http://jimkouri.us/

Some of you may have heard Jim Kouri on the Bill Colley show.  Jim writes about law enforcement issues and politics.

Presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin joined us Tuesday afternoon at WGMD.  Some links…

http://www.Baldwin08.com

http://www.nonewworldorder.com

http://www.constitutionparty.com

Saturday was a great start. Despite rain and lightning turn-out was wonderful.

Many people are suggesting an on-line petition. My thoughts on the matter are that nothing is more powerful than your signature. I’m not at all sure an on-line list can convey the same gravity.

With that in mind, who among you would like to pass petitions?

A man from Milford explains the best places to gather signatures are on public sidewalks in front of your local post office. Or outside busy government buildings. Would your local Wal-Mart grant permission? Your local grocer? Brave souls in parking lots can keep the names on our lists growing.

We plan to deliver an initial installment late this week, however. If we’ve a large volume I’ll grab Rick or Gene or Frank and we’ll go for a drive to Capitol Hill. We’ll bring a video camera and make our delivery.

If you want to pass petitions, email me and I’ll provide a preamble that explains our mission. All you’ll need is lined paper.

And when you see your Representative or Senator just remember two words. “Drill now” is our command. We aren’t asking. We’re in charge.

billc@wgmd.com

Georgetown. Saturday, August 2, 2008. From 12:00 P.M. until 2:00 P.M. Come sign our petition demanding oil exploration commence offshore, in Alaska and in the rugged hills of Colorado. We’ll be at The Circle. This morning I read one of my favorite sage’s comments…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/31/AR2008073102824.html

Eva Kellogg vanished following lunch. Not only didn’t her classmates notice but her teacher didn’t catch the empty chair.

Eva was a student in Mrs. Spateholts’ Sixth Grade at Cuba Elementary School. I met Eva many years earlier when we were in the same classroom, Mrs. Hillman’s First Grade. September, 1968. The little girl was just like any other first grader, full of energy and laughter and an open road ahead. Her family, we didn’t know it then, was grindingly poor. Her parents married young, as their parents married young and their parents before them. They lived out in the country, on a dirt road, in what passed for a house. Years later I was told that Eva, her two sisters and their parents, slept in one room. A common room where they ate their meals and shared the stories of their days and probably had plenty of time for talk as I don’t believe they owned a television set.

Eva’s dad worked at Agway. I didn’t know until a friend told me in high school that his dad worked with Mr. Kellogg. His first name was Maynard or Millard and he was beloved by the men he worked with because he worked hard, didn’t complain and came to work smiling. And I don’t know how he managed to smile. Not with the hardships his family suffered. The girls wore old-fashioned clothes to school. Their mother obviously sewed as a survival skill. The girls all had horned-rim glasses as anything stylish would’ve cost much more. It strikes me as amazing the family could even afford glasses as I learned years later the old man didn’t seek government hand-outs.

My family wasn’t living on easy street but every two years my dad bought a new car and we had a summer cottage at Cuba Lake. In the early 70s Mr. Kellogg was still driving one of those big old Buicks popular in the mid-50s. It was rusty and wheezed and creaked down the old back roads and it got him to work and he must have spent weeks of each year making repairs. My parents grew up during The Depression and The War much like the Kellogg family. Then in the early 60s my people bought a house in town and adopted modernity. Yet a great many people back home still lived quietly and simply out in the “sticks” and the older folks, who never chased the rush to fill homes with all sorts of conveniences, respected the old ways.

School classrooms aren’t filled with older people. By the fall of 1973 most of my fellow sixth graders had spent years in front of television sets. We had rooms at home filled with toys, spent summer days on shining banana bikes and some families were just getting something in homes called “cable”. We wanted to be part of the crowd. Somewhere between the first grade and grade six the Kellogg sisters stopped taking part in the social circuit. Probably not by choice and Eva, from what I vaguely remember, had a desk at the back of the room and the lively girl of 1968 was silent and invisible.

The day she vanished after lunch nobody noticed. Not even her teacher. We learned the next day that Eva had walked 7 miles home from school. Her mother was shocked to see her daughter wandering down the dirt road, tears streaming down her face. The Kellogg’s didn’t have a telephone. Mrs. Kellogg walked to a neighbor’s house and called the school. It seems someone had put a package inside Eva’s desk. It was a bar of soap wrapped in a note. “Hey, smellogg, why don’t you take a bath”, it read. Mrs. Spateholts shared the story the following morning. A few days later it was revealed a little boy, from similar circumstances as the Kellogg family, left the package that Eva found when she opened her desk looking for her lunch. He told his friends and one of them eventually came clean.

A fellow called me a few weeks ago and asked me on-air if I ride a bicycle for exercise or to clear my head. Both, I guess. I desperately need the first and the latter keeps my mind off the mundane pattern of my route. It has probably been more than 30 years since I last heard Eva’s name. She was my friend in 1968 and then drifted away. While biking I was thinking of an email from an educator questioning my often harsh views of school systems. Suddenly my thoughts stumbled across the Kellogg sisters.

By 1973 the education establishment was already lurching toward a model designed to ensure that the Eva’s of this world aren’t forgotten. Yet even Mrs. Spateholts didn’t know the little girl was missing until a telephone rang. And Eva would’ve been fine in 1948 but in a span of a few short years the culture that welcomed our parents was jettisoned in favor of the pursuit of “things”.

Eva and her sisters left school, married young and vanished along another dirt road.

I wanted to take a minute or two to tell you about a friend.  She was always there when I cam home from school, excited and ready to play.  When I was sick, she was there keeping me company.  If I was sad, it was like she knew and would cuddle up next to me and lick my hand.

By the way I am talking about my dog, my pet, my friend for over 15 years.  Unfortunately her little body just couldn’t keep up with the wonderful spirit that she had and she was put to sleep on Friday night.  I can’t say that I haven’t seen this coming for the past 6 months or so.  She was blind, pretty much deaf, and her favorite thing to do was sleep.  But every now and then she would get a little spark and the old Abby that I knew and loved would come back to us.

To have her in my life for over half of my life makes it that much harder to say goodbye. The selfish part of me still wants her here with me and have her brighten all of our lives.  But dogs can never come up to you and say “hey I don’t feel well.  You should really take me to the vet.” and we all knew that enough was enough and my parents had the difficult task of realizing that she will be better off and putting her down.

Why write about this?  Because I want everyone who owns a pet be it a dog or cat or bird or fish or hamster, give it a little extra love today.  Treasure your pets a little more because you never know when it will be their time.  This is a depressing article I know, but now that my dog is gone, you really realize how much of an impact a pet can have on your life.  They are always there with unconditional love and support no matter what.  Corny I know, but love your pets every day.

Even though she may be gone, every time I think of the wonderful memories that I have of her, I feel a little better and I know that she did what she was sent here to do.

Sorry for the corny post, I will have more newsworthy things to talk about next week.  Till then,  have a good week.

I grew up with people like Sam Wilson. Hardworking and straight shooters. Maybe shooters would be a poor choice of words? Let me explain. Saturday evening Mark Lowry performed at Eagle’s Nest. It was uplifting and fun and if you weren’t there it was one of the top experiences of the summer here at the shore.

Going out the door I stopped and chatted with the promoters and Mr. Wilson came by to say hello. We’ve met before. At Calvary Baptist in Georgetown. Saturday night we talked about last week’s political events. Hey, it’s just business, right? Then things started getting creepy.

He tells me his friends suggest that he sue me for calling him a Nazi. For the record I said his actions were reminiscent of the Nazis. It’s an opinion offered by an over-the-air opinion columnist. These followed the very public comments he made last week. Then he asked me if I really believed he would show up at the studios with a gun. Memory strikes me last week I expressed concern he owns firearms. You know, folks, it’s a radio “show”. You get it, right?

Apparently Mr. Wilson doesn’t. He then asked me how I would react if he showed up with a wooden gun. As this conversation was taking place on church property I just smiled and laughed it off. At this point a woman, apparently his daughter, was insisting it was time he went home.

So exactly how steep is this fellow’s learning curve?

An emailer yesterday said I was exaggerating the worries. Last week there was a shooing at a Christian radio station in State College, Pennsylvania. At my last radio station there were nicks in the windows from pellets. An old co-worker of mine, George Kilpatrick, hosted what was for the most part, a mild mannered “urban” talk show. One day a fellow arrived at the door threatening to shoot George. A few years ago an employee of a Chicago TV station was killed by a gunman. Are you familiar with a talk show host named Berg? Killed by a warped listener.

It’s a radio show, for crying out loud! What part of this isn’t sinking into the craniums of some people? At my last radio station a fellow telephoned after a show and said he was coming over to the studios to thrash me. I was standing in the booth talking with a friend who worked as police chief in a local town and handed the telephone over to the policeman, however. We don’t have police officers with us everyday.

Yet the leadership of the Republican Party wants Mr. Wilson serving on County Council. Are they nuts? Do I dare start my car as I leave work? Will I find a burning cross at my house? Will they shoot my dog?

While I’ve got the floor let me as well mention this “Williamsville” character. His real name is Charley. He calls our office line several times daily and harasses the two sweet ladies working the telephones. They work at the radio station because they need to meet their obligations. Just like the rest of us. Then he claims he should be granted a free pass because of a disability. If he called Wal-Mart, the bank or Food Lion everyday with his hostility he’d have been charged long ago.

And some of you people think I lack civility?

Regarding the issue of illegal immigrants and driver’s licenses, WGMD received this statement from candidate for Governor and Democrat–Lieutenant Governor John Carney:

“Like most Delawareans, I’m frustrated by the Bush Administration’s failure to address illegal immigration at the federal level.  We need to treat all people fairly and compassionately, but at the end of the day we are a nation of laws and I don’t believe issuing driver’s licenses to those who are here illegally is the right approach.”

In addition, State Treasurer Jack Markell (Democrat), who is also running for Governor stated, “I specifically don’t favor driver’s licenses for people who are here illegally, but we need to make sure we are doing the right thing at the federal level.”

Do you know what gets me most about these last few days?  Of all the “point people” in Delaware media, I’m probably the friendliest to Republicans and Republican causes.

Yet some within the party threaten me and I get a sixty second on-air call from the local county chair telling me the other fellow doesn’t speak for the organization.  While I could say of the man running for County Council, “Is this the best you can find?” I’ve refrained for the most part from leveling that criticism.

Ron didn’t say he was sorry, only that Sam doesn’t speak for the party.

These people threatened my livelihood!

And now the next time you or Ron or John Brady or Jud Bennett want air-time you’ll all expect I’m going to welcome you folks on the program.  As if the lowly folks of Sussex County will be awaiting the next pronouncement from Mt. Olympus.

You’ve got a candidate for Governor thinking he’s an incumbent and somehow above the bare knuckle of politics and on the “official” day his campaign starts he steps in the muck.  Days later and you folks are still looking for someone else to blame.  Nobody at WGMD programmed his words that morning.  If he was exhausted and doesn’t have the stamina for the long haul, and if that’s all it was, why should anyone be convinced to vote for him?

Realistically, and all of you have known this all along, the idea was to wait for Carney/Markell to soil themselves and then maybe, just maybe, Mr. Lee had a narrow window for victory, however.  I must agree with the critics saying he doesn’t want the job.  Late July and the game appears finished.

And what of other Republicans this year whom are really serious about winning and now have to remain silent during the implosion?  Didn’t and don’t they deserve better?  I think it’s time for the party to concentrate resources elsewhere.  At the local level, where the grassroots are in serious need of fertilizer as well as for the other statewide office seekers.

What can Bill Lee salvage from this?  The admiration of the next generation of Republican leaders.  Beyond that I can’t see much else.

Where were the newspapers? Where was WBOC? How about the America loathing crowd at WDEL? The biggest political story on this peninsula since the demise of Wayne Gilchrest and all you’re seeing, reading and hearing elsewhere is that the cotton candy is good at this year’s fair. Why not just run the story from last year?

Forty eight hours and counting as I write and these people still have their heads in the sand. Considering most of them are in the tank for Mr. Carney why would they ignore a story about the GOP nominee which is a 12 on a scale of ten?

The answer I believe rests with the old charge. Liberal media. It isn’t enough to be in the tank for Carney but when social engineering is the latest goal of most newspaper editors then you begin getting a brighter picture. Latino people, including the illegal invaders, are a protected “under” class for the mainstream media. Allowing illegal invaders an opportunity to tear away chunks of our nation and culture is the right thing to do because whitey has been such a nasty oppressor. It’s time for reparations.

You can’t tell me the prissy editors in Wilmington don’t know how the majority view the invasion. You can’t tell me these cabernet sippers wouldn’t know how the public north of Magnolia would react. So the media barons of Wilmington strive to keep the good folks up north in the dark. Yet these same guardians of public virtue wonder why they fail. Circulation plummets and they claim we’ve been made stupid by video games and the internet. Children no longer read. Adults would rather watch game shows. And talk radio of the kind we do is feeding on paranoia and fear.

On the other hand these barons of a dying breed might consider they’ve missed the boat and that a shrewd public can see self-censorship.

Here was an opportunity to hand the election for Governor gift-wrapped to the Democrats. Yet because Julio’s feelings would be hurt the story had to be ignored. There must be a shrink on-call at the News Journal.