PunditGuy

The High School in Enterprise, Alabama took a direct hit from a tornado today killing at least 8 people and injuring more than 40.

There’s no word yet on the identities of the dead. The news hit a little close to home. A friend of my son (who used to be a neighbor) moved to Enterprise a couple of years ago. He’s around 15 or 16 years old, and it’s likely he was in the school today when the storm hit.

From the local newspaper the Enterprise Ledger: Mike Shroades entered Enterprise High School to pick up his daughter Thursday afternoon. School was closing at 1 p.m. and he hoped to make it home before the storm struck. He didn’t make it.

Photos, more here
Video from inside the school
More video here, and here
Blogging from the scene
Live Video from WVTM-TV

Storm rips through downtown Enterprise
Residents coping with chaos
President Bush will visit area
Victims told to stay in school
Tornadoes touch down in a number of areas

MORE: Enterprise Ledger | Fox10 TV, Mobile | Dothan Eagle |

UPDATE: There’s still no news on the fate of our family friend.

A top Taliban member says Osama bin Laden is alive and well.

The hiccups have ended.

The North Koreans, that is.

North Korea’s No. 2 leader pledged his country’s commitment Thursday to giving up its nuclear program amid intensifying diplomacy aimed at implementing Pyongyang’s pledge to disarm.

“The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the dying wish” of the country’s late founding president Kim Il Sung, Kim Yong Nam said in Pyongyang during a visit from a high-level South Korean delegation.

The North “will make efforts to realize it,” he said.

It’s easy to assume that anyone with half a brain can see through this charade, right?

Yet I fear the softening stance of some in the State Department who appear ready to trust Pyongyang and thereby repeat the mistakes made by the previous White House administration. It could easily happen. Faulty intelligence brought the U.S. to war with Iraq. No one wants to be the first to rely 100% upon North Korean intelligence (or the same from Iran). No matter how solid the evidence, the political liabilities are too great.

And frankly, I think that stinks.

America is less safe today because each move we make is judged by the weight of political fallout. That’s usually the case when Democrats occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But this time Republicans live there, and that’s what scares me. 

What is John McCain thinking?

The Washington Times reports that the Arizona Senator and 2008 presidential candidate has decided to skip an opportunity to address those attending the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Sen. John McCain is the only major Republican presidential candidate who will not address the nation’s premier gathering of conservatives this year.

Sponsors of the Conservative Political Action Conference, which begins today in Washington and brings together thousands of conservative leaders and grass-roots activists, say the Arizona Republican has “dissed” organizers by attempting to schedule a private reception for attendees after rejecting invitations to speak at the event.

“It was a classical McCain move, dissing us by going behind our backs,” said William J. Lauderback, executive vice president of the American Conservative Union.

Is McCain afraid of the right wing of the party? Does he think he can be elected without them?

“He turned down repeated CPAC offers to speak but then tried to get around us by having his office call the hotel to rent a room for a reception for CPAC attendees — without first seeking approval of CPAC organizers,” said Mr. Lauderback.

Too little too late John. The damage is done. Skipping CPAC is a major blunder, and it will haunt McCain later in the campaign.

No, Fidel Castro isn’t trying to do a James Brown impression, but he’s doing all he can to keep the propaganda at a fever pitch. And if today’s radio interview is to be taken seriously, el Jefe ain’t dead yet.

But was it really him?

Technorati Tags:
el jefe, Castro, Hugo Chavez, Cuba

In case you’re wondering where I stand on the following topics:

Anna Nicole Smith
Ellen DeGeneres, and her job as host of the Academy Awards
The RIAA
Diddy
Paris Hilton
The Beckhams’

I couldn’t care less.

Technorati Tags:
Anna Nicole Smith, Diddy, Paris Hilton, Ellen DeGeneres, Academy Awards, RIAA, Beckham

What if your child came home from school and mentioned that his teacher got busted for selling meth? Hard to imagine?

Believe it.

A middle school principal accused of selling crystal methamphetamine from his office after school and on weekends was arrested after police found the drug on his desk, authorities said Wednesday.

A letter was sent to parents informing them of the arrest, and teachers had spoken with the 950 students at the school where Acerra had been principal since 2000, said Bethlehem schools Superintendent Joseph Lewis.

“I am saddened and troubled by these events,” Lewis said. “I offer no explanation. There is none.”

One wonders how a guy like that can even be a teacher. Who’s minding the store? Who’s protecting the children? Who hired this guy and why haven’t they been fired?

I don’t get it.

Next time you hear a politician guilt you into paying more tax dollars to fund public education, remember this meth selling teacher and the environment that kept him employed for so long. It should scare you enough to write your representative and demand more accountability.

Technorati Tags:
NEA, Taxes, Education

John McCain will announce his entrance into the 2008 presidential race tonight on the David Letterman show. I hope for his sake that his performance is better than the one he gave in January on Meet the Press.

But about all of this announcement stuff. How important is it that candidates make an event out of the simple act of saying those 15 words? “I am announcing that I will be a candidate for President of the United States.” Did we really expect that McCain wouldn’t run for president? He’s clearly been in campaign mode ever since the November elections. I guess I’m just bugged about all the ruckus made over the ‘announcement’. Not just McCain’s but everyone. Obama’s video. Then Hillary’s video. Giuliani on Hannity & Colmes.

In a few months no one will remember the moment they heard their candidate utter those infamous 15 words. So, is ‘the event’, and the hype surrounding it really necessary?

UPDATE: Hot Air has the McCain video.

Technorati Tags:
McCain, Giuliani, Hillary, Obama, Presidential Race, 2008, Politics, Election

A few months ago I quit this blog. I didn’t have anything interesting to say and I couldn’t muster up more than 2 posts a day. I tried to blog a little since then, but nothing seemed to be coming together. I didn’t want to do the work of maintaining a blog. So why start up again? I didn’t miss the obligatory posting. I didn’t miss the link grabbing. What I did miss was writing. That’s right. The physical act of writing daily was a great mental exercise. I felt sharper. I ‘thought’ better. My brain just enjoyed putting words together. When I stopped, my mind went into hibernation. Suddenly, right now, at this moment, it wants to wake up.

That’s why blogging is important again. That’s why I have to continue. My mind demands it.

I can’t promise great prose. I can’t promise “no less than 10 posts per day”. That’s not gonna happen here anymore. I’m just gonna write. I’m going to write about everything, and about nothing.

And I’m excited about it. I hope you’ll come around often just to see what’s here.

Technorati Tags:
Blogging, Sleep, Mind, Brain, Wake Up