PhxDragon's Blog

I see where the Joe the Plumber story has taken the media.  In some circles, it is taken as it was presented.  An interesting sideline to the campaign.

Wait....What's this?  ABC News (All-Barak Channel) has dug into the background of Joe the Plumber!  Late bill payments?  Gee.  Not a plumber, just getting ready to take the test?  Wow.

What about Obama's drug dealer (self-admitted in his book)?  No one looking for him? 

There is such a slant in the major news networks it is impossible to find ANY story that doesn't have a leaning to one side or the other! 

For instance:  Cat in a tree for a week....Sprayed with water....falls and hits ground....Cat uninjured.  The slant?  Why did they use firehoses to spray water on the poor cat?  My question:  Why did they respond at all?  Cats, dogs, mice, ferrets and other "pets" can be cajoled back given a period of time.

For now, I have to find hard copies of speeches, or use videos without sound for finding the truth in nearly any story.  Can someone just report without making comments, suggestions or extrapolating what "could" happen? 

Americans are not mindless mice looking for a flute player to lead the way.  Just tell us what happened, we can decide whether it is right or not!

I see so many blog entries that are quoting or linking to questionable sites.  If you are a true intellectual American, you would do the research and look at more than one website to gather the information to form an opinion.

MSNBC is not a RELIABLE source.  That particular branch of a network was created in response to Fox News Channel, and is directed to be the opposing factor in anything that is said by FNC.  They can't even agree with others in their own network (as in evidence by the bickering and fighting ON SCREEN during the DNC), much less be relied upon to bring any part of truth in broadcasting.

By equal terms, some of the FNC stories need to be researched as well, as there will always be things left out to be able to make headlines.

During my tenure in news reporting, I was told ONCE at the beginning of my service there, to make sure I had all the angles covered.  I had a relatively easy beat, courts and police in 25 counties in three states.  When I could not verify any morsel of information on a story, it was either not included, or the story was not broadcast at MY choice.

I would not air half-truths or heresay.  I apparently had more scruples than some of the "National Cable Networks" have today. 

Remember:  Informed is educated.  The more information you have, the more intelligent the conversation and enjoyable the blog is to be read.  I have read many blogs here, and have been educated by many writers.  We do have a group of well read and informed bloggers here.  Unfortunately, we have another group of inciters and conspiracy theorists who put their smut on the blog and then delete any reply that doesn't include their point of view.

Yes, I have deleted entries, but only when they personally attacked another blogger.  I did not delete any blog due to their stance on any topic.  Hopefully, everyone else can do the same.

Now.  I am through venting.  Let's elect a female Vice-President now.

Lawyers in the U.S. are wondering how to deal with a weighty problem.

A woman is accused of killing her two-year-old nephew but prosecutors in Texas do not yet know how to get her to jail and court — because she weighs nearly half a ton.

Mayra Lizbeth Rosales, from La Jola, Texas, is bedridden and weighs nearly 1,000 lbs.

But she cannot get through her front door to be taken to jail and, later, court.

A grand jury has already agreed she should face charges of murder and injury in connection with the death of Eliseo Gonzalez Jr.

He died while in her care in March and the 27-year-old is accused of killing her nephew with two blows to the head.

She explained away the injuries by saying she had slipped, landing with her right hand on Eliseo's head while trying to pick him off the floor, and that he fell off a chair.

----------------------

All that reminded me of a joke.  Two guys were trying to tunnel their way out of prison.  They were swallowing all the dirt so there wouldn't be any evidence.......

Got too fat for the tunnel.

As in evidence from the Supreme Court this week, the right to bear arms has been upheld!

I see D.C. and Chicago Mayors whining to no end.  The way both cities have enacted and enforced gasoline and tobacco control laws and taxes, I am surprised both aren't jumping at the chance to enact more of the same.  A few years ago, a study was done in the tobacco situation.  They determined cigarettes would be around a dollar a pack if you took all the taxes off them.  Gasoline is nearly the same.

If the same type of taxes were enacted, the money rolling in from "legal" handguns would enhance their coffers to the point they could hire, train and equip more police officers! 

I legally carry my sidearm, and the only two ways you would know is to ask me, or ask my wife.  There are stipulations as to where even I can carry the weapon, but in those locations, there are plenty of armed security I can  relax to some extent.

Daley of Chicago has been the most vocal in the time since the court's decision was announced.  During the time of his father, that city built some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world (i.e. Cabrini Green, Robert Taylor Homes, etc.), and didn't have the forethought to adequately protect those most vulnerable of citizens.  Most of those "funded housing" developments are gone now.  Mainly due to the deaths, crimes and atrocities imposed on the residents BY the residents.

Utilizing strong, legal and definitive identification of purchasers of handguns, waiting periods and other stipulations, the right to bear arms was, is and will be a great and defining addition to the Constitution of the United States.

Just when you thought Government couldn't intrude more....

A few years ago there was a splinter group of citizens calling for the secession of Arizona from the Union.  This is right up their alley:

I read today where the U.S. 9th Circuit Court will hear a case involving Arizona's Illegal Immigrant Employment Law.  Apparently some think a Federal Government should do things a State Government should have a say in.

148 years ago, a group of states decided State's Rights took priority over the Federal Government.  A four year war ensued pitting brother against brother on U.S. soil.

This is exactly the same thing.  Does a state have a right to govern itself without having a federal government jumping in and saying they have rule of authority over it?  What if the federal government said no one could hire any undocumented alien?  Would a state try and overrule the federal government?  Should they?  Does a state have the right to enact and enforce it's own laws?

If we, as a state, cannot enact and enforce our own laws, why does each state have it's own government?  Why doesn't the U.S. Congress enact all state's laws as federal laws and abolish all forms of state government?  They can't do much worse in the finance department. 

If Arizona does remove itself from the U.S. Government, we could print our own money and it would be worth just as much as the paper it is printed on.  At least an Arizona dollar would be worth more than a U.S. dollar.

According to a report from the Pew Center on the States, more than 1 in 100 American adults are in jail or prison.

Now, in my line of work, that would mean steady business, but in the overall scheme of things, this is NOT a good thing.  We are ahead of the Chinese in prisoners!

The United States has 750 inmates per 100,000 people.  By comparison, South Africa has 341, Iran has 222 and China has 119 inmates per 100,000 people.  These figures are from the World Prison Brief.

It seems the "ME" generation has finally done it.  Put themselves ahead of everyone and everything else, and placed themselves in prisons and jails at a rate that even the Russians can't keep up (628 per 100,000). 

Want to stop the money wasted? $49 billion (with a B) was spent on corrections nationwide last year, averaging 6.8% of each state's budget.

Let's teach our children to respect others and their belongings, and stop thinking about themselves only!  WE need to stem this flow and now.

The majority of the prisoners we receive are new inmates, not re-offenders. 

For the record:

2,319,258 people will not vote for the Presidential election.  That is the number of inmates in the U.S. on 1 January. 

I have seen numerous additions to threads that are not on topic.  I have deleted them when they "invade" my thread/topic.  I don't like editing what others are saying, unless they are obscene or inflamatory to certain demographics.

I have been a member here since 21 May 2007, and have edited a total of "maybe" 3 times.  Of those, 2 were entries that were of a topic (read conspiracy theorist) that was not anywhere near the original topic.

Just mentioning the "new" topic will only get them to add another.  Just delete them.  The originator of the thread can do that (thanks Fox).

I just received confirmation of the border fencing initiative.  It says it passed the Senate in October.

The scheduled completion date is 2011.  2011?!?!  I know we can build a fence quicker than that!  I've seen entire Olympic stadiums and villages go up quicker!

Maybe if we put the fence in as part of the next Olympic bid we could get it finished quicker?

From the Chicago Sun-Times today, 49 restaurants and bars were tested by their Health Department for specific forms of bacteria. 

Coliform bacteria was rampant in several of the establishments.  Where was this bacteria found?  The ice in the glasses of drinks (from water to alcoholic drinks).  Ice from 11 of the restaurants had high levels of "total coliform bacteria" -- more than 200 bacteria colonies per milliliter tested.  

How bad is that?  "By comparison, a water sample taken from a toilet in a men's room at the Sun-Times tested cleaner than the ice obtained at 21 of the restaurants and bars. " (quoted from the Sun-Times) 

I know the food and drinking establishments here in the Phoenix metro area are interested in the health and welfare of their customers.  They are so fickle the number of napkins placed on a table can drive customers to the competition.  But has a study of this type been conducted here?

Some of the biggest violators in Chicago were national chains (i.e. Applebys, Starbucks, Chipolte, and Outback), while some other regional chains were also higher registered.

Is the ice/water tested in Phoenix during health inspections?  It would be nice to know and see some of our results.

With the recent accident with kids in the bed of a pick-up truck, another disturbing scenario comes to mind:

What about school bus seat belts?

I have two kids in two different schools.  I just watched them both get on the buses.  One bus requires the children to be buckled into the seats, and has another adult posted ON THE BUS to assure compliance.  The other bus just has the usual "festival seating" rules (i.e. get to a seat and sit down).

If I or you or anyone else can receive a ticket for children (or even adults) not being buckled into seats, how can school buses have up to 40 or so aboard without the same requirements?

The last of the pair of escapees from the private prison in Florence has been captured.  They got him in Spokane, Washington.  Why does Arizona allow inmates convicted of murder and other vicious crimes be housed in private institutions? 

On top of that, the inmate wasn't even from Arizona!  Nope.  Committed the crime, convicted, and sentenced in another state.  Now I know Arizona sends some of their inmates to other states in private prisons.  Primarily DUI's and the like, but sending inmates convicted on capital crimes should not be done by this or any other state.  Every state in the union has correctional centers, prisons, reformatories and other institutions to hold this type of criminal IN THEIR OWN STATE. 

The State of Washington should be sued by the State of Arizona for sending us one of their less favorable citizens knowingly.  I also feel the legislature of the State of Washington should be litigiously liable for the commission of any and all crimes committed by this inmate and his escape partner.

If they had to pay for everything that happened or was caused by this inmate, they wouldn't think the private prisons are that much of a bargain anymore.

I have now reached the end of my tolerance for people who insist everyone change their language.......except a few.

What I mean is the use of certain words in songs, jokes and other forms of entertainment and communications being allowed only be select individuals.

The "N" word being at the top of that list.  If you don't want to hear people using that word, don't include it in rap songs, jokes or other venues no matter what your race is.

I watched an interview last night that expressed this view, and the person being interviewed said only whites and other races shouldn't use the words, but it is okay for blacks to use them.  Why?  Even he couldn't provide an answer.

If it is offensive for one, it is offensive for all.

If you don't want to hear the word, don't utter it. 

While browsing this site today (Thursday) I saw the story on the little girl who fell down the canyon and died.  I feel very deeply for that family.

Oddly, at the end of the video clip of the story of that tragedy, there was a commercial at the end of the clip.  The opening scene of that commercial was a fly over of a large canyon.

I understand advertisers spend a great deal of money for their ads, but I fail to see how advertising an auto dealership with a large canyon at the end of a story about a little girl who died at one isn't pushing the boundaries a bit.

You wouldn't put a commercial of the knife and gun expo at the end of a story about a convenience store clerk who was shot and stabbed during a robbery would you?

Overall, this is the best site for news of a local nature, and I visit it daily.  Just watch the commercial content for the stories involved.

I am not against non-citizens receiving drivers licenses in this or any other state.  I AM against illegal licenses.

The news today (Thursday) is showing numerous instances of illegal drivers licenses being used, and causing accidents involving deaths.  This is the disturbing part of it.

At least a legal license shows you at least know (if not use) the driving laws of the state you are registered to drive in.  When we get hit and runs (too many in Phoenix to count accurately), car vs. pedestrian (fault lies with both in a lot of cases), and just plain speeding and reckless driving, many time committed by illegal drivers, it must be stopped!

Stiffen the penalties on driving without a license, illegal licenses and obtaining a license illegally!  Then, deport the illegals caught committing these crimes AFTER their sentences are COMPLETED, not on parole, make them serve the full time.

How rampant is it when ICE has offices in our state's prison system?  They stay plenty busy, so where are the legal immigrants?  Not here for the most part.

If you drive, do so legally.....EVERYONE.