The Last Surviving Munchkin Visits The Mighty Eighth!

Joe Garcia of Pooler, a proud veteran of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, made a visit to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum last Sunday. Now Joe's a big fan of Red Skelton, and he's commented more than once about how I close my column with a quote from him, but Joe's also a big fan of The Wizard of Oz. While he was at the museum Sunday, they had another guest... the last surviving Munchkin! Joe passed this photo along.

Steve's Shorts

The 10th Annual Flying Pig Festival was a real winner. Congratulations and thanks to the Pooler Visitor's Center for an excellent festival. And Congratulations to County Commissioner Dean Kicklighter on his win Saturday Night, too! I'm not much of a country music fan, but the T. Graham Brown concert was excellent! Too bad the rains and lightning kept more people from showing up or staying.

...Well, North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon, and the world is gathering to place sanctions against them. Once again, we've let some puny dictator get away with something with little to no consequences. It won't be too long before France steps in to open trade with them again.

I'm really not too worried about North Korea. The real problem I see is Iran, and of course all the Islamic terrorists ready to blow themselves up to kill a dozen or so shoppers at the neighborhood grocery cart. It won't be too long before Iran also tests a nuclear weapon, then gives one to one of those little sheet heads to just walk across the Mexican border into Dallas or Kansas City and set the thing off. Then what'll we do?

I was listening to the Glenn Beck program on the radio the other day and he mentioned that the Islamic fanatics are trying to bring about the the end of times, the Islamic Messiah. I didn't realize that Islam foretold a Coming Messiah. Beck pointed out something I thought was pretty interesting, ...that back in the early 1600?s, an Islamic Mullah, similar to a Jewish Rabbi, who had studied the Koran very deeply, predicted that the 12th Imam, the Islamic Messiah, would come back at the end of times, and create peace throughout the world, even with the Jews. Then he pointed out that the man predicted he would reign for a total of seven years. Sound like the Anti-Christ to you? And the Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorists are trying to bring this guy here now! We're in for difficult times with them, I'm afraid.

...Things I learned while reading about other things...

A New Mexico woman is being held on $5000 bail after she tried smuggling heroin to a friend of hers in prison. The hypodermic needle filled with heroin was hidden inside a burrito. (The amazing thing is she actually thought she'd get away with it!)

A Johnson City, Tennessee woman lost her pet Amazon parrot about two months ago when she took him outside for a walk. Buzzy, the parrot, has been found in Long Island, New York. But the bird didn't fly there. A man was visiting Johnson City and found the bird. After searching the papers for a Lost Parrot ad, he finally gave up and returned to Long Island with a new pet. He then noticed an article in the Johnson City newspaper's online edition, and emailed the owner. She'll be driving to Long Island this weekend to pick him up. (I love a happy ending!)

...Collectors... A chance of a lifetime to own one or two Original Unpublished 11 x 14 photographs of Marilyn Monroe, (Norma Jean.) Photographed in 1950 by local photographer. Prints are framed, matted with non-glare glass. Call Spirit Newspapers, 748-3567, and leave your phone number and the amount of your bid. You'll be contacted by phone.

...Take care this? week, stay safe, and in the words of the great Red Skelton, "May God Bless."