I wrote a previously rather nasty review at http://www.rateitall.com/i-4779-24.aspx. I really don't back down from that although I admit that I did not watch EVERY episode in the first three seasons before I wrote that review. I give 24 a three in this review as I am in a good mood today.

His area was the parts of Arkansas and Louisiana under Confederate control, Texas, and I suppose parts of the Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

His area was called "Kirby Smith's Confederacy" or "Kirby Smithdom."

Kirby Smith beat off several Union invasions and did a little invading of his own by sending Sterling Price into Missouri in 1864. The truth of the matter was that the area west of the Mississippi controlled by Kirby Smith was not that important, and it didn't make sense for the Union to expend as much effort in the area as it did.

Kirby Smith surrendered his army, the last effective field force in the Confederacy, in May, 1865, about six weeks after Lee's surrender.

Foote was wounded in the Battle of Fort Donelson in 1862. He was promoted and on his way to take command of one of the Union's blockade squadrons when he died at age 56. His early death was a serious loss to the Union Navy.

The United States fought over two dozen Indian Wars before the Civil War, and Buford learned his trade fighting in several of those wars.

When the Civil War broke out, he was rapidly promoted and commanded a division of cavalry at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg.

He is credited with choosing the battlefield and holding the line for the Union on the first day. You all saw Sam Elliott in Gettysburg playing the Buford character.

The tactics that Buford used so successfully that day were learned by him on the frontier fighting the Indians.

Buford was probably the best cavalry general in the Union Army of the Potomac, but unfortunately, he died of disease a few months after Gettysburg.

In season one, Jack Bauer's wife and daughter each get kidnapped two or three times, wife gets amnesia and gets over it, Jack gets arrested, suspended and back on the job, several gunfights take place, and all this goes on with Jack not catching any ZZZ's. This is all within 24 hours.

The outfit jack works for, a top secret outfit, is riddled with double agents. It doesn't seem to have that many people hanging around the place, but can marshal several armed combat units on a few minutes notice.

Ho hum!

Brookline, where Kennedy was born, rejected annexation by the City of Boston in the 19th Century and is an enclave of Norfolk County surrounded by other counties. This annexation battle is said by some historians to be the beginning of suburban culture in the USA. Interesting.

The imperial forces (Hapsburg Holy Roman Empire) defeated the armies of Frederick, the Winter King of Bohemia, and re-established imperial control in Central Europe. The Swedes and others would rampage in the area, but imperial control never was placed in real danger. The significance for Europe was that the Holy Roman Empire was able to stand against and finally overthrow the Mohammedan Turks who had harassed Europe since the Fourteenth Century. Had the control over Bohemia, Austria and Royal Hungary fragmented, perhaps Notre Dame in Paris would now be a mosque.

It is interesting that the youngest daughter of Frederick, the Winter King, was Sophia, Electress of Hanover. She was to be queen of England upon the death of Anne, but she died just before Anne. Her son, George I, ascended the throne. Sophia is the direct ancestor of the present Queen of England.

Obama won 52% of the vote in this district in 2008.

ORIGINAL COMMENT: This big mostly rural district is closely divided. Bush won 51% of the vote in 2004.

McHugh has won by large margins since his first election in 1992.

He was born in 1948 and is Catholic.