And to think that Fox News was the only channel that reported this!

In my opinion, the Muslims are all getting very brave now.  Read Tedd Petruna’s story below.  Can you imagine, our own news media now are so politically correct that they are afraid to report that these were all Muslims?

Unbelievable.  Thank God for people like Tedd Petruna.

I, Gene Hackemack, received this email from my good friend Tedd Petruna.  He is, a diver at the NBL (Neutral Buoyancy Lab) facility at NASA Houston.  I used to work with Tedd who happened to be on the AirTran Flight 297, from Atlanta to Houston.

“One week ago, I went to Ohio on business and to see my father.  On Tuesday, the 17th, I returned home.  If you read the papers the 18th you may have seen a blurb about where an Air Tran flight was canceled from Atlanta to Houston due to a man who refused to get off of his cell phone before take- off.  The story was only on Fox News.

That was NOT what really happened.

I was seated in 1st class coming home.  Eleven Muslim men got on the plane in full Muslim attire.  Two of them sat in 1st class and the rest seated themselves throughout the plane, in coach class, all the way to the back.  As the plane taxied out to the runway, the stewardesses gave the safety spiel that we are all so familiar with.

At that time, one of the men, in 1st class, got on his cell and called one of his companions back in coach.  He proceeded to talk on the phone in Arabic very loudly and very, very aggressively.  This activity took the 1st stewardess out of action for she repeatedly told the man that cell phones were not permitted at that time.  He ignored her as if she were not there.  The man, who answered the phone back in the coach section, did the same and this took out the 2nd stewardess.  Further back in the plane, at the same time, two younger Muslims, one in the back on the aisle, and one sitting in front of him by the window, began to show footage of a porno video they had taped the night before.

They were very loud about it.

Now, Muslim men are only permitted to view porno women prior to Jihad.  If a Muslim man goes into a strip club, he has to view the woman via mirror with his back to her.  (Don’t ask me, I don’t make the rules, but I’ve studied Muslims.)

The 3rd stewardess informed the two men that they were not to have electronic devices on at this time.

One of the men said “shut up infidel dog!”

The stewardess attempted to take the camcorder and the Muslim began to scream in her face in Arabic.

At that exact moment, all eleven of the men got up and started to walk throughout the cabin.  I guess that because of the noise, the flight crew must have decided that there was something amiss and changed the plane’s directions to head back to the terminal.

The commotion and noise was reaching a feverish pitch, and at this point I had had enough!  I got up and started towards the back of 1st class, when I heard a voice behind me, from another Texan twice my size, say “I got your back.”  Then I grabbed the man, who had been on the cell phone, by the arm and said “You WILL sit down in your seat or you WILL be thrown from this plane!”  As I “led” him around me to take his seat, the fellow Texan grabbed him by the back of his neck and his waist and headed him back to his seat.  I then grabbed the 2nd man and said, “You WILL do the same!”

He protested loudly, but my adrenaline was flowing now and he was going to go also.  Just as I escorted him forward, the plane stopped, the doors opened and three TSA agents and four police officers entered the cabin.  Myself and my new Texas friend were told to cease and desist for they had the situation under control.

I was quite happy to oblige actually.  There was still some sort of commotion in the back, but within moments, all eleven Muslim men were escorted off the plane.  The TSA agents then had their luggage unloaded.  We talked about the occurrence and were in disbelief that it had happened.

Then suddenly, the door opened again and in walked all eleven Muslim men!  Stone faced, eyes front and robotic, (the only way I can describe it) they were reseated.  The stewardess from the back had been in tears and when she saw the men, she was having NONE of it!

Since I was up front, I heard and saw the whole ordeal.  She told the TSA agents that there was NO WAY she was staying on the plane with the Muslim men.  The agent told her that they had searched the men and were going through their luggage with a fine tooth comb.  However, nothing had been found and that the men were allowed to proceed on to Houston.

The captain and co-captain came out of the cockpit and told the agent, “We and our crew will not fly this plane!”  After a word or two, the entire crew, luggage in tow, left the plane.  Five minutes later, the cabin door opened again and a whole new crew walked on.  Again, this was where I had had enough!  I got up and asked the TSA agent, “What the hell is going on?

I was told to take my seat.  The airlines and TSA were sorry for the delay and we would be home shortly.  I said “I’m getting off this plane”.  The stewardess sternly told me that she could not allow me to get off.  Now I’m really mad!  I said “I am a grown man who bought this ticket, who’s time is mine with a family at home and I am going through that door, or I’m going through that door with you under my arm, but I AM going through that door!”

And then I heard a voice behind me say “So am I!”  Then everyone behind us started to get up and say the same thing.  Within two minutes, I was walking off that plane where I was met by more TSA agents who asked me to write a statement about the incident.  I had five hours to kill at this point waiting for the next flight to Houston, so why the hell not give them my statement.  Due to the amount of people who got off that flight, it was canceled.

I was supposed to be in Houston at 6 PM, but I finally got there at 12:30 AM.  If you don’t believe this, look up the date and then Flight 297 from Atlanta to Houston.

If this wasn’t a terrorism dry run, I don’t know what one is.

The terrorists wanted to see how TSA would handle it, how the crew would handle it, and how the passengers would handle it.

I’m telling this to you because I want you to know. The threat IS real.  I saw it with my own eyes.”

Tedd Petruna

I suggest you keep this going until this incident reaches the email of all POLITICIANS and the news media!

Release Date: 02/01/12

WANDA:
Hi! Sylvia. How’d you die?

SYLVIA:
I froze to death..

WANDA:
How horrible!

SYLVIA:
It wasn’t so bad. After I quit shaking from
the cold, I began to get warm & sleepy,
and finally died a peaceful death.
What about you?

WANDA:
I died of a massive heart attack.
I suspected that my husband was cheating,
so I came home early to catch him in the act.
But instead, I found him all by himself
in the den watching TV.

SYLVIA:
So, what happened?

WANDA:
I was so sure there was another woman
there somewhere that I started running
all over the house looking. I ran up into
the attic and searched, and down into the
basement. Then I went through every closet
and checked under all the beds. I kept this up
until I had looked everywhere, and finally
I became so exhausted that I just keeled over
with a heart attack and died.

SYLVIA:
Too bad you didn’t look in the freezer
—we’d both still be alive.

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor:
She said, “If you were my husband, I’d
poison your tea.”
He said, “If you were my wife, I’d
drink it.”

A member of Parliament to Disraeli:
“Sir, you will either die on the gallows
or of some unspeakable disease.”

“That depends, Sir,” said Disraeli, “whether I embrace your
policies or your mistress.”

“He had delusions of adequacy.” – Walter Kerr

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” -
Winston Churchill

“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great
pleasure.” – Clarence Darrow

“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the
dictionary.” – William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time reading
it.” -
Moses Hadas

“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved
of it.” – Mark Twain

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends..” -
Oscar Wilde

“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a
friend….if you have one.” – George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

“Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second… if there is
one.”  -  Winston Churchill, in response.

“I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here.” -
Stephen Bishop

“He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” – John Bright

“I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.” -
Irvin S. Cobb

“He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” -
Samuel Johnson

“He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.” – Paul Keating

“In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily.” -
Charles, Count Talleyrand

“Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on
it?” -  Mark Twain

“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” – Mae West

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever
they go.” – Oscar Wilde

“He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts…for support rather
than illumination.” – Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

“He has Van Gogh’s ear for music.” – Billy Wilder

“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.” -
Groucho Marx

Suddenly an 18-wheeler came speeding through and ran directly over their car, crushing it completely.

For several minutes I sat in my car thinking to myself, “Man, that could have been me!”  So, today…bright and early, I went out and got me a job as a truck driver.

What do you think you should do???? Raise the ceilings, or pump out the shit?

Your choice is coming in November 2012

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

13. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with MillerLite than Kay.

17.  How come teenagers spend all day digitally communicating, but when you ask them what’s new, they say nothing!

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and Hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever..

22. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. People who forward e- mail without deleting the tons of previous recipients should be shot and then tarred and feathered.

25. The first testicular guard, the “Cup,” was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important. Ladies! Quit Laughing!

Testing a caption feature

A beautiful rainy day to wait for the max!

Today is day two of WordCamp Portland 2011.  This year’s event is not as stellar as the last two years, but I am always happy to get around the other WP developers and hear tips and tricks others are using.

This past year, my business (like my waist) has seen a BIG expansion.  OK, my waist hasn’t really expanded, but I love to make fat jokes about myself!

BRIDGES Networking, the business relationships organization I helped start, has added three new clubs this year (Portland, Tigard and Sandy).  Lake Oswego looks like the next destination for this highly effective business networking organization.

Kay and I have faired well this year.  Sales this past summer were three times better than last year and the web-side of our business is dominating the business model.  At this point we are phasing out marketing of tradeshow exhibits.  We’ll keep carrying displays, but only for existing customers.

While the year is not over yet, I am really excited about how business and life is shaping up for the last four months of this year.