Friday, March 12, 2010

What Do These Candidates Have in Common?


I believe that these individuals have the vision and ability to improve Orange County. They all possess unique qualities that are rare and desperately needed more than ever before. None of these candidates are political hack incumbents. All of them live within the jurisdiction for which the office they are running is located. Each has a clear and distinct vision of how they can and will improve County governance. They all believe that we can do more with less. They have held themselves accountable for both their actions as well as their inactions. They care deeply about the quality of life of their constituents. Each of these innovative thinkers is involved in their community and gives back in ways that no PR campaign or photo opportunity can ever fully express.  Each candidate understands and respects the value of The People's tax-dollars.
Bill Hunt's leadership and unwillingness to be pushed around by bureaucrats will make him a superb Sheriff.

Shawn Nelson's desire to represent his district's values while shrinking the out of control spending will make him a true servant of the People.

Hugh Nguyen's depth of experience and leadership in a field that few understand will get the OC Clerk-Recorder's Office back on the right track, free from the train wreck created by the egregious and outrageous spending that has plagued that Office.

For these reasons, I find it imperative that I endorse and support their candidacies.

Shawn Nelson's List of Endorsements Continues to Grow


Today I received news that Shawn Nelson has been endorsed by OC Supervisor Pat Bates.

FULLERTON, CA -- Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates today endorsed Shawn Nelson in his campaign to be elected Supervisor for the Fourth District. Pat Bates is known as one of Orange County's most respected public servants.



"Shawn Nelson will be a strong ally in the work to make government more efficient, transparent, and responsive to the people of Orange County," said Supervisor Bates. "His experience as a strong advocate for taxpayers will serve the constituents of the Fourth District well."


Pat Bates was the founding Mayor of Laguna Niguel and served as a Council Member in that city from 1989 to 1998. Pat was elected to the State Assembly in 1998. After finishing three terms in the legislature, Pat was elected to represent the Fifth District on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. During the past year, Supervisor Bates served as Board Chair and led the County through a time of great economic challenge.


"Shawn shares my values of fiscal responsibility, limited government and individual liberty. I am proud to endorse his candidacy and look forward to working with him on such issues as balancing the County budget, reforming the pension system, and making county government more accountable to the people," said Pat.


"Finally, I am also troubled by the false charges and character assassination already going on against Shawn. I believe voters will reject these tactics, just as they have in the past," Bates concluded.


Shawn Nelson is a strong fiscal conservative who was elected to the Fullerton City Council in November 2002. He served as Mayor in 2004-05 and 2006-07. Nelson is a California native who was raised in Fullerton and he lives in the district with his wife and children. Nelson was named the "Local Elected Official for 2009" by the Orange County Republican Party.


Shawn has received a number of endorsements.  Below is a list of endorsers from the nelsonforsupervisor website.  One name is missing, however, which I have added to the bottom.

U.S. Representative Ed Royce

State Senator Mimi Walters
Assemblyman Chuck DeVore
Assemblyman Curt Hagman
Assemblywoman Diane Harkey
Assemblyman Chris Norby
Family Action PAC
Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates
La Habra City Councilman Tim Shaw
Buena Park City Councilman Fred Smith
Placentia Mayor Joe Aguirre
Placentia City Councilman Scott Nelson
Placentia City Councilman Greg Sowards
Fullerton Mayor Don Bankhead
LaHabra Mayor Tom Beamish
Villa Park City Councilwoman Deborah Pauly
Chairman Emeritus Tom Fuentes, Republican Party of Orange County

Other Supporters
Peter and Suzanne Alexander
Joe and Tamra Araiza
Dave Bailey
Dee Baker
Mike Barth
Andrea Brown
Marty Burbank
Freydel Bushala
Roland and Sarah Chi
Marie Crossen
Bob Curry
Deena David
Bob Francis
James Francis
Laverne Francis
Rae Francis
Norma Frizse
Cassidy Gayner
John and Jennifer Geiger
Todd Goldsmith
Richard and Beverly Gunter
Rob Hallstrom
Doy Henley
Susan Hirzel
Buck Johns
Greg Sebourn

9th Circuit Affirms IN GOD WE TRUST and UNDER GOD

OPINION


BEA, Circuit Judge:
This case calls upon us to decide whether the national motto of the United States, “In God We Trust,” and its inscription on the Nation’s coins and currency, violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment or the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (“RFRA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000bb et seq, or both. We hold our decision in Aronow v. United States, 432 F.2d 242 (9th Cir. 1970), forecloses both claims. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s order dismissing this case under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

The Court held that :  It is quite obvious that the national motto and the slogan on coinage and currency ‘In God We Trust’ has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion. Its use is of a patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise.


REINHARDT, Circuit Judge, concurring in the result only:

The majority opinion in Newdow v. Rio Linda Union School District, No. 05-17257, which has today become the law of the circuit, fails to comprehend the constitutional principles set forth in the relevant Establishment Clause cases that the Supreme Court has decided in the years following our decision in Aronow v. United States, 432 F.2d 242 (9th Cir. 1970). See Rio Linda dissent passim Reinhardt, Circuit Judge). Because I am now required to follow that precedent, no matter how misguided, I am also now required to conclude that Newdow’s claims in this case are foreclosed by Aronow, 4210 NEWDOW v. LEFEVRE and therefore to concur in the result. I do not express any view as to what result I might have reached in the absence of the numerous errors of constitutional law that the majority made in Rio Linda, and the erroneous result it reached.

Read the opinion from the 9th here and here.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Bill Hunt Talks About Concealed Weapon Permits (CCW)

As part of an ongoing report, March 1, 2010, FFFF’s Travis Kiger, Fullerton businessman Larry Lazar and myself sat down with Bill Hunt, 2010 candidate for Orange County Sheriff. The roundtable discussion was an opportunity to ask some important questions that we think are on the minds of voters. No topic was off-limits.


We had some questions about CCW’s for the man whose slogan has been “The Sheriff should be in the business of protecting people’s rights, not restricting them.”

We asked Bill Hunt how his stance was different from his opponent’s. Hunt told us that he is a constitutionalist and believes that the current system lends itself to corruption. Hunt believes that the statistics from 39 “Shall Issue” states, is proof that CCW’s lower crime rates. Further, he believes that an armed citizenry will help keep the peace at a time when the Sheriff’s Department is looking to lay off sworn deputies.

We also asked Hunt to lay out the process that an applicant can expect if he is elected Sheriff. Hunt said, “If we have someone come in and they are a range owner and maybe they have own of these reciprocal CCW’s that’s good in thirteen states, and they’re in good standing in those states, then I think we need to shorten up that process. We need to verify that the permit is legitimate and have had backgrounds on them, and then do an updated background to make sure there have been no problems in the interim. Then we check their training. If they’re proficient, we have our range master check them out. If they’re proficient, sign them off. If it’s a new person with no current CCW then we need to do the full background check, send them through the full NRA familiarization course, and get them through the process!”

Hunt also wants to waive or at least reduce fees for low-income applicants. The logic is simple: low-income areas have higher crime rates thus more victims. Lowering fees would put the odds back in the hands of citizens rather than the criminals.

A cookie-cutter approach is the wrong way to handle it. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to CCW’s, crime victims, and high propensity targets.

“When seconds count, cops are minutes away!” – Bill Hunt

 Read the transcript...

Fullerton PD Plans DUI Checkpoint - Will Not Say Where


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE #05910

Subject : Police plan sobriety and driver’s license checkpoint
Contact : Sgt. Andrew Goodrich, Fullerton Police Department (714) 738-6838
Sylvia Palmer Mudrick, Public Information Coordinator, Fullerton City Manager’s Office (714) 738-6317

The Fullerton Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver’s license checkpoint Friday, March 19, as part of its ongoing efforts to educate motorists on the dangers of drinking and driving.

The checkpoint will be held from 8 p.m.-2 a.m., and the location is not being announced, but will be on a major thoroughfare.

Motorists passing through the checkpoint will receive safe driving literature from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), Community Services Programs Inc. and the state Office of Traffic Safety.

Sgt. Tak Kim, who is coordinating the checkpoint for the Police Department, said DUI checkpoints are a “proven method for achieving the department’s goal of increasing awareness as to the dangers of driving while impaired by either alcohol or drugs.

“Our objective is to send a clear message to those who are considering driving after consuming alcohol and/or drugs, and that message is ‘Drunk Driving: Over the limit, under arrest.’”

He said the checkpoint is also a good method for ensuring motorists are driving with valid licenses.
Kim added the department also encourages the public to do its part to keep roadways safe by reporting drivers they suspect to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Funding for the checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Further information about the checkpoint may be obtained by contacting the Fullerton Police Traffic Bureau at (714) 738-5313.


I have heard some interesting perspectives on DUI checkpoints that I hadn't considered before. Some think that giving up our freedom to move without unreasonable searches and seizures is justified if it means taking one drunk off the street. Others believe that they are great because unlicensed drivers, usually illegal aliens or poor people, get arrested and their cars impounded.

I always thought that a good cop could sit out side of a bar and stop one after the other for DUI with little effort; much like shooting fish in a barrel.  No major taskforce or traffic control was needed to bust these offenders. So, why pool resources in an area that may or may not have DUI drivers passing by? My guess is that it looks good to the residents if the PD is "trying" especially when the PD reports back to the council just how many cars are impounded.

If we are serious about protecting the public and not the headlines or revenue generated by these checkpoints, I think the city should pay back every penny of the grant money and only keep what is left. Otherwise, we have taxpayers throughout the country paying for a problem created by our own bars. We should not need state or federal subsidies to cover the expense of cleaning up a mess created by saturating our city with too many bar permits.



Wednesday Morning Humor

Everything I learned about money I learned from Chris Street!  Please vote for me, Tom Daly Clerk-Recorder!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Daly's Taxpayer Debt Clock Runs Into the Million$


After uncovering a $48,000 waste of tax dollars just a week ago, Friends For Fullerton's Future has just uncovered another giant screw up by OC CLerk-Recorder Tom Daly! According to documents posted by FFFF, Daly purchased an auxiliary building for archives for $2,100,000. I know that’s a lot of zeros; maybe $2.1 Million sounds better? Maybe not.

As it turns out, the building is in bad shape and is too small to be used for its intended purpose. Turning the property into something useful for archiving could bring the total cost of this mess to as much $10,000,000 or $10 Million for those who are still struggling with those zeros.

With the election in the not-too-distant-future, you would think he would just drop out of the race. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a career politician who apparently loves to blow our money no matter the cost, no matter the lasting damage he creates. This year, when you look down at your ballot, please take a minute and reflect on our current state of affairs. OC has to begin to change and it has to come from you. Help end wasteful spending by Tom Daly.

That's not MY hand in the cookie jar...

New Endorsement for Bill Hunt for OC Sheriff 2010

Friends to Elect California Conservatives In 2010


Friends to Elect California Conservatives in 2010 is an organization committed to electing strong, conservative candidates to public office in the State of California. I am honored to have their endorsement and support.

Tomorrow:

Suzanna Hupp is a nationally known victim's rights and 2nd Amendment advocate. Her story is one of great loss and personal triumph. You will not want to miss this special event!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

KFI AM640 News Still Silent on Infinity Group Services, Inc. (IGS)


****UPDATE:  Chris Little emailed me to confirm that KFI has reported on the story but doesn't recall when they reported on it.****
After I had heard about the OC DA going after IGS, I contacted KFI news director Chris Little to find out why KFI News was not reporting on IGS and the charges.  Usually, Chris Little responds quickly to my inquiry.  This time he didn't.  I emailed him December 23, 2009 and then emailed Bill Handel along with Chris Little February 8, 2010.  To date, no one at KFI has mentioned the story.  It is frustrating that KFI AM 640 will not report that their own news sponsor in 2008 and 2009 is now charged with fraud after screwing 165 homeowners and trying to screw me out of $995!

Here is the text from the Orange County District Attorney's Office:

"LOAN MODIFICATION COMPANY PRESIDENT ARRAIGNED ON CHARGES OF DEFRAUDING 165 DISTRESSED HOMEOWNERS


Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release
Case # 09CF2919
January 28, 2010
Contacts: Susan Kang Schroeder
Public Affairs Counsel
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami
Spokesperson
Office: 714-347-8405
Cell: 714-323-4486
 SANTA ANA – The president of an Irvine loan modification company was arraigned today for defrauding and victimizing 165 distressed homeowners out of $177,000 by fraudulently promising to save their homes in exchange for an up-front fee. Kahram Zamani, 37, Laguna Hills, is charged with 165 felony counts of grand theft with sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime for taking more than $100,000. If convicted, Zamani faces a maximum sentence of 113 years in state prison. The defendant is out of custody on $100,000 bond and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing March 18, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

Between February 2008 and December 2009, Zamani, a licensed real estate broker, is accused of owning and running Infinity Group Services (Infinity), a loan modification company that targeted distraught homeowners. The company was formerly known as Hope to Homeowners, named to mislead victims into believing it was part of the 2008 program launched by the Bush Administration, “Hope to Homeowners,” which aided struggling families with mortgage payments by refinancing their existing home loan.

Zamani is accused of soliciting clients through radio ads. He is accused instructing his employees to make promises to consumers, knowing the promises were false, that the company could obtain a home loan modification or loan forgiveness in exchange for an up-front fee of $995. The defendant is accused of also instructing his employees to make false promises that they could secure low-interest rates on a modified mortgage loan, offer full refunds if a loan could not be modified, and stating that Infinity had a 98 percent success rate in obtaining loan modifications.

After the consumer paid the up-front fee, they were rarely able to contact the Infinity employee handling their case. When the consumer made contact with the Infinity sales representative handling their case, the Infinity employees are accused of giving misleading information about the progress of their modification request, charging an additional fee in order to secure the promised interest rate, and telling homeowners that the new rate would not be honored without payment of the additional fee.

This case has been a collaborative effort between the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA), California Department of Real Estate (CDRE), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In August 2009, the FTC filed a civil complaint in federal court seeking a temporary restraining order, the freezing of assets, and a preliminary injunction. In November 2009, CDRE filed a formal accusation charging the defendant with violations of real estate law, and today filed an order against Zamani to desist and refrain from further fraudulent practices.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Ron Frazier at (714) 347-8691. Victims may also download a complaint form from the OCDA’s website at www.orangecountyda.com.

Deputy District Attorney George McFetridge of the White Collar Crime Team is prosecuting this case."

Rancho Santiago Community College District Press Release


Santiago Canyon College Hosts Fifth Annual Trig Star


Orange County Event Jump Starts National Surveyors Week – March 21-27

Orange—While many people may know that surveyors are responsible for making accurate measurements to establish official land, space and water boundaries, they may not know that surveying is an in-demand profession. In California, it is expected that by 2016 the occupation will sustain a 13.6 percent spike in jobs with a median hourly salary of more than $36. To provide insights into this growing occupation, high school, community college students and their parents are invited to attend Trig Star, a free, entertaining day of activities that introduces young people to challenging, lucrative careers in land surveying and mapping sciences.

The event will be held on Saturday, March 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Santiago Canyon College in Orange. Students can win cash and prizes in a trigonometry competition and the Land Surveyor’s Challenge. The event includes free parking, and informational exhibits. The free registration deadline is Friday, March 19. After that date, a $5 fee will be charged.

The day includes three components. First, students will vie for three top cash prizes in the trigonometry competition. The top high school contenders will advance to the state competition and the very best at the state level go on to the national competition. Second, participants will try out their surveying skills in the Land Surveyor’s Challenge where they use handmade devices to measure and calculate the height, distance, and angles between pre-determined points on campus. Third, the young people and their parents will learn more about the industry through exhibits featuring equipment and information from the area’s leading mapping sciences and land surveying firms.

“Due to several factors, including the poor economy, our profession has lost some very talented people and we need to prepare our workforce for the coming onslaught of infrastructure work that California desperately needs,” said Gregory C. Sebourn, PLS, California Land Surveyors Association-Orange County (CLSA-OC); Trig Star Committee Chair; and SCC instructor. “Trig Star will help raise students’ and parents’ awareness about the profession of land surveying and the educational opportunities that exist at Santiago Canyon College and Cal State Fresno.”

This year’s Trig Star event is scheduled to coincide with the beginning of National Surveyors Week. Trig Star 2009 attracted more than 250 students from Orange County high schools and community colleges. This year’s prizes include cash awards of $500, $300, and $200 for first, second and third place in the trigonometry competition. High school and college students will compete in separate categories for prizes. Winners in the Land Surveyors Challenge will receive gift certificates, and one grand prize will be awarded.

Land development throughout California, the $42.7 billion in infrastructure improvements passed by voters in November 2006, and the retirement of many of today’s surveyors will create a huge demand for entry-level employees. Surveyors and mapping technicians can work in government, engineering, architecture, construction, real estate, transportation, utility companies, and other industries.

Santiago Canyon College offers both an associate degree and a five-course certificate that qualify students for entry-level employment in survey/mapping sciences. With only two programs offered among Southern California community colleges, student enrollment has grown by over 450 percent in the past several years.

Trig Star is sponsored by the Orange County Chapter of the California Land Surveyors Association (CLSA) and is part of a nationwide competition of the National Society of Professional Surveyors. The event is facilitated by Vital Link of Orange County. Additional sponsors include Psomas, Johnson-Frank & Associates, Inc., RBF Consulting, the Port of Long Beach, the County of Orange, Cal State Fresno Geomatics Engineering, and the Professional Engineers in California Government.

For more information or to register for Trig Star, please contact Vital Link Orange County at (949) 646-2520 or e-mail kathy@vitallinkoc.org.

Santiago Canyon College is a public community college, part of Rancho Santiago Community College District. It serves the residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange and Villa Park. The college provides education for academic transfer and careers, courses for personal and professional development, and customized training for business and industry.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Hutchens Consultant Under Investigation for Corruption

Riverside County DA sends investigators to Northern California political consultant's office

12:02 PM PST on Thursday, March 4, 2010

By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau
Special Section: San Jacinto Corruption Probe

SACRAMENTO - Riverside County district attorney investigators showed up last week at the Northern California offices of a prominent Republican consulting firm and a bookkeeping business linked to a defendant in the campaign-finance prosecution of several Inland political and civic leaders.

Gilliard Blanning and Associates of Rocklin and the KAL Group of Willows have advised dozens of candidates and campaign groups in the Inland area and around the state over the years.

During the 2008 election cycle, the companies worked for a committee involved in the hard-fought Republican primary for Riverside County's 37th Senate District between then-Assemblyman John Benoit and former Assemblyman Russ Bogh.

District attorney investigators spent part of last Thursday at Gilliard Blanning's office.

The same day, members of the district attorney's political corruption unit served a search warrant at the KAL Group, according to government records.

A spokesman for Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco would neither confirm nor deny last week's activities. David Gilliard, a GOP campaign veteran, has not returned several phone calls in recent days. KAL Group owner Kelly Lawler also has not returned requests for comment.

In November, Pacheco's office announced a 155-count indictment alleging that nine people, including four of the five San Jacinto City Council members, conspired to skirt campaign contribution limits and funnel money into the 2006 Assembly candidacy of San Jacinto Councilman Jim Ayres.

Neither Gilliard Blanning nor the KAL Group was part of the indictment. State records show that neither business was involved in the 2006 Assembly primary race at the heart of the November case.

Speculation in political circles has centered on ties between the two firms and Stephen R. Holgate, one of the defendants in the Riverside County case.

In spring 2008, Holgate, an Inland developer and former CHP officer, largely bankrolled a pro-Benoit campaign committee called Conservative Leaders of America, giving it $100,000.

Almost all of the advertising money went through Gilliard Blanning. The KAL Group, the committee's treasurer, was paid about $2,000.

The committee paid for a barrage of TV ads and mailers promoting Benoit or opposing Bogh.

Bogh is a close political ally of Pacheco.

Benoit's consultant in 2008, Jim Nygren, said Wednesday that he has not had any communication with Pacheco's office.

Rocklin police Lt. Lon Milka said officers assisted the Riverside County investigators at a Rocklin address that matches that of Gilliard Blanning and Associates.

A report from the Glenn County Sheriff's Department said two sheriff's officials accompanied the investigators to Lawler's home office in unincorporated Willows.

Staff writers Dug Begley, Duane W. Gang and Rich De Atley contributed to this report.





Gilliard is a partner in campaign consulting firm Gilliard Blanning Wysocki & Associates (GBWA) http://www.gbwasacramento.com/team/

July 2008: Gilliard hired on as manager of Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens' 2010 campaign.


2007-08: GBWA managed the following campaigns in the June 3, 2008 primary:
Duncan D. Hunter, 52nd congressional district
Mimi Walters, 33rd Senate District
Brian Nestande, 64th Assembly District
Jeff Miller, 71st Assembly district


October, 2007: Gilliard is directing the effort to gather signatures toward qualifiying for the ballot the Presidential Election Reform Act initiative. Source: http://www.totalcapitol.com/?news_id=795318&redirect=http://www.sacbee.com/capolitics/story/448235.html

Gillard is an adviser to Rep. Darrell Issa

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Haidl, Jaramillo, and Carona - Bill Hunt Lays It Out

As we reported, March 1, 2010, FFFF’s Travis Kiger, Fullerton businessman Larry Lazar and myself sat down with Bill Hunt, 2010 candidate for Orange County Sheriff. The roundtable discussion was an opportunity to ask some important questions that we think are on the minds of voters. No topic was off-limits.

"At the end of the day, my captain and I were sold out by a sheriff and assistant sheriffs, Jaramillo and Haidl, who were involved in this thing behind the scenes and then lied about it and tried to hang it on me."

Greg Sebourn

The Beauty of a Storm

The Beauty of a Storm
Orange County, Ca.

My Grandma - A Eulogy

LET'S TALK ABOUT 1914 FOR A MOMENT.



FOR STARTERS, GRANDMA WAS BORN TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1914 IN HER FAMILY'S ATWOOD RANCH HOUSE.



IT IS WORTH NOTING THOSE ALSO BORN IN 1914:

JACK LALANNE

JOE DIMAGGIO

DANNY THOMAS



AND WHO DIED IN 1914:

JOHN MUIR, THE FAMOUS NATURALIST FOR WHICH NUMEROUS ROADS, PARKS, HOTELS, AND NATURE RESERVES ARE NAMED.



IT IS ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT IN 1914 WOODROW WILSON SIGNS MOTHER'S DAY PROCLAMATION AND BABE RUTH MAKES HIS MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT WITH THE RED SOX. MOTHER'S DAY AND BASEBALL- TWO OF MY FAVORITES!! (PERHAPS HER NICKNAME "BABE" CAME FROM BABE RUTH???)



GRANDMA WAS BORN INTO A PERIOD OF TIME FILLED WITH TURMOIL. IN JUNE OF 1914 ARCHDUKE FRANZS FERDINAND WAS ASSASSINATED. WITHIN ONE MONTH WORLD WAR I RAGED ACROSS EUROPE. TWO DAYS AFTER HER BIRTH HOWEVER, GERMAN AND BRITISH TROOPS INTERRUPTED WWI TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. (PERHAPS THEY PAUSE KNOWING THAT A GREAT WOMAN WAS BORNE) WORLD WAR I CONTINUED UNTIL THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES IN 1919.



ALTHOUGH SHE WAS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD, SHE SAW THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS CREATED AND THE 19TH AMENDMENT WAS APPROVED BY THE U.S. CONGRESS GUARANTEEING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN TO VOTE.



SHE LIVED THROUGH MANY NOTABLE EVENTS. LIKE THE 1933 LONG BEACH EARTHQUAKE OR WHEN ATWOOD FLOODED ALONG WITH MOST OF ORANGE COUNTY IN 1938 AND THE FLOOD-WATERS CLAIMED MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE, 43 OF WHICH WERE FROM ATWOOD! ALL OF THIS DURING A TIME THAT WE READ ABOUT IN SCHOOL AND KNOWN AS "THE GREAT DEPRESSION". SOMEWHERE IN ALL OF THAT SHE FOUND THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, GRANDPA LEO, GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, GOT MARRIED, AND HAD KIDS!



THEN THERE WAS WORLD WAR II. FROM PEARL HARBOR TO HIROSHIMA, GRANDMA WAS RAISING MY UNCLE BOB AND MOM ARLINE. WITH AIR-RAID SIRENS AND BLACKOUTS SHE WAS A WIFE AND MOTHER. WHAT A TIME TO RAISE CHILDREN! I BET GRANDMA'S PARENTS WERE ABEL TO TELL HER A THING OR TWO ABOUT RAISING KIDS IN WARTIME.



GRANDMA WAS THERE WHEN THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA HELD THEIR 3RD ANNUAL NATIONAL JAMBOREE IN 1953. SHE SAW AIRBASES OPEN IN '42 AND CLOSE IN '99. SHE WATCHED WALTER KNOTT START UP HIS BERRY FARM AND WALT DISNEY TURN ORANGE GROVES AND STRAWBERRY PATCHES INTO DISNEYLAND!



SHE SAW THE HORSE AND CARRIAGE FADE AWAY INTO HISTORY AND SPACE TRAVEL EXPLODE BEFORE HER WITH THE FIRST LUNAR LANDING. JUST IMAGINE HOW MUCH TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST 100 YEARS. FROM TUBE RECTIFIERS TO SUPERCONDUCTORS; FROM TRANS-ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLES TO SATELLITE TV.



SHE SAW MORE IN HER 93 YEARS THAN MOST OF US WILL EVER READ ABOUT, LET ALONE LIVE THROUGH!



OF THOSE 93 YEARS IT IS MY HONOR TO HAVE BEEN HER GRANDSON FOR 35 OF THEM. SHE WAS MY MOTHER WHEN MOM HAD TO WORK. SHE WIPED MY NOSE AND PUT FOOD IN MY MOUTH. SHE LET ME PLAY WITH GRANDPA EVEN THOUGH SHE NEEDED HIM TO TAKE HER TO THE STORE. SHE WAS MY GRANDMA AND I WILL MISS HER IMMENSELY.



JUST LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM; SHE DID THIS. SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE INTO THIS WORLD AND TOGETHER TODAY. THIS IS HER LEGACY.



A Dedication To My Loving Wife, Stacey. Thank you for all you do for me!

Brad Paisley - I Thought I Loved You Then


I remember trying not to stare the night that I first met you
You had me mesmerized
3 weeks later in the front porch light taking 45 min to kiss you goodnight
I hadn’t told you yet but I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I remember taking you back to right where I first met you
You were so surprised
There were people around
But I didn’t care I got down on one knee right there
And once again I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I can just see you with a baby on the way
I can just see you when your hair is turning gray
What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more
But I’ve said that before.

Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Well look back some day at this moment that we’re in
And I'll look at you and say I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then...