Edition 12-1-03

Thank Skeet,
The Ten Commandments display was removed from the Alabama Supreme Court building because you can't post 
Thou Shalt Not Steal, 
Thou Shalt Not commit Adultery and 
Thou Shall Not Lie 
in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians without creating a hostile work environment.

Makes sense now doesn't it? It just put to much pressure on them.

The backstage reason for WWE decision to release Goldust is that he simply was too injury prone, and there was nothing left for him to do creatively.
While it was known backstage for a while that Goldust would be let go in January, most find it odd that WWE went public with the release so far in advance.
Goldust was told he could submit some ideas for his character, and If they were good, something could possibly be worked out with regards to keeping him around. No word on how that went, but with the public story, it's looking like Goldust is indeed out of WWE.
Goldust had just received medical clearance to make an in-ring return.

According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, the number of wild turkeys in the United States has increased from an all-time low of 30,000 to more than 4 million today. One state park in Iowa now boasts more than 100 turkeys per square mile.

DALLAS - Thanks to an angry woman in Dallas, needlepointing
has just gotten a little sharper. Julie Jackson runs
subversivecrossstitch.com, a website that provides needle-
point kits for those who are mad as hell. Jackson started the site a year ago after working for a hellish boss and taking up needlepoint as therapy. However, instead of stitching up nice little messages such as "God Bless Our Home," she chose sayings like "Candy Ass, What Makes You Think I Care?" and "Go Fuck Yourself." She has found the needlepoint kits to be extremely popular, particularly with gloomy teenagers. Only one person criticized the kits and thought the patterns were bad. But Jackson feels that a per-
son stitching up "Go Fuck Yourself" isn't going to be too
concerned about the intricacies of cross stitching.

Janklow trial in death of motorcyclist begins today
Carson Walker
FLANDREAU, S.D. -- In South Dakota, Bill Janklow's taste for driving fast - documented by a stack of speeding tickets over the years - is about as well known as his political credentials, which include four terms as governor and currently the state's only congressman.
Now, charged with manslaughter in an Aug. 16 accident that killed a motorcyclist at a rural intersection, the 64-year-old Republican who also served as South Dakota's attorney general for four years faces a trial today that could end his political career.
Janklow is also charged with speeding, running a stop sign and reckless driving. If convicted of manslaughter, he could face up to 10 years in prison, as well as a House ethics committee investigation.
Under the committee's rules, any representative convicted of a crime that carries two or more years in prison should refrain from voting in the chamber until his or her record is cleared, or until re-elected.
Democrats are in a good position to gain from the trial, expected to last about a week, said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Democrat Stephanie Herseth, who lost her bid for Congress to Janklow last year, already has said she will run for the U.S. House seat again.
``You cannot absolutely rule him out, but my guess is that wiser heads will encourage him to move aside,'' Sabato said.
The day of the crash, Janklow was driving 71 mph in a 55 mph zone when he ran a stop sign south of Flandreau, putting his Cadillac into the path of a motorcycle, according to Moody County State's Attorney Bill Ellingson.
The motorcycle's rider, Randy Scott, a 55-year-old farmer, trucking business owner and volunteer firefighter from nearby Hardwick, Minn., died at the scene.
Janklow suffered a broken bone in one hand and bleeding on the brain. He has declined to comment on the charges, but court documents show that a lingering medical condition could contribute to his defense.
According to documents filed by a prosecutor, Janklow might have suffered a diabetic reaction. The record says Janklow took his insulin but had not eaten; it also indicates he was taking the medication Atenolol, which can mask symptoms of a diabetic reaction.
Janklow's lawyer, Ed Evans, said a medical defense is not a certainty.
If the defense does offer testimony that the accident was caused at least in part by Janklow's health, the judge could allow testimony about his 12 speeding tickets over a five-year period in the 1990s and three accidents on his record.
One incident that will be allowed is a reported close-call at the same intersection a year ago. Jennifer Walters said that on Dec. 29, 2002, Janklow nearly hit her pickup when he ran a stop sign there. She said she didn't press charges because Janklow was governor at the time.
KILL A BIKER-GO TO JAIL! FLFLHTC

Indiana - An Indianapolis policewoman accused of misconduct was fired by the department's civilian merit board on Tuesday morning.

The unanimous decision came around 3 a.m. Tuesday after a hearing that had started at 5:30 p.m. Monday. That session was a continuation of a hearing that had begun the previous Wednesday. All of that time and effort was needed to decide that Officer Frances Ashton, a 13-year IPD veteran, should be dismissed.

"The chief takes no joy in dismissing an Indianapolis police officer, but sometimes these tough decisions have to be made," said Sgt. Ameen Najjar, a department attorney who argued for Ashton's firing before the merit board.

The hearing was called because Chief Jerry Barker had asked for Ashton's dismissal this summer. While she had been disciplined several times for run-ins with superior officers and had been demoted from sergeant, the incident that led to the hearing was an April 2002 case in which an IPD officer was injured in a fight at Circle Centre mall.

Police said Ashton failed to turn in evidence such as pictures of the officer's injuries and a videotaped recording of the fight. Ashton said the images had no value to the prosecution.

Najjar said the evidence controversy was one of several disciplinary incidents that justified firing Ashton. Her attorneys called the action excessive.

"I do not believe there was sufficient evidence during those two days to show that the citizens of Indianapolis should lose a 13-year veteran," said attorney Roberta Ross, who represented Ashton.

Failure to submit the evidence to other officers or the department's property room was one of the allegations made against Ashton. Police also said that she hung up on superior officers and did not quickly return pager messages, a failure considered a violation under the department's general orders. Ashton's attorneys replied that the complaint against her was flawed because they did not cite the correct sections of the police rules.

Ashton had been on suspension since August. She can appeal her firing in a state court. Ross said a decision on an appeal had not been made.

Dear Friends of the Buffalo,

In this time of thankfulness we have some sad news.  On Tuesday November 25th, another bull buffalo was shot dead by DOL agent Shane Grube while running back towards the boundary of Yellowstone National Park.  He was some 25 yards shy of the border.  Volunteers had to witness the agents drag the dead bull to the facility where they proceeded to fork-lift him onto a truck, gut and skin him, and remove his head.  Again another  powerful animal died at the hands of the ignorant and intolerant.  The bull lived the only way he knew how---"Wild and Free!"  Even in death the Buffalo continue to teach. 

On this Thanksgiving day, from the field, I would like to give thanks to the gifts that the Earth in  this Yellowstone ecosystem continuously bestows upon us.  In this past week while out on patrol, volunteers have been honored by a visiting pack of wolves, howling to others in the distance while eight bull bison lay silent amidst the sage brush, seemingly undisturbed by the presence of their predatory visitors.  A bald eagle soars overhead, scanning Duck Creek for a meal while three otters break water as they come up for a look and quickly dive under again.  A lone moose can be seen in the pines.  Two ravens chase a Red-tailed hawk west of Sandy Butte.  Each day in the field we are reminded of the connectedness that lives in and through all things, and that we are merely a strand in this huge web.  As we stand in the field with the buffalo, we are very Thankful.

With the Buffalo,
Roman, BFC Volunteer
Word of the Day
cornucopia \kor-nuh-KOH-pee-uh\ noun

1: a curved goat's horn overflowing with fruit and ears of grain that is used as a decorative motif emblematic of abundance
*2: an inexhaustible store : abundance
3 : a receptacle shaped like a horn or cone
Example sentence:
The Web site contained a cornucopia of useful information.Did you know?
"Cornucopia" comes from the Latin "cornu copiae," which translates literally as "horn of plenty." A traditional staple of feasts, the cornucopia is believed to represent the horn of a goat from Greek mythology. According to legend, it was from this horn that the god Zeus was fed as an infant. Later, the horn was filled with flowers and fruits, and given as a present to Zeus. The filled horn (or a receptacle resembling it) has long served as a traditional symbol in art and decoration to suggest a store of abundance. The word first appeared in English in the early 16th century; a century later, it developed the figurative sense of an overflowing supply.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/map_new.htm