Hear is an update that I am very sorry to post. We have lost our bid for the Gold Star license plate. The Senate refused to give a hearing to the proposal by Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, to create a “Gold Star” license plate in California.

The Democrats in Sacramento have once again reared their ugly heads and squashed this noble effort. Thirteen states, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Virginia already have Gold Star plates, and several other states are debating the issue. This should have been a simple up and down vote.

“This was one small token of appreciation that we could have done to honor the legacy of these brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” Sen. Jeff Denham said. “Unfortunately, the Senate Democrat leadership chose to block this measure for over a year and then not even hold a hearing on the measure.”

I’m so disgusted with politics right now I don’t even want to write this report so here is a link to the story by Hank Shaw on Recordnet.com Backers lose bid for Gold Star license plate

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2008 – Utah Army National Guard Sgt. Jill Stevens’ “personal combat zone” has shifted from Afghanistan to Nevada, from a minefield to a beauty contest, from combat boots to high heels.

The 24-year-old Stevens also is Miss Utah, and she is a contestant in the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas, which will be televised Jan. 26 on The Learning Channel.

Stevens, a combat medic with the Utah Guard, has a resume that isn’t what you would typically expect from a soldier, or a pageant contestant, for that matter: graduate, summa cum laude, Southern Utah University; soldier, Army National Guard; veteran, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan; contestant, 2008 Miss America Live.

If she wins the crown, Stevens will be the first Miss America to have served in a combat zone, a pageant spokesperson said. She would become the 80th Miss America overall for the pageant, which began in 1921, according to the Miss America Web site. (There were eight years when a new Miss America was not named). (continue reading…)

“We cannot in good conscience send American men and women into potential trouble spots without adequate training to defend themselves,” Finally, some common sense is being applied. Lets see, Irritate and inconvenience some whales or save 1000′s of human lives. Gee, I wonder which is more important?

IMMEDIATE RELEASE; January 16, 2008

The Navy announced today that two important steps have been taken under existing law and regulations to allow it to conduct effective, integrated training with sonar off the coast of southern California after a federal court earlier this month imposed untenable restrictions on such training.

In accordance with the provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), and at the recommendation of the Secretary of Commerce, the President concluded that continuing these vital exercises without the restrictions imposed by the district court is in the paramount interests of the United States. He signed an exemption from the requirements of the CZMA for the Navy’s continued use of mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar in a series of exercises scheduled to take place off the coast of California through January 2009. The Navy already applies twenty-nine mitigation measures approved by federal environmental regulators when using active sonar, and these will remain in place. (continue reading…)