About
Captain Ed is a father and grandfather living in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, a native Californian who moved to the North Star State because of the weather. He lives with his wife Marcia, also known as the First Mate, their two dogs, and frequently watch their granddaughter Kayla, whom Captain Ed calls The Little Admiral.
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The Crows Nest
Would Early Primaries Allow More Donations?
Jim Geraghty at The Campaign Spot believes that candidates will benefit if primaries and caucuses get pushed into 2007. A loophole in campaign finance regulation appears to allow an extra $2,300 per donor for candidates if those elections are held this year. Be sure to check out Jim's analysis, and the surprising candidate that may benefit the most.
When Tom Met Jeralyn
One of the interesting aspects of politics is finding out that opponents are people, too. Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft met Rep. Tom Tancredo backstage at NBC's studios, and found him more likable than she had anticipated. Perhaps it was their mutual interest in Dog, The Bounty Hunter ...
Joe Lieberman A Right-Wing Nut?
That's what CAIR says, according to Joe Kaufman. He has a link to a CAIR official's blog post that calls Lieberman, along with John Bolton, former CIA director James Woolsey, and the Heritage Foundation's Peter Brookes as "extremists". Affad Shaikh also calls Dick Cheney a "fat bastard of a liar," apparently not meant as a pop-culture reference to the Austin Powers movies. (via Let Freedom Ring)
Broadband Homelessness
The Japanese have made homelessness more efficient, and more Net-friendly, too. Their Internet cafés have become homeless shelters for the struggling manual-labor sector. The problem has grown into such a problem that government intervention will shortly become a political priority.
Found My Law Firm
Power Line links twice to this story regarding an attorney at Faegre & Benson who refused to become a victim and helped capture a very dangerous man. Keith Radtke is a partner in the firm as is Power Line's John Hinderaker. Radtke is listed in satisfactory condition after getting shot in the back, but that didn't keep him from locking up his attacker in a wrestling grip until police could arrive. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of man I'd want as my counsel ....
Don't Click That YouTube E-mail
The latest in spam seems to be redirections from YouTube links in e-mail to IP addresses without domain names. They attempt to entice people by making it seem that they have been inadvertently YouTubed. I'm sure most people can see through this scam, but just in case, you've been warned ....
Rick Moran Escapes The Floods
Rick Moran has kept us up to date on his travails along the Algonquin River. Yesterday, the police showed up to get him evacuated before the river flooded his home -- but today, Rick finds that a minor miracle has taken place, and that his house survives ... at least for now. Keep Rick in your prayers, and keep checking in at Right Wing Nut House for updates.
Rule 1: Drag The Corpse On Over First
If I've learned anything in four years of blogging, don't try to be out in front of the death rumors, especially with the villains of the world. Saddam died a hundred deaths before we caught him alive in his spider hole, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi almost as many before his demise last year. Osama may or may not be alive, but everyone's avoided speculating on his fate for a while now. Maybe Val at Babalu Blog will get luckier with his "Castro Is Dead" story. We all hope so. I'll wait for the announcement ....
Hobbs Choice
Volunteer Voters is holding its annual "Best of Nashville" on-line polls, and one of the categories is for the best political writer. Our friend Bill Hobbs, now posting at Newsbusters, and he'd like his on-line fans to cast their votes. Drop by and put one in for Bill if you get a chance!
Murtha Getting Backlogged On Apologies
Gary Gross of Let Freedom Ring sees another case collapsing on the Haditha charges. He's called for Murtha to apologize earlier, and adds another reason to the tally.
No Such Thing As 'Moderate' Islam?
Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan told a television interviewer that he finds the label "moderate Islam" offensive. Shrink Wrapped has a lot more on this, but at least in the same interview Erdogan acknowledged that "radical Islam" exists, and that it's been a catastrophe. Be sure to read the whole post.
MS-NBC Gets Punk'd
Power Line has a great post on a lack of journalistic effort on the part of MS-NBC. In covering the Michael Vick story, they reported on what they thought was Al Sharpton's website proclaiming Vick's innocence. I guess Alex Johnson and two other MS-NBC reporters couldn't bother to read the title bar of the site, which proudly proclaims it as a "parody site".
New Instapundit Podcast On Pharmaceuticals
I just caught this e-mail from Glenn Reynolds about his new podcast with Richard Epstein, the author of Overdose: How Excessive Government Regulation Stifles Pharmaceutical Innovation. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but the topic is important enough to make sure I carve out time for it tomorrow. Get their first and tell me what I'm missing ....
Fed Trying A 'Stealth Easing'?
The Federal Reserve seems to have conducted a quiet campaign to steady markets that started spinning out of control, according to King Banaian at SCSU Scholars. He thinks that the Fed has conducted a "stealth easing". Be sure to read his explanation and follow his lnks.
A Shameless Bit Of Sel-Promotion
Gateway Pundit and Val at Babalu Blog note a crass PR move by Hugo Chavez. Venezuela has responded to Peru's eathquake disaster with food shipments -- and with Hugo's smiling picture on the cans. He also uses the tuna-can label to undermine President Garcia of Peru, who narrowly defeated Chavez' pal Ollanto Humalla, whom the labels extol for his "solidarity" with Chavez.
Tacky beyond belief.
Comments (7)
Posted by GarandFan | July 6, 2007 5:24 PM
In 30 years as a cop, I've lost track of the number of times 'good kids' decided to take the family car for a spin after everyone else went to bed. Sometimes alcohol was involved. Most times, Mom and Dad were called (waken up) to come get their kid(s) and their car. It would be interesting to know how many kids actually got away with their Paul Revere rides and no one ever found out. Gun owners are flogged for not securing their weapons, how many parents ever consider securing their car keys?
Posted by Sara | July 6, 2007 5:53 PM
A close girl friend of mine was awakened at 4 AM one morning by the police informing her that her 12 year old had wrapped her car around a tree. My friend is a single mom who at the time had 4 teenagers at home, with the 12 year old the youngest. My friend worked two jobs, one full time 40 hour week as a Supervisor at a major newspaper, the other a 30 hour work week on her feet. She was very strict with her kids and kept her purse and car keys in her bedroom at night. But, once she fell asleep from exhaustion, it would take a freight train to wake her and her kids knew it. In her case, the older kids, 15, 17 and 18 had "dared" the kid sister to take the car. They said later that they never expected her to actually do it. Yeah right, kid sister is going to take being mocked by the elder kids for being chicken.
Aside from the consequences and potential consequences of a child behind the wheel, my friend had to miss work for several days because her car was totaled and she had no transportation for herself. She said she heard a car pull out of the driveway after she had been asleep for awhile, but her 18 year old had his own car and her 17 year old had several friends with cars, so she was used to hearing cars coming and going after she went to bed at night, since they both worked restaurant hours and didn't get off until near midnight. She never in a million years thought her 12 year old would take her car for a joy ride.
Posted by onlineanalyst | July 6, 2007 6:54 PM
Probably just emulating her heroes./ heroines-du jour: Paris Hilton and Al Gore III.
Posted by John Shaffer | July 7, 2007 12:05 PM
Ed
I enjoy your blog very much, I thought I would send you the obituary of my step daughter another kind of daughter (hero).
Do a google on Katie evans Romania to get more details
KATHRYN IRENE EVANS NEE LA PLANTE Passed away suddenly in Romania Saturday June 23, 2007. She was born Oct. 27, 1976 in Lake County, IL the daughter of Gregory and Judith (Garwood) LaPlante. Katie lived in Antioch, IL and attended Grass Lake School in Antioch and Astoria Grade School in Astoria and graduated from Emmons Grade School and Antioch High School in 1994. She earned her BA Degree from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN in 1998 and a Masters Degree in Public Health from Florida International University in North Miami, FL in 2006. Katie spent her life in service to others; serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2000-2002 in Bangladesh; at the Greater Chicago Food Depository as coordinator of volunteer services from 2002-2004; and in Romania as Project Manager for International Orthodox Christian Charities USAID funded project, “Strengthening Community-Based Initiatives on HIV/AIDS and Family Violence in Romania” from April 2006 until her death on June 23, 2007. Katie loved spending time with family and friends and being out of doors anytime anyplace. She met John Evans while serving in the Peace Corps. They were married on May 8, 2004 in Hobart, IN. Survivors include her husband John, her Mother Judy (John) Shaffer of Lake Villa, IL, her Father Gregory (Beth) LaPlante of St. Anne, IL, her Maternal Grandmother Kathryn Garwood of Antioch, her brother Edward (Beth) LaPlante of Carmel, IN, her sister Michelle (Duaine) Yearout of Kenosha, WI, her nieces Kayla and Hannah Yearout, Emma and Chloe LaPlante and nephews, Chase LaPlante and Aidan and Connor Evans; Her mother and father-in-law Linda and Michael Evans; Her brother- in-law Jeff (Sheila) Evans and sister-in-law Jean Evans and countless friends in the United States, Bangladesh, Romania and around the world. She was preceded in death by a brother Richard G. LaPlante on Oct. 21, 2000. Funeral Services with Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM Tuesday July 3, 2007 at St. Peter Church, 557 Lake St., Antioch, IL. Visitation will be at the STRANG FUNERAL HOME OF ANTIOCH, 1055 Main St, (Rte 83) from 4 until 8PM Monday. Info 847-395-4000. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made, in her memory, to The Independence Center, 2025 Washington, St., Waukegan, IL 60085 www.icwaukegan.org. Please sign our guest book at www.strangfh.com.
Posted by E9RET | July 7, 2007 6:33 PM
My mother used to driver her father, a Methodist minister in rural Kentucky, around to visit parishioners beginning when she was 13. All four of his daughters took on that chore as they were growing up. Mom remembers that her father tied blocks of wood to the pedals so she could reach them.
Years later when I attended a family/church reunion an elderly gentleman who had been sherrif at that time told my mother and I that he had complained about my mother driving my grandfather to my grandmother saying;
“Ruby, Elizabeth (my mother) is too young to be driving and if she doesn’t stop it I’ll have to give Reverend Raney a ticket” He said my grandmother looked at him and then drawled “Well, Lucas, okay, but if Elizabeth doesn’t drive that just leaves Cleve (my grandfather) or Jean" (my aunt who was 11 at the time)
He said he thought about it awhile, especially my grandfather’s (lack of) driving skills and the number of wrecks my grandfather had caused when he had been driving and said. “Okay then, just promise me she won’t drive at night.”
He said my grandmother agreed.
Later on my mother confided that she’d continued to drive at night until she was 16 and went to college. My aunt Jean started driving my grandfather around at 14.
Posted by Streaker | July 8, 2007 1:10 AM
The problem with this story isn't about a drunk minor at the wheel of a car. It's about the reporting.
There are too many questions that need to be answered. Instead of providing a comprehensive report of the facts, the publisher rushed to print a story that is based on nothing more than hearsay.
Posted by brainy435 | July 9, 2007 8:35 AM
"Duck declined to release the girl's blood alcohol level but said a blood test at the hospital showed it was higher than .02, the legal limit for minors."
Why, if it's illegal for minors to drink, is there an intoxication limit for minors?