Five years ago today, 19 savages from the Middle East attacked our country in the name of the false god of a pagan death cult.  They killed nearly three thousand innocents on that terrible day.

One of those innocent victims was Brian Edward Sweeney, of Merrick, New York.  He was 29 years old.  He was a firefighter with the NYFD, and was killed at the World Trade Center.  Like his NYFD brothers, Brian was going into the maelstrom to save people--heading toward danger rather than safety, in order to help others.  He was one of the true heroes of that day.

I didn't know Brian, but based on the things I have read about him on other memorial sites, I wish I had.  He seems the kind of guy that anyone would be proud to have as a friend.  He was vibrant and happy, and his passion for life inspired the people around him.  I know he is missed by his friends and family, and I hope they know that they are in our thoughts and prayers--not only today, but every day.

If you would like to read more about Brian from the people who knew him best, click on these links:

Brian's page at September11Victims.com

Brian’s page at Legacy.com

To read more tributes to the victims of September 11, 2001, go to the 2996 Project.

...namely, turning elections into lotteries by entering each voter in a drawing to win a million dollars.  Jonah Goldberg sheds some light on this in his column today, entitled "We Don't Need Beavis and Butt-Head Voters."

I'll say...I'm with Neal Boortz on restricting voting rights rather than expanding them.  The Founding Fathers were on to something when they limited suffrage to male landowners--these were precisely the people who would be most likely to have an education, and more importantly, they were the people with the most at stake--and therefore they were more likely to cast an informed, well-thought-out vote.

Nowadays, liberals want to enfranchise anything that breathes, including pets.  I don't know about you, but I'd rather people stay at home on election day if they know the name of the last "American Idol" winner but don't know who Condoleezza Rice is.  Nonsensical proposals like this one are bad for our country, and if taken seriously, they will lead to our downfall.

I just signed up to honor a 9/11 victim in this space on Sept. 11, 2006 (the fifth anniversary of that fateful day).  My assignment: Brian Edward Sweeney, 29, of Merrick, N.Y.

I was the 1,078th blogger to sign up.  There were 2,996 victims that day; why not sign up to honor one yourself?  It's as easy as clicking right here.

It appears Cindy Sheehan just bought a five-acre parcel of land near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.  Of course, there's more to the story than meets the eye: Sheehan didn't actually purchase the property--it was bought by an intermediary, Gerry Fonseca (one of the lunatics at Gold Star Families for Peace).  Not surprisingly, the original landowner is upset, according to KXXV-25:

"I feel deceived," said Celia Ramsey, who sold the land to Cindy Sheehan through a third party. She talked to News Channel 25 exclusively on the matter. "I would have never sold it to Sheehan. Nobody wants them here."

Typical liberal behavior: misrepresent yourself in order to subvert the will of the people.  Sheenan's motives are transparent--she only intends to continue to harass the president and generally be as obnoxious as possible.  What happens when President Bush finishes his term?  Will she continue to torment him?  And what about the other property owners in the area?  I imagine their property values will start to slide, what with a horde of naive, annoying protesters setting up a permanent shop in the neighborhood. 

Maybe the locals will be able to limit her intrusiveness through zoning laws, some of which are already in place thanks to the previous antics of this sick woman and her zombies: according to KXXV-25, county commissioners passed an ordinance in 2005 that banned parking on roadways and implemented other traffic and crowd control measures.

I think this quote from the Queen Lunatic herself sums up the naivete' and sad idiocy of this whole movement:

"I am very sad it came to this point where we had to buy a permanent home," said Sheehan. "I thought President Bush would have resigned by now. But I am happy about a permanent home in Crawford."

She actually figured he would resign?!  I sincerely hope that no one takes these people seriously any more.  They've been beyond belief for quite some time.