61 Year Old Randy Udall, Brother of Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) Missing While Hiking in Rocky Mountains (Update: Found Deceased)

Randy Udall, the 61 year old brother of US Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) is missing after going on a solo hike in Wyoming in the Rocky Mountains. Randy Udall had gone on a solo hike in the Wind River Range on June 20 and was expected back six days later. After he did not return on the 26th, his concerned family reported him missing to authorities on the 28th. It has been reported that Udall was familiar with with the area and is considered an experienced hiker; however, the terrain was rough. Rescue crews and search helicopters have been out looking for the Randy Udall, but have been yet to locate the missing hiker.

Missing – Robert Udall

The 61-year-old, who goes by Randy, was trekking in the Wind River Range and was supposed to come out of the mountains last Wednesday but never did. An experienced hiker, this wasn’t the first time James Udall had gone solo into those mountains.

More at the Denver Post: Brother of Sen. Mark Udall missing after solo hike in Wyoming

UPDATE I: Rescue workers have located the body of Randy Udall, the brother of  Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO).  According to The Politico, the Udall family said an autopsy is pending, but Randy Udall appears to have died of natural causes. Sublette County (WY) Sheriff’s Office stated that foul play is not suspected. In a statement from the family they states that Randy died what he loved doing most, hiking. 

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Randy,” Sen. Udall’s family said in a statement. “Randy’s body was discovered today by the heroic search and rescue team that worked for days to locate him in a remote area of the Wind River Range of Wyoming.”

Search and rescue parties had begun combing the 225-square-mile Wind River Ridge mountains, where Randy Udall had gone missing. Udall’s family thanked emergency officials for their efforts and said early indications suggested Udall died of natural causes.

Obama White House Touts Kenyan Program to Obtain National ID Cards for Voter Registration … But in America Obama Mouth Piece Says, “We should not be imposing unnecessary obstacles or barriers to voter participation.”

You just can’t make this stuff up …

While on his $100 million tax payer paid trip to Africa, The Weekly Standard reports the Obama White House touted the Kenyan program to use a national ID card for voter registration. The WH stated,  one of the first items highlighted by the White House is a $53 million program in Kenya that helps young people “obtain National identification cards, a prerequisite to voter registration.” Sounds great doesn’t it? Barack Obama and his minions are praising a national ID card as a prerequisite to “voter registration.”

FACT SHEET: U.S. Support for Strengthening Democratic Institutions, Rule of Law, and Human Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Civil society and independent media play a critical role in any vibrant democracy.  Across sub-Saharan Africa, the United States supports efforts to ensure civil society organizations and independent media can organize, advocate, and raise awareness with governments and the private sector to improve political processes, transparency, and government performance.  Examples include:

• In Kenya, the $53 million Yes Youth Can program empowers nearly one million Kenyan youth to use their voices for advocacy in national and local policy-making, while also creating economic opportunities.  In advance of Kenya’s March 2013 general elections, Yes Youth Can’s “My ID My Life” campaign helped 500,000 youth obtain National identification cards, a prerequisite to voter registration, and carried out a successful nationwide campaign with Kenyan civic organizations to elicit peace pledges from all presidential aspirants.

So what is wrong with this picture?  Isn’t it Barack Obama and Democrats that are against voter ID in order to prove who you are at the ballot? Do they think we just forget or don’t have the ability to use an Internet search engine? At an August 2012 press briefing, Jay Carney had the following to say about a Texas voter ID law: “And on the voter ID case, I can tell you that, as you know, this administration believes it should be easier for eligible citizens to vote — to register and vote. We should not be imposing unnecessary obstacles or barriers to voter participation.”

So what’s the difference between Kenya’s national ID for voter registration and a voter ID in Texas? Oh that’s right, no voter fraud in Kenya can sway the election for Obama or Democrats. How come an ID card is not a barrier to voter participation in Kenya?

Interesting Take … Trayvon, Zimmerman and Hernandez should have listened to the Gambler, Kenny Rogers, and ‘Coward of the County’

The Washington Times has an interesting take on two stories that are very much in the headlines, the George Zimmerman murder trial in the death of Trayvon Martin and the Aaron Hernandez first degree murder arrest. Who knew that country music and Kenny Rogers, The Gambler, would have words of wisdom that would pertain to both of the above cases from his 1980′s hit, ‘Coward of the County’ … “Walk away from trouble if you can. Now it won’t mean you’re weak if you turn the other cheek.”

From Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman to Aaron Hernandez and Lloyd Odin, needless deaths occurred for the same reason most deaths involving gun violence occur. They trace back to the American right to free speech.

That right is not absolute. Exceptions to this rule include yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre or being an anti-Muslim filmmaker jeopardizing President Obama’a reelection chances. That kind of speech can land you in prison. Most people know better. Yet there remains a great deal that you have the right to say and should not.

[...]

The antidote to representing is self-restraint, self-control, self-respect, and societal respect. Trayvon Martin was black. George Zimmerman and Aaron Hernandez are Hispanic. As most people know, nothing speaks to blacks and Hispanics like country music. Everybody tempted to represent should learn from “The Gambler” and buy a copy of the Kenny Rogers classic “Coward of the County.”

“Promise me, son, not to do the things I’ve done.

Walk away from trouble if you can.

Now it won’t mean you’re weak if you turn the other cheek.

I hope you’re old enough to understand:

Son, you don’t have to fight to be a man.”

Now anyone who is familiar with the song, ‘Coward of the County’ knows that Tommy kicks the living day lights out of the Gatlin boys in the bar room in the end. As the song goes,  “Some times you have to fight to be a man.” And there lies the rub. There is a time and place to stand up and fight. Know when that time is.

Yet Aaron Hernandez and George Zimmerman could have walked away. If Trayvon Martin gained the upper hand, perhaps he could have walked away. These men were all involved in avoidable conflicts. Yet they had to be “bad-asses” with the “biggest pair.” They had to represent. Now two men are dead, two more face murder charges, and an eight-month-old baby may become orphaned because her famous football father may go to jail.

I would also say to the prosecution in the George Zimmerman murder trail, that if you do not have a lot more evidence you might want to take another lesson from Kenny Rogers and the song ‘The Gambler’, “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em. Know when to fold ‘em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run. You never count your money. When you’re sittin’ at the table. There’ll be time enough for countin’. When the dealin’s done .”

Tragedy … 19 Firefighters Killed in Arizona Were Part of Elite Hotshot Crew

REST IN PEACE HEROES.

The ‘Hotshot’ units are among the best fire fighting crews in the country and sadly we mourn the loss of 19 heroes.

CNN is reporting that 19 firefighters were killed in Arizona on Sunday battling the wild fire in Yarnell. The crew who is part of the Prescott Granite Mountain Hot Shots was fighting the Yarnell Hill fire. It is being reported that presently the fire is 0% contained. The 19 members of an elite firefighting crew who were killed Sunday tried to protect themselves by deploying tent-like structures before they were overtaken.  The fire is believed to have been started by lightening. We pray for the families and friends of the lost hero firefighters. May they rest in peace.

Nineteen firefighters were killed Sunday battling a blaze in Arizona, the state forestry division said.

The vast majority were from Prescott, said Wade Ward with the Prescott Fire Department.

State forestry official Art Morrison said the firefighters were members of a “hotshot” crew, tasked with digging a fire line and creating an escape route.

“In normal circumstances, when you’re digging fire line, you make sure you have a good escape route, and you have a safety zone set up,” Morrison said. “Evidently, their safety zone wasn’t big enough, and the fire just overtook them.”

Much more, including tweets and pics can be seen at BuzzFeed.

Daily Commentary – Monday, July 1, 2013 – The Learning Channel (TLC) Sinks To a New Low

• With it’s new realty show called “My Teen is Pregnant and So Am I”!