A former Wall Street executive, Peter Salem, left prison and headed for the small town of Bunker Hill, Kansas, where his ex-wife and their children had started a new life, alongside a powerful local leader, Jim McLain. Bunker Hill is in Russell County in the central plains of western Kansas. The town's humble population numbers 101 citizens, according to the most recent federal census.

Soon after Salem arrived in town, all electric power went down. In short order, gasoline supplies were used up and new fuel deliveries never came. Energy was no longer available. Without outside communication, community leaders and the town sheriff were at a loss to explain what had happened.

Is it the rapture? A massive terrorist attack? Aliens? Cut off from the world, the town's historic "wild west" militant past quickly reawakened and new forces coalesced to protect Bunker Hill citizens from its unseen enemy - one represented to some by Mr. Farook, an elderly Pakistani immigrant who owns the local convenience store. The town's fear led to the creation of a posse of gunmen headed by McLain's brother Delmar. All of this resulted in torture, illegal searches and eventually murder.

Next month, the Kansas Governor is going to Washington D.C. to talk with people about this.

It began to occur to me if I'm going to write you while I'm still in the 319th Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment, I'd better start. One of my three roommates is home packing up her things today - washed out, she is. Had her Army check ride yesterday, and the Lieutenant recommended for her elimination. I'll be having my next Army ride any day now, so maybe I'll be packing up too...

In honor of Memorial Day, please allow me to re-introduce you to this remarkable woman.

Too many young men and women have died or have been maimed in this horrific war. We owe it to them to take a good hard look at the facts. (Senator Robert Byrd)

Many years after the Vietnam War, "The Wall" was built in Washington DC to remember the fallen of that war. Slowly, over the years, people have become acquainted with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the over 58,000 names of Americans inscribed there. For the last twenty years or so, visitors have continually left mementos at The Wall and taken rubbings of its names.

Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, hundreds of Internet sites offer new ways to remember, honor or simply learn about casualties. Numerous sites have been created to memorialize individual loved ones. Some are simple MySpace pages, while others are more elaborate or interactive. Usually created by family or friends, these individualized digital monuments may include eulogies, notes of condolence, photos, or multimedia recordings.

A few ambitious sites track trends or maintain huge lists of the war casualties...

In an unprecedented move, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) will embed correspondents from 55 blogs with conventions delegates during the upcoming historic four-day event in Denver, providing even greater access for coverage and perspective. More than 2,000 applications were received from blogs across the U.S. and multiple territories. This site is honored to be among the 55 blogs chosen to be embedded with the state delegations!

Obama has won eleven contests in a row but Hillary Clinton is fighting back hard. With Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton locked in a close contest in Texas, both candidates are going to have to pull out all the stops to get the most boots on the ground and voters to the polls.

For the Obama and Clinton campaign staffers, today is sure to be a nail-biter. Plus, there's the unknown factor of the late decider surge. Voting continues to be extremely robust in the Lone Star state. Plenty of voters in the big state are likely to be out doing the last-minute decision-making. How many voters just made up their minds today? Are the campaigns working hard to snatch the last minute deciders?

How are they using the new online space to mobilize voters? I went undercover today to figure this out...

More and more American workers are losing their health coverage in the workplace as employers increasingly refuse to offer it. The Americans most likely to go without insurance now are those earning less than $46,650 a year and the majority of these are fully employed. Most Americans don't buy health insurance if they don't get it at work, regardless of how much they earn.

Four out of five of "uninsured" Americans are employed. Either they are not being offered group health insurance through their employer (the most prevalent problem) or the premiums offered through their employers are priced higher than these employees can afford (this is the smaller group).

The greatest number of uninsured Americans are working and are not offered any group coverage through their jobs. Thus, their choices for health care coverage are very limited. Unable to qualify for group insurance, these working Americans must look to the "non-group insurance" market for their purchases.

Who are these people? Why are these Americans not buying the non-group policies?

In my state of Kansas, Barack Obama won the lion share of delegates. But, you know what, it wasn't the Obama supporters that won tonight. It wasn't just the youth, who came out in record numbers. It wasn't only the senior citizens that ignored their fears of driving in the dark or on icy roads. It wasn't even the Democrats, whose night this was.

The winners tonight in Kansas were all the everyday citizens that braved blowing snow to make it to their caucus locations. Many traveled many miles down ice covered roadways, slipping and sliding all the way. A few hours later as they headed home, they found the snow still falling and their cars completely covered. Windshield wipers stuck to windshields. Roads even more slippery than before. Yet, they were smiling!

All those who came were heros. Magnificent everyday citizens declaring their preferences and exercising their rights. Such great triumph after so many years of discouragement.

Just for tonight, let's not make it about Obama or Clinton or McCain or Huckabee. Tonight, this triumph belongs to people like the ones in these pictures. Follow me! Let me introduce you to a few...

I really enjoy MLK's birthday week because we become re-acquainted with so many of the wise and timeless guidances he left us with. Forty years later, the words he spoke, below, seem even more relevant today:

"And I say to you today, that if our nation can spend thirty-five billion dollars a year to fight an unjust, evil war in Vietnam, and twenty billion dollars to put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of dollars to put God's children on their own two feet right here on earth."

(Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

As health care generates debate in this year's presidential campaign, about 68 percent of Americans say individuals should be required to have medical insurance, with government help for those who cannot afford it, a survey released on Tuesday found.

According to the survey by The Commonwealth Fund, an independent foundation, health insurance mandates are supported by 80 percent of Democrats, 52 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of Independents.

The group also points out that while all leading Democratic and Republican candidates want to expand health coverage through the private insurance market, there were several key differences...

The first day of a new year! Like a good southern girl, I've had my black eyed peas for good luck. I made them the hearty Texas way too - with ham hocks, onions, red chili, cumin, garlic, jalapeños and crusty slices of homemade yellow cornbread on the side.

Though I tend to avoid New Year's resolutions (probably because I've had sort of a hit or miss track record of following through on some of the loftier ones over the years), I have nonetheless taken some time today to make a gratitude list, to look forward, and to contemplate the promises that this new year holds.

I'm feeling renewed and deeply optimistic about our nation and our world.