We pray.

We hold our breath.

And now we wait to hear if the child’s body found in Orlando is the remains of Caylee Anthony, America’s little girl lost.

Here’s a snip:

ORLANDO, Fla. - The skeletal remains of a small child were found Thursday in woods less than a half-mile from the Orlando home of a missing 3-year-old girl, but officials could not immediately say whether they belonged to the toddler.

A utility worker found the body in the outlying middle-class suburb about 9:30 a.m., Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Solomons said. There was nothing that immediately indicated that the remains were the body of Caylee Anthony, he said.

Caylee’s mother, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, insists that she left the girl with a baby sitter in June, but did not report her missing until July. Anthony has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with her daughter’s death.

If the remains are Caylee’s, maybe Casey’s parents will stop their incessant media campaign for their daughter.

We hope.

But we don’t hold our breath on that one.

Few Americans know much more about Revolutionary War patriot Nathan Hale than his famous last words: “I only regret that I have but one life left to give for my country.”

Who was the real person of Nathan Hale, however? Did he actually utter this seemingly scripted and poetic final line? How was Hale captured? Did he get drunk and give himself up? Did he set the City of New York on fire? Did Gen. Washington shun Hale?

In this presidential election year, the political climate has become extremely hostile and cantankerous. The mudslinging has made for a democratic system in a state of absolute turmoil. What better way to celebrate the political season, which has become historical in and of itself, than by taking a look back at what started it all.

Nathan Hale is considered the idyllic symbol of patriotism—as red, white and blue as you can get. Ask most who this important man in American history is, however, and you’re apt to get a litany of wild and whacky answers.

“ ‘Wasn’t he that guy who chopped down a cherry tree,’ one man I asked told me,” author M. William Phelps says. “I heard other answers, too, even more bizarre. The most obvious conclusion I drew from this was that no one truly knows who Nathan Hale is, what he did, and why we should honor his memory.”

Now, NATHAN HALE: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy (published September 16, 2008; Thomas Dunne Books), answers those questions and sets the historical record straight.

Booklist raves, saying “… Phelps has written an informative, interesting biography of Hale that effectively reveals the flesh-and-blood human behind the iconic image. Clearly an admirer of Hale, he has written nothing that detracts from Hale’s reputation; instead, he has provided a nuanced portrait … using Hale’s own correspondence, [Phelps] clears up some of the murky details surrounding Hale’s spying, arrest, and execution. This is a well-done, balanced account of a short but interesting life.

Kirkus Reviews says, “Phelps delves deeply into the comportment and character of Nathan Hale … [and] provides useful perspective on 18th-century mores that made spies like Hale initially reviled by both sides .”

Do yourself a favor…check out a terrific book about a real American hero.

Sometimes, when you reach a pinnacle, or cross a threshold, you need to take a step back, look closely at what you’re doing, and decide how much farther you want to take it.

Crime Rant has just celebrated its 2 millionth unique visitor and its 34,000th comment.

What we’re undecided about at the time is where to take Crime Rant next—if anywhere.

Here’s what we’re thinking:

“The Internet is such a volatile place, unstable, unreliable, and, well, at times, pretty damn creepy,” Matt says. “It’s steeped in the unknown. For me, Crime Rant has been a place where I know true-crime fans can come and get not only entertaining content, but news in a way that no one else can deliver with such gusto, integrity, and honesty. The problem is, where do you draw the line? There are so many Web sites and news sites and places to go for crime, how do you stand out? A Web site is nothing more than a billboard. How do you get beyond that and make it worth your time?”

“Besides working with Matt,” Gregg says, “the very best part of this experience has been getting to know our regular readers – too many to list here, but you know who you are. You’re smart, funny, and, yup, some of you are on the edge. And we love that. The bottom line for me, that as a book author, I’ve never been sure running a blog matters much to the success of my career. Is the drama worth it? Is the time spent posting, checking comments, responding, helping me to sell my books? Our stats tell me it does a little. But really, there are probably things I could do that advance my professional goals better than blogging on Crime Rant.”

So Crime Rant is saying goodbye.

Sure, Gregg and Matt will be thinking where CR will ultimately go: in the electronic junkyard forever, or back up, with a fresh new look, new faces, and its top crime presence on the Internet back where it belongs.

No promises though. Sometimes vacations away from home clear your head and send you in new directions.

Thank you, Crime Rant Nation, for everything you’ve done to make this such a fun place. Rant on.

Guest blog by Doug Sacrison, Crime Rant intern

It was a long time coming, but now it is official: the Sonics are leaving the city of Seattle, their home for 41 years, to play in Oklahoma City.

My team has been stolen. That’s the crime that affected me most this week. The Seattle Supersonics are no more.

If you ask me, everyone is at fault.

First of all, the Sonics used to be owned by Starbucks mogul Howard Schultz. Then he started whining that he was losing money. Personally, it boggles my mind when rich people think I will feel for them if they lose money. Howard Schultz has money, he could afford to lose some.

So Starbucks decides to sell the Sonics, not to a local group, but to the highest bidder, a group from Oklahoma City led by Clay Bennett. Needless to say, I don’t buy Starbucks anymore.

Of course, Bennett says that he will keep the team in Seattle if a new stadium can be built (thus solving the money problem Schultz created), and that deep down he wants the team to stay here. Every person in the northwest who can count past four knew that he was full of crap and was excited to deliver an NBA team to his hometown ASAP. I kind of wish he hadn’t insulted everyone’s intelligence by saying that he would try to find a solution in Seattle.

David Stern, the NBA commissioner with a smug grin that would be the envy of any Disney villain, said that it was a fantastic arena ten years ago, and now won’t stop saying that it isn’t “viable.” What’s that mean? That there aren’t enough luxury boxes for other rich snobby people to pay to stand around in and not actually pay attention to the game. See? The NBA doesn’t even want regular people coming to games in the first place! Stern could have done the smart thing and stayed out of this mess, but instead he thought it would be more fun to insult us.

Many steps later, after a court battle that could have kept the Sonics here until the end of their arena lease, the mayor of Seattle stabs us fans in the back by signing a settlement that gains me, as a fan, nothing.

I just wished I wasn’t lied to so much. By Bennett, by Starbucks, by Stern, by smug Washington lawmakers who said things would be fine (yeah, I went to a couple “Save Our Sonics” rallies). I didn’t really have any say in this at any point because I’m not worth millions.

A friend of mine pointed out that since the team is owned by Clay Bennett, he can do whatever he wants with them. Unfortunately, he’s right. I used to think of sports teams as something that kind of belonged to a city, an area, the fans. Nope. They are owned by rich businessmen. And it turns out the team you root for is more like the cool toy that the neighbor kid has. It’s a lot of fun when he let’s you play with it, but since it’s his, he has the right to take it away and say you can’t play with it anymore.

I just want a little loyalty. We had the Sonics for 41 years. It was our team. There is talk of, “Oh, maybe you’ll get another team. And they can be called the Sonics.” I don’t care. It’s not the same. The team I watched, cheered for, sometimes groaned at but always loved, the team I always picked in NBA video games, the team that brought Seattle its very first championship in a major sport, is no more.

I’m sure the people in Oklahoma City are very nice. I’m sure they deserve a basketball team. I wish it wasn’t mine.