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Check out the new Jib Jab on the very bottom!

Howdy All,

Check out the new Jib Jab on this year's election at the very bottom of the blog!

Fantastic email I got today!

I opened my email tonight and found this from my Mom:

E-Mail of the Year!!

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TURN ON THE TV AND HEAR ANY U.S.PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN, GIVE THE FOLLOWING SPEECH?

'My Fellow Americans: As you all know, the defeat of the Iraq regime has been completed.Since Congress does not want to spend any more money on this war, our mission in Iraq is complete.

This morning I gave the order for a complete removal of all American forces from Iraq. This action will be complete within 30 days.

It is now time to begin the reckoning.Before me, I have two lists. One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during the Iraq conflict. This list is short . The United Kingdom, Spain, Bulgaria, Australia, and Poland are some of the countries listed there.

The other list contains every one not on the first list. Most of the world's nations are on that list. My press secretary will be distributing copies of both lists later this evening.Let me start by saying that effective immediately, foreign aid to those nations on List 2 ceases indefinitely. The money saved during the first year alone will pretty much pay for the costs of the Iraqi war. THEN EVERY YEAR THEREAFTER IT'll GO TO OUR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM SO IT WONT GO BROKE IN 20 YEARS.

The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world Hell holes and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption.Need help with a famine ? Wrestling with an epidemic? Call France.

In the future, together with Congress, I will work to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems we still have at home. On that note, a word to terrorist organizations. Screw with us and we will hunt you down and eliminate you and all your friends from the face of the earth.

Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize? Try France or maybe China.

I am ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with France, Germany, and Russia. Thanks for all your help, comrades. We are retiring from NATO as well.

I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where those vehicles will be stripped, shredded and crushed. I don't care about whatever treaty pertains to this. You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets. Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers and limos be turned over to some of the finest chop shops in the world. I love New York.

A special note to our neighbors: Canada is on List 2. Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might want to try not pissing us off for a change.

Mexico is also on List 2. Its president and his entire corrupt government really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple thousand extra tanks and infantry divisions sitting around. Guess where I am going to put 'em? Yep, border security.

Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTA treaty - starting now.We are tired of the one-way highway.

Immediately, we'll be drilling for oil in Alaska-which will take care of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist who opposes this decision, I refer you to List 2 above: pick a country and move there.

It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, 'darn tootin.'

Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet.

It is time to eliminate hunger in America. It is time to eliminate homelessness in America.

To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thank you guys. We owe you and we won't forget.

To the nations on List 2, a final thought: You might want to learn to speak Arabic.

God bless America.. Thank you and good night.'If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier.(Please forward this to at least ten friends and see what happens! Let's get this to every USA computer!)

Lightning strike!

While in Minneapolis, we had a really bad storm roll through. It had generated a Tornado about 50 miles west of the city about an hour before it hit the city. I decided to take several photos of it and post them to http://www.webshots.com/ under my user name baileyscrn. It was a really powerful storm and it was quite eerie because of the glowing as it rolled over us. It had a very well defined shelf cloud and because it was so narrow a storm, the sun made the sky glow. Quite impressive on Mother Nature's part. Some of the shots show the building that is getting struck by lightning appearing to be glowing. But it is in fact reflecting the blue sky behind my hotel while the storm moves through. You can see how the white part of the building actually gets darker as the storm moves through. There was a LOT of lightning with the storm and I have to tell you I was more than a little nervous to be standing in the window taking pictures on the 14th floor! But, I got some great shots for the effort!

By the way, I have not done any touch-ups on this photo... isn't the sky gorgeous?!

The Running of the Bulls

Okay, so here I am in Minneapolis this morning trying to wake up.  Last night we had a really loud bunch of storms pass by and it woke me up.  I managed to go back to sleep, but I am minus a few hours.  So, I decided to check out the news this morning as a way of waking up.  

Over in Pamplona Italy it is that time of year when they board up the shops and have these celebratory days that I like to refer to as "The Influx of Mass Insanity", otherwise known as the "Running of the Bulls".  Now, I don't wish to trample (no pun intended) on a cultural tradition that has been around since 1591, but I have to ask myself who in their right mind would be on the same street as a herd of fighting bulls runs down it? (Thus the influx of insanity) I always seem magnetically drawn to the pictures of the running and the aftermath, and always wonder why people find it so enticing to be trampled by or gored by a bull?  I am sure you get quite the adrenalin rush.  Although I am not sure risking a horn through one's chest is worth it. Not too mention getting your vertebrae squashed as the bulls run over you.   There's just something about that injury potential that really isn't all that alluring. 

I have to say that this is the first year I have seen women in the pictures.  While I am all for equality,  I have to ask my sisters "What are you thinking??!!"  It's bad enough for the guys to be out there being trampled... but on average women are even smaller than men in stature.  This leads me to believe that when a bulls gores or tramples that perhaps the damage factor is ratcheted up a lot more.  So I will take the controversial stand to state "Women should not participate in the Running of the Bulls."  There, I said it.  Some might think I should turn in my independent girl card but I think someone has to take a stand in all that insanity.  There are just some events that women should not take part in.  We as a gender have enough to contend with during our lives (some more than others ---childbearing for example...similarly as painful I am sure) that we don't need to add running from a herd of really pissed off cows.  

There were several participants being taken to the hospital after the run.  One guy seemed to be in bad shape, and looked a bit pasty if you ask me.  They had a C-collar on him and put him on a back board. I hope he's okay.  But if not,  how does one explain one's paralysis as a badge of honor? This is why I refer to it as insanity.  Certainly there has to be other ways to prove one's maleness factor that are less fraught with pending death or dismemberment.  I mean there are variables that you can't control here.  That guy who pushes you down, or that girl who distracts you and then you find yourself at the wrong place at definitely the wrong time.  Why not jump off a tall building instead?  At least then most people take reasonable steps to prevent the injuries associated with deceleration, and there is no one else there sabotaging your exit. Except for maybe the guy driving the car you land in front of.  Well okay, perhaps not the best alternate example. But you get my point.  

If I ever make to Italy, I can assure you I will enjoy other aspects of Italian culture and history to the fullest without risking paralysis or death.  I wonder what makes tourists think this is a good idea? We remind travelers to be careful of things like ferries and such while abroad because as we all know and have heard about ferries overturning due to overcrowding.  However, I don't think it occurs to most Travel Medicine practitioners to warn people about their own feet as a conveyance in Italy.  I can only imagine the teaching session...

TM practitioner:

"Okay...ah..you are going to Italy.  Well, while there and amongst all that wonderful food, wine and history, please keep in mind that your feet will not convey you any faster than normal if you are running from a really large herd of pissed off cows."   

Patient:

"Why would I run from a large herd of pissed off cows?"

TM practitioner:

"Well it is easy to get up in the moment over there especially after the food and wine, especially.  I just want you to know that your feet are not imbued with magical running or leaping powers should you decide to participate in the festival that way."

Patient:  "Ah...okay.  Thanks. " (Walks away wondering what is wrong that person)

Over in Italy however, it's a different story.   "I'll show you who doesn't have magic feet!" And thus, the insanity begins. 

Well, now that I am fully awake, I suppose I'd better get ready for the conference this morning!

Guess where I went for lunch?

Minneapolis has a Hard Rock so naturally I had to go. Ever since I
went to Lisbon and saw one there and got a pin, I have been picking
them up wherever I go. Today I found a fabulous one. It also seems
that Minneapolis is one of the best stocked stores for pins that I
have found. Atlanta, Chicago and DC have nothing compared to here.
Gonna do some more exploring this afternoon... Nice place here in
Minneapolis.

Off on another adventure!

Today I am heading to Minneapolis. My purpose for going is to attend
an NNSDO conference.
It looks like I'll be the only one going from Holy Cross. I guess not
everyone was enthused about going to MN for a conference. Not having
been there myself I don't know if that'll ring true or not. I hear
it's very pretty this time of year though. And I definitely plan to
check out the Mall of America. I hear it's quite the shopping Mecca.
So if anyone has been there and has suggestions of things I should see
let me know!

More later!

Sue Bailey
Sent from my iPhone

More on Vt.

Not usually an advocate of Fox News... but here's a good video feed.

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=1991410&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/national/crime/index.html


Here's a link to the Perp's federal charging affadavit:
http://www.zimbio.com/pilot?ID=RerTq6nmSuz&ZURL=%2FMichael%2BJacques%2Fnews&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.burlingtonfreepress.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D%2F20080703%2FNEWS%2F80703026

It is nauseating to think how he could manipulate these kids. Okay..I'm done for now. Can't stand another second of this filth!!

Leave it to Fox News...

Wow... new details on the Vermont case....
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376383,00.html

Turns out that Gagnon convinced his friend to dump the safe and a laptop for him while he was being held in Vt.! (He called him at 0300!) Turns out Gagnon also confessed about having sex with the 14 yr. old last year so he's also a pedophile. Makes me nauseous just thinking he had access to another underage girl where he lived in San Antonio!

Also, at the bottom of the page is a link to the actual affadavit that the FBI has produced on Gagnon (the stepfather). It is horrid. Holy mackeral. How did this child have acccess to these guys?!

An update to the Vermont thing

Here I was just surfing around Yahoo when I came across this item:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080704/ap_on_re_us/missing_girl;_ylt=AtetfyOZ4PR7b6HxRpqJ46pbIwgF

Yes...it's the Vermont thing again. Apparently the girl's stepfather was renting a room in San Antonio from a man and his family. They had been friends for about 4 years. Shortly before going back to Vermont, the stepfather asked this guy to help him dump a safe. The guy trusting his friend said sure he would help. So they dumped it.

Since then he's discovered that the safe probably held a lot of child pornography. He learned this after several FBI interviews that he's had since they discovered where the stepfather lived.

What is scary to think about is that there is a 17 year-old in the house. No mention as to whether Gagnon (the stepfather) ever bothered her as yet. His friend thus far has not been charged with any crime and it sounds like he shouldn't be based on the story. I think he is just as flabbergasted about what has happened as anyone else.

His first clue should have been when Jacques (the alleged murderer/pedophile) came to visit Gagnon and they all had lunch. Gagnon told his friend that the guy had a criminal record and that he was his brother-in-law. His friend wondered why he even hung around with a guy like that.

However, as we are all likely to do, that one little red flag didn't raise much commotion in terms of taking any sort of action. I hope we won't be hearing about anything that might have happened to that 17 yr. old in San Antonio. But with characters like this, who knows.

Hmm.. still have the bee my bonnet.

Okay... I don't know what has gotten into me this morning but I just looked the guy up on this sex offender site: http://www.nsopr.gov/ his name is Michael Stephen Jacques according to the news report.

Check it out.

We apparently have a problem with how we monitor previously convicted sex offenders in our country. How can you list a guy as being compliant with treatment, but not supervise him in any way?

Clearly, the "treatment" has gone off the rails if what is alleged is actually true. And how do you know he is compliant if he is not required to check in anywhere?

If this guy is part of a ring... geez... we clearly have some work to do here! Instead funding Haliburton... how about we fund the justice system so they can keep an eyeball on, and squash re-offenders before things go too far? Or better yet, figure out how to prevent as much as possible this from happening in the first place. UGH!!!!!

What is going on in Vermont?

Check out this story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080703/ap_on_re_us/missing_girl;_ylt=AvzI5auWrfmKGx_Crk_1jSms0NUE

I think anyone with any sense of morals would find this situation to be just heinous. That a 12 year -old girl was duped by a family member no less, is bad enough. But after thinking about it for a minute, I have to ask myself what is really going on here?

This 12 year-old was allegedly last seen with her uncle a convicted sex offender, on 25 June 2008. He is her uncle by marriage (married her mother's sister). First off, I have to ask myself why her mother or father never discussed with her to avoid this person, despite him being her uncle. I find myself always trying to see the best in people and so I suppose there is the possibility that his conviction was one of teenage statutory rape (underage kids having sex...girl's parents pissed and pushed for conviction) scenario. But as I read further this seems highly unlikely, and therefore is simply nauseating.

As it is alleged, this man was part of a Pedofilic sex ring in Vermont and lured the niece to his house under the guise of having a party. When they got there, apparently a 14 year-old family member (girl, victim) of the accused was there with her boyfriend. As the story states, she has been having sex with this guy since she was 9 yrs old! She last saw the 12 yr old as she and the accused went upstairs. She and her boyfriend left at that point.

On one hand I have to assume that this 14 yr old knew what was going to happen, and yet did nothing. And while understanding this kid was a victim of a Pedophile for the past five years (allegedly) and this tends to skew one's perceptions, how could you not tell?! Especially after the 12 year old went upstairs with your attacker and then disappeared? Maybe she did later when she was in a safer position. Don't know the story doesn't say.

As if it couldn't get worse, it turns out the now dead girl's stepfather helped to try and cover up the ring by posting updates on the girl's My Space page implying that she was going to secretly meet someone. Her former stepfather for crying out loud!

I now find myself asking what happened that caused the girl's mother and stepfather to divorce (perhaps he put the moves on the kid?) in the first place...especially since he knew to cover up the ring and made frequent trips back to Vermont. By the way he was arrested on one of those trips back to Vermont by federal authorities and charged with obstruction of justice. If he was complicit in these kid's victimization, I have few other thoughts on how he should experience obstructing justice, or more to the point... causing justice to be up front and personal.

But I am still wondering... how does a family not coach a child about the dangers of this sex offender in their midst? How does her Aunt marry a convicted sex offender and expect the family to have their children around them? Having grown up in New England, albeit in a city bigger than 5,000 I am having quite a lot of difficulty reconciling how this child was not better protected than she was. Rural or not, in this day and age people are generally a lot more savvy about things like this and, it is generally a lot more public than when I was a kid. I have to wonder how this could have been prevented and a young girl could have grown up and contributed to the world.

That being said, my comments are not intended to be an indictment on the girl's parent's skills. Certainly, they are suffering terribly at this time. And I am sure they are asking themselves what they could have done to better protect her from this end. As a fellow human, I really feel very badly for them because certainly the loss of a child is among the worst of blows life has to offer. I just think it's important to see how this whole situation unfolded so it can be prevented in the future for someone else's child. And let's hope Justice comes hard and heavy where deserved.