Fort Myers Bike Night

The city of Fort Myers kicked off 2009 early with the first of four downtown bike nights. The logic escapes me as to why the first bike night of 2009 was held on November 8, 2007 but that wasn't going to stop me from having a little fun. So early in the evening, I threw the wife on the back of the 2003 Heritage Softail and cruised down Palm Beach Boulevard to downtown Fort Myers.


We people watched while enjoying a fantastic gourmet meal from a sidewalk table at Delicious Things, a First Street restaurant which truly earns it's name. After dinner, we meandered toward Starbuck's for a nice cup of joe. Vendors lined both sides of the street and Renee couldn't help but to transfer some of our cash to them, although she did wind up with a nice belt and some flashy bling.

Coffee in hand, we headed to The Cigar Bar for a stogie and a single malt scotch then out to the street to rock to the old school metal sounds of Myth. After a set of head banging, we hopped back on the bike and enjoyed a brisk ride home.

Sorry for the poor quality photos. I inadvertently left my camera bag at home and had to use my cellular phone.

The Timeless Sound of Pink Floyd

Emerging from the 1960's psychedelic movement, Pink Floyd established themselves early with a timelessness that sounds as current today as it did 40 years ago. Deriving their name from two blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, original members Sid Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright recorded their debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn in 1967. The band added guitarist David Gilmour to the line-up in 1968 to compensate for the lack of solid contribution by Sid Barrett due to declining mental health, which eventually lead to his complete departure. Three highly experimental albums followed, Saucerful of Secrets, Ummagumma, and Atom Heart Mother before the band finally matured creating the infamous lumbering, spacey Pink Floyd sound that we find so recognizable today. The band realized tremendous commercial and financial success throughout the 1970's with Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. Dark Side of the Moon spent 742 weeks (14 years) on the Billboard 200 album chart, a record breaking feat far surpassing all other acts. This huge success led to quite a bit of feuding over artistic direction, especially between Gilmour and Waters. In 1985, Roger Waters declared Pink Floyd "a spent force" and departed the band to pursue a solo career. Gilmour, Waters and Mason continued to tour as Pink Floyd and recorded twon more albums, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell. Waters rejoined the band in 2005 for one show at London Live 8. Rick Wright died of cancer on September 15th of this year. Richard, you will be sorely missed!

Happy Birthday Billy

The world's modern day Apostle Paul, well known evangelist Billy Graham turns 90 years old today. Billy has spent a lifetime ministering to the lost, delivering a straight forward gospel message of the sacrifice made for us all by Jesus Christ on the cross. Reverend Graham has never been involved in scandal or controversy, nor allowed himself to be tainted by the bizarre elements of fringe Christianity. Billy Has preached to over 2 billion people around the world where almost 3 million have stepped forward and given their lives to Christ. He has personally met with every American president since Harry Truman.

In 1998, I had an opportunity to attend a Billy Graham crusade at Raymond James stadium in Tampa, featuring musical guests Jars of Clay and DC Talk. The event still holds the record for the largest crowd at that venue. It looks like Billy is more popular than the Bucs! Although already a Christian at the time, I will still never forget the impact that he had on my life.

Suffering from Parkinson's disease for over 15 years, Billy Graham's health continues to decline so it will not be long before he returns home to meet his maker. I'm certain that the first thing the Lord will utter to him is "Well done my good and faithful servant".

Happy Birthday Billy and God bless you!

The Obama Regime

Barack Obama handily beat John McCain yesterday in what appears to be an electoral landslide. Republican strongholds Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, and my beloved Florida all turned blue and North Carolina and Missouri still remain too close to call. So on January 20, 2009, Obama will be sworn in as America's first black president. The United States poises itself ready for an African-American leader but my views are more clouded by issues rather than race so personally I would have preferred Colin Powell or Condoleezza Rice to have earned that designation.

I hope and pray that Obama holds true to his campaign promises of a more moderate form of government rather than taking us to the extreme left which would be more aligned with his voting record. I remain optimistic that 95% of you will actually receive the tax relief promised although I find myself one of the 5% to be penalized for success.

As a Christian I strongly feel that I must eventually repent and accept Obama's authority over me as commanded by Romans chapter 13 verses 1-3 and Hebrews chapter 13 verse 17. Unless of course, Mr. Obama does actually prove to be the Antichrist for then I must rebuke him at every opportunity.

Before Inauguration Day, there still seem to be constitutional issues that must be resolved. There are several court cases, most notably Berg vs. Obama, which question his status as natural born citizen. Berg's case now sits with Justice Souter at the U.S. Supreme Court. Obama, the defendant, has until December 1st to respond. What happens if Obama is found not to be qualified to serve as President? Apparently, if this discovery takes place before the electoral college meets, the electorate may designate another candidate as president. The new president would most likely be Al Gore or Hillary Clinton. If the discovery occurs after the electoral process, then Joe Biden becomes president by default. Senator Biden seems an honorable man and would probably make a good president. Either way, John McCain is out of the picture whether the election was fraudulent or not.

Apparently, there are other similar cases filed around the country including one in Hawaii with a hearing scheduled for November 17th. There is also a case in the Illinois courts questioning whether Obama commited perjury when applying to the Illinois Bar. When asked if he had ever assumed an alias, he answered no, when in reality he has lived under the other names of Barry Soetoro and Barry Obama.

I still find it hard to believe that a man who would be denied a security clearance by the CIA or FBI may now govern our entire country and be privy to the most sensitive of classified information regarding national security. Hopefully, someone in power has the common sense and good decency to see that this does not lead to the complete demise of our country. Anyway, Mr. Obama, I pray that you will do what's right for the American public and our country overall. God Bless both you and John McCain!

Get Out and Vote

Exercise your right, let your voice be heard and get to the the polls today to vote! Regardless of your political affiliation, you are afforded an opportunity granted to few others in this world. After travelling to dozens of foreign countries over my lifetime, I've come to the realization that our flawed American system is still the best on earth. So although the lines will be long, please patiently wait and cast your ballot.

McCain vs. Obama - the Finale

Earlier this year, while still in the primary season, I must admit that I was not particularly fond of either Barack Obama or John McCain. Obama's extremely liberal view on abortion, especially partial birth and live birth abortions, sickened me and McCain seemed a bit too moderate for my conservative taste. Living in southwest Florida and feeling the negative effects of illegal immigration caused me to label McCain's proposed amnesty programs as way too lenient and detrimental to America's financial well being.

So I performed my due diligence to determine the lesser of what I considered two evils. With a voracious appetite for reading, I devoured as much news as I could on both candidates. And now I must finally admit that the more I learn of John McCain, the deeper my respect grows for the man, and the more I learn of Barack Obama the more apprehensive I become.



John McCain stands today as one of America's great heroes. He's been tried and tested and never once failed his country. Descended from a long line of warriors, McCain draws from a heritage that few may claim. His grandfather served in the Pacific commanding aircraft carriers during World War II and proved himself one of our country's fiercest leaders during adversity. McCain's father served as Commander in Chief, Pacific during the Viet Nam conflict. McCain followed in their footsteps into a Navy career. As a naval A-4 aviator, he was gunned down over Viet Nam and lived five long years as a prisoner of war. He survived two broken arms and a broken leg, repeated torture, tropical disease, and two years of solitary confinement to arrive home not a bitter and broken man but a stronger one, more mature and more in love with his country. After painful rehabilitation for injuries that had not been treated and torture suffered, his body once again became useful enough to regain flight status and complete a military career although you can still see him wince from pain when attempting to lift his arms. After retiring a captain from the Navy, he continued serving his country by serving two terms in the House of Representatives and now four terms in the Senate. McCain has fought corruption in government, especially pork barrel spending during his entire career and is a man who can be trusted. He's drawn much executive experience as military leader and realizes the demands placed upon Commander in Chief. He attributes a strong faith in God for surviving many of life's difficulties. John McCain definitely has the ability to run our country.



On the other hand, Barack Obama remains an enigma. He attempted to conceal or seal many of the records from his past including birth certificate, travel documents and passports, and school transcripts. Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961 to Stanley Ann Dunham and Barack Hussein Obama, although others including his paternal grandmother claim that he was born in Mombassa, Kenya. His parents divorced after two years and his mother soon remarried an Indoenesian national, Lolo Soetoro. Apparently (although the record is sealed) Mr. Soetoro adopted young Barack and the family moved to Jakarta where Obama attended school under the name Barry Soetoro. His school records from Jakarta state his religion as Islam and his citizenship as Indonesian. Obama's mother sent him to Hawaii at the age of ten to live with his grandparents where he attended a very exclusive private school. He graduated and attended Occidental College in California before transferring to Columbia University, another elitist school. The summer between schools he travelled on an Indonesian passport to Indonesia to visit his mother and sister then on to Pakistan and India. At the time Pakistan was on the U.S. no travel list and also forbade non-Muslims from visiting the country without prior diplomatic approval. After graduation Obama worked in Chicago as a community organizer before attending Harvard law and eventually practicing and lecturing back in Chicago. He then served in the Illinois Senate before running in 2004 for the U.S Senate and now in 2008 as a presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.

During his career, Mr. Obama has kept company with some rather unsavory characters. Frank Marshall Davis a communist party leader in Hawaii served as a mentor to Obama during his teenage years. Obama launched his political career from the living room of Bill Ayers, a domestic terrorist who once planned to bomb both the Pantagon and White House. He was counseled for twenty years by Jeremiah Wright, a bigoted and racially devisive pastor in Chicago. Black Muslim leader Louis Farakhan proclaimed Obama the next messiah. Behind the scenes manipulator and billionaire George Soros has dumped million of dollars into the Obama campaign.

McCain counts as his friends two fellow prisoners of war, and fellow legislators like Joe Lieberman and Joe Biden. With the exception of the Keating five scandal, there is no other blemish on McCain's professional record and little controversy.

Fellow Americans, we may not have now and may never have the perfect candidate running for President of the United States but if you need to put your trust in a man capable of leading this country through a miserable economy and and a war on terrorism and defeat partisan politics, there is only one logical choice and that is John McCain.

Bikers for Babies Ride

The beautiful sunny sky and moderate temperature set up a perfect day for the 8th Annual March of Dimes Bikers for Babies ride from Naples to Fort Myers.



The 35 mile police escorted ride began at North Collier Regional Park on Livingston Road in Naples, winded along Bonita Beach through Fort Myers Beach, down Royal Palm lined McGregor Boulevard, and concluded at Harley-Davidson of Fort Myers on Colonial Boulevard, where folks from Riverside Bank cooked burgers for the famished crowd.



Over 2,000 bikers from all of southwest Florida joined the event as onlookers, waving American flags and holding supportive signs, formed along the entire stretch to cheer. All money raised will help the March of Dimes combat birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Hooters Golf Tournament

The fearsome foursome from Images Graphic Specialties played yesterday, for the fourth year in a row, in the Hooters Annual Charity Golf Tournament. This year the tournament raised money to help the family of Andrew Widman, a Fort Myers police officer gunned down on duty by an illegal alien. The team, driven more by a joy for the game rather than competiveness, posted another losing score. But the boys sure did enjoy themselves.

Harley Halloween

The 8th Annual Bikers for Babies event kicked off tonight with a Halloween party at Harley-Davidson of Fort Myers. Vendors of food on a stick, deep fried artery cloggers, beverages with a kick, and all types of biker gear lined the parking lot. Rock bands Backlash and Yazgars Farm provided entertainment for the large crowd dressed as pirates, wenches, darth vader, french maids, and more. Please enjoy the following video.

Faded Boyhood Dream

As I young boy, my father occasionally piled my younger brother and me into the old family station wagon for a drive from Hagerstown to Memorial Stadium in Baltimore for an opportunity to see our beloved Orioles play live. I have extremely fond memories of experiencing the joy of baseball through the eyes of a ten year old. How could anything in life be better than watching Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer ply their trade while eating ballpark hot dogs? What could be more thrilling than watching the giant bicepped Boog Powell knock one completely out of the stadium? Before the days of the ostentatious, spoiled prima donna, players were real men. As young boys, after the game we'd line up behind the dugout to meet the players, obtain their autographs, while enjoying their jokes and banter.


But despite living near Baltimore during the Orioles glory days, that ten year old never had the opportunity to attend a World Series game. Now, almost 40 years later, this giant kid, now living in Florida, finally acquired the holy grail; tickets to game 6 of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies.


How I anticipated that glorious event. The Rays travelled to Philadelphia several days ago with the series tied 1-1. Each team needed to win only one more game in Phillie to bring the series back to St. Petersburg for game 6. Sadly I watched the Rays fall behind 3 games to 1. I felt deep in my heart that nothing could stop them from winning game 5 to bring the series home.


Played in a downpour, game 5 stood tied 2-2 when finally postponed as a result of the inclement weather. After an unprecedented 46 hour rain delay, the game resumed in the bottom of the sixth. I watched on pins and needles as both teams traded score keeping the game always within a run.

The Phillie's Geoff Jenkins scored after Akinori Iwamura dropped a Jayson Werth pop up. But the Ray's struck back in the top of the seventh with a powerful Rocco Baldelli homer. The Phils scored again in the eighth and when Brad Lidge fanned Eric Hinske during the top of the ninth, my boyhood dream was once again dashed, if only for a year!

Can I get my money back on these tickets?