We at the Blogland want to thank our readers for making this year the biggest one yet ... our daily visitor averages have more than doubled, which means something.

Exactly WHAT it means ... we're still not sure. But we think it's good that there are at least that many people in South Carolina who can read - in spite of the best efforts of the South Carolina Department of Education.

In any event, we want all of you to have a safe and happy New Year, as well as your friends and family. Be sure not to drink and drive ... lest you end up like Brian McCarty or Mike Reino ... or worse yet, like this guy here:

HAPPY NEW YEARS'
FROM THE BLOGLAND!!!

In choosing our Righteous Dude of the Year, the Blogland wanted to pick someone who took a calculated risk in a tough situation, and pulled off what was considered nearly impossible.

This year, more than any other major American figure, General David Petraeus has done just that. Leading American efforts to learn and adapt to the changing threats faced in Iraq, he led a surge effort which was written off by many. By year's end, these efforts reversed a military quagmire in Iraq and a political one in Washington.

According to Mark Davis of the Dallas Morning News:

Gen. David Petraeus sent troops into Iraq's toughest regions - to live there. And he sent Iraqi security forces with them. This brought more stability to more square miles of Iraq and gave the Iraqi forces a boost toward the competence they must display to one day keep their own country safe.

In meeting their enormous challenge, Gen. Petraeus and those under his command have, in turn, created a huge obstacle not just for al-Qaeda, but for those who have hindered the war effort here at home.

A creative display of two reindeer who won't be on duty this Christmas:

Elections are about decisions and choices. We’ve considered the candidates out there, and as our long-time readers know, we've had plenty to say about them. In considering our choices at hand, our choice for President is clear.

We're supporting Rudy Giuliani for President.

Many recognize Giuliani’s leadership during the tragedy of 9/11. As Mayor of New York City, there is no public figure that could be more closely associated with that day, but to support him solely upon our recollection of 9/11 would not be enough.

There are many great Americans who have risen to the occasion when crises occur, but a President has to be about more than one historical moment, even one as large as 9/11. Our President must be able to see and think long-term, define the vision necessary to address the challenges that lie ahead, and have the ability to work to make that vision a reality.

Time and time again, Rudy Giuliani has answered the call of duty.

As a federal Attorney in the 1980s, he took on the Mafia. He led an effort that was so intense, only a single vote more by mafia leaders would have resulted in a contract being put upon him. In the end, he won his fight, and the Mafia has never recovered.

As New York’s Mayor through much of the 1990s, Giuliani waged an effort to bring order to a city racked with ethic violence and suffering from major mismanagement and overtaxation. Violent crime plunged, city services improved, taxes were cut and the city’s cumbersome welfare state was scaled back considerably.

While some would say 9/11 was a defining moment for Giuliani, we would argue that he was well-defined long before that day. His record of taking on tough challenges had prepared him well for 9/11.

Time and time again, Rudy has proven he can get things done.

Those who think a Giuliani presidency would have no room for the social conservatives who make up a large part of the GOP base need only look at the numbers of conservative Republican candidates he has backed across the country. When it came to raising millions of dollars, making campaign appearances and starring in mass media advertising, Giuliani did not apply litmus tests.

In fact, of all the candidates running, only McCain and Giuliani campaigned for fellow Republicans on a national scale long before they decided to be candidates. Others only got involved once they began sizing up their Presidential prospects.

Republicans should be confident that Rudy Giuliani will keep his promises not to appoint liberal jurists, nor veto legislation passed by those conservative Republicans in Congress which he has done much to support. He will be a friend to his party’s conservative base.

However, one can expect that a Giuliani presidential agenda will reject the divisive wedge politics of appealing to social conservatives while ignoring the party’s fiscally-conservative base. This is much of what alienated swing voters from the GOP in the 2006 elections and put the Democrats in charge of Congress.

Polling numbers generally point to Giuliani as the Republican candidate who is most electable among crucial swing voters. His record of campaigning for House and Senate candidates suggests that he will be an active partner in GOP efforts to regain lost ground in Congress. Not only can he win, but he can help other Republicans oust Democrats.

Time and time again, Rudy Giuliani has delivered – as a prosecutor, as a Mayor, and as a Republican campaigner. We’re proud to repay what he’s done for his city and his country by supporting him for President.

• Wednesday:
  730 am - Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone
  800 am - Carolyn Jebaily and Peggy Brown from RED (Responsible Economic Development)
  
• Thursday:
  800 am - Florence County Councilman Morris Anderson
  845 am - Democratic Presidential Race Analysis w/ Clyburn Rep. Charlene Lowery.
  
• Friday:
  700 am - The Reino Dysfunctional Family Christmas Special.

My fourth child was due on October 27, 2006, but somehow I just knew I would be having this baby earlier than expected. My mom was in standby mode in SC, waiting for the call to drive up to help out while I was in the hospital and for a few days after I came home. I called her on October 18th and told her that I thought it would be a good idea for her to come on up. She left on the 19th. That night she called to say that she was staying at a hotel for the night rather than driving through and would arrive the next morning. I had contractions on and off all night, but nothing regular.

... click here to read more.

Apparently, not even the holiday spirit will gag Rick Beltram and lock him in a basement somewhere.

A really good op-ed in yesterday's Post and Courier cautions of the steps by Vladimir Putin to hang onto power after his tenure as President ends, warning readers that:

Well, folks, if you live in the Midlands, it's almost time to run for cover, lock up your daughters and barricade the doors and windows.

Yep, you guessed it, the General Assembly will be coming back to town ... and along with them, five months of dramatic oratory, increased spending and, of course, lots of public displays of affection between the Legislature and the Governor.

To help give our readers a bit of a sneak preview of what our House members have in mind for the upcoming session, we decided to take a look at some of the bills they've prefiled. Here's some that caught our eye:

H4307 by Rep. Rutherford (D-Richland) to penalize those who drive recklessly in the vicinity of emergency vehicles which are either en route to a call or on site, with emergency lights.

WE THINK: Those who stupidly or recklessly endanger our public safety officials deserve what they get.
WE RECOMMEND: Pass this bill.

H4311 by Rep. Hagood (R-Charleston) to give Purple Heart recipients their license tags for free.

WE THINK: What the hell? These heroes should NEVER have been charged for those tags in the first place. All hail Hagood!
WE RECOMMEND: Pass this bill - and anyone votes against it should be publicly flogged for high treason - and we'll buy the rope!

H4323 by Rep. Crawford (R-Florence) to add advanced age as an aggravating factor that would qualify a murderer for the death penalty.

WE THINK: Hell yeah - prey on the elderly in this state, and die. Period.
WE RECOMMEND: Pass this bill ... and make it retroactive. Kill all those creeps, and fast.

H4334 by Rep's Neal (D-Richland) and Harrell (R-Charleston) to require that criminal background checks be a condition of EMT certification

WE THINK: This wasn't already a qualification? Wwooowwww ...
WE RECOMMEND: Pass this bill.

... and our favorite bill is from one of our favorite legislators, Laurens County state Representative Mike Pitts, HR 4329:

A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 12-36-2120, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO SALES TAX EXEMPTIONS, ENACTING THE "SECOND AMENDMENT RECOGNITION ACT" BY ESTABLISHING THE SECOND AMENDMENT WEEKEND, EXEMPTING FROM SALES TAX THE GROSS PROCEEDS OF THE SALE OR SALES PRICE OF FIREARMS SOLD ON SECOND AMENDMENT WEEKEND AND TO DESIGNATE THE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING EACH YEAR AS SECOND AMENDMENT WEEKEND.

• Court of Appeals Judge John Kittredge of Greenville,
• Circuit Judge John Few of Greenville, and
• Chief Court of Appeals Judge Kaye Hearn of Conway

• Berkeley County prosecutor (and Blogland interviewee) Kristi Harrington,
• Ninth Circuit Family Court judge Jack Landis, and
• Charleston attorney William Thrower.

In academia, one finds a wide range of divergent opinions, but sometimes, one finds some really out-there stuff, including this article in a recent e-digest of Communication Currents:

Fighting the Prison-Industrial Complex with Communication Activism

The United States incarcerates more than 2 million people and monitors another five million persons who are on probation or parole. These numbers represent a ten-fold increase in the prison population over the past 30 years. This historically-unprecedented expansion of the U.S. prison system has taken place with little public conversation and debate. How have Americans come to accept the imprisonment of more than two million as justifiable? How has this happened with so little resistance and discussion?

PCARE (Prison Communication, Activism, Research, and Education), a group of communication scholars and activists, is committed to fighting against the prison-industrial complex by teaching, writing about, and both supporting and participating in activism regarding America’s crisis with crime, violence, and prison. We believe that the drive to incarcerate millions of Americans is a tragic waste of our national resources. For example, California spends more money on its prison system than on its college and university systems combined. While funding for education declines, the state is building 53,000 new prison and jail beds. As a result of this shifting of resources from education to imprisonment, California has more young black men in prison than in college.

Pretty far out-there stuff, ain't it? A few thoughts that occurred to me...

• If we wanted more resistance, then maybe more law-abiding citizens should be fighting back?
  
• Last time I looked, we accepted it because it's better their asses be locked up than allowed to roam the streets ... at least for a few months.
  
• They "believe that the drive to incarcerate millions of Americans is a tragic waste of our national resources" ... as compared to doing what with them? Reducing waiting periods for executions?

Anyone else wanna share some thoughts ...

We at the Blogland are sure that most of you have seen the plight of the British teacher in Sudan whose only thanks for trying to help educate the children of Sudan was jail time, death threats, lynch mobs and expulsion. All because her students wanted to name a pet Muhammad.

We don't know about you, but we're appalled that a nation could be so destitute, yet so ungrateful, as shown by their conduct over this case.

That's a sad way to treat people who come to your backwards, tribal society from a modern progressive nation like Great Britain. If it was my decision, I'd order every teacher out of the country as a protest against such ingratitude. I'm sure there are other societies who wouldn't act like such ingrates and would welcome her and other teachers with open arms - and far more respect and tolerance.

Today, in solidarity with that poor teacher, we're going to invite all of you to play our "Name your Muhammad" contest.

The rules are simple - take something that is important to you (a pet, body part, or some other object) name it Muhammad, then take the name of whatever your object is and insert it in the blank spaces in the following statement:

This is my (name), who I have named Muhammad. My (name) is the almighty one, before whom many show bow with great reverence. They shall see (name) and give praise and be grateful that they have been chosen for the honor of being able to cast their eyes upon my almighty (name). For while there are many who may seem to be like Muhammad, the truth is that there is none greater than my (name).