"Three People Die in Fatal Garage Fire"!

I can't be held responsible for the photo and accompanying story that appeared in this morning's paper, just a weird coincidence if anything. Three people were killed in a garage fir yesterday evening after barbecuing with an unattended grill placed in a garage. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find three people dead. According to a neighbor's testimony, the burning grill was seen with 20 foot flames for nearly an hour. A full report is pending while forensic experts sift through the charred remains...oops?!

"My Gift To You"

Make a big splash to kick off the holiday with this fun recipe! Double click image to enlarge!

Dave's grilling tip #31: "Grilling on a breezy day" -Despite how well you may plan ahead, one thing you can never control is a gusty wind... until now. When the fire keeps blowing out, move your grill into an enclosed area such as a patio or garage. What I generally like to do is get the flame started again on my own however, to guarantee it stays lit,, douse a generous amount of gasoline directly on the flames and you'll be back in busuness in no time!

"The Yin and Yang of War in Iraq Ignites War of Words Between Two Administrations"!

TODAY'S HOT BUTTON: "After two terms as Vice President, Dick Cheney thinks he's still in office"! Take away former Vice President Dick Cheney's NRA license, his car keys, and bring out the smelling salts...Cheney thinks he's still Vice President! In Cheney's eight years as VP, the only publicity he ever recieved was due to his longtime heart condition and all his gaffes. Why he chose this moment to crawl out from his underground bunker to publicly scrutinize our current President is beyond me! It was said to be an eerie coincidence that after President Obama's press conference yesterday, Cheney would have one of his own to say he's in opposition of everything the current Administration is planning to do. Mr. Cheney should have chimed in with his thoughts when it actually mattered rather than fearing for his life and pussy-footing around the subject of Iraq years ago. At least someone may have listened to him then and taken him seriously! Why the television networks allowed Cheney more airtime than Obama is also a mystery to me. For the record howevver, I must agree to take Cheney's side in this debate over interrogation during wartime and the hot topic of "water hoarding" and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The topic of "water hoarding" sparks a debate that will probably be around as long as arguing over Roe vs. Wade. Either you agree or disagree...there is no "gray" area. While the Bush Administration confirmed this tactic was used as a way to prevent future "9-11's" from happening, Obama and orginizations such as Amnesty International have called this torture and inhumane. You know, they may be right. I agree that any detainee that went through this nasty torture will remember the event for the rest of their life. It is cruel and unusual punishmet however, we'll never be certain how many plots were going on to make "9-!!" look like a day at the races. Inhumane? Yes! Did it serve the purpose? Yes! Should continue as a means of interrogation? Yes! Afterall, we've seen how innocent Americans have been scooped up and held hostage and tortured and publicly humiliated over the years. Who can forget the plane full of hostages that were held captive in Iran in the 1970's in Iran and finally released the day that Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President? When it comes to how Americans are jeld prisoner against their well in foreign places, no one ever apologizes to us and Amnesty International is nowhere to be found! How we see Americans being tortured by terrorist groups on television is only the tip of the iceberg! What really goes on is ten times worse! Water hoarding shouldn't be an issue, it's necessary.

Finally, the controversial issue of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Obama's promise to shut it down. A neutral parcel of real estate in Cuba was picked as the location for a penitentary to imprison some of the world's worst terrorists that are considered a threat to National Security with their plots of terrorism against the United States. Many possible tragedies have been nipped in the bud before they were actually carried out, all in thanks to a place like this. President Obama also calls this place "inhumane" and made it's closing part of his campaign promise. There's somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 or so terrorists currently held there and many were linked to 9/11. 99% of the muslam inmates awate their fate in the future and have taken the contents of the Curran out of context translating the contents as a green light to inflict pain on death and acts of terror to justify their cause. Let us not be fooled by their claims to have been "rehabilitated" into accepting Christianity...a zebra doesn't awake one morning to decide he's going to get rid of his stripes. No ones deep seeded beliefs can be swayed swayed within a matter of a couple of years and using The Bible as a get out of jail free card doesn't sit well with me. It's not logical for me to believe that the facility should be closed and all 200 inmates free to go home. There's still plenty possible scenarios getting planned against the United States on a daily basis. Let's face it, things have been quiet too long post 9/11 and the next big thing is in the works and will take place one day regardless however, let's not give the opposition the opportunity to speed up the process of our own demise....now that's plain stupidity!

"Drew Peterson's Attorney is as Crazy as Drew"!

TODAY'S HOT BUTTON: "Defense Attorney, Joel Brodsky" Mr. Brodsky is the Defense Attorney hired to represent accused murder suspect, Drew Peterson in his pending court case. If there was ever a plan to choose a spokesperson to represent a correspondance school's cirriculum for earning a degree in litigation, this would be the guy they should ask! Now, the job of being a Criminal Defense Attorney isn't an easy job in the first place however, this guy's haed is stuck so far up his rear end, you question if perhaps someone "blew his pilot light out"! Ask yourself if this guy really helps or hinders the future of Drew Peterson. This froot loop is almost as nutty as Peterson is, and I can't understand how a legal eagle like he claims to be, thinks he's got a good case that proves Peterson is innocent. Peterson always uses humor he claims, as a "way to deal with his grief". After the events of the past 24 hours, Brodsky has also said quite a few things that make me question his santy.Last evening, the skeletal remains of either a male or female were discovered washed up along the banks of a river in close proximity to Peterson's home. The remains were so decomposed that the body must now be examined for any DNA evidence to suggest that these are the remains of Peterson's missing fourth wife, Stacy who's been missing for two years. Like Peterson, Brodsky enjoys going television to give his two cents worth however, what he said today to news agencies took everyone by surprise, and validated my argument that he too is a sarcastic, misinformed, and heartless human being. While all the world waits for the results to come back from the autopsy and DNA test, Mr. Brodsky was more than willing to take questions from reporters about his thoughts of this having him wonder if his client didn't actually commit the crime. "Absolutely not", Brodsky fired back quickly... Even when he was asked about the evidence that washed up on the riverbanks which match the testimony from witnesses questioned back in the beginning, and they do match all the allegations we've heard thus far, Brodsky jumped in to say that his client would never do such a thing and he will show that his client is innocent and will be a free man within a few days. "Bodies and blue barrels washing up along shore happen more often than you know", he explained..."I f I had a dollar for every corpse and barrel that mysteriously came to the surface in a river, Icould have retired years ago"! Really? I never realized that finding the skeletal remains of someone along side a blue barrel is almost as easy and common as catching a bass or a muskie! What a nonsensical thing to say! Whoever this victim was, and if it's relevent to Drew Peterson or not, this is a person that obviously came up missing from someone's family. What exactly is so funny about that? Brodsky and Peterson both need medication and if Peterson gets off the hook easy and out of prison, there's something seriously wrong with our judicial system and that worries me!

"Home Sweet Home"!

TODAY'S HOT BUTTON: "Calumet City Elected Officials Need Electric Shock Therapy, A Good Psychiatrist, and a Prescription For Prozac"! Calumet City, IL. has managed to do it again! For two consecutive days, this community has managed to be the top story on the evening news. Unfortunately, for Cal. City's Chamber of Commerce, it's always for a crime! Yesterday, it was a Citibank robbery that hit the news and today, it's about a homicide at a bar that left two men shot to death. With the shennanigan's that take place here, this would be a dream come true for any scriptwriter creating a storyline for CSI! Sad but true, a long standing bad reputation has gotten worse, far beyond all the monkey business done by Al Capone in the 1920's. Visit Cal City's website and see what a lovely picture they paint this town to be...you might be convinced to moving here. Afterall, this is a community of diversity, economic strength, as well as unicorns and rainbows seen every day of the year! Sadly, there was once a time when this lovely scenario wasn't too far away from reality and I remember it well. If you had the music too loud in your car, the police would ask you to turn it down........if you were a kid, you could sometimes get away with occasionally staying outside to play hours after the street lights came on, and as for retail, if you were hungry for something in particular or wanted to take advantage of a sale at at a specific store, it wasn't a problem. There were more stores and restaurants in one area that you could shake a stick at. Since then, times have changed and the department of Housing and Urban Development opened up lots of opportunities to allow Chicagoans to move this way and purchase a home for $200 down! Drugs, guns, prostitution, and gangbangers run the town and nobody blinks an eye. Calls to 911 occur so frequently, the police and fire department are never able to take the keys out of the ignition of their rescue vehicles. Current Mayor, Michelle Quakenbush sees this as a safe and happy place to live however, keeps a dog collar on law enforcement because of fears of legal and civil rights issues. Television news trucks and reporters visit this place so frequently, they ought to consider moving their studios from Downtown Chicago to here. The damage has been done and unfortunately, can't be fixed so why try?

"Drew Peterson Whistles the Jailhouse Blues While Awaiting Trial"

TODAY'S HOT BUTTON: "Drew Peterson". Accused murder suspect Drew Peterson sits quietly in Will County penitentary awaiting the posibility of having another judge appointed to listen to the case. Peterson, a former Bolingbrook Illinois police officer, is behind bars with a $20 million dollar bond. Peterson was charged as the being responsible for the murder of his third wife, Julia Savo. At the time of her death, it was determined to be a suicide as she was discovered lying in a bathtub. The case was re-opened late last year and through eyewitness accounts, testimonies, and circumstancial DNA evidence obtained from the victims exhumed body, the case was determined that this was a homicide and the Coroner recorded this as a case of "Dry Drowning". All fingers have been pointed at Peterson throughout the ordeal and he remains to stand firm with his testimony by saying he had nothing to do with the death. He's entered a "Not Guilty" plea and the next move is awaiting the decision to possibly get a new judge and have his bond lowered to a reasonable amount. Meanwhile, Drew's fourth wife, Lacy has been missing for nearly two years. In this ongoing investigation, Drew also continues to hold his position that he had nothing to do with anything and calls himself simply, "a victim of circumstance". Peterson has been smug and despite advice from his defense team, Drew has made several network television appearances and has continuously used humor when questioned about his involvement with the mysterious crimes. Drew remains convinced that within a month or so, he will be released and the case will be closed and perhaps be classified as a ""cold case". While I think this guy is thumbing his nose at the court system and making a mokery of some serious charges, I must admit, I don't understand how someone can drown in a bathtub with no water! In any case, things are not looking good for the guy and if there's any hope at all for a judge to take his testimony seriously, he'll keep his lips zipped until this is over. Let's be honest though, Peterson has become a characture of himself and will more than likely reap the benefits of this ordeal financially through movies and book deals. Let's face facts... Drew is as guilty as the day is long! Bad things often occur to people that around him and that's no coincidence! Here's what will happen in the next few months. Watch and see how this story unwravels according to what I think will happen... As a taxpayer in Illinois, be prepared to shell out big bucks in the next few years because Drew isn't going down quietly. He's got a majority of Law Enforcement Agents in Illinois tucked away in his back pocket. He also knows the court system and has made any of his involvement in these crimes virtually impossible to trace. This was a well calculated move on his part. With no physical evidence available, this is one case that will drag through the court system for years to come. I also guarantee that the ruling on his case will indeed be a guilty verdict however, his Defence Attorney's will quickly find the judge or jury to be biased and will quickly appeal the case. In about another ten years, the case will be opened again and the ruling will result in a hung jury only to be sent back to the appelate court to await a third trial. By this time the court and legal fees will have risen to a six figure number and we will be paying for it. During that time period, several movies will be made and several books written. Drew may write his own memoirs or have someone else doi it but he'll still enjoy the residuals. Twenty five years from today, there will be a final verdict. Drew will be charged as guilty for murder and will get a 60 year jail term however, will die in prison before any chance of parole. Either way, there's certainly nothing to laugh about now!

"Twittering: America's New Health Hazard"!

TODAY'S HOT BUTTON: "Why 'Twittering' may be hazardous to your health"! Connecting with friends and family is a good thing for many of us. In recent years, websites hae popped up to help us find old contacts and they've each had their Andy Warhol moment...fifteen minutes of fame. Now, some sights are better than others and equally so, some of these websites are notorious for causing chaos. "My Space" is one of those places were bad things have happened. NBC's Dateline had exposed underage users being "phished" into sex with predators. All of which, were folks who went out of their way to put young kids in a an awkward and illegal circumstance. e-Bay has a reputation for bad transactions with people purchasing big ticket items sight unseen who return days later to get their money back. People's Court is where many of these lawsuits eventually turn up and nobody learns their lesson. Then there's Craig's List. Another website with classifieds and people to mingle with. We all know about that particular sites link to prostitution, drugs, gay sex, and most recently, homicide. So where does a "Facebook" or "Twitter fit into the mix? Sure, there's rotten apples everywhere. This site has had problems with scams and "phishing" and people claiming to be someone they're not. Nine times out of ten, these get screened out before any damage is done. Now, the big thing that everyone talks about these days is, "Twitter". Do you "Twitter"? Are you a "Tweet"? Oprah does as well as Ashtom Kutchner. They think you should too however, I don't and I won't. Here's why... Everything you do on the Internet leaves a thumbprint already. To check on a bank account or confirm an order, or sometimes as little as accessing a website, you are asked for personal information like Social Security numbers, address', phone numbers, credit card and ban information, and they often ask for your very personal information such as where you work, if you're married, and if you have any kids or make more than a hundred grand a year. With all this information out there already, why do I need to "Tweet"? Twitter takes things one step further by making it possible to find where a particular person is in the world right at this moment. Who they are talking to, where they're going, and what they're going to do next. I don't need that in my life. Google for example, has given us "Google Earth". A nifty computer application that can give you a virtual 360 degree view of your home as it is as well as your name, address, and telephone number. Within the past five years, college interns have toured the world in a van while filming your home. They've been doing this from street level as well as satellite making it as easy as a mouse click away to see who's cheating on you with your wife. I've got my hands full with "Facebook" and I don't always keep up to speed withis one either but, if I feel the need to talk to you, I'll e-mail you back or pick up the good old fashioned phone and call you but, please don't invade my privacy!