All hail Leyton Orient!!!

I have been a Leyton Orient supporter ever since 1999 when my soccer team visited England for some "friendlies." Part of the trip involved watching a Leyton Orient home game (Div 3/League 2 then) and a Queens Park Rangers home game (Div 1 then). I was disappointed that we were unable to watch a Premiership game during the trip. Who knows, had we gone to the pitiful dump they call White Hart Lane, I may be a Spurs fan and not a Gunners supporter. But anyway, I came from the trip a lifelong supporter of the Orient.

Orient do not have the glorious history that many other clubs in England have. Their tiny stadium (holding less than 10,000 people) is located in a rather shady part of North London, at least that's what my impression was. While they may not have many supporters, the ones who show up are diehards. This past season, the O's got off to a quick start and played brilliantly. They got promoted out of the 3rd division (now called Leauge 2) and will begin the new season in the 2nd division (League 1). This is big news because ever since I've been a fan of the O's they've been stuck in the third division, at times just barely avoiding relegation to the Nationwide conference, where we would surely never hear of them again.

In honor of their promotion, I decided to post a little history on the club I have come to love. Leyton Orient was formed in 1881 by members of the Glyn Cricket Club and Homerton Hospital as a means for its members to stay fit. In 1898 the club's name was changed to Clapton Orient in hopes of drawing more wealthy supporters and to represent the area of London in which they played. During World War I, 40 members of the Clapton Orient team and staff joined the army the highest of any football team in the country. At the final game of the season, 20,000 people came out to support the team. A farewell parade was also hosted. During the Battle of the Somme, three players lost their lives. Though they were the only Orient staff to have died during the First World War, it was the highest casualty figures of any football team in Britain. In 1937, the club moved to Leyton, but the name Leyton Orient wasn't taken until after World War II. In 1966 the name was shortened to just Orient, and stayed that way until 1987 when they reverted to Leyton Orient. [My God, these guys changed their names almost as much as Marquette....to all you Warrior fans, we still have hope...stupid Golden Eagles.]

Leyton Orient is the second-oldest Football League club in London (and the south-east of England), behind Fulham. In 1905 the O's joined the Football League and are the 24th oldest club currently playing in the Football League.

Leyton Orient was promoted this season in a dramatic fashion...they scored a last minute goal on the last day of the season against Oxford and locked up 3rd place in League 2. This ended an 11 year span in League 2, England's bottom division.

Sheehan once again desperate for attention

The crazy psycho lady, Cindy Sheehan, is apparently increasing efforts to undermine the memory of her own late son, Casey. Her most recent action involves the purchase of a five-acre plot of land in Crawford, Texas (the same town where President Bush has his ranch). Get this, in order to make the purchase, she had to spend some of the insurance money that she received after Casey was killed in Iraq.

Sheehan is quoted as saying, "We decided to buy property in Crawford to use until George's [Bush] resignation or impeachment, which we all hope is soon for the sake of the world. I can't think of a better way to use Casey's insurance money than for peace, and I am sure that Casey approves." I honestly don't see how buying a property in the President's hometown will do anything to encourage peace. How does she know whether her son would approve of that or not? His choice to join the service indicates to me that perhaps it's the other way around. The brave men and women who have committed themselves to fight for this country and for the freedom of citizens in other nations deserve our support. They do not need to be hearing about crazy "schlampes" who are anti-war and anti-US troops.

I hope this isn't true, but I get the impression that Cindy Sheehan was a ticking time-bomb in regards to the anti-war movement. She was going to explode eventually and I think she has wrongly capitalized on her son's death. I would be ashamed if people I loved used my death as a vehicle to express their disdain about something. You cannot properly mourn someone when you are jumping in front of cameras going ballistic that they died for "no reason," or "an unjust war." Casey wouldn't have been over in Iraq if he geniunely felt there was no reason to the unjust war.

I know this is a very incoherent entry and I apologize, but people like Sheehan disgust me to the point where I lose brain cells just thinking about her. Maybe that is all a part of her evil plan...who knows...

Reagan, May 2006

Relatively recent Rego pictures.....

She can hold her own with the big boys.

First time swimming.

Reagan puppy pictures

Not this Reagan....

Reagan when we first got her a year ago...

How could this be?? Andrea Yates found NOT GUILTY of murdering her children...

Houston- Four years ago, Andrea Yates was convicted of the murder of her five children. The jury rejected the claims made by Mrs. Yates' defense that she was apparently so psychotic that she thought she was helping the souls of her five children by drowning them in a bathtub one by one. Unfortunately an appeals court overturned the conviction, the apparent result of a false testimony from a prosecution witness.

Today Mrs. Yates was found NOT GUILTY by reason of insanity. She will be committed to a mental hospital until she is no longer deemed a threat, at which point she will be released. Had she been convicted, she would instead be facing a life-long prison sentence.

The children were murdered in June of 2001 (I was getting ready for freshman year of college then). Her defense claimed she was in a delusional state and she believed Satan was inside her and by killing her own children she would somehow save them from hell. Her children were Noah (age 7), John (age 5), Paul (age 3), Luke (age 2), and Mary (age 6 monthes).

Where is the justice for these children? Their innocent lives were cut short by the person whose job was first and foremost to protect them. Like all children, Mrs. Yates' children certainly must have given her their unconditional love. Children are always vulnerable because they cannot contend for themselves, but they should never be vulnerable at home. Mrs. Yates gave those children the gift of life only to strip it from them in a cruel, horrible fashion. The fact that this woman can get away with the flimsy insanity defense after she was found guilty is a mockery of our criminal justice system. Anyone can act insane if they're desparate enough. The reason the insanity defense is a farce is because everyone has instances where they go crazy inside. We all entertain thoughts of doing something crazy at one point or another. We get mad, or depressed or think we hear some voices, whatever, but the difference is that most people have the ability to restrain such feelings. God gave us free will so that when situations like this arise, we have the ability to make the right decision.

I would bet anything that if this had been a man that had murdered his own children, there would be no debate...he would be locked up and the key would be thrown away. Why is it different for a man and a woman? Either way the crime is deplorable, despicable and down right disgusting. If Mrs. Yates were a minority, do you think she would have gotten off with the insanity defense? Hell no. I am just honestly disgusted and ashamed, as an American citizen, of this whole thing.

What happens when the child-murderer is released from the mental hospital? Does she go back to her husband? Will she be somehow forced to think about her children everyday for the rest of her life? I hope so. Will her tubes be tied so that she couldn't have children anymore? I hope they at least do that much so that no more children have to have their last breaths with their lungs filled with water. Will she be banned from adopting children? She better be. Hell, she better have a restraining order around any children. I know that if I were somehow related to her, my children would not ever go anywhere near her, ever.

I guess I will conclude this by saying that I wish I were on the jury for that case. If I were, I know we'd all be sleeping easier at night knowing a convicted murderer was in her proper place...behind bars. And the souls of her children would be at ease, knowing that their justice had been served.

Funny Clips from Super Troopers

Here are some funny scenes from one of the funniest movies ever. Seriously, I die laughing every time I see these and they aren't even the best scenes of the movie.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rB0154HqeaQ&search=super%20troopers Cat game.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=8bTExQixtY0&search=super%20troopers Repeater game.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=-l7sSOAaqL0&search=super%20troopers Burger Punk