Now that I have a few days to rest up and recharge the batteries, I’m up to posting again.

First things first: My thoughts and prayers are with those in harm’s way of Hurricane Frances. Be strong and stay safe out there. Help is on the way.

Heartfelt sympathies go out to the men, women, and children who perished or suffered terrorist standoff in Beslan. Glenn Reynolds hit the nail on the head when he stated, “This is what we’re dealing with, for those who have forgotten.”

Best wishes to former President Clinton for a speedy recovery from upcoming bypass surgery. I have my dislikes of and disagreements with the man, but I bear him no ill will. Those who do need not comment here.

Zell Miller almost persuaded me to re-register Democrat last Wednesday night. He spoke the truth and pulled no punches. The legacies of Scoop Jackson, JFK, and Pat Moynihan are still alive and kicking — and the Kerry campaign is feeling the blows.

Arnold Schwarzenegger made me feel good about being both and American and a native Californian.

G-Dub knocked a few balls out of the park on Thursday night. ‘Ownership Society’: OK. Retirement and medical savings accounts: OK. Tax reform: OK. More big government spending: Not OK. Some of my dyed-in-the wool conservative brethren had mixed reactions. Nonetheless, it was enough to make JF’nK sputter afterward.

Locally, the Las Vegas Monorail is starting to fall apart. Hopefully one of the contractors wasn’t named Lanley.

Yours truly will be featured in an article on political blogs for Las Vegas City Life this coming Thursday. We’ll see how my ugly mug and my words turn out in print.

I’ll also be at BloggerCon this November.

And finally, Dean Esmay is not a racist.

That’s all for now. I’m off to enjoy the weekend.