For those of you who are fans of Rachael Ray and John Cusimano (I know you’re out there, I’ve seen you on my stats!), I came across an article that actually has a picture of both of them together (gasp!). 

The article talks of her new magazine "Every Day with Rachael Ray" and also talks about an episode of $40 a Day that she filmed at Gloria Estefan’s Miami restaurant "Lario’s."  You can read more here!

Anyway for those of you crazed fans, here is the picture….enjoy!

Little 9-year-old Dylan Groene’s remains were positively identified after being found in Montana last week.

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho  — The human remains found in Montana last week belong to kidnapped Idaho boy Dylan Groene, DNA testing has shown, according to Capt. Ben Wolfinger of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

Wolfinger said in an e-mail that the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., had positively identified the remains.

"Out of respect for the Groene family and to maintain the integrity of the investigation and prosecution of this matter, there will be no further comment regarding these results," Wolfinger wrote in the e-mail, adding that investigators continue to follow-up on other leads.

Justice will come for Joseph Edward Duncan III whether here or when he meets his maker.  I pray that justice will be swift and fitting of the crimes commited here.  As far as a walk in the mind of this monster, visit Rusty’s site here.  This bastard blogged his twisted thoughts - be warned, however, it is not easy reading knowing what this man has done. 

Dylan was such an adorable young man, so full of life, and did not deserved to be plucked off this earth.  God bless and watch over Dylan’s family so they can work through this tragedy the best they can. 

One of their latest stunts?  Read on:

(07/06/05 — KNIGHTDALE) — The ACLU says it’s ready to go after Knightdale’s crackdown on gang violence.

The civil rights group says the town’s new teen curfew is violating teen’s rights. They’re hoping parents and teenagers who are tired of the new rules will go to a forum July 28 at 7 p.m. at the East Wake Regional Library.

"Something we’d like to look into is the timing restrictions, the lack of a First Amendment exception and the gathering of four or more minors together," said ACLU lawyer Shelagh Kenney.  

Knightdale police and community leaders say the month-old curfew is working. Officers say they’ve handed out only six warnings and no citations.

"We were having all kinds of calls," said Knightdale Town Councilman Mike Chalk. "We were having 15 or 20 calls a week, and we’ve only had six since the ordinance has been put in place."

Bwhahahahahahah - this is so ridiculous - right up the ACLU’s alley.  I know the answer, but I have to ask the question:  When is the ACLU going to realize that it’s frivilous crap such as this that just adds to their crackpot reputation?  I know, they never will - they don’t get it.  I could talk forever and not run out of things to say about the ACLU’s ineffectiveness and stupidity.  Which is okay - it keeps my little blog going. 

When Mad Dog Vinnie rants, I listen.  You should, too.  Oh, and so should the terrorists.

Three reasons why Dennis Rader, the self-proclaimed BTK Killer will never take full responsiblity for his own actions, even though he "apologized":

He Says The Devil Made Him Do It

I just know it’s a dark side of me. It kind of controls me. I personally think it’s a — and I know it is not very Christian — but I actually think it’s a demon that’s within me. … At some point and time it entered me when I was very young," said Rader, who was once president of his Lutheran church.

*THEY* Should Have Figured Out I Was a Sick Bastard Long Ago

"Somewhere along the line, someone had to pick something up from me somewhere that there was a problem," he said. "They should have identified it."

Don’t Make My Family My Final Victims

"I am going to pay for it with a life sentence. The final victims are my … family," he said.

So this monster, a person who terrorized a community over the course of considerable years and taunted the media with vague clues about the cases (i.e. the last item a cereal box carefully staged to be found when *he* wanted it found), can’t find it in himself to just say "I’m guilty…I did it." 

Yet again, society has another criminal who has to find blame with someone or something else.  Additionally, he brings in his family to this - they will be his last victims.  Mr. Rader, they were victims all along - you strung them along as you completed your morbid, disgusting crimes right under their noses.  You played everyone around you - meticulously taunting officials and covering up your sick games, putting on the face of a Christian, the face of a responsible adult, the face of a Boy Scout leader.  This is NO ONE’s fault but your own and justice should be swift so the families of your victims can close this very painful chapter of their lives and move ahead.   

May God bless you and all of the families and victims affected by this tragedy today.  You will recover and be even stronger - much like your American brothers and sisters have.

More info and updates over at Beth’s place.

Five Muslim-Americans Detained In Iraq (emphasis mine)

WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - The American military is holding five U.S. citizens, apparently including a Los Angeles filmmaker, among more than 10,000 detainees in Iraq on suspicion of possible terrorist or other criminal activity, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

All of the five are being held without charges or access to lawyers. Three have dual Iraqi citizenship, one dual Iranian citizenship and a fifth man, arrested late last year in Iraq, dual Jordanian citizenship. Of the four arrested this year, one was taken into custody in April, two in May and another in June.

Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman declined to identify the five. But the New York Times (of course!) on Wednesday identified one as Cyrus Kar, 44, an aspiring filmmaker from Los Angeles who was arrested in Iraq in May.

The newspaper said Kar, a naturalized American born in Iran who had enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1983, traveled to Iraq in mid-May to work on a documentary. He was arrested when he was stopped in a taxi in Baghdad by Iraqi security forces, who found what they suspected what might be bomb parts in the car. Whitman said they included “several dozen” washing machine timers.

Kar’s relatives told the New York Times that on June 14 an FBI agent, John D. Wilson, returned items seized on May 23 from Kar’s Los Angeles area apartment and assured them the FBI had found no reason to suspect Kar. “He’s cleared,” one of Kar’s aunts, Parvin Modarress, quoted Wilson as saying, the newspaper reported.

The Pentagon, however, remained tightlipped. “I’m not going to get into any detail,” Whitman said.“ What I will say is that one of these individuals was believed to have knowledge of planning associated with attacks on coalition forces. Another individual had in his possession possible IED (improvised explosive devices) components. One individual was possibly involved in kidnapping and another was engaged in what was described as ‘suspicious activities.’”

Ahem.  I would think that the reasons noted above would be more than adequate to detain these individuals.  Apparently the ACLU doesn’t think so, at least for the, um, "aspiring filmmaker" Cyrus Kar:

Saying Kar is being held unjustly, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the government on Wednesday in an effort to secure his release.

It never fails to amaze me that this pedophile-worshipping, teen-abortion-exhaulting, "poor criminal" advocating group tends to align with the individual(s) who set out to cause harm.  Screw the victim’s rights, screw the safety of our troops, screw the facts.  Sure, ACLU, let’s release this guy.  While you’re at it, why don’t you ship him back to Iraq so he can continue on his "filmmaking trip?"  Oh, and why don’t you just give him some timers to put in the trunk of his car?  Um, didn’t anyone tell you that we are at war with terrorists?  If it looks like a duck, if it talks like a duck, if it is carrying bomb parts in the trunk…

Punta del capello to Little Green Footballs (and to my hubby for pointing this out to me!)

From Jay at Stop The ACLU!

I would like to welcome you all to the grand opening of our brand new site Stop The ACLU.com! Make sure to change your links. We are devoted to exposing the radical agenda of the most dangerous organization in America, the ACLU. We are the official blog of Stop The ACLU.Org and we will do our best to keep you informed of the anti-American activities of the ACLU and their socialist agenda for America.

In order to further expose the ACLU we want YOU to get involved with us. We do a weekly blogburst every Thursday. Go here to join us. We have over 80 sites that blog with us every Thursday on the evils of the ACLU. We will also be featuring a blogburst of the week from which a blogburst of the month will be chosen. The blogburst of the month will win free stuff from our Bulldoze The ACLU Store. Speaking of free stuff….

In celebration of the grand opening of our new site we are holding a contest today! Our friend Cao has been generous enough to sponsor today’s Caption Contest. The winner will recieve one item of their choice from our Bulldoze The ACLU Store. Go to Stop The ACLU to join the contest.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. To join us go to our Protest The ACLU Portal and register. If you have any problems email me at Jay@Stoptheaclu.com. You will be added to our mailing list, and recieve further instruction from there. It is quite simple.

Here’s the story of nine cousins
Who all had a record 13 pages long.
They were nine cousins, in a trailer,
The youngest one with a bong.

Here’s the story, of their bathtub moonshine,
that was left to rot when they all went to jail,
They were nine cousins, living all together,
But none could post bail.

Till the one day when they all met with Guido
Who posted bail for them for a small "cut",
Then this group got out and ran to Tennessee
Joined Preston just to form the Shady Bunch. 
The Shady Bunch, the Shady Bunch
That’s the way they all became the Shady Bunch.

Go see the rest of the cousins in the trailer park - you won’t regret it none!

I had the privilege to be highlighted over at the Cotillion by our very own debutante Jody at Steal the Bandwagon - she did an outstanding job pointing out my most excellent vacation, and in particular my strong liking of strong beverages!

Jody had great company, with Little Miss Atilla, The Anchoress and Reasoned Audacity as her most amazing co-hostesses.  Please check out their posts and all of the wonderful ladies of the Cotillion - you’ll be glad you did!

Dan - thanks so much for the welcome back and a big welcome to those of you who are regulars to Dan’s blog.  My hubby and I just came back from an awesome vacation and I am now ready to get back into the groove again (maybe with blogging - work, that’s another story!).

Just a quick tour of my four walls will let you know that I detest sex offenders and murderers (especially those that harm children). I also am strongly against most of the the priciples the ACLU represents - in particular those things that tend to go against my moral fibers (i.e. abortion for teens without parental consent, representing criminals better than victims, supporting NAMbLA and their twisted ideas, just to name a few).  I have strong beliefs in family, patriotism, the efforts of our troops in Afganistan & Iraq, and the hard work that President Bush has put in during his presidency.  Lastly, and probably least importantly to some (other than me…hehehe), I’m a big fan of Rachael Ray - I got the knife, I use EVOO and I also use a garbage bowl.  Lastly, I’m a member of the Cotillion, which is a great group of female bloggers who have joined efforts - you will find amazing reads over there.  Our most recent event was a July 4th gala, honoring a number of Milbloggers and our troops.  We have our weekly Cotillion Ball tomorrow - I encourage you to take a peek!

In a nut shell, I’m a mom and a wife that can’t stop talking and so versus bending my hubby’s ear all day and night, I chat here.

I can’t leave without thanking Dan for the amazing work he has done and continues to do covering Natalee’s disappearance - I’m sure you all feel the same way! 

Thanks for stopping by - feel free to look around and leave a comment or two!

In honor of Independence Day, ladies of The Cotillion are getting together to honor and recognize our Milbloggers.  A heart-felt thanks goes out to every soldier - active, retired, or in a better place.  Thank you for freeing our country - thank you for fighting in wars to preserve our freedom and to ensure freedom and protection from tyranny exists for those in dire need.  Thank you for the sacrifices you have made to make this country a place I can raise my children.  I’d like to highlight a handful of Milibloggers - please go to their sites and offer your support and encouragement.  They have done so much for our country!

American Soldier is on a journey home and made a stop along the way to visit Arlington and to pay respects to some of the soldiers - friends - who are buried there. 

I finally found one site. I sat down next to it as if he was there, sitting beside me. The stone was to the right of me and I was looking out at the sky. Like two buddies’ who were taking a break from a mission. I stayed there for a bit. I then got up and said goodbye and that I wished things could have been different. I touched the stone and said I’d see him on the other side. I visited a few other friends and said my peace with each of them.

May God bless you on your road to recovery. 

Ma Deuce Gunner gives us the perspective we need state-side as he serves in Iraq.

A lesson in patience is in order. Again, my wife would not say I am the one to give it. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, the current Prime Minister of Iraq, said "You cannot fix in six months what took 35 years to break." Think about that.

There are hundreds of things that are better in this country, just ask Arthur Chrenkoff, who compiles a bi-monthly list of good things happening here. There are hundreds of things that need work. These things take TIME. These things take EFFORT. To this effort we must continue to add RESOLVE and PATIENCE. In the grand scheme of things, the two years that have passed since the end of ‘major’ hostilities, in all reality, is a very short time to reestablish a nation.

You are right on, MDG.  It is obvious that the work you do in Iraq is impacting the Iraqi people positively every day.  Thank you so much for *your* resolve.

Drill Sergeant Bob at An American Soldier points out the interesting flopping of liberal judges with regard to the Supreme Court Ruling on Kelo v. New London (seizure of private property for development by other private citizens or corporations):

I thought it was particularly interesting that the more liberal justices voted against the little guy and in favor of big business, (It’s not just developers. Pfizer benefits greatly from this deal now.) and the Conservative justices all dissented in favor of the private citizen. Not quite the picture the Liberals like to paint in their PR blitzes huh?

Eagle1 at Eaglespeak publishes a reminder from America’s past which is at the core of our Independence Day celebrations:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

As an American, I recognize that there are so many things to be thankful for.  In particular, I am thankful for the freedom we enjoy.  Freedom, they say, isn’t free.  That is a statement laden with truth.  There are thousands of families in the U.S. sacrificing as their loved ones fight to preserve our freedom today.  There are even more families who suffered loss of a loved one who gave their life in the line of duty.  May God bless each and every man and woman who has made the sacrifice to serve their country.  So many would be lost without you.

Thanks to Teach over at Pirate’s Cove for the great pics!

We are back from vacation - and what a GREAT vacation it was!  It was great spending a week with family and kids, a boat, a jet ski, a huge body of water and a cooler full of summer, um, refreshments!

We left last Saturday and, of course, had car trouble.  We made it to our destination and the Dodge dealer - in the middle of nowhere I might add - replaced our radiator and thermostat.  Oh, did I mention we had the thermostat, etc., checked out the day before we left and were told "there’s no problem - it’s just hot in Nebraska today."  I think I owe that garage a call.  Hmmmmm…oh hell, that’s another story entirely.  Back to vacation…ahhhhhh!

We brought our boat and our jet ski with us and had the opportunity to keep them in the water all week, which made for fun.  We took both day and night cruises in the boat and couldn’t help but seek out the largest wake with the jet ski.  Some of the boats were 40-50 feet and flew across the lake.  See, in Nebraska, our boat is "normal" to other boats out on the lakes here.  At this lake, we looked like we were in a toy boat compared to
some of the monsters out there.  That’s okay.  We also found a great, calm cove and had a chance to tube as well.  I really loved being able to boat up to a restaurant or bar  to get a drink or dinner.  We really liked the boat that could go 160 mph and had two 150 gallon gas tanks.  Eric told the owner he’d love to tube behind *that* to which the owner replied "sure, go get a tube - I’d tow you."  Eric eloquently turned down the offer.

Eric and I also got a chance to para-sail.  It was fun, but given all the apprehension people had when I told them we were going para-sailing, I was expecting "roller coaster" thrills but got more of a "Ferris wheel" thrill.  It was amazing seeing the lake from so high in the air and it was very calming.  They even dipped our feet in the water coming back in.  I suppose if something had gone wrong, I may have been telling a different story, but it was worth the experience.  Says Eric to neighbor:  "Yeah, they give you a life jacket to wear - I mean, if you fall and hit the water from that high up you’d probably be dead.  I guess the life jacket is on so they can recover your body easier?"  I never even thought about falling.  Heheheh.

We stayed at a little resort that had cabins right on the lake.  We had a bar right across the cove that we floated our boat over to a couple of times.  They had these amazing drinks called Rum Runners.  Let’s just say I am a cheap date while drinking those things.  At least 5 different types of alcohol.  We got "to go" cups one night and brought them back across the lake.  Yum!

The kids had a really good time.  We had ducks that frequented our cabin because our daughter, Emily, was always feeding them.  If anyone else walked toward them they would scatter.  When Emily walked toward them they would come running.  Our son, Bradley, got a chance to fish and caught some.  We saw some pretty monster sized fish, too.  I saw a couple  jump in the air right in front of me when I was jet skiing.  We never did snag a large one - I think they got large for a reason - they avoid the hooks.

I don’t think we came anywhere near seeing all that we could see.  I would say if I could find a job and/or could afford some of the lake front property they had out there, we’d move there in a heart beat.  We’re already talking about going back next year.

***

A huge thank you to those of you who guest blogged for me while I was out:

Beth from MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Carol from An American Housewife

Janette from Common Sense Runs Wild

Jody from Steal the Bandwagon

Jane from Armies of Liberation

I had no worries while I was gone as I knew my blog was in capable hands!  And a special thanks to Beth, who even kept up on some, ahem, Rachael Ray blogging as well.  I owe you all big and couldn’t have asked for anything more! 

We had fun on vacation.  I’ll post on that later.

Help Carol, An American Housewife out.

al shoura issue 510 jun 22 2005 page 11 (translation from Arabic)

arrested and hostages in the regime prisons

abdul karim alwazeer has been in Taiz central prison for two years
without being charged or sentenced. abdulkarim is mentally ill

torturing houssain almoayad in sadda prison

children in sadda prison

1-aref mosa alqusi 9 years wounded

2- yahya abdulla alqalibi 11 years wounded in his head severly
some parts of his brain went out by heavy machine gun

3- mohammed ahmed almokhtar 10 years wounded

4- ahmed abdul rahman al asri 11 years wounded by many bullets

5- bader aldeen abdula moslih 12 years very ill, nervous system and
skin damage as a result of using chlorine gas by the army in the first war last year

6- adel mohammed al saifi 12 years

7- izzalddin alhouthi 12 years

8- hussain mohammed al houthi torture and beating in his feet
until losing consciousness for long time . this happend a day ago

9-abdul rahman alqasimi 25 years very severe and dagerious wounds

10- abed alfaidi 20 years his leg was cut

more at Armies of Liberation