Race Car Driving and Road Rage=You Better Check Yourself, Before You Wreck Yourself

Kevin Ward Jr. was sent into the wall when his car was bumped by Stewart's in a dirt-track race last month in Canandaigua. Ward got out of the car and walked onto the track, where he was hit by Stewart. The three-time NASCAR champ will not faces charges, prosecutors said last week in disclosing for the first time that Ward had enough marijuana in his system the night he died to impair his judgement. The incident began when both drivers charged in to Turn 2, and Ward’s vehicle hit the wall, cut a tire, and spun out. The caution flag came out, as it does after a wreck, and the rest of the field slowed down to allow Ward time and space to get his wounded car off the track. But instead of firing it back up, Ward exited the vehicle. He appeared to be looking to confront Stewart, who he likely blamed for the wreck. A couple of cars whizzed by the clearly incensed driver, but Stewart’s car hit Ward, sending the 20-year-old to his tragic death. Now I am not going to pretend to be an expert on racing, because I am definitely not. But I do know that it has to be one of the most stressful, dangerous sports out there. I also know enough not to go to work under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And I definitely know better than to walk into traffic on a high-speed freeway. So while the family members of Kevin curse Tony for killing their son, I have one question for them. Would you walk in front of somebody shooting a gun? These drivers are crazy, and they let emotions run way to high when they believe they've been provoked. This was obviously a tragedy for the sport of racing, but it was an accident. And had that kid been sober for the race, he probably would still be alive.

Scottish Independence ( Neo-eisimeileachd Na h- Alba)

A referendum on whether Scotland should be an independent country will take place on Thursday, 18 September 2014. After 300 years of being part of the United Kingdom, the Scotts will vote on their independence. Scotland a free country once again, William Wallace would be proud. Some opinions are saying that this is coming 300 years too late, and that culturally Scotland and the U.K. are one in the same. They say that a break-up could lead also to an economic collapse for Scotland. Yet following an agreement between the Scottish and the United Kingdom governments, the Scottish independence Referendum Bill, setting out the arrangements for this referendum, was put forward on 21 March 2013, passed by the Scottish Parliament on 14 November 2013 and received Royal Assent on 17 December 2013. The referendum question, as recommended by the Electoral Commission, will be "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Scotland, as it is known today, was formed by territorial evolution during the Middle Ages. The Kingdom of Scotland fought a series of wars of independence against the Kingdom of England during the 14th century. The two monarchies were in personal union from 1603 (the Union of the Crowns) when James VI of Scotland also became James I of England. The two nations were united under one government when Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of a Commonwealth in 1653, but it was dissolved when the monarchy was restored in 1660. The Kingdoms of Scotland and England united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. Great Britain in turn united with the Kingdom of Ireland in 1801 to form the United Kingdom. Most of Ireland left the Union in 1922, later forming the Republic of Ireland; thus the full name of the sovereign state today is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Unlike Ireland, which rebelled in the Easter Rising and fought a War of Independence, Scotland did not resist central rule. There was, however, a persistent demand for Scottish home rule. The question of full independence, or the less controversial home rule, did not re-enter the political mainstream until 1960, after the famous Wind of Change speech by UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Since then there have been mixed feelings on how to become dissolved from the Union. Past referendums failed in 1979 and then again in 1997. Scottish independence is supported most prominently by the Scottish National Party, but other parties also support independence. Those who have had elected representatives in either the Scottish Parliament or local councils in recent years are the Scottish Green Party, the Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity. The official reasons for independence are: Democracy and national self-determination. Scotland's population will possess full decision-making power in regard to the political affairs of its nation. Also, they want the U.K. nukes out of Scotland, and to have 100% control over natural resources and the North Sea oil.(According to the Scottish Government, 64% of the EU's oil reserves exist in Scottish waters, while the David Hume Institute stated: "Scotland is sitting on oil and gas reserves worth up to £4 trillion".) Popular reasons are they just want to be a free and independent country. To me, that reason enough. But is it really too late? The three largest British political parties (the Conservative Party, Labour Party and Liberal Democrats) oppose Scottish independence. The Orange Order, a Protestant brotherhood with thousands of members in Scotland, is campaigning against Scottish independence, and has formed a campaign group called British Together. There are strong historical and contemporary ties between Scotland and the rest of the UK from the Reformation and Union of Crowns, to Scottish involvement in the growth and development of the British Empire and contribution of the Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. I cannot tell you that Scotlands independence form the U.K. would be a good idea from an economic standpoint. I just do not have all the facts on that. ie: currency, do they make their own money or stick with the pound or the euro? But coming from a country whose independence was bought and paid for by the blood of his ancestors, I can tell you that no country should rule over another for power or for money. Every single soul in the world wants to be free. It is the best feeling in the world. If the people of Scotland vote yes on the referendum, then I say- It's about time!

THE WAR ON TERRORISM Part 2: Time To Grow Some!

Tuesday, news broke that the Islamic State had released a “Second Message to America” in the form of an Internet video in which it claimed it had brutally murdered another American journalist, Steven Sotloff. It is almost impossible to put into words the horror of it. The question now is, when is the free world going to realize that we need to wipe these Islamo-facists off the planet. It's time to pick a side. Most tellingly, Fox News' James Rosen asked State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki the question Tuesday that many of us have had on our minds: “A lot of Americans are sitting at home and they see Americans who are not even combatants, but who are journalists, being beheaded by this group overseas. From a common sense point of view, the average American will say to himself, ‘This group is at war with us. Why does our president or our secretary of state not recognize that and say, 'Indeed, we are at war with this group and we will destroy them?’” King Barry had first stated that the U.S. would "degrade and destroy the terrorist group ISIL. Then in a later statement completely did a 180 and said that we need to make this a manageable problem. What the f**k? He has yet to come to terms with the reality that some ideologies, including religious ones, are evil. In the president’s words, “So ISIL speaks for no religion. Their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim, and no faith teaches people to massacre innocents.” Really? Has he read the quran? Several scriptural passages in the Quran mention decapitation of those captured in battle or as a punishment for alleged crimes. Historically, beheading has been widely employed by Islamic nations, including the Ottoman Empire which used the penalty to great effect throughout the centuries. " I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger." (quran 8:12) Islamic apologists will argue that the act of beheading does not have sanction in the quran, and that the killing of "infidels" has no place in modern Islam. However, there is no question that today's terrorists would differ with these apologists and as far as the world is concerned, the knife is just the way to send the most prominent infidels to their doom. This tip-toe around these religious nut bars has got to end. We need the free world on our side with this. This group and others like them MUST be destroyed! The president said the Islamic State will “ultimately fail because the future is won by those who build and not destroy, and the world is shaped by people like James Foley.” No. The future is won by those whose wills are matched by their capacities to realize them. The president better dig down and find the will to respond, get a sound strategy, and spell out those decisions with the courage of his convictions to the American people-- who stand ready to listen.