“All-American” Muslim Pothead Drug Smugglers

DebbieSchlussel.com and link to this post. (That includes you, Detroit Free Press’ Niraj Warikoo, who I understand is reading this post and preparing to rip it off.) ****

File this under:  What You’ll Never See on “All-American Muslim.”

Two of the stars of TLC’s “All-American Muslim” were caught trying to smuggle nine grams of marijuana into the United States from Canada over New Year’s weekend, DebbieSchlussel.com has learned. Ron Smith, press officer for Customs and Border Protection in Michigan, confirmed queries by DebbieSchlussel.com regarding the incident.

allahu Snakbar: “All-American” Muslim Pothead Drug Smugglers

The incident is significant not only because of the illegal drugs involved, but also because it could not be confirmed which cast members were caught lying to authorities and trying to smuggle the drugs into the United States from a foreign country.  A star of “All-American Muslim” who calls himself “Nader Aoude” (which may be a pseudonym) identifies himself as a “federal agent.”  He refuses to identify for which agency he allegedly works.

The two cast members of the faux-reality Muslim propaganda show lied to Customs and Border Protection inspectors when they were asked if they had anything to declare, as they tried to pass into the United States from Windsor, Canada over the Ambassador Bridge.  They said no, even though they were required to  declare the controlled, illegal substance they had in their possession.

Smith declined to name the individuals involved and said that a Freedom of Information Act request by me to learn the names and access the CBP incident report would likely take about three weeks at the least.  Mr. Smith did confirm that one of the individuals did have a medical marijuana card.  However, the cards are only recognized by the State of Michigan and are not recognized by the federal government.

Michigan medical marijuana cards are easily obtained, and it does not appear, based on the behavior on the show, that any cast member of “All-American Muslim” has a legitimate disability covered by the Michigan medicalmarijuana statute.  It would be interesting to see what alleged illness the particular cast member claims to have, whether it is legitimate, and who the issuing medical professional is (and what his/her record is in legitimately issuing medical opinions leading to patients obtaining Michigan medicalmarijuana cards).

Sadly, the “All-American Muslim” potheads were not detained because nine grams is not enough to get a federal agency to prosecute the smugglers.  The “All-American Muslim” smugglers were fined only $500 and were waived on into Detroit after not more than an hour, probably to a feast of halal potato chips and cookies.

The “All-American Muslim” tokers incident occurred on January 1, 2012, and the two Muslims involved claimed they were visiting friends in Canada.

I’ve told you about the open, vehement support for Hezbollah and HAMAS displayed by all of the members of “All-American Muslim,”especially Suehaila Amen, who–along with her family–reveres Ayatollah Khomeini and supported his Iranian revolution, including the holding of many Americans hostage in Tehran for 444 days. Since they are all Shi’ite Muslims of Lebanese descent, one wonders where the pot is from. It’s well known that Hezbollah is involved in the drug trade and one of the world’s leading suppliers of pot and other illegal drugs harvested in the Hezbollah-controlled Bekaa Valley.

DebbieSchlussel.com is investigating the matter further and will keep you updated about further developments.

PAM'S STORY

n a recent email, I read
about a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of considering abortion. More than
24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the
Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an
infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or
drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they
discovered she was pregnant.
Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her
own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her
baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for
her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities
physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they
thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue.
While pregnant, Pam nearly lost
their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a
pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we'll name him
Timothy and we'll make him a preacher.
Pam ultimately spent the last two
months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy
August 14, 1987. Pam's youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in
prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father's ministry in the
Philippines.
He also plays football.
Pam's son is Tim Tebow.
The University of Florida's star quarterback
became the first sophomore in history to win college football's highest award,
the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has
provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being
called The Mile-High Messiah.
Tim's notoriety and the family's inspiring
story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women's
centers across the country. Pam Tebow believes that every little baby you save
matters. I pray her tribe will increase! 

The Department of Homeland Security has wasted $4 billion on a failed program

http://www.examiner.com/law-enforcement-in-national/feds-fail-to-intercept-nuclear-terrorists

Practically nothing has been done to prevent a nuclear or radiological weapon or materials from entering the United States.

Credits: 

Domestic Nuclear Detection Offic

The GAO "Red Teams" were successful in sneaking radioactive material across both U.S. borders, yet the White House and members of Congress continue to ignore the threat.

In the latest example of incompetence by the federal government agency created to keeping America safe, the Department of Homeland Security has wasted $4 billion on a failed program to install crucial radiation detectors at U.S. border crossings, according to a government report released after the New Year holiday.

Launched a few years ago, the costly effort was supposed to create and install detecting machines to intercept nuclear terrorists attempting to enter the country. The agency’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office was charged with developing and acquiring the essential equipment that could sniff out nuclear and radiological materials before they made it into the U.S.

But $4 billion later the machines are still not in place, according to a report (Combating Nuclear Smuggling) issued this week by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of congress. Even more shameful is that machines were created but can’t be used because they’re too big for border inspection lanes. Additionally, the software installed in the devices doesn’t work properly.

Here’s another enraging little piece of information; the Homeland Security agency that’s supposed to use the equipment, Customs and Border Protection, had “made it clear” that it did not want the nuclear detecting machines because they would not fit in primary inspection lanes and would slow down the flow of commerce and cause significant delays.

On a positive note, top officials at Janet Napolitano’s Department of Homeland Security admit that they are “mindful of getting something delivered that has credible bases for the implementation plan that follows.” Perhaps some high-ranking government official can translate that into plain English for taxpaying Americans stuck with financing the extravaganza.

In the meantime, lack of nuclear terrorist interceptors aside, the border is “as secure as it has ever been,” according to Napolitano.

In previous GAO operations, as reported by the Law Enforcement Examiner, "Red Teams" were successful in sneaking radiological material across both northern and southern borders into the U.S. totally undetected.

The Tebow American ?

Tim Tebow and being all American

Hide Details

FROM:

• Dave Hollenbeck

BCC:

• billinmissouri@yahoo.com

Message flagged

Wednesday, January 11, 2012 8:08 AM

This is what I have said. 

On my part, I grew up through the 40's and 50's. 

Most men were like Tebow. They were religious, and a lot them had gone through WWII and/or Korea. 

There were few cops because there were very few criminals. 

http://judsonphillips.com/archives/115

There is absolutely no doubt Tim Tebow has become an American phenomenon.  A new word has entered the American lexicon, “Tebowing” which described a public prayer or giving thanks to God.

Why has America become so fascinated with Tim Tebow?

Tim Tebow is a throwback to a better time.  If you want to describe Tim Tebow, All American pretty much sums it up.   Tim Tebow represents all of the qualities we used to look for in America’s young men.

Tim Tebow is a wholesome young man.  He is the kind of young man that makes any father proud.  He is the kind of guy you would trust your sister or daughter with.  He represents what is good in America.  He is the leader men want to look up to.  He is the kind of guy everyone wants as a brother and a best friend.  He is the kind of guy we all want to be.  He has faith in God and faith in America.

In a day when the NFL often stands for the National Felon League, Tim Tebow is a shining example of what pro athletes could and should be.

The word most associated with Tim Tebow would probably be believe.   Most people think that refers to his religious beliefs and in some ways that it true.  But, Tim Tebow has made the Denver Broncos believe.

A good leader believes.  He believes in his cause and he believes he can be victorious in his quest.

The Denver Broncos are not a great football team.  The team started 1-4 this year.  Kyle Orton was their quarterback and Orton is definitely a pro quarterback.  Orton was benched in favor of Tebow.   Tebow in his first game led his team to an improbably come from behind win.  Come from behind wins have become something of a Tebow signature.  Just last weekend, against the highly favored Pittsburg Steelers, Tebow struck again, delivering an overtime win.

Tebow simply has brought the great intangible to the Broncos.  He gave them the power to believe.   They believe they can win.    Now, I would not be surprised to see Tim Tebow bring the Lombardi trophy back to Denver.

Tim Tebow is a throw back to an earlier era.  It was an era where we had heroes and our heroes lived up to our expectations.

Tim Tebow is the last all American.

Greg Hunter on Infowars

Greg Hunter on Infowars Nightly News

10 January 2012 16 Comments

By Greg Hunbter’s USAWatchdog.com
I was asked to be on the Infowars.com Nightly News show with Alex Jones.  Arron Dykes filled in for Alex and did a great job.   I want to point out that this newscast is really on the cutting edge of information technology.  In the news world, the Internet represents what is called “disruptive technology.”  Now, you do not need the mainstream media’s spin on the days news.  You can get very good alternative news and analysis from the Internet.  Infowars.com is providing this product. The cable and broadcast networks should be shaking in their argyle socks about how “disruptive” this is to their message and business model.  This is only the beginning of things to come, and this change will be for the better.  Please enjoy the video below:

Related Posts:

• Greg Hunter with Alex Jones on Infowars.com
• Bank Runs and Bankers
• Greg Hunter On The Edge With Max Keiser
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• John says:

  January 10, 2012 at 4:37 pm

  I don’t believe that we will have to wait for it to get that high. Last time it got to the 4 dollar level here (KY), the econony started shutting down. Once it gets to $5, it will be over for most people.
  It looks like most americans are still asleep with the recent political
  race results.
  Thanks for all you do Greg, keep trying to wake the rest of the asleep public before we all drown. The MSM has them fooled.
  John
  

  Reply
  • Greg says:

    January 10, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    John,
    If we go to war with Iran all will be hit with a cold bucket of water smack in the face. We will all be awake then. Thank you for your comment and support.
    Greg
    

    Reply
• M SMITH says:

  January 10, 2012 at 7:55 pm

  Fantastic job! I have a feeling all paper assets will become trash soon, Iran is hit with a double in prices in one day, zerohedge.com has the proof. One hell of year is a under statement! The U.S. & those in Europe who have put the screws to the innocent people of Iran will suffer the most, but they will also see ‘us’ & NATO as the ones who made their lives pure hell because the leaders of Iran will paint all of those who put the screws to the nation of Iran as the demons. Damn, we just can’t keep our back room dictators running the gov from starting a war we can’t afford, way to many war hawks in congress who are bought & paid for by the military arms sales complex who will make trillions on the deaths of millions of people!
  A friend of mine sat with me today & talked about gold/silver, he said who will be able to buy it from you if we have a collasp? My answer, was nobody at first, but when the new dollar becomes our currency, those holding old ones will be Broke, Gold is the wealth the ‘giants always hold’ & those with insurance(gold) & silver to a point with proper planning will get by until the reset is complete! It may not work that way & it may, but it’s better to have some proven assets that none at all! Your site is growing daily, that is a big deal, a very big deal! Good Luck, we will need all we can get!

Can Republicans Impeach Obama Over Recess Appointment?

As Todd Gaziano of the Heritage Foundation explained:

[The recess appointment] power has been interpreted by scores of attorneys general and their designees in the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel for over 100 years to require an official,legal Senate recess of at least 10-25 days of duration. (There are a few outlier opinions,never sanctioned by the courts,that suggest a recess of six to seven days might be enough–but never less than that.)
The President’s purported recess appointment of Cordray would render the Senate’s advice and consent role to normal appointments almost meaningless. It is a grave constitutional wrong that Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has already denounced. But it fits a pattern of extra-constitutional abuse by the White House that seems more interested in energizing a liberal base than safeguarding the office of the presidency.

Experts say this kind of non-recess appointment is unprecedented in American history —another historic Obama first.
As Andrew Grossman of the Heritage Foundation has pointed out, even Obama did not really believe the Senate was in recess. This was a plain act of authoritarianism.
Will Congress act? At first blush,one is tempted to say if they stepped aside for an illegal war,a miniature terrorist plot known as Operation Fast and Furious,the miscarriage of justice in the Black Panthers voter intimidation case,the harassment of Sheriff Joe Arpaio,and numerous other offenses,this ranks pretty far down the list.
But that would overlook the one thing this scandal has that the others do not:this one offended senators’vanity. Senators of both parties relish their reputation as “the world’s greatest deliberative body.”Bob Dole famously joked,“If someone went into the Senate Cloak Room and said,‘Mr. President,’everyone would turn-around.”They all believe they are presidents-in-waiting,with the Senate their temporary fiefdom. They cherish the constitutional role of giving advice and consent —which is why the Democrat-controlled Senate went into pro forma session;to preserve their right to examine Mr. Cordray and the three union extremists.
Obama not only trampled on the traditional order; he took away some senators’privileges. He may have to pay dearly for that. He should have long ago.

QUOTE OF THE DAY JANUARY 9, 2012 (JULY 26, 1920)

"As democracy is perfected, the office of President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House

will be occupied by a downright moron."
H.L. Mencken, The Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920

DROP IN UNENPLOYMENT... uh uh, NOT REAL.. From Greg Hunter

Unemployment Drop Masks Ongoing Decline

9 January 2012 No Comment

Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said 200,000 new jobs were created which dropped the unemployment rate to 8.5%.  Break out the party hats and champagne, we’ve finally hit bottom and are heading back up!  That’s the way the mainstream media (MSM) reported it, and in a campaign year, President Obama took a victory lap.   Reuter’s reported Obama said, “We’re making progress. We’re moving in the right direction. And one of the reasons for this is the tax cut for working Americans that we put in place last year. . . .When Congress returns they should extend the middle class tax cut for all of this year, to make sure we keep this recovery going.” (Click here to read the completer Reuter’s story.) 
Economist John Williams of Shadowstats.com says the government reported more than 40,000 jobs that didn’t exist.  In his latest report, Williams said, “The reported seasonally-adjusted 200,000 jobs surge in December 2011 payrolls included a false, seasonally-adjusted gain of roughly 42,000 in the “Couriers and Messengers” category.”  Williams went on to report, “While today’s happy labor data likely will fuel financial-media and political talk of an improving economy, the underlying reality remains bleak, with data later this month and next generally tending to confirm the ongoing bottom-bouncing of the U.S. economy in a severe downturn.”  (Click here to go to the Shadowstats.com home page.)  If unemployment was calculated the way BLS did it in 1994 and earlier, it would be 22.4% according to Williams.  
By the way, the “tax cut” amounts to $20 a week on average, and it cuts cash to fund things like Social Security.  Of course, nobody is talking about how Social Security went “cash negative” in 2010.  The Washington Post reports, “Now, Social Security is sucking money out of the Treasury. This year, it will add a projected $46 billion to the nation’s budget problems, according to projections by system trustees. Replacing cash lost to a one-year payroll tax holiday will require an additional $105 billion. If the payroll tax break is expanded next year, as President Obama has proposed, Social Security will need an extra $267 billion to pay promised benefits.”  (Click here to read the complete Post story from Oct. 2011.) 
Cutting Social Security sounds more like desperation to me and not a real recovery.  Bill Gross who heads up PIMCO (an investment fund with more than $1 trillion under management) recently gave a dire 2012 investment outlook.   He starts off by saying, “It’s as if the Earth now has two moons instead of one and both are growing in size like a cancerous tumor that may threaten the financial tides, oceans and economic life as we have known it for the past half century. Welcome to 2012.”    Gross thinks the world could experience big inflation or big deflation in 2012.  I think bankers would rather live with inflation than take the losses deflation will deliver.  So, I think inflation for 2012 is a lock, and that could turn into hyperinflation, but who knows about the timing of the latter.  Gross closes his outlook by saying, “The New Normal is “Sub,” “Ab,” “Para” and then some. The financial markets and global economies are at great risk.”  (Click here to read the complete Bill Gross investment outlook from PIMCO.)  Please keep in mind, this is not some nut job living in a cave in Afghanistan, but a highly respected investor and money manager.
I think the best and most succinct 2012 prediction comes from renowned investor Jim Rogers.  He says, “. . . they’re going to make us all feel better for a while” because politicians will push money printing during a big election year.  Rogers thinks what’s been going on is a “charade” and come the fall–look out!  “This is all going to end in a terrible disaster for all of us . . . by the fall of 2012 I’d be very worried.”  (Click here to see the complete interview of Rogers on the European edition of CNBC.)
The economy is clearly not headed for a real recovery, no matter how many positive reports are conjured up by the government.  The government and the MSM can mask the decline, but they can’t stop it.

Related Posts:

• False Positive Signals For The Economy
• Happy Labor Day!
• Deficit Will Grow While Economy Shrinks
• Flying Blind
• 9% Unemployment Rate is a Statistical Lie

TODAY MUST HAVE STARTED ALONG TIME AGO ? The Rats are Everywhere ?

ABC News commentator George Stephanopoulos has a previously undisclosed connection to President Obama: The two were part of a small group at Harvard University that met for a period of three years purportedly to promote involvement with U.S. community institutions.
Participants at the research project, which took place between 1997 and 2000, include scores of individuals with ties to Obama, including several activists who were later appointed to Obama administration positions. Other participants were instrumental in promoting Obama’s political career.

 

Just yesterday, Stephanopoulos was the subject of conservative criticism for pointed questions he asked Republican presidential candidates while hosting Saturday night’s New Hampshire debate.
Stephanopoulos is best known as the chief political correspondent for ABC News and the co-anchor of ABC morning news program, “Good Morning America.” He also returned last month as host of the Sunday morning news program, “This Week.”
Prior to joining ABC News, he was a senior political adviser to the 1992 U.S. presidential campaign of Bill Clinton and later served as Clinton’s White House communications director for two years.
However, an overlooked detail of Stephanopoulos’ work history is his participation alongside Obama in Harvard’s Saguaro Seminars, a long-term research project aimed at significantly increasing Americans’ connectedness to one another and to community institutions.
The project and its relationship with Obama was exposed in the recently released book, “Red Army: The Radical Network that must be defeated to save America,” by reporters Aaron Klein and Brenda J. Elliott.
Saguaro’s signature effort was the 1997-2000 dialogue “on how we can increasingly build bonds of civic trust among Americans and their communities.” The dialogue resulted in a study being published in 2000 recommending Americans participate more with community groups.
In “Red Army,” Klein and Elliott detail how the idea for the Saguaro Seminars begins with author Robert D. Putnam, who is attributed with charting the “decline of civil engagement in the USA over the last 30 years or so.”
In a January 2001 review of “Bowling Alone,” David Moberg explains at In These Times, a socialist-style magazine, that Putnam defines social capital as connections among individuals and “‘community’ adapted to a large-scale capitalist society.”
Social capital, Moberg explains, is “more abundant in small communities than in big cities, but networks that constitute social capital develop in churches, unions, PTAs, neighborhood clubs, fraternal organizations and even bowling leagues (which have declined in the United States, thus ‘Bowling Alone’).”
“[At Saguaro Seminars] we find a number of people who have either been instrumental in promoting Obama’s agenda or have used their positions of influence on his behalf,” write Klein and Elliott.
In 1992 Obama served on the founding board of Public Allies, an organization dedicated to training a cadre of community organizers. Public Allies cofounders Vanessa Kirsch and Katrina Browne, at Obama’s suggestion, interviewed his wife, Michelle Obama, to head a new Chicago office. Michelle Obama served as executive director from spring 1993 until fall 1996.
Obama left the Public Allies board when Michelle was hired, although he served on the Public Allies national board in 1997, when both he and Vanessa Kirsch participated in the Saguaro Seminars.
A second Saguaro Seminar member close to Obama is Reverend Bliss W. Browne. In December 1995, Browne’s United Imagination Network, also called Imagine Chicago, a collective of five elementary schools and one high school, was one of the first 35 school networks and their partners to receive school improvement funds from the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, or CAC.
The CAC was founded by Weatherman domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, who served as the group’s director. With Ayers, Obama served as president of the CAC board of directors from 1995 to 1999. He continued as a member of the board until 2002.

" The Citizen against the GOVERNMENT "

 

 You is one Weird looking DONKEY but I can Still WHIP YOUR ASS 

THE BEATIFUL AMERICAN " BLACK BIRD "

In April 1986, following an attack on American soldiers in a Berlin disco, President Reagan ordered the bombing of Muammar Qaddafi's terrorist camps in Libya . My duty was to fly over Libya , and take photographs recording the damage our F-111's had inflicted. Qaddafi had established a 'line of death,' a territorial marking across the Gulf of Sidra , swearing to shoot down any intruder, that crossed the boundary. On the morning of April 15, I rocketed past the line at 2,125 mph. I was piloting the SR-71 spy plane, the world's fastest jet, accompanied by a Marine Major (Walt), the aircraft's reconnaissance systems officer (RSO). We had crossed into Libya , and were approaching our final turn over the bleak desert landscape, when Walt informed me, that he was receiving missile launch signals. I quickly increased our speed, calculating the time it would take for the weapons, most likely SA-2 and SA-4 surface-to-air missiles, capable of Mach 5 - to reach our altitude. I estimated, that we could beat the rocket-powered missiles to the turn, and stayed our course, betting our lives on the plane's performance. After several agonizingly long seconds, we made the turn and blasted toward the Mediterranean .. 'You might want to pull it back,' Walt suggested. It was then that I noticed I still had the throttles full forward. The plane was flying a mile every 1.6 seconds, well above our Mach 3.2 limit.. It was the fastest we would ever fly. I pulled the throttles to idle, just south of Sicily , but we still overran the refueling tanker, awaiting us over Gibraltar ... Scores of significant aircraft have been produced, in the 100 years of flight, following the achievements of the Wright brothers, which we celebrate in December. Aircraft such as the Boeing 707, the F-86 Sabre Jet, and the P-51 Mustang, are among the important machines, that have flown our skies. But the SR-71, also known as the Blackbird, stands alone as a significant contributor to Cold War victory, and as the fastest plane ever, and only 93 Air Force pilots, ever steered the 'sled,' as we called our aircraft. The SR-71, was the brainchild of Kelly Johnson, the famed Lockheed designer, who created the P-38, the F-104 Starfighter, and the U-2. After the Soviets shot down Gary Powers U-2 in 1960, Johnson began to develop an aircraft, that would fly three miles higher, and five times faster, than the spy plane, and still be capable of photographing your license plate. However, flying at 2,000 mph would create intense heat on the aircraft's skin. Lockheed engineers used a titanium alloy, to construct more than 90 percent of the SR-71, creating special tools, and manufacturing procedures to hand-build each of the 40 planes.. Special heat-resistant fuel, oil, and hydraulic fluids, that would function at 85,000 feet, and higher, also had to be developed. In 1962, the first Blackbird successfully flew, and in 1966, the same year I graduated from high school, the Air Force began flying operational SR-71 missions. I came to the program in 1983, with a sterling record and a recommendation from my commander, completing the weeklong interview, and meeting Walt, my partner for the next four years. He would ride four feet behind me, working all the cameras, radios, and electronic jamming equipment. I joked, that if we were ever captured, he was the spy, and I was just the driver. He told me to keep the pointy end forward. We trained for a year, flying out of Beale AFB in California , Kadena Airbase in Okinawa , and RAF Mildenhall in England . On a typical training mission, we would take off near Sacramento, refuel over Nevada, accelerate into Montana, obtain a high Mach speed over Colorado , turn right over New Mexico, speed across the Los Angeles Basin, run up the West Coast, turn right at Seattle , then return to Beale. Total flight time:- Two Hours and Forty Minutes. One day, high above Arizona , we were monitoring the radio traffic, of all the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed. 'Ninety knots,' ATC replied. A Bonanza soon made the same request. 'One-twenty on the ground,' was the reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio, with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley, know what real speed was, 'Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on the ground,' ATC responded. The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walt's mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walt startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace. In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, 'Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground.' We did not hear another transmission on that frequency, all the way to the coast. < /SPAN>The Blackbird always showed us something new, each aircraft possessing its own unique personality. In time, we realized we were flying a national treasure. When we taxied out of our revetments for take-off, people took notice. Traffic congregated near the airfield fences, because everyone wanted to see, and hear the mighty SR-71. You could not be a part of this program, and not come to love the airplane. Slowly, she revealed her secrets to us, as we earned her trust.. One moonless night, while flying a routine training mission over the Pacific, I wondered what the sky would look like from 84,000 feet, if the cockpit lighting were dark. While heading home on a straight course, I slowly turned down all of the lighting, reducing the glare and revealing the night sky. Within seconds, I turned the lights back up, fearful that the jet would know, and somehow punish me. But my desire to see the sky, overruled my caution, I dimmed the lighting again. To my amazement, I saw a bright light outside my window. As my eyes adjusted to the view, I realized that the brilliance was the broad expanse of the Milky Way, now a gleaming stripe across the sky. Where dark spaces in the sky, had usually existed, there were now dense clusters, of sparkling stars. Shooting Stars, flashed across the canvas every few seconds. It was like a fireworks display with no sound. I knew I had to get my eyes back on the instruments, and reluctantly, I brought my attention back inside. To my surprise, with the cockpit lighting still off, I could see every gauge, lit by starlight. In the plane's mirrors, I could see the eerie shine of my gold spacesuit, incandescently illuminated, in a celestial glow. I stole one last glance out the window.