blogs.kxly.com

I just read an interesting article on cnn.com about a phenomenon I have not heard of: TiVo guilt. It’s apparently the guilt you feel for not watching all the shows you record on your DVR. Strange concept, but worth exploring.

I don’t have a TiVo now; I have a regular DVR from DirectTv. We had a TiVo for awhile and I LOVED it - I loved that happy little TV dancing on my screen. Either way, the concept here is the same. We load up our DVR/TiVo with all the shows we can - then, feel like we have to watch them. I don’t really feel that way, though. When I was home sick a few weeks ago, I went through a bunch of shows I’d recorded over the last year. Once I got past the “America’s Next Top Model” and the “90210″ (both the new version and the old version, recorded from the Soap network in the wee hours of the weekend mornings), I found a couple Woody Allen movies I forgot I recorded. Did I feel like I had to watch them? No. Did I feel any guilt deleting them without watching? Not an ounce. I also deleted about 5 episodes of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” without watching them, as I realized the show was just not for me. I don’t feel bad about that. In fact, if anything, I feel bad that my DVR consistently stays about 85% full. I can do better. I can record more mindless TV.

It is funny, though, to go through your playlist and see all the random things you record. Right now, we have a season’s worth of “Flight of the Concords” and “The Hills”, about 5 episodes of “CBS Sunday Morning” (my favorite), a couple WSU football games (not sure why we’d want to relive those…) and half of an HD Network special on Greece. I guess it shows our tastes and personalities… but, it probably just shows how much time we waste watching TV. If I have any guilt related to my DVR, it’s that: that I watch too much TV - and, eliminating the commercials means I have that much more time to fit in some shows.

I am patriotic!  I am proud to be an American!  I love our flag and I get chills saying the pledge of allegiance (especially when I hear children say it)… and I get weepy nearly everytime I hear or sing the National Anthem.

I say “nearly” because people can be so rude.  My family and I went to the WSU Cougar basketball game last Saturday night (Go COUGS!).. and, during the Star Spangled Banner, a few rows in front of us… a couple of young women talked and cut-up through the entire song.  GRRRRrrrrr!  Then.. during the last line of the song… (you know, the one… “Land of the Free and Home of the BRAVE”)  the student section shouted “Cougs” instead of singing “Brave” .  This has happened at every sporting event I’ve gone to in the last few years… the Chief’s fans scream “Chiefs,” the Shock fans scream “Shock”… and I wish they’d all knock it off! 

I’m not a stick in the mud, by any means.. but, I think some things are sacred.. and our National Anthem is one of them. 

… wait a minute!  Maybe they just don’t know!  Maybe they’ve actually forgotten what the real words to the Star Spangled Banner are…  I’m here to help… here they are.. enjoy.. and remember.. we live in the “Land of the Free and the Home of the BRAVE”

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro’ the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave. O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov’d homes and the war’s desolation;
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserv’d us as a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

     Are you ready for the biggest cross state rivalry in college football?

     On Saturday, November 22, the WSU Cougars square off against their arch rivals, the University of Washington Huskies in Pullman.   It’s the annual classic  ’Apple Cup’ football game.

     And KXLY4 wants you (Huskie and Coug fans) to get involved, if you’re up for it.

     GMNW reporter, Kjerstin Ramsing has something fun in mind and needs your participation, in person.

     Email her at kjerstinr@kxly.com  if you are available any time between 5am and 8:30am on Friday, Nov. 21st,  just one day before the big game.

Go Cougs!

1) Migraines cut breast cancer risk.   In a puzzling twist, women who have a history of migraine headaches are far less likely to develop breast cancer than other women, U.S. researchers say.  (Full Article)

2) Year-end moves to trim your tax bill.  Here are three: Charitable donations, Mortgage interest & Cash gifts. (Full Article)

3)  WSU Educators utilize new means of communication.   In a statewide organization such as WSU Extension, connections with customers and colleagues are critical to program success and sustainability. In the past, that has meant travel - by car, by plane, and in some cases, by ferry - to conduct business.  (Full Article)

4)  Grandmother gives birth to daughter’s triplets, really!   A 56-year-old woman who gave birth to her triplet granddaughters a month ago is recovering from a Caesarean section and hopeful that one of the girls will be home from the hospital by Saturday.   (Full Article)

5) Nutritional sticker shock from restaurants - Starting Jan. 1, customers at most chain restaurants in King County will get a full plate of information along with their food.  (Full Article)

6) Ten jobs that pay $80,000 a year.   If your annual income hovers around the national median of $40,690, you’re in the company of millions of Americans.  The following list of jobs that earn twice as much as the national median income.  (Full Article) 

King County Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas has allowed his courtroom to be manipulated by blatant partisans trying to influence the outcome of a razor close election for Governor of Washington State.

It is an unprecedented intrusion into the electoral process. Worse, the judge made a preposterous statement that a deposition in a lawsuit brought against the Building Industry of Washington will allow Rossi to “confirm - or dispel” allegations brought by two former Supreme Court justices, both Democrats supporting incumbent Christine Gregoire.

This case isn’t about justice. It is all about political imagery, and calculated to damage Dino Rossi. Fundamental fairness has been abandoned. This action is outrageous. Since when does a deposition, especially one taken by a hostile attorney arrive at the truth about anything? Depositions are just testimony. They are not by themselves proof of any fact in dispute. Surely a couple of former supreme court judges know this and so should Judge Kallas. Why must Rossi testify in this case right now? He isn’t even a party to the lawsuit. Why can’t it wait? Did you know that, in most cases, courts are willing to work with witnesses? They will typically accommodate the busy schedules of witnesses whenever reasonable. Why not in this instance?

Former Senator Slade Gorton, who is also a former Washington State Attorney General, and former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington John McKay have issued a statement criticizing the extraordinary demand by Judge to force candidate Dino Rossi to interrupt his campaign in the final week, to testify in connection with this highly suspicious politically-charged farce. That statement reads in part:

“This isn’t law - this is partisan politics and it stinks. Requiring Dino Rossi to leave the campaign trail and be subjected to a partisan deposition in the last week of the campaign is wrong. Governor Gregoire should call off this unfair attack against Dino Rossi.”

You can be certain that the governor will not call off this witch hunt. This isn’t the first time she has permitted partisans to use the courts for a frivolous lawsuit aimed at hurting Rossi. Remember the failed effort to get a judge to strike Rossi’s ballot title where he lawfully preferred “G.O.P.” instead of Republican after his name? Gregoire is perfectly comfortable with these kinds of tactics, and she is also desperate. There is no merit to this case, and everyone involved knows it. They don’t expect to win in court. They only want to create a negative sentiment of Rossi in the electorate, by abusing the court system in this eleventh hour. This is the very politics that should enrage fair-minded voters.

Shame on Judge Kallas for being such a pathetic patsy.

A resident of Fall City in western Washington filed a Superior Court lawsuit earlier this year against Secretary of State Sam Reed demanding verification of Barack Obama’s citizenship status.

Steven Marquis wants the Secretary of State to verify Obama’s citizenship or certify that Obama is or is not a “natural born” citizen. He wants it done before the November 4th election. A similar suit was filed a few months ago in the state of Pennsylvania by a former deputy attorney general of that state. In his suit Phillip J. Berg alleges that Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii in 1961 as he claims, but was actually born in Kenya, and is thus not a natural born U.S. citizen, and under Article II, Section One the Constitution, cannot lawfully become president of the United States.

The Marquis complaint mistakenly assumes that Sam Reed has the authority and duty to verify the legitimacy of candidates to prevent the wholesale disenfranchisement of voters who would might choose an unqualified candidate had the certification preceded the election process.

Believe me, I am not comfortable defending Barack Obama, but the fact that he has not allowed independent access to his birth records raises no problem for me. The burden of proof that he is not a U.S. citizen does not fall upon Senator Obama. If that burden can be met by Phillip Berg in his lawsuit in Federal District Court in Pennsylvania, by now it would have been.

In that lawsuit in late September, Senator Obama filed a motion to dismiss arguing the Plaintiff had no “standing” or right to know. The court did not dismiss the case, and conspiracy theorists belive that means the judge thinks the case has merit.

That’s not what that means at all. While Phillip Berg may go forward with his case, he has chosen not to. It’s unlikely this case will prevail because Phillip Berg has many allegations, but obviously no substantive evidence to support his silly claim.

Washington State Democrats acting clearly on behalf of Governor Christine Gregoire, are trying to disenfranchise many voters with a lawsuit that is totally without merit, claiming that Dino Rossi’s name on the ballot with “prefers GOP” after it, is a deliberate attempt to hide his Republican party affiliation.

The English Oxford Dictionary published in 1876 referred the Republican Party as the Grand Old Party (GOP). Indeed the Republican has been known as the GOP since 1854. History books in the United States have described the Republican Party as the “G.O.P” since shortly after Abraham Lincoln became its most favorite son. The term has been taught to history students in the nation’s elementary schools, high schools and colleges for close to 140 years.

The alleged “confusion” that the state’s Democrats claim, arises from a follow-up question in an Elway Poll taken between June 18 - 20, 2008, in which 405 registered Washington voters were surveyed about their preference in the race for governor. The Seattle-based polling firm says 25-percent of the respondents didn’t know what G.O.P. stands for. Some thought it meant Democrat, others just didn’t know. My guess is that Elway either happened upon perhaps the dumbest 405 people in the Evergreen State, or most were putting him on.

In any event, this flimsy polling data constitutes nowhere near sufficient evidence for a court to base a decision upon that could disenfranchise thousands of Washington voters in November. This data is not clear. It is hardly cogent, and it is certainly not convincing…..not in the face of 14 decades of history education wherein “G.O.P” and Republican have always been understood as interchangeable.

This politically-motivated move will invite a frivolous and expensive legal battle over this bogus claim. Assuming Democrats can shop around and locate a judge political enough, and stupid enough to buy their phony claim, by the time the state is able to reprint new ballots and mail them to voters, many registered voters, especially those serving in the armed forces abroad, might not get them in time to cast a vote in the election. In such a close election, where recent polling trends show the incumbent Democrat Chiristine Gregoire slipping, I think that’s exactly what cynical Democrats are hoping for.

Tim Cronin, the attorney for the family of the teen named as the person who started an unauthorized fire which investigators claim was the triugger of the Valley View Fire, issued the following statement on the family’s behalf Friday:

I respect KXLY’s policy of not releasing the name of the minor and his family, involved in this matter.

The young man and his family understand the confusion and concern expressed by those harmed by the recent Valley fires. They wish to assure the people of Spokane that their son is a responsible young man and he has fully cooperated with authorities in attempting to determine the origin of this devastating fire. We know at this time that three days prior to the fire, the young man, with permission of the adult he thought was the property owner, long known to the young man’s family, started and properly extinguished a small fire in a long used fire pit area. In extinguishing the fire, he twice watered down the ground for approximately five minutes, turned over the ground and ensured no embers were remaining. We understand the consenting property owner passed by the fire pit area several times in the intervening three days and reports no evidence of fire or smoke.

The lawsuit claims the parents are liable for their son’s “willful and malicious” conduct. DNR and fire experts have not yet determined the cause of this tragic fire. It is not reasonable to claim in a lawsuit for money that the fire damages were caused by any improper conduct by the young man or his family, and his conduct was certainly not “willful and malicious.”

With Hurricane Ike on the horizon, the Washington State Cougs will be facing the Baylor Bears Friday afternoon and you can catch the action on KXLY.com.

Before kickoff you can watch the latest episode of Cougar Football Saturday or in Friday’s case Cougar Football Friday. The half-hour show hosted by KXLY4 Sports Director Dennis Patchin along with KXLY4’s Rick Lukens will be streamed at 4 p.m. on KXLY.com.

You can also catch the show live on KXLY ABC 4 at 4 p.m. or over on KXMN at 4:30.

Kickoff for the Cougs and the Baylor Bears is scheduled for 5:30 and will be televised nationally live on Fox Sports Net and will be streamed live on both WSU’s and Baylor’s websites free of charge at wsucougars.comand baylorbears.com.

Fox Sports Northwest will air the game on delay Friday night at 11.

    Since 1998 I’ve competed in 30 plus ‘official’ triathlons; countless Sprints, a dozen or so Olympics, three Half Ironmans and one Full Ironman.  Never have I placed or been in the top 10 until this last weekend.   

(Sunrise over the Palouse Saturday morning)

     I made the early morning drive from Spokane to Moscow, Idaho Saturday to give the Palouse Sprint Triathlon another try.  Last year I used the race as a tune-up and/or measuring tool to gage my fitness after taking the previous 3 years off from triathlon.  

(Pre-race at Palouse Sprint Triathlon, September 8, 2007)

     In 2007, I finished the 500 yard swim, 9.3 mile bike and 3.1 mile run in 1 hr. 7 min. 27 sec.  I was 34th overall in a field of 112.  I don’t remember my place within my age group (35-39).  This year was different, very different. 

(First lap of the 500 yard swim, 2008)

      Not only did I have a better “fitness base” thanks to my preparation for Ironman Coeur d’Alene in June but I’ve been training everyday since September 1st.  So my confidence was higher too.

(Swim exit, 2008)

     This year I finished the race in 1 hr. 47 sec., more than 6 1/2 minutes faster!  I ended up finishing 1st in my age group (there was 9 of us) and 10th overall in the field of 118 participants. 

(Start of 9.3 mile bike, 2008)

     I felt really good.  My swim was right where I thought it would be, 8:13 vs. the 7:58 from ‘07.  My  bike was much improved. 

(Arriving to the run transition, 2008)

     I rode 3 1/2 minutes faster than last year, 27:23 vs. 31:02.  

(Yards away from the 3.1 mile run finish line, 2008)

      My run was stronger too.  Last year I ran the 5k in 28:27, this year it was 25:11.  That’s more than 3 minutes faster. 

      I had a feeling I might be in the top five in my age group.  I’ve never received an award for finishing a triathlon besides a finishers medal.  So, when I heard my named called I was really happy.  Saturday, I was announced as the 2nd place winner but come to find out that the organizers made a timing error.  Sunday morning all participants got an email with the official results and I finished first.  Pretty exciting.

(Alex and Dave with our medals, 2008)

     Alex, former KXLY4 summer intern and current Senior at Washington State University and member of the WSU cycling team, placed 3rd overall Saturday and 2nd in his age group (20-24).  His time was smokin’.  He finished in 54 minutes and change.  We celebrated after the race with a foot long Subway sandwich.

(Post Triathlon #6)

     Saturday’s triathlon was number 6 in my quest of completing 30 this month.  I’m starting to get my routine down and finding a balance with nutrition and rest.  

(Post Triathlon #7)

     Sunday, I woke up fairly early and was in the pool by 8 o’clock.   I’ll be back at it again this week but this coming Saturday I’m heading to Grand Coulee for a Half Ironman race; 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run.  I’m guessing I’ll be taking it easy Saturday night and will probably sleep in on Sunday before heading back to the gym.

(Post Triathlon #8 - Monday morning)

     Monday it was back to the gym to begin week number two.  Happy training everyone and just keep livin.

Well, I was 4-0 last weekend, but I’m not going to get carried away, all four of our teams were underdogs and not many people had any of them winning.  This weekend is not going to be much different, but I predict we will get our first win of the year, and from the team that got waxed last weekend.

 CAL-WSU

Oh boy.  This could be ugly.  Cal is much better than Oklahoma State is, and the Cougars looked outmatched at times last weekend.  That being said, the Cougs are better than the Cougs were as well.  What happened to Brandon Gibson last week?  I predict that this week he will catch everything thrown to him, and maybe even some passes that are thrown to other receivers.  He’s too good for any more of that nonsense.  Playing in Martin Stadium should give the Cougs a boost, well it better anyway.  If the Cougar defense plays as well as they did last weekend, the offense plays like it started to show they can in the second half, and the special teams at least get in the way of the Bears returners, this game will be closer than last week.  The only problem is, all of those things have to happen just to keep this close. 

Cal-38

WSU-17

#15 BYU-UW

Oh boy.  This Could be ugly.  Didn’t I say that already?  The dawgs looked terrible in the second half last week at Oregon, and BYU looked awful in their game with Northern Iowa.  The difference is, BYU still won big, and the Huskies got crushed.  Husky Offensive Coordinator Tim Lappano says he’s going to open up the playbook… are you sure??  The four plays that you ran last week wasn’t good enough?  This team will only compete this year when Jake Locker is super-human.  The new young running backs and receivers don’t look like they will do much.  I was impressed with freshman tight end Kavario Middleton.  The bad news for the Huskies is their defense, man were they bad.  Expect another long year for the purple and gold.

BYU-43

UW-20

EASTERN WASHINGTON-COLORADO

Who would have thought that Eastern would be the most competitive last weekend when they were supposed to get boat raced?  I didn’t.  Eastern showed a lot last weekend, but I don’t expect them to be any closer to Colorado.  The Buffs are more physical than Texas Tech, they are at altitude, and Colorado saw how close the Eagles were at the half last week.  Add to that the Buffs lost to a Big Sky team a couple years ago, Eastern is not sneaking up on anyone here.  I hope the Eags can repeat their performance of a week ago, but two straight big school teams will be too much.

EWU-17

Colorado - 49

IDAHO STATE-IDAHO

The great potato state battle.  So our local teams are 0-4, and so far I have them going 0-3 this weekend, and Idaho lost 70-0 last week.  But wait, Idaho wins!  They better.  There aren’t a lot of “must win” games in week 2 of a season for a team that isn’t supposed to win a lot of games, but this is “must win.”  If Idaho loses to Idaho State, they risk going oh-fer this year, and Robb Akey will be in trouble.  That can’t happen, he won’t let it.  The next three games are “winnable” games for Idaho, and if they can pull at least two of them out, there is hope in Moscow.  If not, yikes.

ISU-24

Idaho-27

Have fun football weekend everybody

We’re only a day away from the College football season kicking off locally. Tomorrow the Cougars take on Oklahoma State, the Vandals take on Arizona, and the Eagles take on Texas Tech. Throw in the Huskies at Oregon and it makes for a long day of watching football. So with about 24 hours to go I figure I would give my two cents on what I think might happen. This way it’s on paper so to speak, and come Sunday we can all have a laugh at how much of an idiot I am. After all if predictions were easy, Vegas would be out of business. That being said, my biggest prediction, whether I get the scores right or not, is that it will be a long, sad day as I figure all four of our teams will go down.

OKLAHOMA STATE - WSU

The Cougars begin the Paul Wulff era tomorrow and I think it will look a lot like the Bill Doba era did, at least on the scoreboard. I hope I’m wrong here as I’m a big fan of Wulff, but this is going to take a while to get going in Pullman. I predict that the Cougs will look great in the first quarter as they run the first 20 scripted plays nearly to perfection and the Cougar faithful will be booking tickets to Pasadena as they can’t see anything getting in the way of a Rose Bowl. I think it will still be close at the half, maybe even through the third quarter. But in the end I see Oklahoma State pulling away and winning. I hope this game will be a competitive game, and the longer the Cougs can hang around, the more confidence they will get and they might be able to pull it out. But I just don’t think that will happen. I expect this Cougar team to get better as the season goes on, but they will almost certainly make mistakes tomorrow as they take the field for the first time under a new coach with a new offense. On a side note, I think Brandon Gibson is one of the best receivers in the country and I expect a monster year out of him.

Oklahoma State -31

Washington State -17

 WASHINGTON - #21 OREGON

Can Jake Locker really walk on water? We’re going to find out this year. If he can, then his head coach might not get fired, and the Huskies might threaten to win 6 games. If he can’t, expect another disappointing year out of the Dawgs. I guess if you’re a Cougar fan a bad year out of the Huskies wouldn’t really be “disappointing.” I do think the Huskies have a chance in this game. Oregon is going with a back-up quarterback, and it’s the first game of the year, and that’s always a toss-up. The Huskies will need Oregon to play a little sloppy and overcome a big home field advantage in this one.

Washington - 27

Oregon - 35

IDAHO - ARIZONA

Bone-head easy prediction of the day - Robb Akey will be excited. Second bone head-easy prediction of the day - Arizona will throw the ball a lot. That’s the whole key to this game, can the Vandals slow down the Wildcats? My guess is no, but my hope is yes. I think that the Vandals will be able to move the ball on offense but the question is, can they finish drives with touchdowns instead of field goals? Idaho moved the ball really well last year against USC early on, but they couldn’t punch it in. If the Vandals can put up 6’s, and slow down Arizona’s pass offense, they have a punchers chance against the Wildcats. There is a reason for hope here if you are a Vandals fan. Last year Idaho faced one of the top 3 passing offenses in the country in Hawaii and Colt Brennan, and they picked him off 5 times. The downside is, they immediately turned the ball back over to Hawaii, two times for touchdowns. There are two key players in this game, quarterback Nathan Enderle who has to play smart and can’t turn it over, and safety Shiloh Keo who has to make plays on defense, and in the return game.

Idaho - 13

Arizona - 35

EASTERN WASHINGTON - #12 TEXAS TECH

(Touchdown Red Raiders) The Eagles have a lot of expectations this year, but beating Texas Tech isn’t one of them. (Touchdown Red Raiders) Texas Tech averaged 41 points a game last year and is ranked 12th in the country. (Touchdown Red Raiders) They have a heisman trophy candidate in Graham Harrell who passed for 5700 yards and 48 touchdowns last year. (Touchdown Red Raiders) This team put up 43 in a loss to Texas last year, they beat 4th ranked Oklahoma, and won a bowl game. (Touchdown Red Raiders) Eastern will do just fine when they play 1AA teams, but asking them to compete in this game is a little unrealistic. (Touchdown Red Raiders).

Eastern Washington - 20

Texas Tech - 63

Happy College Football weekend everybody.

Over the more than 10 years that my husband Jerry and I have called Spokane home, we’ve become big fans of the WSU Cougars. How could we help it? Those Cougs are almost impossible not to love. Luckily, the Cougars don’t face off very often against our own college teams. Jerry went to Michigan, but I am an Oklahoma State Cowboy (actually,  CowGIRL).  I’m having a hard time deciding who to root for on Saturday, when the Cougs and Cowboys battle in Seattle. Adding to conundrum: I have kin on the Cowboy team. My cousin’s boy, Zach, is the deep snapper for OSU.    Maybe  I’ll just cheer for good weather at game time, and consider it a win/win, no matter who emerges victorious.   Right now, it looks like showers.  CLICK HERE for your Seattle forecast.

Michael Newdow, the atheist who spent four years trying to ban the Pledge of Allegiance from being recited in public schools has a new campaign.

Newdow is now challenging the familiar motto printed on U.S. currency “In God We Trust.” Newdow doesn’t like it because it makes reference to God. He wants the government to remove “In God We Trust” from U.S. coins and dollar bills and filed a federal lawsuit last Thursday claiming that the motto is unconstitutional because it is endorsement of religion.

Newdow, made a similar argument in 2004 when he challenged the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools because it contains the words “under God.” The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Newdow lacked standing to bring the case because he did not have custody of the daughter on whose behalf, he sued. The California doctor and lawyer later filed an identical suit on behalf of parents with children in three Sacramento-area school districts. That action is pending with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, after a Sacramento federal judge ruled in favor of Newdow last September. The appeal is expected to reach the Supreme Court.

In 1864, Congress authorized a reference to God on a two-cent piece at the request of the director of the U.S. Mint, who wrote there should be a “distinct and unequivocal national recognition of the divine sovereignty” on the nation’s coins. References to God are found in the Declaration of Independence, and in most historic U.S documents. It is a part of official swearing in court and God’s name is invoked during inaugurations. God is a prominent theme on government buildings, and in official government art.

Newdow wants to eliminate all of this. Is he right? Is this unconstitutional? Or is Michael Newdow just a kook who must be put in place? An ongoing NBC poll shows 66% of Americans want the language to stay on our currency. That means a third of us think it should go.

As for me … I hope to God that never happens.

       Ten years ago, my parents helped me pack our family minivan full of all my precious belongings (to an 18 year old girl “precious belongings” consist basically of clothes) and trucked me across the state to the small little town of Pullman. Washington State was the school I wanted to go to, but I wasn’t pumped about being there. I was just going through the motions, flying by the seat of my pants. I was going to college just to go. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re 18, right? And since I liked WSU better than U. Dub and Eastern (the only other places I’d applied) that’s where I went.