Barack Obama, 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

On Friday, October 9, 2009 at 11 am CEST, the Norwegian Nobel Institute awarded named Barack Obama as the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. The Institute awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.

The last administration was known more for cowboying, oil wells, slaps on the back and back room deals.

Mr. Obama has brought his intelligence, his family, his gentleness, his strength and his vision to the Office of the President.

Pleaes get behind our President who is carrying a heavy load of wars, natural disasters, endangerd animals, health insurance, unemployment, economy, among others, on his plate.  Give him a chance and your prayers.

I watched the movie Charlie Wilson’s War on HBO the other night.  The movie is about an unlikely trio, consisting of the hard drinking and womanizing US Representative, an out of favor CIA operative, and a female Houston philanthropist, who joined forces to secretly bankroll the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union.

Russian troops had superior weapons, most notably helicopters that could rain destruction on the freedom fighters below.  The war went on for years and there were so many casualties, especially among the children.  The movie helps the viewer understand the wide-ranging and long-lasting implications of this little-known episode.

This morning I saw The True Story of Charlie Wilson’s War on the History Channel.  This was more interesting than the movie. Born and raised in Trinity, Texas, Wilson joined the Navy after graduating from college. Then he went to work at the Pentagon. He was an avid anti-communist.

Once elected, Wilson made a name for himself. In his Washington office, he surrounded himself with beautiful young women, who became known as Charlie’s Angels. He loved whiskey and the hedonistic lifestyle of the 1980s, which almost cost him his office. He might have continued with his life of debauchery, but he was stricken by reading an account of the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan, which was now occupied by the Soviets.

Wilson had just been named to the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, the group responsible for funding CIA operations.  He decided to use his position, through a series of backroom deals, to steer billions of dollars to the Afghan rebels. Eventually, Rep. Wilson became part of what was then the largest covert operation in the history of the Central Intelligence Agency. Charlie Wilson became an ally of a CIA agent Gust Avrakotos and Houston philanthropist Joanne Herring to bankroll the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Union.

The US would not give the Afghans American-made weapons that could cause an incident with the Soviet Union.  Ever resourceful, Charlie found a way to raise and route funds to the CIA to fund the purchase of Russian-made Stingers from the Saudis. In fact, the Saudis matched each dollar spent with one of their own.

With weapons that took away the Russian’s air superiority, the Afghans reclaimed their land. Unfortunately, the US did not follow through to help the war-torn nation rebuild their country.Those very freedom fighters that were armed by Charlie Wilson turned those same weapons against America within a decade.

The Wind Never Stops and it is Hotter’n Hell

June 10, 2008 in WICHITA FALLS, TX:

High Temperature: Actual: 97°F
Normal: 90°F
Record: 105°F

The Hotter’N Hell Hundred endurance race is one of the oldest and largest cycling events in the USA.

With the huge consumer products show, off-road mountain biking and USCF Races over the weekend, the Hotter’N Hell offers an awesome start and the greatest weekend on two wheels. Fitness riders and bicycle racers will come to Wichita Falls, in August, from almost everywhere to participate. Races begin at 7am (sunrise) and end at the Finish Line Village. But, first, you must pass through Hell’s Gate.

Off Road Biking on 10-mile off-road trail is open all day. Help comes for you at 6 pm on Friday and 1 pm on Saturday. This natural trail is single track with quick short climbs and drops. Off-roading requires skill and caution on the part of the rider.

Registration and Races

All the excitement of the HH100 begins with Registration for one or all races held during the weekend.

8/22/2008
Wee-Chi-Tah Trail Races
Mountain Bike (13 miles) and Trail Run (5, 10, 13 miles)
online registration closes 8/18/2008 8:00:00 AM ET

8/22/2008 – 8/23/2008
Hotter’N Hell Hundred Ultra Road and Criterium (USCF races for licensed racers)
online registration closes 8/20/2008 11:00:00 PM ET

8/23/2008
Hotter’n Hell Hundred Endurance Ride – HH100
10K – 25 mile – 50 mile – 100K – 100 mile
online registration closes 8/18/2008 7:00:00 AM ET

Consumer Show

8/21-8/23/2008
2008 Consumer Show

The Hotter’N Hell Consumer Show is one of the largest consumer bicycle trade shows in the nation. Visit old friends and make new ones in the exhibit Hall of the Multi-Purpose Events Center (MPEC), 1000 Fifth St. in downtown Wichita Falls.

Thursday 3 -8 pm
Friday 1-10 pm
Saturday 9-3 pm

Camping

There are lots of opportunities to camp–from full hookups to tent camping to indoor camping in a hall with A/C. Visit the camping page of HH100 website for more information. There are also hotels listed.

We Texans have not had this much attention focused on our state since we sent our last governor to the White House, and we are still trying to live that down.

I have answered 25 opinion polls in the past week. In the same time period, I have been solicited for as much cash as I make in a year. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are hitting Texas hard, battling hard for votes in the upcoming Texas primary. They debated once already and will debate again next week. The debates between the two candidates are so incredibly polite that they are almost a non-event.

U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy spoke for Barack Obama Thursday on the campus of Texas State University-San Marcos. Caroline Kennedy will be making an appearance in Austin on Tuesday. I think it is incredibly meaningful that they both came to Texas–where her father and his brother–the hope of the nation, was shot and killed on daytime television on November 22, 1963.

I noticed that Cesar Chavez’s son and Robert Kennedy, Jr. are both actively stumping for Hillary Clinton. Clinton is hoping the strong Hispanic vote will turn out for her. Barrack Obama is garnering support from the unions. I can tell you that the Democrats are early voting in record numbers in my county.

This is a historic election. This is the first time a woman or a black man have been in the running for the top spot of the USA. I only wish they were not running against each other. I guess it is better than having to vote for four more years of the same!

Last July, I wrote a post on FEMA trailers and formaldehyde. In the article, which you may read here, I cited many sources stating that formaldehyde was a true problem.

From that July 2007 post:

Our Government at Work FEMA trailers are toxic to the people living in them. FEMA has known about the formaldehyde outgassing problem since 2006, but have not taken action except when people complained. FEMA is now the target of a class-action lawsuit, as they should be. Formaldehyde outgasses in high heat and humidity, so we put flood victims from the Gulf Coast in them? Why?

News Sources for July 2007 post:

June 4, 2007
ABC News: Embalmed in Your Own RV

May 16, 2007
Are FEMA Trailers Making Residents Sick?, CBS News: Homes For Those Displaced By Katrina Can Contain High Toxin Levels – CBS News

February 15, 2007
Mardi Gras Overshadowed by Toxic Trailers

From the article:

Meanwhile, in Little Rock, Ark. FEMA said it will continue with distribution of mobile homes to Arkansas and Tennessee tornado victims despite a CDC finding of high formaldehyde levels in other trailers.

 : : Shame on You, FEMA! : :

And God help all who are in the hands of the American  government.  If you are poor, you will be mistreated.  No doubt about it.