Released yesterday was the latest CD of Alice Cooper's prolific career, this being the 5th in 8 years (unlike the opening act for the BoK center, who has only released one album of new material since 1979) . His recent releases ranged from Industrial metal, to "garage band" to a more traditional rock album.

Along Came a Spider is a concept album that takes bits and pieces of his various styles, and weaves a story about a serial killer who removed one of the legs of each of his eight victims to make his very own spider. True to Alice Cooper's style the songs arent remotely gruesome as that sounds.

Towards the end of the CD there is Salvation which sounds like it could  be a testament of his own personal demons of the past.

Any chance of salvation
Someone died for me
Washed in blood he cared enough to pity me.

On another note, another CD I recently aquired is 3 Doors Down's 4th CD which is self titled. It starts off with a hard rocking Train, and then goes into Citizen Soldier which was written for the National Guard.

This is a good solid album, but I would recommend going to Best Buy to get your copy because the best song, Feet in the Water, is a Best Buy exclusive.

 

Below is a picture of former Presidential Candidate John Kerry at a party, looks like he is having a good time, maybe if he would get off of his butt and quit blocking energy initiatives the rest of us could have some fun also...

here are two reports of the sad incident

Tulsa infant dies in dog attack

Infant attacked, killed by dog

Im not saying compare the reports to each other or that the reporting was unfair, but how the story would have been handled if it was a pit bull that killed the child instead of a lab or a pug?

Ive been seeing this a lot lately coming from supporters of certain officials around town using arguments that basically boil down to "get over it" concerning past projects they have promoted or were responsible for…
"Vision 2025 has been voted on, get over it, there is nothing you can do about it"
"Bell's is gone, get over it, there is nothing you can do to bring it back to the fairgrounds"

They are right of course, there is nothing we can do about the closing of Bell's, or the money pit downtown, except of course voting those responsible for them out of office.
We must not continue supporting someone if they throw away the public trust and get cozy with the powers that be, pushing agendas through without allowing time for public input, or by  obfuscating the facts.

Thomas Jefferson has some great quotes on the subject:
"Delay is preferable to error."
"Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it."
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
"Every generation needs a new revolution."

Luckily our revolutions can happen at the ballot box, but we must not remain silent. Elected officials work for us, all of Tulsa, not just the money belt in midtown.

 

I don't think he's "the one", but he is proving that people are clamoring for something more, and are willing to fall for anything.

'People of Berlin -- people of the world -- this is our moment. This is our time.' - Barak Obama 7/24/08
 

 

We've been hearing those words thrown about for quite sometime now concerning downtown, the latest being that the new Driller Stadium could bring in 13 million dollars a year. Where do they come up with these numbers?

Just how much does Driller stadium bring in now? I realize they are referring to the "revitalization" of downtown (again), but the old stadium hasn't exactly driven up property values at 15th and Yale. Lowe's didn't move in because a ballpark was across the street.

There are few eating establishments in the area, so the belief must be that there isnt enough traffic going to the games to generate any revenue in those kind of endeavors.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
- Ronald Reagan

We are always only one generation away from apostasy, and one untaught, untrained, undisciplined generation is all it takes to break the chain of civilization's perpetuity
- Michael Andrew Grissom

Oh my God - Jars of Clay

Oh my God, look around this place
Your fingers reach around the bone
You set the break and set the tone
Flights of grace, and future falls
In present pain
All fools say, "Oh my God"

Oh my God, Why are we so afraid?
We make it worse when we don't bleed
There is no cure for our disease
Turn a phrase, and rise again
Or fake your death and only tell your closest friend
Oh my God.

Oh my God, can I complain?
You take away my firm belief and graft my soul upon your grief
Weddings, boats and alibis
All drift away, and a mother cries

Liars and fools; sons and failures
Thieves will always say
Lost and found; ailing wanderers
Healers always say
Whores and angels; men with problems
Leavers always say
Broken hearted; separated
Orphans always say
War creators; racial haters
Preachers always say
Distant fathers; fallen warriors
Givers always say
Pilgrim saints; lonely widows
Users always say
Fearful mothers; watchful doubters
Saviors always say

Sometimes I cannot forgive
And these days, mercy cuts so deep
If the world was how it should be, maybe I could get some sleep
While I lay, I dream we're better,
Scales were gone and faces light
When we wake, we hate our brother
We still move to hurt each other
Sometimes I can close my eyes,
And all the fear that keeps me silent falls below my heavy breathing,
What makes me so badly bent?
We all have a chance to murder
We all feel the need for wonder
We still want to be reminded that the pain is worth the thunder

Sometimes when I lose my grip, I wonder what to make of heaven
All the times I thought to reach up
All the times I had to give
Babies underneath their beds
Hospitals that cannot treat all the wounds that money causes,
All the comforts of cathedrals
All the cries of thirsty children - this is our inheritance
All the rage of watching mothers - this is our greatest offense

Oh my God
Oh my God
Oh my God

Headline on Drudgereport.com: Bush says people should conserve, be wise about how they use gas and energy... 

That should have been the call after 9/11, instead of "spend, Spend, SPEND!!!"
The message should have applied to both the public at large as well as those in Gov't.

 

Two weeks ago we celebrated our nation's 232 birthday, and it seems like our society is heading quicker and quicker down the drain. It was almost unnoticeable 50 years ago, but as we get closer to the drain itself we are spiraling out of control. There is no respect, no self-control, and no dignity. 

I think a quote from 1931 is what started us on this journey. It was writer James Truslow Adams who coined the phrase "the American Dream," which basically states that a child's life should be fuller and better than that of the parent's. Unfortunately what happened was the parents took it upon themselves to try and make the children’s lives better without the children learning to appreciate what had been given to them, as it is human nature to take for granted what has been given too us, and appreciate what we have worked for.

So the greatest generation didn't want their children to experience what they had to endure living through the great depression, so they worked hard, and they gave of themselves more than ever before, literally "for the children". Unfortunately a large percentage of baby-boomers took if for granted, ignoring what had been taught them, despising the work ethic, authority and responsibility that comes along with being an adult... and then they had children...  The baby-boomer generation listened to people like Dr. Spock on how to raise their children instead of the ways that had traditionally worked. They had God & spanking removed from the classrooms, they gave their children everything they asked for, while not correcting bad behavior... and then they had children...

and the spiral is getting smaller and the drain is getting closer.

below is a picture from space of the California wildfires.
Nature is a bigger polluter than man...

With the approval of the funding for the ballpark downtown have we finally spent enough downtown to make it viable? Seriously, with the arena, the ball park, & cityhall move and the redoing of main street we have spent close to half a billion there.

Meanwhile on the west side of town we have the Tulsa Hills going up for around 15 million in Taxpayer improvements.

There is a proposal on the table to add a tax to downtown businesses to the tune of 6 1/2 cents per square foot of land and building space. They claim it will collect around $3.3 million a year for 30 years.

This tax is to help fund a new downtown baseball stadium that will cost $65 million to build, $25 million of that coming from downtown business owners... where is the other $74 million going to go?

 

 

So the big news story of the day is that the Eagles, the 60 year old country rockers from the 70s, will be the BOk centers first act ::yawn::

What is being glossed over is that there is going to be a "Multi-Faith Celebration" a few days earlier in which 11 differnt faiths will bless our new arena... I hope the one true God will reduce the arena to rubble for this abomination.

On Bill O'Reillys Talking Points Memo Today, he was whining about the salaries of some of the oil producers CEOs, they averaged about 35 million a year each... Consider this, if each one of those executives were to not take a salary and use 100% of their wages to lower gas prices, gas would come down $0.001 a gallon.

Complaining about the oil companies profits isnt going to help lower prices, Bill  (who makes 9 million a year himself), fixing the gov't will...

and that is todays Talking Points Memo...

With the recent news story about News Channel 8's anchor, Jerry Giordano. I thought it would be a nice gesture to update their web banner for their news site...

Tablet ignites debate on messiah and resurrection

Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.

Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.

The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.

When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.

If any form of government is capable of making a nation happy, ours I think bids fair now for producing that effect. But after all, much depends on the people who are to be governed.

Outside Independence Hall when
the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended,
Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin,
"Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"
With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded,
"A republic, if you can keep it."

 

Chris Medlock posted an interesting link on his website a bit ago concerning Mayor Taylor.
After registering and pulling up the extended flight plans, one has to ask… Is she EVER in town? Or is someone else using the plane? There are also a lot of one day trips on the list…

Jul 1 Greenville, SC Jun 26 Columbus, OH Jun 23-25 Las Vegas, NV Jun 9 Hollywood, CA Jun 5 Hollywood, CA Jun 3 Memphis, TN May 23-26 Hollywood, CA May 23 Kerrville, TX May 22 Kerrville, TX May 22 Milwaukee, WI May 18-20 Las Vegas, NV May 14-15 Vancouver, BC May 12 Washington, DC May 7 Dallas, TX May 6-7 Cleveland, OH

May 3 OK City May 2 Chicago, IL Apr 25-26 Kerrville, TX Apr 24-25 Atlanta, GA Apr 22 Brownwood, TX Apr 13 Concord, NC Apr 11 Waco, TX Mar 24-Apr 10 Houston, TX Mar 21 San Diego, CA Mar 14 Mobile, AL Mar 11-12 Chicago Mar 7-9 Datona Beach FL Mar 5 Santa Ana, CA  Feb 29 - Mar 2 Houston, TX

 

County Commisioner Randi Miller said you cant compare the situation of Big Splash with that of the evicted Bells amusement park...
and she's right!

1) Bell's paid their rent (and their water bills).
2) Bell's paid the highest rent on the fairgrounds.
3) Bell's maintained their rides, and made repairs when required.
4) The county commision wasn't in the back pocket Bell's.
5) Bell's has been evicted, while the owners of Big Splash has been given special treatment, a no bid contract for the midway during the fair, and first dibs on Bell's old location should they decide to set up their own amusement park.

yup, no comparison...

A little over a year ago I figured out (one of) Obama’s MOs. Send in some attack dog to try and discredit his opponent, and then claim he didn’t do it, didn’t know about it, disavow it, yada, yada, yada.

Well we can see it happening again (and again, and again), this weekend it was General Weasel Clark and Rep. Jim Webb, attacking Juan McCain’s military experience. Notice that Obama is quick to "condemn" the attacks without actually condemning them.

 

The prophetic words of the Temptations...

People moving out,
People moving in,
Why, because of the color of their skin,
Run, run, run, but you just can’t hide.

An eye for an eye,
Tooth for a tooth,
Vote for me and I’ll set you free,
Rap on, brother, rap on.

Well, the only person talking about loving thy brother is the preacher,
And it seems nobody’s interested in learning, but the teacher,
Segregation, demonstration, intergration, determination, aggravation, humiliation,
Obligation to our nation.

Ball of confusion,
That’s what the world is today, hey.

The sale of pills is at an all time high,
Young folks walk with their heads in the sky,
The cities aflame in the summertime,
And oh the beat goes on.

Evolution, revolution, gun control, sound of soul-shooting rockets to the moon,
Kids growing up too soon,
Politicians say, more taxes will solve everything,
The band played on.

So, round and around and around we go,
Where the world’s headed, nobody knows

Oh, great googamooga,
Can’t you hear me talking to you,
Just a ball of confusion,
That’s what the world is today, hey.

Fear in the air, tension everywhere,
Unemployment rising fast,
The beatles new record’s a gas,
And the only safe place to live,
Is on an indian reservation,
The band played on.

Eve of destruction, tax deduction,
City inspectors, bill collectors, mod clothes in demand,
Population out of hand, suicide, too many bills,
Hippies moving to the hills,
People all over the world are shouting, end the war!,
And the band played on.

Great googamooga,
Can’t you hear me talking to you,
Just a ball of confusion,
That’s what the world is today, yea-yea,
Just a ball of confusion,
Tell ya that’s what the world is today, yea-yea,
Just a ball of confusion, oh!