Bachelorhood Dreaming

Got the Mrs., home from the hospital today so no more "Bachelorhood" for me.
Now, it is 'nursemaid' for the next two weeks.
Glad the farm can run itself with all the help I've hired over the last year.
And of course her dog is totally ignoring the fact I exist, now that she is home.

It ought to be interesting to say the least ...

Former tough-guy actor sets sights on US Senate

Sonny Landham carved out a tough-guy reputation in a series of big-screen roles, from roughing up Sylvester Stallone to getting tossed out a window by Carl Weathers. He pulls no punches in his newest role: Libertarian challenger to a man known for political toughness, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Now 67 and living in northeastern Kentucky, the man who played Billy Bear in "48 Hours" and was killed by an alien in "Predator" admits his action-movie days are behind him. "I think I'm having wild action when I take two aspirin with my hot chocolate at night," he quipped.

The actor known for his powerful physique, booming voice and his American Indian heritage says he's serious about his longshot bid, because too many politicians are indifferent to voters' problems.

"I am running to win," Landham said at a news conference Wednesday at the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort.

He promised to keep his campaign simple and direct: "It's about the economy, which nobody in this whole election year is truly speaking about."

Landham refers to McConnell, a four-term Republican, as "Boss Hogg" after the corrupt politician from "The Dukes of Hazzard" TV show. He bluntly called Democratic candidate and millionaire businessman Bruce Lunsford an "elitist."

Even President Bush is a target: "He took us into a war on lies," Landham said in an earlier interview, claiming the actual intent was "to put 'Big Oil' back into Iraq."

To qualify for the November ballot, Landham must collect at least 5,000 valid petition signatures by Aug. 12. State Libertarian Party Chairman Ken Moellman said the petition drive began recently and he believes Landham will make it.

But the bid includes some campaign baggage that seems scripted for Hollywood, instead of socially conservative Kentucky. Early in his acting career in the 1970s, Landham bared it all in adult films.

Asked whether that could hurt him politically, Landham replied, "What can I do? That was a part of my life you cannot call back."

But he does express regrets.

"If I was going to do it now - knowing that I'm going to have four children, knowing that I was going to run for office - no, I wouldn't make that choice," he told The Associated Press in an interview. "But at the time I made the choice of getting a paycheck, staying alive for your big break."

Landham also served more than 2 1/2 years in federal prison after being convicted of making threatening and obscene phone calls to his ex-wife. The conviction was thrown out by a federal appeals court that found he committed no crime.

Libertarians, with their "live and let live" philosophy, look past his history.

"We look at the character of the man today, not what he did 30 years ago," Moellman said, noting the actor "asked his Maker for forgiveness, and that's all you can ask a man to do."

He said Landham lives "a better lifestyle" today, residing in Ashland with his fifth wife and three of his children.

Landham's family joined him for his campaign launch Wednesday, including an infant son he toted from the parking lot to the Kentucky Capitol in a car seat.

The cast of 1987's "Predator" featured two future state governors: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura. But the prospects of winning office seem far more remote for Landham.

Political scientist Michael Baranowski, of Northern Kentucky University, predicted minimal impact on the Senate race, though Landham could take some votes from McConnell.

"I'm not sure which is more of a hurdle for Landham, being a former porn actor or being a Libertarian Party candidate," he said. "But if the race between McConnell and Lunsford is tight enough, the votes Landham pulls from McConnell might be critical."

McConnell campaign adviser Scott Jennings said Landham won't push the Republican incumbent off his message of how he has "delivered for the commonwealth time and again."

This isn't the first dabbling in politics for Landham, who struggled to get odd jobs after being released from prison. Now he still dabbles in acting, but Social Security checks and an acting pension are his main income.

He flirted with running for governor as a Republican in 2003, left the GOP and promised an independent run. He ultimately stayed out and backed Republican Ernie Fletcher, who won.

Landham is as blunt on issues as he is skewering rivals. He equates abortion with murder. He supports scrapping the North American Free Trade Agreement. As for political correctness, he said, "PC is BS. Say what you mean, mean what you say."

Moellman said such unscripted frankness will grab voter attention.

"Sonny is very upfront," he said. "You ask Sonny a question, he'll tell you the answer. He isn't going to pull any punches, which is why I know this race is going to be a lot of fun."

Daily Funny

Who says men don't remember anniversaries!

A wife awakened one night to find her husband missing from the bed Throwing on her robe she went downstairs looking for him.

Seeing him alone, in the dark, sitting at the kitchen table she flipped on the light to see he was staring at the wall with a tear running down his eye.

She went to him, touched his shoulder tenderly and asked, "Honey, what's wrong?"

He replied, "Do you remember that night, exactly twenty-years ago, you were sixteen, and we were in the back seat of my car, and..."

Reaching out she grasped his hand with her heart fluttering that he remembered the exact date she interrupted, "Oh yes, my love, I remem..."

Without pause, he continued, "And your dad came out and caught us, and shoved a shotgun in my face and said I'd have to marry you or he'd have me put in jail."

With tears running down her face and all choked up she looked at him silently with utter love and devotion.

He said, "I'd be getting out today!"

They're Back!

Beaver dam built in England after long absence

Beavers are back, doing what they do best.

The native beaver population in England was hunted into extinction in the 13th century, but a pair of 2-year-old beavers brought over from Germany have in the last 10 days built a dam in southwest England. It is believed to be the first time in centuries that has happened.

Conservationist John-Michael Kennaway, from the Escot Estate in Devon, said the construction of the dam is a welcome milestone in the plan to reintroduce beavers to England.

He said the dam is now about seven feet wide and three feet deep, made of dead wood, branches, mud and stones.

Beavers have been reintroduced over the past few years to Britain, but the other 15 pairs live on lakes where they do not build dams.

The two beavers live in a 2-acre enclosure that includes ponds, where the beavers have built their lodges, and part of a stream, where they are building their dam. Because it is illegal to release them into the wild in Britain, the beavers must be kept in the enclosure, Kennaway said.

"The hope is to have British stock born in Devon that could then be relocated if that was appropriate," he said.

Kennaway is confident the beavers are already doing their part to make this happen. He's seen the two beavers carrying what he called "maternity materials," softer rushes than would normally be used for construction. A maternity lodge has been built to accompany the larger family lodge and sparse "bachelor lodge" that already existed.

"We're fairly hopeful they actually have young in the lodge," Kennaway said, explaining they will know for sure if young beavers, or kits, emerge from the underwater lodge entrance later this summer, possibly in mid-July.

The two beavers were brought over from Bavaria. They were caught in the wild as part of ongoing maintenance of the beaver population in Germany, Kennaway said.

*****

Just a little fluff piece that if you think about it really isn't fluff at all but actually a stern commentary on the world condition and what we humans have done to it. Then again on the lighter side ... a beaver dam makes a wonderful 'swimmin' hole'!

Child rapists can't be executed, Supreme Court rules

Not that I ever going to 'side' with the stacked court we suffer under today - with this decision I say ... Why Not!?

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday that child rapists cannot be executed, concluding that capital punishment can be applied only against murderers.

The ruling stemmed from the case of Patrick Kennedy, who appealed the 2003 death sentence he received in Louisiana after being convicted of raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion that execution in this case would violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, citing "evolving standards of decency" in the United States.

Such standards, the justice wrote, forbid capital punishment for any crime other than those that take a life.

"We conclude that, in determining whether the death penalty is excessive, there is a distinction between intentional first-degree murder on the one hand and nonhomicide crimes against individual persons, even including child rape, on the other," wrote Kennedy, who is not related to the convicted rapist.

Patrick Kennedy, 43, would have been the U.S.'s first convicted rapist since 1964 to be executed in a case in which the victim was not killed.

Kennedy was convicted of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter in her bed. The attack caused severe emotional trauma, internal injuries and bleeding to the child, requiring extensive surgery, Louisiana prosecutors said.

In the majority opinion, Anthony Kennedy acknowledged "the victim's fright, the sense of betrayal, and the nature of her injuries caused more prolonged physical and mental suffering than, say, a sudden killing by an unseen assassin."

But the justice -- supported by Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer -- wrote that when determining what punishment the Eighth Amendment prohibits, "evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society" must be taken into account.

After a review of the "history of the death penalty for this and other nonhomicide crimes, current state statutes and new enactments ... we conclude there is a national consensus against capital punishment for the crime of child rape," Anthony Kennedy wrote.

Attorneys at the Capital Appeals Project who represent Patrick Kennedy issued a statement applauding the ruling.

"We can only hope that the money that Louisiana has been spending drafting and defending this anomalous and unconstitutional statute will be reallocated to efforts at treatment for victims of sexual abuse and for measures that actually reduce the risk of such abuse in our communities," attorney Ben Cohen said in the statement.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote the dissent, saying, "the harm that is caused to the victims and to society at large by the worst child rapist is grave." He was supported by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

Alito also wrote that the majority ruled against the death penalty "no matter how young the child, no matter how many times the child is raped, no matter how many children the perpetrator rapes, no matter how sadistic the crime, no matter how much physical or psychological trauma is inflicted and no matter how heinous the perpetrator's criminal record may be."

Wednesday's ruling will affect six states that allow the death penalty for rape, including Louisiana, where Patrick Kennedy was recently joined on death row by another convicted child rapist, Richard Davis.

Because of the ruling, the sentences of Davis and Kennedy will automatically be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Capital Appeals Project said.

"Mr. Kennedy, who has consistently maintained his innocence, plans to continue to pursue his appeals in state and federal court," the appeals project said.

Florida, Montana, Oklahoma and South Carolina have death-penalty laws for rape but have not applied them in decades. Texas enacted a version a year ago, but no defendant has been designated death-eligible for child rape in any state but Louisiana.

U.S. Supreme Court rulings in 1976 and 1977 barred capital punishment for rape and, by implication, any other crime except murder. But in 1995, Louisiana passed a law allowing execution for the sexual violation of a child under 12. State lawmakers argued that the earlier high court cases pertained only to "adult women."

Supporters of Louisiana's law say that besides murder, no crime is more deserving of the death penalty than child rape and that the punishment would be used only in the most heinous of circumstances.

"A lot of people think there should not be a death penalty because the child survives," sex crimes prosecutor Kat Bartholomew said. "In my opinion, the rape of a child is more heinous and more hideous than a homicide."

She said a sexual assault on a child "takes away their innocence. It takes away their childhood. It mutilates their spirit. It kills their soul."

Death penalty opponents contend, among other things, that it could give attackers a reason to murder their victims. In Wednesday's ruling, Anthony Kennedy agreed, writing, "A state that punishes child rape by death may remove a strong incentive for the rapist not to kill the victim."

After the ruling, Lynn, a cousin of the victim's, said, "Just knowing the kind of man [Patrick Kennedy] is, we'll never be comfortable."

The high court has in recent years banned execution for the mentally retarded, underage killers and those deemed to have had an inadequate defense at trial.

Other state and federal crimes theoretically eligible for execution include treason, aggravated kidnapping, drug trafficking, aircraft hijacking and espionage. None of these crimes has been prosecuted as a capital offense in decades, if ever.

*****

Nothing is more heinous than a crime against a child ... any crime, let alone rape ... I see no problem with the cessation of the perpetrator's life in such cases as the one lain out in the piece above.

Faster than a fart dissipates in a wind storm.

The Haters are deniers about everything pure and simple.

Their ranting that Global Warming doesn't even exist and human haven't had any impact on it are disjointed to say the least.

They are wrong on both counts: Global warming is a fact and is occurring. Humans have had an impact on it.

This is not a "Liberal Agenda", this is a hard fact and since when is a clean environment to live in a bad thing?!

Luckily for the world the haters are losing what little influence they have left faster than a fart dissipates in a wind storm.

And I Quote

"... I have a very low tolerance for idiotic bullshit!"

~ George Carlin

You and me both, George, you and me both - except I think mine is actually lower.

Queen Elizabeth confers knighthood on Salman Rushdie

Author Salman Rushdie slipped into Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to receive a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II that had angered many parts of the Muslim world when the honor was announced last year.

In a break with normal procedure, the palace did not announce ahead of time that Rushdie would be honored Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the queen, who asked not to be identified because of the monarch's policy, said Rushdie was not listed among those to be honored because he was a late addition to the investiture. She refused to comment on whether his name had been withheld because of security concerns.

Security has been a major concern for Rushdie since 1989, when Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini pronounced a death sentence on the author, accusing him of blasphemy against the Muslim world in his novel "The Satanic Verses." The edict forced Rushdie to live underground with constant protection for many years until it was finally withdrawn in 1998.

Rushdie, dressed in a formal morning suit and obviously pleased with the honor, told reporters after the ceremony that he was not sorry about writing "The Satanic Verses."

"I really have no regrets about any of my work," he said when asked about his most inflammatory novel.

"This is, as I say, an honor not for any specific book but for a very long career in writing, and I'm happy to see that recognized."

Rushdie, 61, published his first novel, "Grimus," in 1975, but it drew little attention and few readers.

Success came with his next book, "Midnight's Children," which won the prestigious Booker Prize in 1981.

"The Satanic Verses," published in 1988, created a firestorm of controversy, first in Britain and then in Iran, where Khomeini, who had recently come to power after the overthrow of the Shah, pronounced his death sentence on the writer.

The Indian-British writer was forced to accept round-the-clock protection from British special agents and to stay completely out of the public eye. He moved many times and constantly changed his routine in an attempt to throw pursuers off the track.

The Iranian government withdrew the death sentence in 1998, and Rushdie has gradually returned to public life. Recently he has divided his time between New York and London.

"It's been a long time. My first novel was published 33 years ago, but I think the thing you hope to do as a writer is leave behind a shelf of interesting books, and it's great just to have that work recognized," Rushdie said outside the palace as he posed for photos with his medal. "At this stage, you know, it's certainly not a day to talk about controversy. It's a day for myself and my family to celebrate this."

Pressed about which of his books was his favorite, Rushdie said he could not pick one over the others.

"It's difficult to choose between your books," he said. "You wouldn't choose between your children would you?"

Normally cool and composed, Rushdie said he was nervous before the ceremony and appreciated the help with etiquette and protocol provided by palace staff before the ceremony.

"We all get coached in the green room beforehand, and I was very grateful for the coaching because, even though it's a relatively simple set of procedures, it's really easy under the nervousness of the moment to mess them up and I almost did," Rushdie said.

Veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen, best known for his role as Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, also was honored by the queen. McKellen, a longtime gay rights activist who was knighted in 1990, was made a Companion of Honor at the investiture for services to drama and equality.

And you thought they actually worked?!

Have you ever wondered why nothing gets done in Congress?!
This video clip explains it quite nicely:
And you know it's a republican without looking at the bottom of the screen. It's that obvious.

Captain Beefheart - Diddy Wah Diddy

Question of the Day

If as they say ... 'the cream rises to the top'... why is it that the curds and the whey are floating there?

North Carolina police are investigating another pregnant soldier's death

Authorities are investigating the death of a soldier who was seven months pregnant after her body was found at a Fayetteville, N.C., motel.

Spc. Megan Lynn Touma was identified Tuesday, two days after her body was found. The 23-year-old dental specialist with the 19th Replacement Company was from Cold Spring, Ky.

The Fayetteville Police Department called the death suspicious in a release but didn't say why or immediately return a phone message. The release said the cause of death isn't known.

She had arrived at Fort Bragg from a base Germany less than two weeks ago.

Touma is the second pregnant service member to die in North Carolina this year. A fellow Marine has been charged in the death of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach and is awaiting extradition from Mexico.

*****

I know we called Fayetteville, Fayette-Nam back in my day (and with good reason) but this trend of dead pregnant soldiers is a little creepy even for an old war horse like me.

Aww, just when it was going good ...

Judge issues gag order in Texas swingers club case

or if you prefer

Judge issues gag order in Texas swingers club case

A judge has issued a gag order leading up to the next trial involving an East Texas swingers club that allegedly forced children into sex shows.

State District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. in Tyler issued the ruling Tuesday after lawyers for defendant Patrick Kelly subpoenaed two local reporters who have covered the case.

Attorney Thad Davidson has said he plans to ask a Tyler Morning Telegraph reporter and a KLTV reporter about alleged personal relationships with the lead prosecutor in the case. Davidson wants the trial moved outside of Smith County.

The paper will seek to quash the subpoena at a hearing Friday.

Kelly faces life in prison on charges that he helped run the swinger's club, where children as young as 5 allegedly performed sex acts.

In addendum:

An East Texas newspaper acknowledged Tuesday that a reporter covering a trial of a child sex club dated the prosecutor until five months ago, an allegation the defense team is using to seek a change of venue.

A reporter from television station KLTV is also accused of having a personal relationship with Smith County Assistant District Attorney Joe Murphy. But the station's news director called the allegation "pure slander."

State District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. issued a gag order Tuesday in the trial of Patrick Kelly, who is accused of helping run an East Texas swinger's group that forced children as young as 5 to perform sex shows.

Thad Davidson, Kelly's attorney, wants Tyler Morning Telegraph reporter Casey Knaupp and KLTV reporter Danielle Capper to testify Monday when he seeks to get the trial moved from Smith County.

Davidson contends that coverage by Knaupp and Capper has been biased because of their personal relationships with Murphy, and that their stories in turn biased the prospective jury pool.

The newspaper and television station said they will seek to quash the subpoenas at a Friday hearing.

In a story on the Tyler Morning Telegraph's Web site Tuesday, the newspaper acknowledged that Knaupp had dated Murphy and the relationship ended more than five months ago. The first trials in the case were in March.

Knaupp told her paper she keeps her "personal and professional lives separate."

"The allegations by Thad Davidson that my coverage of this case are biased are wholly unfounded," Knaupp said in the paper's story. "I believe anyone who reads my articles will see that."

Kenny Boles, news director of KLTV, said the station's coverage has been "groundbreaking, responsible and balanced."

"I stand by our reporting of both the investigation and criminal trials related to the tragic abuse of the East Texas children in these cases," Boles said.

He called the allegations made of the relationship between his reporter and the prosecutor "pure slander," but wouldn't comment further.

Dave Berry, managing editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph, has said the paper wasn't of aware of Knaupp's relationship with Murphy but stood by his reporter. He declined further comment Tuesday, and messages left for Knaupp at the paper were not immediately returned.

Phone calls to reach Murphy at his office after business hours Tuesday rang unanswered.

Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham told The Associated Press this week that he was aware Murphy and Knaupp dated, but said he did not see how it is relevant to the trial. He said Knaupp, the paper's courts reporter, has written stories that were not always favorable to his office.

"Yeah, (Murphy has) been out with her," Bingham said. "I don't know how that affects whether or not his defendant is guilty of sexual assault of a child."

Kelly, 41, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, tampering with physical evidence and engaging in organized criminal activity. Davidson has said his client passed a lie-detector test and is innocent.

Tomato Update

Salmonella can ride water into tomatoes

Pick a tomato in the blazing sun and plunge it straight into cold water. If that happened on the way to market, it might be contaminated. Too big of a temperature difference can make a tomato literally suck water inside the fruit through the scar where its stem used to be. If salmonella happens to be lurking on the skin, that's one way it can penetrate and, if the tomato isn't eaten right away, have time to multiply.

That doesn't mean people shouldn't wash their tomatoes - they should, just probably not in cold water.

But as the Food and Drug Administration investigates the nation's outbreak of salmonella from tomatoes, the example shows the farm isn't the only place contamination can occur - and checking things like water quality and temperature control in packing houses and other supply stops is one key to safety.

Raw fruits and vegetables are crucial to a healthy diet. But they're also the culprits in a growing list of nasty outbreaks: E. coli in spinach and lettuce. Hepatitis A in green onions. Cyclospora in raspberries. Salmonella in cantaloupe. Shigella in parsley.

This newest salmonella outbreak is the 14th blamed on tomatoes since 1990.

Preventing future illnesses depends on learning how salmonella sneaks onto and inside tomatoes, which might seem to be pretty well protected by their smooth waxy skin. Yet scientists have few answers, prompting the FDA last year to begin a Tomato Safety Initiative that is studying industry practices in Virginia and Florida, origin of several previous outbreaks.

Florida's agriculture department on July 1 begins enforcing so-called "tomato best practices," farming and handling guidelines that leading growers pushed the state to formally adopt, and that many farms voluntarily began following in the past year.

The FDA likewise wants the authority to set mandatory safe-handling rules, what it calls "preventive controls," for growers and suppliers of foods linked to repeated outbreaks of serious illness, such as tomatoes and leafy greens. Congress hasn't yet acted on that request.

"We need them, we've asked for them, and we don't yet have them," says Dr. David Acheson, the agency's food safety chief, who is directing the CSI-like hunt for the tainted tomatoes.

Further complicating the picture, budget woes mean the FDA's inspections of food-producing facilities have plummeted by 56 percent between 2003 and last year. Acheson says the drop has continued this year, and the FDA plans to hire more inspectors with a pending budget boost from Congress.

But inspections aren't the solution to food poisoning, insists Acheson, who also hopes to double or triple the 10 percent of FDA's budget historically devoted to prevention.

FDA "is not arguing that you can inspect your way out of these problems," he says. "The critical point is to build safety upfront, not load up inspection at the end."

There are some common themes when fresh produce sickens, either from salmonella - bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts of humans and numerous animals - or other microbes: Water sources, worker hygiene and wildlife or domestic animals near fields are frequent culprits because they involve points where safety systems can easily break down.

Washing fresh produce under running water is a commonsense consumer defense.

"We know you can wash off some salmonella," says Virginia Tech food microbiologist Robert Williams, who accompanied FDA scientists to Virginia farms as part of the tomato initiative. But, "nobody's ever shown it washes off all salmonella."

Water is an automatic first suspect. Was clean water used to irrigate, mix pesticides sprayed on crops, wash down harvest and processing equipment, and wash field workers' hands?

Then in packing houses, tomatoes often go straight into a dump tank, flumes of chlorinated water for a first wash. To guard against salmonella washed into the water in turn being sucked into the tomatoes, producers often keep wash-water 10 degrees warmer than the incoming crop, says food-safety scientist Keith Schneider of the University of Florida, also part of FDA's tomato initiative.

Beyond packing houses, the industry points to cases where suppliers were shipped unwashed, warm tomatoes and dunked them in ice-water baths to firm them for further processing.

Another question: How often does the water have to be changed? Dirt, leaves and other sediment reduce the chlorine's effectiveness.

Studies never have shown that plant roots can suck salmonella up and inside the tomato, where it can't be washed out, says Virginia Tech's Williams, whose lab is working to confirm that. Still, if contaminated water is sprayed onto the leaves or blooms, or bird droppings fall directly onto the foliage, salmonella might be absorbed internally, he says.

In fact, salmonella may be particularly hard to prevent in a variety of crops because birds, reptiles and amphibians carry it - the same reason children should wash their hands after handling a turtle, iguana or frog. The tomato industry's guidelines already advise surrounding fields with bare soil "buffer zones" to discourage reptiles.

"You're not going to stop a bird going through a field. You're not going to stop a frog," Schneider says.

Soap Opera: episode 9 million and one

Key teen witness in sect case denies Texas' claims

A 16-year-old girl is a key witness in the state's effort to pursue criminal charges against members of her polygamist sect, even though she denies investigators' claims that she was abused.

The girl, a daughter of the sect's jailed prophet, says she's never been married and doesn't have a baby. She denies church elders are influencing her and wants to fire her lawyer. The state can't even prove her alleged abuse happened in Texas.

A court filing shows that the girl has been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury Wednesday, the day the panel convenes in Schleicher County, home of a west Texas ranch run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The Associated Press does not usually identify alleged victims of sex abuse.

Her attorney, Natalie Malonis, was also subpoenaed, according to Tim Edwards, an attorney for the girl's mother who is trying to have Malonis removed from the case.

It's unclear who else will testify. Grand jury proceedings are secret and the Attorney General's office, which is handling the prosecution, has declined to comment.

The criminal case follows state child welfare officials' ill-fated April seizure of more than 400 children at the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado.

The state accused the sect of widespread sexual abuse of teen girls, but the Texas Supreme Court forced the state to return the children from foster care in June. The high court said the state overreached in taking all the children from the ranch when only a handful of girls may have been abused.

It's not clear what, or whether, criminal indictments of FLDS members may result. But the girl scheduled to testify Wednesday illustrates that to win indictments, prosecutors may have to overcome the denials of the teens they allege were abused.

The girl initially fought attempts by Malonis to finalize an emergency restraining order issued Friday to force her mother to keep church elder Willie Jessop away from the girl.

Malonis said Jessop was influencing the teen and encouraging her to be uncooperative. The girl denies that and accused her lawyer in a letter to the judge of falsely claiming the girl was spiritually married at 15 and had a child.

The girl wants a new lawyer but agreed Tuesday to allow the restraining order to stay in place another 90 days.

Asked whether she had any comment as she left the courthouse on Tuesday, the teen said, "What do I say, except that I'm sick of everything?"

Malonis has said she would not fight with her client through the media. She has said state investigators have given her the information that leads her to believe her client has been abused.

Jim Bradshaw, an FLDS attorney, said Jessop denies any wrongdoing. Jessop has done "nothing that is in the realm of threatening witnesses," he said.

FLDS leaders have consistently denied there was any abuse at the ranch and vowed earlier this month not to sanction underage marriages.

FLDS spokesman Rod Parker said he's not sure whether the girl will be cooperative in her grand jury testimony or whether other FLDS children have been subpoenaed to appear.

"If they're going to be asked to testify against their parents, that's a real dilemma," he said. "I don't know if they're going to be that cooperative."

Under Texas law, a girl younger than 17 cannot generally consent to sex with an adult. Bigamy, which is generally considered a crime of fraud, is also illegal in Texas, although FLDS plural marriages were not sanctioned by the state.

Any criminal prosecution on sex charges is likely to be difficult. The state does have DNA material collected from most YFZ ranch residents to help them sort out family groups after the April 3 raid, and FLDS officials fear the evidence could be used against them in a criminal case.

"I thought from the beginning there was a secondary reason they wanted it," Parker said.

Texas Child Protective Services said it would turn over the DNA test results to criminal prosecutors if it were subpoeanaed by a grand jury or ordered by a court to do so.

Even if they had DNA evidence of abuse, prosecutors would have jurisdictional problems. Without the cooperation of the sect's teen girls, prosecutors will be unable to determine what state any alleged abuse occurred in. The sect has homes in Texas, Arizona and Utah and elsewhere.

The FLDS is a breakaway sect of the mainstream Mormon church, which renounced polygamy more than a century ago. Historically, church members lived along the Arizona-Utah line, where authorities had not sought criminal charges in decades until allegations of underage marriages - and willing witnesses - surfaced several years ago.

Still, just a handful of criminal cases have been prosecuted in the sect, estimated to have 6,000 members. Warren Jeffs, the girl's father and the leader who is revered as a prophet, was convicted in Utah of rape as an accomplice for his role in the marriage of a 14-year-old and her 19-year-old cousin. He is jailed awaiting trial on Arizona charges related to marriages involving young girls.

*****

OK, you folks in Texas - the laughs are getting shallower and fewer ... it's time to move on to another 'story'.

I know ... what about live sex shows with children? Oh, wait they've already done that story, too!

Sylvia Plath Reads 'Daddy'

Finnish Butter Commercial

June Posts

200 posts in June - it's been a busy month!

CDC: About 8 percent of Americans have diabetes

The number of Americans with diabetes has grown to about 24 million people, or roughly 8 percent of the U.S. population, the government said Tuesday.

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from 2007, said the number represents an increase of about 3 million over two years. The CDC estimates another 57 million people have blood sugar abnormalities called pre-diabetes, which puts people at increased risk for the disease.

The percentage of people unaware that they have diabetes fell from 30 percent to 25 percent, according to the study.

Dr. Ann Albright, director of the CDC Division of Diabetes Translation, said the report has "both good news and bad news."

"It is concerning to know that we have more people developing diabetes, and these data are a reminder of the importance of increasing awareness of this condition, especially among people who are at high risk," Albright said in a statement.

"On the other hand, it is good to see that more people are aware that they have diabetes."

A message left Tuesday night seeking further comment from the CDC wasn't immediately returned.

The disease results from defects in insulin production that cause sugar to build up in the body. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the country and can cause serious health problems including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations.

Among adults, diabetes increased in both men and women and in all age groups, but still disproportionately affects the elderly. Almost 25 percent of the population 60 years and older had diabetes in 2007.

After adjusting for population age differences between various groups, the rate of diagnosed diabetes was highest among American Indians and Alaska Natives (16.5 percent). This was followed by blacks (11.8 percent) and Hispanics (10.4 percent), which includes rates for Puerto Ricans (12.6 percent), Mexican Americans (11.9 percent), and Cubans (8.2 percent).

By comparison, the rate for Asian Americans was 7.5 percent, with whites at 6.6 percent.

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Not the rosiest report the CDC has ever made, now is it. Eight percent is eight percent too much. We need to find a cure and work on prevention as well. Find out all you can about Diabetes ... it is true that knowledge is power and the more you know about Diabetes the better you can handle it.

A Life 4 Sale

What is 'A Life 4 Sale' ?

Hi there, my name is Ian Usher, and I have had enough of my life! I don't want it any more! You can have it if you like!

No, I'm not contemplating suicide, I am going to sell my life!! I have my reasons, for further details click the "Why" tab below. However, I am still not sure whether this is inspired madness, complete foolishness, or just some sort of mid-life crisis.

Whatever it is, it's all going up for sale in one big auction. Everything I have and everything I am.

On the day it is all sold and settled I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other, nothing else at all, and get on the train, with no idea where I am going or what the future holds for me.

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Not quite sure what to make of this story I found on the net. I know we all have entertained such notions as just chucking it all away and going 'walkabout', but this fellow seems to be planning on just that in reality. We'll see how he does.