My Take On Minnesota Senate Candidate Al Franken.

The current leading Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Minnesota, Al Franken, has been trying to avoid at least $70,000 in income taxes in 17 states back to 2003. Not surprisingly, this is not sitting well with the people of Minnesota. Franken appeared close in his race with Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman just a few months ago, but is now trailing by double-digits in the head-to-head matchups.

The mainstream media has not been talking about this issue all that much.

My take on this is, if this was a Republican doing these very same things, say Coleman, even the mainstream press in Washington state would be abuzz about it, let alone the alphabet soup networks. It would kill his political career and scar his family. However, Franken does it and not much is reported on it.

And it is said that there is no liberal bias in the mainstream press.

William F. Buckley, Jr. - A Pioneer Of Modern American Conservatism

1925-2008

This obituary is coming a little late, but I couldn't leave my blog without a remembrance of the life of a great pioneer of modern conservative thought.

William Frank Buckley, Jr. was born in New York City on November 24, 1925. His father was an oil baron from Irish descent, and his mom was from the American South, and from Swiss-German descent. From a young age, he became interested in music, horses, sailing, hunting, skiing, and story-telling. From 1945-50, he was enrolled at Yale University, where he graduated with honors.

In the early 1950s is when Buckley would begin probably his best-known career, writing. He co-wrote McCarthy and His Enemies with L. Brent Bozell Jr., in which the two men mostly supported Former Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy in his fight against communism. Buckley worked as an editor for The American Mercury magazine from 1951-52.

In 1955, he founded National Review, which became the standard-bearer of the conservative movement. The magazine still is a crucial leader in American conservative thought today. Buckley became a strong opponent of communism at a time when conservatism as we know it was just getting off its feet.

He founded Young Americans For Freedom in 1960. This is an organization of youth rallying for the conservative cause. The organization was founded on Buckley's estate in Sharon, Connecticut in the September of that year. YAF's guiding document is called the Sharon Statement, which are said to be Buckley's principles. The document is named after the town in Connecticut where it was drafted. At this time, the Republican Party was split into two factions, the liberal wing led by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and the conservative wing led which was being led by Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. The GOP was mostly led by the liberal wing in those days. Buckley strongly supported the Presidential candidacy of Goldwater in 1964, and used National Review as a forum for gathering support for the Arizona Senator.

In 1965, Buckley ran for Mayor of New York as the candidate of the Conservative Party because of his disapproval of the incumbent candidate, liberal Republican John V. Lindsay. Buckley lost the race and carried only 13.4 percent of the vote.

Over the last decades of the 20th Century, he became a strong influence on conservatives holding office, especially Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, as well as Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Buckley passed away on February 27th, but his influence and his legacy will not be forgotten. His influence in helping to pioneer American conservatism and fighting communism is a great contribution that will last generations. We still need to keep his family in prayer. May God rest the soul of William Buckley, Jr.

A Busy Weekend Is Approaching For Tennessee Tech University

Derryberry Hall, administrative building for Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee. http://www.tntech.edu/univadv/support/images/Derryberry.jpg

Tennessee Tech University, a well-accredited university settled in Cookeville, Tennessee, will be a busy place this coming weekend as it hosts four different events.

The action starts Thursday as the campus will be the host to the 2008 SAE Baja East race, which is a competition featuring small off-road cars built by engineering students by participating universities. I understand that there will be nearly 100 teams from eight countries participating in the TTU race. With that, 1,000 people are expected to participate, excluding countless spectators. The competition will last through Saturday.

On Friday, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Tennessee Congressmen Bart Gordon of Murfreesboro and Lincoln Davis of Pall Mall, as well as other dignitaries, students, faculty and local residents are all expected to be a part of the groundbreaking of Ray Morris Hall, home to Tennessee Tech's new proposed Millard Oakley STEM Center. This will be the hub of the university's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics departments for the future. The groundbreaking is scheduled for 3 PM at Seventh Street and Stadium Drive.

Saturday is scheduled to be the largest commencement in university history. Nearly 1,200 students are to receive their degrees in a ceremony scheduled for 10 AM. Tech is to host another dignitary at this time, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee, who is the third-highest ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate. He is to address the spring graduates of the university. This is to take place at the Eblen Center.

Also on Saturday, the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles baseball team is scheduled to host the Murray State Racers for a doubleheader. The action on the diamond has a planned starting time of 2 PM.

On Saturday alone, three events will be taking place. As such, parking is expected to be a major concern to tackle. A shuttle bus will run from needed areas to help calm the parking issues.

You can expect this writer to be a part of the action, as he is an active part of the university as a student, an extra-curricular organization leader, and a worker with the school's sports information department.

Article on this weekend's action from the Tennessee Tech Public Affairs Department.

BREAKING NEWS: Actor and Former NRA President Charlton Heston Has Passed Away

11:33 PM CST

Popular actor and former NRA President Charlton Heston has reportedly passed away, according to family members. He was 84. The news broke about a half-hour ago.

He was well-known for his roles in the popular movies Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, Earthquake, and Planet of the Apes, among others.

He also served as the President of the National Rifle Association from 1998 to 2003.

In August 2002, he reported that he had similar symptoms to Alzheimer's Disease.

On political matters, he started off as a liberal Democrat, but took more conservative positions on issues, including affirmative action, abortion matters and gun rights, by the 1980s. He changed his political affiliation to Republican, and campaigned for Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

His soul, his family, and his friends need to be in our prayers at this time.



BREAKING NEWS ALERT FROM AP
WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE ON MR. HESTON'S LIFE

Vodka Maker Harkens Back To A "More Ideal" Time For Our Neighbor To The South, Not So Ideal For Americans

Absolut, a well-known vodka maker, created a stir in the United States when one of their recent ads drew up an 1830s-era map of North America, showing United States territory under Mexico jurisdiction.

The ad comes at a time when the United States is facing a serious debate over illegal immigration, and whose people are wanting to see the borders secured. Meanwhile, a majority of Mexicans believe the Southwest U.S. still is rightfully theirs.

Absolut has since apologized for the ad, which ran only in Mexico, and have since ended them. The company said the ad wasn't reflective of any immigration or foreign policy issues.

The ad created a bit of an outcry by angry Americans who saw the ad as encouraging a radical mindset that many Mexicans hold that the border states are still rightful territory of Mexico. Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin received a number of e-mails and blog postings reflecting anger over the ad.

I do not support consumption of any alcohol, but if I did, I would still be supporting a full boycott of Absolut. I am in opposition to all groups who support the return of our Southwestern states to Mexico, and this ad only fuels their fire.

NO NAU!

Now is a good time to be reinformed about the despicable plan to create a North American Union, which would unite the United States, Canada, and Mexico into one political and economic union, similar to the European Union across the pond. It would end the United States as we know it, and run over the sovereignty of our great country like a runaway express train. Here are some videos, posted on YouTube regarding this extremely important issue. YouTube at recent has at least 2,390 videos on the subject, so I will post some from time-to-time on this subject. I would encourage all of you to inform yourself on this issue as much as possible. It will be a crucial, leading, and defining issue for our country for the foreseeable future. The first step in doing anything about it is informing yourself, then you can take whatever actions possible. Your future, and the future of the generations after you, are at stake in the last great hope for man - America.

By the way, Republicans should be disappointed that they preferred John McCain over Mitt Romney. In the third video, Romney says right out that a union of the three countries is not the right way to prosperity for America. Those who preferred McCain need to know that threats to America halfway across the world are still threats, but ones closer to home are even more serious right now. At this time, I am not certain to how McCain stands on the NAU issue, but signs may point to him being in favor of it. When I know more on how McCain stands on this issue, I will post it here.

DEVELOPING STORY

TORNADO STRIKES DOWNTOWN ATLANTA; AT LEAST TWO DEAD AND 20 INJURED, PEOPLE MAY BE MISSING.















The facade of the Philips Arena, where the NBA's
Atlanta Hawks nest, was shredded in places.















The view outside CNN Center last night.














Fans at the SEC Tournament in the Georgia Dome
are warned about the severe weather Friday night.






















Windows at the Omni hotel at the CNN Center are
blown out.

























Water pipes broke at the Georgia World Congress
Center, making a waterfall out of these stairs.

















This sign near the Georgia Dome was toppled.

















One of the holes that broke the canvas roof at the
Georgia Dome.



















All that remains of some of the entrances and windows
at the Georgia World Congress Center is shards.

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and CNN.





An apparent tornado struck downtown Atlanta Friday night, hitting the South's biggest city at a very busy time. The SEC and ACC basketball tournaments were being held in the Georgia Dome as the winds howled outside. Catwalks and scoreboards inside the dome were actually swaying from the wind, scaring thousands of fans to shelter.

Hotels and skyscrapers saw many windows blown out, and debris coated the streets. The CNN Center was hit with roof and window damage. Tarps covered computers in the network's newsroom. The Omni hotel adjacent to the CNN Center had major window damage, and furniture from upper floors was sucked out of the building. At Centennial Olympic Park, torch-resembling towers were blown over. The city's distinctive high-rise, the 73-story Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel, was marked with scores of destroyed windows. The Georgia Dome's canvas roof was pierced in some spots. The Philips Arena was also hit hard, with pieces of metal from its facade torn off, and blown onto the street in front of the CNN Center.

Just east of downtown, twenty houses were demolished in the Georgia capital's historic Cabbagetown district. The storm demolished the top floor of the Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts, a 104-year-old textile factory complex turned into apartments. Some were believed to be missing there, but search attempts proved that false.

Two people were killed by the storms in areas north of Atlanta.



KEEP ABREAST:
CNN
MSNBC
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WXIA-NBC TV, Atlanta
WGCL-CBS TV, Atlanta
WSB-ABC TV, Atlanta
WAGA-FOX TV, Atlanta