Remember the transistor radio??

"Double loop whirl"

Severe weather in the south has produced over 130 tornadoes. One hit in the neighborhood of Huntsville, Alabama, where my son Brian lives. The weather channel is calling it a line of super cells that went thru the area. Many have lost their lives and hundreds are injured.

I've spoken to my son this evening and his house sustained damage to the roof and had windows blown out. Brian and Selina were at work when the tornado passed thru. Brian told me Carla and the rest of the family are fine and unaffected so far. The power is out and they went to a friend's house who later lost their power.

As I write this entry at about 8:25 pm, severe storms are still running around in the Atlanta, Ga area and as far north as the Washington D.C. area. The photo above is of a tornado that hit Tuscaloosa, Al. today.

I have been overtaken by the family cold. Josh brought it home over a month ago and Corey and Karen have each had a turn. Last weekend I finally got to have my shot at it. It came on Saturday morning and I have all the nasty symptoms. I went into work today for three hours and hope to be able to go in on Thursday.

OH NO MR BILL!!!!!

Miss ya Dad!!!

It would seem that the State of Texas is the midst of a drought. Some parts of the state haven't received significant rain in almost three months. So Governor Rick Perry has decided to take action with the following bill:

NOW, THEREFORE, I Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hearby proclaim the three-day period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal way of life.

Good luck with that.

Statue of John Lennon in Havana, Cuba.

This is for this year and in case I forgot to wish you a happy earth day in 2010!!!

This photo was apparently part of an email sent out by the Orange County republican party tea baggers amongst it's members. It has caused a bit of a stir.

Be afraid of these people. Very very afraid.

Happy Birthday wishes go out this week to Josh and Corey. Josh turned 25 and Corey 23. Happy Birthday guys!!!

Going to a Kings hockey playoff game tonight with Josh. Go Kings!!!

Put a "Military Police" placard below the windshield and a red light on either side of the windshield and this would be the police car I drove for about 32 months while in the army. Good ol' Ft. Hood, Texas!!!

Did I mention that it rains a lot in Texas? I remember getting 10" of rain in 12 hours once. Did I mention that those canvas tops leak a lot??

Angelina!!!!

Dear Dad, I was just thinking about you this morning. It's been a little over two months since you left on your journey. I wonder what you are experiencing. Are you meeting new friends? Perhaps old friends and acquaintances. I'm sure you're feeling much better than your last few months here on this old rock. Your preparation for this journey took a lot out of you. I want you to know that you are missed. You hold a special place in the heart of many still here. Safe journeys Dad. I love you. Love, Kenny

Republicans want to defund Planned Parenthood because of their on-going battle over abortion. But as you can see from this chart from the Washington Post, very little of their service involves actual abortions. For some reason the radical religious right are also against the big orange section of this pie chart; contraception. It's not just the catholics either. Many of the religious right want to have complete control over a woman's body. You would think that if the right wanted to lower the number of abortions in this country, they would be all over providing birth control to women.

Half Moon Bay P.D. to Shut Down

04-03-11

According to http://www.sfgate.com/, the Half Moon Bay City Council voted Saturday to shut down it's police department and turn over it's police duties to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department.

The decision is blamed on a recent $18 million lawsuit settlement the city had to pay, the struggling economy, and sales tax revenue and tourism being down sharply. The voters also rejected a sales tax measure to help fund the department. The decision is expected to save the city $5o9,000.

The interim police chief, Lee Violett who works part-time because of budget cuts, said the city can't afford it's skeletal department of 12, which has no detectives, no one to ride it's two traffic enforcement motorcycles, and not enough time to patrol schools or work with the youth.

I used to say that I never thought I would see the day when police officers would be laid off. Then El Monte P.D. laid off 17 officers in 2008. Now an entire police department is being closed down because of fiscal issues. I fear this won't be the only city to have to make this decision. I'm told that West Covina P.D. is having to trim it's sworn personnel down to 90 officers from a high of over 120.

"Hell hath no fury..."

I may have found another part-time job to supplement my retirement income. I wonder what kind of training is offered???

Democratic Representitvie Jackie Speier, from California, recently shocked the House floor with her description of a 2nd trimester abortion she was forced to have after the fetus moved to where it couldn't survive. "I lost a baby." Congresswoman Speier said angrily. "But for you to stand on this floor and to suggest, as you have, that somehow this is a procedure that is either welcomed or done cavalierly or done without any thought is preposterous."

Speier had just listened to Rep. Chris Smith R-N.J., assail Planned Parenthood as a place where babies are "exterminated." He described a procedure known as "dilation and evacutation" as fetal murder.

She later told the San Jose Mercury News she shared here story after listening the graphic description of the procedure and thinking, "not one of you has endured this procedure. How dare you? How dare you talk about it in those terms."

The Republican led House of Representitaves voted to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. According to their website, Planned Parenthood "delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of men, women and young people worldwide."