Sam Hengel

The 15-year-old gunman, Samuel O. Hengel, who took 25 classmates and his teacher, Valerie Burd, hostage at Marinette High School died at 10:44 this morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Sam Hengel was from Porterfield.


(Photo/WFRV)


(Photo/Green Bay Press Gazette)

From the Green Bay Press Gazette:

The gunman, identified by Marinette Police Chief Jeff Skorik as Samuel Hengel of Porterfield, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 10:44 a.m., a day after a five-hour standoff in which he held 23 students and a teacher hostage at a Northeastern Wisconsin high school.

Hengel was in grave condition this morning at Green Bay’s St. Vincent Hospital, Skorik said at a news conference this morning. He did not comment on the nature of the gunman’s injuries.

Hengel had two firearms and a knife along with a satchel of additional ammunition in a Marinette High School classroom when he took the sixth-period class hostage near the end of the school day on Monday. The hostages were all released after 8 p.m.

Students who would have been in the classroom during the following period were redirected to the library because of a note posted on the classroom door, Skorik said.

Staff became suspicious when the sixth-period students didn’t show up for seventh-period class.

“That was the start of putting together some pieces of the puzzle that didn’t seem right,” said Marinette School Superintendent Tim Baneck.

High school Principal Corry Lambie discovered the situation when investigating why students from that sixth-period class had not reported to their following class, authorities said in a release issued this afternoon. Lambie was confronted Hengel and told to leave, authorities said.

Lambie immediately called 911 to report the incident at 3:48 p.m. At some point between the sixth period and when law enforcement arrived on scene at approximately 4 p.m., a single shot was fired.

Baneck said Hengel was good in school and did not have a history of problems.

“It looks like this student has a clean slate,” Baneck said at a news conference this morning.

Classes at the high school are canceled today, and as for after-school activities, “I would image we’d be shutting everything down,” Baneck said. He said officials would talk later today about whether to cancel school again on Wednesday.

Corry Lambie, Marinette High School principal, said that there will be school on Wednesday.

Lambie corrected that a total of 26 students, including Hengel, were in the class.

Marinette County District Attorney Allen Brey was defensive when questioned by the press about the emergency response.

It was strange to hear members of the press being so aggressive, seemingly eager to condemn officials on how the crisis was handled, demanding details that aren't available yet. I suppose slamming police and blaming gun laws would fit the media's agenda.

Brey became rather angry.

The stress of the situation appears to be showing.
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More: Marinette hostage-taker was Boy Scout, popular

By all accounts, Samuel Hengel was a nice kid.

Good student, loved to hunt and fish, well-liked, a Boy Scout, even-keeled, plenty of friends, loving family.

What motivated the 15-year-old sophomore to bring two semi-automatic handguns and a duffel bag filled with ammunition and a knife to his sixth-hour social studies class, hold his classmates and teacher hostage for about six hours and then shoot himself in the head will likely remain a mystery.

Hengel died Tuesday morning at a Green Bay hospital without revealing a motive.

"We may never truly know why this happened," Marinette County District Attorney Allen Brey said.

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UDPATE, December 5, 2010: Mourners gather for funeral of teen who held class hostage

Photographs of a happy teen who camped, canoed and fished greeted mourners as they gathered Sunday for the funeral of a 15-year-old Wisconsin boy who held his social studies class hostage before shooting himself. None of the hostages was injured.

The stage in a school auditorium in Menominee, Mich., where the funeral was to be held Sunday afternoon, was decorated with a tent and canoe. Menominee is just across the river from Marinette, Wis., where Sam Hengel held 26 classmates and his teacher hostage for six hours Monday.

Hengel's Boy Scout and tae kwon do uniforms also decorated the stage, along with martial arts trophies and a Green Bay Packers jersey bearing AJ Hawk's No. 50. A slide show showing Hengel hiking in the woods with his family played before the funeral started.

Those gathered left messages on a board in the lobby, where photographs of Hengel as a baby, holding a fish and on a canoe trip were on display. Hengel's brother Ben wrote, "I will always miss you, brother."

Valerie Burd

A 2006 Marinette High School yearbook depicts social studies teacher Valerie Burd, the teacher in the classroom where a 15-year-old male held a classroom of students hostage Monday, Nov. 29, 2010. (Photo/Appleton Post-Cresent)

Valerie Burd, the Marinette High School teacher held hostage by her 15-year-old student, Sam Hengel, is being described as a hero.

From FOX 11 WLUK:

The Marinette High School teacher who was held hostage along with 23 students is being praised for protecting her students during the crisis.

In a press release from the Marinette County District Attorney's Office, the teacher, Mrs. Valerie Burd, is commended for "her exceptional performance in protecting her students while maintaining her composure."

The teacher spoke with authorities on the phone throughout Monday's hostage situation.

Students who were held hostage also said the teacher was able to keep a conversation going throughout the ordeal.

________________

UPDATE, December 1, 2010: Valerie Burd issues a statement.

"First, I would like to express my condolences to Sam's family and friends. He was an excellent student and had many friends in class.

My goal during this incident was to keep Sam and the other students as calm as possible and get them all out safely. The students responded in an exceptionally calm manner and kept him engaged in conversation throughout the entire time.

My personal feeling is that the entire situation was handled appropriately under the circumstances."

Bristol Palin: Keith Olbermann's 'Worst Person in the World'

I don't know why MSNBC puts up with Keith Olbermann's brand of journalism. Why would the network want his face to carry the NBC News brand?

His "Worst Person in the World" segment may be popular in the Leftists' bubble, but it really is rubbish.

Last night, Olbermann named Bristol Palin as his "Worst Person" because of her abstinence/safe sex public service announcement.

Talk about old news and stupid news!

Video.



Mediaite comments:

Viewers of Countdown might have thought they had tuned in to a rerun tonight, as host Keith Olbermann pegged his retrofitted “Worst Persons in the World (Not Really)” award to a two-week-old abstinence and safe sex PSA starring Bristol Palin and Jersey Shore’s “The Situation.”

Worse than that, though, Olbermann criticizes perhaps the only redeeming thing about the cringe-worthy spot, and makes a tone-deaf comparison to George W. Bush and 9/11.

Olbermann is seriously in need of some catchup. Not only is the PSA in question old-ish news, but after watching a clip from the spot, he exclaims “She’s the Candies spokesperson for abstinence?”

Actually, she has been for a year-and-a-half, now. Also, we have a black President.

Olbermann is such a hack.

Perhaps his "Worst Person," or at least a runner-up, should have been Mohamed Osman Mohamud, the Somali-born, naturalized American citizen terrorist wannabe.

A 19-year-old Somali-American man was indicted yesterday on federal charges that he tried to blow up a car bomb at a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in downtown Portland.

Mohamed Osman Mohamud was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction following his Friday arrest after a months-long FBI sting operation.

Mohamud was busted after he and an agent drove downtown in a van carrying six 55-gallon drums with detonation cords and plastic caps, all inert.

From KVAL News:

To his friends and colleagues, Mohamed Osman Mohamud wasn’t a religious extremist, he was simply “Mo-mo.”

“He was an average American student,” said Corvallis Imam Yosof Wanly.
Wanly said Mohamud was a student, a Muslim and a man wanting to make a change in the world.

Yeah, "Mo-mo," just an average American student, wanted to change the world. He wanted to murder lots of innocent people.

This guy expected to kill families, including children, taking part in a Christmas tree-lighting.

But "Mo-mo" doesn't make Olbermann's "Worst Person" list.

Olbermann reserves his wrath for Bristol Palin.

That's twisted.

MSNBC is allowing Keith Olbermann to destroy the last shreds of credibility of NBC News.

Palin derangement syndrome is killing the network and eating away at the Left.

They condemn the Palins while they ignore a potential killer.

Not cool.

Marinette High School Hostages (Video)

Marinette, Wisconsin was the site of a hostage situation yesterday.

An armed 15-year-old male student at Marinette High School held 23 students and a female teacher hostage in a standoff that lasted for about five hours.

It ended with all the hostages being released without injury and the 15-year-old boy shooting himself. He's alive but no details about his condition have been released.

Video, WFRV News: All released in Marinette hostage situation




Video, WFRV News: Social media plays big role in Marinette hostage information

News of a hostage situation in Marinette sent social media sites into a whirlwind of activity.

On Twitter Marinette was a top ten trending topic worldwide. Users posted their thoughts and reactions, along with the latest news updates.

Officials warned not to trust everything posted online, as several posts were inaccurate.

A Facebook group was quickly formed urging people to pray for hostages, and gained nearly 2,000 members.

A Marinette High School group was updated several times every minute from concerned alumni across the country.

Then, when all hostages were finally released, people came together online once again to express shared feelings of relief.

People monitoring the situation closely on twitter this evening were among the first to know all hostages had been released safely.

The news broke on Twitter first before it reached airwaves.

Actually, social media played a big role in spreading news and spreading misinformation.

In a post on Facebook, the gunman was named as Sam Hengle. Also on Facebook, it said the 15-year-old killed the teacher. One post claimed a family member "saw a girl all bloody."



More details--

Video, FOX 11 WLUK: Hostages released at Marinette High School

Marinette Police Chief Jeff Skorik says the suspect, a male student, suffered a self inflicted gunshot wound.

He was originally taken to Bay Area Medical Center, but was transferred to St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay. His condition is not being released at the request of his parents, according to a nursing supervisor.

Officials tell us there are no injuries to any of the students or the teacher.

Skorik says the 15-year-old had two handguns in the classroom. He says a high school administrator called authorities after 3 p.m. Monday to say an armed student had burst into a classroom.

At 7:40 p.m. five of the students were released from the room because they had to use the restroom. Skorik says the suspect agreed they could use it.

At 8:03 p.m. officers heard three gun shots, that’s when according to Skorik, officers entered the classroom and saw the suspect standing at the front of the room. Skorik says the suspect then shot himself and the rest of the hostages were evacuated.

Skorik says all students have been safely reunited with their families.

Marinette's Superintendent Tim Baneck says the high school will be closed Tuesday and doesn't know when it will re-open.

From the Associated Press:

The gunman had refused to communicate with officials during the standoff, [Police Chief Jeff] Skorik said, but allowed the teacher to speak with authorities by phone. The teen had made his classmates put their cell phones in the middle of the room and broke his own phone when it rang, Campbell said.

Keith Schroeder, a former Marinette middle school teacher, said he had the gunman as a student and also knows the teacher well. He said the teen's family is extremely involved in all their boys' lives.

"He's a fine young man, and I'm totally taken aback," Schroeder told The Associated Press. "Surprised, flabbergasted to say the least because this is a great family. It doesn't fit any of the things or the molds that you read about people. I couldn't say enough good things about the family."

The gunman may have seemed like a fine young man but he's obviously a very disturbed young man.

Police say the 15-year-old gunman does not have a police record.

He is still not being named.

Details of the boy's condition haven't been released, but he has survived his self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police Chief Jeff Skorik says that he's being treated for some "very serious" injuries, and he's in serious condition. His injuries could be life-threatening.

Skorik says according to the school, the boy was well liked and was a good student. Police don't have a motive at this point.

Police are withholding the gunman's name, because he's a minor and he's in the hospital.

He's a minor, but he's a minor who held two dozen people hostage for five hours. He fired five or six shots. In addition, Skorik said there were numerous live rounds of ammunition in his duffel bag.

There's no doubt about his identity or what he did.

What's also certain is if he had really wanted to kill himself, he easily could have.

Thankfully, none of the innocents involved were physically harmed.
________________

UPDATE: The 15-year-old gunman, Sam Hengel, died this morning at 10:44.
________________

Maggie Rodriguez interviews 15-year-old Zach Campbell, one of the students held captive by the teen gunman in Marinette, Wis.

Campbell said, "He didn't want to shoot any of us."

Campbell said Hengel had friends and he wasn't bullied.

Lois Speelman

UPDATE, December 10, 2010: Lois Speelman's Racial Comments
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UPDATE, December 9, 2010: No charges in incident involving 100-year-old Walmart greeter

Prosecutors said Thursday they have decided not to file charges against a 37-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of pushing a 100-year-old woman during a dispute last month at a Milwaukee Walmart where the older woman works as a greeter.

...Prosecutors decided not to file charges after interviewing both the customer and the greeter, Lois Speelman, and viewing surveillance video of the incident, during which Speelman was trying to verify that the customer had paid for the items in her cart, according to a statement from the Milwaukee County district attorney's office.

The customer had paid for everything in the cart and was a regular customer at the store at 3355 S. 27th St., according to the district attorney's office.

The video shows that Speelman fell to the floor after the customer made "incidental contact" with her while trying to retrieve her receipt, which Speelman had been reviewing for more than 30 seconds, according to the statement from the district attorney's office.

The customer did not intend to harm Speelman, the statement says.

"Incidental contact" is very different from the original coverage offered by the media. TV interviews with Speelman told a very different story.

Retractions, or at least clarifications, are in order.

The surveillance video shows that the 37-year-old woman did not intentionally become physically abusive with Speelman.

In short, prosecutors have decided that she did not beat up a 100-year-old lady and should not be charged.

She did not behave like a thug.

Will media outlets contact Speelman to get her reaction on no charges in the incident? I think they should try.

Watch the video of the incident.

Metcalf seemed to be very patient and cooperative initially. However, when she grabbed her receipt and saw that the old woman fell, I don't think she should have bolted.

She certainly didn't beat up Speelman, but she also didn't show concern for the elderly woman.
__________________

Lois Speelman is 100 years old.

That's an accomplishment in itself. More than that, she works an average of 34 hours per week as a Wal-Mart greeter in Milwaukee.

Speelman, who has been widowed twice, started her job as a greeter at the store when she was 90 years old. She retired at age 95, but returned two years later, after her only living son died.

Lois Speelman on the job (Photo/Tom Lynn)

On Sunday, an abusive customer physically assaulted Lois, pushing her.

Who roughs up a 100-year-old woman?

A real jerk.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A 100-year-old woman who works as a greeter at a Milwaukee Wal-Mart said Monday she is bruised and sore but otherwise OK after a customer pushed her during a dispute Sunday.

In fact, Lois Speelman said she plans to return to work Thursday.

"I'm just stiff and sore," she said in a telephone interview from her Greenfield home. "I'll deal with that."

Speelman was working at the Wal-Mart at 3355 S. 27th St. when a 37-year-old woman pushed her after apparently becoming upset that Speelman was trying to verify that the woman had paid for water bottles that were inside her shopping cart, Milwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said Monday.

The woman was arrested, and the Milwaukee County district attorney's office is reviewing the case, Schwartz said.

Speelman said she didn't want to discuss details of Sunday's incident until the investigation is complete, but she said she was simply doing her job by making sure the customer had paid for her items when she was attacked.

"That's our job," Speelman said. "That's what we're up there in front for, to watch people going and coming."

Speelman said she usually works with a partner, but her partner was performing another task when the incident occurred.

Speelman said she hit her head and was taken by ambulance to Wheaton Franciscan-St. Francis Hospital, where she underwent a CT scan and was released.

A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said in a voice mail that the customer's actions were "appalling" but did not return a call seeking more information about the incident.

...Speelman said Monday that her employers treat her well but that she works because she needs the money. She also said she's had previous run-ins with customers.

"You get a lot of customers who are not out to hurt you, but they always give you a bad time," she said.

I'm glad Lois is OK, and I'm glad the thug woman was arrested.

No customer should be pushing a Wal-Mart employee, no matter what age the individual happens to be.

But a 100-year-old lady?

Sick.

WikiLeaks: Fire Hillary Clinton

Obama's rhetoric is meaningless. He's weak. He's an ineffective leader. He is the 21st century's Jimmy Carter.

Supposedly, Obama is outraged about WikiLeaks and the spilling of U.S. State's Secrets. Robert Gibbs used milder terms, describing Obama as "not pleased."

Is Obama outraged or "not pleased" by the New York Times and other outlets publishing the documents?

These are the same news organizations that refused to publish cartoons of Mohammed.

What's Obama going to do about this egregious breach in security?

Nothing, but insist that he's angry or at least kind of ticked off?

That's not enough.

The buck stops with Obama. Since he's not going to resign because he has shown himself to be incapable of safeguarding our national security, he must take some significant action within his administration.

Hillary Clinton, U.S Secretary of State, head of the U.S Department of State, should be fired.



This happened on Hillary's watch. She has to go. She has to be held accountable.

It's not enough to simply pin responsibility on Bradley Manning, WikiLeaker.

And to the Leftists--

You went ballistic over the Valerie Plame idiocy.

You wanted heads to roll.

What's your response to this massive breach in the nation's security?



Here's a good idea to distract from Obama's screw-up: Focus on Obama's announcement of a federal pay freeze.

Anything to deflect from Obama's incompetence.

Hypocrites.

Julian Assange is to Obama as Ayatollah Khomeini is to Jimmy Carter.

Obama is impotent. He's held hostage by Assange. He's just as impotent as Carter was.

Obama must be a one-term president.
_______________

WikiLeaks Fallout: Should Hillary Clinton Resign?

Obama Too Busy To Be Effective

Does one admire Bob Woodward for his undying loyalty to Obama or pity Woodward for being such a fool?

Yesterday on Face the Nation, Woodward tried to make the case that Obama is struggling because he's so busy. His "day is crazy."

That's right. Obama is so busy that he has time to get a busted lip playing basketball.

Video.



Transcript

BOB SCHIEFFER: Bob Woodward, let me ask you this. What happened to Barack Obama after the campaign? It was one of the most effective campaigns I’ve ever seen and somehow after that it seems like he can’t catch a break, whether it’s his fault or not. Somehow he seems to have lost his groove.

BOB WOODWARD: That’s true. And I think it’s this ambivalence that he has. He-- he understands things. There is-- intellectually, but there is not that slogan from the campaign yes, we can. There is all-- he seems to be holding back. I mean you’re talking about silence and the power of silence. In the CIA they often talk about let the silence suck out the truth. And you know as a journalist if you just sit there sometimes and let there become silence, people will fill it up with answers and in many ways you-- you get some of your best answers in that silence. I-- I think Obama, there is an uncertain compass in him that he is communicating to people and the-- the political opposition is taking advantage of it. And the general populous senses it. And so he’s going to have to come out and come-- he has to come out with a clear program in statements on all the pressing issues that are on his plate which are many.

EDMUND MORRIS: Of course, he’s not writing his own speeches anymore, which I think he did in the campaign. And he doesn’t sound like Barack Obama anymore whereas when he was campaigning he sounded really authentic, passionate and extremely articulate.

BOB WOODWARD: I think he gets involved in the speeches but if you look at--

BOB SCHIEFFER: Hm.

EDMUND MORRIS: Presidency.

BOB WOODWARD: --his day. I mean, the day is crazy. And there-- there are so many meetings. There are so many outings. There are so many handshakes. There are so many trips to Ohio and here, you know, the-- as Roosevelt you always point out would read a book or two a day, right?

EDMUND MORRIS: Yeah, but presidents-- presidents have plenty of spare time. They-- they waste a lot of time grouping and grinning. But I know even from when I was in the White House with Ronald Reagan, he said to me, you know, I meet eighty new people every day but he still had plenty of time to write his letters by hand and to compose some of his strongest speeches.

"[T]he day is crazy. And there-- there are so many meetings. There are so many outings. There are so many handshakes. There are so many trips to Ohio and here, you know."

Woodward has to be kidding.

So many outings?

So many handshakes?

So many meetings?

So many trips to Ohio?

Good grief.

High-Speed Rail: Feds Charge for Killing Project?

Governor-elect Scott Walker promises to kill the Milwaukee to Madison high-speed train.

Will the feds demand a refund?

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been slapped with a $271.1 million bill for killing a tunnel project.

From the Associated Press:

New Jersey owes the federal government $271.1 million for canceling a rail tunnel connecting the state with New York.

An invoice from the Federal Transit Administration's chief financial officer to NJ Transit's executive director was sent Nov. 24 and is due within 30 days. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the correspondence Monday.

It's money the government wants New Jersey to repay for work done on the Hudson River tunnel before Gov. Chris Christie terminated the project. The notification is formal demand for payment and follows a warning letter earlier this month estimating the charges.

NJ Transit Executive Director Jim Weinstein said earlier this month that the state hadn't determined if it would have to pay any money back.

'12 Days of Christmas' Gifts - Cost in 2010

UPDATE: Items in '12 Days of Christmas' now top $100K
________________

It will cost you over 10 percent more than last year to give your true love the items from the song "Twelve Days of Christmas."

In the unlikely event that your Christmas list this year includes every item mentioned in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," be prepared to pay nearly $100,000.

Trying to buy the 364 items repeated in all the song's verses—from 12 drummers drumming to a partridge in a pear tree—would cost $96,824, an increase of 10.8 percent over last year, according to the annual Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management.

So you might want to try for one of everything. That would cost only $23,439, or 9.2 percent more than last year.

The 27th annual holiday index has historically mirrored the national Consumer Price Index, but not this year. The PNC Christmas Price Index grew 9.2 percent from last year, compared with just a 1.1 percent increase in the much broader Consumer Price Index.

Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investment for PNC Wealth Management, said that's because the whimsical holiday price index looks at a much smaller group of goods and services. Even within the index itself, there are some goods that have seen small increases and others that have seen larger ones, he said.

Also, gold prices are high—which pushed the cost of five gold rings up 30 percent to $649.95—as was the cost of hiring entertainers. Not to mention the birds.

"There's no doubt that our feathered friends in general make up a good portion of the increase," Dunigan said. The price of feed and availability led to a 78.6 percent increase in the price of two turtle doves, to $100, and a whopping 233 percent increase in the cost of three french hens, to $150.

Dunigan said that higher prices aren't necessarily a bad thing.

"The good news is that the economy is improving, and we are starting to see some pockets of price increases, as long as the total basket is controlled," he said.

Only four of the 12 gifts in the song didn't go up in price from last year: the pear tree ($149, not including the partridge), four calling birds ($599.96), six geese ($150) and the eight maids-a-milking ($58).

The most expensive item on the list was $6,294.03 to hire nine ladies dancing, a 15 percent increase from last year. The cheapest was $12 for one patridge, a 20 percent increase.

Does the $96,824 price tag include shipping?

Leslie Nielsen R.I.P.

Leslie Nielsen passed away on Sunday.

Leslie Nielsen Dies

Leslie Nielsen, who made audiences laugh with his ridiculous seriousness and deadpan deliveries in the absurd scenes of comedy films like Airplane! and Naked Gun has died. He was 84.

His agent confirmed that the actor died Sunday near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., surrounded by his "lovely wife and friends" at 5:34 p.m. ET, due to complications of pneumonia.

Nielsen had been hospitalized for nearly two weeks as a result of pneumonia, his agent said.

"Just in this last 48 hours, the infection has gotten too much," his nephew Doug Nielsen told Canadian radio station CKNW. "He just fell asleep and passed away."

Rumack: You'd better tell the Captain we've got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.

Elaine Dickinson: A hospital? What is it?

Rumack: It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now.

Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it?

Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.

Rumack: I am serious... and don't call me Shirley.

Rest in Peace.

And don't call me Shirley.

Jimmy Johnson 'Fired Up' Picks

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=foxsports&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:4f50f2c2-1fe1-49df-84e9-85cece7df0e0&showPlaylist=true&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videosearch&fg=RAMP" target="_new" title="NFL on FOX: Fired Up">Video: NFL on FOX: Fired Up</a>

Jim Wallis and Obama

The Reverend Jim Wallis is one of Obama's spiritual advisers.

Like Jeremiah Wright, Obama's spiritual mentor, Wallis says some controversial things and plays the race card.

From BreitbartTV:

It was recently revealed that Rev. Wallis accepted money for Sojourners from George Soros, who has financed groups supporting abortion and atheism.

Listen to an interview from November 24, 2010.

Audio.



Transcript

INTERVIEWER: Do you talk to President Obama regularly?

JIM WALLIS: Yeah, we talk about things. He's struggling because Washington, D.C. is wired to block change, and a lot of people thought electing him would make change. But we're learning again that social movements are what make change.

INTERVIEWER: But as someone who knows him, are you depressed by the kind of language that's used now in American politics?

WALLIS: Well, it's the kind of language, to be blunt, Rupert Murdoch likes.

INTERVIEWER: Really? You blame him?

WALLIS: FOX News has been the assassin of Obama's religion. I was on FOX News last week and they said, 'How do you explain that 18 percent of the American people now believe he's a Muslim?' And I said, 'Are you serious?' And they said, 'Yes.' And I said, 'Because you've been planting this seed of doubt 24/7 in people's minds.'

It's been a religious assassination of Barack Obama by the far Right. I've known him for ten years. He's been a Christian. He had a conversion. Nothing wrong with being a Muslim at all, but he's not. And so, what they're trying to do is to disconnect him and his values from the American people.

And to be blunt, there wouldn't be a Tea Party if there wasn't a black man in the White House. There wouldn't be a Tea Party. That's the fact.

INTERVIEWER: I suppose what they would say is that the problem actually is that the economy hasn't improved for most Americans. The problem is that Barack Obama's solutions seem to many Americans to be un-American. They seem to be rather more European in terms of government spending, and emphasis on things like that; and that it really has nothing to do with assassinating his religion. The issue is Obama himself.

WALLIS: Well, the two issues here: One is, journalists ask me how I react to the election results and I quote the proverb - without a vision, that people perish. And when people feel like they're perishing, they're angry and afraid. So the economy - lack of jobs, lack of success - is indeed the real issue here. But alongside that, alongside that, there's been a very calculated Right-wing media machine response, trying to discredit Obama. He wasn't born here. He was born someplace else. He's not really a Christian and all of that. So basically, you have an ideological food fight.

INTERVIEWER: Does he believe what you've been telling us this morning, that actually Rupert Murdoch is to a large extent responsible as you say?

WALLIS: No, I'm saying that. I'll take responsibility for that.

INTERVIEWER: But do you think he believes that?

WALLIS: Well, I think he certainly feels like he hasn't had a chance to sort of communicate effectively what he's been for.

This really is sickening.

Wallis says FOX News is little more than a vast Right-wing conspiracy to take down Obama, the Tea Party is a racist movement, and Obama hasn't been given a chance to communicate what he stands for.

Ridiculous.

Cher and Jay Leno

The day before Thanksgiving, Cher was Jay Leno's guest on the Tonight Show. She was hawking her new movie, Burlesque.

Video.



Transcript

JAY LENO: Have you watched Sarah Palin's show? Have you seen that?

CHER: What are you...? You know you're going to lead me into a world of pain.

LENO: I know. I'm looking for quotes. I need quotes.

CHER: OK, you need water cooler?

LENO: Yeah, I need water cooler.

CHER: OK. Um, uh, she has a reality show?

LENO: Yeah. Sarah Palin's Alaska.

CHER: Oh, God. I can only get myself in problems, and then no Republicans are going to come to see the movie. Or teabaggers. Oh, no, not teabaggers.

LENO: Not teabaggers. You'll still get those to see the movie. You mean the Tea Party.

CHER: Tea Party.

LENO: What do you make of that? Where do you come from on that?

CHER: Oh! I just think they're f---ing nuts!

This from Cher. Cher.

Tea Party patriots are "f---ing nuts" in her world.

What's nuts is Cher believing that slamming conservatives, a huge segment of the country, is a good way to get people to see her movie.

Leno didn't give Cher any help. Apparently, he didn't think her comments might be problematic. It's' possible he just cares about boosting his ratings, and he enjoyed getting Cher to insult half of the country.

Thanksgiving Thank You Notes

Jimmy Fallon writes his Thanksgiving thank you notes.

JIMMY FALLON: Thank you relatives who say that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday because it's about spending time with family and not about giving presents. Well said, you cheap bastards.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day

October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

A. Lincoln

Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!

TSA Searches (Photos)

The hustle and bustle of holiday travel at airports looks different this year.

It's a different experience, TSA agents grabbing and groping and digging around in people's pants.

It's a good thing they're giving pat-downs to the elderly and the infirm. They're known to blow up planes.

Photos:


A TSA officer pats down a traveler as he works his way through security at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Bloomington, Minn., Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)



A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker (L) inspects a traveler's waistband during a patdown search at Denver International Airport in Denver November 23, 2010. Half of Americans say the enhanced passenger security patdowns at U.S. airports go too far, according to a poll published just before the busy holiday travel season. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)



A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker (R) rubs a passenger's leg during a patdown search after going through a scanner at Denver InternationalAirport in Denver November 23, 2010. Half of Americans say the enhanced passenger security patdowns at U.S. airports go too far, according to a poll published just before the busy holiday travel season. The sign in the foreground shows passengers what the scanner pictures look like. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)



A TSA officer searches a traveler in a wheelchair at security check point at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Bloomington, Minn., Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2010. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)



A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker (R) rubs a passenger's leg as another TSA worker (L) looks on during a patdown search after havingundergone through a scanner at Denver International Airport in Denver November 23, 2010. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)



A passenger gets hand-checked after passing through a full-body scanner at a Transportation Security Administration screening check-point at O'Hare International airport in Chicago November 24, 2010. The TSA has been flooded with complaints concerning what some term their law-enforcement style pat downs of passengers opting-out of full-body scans. (REUTERS/Frank Polich)



An airline passenger is patted down by a TSA agent at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, Nov. 22, 2010. There are new requirements at someU.S. airports that air passengers must pass through full-body scanners that produce a virtually naked image. Those who refuse to go through the scanners are subject to thorough pat-down. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)



A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker (L) rubs her hands across a female traveler's chest during a patdown search at Denver International Airport in Denver November 23, 2010. Half of Americans say the enhanced passenger security patdowns at U.S. airports go too far, according to a poll published just before the busy holiday travel season. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)



A TSA worker rubs her hands across a female traveler's chest during a patdown search at Denver International Airport in Denver November 23, 2010. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)



A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker (R) rubs her hands across a elderly female traveler's chest during a patdown search at Denver International Airport as another traveler watches (L) in Denver November 23, 2010. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)


Over the river and through the woods...

TSA Jokes - Jimmy Fallon

JIMMY FALLON: The TSA has issued some special holiday-themed packing tips for travelers before Thanksgiving weekend. They say not to bring food, sharp tools, or any shred of dignity.

The TSA has special holiday-themed packing tips. Of course, I'm wary of any packing techniques that include the note: 'Tuck it to the left.'

Rocky Flats Gear

Rocky Flats Gear offers a solution for airline passengers concerned about being subjected to the invasive measures of the TSA.

Rocky Flats Gear ™ is the US manufacture of a revolutionary flexible, attractive, lightweight, Lead (Pb) free, radiation shielding garments for individuals. Our emphasis is on protecting the traveling public, airline, medical, and security professionals from radiation generated by security and medical imaging equipment. Our novel products can protect tissues from a broadband of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation generated by imaging equipment and natural sources. For the first time, radiological shields are attractive, durable, affordable, fun, and comfortable to wear.

Background radiation has increased over the decades from atomic weapons testing, coal power plants (thorium-40 emissions), industrial accidents, medical/security imaging, and use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions putting us all at greater cancer risk and generational DNA damage. We are bathed in radiation from a variety of sources both natural and man-made, we are trying to do our small part to improve general health and enhance dignity. Thank you for your interest in our products.

Here's one of the company's best-sellers:

Men's Privacy Brief Radiation



Comfortable radiation blocking brief with radiation shield

Wear every day to block natural and man-made radiation.
Use for extended air travel to protect from whole body scanners.
Protect from increased radiation while flying or living at high altitudes.
Blocks/diminish Alpha and Beta radiation.
Blocks/diminish T-Wave/Tera hertz radiation from remote strip cameras.
Blocks/diminish X-ray/gamma radiation from back scatter x-ray machines.
Insures privacy of medical and body scanner images
Proudly made in USA
Uni-Sex Brief Gray Green shield
Size 28-30" 71-76 cm small to 36-38" 91-96 cm large
Care:Wash Cold chlorine free bleach
Weight:2.5 Oz( 0.075kg)

Thanksgiving or Black Friday Eve

What are you celebrating this Thursday?

I'm celebrating Thanksgiving.

The family gathers for our traditional meal. I'm grateful for the many blessings in my life. I thank God.

There is some stress to the day. Relatives can be... You know how they can be. And the feast doesn't just materialize. Clean-up is a big project, too. It's a lot of work, but I can deal with that.

What I'm having difficulty dealing with is being bombarded with ads. For over a week now I've been hit with reminders to get ready to spend on Black Friday deals. Some stores open at 3:00 or 4:00 AM on Friday. Some will open at midnight. Some will be open on Thanksgiving Day.

It's absolutely nuts.

Remember when 6:00 AM was considered opening early on the day after Thanksgiving?

Those were the days.

The beautiful simplicity of the Thanksgiving holiday is being overwhelmed by these crazed shopping rituals. They're becoming more extreme each year.

SHOP ONLINE ON THANKSGIVING! BLACK FRIDAY SPECIALS AVAILABLE ALL DAY THURSDAY!

Good grief.

I want to save money. I want to get bargains. I love to shop sales. Spending wisely is a responsible thing to do, but I don't want to sacrifice Thanksgiving.

For some, Thanksgiving is now the day before shopping, with the sales taking priority.

No way.

I'm not going to let commercialism ruin my Thanksgiving.

And another thing--

I can't stand the term "Black Friday."

The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday because it is traditionally thought of as the day retailers begin to see a profit, or “move into the black.”

I'm not going to define a day in my life from the perspective of retailers. I'm not seeing a profit. It's not Black Friday for me.

I think the day after Thanksgiving should be called Turkey Sandwich Friday. That's much nicer than the doom and gloom sound of Black Friday.

Sleep in, have a sandwich, and be thankful.

TSA Protest

"This is for you, Big Sis."

Video.

Chris Christie and Jimmy Fallon (Video)

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday.

Here's video:

Interview



Pros & Cons of Being Governor of New Jersey

TSA Jokes - Jay Leno

JAY LENO: A three-hour delay reported at LAX today - not holiday traffic. Apparently, another fat guy got stuck in the full body scanner.

And former Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell, remember her? Well, she's speaking out against the TSA's new invasive pat-down technique. Today she said, 'Forget TSA. I don't even touch my own junk.'

You know what? Interesting, have you noticed on the news that most of the refusals for the pat-downs have been from men? And of course, see, the women love this. Finally, men get to see what it's like to be groped by someone who won't take no for an answer.

Leno: Harry Potter and Obama

JAY LENO: Harry Potter, the number one movie in America, making something like $130 million. Now if you haven't seen it, if you haven't kept up with the whole series, in the latest episode, Harry loses his friends, he has to battle overwhelming evil forces, and he hides in exotic foreign places to avoid public scrutiny. I'm sorry, that's President Obama.

25 Best Quotes about Liberals

John Hawkins assembles "The 25 Best Quotes About Liberals."

A few examples:

25) Whenever I read liberals reporting about the goings- on of conservatives I always get the nature-documentary vibe. A liberal reporter puts on his or her Dian Fossey hat in order to attempt to write another installment of Conservatives in the Mist. I've followed this particular brand of reporting for years, it's almost a fetish of mine. Most attempts fail. Of these lesser varieties, there's fear ("Troglodytes!"), mockery ("Irrelevant troglodytes!"), condescension ("I had to explain to them they're troglodytes."), bewilderment ("Why don't they understand they're troglodytes?"), astonishment (Dear God, they're not all troglodytes!"), and a few combinations of all the above. -- Jonah Goldberg

22) Inside many liberals is a totalitarian screaming to get out. They don't like to have another point of view in the room that they don't squash and the way they try to squash it is by character assassination and name calling. -- David Horowitz

15) Given the religious nature and the emotional power of Leftist values, Jews and Christians on the Left often derive their values from the Left more than from their religion. -- Dennis Prager

14) When one becomes a liberal, he or she pretends to advocate tolerance, equality and peace, but hilariously, they're doing so for purely selfish reasons. It's the human equivalent of a puppy dog's face: an evolutionary tool designed to enhance survival, reproductive value and status. In short, liberalism is based on one central desire: to look cool in front of others in order to get love. Preaching tolerance makes you look cooler, than saying something like, “please lower my taxes” -- Greg Gutfeld

1) To understand the workings of American politics, you have to understand this fundamental law: Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil. -- Charles Krauthammer

Read all 25 quotes here.

John Pistole: Body Cavity Searches

Good news, I guess.

The groping at airport security won't become a slippery slope toward body cavity searches.

Of course, that puts the terrorists on notice to devise a method to conceal the external device needed to initiate an explosion. That sounds simple enough.

A terrorist only has to manage to pass through security, current methods not capable of revealing body cavity carry-ons. After walking through the body scanner, once on board the plane, a terrorist could easily make the necessary adjustments. Body cavities are their tickets to paradise.

Listen to John Pistole, head of the TSA, explain why there are no plans at this point to check body cavities at airports.

Video.



We have to start looking for terrorists, not explosives.

Jimmy Fallon: Bruce Springsteen - 'Because the Night' (Video)

Sara Schaefer writes:

For a limited time, we have Bruce Springsteen's amazing performance of "Because The Night" on our show! As Bruce explained to Jimmy, back when he originally wrote the song, music producer Jimmy Iovine convinced Bruce to give it to Patti Smith, who of course turned it into one of her signature songs. Here he is making it his own once again, with a little help from The Roots, Roy Bittan on piano, and Little Steven Van Zandt on guitar!

I wonder what the definition of "limited time" is.

In the meantime, enjoy.

Video.


_________________

UPDATE, September 19, 2011:

I don't know when the "limited time" expired, but it's gone.

It was a terrific performance. Oh, well.

Here's video of Jimmy interviewing Bruce:

Letterman: TSA Agent Top Ten

TOP TEN QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE BECOMING A TSA AGENT

10. "Do I need a degree in groping?"

9. "Am I only doing this for the sweet-ass TSA uniform?"

8. "If I find explosive underpants, may I keep them?"

7. "Will I enjoy being cursed at 40 hours a week for minimum wage?"

6. "If I find explosive underpants, may I keep them?" Dammit that was number 8. Who checks these things anyway?"

5. "Should I practice by frisking people on the street?"

4. "In five years, whose pants do I see my hands in?"

3. "Do I really want to know what a fat guy's thighs feel like?"

2. "May I frisk myself?"

1. "What's the closest airport to Shakira's house?"

Late Show with David Letterman
November 22, 2010

Video.

North Korea Attacks South Korea

North Korea has attacked South Korea.

Is this war?

Drudge writes: IT BEGINS.

That sounds ominous.

According to Reuters:

The two Koreas are still technically at war -- the Korean War ended only with a truce --and tension rose sharply early this year after Seoul accused the North of torpedoing one of its navy vessels, killing 46 sailors.

I guess instead of saying, "IT BEGINS," it might be more appropriate to say, "IT CONTINUES."

Was there a "3:00 AM phone call" to the White House?



I can't say I have much confidence in the Obama administration when it comes to managing foreign affairs.

Obama's recent tour of Asia was a failure.

From the BBC: LIVE: Korean crisis

North and South Korea exchange dozens of artillery shells across their tense western sea border, in one of the most serious incidents since the Korean War ended without a ceasefire in 1953.

From the Telegraph:

The attack on Yeonpyeong Island is the latest in a long-running game of diplomatic cat and mouse in which North Korea periodically flexes its military muscle in order to try and win concessions from the international community.

Is this attack likely to lead to another war?

No. Within minutes of the attack, South Korea's president Lee Myung-Bak called on his officials to ensure the "situation would not escalate", a call that was echoed by all the other parties involved in trying to resolve the Korean dispute.

North Korea may possess a million-man army and a nuclear weapon (which it has no means to deliver), but its outmoded armed forces are no match for South Korea which is backed by the United States, which also has nuclear weapons. This week the South even raised the possibility (quickly dismissed) of returning short-range nuclear weapons to the peninsula. Just to make the point to Pyongyang.

The White House issued a statement this morning condemning North Korea's actions.

From Reuters:

"The United States strongly condemns this attack and calls on North Korea to halt its belligerent action," the White House said in a statement.

North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells at the island in one of the heaviest bombardments on the South since the Korean War ended in 1953.

The attack comes just as a U.S. envoy is traveling to the region after revelations that the North is moving ahead with uranium enrichment, a possible second path to manufacture material for atomic weapons.

"The United States is firmly committed to the defense of our ally, the Republic of Korea, and to the maintenance of regional peace and stability," the White House said, adding that it was in close and continuing contact with South Korea over the situation.

A U.S. official, speaking on anonymity, told Reuters that U.S. forces in Korea were closely monitoring the situation. But no U.S. troops were involved in the response to the North's artillery fire, the official said.

Some wars never end.

Tom Bergeron and Bristol Palin Conspiracy Theorists

The host of Dancing with the Stars, Tom Bergeron, self-described "liberal Democrat," has no patience for those whining about Bristol Palin still being on the show.

In a recent interview, Bergeron is very blunt about the anti-Bristol contingent.

Tom Bergeron to Bristol Palin Conspiracy Theorists: 'F*ck You.'

Let’s talk about this season of Dancing with the Stars. Can you gauge audience reaction during the taping? Is there noticeable commotion when Bristol Palin gets the lowest scores but isn’t eliminated? Or when—

Here’s the thing. Let’s address the Bristol thing. That’s the thing I get the biggest kick out of on the show. I’m going to put on my political hat. I’m a liberal Democrat, and I state that proudly. But I have no patience with my friends who believe there is a conspiracy keeping Bristol on the show. They’ll say, and they’re friends of a similar political persuasion though I have friends across the spectrum, “Oh, well! She’s still on the show! She’s obviously not the best dancer! She gets the lowest scores!” My response to that is similar to my response to the midterm elections. I’ll say, “OK, right. So who did you vote for instead of Bristol?” “Uh, well, I don’t vote!” “Well, then, f*ck you.” I mean, basically! You can clean that up. I have no patience for that! If you don’t participate to create a different outcome — and this can be true in national politics or a TV reality show — then don’t piss and moan if you don’t like the way it’s playing out. You know, I’m sorry! I think Bristol is clearly not the best dancer here, but she’s a charming young woman who’s shown an incredible growth from week one to this week. If she happens to get more votes for whatever reason, more power to her. If you don’t like it, vote for someone else. But that’s been the part of the show that’s amused me, how quickly people are to seize on conspiracy theories when people aren’t involved in the process.

Enough said.

TSA Holiday Travel Message

The Obama administration is offering "helpful hints for holiday travelers," explaining the new airport security measures.

John Pistole, head of the Transportation Security Administration, has filmed a public service announcement, a PSA from the TSA.

Here's the video:



Transcript

TSA Message to Travelers
November 19, 2010

JOHN PISTOLE: Hello, I’m TSA Administrator John Pistole. As you travel this holiday season I want to remind you that TSA’s mission is to ensure the safety of the traveling public and we are committed to doing so efficiently, courteously and professionally.

I’d like to offer a few tips and some important information we’d like you to know BEFORE you go through security.

Remember our 3 simple steps to security: Have your ID out, coats & shoes off and Laptop and liquids and gels less than 3 oz out and ready to go.

As you enter the checkpoint you will be directed to pass through either a walk through metal detector or an Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) unit.

If you are directed to pass through an AIT, you may OPT OUT. If you choose to opt out, you will receive a thorough pat-down by someone of the same gender.

If you alarm either the metal detector or the AIT, you would also receive a pat-down.

In either case where a pat-down is required, you have important options that we want you to be aware of: you have the option to request that the pat-down be conducted in a private room and you have the option to have the pat-down witnessed by a person of your choice.

We very much appreciate your involvement, cooperation and assistance in ensuring the safety of the traveling public. If you have questions about these procedures, the technology used by TSA, or our efforts to ensure your safety, please do not hesitate to ask one of our supervisors or visit TSA.gov.

Thank you and remember that at TSA, your safety is our priority.

I don't think this little message is enough to counter the growing list of horror stories and video of TSA abuses.

Leno: TSA Jokes

JAY LENO: Well, folks, you can tell Thanksgiving is almost here. It's in the air. I was over at Burbank airport and you could tell it's Thanksgiving. I saw a TSA agent probing a guy with a turkey baster.

Have you heard the TSA's new slogan? 'We handle more junk than eBay.'

Finally, the TSA is saying they will allow pilots to pass through security a lot easier than before. See, I don't think you have to pat down the pilot, right? You don't have to have him go through the body scanner. You know, I'm happy the pilot just passes the breathalyzer.

In fact, a lot of politicians are weighing in on this. Hillary Clinton said on some of the Sunday talk shows, she told Bob Schieffer on CBS that she would not submit to a pat-down, to which Bill Clinton said, 'Tell me about it.'

Leno: White House Evacuated

JAY LENO: This is kind of a scary story, a false alarm. Luckily, it was a false alarm. The White House was briefly evacuated today after a small plane crossed over into restricted airspace. Somebody at the White House yelled, 'Everybody get out!' And President Obama said, 'It's 2012 already?!'

Brad Childress Fired

Another NFL coach bites the dust after being served a devastating loss at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.

First, Wade Phillips of the Cowboys got the axe.

Now, Vikings coach Brad Childress has been canned.

Vikes' Childress Goes the Way of Wade Phillips

Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer has reported, and the Minnesota Vikings have confirmed that Brad Childress has officially gone the way of Wade Phillips, and received his walking papers midseason. Childress was fired Monday, following the Vikings 33-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Of course, the last straw for Phillips came just two weeks earlier, in the form of a 45-7 loss to those very same Packers. Since that point, Dallas has gone 2-0 under interim head coach Jason Garrett, and Minnesota, in the midst of a remarkably tumultuous season, the Vikings presumably would like to see a similar change.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier will take over as the Vikings’ interim head coach.

I don't expect to see much improvement from the Vikings with Frazier at the helm. He still is stuck with Favre. The best coaching can't keep Favre from throwing his trademark interceptions.

Maybe less drama with Childress gone will make Favre a happier camper and things will click better for the Vikings.

It's too little too late. Favre is definitely too little.
__________________

An interesting bit of trivia:

Childress has become the second coach to lose his job largely because of Favre’s foibles, after Eric Mangini, who was fired after the 2008 season, Favre’s lone year with the Jets.

__________________

Here's a statement from the Minnesota Vikings:

The Minnesota Vikings have relieved Brad Childress of his head coaching duties. Leslie Frazier has been named Interim Head Coach and will serve in that capacity for the remainder of the season.

Vikings Owner/Chairman Zygi Wilf and Leslie Frazier will address the media at 3:00 p.m. CT today in the Winter Park fieldhouse.

__________________

Here's a statement from Brad Childress:

Former Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress issued the following statement after he was relieved of his coaching duties by the Vikings earlier today:

"The past five years have been a tremendous experience for my family and I as the Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings. I have a great respect for the players and coaches who I have worked with and for their dedication to each other and to the organization. I am proud of our accomplishments and believe the foundation of this football team is stronger today than when I became Head Coach in 2006. I appreciate the opportunity that Zygi, Mark, and the whole Wilf family afforded me and wish them success as they move forward."

__________________

My guess is the 50th Season Celebration event for the Vikings, scheduled for December 19, 2010, will have a tinge of disappointment because of the messy way Season 50 has played out.

And of course, last season holds a bitter memory (for Vikings fans), when Favre denied the Vikings a trip to the Super Bowl by throwing an interception.

Favre: 'Re-evaluate'

Brett Favre's storied career isn't going to have a storybook ending. It isn't going to be that way.

There's the ongoing investigation involving the texts, and messages, and photos he allegedly sent to Jenn Sterger.

Finally, the NFL is getting around to tracing the communications.

In an effort to determine what Brett Favre did or did not text Jenn Sterger, the NFL is conducting high-tech forensic work to trace the electronic pathways and transmission of any photos or messages that might have been sent during communication between them, according to a source familiar with the situation.

It is the latest intriguing turn in a drama that features an iconic NFL quarterback and a former Jets subcontractor that has appeared on television.

Sterger met with the NFL earlier this month for three hours and provided league investigators with "substantial materials," according to her agent. Among the items turned over were cell-phone records, at least one phone and a SIM data card.

That's the Favre drama off the field. He's wrestling with the truth.

The NFL seems to be dragging its feet on the investigation, as if trying to avoid dealing with the matter. The league appears unable to handle the truth when it comes to Favre. If not unable, then it's uninterested and unwilling to handle the reality of Favre's behavior.

There's also the drama on the field.

The Vikings are in meltdown. The Packers overwhelmed them yesterday, 31-3. It was beautiful. Aaron Rodgers' spectacular performance was thrilling. It was great to be a Packer fan.

In his post-game press conference, the dejected Favre said he had to go home and re-evaluate the situation.

Then came the predictable analysis and speculation. What did Favre mean by "re-evaluate"?

Twice during his postgame news conference, Favre said he planned to "go home" and "re-evaluate."

What will he re-evaluate? Favre wasn't clear. But he did not directly answer a reporter who asked if he was committed to playing the rest of the season.

"I would never have expected to be in this situation," Favre said. "Mathematically I think there is still some hope. I hate to use Jim Mora's comments about playoffs. I can't even think about that. I know there is still a slim chance, but come on. We've got to play a lot better than we played today and last week.

"I came back for a Super Bowl, you're right. Also [there is] a chance that that doesn't happen, probably a better chance that we don't. And there's a way better chance that you won't play as well as last year. ... But this is a little surprising. Again, I'm just going to go home and ... I don't want to say 'think' about this game. Just re-evaluate tomorrow."

Favre has given enough news conferences to know that his answer left open the possibility that he would opt for an early retirement now that the Vikings' season seems cooked. But would Favre really give up $6 million -- the salary he would lose for skipping the Vikings' final six games? And would he really want his final act as an NFL player to be walking out on his team?

Enough.

Favre isn't going to call it quits before the season ends. There's no way that's what he means by "re-evaluate."

It's already too late for Favre to leave the game gracefully. If his "re-evaluation" brings him to the conclusion that he should walk away now, Favre will be even more of a joke than he is already.

He didn't look like a football legend yesterday. Favre looked broken and defeated. There was nothing larger than life about him.

No matter how you feel about Brett Favre - if you once loved him and now despise him, if you consider him the greatest player ever to wear a Green Bay Packers uniform or a spiteful, petty, dishonest, traitorous old man - it was hard not to feel just a pinch of sympathy for him Sunday.

Once a three-time NFL most valuable player and just last year still among the best quarterbacks in the game, Favre is finishing out his career with a team in a death spiral and looking every bit like a 41-year-old man in a young man's game.

As purple-clad fans fled the Metrodome and Packers fans stayed behind to savor the closing minutes of a 31-3 beat-down of Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, chants of "Go, Pack, go!" must have rung hollow in Favre's ear flaps.

This isn't why he came back for a 20th season, but it's his reality: The Vikings are 3-7 and going nowhere fast.

Favre is playing out the string, a Hall of Famer reduced to irrelevance save for a mythic consecutive-games-played streak that may, at some point soon, come to an end.

So many times for so many years now when the topic of his retirement was raised, Favre has said, "I know I can play."

Yesterday, it was clear that even Favre finally has his doubts. Or maybe I'm misinterpreting anger at others for humility on Favre's part. He may still believe he can play.

Although Favre has had his moments of greatness this season and continues to break records, he's mostly been just a shadow of what he once was. It certainly doesn't look like he's enjoying what he's doing. There is a sadness to that.

Watching Rodgers had to be painful for Favre. He can't be that delusional not to grasp how poorly he played, can he?

I hope he's content with the money he's hauling in for being the Vikings quarterback, playing a 20th season in the NFL after he decided to retire and unretire from the league for the third time.

Those millions and millions of dollars might help to take the sting out of the defeat of having his ego punctured to publicly deflate.

Favre's "re-evaluating" has been a spectator sport for years. I hope he realizes that game is over.

Video.