Sad State of Affairs

Anyone want to purchase a vacation home in Detroit city limits?

Go to the Wayne County auction site here and look at houses selling for a couple of G's

Firestarters

I have the privilege of being in a men's Bible study group with some rock solid dudes. We are currently reading a great book, and I wanted to share the premise with you all, the blog readers. It is called "Choosing to Cheat" and is written by Andy Stanley. (Click on the title and you will be taken to the Amazon page to purchase it)

And while I have learned a lot from the book, I have also learned a lot from the other men, hearing their personal stories on how they thrive or fail on "cheating" their families.

In our society these days it becomes very easy to become busy with many different things, sometimes, in the end, it is our family that suffers.

As a matter of fact, in a conversation a couple of weeks ago Bon was talking to a gentlemen who said "your children should be your number one ministry." That really hit home for me, and I have taken a little different perspective with Reese, and have come to realize that her spiritual growth and well-being needs to be my highest priority.

I think the summary from Amazon gives some good insight into the book and would recommend it to everyone:

Book Description
Work. Family. Church. Hobbies. Fitness. Housekeeping. Socializing. Sleep. With only 24 hours in each day, we simply can't fit everything in. And what we choose to cheat is a clear announcement of our values. When you come home an hour earlier, miss a round of golf, or let the dishes sit while you play with your child, you make your family feel valued and secure. Bestselling author Andy Stanley helps you restore your vision of what really matters - and guides you in making courageous decisions about your time.

Who are you cheating?

You love your family. You love the challenges of your job. But there’s not enough of you to go around. Somebody isn’t getting as much of your attention as they want or deserve.

This little book presents a strategic plan for resolving the tension between work and home—reversing the destructive pattern of giving to your company and career what belongs to your family.

But be forewarned...you will have to cheat.

Story Behind the Book

Andy has spent hundreds of hours with men and women who have cheated their families for the sake of their career goals. They all admitted knowing there was a problem. This is not a struggle relegated to some diminutive segment of society. We all wrestle with the tension between work and family. Regardless of which side of the equation you are on, you know what it is like to deal with the endless cycle of guilt, anger, jealousy, and rejection. But there is a solution. Strangely enough, the solution is similar to the problem. Both involve cheating. Simply put, you must choose to cheat at work rather than at home.

Great Story

$500 'tip' pays for her prom

THE ENQUIRER

Needing money to help pay for her senior prom, 18-year-old Kelsey Tolliver was selling newspapers on Easter Sunday inside University Hospital.

That’s when she got an Easter gift and her prom wishes fulfilled by a stranger.

“Some man walked up to me, smiled, told me Happy Easter and to keep the change,” Tolliver said today.

She looked down and believed the man gave her $4 for the $1.50 Sunday newspaper, an amount she considered “a pretty good tip.”

After a moment, though, the bills felt too thick to be just four $1 bills.

She counted it – and lost her breath.

In addition to the smile and Easter greetings, the man had given her $500 in $20 bills and the four $1 bills.

“By the time I looked up, he was gone,” Tolliver said from her mom’s Springfield Township home.

“I really didn’t know what to do. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t do that because I was selling newspapers and that would look bad. I wanted to scream but that would look bad, too.”

Tolliver is staying at her mom’s Springfield Township home this week because her school is on spring break.

She usually lives with her dad in Patriot, Ind., about 60 miles away. She attends Switzerland County Senior High.

Tolliver can’t imagine why the man – described as white with light brown hair, about 6 feet tall and in his mid-20s – would give her that much money.

“He didn’t look like he worked at the hospital. I’m guessing he was a visitor,” Tolliver said.

She’d never seen the man before – and hasn’t since.

She said she gave half of the money to her stepdad and used the rest to pay for her dress and other items for the April 12 prom at General Butler State Park in Carrollton, Ky.

“I already had my prom dress in layaway and I only owed $80 on it,” Tolliver said. “I went yesterday (Monday) and got it out.”

In addition to the $120 red dress, Tolliver also used the money to help pay for her silver shoes, purse and other accessories as well as for her share of the limo ride. She and eight or nine friends are attending the prom as a group.

“I just want to thank this guy. Bless his heart,” she said.

Easter Weekend

This is my princess in her Easter threads yesterday.

Unbelievably big ups to a couple of our great friends who treated us to an amazing dinner Saturday night. Thank you very much, we had a phenomenal time.

Congrats go out to a couple of the friends of Heat Stadium, T-Bone, aka Trent, and Chuck, who were both baptized yesterday.

I am currently beating Bon on our brackets, scoring 10 of the Sweet 16, including WVU and Huggs! Saw on ESPN this morning that of over 3 million entries they received for their contest only 2 had predicted all of the Sweet 16 correctly.

Look out Series 7 and CPA exam, you are now under radar lock...

I am legal

I just passed my Loan Officer exam, and can now legally service your mortgage needs...

Poor girl...

Wednesday night at about 10:30 as I was closing up shop on studying for the LO exam for the night, Reese sat up in bed and vomited all over the place.

With Bonnie needing her rest, I stayed up with my baby girl all night. Bon may have squeezed out a couple of hours, so her night was not a cakewalk either.

It was one of those nights I will never forget. The way she looked up at me so helplessly, wanting to hold and hug me while she was in the midst of a vomiting fit. She even has some busted blood vessels in her face from the episodes, so sad. She was finally able to keep a little bit down yesterday, and slept thru the night last night. She is very lethargic this morning, definitely not the normal Reese, but is much better.

A funny story about the spirit of my girl, in the midst of all this she asked to watch Shrek 2. During the scene where he storms the castle at the end and they are singing "I need a hero", she was able to stand up and bust out about a 15 second dance routine.

Have a great Easter everyone!

Peace out...

Pure Joy

What you don't realize from this picture is that she is moving at about 20 mph, with a wicked powerful workhorse pulling her thru the snow!

Big News

Some of you may have noticed the numeral 3 that sits to the left of the blog in my personal profile and talks a little bit about who we are.

Well, sometime around September 28th, that image will be replaced with the numeral 4.

Bonnie and I are expecting child number two, and could not be happier.

We will be finding out the sex of the baby in mid-May. Reese will be a great big sister!

"Let's spread this love like dandelions"- TobyMac

Bread, Euchre, and Good times...

What a rock solid weekend that was.

It all started Friday after work, grabbing some grub and beers with Squibb. From there I met up with Bon and a group of our friends to hang out for a couple of hours at Panera, which was awesome. You know, having friends that are not afraid to spit truth and share is really what it is all about.

Friday night was also the debut of Lauren as Reese's sitter. She was phenomenal, and it sounds like they had a great time. Lauren was on the Chrysalis weekend that Bon had a chance to serve on, and Bon absolutely loves her. I have a feeling she will be getting a fair amount of calls from us.

Saturday morning, Mom got a chance to come in for a visit. We celebrated her birthday a day late with some lunch at the Olive Garden. And, um, Reese likes their bread sticks a little bit, she was crushing.

Saturday night Bon and I hit up a euchre tourney with some old friends from Lebanon. I seriously think Bon laughed non-stop for 3 and a half hours.

One of the things that is extremely satisfying and brings Bon and I peace is the fact that both nights Reese did not fuss, never cried, went right to bed and behaved well for Mom and Lauren. In fact, as Bon and I were leaving Saturday night she says, "Bye Mommy, bye Daddy," and shut the door with authority as she ran back to play. Bonnie is a tremendous mother, and I am amazed almost everyday on what she is teaching Reese.

And if that was not enough, Momma rolled with us to 4 Corners yesterday. It meant a lot that she came, now she can get a mental picture of the church we talk so much about. She met some of our friends as well. Thanks for coming Mom!

Great story by my boy Beck

Glenn Beck: Too bad, Michigan and Florida

By Glenn Beck
CNN

Editor's note: "Glenn Beck" is on Headline News nightly at 7 and 9 ET.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- What do these stories all have in common?

• A woman who says she lost more $1 million gambling in Atlantic City sues some casinos for $20 million, claiming they should've stopped her compulsive gambling.
• People who bought houses they couldn't afford with loans they didn't understand want their lenders to change the terms.
• Congress authorizes a war and then tries everything it can think of to get out of it.
• Our country gets addicted to oil and then blames OPEC when it doesn't like the price.

These stories prove how personal responsibility has all but vanished in America, and our government is leading the way.

Remember the kid from that interminable 1980s commercial whose father caught him using drugs? The father incredulously asked, "Who taught you how to do this stuff?" and the kid responded, "You, alright? I learned it by watching you."

Well, we are that kid and our government is that drug-using father who doesn't think that anyone notices his bad habits.

Our government is leading us by example, and I don't mean that in a good way. For years, it has spent us into oblivion, mortgaging our future for programs we can't afford, and Americans have happily followed suit, running up credit card bills and home equity loans for things they never should've bought.

Unfortunately, we're also learning something else from our government: how to avoid taking responsibility for our actions.

From Eliot Spitzer's alleged hooker craze to the revelation that Arnold Schwarzenegger commutes to work in a large private jet even as he preaches the dangers of carbon dioxide emissions, there's never been a shortage of "do what I say, not what I do" hypocrites in politics.

But that same attitude has seemingly spread from individual politicians to an entire party.

Democrats aren't happy that delegates from Florida and Michigan won't be seated at the national convention because those states broke clear party rules. Well you know what? Too bad. We don't say that enough anymore. Too bad. You agreed to the rules; you broke them. Now you've got to deal with the consequences.

"But Glenn. ... Neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama will have enough delegates to win the nomination. We don't want this to be decided in some backroom by superdelegates."

Too bad.

"But Glenn. ... You don't understand. If we don't seat delegates from those states now, then we might lose their votes in the general election."

Too bad.

"But Glenn. .... The voters in these states are going to be disenfranchised if we don't let their voices be heard."

Too bad.

If you want to talk about disenfranchised voters, then let's talk about why just 17 percent of Americans have a positive view of Congress. Let's talk about why we still have wide open borders despite most Americans wanting them sealed. Let's talk about why we keep selling out our sovereignty and our security by borrowing billions of dollars from-less-than friendly countries, such as China.

Americans aren't disenfranchised because our leaders won't count votes in a couple of states. They're disenfranchised because our leaders aren't doing their jobs. They're disenfranchised because after working hard to support their families and to raise kids who understand the difference between right and wrong, their leaders do exactly the opposite.

In the cases of Florida and Michigan, I've patiently listened to all the moving arguments about why there should be a "do-over," but quite honestly, they're not arguments at all. They're excuses. If this race wasn't so close, or if these states offered a combined 36 delegates instead of 366, do you really think anyone would care? Of course not.

But no matter what you think should happen, you have to admit that Clinton's idea that we should simply count her "wins" in Florida and Michigan is completely ridiculous.

In fact, if you played a rimshot and a laugh track behind her every time she recited that line, people might actually agree to a two-drink minimum to see her speak. How could you possibly count the results from an election when your main opponent wasn't even on the ballot (at least in Michigan)? You can't -- unless you think the rules are simply there for your own amusement.

Last year, when the punishment against Florida was first approved, Donna Brazile, a member of the Democratic National Committee rules panel, said she hoped that the harsh consequences would "send a message to everybody in Florida that we are going to follow the rules." And Brazile knows a little something about that ... she ran Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000.

Voters in Florida and Michigan should ask themselves one important question before they blindly follow their party: Why did no one seem to care about "alienating" them last year when the rules were intentionally broken? It's only now, when their vote really matters, that everyone is suddenly so concerned about "enfranchising" them.

Florida and Michigan have a golden opportunity to stand up and say enough is enough, to send a message that it's time to not only take responsibility for their actions but for those of our leaders as well.

After all, what would it say about personal responsibility in this country if we allow the two states that broke all the rules to end up having the biggest say of all?

9 Days???

Has it really been 9 days since I last posted? Yikes!

Well, we survived the white death during that time, we have some cool photos of Reese getting pulled down the hill on her sled. I will try and get those posted soon.

March is my family's dominant birthday month.

Happy belated to my beautiful wife, who turned 31 this past Sunday.

Today is Rhino's birthday, and tomorrow is my wonderful Momma's. She is coming down for the weekend and spending some time with us, which will be awesome!

Things are nuts at work right now, gotta run!

Peace

Happy Election Day!

Isn't America great?

I have cast my votes this morning, including a vote for Mitt Romney. Yeah, I get that he cannot win, but he is my choice, so he still gets the vote. At least when I see the final returns and Mitt has at least one vote, I will be proud of it.

In addition, I am such a sucker, the young lady asked if I would like to work at the polling site in future elections and I said, "Of course!". So she took my contact information.

Have fun everyone!

Weekly Update

• Visit with $-Braine was awesome, it was too short though. I also realized how much it sucks driving back and forth to Columbus twice in 3 days...
• He really enjoyed 4 Corners, and hopes he can find a similar church in the Radford/Blacksburg area once he moves in a couple of weeks...
• I take my Loan Officer exam today...
• Thoughts and prayers are with my sister-in-law, Funk-E, who is recovering from some surgery earlier this week...
• XM is officially the bomb, I listened to Glenn Beck, Dave Ramsey and the Indians spring training game yesterday...
• Last night I began the process of finally getting the office organized and completed...

That is really all that is up right now, have a great weekend everyone...

Our Rage Against Conformity Continues, this is unreal...

American Academy of Pediatrics Unleashes Hysterical Attack on Fictional Television Show about Vaccine / Autism Link

By: Mike AdamsSource: http://www.newstarget.comFebruary 1, 2008

(NaturalNews) The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has gone ballistic over a fictional television program airing on ABC that shows a family successfully suing a vaccine manufacturer for their child's autism. Not satisfied to push dangerous vaccines onto children in the real world, the AAP now feels it must also control the thoughts and ideas of people living in fictional worlds by pressuring television networks to censor their programming. Only television shows that conform to the pro-chemical, pro-pharmaceutical, pro-vaccine point of view will be tolerated by the AAP, it seems. A letter signed by AAP President Renee Jenkins warns ABC that it will "will bear responsibility for the needless suffering and potential deaths of children from parents' decisions not to immunize based on the content of the episode." This is tantamount to saying that ABC's television program will kill children! The AAP letter goes on to state the usual conventional medicine propaganda line that there is "no evidence" of any link between vaccines and autism. Of course, that's only true if you limit your "evidence" to whatever dogmatic beliefs are currently being circulated in the minds of the promoters of western medicine. To these doctors, there's no such thing as a dangerous injection, drug or synthetic chemical! It's all safe for children: Mercury fillings, chemical fluoridation of water supplies, 37 different vaccine injections, antibacterial soap in children's toothpaste... need I go on? The American Academy of Pediatrics seemingly hasn't met a corporate-sponsored chemical it didn't like. How vaccines harm children -- even when they work! The vaccine-pushing doctors in this country would also like to take credit for "saving the lives of children" by protecting them from diseases like the measles, mumps and chicken pox. And yet, even here their logic is flawed: Vaccinating children against these non-fatal diseases actually weakens the immune system, denying it the ability to expand its function via an adaptive response to the chicken pox, for example. Vaccines actually impair future immune function, causing that child to be increasingly susceptible to future infectious diseases. A truly healthy child is one whose health is supported through wise nutritional therapies and is exposed to the live chicken pox virus. After a few days of uncomfortable symptoms, the immune system "learns" to overcome the infection, and by doing so, it expands its ability to more strongly protect the body from future infections. Vaccines deny the child this experience, handing them a dead chicken pox virus combined with a stew of toxic chemicals. The result? An immune system that learns very little. It's like giving a child the answers to a math test before he takes the test, and then declaring him to be a brilliant math student when he gets an "A". Pharmaceutical-trained physicians don't understand (or even acknowledge) the important role of the immune system in experiencing and overcoming infectious disease, and they think that all health must be accomplished through intervention. Essentially, modern doctors don't trust Mother Nature, and they have no faith in the ability of the body to keep itself healthy. They do trust, however, in Big Pharma's chemicals, and they believe that virtually no chemical is too dangerous to inject or implant into the bodies of children. Notice, for example, that most pediatricians don't even speak out against the toxic mercury used in dental fillings? To them, mercury is perfectly safe to put into the mouths of children. So why on Earth would we expect these people to be alarmed over mercury being injected into the bodies of those same children? By the way, in support of this article, I have included (below) a list of selected quotes about vaccines and autism, including a quote from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who investigated the U.S. government's collusion with Big Pharma in covering up the truth about vaccines: "There's no doubt in my mind that maybe two years from now or five years from now or ten years from now, we are going to find out what we know intuitively, that thimerosal, the mercury in the vaccines, absolutely causes autism and other learning disabilities." -- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Studies of autistic children have frequently shown very high levels of mercury, with no other source but vaccines found for the exposure. These levels are equal to those seen in adults during toxic industrial exposures. Several autism clinics have found dramatic improvements in the behavior and social interactions in children from whom the mercury was chelated. Results depended on how soon the mercury was removed following exposure, but permanent damage can be caused if the metal is not chelated soon enough. - Russell L. Blaylock, M.D., Health and Nutrition Secrets (Health Press, 2006) Since the 1990s, there has been a tenfold or 1000-percent increase in autism, an increase which has been linked by some researchers to the organic mercury preservative commonly found in baby vaccines. A greatly increased incidence of juvenile diabetes has been correlated to specific vaccination sequences and to the number of vaccines given. In some Australian Aboriginal communities, every second child died shortly after vaccination. - Walter Last, The Natural Way to Heal: 65 Ways to Create Superior Health (Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 2003) The first reported case of autism occurred after thimerosal, a preservative for immunizations, was added to vaccines. Since then, the incidence of autism has increased at an alarming rate. Thimerosal is not a necessary additive and is toxic to the human body, yet it has been used for years. And although thimerosal has been phased out of childhood vaccines, the vast majority of flu shots given to children and adults still contain it, and it is believed that many pediatricians are still using unexpired vials of thimerosal-containing vaccines. - KC Craichy, Super Health 7 Golden Keys to Unlock Lifelong Vitality (Bronze Bow Publishing, 2005) Alan Cohen, an environmental physician from Connecticut, notes that high levels of autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD) did not occur until the mandatory use of childhood vaccinations, and suggests that there may be a connection between certain vaccines and the onset of these conditions. Antibiotic overuse can lead to an inability to properly digest nutrients, known as malabsorption syndrome. What happens is that antibiotics destroy healthy bacteria in the gut, with a concomitant proliferation of yeast. - Gary Null, Ph.D., The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing: A Comprehensive A-Z Listing of Common and Chronic Illnesses and Their Proven Natural Treatments (Bottom Line Books, 2001) At the same time, the amount of mercury-laced vaccines, which have been proven to produce autism and other learning disabilities, was dramatically increased. Schools were given $500 per month per child that was on Ritalin®, Prozac, or some other psychiatric prescribed drug. The combination of taking phonics out of the schools together with increasing the amount of drugs being forced on our children created a dumbing down and demotivating of our youth. This produces a less intelligent, less motivated populace much more susceptible to advertising campaigns produced by drug companies and fast food companies. - Kevin Trudeau, More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease (Alliance Publishing Group, Inc., 2006) Some believe that the mercury compound used in some vaccines is to blame. In addition, there is often a history of frequent ear infections with much antibiotic use. Some believe that an overuse of antibiotics has killed off the friendly intestinal bacteria, leaving the gut vulnerable to the antibiotic-resistant, neurotoxin-producing bacterium Clostridium. - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements (AVERY, 2006) Another challenge is convincing parents of the importance of vaccines. A 1998 article cited studies of 12 children who had pervasive developmental disorder, primarily autism. The parents and doctors of eight of the children said this began after they received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. - Bottom Line Health, Bottom Line's Health Breakthroughs 2007 (Bottom Line Books, 2007) Read this Rolling Stones article: "Deadly Immunity" http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7395411/deadly_immunity/

I suck

So the visit to the dentist was o.k...

They are GREAT people, if you are looking for a dentist in the Cincy area I recommend you check them out, Cedar Village Dentistry, visit their website HERE.

The bad news is that due to my gross negligence of visiting a dentist, I have to get a fair amount of work done. I am embarrassed to put into print how long I have gone without visiting a dentist.

This is going to put my mouth on sensitive status for pretty much the entire month of March, and cost us a nice chunk of dinero. I will be glad when the process is over and I go move on and become a functional visitor of Dr. Rae every six months.

$-Braine arrives in 22 hours...

Welcome to the Blog World Bro!

Ladies and Gentlemen you will now see a link to my little bro's new blog to the left, listed under"Jum". Most of you know how I roll with nicknames, his given name is Justin, and my sister-in-law is Katie. You can learn all about Army life in Fairbanks, Alaska.

I am facing one of my biggest fears today, a visit to the dentist. I strongly dislike being a patient in any medical profession, except maybe getting a good crack from my favorite chiropractor, Dr. Rhino. Let me be clear, the ONLY reason I am doing this is for my girls. If I were a single guy wasting away on gambling and pizza, I would have no desire to maintain personal hygiene.

Happy Birthday Godfather!

Reese has a new expression, "Daddy, I have an idea..." while holding up her index finger

48 hours until my big brother, $-Braine, rolls into the Queen City. We plan on hitting up a gun show while he is here, so stay tuned...

Scary

Please watch this 10 minute clip about our economy and the future, wow...

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/02/19/gb.america.fiscal.crisis.cnn

Week 2

By request of some of the out of town blog readers, here is Ben knocking it out of the park Sunday.


ENOUGH :: Money Myths from Ryan Hartsock on Vimeo.

It is finished...

I have completed the work on my MBA program a little early. I am still a little numb to be honest with you. Relief, fatigue, appreciation, and humility are all swarming inside me right now. I cannot put into words how much Bonnie has meant to this process. In all seriousness, I believe her name should be on the diploma as well. She has sacrificed so much, and although I would never of thought it was possible, I love her so much more today than I did the day we got married over eight years ago. Not just for this, but the numerous ways she proves to be self-less for Reese and I.

The excitement of the conclusion was just the tip of the iceberg this weekend. Ben was absolutely phenomenal, anyone who was visiting 4 Corners for the first time got a great representation of Ben and what we are all about.

We had some more potty success with Reese, and while it is a process, she has done outstanding thus far! M&M's and ring pops can be quite motivational...

Last night we attended a Chrysalis service and had a great time in worship as 28 young men go through a weekend they will never forget.

Anyway, guess it is time to build a list of things to do since I have just freed up about 10-12 hours a week of my time.

Peace out...

Where's Bruce Willis?

Pentagon Plans to Shoot Down Failing Satellite

Thursday , February 14, 2008

WASHINGTON —

The Pentagon, under orders from President Bush, is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite expected to hit the Earth in early March, the White House said Thursday.

U.S. officials said that the option preferred by the administration will be to fire a missile from a U.S. Navy cruiser, and shoot down the satellite before it enters Earth's atmosphere.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said that Bush made his decision during the past week and asked experts to come up with a way to destoy the satellite.

• Click here to visit FOXNews.com's Space Center.

He made the decision to shoot it down because the satellite was carrying the rocket fuel hydrazine, Perino said.

Initally the administration believed that the danger from the falling satellite did not pose a large problem, but decided it was best to shoot it down when experts decided that the unused hydrazine did pose a danger.

Asked about the matter, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "We have been looking at ways to mitigate the possible risk to human lives and to demonstrate our continuing commitment to safe and responsible space operations."

The disabled satellite is expected to hit the Earth the first week of March. Officials said the Navy would likely shoot it down before then, using a special missile modified for the task.

Other details about the missile and the targeting were not immediately available. But the decision involves several U.S. agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.

One of the main goals of the satellite's destruction is to prevent any sensitive equipment from falling into the wrong hands.

"We are worried about something showing up on e-Bay," defense and intelligence expert John Pike said, adding that breaking up the satellite's pieces lessens the chance that sensitive U.S. technology could wind up in Chinese hands.

"What they have to be worried about is that a souvenir collector is going to find some piece, put it on e-Bay and the Chinese buy it," said Pike, who is director of the defense research group GlobalSecurity.org.

"The Chinese and the Russians spend an enormous amount of time trying to steal American technology," Pike said last week. "To have our most sophisticated radar intelligence satellite — have big pieces of it fall into their hands — would not be our preferred outcome."

The State Department declined to comment on the plan ahead of the Pentagon announcement, but said its role in such a scenario would be to inform foreign governments that the action was not hostile in nature.

"You want to make sure that everybody understands exactly what actions are being taken so there are no misunderstandings and misperceptions and also to reassure people vis-a-vis treaty obligations," spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

Shooting down a satellite is particularly sensitive because of the controversy surrounding China's anti-satellite test last year, when Beijing shot down one of its defunct weather satellites, drawing immediate criticism from the U.S. and other countries.

A key concern at that time was the debris created by Chinese satellite's destruction — and that will also be a focus now, as the U.S. determines exactly when and under what circumstances to shoot down its errant satellite.

The military will have to choose a time and a location that will avoid to the greatest degree any damage to other satellites in the sky.

Also, there is the possibility that large pieces could remain, and either stay in orbit where they can collide with other satellites or possibly fall to Earth.

It is not known where the satellite will hit. But officials familiar with the situation say about half of the 5,000-pound spacecraft is expected to survive its blazing descent through the atmosphere and will scatter debris — some of it potentially hazardous — over several hundred miles.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Short-term exposure to hydrazine could cause coughing, irritated throat and lungs, convulsions, tremors or seizures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Long-term exposure could damage the liver, kidney and reproductive organs.

Where the satellite would land would be difficult to predict until it descends to about 59 miles above the Earth and enters the atmosphere.

It would then begin to burn up, with flares visible from the ground, said Ted Molczan, a Canadian satellite tracker. From that point on, he said, it would take about 30 minutes to fall.

The satellite is outfitted with thrusters — small engines used to position it in space. They contain the toxic rocket fuel hydrazine, which can cause harm to anyone who contacts it. Officials have said there are about 1,000 pounds of propellant on the satellite.

Known by its military designation US 193, the satellite was launched in December 2006. It lost power and its central computer failed almost immediately afterward, leaving it uncontrollable. It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor.

The military's Ballistic Missile Defense System, known as "Sea-Based Midcourse," could destroy the satellite just as it begins to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, said James Lewis, a satellite expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, a conservative think-tank.

That would undercut any international criticism of a "war in space," Lewis said, and reframe it as a ballistic missile defense exercise.

He said it could also avoid the problem of creating a large debris field of satellite pieces that would continue to orbit.

The goal, said Lewis, would be to explode the satellite into small pieces that would mostly burn up as they re-enter the atmosphere.

In the past 50 years, about 17,000 man-made objects have re-entered the Earth's atmosphere.

The largest uncontrolled re-entry by a NASA spacecraft was Skylab, the 78-ton abandoned space station that fell from orbit in 1979. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia.

In 2000, NASA engineers successfully directed a safe de-orbit of the 17-ton Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, using rockets aboard the satellite to bring it down in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

In 2002, officials believe debris from a 7,000-pound science satellite smacked into the Earth's atmosphere and rained down over the Persian Gulf, a few thousand miles from where they first predicted it would plummet.