not detect such anger toward America....

Life is a series of little lives, and no one has proved the truth of this better than Gore. With an Oscar in his fist and triumph on his face, Al Gore is a man you can tell your kid about.

-Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen, heaping praise on Academy Award winner - and Nobel Peace Prize nominee - Al Gore.

Please, Mr. Gore, for the sake of our nation...PLEASE RUN.

Misguided George

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb that was detonated outside the entrance to a U.S. military base in Afghanistan as Vice-President Dick Cheney conducted a surprise visit of the facility. The blast killed 23, however the V.P. was not injured.

The blast occured as Cheney was preparing to fly to Kabul for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on how to defeat the Taliban and their Al-Qaeda allies.

So, let me get this straight...the two Afghan groups most responsible for 9/11 have been able to re-group in the four years since we took that unfortunate and unnecessary turn into Iraq; they have now come frightenly close to offing the Vice-President of the United States...

And the President wants our armed forces to prepare for an attack on Iran?

What is wrong with these people!!?

And IF we attack Iran...

...up to FIVE generals and admirals would resign rather than approve such a "reckless attack."

Full story, courtesy of the Sunday Times, here.

More Really Early Polling

Obama beats Giuliani (46% to 40%) and McCain (44% to 40%), but both Republicans beat Clinton and Edwards by slightly wider margins, according to a new Zogby poll.

IF the election were being held today.

Who Knew...

...that Harry had such a nice...uhhh...Potter?
(Not safe for work).

The Murder of a Patriotic American

Andrew Anthos, 72, the senior citizen who waged a nearly-two-decade campaign to have the Michigan capitol dome lit in red, white, and blue, died over the weekend from injuries sustained in a brutal attack outside his Detroit apartment building.

On February 13 Anthos, whose family said he was gay, was singing while riding a city bus. A stranger was apparently displeased with his singing, asked if Anthos was gay, followed him off the bus, and beat him with a pipe. The attack left Anthos in a coma and paralyzed from the neck down.

As of today the assailant is still at large.

Read about Anthos' effort to light the Michigan capitol dome in red, white, and blue here.

Cheney: Democrats "forcing" Bush to fight terrorists

Of all the Fascist Republicans in George W. Bush's White House, none has done more to unfairly label the Democrats as "soft on terror" as Vice-President Dick Cheney. So when I read this in the New York Times this morning...well...is it any wonder I almost spit my coffee all over my keyboard?...

Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced trip to Pakistan on Monday to deliver what officials in Washington described as an unusually tough message Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, warning him that the newly Democratic Congress could cut aid to his country unless his forces become far more aggressive in hunting down operatives with Al Qaeda.

These guys slay me. They really do.

Time to Wake Up

Your Song of the Day is the Best Original Song winner at last night's Academy Awards.

"I Need to Wake Up" by Melissa Etheridge.

5 for 6

Well, I came up one short in my predictions of the six major categories at last night's Academy Awards ceremony. For the second year in a row I missed the Best Picture category, predicting "Little Miss Sunshine" to move ahead of "Babel" and the eventual winner, "The Departed."

Alas, that's part of the game. It's always fun for movie fans such as myself to sit down and try to figure out how that hodge-podge of film industry professionals will mark their ballots each year. And while I noticed a late surge toward "The Departed" heading into the weekend, something in my mind was telling me the film might be too violent for most Academy members.

No...what I need to remember going forward is that they never hand the top prize to a comedy. No matter how well done, no matter how much they all love it. Serious dramas only need apply for the Best Picture award.

And so I move into the new movie year happy in the knowledge that I predicted Alan Arkin's upset in the Supporting Actor category; that the Academy recognized the superb work of Helen Mirren in "The Queen"; and that they finally gave Martin Scorsese the recognition he so truly deserves.

Academy Award Winner Melissa Etheridge

Academy Award Winner Al Gore

Academy Award Winner Martin Scorsese

Post-Oscar Brief

The decision to hold off on most of the acting Oscars until the end of the night was a major snafu. The telecast was tedious at best and the only thing that saved it from itself was Ellen DeGeneres. She was quite good as the evening's host, waking us up when things started to slow down. She kept the show moving along at key points when it seemed it was ready to stall.

The screenplay gimmic - where the presenters actually read passages from the nominated screenplays - was brilliant.

Otherwise the telecast was, as always, too long. So, once again I'll throw my annual Oscar idea out there...

Get rid of the production numbers and unnecessary screen montages, (keep the Best Song numbers, though) and throw a few of the technical awards (Sound, Sound Editing) into the batch of trophies handed out on the Scientific Awards night. Those few steps alone would take a half an hour off the length of the show. And finally, go back to the days when the first award of the night was Supporting Actress or Supporting Actor. It gets things started with a bang and then people are more willing to stay tuned.