Reader Survey/De-Lurker Day

Welcome to my 1st annual?

De-Lurkers Day

and

Readers Survey!

With 14,000 visitors and relatively few comments, I know there are folks who take a peek without saying hello.

That’s fine by me, but for one day I’d like to change the rules.

Whether this is your first time on the site, your fifth, or your hundredth, leave a record of your visit. If you‘re not on AOL, it isn‘t a problem. Just click here to leave a comment.

(btw - if this is your first time visiting, click here for an introduction to the site, and be sure to check out the blogroll and guestmap now up and running on the sidebar to the left!)

Thanks!

For people that have stopped by before and found something they enjoy, could you please take the time to answer a few questions?

1. What’s your site address/screename/email address? (optional)

2. Do you subscribe to this site? By what method?

a. AOL updates

b. Bloglines

c. RSS feed

d. Atom

e. other

3. How did you find this site?

a. Blog Explosion/BE Directory

b. Blog Clicker

c. AOL journal directory

d. other traffic exchange

e. another site’s blogroll

f. a comment I left on a site

g. other

4. If you came in on a traffic exchange, what ‘surf settings’ where you using when you found it? I.e. general, family, kids, politics?

5.How often do you visit Slapinions?

6. What category of post interests you most?

a. politics

b. sports

c. family comedy

d. photo posts

e. ‘scrapbook’ family entries

f. other

7. What’s your favorite post? (click here for a rehash of the past seven months of entries)

8. Would you continue to visit if/when this site moves to Slapinions.com?

That’s it. Just leave the answers in the comment section or email me at slapinons at aol dot com.

I appreciate it, and hope you continue to visit!

Dan

Comment on this Post (non AOL)      View Comments

Deep Throat: Hero, Villain, or Both? June 1st

Somehow, when I imagined how one of the 20th century’s greatest secrets would be revealed, I never thought Vanity Fair would get the credit.

Of course, that’s exactly what happened. W. Mark Felt, former number 2 man at the FBI, admitted in a Vanity Fair article to being Deep Throat, the Woodward and Bernstein source that's perceived as being critical in exposing the Watergate scandal.

The Washington Post confirmed his role Monday.

“I guess people used to think Deep Throat was a criminal, but now they think he's a hero,'' Felt is quoted as saying.

I’m sure the majority of people do view Felt as a hero, a man who brought down a corrupt administration that was involved in a criminal conspiracy.

“Felt had the means and the motive to help uncover the web of internal spies, secret surveillance, dirty tricks and coverups that led to Nixon's unprecedented resignation,” the Washington Post wrote.

Unfortunately, it’s Felt’s motives that bring the debate back into focus.

When J. Edgar Hoover died Felt believed he deserved an appointment to the top spot in the agency he loved. He didn‘t get it, and the Watergate scandal began with a key figure in the FBI disgruntled with the President he served.

“Wounded” and “furious” are how the Post itself described Felt’s state of mind.

And he wasn't leaking information in idealistic opposition to Nixon. On the contrary, he had a reputation for talking to reporters, and had fed Woodward secret information related to the shooting of George Wallace.

Moreover, he was hardly an innocent: less than a decade later he was convicted of authorizing illegal wiretaps and was pardoned by Ronald Reagan.

For thirty years Felt denied his role in Watergate, going so far as to tell his son that Deep Throat was no one to be proud of, that it was wrong to leak information for any reason.

So why the about face?

Now 91 and in poor physical and mental health after a stroke, the new motive seems to be cash - though he may not have much say in the matter.

His daughter said she hopes his admission allows him to "make enough moneyto pay some bills, like the debt I've run up for t[my] children's education."

Woodward, for his part, said he doubts Felt has the mental acuity left to make the decision.

Personally, I think motive is irrelevant, at least after the fact.

If a man rescues a drowning child solely to land on the news, so be it: the child is still safe. And if the man keeps walking and the child drowns, who cares if he had a good motive for his action?

If Deep Throat was the sole conduit to the truth, if without him the law would have been abused and cast aside, then I could care less if he did it out of a sense of justice or revenge.

The problem is he wasn't that important.

Woodward and Bernstein have always seemed a tad annoyed at all the attention their source received. To them, Felt was nothing more than a source that collaborated facts learned after endless hours of pounding the pavement.

In other words, history books would probably be the same, with or without Felt.

(of course, there’s that pesky motive word: Deep Throat’s importance diminishes their own hard work, rendering their opinion suspect)

My opinion? If Felt was anything more than an embittered employee he would have skipped talking to the press and gone to the grand jury, or publicly resigned his position in protest.

He may have been a necessary evil, but he’s no hero of mine.

Comment on This Post (non AOL)            View Comments

Memorial Day Pics

I've seen several blogs that lament the Memorial Day holiday as superficial and  disrespectful of the sacrifice our veterans have made for this country. I disagree.

While it's important to remember the fallen I don't think there's anything wrong with celebrating the weekend as a holiday. For me, the idea of traveling hundreds of miles just to eat and visit with family doesn't diminish their sacrifice; it highlights just what they fought and died for. 

Enough of the soapbox:

This year the family met up at my mother-in-laws house, where we spent nearly the whole day basking in bright sunshine (for a change).

Aside from great food there was a pool for the girls

and a baby swing for Parker (yes, I know: he doesn't look happy - trust me, it's just a bad pic) [er, actually, despite trying three different ways, the pic won't load right. I'll tinker with it later and try again.]

 

but this pic makes up for it. Not the greatest quality, but I chose this over a 'better' pic because it shows just how happy they were (YaYa had confiscated the baby swing for herself)

On a seperate tack, I couldn't resist putting up this pic of Billy the Cat with my Dad. It gives you some idea of his size (the cat, not my Dad).

Before I forget, check out the new features in the 'about me' section, including a link to an 'intro' page, a guestmap, and (old news) my graphic. Btw, I should have a reader survey up in the next 48 hours as well.

Hope your holiday was a happy one

Comment on this Post (non AOL)        View Comments

Whoo-Hoo! 100 Mystery Credits!

Tidbits from Blogdom

Here's a chilling report about a blogger that was murdered. His killer was identified through the last post he ever wrote, in which he mentions the unexpected arrival of his sister's ex-boyfriend.

Perhaps only minutes later, the boyfriend took the lives of the blogger and his sister.

The brief mention in his post was enough to blow the ex's alibi and bring him to justice.

You can check out the blog here. As of this writing, more than 250 comments have posthumously been added to the post expressing condolences for the writer.

* * * *

On a less serious but equally creepy note is this widely-circulated report of a lake in Russia that vanished (yes, vanished) overnight.

Naturally they blame the U.S., even though its perfectly obvious Canada is at fault. :)

* * * *

And on a much more lighthearted note, Random did a write-up on the USPS Photo Stamp program.

Thought the web link she provides you can add a picture or graphic of your own to legal tender U.S. stamps.

Comment on this Post (non AOL)       View Comments

Police Department at a Crossroads May 28th

On Friday an inquest jury unanimously recommended a Milwaukee police officer be cleared in the shooting death of William Javier Prado.

 
Prado had allegedly engaged an off-duty officer in a traffic encounter in March, tailing the officer as he drove home from work. While many of the facts seem contradictory, and even the officer admits to being confused about the chain of events, two things are not in dispute:

First, that the officer fired nineteen times, hitting the unarmed Prado eight times in the back and killing him.

Second, that no inquest jury has recommended charges in an officer related shooting for more than twenty years.

Like most of this city I paid scant attention to the Prado case. I barely remember hearing about it, and I certainly couldn’t have recited any details until the inquest made headlines this week.

Some of that is, shamefully, because it didn’t seem all that important of a story to me. By nature and by upbringing I tend to trust the police, and so I gave them the benefit of the doubt without much thought.

But some of it was because another case was crowding the local news outlets.

On October 24th, 2004 several off-duty police officers accused Frank Jude, Jr. of stealing one of their badges at a party.

When he denied it he was dragged out of his truck, beaten, kicked, stripped naked, and threatened with a knife - allegedly by as many as a dozen off-duty officers.

On-duty officers who responded - and who found no badge among Jude’s belongings - didn’t call an ambulance. Instead, after letting the suspects converse and wander around the crime scene, they arrested Jude.

The charge? That he had resisted and fought the officers, a charge denied by witnesses and rejected by prosecutors who refused to file charges.

It wasn’t until four months later that the case progressed, as the investigation was stopped cold by a ‘wall of silence’ - officers who refused to speak against their own.

This Tuesday - seven months after the beating - nine officers were fired and four others disciplined for the events of that night.

This follows a year that’s seen Milwaukee officers accused of evidence tampering and extortion, falsifying reports when injured sledding on the clock, and other abuses of their power.

In all, 21 officers have been fired since Police Chief Nannette Hegerty took office in November of 2003.

Eighteen officers were fired in the seven years her predecessor was in office.

The temptation, of course, is to hold the uniform in contempt and distrust those who wear it. That’s understandable, but near-sighted.

Someone said to me last night that 95% of cops are good people, and the other 5% ruin it for them.

I’d go one step further: I’d say 95% of local cops are good people who’ll spend their career avoiding a front page headline or the glare of a TV camera .

Another 3% are good and honest people who’ll have the same mistake filled workday we all have from time to time - only in their line of work, mistakes cost lives.

The final 2% have no business wearing a badge.

Truth be told, I have friends who are Milwaukee officers. While I’m a little old to idolize anyone I’ve had over for a barbeque, I respect them for the dangerous work they do.

I hope that the past eighteen months are an anomaly, and the Department rights itself before it’s reputation takes another hit.

Both the citizens of Milwaukee, and the officers that risk their lives to protect it, deserve no less.

Comment on this Post (non AOL)     View Comments

The Milwaukee Art Museum May 26th

Today was a heck of a day. After a scheduled half-day at school, Lisa took YaYa to the Milwaukee Art Museum's Degas exhibit. Lisa took some postcard-like pics while she was there.

The Art Museum is the newest archetictural jewel here in Milwaukee and so popular it's the only image on the new city logo. It's the first U.S. design by Santiago Calatrava, and along with a 90 foot high glass reception hall its highlight is the Burke Brise Soleil.

With a wingspan greater than that of a 747, the fins open and close in a 'flapping' motion, creating a vibrant moving sculture.

Combine that with a world-class art collection, and I'd say it's a must see if you're visiting this neck of the woods.

           

As for YaYa, she loved it! I was suprised (to be honest) but with a guided tour from her Aunt (a longtime Art Musuem employee) she came back raving about the place. Not just the obligatory "It was fun" but a genuine enthusiasm for the museum.

I'd say the place has a new fan.

Afterwards we all went out to dinner at Chili's, spent an hour at the library for storytime, and caught a movie at a friend's house. A very relaxing, fun day.

Comment on this Post (non-AOL)     View Comments

Yay!!

Just now my pics popped back onto my storage space and are once again showing up on the site. Thanks to everyone who offered their voice on my behalf and (for once) thanks to AOL!

Lost Season Finale - spoiler warning

I taped Lost while I watched AI, and thank God I did. Not only did it almost balance out the Carrie disaster, it lived up to the hype and offered up a host of goodies and plot twists.

1. Charlie seems doomed to resume his heroin habit, since he swiped one of the smuggler's statues.

2. The 'defense system' seems mechanical, not animal. You could hear the sound of a chain while Locke was being pulled along the ground.

3. If the smuggler's plane was from Africa, and the Black Rock was allegedly a slave ship from the east coast of that continent, I'd say it places the island (if it's physical) somewhere between Africa and Australia.

4. The others could care less about the baby; their goal all along was the boy. More on this point later, but that explains some of his odd comments in the last few weeks.

5. There's a strong possiblity someone from the raft didn't survive the fight.

6. Anyone catch the significance of the 'bad' numbers on the hatch cover? They were the same numbers that appeared on the terminal gate, the soccer team jerseys in the terminal, Kate's ransom amount, etc.

7. The island is huge - remember the comment "how can something this big not have been discovered?"

8. The ladder they discovered could stand for Jacobs Ladder, a bridge between heaven and earth (and it was severed at the bottom, you'll notice). I can't claim credit for this insight, I saw it on a message board.

9. Jack has finally accepted and verbalized a leadership role in the community, and anticipates a showdown with Locke.

10. The baby's name is Aaron which means:

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: Lofty; exalted; high mountain. Biblically, Aaron was Moses' older brother (and keeper by God's command). He was first high priest of the Israelites, remembered for the miraculous blossoming of his staff or rod.

 

All along I've fallen into the camp that says the island isn't physical but purgatory, a place where the dead (the passengers) atone for their sins before journeying to heaven or hell.

It fits for a number of reasons:

The passengers who survived did so with superficial wounds, if any.

They all seem to have complicated and often bloody pasts. Atthe very least, all seem to carry a great burden of guilt for past sins.

The island is too goofy to fit, in geography and events, our world.

Children seem to be 'collected' by the others, which would seem to point towards the fact that the innocent don't belong (but then why were they there in the first place? perhaps as a fulcrum to shift the hearts of the adults - the baby changed Charlie, and the boy has certainly changed his father)

The baby was rejected, true - but didn't we once hear that the child was destined for evil? Perhaps he isn't 'pure' enough yet, despite being an infant.

Note also the recent talk on the isle about 'destiny' 'punishment' 'fate', etc. Coincidence?

Now I think that is where the writers were going when this began, but with fans guessing at the 'truth' they may just be tempted to shift gears and make this some alien world.

Who knows?

What I do know is that this is one of my favorite shows of all time, and one of the very very few I'll purchase on DVD.

 

Comment on this Post (non AOL)        View Comments

 

Carrie Underwood is a no-talent hack

Mere moments after the travesty that befell American Idol tonight - with Carrie Underwood beating out the much more interesting/talented/personable Bo Bice - my mother called to gloat.

She is, to put it mildly, a Carrie Underwood fan.

Two words Ma: Jimmy Carter.

Ya voted for him too didn'tcha?

 I love ya, but I can't say I envy your track record.

Trust me, in two years you'll see Carrie guest starring on whatever schlock takes the place of Life on a Stick, just like Reuben "I beat Clay Aiken" Studdard.

And Bo will be pecking Kelly on the cheek and shaking Regis' hand as they congratulate him on his next gold record.

Just my slapinion.

But I am right.

Comment on this Post (non AOL)         View Comments