River of pig blood near Dallas?



Aerial photo taken by Dallas County health department showing alleged pig blood flowing into creek.

Ick. I'm not an environmentalist wacko, but this is disgusting, not to mention criminal.

A Texas environmental group on Wednesday expressed public health concerns over reports of a "river of blood" flowing from behind a well-known meat-packing plant in Dallas.

 Fox affiliate KDFW-TV reported last week that a criminal investigation is under way at Columbia Packing Co., Inc., after photographs surfaced showing what appeared to be pig blood flowing in nearby Cedar Creek, which feeds directly into the Trinity River.  

Investigators from state and federal agencies determined that an unauthorized, underground pipe was draining pig blood into the creek from the back of the slaughterhouse, according to a search warrant obtained by the station.  

"It goes to show the length some companies will go to violate environmental laws," Zach Trahan, program director for the non-profit Texas Campaign for the Environment, told FoxNews.com.  

"Building an underground pipe to take their industrial waste into a creek behind the plant is clearly against our clean water laws in this state and in this country," said Trahan, who blasted what he called an old "go-dump-it-out-back" attitude "still going on in this day and age in the heart of Dallas."  

Trahan described the 710-mile Trinity River, which flows entirely within Texas, as having a storied history of pollution. "This isn't a good sign of our efforts to change that," he said.  

A member of the public taking pictures of the creek two months ago noticed a blood-like substance flowing in the water near the plant, according to KDFW-TV. The individual then reportedly notified the Dallas County Health Department, which took its own pictures revealing a dark red color in the water just downstream from the plant.  

"When you look at these pictures, there's definitely something wrong with the discoloration," Zachary Thompson, with the Dallas County Health and Human Services, said of the aerial images in an interview with the station.  

Thompson said he alerted state and federal agencies who then executed a search warrant on the plant last week. The warrant reportedly confirmed the existence of an underground pipe and pig blood in the creek.  

"Why is that pipe there? Did it bypass the system?" asked Thompson.  

He added that the city is looking to develop Trinity River for recreational purposes, like fishing and canoeing.  

On its website, the 90-year-old Columbia Packing company boasts about its "top quality pork" and "tender fully-cooked smoked Beef Brisket."  

"We believe that business goes where it is invited and stays where it is well treated," reads a statement at the top of the company's site.  

A representative from the company was not immediately available for comment when contacted Wednesday by FoxNews.com. The plant is reportedly still open while an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department continues.

Source: FoxNews.com

Man with gun arrested near Bush home

If you don't live in the Dallas area, you might not have heard about what happened yesterday.

The Secret Service took a man into custody Tuesday afternoon who had a gun in his vehicle next to the home of former President George W. Bush. He said he was attempting to deliver a "spiritual message" to the former president.  

Dallas police sources told News 8 that police were called to the 10000 block of Daria Place by the request of the Secret Service. They detained a man who was believed to be armed with a gun.  

The Bushes are currently out of town.  

The man made it through a gate at the end of the block on Meaders Lane by closely following another vehicle. The Secret Service monitors the gate 24 hours a day with cameras and microphones.  

The man told the Secret Service he got a "spiritual message" to come there to deliver that message to the former president. They searched the man's car and found a weapon in the glove compartment of the vehicle.  

The man does have a concealed handgun license in the State of Texas, according to Dallas police.  

At this time, the Dallas Police Department says it has no reason to hold the man. However, the Secret Service continued to question the man for more information. They do not believe the man was a threat to the former president.  

There have been several incidents in the past of people trying to make it through the gates to get a message to or see former President Bush.

Video: Obama's regurgitated rhetoric in the State of the Union addresses

Wow. The Obama administration would benefit from a complete personnel turnover, but start with the speechwriter:

 

Over 1000 days and Obama still blames Bush

The drone of Obama's Blame Bush mantra was on full audible display last night at the president's State of the Union address. If you didn't watch it, I will sum it up for you: Blame Bush, blame Bush, blame the Republican-led House, blame Bush.

But Obama has now had over 1000 days to fix what he claims is Bush's fault, and things have only gotten worse. On top of that, the Democrat-controlled Senate has failed to pass a single budget in 1000 days.

The left is devoid of leadership.

In comparison, The Heritage Foundation has put together a video montage of examples of historic feats accomplished in less than 1000 days.

Nancy Pelosi says a Gingrich presidency "will never happen"

The arrogance of this woman is nauseating.

John King, CNN: "You make your case there passionately for President Obama. But also understand that this is a tough reelection climate for any president, Democrat or Republican in this economy. Because of your history with Speaker Gingrich, what goes through your mind when you think of the possibility, which is more real today than it was a week or a month ago, that he would be the Republican nominee and that you could come back here next January or next February with a President Gingrich?"

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: "Let me just say this. That will never happen."

King: "Why?"

Pelosi: "He's not going to be President of the United States. That's not going to happen. Let me just make my prediction and stand by it, it isn't going to happen."

King: "Why are you so sure?"

Pelosi: "There is something I know. The Republicans, if they choose to nominate him that's their prerogative. I don't even think that's going to happen."

So, a single comment from her would prevent a Gingrich presidency? Nancy Pelosi epitomizes the height of conceit.


Via: Real Clear Politics

Perdone mis vacaciones de noticias

That's pardon my news vacation, for my non-Spanish speaking friends.

No, I haven't been traveling, and I haven't been sick. I've been in a news funk. You know, when you turn on the television or fire up the laptop and the headlines and stories all begin to look and sound alike.

Since the holidays, I've been swamped with kids' sports schedules and my work - yes, work. After a two-year hiatus, I will begin construction on another office building next month. Hooray.

These past couple weeks, life has been a flurry of basketball, volleyball, homework, floorplans and construction cost estimates. So, when given the chance to sit for a few minutes, I opted out of perusing the latest headlines, and instead, retreated into the world of 19th Century Texas in Elmer Kelton's The Buckskin Line. What a treat. It's the third time I've read it. I think I'll read Badger Boy again next.

The Western is a fading genre, and I don't understand why. Many of my favorite books are Westerns: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, Flint by Louis L'Amour, and Hombre by Elmore Leonard. Then there are the Western nonfiction books I love: Three Years Among the Comanches by Nelson Lee, Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough, and Lone Star Nation by H.W. Brands. There are many more.

I promise to emerge from 19th Century Texas soon, as soon as the headlines stop sounding alike.

Vaya con Dios.

GOP candidates court Tim Tebow, who for now, is staying on the sidelines

I'm a Houston Texans fan, but whenever Denver plays, I'm a Broncos fan, too. (Having super-Aggie Von Miller on the roster doesn't hurt, either.)

But, back to Tebow:

He kneels in prayer at times when many players would be pounding their chest, and is winning with a style the experts insist cannot work for long. 

Tim Tebow‘s formula for success and fame is not typical for the NFL. So, is it a football miracle? Or the perfect blend of luck, timing and big plays? That’s the debate that makes the tale of the Denver Broncos quarterback one of the most compelling stories in America these days. 

Hardly anyone stands on neutral ground when it comes to the purveyor of this unorthodox mix of throwing mechanics, big-time sports and devout religion, a 24-year-old Christian who is the subject of comedy skits on Saturday nights and serious sermons on Sunday mornings. 

But what most people will agree on is that it’s hard to take your eyes off Tebow these days – a man who unapologetically uses football to take his message beyond the field while also taking his team on an unexpected ride through the playoffs. 

“I’m just very thankful for the platform that God has given me, and the opportunity to be a quarterback for the Denver Broncos – what a great organization,” Tebow said after his latest shocker – an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime Sunday to beat Pittsburgh 29-23 in the wild-card playoffs. 

The play, according to Twitter, spawned a record 9,420 tweets per second. 

Not lost in that flurry was that Tebow threw for 316 yards and set an NFL playoff record by averaging 31.6 yards. That’s “316,” as in John 3:16, one of the most-often cited Bible passages for Christians, the most widely searched item on Google for much of Sunday night into Monday, and the message Tebow used to stencil into the eyeblack he wore when he played college ball at Florida. [...] 

In a sports season filled with unsavory stories – NFL and NBA labor wars, child sex abuse scandals at Penn State and Syracuse, and a baseball MVP accused of using steroids – Tebow is seen by many as a sports star who really could be a role model, contrary to what Charles Barkley or anyone else might say.[...] 

Sensing the excitement and loving his message, Tebow is also being courted by Republican presidential candidates. The quarterback recently told The Associated Press he’s been asked by more than one of the contenders for his support. He wouldn’t name names, but did say he’d declined the offer. 

“I think you have to have so much trust in who you support, just from product endorsements to endorsing a candidate because if that person or company does something (bad), it reflects on you,” said Tebow, who’s a pitchman for Nike, Jockey and FRS energy drink.

Tim Tebow is a role model. And in our turbulent and immoral world, this mother of three children is more than a little grateful to have Tim Tebow to point to and say, "There's a professional athlete you can model your life after. Be like that guy."

Thank you, Tim Tebow.


Read the entire article here at CBS Denver.

Navy SEAL sniper is "Deadliest in U.S. History" - and from Texas

Chris Kyle lying in wait on an overturned baby crib.  Source: New York Post  

I've wondered, do snipers possess a degree of courage that the rest of us are unable to comprehend, or are they devoid of fear in the first place?

Whatever the answer, stories of snipers have always fascinated me. Stories of men who disappear for days and weeks at a time, with little or no support or communication, lying in wait, watching, and at just the right moment - firing.

You may have read the harrowing accounts of legendary Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock's tours in Vietnam.  Marine Sniper and Silent Warrior are both great reads.

Now, here's the story of a contemporary sniper hero, Chris Kyle, from Texas.

Secluded on the top floor of a bombed-out four-story apartment building north of war-scarred Fallujah, Iraq, Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle is just getting comfortable. 

It’s November 2004. Thanksgiving time. The second battle of Fallujah has launched, and Kyle is swaddled in silence atop an upturned baby crib, studying the enemy through a Nightforce 4.5-22 power scope attached to a .300 Win Mag rifle. 

He’s feeling badass. 

“We just got word that the president of Iraq said that anyone left in the city is bad — meaning, clear to shoot,” he recalled for The Post. “From that point on, every fighting-age male was a target.” 

That was just fine with Kyle, who spent five weeks in the hideout, protecting Marines on the ground and bagging seven confirmed kills — adding to his official total of 160, making him the deadliest sniper in US history. 

“After the first kill, the others come easy. I don’t have to psych myself up, or do anything mentally — I look through the scope, get the target in the cross hairs and kill my enemy before he kills one of my people,” Kyle writes in his new autobiography, “American Sniper.” 

During his 10-year career as a member of SEAL Team 3, Kyle, 37, saw action in every major battle during Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

He became known among his fellow SEALS as “The Legend.” 

The enemy was less complimentary. 

In Ramadi, insurgents put an $80,000 bounty on his head and branded him “Al-Shaitan Ramadi” — “The Devil of Ramadi.” “That made me feel like I was actually doing my job and having an effect on the war,” he said. 

In north-central Texas, Kyle grew up dipping tobacco, riding horses and hunting deer, turkey and quail — a cowboy at heart. 

He got his first gun at 8 years old — a bolt-action 30-06 rifle. 

The son of a Sunday-school teacher and a church deacon, Kyle credits a higher authority for his longest kill. 

From 2,100 yards away from a village just outside of Sadr City in 2008, he spied a man aiming a rocket launcher at an Army convoy and squeezed off one shot from his .338 Lapua Magnum rifle. 

Dead. From more than a mile away. 

“God blew that bullet and hit him,” he said. [...] 

The married father of two is now president of Craft International, an outfit that provides sniper and security training for the US military. 

He teaches what’s required to take that perfect shot: Study the terrain, correct for elevation and wind, prepare for the vibration after the shot, and keep in mind the Coriolis effect, the effect of the rotation of the Earth on a bullet’s trajectory. 

“You need skill to be a sniper, but you also need opportunity. And luck,” he said. 

He retired a chief petty officer, and along the way, collected an armload of hardware, including two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars with valor. 

“That’s just candy,” Kyle said. “That’s not why we were there.” 

To steal the line from a bumper-sticker my brother once sported on the back of his truck: "God bless our troops, especially the snipers."

Be sure and check out Kyle's autobiography, American Sniper, below. I'm sure it is a fascinating read.


         

Santorum surges, Gingrich fades

Could Rick Santorum be the next Bachmann...er, Perry...make that Cain...I mean Gingrich?

Rick Santorum is the latest Republican candidate for president to gain momentum, as two other contenders, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, are either solidifying support or losing it rapidly. 

Just five days before Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, former Pennsylvania senator Santorum is surging in the polls behind the support of caucus participants who identify themselves as born-again Christians or evangelical, according to a new CNN/Time/ORC poll. 

Former Massachusetts governor Romney — who has spent relatively little time in Iowa — now stands in first place in the state with 25%, according to the poll. He also holds a big lead in New Hampshire, where voters will hold its primary Jan. 10. 

In Iowa, Romney is followed by Rep. Ron Paul at 22%, and Santorum at 16%, which is three times more support than last month. Former House speaker Gingrich, who was polling at 33% in Iowa last month, is fading fast and was down to 14%, according to the poll.

This GOP race is still a very fluid one. I'm excited that Santorum is gaining ground. Is it the beginning of a propitiously-timed peaking, or too little too late? We'll have to wait and see.


H/T: a conservative patriot

Back to reality

It's a funny thing to come home from a long vacation and re-assimilate into the world of mass communication and current affairs. How wonderful to spend a week without perusing the latest headlines of GOP candidate gaffes, Middle East bombings, and European countries teetering on the edge of financial abyss.

But alas, we must return from vacations sooner or later.

After a fabulous week of skiing on a 31-inch snow base in New Mexico, in 30-something degree sunny weather (skiing heaven), I flipped on my laptop this morning and here is a sample of my Welcome Back to Reality headlines:

Suburban Chicago teenager killed while visiting family in Mexico

Perry suing to get on Virginia ballot

Iran reportedly threatens to cut off oil flow

US, Israel discuss triggers for bombing Iran

Montana man denied painkillers at hospital shoots himself

Pennsylvania farms used fertilizer made of human feces  Ick.

I'm going to shut off my laptop now, turn my air conditioning down real low, close my eyes, and meditate on the following image. Do you think it will work?

Actually, the photo is not from my vacation. It's one I found on the internet that encapsulated the general feel I had intended for my vacation.

Here's a photo from my vacation: 

There is a 9-year-old human in there somewhere, one hell-bent on skiing straight downhill as fast as he could the entire time, Mom in tow. Praise God he made it home without injuring himself or a skier of lesser enthusiasm.

Not quite serene and ethereal, but a lot of fun. We all had a wonderful time and are glad to be back in Houston injury-free.

Happy New Year!