Missing Pregnant Marine Compulsive Liar, Mother

The case of the missing, pregnant, Marine in North Carolina just keeps getting more strange by the day. On Thursday, missing Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach's mother made an unusual statement when she said that her missing daughter is a compulsive liar. For days, people around the country have been discussing the disappearance of Cpl. Lauterbach and the events that allegedly happened in her life in the days and weeks before her disappearance. I am personally shocked that Maria Lauterbach's mother would make such a statement about her daughter even if it were true. Even if a person is a compulsive liar, that does not mean that something bad has not happened to them.

Police in North Carolina seem to be following the lead of Lauterbach's mother by releasing a statement asking Cpl. Lauterbach to call them. Other news reports today claimed that Lauterbach had filed rape charges against another Marine that was her superior and also that she was set to testify in that case a few days after she disappeared. Cpl. Lauterbach's mother might be telling the complete truth about her daughters lying problem, or it could be possible that Lauterbach's mother is suffering from mental issues as well. If I were the police, I would treat this case as a missing person with possible foul play involvement rather than relying on the word of a mother that does not even live in the same town as her daughter.

I certainly hope that Maria Lauterbach will return hope soon, safe and sound and hopefully then we will find out more information about this strange case of family dysfunction and disappearance. I have a bad feeling that if Cpl. Lauterbach is eventually found dead that her mother will never be able to forgive herself for believing that her daughter somehow ran away without telling her. From all previous news reports, Maria Lauterbach talk to her mother on a regular basis via telephone and when she stopped calling that is when her mother became concerned about her well being. I don't think any of us have heard the last word on this story as of yet, but no matter how it turns out I certainly hope Cpl. Lauterbach is alive in the end.

Read more about Criminal Behavior:

Pregnant 20 Year Old Camp Lejeune Marine Missing
Alabama Father Throws 4 Children From Bridge
Two LSU Students Murdered Last Night
A Hero 'Jeanne Assam' Is Born From Colorado Church Shootings
Omaha Mall Killer Robert Hawkins Was Troubled

January 10, 2008 Archives

What Happened To Fred Thompson, Is He Still In The Race?

From the savior of conservatives in the Republican Party to a nothing in a short period of time pretty much sums up the 2008 GOP efforts of former U.S. Senator and 'Law and Order' actor Fred Thompson. A few months ago, there was little talk of anything else but the impending entry of Fred Thompson into the 2008 GOP race. Then, nothing really exciting happened after Thompson skipped a GOP debate to chat with Jay Leno on his late night comedy show till today. Early on, Fred Thompson declared that he really had no desire to become President of the United States. However, if voters needed a conservative alternative to John McCain and Rudy Giuliani he would go ahead and run anyway.

When I heard Fred Thompson talk about how he really didn't want to be President of the United States in interviews, I completely lost respect for this man that comes across larger than live in the movies and on television programs. I don't think it is possible in this modern day and age for Thompson, or for that matter any other candidate to win the Office of President unless they have a huge desire for the office. Without that burning desire, no one would put themselves or their family through the daily meat grinder of political and personal attacks from the media and other opponents. Fred Thompson has all but dropped off the political spectrum the past few months and it won't be long before Thompson throws in the towel and gets out of the race.

Thompson's lack luster performance as a GOP candidate for President must be a big disappointment for the thousands of people that contributed money to his campaign effort. There are true believer conservatives that really thought that Fred Thompson was the second coming of Ronald Reagan and they had early visions of him getting into this years race and running the table the same way Ronald Reagan did years ago. However, Fred Thompson is no Ronald Reagan and now even Thompson's biggest supporters are starting to realize that this, large, quite man does not have what it takes to win the GOP nomination. Most likely, Fred Thompson will remove himself from the GOP race if he is defeated in South Carolina. The hurt feelings that many original supporters of Fred Thompson suffered will not fade quickly and he has pretty much permanently damaged his political chances of anything in future Republican politics.

Read more about Fred Thompson:

Gun Control Will Guide Fred Thompson Against Rudy Giuliani
Fred Thompson's First GOP Debate Tuesday Night
Fred Thompson Better As Potential Candidate
Fred Thompson Plays President For Real
Fred Thompson Roadshow Starts Rolling Today

CNN Beats Fox News In Election Night Coverage

It has been a long time since CNN had much to brag about when it comes to Fox News, but now they have a ratings victory. On Tuesday night as votes were being counted in New Hampshire, new ratings show that CNN's election coverage beat Fox News by several hundred thousand viewers. Since September 11th, 2001 – Fox News has been the 800 pound gorilla in the room as their ratings have often times more than doubled those at CNN and MSNBC, combined. However, in recent months the ratings at CNN have been steadily climbing due to the hard work of long time anchors like Wolf Blitzer. I too have been a long time viewer of Fox News, but I have found myself tuning in more often recently to CNN for their great election coverage.

It is common wisdom that Fox News leans to the right in it's coverage of political issues in the same way MSNBC leans to the left. In the 2008 election cycle, I believe more Americans are looking for election coverage that is more in the center politically and that too is helping CNN in their ratings battle against Fox News. For years, the American people and politicians have been divided down partisan lines of debate and dispute to the point where this country now finds itself in almost total gridlock. Over the past few months I have seen CNN move from a center/left leaning cable news network to a place where moderation seems to be winning out. That switch to the center is helping CNN in it's ratings battle with Fox News and I look for more success stories this year as more political primaries come closer into focus.

In the competitive world of cable news, no one network ever stays on top forever. Right now, it appears that Fox News is starting to lose it's edge against CNN. Unfortunately, while no cable news network always stays on top of the ratings – poor MSNBC seems to have a lock on last place as it's tired old format of promoting liberal causes continues to bore news viewers to sleep. I'm happy to see the first national cable news network (CNN) regain some of it's previous glory because competition is good not only in business, but also in the world of cable news reporting. I am old enough to remember the days of WTBS in Atlanta where Ted Tunner took his profits from that nationwide cable channel and started a 24 hour cable news network that almost everyone thought would fail. However, CNN did not fail and it has kept millions of cable news viewers informed for decades. Now after a long slump in the ratings, CNN is once again taking it's place in cable news history.

Read more about the Media:

Critics Slam Dr. Laura Over Harsh Caller Treatment
Dr. Laura Caller - Extreme Emotional Reaction
Is It Time For MSNBC To Be Shut Down?
Moveon.org Rushes 100K To New York Times
Keith Olbermann Wrong Choice For NFL On NBC

India's Tata Motors Debuts $2500 Car

It's seems impossible to me, but somehow Tata Motors, an automobile company in India, has build a car that will sell for $2500. I saw pictures of this new car, called the Nano, today and I actually thought it looked kind of neat. As you might image this car has none of the regular perks most people are use to in an automobile and no it does not have A/C, either. This new Nano, from Tata Motors, was developed for consumers in India that have a need for transportation, but lack the money to buy a regular full priced car. To me, the Nano looks like a golf cart that someone put a medal frame around. However, since I like golf carts that is not a negative for me.

Unbelievably, this new Nano can reach speeds of 65 miles per hour which is much faster than any golf cart I have ever driven. Fortunately for Tata Motors they are releasing this car for sale in India, so the mountains of red tape and federal regulation that would face a U.S. car company are not at play with the Nano. My personal preference in transportation is an SUV, but with gas prices moving ever higher that kind of a vehicle is not a smart move for me right now. It's too bad that the Nano isn't for sale in the United States because I think millions of people would buy one just to show off to their friends and family members.

For years I have seen extra small cars from Europe displayed in major motion pictures. Usually, here in Texas when one of those European small cars are shown on the movie screen, people in the audience tend to laugh because of their compact style. In contrast to some of the little cars from Europe, this new Tata Nano is a pretty cool looking car and it will help to serve a huge market of consumers in India, one of the largest nations in the world by population where average per capita income is still very low. Maybe Tata will find a way to get these cars into the United States for purely leisure use. If they do, I could see myself buying a Tata Nano and driving it on country roads on the weekend.

Read more about Automobiles:

Ford Motor (F) Falls To Three After Toyota Sales Surge
General Motors (GM) Faces Huge Challenges In 2008
Ford Motor Company (F) Reaches UAW Deal - No Strike
UAW Next Strike Target - Ford Motor Company
UAW Workers Strike Chrysler As Contract Expires

Did You Know President Bush Was In The Middle East?

Yes, the President of the United States has been in the Middle East now for several days. However, I have heard little reporting about his trip on the major cable news networks. Instead, they have been totally focused on the 2008 presidential race which will replace George W. Bush as President. Of course, most people in the United States long ago started tuning out news that revolved around the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. It is difficult for most Americans to get behind any type of peace agreement between Israel and Palestine because so many failures have occurred in the past. Going back thousands of years, the Palestinians and Israeli's have hated each other and for some people there cannot and should not ever be peace between these old enemies.

President Bush, like President Clinton before him is in the Middle East trying to find a way to stop the killing. However, President Bush will most likely fail because as long as these two party's would rather kill the other rather than find compromise then nothing positive will happen over the long term. There is a term that goes around Washington during the final year of a President's service and that term is 'lame duck'. Right now, President Bush is a lame duck President that will have little power to get anything done domestically in Washington. So rather than feel completely useless, President Bush is doing the same thing as his predecessors and that is to travel the world during his final year in office trying to do something to perpetuate his legacy.

I am not surprised that the major news media has moved from covering President Bush toward covering who the next President of the United States might be. The eight years that President Bush has served as President have been difficult for many people and in very large ways the United States has changed over the past eight years. The biggest change was on September 11th, 2001 when terrorist attacked the United States. That one event change the role of President Bush for the rest of his term and even today, people either like President Bush or dislike him based on choices he made after September 11th, 2001. This year will be filled with many more trips abroad by President Bush as he tries to leave his mark on the Office of the President. The next President will face a much different world than George W. Bush did when he took the Oath of Office in January of 2001.

Read more about President Bush:

George McGovern Wants President Bush Impeached
Is President Bush Arrogant In Private Talks?
President Bush Controls Democrats Better Than Republicans
Will President Bush Stop Iran's Nuclear Program?
George W. Bush The First Third Term President Since FDR?

Pregnant 20 Year Old Camp Lejeune Marine Missing

Breaking News Update: It was announced late Thursday night 04/10/2008 that Cesar Armando Laurean had been arrested in Mexico. Read the latest here.

Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach stationed at Camp Lejeune North Carolina has been missing now for almost one month. In what is turning out to be a mystery disappearance, Cpl. Lauterback went missing only days before she was to testify in court about an incident where she was alleged a victim. This story has been simmering around on various news web sites now for several days and I had hoped the Marines would have released more information about the case in which she was to testify, but to date very little information has come forward. Police are actively investigating Maria Lauterbach disappearance, but few clues are currently being released. What we do know is that Cpl. Lauterbach's cell phone was found at the main gate of Camp Lejeune and her car was found at a local bus station. Police now believe that both her cell phone and car could have been tampered with.

Now that this story is being widely publicized, maybe the U.S. Marine Corp will release more information about the case Cpl. Lauterbach was set to testify in and what the alleged charges involved were. Right now, this whole disappearance is taking on a life of it's own as people start to speculate as to what the court case was all about where she was to testify. Yesterday, the information about her car being found at a local bus station and her cell phone being discarded at the Camp Lejeune main gate gave the appearance that this eight month pregnant young woman might have gone into hiding in order to protect herself and her unborn child from potential treat. However, today this new information makes a person wonder if she vanished on her own accord at all.

With police now saying that her cell phone and car were tampered with, this case of a missing Marine is starting to look more and more like an act of foul play rather than a person that just went missing of their own accord. It does get aggravating when dealing with the button down world of the U.S. armed services which too many times fail to release the most routine information to the public. In my opinion, this closed off approach by the U.S. Marine Corp will just cause millions of people to make up their explanation of what happened to Cpl. Lauterbach and by the end of this week, dozens of conspiracy theories will be floating around the Internet regarding her disappearance. Just like in the past, a lack of real and true information being released by the military will create conspiracy theories and 'Urban Legends' once again which could have been stopped early on if not for the secretive nature of the military.

Read more about Criminal Behavior:

Alabama Father Throws 4 Children From Bridge
Two LSU Students Murdered Last Night
A Hero 'Jeanne Assam' Is Born From Colorado Church Shootings
Omaha Mall Killer Robert Hawkins Was Troubled
Robert Hawkins 'Going Out In Style' Kills 8 Then Himself

Obama Endorsed By Kerry, Nevada Culinary Union

Many Democrat heavy weights have lined up the past few days to try and help Barack Obama after he was defeated by Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. Yesterday, the 60,000 member strong Culinary Union of Nevada endorsed Barack Obama and then today the 2004 democratic nominee for President, John Kerry did the same. With two top viable contenders for the democratic nomination it is going to be interesting to see which candidates will receive endorsements from old time Democrat heavy weights across the country. Of course, the biggest of these names, former President Bill Clinton is endorsing his wife. However, will former Clinton Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore do the same?

In previous elections most big named Democrats usually wait until a party nominee is selected before they endorse that candidate. However, 2008 is shaping up to be a different kind of year in the democratic party because of the 'Hillary Factor'. It has been reported many times and I agree that Hillary Clinton is the most polarizing political figure in the country. While millions of people see Hillary Clinton as a powerful role model, just as many people dislike her and would never support her bid for President under any circumstance. In recent polling and in surveys that go back many years, Hillary Clinton is disapproved of by voters as much as approved of which is a big problem for Democrats.

Almost 50% of the American people have stated time and time again that they would never vote for Hillary Clinton under any circumstance. I don't think there has ever been a candidate for President of the United States with that big of a disapproval rating ever winning the office. These high disapproval ratings for Hillary Clinton is the reason why major labor unions and Senator John Kerry have stepped forward so early in this national campaign to endorse Barack Obama and that is also why other major endorsement for Obama will soon follow. After eight long years of watching President Bush run the country in a way that most Democrats disagree with, personal loyalty will take a backseat to nominating a candidate that can win the general election. With a 50% disapproval rating hanging onto Hillary Clinton, most democratic leaders will see Barack Obama having the best chance to win the general election and that is why Hillary Clinton may find herself all alone, soon, as more major Democrats get behind Barack Obama early on in this election year.

Read more about 2008 Elections:

Polls In New Hampshire Were Completely Wrong
Massive Voter Turn Out In New Hampshire Primary
Ron Paul Supporters Are Angry At Media
Ron Paul/Duncan Hunter Snubbed By Fox/ABC News
Iowa's Thursday Caucus First Test For Candidates

South Carolina Memories For John McCain Campaign

Back in 2000, John McCain was well on his way to winning the Republican nomination for President, when then Texas Governor George W. Bush's top adviser Karl Rove sent him packing after a push poll effort that effectively ended John McCain's run. Has John McCain learned from that defeat? I guess we will all find out soon because once again John McCain has won the New Hampshire Primary and is now headed for another potential problem in South Carolina. In reality, John McCain is a nice guy that does not like to get into the dirty little games that some politicians play. That is why he was so outmatched by Karl Rove in 2000 and why he might face new problems from Mitt Romney in South Carolina.

I have no doubt that Mitt Romney, a conservative, will run the same type of campaign against John McCain in South Carolina that George W. Bush did in 2000. South Carolina is a conservative state that usually does not support that likes of moderates like John McCain. With South Carolina following close on the heals of New Hampshire, a blue blooded northeastern state – it provides the perfect testing ground to find out if a Republican candidate has what it takes to go all the way and win his party's nomination. In 2000, John McCain depended on support from a national news media that treated him more as a rock star than a candidate for President of the United States.

Now the year is 2008 and the big question is will John McCain adjust his strategy in South Carolina or will he once again fall victim to far right tricks that will trip him up? If politics were logical, a person would assume that after George W. Bush made John McCain look so bad in South Carolina in 2000, a smart candidate like McCain would make adjustments to make sure that same thing did not happen again eight years later. Right now, I am not sure if John McCain learned his lesson or not. Maybe 2008 is so different than 2000 that those terrible push polls won't even work anymore. That said, I wouldn't bet the farm on them not working, if I was John McCain.

The real test for McCain is once again in South Carolina and we will all see soon if he learned a lesson from his defeat at the hands of George W. Bush or will he fall into the same conservative trap that Karl Rove laid for him eight years ago, this time at the hands of Mitt Romney?

Read more about John McCain:

John McCain Won New Hampshire, What Next?
John McCain Running Against Barack Obama In New Hampshire
Media Hypes John McCain Before New Hampshire Primary
John McCain Inspires Few With Campaign Message
Media Abandons McCain - 2000 Campaign Long Gone