Government complicity in the fraud

Hat tip to my favorite Aussie, Bingbing, for calling my attention to this abortion.

“Climate science is a matter of global importance. On the basis of the science, governments across the world will be spending trillions of pounds on climate change mitigation. The quality of the science therefore has to be irreproachable. What this inquiry revealed was that climate scientists need to take steps to make available all the data that support their work and full methodological workings, including their computer codes. Had both been available, many of the problems at CRU could have been avoided.”

The focus on Professor Jones and CRU has been largely misplaced. On the accusations relating to Professor Jones’s refusal to share raw data and computer codes, the Committee considers that his actions were in line with common practice in the climate science community but that those practices need to change.

On the much cited phrases in the leaked e-mails-”trick” and “hiding the decline”-the Committee considers that they were colloquial terms used in private e-mails and the balance of evidence is that they were not part of a
systematic attempt to mislead.

Insofar as the Committee was able to consider accusations of dishonesty against CRU, the Committee considers that there is no case to answer.

The Committee found no reason in this inquiry to challenge the scientific consensus as expressed by Professor Beddington, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, that “global warming is happening [and] that it is induced by human activity”. But this was not an inquiry into the science produced by CRU and it will be for the Scientific Appraisal Panel, announced by the University on 22 March, to determine whether the work of CRU has been soundly built.

Another whitewash. Just like the Penn State "inquiry" into Michael "feed any series of random numbers into my program and it'll show warming" Mann.

Need any further proof that the governments of the West are complicite in the fraud that is AGW?

Long time no post

Your friendly neighborhood Vulture has been under the weather of late.  The sinus infection from Hell has left me feeling like warmed-over carrion for the past several days.  And while warmed-over carrion might be considered a tasty snack for a scavenger bird, feeling that way isn't any way to go through life.

It's not like there's been much going on worth blogging about anyway.  Obama Mussolini-Care is now the law of the land - hey, how 'bout that?  Il Duce dissed Benjamin Netanyahu - hey, how 'bout that?  At least the administration is finally taking terrorism seriously...oh wait, no they're not - arresting "Christian militia" members in Michigan?  Seriously?

If it seems like I'm maybe a little disconnected from the events of the day, it might be because I am.  I hear a lot of "blah, blah, blah" regarding our government's steady march to Fascism (which the TV blathering heads insist on mis-labeling as "Socialism"), but I don't see much in the way of action.  I hear a lot more about how awful the health care takeover will be for the economy than about how it destroys what's left of our personal liberties.  I guess so-called "conservatives" would be happy with the legislation if it only took away our freedoms but restored the economy.  Or am I misreading the situation?

In any regard, I thought I should post SOMETHING today, just so you'd know I'm still out there (some might say "WAAAAAAAY out there", but that's their interpretation).  I'll post again soon once my health and my attitude are doing better.

Weapons-grade peppers

I love hot, spicy foods.  Love them.  Of course, I've pulled back quite a bit as I've gotten older and wiser; that unfortunate incident with Dave's Insanity Sauce has made me think twice about anything much beyond jalapeno peppers these days.

There has always been a market in weaponized peppers - pepper spray being the most commonly employed method.  But now there's a new player on the scene.  The pepper race escalates.

The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism: the world's hottest chili.

After conducting tests, the military has decided to use the thumb-sized "bhut jolokia," or "ghost chili," to make tear gas-like hand grenades to immobilize suspects, defense officials said Tuesday.

The bhut jolokia was accepted by Guinness World Records in 2007 as the world's spiciest chili. It is grown and eaten in India's northeast for its taste, as a cure for stomach troubles and a way to fight the crippling summer heat.

It has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, the scientific measurement of a chili's spiciness. Classic Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, while jalapeno peppers measure anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000.

One million Scovilles. Now THAT is a powerful pepper!

Here's my question.  People eat those things? I enjoy a jalapeno pepper every once in a while.  But something 125,000 to 200,000 times more hot?  That's nuts!

I think I'm more afraid of the dudes eating that stuff than I am of the weaponized peppers!

Vulture Droppings: Health in the balance

Vulture Droppings is a semi-regular feature of this blog. It's a kind of "Random Thoughts" post in which I try to quickly summarize a particularly large event or series of events. Think of it being sort of like what a vulture leaves behind after devouring a horse. You don't get the whole horse, just highly processed leftovers.

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As I write this, the hinges are being torn off of the gates and the barbarians are storming the Bastille.  No, wait, that's what we have to look forward to in about 10 years.   Right now, our Noblesse Oblige government is going through the motions of a parliamentary ritual designed to fool the sheeple by giving them the impression that the process is on the up-and-up.  Hint: it isn't.

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Here is the latest.  The House will vote on the original Senate Health Care Reform Bill Takeover Bill as-is.  This bill includes the Louisiana Purchase, the Cornhusker Kick-back, and other bribes yet to gain the infamy of those first two.

The House Pro-Life Democrats have been assured that no federal abortion funding will be part of the legislation...even though the bill specifically mandates it...because Il Duce promised to sign an Excecutive Order prohibiting federal spending on abortions as part of the Health Care bill, thus proving, as we have long suspected, that Rex est Lex in the Obama administration.

There are problems with that little scheme.

1. There's no Constitutional provision for such an action.
2. The President doesn't hold the keys to the national purse.  Congress does.
3. Why do we even BOTHER with a legislature if Il Duce can simply sign a paper and - voila! - it is law?

Then, once that steaming abortion of Legislative assault against what was once a free, sovereign people, has passed, the House will vote on the "corrections" to that legislation - the Reconciliation.  After all, they had to shine that turd and make it nice and pretty for the folks back home serfs so that they will have some prayer of being re-elected.  Once the steaming Fascist takeover bill has passed, the Reconciliation bill has passed, and Il Duce has signed his little Executive Order and the Legislation itself, there will be dancing in the streets.  Yeah......dancing.

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There's just one itsy-bitsy problem with that scenario.  It's illegal.  The "Limitation of Changes to Social Security Act" of 1985 prohibits Reconciliation for any bill that impacts Social Security funds.

What does that mean?  It means that we've been presented with a bait-and-switch.  What we'll be left with when all is said and done is the Senate bill, complete with the Louisiana Purchase, etc.  And, knowing Il Duce as we do, who's to say that he won't go back on his dubious Executive Order once the Reconciliation Bill hits the fan?

It's the worst possible scenario.  It's a horrendous bill that make health care worse and cedes individual freedoms to the complete control of government bureaucrats.  With the passage of the Senate Bill, we will have officially made the transition from citizens to serfs.

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Fortunately, it's not really over once the legislation has passed.  As I posted a few days ago, Idaho, Virginia, and perhaps as many as 35 other states plan to sue the Federal Government on the grounds that several provisions of the legislation are unconstitutional.  Several?  Try the whole steaming mess!

Whatever.  As long as there is some hope that this corrupt, freedom-ending nightmare can be shot down, there is still hope.  But I wouldn't get too exited about those prospects.  Remember, one of the key bribery tools in Il Duce's bag of dirty tricks is the appointment of Federal judges.  I'll be amazed if this hostile take-over is interrupted, rolled-back, or otherwise deterred in any meaningful way.

Welcome to Amerika!  Now take a number.  You might get sick soon.

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Thug cops in the news

I've been characterized by the pro-bigotry crowd at Caput Penitus Culus and Texas FLDS as anti-law enforcement.  I think that's something of a mischaracterization.  I think it would be more accurate to characterize me as being strongly opposed to unlawful law enforcement.  What do I mean by that?  Here are three examples for your perusal.

Pittsburgh police Chief Nate Harper said three plainclothes officers have been reassigned during an internal investigation into the beating of an 18-year-old student violinist from the city's Creative and Performing Arts High School.

Police charged Jordan Miles, 18, with assault and resisting arrest Jan. 11 because, they said, he fought with the officers who thought a "heavy object" in his coat was a gun. It turned out to be a bottle of Mountain Dew.

Miles said he resisted because he thought the men were trying to abduct him and didn't identify themselves as police.

Miles' family and attorney said he was hit with a stun gun and hospitalized after the violent Homewood struggle during which a chunk of his hair was yanked out and a tree branch went through his gums.

"I was accused for something I never had anything to do with," said Miles, an honor student at CAPA. "I was completely innocent. They couldn't find anything."

This, unfortunately, is more the norm than you might think. If this kid had been some random gang-banger, there would have never been any newsprint "wasted" on his story. But because it was a talented honor student, the cops in question will receive a slap on the wrist. What they DESERVE is serious jail time for aggravated assault.

A different kind of unlawful law enforcement is practiced in Brooklyn.

A Brooklyn precinct is under investigation for manipulating statistics to make its cops look like better crimefighters, the Daily News has learned.

Two probes are centered around whether Bedford-Stuyvesant's 81st Precinct recorded felonies as misdemeanors and refused to take complaints from victims - all in an effort to drive down the crime rate, sources said.

And the allegations came from one of the precinct's officers.

Officer Adrian Schoolcraft shared his suspicions with the Internal Affairs Bureau and the Quality Assurance Division, the NYPD unit responsible for maintaining the integrity of crime stats.

Schoolcraft told The News the top brass are so concerned with numbers that one precinct lieutenant is known as "The Shredder" because he's often spotted destroying documents.

Refused to take complaints from victims? Whatever happened to "protect and serve"?

One usually associates fudging the numbers with companies like Arthur Anderson and Enron, NOT with the police. How many violent perpetrators are walking the streets of Brooklyn now because these corrupt jerks were more concerned with their numbers than with public safety?

Finally, there's the all-too-prevalent "cop mentality", that "us vs. them" attitude that many police have towards everyone else not wearing police blue.

An East Palo Alto police detective is taking heat in online forums for allegedly posting comments from his Facebook account that advocate shooting Open Carry gun advocates.

Detective Rod Tuason apparently made the remarks in response to a friend's status update, which joked that gun advocates who carry unloaded weapons in plain view as a political statement should start doing so in places such as Oakland, Richmond and East Palo Alto "and not limit themselves to hoity toity cities."

"Haha, we had one guy last week try to do it!" Tuason replied, referring to a Redwood City man who strolled into the Mi Pueblo Food Center in East Palo Alto on Jan. 27 with a gun on his hip. "He got proned out and reminded where he was at and that turds will jack him for his gun in a heartbeat!"

After several more comments in the thread, Tuason apparently joked that officers should shoot the advocates, who have made recent headlines throughout the Bay Area for sipping coffee at cafes and performing other everyday acts with visible weapons.

"Sounds like you had someone practicing their 2nd amendment rights last night!" Tuason wrote. "Should've pulled the AR out and prone them all out! And if one of them makes a furtive movement ... 2 weeks off!!!"

Two weeks off. The life of a human being who is simply demonstrating for his Second Amendment right to bear arms is of no importance. Only the lives of the men in blue are worthy of concern.

The arrogance is stunning. And altogether too common.

Three examples of unlawful law enforcement. And that's without any mention of the overt militarization of community police forces thanks to the War on Drugs.

If being offended by THAT kind of law enforcement makes me anti-law enforcement, so be it.

Just go to Wikipedia and search for 'bigoted egomaniac'

Just when I thought I'd put the Caput a Palos in my rear view mirror, blogging compatriot Hugh McBride called my attention to this monument to egomania run amok.  Yes, it seems that anonymity is no obstacle when it comes to bald-faced self-promotion.

Coram Non Judice, is a legal blog that primarily focuses on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and the various legal actions involving them in Texas, Arizona, and Utah.

[...]

The blog, authored by an anonymous blogger known as "TxBluesMan" has consistently supported the law enforcement side of the issues involved.

"Supported the law enforcement side of the issues?" What a load of horse hockey! Try "supported the pro-bigotry side of the issues"!

Unless one of the Caput a Palos' sycophantic followers created the Wiki page, what we have here is one of the all-time great examples of egomania.  "Look at me!  Look at me!  Look at me!"

Yeah, this has to be a Wiener Award winner.  Can you think of anyone more deserving?  I might just have to name the award after the guy.

Fred Reed: prophet

Fred Reed is one of my go-to reads.  He's an expatriate Gringo holed up in Mexico, a glass of Padre Kino in one hand, a cigar in the other.  He's half blind and half loco.  It must be the 'half-loco' part that makes him such a great writer.

His latest musings deal with how the American people should deal with opposing the degenerates in Washington.

Washington is out of control. It does as it likes, without restraint. It spends American money and American lives to fight remote wars for which it cannot provide a plausible reason. It determines what our children will be taught, who we can hire and fire, to whom we can sell our houses, whether we can defend ourselves, even what names we can call each other. The feds read our email and track the web sites we visit, make us hop around barefoot in airports at the command of surly unaccountable rentacops. They search us at random in train stations without even a pretense of probable cause. We have no influence over them, no way of resisting.

Except, perhaps, to ignore them.

He goes on to clarify.

The government doesn’t work. It is broken. It can’t be fixed. It can’t be fixed because only those within it could, and their interest lies in not fixing it.

The only remedy short of armed rebellion is civil disobedience at the level of the states. Clear constitutional justification for refusal to obey Washington lies in the Tenth Amendment:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Hmmm. Intriguing. Do go on.

Now, if Idaho passes a law (I’m making this up) saying that no restrictions on the ownership of guns will be enforced within the state, Washington might choose discretion over valor and ignore it. Legalizing marijuana, however, or refusing to accept compulsory medical care, would be a direct if not necessarily intentional challenge to the power of the central government. The feds could not afford to let either of these things slide. The danger of the precedent to the grip of the governing classes would be too great. A deadly serious confrontation would ensue.

Now Fred has crossed over from writer to prophet. Because Idaho HAS, as point of fact, crossed that line, as has Virginia.

Idaho took the lead in a growing, nationwide fight against health care overhaul Wednesday when its governor became the first to sign a measure requiring the state attorney general to sue the federal government if residents are forced to buy health insurance.

A spokesman for Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R) said this afternoon that Virginia will file suit against the federal government if the Democratic health care reform bill is approved by the U.S. Congress.

Well, Fred. What will Washington's answer to these challenges be?

What could, or would, the federal government do in response to defiance? Send the Marines to occupy Sacramento? Or the FBI to arrest Arnold and the legislature of California?

Or cut off California’s financial water? No bailout for the state’s tottering economy, no more fat subsidies to the universities, and so on?

The question is how ugly might things get. Washington may be able to make the states back down. It may not. The peril for the feds is that it might occur to the states that, while they get their money from Washington, Washington gets its money from the states. The central government depends absolutely on the states, whereas the states would get along swimmingly without the current central government.

That last couple of sentences tell the tale. Washington IS wholly reliant on the states for its parasitical sustenance. It should be very interesting watching this play out. Very interesting indeed.

Poem for the People

For quite some time now the chorus of the song "Poem for the People" has been displayed prominently in the masthead of this blog.  But today it's the verses that have meaning.

If the people only knew
If they could visualize
Just open their eyes
Even stop to think about
If they could open their minds
They could get beyond

The world's a funny place you know
But most of what goes on
Is rarely funny
Rarely funny at all

Could the people understand?
In only whisper and screams
And colorless dreams
Could they finally comprehend?
If they could suddenly see
And suddenly feel

The world's a funny place you know
But most of what goes on
Is rarely funny
Rarely funny at all

If they only knew.  If they would just open their friggin' eyes, stop and think about what's happening around them, and realize what their government is doing to them.  THEN we'd have a chance to stop our ghastly march to serfdom.

As fate would have it, perhaps we've reached a Center of Gravity moment.  The people can suddenly see, and suddenly feel.

A majority of Americans think the federal government poses a threat to rights of Americans, according to a new national poll.

Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government's become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. Forty-four percent of those polled disagree.

Queue the chorus of angels singing "The Hallelujah Chorus".

I don't want to get my hopes up too much.  But when you see THAT MANY people awake and aware of the danger our government poses to our God-given rights, you have to be somewhat encouraged.

Now if we can just awaken the other 44%.

More California moonbattery

I'm a little bit behind in getting to this story.  But it's too good to pass on.

It seems that the Nanny State worshipers in the California Assembly - amid an economic crisis that has the state teetering on the brink of bankruptcy - have found time to pass a resolution against profanity.

Feeling a little salty, Californians? Better get it out of your system while you can.

Amid the ongoing — and occasionally tense — debate over how to clean up California's budget mess, lawmakers are trying to tidy something else, almost as unmanageable: our language. Thursday morning, the Assembly approved a ceremonial resolution turning the first week of March into "Cuss Free Week."

With the Senate expected to follow suit next week, all Californians will be asked to bite back on four-letter words and a few choice compound phrases. WT (bleep)?, you ask. Don't sweat: Police officers won't be waiting with soap. That's not the point.

According to sponsors of the measure — inspired by a Southern California teen whose creation of a "no cussing" school club sparked an international movement — it's more about minding the delicate sensibilities of those around you. Like your grandmother. "When we're at our grandmother's house," said Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena, "we have respect and decorum."

Uh huh.  "Minding the delicate sensibilities of those around you."  Right.

I have no use whatsoever for meaningless, nonsense resolutions.  It's bad enough that our "representatives" are selling us out to enrich themselves and their crony friends.  But when they start bandying about this kind of nonsense, I just want to scream.

So, though I'm a week late, I want to drop this four-letter word on the CA Assembly: fail.

A Toyota attacks Frederick

It's happened again - this time right here in Fredtown.

A man said his 2010 Toyota Corolla accelerated out of control on U.S. 15 North just south of the West Patrick Street exit shortly after 4 p.m. Friday.

Taneytown resident Frank Santoro, 62, said he was in the middle lane in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The Toyota started accelerating as he pulled into the fast lane.

"The first second or two it wasn't bad, (but) then it took off," Santoro said. "I was going to hit the car in the front of me, so I veered into the left shoulder."

The speed shot up to around 60 mph and he couldn't slow down for about 15 seconds, he said.

"The whole time I had my foot on the brake," he said. "It didn't feel like the brake was doing anything."

Santoro said he passed cars in rush-hour traffic until the engine eventually returned to normal, and cruised to a safe stop.

I have a question for Toyota drivers. Have any of you dipwads ever heard of the concept of shifting the vehicle into neutral when the engine accelerates? Toyota needs to start a national advertising campaign that simply repeats these words over-and-over: Put the effing car in neutral!

Honestly, I think xfloggingkylex's Toyota drivers hypothesis is being proved as accurate more and more every day.

Das Überwachenden in the news

It's been a while since I had a good story about Das Überwachenden. They've been fairly quiet lately. Or perhaps it might be more accurate to say that they've been less visible. Das Überwachenden never sleep.

So what are our Big Brother wannabees up to now? As one of Il Duce's henchmen said some months ago, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." Toyota is having bigtime problems with their vehicles. Not quite a crisis, but good enough for Uncle.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief David Strickland told a congressional hearing on Thursday that the regulator is considering whether to make "black boxes" mandatory for all new vehicles.

The devices can capture data on speed, braking effort and other details which can be vital in reconstructing accidents.

They can capture speed? They can capture speed?!?!?!?!? Oh God no!

As the chagrined recipient of well over 30 speeding tickets in almost 37 years of driving, the LAST THING I want is Uncle Sam or Aunt Maryland keeping tabs on how fast I drive. They implement these black boxes and I might as well turn in my license.

Okay, all joking aside, I'm never surprised at the lengths government will go to in order to spy on its own people. Any flimsy excuse will do.

"Land of the free, home of the brave"? I think not.

Thin-skinned crybaby

The picture you see at the left is at the center of a huge "controversy". It seems that the man who HAD TO BE ELECTED as President in 2008 or it would be the end of the world has his panties in a bunch because of.......wait for it.......a picture of himself in blue-face.

A campaign attack ad that depicts Sen. John McCain as an "Avatar" has the Arizona Republican crying foul over what he sees as a slap to Native Americans. But his primary opponent, J.D. Hayworth, may well be wondering what planet he's on.

This much we know for sure: J.D. Hayworth thinks John McCain is not really, truly a conservative. He makes that clear in an online campaign ad that depicts the Arizona senator as "Nominee for Best Conservative Actor."

The ad [click the picture to see it full-size], clearly an Academy Awards sendoff, portrays McCain bursting out of a gold Hollywood star, with a statuette and an envelope ...

And blue warpaint splashed across his face.

That's the part that has riled McCain, who is accusing his Republican primary opponent of insulting Native Americans.

An insult to Native Americans? You thin-skinned loser! I haven't even seen the stupid movie and I got the reference! What's really got your panties in a wad is that you got called out for campaigning as a conservative but voting like a collectivist.

I warned y'all about this guy in 2008. I told you he wouldn't be a lick better than Il Duce if elected. I hate to say I told you so, but....

I TOLD YOU SO!

Law abuse

This is exactly the sort of story that makes it clear why people despise lawyers.

The 62-year-old Ogletree, you see, was headed to Las Vegas on December 30 when he stopped at a pizza place in the Houston airport. Upon departing the food court in Terminal C, Ogletree somehow forgot to take his "expensive black leather coat," an XL Polo model (with a fashionable plaid lining) worth $800. Not surprisingly, the coat subsequently disappeared. Now Ogletree is threatening to sue the City of Houston, Continental Airlines, and the food court's management company for failing to have "collected the coat, kept it in a secure place and held it for a reasonable time" until he was able to reunite with the garment. These prospective defendants, Ogletree reasoned, "breached their duty" in connection with how they "manage lost and found items for which they are responsible." In his January 18 litigation threat letter, a copy of which you'll find below, Ogletree, pictured at right, noted that "further legal action" could be avoided if he simply was paid $800 "for the cost of the coat."

To summarize:

• Lawyer enters airport


• All parties in the airport are immediately libel for any damage or loss involving his person and possessions

And to think! Once upon a time it was understood that personal responsibility requires one to be RESPONSIBLE for one's PERSON. By extension, one is also to be responsible for one's PERSONAL EFFECTS.

Mr. Ogletree, you're the recipient of the Wiener Award.

There is one lingering question, however. Could this possibly be the Caput a Palos, TxBluesMan himself?

Maryland, my Maryland

What is it about my adopted home state that it attracts so many.....odd.....people? Or is it just that they're of a collectivist mentality? After all, Maryland has two of the ten most liberal Senators according to the National Journal. I mean, it's not like we got that pair by accident -- they were elected by people who, apparently, like collectivist policies and the loss of personal freedoms they precipitate.

But this is a new low, even for the People's Republic of Maryland.

How far out of touch with reality are women legislators anyway? That’s exactly the question being asked by citizens (women and men) regarding a proposed bill in the Maryland General Assembly, that would restrict men’s rights to use dating sites to meet foreign women and will likely spur copycat legislation in other states.

Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, Vice President of the women’s caucus is leading 35 other delegates (all women) on a campaign for passage of HB 65, that would shockingly require Maryland men to submit their fingerprints and other background information before they can initiate communication with a foreign woman if they use an “International Marriage Broker”.

Yeah. It seems that the Cougar population isn't happy that men have options apart from their bitter, sagging asses. And, as is sadly the inborn inclination of women, they want to take away those options, by force of law if necessary.

Vox Day had a field day with this.

Frankly, I don't see why they're starting with what can't even reasonably be described as half-measures. This is pathetically insufficient! What is the point of only making it vaguely difficult for Maryland men to talk to foreign women? Obviously the law should forbid men to date or even talk to any woman without a license specifying what strata of women is permissible for them to have contact. These strata would be set on an annual basis by a panel of women and each community would have its own panel of judges who would interview every male individual over the age of 16 decide what license would be assigned to him. Licenses would require renewal every five years, they would be color coded, and the licensed man would be required to produce it upon the request of any adult woman. And no contact of any kind with foreign women will be permitted at any time; a first violation will result in a fine, the second in the loss of a man's license.*

The insane thing is that at least half the women who will read this will find themselves thinking, "you know, a system like that really would make society a much better place." But they're not fascists. No, not even a little bit. They're just strong, independent, beautiful, intelligent snowflakes who care too much about the planet to permit those bestial American men to oppress and abuse foreign women too.

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO embarrassed.

Of course, it could be worse. I could live in Kahleefornia and have to live down the moonbattery perpetuated by the legislature there...

Earthquake

Chile was hit with one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded this past weekend. The 8.8 monster killed at least 214 people and was felt as far away as the River Plate in Argentina.

I have some history with Chile. I lived there for a short time in the late 70's. I have very fond memories of the Chilean people. They are very warm-hearted and giving.

Just recently, thanks to the world-shrinking technology of the old WWW, I was contacted via Facebook by two old friends from Chile, whom I'll refer to as 'Carlos' and 'Pati' in the interest of maintaining their privacy. My prayers are with them.

I've never experienced an earthquake bigger than about 4.5 to 5.0 in spite of having lived in a couple of places reknown for their earthquakes (California and Chile). I can't imagine the horror of a three minute quake of that intensity.

Let's keep Chile in our prayers, gang.