Light posting today.

Has it been five years already? Sometimes it feels like it happened just yesterday, and other times it seems like it all took place during someone else's lifetime.

But we must remember. Remember those innocents who died and their loved ones who grieve. Remember those who fought back. Remember those who risk everything to keep us safe. Remember why we fight and why we must never give up that fight.

Take a few minutes and remember: here.

Be sure to check out Skye's 2996 memorial tribute one post down. The website for the 2996 Project is here.

God Bless.

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His wife Rosie recalls:

Marcello was a loving husband, father and son. He was Wall Street's biggest fan. I met Marcello when I was 17 years old and he was 19 in the Bear Stearns' mailroom department where we were both starting our careers. While others read magazines and junk that circulated around the mailroom, Marcello read the Wall Street Journal, NY Times and all of the latest financial information. He was fascinated by Wall Street and couldn't understand why others didn't share in his passion. I knew then that he would be successful on Wall Street. He was always the center of attention at family gatherings, sharing his knowledge of the markets. He became his family's own financial planner and he loved every minute of it. He will forever be remembered to all who knew him as ambitious and someone who stopped at nothing until he achieved his goal.

He enjoyed reading, music, soccer, cycling and, boy, did he love his Italian Food! Nothing but the best for him. He loved to read up on all of the best restaurants and best wines. He always made it his business to try the latest and the greatest places just so that he could say he tried it. He looked forward to his weekend rides in Central Park with his buddy Ed where he would work off all of the food he had eaten just days before.

Then there is Nicholas. Oh, how he loved his son! He lived his life for his son. He loved the best of everything and never gave his Nicholas or I any less. Nothing could make him happier than Nicholas could. I could not have asked for a better father for my son. Although Nicholas had you for only 4 years of his life, he will remember you for eternity. You made such an impact in his life. He misses you dearly!

My love, you were a devoted father and husband. You always managed to make me laugh with your silly and sometimes obnoxious comments. The way you dedicated your life to your family will never be forgotten. We were all very proud of you and I, too, hope to make you proud of me in the way I will continue to raise our son. You will forever be missed by your family and all who knew you. Life as I knew it will never be the same without you. You will forever be in our hearts. Goodbye My Love, until our paths cross again! Nicholas and I will LOVE YOU FOREVER!

Jason Kendall recalled the humor of Marcello

Marcello Matricciano was our company clown and stress-reliever. He was able to walk into a room, insult us all completely and make us laugh. His insults were right out of a South Park cartoon, and his friendship was as dear as his mouth was dirty. His bouyant character helped us all calm down in the bad economic days. And in the good days, he was a beacon of laughter and friendship. His wife and son, Nick, will sorely miss him.

His image can be found on a Memorial Quilt

Cantor Fitzgerald Family - 2996 Tribute Cantor Fitzgerald Directory

Posted by: Skye at 05:01 PM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
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The NFL has been frothing at the mouth over this one: the Manning Bowl.

Win or lose it should be a pretty good game.

Nothing like the first day of football season. Go GIANTS!!

-----------------------------------------
UPDATE: 11:25pm
Colts 26
Giants 21

Aw, crap. Not to take anything away from the Colts. They're a playoff caliber team. But jeezus! Dropped picks. Missed field goal. Give the ball back right after an interception. Penalties left and right. Bogus offensive pass interference call.

The fact is that the Giants defense completely shut down the Indianapolis rush. They could have won this game if they had stayed focused and executed. They didn't.

If they do, then the Giants are a playoff caliber team. Let's hope this is an aberration. If they repeat this kind of performance again - with this schedule - they're in deep sh*t.

One other note on NBC's coverage. I hate the fact that they almost never show the play clock.

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Oh man, this is so good. Monty Python's "Holy Grail" with light sabers. Brought to you in Llama-vision!

Robbo, you made my day.

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Here she is, gentlemen:

Welcome back, Diane. We missed ya. :wink:

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Yeah, I know for the last month that question has been begging to be answered. I purposely said nothing specific about what I'd be doing on my break if for no other reason to make you wonder.

Well, it's really simple. As I've said, I've been doing this for over a year and a half straight. Those of you who keep a blog (and post frequently) understand that this is a long time in "blog years". So many sites die a slow death within the first six months while others ebb and flow with activity. I have more than a handful of blogs on my blogroll that stop posting for months without a word and then start up again out of nowhere, as if nothing happened.

I also understand that you're less likely to come back unless you can count on fresh material. I didn't want to get stagnant but I really...really...needed a break. So, considering I had planned a week-long vacation anyway and August is normally a slow news month I figured that if I was going to take a break then I'd make it count.

Click "Read More" to read entire post. more...

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"I wanted to have an In-N-Out Burger."
- Paris Hilton on her recent
DUI arrest.

OK, I'm not even going to touch that one.

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1 She really is her own worst enemy...

Posted by: Skye at September 10, 2006 10:31 AM (MfeOa)

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All through 2005 (my first year of blogging) I had a regular item every Saturday morning called the "Diane Lane Photo of the Week" featuring a different picture of my favorite girl-next-door actress. It proved to be pretty popular.

A year ago, I switched over from Blogger to MuNu and had my archives migrated as well. Unfortunately, the graphics that I had posted up to the Blogger server often don't allow access from this site. Maybe they consider it "hotlinking" or something, I don't know for sure. All I know is that when you click on the "Diane Lane" category and scroll down, you usually get those annoying little boxes with the red "x" through it on pre-September 2005 entries and the link will give you a message to the effect that access is denied, and "The requested URL could not be retrieved".

Sigh.

So, because those older pics are not viewable (and also due to popular demand) I will be re-posting one of those old photos every Saturday through the end of the year. Actually, it's more like a "best of" presentation based on the ones I've chosen from my archives on the old Ex-Donkey Blog. And, honestly, I always considered those earlier photos to be the best ones anyway.

So those of you who missed that weekly treat can take heart. The first one goes up tomorrow morning! Stay tuned.

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Sixty days from now, I and millions of other Americans will go to the polls. We here in CT have a very high-profile Senate race.

I am an ex-Democrat and have been for at least eight years. As such, I (along with about two thirds of registered - and living - voters in CT) did not cast a ballot last month in the Democrat primary. Nor should I have been able to. I strongly disagree with the "open primary" concept.

But the results of that primary election (the rejection of Joe Lieberman by some 10,000 votes) do not reflect the "will of the voters" as Ned Lamont's supporters like to claim. They reflect the vote of registered Democrats (living and dead). Lieberman now runs as an independent. Last time I checked the U.S. Constitution I wasn't able to find any references to political parties.

Joe Lieberman has a right to run as an independent. And he will win or lose based on the will of ALL or CT's registered voters on November 7th. Ned Lamont's supporters should welcome this opportunity if they are so confident in their candidate.

Personally, I believe that Joe will prevail in sixty days. Polls indicate that his approval rating in excess of 60% will translate to a fourth term in the Senate. That being said, you can't take anything for granted in politics. The opposition is determined and relentless. They will do or say anything to win. Their efforts are fueled by organizations like MoveOn.org and the resources that pour into the State on Lamont's behalf come by and large from outside the State.

I could easily just hang back and watch with amusement as the Democrat party engages in intra-party bickering and tears itself to shreds. No matter what, Republicans will NOT pick up this seat. When your opponents fight amongst themselves, it's always best not to interfere.

But I live in CT and this race does mean something to me. I already have to live with the fact that I have one major asshat representing me in the U.S. Senate.

I disagree with Joe Lieberman on most of the votes he casts and almost all of the positions he supports. But I have always voted for Joe regardless of my party affiliation. And I support him this time around for two important reasons: his unyielding integrity and his ardent support for this country's efforts to fight the Islamofascist threat that we now face.

The stakes are just too high.

So I'm signing on as an unofficial - and vocal - supporter of Joe Lieberman for the U.S. Senate. I have absolutely no connection to Connecticut for Lieberman, Friends of Joe Lieberman or any other campaign organization associated with the Senator. But I will be doing whatever I can over the next sixty days to promote his candidacy.

On to victory, baby!

Posted by: Gary at 10:05 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Government officials threaten and intimidate television broadcasters with tactics that would make Josef Stalin proud. But then there are plenty of ideological tenants shared by both Soviet Communists and Democrats. Obviously a big one is censorship. This is one of those times when the masks come off.

If they succeed, Liberals everywhere will chalk it up as a political victory. What will be totally lost on them however is the political damage they are inflicting on themselves by allowing voters to see just how petty, thuggish and hypocritical they really are.

I don't know about you but I feel a "chill wind" on the back of my neck when I look at these guys.

UPDATE: 12:20PM:
Sanctuary blog has a graphic that says it all.

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I'm in the process of revising and updating my original posts on Tolkien Geek as I re-read the books. So far I've gotten through both Book One and Book Two of "The Fellowship of the Ring".

Anyone interested in seeing the updates or reading through my commentary for the first time can go here.

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Lefties are all up in arms about Vets For Freedom. They're deriding them as the 2006 version of the Swift Boat Veterans who exposed John Kerry for the back-stabbing, lying creep that he was back in 2004.

Of course, as in the past, Democrats want to silence them. Why should they support the First Amendment rights of people who risked their lives to defend those very rights for them, anyway? Vets For Freedom's stated mission is "to support policymakers from both sides of the aisle who have stood behind our great generation of American warriors on the battlefield, and who have put long-term national security before short-term partisan political gain."

In other words, other than Joe Lieberman that would leave out just about every nationally-elected Democrat. No wonder the moonbats are pissed off.

The website for Vets For Truth is here. Thanks to our veterans all over the world who keep America free.

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SciFi.com is broadcasting ten 2.5 minute Battlestar Galactica "webisodes" leading up to the October 6th season premiere to whet the fan's appetites. Titled "The Resistance", each part will be launched every tues and thurs for the rest of the month and the first week of October.

Part One is here. Click the link that says "The Resistance: Part One" in the archives. After it runs, it will automatically advance to Part Two, which premiered today.

Very reminiscent of Nazi-occupied Europe during WWII. Cool stuff!

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1 I couldn't believe how long I had to wait until the new season; but now that it's upon us, I can't believe how fast time flies. It seems like it wasn't too long ago that it was the 2004 Election.

Posted by: wordsmith at September 07, 2006 01:51 PM (nrGCx)

2 Yes, the writers of BSG have turned out yet another fine product - one that portrays 'insurgents' as the good guys. Hmmm..perhaps these webisodes are a reflection of the writers view of 'insurgents' in Iraq today? Watch them and decide for yourself.

Posted by: Skye at September 07, 2006 06:54 PM (MfeOa)

3 No, I think the writer's are making more historical comparisons, say to the French underground during WWII. Tyrol, Tigh and co. are "insurgents" in the sense that they are freedom-fighters. They're fighting to escape the oppression of the Cylons. The insurgents in Iraq are not freedom fighters. They are terrorists who are fighting against freedom, because that's what they fear. Freedom is what they wish to defeat, so they can impose their warped view of Islamofascism on the people of the Middle-East.

Posted by: Gary at September 07, 2006 07:34 PM (Z0vta)

4 I completely agree with you, Gary. Terrorists should NEVER be compared to freedom fighters in any way, shape or form and I get the historical reflection of Vichy france being played out in the fictional setting of New Caprica. Yet this comparison to Iraq is being heard loud and clear by the fans..I quote a response from Skiffy's thread discussing the Webisodes: Well, the Cylons on New Caprica don't really seem like the Nazi's. Anyone who they interrogate is "legitimately" a military target, and their presence in New Caprica is no different than the presence of the US in Iraq. They treat the people equally "nice" and have very similar goals for occupation. And this is "New Caprica" we're talking about here, if we were talking about the original attack then I'd partially agree with you. What's next? A colonial suicide bomber? The more informed posters on Skiffy have challenged this statement in later posts on the thread. These posts and other discussion boards that I frequent echo a similar political parallel to Iraq. Do I think they are right? Absolutely not. I feel the writers have crafted this story (webisode & series) with ambiguity to allow this type of comparison.

Posted by: Skye at September 07, 2006 09:41 PM (MfeOa)

5 I think ambiguity is exactly what they've intentionally done. I still think back to the original BSG pilot, where the Cylon appeasers and the pacifists made it possible for the destruction of the Colonies to take place; and then when that ambassador guy on that bug planet (sorry, it's been a long while) ordered all Colonial Warriors attend festivities on the planet in dress uniforms, unarmed. They musta all been democrats. Thankfully, Adama and the military were wiser than that. What I'm not getting, is if the Cylons were vicious and evil, why didn't they slaughter and make example of, anyone who served in the military? Tigh should not be a free man, with his military service record. Ah, well. I'm sure all will come clear when it airs. Ok, not really.

Posted by: wordsmith at September 07, 2006 11:06 PM (nrGCx)

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The NY Mets magic number is now 8. Well on their way to de-throning the Atlanta Braves, the team is scheduled to play one more series in Turner Field starting Sept. 27th. The Mets will have wrapped up the division title long before then, however. It would have been interesting to have them clinch the division during that final run through Atlanta's house, but...eh...oh well.

The NY Daily Post has an article that quotes Braves pitcher John Smoltz as saying "we're not a below-.500 team".

66-73? 20.5 games out of first?

Yes you are, Johnny. Yes, you most certainly are. Not easy to take, is it.

Have a nice winter.

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1 Screw you, Gary. You're just bitter. BITTER, I SAY!!! See if I get YOU tickets for Turner Field again!

Posted by: Georgia Girl at September 07, 2006 09:45 PM (EvFfn)

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William Shatner was offered a ticket as one of the first passenger's to travel on Virgin Galactic's two-and-a-half hour space flight scheduled for 2008. His response was priceless:

"I'm interested in man's march into the unknown but to vomit in space is not my idea of a good time. Neither is a fiery crash with the vomit hovering over me."

Star Trek "Cribs" at the "Spock Casa":

h/t: Jonah Goldberg

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Cry-baby Clintonistas (and even Bubba himself) are screaming for ABC to edit their mini-series "The Path To 9/11" or pull it outright. By going apoplectic about the broadcast, they are amplifying the attention given to it and will no doubt spur interest for potential viewers who might otherwise have been unaware of it.

This is a good thing.

Democrats are gnashing their teeth over what they see as an attempt to smear their hero, President Clinton. It is important for Americans to watch this docu-drama, but not to assign blame for the 9/11 attacks. There's plenty of that to go around.

No, as Hugh Hewitt (who has seen it) points out, the most important reason to watch is to remind us about what it is we are fighting against and how serious the threat is. Those who now howl about the tarnishing of the Clinton legacy fail to grasp this:

Rather the mini-series is the first attempt --very successful-- to convey to American television viewers what we are up against: The fanaticism, the maniacal evil, the energy and the genius for mayhem of the enemy.

In the self-serving complaints about this scene or that take delivered by Richard Ben-Veniste and other proxies are replayed again the deadly narcissisms of the'90s. The program's great faults are --they say-- in the inaccurate portrayal of Bill Clinton and his furrowed brow and continual efforts to track down bin Laden.

It is all about them, you see. Just as it was in the '90s. To hell with [FBI Agent John] O'Neill or the victims of 9/11, and forget about the worldwide menace that continues to nurse its hatred, though now from caves and not compounds.

Not a word from these critics about the program's greatest strength, which is in the accurate rendering of the enemy, and the warning it might give about the need for continual vigilance.

"If only those attacks had come on my watch, it would've been my big moment in history. And imagine all the grieving ladies that I could've groped...er...I mean hugged."

Former White House aide Bruce R. Lindsey, who is now the head of the William J. Clinton Foundation, had this to say:

"It is unconscionable to mislead the American public about one of the most horrendous tragedies our country has ever known."

Posted by: Gary at 09:30 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Allahpundit links a great ad for for the Donk's future newsletter - "America Weakly".

H/T: the Llamas (who wisely advise that you keep your mouth free of food and drink while viewing) ;-)

UPDATE (5:15pm):
Ha! That was from the RNC for real. LOL!! Love it.

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This is going to throw the Dems for a loop. And yet, you just had to know something like this was coming. The President just gave a major speech detailing many of the activities that his Administration has been engaged in to prevent further attacks since 9/11.

In other words, it was no accident (though none of his supporters thought so) that we haven't been attacked since.

But here's the kicker: in response to the recent Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision on military tribunals, he is having Sen. Majority Leader Frist and Majority Whip Mitch McConnell introduce legislation for Congress to explicitly authorize their creation. Dems, who've been going around thumping their chests and saying how safe America would be if they were in charge, are now going to have to put up or shut up.

Mario Loyola at NRO's The Corner explains:

The President just pulled one of the best maneuvers of his entire presidency. By transferring most major Al Qaeda terrorists to Guantanamo, and simultaneously sending Congress a bill to rescue the Military Commissions from the Supreme Court's ruling Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the President spectacularly ambushed the Democrats on terrain they fondly thought their own. Now Democrats who oppose (and who have vociferously opposed) the Military Commissions will in effect be opposing the prosecution of the terrorists who planned and launched the attacks of September 11 for war crimes.

And if that were not enough, the President also frontally attacked the Hamdan ruling's potentially chilling effect on CIA extraordinary interrogation techniques, by arguing that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions is too vague, and asking Congress to define clearly the criminal law limiting the scope of permissible interrogation.

Taken as a whole, the President's maneuver today turned the political tables completely around. He stole the terms of debate from the Democrats, and rewrote them, all in a single speech. It will be delightful to watch in coming days and hours as bewildered Democrats try to understand what just hit them, and then sort through the rubble of their anti-Bush national security strategy to see what, if anything, remains.

"DAMMIT! He did it AGAIN!"

Can't wait to see the responses from the Donks. Heh.

h/t: Michelle Malkin (who liveblogged the speech) and, of course, MFSIL who first emailed me about the speech!

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You see this?

Yes, it's a sculpture of the first turd squeezed out by the spawn of TomKat!

Here's the caption to this A/P gem:

This photo released by the Capla Kesting Gallery in August 2006 shows a sculpture purportedly cast from 19-week old Suri Cruise's first bowel movement. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes finally put Hollywood at ease by publishing the first photo of their daughter Suri, four months after her birth, in Vanity Fair magazine's October issue.

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In the week leading up to Labor Day and continuing into this week, we've all noticed the MSM going into full campaign mode (now that McCain-Feingold has officially muzzled free speech from other sources), beating the drum that the GOP is in deep, deep doo-doo because of an angry, disaffected electorate.

The electorate is pretty surly these days, true. But the part they've been leaving out is that there is absolutely no polling data to suggest that voters are ready to turn over control of Congress to the Dems. Granted, the GOP seems to be going out of its way to anger its base and turn off everyone else. But the Democrats offer no reasons for voters to move in their direction.

Here's the bottom line: Voters are disaffected. What else is new? And in different times that would be enough reason to expect a change of control in Congress. But these are dangerous times - serious times. And with the safety of our nation so much at risk, swing voters may look at the Republicans and hold their nose. But when they look at the Democrats they hold their stomachs.

Dems hold an advantage in polls focusing on the generic Congressional ballot. Can anyone remember a time when this was not the case heading into an election? And how many times in the past ten years have those poll advantages led to Democrats taking over either chamber of Congress? Republicans can still do a lot to screw themselves up. And as I've said all year, the GOP will lose seats in the House and the Senate. It would be historically unprecendented if they didn't.

But as long as Democrats keep taking the bait and talking about national security, the uncertainty and uneasiness of handing the reigns over to the party that thinks we should release all the detainees at Gitmo so they can try and kill Americans again, eliminate surveillance programs that monitor the activities of terrorists, repeal the Patriot Act and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq will make the possibility of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi replacing "minority" with "majority" in their titles highly unlikely.

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