Ladies and gentlemen, we got him. The tyrant is a prisoner.--Paul Bremer, U.S. civil administrator in Iraq

First, they said we had the worst economy since man slithered out of the muck and invented the first coin. That didn't pan out. Then it was a "jobless recovery." That didn't stick either. Then the focus shifted to "we're losing the war on terrorism," which caused a collective groan from average Americans. Then the message became, "Iraq is a quagmire," but it's tough to make that one stick when we conquered a country of 25 million people and suffered only 400 KIAs. The fact that both Osama bin Looney and Saddam Hussein were still on the loose was offered to us as some sort of proof that GW had made a mess of things. Today is a very, very, very bad day for those pretenders to the throne known as democrats. Saddam has been pulled from his hole and spirited away to a much more comfortable jail cell. Which trial balloon will those pretenders float next?

What has Rush Limbaugh been repeating over and over lately? Wasn't it "Good news for America is bad news for the democrats?" Mega-BANG!!!

And what did Hitlery have to say to our troops when she waddled into Baghdad on Thanksgiving? We support you, but not what you're doing? She's probably on the phone right now coordinating her efforts at damage control.

I recently had a conversation with a guy at work about all of the scandalous charges that were being made about GW by the democrats since the M1A1's rolled into Iraq. He was quite animated, bordering on rage, and claimed that Bush' silence in the face of all of those charges was somehow proof that all of those allegations were true. His line of thinking was that Bush couldn't even defend himself. My response to him was that, in my opinion, Bush was just biding his time and giving his most vocal opponents as much rope as they needed to eventually hang themselves with. So, as it turns out, all of the shrill nincompoops that marched before the cameras and railed against Bush because Saddam was still on the prowl will have to think of some new angle to attack our president. BANG!

One other quick thought. I still firmly believe that Osama's organs were splattered all over a cave when the "Mother of all bombs" (MOAB) were dropped on Tora Bora. But...since those organs haven't been scraped up yet, that's still "proof" that the war on terorism is an abysmal failure. (?) Today is a bad day for the national democrats. I cannot wait to hear their bedraggled responses to the latest developments.

I'll try it. I'll think like them for a second. Hmmm. Try this one.

Senator Cour. What is your response to the capture of Saddam Hussein?

Well, while I think it might be construed as good news, we still have no clear exit strategy from Iraq and George Bush has alienated our allies. Furthermore, I cannot condone spending billions on a war for oil, while our senior citizens in this country, on fixed incomes, are being forced to eat dog food at our numerous gambling casinos. While our president, who stole the election, funnels millions of dollars to Haliburton, millions of senior citizens, right here at home, are being forced to go without the lottery tickets they need to survive. And the Patriot Act has usurped our rights. And what of the rights of our illegal aliens? And why does he continue to refuse to surrender our sovereighty to the United Nations? And why...

Whatever. Vote for me: I hate our president.

Place your vote now for the 'greatest Arab.' Who might that be? Let's see here, who has ordered the deaths of the most innocent people?

So, what's next? Expect the terrorists and the Saddam loyalists to blow up everything within their reach for the foreseeable future. They will attempt to prove that Saddam's capture is meaningless. Whatever they have at their disposal will likely be used in the days ahead. We need to weather that storm and not allow it to weaken our resolve, while our soldiers on the ground need to keep their heads down. The suicide bombers are on their way. The grand finale, if you will. Some serious blood is going to be spilled real soon. How needless.

I linked to this once before and somebody sent me the same link yesterday. Just in case anyone has forgotten why our troops are in harm's way, I'm going to post this link again. It still amazes me that our president should be criticized for reacting to our modern day Pearl Harbor.

Another e-mail concerning our new fire truck:

*******Mark, From what I understand, this new "Quint" is to be stationed at Northeast Station. It is not meant to take the place of the truck at HQ.(even though it is nearing 30). It will be interesting to see if they will allow the guys who will be operating this peice the chance to weigh in on its specifications, or if they'll just buy one off the lot like E4(junk). It's funny that someone mentioned the repo truck from Moosic...I was there that night. Our soon-to-be ex fire chief was asked by our soon-to-be ex mayor what he thought of the truck......his response....."It's the wrong color"......A 102' aerial platform with a 2000gpm pump,300gal water tank, generator, lights ,cord reels, remote nozzles, 1000lb. tip load, inside ground ladder storage, 5'' hose bed,and crosslays for $349,000 with no payments for 1 year and a 1 year unlimited warranty. "It's the wrong color".......We could have bought that,paid it off,and obtained a grant this year for 2 pumpers and the fleet would have been in good shape. Nope. Wrong color. When I was asked by the soon-to-be-ex mayor what I thought about it, I told him "If you don't buy this truck, your an idiot".....guess I was right, huh? Later*******

Eyewitness testimony, heyna? More proof of inept management and a complete lack of any forward-thinking. A new ladder truck last year and two new engines next year? Why listen to the rank-and-file folks who know the demands of the job? Somehow, in Wilkes-Barre, a red fire truck is somehow repulsive to those in charge. Their ridiculous priorities defy all known logic, but the current condition of the city and it's finances proves that logic never entered into any equation during the past eight years. We have been led astray by a collection of macho men that couldn't manage an erection on South Franklin Street.

I wanna go watch the latest from Iraq on the Fox News channel. For those of you that hate our president, CNN awaits you. Some cute little Mexican girl is shoveling my sidewalk for five bucks right now. I couldn't say no to her. Her attempt to make some money while the snow flies reminds me of when I was around her age and roamed the streets of Derby, Connecticut with a shovel in my hands. Imagine that. A kid trying to earn some money, rather than demanding it from her parents. I will tip her.

I'll leave you with this from the e-mail inbox:

We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, "Taps." It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes. But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings.

Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land.

During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention.

Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted. The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral. The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician.

The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform.

This wish was granted.

The haunting melody, we now know as "Taps" ... used at military funerals was born. The words are ...

(a) Day is done .. Gone the sun ... From the lakes ... From the hills From the sky ... All is well ... Safely rest .. God is nigh ...

(b) Fading light ... Dims the sight ... And a star ... Gems the sky... Gleaming bright ... From afar ... Drawing nigh. Falls the night...

(c) Thanks and praise .. For our days. Neath the sun .... Neath the stars ... Neath the sky ... As we go ... This we know ... God is nigh...

I, too, have felt the chills while listening to "Taps" but I have never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn't even know there was more than one verse. I also never knew the story behind the song and I didn't know if you had either so I thought I'd pass it along. I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.

REMEMBER THOSE LOST AND HARMED WHILE SERVING THEIR COUNTRY.

And also those presently serving in the Armed Forces.

See ya