Hope you and yours had a happy Thanksgiving. Bear with me for posting a few days late--I've been away from a computer the past couple of days.

Thanks for airing the interview with the Times-Picayune editor Wednesday night. I have the same concern he has--that only seeing the tourist areas of NOLA that are in good shape will obscure from many Americans the fact that the rest of the city is still recovering and needs help, now that media attention has been down.

Also, that story of the pets rescued from Lebanon was heart-warming. God bless everyone who helped find new, safe, loving homes. I often wonder how Katrina pets have been doing since you don't see so much about them lately.

And last but not least, since there isn't a separate entry for Thanksgiving's newscast, I'd like to thank NBC Nightly for airing Campbell Brown's beautiful piece on the "Picture Project." That's one of the most inspiring, uplifting stories I've ever seen.

RE: Dogs of War...

Thank you NBC & John Larson for a very informative story on the dogs and cats brought from Lebanon to Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. And the answer is YES - the dogs and cats are available for adoption and are all looking for loving new homes. If you are interested in adopting - please visit their website at bestfriends.org for all the information on how to adopt one of the cats or dogs and find out more about Best Friends... Happy Holidays!

For your "What Works" series, you may wish to consider an acoustic surveillance system that listens for and then triangulates the sound of urban gun shots and alerts the police automatically. I believe they have this in LA along with a camera system that automatically turns on and looks in the direction of the shot!

Heck, I personally think that all police cars and ambulances should be lightly armored and even amphibious. Did you hear how they have to stop responding to calls during a hurricane when the wind reaches only 45 mph? An armored vehicle could stay out right through the storm! It is just not proportional to put so much performance into vehicles that are so limited and so vulnerable. Such vehicles would have allowed New Orleans police to stay out without fear of being shot at during the aftermath of Katrina, too.

Yeah for the puppies! Thanks for the updates on the animals of war. Those animals are so innocent and deserve the best. Can we adopt them too? And yes, I realize there are many, many shelter dogs here that need help, but these animals are extra special too.

Happy Thanksgiving, Brian. As usual, you are a wonderful addition to my evening news.

I want to thank you for the great update on the "Dogs of War" segment. It warmed my heart to see all those Lebanese pets finding new life and families here in the U.S. Very heartwarming!

Dear Mr. or Mrs. NoName, NoeMail, NoCity & NoState..

With a profile like that, best that you remain hidden.

Freedom of speech does not give one the right to holler "FIRE" in a theater.

Likewise, freedom of speech does not give you freedom to discuss things like hijacking in an airport, and it is posted as such.

Simarilarly, freedom of religion does not allow me to bring snakes into an airport so I can pray properly with my fellow snake handlers. The holly rollers would similarly be escorted off the premise if they began to exercise their religious preferences in public.

In my opinion then, any overt religious expression which may be upsetting to those in the immediate area, does not then constitute freedom of religion, but may constitute intimidation.

Most profilers would agree, that profiling is nothing more that noticing something out of the ordinary, or not something familiar to the surroundings. A number of Muslims praying to their God as the board an airplane is out of the ordinary, and deserves reporting and follow-up by the appropriate authorities.

I'm not talking about silent meditation, I'm talking overt religious expressions. Your freedom of religion does not trump my freedom to feel safe and secure in, on, or about a public conveyance..

Dick,

Ever heard of a little thing called freedom of religion? Many Muslims must face Mecca to pray five times a day as a part of their faith. Anyone should have the right to pray in a venue that they choose -- part of what makes this country great is that we cannot restrict one's right to do this. Likewise, I am glad I'm not forced to pray in school, work, etc. We have the right to choose.

Why are we as a society so quick to criticize, what has worked so well in the past.. What I'm referring to is profiling.. What's wrong with profiling.

A persons skin color, height, weight, and what they are wearing or even driving are all part of distinguishing characteristics reported every night on my local news as the police detail someone wanted in the area for some crime. So...Again, what's wrong with profiling. Profiling in my opinion is a natural defense mechanism, and I think it keeps many of us out of harms way..

I'll tell you right now, if I see a Muslim or worse yet, a group of Muslims, beginning to pray together as they board a plane, It's for damn sure I'll report it, and I fully expect someone in authority to take notice. Praying in an airport is a suspicious act, in the same way someone talking about hijacking a plane would be considered suspicious. Lets get real

We all know how the masked person is up to no good, so I feel the same about the Muslim women who wear the full head and face garb. Scares the hell of me in much the same way someone wearing a fully hooded sweatshirt inside a heated mall.

Want to pray ? Go to your church or synagogue, or masque, not the airport or a bank..

Brian,

I saw the Charlie Rose interview, and was impressed with how down to earth you seemed. I grew up not too far from you, in Middletown, NY, so I get it too about NASCAR. Thanks for the Blog; it's good to get a peek behind the curtain every now and then

Regards,

PEM