Smoking & Jeans

Each year in the United States, approximately 440,000 persons die of a cigarette smoking-attributable illness (Read the study).

Is she wearing Levis? If so, like most other Jeans we all wear they are made overseas, not the U.S.A.

Levi Strauss & Company, a brand practically synonymous with the U.S.A., decided to shutter virtually all domestic production and shift its manufacturing overseas (Read the story).

What ever happened to Nick Lawrence?

Nick Lawrence, the Producer at WFTL, created a cable TV show "Girls Night Out" . This picture is of Nick in his spare bedroom which doubles as an editing studio for his TV show. Nick on mic is giving directions to his new girl on his casting couch.

Have you seen this story anywhere?

Officer testifies Marines did nothing wrong at Haditha (read the story).

More listener E mail

Ok Brian. Here is the reply you are chomping at the bit for. The problem with you is you use any chance you have to win when you are losing. Such as old-man Steve looking for typos. Maybe you are a typist Steve but I make my secretary do that stuff-so try to keep your adult diapers from getting in a bunch while you read and find typos here. While you're (that's right Steve-you're-an apostrophe you illiterate) fast asleep in bed right now, my day is just ending. I count money-not typos buddy.Now, first, I do not think Brian is antisemetic because of that useless comment to the caller- I think he is antisemetic because he always finds a way to make an irrelevant snide remark to Jewish people. Not very Christian. I could care less for your beliefs Brian. They are wrong anyhow. Jesus was a snake oil salesman. Just show respect for others.Also, Brian, as I said you are disrespctful to elders. How about while I talk to your father I yell over him "excuse me, excuse me, excuse me" as he tries to talk. It shows that you have no character.As for Steve thinking he will tear me to shreds- Steve-buddy-snap out of it. I've made a living out of making people like you cry and beg for mercy.Now Brian, let me cut off your insecure remarks- then I need some sleep.1. Yes-I took time to write you-just like you took 15 minutes to discuss me. Intellectual exercises for us both. Nothing wrong there.2. I actually am not that caller you think I am. But I was offended how you addressed him. He sounded much older than me. I am your age. And I speak to my elders with respect. They built this country.3. I am in fact Republican. I voted for Bush and will vote for McCain. Who cares what Steve believes?4. I can not speak to you by phone because you cut people off yelling "excuse me" over them and your microphone overrides the phone. I won't be your patsy. As for coming in- I actually have to work. I only hear you guys at night. I have CNBC on in the a.m.Ta-ta

Bible verse angers Florida airport

Someone used the microphone without permission to quote from Leviticus 20:13 which states:

If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. (New International Version)

The passage was read more than once in the baggage area of Terminal 3 at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, prompting complaints from a local homosexual couple (read the whole story).

Anti-God Starbucks cup

A woman a an Ohio Starbucks found a very odd message on her coffee cup.

Crowd Packs Amphitheater For Man Claiming He's Jesus Christ Reincarnated

Miranda, who has been banned from three countries, told a cheering crowd of hundreds that he was Jesus Christ reincarnated.

Crowd Packs Amphitheater For Man Claiming He's Jesus Christ Reincarnated
Christians Protest Event In Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A controversial religious figure who claims he is Jesus Christ incarnate with a following of millions with "666" tattoos on their bodies, filled an amphitheater in Orlando this weekend, and promised joy, peace and prosperity.
IMAGES: Photos From Event
Orlando police officers stood guard around the Lake Eola amphitheater as Dr. Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, 61, arrived in the city Saturday.
Miranda, who has been banned from three countries, told Local 6 News cameras and a cheering crowd that he was Jesus Christ reincarnated.
His followers believe that Miranda's life and his teachings replace those of Jesus of Nazareth, Local 6's Jamie Guirola said.
"They believe that Jesus is going to come from the sky," Juan Sanchez. "But, that is not the way he is going to come."
"He is here?" Guirola said.
"He is here." Sanchez said.
Miranda said millions of people worldwide have tattooed their bodies with "666" in recognition that the second-coming of Christ has taken place, according to the report.

"I have it proudly on my hand," a believer told Local 6's Jamie Guirola. "It is easier when they shake my hand. It is easier for them to ask. I am very proud to show it is a sign of love."
A group of Christians protested the event, calling the following a cult. Police also removed two people from the amphitheater.
"We are just questioning their faith and their '666' tattoos," a protestor told Local 6. "We just want to learn more so we can relate more between being a Christian and believing in this and who the true Jesus is."
Miranda said he is known as God in at least 30 countries.
Local 6 reported that he was born in Puerto Rico and admits to being a recovering heroin addict. He also spent times in prison on drug and petty theft charges.
Miranda is the founder of the Miami-based Growing in Grace Ministry.

E-mail from a Listener

I'll try to be brief. I moved to Boca from Manhattan several months ago and have trouble getting AM radio reception. So I stumbled on to your show. At first, I thought Steve overall was polite and respectful to people, especially when seeing the lattitude given to his disrespectful sidekick. And I also thought said rude sidekick was slightly interesting.

As it always goes in life, never judge people too soon. This guy Brian is an uneducated, arrogant prick with no respect for elders and of course is antisemetic. I am a 35 year old lawyer- what are you Brian?- a big mouth with no respect for anyone. Some Christian. You are no Christian guy.

Steve, you are even starting to sound ignorant and annoying yourself. I have now lost 2 minutes of my life writing to you but I really just became so dissapointed with something I was enjoying. Brian telling a Jewish caller he appologizes he won't be saved with is is just too much. And the way he disrespects his elders.....Get a life guys. Live life- stop sitting on oyur asses commenting on it. As for me, I will get a new antenae. You're turned off. You racist ignorant c---suckers.

P.S. I am Republican....doesn't change what losers you are.

Who we fight in Iraq!

Al Qaeda is who we are fighting in Iraq. Read Lawrence Kudlow in the Washington Times who writes on who the enemy in Iraq is.

Al Gores book replaces the Bible for Libs

Liberals make fun of the Christian faith, they tell us that Christianity does not hold up to science. Global Warming is part of the Liberal faith, science shows that our Earths is not warming, but Liberals have their faith that it is. Liberals have taken the Bible out of the classroom now they are taking it out of the hotel room.

California Hotels Go Green With Low-Flow Toilets, Solar Lights

By Ari Levy and Carole Zimmer
April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Visitors to the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa won't find the Gideon Bible in the nightstand drawer. Instead, on the bureau will be a copy of ``An Inconvenient Truth,'' former Vice President Al Gore's book about global warming.
They'll also find the Gaia equipped with waterless urinals, solar lighting and recycled paper as it marches toward becoming California's first hotel certified as ``green,'' or benevolent to the environment. Similar features are found 35 miles south at San Francisco's Orchard Garden Hotel, which competes for customers with neighboring luxury hotels like the Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont.
``I'm not your traditional Birkenstocks and granola type of guy,'' said Stefan Muehle, general manager of the Orchard Garden, who said green measures are reducing energy costs as much as 25 percent a month. ``We're trying to dispel the myth that being green and being luxurious are mutually exclusive.''
The Gaia and Orchard are seeking to be the first hotels in California certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, which has authenticated 800 buildings across the U.S. and has about 6,000 in the process, including 30 hotels. San Francisco and other cities offer financial incentives to lessen water and energy use and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Seven years ago, the Green Building Council developed a rating system called the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. Buildings are certified based on their use of environmentally friendly features such as recycled construction materials, solar lighting, and efficient energy and water systems. Older buildings may be retrofitted.
Sleeping Well
``If that choice is available, why not take advantage of it,'' said Josh Dorfman of New York, founder of furniture company Vivavi Inc. and a frequent traveler. ``It's a way to be able to enjoy traveling and to still feel good that I'm doing it in a way that supports a cleaner planet. It's a win-win.''
Building green isn't a priority for most publicly traded hotel chains, said Robert Lafleur, a hotels analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group in Stamford, Connecticut.
``The only green investors care about is the green that's on the money, not the green that's in the hotel rooms,'' Lafleur said. For visitors, ``it's location, price, convenience and brand affiliation.''
Some chains are participating on a limited basis. Marriott International Inc., the biggest U.S. hotel operator, has one LEED-certified hotel in Maryland and seven under construction. Hilton Hotels Corp., the second-largest, received its first certification in January for a hotel in Vancouver, Washington.
``We have a social responsibility,'' said Pat Maher, a senior vice president of Bethesda, Maryland-based Marriott. ``It also makes good business sense.''
`A Sea Change'
Swinerton Inc., a San Francisco-based construction company, has worked on more than 20 buildings seeking certification. The 86-room Orchard Garden, completed last year, was its first hotel, said Grant French, a Swinerton engineer.
``There's been a sea change,'' said French. Some companies ``are considering rolling out entire product lines of green hotels.''
Wen-I Chang opened the 132-room Gaia in the town of American Canyon last year. He's building other green hotels in Anderson and Merced and said he hopes to develop at least six more within three years.
Shorter Showers
Chang said he became an environmentalist in 1999, when he couldn't get a glass of water at a restaurant in Santa Cruz, California, because of a shortage in the area.
``I started thinking that there are many ways I can save water,'' said Chang, 62. ``I changed my shower habit from eight minutes to two minutes.''
Then he changed his building habits, after 10 years of developing Holiday Inn and Hilton franchises.
Chang said 43 cities have asked him to build green hotels. Some offer incentives to help cover construction costs, which were about 15 percent more for the Gaia. Chang said it's saving 25 percent on electricity and almost 50 percent on water, which may enable the hotel to turn profitable next month.
American Canyon slashed Gaia's transient occupancy tax by $1 million over three years. Anderson waived a $100,000 environmental impact fee, in part because a green hotel may encourage tourists to stay longer, said Scott Morgan, city manager.
San Francisco began giving priority to green projects last year. A developer may have to wait only four weeks to start construction instead of eight months, said Richard Chien, residential green building coordinator with the San Francisco Department of the Environment.
Getting Traction
``We need to get more traction,'' Chien said. ``We're facing problems with global warming and climate change and we're taking a cue to develop programs to address that at a citywide level.''
Any big new buildings California's government erects must be designed for LEED certification, by order of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The state is working to enact green construction standards for all buildings, said David Walls, executive director of the California Building Standards Commission.
Efforts by the state and cities have contributed to a surge in green development, said Bill Worthen, a senior associate at Simon & Associates Inc. in San Francisco. The consulting company is getting a call a day for projects, he said.
``It's a hip and trendy thing to do and one that's actually good for the planet,'' he said.

The N-Word

Steve and I discussed the use of the N-Word on the show with our usual disagreement on the subject, in my view the word is like using the F-Word. What I mean by that is to most blacks, the N-Word said in any context by a white person is like walking up to them and saying F-you. The fact that the word is so offensive and upsetting to a group of people is reason enough not to use the word.

A Note On The Word "Nigger"
By Randall Kennedy, Professor of Law, Harvard University

The word "nigger" is a key term in American culture. It is a profoundly hurtful racial slur meant to stigmatize African Americans; on occasion, it also has been used against members of other racial or ethnic groups, including Chinese, other Asians, East Indians, Arabs and darker-skinned people. It has been an important feature of many of the worst episodes of bigotry in American history. It has accompanied innumerable lynchings, beatings, acts of arson, and other racially motivated attacks upon blacks. It has also been featured in countless jokes and cartoons that both reflect and encourage the disparagement of blacks. It is the signature phrase of racial prejudice.
To understand fully, however, the depths and intensities, quirks and complexities of American race relations, it is necessary to know in detail the many ways in which racist bigotry has manifested itself, been appealed to, and been resisted. The term "nigger" is in most contexts, a cultural obscenity. But, so, too are the opinions of the United States Supreme Court in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which ruled that African Americans were permanently ineligible for federal citizenship, and Plessy v. Ferguson, which ruled that state-mandated, "equal but separate" racial segregation entailed no violation of the federal constitution. These decisions embodied racial insult and oppression as national policy and are, for many, painful to read. But teachers rightly assign these opinions to hundreds of thousands of students, from elementary grades to professional schools, because, tragically, they are part of the American cultural inheritance. Cultural literacy requires detailed knowledge about the oppression of racial minorities. A clear understanding of "nigger" is part of this knowledge. To paper over that term or to constantly obscure it by euphemism is to flinch from coming to grips with racial prejudice that continues to haunt the American social landscape.
Leading etymologists believe that "nigger" was derived from an English word "neger" that was itself derived from "Negro", the Spanish word for black. Precisely when the term became a slur is unknown. We do know, however, that by early in the 19th century "nigger" had already become a familiar insult. In 1837, in The Condition of the Colored People of the United States; and the Prejudice Exercised Towards Them, Hosea Easton observed that "nigger" "is an opprobrious term, employed to impose contempt upon [blacks] as an inferior race…The term itself would be perfectly harmless were it used only to distinguish one class from another; but it is not used with that intent…it flows from the fountain of purpose to injure."
The term has been put to other uses. Some blacks, for instance, use "nigger" among themselves as a term of endearment. But that is typically done with a sense of irony that is predicated upon an understanding of the term’s racist origins and a close relationship with the person to whom the term is uttered. As Clarence Major observed in his Dictionary of Afro-American Slang (1970), "used by black people among themselves, [nigger] is a racial term with undertones of warmth and goodwill – reflecting…a tragicomic sensibility that is aware of black history." Many blacks object, however, to using the term even in that context for fear that such usage will be misunderstood and imitated by persons insufficiently attuned to the volatility of this singularly complex and dangerous word.
Some observers object even to reproducing historical artifacts, such as books or cartoons, that contain the term "nigger." This total, unbending objection to printing the word under any circumstance is by no means new. Writing in 1940 in his memoir The Big Sea, Langston Hughes remarked that "[t]he word nigger to colored people is like a red rag to a bull. Used rightly or wrongly, ironically or seriously, of necessity for the sake of realism, or impishly for the sake of comedy, it doesn’t matter. Negroes do not like it in any book or play whatsoever, be the book or play ever so sympathetic in its treatment of the basic problems of the race. Even though the book or play is written by a Negro, they still do not like it. The word nigger, you see, sums up for us who are colored all the bitter years of insult and struggle in America."
Given the power of "nigger" to wound, it is important to provide a context within which presentation of that term can be properly understood. It is also imperative, however, to permit present and future readers to see for themselves directly the full gamut of American cultural productions, the ugly as well as the beautiful, those that mirror the majestic features of American democracy and those that mirror America’s most depressing failings.
For these reasons, I have advised the management of HarpWeek to present the offensive text, cartoons, caricatures and illustrations from the pages of Harper's Weekly, as well as other politically sensitive nineteenth-century material, as they appeared in their historical context. This same advice holds for slurs relating to Irish, Chinese, Germans, Native Americans, Catholics, Jews, Mormons and other ethnic and religious groups.

By Randall Kennedy, Professor of Law, Harvard UniversityReturn to the

Was the destruction of the Death Star an inside job?

You all have heard the B.S. about 9-11 being an inside job from the Loose Change video, and nut jobs asking, "What did President Bush know and when did he know it?" Now people are asking a new question, "What did Emperor Palpatine know and when did he know it?"

Many are claiming that the destruction of the Death Star was not a result of the Rebel Attack and its valiant fighter pilots (especially the hero of the Resistance, young Luke Skywalker), but instead was the result of internal sabotage.
That's right - the demise of the Death Star was an inside job.
Like many Americans, I was fed this story when I was growing up. But as I watched the video, I began to realize that all was not as it seemed. And the more I questioned the official story, the deeper into the rabbit hole I went.
Presented here are some of the results of my soul-searching regarding this painful event. Like many citizens, I have many questions that I would like answered: Who was really behind the attack? Why did they want the Death Star destroyed? No matter what the answers, we have a problem.
The creators of the argument in their treatice "Uncomfortable Questions: Was the Death Star Attack an Inside Job?" watched the video of the destruction and determined that all was not as it was originally reported by the Imperial government. They ask: "...was the mighty Imperial government really too incompetent to prevent a handful of untrained nerf-herders from destroying one of their most prized assets? Or are they hiding something from us?" I think we all would like to know that answer.
The authors present some damning arguments against the official story, such as:
Why was the rebel pilot who supposedly destroyed the Death Star reported to be on the Death Star days, maybe hours, prior to its destruction? Why was he allowed to escape, and why were several individuals dressed in Stormtrooper uniforms seen helping him?
Why has there not been an investigation into allegations that Darth Vader, the second-ranking member of the Imperial Government, is in fact the father of the pilot who allegedly destroyed the Death Star?
It is very hard to deny such hard evidence. Note that Vadar also left the Death Star prior to the explosion! It is all very suspicious indeed.
If you need to know more, the folks on Digg have a large thread going on the subject. That is the only current discussion center, as the originating site is mysteriously down at the current time.

Steve's boys playing baseball

Angels singing caught on tape!

Choice for Living has several audio recordings of Angels singing in various church servives. Click Here to Listen.

Below is a story from WorldNetDaily on the Angels.





This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows. To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54271

Sunday, February 18, 2007
AUDIONETDAILYAngels singing caught on tape?'It happened supernaturally. There's no other explanation'
Posted: February 18, 20071:00 a.m. Eastern
By Joe Kovacs
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com-->© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A retired Air Force officer who now spends his days authoring books on Christianity has posted an online collection of recordings he believes captures voices and music of God's angels in heaven.
Angelic statue in Lommel, Belgium (photo: Jan Schiphorst, used with permission)
"I have four specific recordings of angels singing in church settings," Jim Bramlett of Lake Mary, Fla., told WND. "It happened supernaturally. There's no other explanation. It's either from God or from the devil, and I don't think the devil is in the business of worshipping Jesus. That is not in his job description."
Bramlett, 76, collected the tapes from various sources in recent years, and has now put them on his ChoicesForLiving website, where readers can click on several links to listen to three recordings made in the U.S., and one from China.
The Feb. 6, 1996, recording at the Greater Grace World Outreach Church in Baltimore, Md., starts off with a woman playing a piano, and gradually, accompanying voices are heard in the background. Bramlett described them as "beautiful voices of beings who were not in the service."
Jim Bramlett
"I have the full tape with the pastor discussing the situation with the congregation, and about 25 people gave testimony to hearing the voices. They were all in awe at what had happened."
Another recording took place at the Carpenter's Home Church in Lakeland, Fla., and features a 10-minute, sustained sound after a call to praise by a minister.
"They seem to lift the praise of the congregation to a totally new and awesome level, and it just goes on and on. The intensity and consistency are clearly supernatural and beyond the ability of the congregation," explains Bramlett, a former vice president at the Christian Broadcasting Network where he spent nine years.
(Story continues below)
A woman who says she and her husband were at the Lakeland service wrote Bramlett to vouch for the authenticity of what took place:
"The tape of the Florida meeting was exactly like the way it sounds. Glenn and I were there during those meetings, and if it wasn't this one then there is another tape of a meeting where [the phenomenon] happened again. The one we were in went on and on and stopped abruptly. Silence for about a minute then a male voice sang out 'Glooooory' and several women's voices from different directions echoed 'Gloooooory' in perfect harmony, and the praise and worship started up all over again."
Perhaps the most stunning of all the recordings is thought to be from a church in Kansas City, where there is not only an audible chorus of "Hallelujah" – meaning "praise God" – but also the voice of a male soloist who purportedly was not present. The lyrics of the mysterious solo were transcribed as follows:
Hallelujah, ringing all across the landEverybody's singing at the Lord's commandAll the saints and the angels up in glory wait to hear the newsof Jesus and his children as they're coming through.
Though he doesn't have it on tape, Wayne Warmack of Greater Works Ministries in Rogers, Ark., says he and his wife, Sandy, personally heard angelic voices during a Passover celebration last April at a lakeside retreat center near Marianna, Fla.
"I began to distinctly hear wordless voices in perfect harmony with us, that were clearly not coming from me or Sandy, or the other 20 or so people present in the room. They sort of drifted in and out of my hearing while I struggled to maintain my composure and continue the song," Warmack said. "If you've ever heard that sound, it leaves you a different person than when you came in. I can't describe it. There's just no way to describe it. It is definitely heard with more than just the physical ears."
But not everyone is joining the chorus of hallelujahs.
Steven Novella
Dr. Steven Novella, a neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine and president of the New England Skeptical Society, analyzed the electronic voice phenomenon, or EVP, at WND's request.
"The fatal problem with this entire type of evidence is that there is no way to validate or invalidate the source of sound on a recording. Therefore it has no discriminating value," Novella said. "Personal testimony is not reliable as evidence and is not acceptable scientifically. Choosing to have faith in the persons making the angel-voice claims is no different than just having faith in angels in the first place, so the recordings don't get you anywhere."
Novella discussed some of the specific claims made by Bramlett and others who suggest the source of the sound is supernatural:
"There seems to be no doubt they are angelic voices." They sound like human voices to me. This is just a bold assertion without supporting argument or evidence.
" ... about 25 people gave testimony to hearing the voices. They were all in awe at what had happened." Not uncommon for a congregation of believers sharing a common belief and being swept into an emotional fervor by an experienced preacher. Not exactly dispassionate testimony.
"I have had this tape for several years but I recently found a cleaner version of it on the Internet, preceded by an explanation. I do not know the identity of the narrator." This reminds of the "Jesus in the clouds" picture that keeps cropping up. When the same piece of evidence keeps coming up in different contexts and situations, that strongly suggests fraud. Also, the angels in this recording were playing bass guitar and horn, and at one point broke into a pretty funky beat. It's actually pretty laughable.
Also, it was noted that the angel voices were not noticed until the recording was played back, so nothing was heard during the recording. This is a red flag for a recording artifact. The simplest explanation is that the recording was made over a prior recording of a choir singing with accompanying music, and they heard the two recordings superimposed when they played it back.
So, bottom line, these are all worthless as evidence. They are being offered uncritically by people who already believe, are not questioning the angel claims, and who are committing some logical fallacies.
"I think his explanations are nonsense," responded Bramlett.
"Over the years, I have found there are negative skeptics and cynics out there on every subject. It is easy to find them. They are so predictable, and they typically reject anything supernatural. They have to, because to admit it would be tantamount to admitting to a God to whom they are accountable. They cannot permit that. It is as simple as that. Biblically speaking, you could say they are spiritually dead and they think everything must have a natural, material explanation."
The concept of supernatural beings called angels has a strong basis in Scripture. In the King James Version of the Bible, the word "angel" is found 201 times in 192 verses, while "angels" occurs 94 times in 92 verses.
At least two are named – Michael and Gabriel – and the New Testament describes a galactic conflict involving angels at war with each other.
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels (Revelation 12:7)
The Bible also records numerous instances of angels appearing to humans and even having discussions with them.
The angel Gabriel appears to the virgin Mary in 1898's 'The Annunciation' by Pennsylvania artist Henry Ossawa Tanner
The 19th chapter of Genesis indicates two angels helped rescue Lot and his family from the ancient city of Sodom; Luke 1:26 shows the angel Gabriel being dispatched by God to the town of Nazareth to inform Mary she would miraculously become pregnant with Jesus; and Hebrews 13:2 reminds people to "entertain strangers," since some strangers might actually be angels.
Bramlett believes angels are still making appearances in our modern day, and he documents several purported instances on his website.
"Some say that true reality is spiritual, not physical," he said. "The supernatural breaks through [into our dimension], and it's exciting when it does."
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Joe Kovacs is executive news editor for WorldNetDaily.com and author of the forthcoming WND Book, "Shocked by the Bible!"

Ronald X and his wife Magisha in Uganda, Africa

Brian Craig Killed in Action

Brian Craig Sergeant, United States Army

April 18, 2002
While serving in Afghanistan, Army Staff Sergeant Brian Craig would call his family at least once a week, and sometimes more often if there were reports of American casualties.
"For the last couple months, the phone would ring early Saturday morning," said Barbara Craig, his mother. "He couldn't tell us where he was or exactly what he was doing. But he would check in just to say 'I am fine.' "
When Arthur and Barbara Craig of Houston heard that four U.S. soldiers were killed Monday in Kandahar as they dismantled confiscated rockets, they worried. Soon their fears were confirmed.
Barbara Craig was home alone on Monday when an Army car pulled up to the Craig residence in north Harris County and two military men got out.
She was just returning from taking her husband to the airport for a missionary trip to the Ukraine.
"I had just gotten home and there they were," Barbara Craig said, bracing at the pain of receiving the news alone.
She called her husband, Arthur, and said their youngest son was among the dead. He returned home.
"He laid down his life not only for his friends, but for people he didn't even know, the Afghan people," said Arthur Craig, pastor of the Woodhaven Baptist Deaf Church in Spring Branch.
"Rather than using weapons of destruction, he was over there cleaning up the munitions left by past and present war. By doing that we are certain he saved the lives of many people - men, women and children," Craig told the Houston Chronicle on Tuesday.
Brian Craig, 27, joined the Army in 1993, weeks after he graduated from Klein Forest High School.
The soldier's father was stationed in Thailand with the Air Force during the Vietnam War and was proud to see his son join the Army.
"We encouraged him to go to college but he was very determined to enlist," he said. "He felt that was what God was calling him to do, and we gave him complete support."
04/17/2002
Army Staff Sergeant Brian Craig told his mother in a phone call from Afghanistan on Saturday that he wouldn't be coming home on the date he mentioned in a letter he had just sent home.
"He said whatever date he had written in his letter was not going to be a good date," Craig's mother, Barbara, said Tuesday after learning her son had died along with three other U.S. soldiers when a rocket they were working on exploded in Afghanistan.
Military officials delivered news of Craig's death to his parents' Houston home Monday afternoon.
It was much different news than what Barbara Craig still expects to read in the letter her son sent, which hadn't yet arrived at the family's home Tuesday.
Craig has learned since her son's death that he was talking with his sister about a way to surprise his parents when he returned home from Afghanistan, knowing both his mother and father wanted to be at the airport awaiting his battalion's arrival in San Diego, California.
"He was using (his sister) as a go-between," Craig said. "He was going to try and surprise us and come home to Houston.
"We were looking so forward to him coming home."
The 27-year-old died while handling large-caliber rockets that had been confiscated from former Taliban ammunition dumps. A fifth soldier suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Army spokesman David Kuhns said Craig was part of a small army detachment out of Fort Lewis, Washington, which was housed at a Navy base in San Diego.
He said plans for a memorial service in San Diego this week were being discussed Tuesday.
"What has helped comfort us over these last few days is at least he was doing what he wanted to do and he enjoyed doing it," Barbara Craig said of her son. "My heart just goes out to the other families because there are three other families that are hurting just like ours."
Also killed were two soldiers from Kansas: Staff Sergeant Justin Galewski, 28 and Sergeant Jamie Maugans, 27; and a fourth from Colorado, Sergeant First Class Daniel Romero, 30.
"They went around and picked up the old bombs and rockets and took them to a safe place to detonate them so they would not harm other people," the mother said. "His family is really proud of him and the job he did.
"He was our hero."
Brian Craig's parents had planned to meet him in San Diego when he returned from Afghanistan, but he wanted to surprise them by showing up on their Houston doorstep.
On Monday, the knock at the family's door came from military officials, who brought word that the Army Staff Sergeant was one of four American soldiers killed in an accidental explosion in Kandahar.
Craig had been talking to his sister about keeping his parents from finding out when his battalion would arrive in San Diego so they wouldn't go there to meet him.
"He was using her as a go-between," said Craig's mother, Barbara. "He was going to try and surprise us and come home to Houston. We were looking so forward to him coming home."
Craig, 27, died handling large caliber rockets confiscated from former Taliban ammunition dumps. Also killed were Staff Sergeant Justin J. Galewski, 28, of Olathe, Kansas; Sergeant Jamie O. Maugans, 27, of Derby, Kansas; and Sergeant First Class Daniel A. Romero, 30, of Longmont, Colorado.
The accident is under investigation.
Craig, Galewski, and Maugans were part of 710th Ordnance Company, a small unit on a Navy submarine base in San Diego. Galwwski's wife, Christine, heard from her husband a few days ago.
"I feel very fortunate to have been with him," she told ABC's "Good Morning America," which had been following her for a story about military wives. "I want him to know that I'm going to be OK."
She said the loss had not sunk in.
"I just keep feeling they're going to come through the door and say 'Sorry, we got the wrong one,"' she said. The couple had two children.
Romero was with the 19th Special Forces Group based at Pueblo, Colorado. His wife and parents described him as sensitive, spiritual and a dedicated soldier.
"He was a very loving son. He loved his family and his wife," said his father, Michael Romero.
The family last talked to Romero on Sunday. They knew he was helping to fight the war on terrorism, but they didn't know he was in Afghanistan, his father said.
"This tragedy brings home ... the sacrifice that brave Americans make daily to defend our freedom," said Colorado Governor Bill Owens, who ordered flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff Tuesday.
Maugans' family said he felt he was saving other soldiers as well as civilians. They last heard from him in an e-mail on Easter, when he said he'd be home in a month.
"He was hoping to go out and have a beer or two with me - I was looking forward to that," said his father, Bryce.
His grandmother, Shirley Maugans of Wichita, said the family had been looking forward to his return because he'd been overseas since November.
"He was a gentle man, from the time he was born," she said. "He was very sweet and kind."
The soldiers' bodies arrived Tuesday at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany en route to the United States.
An honor guard and chaplains stood at attention as the C-17 cargo plane carrying the coffins taxied on the runway. Members of the honor guard saluted as others carried the flag-draped coffins down the plane's ramp to waiting hearses.
Barbara and Arthur Craig, parents of Staff Sgt. Brian Craig of Houston, Texas, are consoled by General Sinseki, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army at the conclusion of a burial ceremony at May 22, 2002 at Arlington
Barbara Craig, mother of Staff Sgt. Brian Craig of Houston, Texas, is kissed by Brigadier General Joseph Taluto after being presented a flag at the burial ceremony May 22, 2002 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Photos By M. R. Patterson, October 2002
CRAIG, BRIAN THOMAS SSG US ARMY VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 08/26/1993 - 04/15/2002 DATE OF BIRTH: 04/02/1975 DATE OF DEATH: 04/15/2002 DATE OF INTERMENT: 05/22/2002 BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 7756 ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
CRAIG, BRIAN THOMAS SSG US ARMY VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 08/26/1993 - 04/15/2002 DATE OF BIRTH: 04/02/1975 DATE OF DEATH: 04/15/2002 DATE OF INTERMENT: 05/24/2002 BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 7757
Posted: 22 May 2002 Updated: 6 September 2002 Updated: 8 October 2002 Updated: 22 February 2003 Updated: 6 July 2003 Updated: 27 April 2004 Updated: 29 June 2004 Updated: 13 November 2005

Photo By M. R. Patterson, 27 June 2003
Photo By M. R.Patterson, 23 April 2004
Photo By M. R. Patterson, 24 April 2004
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Art Bell

Death of Ramona Bell
Ramona Bell, his wife of fifteen years, died unexpectedly, at the age of 47, of what appeared to be an acute asthma attack on January 5, 2006 in Laughlin, Nevada, where the couple was taking a short vacation. Despite having asthma, Ramona smoked cigarettes. The events surrounding her death were described, in great detail, by Art Bell during the January 22 broadcast of Coast to Coast AM. For weeks thereafter, callers would express their sadness and sympathy for Art Bell to George Noory who had taken Art Bell's place weekdays in 2002 [3].

Change in schedule
On January 21, 2006, just days after the unexpected death of his wife Ramona, Bell announced he would host Coast to Coast AM every Saturday and Sunday evening, announcing at the same time that former weekend host Ian Punnett would work a new live prefeed program for the four hours preceding Bell's slot on Saturday nights (21:00 - 01:00 ET). Punnett's new show is titled Coast to Coast Live with Ian Punnett. The next day when Bell returned to the show, he spent the first hour reliving the death of his wife.
Remarriage

Art & Airyn Ruiz Bell wedding
By the end of January, Bell began hinting that he was making a significant life decision, but that he would keep it a secret for at least one year, asking listeners to remind him in 2007 to let them in on it. By March, he was saying that he would soon be taking a "huge risk" and "do something rash." On April 15, 2006, he ended the mystery and, to the mild surprise of listeners, revealed that, after several weeks of mourning, he had recently gone to the Philippines and married Airyn Ruiz, whose name is pronounced like the name "Irene", but Art likes to pronounce her name as "Arin". This is because during their Internet dating Art imprinted her name with that pronunciation. Airyn Ruiz Bell is a recent college graduate. Ruiz -- given Bell's private e-mail address by a ham radio friend -- had contacted Bell to offer condolences shortly after Ramona's death. After "dating" via Internet video conferencing for "hundreds of hours", the two married one week after Bell arrived in the Philippines to actually meet her in person -- exactly 13 weeks after his wife's death. Bell also paid for his friend -- who was courting Airyn's sister -- to accompany him to the Philippines and marry her. The two couples wed in a double marriage ceremony on April 8, 2006.
On October 7, 2006, Bell announced on Coast to Coast that Ruiz is pregnant with the couple's first child. If their child is born a girl, her name will be Asia; they have yet to choose a name if the child should turn out to be a boy.

Relocation to the Philippines

Art & Airyn Ruiz Bell
At the same time, Bell announced he would be leaving his longtime homestead in Nevada and relocating to the Philippines, near Makati, Metro Manila, intending to continue hosting Coast to Coast AM weekend editions via an ISDN connection. He departed the United States on April 29, 2006, stating an intention to remain abroad for at least a year, while maintaining ownership of his property in Nevada and of the radio station KNYE. Bell resumed hosting on June 18, 2006 but then encountered technical problems that kept him off air until July 23, 2006, when the ISDN line was finally installed.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer printed a letter found on a web page purportedly from Bell that made derogatory statements about Filipinos. This letter was subsequently demonstrated to be a hateful hoax perpetrated upon Bell, who in fact had a publicly loving relationship with his Filipina wife, and who often spoke openly about his admiration for the Filipino people on his radio show. Subsequently, the Philippine Daily Inquirer printed a retraction and apologized for printing the statement upon their verification of the hoax. This fraudulent act upon Bell still periodically results in serious threats to Bell when this scurrilous material surfaces from time to time. [4]

Return to "the High Desert and the Great American Southwest"
Truly bringing his personal events of 2006 full circle, Bell opened his December 28 program by disclosing to his stunned listeners that he had just relocated back to Pahrump, Nevada along with Airyn, who had obtained the necessary paperwork for immigrating to the United States. Bell had not disclosed on any previous show his plans to return to the high desert. Despite feeling jet-lagged after a 15-hour flight from the Philippines via Vancouver, Canada, he did the full show. Amazingly, Bell was aloft returning to the USA when an earthquake cut off undersea cables that would have prevented his broadcasts from the Philippines. Art indicated on his December 30, 2006 show that among the reasons for his return were a recent recirculation of the infamous anti-Filipino email, and his missing of his extensive stateside Amateur Radio station.