Big Event This Week Isn't the Royal Wedding -- It's the Fed Reserve Chairman's First Press Conference. Ever.

Tomorrow, for the first time in the history of this country, the Federal Reserve Chairman will hold a press conference.  Ben Bernanke goes in front of reporters at 2:15 EST ... why that time exactly?  The markets close 45 minutes later, at three o'clock.

I don't know about you, but this has me thinking lots of things.  What will this do to gold and silver prices?  What's he going to say about interest rates?  And, isn't this a nice way of avoiding talking directly to Congress, under oath?

It's reported that Ben Bernanke is going to be doing these press conferences from now on.  Quarterly.

What are we to make of that, as well? 

Next thing you know, we'll have the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court having periodic photo ops with Q and As with the main stream media.  I mean really. 

Melinda Duckett Family Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Nancy Grace and CNN -- It May Be a Dog that Will Hunt

Here in Texas, and I suppose most of the South, lawyers will talk about a weak argument as being a "dog that won't hunt."  And there was a time after the 2006 filing of a wrongful death action against CNN and Nancy Grace by the family of Melinda Duckett where that was exactly what I was thinking:  it's a dog that won't hunt.  Things may have changed ....

Backstory - What's the Basis for the Lawsuit?

On September 7, 2006, Nancy Grace interviewed Melinda Duckett over the telephone as part of her continuing television coverage of the search for Melinda Duckett's missing child, 2 year old Trenton.  (A transcript of the interview, as it was aired on September 8, 2006, by CNN is still available online.) 

Byrd and Melanie Billings Murder in Florida: When Do the Florida Sunshine Laws Kick In? How Does Billings Case Impact the Casey Anthony Defense?

A Florida Grand Jury has just indicted the seven men whose mugshots we've already come to recognize as the "Ninja Warriors" arrested for the murder of Byrd and Melanie Billings. Each of the men -- including the minor, Rakeem Chavez Florence (16) -- have been formally charged with two counts of first degree murder and one count of home-invasion robbery. With this, the death penalty is apparently still on the table.

(The other defendants are Wayne Thomas Coldiron (41); Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr. (35); Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Sr. (56); Donald Ray Stallworth (28); Gary Lamont Sumner (30); Fredrick Lee Thornton (19).) It's alleged that the younger Gonzalez was the sole shooter in the case.

Ann Coulter vs. Peggy Noonan on Sarah Palin. Catfight!

Just read this column by Peggy Noonan and then read this column by Ann Coulter.

The topic in both articles: Sarah Palin.

You know what I'd like to see?

Ann Coulter and Peggy Noonan face to face. On TV. Live.

Yeah.

Caroline Kennedy: Check out the Comments in the NY Daily News and Then Go Read Matt LaBash on Detroit Today

There's an interview of Caroline Kennedy in the New York Daily News today, where she pushes the idea that she won't owe any political favors to anyone because she hasn't made any significant campaign donations.

I found three things of interest here:

1. the snide and subtle dig at Caroline's overuse of the phrase "you know" (she's not the only public figure to do this, but usually those "you knows" and "likes" get edited out of the copy);

2. conspicuous by its absence is the use of her married surname, Schlossberg, and the fact that she's a Catholic married to the grandson of Jewish immigrants with whom she's had two girls and a boy; and

3. all the comments coming into the online commentary for this Daily News article. Wow. Those readers hate her, don't they?

Me? It's a time of crisis in our country, and while I'm not a New Yorker, I'm thinking that every seat in the US Senate needs to be filled with the best and the brightest our country has to offer.

Take away her surname, and I'm not feeling confident here.

And, if you want to read about how bad it could get for all of us, go check out this great piece by Matt LaBash about how Detroit is doing. (thanks to Will Collier over at Vodkapundit for the heads up here.)

In fact, just stop everything and go read LaBash's piece right now. It's one of the great ones.

Curiouser and Curiouser: I Didn't See Any Obama Signs Today

Today, the day before Election Day, I was driving around a good part of southwest and west San Antonio for work - and because I wanted to have fun with the new navigation system in my car, I chose the "least obstacles" route and let it have its fun.

My car's version of HAL took me on a nice tour of that part of San Antonio better known as the "west side." It's a cultural experience unique to our community. You can buy agua frescas (don't even try and knock these if you haven't tried one, they put smoothies to shame), you can smell barbeque cooking as you drive the streets if you've got the windows down, and signs are often written in Spanish instead of English.

Bright colors are everywhere, especially pastels -- pinks, greens, yellows -- it's always a little bit Easter here. There are still small mom and pop groceries and taco joints, and while I sat at a long red light, I watched a man in the front yard of his family's body shop, white tee shirt and jeans, expertly taping newspaper over the exterior of what appeared to be a 1940s sedan (think Humphrey Bogart's two seater in The Big Sleep) in preparation for painting it.

My drive was far from efficient, and I got a pretty good tour of the area from HAL. And here's what I found so very interesting today:

There wasn't a single Obama sign, anywhere.

Here in what everyone assumes is a Democratic Heartland, zip. No "Change" signs, no "Obamanos" bumper stickers, no traditional "Obama/Biden" yard signs or fence banners.

Nothing. Just nothing Obama at all.

But there was McCain stuff. There were flags with McCain signs next to them, and I saw one of the biggest McCain signs I've ever personally laid my eyes upon pretty close to where Division dead ends, pretty near the Pan American Mexican Restaurant, where my daddy took me to have my first puffy tacos when I was 4 years old.

Curious, isn't it?

Over at The Drudge Report, I clicked a link where some pundit is pontificating on not just whether Obama will win, but whether he'll win by a landslide -- like Reagan over Mondale, or Eisenhower over Stevenson.

Maybe my ride today means nothing. But if Obama is such a sure fire winner, you would think I'd would have seen some support for him during my ride today.

I think this is something to ponder.

Polls? What Polls? I Don't Need No Stinkin Polls!

As the election get closer by the hour, I'm seeing more and more polls popping up - and no two are alike.

Well, no one's called and asked me a thing. No one that I've asked has been asked to reveal who they're voting for, either.

And, truth be told, the majority of us would decline to answer any survey on who we're voting for, if we were asked.

Why? I can't speak for other folk, but for me -- who I vote for is not anyone's business. It may be just my vote, but it's what I've got to give, and I take it seriously.

I'm tired of all this spin and media hoopla surrounding the citizenry choosing the person to lead our country, not to mention the most powerful man in the free world (or so they tell me).

It's not like I'm picking Best Picture of the Year at the Academy Awards. Or I suppose I should say, the People's Choice Awards since I'm not a SAG member. Geez.

I wouldn't trust a pollster to use what I reported accurately. Period. And this includes exit polls, too.

They talk about greed running rampant in our society, well - I see dishonest and self-serving spin running rampant, too. And all these polls, polls, polls -- just a buncha hoohaa if you ask me.

You know what? Bottom line, I wouldn't give them the time of day if they called because as a voter, I feel so ... well ... DISRESPECTED.

Whew. I feel better.