I manned the Republican Party's booth at the Washington County fair for a few hours tonight. Oh boy, it was so nice and cool! Other summers it has always been so hot. Candidates are stopping by and talking to people. We put Mark Martin to work blowing up balloons. Working the booth is fun because you get to eat, drink, hang out and talk. 
Erval Frayley, Washington County Judge Candidate, has quite a crew working for him. They've put up a really nice booth and he has everyone working hard. 
I was reading through a section of today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette where I notice that there were several large ads regarding the energy issue. One ad was from a coalition of diverse businesses, one from the American Petroleum Institute. and one from a research group. The ads were placed toeducate consumers on America’s energy resources and the need to increase domestic supplies to help create jobs, grow the economy, and lower energy costs for American families. Thomas Pyle, president, issued the following statement:The pressure against the Democrats is still growing strong. The Republicans are going to make this a major issue come November. McCain has used the Russian invasion of Georgia to emphasize why American needs to have supply of oil that is not compromised by unfriendly countries.
"Liberal activists have treated American energy like a four-letter word for decades, even though it’s the key to our prosperity and our high standards of living in the United States," Pyle said. "These individuals and organizations would have American citizens believe that their country is running out of oil and natural gas, that what does remain cannot be produced safely, and that development would only have a negligible effect on price. These assertions are patently false."
By the time he was nominated, Clarence Thomas had worked in the Missouri Attorney General's office, served as an Assistant Secretary of Education, run the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and sat for a year on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the nation's second most prominent court. Since his "elevation" to the High Court in 1991, he has also shown himself to be a principled and scholarly jurist.
Obama isn't yet four years out of the Illinois state Senate, has never held a hearing of note of his U.S. Senate subcommittee, and had an unremarkable record as both a "community organizer" and law school lecturer.
Yet the San Francisco ballot measure completely ignores the prostitution of children. The measure simply states, "Law enforcement agencies shall not allocate any resources for the investigation and prosecution of prostitutes for prostitution." Astonishingly, there's no exemption that encourages police to enforce the law for minors."
His name is Tobias, or Toby. His name means "God is Good" and boy, has God been good to this boy. I picked him up several months ago when he ran in front of my truck on Wedington in the middle of the day. Lord, I don't know how he survived the run across 5 lanes of road. I stopped and braved the mosquito infested drainage ditch and pulled him from a bush. He was bleeding from several tears to his mouth, (fought something and lost) so I got blood on my shirt. I left him overnight at the vets because he need to have his lips repaired. The original thought was to foster him until he was healed and then get him adopted.
I was in trouble as soon as Casey saw Toby. Casey pretty much figured that he was Toby's mother and Toby absolutely adores Casey. Not content with wrapping Casey around his paws, Toby proceeded to charm the rest of the cats. At night he snuggles up to Bows. Bows has found her mothering instinct, too. I didn't realize it but the household of pets have become rather staid. Toby has certainly liven the place up. Anyway, I have come to rationalize Toby's continued presence in the house. Trixie is having a really difficult time getting up and down now. I rarely take her out of the house because she has difficulty walking. I'm expecting her to die anytime soon. I had thought to get another dog to keep Casey company, but since he has adopted Toby I'll just drop that idea. I didn't really want another dog, it's easier to travel with just one dog and less expensive to board. That's my rationalization and I'm sticking to it.A total of 22. 4 percent, or 477, 434, Arkansas adults smoked last year, down from 26. 3 percent in 2002, according to the Arkansas Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System.
State Rep. Gene Shelby, D-Hot Springs, said he’s considering legislation to increase Arkansas’ cigarette tax by about 50 cents per pack. Raising the tax could help pay for a trauma system to help coordinate emergency medical care statewide, said Shelby, an emergency room doctor.
Does the Fayetteville Arts Festival generate enough revenue to justify the city coughing up money to fund it? I've heard the question ask but the answer has always been "we don't know". The city has had to give up a lot of things in the last budget that I think are more important than the Arts Festival. If the Festival was generating enough revenue to cover the city's donation, I'd have no problem with giving it money.The arts festival's ideal budget is $54,000, said Daniel Keeley, the director of Fayetteville Downtown Partners. So far, the group has attracted about $14,000 in in-kind donations and another $10,000 in private contributions. Another $15,000 puts the festival at $39,000.
Two of these bridges will be installed near the intersection of Prospect and Frisco Streets (named Cleveland and Frisco Bridges) and the last bridge will be installed north of Van Asche Dr. in the CMN Business Park (named CMN Bridge). The bridges will be installed by Kinco Constructors with the Cleveland bridge being the first to be installed starting at 8:00 am. The CMN Bridge will then follow at around 10:00 am and the Frisco Bridge will be installed around (?). The public is invited to watch the bridge installation, but will be required to stay a safe distance from the work area.
I was able to go to McCain's fundraiser in Rogers. I'm told that this is probably the last time he comes to Arkansas. McCain started off discussing the energy problem. He chided Nancy Pelosi for not allowing a vote on drilling for oil. Americans are overwhelming in favor of drilling. He noted that while Democrats were on vacation, the Americans hit hardest by gas prices drove the furthest and drove the oldest cars. McCain said that we should pursue everything to make us energy independent. He said that for once we should copy the French who obtain 80% of their energy from nuclear power.
McCain promised that ,unlike Obama, he would not raise taxes nor would he allow government to make family health choices. He said families need to make their own health care choices. He also said that he was opposed the the Card Check bill that ,of course, Obama supports. He then turned to Iraq, declaring that we have succeeded and are winning. He said he intends to see soldiers returning from Iraq, come back in victory.
The biggest thing that struck me was the enthusiasm that McCain has for America's ability to solve it's problems. Not at all like Obama's "America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children."
The Trails Construction crew has started the section under the Fulbright Expressway. I stood in the entrance of the tunnel. Yikes, it is really dark in the tunnel! You can't see much more than 20 feet into the tunnel. I wonder what kind of lights they are going to put in? Man, it would be fun to ride a bike through this!
Arkansas is very nearly the last state Obama would waste time in. So to summarize with brutal candor: Obama's biggest political problem nationally is with white rural voters and that only so happens to be the very group that decides races in Arkansas.
A postscript: If Obama carries Arkansas, it'll mean there's one seriously massive national landslide for him. Which there could be.
I never knew the A-frame signs were forbidden. I occasionally see them around and really pay no attention to them. I haven't found one that said free lunch yet. I suppose they are a good idea for shops wanting to entice people in and really good for those shops that are tucked away in a shopping center. I suppose if the ordnance passes all the shops can put them out. Just imagine it, all those signs on sidewalks everywhere. Ummm, Oh Boy! Maybe it's not such a good idea after all. A couple of cute signs are a heck of a lot different then a sidewalk littered with them. Maybe we should leave well enough alone.
Nobody really thinks that, that, that Bush or McCain have a real answer for the challenges we face. So what they are going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know he--oh, he's not patriotic enough. He's got a funny name. You know, he doesn't look like all of those other presidents on those dollar bills.
The city of Fayetteville has shelled out $3.5 million dollars and all they've got to show for it is a mosquito farm. With the current credit crunch and the price of gas it's really hard to be optimistic about the Renaissance project ever being completed. John Nock and his partners has built some good projects around Fayetteville. It's just a shame that all of that is going to be overshadowed by the Renaissance. Of course, this attitude doesn't help either.But owners and developers John Nock and Richard Alexander maintain that when they have paid the last of the liquidated damages to the city, their obligation to the city is over. "In my opinion, we've complied with the contract, done everything we said we'd do, and we still intend to build the hotel," Alexander said.
Leaders from the civil rights, African American, evangelical, agriculture and consumer advocacy communities have launched a national campaign to publicly unmask more than 100 politicians and 50 environmental extremist groups that are waging an immoral "war on the poor" by pushing policies that limit America’s ability to produce more America energy and drive energy prices skyward.
Whew! I made the NWA Geocachers meeting in Rogers. I zoomed up from the Republican Convention in LR with time to spare. It was great to meet some of the local cachers. Heh! Even meet a couple that live fairly close to me. I learned a bit about a few geocaches that were a little tricky and saw a cute mini ammo box. I found some one else who had a TB on their vehicle. In other geocaching news, my Geo-cat coin made it out to California. What a ride!
This year I decided to let a lawn-care company take care of all the weeds, crab grass and bare spots in my lawn. The price they charged was what I have been spending in the past and I wasn't getting the job done. I am so glad that I purchased the lawn treatments. My lawn is weed free, nearly crab grass free and is starting to thicken up. Best of all, some one else is doing the work. So, Eli gets to enjoy a good roll on a nice thick lawn. Mmmm, there's nothing like laying on the lawn with all 4 paws in the air.Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor. Ronald Reagan
Maliki's public utterances do not provide a reliable guide as to when it will be safe to pull out U.S. troops. Better to listen to the military professionals
In May 2006, shortly after becoming prime minister, he claimed, "Our forces are capable of taking over the security in all Iraqi provinces within a year and a half." In October 2006, when violence was spinning out of control, Maliki declared that it would be "only a matter of months" before his security forces could "take over the security portfolio entirely and keep some multinational forces only in a supporting role." President Bush wisely ignored Maliki. Instead of withdrawing U.S. troops, he sent more. The prime minister wasn't happy. On Dec. 15, 2006, the Wall Street Journal reported, "Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has flatly told Gen. George Casey, the top American military commander in Iraq, that he doesn't want more U.S. personnel deployed to the country, according to U.S. military officials." When the surge went ahead anyway, Maliki gave it an endorsement described in news accounts as "lukewarm." In January 2007, with the surge just starting, Maliki predicted "that within three to six months our need for the American troops will dramatically go down." In April 2007, when most of Baghdad was still out of control, the prime minister said that Iraqi forces would assume control of security in every province by the end of the year.
The MSM is no longer hiding the fact that they are determined that Obama becomes President. This image was captured from the Chicago Sun-Times Web page today. Really, they need to change it to O-FARCE-One.!
Washington County Republican's officially opened their office in Springdale. I must say they did a really good job this time. The new office (2576 West Sunset, Skyler Center) is a whole lot nicer than the office they've had the past few years. Local and state officials, candidates and all their supporters gathered to enjoy some really great music and hot dogs with chips. It was a really good time to catch up with the candidates to see what they are doing and what they need.
Planning like the City Plan 2025 and the Downtown Master Plan; the airport funding itself; completion of Dickson Street renovation and the new senior center; improvements on College Avenue that "will knock your socks off"; a schedule for repaving streets; rebuilding intersections; three new fire stations that came in on time and under budget; forming the Fayetteville Economic Development Council; and improvements on the city's trail system were among accomplishments Coody listed.
He went on to say that a New York Times article explained that major projects - private and public - cost much more than anticipated all across the United States.
When it was revealed that it would come in over budget and behind schedule, Coody assumed the responsibility, although true legal accountability for the troubled project rested in the lap of the city’s entire sewer committee.
So the reasons he mentioned this time were familiar: The project’s original cost had been unrealistic, inflation had driven the cost much higher, as had unusually high price increases on everything from cement to steel and copper. Finally, the response to Hurricane Katrina had pushed construction costs up on other projects all over the country.
Governor Paterson, delivering a speech today at the NAACP's 99th annual convention at Cincinnati, suggested that the defeat of Senator Obama in the presidential election would be a victory for racism in America.
Like cutting the number of school districts in this relatively small state to a manageable number. Say, to 75—one for each county.
These men, dressed in the clownlike uniforms of the human powered two-wheeler, made obscene gestures and shouted at me, but they did move to the side of the road to allow my passage (a loud truck horn tends to get one's attention ).
27-49-111. Use of bicycles or animals. Every person riding a bicycle or an animal, or driving any animal drawing a vehicle upon a highway, shall have all the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except those provisions of this act which by their nature can have no applicability.
People want more parks. Parks with more baseball and soccer fields. Parks with playgrounds for the kids and walking trails for the adults. How about the dogs? We need a park for them too. What about the city's Alternative Transportation and Trails Master Plan which has 129 miles of future trails that will connect parks, neighborhoods and citizens for years to come. The Community Park in the Southpass Development is expected to have at least 20 baseball and soccer fields. The City Council has passed ordinances in order to establish parks and have even encouraged people to vote for the passage of the Trails Bond. I guess the one thing they have failed to do is plan for the care of the parks. The City Council praises our parks and trails and yet fails to hire people to take care of them. The Parks and Recreation Department is already easing up on the upkeep of the parks."But the surrounding areas, sometimes, we're mowing less and less just because we're trying to protect the active-use areas," Edmonston said. Another change has been reducing the mowing on the sides of the trails.
"As Fayetteville continues to grow in population, we need to make sure our city stays green," said the mayor, who added that the city's park system is "by far the number-one favorite"in the city survey. "Especially when we are trying to encourage more dense development and encourage more infill and walkability and livability, if we start cutting back on our greenspace, then over time we will cut back on the quality of life for our community," Coody said.
Saturday morning the Farmers Market featured a Dog Parade. The parade was organized by Walt Eilers, candidate for Fayetteville Mayor. The purpose of the parade was to get dog owners organized to get Fayetteville an appropriate dog park. Walt said that he want each quadrant in Fayetteville to have a dog park. I really doubt that is a possibility but Fayetteville does need a really nice dog park. The one at the Animal Shelter is too small and is mostly used by the shelter for their rescue dogs. 
I myself would like to see an off leash dog park. I went to the one in Lawrence, Kansas. It was very nice with open spaces, a forested area and steams. There have been efforts in the past to get a dog park, but every area suggested for a park was rejected by non dog owners. It sure would be nice if Fayetteville dog owners got organized this time and made the dog park a reality.
Saturday, Captain Casey Brown asked me how I felt about the traffic on Wedington now that it is widen. I told him it was easier to turn on to it and that the back-up by the Catfish Hole and Westwood Gardens was gone. He said that that open stretch on Wedington was causing some problems. It appears that people have decide that part of Wedington is a race course. Captain Brown said that the Police Dept was making extra patrols to catch the speeders. So, if you are driving down Wedington, slow down! The Police are watching!
Coal is cheap, but it has no friends. Anticoal activists brag that 59 coal-fired plants were canceled in 2007. Nearly 50 more in 29 states are being contested. Recall how the private equity buyers of Texas utility txu agreed last year to cancel eight power plants to defuse environmental opposition. It takes years to plan and at least six years to build a large power plant.
We're approaching a scenario where $4.00 a gallon is a cheap price for gas. And when liberals in Congress propose burdening our energy industry with increased taxes and wasteful mandates, they are ignoring the laws of supply and demand by kicking our economy when it's already down. The only way to lower the price of energy is to lower production barriers and inefficient mandates and thereby increase the number of energy suppliers....In short, these are much more palatable, serious, and productive solutions than the failed ideas currently on the table in Congress: higher taxes on energy companies, socializing energy production, and unsuccessfully begging Saudi Arabia to pump another half-million barrels of oil every day. We would be much better off increasing our own domestic production capacity, and we urge the federal government to take action on this front immediately.
I stopped by this evening to see the plans for Garland Avenue. I managed to talk with Lioneld Jordan for a few minutes on my views about the State's plan. I am not really happy about the continuous center line and the 10 foot multiuse path. Garland Avenue passes through mostly residential areas and a fair number of students live in this area. I see no need to put in a continuous lane. It would be better to leave that out and put in well place turning lanes. Garland should be more bike friendly and follow Fayetteville's Alternative Transportation Plan. The multiuse path on the west side, designed for both bikes and pedestrians, is not the safest way for bikes to travel. There should be dedicated bikes lanes on both sides. I think a better plan for Garland Avenue is sidewalks, dedicated bike lanes, turning lanes as needed and dump the continuous central lane.
Boy, we had some excitement very close to work today. We heard all the sirens blast through just after 9 AM. With so many going off we'd figure something serious was going on. I got my first look at lunchtime. At that time they had just a few state department vehicles blocking the Health Dept's entrances.
By the time I left work, they had blocked the whole street and it appears that they had a large number of people from hazardous materials present. I came back later tonight to take care of something at work and when I left at 7 PM the road was still closed down. The good news is that no one seems to be seriously hurt.
For most of my adult life I took an oath to a simple document, the US Constitution, to support and defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same. My allegiance is to America, its people, and their rights as put forth in that superb document. I shall not discard my principles and commitment to my God and Country, just because. I applaud Senator Obama for his accomplishment, however, there is no way I will vote for someone that is so contrary to my beliefs in lower taxes, limited government, individual rights and freedoms, individual responsibility and accountability, not collective prosperity sharing.
I grew up in inner city Atlanta Georgia, and my elementary school, Our Lady of Lourdes, is across the street from Ebenezer Baptist Church. Dr King's seminal ideal of "content of character vs color of skin" resonates with me. Regardless of the probable ensuing vitriolic name calling, my ideology and principles are not in concert with those of Senator Obama. I wish him well, but I dont wish him to be President of THESE United States of America".
Lieutenant Colonel Allen B West (US Army, Ret)
Republican Candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives
Florida District 22
The best time of the week is Saturday morning. You can sit back and relax with a cup of coffee and fight with the cat over control of the newspaper. Coody said the water that comes straight from the tap is just as good and not nearly as expensive.
Consumers are choosing bottled water because they think it's safer or purer than tap water, when in reality regulations on municipal water are more stringent, Coody said.
Coody's announcement comes during a national movement to reduce the consumption of bottled water.
Corn prices climbed further into record territory Thursday after more rain doused the Midwest, leaving flooded corn crops deeper underwater and threatening livestock owners who depend on the grain to feed their herds.
Lucas said if Hilton had a better relationship with the board, possibly "things could have moved along better."
"I've certainly watched a few meetings where he got in it with them," Cook concurred.
The Government Channel has made its own news lately as Mayor Dan Coody's public information and policy advisor, Susan Thomas, took on the role of enforcing Government Channel policies after she fired longtime city employee Marvin Hilton. Hilton had served as a proverbial punching bag for some members of the Telecommunication Board, and he took it. Thomas, who is no shrinking violet, required only a few weeks before she'd had enough and started pressing for clarity of authority and policy when it came to Government Channel policies and procedures and the role of the Telecom Board. It apparently got nasty enough that Thomas asked to be relieved of her role of interaction with the Telecom Board until clear lines of authority and policy were established.
One of the conditions of approval is that the applicant construct Salem Road as a collector street from Wedington Drive to Persimmon Street in the first phase of the development.
Editor, the Tribune: I voted for Barack Obama in the Missouri presidential primary. I now regret that vote after discovering that he is addicted to cigarettes. I believe this is a defining issue of character and judgment. I believe that smoking is indefensible in terms of health and family impact, and therefore anyone who smokes has exhibited very poor judgment. My opinion is that any person who is incapable of exerting enough self-discipline to quit smoking should be void from holding the most powerful position in our country. Self-discipline and good judgment are necessary for great leadership.
Yeah, I was out having fun this weekend. The Arkansas Geocachers Assoc held their annual meeting at Lake Catherine. It was my first time to meet these people you only know by their caching name. There was plenty of food, caching and prizes to be won. Yup, I picked up a couple of prizes!
There was also showing off your geocoins. "CacheMates" definitely has a nice collection. Unfortunately, I didn't stay for the hotdog and marshmallow roast. I missed out on a very special event. The "Wake" for "Uncle Elwin" and the scattering of some of his ashes was a new experience but now he can call Arkansas home. You had to have been there.
Matt Mihalevich,Trails Coordinator sent out this announcement. This Thursday, June 5th, Kinco Contractors will install 3 of the 6 trail bridges for Scull Creek Trail. Should be an exciting day if anyone wants to stop by. I have attached a map of the bridge locations. They will begin at 7:00 a.m. and they expect to install a bridge every 2 hours.
Allowing forums, roundtable discussions, talk shows etc., on the Government channel rather than on the Public Access Channel would eventually mean that the primary purpose of the Government Channel to show the citizens their government at work could be drowned out by special interest groups debating or discussing their views while taxpayer paid city employees had to plan, film, produce and cablecast the show
However, he went on to say that in recent years the Government Channel has "wandered"into Public Access Channel domain by producing and cablecasting public interest forums. Williams argued that trying to limit the content of forums to "governmentapproved subjects"is difficult and may not be constitutional under the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution.
The term for it is power grab.
The bigger concern is that the administration’s latest intrusions open the door to further meddling in programming on the Government Channel. Some future administration might be inclined to tamper with the policies even more. The programming could become just what it was designed not to be: a tool to put the current administration in the most favorable light.
So, in essence, I was publicly Slimed by a member of city staff.
Which is fine, as far as it goes. I’m a big boy. But there is a larger issue at stake here, and that is one of fairness, and equal treatment before the city.
I didn’t mention the fact that the person who chose to Slime me before the city council was highly-paid for no particular reason, but to make a point. In the grand balance, is the word of a staffer to be taken over the word of a citizen-volunteer - who makes zilch - automatically by the city council, without even hearing from the individual involved?
