Front page Archive Why Arlen? Arlen is the TV home of "King of the Hill." It's a small conservative town that is threatened with ruination on a regular basis by twig boys, enviro wackos, diversity nuts, "PC" police and other ivory tower liberals. I like to think of Arlen as a metaphor for this here great nation of ours.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005 Posted 6:39 AM by Hank ITHACA PROTESTERS COST CITY THOUSANDS BINGHAMTON, NY--The activities of supporters of four Ithaca-area protesters who throw blood on an American flag, a recruiting center and a soldier are expected to cost the City of Binghamton at least $15,000.00. News 10 Now reports that city officials were forced to spend at least that amount in overtime to provide security during the trial of Ithaca-area protesters, who dubbed themselves the "St. Patrick's Day Four." The four, Peter DeMott, Theresa Grady, Claire Grady and Daniel Burns, were tried in federal court in Binghamton earlier this month on charges ranging from conspiracy to vandalism. During the trial, various anti-war groups, made up primarily of activists from Ithaca, staged demonstrations outside the federal building. City officials say they don't know where they'll find that money in the budget. The Binghamton Police Chief says he is already looking for ways to prepare for the four's sentencing, in January. The four were convicted of damaging government property and entering a military station for unlawful purposes Monday, September 26, 2005 Posted 9:59 AM by Hank ITHACA PROTESTERS GUILTY BINGHAMTON NY--the Ithaca New York antiwar protesters who threw blood on a recruiting center, a soldier and the American flag in 2003 have been found guilty of three counts by a federal court. According to the Ithaca Journal, the group, which calls itself “St. Patrick’s Day Four,” was found guilty of three counts of damaging federal property, but acquitted of the most serious conspiracy charge. The group was accused of going to a Army recruiting center near Ithaca on March 17, 2003, and throwing their own blood on the walls, the floor, the United States flag and Staff Sgt. Rachon Montgomery, who was working as an army recruiter that day. The protesters, while admitting to their actions, claim they have done nothing wrong. The four, who are representing themselves, claimed that their actions were legally justified because they did it to stop the United States from invading Iraq. During the trial, it was revealed that two of the four protesters, Peter DeMott and Clare Grady, had previous histories of committing violent acts against federal property. DeMott and Grady, along with fellow protesters Daniel Burns and Theresa Grady, will be sentenced at a later date. The group had previously been tried on similar charges in a Tompkins County court, but that case ended in a hung jury. At that time, Tompkins County District Attorney George Dentes stated that he believed the Ithaca-area jurors were “motivated by political ideology and not by the evidence.” Thursday, September 22, 2005 Posted 10:15 AM by Hank Blood-throwing Protester's History of Violence BINGHAMTON, NY--The New York Times reports that one of the Ithaca, NY-area protesters who spilled human blood on a soldier and the flag in 2003 has a long history of attacks on government property. According to the Times, Peter DeMott, one of the self-styled “St. Patrick’s Day Four,” has previous arrests for “ramming a car into a nuclear submarine in 1980 and hammering and pouring blood on a different submarine in 1982 when he was part of an activist group, Plowshares, which protested the nuclear arms buildup.” DeMott and his fellow protesters, the Times reported, were portrayed as “religious zealots who routinely destroy government property yet have mostly evaded consequences” by prosecutors. "You have decided unilaterally you can damage property," [the prosecutor] said, asking if [DeMott] had ever reimbursed the government. "When are you going to stop?" One of DeMott’s fellow protesters, Teresa Grady, admitted on the stand, that as a child, she had been taught by her father, a Vietnam era war protester, about "jury nullification…the principle of refusing to convict a person for whom one feels sympathy with a cause,” the Times reported. DeMott and Grady, along with fellow protesters Clare Grady and Daniel Burns, all of Ithaca, are currently on trial in Federal Court in Binghamton on charges of conspiring to impede the duties of U.S. officials and damaging or injuring federal property and officials. The conspiracy charge, the most serious, carries up to six years in prison and a $250,000 fine. They are accused of going to a Army recruiting center near Ithaca on March 17, 2003, and throwing their own blood on the walls, the floor, the United States flag and Staff Sgt. Rachon Montgomery, who was working as an army recruiter that day. The protesters, while admitting to their actions, claim they have done nothing wrong. The four, who are representing themselves, claim that their actions were legally justified because they did it to stop the United States from invading Iraq. “(Montgomery) doesn't understand exactly what's going on.” Burns said in the September 22 Ithaca Journal. Wednesday, September 21, 2005 Posted 8:45 AM by Hank ITHACA ANTI-WAR PROTESTORS SPLASHED SOLDIER WITH BLOOD BINGHAMTON—A U.S. soldier has testified in federal court Tuesday (September 20) that he was splashed with human blood by anti-war protesters during a 2003 protest. The soldier, Staff Sgt. Rachon Montgomery, was working as an army recruiter on March 17, 2003, the day that four protesters threw their own blood around a recruiting center in Lansing, NY, a suburb of Ithaca. As a result of the incident, press reports indicate, Montgomery was tested for blood-borne illnesses such as HIV and hepatitis. In addition to Montgomery, the protesters also poured blood on the American flag, a military banner and the walls and floor of the center. The protesters, Clare Grady, Teresa Grady, Peter De Mott and Daniel Burns, all of Ithaca, are currently on trial in Federal Court in Binghamton on charges of conspiring to impede the duties of U.S. officials and damaging or injuring federal property and officials. The conspiracy charge, the most serious, carries up to six years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The protesters, who have dubbed themselves “the St. Patrick’s’ Day Four,” while admitting to their actions, claim they have done nothing wrong. The four, who are representing themselves, claim that their actions were legally justified because they did it to stop the United States from invading Iraq. That defense was accepted in an earlier state court trial in Ithaca, which resulted in a hung jury. However, according to the New York Times, District Court Judge Thomas McAvoy “is allowing the defendants to talk about their state of mind at the time of the protest in their opening arguments, but not to raise their belief that the Iraq war was illegal or immoral.” The group’s supporters, many of whom are from the Ithaca, have conducted a daily vigil outside the courthouse, protesting, making speeches and conducting mock trials of the Bush administration. In response, a counter protest , made up of veterans and others from around the state, has demonstrated their solidarity with the troops and the President. Sunday, September 18, 2005 Posted 4:58 AM by Hank CLINTON: KATRINA A "POSITIVE" THING Former President Bill Clinton described the devastation from Hurricane Katrina as "a positive thing for our country" on Saturday (9/17/05). Speaking to the BBC Radio 4's Today program, Clinton said that the disaster could encourage Americans to view government involvement in their lives more positively, something the Democrats wanted. "I think [Katrina] is likely to make us far more sensitive to ...to the importance of effective, good government after repeated decades of often voting for the party that condemned government," Clinton said. "You know, we all hate government until we need it. So as a Democrat I think that is a positive thing for our country." Clinton also expressed hope that the disaster would bring the races closer together. "I think people were very sensitive to the fact that it disproportionately affected Americans of color, principally African Americans, and low income Americans," Clinton said. "So I think it is likely to make us far more sensitive to things that divide us, to fight them." President Bush has appointed Clinton, along with his own father, former President Bush, a special envoy for New Orleans, and the surrounding area. Monday, September 05, 2005 Posted 6:03 PM by Hank A TALE OF TWO DOCTORS The Associated Press reports that Senate Majority leader Bill Frist, Republican, and a doctor, has gone down to Louisiana to treat hurricane victims: The senator spent the day treating diabetics for low blood sugar and dealing with cases of high blood pressure and dehydration. Though he is a surgeon by training, there was no need to perform surgery on Saturday, he said. After overnighting in Nashville, Tenn., following his day in New Orleans, Frist planned to return to the Gulf Coast on Sunday to work in storm-ravaged areas of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as returning with supplies to New Orleans. Meanwhile, Frist's fellow politician/physician, Democrat Party Chair Howard Dean is issuing press releases attacking Frist for his position on the estate tax. Home