Nancy Reagan Falls At California Home

There is late word tonight that former First Lady, Nancy Reagan, has fallen at her home and taken to the hospital. My prayers are with Mrs. Reagan and I am hoping that she did not break her hip when she fell. The last time I saw Nancy Reagan was at the same time most everyone else last saw her at that was at her husbands, President Ronald Reagan's, funeral. I keep remembering back to that time when Nancy Reagan look so frail and so sad at the loss of her beloved husband.

Both Nancy and Ronald Reagan changed the United States for generation when they lived in the White House. In a little remembered fact, Ronald Reagan was the first President of the United States that was elected after getting a divorce and then getting remarried. I am hoping against hope that Nancy Reagan will be OK after today's fall, but I am also a realist when it comes to falls and senior citizens. Most of the time the news is not positive and a long term prognosis is not good. I remember when Nancy Reagan was First Lady, she did many things that at the time were criticized – but with the passage of time were deemed the right thing to do.

One of the biggest campaigns that Nancy Reagan under took when her husband was President was her battle to get kids to 'just say no' to drugs. Many late night comics had a field day with that slogan because it sounded so simplistic when it came to a serious issue like drug abuse. However, in the end – Nancy Reagan's 'just say no' campaign to fight drug abuse did catch on and many kids used that slogan to stay off of drugs. Another aspect of Nancy Reagan's life that I have always respected was the amount of devotion and love that she showed to her husband, former President Reagan.

I am praying that the news coming out of California tomorrow about Nancy Reagan's health is good and I hope she makes a full recovery. In recent years, Nancy Reagan has made amends with her children that once had little to do with her or her husband. I come from a family where it is sometimes hard to see the love because of constant disagreements, so I totally understand why it took a long time for the Reagan family to get their act together, as well. After the death of President Reagan, it appeared that the former President's family pulled together as a unit and that reunion most certainly was a positive in Nancy Reagan's life.

I will update this story as necessary over the next few days and as more current reports of Nancy Reagan's health are release.

Read more about Health Research:

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February 17, 2008 Archives

Baylor March Madness Dreams As Lady Bears Defeat OU

This afternoon, the Lady Bears of Baylor University, here in Waco, defeated OU by a score of 79-59. Most local residents remember fondly how the Lady Bears, coached by Kim Mulkey, won a national championship during March Madness a few years ago. Once again, Coach Mulkey has her Baylor Womens Basketball team primed to not only win a Big 12 championship – but also make another run at a national title. I have lived in Waco, Texas since 1983 and during that time local Baylor fans have had little to cheer about when it comes to playing in national championship games.

However, in recent years the powers that be at Baylor University have changed their previous views on paying for the best coaches in the country and that attitude switch has not only lead to a national title for the Lady Bears Basketball and Baylor Men's Tennis Teams, but also big improvements have been made in the Baylor Men's Baseball Program. From a little watched sport, a few years ago, to sell outs at most home games – Kim Mulkey has created a winning spirit not only with her Lady Bears Basketball program, but also with thousands of local residents that are season ticket holders.

It wasn't that long ago that season tickets to Baylor Men's Basketball games were more expensive than for the Lady Bears. However, with a wonderful win/loss record and a national title under their belt – the ticket prices have inverted at Baylor University to where it is now more expensive to purchase season tickets to Lady Bears' games than to the same sport played by the men. There is one person that should get all the credit for turning the Lady Bears program around at Baylor University and that person is Kim Mulkey.

I have often wondered what Kim Mulkey's former university thinks about her success at Baylor University? Without a doubt, Mulkey would have never left Louisiana Tech if that University had treated her with the respect that she had earned and deserved. However, Louisiana Tech's loss is our gain and from my own personal viewpoint – Kim Mulkey is paying back Louisiana Tech every time she wins a game as the Lady Bears head basketball coach. As the Lady Bears continue to win games, the idea of their return to March Madness in 2008 is starting to not only seem possible this year, but probable.

Here in Waco, Texas when the Lady Bears played in and won the national championship game a few years ago, the entire city pretty much shut down during that game. I am hoping for a repeat of that winning season and another exciting road to the Final Four with the Lady Bears leading the way.

Read more about Baylor University:

Treatment of Guy Morriss By Baylor Was Shameful
Lady Baylor Bears Lose To Maryland In Playoffs
Lady Baylor Bears Win Against Northern Arizona
Baylor University Has March Madness, Again
Congress Investigates BCS In College Bowl Picks

McCain Will Lose To Obama Because of Voting Record

John McCain may be all but certain to win the GOP nomination for President, but McCain has little chance to win in the upcoming general election because of his moderate voting record. While John McCain considers himself a moderate Republican, to most GOP voters John McCain is a liberal Republican who more closely follows the lead of Edward Kennedy than President George W. Bush. From Senator McCain's votes on immigration reform to campaign finance issues, Republican's have watched John McCain fall off the reservation many times during his long career in the US Senate.

As a real American war hero, almost everyone appreciates the service that McCain gave to this country during the Vietnam War. However, during John McCain's long service in the US Senate, his votes have baffled many Republican voters on many occasions over the years. Even in recent months, John McCain lead the effort for comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate and he tried to keep the details of that new law secret from the American people. When details started leaking out that the bill that John McCain proposed as immigration reform was really just a new amnesty law to allow tens of millions of illegal immigrants to be granted legal status, grass roots Republicans rebelled and the bill was eventually defeated.

If the likely match-up between Barack Obama and John McCain continues until November, John McCain will lose that race badly not because of democratic support for Barack Obama – but because millions of Republicans will either stay home on election day or switch party's and vote for Obama, instead. There is something about John McCain that does not sit right with me. While it is difficult to know exactly why I dislike McCain, but it is a persistent feeling that does not fade with the passage of time. In most presidential elections I have voted for the Republican candidate. However, in 2008 I will not be able to vote for John McCain and I am still undecided as to whether I will vote for Barack Obama. Most likely I will end up voting for Obama even though his voting record and ideas are very liberal.

The movement that is being referred to as the Barack Obama campaign for President has changed American voting patterns for the better. Unlike previous presidential elections, voters are not selecting a candidate in 2008 based on party, experience, race or gender. Instead, people in both political party's - no matter what their race or gender are supporting this years candidate for change, Barack Obama. Events will change between now and election day, but I doubt if the negative GOP feelings toward John McCain will fade that much over such a short period of time.

Read more about John McCain:

McCain Huckabee Win, Romney Appears Doomed
John McCain Wins Without Rush Limbaugh Support
John McCain Lead, Real Or Just Mainstream Media Driven?
South Carolina Memories For John McCain Campaign
John McCain Won New Hampshire, What Next?

Serial Rapist/Killer Sought In Reno Nevada Area

The terrible news was released late yesterday that the decomposed body of a young woman found late this week in Reno, Nevada was that of Brianna Denison. Denison has been missing for several weeks and foul play had been expected for some time now. Brianna Denison was last seen sleeping on the couch at a friends house in Reno. Reno police are now looking for a serial rapist and now also killer in their city. Another girl was recently raped and police believe that both Denison and the other girl could have been assaulted by the same man.

When I first heard the news of Brianna Denison's disappearance and the circumstances she put herself in before that disappearance, it reminded me of how hard it is to be the parent of a young girl today. From first hand reports, Denison went to sleep on a couch at a friends house right in front of a glass door where anyone could have looked into the house and seen her sleeping. A picture of that event is something that would scare any parent to death. However, young people seem to have the internal feeling that nothing bad is going to happen to them, even when they see bad things happening everyday on the news to other people.

Put simply, there are evil people in this world just like there has always been. Some of these evil people sleep during the day and go out into the dark of night to seek out prey just like a hungry animal. Young people, that do not fear these predators, are easy prey for the sick and twisted minds of rapist and killers. No matter how much a parent tries to warn or even scare their children into acting more responsibly, it never seems to work. Even today, with the confirmed death of Brianna Denison – tonight some other young girl in the US will end up doing the same thing she did and if some predator comes along, that girl will end up dead too.

My condolences go out to Brianna Denison's family because even though they probably did the best they could to prepare Brianna for the dangers of this world, their words fell on deaf ears. Reno Nevada is known to have one of the best police department in the country and I believe they will find this serial rapist and killer, soon. I just wish there was some way for parents to be able to show their children just how dangerous some people can be without sending them into so much fear that they would never leave the house.

Read more about Criminal Behavior:

Illinois Mall Murders, Robbery Gone Bad?
AMW Helps Jacksonville NC Police Find Cesar Laurean
Cesar Armando Laurean Headed For Texas?
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Missing Marine Murdered/Buried By Officer Suspect

NYC Cheated Obama During New York Primary

The New York Post is reporting today that in several New York City (NYC) voting locations, Barack Obama was cheated out of rightly earned votes. Election officials became concerned when in some predominately African-American voting locations in Harlem, Barack Obama received no votes while Hillary Clinton received more than 100. No one is suggesting that the entire New York State election was stolen from Barack Obama, but with the nationwide delegate count so close – every delegate counts.

While the Hillary Clinton campaign probably had nothing to do with these Harlem voter problems, it does add another potential negative to her already suffering campaign. The reason why some people might blame Hillary Clinton for this problem in Harlem is because she is a Senator from New York State. In a close election like the one between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the real personalities of the people that support either candidate will start to show up. Some partisan supporters will do anything to make sure the candidate they support wins, but in the end they will do more damage than good if their actions turn out to be illegal.

Of course, this could just be a case of old voting machines not being set up right in the first place. New York State uses old time voting machines that were developed decades ago. Most Americans have never even seen one of those old machines with the big voting lever except on television news after an election. While these machines are very old, in reality they are some of the most reliable voting machines on Earth – if they are set up correctly. To me, NY states old voting machines remind me of the old NCR cash registers that businesses used when I was a kid.

As election 2008 drags on without a winner on the democratic side, every issue and/or problem that is faced by voters in future primaries will be reported as big news by the media. The 2008 democratic primaries are staring to remind me of the 2000 general election when Al Gore and George W. Bush found themselves only a few votes apart in Florida. Of course in 2000, there were many recounts and many court challenges that went all the way to the Supreme Court where George W. Bush was eventually declared the winner. That kind of situation will not happen this year in the democratic primaries as Obama and Clinton struggle to win the nomination. However, there will most likely be close contests in the weeks to come where every vote will count in determining which candidate wins a state or more importantly a congressional district.

Read more about 2008 Elections:

Michigan/Florida Caucus Likely To Seat Delegates
Will Superdelegates Decide The Democratic Nomination?
Voters Want Change, Not Experience In 2008
GOP Tax Cuts Fail To Rally Base
Brokered Democrat Convention Possible This Year