Vintage Aircraft Losses

It's bad enough that people die in plane crashes. It's even worse when rare and beautiful aircraft are lost.

One pilot was killed when these P-51 Mustangs collided at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, WI this summer.

Bin Laden -- Alive?

I don't believe it.....not for one minute. Oh, sure, I'd like for him to still be alive so we would (eventually) have the pleasure of killing him publicly.

But that ain't gonna happen. He's long dead, folks.....probably buried in a cave that collapsed when struck by one of those really big bunker buster bombs.

Why do I think that?.....First of all, if he were alive, he'd be more common on American TV than "home equity loan" commercials.

Also, look at these screen grabs from his last 2 released videos. Both the 2004 (on the left) and the 2007 videos are (intentionally?) out of focus and the 2007 video shows an apparently much younger bin Laden.....his beard is dark and more stylishly trimmed, too. I suspect that the audio tracks for both were provided by someone who is sorta good at doing impressions.

He could have dyed and trimmed his beard, but there's no plausible explanation for such vanity.

And if you think that these dirt bags living in a cave prevents them from making decent quality videos, take a look at the recent videos of Ayman al-Zawahiri (the number 2 man in al-Qaeda). No problem with focus there, because there's no need to obscure his features to.

Al-Qaeda and the U.S. government both need bin Laden alive in order to further their agendas.
AQ, needs him as an invincible leader against the infidels.....the U.S. needs him as a boogyman to counter the increasing opposition to the way the war in Iraq has been conducted.

I'm really disappointed in our government for carrying on this charade, too. They must think we're really stupid.

Fred Thompson for President (finally)

As you've no doubt heard, Fred Thompson has finally announced that he is running for nomination as the Republican Presidential Candidate in '08.

Whew!......I was beginning to get a little worried there. I was afraid he might decide to forgo the brutal task of working his way into the oval office (and I wouldn't blame him).

Why do I like Fred? First of all, he's a conservative. Not an a la carte conservative, but one who applies his values across the board. Philosophical consistency is rejected by most politicians, because they know that they can get more votes if they compromise their personal beliefs and address each major issue so as to satisfy the majority of people for whom that issue is paramount (e.g., abortion, Iraq, gay marriage, etc.).

Just as important, Fred doesn't wear the phony smile that you see on every other politician's face, and he doesn't pander to specific interest groups. He seems to be unusually honest for a politician and simply presents himself as what he is, take it or leave it.

Finally, Fred Thompson comes across as completely sincere when he says that he's in the race to serve the people of this country instead of himself. There is not the slightest indication that he's on an ego trip (compare with other candidates).

So far, he seems to be the perfect man for the job. I just hope he doesn't turn out to be the anti-Christ......not that it would keep me from voting for him.