Scoop’s Views

Never let what may be the great day in the lift of Geronimo, the late Apache chief. That day – September 4 – is today.

It was on that day when Captain Henry Lawton, who had command of B Troop, 4th Cavalry, which was based out of Fort Huachuca, Arizona. It was Lawson who had been tapped by General Nelson Miles to lead an expedition to capture, in typical cowboy fashion – dead or alive – the Apache chief the U.S. government considered a renegade: Geronimo.

Tags: 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, 1904 World's Fair, 1905 inaugural parade, 500 Nations, after-action report, Alabama, Apache nation, Apache Prisoner of War cemetary, Apache warriors, Apaches, Arizona, B Toop 4th Cavalry, border fence, Captain Henry Lawton, celebrity, dead or alive, expedition, fairs, Florida, Fort Huachuca, Fort Marion, Fort Pickens, Fort Sill, General Nelson Miles, genocide, Geronimo, Geronimo surrendered, Indigenous Nations, Mexico, Mount Vernon Barracks, Oklahoma, pneumonia, President Theodore Roosevelt, prisoners, September 4 1886, sideshow, Skeleton Canyon, souvenirs, St. Louis, Teddy Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, U.S.-Mexico border, White Man, World's Fair

Beloit College’s Class of 2012 Mindset List has been released. It’s a list of things that incoming freshmen – most of whom were born in 1990 – are familiar with, but things they also don’t know or comprehend. For example, Harry Potter could very well be one of their classmates, the Class of 2012 Mindset List notes.

The list was started by Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, providing insight into the life and realities — as they exist — for incoming freshmen. It provides cultural touchstones that shape the lives of the incoming students, sometimes making it easier for a professor to understand why some students don’t grasp course content. one such example, for which I must be an exception, is this year’s item #20.

Tags: American Gladiators, Balsamic vinegar, Beloit, Big Macs, Burger King, caller ID, cappucino, charter schools, Clarence Thomas, Class of 2012, Club Med, Coca-Cola, Coke, college grads, color umber, conditioner, Crayola, crayons, credit checks, diapers, eavesdropping, electronic filing, family, fashion scene, films, flat tires, french fries, gas stations, gay rabbis, George Bush, George H.W. Bush, girls, Goosebumps, GPS, Grandma, Green Bay Packers, Haagen-Dazs, Harry Potter, head scarves, Home Alone, hospice, Hubble space telescope, IBM, IBM PC, ice cream, iced tea, IRS, Jay Leno, just don't get it, karaoke, kindergarten, League of Nations, Lenin, Leningrad, living wills, Macaulay Culkin, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living, McDonald's, Mexican border, Mexico, Michael Millkin, Mickey, Mickey Mouse, Microsoft, Mindset List, multi-culturalism, multiculturalism, Muscovites, mustache, national anthem, NC-17, Nintendo Game Boy, off-shore drilling, off-shore oil drilling, oil drilling, Orlando, parties, PCs, Pearl Jam, Pee-Wee Herman, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Pepsi, Pepsi-Cola, personal privacy, philanthropist, philanthropy, prostate cancer, prostate cancer research, quarterbacks, quidditch, radio stations, recycled plastic bottles, research, resorts, Rock the Vote, Roseanne Barr, Royal New Zealand Navy, rum, Russia, satellite navigation systems, schools, SCotUS, Seinfeld, shampoo, soft drink refills, style, Supreme Court, tax returns, tax revenue increases, Teach for America, The Tonight Show, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, TV, typewriters, Universal Studios, vegetable oil, walkers, Walt Disney, Warsaw Pact, Wayne Newton, whatever, Windows, Windows 3.0, World Wide Wrestling, www, XXX

There are at least a handful of people arguing the U.S. government needs to “do more” to regulate online pharmacies. Sure, that may be true, but right now, face the facts: most in Congress are older people who are technologically-challenged. In fact, look at legislation about most any aspect of life and you’ll see most of it is at least 10 or more years behind the times. I won’t even touch on the health care crisis in the U.S.

In a story on CNN.com, one woman cried to the cable news channel that she found her husband on their marriage bed, dead, in a pool of vomit. He allegedly died from what the woman — the widow — declares was an accidental overdose of drugs the now-dead husband received from an online pharmacy.

Tags: American Fork, anonymous, carisoprodol, Carmen Catizone, clinics, CNN.com, dead, death, depression, drugs, Elavil, European Medicines Agency, European Union, fitness, Health, husband, Illegal Drugs, Kareem Tannous, Long Island, Mental Health, Mood Disorders, Nancy Fitzpatrick, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, online pharmacies, online pharmacy, pharmaceuticals, Prozac, Rusty Payne, Science and Technology, side effects, Soma, Sweden, Technology, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Utah, Valley Stream, Websites

After giving up on lifesaving efforts, the lifeguards covered each of the girls’ bodies with a beach towel out of respect for the dead. The feet and ankles of both girls poked from under the beach towels, a testament to two young lives snuffed out.

Within feet of the girls’ bodies, folks went about sunbathing and other beach antics as normal, ignoring the two dead bodies.

Tags: Archbishop of Naples, beach towels, Brooklyn, Cardinal Crecenzio Seppe, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, coffins, CPR, dead bodies, drugs, emergency room floor, emergency services, enforcement, Esmin Green, feet poking from under towel, girls, gun laws, Gypsy, killings, Kings County Hospital Center, La Repubblica, lifeguards, lifeless bodies, lifesaving efforts, mortuary, murders, Naples, ocean, Philadelphia, Photos, photos of dead girls and beachgoers, rising street crime, Roma emergency, safety, sea, Silvo Berlusconi, Society, swimming, teenagers, Torregaveta, waves

While you and I are sitting at home, enjoying all the creature comforts, American fighting men and women are in distant lands, including Afghanistan and Iraq, sweating their butts off, literally, while going on patrols, doing raids, and other duties, and their performance – or responses – could be the difference between life-and-death.

As for Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic presidential candidate who is doing a tour of specific areas in Afghanistan and Iraq, supposedly getting a first-hand look at the situation on the ground, things are much different. His environment will be hot, sandy, dirty, but secure, for the most part. Because Obama, like McCain and others during past trips, are members of Congress, the military will provide a shroud around the “dignitaries” – ensuring, to the best of their ability, the survival of the elected officials, even at the expense of service men and women.

Tags: 2008 presidential candidates, 82nd Airborne Division, airborne, armed conflict, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama II, Barack Obama, barry o'bomber, body armor, desert fatigues, Ft. Bragg, G.I. Bill, Harvard University, heroes, infantry, infantry platoon leader, insurgents, John F. Kennedy School of Government, John McCain, LBE, load bearing equipment, McCain abortion, McCain for President, McCain issues, McCain potatoes, Obama for President, off-the-record, paratrooper, photo op, photo opportunities, publicity stunt, Purple Hearts, real heroes, rucksacks, security details, U.S. Army Rangers, United States Army, United States Military Academy at West Point, Vietnam, water, weapon and ammo, weapons qualification, West Point

As I wrote on July 10, in the post, Rev. Jesse Jackson is irrelevant in today’s society, it seems he really needs to learn to shut hit mouth, stay out of the public spotlight, give up being a public figure, and not give any interviews — to local, nation, international, or even target-market publications — ever again.

Now, for the second time in a month, he is under fire badmouthing presidential candidate Barack Obama, running as a democrat.

Tags: apologies, Barack Obama, castrate, castration, Chicago, Chicago Illinois, Christian, civil rights, commercial break, Fox and Friends, Fox News, n-bomb, n-word, Obama, open microphone, Operation PUSH, presidential candidate, protests, Rainbow Coalition, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sen. Barack Obama, sit-ins, testicles

This past weekend, it seemed as though every news outlet in the nation was busy hammering on Philly yet again. This time it was over a recently released Census Bureau report, showing Philadelphia had the largest percentage population loss over the past seven (7) years than any other major city in the United States, including Detroit.

Looking at all major cities in the U.S., Philadelphia is estimated to have lost more residents since the last U.S. Census – from 2000 and 2007 – than any other city in the country, with the exception of New Orleans, which was devastated in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, according to estimates recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Tags: Arizona, Baltimore, Baltimore Maryland, Boston, Boston Massachusetts, brain drain, Chicago, Chicago Illinois, desert, Detroit, economic considerations, economy, Five Largest Cities in the U.S., gasoline costs, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, job losses, mortgage lending crisis, Motor City, Motown, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Philly, population, population centers, population losses, recession, Top 10 U.S. Cities, Top 25 U.S. Cities, Top 5 U.S. Cities, U.S. Census Bureau, urban centers

Senate is rewarding telecommunications providers for breaking the law
York Times is reporting that the United States Senate, by a vote of 69-28, approved a bill overhauling the rules covering secret government eavesdropping and granting immunity to telecommunications companies that aided in the wiretapping of Americans without warrants. Doing Chicago-style two-stepping, Barack Obama, who originally spoke harsh words against the illegal wiretaps, voted today in favor of granting immunity to the telecommunications companies. His former presidential contender, Hillary Clinton, stayed true to her original position and voted against the immunity.

Tags: Barack Obama, Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, David Stout, domestic spying, due process rights, eavesdropping, Eric Lichtblau, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigations, federal courts, FISA, foreign, Hillary Clinton, Homeland Security, illegal wiretapping, immunity, intrusions, mismanagement, National Security Agency, No Such Agency, NSA, phone subscibers, re-election, Senate, senators, telecommunications companies, telecoms, terrorist attacks, terrorists

Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross, two figures in America’s Colonial history, have been married, and are now finishing up commitments prior to escaping the Philadelphia area this Fall for a planned honeymoon.

The newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Franklin, plan on keeping their daily occupations. Mr. Franklin is a statesman, scientist, printer and publisher, and has numerous other duties to the city, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and to the United States government. He also serves as postmaster, and also is responsible for printing currency, especially since he developed a way to help keep forgery of the currency to a minimum.

Tags: ale, American flag, American Revolution, Ben Franklin, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, Books, City Tavern, Colonial era, Colonial period, commitments, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, currency, exchanged rings, exchanging vows, flags, food, founding father, George Washington, historical figures, History, honeymood, Independence Hall, Independence Mall, Linda Wilde, Mayor Michael Nutter, newlyweds, period costume, Philadelphia, Philly Pops, postmaster, printer, Ralph Archbold, Revolutionary War, seamstress, standing ovation, statesman, Thomas Jefferson, wedding, Wedding March, wedding party

The late General Douglas MacArthur was once quoted as saying, “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.” That’s a concept that many today have forgotten, often in lieu of protesting or other self-serving goals, such as passing on military service, attending law school, and later in life, seeking office of President of the United States.

As many around the country prepare for today for a long weekend, it seems a lot of people have forgotten what this particular holiday weekend is centered around Memorial Day. It’s a traditional day of remembrance of those military men and women who selflessly laid down their lives in order that those of us, here at home, may continuing living in freedom, mostly peacefully, and without a dictatorship or junta as the controlling party of the nation.

Tags: Abrams, adrenaline, Afghanistan, Air Force, airmen, Army, artillery, BBQ, Blackhawk Down, blessings, blood, Bosnia, C-Rations, chow line, Coast Guard, commitment, country, desert, dictatorship, Douglas MacArthur, Drug War, duty, enemy, fathers, fear, flags, freedom is not free, freedoms, gourmet meal, Grenada, gunshot, hero, heroes, holiday weekend, holidays, honor, hot dogs, Hummer, HumVee, IEDs, Iran, Iraq, Korea, law school, machine guns, Marine, Marine Corps, Marines, Memorial Day, men, Middle East, Military, military service, Mogadishu, mortars, mothers, motorcade, MRE, Navy, pain, Panama, Philadelphia, preservation, president, protests, reflection, remembrance, rifles, sailors, Saudi Arabia, self-serving goals, soldiers, Somalia, steak and potatoes, sweat, terrorists, tombstones, troops, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, ultimate price, uncertainty, uniformed services, uniforms, United States, US Navy, VFW, Vietnam, vigilant, War on Terror, Women, World War II, WWII

An unidentified Marine sniper, formerly stationed in Iraq, has been pulled out of the country and sent back to the United States. Why? Because he allegedly used a Quran as a target early this month during some target practice at a shooting range at the Radhwaniya police station, located on Baghdad’s western outskirts, according to reports.

Did the U.S. Marine do this? Under U.S. law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), a case must first be made, and then his innocence or guilt is determined, not hang him first and then figure out later if he actually did anything wrong. Oh, wait! Muslims are offended by this offense, so, by all means, let’s hang him now and later figure out his guilt or innocence.

Tags: Afghanistan, al Qaeda, armed forces, Article 6, Bagdad, Baghdad, billions of dollars, bulldozers, Christians, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, Constitution, criminal act, deep concern, food, George W. Bush, Gordon Johndroe, guilt, guilty, Holy Bible, homes, inner-city, innocence, Iraq, Iraqi Islamic Party, Iraqi Prime Minister, Islam, Jews, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, Marine sniper, Muslims, National Security Council, Nuri al-Maliki, police officers, police station, Quran, Radhwaniya, radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, reprimand, Saddam Hussein, schools, Section 3, severest of punishments, shot Quran, shot-up Quran, sniper training, spokesman, Talmud, target practice, U.S. law, U.S. Marines, U.S.-Mexico border, UCMJ, Uniform Code of Military Justice, video teleconference

Are President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, and India’s Pradeep S. Mehta, secretary general of the center for international trade, economics and the environment of CUTS International, an independent research institute based in New Delhi, all locked in an emotional argument without fact-based evidence?

Tags: American society, better food, better nutrition, Bombay, call centers, China, Condi, customer service skills, CUTS International, Dubya, exportation, exporting, exports, famine, food, high demand, hungry people, imports, India, Indian economy, middle-class, Missouri, New Dehli, nutrition, outsourcing, political paradigms, politically incorrect, Pradeep S. Mehta, President George W. Bush, prices increase, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, sub-Sahara