I was a life-long Democrat until I finally realized that their support for women was mostly a sham. For many years I fell for the scare-mongering perpetrated by the Democrats - that the Republicans wanted to remove our "right to choose," that they wanted women stuck in the kitchen, and they were determined to keep a glass ceiling over our heads.

Which is more wasteful: your car or the city bus?

Where I live, the South Bend public transportation system ferries individuals around the city. It's not a bad deal – for those who ride it. You can buy a ticket anywhere on the route for 75 cents, and a month pass is only $30. It sure beats owning and fueling a car!

The youth in the Middle East are in the majority and, like young people in America, just want to be free. They don't hate Americans. They don't even hate Jews. They save their distaste for the American and Israeli governments. At first glance one would say that Jared Cohen's "Children of Jihad" is a fascinating examination of the youth culture in the Middle East, but it is so much more than that. It is possible that somewhere in the book lies the answer to the question: Will there ever be peace in the Middle East? Young people are the future, and, according to Cohen, they are much more like us than we realize.

We microwave our meals and email our correspondence. We keep up to date with minute-by-minute news on our BlackBerrys and PDAs. In an age of advanced technology and instant gratification, we have become ever more accustomed to instant fixes.

Recently Virginia Senator John Warner proposed bringing back the federally mandated 55 MPH speed limit. His argument is that it will reduce carbon emissions and save many thousands of barrels of oil per day. Just about every one-size-fits-all federal government mandate comes with unintended consequences. Is bringing back the 55 MPH speed limit any different? Can other government imposed "green" transportation regulations help us "save the planet"?

So, who are the Speculators and what do they Speculate?

Investopedia describes a Speculator as:

The Copenhagen Consensus Center, an organization created by the Copenhagen Business School in 2006, is working to solve the world's biggest problems. Their latest project, funded by The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, brought together experts for Copenhagen Consensus 2008. This project set out to find solutions to 10 of the world's most pressing concerns: Air Pollution, Conflicts, Diseases, Education, Global Warming, Malnutrition and Hunger, Sanitation and Water, Subsidies and Trade Barriers, Terrorism, Women and Development.

Republished with authority of Lt. Col. John Mitchel, USAF (Ret.), Beavercreek, Ohio -- A National Security Issue Worthy of National Attention.

Regarding: "Hobson's earmarks invite spotlight," Dayton Daily News, June 9, 2008:

For more than a year I have been calling for an investigation into Congressman Dave Hobson's and State Senator Steve Austria's questionable relationship with the Greentree Group regarding earmarks for work at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Until this past week, a citizen's call for justice has fallen on deaf ears.

I've loved sports my entire life. Since my youngest years, I've enjoyed the drama, inspiration and competition in athletic endeavors. My earliest sports memories are of baseball. Long before the Internet and cable television, I'd spend warm summer evenings tuned in on a transistor radio to hear my hometown Tigers play the Indians across Lake Erie in Cleveland.