The Wisdom of Soloman

Herman Cain's Smokin' New Ad Has Pundits All Fired Up

2011-10-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

The political world is all fired up today about this new web advertisement by Republican candidate Herman Cain, starring his Chief of Staff Mark Block and a cigarette. Seems the cigarette has caused quite an uproar. Here is the clip:

I think this ad is genius, and draws an incredibly stark contrast between Herman Cain and the status quo. In my opinion, this ad represents the essence of Herman Cain’s candidacy for President.

This ad reeks of freedom, individual responsibility, and honesty. No more Presidents sneaking off to the back patio to have a cigarette that will be denied if anyone should ask; this campaign is telling you right up front what it is about. You may or may not like it, but it’s going to put it out there and let you decide.

I'd like to put forward a little bit about Herman Cain and his "putting it out there" attitude that has impressed me so far.

First and foremost, Cain put forward the first bold proposal for a plan to restructure the tax code. He has sent every other candidate scrambling to come up with their own, hopefully more impressive plan. "9-9-9" may not be perfect, but it brought to the forefront an extremely important topic that the current administration refuses to discuss. A flatter tax code with lower rates across the board is considered by most economists not named Krugman to be the best way to jump-start the economy and create a wider revenue base.

Cain spoke of and never should have backed away from the idea of a real border fence. For decades we have been hearing from both sides "We must first secure the border," yet nothing has been done. Sure there’s a little bit of hyperbole there with the whole electrocution thing, but at least he is willing to say what nobody in politics really seems to be willing to say; that we have a security issue in this nation, and until we address it forcefully it will never be solved.

Cain has made in-your-face statements to the Black community about himself and his belief system as compared to affirmative action and entitlement bound belief system of President Obama. He calls himself a Black American, and has said ultimately he prefers to be called an American, with no hyphenated anything. Regarding opportunity for success in America, Cain takes a position most Americans can truly believe in. He discards the race card and will not allow himself to be called a victim due to the color of his skin. Cain came from humble beginnings to become the CEO of a major corporation, and never received any government assistance along the way. He truly is a self-made man, and has the background and success to speak to the true American Dream.

Herman Cain may not be perfect, but what he shows in potential tells me that he is much better at this moment than anything our current President has to offer - even after President Obama’s almost three years in office. Herman Cain is a leader, and he is a manager. Cain has acknowledged that he doesn’t know everything, which is a refreshing change from the man who was proclaimed by the media to know it all, acted like he knew it all, and has ultimately proven he really doesn’t know much at all.

Cain has said that if he does not know, he will find someone who does know and employ that person’s wisdom. That is real leadership and management.

The one specific I would like to hear Cain address is President Obama’s appointment of “Czars,” as opposed to what I hope would be Cain’s request for counsel without the need for title and salary.

The “Czar” idea is not exclusive to President Obama. If we are to move this nation forward in a dignified manner, we all need to recognize and admit that President Obama and his outrageous power grab is a culmination of decades of “progressive” ideals, and that politicians from both parties have participated in the excesses allowed by the system created by "progressive" politicians. What has taken nearly a century to create will not be disassembled overnight, but anyone offering to change the course in a principled manner should be applauded.

President Obama appointed people based on personal favoritism, perhaps influenced by a little Soros cronyism. He put them on the government payroll, and gave then free reign. Rather than seeking their advice, he allowed them to shape policy. Under this system, we have more unnecessary environmental regulation than ever before which is ruining business development and growth. We also have the most radical “progressive” policies ever regarding the ideas being taught in our schools. And most importantly, the balance of power between the three branches of government is less than at any time in our nation’s history.

Regarding Cain, I would hope (based on his behavior to date) that his choices would always be founded in principle, not in political expediency.

Cain’s biggest weakness seems to be foreign policy, but he is a quick study, and he has the right belief system. Peace through strength and clarity is a lot better than “Every nation is exceptional.” Telling the world that Israel and England are our most staunch allies, that Iran is the most known source of proxy terrorism in the world today, and that Pakistan had better mind its manners are all good policy statements.

Regarding Cain’s recent abortion comments, I understand and agree with Cain’s ability to separate a personal belief system from government intervention into our lives. While I firmly stand on the side of life and would hope no life ever be aborted, it is not the responsibility of government to make that decision for adults. Prohibitive laws regarding minors should be in place and should be strict, but adults in a free society should take personal responsibility for their own actions and should have the right to do what they believe is best. If we truly believe in small government, we must understand that while we may vehemently disagree, abortion is a decision that should be left to the individual. That is a decision the individual will make between themselves and their God, and they will have to live with that decision. I also believe that it is better to have legal and safe clinics for such procedures than to have them take place in an underground, back-alley environment.

I don't know if Herman Cain will win the nomination, but he is definitely changing the conversation - and I would say for the better.

And to those who think Herman Cain’s smile at the end of the clip is odd, if not creepy? Herman Cain said it himself - lighten up, America. Get a sense of humor.

#iamthe53, are you? Keep up with me on Twitter. Tuesday night I live tweeted Michael Moore's appearance on Piers Morgan. What a facepalm that event was!

Groupthink In Effect: Sheeple at "Occupy Atlanta" Silence Civil Rights Era Hero

2011-10-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is some of the strangest behavior I have ever seen. This crowd consistently repeats - or parrots, if you will - every single thing said by whomever has the "floor."

I would not say I have a completely thorough understanding of Marxism, but this video definitely represents the most secular / collectivist mentality I have ever seen in America. The closest thing I can imagine as I watch this video is Jim Jones and his followers at Jonestown, or David Koresh and his followers at Waco.

From the YouTube description:

What we saw at the "revolution":

Many curious citizens and media outlets came to the first Occupy Atlanta event, and were visible shocked and confused by the consistent Marxism employed by the group. People abandoned their individuality and liberty to be absorbed into a hypnotizing collective. The facilitator made it clear that he was not a "leader" and that everyone was completely equal; words often spoken by leftists, but in this case they actually applied their philosophy. Into this surreal and oppressive environment, Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights hero and icon of American leftism, came to speak as has so often done at left-wing rallies and events in Atlanta. He is practically worshiped in Democrat circles, and was visibly stunned to see these Marxists turn him away. It was reminiscent of previous Marxist revolutions in history when those who ignorantly supported the revolutionaries are, over time, purged and rejected for the "good of the collective", when their usefulness has expired.

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iMourn

2011-10-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today we lost the man many would say is the Thomas Edison of our era. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, has passed away.

I don’t own an Apple product. I know many who do, and they love them. All of them.

But the products themselves are not the story; the story is the man, and his vision. Steve Jobs had dreams, and his vision allowed him to turn those dreams into reality.

Steve Jobs lived his dream, and in doing so he made the world a better place. May he rest in peace.

Arizona Diamondbacks Honor Fallen Fan

2011-10-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

The Arizona Diamondbacks have renamed their season-ticket scholarship program in honor of Michael Wogan, a 22-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona man killed in the Reno air-show crash last month.

Wogan was one of four brothers, three of whom have muscular dystrophy, and the brothers have been recipients of the ticket scholarship for the past four years. Watching baseball together was one of their traditions.

Tonight, Wogan’s mother, Anne, will throw out the first pitch in the Diamondbacks-Brewers game, and her three other sons will join her on the field.

Read more here.

Keep up with me on Twitter, and Go Diamondbacks!

State Run Sports Media Network ESPN Removes Hank Williams Jr. Song From Monday Night Football Opening

2011-10-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

Editor's Note: I understand the position taken by ESPN; I am simply here to point out the media hypocrisy. I hope this issue is resolved and Williams' song returned to its appropriate place next Monday.

ESPN, the network that has brought you President Barack Obama’s “March Madness” brackets every year since his inauguration, decided that Hank Williams Jr. went too far.

After 20 years of opening Monday Night Football on ABC or ESPN, Williams’ well-known pigskin-revised rendition of “All My Rowdy Friends” was replaced by The Star Spangled Banner, as performed by "Sister Hazel."

During an interview with Fox News Channel “Fox and Friends” Monday morning, Williams made a comparison that did not sit well with management at the Connecticut based sports network, which is known by many to have an “East-Coast bias” in its reporting and broadcasting.

The Disney / ABC owned network did not take kindly to Williams’ statement that he thought Speaker of the House John Boehner playing golf with President Obama "would be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu ... In the shape this country is in?"

Told by anchor Brian Kilmeade that he (Kilmeade) didn't understand the analogy, Williams said: "I'm glad you don't, brother, because a lot of people do. They're the enemy." Asked who, Williams said: "Obama. And Biden. Are you kidding? The Three Stooges."

Boehner played golf with Obama in June at the height of the national budget debate in Washington, D.C.

Williams, from Tennessee, has said he would run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in 2012.

Later in the Fox interview with Williams, anchor Gretchen Carlson told Williams he used the name of one of history's most hated men to describe the President. "Well that's true. But I'm telling you like it is," Williams said.

ESPN issued the following statement regarding their decision to pull Williams’ fan-favorite from their broadcast:

"While Hank Williams, Jr. is not an ESPN employee, we recognize that he is closely linked to our company through the open to Monday Night Football. We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result we have decided to pull the open from tonight's telecast."

Through his publicist, Williams issued the following statement regarding the situation:

"Some of us have strong opinions and are often misunderstood. My analogy was extreme -- but it was to make a point. I was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me -- how ludicrous that pairing was. They're polar opposites and it made no sense. They don't see eye-to-eye and never will. I have always respected the office of the president."

This is (no pun intended) an interesting position for the sports network, given its lack of condemnation of former Heavyweight Boxing champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson.

Like Williams, Tyson is not an ESPN employee.

Tyson recently made his feelings about former Alaska Governor and Vice-Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin known during an appearance on ESPN radio’s “Gridlock.” When asked about the allegations put forward in an unauthorized biography that Palin had once had an affair with basketball player Glenn Rice (a Black man), Tyson went on an obscene rant [parental advisory] that can be heard here .

In a completely unrelated story, ESPN Paul Azinger was recently reprimanded by ESPN for his Twitter comments regarding President Obama’s golf outings, most specifically his aforementioned outing with Speaker John Boehner during the “Debt Ceiling” talks.

In the wake of Azinger’s social media commentary, ESPN ‘reminded” the golf analyst that his venture into political punditry violated the company’s updated social network policy for on-air talent and reporters. “Paul’s tweet was not consistent with our social media policy, and he has been reminded that political commentary is best left to those in that field,” spokesman Andy Hall said in a statement.

This blogger did an independent search on YouTube for “george w bush espn brackets” and found no worthwhile results. I do not recall the network ever taking interest in the former President’s opinion on March Madness as much as it has requested that of our current President.

To be fair, President Bush is known to be an avid baseball fan, so I did a search for “espn george w bush baseball” and found this interview the network did with Mr. Bush regarding the state of baseball affairs.

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Chris Christie at The Reagan Library

2011-09-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Governor Christie may not be where I am on every issue, but he is exactly what we currently lack in The White House, and what we are seeking in a replacement – a leader. In one speech, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said what all the other Republican candidates wish they could say.

I, for one, would gladly be part of a write-in movement.

Mrs. Reagan, distinguished guests. It is an honor for me to be here at the Reagan Library to speak to you today. I want to thank Mrs. Reagan for her gracious invitation. I am thrilled to be here.

Ronald Reagan believed in this country. He embodied the strength, perseverance and faith that has propelled immigrants for centuries to embark on dangerous journeys to come here, to give up all that was familiar for all that was possible.

He judged that as good as things were and had been for many Americans, they could and would be better for more Americans in the future.

It is this vision for our country that guided his administration over the course of eight years. His commitment to making America stronger, better and more resilient is what allowed him the freedom to challenge conventional wisdom, reach across party lines and dare to put results ahead of political opportunism.

Everybody in this room and in countless other rooms across this great country has his or her favorite Reagan story. For me, that story happened thirty years ago, in August 1981. The air traffic controllers, in violation of their contracts, went on strike. President Reagan ordered them back to work, making clear that those who refused would be fired. In the end, thousands refused, and thousands were fired.

I cite this incident not as a parable of labor relations but as a parable of principle. Ronald Reagan was a man who said what he meant and meant what he said. Those who thought he was bluffing were sadly mistaken. Reagan’s demand was not an empty political play; it was leadership, pure and simple.

Reagan said it best himself, “I think it convinced people who might have thought otherwise that I meant what I said. Incidentally, I would have been just as forceful if I thought management had been wrong in the dispute.”

I recall this pivotal moment for another reason as well. Most Americans at the time and since no doubt viewed Reagan’s firm handling of the PATCO strike as a domestic matter, a confrontation between the president and a public sector union. But this misses a critical point.

To quote a phrase from another American moment, the whole world was watching. Thanks to newspapers and television – and increasingly the Internet and social media – what happens here doesn’t stay here.

Another way of saying what I have just described is that Americans do not have the luxury of thinking that what we have long viewed as purely domestic matters have no consequences beyond our borders. To the contrary; What we say and what we do here at home affects how others see us and in turn affects what it is they say and do.

America’s role and significance in the world is defined, first and foremost, by who we are at home. It is defined by how we conduct ourselves with each other. It is defined by how we deal with our own problems. It is determined in large measure by how we set an example for the world.

We tend to still understand foreign policy as something designed by officials in the State Department and carried out by ambassadors and others overseas. And to some extent it is. But one of the most powerful forms of foreign policy is the example we set.

This is where it is instructive to harken back to Ronald Reagan and the PATCO affair. President Reagan’s willingness to articulate a determined stand and then carry it out at home sent the signal that the occupant of the Oval Office was someone who could be predicted to stand by his friends and stand up to his adversaries.

If President Reagan would do that at home, leaders around the world realized that he would do it abroad as well. Principle would not stop at the water’s edge. The Reagan who challenged Soviet aggression, or who attacked a Libya that supported terror was the same Reagan who stood up years before to PATCO at home for what he believed was right.

All this should and does have meaning for us today. The image of the United States around the world is not what it was, it is not what it can be and it is not what it needs to be. This country pays a price whenever our economy fails to deliver rising living standards to our citizens – which is exactly what has been the case for years now.

We pay a price when our political system cannot come together and agree on the difficult but necessary steps to rein in entitlement spending or reform our tax system.

We pay a price when special interests win out over the collective national interest. We are seeing just this in the partisan divide that has so far made it impossible to reduce our staggering deficits and to create an environment in which there is more job creation than job destruction.

This is where the contrast between what has happened in New Jersey and what is happening in Washington, DC is the most clear.

In New Jersey over the last 20 months, you have actually seen divided government that is working. To be clear, it does not mean that we have no argument or acrimony. There are serious disagreements, sometimes expressed loudly—Jersey style.

Here is what we did. We identified the problems. We proposed specific means to fix them. We educated the public on the dire consequences of inaction. And we compromised, on a bi-partisan basis, to get results. We took action.

How so, you ask? Leadership and compromise.

Leadership and compromise is the only way you can balance two budgets with over $13 billion in deficits without raising taxes while protecting core services.

Leadership and compromise is the only way you reform New Jersey’s pension and health benefits system that was collectively $121 billion underfunded.

Leadership and compromise is the only way you cap the highest property taxes in the nation and cap the interest arbitration awards of some of the most powerful public sector unions in the nation at no greater than a 2% increase.

In New Jersey we have done this, and more, because the Executive Branch has not sat by and waited for others to go first to suggest solutions to our state’s most difficult problems.

Being a mayor, being a governor, being a president means leading by taking risk on the most important issues of the day. It has happened in Trenton.

In New Jersey we have done this with a legislative branch, held by the opposite party, because it is led by two people who have more often put the interests of our state above the partisan politics of their caucuses.

Our bi-partisan accomplishments in New Jersey have helped to set a tone that has taken hold across many other states. It is a simple but powerful message–lead on the tough issues by telling your citizens the truth about the depth of our challenges. Tell them the truth about the difficulty of the solutions. This is the only effective way to lead in America during these times.

In Washington, on the other hand, we have watched as we drift from conflict to conflict, with little or no resolution.

We watch a president who once talked about the courage of his convictions, but still has yet to find the courage to lead.

We watch a Congress at war with itself because they are unwilling to leave campaign style politics at the Capitol’s door. The result is a debt ceiling limitation debate that made our democracy appear as if we could no longer effectively govern ourselves.

And still we continue to wait and hope that our president will finally stop being a bystander in the Oval Office. We hope that he will shake off the paralysis that has made it impossible for him to take on the really big things that are obvious to all Americans and to a watching and anxious world community.

Yes, we hope. Because each and every time the president lets a moment to act pass him by, his failure is our failure too. The failure to stand up for the bipartisan debt solutions of the Simpson Bowles Commission, a report the president asked for himself…the failure to act on the country’s crushing unemployment…the failure to act on ever expanding and rapidly eroding entitlement programs…the failure to discern pork barrel spending from real infrastructure investment.

The rule for effective governance is simple. It is one Ronald Reagan knew by heart. And one that he successfully employed with Social Security and the Cold War. When there is a problem, you fix it. That is the job you have been sent to do and you cannot wait for someone else to do it for you.

We pay for this failure of leadership many times over. The domestic price is obvious: growth slows, high levels of unemployment persist, and we make ourselves even more vulnerable to the unpredictable behavior of skittish markets or the political decisions of lenders.

But, there is also a foreign policy price to pay. To begin with, we diminish our ability to influence the thinking and ultimately the behavior of others. There is no better way to persuade other societies around the world to become more democratic and more market-oriented than to show that our democracy and markets work better than any other system.

Why should we care?

We should care because we believe, as President Reagan did, that democracy is the best protector of human dignity and freedom. And we know this because history shows that mature democracies are less likely to resort to force against their own people or their neighbors.

We should care because we believe in free and open trade, as exports are the best creators of high-paying jobs here and imports are a means to increase consumer choice and keep prices down.

Around the world– in the Middle East, in Asia, in Africa and Latin America—people are debating their own political and economic futures–right now.

We have a stake in the outcome of their debates. For example, a Middle East that is largely democratic and at peace will be a Middle East that accepts Israel, rejects terrorism, and is a dependable source of energy.

There is no better way to reinforce the likelihood that others in the world will opt for more open societies and economies than to demonstrate that our own system is working.

A lot is being said in this election season about American Exceptionalism. Implicit in such statements is that we are different and, yes, better, in the sense that our democracy, our economy and our people have delivered. But for American exceptionalism to truly deliver hope and a sterling example to the rest of the world, it must be demonstrated, not just asserted. If it is demonstrated, it will be seen and appreciated and ultimately emulated by others. They will then be more likely to follow our example and our lead.

At one time in our history, our greatness was a reflection of our country’s innovation, our determination, our ingenuity and the strength of our democratic institutions. When there was a crisis in the world, America found a way to come together to help our allies and fight our enemies. When there was a crisis at home, we put aside parochialism and put the greater public interest first. And in our system, we did it through strong presidential leadership. We did it through Reagan-like leadership.

Unfortunately, through our own domestic political conduct of late, we have failed to live up to our own tradition of Exceptionalism. Today, our role and ability to affect change has been diminished because of our own problems and our inability to effectively deal with them.

To understand this clearly, one need only look at comments from the recent meeting of the European finance ministers in Poland. Here is what the Finance Minister of Austria had to say:

“I found it peculiar that, even though the Americans have significantly worse fundamental data than the euro zone that they tell us what we should do. I had expected that, when [Secretary Geithner] tells us how he sees the world that he would listen to what we have to say.”

You see, without strong leadership at home—without our domestic house in order—we are taking ourselves out of the equation. Over and over, we are allowing the rest of the world to set the tone without American influence.

I understand full well that succeeding at home, setting an example, is not enough. The United States must be prepared to act. We must be prepared to lead. This takes resources—resources for defense, for intelligence, for homeland security, for diplomacy. The United States will only be able to sustain a leadership position around the world if the resources are there—but the necessary resources will only be there if the foundations of the American economy are healthy. So our economic health is a national security issue as well.

Without the authority that comes from that Exceptionalism—earned American Exceptionalism—we cannot do good for other countries, we cannot continue to be a beacon of hope for the world to aspire to for their future generations.

If Ronald Reagan faced today’s challenges we know what he would do. He would face our domestic problems directly, with leadership and without political calculation.

We would take an honest and tough approach to solving our long-term debt and deficit problem through reforming our entitlement programs and our tax code.

We would confront our unemployment crisis by giving certainty to business about our tax and regulatory future.

We would unleash American entrepreneurship through long-term tax reform, not short-term tax gimmickry.

And we would reform our K-12 education system by applying free market reform principles to education—rewarding outstanding teachers; demanding accountability from everyone in the system; increasing competition through choice and charters; and making the American free public education system once again the envy of the world.

The guiding principle should be simple and powerful—the educational interests of children must always be put ahead of the comfort of the status quo for adults.

The United States must also become more discriminating in what we try to accomplish abroad. We certainly cannot force others to adopt our principles through coercion. Local realities count; we cannot have forced makeovers of other societies in our image. We need to limit ourselves overseas to what is in our national interest so that we can rebuild the foundations of American power here at home – foundations that need to be rebuilt in part so that we can sustain a leadership role in the world for decades to come.

The argument for getting our own house in order is not an argument for turning our back on the world.

We cannot and should not do that. First of all, our economy is dependent on what we export and import. And as we learned the hard way a decade ago, we as a country and a people are vulnerable to terrorists armed with box cutters, bombs, and viruses, be they computer generated or man-made. We need to remain vigilant, and be prepared to act with our friends and allies, to discourage, deter or defend against traditional aggression; to stop the spread of nuclear materials and weapons and the means to deliver them; and to continue to deprive terrorists of the ways, means and opportunity to succeed.

I realize that what I am calling for requires a lot of our elected officials and a lot of our people. I plead guilty. But I also plead guilty to optimism.

Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in what this country and its citizens can accomplish if they understand what is being asked of them and how we all will benefit if they meet the challenge.

There is no doubt in my mind that we, as a country and as a people, are up for the challenge. Our democracy is strong; our economy is the world’s largest. Innovation and risk-taking is in our collective DNA. There is no better place for investment. Above all, we have a demonstrated record as a people and a nation of rising up to meet challenges.

Today, the biggest challenge we must meet is the one we present to ourselves. To not become a nation that places entitlement ahead of accomplishment. To not become a country that places comfortable lies ahead of difficult truths. To not become a people that thinks so little of ourselves that we demand no sacrifice from each other. We are a better people than that; and we must demand a better nation than that.

The America I speak of is the America Ronald Reagan challenged us to be every day. Frankly, it is the America his leadership helped us to be. Through our conduct, our deeds, our demonstrated principles and our sacrifice for each other and for the greater good of the nation, we became a country emulated throughout the world. Not just because of what we said, but because of what we did both at home and abroad.

If we are to reach real American Exceptionalism, American Exceptionalism that can set an example for freedom around the world, we must lead with purpose and unity.

In 2004, Illinois State Senator Barack Obama gave us a window into his vision for American leadership. He said, “Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us — the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of ‘anything goes.’ Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.”

Now, seven years later, President Obama prepares to divide our nation to achieve re-election. This is not a leadership style, this is a re-election strategy. Telling those who are scared and struggling that the only way their lives can get better is to diminish the success of others. Trying to cynically convince those who are suffering that the American economic pie is no longer a growing one that can provide more prosperity for all who work hard. Insisting that we must tax and take and demonize those who have already achieved the American Dream. That may turn out to be a good re-election strategy for President Obama, but is a demoralizing message for America. What happened to State Senator Obama? When did he decide to become one of the “dividers” he spoke of so eloquently in 2004? There is, of course, a different choice.

That choice is the way Ronald Reagan led America in the 1980’s. That approach to leadership is best embodied in the words he spoke to the nation during his farewell address in 1989. He made clear he was not there just marking time. That he was there to make a difference. Then he spoke of the city on the hill and how he had made it stronger. He said, “I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it and see it still.”

That is American Exceptionalism. Not a punch line in a political speech, but a vision followed by a set of principled actions that made us the envy of the world. Not a re-election strategy, but an American revitalization strategy.

We will be that again, but not until we demand that our leaders stand tall by telling the truth, confronting our shortcomings, celebrating our successes and, once again leading the world because of what we have been able to actually accomplish.

Only when we do that will we finally ensure that our children and grandchildren will live in a second American century. We owe them, as well as ourselves and those who came before us, nothing less.

Thank you again for inviting me—God Bless you and God Bless the United States of America.

Hat tip to National Review Online for the transcript.

Here is the video, courtesy of Real Clear Politics Video:

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Congratulations to the 2011 National League West Champion Arizona Diamondbacks!

My Five-Minute Debate Summary

2011-09-12T23:16:00.002-07:00

CNN did very well at “spreading the wealth around” and letting all the candidates have their “fair share” of the time, which is what really should be happening right now. This debate was much better than was the offering by MSNBC. I liked the questions being asked by people instead of by media-types, and credit to Wolf for not taking too much of the spotlight upon himself.

I thought Rick Perry was an epic FAIL tonight and was shown for a lot of "progressive" tendencies. He was shown to be horrible on immigration, and Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum cleaned his clock on the human papillomavirus shot issue. There’s a lot to learn about Rick Perry, and he’s not off to a great start.

I really liked Mrs. Bachmann's firm stand on Obamacare. She laid out there for all to understand just how knowledgeable she is on the subject, and that must be seen as valuable. I thought she had a much better night than she had the other night on MSNBC, which has largely to do with that networks effort to make it a two-man boxing match. If you didn’t see it, her interview with CNN’s John King immediately after the debate was strong as well. King, being the flaming lib he is, just couldn’t understand how forcing children to be vaccinated for human papillomavirus was an offense to individual liberties and more of a Statist position.

Mitt Romney's "Churchill" moment was epic. Romney is getting hammered on Romneycare but he is doing a decent job of defining it as a Tenth Amendment issue, and I believe he is correct in that respect. He did his usual decent job of not taking too many sharp jabs or strong body-blows, and should come out polling much better against Perry.

Herman Cain is awesome at running a business, I can see that. We all can see that. Unfortunately I suspect he is just not quite refined enough, and just not quite ready for prime time. Having said that; I definitely believe Mr. Cain needs to be listened to as the process moves forward, and should definitely be given a cabinet position or perhaps be made the authority on deregulating all the regulation, as he discussed tonight.

Rick Santorum had a couple of good moments. He is definitely tried and true conservatism in a “blue” state, and must be given credit for holding his core principles. He has said some things that will never play in the general, though, and that’s too bad. Like Cain, Santorum is a strong voice as the process moves forward, and deserves to be listened to, but I suspect he just can’t win.

Newt Gingrich keeps giving a solid answer to every question asked of him. Newt is definitely the smartest guy in the room. He has the most and perhaps the best ideas, and he has a world of experience. It’s a shame he has a ton of personal baggage and in the opinion of some comes across as angry (I don’t see it). I think he is working on the “angry” thing, and I think it is helping him get more questions and more time in the debates. Newt just might surprise us before all is said and done.

Ron Paul really lost it tonight. He is even going to lose credibility on his fiscal smarts as this thing moves forward if he isn’t careful, because you just don’t lecture Americans about terrorism by parroting the excuses put forward by terrorists. Being able to tell us what Osama bin Laden said tells me you listened to your enemy but it doesn’t make your enemy’s words true, nor does it make those words a view around which you build foreign policy. While I agree we should not have a $1billion embassy in Iraq, I find Ron Paul’s overall stance ineffective and in some cases downright frightening. America is not a completely isolationist nation, and can never be. I did appreciate Dr. Paul’s position on individual responsibility when asked about the person on life support. That’s a tough question and he handled it as well as it could have been handled.

Jon Huntsman was there too. I wonder how long that experiment will last. Mr. Huntsman seems like a very nice man. He has a beautiful family. He is not going to win the Republican nomination, nor should he. Huntsman is far too liberal, so much so that I wonder if he will run as a Democrat in 2016. He is the Charlie Crist of this election, except that he hasn’t literally repudiated his party in order to win office. Yet.

Overall, Bachmann, Gingrich, and Romney won the night, with Santorum and Cain close behind. Ron Paul and Rick Perry have issues, from which Perry might recover and Paul will not. And there’s Huntsman.

America the Beautiful

2011-09-10T21:59:00.000-07:00

We all know how horrific the images are. We’ve all seen the footage on cable news and on the internet. September 11th, 2001 was the most horrifying and tragic day most of us have ever seen.

Many of you may remember, in the wake of the tragedy, the spectacle that was the 2001 World Series. At a time when Americans desperately needed a diversion, "America's Pastime" came through with flying colors. Many say it was the greatest World Series of all time.

If you watched that series, you may remember this rendition of “America the Beautiful” performed by Ray Charles at Game Two in Arizona. It was one of the most amazing performances of any song I have ever seen, by any performer. If anyone might understand the wonder that is America, a blind Black man from the Deep South who fought the odds to become one of the most successful and most admired in his profession just might be that person. The passion and soul he poured into this performance was simply amazing.

I wish I could find better quality footage of this, because this is one of my most prominent memories of the aftermath of September 11th, 2001. It is a beautiful memory; unfortunately this video doesn’t do it justice, but I share it all the same. There must be some incredible copyright restrictions held by someone, which is unfortunate. For all the sad, horrific, and tragic images and memories we will always see, the one thing we should I wish more of us would remember is how we all came together as one in that time of crisis.

The 2001 World Series and this electric performance from that magnificent sporting event exemplify that very emotion in my mind.

Tea Party Zombies Must Die - The Video Game

2011-09-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

In case you’ve not been to Drudge Report tonight, or visited fellow bloggers such as Just a Conservative Girl, and therefore have not seen the new standard in “Civility” from the left, I bring you this gem:

More here.

The past few posts I have done have dealt with “New Tone” and “Civility” in terms put forward by President Obama in the wake of the tragedy that took place in Tucson last January. In all these instances, the discussion was about rhetoric.

It was said in the immediate aftermath of the Tucson shooting that the "alleged" shooter, a paranoid schizophrenic madman as diagnosed by the courts, was influenced by the words and images put forward by the Tea Party and their titular leader Sarah Palin. Nothing could be further from the truth, but by the time any facts came out regarding the true mental state of Loughner it was too late. The New York Times had already put together their smear campaign, and the line was toed by CNN, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, and even The DNC’s current Chairperson Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

This is different. Our Armed Forces use video games to train soldiers. There is literally violent and deadly imagery in this “Video Game.”

I am a strong believer in individual responsibility, but I also know you can’t yell “Fire’ in a crowded theater without there being a fire. This is what has been done by the left in this instance. Hopefully soon they will be compared to “The boy who cried wolf,” because between racist, violent, extremist, and other smears, it’s just getting a bit tired and Americans are going to see right through it.

One comment I saw somewhere asked what if this were a ‘game’ that featured targets such as San Fran Nan, Hillary, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, and Brian Williams amongst others. I believe we know the answer to that question; the creator of such would likely be getting a visit from Secret Service and perhaps being taken to a nice long vacation at Club Gitmo.

I will be waiting for condemnation from President Obama. Not really, but it sounds good anyway.

Go Diamondbacks!

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Rick Perry on Congressional Term Limits

2011-09-05T15:28:00.002-07:00

Rick Perry does not support term limits for Congressional Representatives. He says it is up to the voter to pay more attention, and that if we elect people who do not represent us then we need to vote them out.

I disagree.

We know that without term limits we end up with Charlie Wrangel, Maxine Waters, San Fran Nan, John McCain, and a bunch of other lifers in Congress.

I will agree that Perry is correct in saying more people need to pay more attention. It is true that there may have been a time in America when people paying more attention was the solution to the problem.

However, today we live in the era of MTV and the iPod. Instant gratification is everything to many Americans today.So to expect people to pay enough attention over a period of time is to understand what their Congressional representative and Senator are doing? While certainly commendable, this is just not realistic. Some people today are so busy texting they don’t even look up as they walk across busy streets. Why on Earth should we think people are going to pay attention to politics?

And to think people will hold their representative accountable, especially when politicians are offering them everything they want, and offering it “free?” Quite to the contrary, I suspect the opposite would tend to unfold over time. Accountability in Congress in America's future equals "What have you done for me lately?"

We also know the power of incumbency, and therein lies much of the problem.

For example:

I'm an Arizonan, but I know I can't run for Senate against John McCain or for The House against Ben Quayle. Even if I have better ideas and more “practical” experience, money and brand name equals power. I contend that Ben Quayle never should have been elected to Congress in AZ-3 but he has name recognition due to his father’s years in Congress and term as Vice President. And McCain… enough said.

To be clear; this was for a moment a struggle in my mind between the conservative concept of individual responsibility versus the idea that government looks out best for people. However, I believe that this all falls back on the idea that our Constitution is designed so that We, The People may amend it when it is not working correctly. Congressional term limits is an instance for which it needs to be amended.

Not only that, I believe this needs to become a focal point of this election cycle, because the longer we wait, the more difficult it may become to elect and convince enough representatives that limits on their own free ride is the right thing to do. This is an instance when our Founding Fathers intended us to be responsible, and in doing so amend our Constitution to look out for our best interests moving forward.

In doing so, we will not be asking the government to look out for us, for we will have taken responsibility for ourselves, each individual adding to the collective. E Pluribus Unum.

You can see video of the statements Perry made at The Right Scoop.

Go Diamondbacks!

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Jimmy Hoffa Jr. Gives President Obama's Opening Speech, Labor Day 2011 in Detroit

2011-09-05T11:09:00.001-07:00

"We gotta keep an eye on the battle we face; the war on workers. You see it everywhere.

"It is The Tea Party.

"And you know there's only one way to beat, and win that war. You know the one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what? They've got a war. They've got a war with us and there's only gonna be one winner - it's gonna be the workers of Michigan and America. We're gonna win that war!"

"President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let's take these son-of-a-bitches out and give America back to America where we belong."

{please excuse the video quality, i did this with my camera on the fly}

{Better quality video can be seen here, Hat Tip to Right Scoop.}

{Hat Tip also to TCL for her longer video with a bit more content}

In the wake of the Gabby Giffords speech in Tucson, I'd like to note that there was no call for "New Tone" from President Obama in the speech he gave shortly after Hoffa's call for violence.

President Obama did, however, say "No more manufactured crises."

I shall hold him to that, since it has been him and his side of the political discussion that has manufactured all the crises to date, including the crisis that would have had 'Grandma not getting her social security check.'

He also discussed at length the idea that "Republicans are saying you [union members] are the problem with America."

We all know this second statement couldn't be further from the truth. It is not union members that are the problem, it is union management and the system of unions that create the problem. Unions create situations that are essentially like a ponzi scheme. They continually need more funds from the private sector, that which creates goods and services and therefore creates the wealth in the economy, in order to feed their ever-growing public sector.

He also tried to play the sympathy card by discussing the teachers who buy crayons and other supplies for their kids, "Because we are all in this together."

I credit the individual teacher, no doubt. The idea, however, that the individual teacher should be pulling from their own paycheck for supplies shows a great fault in the system that is public education. Either parents should be requested / required to provide ample supplies, or the system inside the public school system needs to be altered so there is sufficent funding for all activities.

This, like the upcoming Joint Session speech on Thursday, was nothing more than partisan rhetoric intended to divide. As he cries out that "Wea are all one America," he offered no ideas for all of America to move forward together.

Keep up with me on Twitter

But Will They Listen?

2011-09-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted the video showing the Congressional Black Caucus tour of Racism, during which they claimed that anyone who subscribes to the concept of smaller government and fiscal conservatism is a racist, would like to see Blacks hanging from trees, and can go “Straight to Hell.”

Today I offer the answer, from a man named Kevin Jackson.

Hat Tip to Mike Broomhead of KFYI.

Go DBacks!! Magic number is 18!

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I Don't Need Your Civil War

2011-08-30T22:07:00.003-07:00

This is what is being said about you and I, our families and our friends:

All we want is to reign in government, control spending, and hold on to some traditional American values.

People are being taught to hate, and sadly many people have nothing else to believe in anymore. Times are tough, no matter the color of one's skin.

Hate is going to become the method of the progressive left, in an effort to "energize the base." I have been reading exactly that kind of commentary at Huffington Post. "Ends justify the means" is definitely an accepted thought process by some.

It is good to have a strong belief system, but we are entering dangerous times. All of the racial rhetoric we have witnessed since President Obama became a candidate is coming to a boiling point, and it will only get worse as his popularity implodes.

Think about what you say, and to whom you say it. Do unto others. Be courteous. Be a good citizen, and do the right thing.

Now is our time. America needs us.

Keep up with me on Twitter, and Go Diamondbacks... #WinTheWest!

Racism

2011-08-17T20:04:00.004-07:00

As seen on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Wednesday August 17, 2011:

And just so there’s no question about the context of the discussion:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Joan Walsh says this type of racism is "Great research, great to have it [...] But you know, this is what we've been saying from the beginning..."

You're correct Joan, this is what you've been saying from the beginning. And no matter how many times you say it, it won't come true.

Shame on Chris Matthews.

This is nothing more than racially charged hyperbole and it needs to stop. When will liberals and the "progressive" left stop the bomb-throwing?

I thought we were in the "New Tone" era of politics, after all. That's what President Obama said in Tucson after the deranged guy shot Congresswoman Giffords.

Oh, that's right. Matthews said that was due to "Old Tone."

Can't we focus on the issues and stop worrying about skin color already?

Screen caption courtesy of AiPolitics.

Keep up with me on Twitter. I've been discussing more baseball then politics for the past few days, but my Diamondbacks are in an August pennant race!

What To Watch For in 2012

2011-08-13T12:30:00.003-07:00

If you like where things are today then you're welcome to vote for Barack Obama in 2012.

I, on the other hand, will be looking for the person who best embodies, amongst some other ideas, these simple principles:

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealth out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work, because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

Hat tip to Red Head for posting this list of common sense values. You can find her on Twitter @red_red_head or find her blog here.

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My Grade Card For The GOP Debate

2011-08-12T21:01:00.004-07:00

Tim Pawlenty gets an F. He tried to be snarky and raise his level of rhetoric and it didn’t work. He’s just too milquetoast and it’s killing him. I think the same would happen in the general election. Someone with real ability to raise his tone is going to have to be ready for the onslaught the progressives and Obama are going to bring, and T-Paw just isn’t the guy. Bob Dole thinks Pawlenty might have beaten Bob Dole in ’96, but this ain’t ’96.

I give an A- to Michele Bachmann. I think she did what she had to do and she did it well. Pawlenty’s jabs were below the belt and she called him on it. She seems to really know what she’s talking about. The one issue the liberal media will continue to haunt her with now is the debt ceiling issue. She’s right, yet she’s wrong on that issue. The Tea Party is correct in its core belief that we need to control spending, but the economy would not have liked at all the idea that we were forcing such a hardship so quickly, were we to not raise it then and there. It took a hundred years for the progressive spending agenda to destroy America to the point we are today; we can’t fix it in one motion. I also appreciated the fact that she answered the “submissive” question in a classy way. I see no problem with her marriage and no problem with the answer she gave.

I don’t see why everyone hates Newt Gingrich so much. I give him an A- and actually think he won the debate, to some extent. The only reason he is on the lower side of an A in my mind is because as he consistently lashed out, he did come across as a little angry... but why not? Should we be happy about where we are today? I think Newt had some of the best lines of the night. Nobody has and offers up ideas like Newt does, and his ideas seem very reasonable. He makes everyone else look like polished campaign-stumpers and nothing more.

And regarding the Chris Wallace question: Newt’s campaign left him because he has a new vision for how to run a campaign in the 21st century and they didn't agree with it. He’s said it over and over, in interviews on every network, yet Wallace just had to go there again. Newt was right about the question and FNC is becoming part of the MSM problem in that respect. They are too worried about ratings and becoming too much like what they say they are not. I still give FNC credit for offering a real left-right comparison of opinion on most shows and their straight news team is excellent, but gotcha questions are pathetic and Chris Wallace should be ashamed.

Ron Paul. I want to give the man a B, but I have to give him an F. He just doesn’t get it that Iran can not have nuclear weapons. That’s a total non-starter for anyone with a brain. Regarding fiscal policy Ron Paul is pretty brilliant. I am not sure we should abolish the Federal Reserve, but it definitely needs to be audited, and Paul is correct that the world is best served by free trade. Our issue is that we have a tax policy that fails in the free trade marketplace and it’s beginning to take its toll on us big time. Thank you, Woodrow Wilson.

Rick Santorum did well last night; I give him a B. He’ll never win the General Election and I don’t think he’ll even come close in the primary, but he did well in at least pointing out that there was a room full of people with ideas, not just T-Paw, Bachmann, and Romney.

Hermann Cain is a really smart guy when it comes to running a business, I can see that. He should be Secretary of Treasury, or Commerce, or something along that line. He needs to be recognized for his efforts to expend the discussion and bring ideas to the table. He’s not going to win the nomination because he’s just not ready for prime time, this time. Solid B+.

Jon Huntsman will never win this primary unless he develops a personality and starts answering questions. I don’t know enough about him to say what he stands for and that’s his problem. He kept saying “I stand on my record” but unless there was a turntable underneath him, that statement was meaningless. I don’t live in Utah, didn’t live there when you were governor, and I want to hear you tell me – right now – the answer to the question. I do like that he is knowledgeable about the Chinese, and for that alone he should be considered for a position like Secretary of State. But regarding this night? D-.

Mitt Romney gets a B+. He didn’t come away hurt, and I actually appreciated his explanation of how Massachusetts health care was a Tenth Amendment issue and he sees the national issue differently. I think hardcore right-wingers need to listen to him more and give him a chance on this one. Pride alone would stop a decent man from repeating so many times that he would repeal Obamacare. Mitt Romney seems to be a decent man, and he has definitely said more than once that repeal of Obamacare is on his agenda. My issue with Romney is that he comes across too polished, but what are we to expect of a man who’s been running since 2007 in the age of cable-news sound bytes and endless attacks for every last miscue?

Overall I think the debate was interesting. I learned a couple of new things and that helps, and I think we found out who the real players are. We are yet to hear from Rick Perry who will be an interesting addition, and of course there’s Sarah Palin, who just keeps hanging around. Speaking of Palin, here’s an interesting and very reasonable discussion between her and some reporters, mostly Don Lemon of CNN. Credit to Lemon for a fair and decent line of questions, and I think Palin really hit it out of the park in this discussion. If she could come across like this all the time, even some of her detractors would have trouble putting her down.

A Hat Tip to Kirsten Powers for the link to the video, via @kirstenpowers10 on Twitter.

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Soloman’s “Squishy Nondescript American" Series: Mitt Romney

2011-08-12T18:07:00.003-07:00

This is not an endorsement. I do not believe I will be endorsing any specific candidate for the Republican nomination until the day I walk in the polling booth for the Republican Primary in Arizona. Of course, I reserve the right to change that position. This is my blog, and I’ll do what I want to.

Wow, I need this thing to start making me an income… but I digress.

I see things I like about each candidate, and I see things that I don’t care for quite so much. I believe I need to voice these insights and concerns to my friends and family; those who follow politics as I do and care about the future of this great nation. You may agree. You may disagree. All I ask is the same I’ve always asked of anyone who ever read anything I have ever written; open your mind to a perspective you may not have otherwise held, and offer your feedback if you so choose.

As I write this “Squishy Nondescript American" Series I will be, to the best of my ability, an independent mind looking at the field of Republican candidates who wish to be nominated for the 2012 General Election and have the opportunity to defeat President Barack Obama (notice I didn’t put the “Hussein” in there? That’s me being independent *insert laugh track*).

Here, as I feel the desire and have the time, I will put on my best “independent” suit and try to simply break down the good and the bad I see in each candidate. I do not know if I will be able to offer insight into all the candidates in the field. After all, there are now nine Republicans in the field including Rick Perry who apparently will make it official Saturday.

America has a National League baseball team (no DH, better baseball) running against one guy who loves to play basketball.

The first installment in this series is a perspective about the seemingly undesired frontrunner, Mitt Romney.

Right now Romney falls into that “Next-in-line Republican” category as far as the media is concerned. The Republican Party has a documented tradition of nominating the guy who was the “runner-up” last time. Mike Huckabee was said by many to be the early favorite this time around, but once he opted out it became clear Romney was the man to beat.

If you follow conservative media, you know it is obvious that many in “conservative” circles do not want Romney to win the nomination. My ideological side wants to agree in some cases, but my practical side keeps telling me to stop being such the ideologue and look at this thing like the average “independent.” That’s literally what prompted the decision to create the “Squishy Non-Descript American Series,” so kudos to Mitt Romney for that one. If he can inspire people to create jobs like he inspired me here, then I’ll vote for him. Again, no endorsement here.

Part of the issue that some on the political right have with Romney is that he chooses a faith they do not understand. Yet do they make the effort to learn more about him and his Faith? People living in glass houses will always throw stones, I suppose.

All I know of the Mormon Faith is good. Mormons seem to have deep family values, and their neighborhoods seem to be tightly knit communities. It seems that they practice solid conservative principles in their daily lives. They look after each other through Church and community as well as (or better than) any other denomination. Every Mormon I have ever met has been polite, well-spoken, and decent. Mormons are typically pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and obviously pro-First Amendment.

Sure, you may have had (especially if you live in the Southwest) Mormon teenagers knock at your door and ask you about your relationship with God. But if you politely (or impolitely if you’re a jerk) say “No, thank you” that person will be on their way and think nothing less of you. In some nations you’ll be executed for not following a certain “Faith” and there are groups of people dedicated to killing Americans and Israelis simply because we do not follow their “Faith.” So what’s so bad about a kid knocking at your door?

Mormons’ love of America seems abundantly clear; I know in the areas around here, every Memorial Day and 4th of July there appears on every lawn an American Flag. Go see if that kind of thing happens on the South Side of Chicago, or in Hyde Park from where our current President hails. I’m just sayin’.

I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, where we had a community parade in our subdivision on these holidays. What I see in Mormon communities reminds me tremendously of the feeling I had as a kid. Good people, love of country. The flags on the lawn may appear to be a superficial statement, but it shows me dedication to America like no other.

If you as a Christian believe that a man was conceived without a human father’s participation, then parted seas, healed the sick, turned water into wine, and ultimately died on a Cross and was reborn in order to save your soul, can’t you just open your mind a little bit to someone else having their own belief system, as long as they are not blowing us up for believing differently? I mean really. Freedom from religious persecution, and the right to practice your own beliefs; I think our founders kind of had something about it somewhere. Correct me if I am wrong, please.

What America does not need right now is this litmus test for the presidency. After all, we didn’t even have a reasonable background check done on the last guy we elected, and he was known to have hung out with (and have the political support of) people who tried to blow up police stations and Federal Buildings.

I do not follow a specific Faith, but I believe in God. My understanding of God’s wishes for us is that we do unto others as we would ask that they do unto us. So if Christians of any denomination want to be allowed to practice their belief in God freely as is protected by our First Amendment, why do they not treat Mitt Romney the same? Is there some honest issue within that particular Faith that is truly harmful to America? If so, I wish someone would bring it to the table so we can discuss it.

Unfortunately Mitt Romney also has this record of changing positions that’s kind of lingering, and it's all happened during his public life. Some say it appears he has changed his positions for political expediency.

I can not know what is in another man’s heart unless he tells me, and everything Romney has said indicates these changes were due to personal growth rather than politics. Everything I have to work with tells me that Romney's current beliefs are true and he will stand by them, and so I must believe him unless someone can prove otherwise.

What I do know is that in every instance Romney has grown more conservative. The political "right" in America should accept this graciously, yet they don't. My question is simple: why not? They say, "If you're not Liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not Conservative when you're 35, you have no brain," so in that regard at least Mitt’s headed in the right direction.

Ten years ago I had more liberal views regarding abortion than I have today, believing that it truly was about a “woman’s right to choose.” Now I recognize that to choose life first is the most important choice, and that there are other viable “choices” available. Ten years ago I didn't understand the 2nd Amendment and its importance as a foundation of our freedoms as well as I understand it today. Ten years ago I might have believed that everyone “deserved” “free health care,”’ but today I recognize that there truly is not such thing as “free” health care. What there is in politics at the national level is an effort to use the guise of “free health care” to gain votes from those who have not lifted themselves, eventually to put more tax burden on the earning class, to build government largesse.

I am personally against the idea of governmental intervention in our health care system at any level, but I must agree with Romney regarding his “States’ Rights” position. The right of State budgeting is not left to the Federal government, and therefore it is indeed the Right of each state to determine the best solution to their individual concern. This is a perfect example of where Romney’s system in Massachusetts may be undesirable but is definitely legal, and Obama’s national legislation is clearly unconstitutional.

Mitt Romney is definitely wise to the business world. He has a strong record regarding the 2002 Winter Olympics, for which he is credited for working through politically corrupt goings-on between the IOC and local Salt Lake City officials, revamping an extremely disorganized budget and chaotic situation, hiring knowledgeable people,and using that team to bring success to what looked like a disastrous situation.

Romney’s personal fortune was made through investment strategies, under the name Bain Capital. Believed to be worth between $190-390 million, his investments in Sealy (mattresses), Domino’s Pizza, Staples, and Sports Authority have proven that he is capable of putting together a team that can take a questionable economic situation and bring it to fruitful results.

Mitt Romney has a stellar education; liberal elites can not question his intelligence even by their own standards, unlike the mean-spirited attacks they throw upon George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, and others. He graduated with honors from BYU, received a Masters Degree in business from Harvard, and has a Law Degree from Harvard, where he graduated cum laude.

As I mentioned earlier this is not an endorsement. I am absolutely endorsing whatever candidate (or ham sandwich) runs against President Obama in 2012 because we can not take another four years of misguided handling of our great nation. I welcome your feedback and hope I have offered some perspective you may not have otherwise found before today.

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Wagging The Dog?

2011-08-10T23:32:00.003-07:00

Sony is my favorite electronics company. I own a Sony home audio system that I absolutely love. My car stereo is a Sony. My televisions – the ones I have loved – have been Sony. Right now due to economic circumstances I have not done so, but when life affords me the opportunity I plan to purchase a nice over-sized LED flat-screen.

I had always assumed the competition would really have to impress me to win me over enough to stop me from buying a Sony. They have always been innovative, and in my opinion they offer the best quality available for the price.

And although Sony Entertainment” is a different division than Sony Electronics, it was with a heavy heart that I read the article as it was linked on The Drudge Report this evening.

This article is not some World Net Daily or Andrew Breitbart piece that can be somewhat easily dismissed by the “Mainstream Media” and the left as a hatchet-job. This piece is provided by Reuters, a reputable news organization that is considered a straight source.

The article behind the link “WHITE HOUSE REJECTS FAVORS CLAIM” is about the fact that The Pentagon is helping Sony Entertainment create and produce a clearly biased film, aimed at benefitting their political desires over being objective about a story of historical context.

Quite honestly I might not otherwise feel this way, but according to the Reuters article the planned release date for the film is October 2012.

I do not know if any classified information was given Sony by The Pentagon; that will be for Congressional hearings to determine. All I know is that something smells fishy about a film about the one specific high point of President Obama’s time in office being released the month before he is up for re-election.

Call me a cynic.

Monday afternoon President Obama stood before a very concerned nation and once again, at a time when he absolutely needed to to look Americans in the eye and offer some comfort, read from the teleprompter.

He was 45 minutes late to the press conference he called, at which he was to discuss the future of our once seemingly indestructible economy.

He used partisan rhetoric to dismiss newly elected conservative Congressional Representatives as the reason for the problems we face today.

In that moment, he essentially scolded the people who metaphorically “called 911” so the fire department might have a chance to “put out the fire and save the burning building.”

It has been said that President Obama seems more concerned with being President than acting Presidential. I used to not want to believe this, but how can we not?

Yesterday morning my local radio talk show host Barry Young brought forward the question that many do not want to ask, but which I believe is worthy of discussion.

I’ll use my own words, from a ““Tweet” I posted Wednesday morning: Too little, too late: Taliban Insurgents Behind Afghan Chopper Crash Killed in Airstrike.

I then added the hashtag “#DidObamaWagTheDog. If you are not familiar with Twitter, a # is a “hashtag,” and when you use that symbol it creates a hyperlink to all the “tweets” that have used the same word or phrase as a search keyword. If enough people use the same hashtags they can create discussions, and Twitter shows you what discussions are "trending" on their website. It’s quite interesting to this novice, and I am learning to use it for both fun and information.

The one thing this President has done that we can all agree was successful was to give the order to kill Osama bin Laden. That one moment gave him an opportunity to unite the nation like nothing else he has done, including and even more than the blatantly dishonest and partisan “New Tone of Civility” speech In Tucson.

I do not believe for one minute that the troops who died in that helicopter crash were knowingly sent to their demise.

However, I do believe it is worth asking whether or not this administration would attempt a “heroic” military conquest at a time they obviously needed a diversion.

The media is focused on the debt issue and President Obama's leadership skills are finally being called into question, and what better to distract the entire nation than a major Taliban figure or organization being taken out, with the heroes once again being Seal Team Six?

And if that question is even being considered, then certainly it is reasonable to ask if there is collusion between Sony and the Obama administration in an effort to gain reelection.

@wisdomofsoloman on Twitter

Newsweek (Obama) Cover

2011-08-07T19:30:00.007-07:00

Might as well be, looking at the way they portray Mrs. Bachmann on the cover.

Will ANYONE please tell me where the Barack Obama cover was that has this "tone?" I didn't see him portrayed as "Angry" which certainly might be fitting for a "Community Organizer."

Here is the article that cover represents.

From that article:

"But far more damaging than the charge of double standards may be the growing realization among Americans of just how radical the Tea Party movement really is. The willingness of its most committed members to risk national default for the sake of achieving its political goals has no doubt contributed to the dramatic rise in the number of Americans who view the movement unfavorably."

Nope... no media bias.

Props to @JedediahBila for the link to @thedailybeast, which it seems has sold its soul. And Meghan McCain writes there.... who'd have thunk it?

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Eat Your Peas, America

2011-08-05T18:27:00.010-07:00

So we've been downgraded.

Congrats, President Obama.

You're correct - you inherited a mess. Thirty years of bad policy and mismanagement... check that - one hundred years of bad policy and mismanagement, going all the way back to Woodrow Wilson and his "progressive" tax system. Yep... you inherited a mess. I agree.

Those of us who didn't see it clearly a few years ago have come full circle and admitted we were wrong.

And through all that self-reflection,we've really had hope. We had hope that you really would be "change." We hoped that when it all came to a head you would step up and do the right thing.

But when the going got tough, you hid behind closed doors. You showed us that you are more concerned with being President than acting Presidential, because to be a leader... to act like the "Leader of the Free World," would have meant sucking it up and going against your beliefs, knowing that every credible independent source told you to do so.

Now we've been downgraded. First time in history. Ever.

You are indeed historic, President Obama.

I hope you're historic for another reason, though. I hope it is you who helps America finally wake up to the perils of "progressive" politics.

A nation simply can not tax people more and expect the government to successfully redistribute that taxation in a way that creates more wealth. All that redistribution will ever create is a dependence on more government.

Look to our public school system for proof positive. Look to the inner cities. Look to Wall Street, for that matter.

Even the "rich" on Wall Street are now used to being propped up by the government, which is why when they didn't see more taxes from the "debt ceiling deal" they went crazy, and we have now seen the market lose five percent of its value within the past week.

From the Washington Post article:

Standard & Poor’s has warned Washington several times this year that, unless the federal government took steps to tame its debt, its credit rating could be lowered.

So... S&P says that "Cut, Cap and Balance" had it right, and therefore by The White House's own admission with this statement Paul Ryan had it right. And by generally supporting them both, The Tea Party has been right all along.

I saw this on Huffington Post and thought it was the perfect insight regarding how dysfunctional the conversation has become, in large part due to the horrible messaging from the media:

"President Obama should be impeached because he didn't put the Tea Party into internment camps when he had the chance and protect the US from such a destructive domestic threat."

Seriously, people really believe this kind of thing.

The media and the Democrats in Congress have run around calling their fellow Americans "terrorists," "teabaggers," "jihadists," and more.

Why wouldn't young, gullible college students believe this to be true?

I know when I was young I thought Ronald Reagan was a horrible president. During the Clinton impeachment era, I believed he was not guilty of anything more than having a very casual affair with some chubby chick, and the Republican Party was out to get him simply because they hated him. Why? The media told me so, that's why.

So why would this not be the opinion of many people who will not have the intellectual integrity to check what another source of information might say about things?

Eat your peas, America. It ain't going to get any easier.

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Change You Can Believe In

2011-08-01T21:12:00.002-07:00

During an interview – I believe it was on On The Record, I heard a good argument from Senator Mitch McConnell about how this whole “debt ceiling” deal went down.

He spoke about what was “won” from the conservative perspective and what comes next if you’re a person who believes, as do I, that spending is out-of-control and that the growth of government must be stopped.

Essentially, everything that happened comes down to the fact that conservatives only control one half of one chamber of Congress (The House). Therefore conservatives really only control one-third of the legislative process of government, if you include The House, The Senate, and The White House in control of the legislative process since The President must always sign off on any legislature.

And really, conservatives don't even really control The House, even though the media and the liberals – including, it seems, our Vice-President - will tell you America is “being held hostage by terrorists.” The Republican Party controls The House, and therefore the “progressive” agenda still has something to say about what happens in The House.

It is my humble opinion that the representatives who were elected to to the “Tea Party” uprising should be very proud of themselves. Whether or not you agree with everything they’ve done, they were elected to go to Washington D. C. and draw a line in the sand on behalf of their constituents, and with the exception of a few they did just that.

These Congressional Freshman did exactly what they were asked to do. They didn’t go make an issue of abortion or gay marriage; they went and made an issue about the size and scope of government, which is what really needs to be dealt with at the federal level. Our political system worked, and some people don’t like the results. So be it.

When it is all analyzed, however, the truth is that right now the “progressive” establishment holds most of the cards in the District of Criminals, and the progs are more interested in government maintaining the status quo than they are interested in creating real change, which is why in the end Boehner got the votes he needed to get this “deal” done. This deal allows government to continue to grow, spend, and destroy our future.

This is not Boehner's fault; this is the system we have to work within until we can really effect change.

I believe Boehner was an honest broker on the behalf of the conservative agenda. I believe Boehner, like McConnell, had a “leadership” role to play, because as McConnell said during this interview, if not for the 2010 election the progressive establishment would still have ultimate control and we’d be in worse shape than we are in today.

McConnell and Boehner had to do what they did, in order to gain a small victory.

Small victories give inspiration, and small victories gain momentum. Momentum helps win future victories, and eventually the side that wins enough small victories will win a few big battles and eventually win the war.

The Republican leadership got what they could get right now given what they have to work with.

We have a radical leftist in The White House and his lackeys Reid, Durbin, and Schumer in The Senate, and they all answer to George Soros.

Until we conservatives can vote ourselves into The White House and have control of The Senate, this is the best Boehner and McConnell could do. And for that I give them credit, because although we'll still be spending more after this deal, by voting in the group that we voted in during the 2010 midterms we definitely changed the discussion.

And that is change you can believe in.

The "Truth" According to Chris Matthews

2011-08-01T17:32:00.003-07:00

It's not that a person is allowed to be on TV and say things this stupid. It's that he is given credibility and people actually believe he speaks the truth.

Most people watching MSNBC are watching that network because they agree with the politics of the pundits. A "typical" MSNBC viewer will watch this in full context and completely miss the words "Not particularly this case."

What the viewers of MSNBC will walk away with is "Gun," "Violence level of the right-wing in this country," and "Shot down in a political act."

Truth is, the "right-wing" of this nation is no more and no less violent than the "left-wing."

There are abortion-clinic bombers who can be associated with the "right-wing," and they should be condemned. And sure, it's possible and even likely that there were some arguments during the Obamacare debates that were instigated by "right-wingers."

However, there are also those union thugs who beat down "Tea-party" people at town halls during the Obamacare debates. There was a man who had his finger bitten off by a "left-winger" at an Obamacare protest. There was the militant environmentalist who held a bunch of people hostage in front of The Discovery Channel building.

Political discourse is heated. Anger is at an all-time high. But one thing is for sure, and that is the truth. The truth is, Gabby Giffords was not shot by a "Violent right-winger," and for Chris Matthews to continue insinuate such is just plain dishonest.

Out Of Control Government

2011-07-31T13:57:00.004-07:00

File this one under "Are you kidding me?"

According to this article from The Washington Times, Vice-President Biden is somehow able to get away with charging rent of The Secret Service, who are entrusted with the responsibility of keeping him safe.

From the article:

Since April, Mr. Biden has collected more than $13,000 from the agency charged with protecting the lives of he and his family, for use of a rental cottage adjacent to the waterfront home he owns in a Wilmington, Del., neighborhood.

Mr. Biden, listed not as vice president in federal purchasing documents but as “vendor,” is eligible for up to $66,000 by the time the government contract expires in the fall of 2013, the records show.

So we pay them, and they pay him, and we pay him...

As Seen At A Used Book Store

2011-07-30T18:45:00.004-07:00

Went used book shopping a couple of weeks ago.

Interesting to see whose books are piling up (and perhaps not selling?) in a used book store. Also fascinating these two ending up next to each other.

An open letter to President Obama.

2011-07-29T18:29:00.002-07:00

President Obama, I believe you have an excellent opportunity to show true leadership in this time of crisis. You are our President, and it is your job to lead. And we must be in a crisis; you keep saying so.

Mr. President, do your fair share. After all, you keep talking about how people who have millions of dollars like yourself should share the sacrifice.

I would like to offer an idea to you, sir. I would like to propose to you a way you might score major political points and shut some people up, all at the same time.

You, sir, have the opportunity to seriously put some smack down on the likes of Glenn Back, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and perhaps some others including me.

Sir, if you do this one thing, I will believe that you are sincere in your belief system.

President Obama, I believe you should donate a large sum of your personal wealth to the government.

Maybe if you wrote a check for $5 million. We can figure out a number, the details are not important at this moment. It is important and you need to act fast – remember, we’re in crisis and must act now. That’s what you keep saying. Anyway - you get the point. Lead. Set the example.

While I know that it doesn’t fit the bill through the exact means we normally do things, a personal donation to the government of some magnitude would absolutely be the right thing to do if you truly believe those who “have” should share the sacrifice and you believe the government is the correct way to redistribute the wealth.

While you’re at it, perhaps you might make a contract with the government, and promise to donate a percentage of your future income to government. I mean, come on… you’re going to make a lot of it. Look at President Clinton if you’d like an example of what sort of career path you might be on. And truly, you’re probably going to make a lot more than him. After all, you won a Nobel Peace Prize. And you are America's first Black President. I mean besides President Clinton. Whatever. You get the point.

I know that technically makes my suggestion two things, but work with me here. After all, this is about our future, isn’t it? And clearly government knows best what to do with your money since your economic belief system is based on the theory that the system needs to do for the people, and that everything should be fair. Equality, if you will.

Certainly your money will be used more efficiently and for more common good if you spread the wealth around through taxes, since you have so much money and are certainly going to be extremely wealthy for the rest of your life.

By the way sir, I would like to offer you some advice. Do not own a corporate jet. Ever. In the words of another President (one conveniently named Bush) it "Wouldn’t be prudent” after all the flak you’ve given corporate jet owners. Just sayin’.

I can tell you with great certainty that all the aforementioned talk show hosts have suggested at one time or another that perhaps those who believe in redistributive government and have the means should do exactly what I suggest here in this proposal, but that those with that wealth and your belief system are really hypocrites who will never consider such an option. This is your moment to show exactly how wrong they are, and how committed you are to government as the solution to our problems.

Respectfully,

A concerned citizen who did not vote for you but believes you have an excellent opportunity to, as Nancy Pelosi said, "Save life on this planet as we know it today."

Follow me on Twitter if you’d like. I am having fun learning to offer brief commentary at random times. Could be interesting!

About the Impersonator at the Conference

2011-06-18T16:10:00.001-07:00

Politico put this out there as an article, and i'd just like to ask everyone, including the people who decided to pull the man off the stage for his joke about President Obama, this one question:

Really?

The article says "Comedian." It's the second word.

I'm planning to have a great night, I hope you have the same.

I don't have much else to say, I guess. That should explain it all.

A Little Media Bias for You, Courtesy of The Los Angeles Times

2011-06-16T22:15:00.005-07:00

It’s subtle.

To someone from the left it’s artful, and to someone who doesn’t pay attention to politics it doesn’t even exist.

From the Los Angeles Times comes media bias at its finest, and it is a perfect example of what we must realize we are up against this election cycle if we wish to see Barack Obama become a one-term President.

The headline reads, “In a switch, GOP's Michele Bachmann talks of empathy.”

Switch? Really?

I would like to ask the editorial staff at the L. A. Times to please document exactly when Michele Bachmann has spoken out against the concept of empathy. I ask that they cite specific statements, during specific interviews, on specific dates and offer links to transcripts, video, or audio clips in which it can be clearly shown that Michele Bachmann does not have empathy for struggling Americans.

This hit-piece begins based in fact, which helps it appear relatively innocuous to the political novice.

In her first televised interview since declaring her presidential candidacy, Michele Bachmann accused President Obama of having a “shocking" lack of empathy toward Americans victimized by the struggling economy.

“I talk to people. I care about people,” the Minnesota Republican told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity Wednesday evening. “The president has no understanding of what is happening in real people's lives.”

In the next paragraph there is a funny little grammatical error, but hey… they are the professional media, they’re smarter than us. The writer, James Oliphant, must have a good reason for leaving out the word “she” as he described the “generally” high marks Mrs. Bachmann has received since Monday night’s grunt-fest.. er.. debate hosted by CNN’s John King.

I mean after all, this is a conservative, a woman, and she has credentials beyond pretty much any woman the left has ever offered upon the political scene. Why on earth would the left-leaning media distort anything? Silly, silly me.

Anyway… back to the article.

“Bachmann has been highlighting her experience both in the House, as a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, and her work as a tax lawyer—perhaps as a means to counter the tendency for many political observers to view her as simply a less bombastic and more disciplined version of Sarah Palin.”

Truly, there’s the most important element of all, buried carefully within that paragraph: the Sarah Palin comparison.

If you think you’ve seen all of that comparison you’re going to see… let’s just say I predict right here, right now that should Bachmann win the GOP nomination, MSNBC and most of the media will have them all but being married to the same man when it’s all said and done.

And the word, “Simply;” Do you think that word isn’t strategically placed? Remember, conservatives are "simple-minded" people according to the elite liberal media.

As a writer, I admire the use of the word “Bombastic.” What an excellent choice of words. After all, Sarah Palin has been labeled “Bombastic” since she came upon the national scene. Even as the Jared Loughner shooting of Gabrielle Giffords was discussed (after all he was the psycho who did the shooting, does anyone even know his name?) the word “Bombastic” was used in articles referring to Palin and her infamous "Cross-Hairs Imagery," as if Palin or any conservative had anything to do with Loughner's mental instability.

Therefore, why not go ahead and transfer that malicious word right on over to the new brunette female Republican on the scene?

And since we’re discussing the “New Tone of Civility;”

While President Obama was offering the idea that Republicans “Drove America into the ditch” I didn’t hear the word “Bombastic” used to describe him. When he said “The Cambridge Police acted stupidly” even though he admitted he didn’t have all the evidence, I didn’t hear “Bombastic” used to describe The President. And when President Obama flat-out lied as talked about how Paul Ryan’s budget plan would “Make poor children, children with autism, and kids with disabilities fend for themselves,” I heard no use of the word “Bombastic.”

“But her decision to address Obama’s purported lack of empathy is notable—largely because Bachmann emerged into public notoriety as a vanguard of the slash-and-burn “tea party” movement, which largely took a mistrustful view of government in any context. Moreover, the term “empathy” is one that has long been derided by conservatives.”

Notice, this writer did not even capitalize the words “Tea Party.” After all, this is not a serious political thought process so it does not command or even deserve the respect of capital letters when written.

And if by “Slash and Burn” the writer means we ask the people who represent us to treat our tax dollars with respect and stop spending money like drunken sailors (no offense to drunken sailors everywhere) then yes, slash and burn it is.

And you’re darned right we’re mistrustful of government. Please, don’t try to tell me government is steeped in empathy. Our government, under President Obama’s stimulus plan, spent $71,000 for researchers at Wake Forest University to see how monkeys react under the influence of cocaine and nearly $1 million for the California Academy of Sciences to study exotic ants. The United States government is out of control and barely recognizes the purpose for which it was created by The Founders.

Back to that headline; empathy, as I see it, is exactly what Michele Bachmann represents.

Conveniently omitted from this L. A. Times article is discussion the fact that Bachmann was raised by a single mother. Also not mentioned are the 23 foster children she and her husband Marcus raised, in addition to five of their own natural children.

It will be interesting to see how many articles omit this incredibly important piece of information Americans need to know, about this woman the left does not want Americans to get to know.

When Michele Bachmann says that she is pro-life, she puts her personal story on the line and it counts. Giving a child up for adoption is a commendable and extremely difficult choice, and raising an adopted child or foster child is a remarkable choice people make; a choice that gives life a chance when a child might otherwise not have that chance.

Michele Bachmann's story is the story that liberals don’t want you to hear, because she walks the walk that matches her talk.

Michele Bachmann has voted against the Republican establishment consistently on major fiscal issues. She understands true conservative thought, and she does not hesitate to put principle over party. Bachmann knows exactly who she is and what it is that she believes. She is no flip-flopper, and there is no question about her record. She will not pander to gain a vote; she will persuade with conviction in order to earn a vote.

Michele Bachmann represents everything the liberal political machine can not debate, and this article is just the beginning of a process of defamation that must be countered with fact.

Michele Bachmann, in part thanks to and in cooperation with Sarah Palin, may just be the individual that finally destroys the left-leaning media’s slanderous attacks on conservatism in America. For if the media attempts to destroy Bachmann as they have attempted to destroy Palin, they can not win.

To attack one conservative woman and be proven so hysterical in their efforts as has been the case with Palin is one thing, but to do it again to a second, possibly more reputable conservative woman with a clearly proven track record?

Bring it.

Friday Night: A Little Fun, and a Prayer for Peace

2011-06-03T18:28:00.002-07:00

In the news today amongst other stories, there’s the weenie named Weiner and his inability to recognize his own private parts, and there’s Sarah Palin playing the media like a fiddle.

In the first case we actually have reporters asking tough questions, like “Is that picture of you?” and then letting him slide without giving a direct answer. We can only imagine the reaction of the mainstream media, were Weiner a Conservative. Truth is it doesn’t matter much to me what Weiner is doing with his wiener and to whom he sends pictures, but the media double-standard is amazing to witness.

In the second case the media are griping because Palin, a non-candidate, is enjoying some time with her family, travelling across the eastern part of America and seeing historical sites. The media are disgruntled because Palin is not a candidate, and they are not entitled to a schedule, even though they desperately hang on every last word Palin says and every move she makes, because whether they like it or not Sarah Palin equals ratings and that’s what makes their bosses happy. That… and the fact that they have to stop “on the side of the road to pee" … apparently pisses them off.

Good grief.

And as if our media isn’t lame enough, here’s Chris Matthews, who seems to have forgotten (or conveniently omitted for the purpose of partisan analysis) Joe Biden's racist description of then-Senator Barack Obama, as Biden called Obama “The first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."

Tonight on the inappropriately named MSNBC show “Hardball” hosted by the aforementioned tingly-legged host, Matthews was taking pot-shots at Mitt Romney and his clean, 50’s like character. In the process of offering his partisan perspective, Matthews said this about Romney:

I am not the most ardent supporter of Romney, although he'd be a far cry better for America than our current leader. But come on, Matthews... really? Are you that forgetful, or just that dishonest?

To top the night off... on a fun note, Matthews closed his show with commentary about the NBA Finals. If you don’t follow the NBA you won’t understand, but if you do follow the sport then you know that Dirk Nowitzki (pronounced nuh-vit-skee) is a one-man wrecking machine this playoff season, and that what he and the Dallas Maverics pulled off last night was nothing they haven’t done a few times already this year.

However, Matthews the frontrunner was all gleeful about the Miami Heat and their three-headed monster of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Matthews was so unknowledgeable that he – a liberal elitist who should know better – did not pronounce the European Nowitzki’s name correctly, and although Matthews claims to be a fan of the sport, he seemed to know nothing of the talent that Dirk has displayed game after game throughout his entire career, and particularly this playoff season.

I don’t post very often lately, but I still pay a lot of attention to the news of our time. I have been very quiet about the situation brewing in the Middle East; not for lack of opinion or understanding, but because I have wanted to watch the story unfold and determine exactly what the truth is before offering my two cents.

I believe we are closer to the truth now than we’ve been in a long time, and I believe it is time for America to wake up and recognize the danger that lurks just around the corner.

Now that we are beginning to see the reality of the “Arab Spring,” I ask those of you who have not done so – please inform yourself.

Learn what is really happening in Egypt. Read about “Lara Logan being raped as her attackers yelled “Jew, Jew, Jew.”"Understand the position that Barack Obama first took, which was clearly that of an ally of the Muslim world and an antagonist to Israel.

Understand exactly how important peace in the Middle East truly is, and what the position of each side truly is.

Ask yourself this: if you had a neighbor who owned a gun and you owned a gun, and you promised each other to put down your guns, how would you feel if your neighbor constantly promised to put his gun down but then as soon as you dropped yours he began firing at you? Would you feel comfortable living next door to someone who had a clearly stated purpose of your extermination from Earth?

This is the relationship between the nation of Israel and the Muslim nations that surround that State. Israel has never fired upon any of its neighbors unprovoked, yet it is constantly attacked without provocation by those who have sworn to kill all Jews.

This is not a question of land that has been “occupied” by Jews. The land that is Israel today is the land that has always been the homeland of the Jewish people, and any land that is beyond what was originally granted during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 was acquired (won) during wars that were initiated by Muslim nations.

There has never been a nation called Palestine, regardless of the modern American Liberal Democrat’s behavior and statements to the contrary. Palestine is a region, and while there are definitely people who lived in certain areas of that region who were displaced during wars, the idea that the “Palestinian Refugees” deserve to “go home” is far from the truth.

Today the people called “Palestinian Refugees” are nothing more than pawns being used by Muslim zealots from Iran and other Muslim nations under the banner of Hamas and Hezbollah, who hold power and have the desire to fulfill their believed prophecy of the extermination of the “Infidels.” Some of them may be good people, and some of them unfortunately have taken the political position of their "leadership" and believe that their plight is the fault not of their "leaders," but of the evil Infidel Jews.

Jerusalem is the center of the religious world. For those of Faith, the foundation of all creation is Jerusalem. Israel in its present condition under the leadership of Jews, allows persons of all religions to enjoy all the history and majesty of that land. Should Barack Obama and the Muslim world have their wish, Muslims would have control of almost all of the historical sites in Jerusalem, and the Muslims would not allow Jews and Christians to visit their most holy of locations.

It is time to take a stand, because while the American and liberal media have been portraying the “Arab Spring” as an uprising of youth with the desire for democratic freedom, that narrative is nothing close to the truth.

The truth is that while tyrannical dictators have indeed been removed from power, the Muslim Brotherhood, “a fanatical organization with ties to Nazis", is on a massive power grab and making inroads to the creation of a Caliphate. Should this come to pass, freedom in The Middle East will be in great peril, because Israel will be completely surrounded not by Muslims, but by radicals whose desire is the elimination of all Jews.

I stand with Israel. For the sake of freedom around the world, I hope you stand with Israel too.

The Truth as Spoken by Bill Clinton

2011-05-25T17:19:00.005-07:00

An honest moment about the future of America between two men.

Bill Clinton is generally trusted and respected by the left, and was an honest enough President to work with the Republican Congress to reform Welfare and balance the budget.

Paul Ryan is trusted and respected by the right, but despised by the left for his fiscal responsibility and willingness to tell the truth.

Only one of these men is treated with decency by the "mainstream media," which suits the narrative of the left. That narrative is being discussed here:

We all know the Democrat Party is going to use scare tactics to try to win every election they can in 2012, including the Presidential election.

Most of us have already seen the ridiculous commercial showing a man who appears to be Paul Ryan pushing "Grannie" off the cliff. The discussion between Clinton and Ryan is absolute proof that some Democrats know better than to believe that commercial represents the intentions of Paul Ryan's budget plan.

The Republicans attempted to begin the discussion that must be had, about the entitlement program that must be reformed. The Democrats, unfortunately, have the media in their back pocket; they will do all they can to use that media to their advantage as they continue to spend America into oblivion.

Please share this with everyone you know who isn't blinded by partisanship. If a person cares at all about America, this will tell them all they need to know about the Medicare debate.

My Thoughts Regarding the Passing of Osama bin Laden

2011-05-02T19:12:00.003-07:00

As the news broke, my girlfriend and I were taking a break from Season One, Disc Five of “Lost.” Great series, I am learning. I’m glad she introduced me to it, and I look forward to watching all six seasons.

She came back and I said, “bin Laden is dead. We killed bin Laden.” She replied with some immediate shock, and then sat down next to me.

Within two minutes of President Obama beginning his “statement” last night, we had decided we knew enough and went back to our previously scheduled evening. We didn’t hear the part of President Obama’s speech during which he reportedly became a bit narcissistic and began to take all of the credit.

I don’t really care about that, to be honest. Given this President’s history it comes as little surprise, but President Obama is not the story on this day.

The story of this day is the opportunity for closure, and the ultimate gratitude that we should all give all of our servicemen and women, their families, and their friends. All who have been touched in some way by this evil man should be first on our minds this day.

I am grateful to President Obama for giving the order to kill, and I commend him for making the correct decision.

I am very disappointed in the New York representative, Gary Ackerman (D) who came out last night and proclaimed, “This is the ‘Mission Accomplished’ moment President Bush only fantasized about.” Shame on Congressman Ackerman; I hope he loses his next election.

It comes as little surprise, I must say, that Democrats are heaping endless praise on Obama.

Meanwhile Republicans are graciously praising Obama for recent actions including helping bin Laden meet Allah, while also remembering that it was George W. Bush who enacted all of the policies Obama scorned while campaigning, and yet continued to this point of fruition. President Obama would have been well served by thanking President George W. Bush for all his administration's hard work that led to this moment, yet it is my understanding through media reports that he made no such gesture.

Speaks volumes, in my opinion.

Thank you, President Bush. You truly are a respectable man whose grace and dignity will likely never be fully appreciated.

I have seen and heard some comments about the celebration of this killing, as if to say that America should not celebrate or feel good. I don’t feel like celebrating, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that good was done at the moment that bullet pierced his skull.

Osama bin Laden was the mastermind of a form of modern warfare that, most likely, will never leave humankind. He perverted what otherwise might be a very reasonable religion to the point that otherwise very open-minded people may never again believe that Islam is anything but the work of The Devil himself.

Bin Laden was directly and indirectly responsible for the killing of thousands, perhaps into the hundreds of thousands or more individuals from all walks of life.

The work of bin Laden has only just begun, I believe, in the big scheme of things. His assassination is likely to cause martyr suicides over the coming days and weeks, and we may never know a world that does not have Radical Islamic Jihad.

Osama bin Laden is evil, defined.

While the death of any individual should never be celebrated, the killing of this man certainly is justified in every way possible.

I pray that this event brings some closure to the families that have been affected over the years.

It should be noted that America, even as it dealt with one of its most hated persons, showed what would be considered ultimate respect.

We reportedly washed bin Laden’s body and gave him a respectful burial, holding to the 24-hour tradition and wrapping him in a white sheet. I must say I agree with Glenn Beck when I say he deserved something more along the lines of a good Spam rubdown followed by being wrapped in bacon.

But America is better than that. We are good in the world, even when dealing with the most evil of all possible elements of humankind.

And when it all went down, the coward was hiding in a well-to-do neighborhood, in a very expensive property. Much of what he always claimed to be against, likely was his immediate surroundings as he took his last breath.

And he hid. Not only did he hide, but he hid behind a woman.

Osama bin Laden died while hiding behind a woman.

Good riddance.

Fox News Channel and Glenn Beck "Agree to Divorce"

2011-04-06T18:28:00.003-07:00

Today it was announced that Glenn Beck and Fox News Channel will part ways. Here’s my take, if you care.

Glenn Beck and his staff have done more valuable research regarding the current Middle East situation than all of the “Big Three” networks' staffs, combined.

History will show that he predicted the American labor unions' involvement in the recent uprisings, at the highest levels of union leadership. Additionally, there will always be the somewhat unknown factor that Beck has touched on in recent days, which involves the current administration’s involvement in the planning of these uprisings. Perhaps before all is said and done it will not be an unknown, because if there is one thing I think we can expect from Glenn Beck, it is that he will go out with a bang if at all possible.

Beck has, almost without failure, predicted the economic crisis America now finds itself struggling through. No other major media figure can say the same. And while the “Big Three,” NPR, NYT, HuffPo, MSNBC, and CNN have all claimed the economic crash of 2008 to be “George W. Bush’s fault,” Beck has repeatedly offered accurate information about the 40 year build-up to the events that eventually helped Barack Hussein Obama get elected. While all the other networks claimed it was purely America's involvement in two Middle Eastern military theaters, Beck explained with accurate detail how Congress and Jimmy Carter began the entitlement program known as “The Community Reinvestment Act” that has been one of the biggest policy disasters in our nation’s history.

Beck will be fine without FNC, and FNC will be fine without Beck. Beck was a major media figure before he ever came to FNC; the network only gave him more exposure due to its larger audience.

Unfortunately the real winner in this situation is the Obama-manic lunatic fringe left, headlined by Soros and his “Educational organization” known as "Media Matters for America." They now have one less extremely accurate and persistent voice exposing them with the most powerful disinfectant – the truth. Of course, the Soros lackeys are all over MSNBC this evening taking credit for the "ouster" of Beck. One must wonder how MSNBC will fill the couple hours of programming they dedicate to Beck on a daily basis. Perhaps they’ll try… oh, never mind.

On My Mind, On A Wednesday

2011-03-30T22:31:00.005-07:00

During my drive home from work today, I heard a report on the radio that caught my attention. The report was about regrets. I decided to look for a link about this story when I got home.

“Lost love tops list of most common regrets study reveals,” says the Toronto Star, which is one of the choices I had when I did a Google search for “regrets survey.” Fox News and MyFoxAtlanta offered links too, but we all know that Fox News lies and has an agenda, so I decided against them.

Funny, those Canadians are rumored to have such a good health care system, if you believe the liberal talking points. But the grammar in this headline, offered by a Canadian newspaper? I’m just ‘sayin…

The report discussed that certain things fall into certain categories of certain types of people. You know, polling data.

This is the same stuff they do to study the political climate, except this was about life, personally. Not that politics isn’t personal, but participating in political polling is just not the same as participating in a poll that says, “I regret thus and such and this and that,” knowing that if you’re female, you’re going to be told that you’re more likely to regret this, and that if you’re male, then you’re more likely to regret that.

So I thought about regret. I thought about the fact that I used to believe that I was regretful about some things in life, and that in my recent days I have learned how to live with less... and perhaps without, regret.

It is difficult to not regret some things, but I believe it is one of life’s great achievements to learn how not to regret, but instead to learn and grow from any experience.

Amyway… I got home and turned the boob-tube on, and flipped to that network where all they do is yell at their guests and make stuff up. That network was discussing some very interesting topics that really matter to good people, but I figured the stories must be lies, because again, this was Fox News Channel I was watching.

For example; Michelle Malkin reported tonight on Hannity about the fact that, according to the information provided by her syndicated columnand her blog, “Buried in Barack Obama's failed trillion-dollar stimulus program was a $10 million bloody border racket that has now cost American lives.”

She was talking about the fact that both parties of our government have known about, and actively participated in, the process of weapons being illegally transported across our border.

“Like so many border programs run amok, Project Gunrunner was the spawn of Beltway bipartisanship,” Malkin offers as she opens her column.

“It was established in 2005 as a pilot project under the Bush administration and run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The intended goal of the program's sting operations: stop illicit firearms trafficking along the Southwest border through close surveillance of undercover gun purchases and coordinated intervention with Mexico. The deadly result: federally sanctioned gunwalking of high-powered weapons from U.S. officials right into the hands of drug cartel killers.”

Yes, that’s right. A Fox News guest openly discussing a disaster of political policy, and that disaster started under the Bush administration.

Remember, this is the network that Media Matters (an educational institution that certainly deserves its 501(c)(3) tax status) has openly accused of being “the de facto leader of the GOP.”But wait a minute… Bush was a Republican. Now I am confused…

Another fascinating discussion offered up on the network of choice amongst mean old white people who don’t want to give up their hold on power (at least that’s what I hear in the Huffington Post comments section all the time, and it seems The Village Voice concurs to some degree) was about Planned Parenthood.

It seems Planned Parenthood does not offer mammograms, yet they are receiving taxpayer dollars to be “The nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate.”

Hmm. I don’t think that’s right. Why should tax dollars to an organization that claims to be (at the risk of being redundant) “The nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate” if that organization does not provide one of the most important – (as in critical to womens’ health) reproductive health care services that exists?

America needs to cut spending, and if our tax dollars are going to continue to go to organizations that openly deceive the public as much as Planned Parenthood, we’re screwed.

This to me is not even an abortion issue; I am pro-life, but I don’t believe in making abortion illegal. I believe back-alley abortions will always exist, even if the procedure is outlawed, and that’s a worse option than having abortion remain legal.

The issue at hand is health, and life, and Planned Parenthood is deceitful as it claims to be about either.

And on the subject of health – as in health care and the health of America - Obamacare may just have been the real medicine America needed, but only a few of us saw it for what is really has turned out to be.

Now it is time for America to know the truth. We must fight the mainstream media with all of our might, because they bring horrendous misinformation, or just a complete lack of information, each an every night to your dinner table, or with your morning cup of coffee.

America’s health care system does need an overhaul, but over 2000 pages of legalese and billions of dollars hidden in ways to guarantee funding of a policy that is doing more harm than good?

The Democrats worked the system in shady ways to get the bill passed, and the media played along. Now we have hundreds of organizations, including some of President Obama’s biggest supporters (like SEIU), receiving waivers and not being forced to participate.

Isn’t that special…?

The Donald – Donald Trump says he is considering a run for The Presidency.

Trump is trying to play the “Birther” card, and it’s going to backfire on him. He has been on a few networks now, and on The View, and discussed the Obama birth certificate issue, and he risks it blowing up in his face.

I don’t care where he really stands on the issue, but this is an issue a smart politician does not want to interject into the debate, if he is a considering a serious run at The Presidency. I could run against Trump and win, if he doesn’t shut up quickly about that non-starter.

I must say, however, that if he were to shut up about the birth certificate and talk about policy, that while he might not be elected President he certainly can bring some good ideas to the discussion.

Trump has run a very successful business, lost his way and made some very bad decisions, and recovered. Sound familiar, with need for the recovery to make the story complete?

Earlier I mentioned that survey I heard about on the radio, and I mentioned how personal the survey was, as compared to politics. Well, lately politics has become very personal. The hyper-partisan rhetoric surrounding the Libya “kinetic military action” is astounding.

Many people, including me, believed that America's decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power was the correct decision. The truth is out there – Congress largely supported the decision, including many Democrats who later lied about their own position, and with the help of the media those same Democrats have been able to get away with those lies.

Meanwhile, they have said that George W. Bush lied, which is simply not the case. All the information, provided to all leaders foreign and American, said that Hussein had WMD’s in the lead up to the Iraqi invasion.

Anyway – today we have a man in office who clearly sees himself as special. I mean, what are we to think, when he has acted in exactly the same manner he once deemed unjust, and his now-VP said was worthy of impeachment?

President Bush formed a coalition in the build-up to the invasion of Iraq. This coalition was larger than that of President Obama, regardless of the current media’s lack of ability to report that as fact.

Bush went before Congress and requested funding for his actions; Obama? Not so much.

President Obama did not lead, and has not led, for even one moment of the Libya “kinetic military action.”

Oh, by the way… the same lawyer who helped George W. Bush work-around the legal mess related to water boarding? He supports Obama’s invasion into Libya.

President Obama has stood on his heels and allowed others to make decisions, in the effort to “not offend” the world with America's media-created “bossiness,” or “meanness,” or whatever it is that liberal Americans are so afraid of.

America is a leader when American is led by leaders, and we are lacking a leader. We have a man with a handsome face who gives a good speech, when reading from his script. He has a set of policies that are hell-bent on destroying everything that I know America's founding to be.

So as I am able to, in hindsight, question the decisions I believed were correct, I am being told I am a partisan.

I am partisan, I’m told by those on the left, because as I examine my previous views and opinions and apply my findings to the current situation, I don’t like any of what I see this President doing. Must be the color of his skin, I am told, or the fact that I just hate him because he is a Democrat.

Actually, not so much.

Truth is I find this President’s actions eerily similar to actions taken by the Republican in office eight years ago. There’s a different presentation to the activities, but all in all the situation is looking less like the kind of thing America needs to be doing, and more like the kind of thing America has become caught up in doing, because we are the only nation that will.

Well, perhaps it is time America stop doing it all, for the entire world.

American Exceptionalism is not about using our military clout to spread liberty around the world; American Exceptionalism is about being exceptional in our liberty, and setting an example that all the world should want to follow.

America has lacked leadership for a long time. Some of the men we have elected to office have been good moral men, others not so much. Some have left office and become much more statesman-like than we ever expected, and others have become seen as gentlemen once they left office, much more clearly than they were ever given credit for having been, while they served.

What America needs more than anything right now is someone who will stand up and tell the world that we are going to take care of ourselves and to stay off our lawn. And should anyone mess with us? Strike, we shall, with the fury of the rattlesnake on the Gadsden.

To Not Speak Is To Speak

2011-03-15T23:29:00.003-07:00

I have been quiet a while, I know.

I don't know how much I will write, but I am writing again, in more ways than one.

For the first time in years my guitars are coming out of their cases, and I am feeling good about my skills quickly this time. I am no Stevie Ray Vaughan, but I can strum a little, and I have a million thoughts going through my head. Life is good, and I am having fun.

I don't know exactly what it is.

Perhaps it is the beautiful springtime weather here in Phoenix, Arizona. Amazingly sunny and energetic days, cool yet not chilly evenings, and fresh air coming through my windows day & night.

Maybe it's a bit of a good vibe I have going at work; my workplace has some positive and forward thinking changes going on in the midst of the "recovery" we're being told we are experiencing.

Or it could possibly be the beautiful soul that has captured my heart... the woman I am eternally to grateful know, and privileged to call my girlfriend. Every moment I am with her is an adventure, and when I am not with her, I tell her "Baby… you where I want to be."

Duh. Winning.

Yes, I went there. Just when you thought you had heard the last about him.

Charlie Sheen.

Let me tell you something, Mr. Sheen.

(parental advisory, I am about to get honest and a little rough now)

Charlie, you are an asshole. Shut your mouth until you get some respect, you self-absorbed, inconsiderate, irresponsible little...

Boy.

I'd use another word that starts with "B" but I'd be insulting female dogs in the process.

Charlie Sheen experienced addiction. Good for him.

I too experienced addiction, and let me tell you - to stand before the entire world and claim that you are proud of "Banging seven-gram rocks" is just about the most irresponsible thing I have ever seen in my life, and trust me, I have seen and done some extremely irresponsible things.

Extremely. Irresponsible. Things.

Speaking of irresponsible...

I have not been writing because I decided I wanted to step back for a bit, get out of the blogging mindset, and reflect on the degree of my "partisan" attitude.

After a couple months or more of not being an active blogger, I will say with some great humility - there are some who "called me out" for being a bit hyper-partisan sometimes. I concur. Such is the nature of allowing ones self to become consumed with so much politics, I believe.

Yet in some cases, no matter the appearance, I am not a partisan. I am speaking straightforwardly as an American with no political axe to grind, only serious issues to address.

And this brings me to my point, as I come back to irresponsible:

Where the Hell is President Obama, as the world is literally on fire?

Mr. President, I'm damned glad you got your NCAA bracket completed. Now could you maybe pay attention to the millions of displaced, dead, and dying people in Japan?

Show some emotion. Say something inspirational, for God’s sake. Have a "Ronald Reagan moment."

You know, Ronald Reagan. The man who, as our leader, inspired America to greatness after one of the most depressing periods in our nation’s history?

The man who helped the world come together toward a peaceful resolution in the face of the Soviet Communist threat. Not the "Ronnie Raygun" your Huffington Post fan club constantly mocks, as if all he did was take a B-Movie acting career and turn it into political prowess.

Truth stands the test of time, and the truth is President Obama is no Ronald Reagan. Not even close.

I wanted to give this man a chance, since he seemed to get it… for about a minute. Granted his people and his swooning fan base swore the shooter was a right-wing militia type within minutes of the tragic shooting in Tucson, even though we have since come to learn that is the furthest thing from the truth, but nonetheless… I wanted to believe he was finally acting as the leader of all Americans.

I mentioned resolution. Sounds a bit like "revolution."

Say... isn't that what they're calling all that madness in the Middle East, the uprisings that your fan base is claiming you "inspired" with your incredibly intelligent and speeches about how the youth should rise up and "Hope" and Change" things?

Revolution, right?

Perhaps, Mr. President, since you were so inspirational to the youth in the Muslim world, you should take hold of that situation and "lead" those same youth by proxy to strive for real freedom - you know, the kind of freedom you claim you love so much every time you talk about the "rights" of public sector union workers...

Freedom. Freedom is what makes America the greatest nation on God's Earth. Freedom is not the ability for government to take taxes from all citizens through the mandatory collection service known as "Union Dues" and then give that money to a specific political party that "has your back."

That's called corruption.

Oh, and redistribution of wealth.

Certainly it is redistribution of income, since you (the government) take it directly out of the income of taxpayers who really do not realize how you and your cronies have worked the system in your favor. From my paycheck, through taxation, goes my income, into the paycheck of the public sector union member employee. From that person’s paycheck, through “union dues,” goes my income to the union. From the coffers of the union, through donations and other transactions, goes my income to the Democrat party. And from the Democrat Party comes higher taxes and more government employees, creating more unions and more union dues, and the ability to give union member public sector workers pay increases. And the beat goes on…

Freedom is about children having a real and honest opportunity for the best education available regardless of what “tenure” a person has, or the fact that some “collective bargaining agreement” says that someone can't be fired because they have "served" long enough they are untouchable, even if they are detrimental to the possible education of America’s youth..

Real teachers would give up collective bargaining in a minute if they were allowed to be truly concerned about the children and our future. Unfortunately they are instead mis-informed by their "union organizers" that they are being "screwed" by Republicans who are trying to "take away their rights." They then forget their primary concern, which in the case of most front-line educators really is the children. And the truth is that once a person has something, they certainly do not want it taken away, which makes the honest viewpoint of governors like Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John Kasich in Ohio all the more difficult to understand to the masses. Emotionally based arguments always play well with the crowd, and that’s what is going on in the polling on this subject. Anyone who could be put in front of the books of any level of government would soon see that we’re in deep, and it is going to take a lot of sacrifice by each and every one of us to work our way out. And that means “change.”

Remember “change?” We hoped for “change” and well… we got it.

We now have leadership that waits for the world to lead them. We have leadership that plays 18 holes of golf as one of our closest allies suffers one of the most horrific natural disasters in modern history. We have leadership that tells us that we all have to have some “skin in the game,” while dining on meals created of food beyond our wildest dreams and throwing parties like they are the owners of a nightclub or a country club or island resort.

Say a prayer for the people of Japan. Those people are so kind that a man apparently walked into a store and picked up ten bottles of water. As he walked toward the counter, he realized that if he took all ten, then others would not be able to have water, so he kept two bottles and returned eight to the shelf.

Another woman was apparently washing clothes – probably the only clothes she owned anymore, so she was in less than full dress. She reportedly apologized to someone for her “inappropriate” appearance. Can you imagine?

Imagine an American protester in Wisconsin acting with such humility. I struggle to see it as even possible after some of the things I saw them do and hearing the recordings of some of their statements. Not to mention the direct threat on the life of Governor Scott Walker and Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature.

Yet the Tea Party people are violent, racist, and full of hate… so the media say.

God Bless.

Together We Thrive: Tucson And America - An Analysis By One Arizona Resident

2011-01-12T22:47:00.002-07:00

As an Arizonan I was very proud of the statements made during tonight's gathering in Tucson that discussed the nature of Tucson and our state as a community.

Arizonans have been misrepresented in a very unfair way by certain elements of the left who think we are all bigots and racists who want to live in the Wild West of the early 19th century.

Our laws are being called into question because of the actions of one clearly deranged individual, and we as a community are being deemed irresponsible and uncaring. We are being smeared with generalities by people who do not live here, who may rarely if ever visit here, and who most definitely do not understand what goes on here during the course of everyday living.

Arizonans are generally good, law abiding people with kind hearts and sound principles. We love our neighbors, our state, and our nation. We do not at all reflect the image that has been put forth by those who think we are all gun toting rednecks. We are as diverse and open a society of unique individuals as one will find across this great land. We are Americans who believe (for the most part) in individual liberties, and we understand and respect the responsibilities that come with such rights.

Sadly, there has been a tragedy in our state that has taken from us six of our family. Additionally, a good and decent woman was injured in a catastrophic way that will affect her for the rest of her life. Her injuries may render her unable to function in her role of Congressional Representative, but thankfully she is alive and may recover better than was originally expected.

All involved in the treatment of Gabrielle Giffords deserve the highest of praise. Due to her prominence on the national level it is natural for the media to focus on Congresswoman Gifford’s injuries in a seemingly obsessive way, but her condition is truly remarkable.

Regarding the media:

Paul Krugman should be ashamed of himself for inciting an extremely irrational level of discourse with his hyperbolic rant on Saturday afternoon in The New York Times, just a couple of hours after the shootings took place. His disgraceful misrepresentation of the commentary of conservatives has opened the floodgates for every loon on the left to blame Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, and anyone else with whom they disagree with politically.

To disagree with someone’s politics is fine; to accuse them of murder-by-proxy is irresponsible and embarrassing. Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, and the staffs of Huffington Post and other leftist blogs should go back to Journalism 101, or admit that they are pundits with an agenda and may not be offering facts, but definitely put forward their opinion.

Partisan hacks like Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who have chosen to make this an issue of politics and finger-pointing rather than a time of mourning and understanding should hang their heads in shame. This guy is a clown and a disgrace to law enforcement. Soon it will come to light that he is guilty of conspiracy to cover up crimes by the alleged murderer Jared Loughner, all because Loughner’s mother worked for the Pima County Parks and Recreation department.

Finally, I must say:

To say the least, I find it fascinating that those on the political right have been very civil in their discussion about the events that took place in Tucson last Saturday, while those on the political left have been extremely irresponsible, simply pointing fingers and attempting to lay blame at all those except the truly guilty Jared Loughner.

It is now considered by many to be fact that Sarah Palin is complicit in the shootings, essentially guilty of murder-by-proxy. Also, she is also believed to have interjected herself into the discussion with the map that was created more than six months prior to Saturday.

By the way; there has been absolutely no mention by the left about the very same type of map that was used by the Democrat Party in the 2004 election.

And even though Jared Loughner is said to have had no interest in politics and never to have listened to talk radio or watch political discussion on television, it seems Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have incredibly strong influence over his mind.

Of course, that would make perfect sense, given that Loughner was fearful of “though control,” although if I understand correctly it was the government he suspected of such actions.

Up until the moment that the guy went on the cheerleader rant about President Obama, this was a very pleasant gathering.

I mean no disrespect to our President; that introduction was partisan and unnecessary. This is a gathering to celebrate and honor the lives of the fallen, not to raise the roof for an elected official.

Thankfully President Obama recovered the situation well. I believe The President spoke well and offered the correct message, given the situation and the tone of the rhetoric across the nation right now.

And while I agree with President Obama that we should not score political points at a time of mourning, I must compliment him for handling this situation very well, both as a politician and a non-partisan leader of America.

At The Request of The President, A More Civil Discussion

2011-01-12T20:24:00.005-07:00

So President Obama asked the nation for a more civil level of discourse, and tonight on MSNBC, Chris Matthews and Lawrence O'Donnell are busy discussing the "most controversial thing" Sarah Palin said in her Facebook video earlier.

The two "progressive" "journalists" are also still obsessed with why Palin used a map with "targets" on it to display what districts she believed were most important to go after during the 2010 midterm election, and why she seems to enjoy talking about guns. According to O'Donnell, Palin "entered the story immediately after the shooting because of her placement of a target on a map" which included Gabrielle Gifford's Congressional seat. Apparently Palin has incredible abilities to forecast events in the future, because I don't think any of the rest of us knew this shooting was going to take place. I guess Mrs. Palin must have incredible powers over Jared Loughner, even though he is reported to have no interest in politics.

Not once on MSNBC has it been mentioned that President Obama discussed that "If they bring a knife to a fight, we bring a gun" and that Republicans are "The enemy."

And they are absolutely reeling over the fact that the new Speaker of The House John Boehner did not attend tonight's events in Tucson. Apparently political points still matter at MSNBC, regardless of President Obama's suggestion that we look past partisan differences, and that if we are to have a discussion about the reasons for this tragedy we make that discussion worthy of the lives lost and affected by the senselessness.

Good thing they got the message on the left side of the partisan media divide.

Meanwhile on Fox News Channel, Greta Van Susteren is discussing the remarkable character of Gabrielle Giffords, who has in the past been a frequent guest on Greta's show.

And in the immediate aftermath of the event, Bret Baier and his panel of guests spent time discussing what a wonderful tone was set by President Obama and the entirety of tonight's events.

They remarked about how well The President handled the unorthodox environment in which the event took place, and how he truly did speak to the goodness of Americans as he asked that we find a way to raise the level of discourse.

Clearly it is true that Fox News Channel is evil, dangerous, and a branch of the Republican Party.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T00:00:00.003-07:00

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Merry Christmas to you, my family and my friends. God Bless you.

Why Can't We Be More Like Socialist Europe? Sweden Hit By Terrorist Bombing

2010-12-12T17:48:00.005-07:00

From The Associated Press, via azcentral.com:

No one died except for the suspected bomber, but two explosions in Sweden's capital tore at the fabric of this tolerant and open nation - a society that hadn't seen a terrorist attack in more than three decades.

Two people were wounded in central Stockholm on Saturday in what appeared to be the first suicide bombing in the history of Sweden, which has been spared the major terrorist strikes seen in several other European countries.

A car exploded in the middle of the seasonal shopping frenzy, shooting flames and causing several smaller blasts as people ran screaming from the scene. The blast that killed the alleged bomber came moments later further a few blocks away from the car explosion on a busy pedestrian street.

Experts said the alleged bomber probably didn't succeed in detonating all the explosives and could have caused much greater damage.

While police haven't confirmed Saturday's attack was motivated by Islamist views, an audio file sent to Swedish news agency TT shortly before the blast referred to jihad, Sweden's military presence in Afghanistan and a cartoon by a Swedish artist that depicted the Prophet Muhammad as a dog, enraging the Muslim world.

It hasn't been verified that the speaker is the person who set off the explosive, but police have said they are investigating that possibility.

"Now the Islamic state has been created. We now exist here in Europe and in Sweden. We are a reality," the voice said in the file, submitted to the Associated Press by TT. "I don't want to say more about this. Our actions will speak for themselves."

Read the rest of the article here.

Welcome to the 21st Century, Sweden. Guess you're no better than the rest of us, after all.

And hey - progs... you really think Sweden has got one up on us?

Think again.

Senate Democrat Proclaims Lame Duck Session Is "All Rigged"

2010-12-02T00:55:00.005-07:00

In what should be lead-story, headline news if our media was doing its job, Democrat Michael Bennet proclaimed on Tuesday that the current Democrat controlled ame duck session is "rigged" near an open microphone on The Senate Floor.

“It’s all rigged. The whole conversation is rigged,” he said. “The fact that we don’t get to a discussion before the break about what we’re going to do in the lame duck. It’s just rigged.”

Bennet Chief of Staff Guy Cecil stood by the remarks.

“It’s something he’s been talking about from day one,” Cecil told the DC. “The whole process being rigged against having a real conversation about tax cuts, the estate tax and the defense authorization. We’re not having a lot of those conversations. It’s just a symptom of Washington being broken.”

According to an article posted November 30th on The Blaze, MSNBC‘s Kelly O’Donnell reached out to the Bennet camp for a comment and aid Adam Bozzi echoed the statement made by Cecil.

For almost two years, he [Bennet] has talked about needing to fix a broken Washington. We can’t move forward on major issues facing our country because of a broken system that is rigged to prevent progress. We are now in the second week of this session and haven’t begun debating Defense Authorization or tax cuts that will expire at the end of the year. Colorado and the rest of our country deserve better which is why he has proposed overhauling the way Washington works, including filibuster and lobbying reforms.

In the world of cable news, Fox News Channel opinion show host Glenn Beck tonight discussed the "Red Pill, Blue Pill" scene from The Matrix, and how be believes it relates to the current state of affairs in The United States of America.

Beck also talked about how throughout history the political left has made wonderful use of the thesaurus, and that if the progs were not so good at changing the name of their agenda we would be hearing today that China's currently re-branded version of National Socialism is being called the political and social model of the future.

Hat tip to Right Scoop.

Did Sarah Palin Mis-Speak? The Left Is "All We-Weed Up" Over "Our North Korean Allies"

2010-11-25T00:07:00.003-07:00

The American political left, also known as the progs, are all "We-weed up" about what they believe was an incredible mis-statement by their nemesis.

It seems that during a discussion with Pat Gray on The Glenn Beck Radio Program, Sarah Palin accidentally said the sentence "Obviously, We've Got To Stand With Our North Korean Allies," but in typical liberal fashion they're taking the statement completely out of context and are only making themselves look more desperate than ever.

You can listen to the entire statement here.

Before the "mis-speak," she was discussing the current administration and whether or not they would have the cajones to sanction North Korea.

Said Palin:

And we're not having a lot of faith that The White House is going to come out with a strong enough policy to sanction what it is that North Korea is going to do. So this speaks to a bigger picture here, that certainly scares me, in terms of our national security policies.

In the next sentence she accidentally made the "North Korean allies" statement.

Her policy statement was, while somewhat Neo-con and interventionist in direction, not a sign of stupidity or lack of understanding of world events. That's what the left is playing it up to be, but if you listen carefully you'll realize she just made a very understandable slip, one that anyone could make (except an elitist prog, of course).

At least that's how I see it.

This is, in my opinion, about on par with Obama's "My Muslim Faith" statement, and maybe not even that much of a slip. At least in that case there is at least some hint of conspiratorial evidence to validate the possibility that he is Of course that doesn't make it so, but we can at least point to his upbringing, his father, pictures...

Palin has never shown so much ineptitude that we should believe for one moment that this is worthy of discussion, yet here is the left giving me yet another chance to show off their hypocritical and delusional ways.

The "Africa is a country" thing was debunked, and so has nearly everything else the left has tried to spin. "See Russia from my house" much lately, Sarah? Yeah... that's about what this smear is worth. That one was purely B.S. too, although it sure kick-started the career of (at best) moderately talented Tina Fey.

Contrarily, Sarah Palin has been extremely worthy of praise regarding her position on Bernanke and QE2, Obama's dangerous (if not racist) position on the our immigration policy, and so much more. Funny how "Death Panels" are in the news again, isn't it?

Mrs. Palin may be Facebooking and Tweeting statements that she does not completely generate on her own, but I believe her thoughts and ideas are genuinely hers. Right now Palin is putting forward the thoughts that Americans can relate to and believe in, so much so that in "An exclusive interview with Barbara Walters from the White House," President Obama was asked (and not for the first time recently) about Sarah Palin.

Palin is clearly the antithesis of everything that has happened in The District of Criminals since 2008, and really since 2006 and before if we were to be honest and delve into some of the mistakes and violations of trust committed by the Republican Party over the past decade or so.

Fortunately we have some excellent representatives moving into key committee leadership positions come January. Speaker-to-be John Boehner has clearly received the message that was delivered on November 2nd, and with incumbents like Eric Cantor, Michele Bachmann, Paul Ryan, Darrell Issa working with freshmen like Alan West, Kristi Noem, and others it appears real change may be on the horizon.

I don't care if Sarah Palin runs for president, but she's got the progs frothing and flailing, and they really just don't know what to do. That in itself is worth the cost of my cable and internet connections, many times over.

Sarah Palin is a huge money-maker for the predominately correct political positions in this nation - conservatism with a good strong streak of Libertarian-like independence and understanding of true individual sovereignty.

And lest we forget, Palin is also quite the thorn in the side of old-school Republicans. She truly is the "Maverick" that John McCain made her out to be. She is not at all McCain-like. He is notorious for "Reaching across the aisle" and comprimising princliple. McCain-Feingold, the failed McCain-Kennedy, the failed McCain-Leiberman; enough said. Contrarily, Palin appears to be grounded in principle, and every time she makes a statement it seems that we learn more about how different her behavior is than the insiders we see on camera from The Hill.

She may have stumped for John McCain as a way of paying him back for bringing her on to the national scene, but she's had next to nothing to do with him since he secured the Republican primary. The indignant behavior by McCain's closet prog daughter (who wants to be just like dear ol' dad, don't you know...) shows exactly how much love has not been lost between the two former running-mates.

If there is one thing Meghan McCain has always done, it's have her Dad's back, so to speak. If he really had much positive to say about Palin, I believe he'd have his daughter shut her trap, but she just keeps on feeding the leftist media's anti-Palin machine with "She's like, so not smart" type commentary, and he doesn't dispute those comments. Remember, John McCain admitted that economics were not his strong suit, just as America was in the beginning of a massive economic shift for the worse.

Remember, McCain was for TARP before he was against it.

McCain's closest associates in The Senate are Joe Leibermann, a hawkish yet rather liberal Democrat, and Lindsay Graham, a man who should declare his membership in the Democrat Party based upon some of the positions he's taken over the not-so-distant past.

Palin seems to learn more quickly than Barack Hussein Obama has (not). While Obama has been jet-setting around the world and playing more golf in the past year than Tiger Woods, Palin has been busy documenting and presenting evidence that she is less arugula and Ivy League, and really more of a fresh Halibut and mountain-climbing sort - and that she can reel in, club, and fillet that halibut herself.

The very idea that Bristol survived so many rounds of Dancing With the Stars and created such an uproar in doing so, speaks volumes about where the mindset of any leftist is these days.

The left is in full "Palin character assassination" mode and is striking out relentlessly. They're essentially throwing things at her and hoping something sticks, regardless of the audacity of the claims.

And this North Korea "misspeak" is a perfect example.

There's a ton of discussion about this at Memeorandum.

Hey, Government - Get Your Hands Off My Tea Bag!

2010-11-22T21:22:00.002-07:00

I'd like to make this as simple as possible.

I typically fly once a year. I fly from Phoenix Sky Harbor to a final destination of Cleveland Hopkins. I fly Southwest Airlines. My flight is typically on Christmas Day, or within a day or two before at most. Southwest Airlines certainly has record of this flight history, and it's likely the government has this information as well.

I have one family member who flies for business. This family member uses one of two major carriers, and their flights can be to the same destination for weeks on end. This person flies out of their home city on Sunday, or perhaps Monday, and their return flight is close to the end of the week - Friday after business, or perhaps Thursday if work is done for the week.

Again - the carriers have this person's flight history on record, and I'd bet every penny I have to my name that our overreaching federal government knows full well about this person's pattern of flying as well.

These are just two simple examples of two Americans who should not be subjected to this ridiculous new governmental intrusion, courtesy of the TSA, which today Rush Limbaugh appropriately named "Tough S#!% America."

There is no reason that upon verification of ID, these two Americans should be subjected to any more than and a simple walk-through of a metal detector and a scan of our carry-on bag. We shouldn't even have to remove our shoes, in my humble opinion.

Blame it on Obama - it's his government now, and his DHS Secretary who is defending this asinine policy.

Blame it on Bush - it was his "progressive" side that allowed him to create this monstrosity of government intrusion called DHS after September 11, 2001.

Democrat, Republican - what's the difference. The bottom line is that this is embarrassing, and a prime example of why the Tea Party exists. Enough damned government, already.

Can't we find professionals who are trained to read patterns of behavior and profile accordingly? What are our former CIA operatives doing with their lives? How about retired police detectives who are trained in interrogation? Do I watch too much NCIS, to the point that I believe we have professionals who are trained to read "tells" in body language? Funny - I can "tell" when my co-workers are telling me a tall-tale, yet we can't competently screen

Profile based on nationality. Sorry - no, I'm not sorry, damn it. It's not the 63-year-old Grandma or the 7-year-old little boy who is going to blow up a plane, and if they are rigged with some device by a cretin who had the audacity to use another soul for their devious plot, their behavior will give them away.

Get real technology. Screw this full-body-image, see your "T&A" scanner crap. Get the type of technology that reads body temperature, and have people trained to understand how they indicate that there is a terrorist in line. With that technology, the people you're going to catch are those who are wired on meth or cocaine, or those who are trying (or being used to try) to blow up a plane. Either way, it's a win-win situation.

It's really simple, and our government is really stupid. And when I say stupid, I mean really, really stupid.

Hell, even I can figure this one out, and I'm just a high-school graduate with a handful of college credits, who makes less than the average government worker. Of course, since I'm not Harvard Law School educated, nobody will take me seriously...

Hey, government - get your hands off my Tea Bag.

A Discussion Between George W. Bush And Barack Hussein Obama

2010-11-14T21:37:00.003-07:00

From the world of xtranormal.com comes a fascinating discussion about current events in Washington, between George W. Bush and Barack Hussein Obama:

Hat tip to Don Surber.

Elections Have Consequences - How Hillary Clinton Represents America As Secretary of State

2010-11-09T19:36:00.001-07:00

It is believed by many that President Barack Hussein Obama diminished The Office of The Presidency with his recent appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

It was not just the appearance that was considered beneath The Office; also notorious was the demeanor with which Obama handled himself. At a time in which it was becoming more and more evident that his party was about to suffer great losses, President Obama carried himself with an air of hyper-partisanship. While acceptable within the confines of the left-leaning regular viewership of the Comedy Central hit TV show, his behavior at that time appeared in large part to be a snub to the nation which was about to soundly reject his policies at the polling place.

To be fair, President Obama is in a very stressful position. Not only did he inherit the financial ruin created by and then left behind by George W. Bush, but America is a terrible nation which only gives to "the rich" as it continues to diminish the plight of "the poor." President Obama is struggling in his communication with Americans; it seems we're just not getting the message that every single thing He wishes to do for us... to give to us, the little people... is in our best interests.

Sorry, I got swept up in the White House messaging there for a second.

In quite the contrast to President Obama's seemingly omnipresent cold and calculated demeanor is this recently recorded segment of Australian show The Hamish and Andy Show.

Seriously, President Obama holds what certainly must be the most difficult job in the world. I don't envy him for one second, and it is understandable that he takes issues very seriously these days.

Meanwhile, however, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is jet-setting around the world collecting bags of potato chips and making light of political correctness. Hillary gets to gloat about the strength of America and how powerful she is, while President Obama must stand before camera after camera and give appeasing explanations about America's relationship with the Muslim community.

I must say that I rather enjoyed this interview, and it certainly seems that many times recently as I've seen Mrs. Clinton interviewed, she seems quite at ease and in control of her situation. A woman many of us once thought rather robotic, calculated, and sometimes even callous, she now seems to have a new lease on life. (Maybe it has something to do with all the time on the road and away from Bill?)

One must wonder, in hindsight, if Hillary isn't maybe rather okay with the results of the 2008 Democrat Party primary, after all.

Manic Monday - The Left Is Coming Unhinged, And Obama Gets Grilled

2010-11-08T19:47:00.002-07:00

One full week, and the first Monday after the mid-term elections, I offer some examples of the manic state of the media, the American left, as well as an amazingly insightful question by a young lady in a "Town Hall" in India.

First, from "Inside Washington," guest Mark Shields of PBS said Sarah Palin's decision to resign as the governor of Alaska without completing her term is "like Ted Kennedy's Chappaquiddick."

I'm waiting to hear a report about the number of deceased Mrs. Palin left in her wake.

Next, Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC's "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" admits his political leanings.

Unlike Glenn Beck, who for some reason takes issue with this, I'm glad O'Donnell has come clean and admitted his political leanings. I thought Beck wanted to "Have this debate" between traditional American values and policies versus progressive/liberal/socialist policies, so I don't understand why he takes issue with O'Donnell coming clean.

I think it would be best if all media personalities would step forward and tell us for whom they get tingles... so to speak, of course.

I will credit O'Donnell with his honest commentary regarding the chances of his desired policies being enacted. If only more on the far left would see that they really are the minority.

Next, this from a woman I usually consider at least somewhat rational. Mara Liasson of NPR, as part of the "Sunday Group" on Fox News Sunday, equates Nancy Pelosi to Winston Churchill:

Perhaps she's putting out the extra-firm leftist mantra now, in an effort not to be fired for saying the wrong thing during an appearance on Fox News Channel? Sheesh...

And Finally, a young Indian girl asks the question of our President that, sadly, our own "Fourth Estate" will not.

During a "Town Hall" style event at St. Xavier College, a student inquired:

"Why is Pakistan so important an ally to America, so far as America has never called it a terrorist state?"

President Obama said of the question that it was okay, he knew it was coming. Uh-huh. Sure you did.

Post of Note

2010-11-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

You gotta read this...

Is Our President In Danger?

2010-11-06T00:04:00.004-07:00

I did a post last night, but for some reason nobody that is commenting on that post seems to get the point I was really trying to make.

I must consider the possibility that the reason for this is that I posted a clip of Rachel Maddow, in which she lies and tries to smear Republicans and anyone in the media she considers “Right Wing.” For Miss Maddow, that includes… well, just about everyone.

Unfortunately, media-on-media mud-wrestling seems to grab our attention more these days than the real issues of our time.

Or then again, maybe it’s just me.

Maybe I am a victim of Glenn Beck’s evil fear-mongering, and maybe I too have become a conspiracy theorist. Either way, I’m going to tell you how I feel, because I believe my feelings at this very moment are very worthy of consideration.

Of course, Rachel Maddow will not take interest in anything I have to say, and she’ll tell you that whatever I tell you can’t be true because you saw it “On the internet.”

It’s time to get past the media-on-media mud-wrestling match, that we watch day in and day out, and address an extremely serious and potentially dangerous situation.

I believe that President Obama may be in danger.

Again, to be clear: I believe that President Obama may be in danger. I did not say that our president is in danger, because there is no solid evidence of this whatsoever.

I don’t want to be hyperbolic. After all, I’m only discussing the safety of our president. You can choose to disagree with me completely, and that’s fine. Or, you can think I’m a genius. That’s all up to you.

What I would ask is that you read my words, check out the links I offer to what I consider reliable sources, and come to your own conclusion.

President Obama has just embarked on a ten-day Middle-East and Asian excursion. I don’t know for sure when he left, but I’m guessing Air Force One is in the air already, or has already landed in Mumbai, India? I’m wondering if the cables will break in with live video feeds, as they have done in the past for him and other presidents.

Our President is heading into a hornet’s nest of political and religious instability.

Pakistanis are reportedly upset that President Obama is traveling to India, yet not to their homeland. That’s something to think about. Pakistan seems to be one serious hangout for Jihadists.

Of course, there’s probably not much to worry about; most of them are in hiding on the other side of the nation, which also happens to be beyond a nearly impassable mountain range.

If you believe that, keep kidding yourself. I’m going to keep looking at reality.

Pakistani militants are reportedly upset because they feel President Obama is playing favorites. He is starting his trip in India, and the fact that he is specifically staying at the Taj Hotel is also troublesome to Pakistani government officials, given the fact that the bombing two years ago has been blamed largely on Pakistani militants.

Pakistan and India both have nuclear weapons, and they don’t seem like each other much.

I am not a student of events that take place in that region, but I know there is a long-standing disagreement about the division of a territory called Kashmir. It also seems Pakistan's government would like President Obama to intervene in the discussions.

That’s just what we need; to intervene in another perpetual middle-eastern conflict, specifically between Muslims and people of another faith. I can’t imagine radical Jihadists would ever consider using that as motivation for their recruitment. And let's absolutely not look to Israel and the Palestinian Territory as an example of where America's intervention has failed miserably time and time again.

Sometimes America just needs to butt out and let people settle their own differences.

Of course, President Obama need not be in imminent danger. Former CIA agent Mike Baker said today on Glenn Beck’s radio program:

It wouldn't have to be a direct harm to the president. It could be the disruption of the trip. It could be an operation, you know, planned during the course of his visit. Anything like that creates the profile they're looking for.

I know, I know… it was said on Beck’s program, so it can’t be credible…

Speaking of Glenn Beck, did any of you see the 2nd segment of Beck's television show yesterday?

Again, I don't mean to be hyperbolic... but if you have not, you need to watch this episode. I recommend watching it in its entirety, so that you gain complete context. So much of the problem in the news and opinion business relates to context, and how easily it can be distorted by trained professionals.

Here’s Beck’s entire Thursday show, in case you missed it. There are three segments:

For the purpose of this discussion, I’d like to bring your attention to the second clip, beginning at the 6:10 mark.

Everyone is making a big deal about the cost of President Obama’s trip. In my post last night, I showed how Rachel Maddow used Media Matters as her source for information, and tried to make it look like the only discussion on Fox News Channel or from Republican politicians is the cost of President Obama’s India trip.

Not quite…

Watch Glenn’s facial expressions as he suggests that someone… anyone… from the MSM ask a Secret Service connection, “Off the record,” if they are comfortable that everything is buttoned-down and secure for this trip. In my opinion, Beck has clearly spoken with someone who is not comfortable with the arrangements of this trip.

Glenn appears to know at least one Secret Service member who does not believe President Obama will be as safe as he should be, but because the rest of these media types have completely discredited Glenn amongst the uninformed masses and leftist sheep, he knows his word alone is not sufficient to raise red flags.

In fact, there is an article on Media Matters that disparages Beck for exactly what I am discussing here. The piece is called, "Beck still stoking fears about Obama's safety in India: "Now he's taking his children".

It is astounding to me to read the headlines on Media Matters.

While Beck is simply expressing an opinion and offering what he considers sound advice regarding the economy, Media Matters is writing pieces about him entitled, "Beck still stoking fears about Obama's safety in India: "Beck touts investing in food commodities, the gold standard", as if stockpiling food or considering an investment in the most stable commodity on Earth is somehow a bad thing.

If you care to, check out Media Matters' entire page of "fact checks" on Glenn Beck. I think we should all know what the other side of the political aisle has to say, and if you really want to do an "apples / oranges" comparison of ideas, this is a great way to do so.

Knowledge is power.

I hope that Secret Service person I discussed earlier is incorrect, because as this article goes online President Obama has already landed in Germany. Next stop: Mumbai, India.

During Thursday's television show, Glenn told the entire world President Obama's itinerary – exactly as it is planned out.

He’s not giving away any top secret information; as Glenn points out, the President is traveling the same route that has already been planned and canceled two previous times.

Again, according to my interpretation of Glenn Beck’s words and facial expressions, at least one member of the Secret Service is not comfortable with the fact that they have not been allowed to change the itinerary.

You don't suppose al Qaeda knows his schedule??

God forbid President Obama were to be killed, I think Armageddon would ensue. Let's face it, this ain't 1963 anymore.

My friends, whether we like it or not, much of the world seems to believe President Obama is some sort of savior.He is extremely popular overseas, much more so than Stateside.

However, his popularity amongst Muslims is fading fast. As reported by irishtimes.com:

In an annual poll sponsored by US think tank the Brookings Institution, more than 60 per cent of respondents in half a dozen Arab countries said they had a negative view of Mr Obama and the US while only 20 per cent had a positive view. In April-May 2009, 45 per cent of those polled were positive about him and US policy in the region.

There are just a few Muslims living within the nations through which our president is about to journey.

Friends… regardless of our politics, I know you and I are good people, and we love our country.

We may disagree with President Obama regarding policy, and we may want more than anything in the world to vote him out of office in a fifty-state thumping come 2012, but I would never, ever wish for harm to come to our president.

That’s beneath anyone. I expect you all feel the same, and if you do not, than this blog is not for you.

I know there are a lot of people on the left who literally said they were disappointed when Dick Cheney was not killed in Afghanistan a few years back. I know there were all kinds of bad things said about George W. Bush, including calls for his execution as a war criminal, wishes that he be assassinated, and so on.

I don’t know the true heart of the people who said such evil things, but I know my heart and I know the type of people I associate with… people like you.

We are not that.

Thursday night, Glenn Beck literally begged for the help of the MSM.

Does anyone know... before the Obama family left this morning, did anyone ask exactly why this trip, to these dangerous places, at this time? Anyone?

Here’s a couple of things that are just a little more reason for concern. Just a little more reason, mind you… again, I am only discussing the safety of The President of The United States of America.

America just monetized our debt to the tune of $600 billion, as part of a larger $900 billion dollar plan. Actually, the correct term is “Quantitative Easing,” and the rest of the world is none to thrilled with America for putting the global economy at risk.
As reported by The Associated Press:

The head of China's central bank, Zhou Xiaochuan, said on Friday that the U.S. policy should take the world economy into consideration. "If the domestic policy is optimal policy for the United States alone, but at the same time it is not an optimal policy for the world, it may bring a lot of negative impact to the world."

Go ahead. Call Glenn Beck a conspiracy theorist, or a person who uses fear-mongering and hyperbolic rhetoric for ratings.

Call me the same, because I believe everything Beck is putting out there for us to understand is well within the realm of possibility.

Thankfully, America has never had our leader killed on foreign soil. But don't think for one minute that it couldn't happen. We are living in a different era than we have ever seen.

No longer is the question simply convertible top up or down; now the question must become, “Is it not better and safer for everyone if these meetings happen by teleconference?”

If, God forbid, President Obama were to be killed while visiting The Middle East or Muslim Asia, what do you think would happen??

Please Watch This - Glenn Beck Begs For President Obama's Safety And Asks The Mainstream Media For Help

2010-11-05T02:13:00.006-07:00

I've got so much more to say about this, but i can't because it's late and I should be sleeping.

If you haven't already seen or heard the second segment of last night's Glenn Beck program, this is very important. Please watch this.

I have posted this at 2:15am because I can't sleep, and I think people need to know about this. This is important.

Our President's life may be at stake.

Share this information - especially Beck's clip - with anyone you can find when you have the chance. If you are connected to media types - watch Beck's clip and use your connections.

Left Coast Rebel I'm talking to you - this is why I sent you a 1-liner email earlier, at around 1:16am because I could not sleep anymore then, than I can now.

The mainstream media must be informed of this, and they must do their job. They must investigate this. Glenn wouldn't pull this for ratings, or he's the stupidest man in the world.

Anyone who watches this clip and has half a brain will get it.

I hate to be so harsh, but this is what it has come to.

Cable news is hyperbolic.

There are people who will say he's doing it for ratings. We know it to be true.

I don't think that's the case this time.

There's a whole other angle to this that I need to speak about also, and it pertains to Restoring Sanity and MSNBC. Take a look at what Rachel Maddow was talking about tonight, as Beck was begging for the safety of President Obama.

Tonight I'm not going to get into the politics of Cable news again... those of you who know, know. Restoring Honor, Restoring Sanity...

I like Jon Stewart, but I think even he'd make the call for Beck as sanity goes, this time around.

Media-on-media sniping, because that's what the left has come to at this moment in time. At least the left that is trying to get ratings, and thinks that Fox News is a bunch of lies.

But the rest of it?

Again, I think this Glenn Beck clip is that important.

Don't let this be about politics, let this be about America. There will be time for the mudslinging another day, as John Boehner implied, but as he also said, it is now time to take care of the business of America.

And I can't think about anything that would be more devastating to America than Our President coming to harm... not to mention the fact that even as we disagree with him politically, he is a family man who has a wife and two daughters.

Our President must be protected.

God help us, we need you right now.

California Dreaming, Or Left Coast Lunacy?

2010-11-04T22:24:00.004-07:00

I can't believe California elected Jerry Brown. Again.

Congratulations are in order to Gloria Allred - I suspect her little "Meg Whitman hates brown people" game probably had a lot to do with Moonbeam's reinsertion into the Sacramento Governor's mansion. No need to pay attention to the facts, like that little issue of falsifying one's identity.

Or, in the words of South Park's Officer Barbrady, "Move along, nothing to see here!"

I don't know if Carly Fiorina was the best candidate for Republicans to put forward against Barbara "Call me Senator" Boxer. But had Fiorina been elected, she certainly could not have done any worse than Boxer has over her notorious career.

Boxer's career has seemingly existed for the sole purpose of creating an entire class of citizens, a class defined by their dependency on government and sense of entitlement.

Good, responsible, hard working Californians must be dying inside as they watch their beautiful home state being decimated by people who either don't understand, or just don't care.

These folks.. the entitlement class that is riding the ocean-side government express to nowhere, seem to expect the rest of America to keep supporting them as they live their lives of debauchery, or whatever, it is that they are doing.

California has become a disgrace. That far-off to the west, beautiful promised land that once offered an entire nation such inspiration and hope, has now become shell of its former self.

California is on the precipice of disaster, and is about to become a burden to the rest of America. And the choices made by its residents regarding representation at the State and Federal level indicate that it is about to tumble over the cliff and into the abyss, all the while attempting to pull America over the edge along with it.

Things in California are so bad that even a Black woman with an excellent and very traditional American message could not win, even though she ran for Congress in a district that includes predominately Black populated Compton, and Long Beach, which is populated largely by elitist liberals who likely voted in overwhelming numbers for President Obama almost exclusively due to the color of his skin.

Star Parker, a first-time candidate supported by the Tea Party and running as a Republican, ran against incumbent Liberal Democrat Laura Richardson.

Parker's story is one of self-reliance and perseverance; rising from poverty, drug use and several abortions to eventually find religion, reject welfare, earn a college degree and start her own non-profit organization.

Meanwhile, the incumbent leftist Richardson has been entrenched in scandal regarding multiple properties that she has "allegedly" defaulted on, after taking sub-prime, adjustable rate, no money down mortgages.

Richardson's story is everything that is wrong with America right now. "I want it all, and I want it now. I don't want to pay for it - put it on credit, I'll worry about it later. Uh-oh, I'm having problems... somebody better come fix this for me."

This is what Laura Richardson has done with her life, for at least as long as she has held public office.

Richardson is such a low-down politician that during her first campaign for Congress, she accused her opponent Jenny Oropeza of a poor attendance record in the California Assembly, implying irresponsibility. In fact, Oropeza was battling cancer, and has since succumbed to the disease.

Meanwhile, Parker's story represents the traditional "American Dream." Parker proves that with hard work, persistence, and determination, anyone can elevate themselves from the worst of circumstances to achieve a comfortable living, all independent of government assistance and completely self-reliant.

California is becoming like that drug-addicted son or daughter, the one that keeps getting handouts from Mom or Dad - the parent that does not want to believe the truth and continues to enable their offspring in the belief that it is the loving and right thing to do.

The parent in this situation does not want to admit it, but the problematic child must be left to support itself, or it will never change its troublesome ways.

I believe it is time for America to cut off California. No. More. Bailouts. This really needs to be true for all fifty states; I am making an example of California because it is such a glaring and obvious situation that we face regarding The Golden State, but just as each individual person should be treated equally under the law, each of our sovereign State territories must be treated equally with respect to fiscal responsibility.

Every government entity within America needs to find a way within itself to be self-sufficient. This works both ways; not only should the feds not bail out cities and states, but the federal government must be reigned in and held accountable so that it is able to manage itself in a fiscally responsible manner, so as to not burden or overwhelm the individuals, cities, and states across the nation.

Otherwise, we will soon not be able to properly help the truly sick or otherwise incapable, those who truly need our help. This is truly one of the responsibilities of government - helping those individuals who are truly incapable of providing for themselves.

But when we have the federal government building turtle tunnels under highways, studying 1600's era Peruvian lawsuits, or doing research on the mating habits of cactus bugs, people's personal budgets become burdened to the point that they vote against school levies in local municipalities.

Children then are deprived of important opportunities, such as athletics or art classes. They are also likely to be packed into classrooms like sardines, and given instruction by teachers who can not properly attend to the number of students they are forced to teach.

These children - our future - deserve much better than what the future appears to offer, given our current circumstances. We must change our course, and I believe a perfect example of why we must do so is the once great State of California.

Special hat tip to Opus #6 at American Perspective for her post that links to JimmyZ's Resistnet.com page. While none of this information is taken directly from either of these pages, this post was inspired in large part due to the thoughts offered therein.

Also, a shout-out to my long lost brother from Cleveburg...

Quote Of The Day

2010-11-03T21:08:00.001-07:00

If he (President Obama) would call call John Boehner tonight...

Given the wonderful statement John made last night {Regarding that the election is over, and now it is time to take care of the business of the American people}...

And simply say:

"Let's not negotiate, let's just have coffee and chat for three or four hours. Let's start to get to know each other. Let me tell you my concerns, you tell me your concerns. Let's start over."

And really mean it...

I think that John Boehner, as Speaker of The House...

As a patriot...

Would want to try to be helpful to a president who was open to being helped.

But if all he (President Obama) wants to try to do is what he exhibited today {during his press conference}, he's going to find it's a long, long two years before he leaves.

- Former Speaker of The House Newt Gingrich

As The Night Comes To a Close...

2010-11-02T22:05:00.003-07:00

Found the video of that discussion between Matthews and Bachmann that I linked in my previous post.

It's funny.. you may remember, she appeared on Hardball some time ago and made mention that some in Congress should be "investigated" for "Un-American beliefs." It was a classic moment; she got the bloggers on the left all riled up thinking she was off her rocker, and the right thought she was acting the role of a hero, because this aforementioned moment was around the time that all the self-proclaimed Mao worshipers in The White House were being discovered, and Obama "Green Jobs Czar" Van Jones was a self-proclaimed Communist and "Truther."

Anyway - here's the embed video:

Tough luck in Nevada tonight... I honestly didn't expect Sharron Angle to win. She wasn't the sharpest candidate, but at least with her, Nevadans knew what they were getting into.

Reid has a powerful backing, and with all the SEIU support due to the casinos which cover most of that state's population, Nevada will forever be an incredibly difficult state for conservatism to break through.

I'm still watching and waiting on Arizona's 7th... according to KPNX Channel 12, Grijalva is up by 2 points with about 60% reporting. We're holding out hope.

Ben Quayle has won Arizona's 3rd. Ann Kirkpatrick (D) of Arizona's 1st has been retired. That's a pretty big deal.

Ed Pastor (D) from Arizona's 4th looks like he's cruising. In Arizona's 8th, it appears Democrat Gabrielle Giffords will maintain her seat. Republicans have picked up at least two in Arizona, as we await the results from the McClung / Grijalva contest, hoping for a third.

Good news from Arizona's 5th - Harry Mitchell (D) indeed got his wish and will be retired, courtesy of his voting record against the desires of Arizonans. I'll bet J. D. Hayworth has a smile on his face tonight...

I'm not surprised, but I am saddened by California's choices in Boxer and Brown. I don't understand why Californians want to go back to Jerry Brown - didn't he do enough damage to the state once before? I know Gloria Allred must be happy, her little trick probably did just enough damage.

And Barbara Boxer... I guess we'll be calling you Senator for six more years, Ma'am.

Congrats to Ohio - I hope John Kasich is all I believe him to be. He seems to be a very decent man, and his passion for his home state is admirable.

Christine O'Donnell.. ah, we hardly knew ya... yet I suspect we'll be hearing from you again. I'm not sure if that's a good thing. Just like they suggested for Palin, I'd offer Ms. O'Donnell the advice of some time spent studying, brushing up on her Constitution, and fixing her personal issues so they can't bite her in the backside.

Marco.. Mr. Rubio sure seems like the real deal. If his acceptance speech tonight says anything about the man Florida has just elected, we've certainly got one solid Senator fighting the good fight...

Ladies' Night?

2010-11-02T20:18:00.006-07:00

Congratulations to Nikki Haley, the first female Governor of South Carolina!

Michele Bachmann tonight was on MSNBC, discussing the issues while he tries to deal in off-topic, ad hominem nonsense.

I can't find the embed video, but here's a link worth clicking.

And if early returns are any indicator, this is going to be a fantastic night in Arizona's 7th... information courtesy of azcentral.com.

U.S. Rep. - Dist. 7

3.1% of Precincts Reporting (8 of 261 Precincts)

Total Number of Votes		Percent
MCCLUNG, RUTH - R	14568	61.8
GRIJALVA, RAUL M. - D	7715	32.8
MEYER, HARLEY - I	690	2.9
KEANE, GEORGE - L	582	2.5
	23555

And in another key race in Arizona, incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick (D) is facing possible retribution for her votes against the American people:

U.S. Rep. - Dist. 1

49.7% of Precincts Reporting (195 of 392 Precincts)

Total Number of Votes		Percent
GOSAR, PAUL - R	79593	52.8
KIRKPATRICK, ANN - D	61219	40.6
PATTI, NICOLE - L	10001	6.6
	150813

And FNC has just reported New Mexico's new Governor is to be Susana Martinez, the nation's first Latina Governor.

There go those darned Tea Partiers again...

Stay tuned...

Just Some Thoughts... Checking My Sanity

2010-11-02T18:05:00.001-07:00

I've done quite a bit of thinking during the recent periods of time I've spent away from the keyboard.

Amongst those thoughts has been the truth of the fact that I don't want to be an ideologue. I do not wish to attach a permanent and unbending "R" to my political ideas, because I believe it is that myopic perspective that hinders growth and real progress in America.

We all should be open to the ideas of those with whom we typically disagree, and we should always be respectful of others, even when they can not behave in the same manner towards us.

Anyone who has read the comments section here on this blog knows I make every effort to uphold this standard; I have had more than one left-leaning commenter here who was less than cordial, yet I've always made the effort to treat them in a way that I believe would make my parents proud.

With this in mind, I came home and watched about 30 minutes of coverage on MSNBC tonight, just to see what type of coverage they would offer.

With their bombastic, immature commentary by the people who are their pundits on a nightly basis, I'm in shock, but sadly not surprised.

This is the same network, mind you, that is praised by the left-leaners who inhabit blogs like Huffington Post and others. I wouldn't care too much about this, except that some people actually take what these "News Anchors" say, and take it seriously.

While the left may disagree with the opinions expressed by the likes of Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly, certainly they must see the truth in the fact that when Fox News covers news, they do so with Bret Baier, Chris Wallace, Shepherd Smith, and other hosts who are news anchors.

Fox News Channel then adds commentary from the pundits - the commentators, if you will. However, Fox News Channel would never allow Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity to anchor news coverage, and just tonight Bill O'Reilly has already made his appearance - as a guest commenter, not as an anchor.

None of what I have witnessed tonight will make me think any more about locking that "R" in place aside my political identity. Mind you, I said I am shocked, but not surprised. But it certainly does remind me to be very weary of anyone who is proud to attach a "D" next to their own politics, given the source from where it is possible that they gather their information.

And with that said... here's some fresh hot commentary from MSNBC, witnessed within the first 15-30 minutes I turned on the tube...

Chris Matthews, in discussing the Democrat Party's position through the evening?

"Alamo Stance."

And in discussion about the idea that Tea Party candidates like Christine O'Donnell won primaries:

"It's a joke, losing Mike Castle from the Republican Party. It's a joke."

Here, I must disagree. I'd rather know the face of my political opposition, than wonder who is my political opposition and if he exists within our own ranks.

About the Tea Party:

"The Tea Party has clearly been co-opted by the Republican Party."

Actually, this is nothing new - but on Election Night, to have this statement made by your "Anchors?"

Keith Olbermann, describing Rand Paul's margin at approximately 7:30pm EDT:

"Only a six percent plurality for Rand Paul"

Only six percent, mind you. Remember, Rand Paul is the guy MSNBC long ago declared a fringe lunatic, and these same people hosting tonight's election coverage as "news" have pounded the "Aqua-Buddha" theme repeatedly for weeks in an effort to disparage him.

Rachel Maddow:

"The Republicans are the ones who are purging, from the edge. There are plenty of moderate Democrats out there. It's a purge, from the right, and the same thing is not happening on the left."

You know... I see her point, and this fact actually makes me happy. It was stated last night on some show I watched, "That Tail is going to wag the Dog," when it comes to the Freshmen Tea Party candidates being the people who will likely tell the "establishment" what is up in Congress.

I believe that's a good thing. Washington needs to be shaken up. I would rather have a bunch of fresh faces elected every cycle than to have happen what we've witnessed over the past 20 or so years.

And back to Chris Matthews;

"If, growing up, your name was Richard Armey, would you say, 'Call me Dick'"

Very mature, Mr. Matthews. This is the prime-time, full-scale election coverage on the NBC cable news network, the very same that will not have itself compared to Fox News Channel, and you're making "Dick" jokes?

And they're blasting Christine O'Donnell, making fun of Rand Paul, calling Dr. Paul "A genius compared to O'Donnell."

And of course... everybody on the Right who wins tonight is a "Republican, Tea Party candidate."

It's gonna be a long, long night at the Cable version of the Peacock News Network.

Proud To Say...

2010-11-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Witch, The Bitch, And The Worst Person In The World

2010-11-02T01:04:00.005-07:00

So here I am, very late on the night before the big election… throwing in my two cents as if it’s going to make a difference, right?

Hardly.

In fact, by the time I finish this rant and post it, the time will be well past Midnight on the East Coast (in fact, it’s past midnight on the West Coast as I’m wrapping and posting). Most of you probably won’t even read these thoughts until after you’ve cast your ballot; fulfilling your personal effort and civic duty to restore common-sense conservative values across this great land.

But here I am anyway, because while I can freely admit that I've not been the best or most consistent "down the home stretch" political blogger – heck, I’ve pretty much been missing in action - there are some things I’ve witnessed in the media and politics over the past couple of months that I simply must comment on, because if I don’t… well, I guess I wouldn’t comment on them. Duh.

But since I wish to comment on these issues, and since I have a computer and a working internet connection…here I am, commenting.

As an example; ABC News is being blasted with complaint emails for the fact that they plan to have Andrew Breitbart as a guest commenter on an on-line.

Really?

I never even knew this was happening until I got an email in my Inbox this morning - from Breitbart's own email blast. Who has the time to pay attention to what guests ABC News plans to have on its online election coverage?

These same people who take issue with Breitbart being on a website panel of pundits believe MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow is fair and unbiased and should be the anchor of Meet the Press.

George Soros has a network larger than we may ever understand, and it is a well-oiled and disciplined machine that will take years, if not decades, to dismantle.

But wait... Stop the insanity! Or, restore sanity!

Whatever the message, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert’s attempted mockery of Glenn Beck apparently reached MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann loud and clear.

Like Beck, I don’t honestly believe that Stewart intended to have this rally come across as partisan as his crowd clearly behaved. But then, what are we to expect from a crowd that was, in large part, transported to our nation’s capital at little to no cost by the likes of Arianna Huffington and SEIU?

Due to the words of a comedian, Keith Olbermann of MSNBC has officially “suspended” the “Worst Persons in the World” segment of his show “Countdown,” pending review and analysis of what he called “Institutionalized Anger” on his “News Hour.” This comes just one day after Olbermann blasted Stewart for daring to make the comparison between his punditry on MSNBC and similar shows on other networks, specifically Fox News Channel.

In defense of his own program, Olbermann said, “Sticking up for the powerless is not the moral equivalent of sticking up for the powerful.”

Interestingly, standing a hard line of defense for George Soros and all of his interests is now known in some circles as “Sticking up for the powerless.” Duly noted.

There are so many media-on-media stories within just this one story it’s dizzying.

From my point of view, the most concerning should be the fact that the “Mainstream Media” types are all a-flutter over the Comedy Central Clown-Show on the Mall, boasting about what a wonderful message was put forth by our nation’s favorite Cable TV faux pundits.

What the all-knowing journalist-types clearly failed to do back in late August was to look past their own partisan agenda. For had they made even the slightest effort to see the truth beyond their own little myopic worldview, they’d have seen that Beck’s message was just as much (if not more) one of getting past the partisanship and doing what is best for America.

The fact that Olbermann believes he is doing something good by “suspending” this particular segment of his “News Hour” (his description, not mine) is laughable at best. In recent commercials on MSNBC, Olbermann has defended the segment with the claim that its intent is not harmful; it is really put forward with the intent to give a laugh in the midst of all of the turmoil of the news day.

This, of course, is why Olbermann and his staff have felt completely comfortable putting forward (at best) clips for the aforementioned “Worst Persons” segment that have been edited and taken completely out-of-context by the left-wing, George Soros funded Media Matters, in an effort to fuel hatred and distrust of a news agency that has repeatedly been proven to be the most honest and most equally balanced with regards to party representation.

But aside from the clown-show and a bunch of paid phone callers whining about a conservative being granted a voice in the mainstream, perhaps the most unreported yet important story of this election season comes from Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.

Progressive Raul Grijalva, the wonderful Congressman who made a name for himself by calling for a boycott of his own constituents, is in the political fight of his life, which I pray with all my might that he shall lose.

Grijalva’s challenger, a 28-year-old physicist named Ruth McClung, just may be the most principled person to enter the political fray since sometime around the birth of America.

Cast aside as a certain loser by the Republican establishment, McClung fought hard to get her message out. Supported locally and then nationally by Tea Party Patriots, McClung has brought herself to a virtual dead-heat in what appeared to be an un-winnable contest.

And while I have not yet been able to independently verify this, today Glenn Beck stated that McClung refused funds from the GOP establishment. Whether or not that statement by Beck is true, what is undeniable is that this election is indeed the beginning of a new age in American politics.

Well I’ve hardly scraped the surface, but it’s late and I must sleep.

So as you watch the election results come in Tuesday evening, or as you wake up on Wednesday to the shocking news that a “witch” is a Senator-elect in Delaware (hey, anything’s possible!) and a “bitch” (according to Joy Behar) is Senator-elect in Nevada, just remember…

No matter what the injury, Brett Favre will play on Sunday. And when the World Series is on the line, take it from a long-time Cleveland Indians fan - do not, under any circumstances, pitch to Edgar Renteria!

Tides Foundation CEO Claims Fox News Advertisers "Will Have Blood On Their Hands"

2010-10-15T21:08:00.005-07:00

To say the left is running scared is an understatement.

On Huffington Post tonight, an article describes the most recent attempt by the leftist propaganda machine to discredit radio talker and Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck.

The founder and CEO of Tides Foundation, a man named Drummond Pike, has reportedly written advertisers asking them to remove their sponsorship of Beck's Fox News Channel program or risk having "blood on their hands."

Mr. Pike penned a letter on Friday to the Chairmen of the Boards of JP Morgan Chase, GEICO, Zurich Financial, Chrysler, Direct Holdings Americas, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Lilly Corporate Center, BP, and The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.

In this letter, he detailed the alarm he felt over having a "person carrying numerous guns and body armor" attempt to start a "revolution" by murdering "my colleagues and me."

The article from the self described "Internet Newspaper" describes how the radical leftists and Mr. Pike allege that a recent shootout with California Highway Patrol and arrest of a delusional psychotic 45-year old man named Byron Williams was inspired by none other than grand puppet-master Glenn Beck.

Facts, however, are tricky things.

Williams' own mother was well aware of her son's mental problems, which according to her stemmed from is inability to cope with society following his release from prison more than 2 years ago for a bank robbery conviction.

When interviewed shortly after her son's arrest (by an ABC local affiliate), Janice Williams said she knew the gunman was her son, 45-year-old Byron Williams.

"I have no doubt it is him," Williams said. "I looked in my driveway. My truck was gone, and then went to my gun safe and my guns were gone."

"He's ruined his life because now he is going back to prison and he's ruined mine because he is my only son," Williams said.

Williams said her son had also felt ostracized at church following his parole.

In addition to his job woes, Byron was extremely upset over the U.S. political climate, often ranting at the TV about how his rights were being taken away by the government.

"He's been upset with the direction the country is going," Williams said. "He feels the people of this country are being raped by our government and politicians."

Williams said her son also blamed politicians for destroying the U.S. economy.

Since the arrest of Williams, the left has made every effort possible to affiliate his psychotic break to Glenn Beck, particularly his analysis of Tides Foundation.

However, in the following jailhouse interview, Byron Williams clearly differs with Beck in many thoughts, even stating that Beck is "Not too bright in that area."

Williams also states very clearly that he knows Beck advocates peaceful resolutions, and admits that he absolutely disagrees with Beck in this regard.

Williams offers that he was well aware of Tides Foundation long before Glenn Beck began to disseminate information about the anti-capitalist organization. He clearly expresses his belief that Fox News Channel does not pursue issues to their fullest extent, and that they seem to "drop issues" before reaching a complete resolution of the facts.

Williams does admit that he enjoys Beck, and that Fox News Channel is his network of choice "because they are conservative," but says he also watched CNN and local news. He labeled himself a "news junkie."

Not exactly the words of a sheeple following his shepherd, which is certainly what the left-wing would have you believe of people like Williams and others.. like say peaceful bloggers, perhaps...?

Meanwhile, back at the "Blame America or a Conservative first" ranch, Tides' CEO Pike believes that that nothing short of financial insolvency will stop the shepherd of the uneducated, zombie-fied masses, therefore he asks the network's benefactors to take a stand or risk future violence.

In a moment of (for lack of better description) journalistic clarity, Huffington Post writer Sam Stein describes Tides Foundation as "A non-partisan entity whose stated goal is the promotion of social justice."

(laughter break)

Journalist Stein continues by stating that Tides has, up to this point, been remarkably silent with regards to the steady stream of hyperbolic criticism coming from Beck's program.

However, the journalist explains, the recent incident involving Williams - who apparently has been (conveniently) described as a "Progressive Hunter," although I can find no record of that being a self-imposed title - has "undoubtedly forced the organization to recalibrate its public relations mindset."

Mr. Pike wrote an op-ed for sfgate.com shortly after the arrest of Byron Williams, and to contrast that piece with his current statements, I'd say it's rather clear that the "recalibration" Pike is undertaking is quite simple:

Blame Glenn Beck.

Burn The Witch! Burn The Witch!

2010-09-20T20:06:00.003-07:00

I said after her victory in last Tuesday's Primary that I do not know a lot about Christine O'Donnell.

Honestly, within the last week, I've learned more about Christine O'Donnell than I learned about Barack Hussein Obama throughout the course of an entire two year presidential election cycle, save the information given by the good folks on talk radio and Fox News Channel.

We are now one full week out from O'Donnell's surprising victory in the Delaware Primary, and all three major hosts on MSNBC led tonight's program with a smear story against the Republican candidate for Senate.

Think the leftists are not scared?

Take a look at Rachel Maddow, cherry-picking the information that best suits her storyline. She is attempting to make the conservative agenda all about social issues such as homosexuality and abortion:

Next we see Chris Matthews leading his show with a clip from Bill Maher's 1999 episode of Politically Incorrect, during which (no pun intended) O'Donnell admits to some teenage indiscretions involving witchcraft:

Funny, that...

If I remember correctly, Barack Hussein Obama admitted to blowing cocaine up his nose, being a smoker, and choosing his friends carefully. Remember how the major media outlets led every broadcast with stories about how Obama was an admitted drug user who had a smoking habit he would not let go of, and how he was a disciple of Alinsky and Karl Marx?

Surely you remember all the information Katie Couric and Brian Williams ~~brought~~ did not bring us, like this snippet from Obama's "Dreams From My Father;"

To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist Professors and the structural feminists and punk-rock performance poets. We smoked cigarettes and wore leather jackets. At night,in the dorms, we discussed neocolonialism, Franz Fanon, Eurocentrism, and patriarchy. When we ground out our cigarettes in the hallway carpet or set our stereos so loud that the walls began to shake, we were resisting bourgeois society's stifling constraints. We weren't indifferent or careless or insecure. We were alienated.

Anyway..

Maybe the "Mainstream Media" didn't really participate at that time, in the act of bringing information forward about our future 44th President. I mean, silly me... he was "The One We Have Been Waiting For," after all...

But at least now we have Keith Olbermann to take us down the path of the "Keep choking that chicken" jokes, as he aired that funny Taiwanese video showing the Tea Party Express steamrolling Obama...

Through all of this, one can't help but be reminded of a great scene from Monty Python and The Holy Grail:

Christine O'Donnell Wins Delaware Primary, And It's Politics As Usual From Inside The Beltway

2010-09-14T20:04:00.002-07:00

Tea Party Candidate Christine O'Donnell has won the much discussed Republican Primary in Delaware. I don't know much about Christine O'Donnell, but as a person who wishes to see the majority taken out of the hands of the Progs I will gladly support her. I might even donate to her campaign.

I wish I could say as much for the National Republican Senatorial Committee which, according to a report that aired within the last hour on Fox News, will not be offering support to Miss O'Donnell in her general election campaign.

From what I've heard, O'Donnell has had some shaky personal finances and has made a few "misstatements." I can't fault her for that; I too have had some financial issues in my life, and I believe strongly that she is correct in her statements that one can learn from such mistakes and become a better person for it. And anyone who knows me will tell you I've said a stupid thing or more in my life, and those who really know me will tell you I learn from each of these situations and become a better man for my experience.

Therein, in my humble opinion, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has proven that they are more interested in their own self interests than in the best interests of America.

The Raaaaacist Industrial Complex Strikes Again

2010-09-13T20:03:00.001-07:00

This story is about an event that took place today, Monday September 13, 2010. I just heard this story on my afternoon jog, via my local radio host Mike Broomhead, but thought it was worth sharing.

From The Phoenix Business Journal:

Phoenix College is celebrating its 90th anniversary Sept. 13, but highly celebrated alumna Stella Pope Duarte will be nowhere to be seen.

The Valley author and Phoenix College adjunct professor was scheduled to speak at the celebration until she heard Gov. Jan Brewer — who signed Senate Bill 1070 into law earlier this year — also would be there.

“By far, Jan Brewer has shown herself to be the most unreasonable and racist governor in our country, and her discriminatory policies echo the type of prejudice that took place during the lynchings and brutality suffered by African Americans in the South,” Duarte said. “I have known families who have suffered gravely due to the policies she has so easily signed into law.”

Paul Senseman, the governor’s spokesman, said Brewer is grateful for the invitation from Phoenix College to commemorate its milestone.

Really?

I am not personally offended... in fact, I find it laughable that this woman made the statement she made. The very idea that she is comparing Arizona SB 1070 to Jim Crow laws, Klan lynchings, and any other truly racist actions is quite simply outlandish.

I'm guessing that nobody missed Ms. Duarte's presence. My statement is nothing personal, mind you; most of these events have so many guest speakers it's difficult to hold your eyelids open without toothpicks anyway.

Nonetheless, outside of what little publicity she's getting from people like AM radio and bloggers like me, she's kind of like that tree falling in the woods.

I invite anyone interested to contact Ms. Duarte here, and let her know how you feel about her statements.

September 11th, 2001

2010-09-10T23:30:00.004-07:00

Glenn Beck Sex Tape, Keith Olbermann Missing, And Rick Sanchez And The RAAAAACIST Industrial Complex

2010-08-30T21:01:00.007-07:00

In the midst of Howard Dean telling us that we are all racists and lost souls, Huffington Post offering $100K for anyone who can produce a "sex tape" of Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann once again being conspicuously on vacation at a time when he would be oh, so likely to step in it (yet his guest host Lawrence O'Donnell actually used CBS's crowd estimate of 87K!), and the great dispute over the actual number of attendees at Saturday's Restoring Honor Rally, perhaps my favorite non-story in the form of a story of today comes from CNN, and the mouth of the man Glenn Beck has deemed "The Dumbest Man ever on Television."

While speaking about the recent controversies and [alleged] falsehoods surrounding President Barack Hussein Obama, Sanchez used a classic idiom in a not-so-intentional way.

His voice rising in frustration as he tried to make his point, Sanchez asked his guest, CNN correspondent Jessica Yellin, why people continued to believe the alleged false rumors. Said Sanchez:

"He is the cotton picking president of the United States! If the president of the United States doesn't have enough of a bully pulpit to convince people that...a lie is a lie...what the hell is going on here?"

After a commercial break, Sanchez immediately apologized. He said that soon after he had used the phrase, people had started contacting him on Twitter, pointing out that he had just used it when referring to a black man — an insensitive reference, they thought, given the phrase's alleged connections to slavery.

This is a classic idiom if ever there was one. Yosemite Sam comes to mind very quickly - but of course the Progs might call Sam a RAAAAACIST too...

The phrase "cotton-picking" can also be defined as a verbal adjective. Anyone with even the slightest understanding of the English language and a little bit of assimilation to classic Americana understands that even Rick Sanchez - as ridiculous as the man can be sometimes - mean no harm to the president with his benign choice of words.

But certainly it should come as no surprise that Rick Sanchez made such a silly statement that he felt the need to quickly follow with an apology. According to NewsBusters.org, Sanchez has had quite a handful of on-air foot-in-mouth moments. On October 16, 2009, the CNN anchor gave an on-air apology for running an unconfirmed quote attributed to Rush Limbaugh earlier that week. As for other on-air gaffes, just during the course of 2010, Sanchez wasn't sure who was protesting at the annual March for Life, misidentified the Galapagos Islands as Hawaii, "joked" that it was "too cold" in Iceland "to have a volcano there," and incorrectly guessed that the Nixon/Kennedy debate took place in 1962.

I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the RAAAAACIST Industrial Complex pounces on this situation... Just a glance at some of the comments at Huffington Post regarding this situation tell me what the cotton-picking leftists will have to say before all's said and done.

More at Memeorandum.

Huffington Post: Glenn Beck Is Not Martin Luther King, Jr.

2010-08-25T20:11:00.007-07:00

Over at my favorite leftist blog The Huffington Post - you know, the one that calls itself "The Internet Newspaper," a filmmaker named Robert Greenwald has written an article entitled, "Glenn Beck Is Not Martin Luther King, Jr."

Interestingly, not once does the Huffington Post piece offer the name "Restoring Honor Rally" in its description of this Saturday's events.

While the piece itself is not terribly insulting or demeaning (as have been many on that blog) it does attempt to bring home the same hyperbolic image of Beck we see across the leftist media and blogosphere.

The Reverend King once declared that, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter," Greenwald states in his opinion piece.

He continues, "But we will not be silent on this matter. We will not let Beck and Palin hijack history and continue in their attempts to further harm and disrupt our collective future."

Further down the page, the article offers a link to a page with the URL "http://glennbeckisnotmartinlutherkingjr.com/." Very predictable, to say the least.

The paragraph from which this link is taken - without the link, because I don't believe they deserve the web traffic, reads as follows:

Come join us in standing with Martin Luther King Jr's vision of this country. {Click here} to declare your continued commitment to Dr. King's legacy, and that you will not let Beck trash and tarnish the meaning of King's dream.

So... since I'm sure you'd expect no less of me... I left this comment:

Beck has never wished to be mentioned in the same sentence as Dr. King. This is pure hyperbole from the left, intending to besmirch a man who has a system of beliefs and passions that are very American, yet different from the beliefs of some others.

In the mean time, were we to make the comparison:

Dr. King called out those he saw not treating people of different races equally. President Obama has shown he wishes to create legislation and an emotional tone in America that is racially biased favoring non-whites, and Beck has spoken out.

Dr. King believed in Natural Law, and he believed in Equal Justice under American Law. Beck believes in Equal Justice and Natural Law.

Dr. King was scorned harshly and unfairly by his critics - the "opposition" of a just and fair America. He was called names, belittled, and threatened. Beck is receiving unbelievably harsh criticism, is belittled by the left constantly, and has been threatened to the point he now employs a security staff.

Dr. King had a faithful group of supporters who believed in God and believed strongly that Dr. King was a good person and a righteous messenger, but no Deity. Beck's supporters are much like those of Dr. King.

Over time Dr. King was proven correct in every belief he has about equality and justice.

Glenn Beck is yet to be judged by the test of time... but he's clearly on the right side of history.

If you click this link you can read my comment at the site, followed by the intelligent commentary offered in reply. Really, it's worth the couple of minutes. Really.

I will not be in Washington D.C. this Saturday. Actually, if everything goes as planned, I will be working some overtime, which is one of the best things I could be doing if I can't make the pilgrimage to the Restoring Honor Rally. I must admit, every time I hear Beck say, "You will wish you were there," I cringe and wish I were going to be there, but as they say.. that's life.

I hope the thousands of patriots in attendance of the Restoring Honor Rally have the time of their lives. I'm sure soon there will be many great stories and pictures shared on many of our friend's blogs, and I for one can't wait to hear all about it.

In the mean time, while those of us with common sense and decency continue to stand up for and defend the efforts of Beck and all those like him (including ourselves!) who speak out for what is right, let us pray that this weekend is a wonderful and safe event.

And may God bless The United States of America.

More Of The Same... John McCain Wins AZ Senatorial Primary

2010-08-24T20:31:00.002-07:00

With less than 1% of precincts reporting, The Associated Press has already called it - John McCain has won the Republican Primary for Senate in Arizona.

John McCain didn't so much win this election as J. D. Hayworth lost this election. Hayworth has greatly damaged what once was a promising political career with a handful of gaffes, and a little help from McCain running a commercial about an infomercial.

Six more years.... ugh. We're sorry, America.

A Preview of Arizona's Primary Through The Eyes of Soloman

2010-08-23T20:29:00.005-07:00

So the headline on Drudge Report reads, "This Time For The Win!" and links to an Associated Press / John McCain slobber-fest as only the leftist media can provide, on the night before Arizona's Senatorial Primary.

The co-author of McCain-Feingold "Campaign Finance Reform," McCain has all but guaranteed himself the win in this election by over-saturating the Arizona media market like an August Monsoon storm floods the roads of Phoenix. One can not turn on any television or radio station without seeing the fromerly self-described "Maverick," who has re-branded himself as "Trusted" leadership. Phooey. McCain has spent an astounding $19.6 million, according to the Associated Press article, and as sure as the Arizona sun will shine brightly tomorrow, McCain will tack quickly back to the left once he's bought himself these next six years in office.

Honestly, I'm so sick of hearing McCain's commercials that if I didn't know who to vote for, I'd vote against him just because I'm so sick of hearing his commercials. Oh yeah.. that and the fact that Chris Matthews just said he'd vote for McCain if he lived in Arizona. That's all I need to know...

To his credit, McCain has run one heck of a campaign. It's a shame he didn't do this much dirt-digging and information seeking when he ran against then candidate Barack Hussein Obama. We'd likely be discussing President McCain today... but I digress.

There is a third party in the Arizona Senatorial race - a Navy Veteran and absolute political amateur, Jim Deakin. If, for Deakin's sake, this were just about any other election cycle, he might stand a chance... but not this time around. Sadly, a seemingly good man will do nothing more then siphon votes away from McCain's stronger challenger,former Congressman turned radio talk-show host, J. D. Hayworth.

Hayworth has not done himself any favors in this campaign. In my opinion, the biggest mistake Hayworth made was forgetting that he is no longer a talk-show host looking for ratings. I write a blog... I get it... while I'm no major media mogul and not a talker on a Clear Channel affiliate, I see that in the opinion business you want to attract people to your space in the game.

Hayworth is really, really good as a talk-show host. He connects with his listeners, and I hoped that that connection would carry over to his campaign. Instead, though, Hayworth made a couple of rather unseemly gaffes that brought him national attention, and when you're up against the likes of McCain and his countless flip-flops, what you've got to do is present yourself as the beacon of reason and consistency.

Hayworth had the consistency label all over his own commercials, but he didn't present himself as a sound alternative to McCain's liberal tendencies. Instead, with comments like the one he made about how same-sex marriage would allow people to marry horses, Hayworth played right into the main-stream media's anti-conservative playbook and they ran wild with it.

So... I could go on, but the point her is quite obvious. I hope like crazy that I'm wrong, but I'll be shocked if J. D. Hayworth pulls off what would truly be the upset of this century.

In the other Arizona political race of great interest, Arizona CD3 is kind of like a "Last Man Standing" event. There are a total of ten candidates on record; in my opinion we've got six real contenders.

We've got playboy Ben Quayle and his "Barack Obama is the Worst President In History" commercials - because somehow that qualifies Ben Quayle to be my Congressman? While I agree with his sentiment, he's got nothing but that and his father's legacy to prove his worthiness...and let's face it, he's absolutely trading on his father's legacy.

Next we have Vernon Parker, who was once the mayor of Paradise Valley, a very well-to-do part of town. Good for him... but he seems like a career politician and I'm a bit leery of that right now. Parker seems like a nice enough man... he likes to promote his proximity to George H. W. Bush during his early career. While he does have Sheriff Joe Arpaio's endorsement, I believe he's got too much of that "Career" thing going on to have a real chance.

Paulina Morris has mocked pretty much everyone in her most recent commercial, with the exception of the other woman in the race, Pamela Gorman. She's favored by the leftists here, and since independents can vote in either primary here she just may get some crossover votes from the left since she's pro-abortion.

Jim Waring comes across as a very good candidate. He is a co-sponsor of SB 1070, and has been in the Arizona legislature since 2002. Not much else to say, which I guess says something.

Steve Moak came across very well on the radio... like a real serious businessman, and really impressed me. I like the fact that he was deeply involved in a non-profit that fought drug use amongst teens called "notMYkid, Inc." There have been some questions about financial relationships between Moak's personal business and the non-profit, but those allegations come from Ben Quayle (see above) and have proven to be largely unsubstantiated.

Finally.. Pamela Gorman brings to Arizona an embodiment of the recent trend in Conservative politics. There is, no doubt, a very real "Conservative Woman's" movement happening across America, and Ms. Gorman represents this trend in a real, open, and down to Earth fashion. While no doubt famous for her viral video in which she displays her marksmanship skills with a variety of firearms, Gorman has real experience in Arizona politics. And while she has spent time in politics, she differs from many "career" politician types: she has never held on to one political seat while attempting to gain another.

I like Moak, and I like Gorman. The one thing that, in my opinion, sets Gorman apart, is that she has made an effort to be out there at all the recent events, and that she has run a completely positive campaign. That, and the fact that she recently said during a radio interview that, should she win this Congressional seat, her first order of business would be to join the newly formed "Tea Party Caucus," because she realizes that the way to get things done is to join forces with other like-minded representatives.

So tomorrow I'm off to my polling place to take part in the greatest right we Americans are privileged to take part in - the act of casting my vote for my representatives. It's just a primary, but still, I hope my choices win.. but in the long run, I hope whoever wins will be the right choices for Arizona and for the future of America.

The Fourteenth Amendment, The Supreme Court, And The Rule Of Law

2010-08-13T21:25:00.001-07:00

Recently there has been a great deal of discussion about Amending The Constitution - specifically with regards to the Fourteenth Amendment. I believe this concept is not a good idea for America, and that it is also terrible politics for the Conservative movement.

America certainly has national security issues, and one of those issues is the influx of people who – for one reason or another – are setting up camp and calling America home. People from around the world cross our southern border at an alarming rate, and the reality is that no matter how many people we deport through ICE and other federal means, there are more people entering America than will ever leave.

In enacting SB 1070, Arizona recently made a valiant attempt to help the federal government in its effort to keep illegal immigration in check, but in a highly partisan move the Barack ~~Hoover~~ Hussein Obama administration and its Justice Department filed suit against Arizona and Governor Jan Brewer.

The SB 1070 case has been before a District Court judge. Judge Susan Bolton (a Clinton appointee) issued a temporary injunction against the “controversial” yet most important parts of the law, essentially rendering it ineffective as a support system for the feds, which was its intent as written. The case is being appealed, and will be heard next by the typically leftist Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Regardless of what decision comes from The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the SB 1070 case is expected to reach The Supreme Court, perhaps by late 2011.

In the mean time, I believe what is most important for America and the Conservative movement is maintaining a laser-like focus on the issues, most specifically border security.

Border security as a single issue is a topic that has no partisan slant; it is purely and simply about the safety and sovereignty of The United States of America. Even my friends at The Huffington Post can see the importance of a secure border.

Meanwhile, we who care about American sovereignty must not allow the left to turn anything we say into a hyper-partisan issue that causes more distraction and harm than good.

We have already seen that they are willing to manipulate the truth to suit their agenda, with edited video like the one The Center for American Progress offered, of a leftist progressive acting like a RAAAAACIST at a Tea Party event. Then there was the one aired by MSNBC, of the Black man outside an Obama rally in Arizona with the AR-15 over his shoulder – even though MSNBC never showed he was a Black man.

A perfect example of this type of distraction is the “Birther” movement. Honestly, it makes no difference today where Obama was born. He is President, and even if he were removed from office, what happens next? Biden takes office? Pelosi as Commander-in-Chief? Do we really want San-Fran-Nan sitting behind the desk in The Oval Office? Honestly, I’ll keep Obama, given my options. At least by now with him, we know where we stand and what to expect. Alinsky tactics, blame Bush, and narcissism beyond anyone’s wildest expectation.

In case you haven’t noticed, every politician or Tea Party member who shows signs of being a “Birther” ends up on Olbermann, Maddow, Matthews, and / or Huffington Post and other radical leftist media venues. This is not helpful. There are some moderate liberals who get some of their information from these sources, and they can be negatively influenced by such drivel.

The prizes on which sane Americans must keep our eye are first November 2010, and then The White House in 2012. As we move closer to these key election dates, the partisan leftists and their media lapdogs are going to push every hot button they can find, cry RAAAAACIST at every turn, and specifically target Hispanic voters who sadly can be very easily manipulated by well messaged Alinsky-like information from Spanish-speaking radio stations and television networks like Telemundo, most of which are owned and operated by NBC and other leftist media entities.

If Conservatives drive hard for a change in The Constitution, the left will play to the base with messages about how “Neo-Cons” are trying to “Manipulate The Constitution for their own RAAAAACIST agenda.”

Therefore, we must maintain focus on the border, and let the States and due process take care of the Rule of Law.

Arizona’s legislature has already discussed moving forward with a bill that will “Not allow” citizenship to babies born of women who are not American – “anchor babies,” if you will.

If Arizona or any other state enacts such a law, it will certainly be challenged and taken through the court system, as is the case with SB 1070. This will allow a ruling by The Supreme Court, which is the proper way to decide what exactly should be done about The Fourteenth Amendment.

The role of The Supreme Court is to evaluate a case, and how The Constitution applies to that specific case. A law such as the one being discussed in Arizona would allow for the first time an opportunity for The Supreme Court to interpret the phrase, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

The left will tell us that this phrase means since a person is on American soil, that person is subject to American jurisdiction. This is not quite accurate. Certainly that person must obey American laws, but they are truly “Under the jurisdiction” of their own homeland, wherever that may be. This is why America allows extradition of lawbreakers, and expects the same of other nations when a lawbreaker flees persecution by America’s judicial system.

Conservatives differ; we believe that a person is not automatically subject to American jurisdiction simply because they are born on American soil. Again – everyone who enters America must follow our laws while on American soil, but America reserves the right to deport anyone for just cause at any time, and will extradite a person who deserves lawful prosecution from their homeland.

The Fourteenth Amendment was written because people who were once not free, but who were truly Americans, were suddenly given freedom, and with that came the need to define these people as citizens. Slaves at that time had every right to believe that The United States was their home; it was. After all, they had been brought to America against their will, and many of them had never known an existence outside America’s borders.

Today’s situation is very different. While certainly the plight of many illegal aliens is sympathetic, the truth is that many people plan vacations or specifically migrate to America because they are with child and wish to take advantage of the current interpretation of The Fourteenth Amendment. This is not “Birthright citizenship,” this is deviant manipulation of a compassionate nation that now is dealing with its own economic and security concerns, many of which have been caused by the very actions these migrants have taken for decades.

One other thought – perhaps the most important of all. If we focus on The Fourteenth Amendment and not border security, our rationale will appear even more in the image the leftists wish.

If we’re border security hawks, that’s about national security. If we worry about an amendment, that’s about Mexicans. While that may not be 100% true in all instances, the manipulative leftist media will make it incredibly easy to see, so we know the leftists will be all over it.

America needs a secure border. At the national level, securing our border must be our first focus, and really our only focus at this moment regarding immigration and national security. While we certainly have seen a great dog and pony show recently from Washington including today’s signing of a new “border security bill,” things are not getting any better when it comes to national security.

If we have a secure border, most of the Fourteenth Amendment issues go away. We will have much less illegal entry into America if our borders are secure. The entire motive behind the concept of such an amendment is about "birthright citizenship," and there will be far fewer "birthright citizenship" migrations if people know it is that much more difficult to gain entry into The United States.

I honestly believe the only thing preventing amnesty right now is President Barack ~~Hoover~~ Hussein Obama's desire for a second term, and if he sees the trade winds blowing from the political right come Election Day, we'll have 15 million people with winning lottery tickets in late 2012.

What we need most at this moment is to stem the tide of illegal entry into America, so that even if we do have “Instant Amnesty” courtesy of President Obama, we can stop the same from happening next time we have a radical progressive in office.

Honest Americans know that border security and laws such as SB 1070 are not about Mexican people – they are about anyone who poses a threat to our security and sovereignty, and that includes anyone who is not a documented citizen, student, or legal worker who gains entry into our nation.

We must keep up the pressure on Washington; never letting them forget what Americans really believe is the right thing to do - secure the border.

Or, as John McCain once famously said, “Build the dang fence.”

The Boom Boom Room? Greg Gutfeld Proposes Gay Bar Next Door to Ground Zero Mosque

2010-08-10T19:30:00.007-07:00

Demonstrating the ingenuity of a great American, Fox News Channel host Greg Gutfeld has proposed a way to help break down barriers and increase understanding with the Muslims who wish to build a mosque just steps from Ground Zero:
A gay bar.

Gutfeld, the former Huffington Post guest blogger and current host of FNC's late night cult hit Red Eye, made the proposal during Monday night's "Gregalogue," a segment in which Gutfeld takes an intriguing look at the events of the day and offers a sarcastic, if not sane, perspective.

"As an American, I believe they have every right to build the mosque - after all, if they buy the land and they follow the law - who can stop them?

Which is, why, in the spirit of outreach, I've decided to do the same thing," Gutfeld offered.

" I'm announcing tonight," he continued, "That I am planning to build and open the first gay bar that caters not only to the west, but also Islamic gay men. To best express my sincere desire for dialogue, the bar will be situated next to the mosque Park51, in an available commercial space.

This is not a joke. I've already spoken to a number of investors, who have pledged their support in this bipartisan bid for understanding and tolerance."

Gutfeld went on to describe the fact that the Muslim faith does not look kindly upon homosexuality, and that his new venture "Is an effort to break down barriers and reduce deadly homophobia in the Islamic world."

He closed by stating that his place "Will have better music," and that anyone serious about investment opportunities should contact him at dailygut.com.

My personal suggestions for names? As written above in the title of this post, "The Boom Boom Room," or maybe "Mohamed's Secret." I'd love to hear your suggestions...

All Charged Up About The Volt

2010-07-31T18:14:00.006-07:00

From ~~General~~ Government Motors comes this fine little ditty about the newest and greatest ~~disaster~~ creation to roll off the assembly line from the former number one auto manufacturer in the world, The Chevy... er.. GM Volt.

Really, they're advertising it as the GM Volt. What do you think GM stands for, to the tune of about $60 billion taxpayer dollars in bailout, that to date still remains largely unpaid unless you count using other government money... to pay... the government.. its own... money.

Hmmm... that doesn't sound quite kosher now, does it?

And you thought I was kidding about Government Motors?

All 40 miles of battery powered wonderment from the Heartburn of America is now celebrated with song.

As iowahawk reminds us, this chart-topper comes from a long lineage of tunes that run deep within the very fiber of Americana. After all, what would America be without such great history as Dinah Shore, who famously saw the USA in her Chevrolet, or The Beach Boys, who saved their pennies and saved their dimes for a 4-speed dual quad positraction 409?

Now we have... well, you be the judge.

A true American icon in the making, and it'll only run you about $41,000 before tax deductions.

(Hey... wait a minute... I thought we didn't do tax breaks in the age of Obama...)

And as a friendly reminder, the great prognosticator iowahawk predicted almost exactly this outcome from the three-headed monster known as Obama, Pelosi, and Reid, and what was then known as "Congressional Motors."

From late 2008, it's the video that started it all...

Hope and Change, people... Hope and Change...

Conservative Porn: Governor Chris Christie on Morning Joe

2010-07-30T17:33:00.003-07:00

I have to quote Glenn Beck here... I need a cigarette.

Okay, not really.. I quit, and I never really want one again... but these clips of Governor Chris Christie on MSNBC's Morning Joe are definitely arousing, or sorts...

Complaining about some cuts that need to be made in an effort to reign in a budget deficit in New Jersey, a teacher told Governor Christie:

"You're not compensating me for my education, and you're not compensating me for my experience."

Christie's response:

"Well then, you know what? You don't have to do it. I mean, the simple fact of the matter is this... Teachers go into it knowing what the pay scale is..."

Governor Christie, when asked about this exchange, stated:

"This teacher complaining - they're getting four-to-five percent salary increases a year in a zero percent inflation world; they get free health benefits from the day they're hired - for their entire family - until the day they die.

They believe they're entitled to this shelter from the recession, when the people who are paying for that shelter are the people who have been laid off, who have lost their homes, had their hours cut back.

And all we asked them to do was freeze their salary for one year and pay one-and-a-half percent of their salary for their health benefits.

For the average teacher in New Jersey, you're talking about $750 a year for full-family health coverage.

Now, I don't think that's a lot to ask, and I don't think we can continue anymore to be having the good people of New Jersey who have been laid off and all the rest...

As much as I love teachers - you know, everyone's got to be part of the sacrifice"

"[...] Because the times demand it."

Christie went on to explain that the teacher's union had what he labeled a "Me First" rally, where 35,000 teachers gathered to say, "Pay me first, pay me my health benefits first, pay me my pension first, and everyone else in New Jersey - get to the back of the line."

The teachers union ultimately refused to accept the cuts he asked of them.

Christie has promised to shine a bright light on those such as the New Jersey teacher's union - those who refuse to accept what he considers their fair and reasonable share of the temporary burden as he attempts to bring New Jersey back from the brink of liberal / progressive fiscal disaster.

If Christie doesn't run for president in 2012 or 2016, I'll be greatly disappointed.

Sure Newt Gingrich is smart, and sure Sarah Palin is feisty and gets under the skin of the lunatic fringe. They both have a lot of negatives, though.

Newt has a checkered personal past, which could be overcome, but they'd be a nuisance. If he decides to run, however, I must admit he's probably my first choice right now because he absolutely towers over Obama intellectually, and he truly knows American history and believes in American Exceptionalism.

Palin.. well, as much as we on the right love her message most of the time, the leftist media hates her and will do all they can to destroy her, and unfortunately I'm not sure she's got the game needed to fight that media. She's great doing what she does right now, and probably would be an excellent cabinet choice, perhaps Secretary of Energy? But I don't know about president...

Mitt Romney is a great businessman, and perhaps should be Secretary of Treasury, and Ron Paul, as much as I love his desire to stand his ground on issues like the Fed and the use of our military, just isn't the guy.

But Chris Christie... Chris Christie is doing a better job right now than anyone else at being exactly what we need - a non-politician who tells it exactly like it is, and doesn't care one bit if people like him or not.

Chris Christie is not about Republican, and he's not about his poll numbers... he's about fixing the mess that's been made in the state he loves, and anyone who stands in his way had better watch out.

Not only that, but he's doing all this by speaking simple common sense that anyone not in a union should understand and appreciate... and even some union members will get it and support it, even if they don't immediately like it.

Answering a follow-up question about how to take his message nationwide, Christie stated:

If what you're gonna do is play the same old game, and not speak directly to people, and not treat them (Americans) like adults... then you are bound for failure. All I'm doing is speaking the truth as I see it."

Now that's what I'm talking about.

Chris Christie represents everything I've had to learn in my life because of my past irresponsible ways. Excuse me while I speak from experience - right now the entire nation needs to learn the hard lessons that I've had to learn through my life.

We as individuals must live within a budget. Our representatives should behave no differently while in office than those individuals who elect them. These people are given an enormous trust, and they're not acting trustworthy as of late.

This concept seems to be lost on individuals as soon as they have a political title assigned to their name, especially when it's a title that comes from being inside The Beltway.

Chris Christie is a true voice of common sense in a political world that seems to be completely devoid of common sense, and I think he may be the one person capable of going to Washington and effecting the change that is truly needed to bring America back to prosperity.

Thought For the Day... Old School

2010-07-30T17:27:00.001-07:00

A funny one for all us "old timers" Courtesy of B.C.

I Don't Need Your Civil War...

2010-07-20T22:00:00.003-07:00

I must admit to falling victim to a bit of hype as well as having a slight misunderstanding of the facts last night, as I posted last night about Shirley Sherrod and her statements at an NAALCP event last year.

It seems that the truth has now come out, and the fact is that Ms. Sherrod did not make statements of inflammatory nature, as I believed at the onset of the story. Her words, when taken out of context, could be misconstrued to be racist in intent, but they were part of a larger and more important lesson that we all are learning from today.

The left wing blogosphere is on fire right now, and the NAACP is in full defense mode. As usual, they are both attempting to place blame on Fox News Channel for discussing, broadcasting, and hyping the Sherrod story in an overt attempt to force the ~~regime's~~ administration's hand.

Instead, the point of interest in the Shirley Sherrod story is this: The Barack Hussein Obama ~~regime~~ administration had ordered and forced Shirley Sherrod's "voluntary" resignation, and the NAALCP had issued a harsh condemnation, all before Fox News Channel had ever run one segment about the story.

Ultimately, it seems the ~~regime~~ administration shot itself in the foot... can I still say that, based on the current standing of the Second Amendment?

The poor management skills of this group of rank amateurs, as well as their obvious instinct to overreact at the slightest hint of race in any story that might cross their radar screen, led them to essentially force the termination of employment of a woman who otherwise is by all accounts (including the account of the White farmer previously discussed) of sound moral character and good judgment.

The source of all the fun is Andrew Breitbart's Biggovernment.com, where the outtake of Sherrod's NAALCP speech first appeared.

In a stroke of pure genius, Breitbart manipulated the leftist media to perfection.

He posted two segments of Sherrod's speech - the first offering what seem to be racist statements, which are most definitely accompanied by a perceived race-induced reception of laughter and mild applause from the crowd.

The second offered Sherrod's clear adulation for government work, as she offers to the crowd, "Have you heard of anybody in the federal government losing their job?"

As it turns out, the NAALCP has a full video of the very speech being discussed, and it is available at YouTube, here, on the NAALCP YouTube page.

It is extremely interesting to note that the subject of Shirley Sherrod's speech was the exact opposite of the reason she was condemned by the NAALCP in this statement:

[...]Racism is about the abuse of power. Sherrod had it in her position at USDA. According to her remarks, she mistreated a white farmer in need of assistance because of his race.

We are appalled by her actions, just as we are with abuses of power against farmers of color and female farmers.

Her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story that she ultimately realized her mistake, as well as the common predicament of working people of all races, she gave no indication she had attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man.

Shirley Sherrod appears to be a good person, done wrong by a rush to judgment.

I, for one, offer my apology to her, and to anyone who was misled by my offering in last night's post. I did not take the time to fully investigate the story, and I allowed my first impression to guide my thoughts.

I, however, am only one man, and am only capable of a certain amount of research and investigation.

The Obama administration, the NAALCP, and every leftist media outlet (including Rachel Maddow of MSNBC) have teams of researchers and should have had their facts straight before moving forward.

I hope they might learn their lesson. Context matters.

The behavior of the Obama administration and the "mainstream media" are leading down a very dangerous path. If we are not careful, we will be at odds with our fellow Americans over issues as meaningless as skin color.

I, for one, don't need their Civil War.

From The Eye of the Hurricane

2010-07-19T21:03:00.003-07:00

I know, I know... where have you been, Soloman?

Well, I've been rather busy, that's where I've been. Thank you for asking, all who have expressed concern from time to time.

My place of business right now is like the eye of a hurricane - there's disaster all around us, in the sense that the Obama economy is currently stagnating and will soon be getting worse (once the books shed all those census jobs) yet somehow, by the Grace of God, my workplace is the busiest we've been since the Progressive crash of March 2009.

My place of business does work that feeds the supply chain for the Military Industrial Complex, and for that right now I'm thankful because most of the rest of our business is in commercial aviation. And if you haven't noticed, the economy sucks and there aren't a lot of people taking vacations, so the need for everything from private jets to 767's has dwindled drastically.

Anyway, being the observant Cracker that I am, I couldn't help but notice all the hubbub recently about the Holder "Justice Department," as it relates to Arizona and the New Black Panthers.

Most of you probably know by now how Obama and Holder claimed they were all concerned about racial profiling... yet when they filed this lawsuit against Jan Brewer, me, and a few million other concerned Americans living in the Grand Canyon State, they decided to file their suit based on the concept that they didn't want a "patchwork of legislation from state to state."

Really? How's that working for you and your sanctuary city policy, San Fransisco? Los Angeles? New York City? Oh.... that's right... it's only politically expedient to sue the states that want to control illegal immigration... you know, like Rhode Island. Or maybe... maybe it's politics? Nah... couldn't be. We're in a "Post-racial era," after all...

And why on Earth should we expect The Associated Press to report on this situation honestly? I mean after all, if you understand the truth of the situation you know by now that it is not unique to Arizona to require immigrants to carry documentation. That's a Federal requirement, Mr. Eric Tucker of The AP. Check it.

Oh, never mind... we would be silly to expect consistency... or honesty.. from the media... like CBS News' Bob Schieffer, perhaps? What an ass that guy is. first, he blatantly asked the misguided and factually incorrect question about Arizona's law - I don't care how much O'Reilly wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. Then, he doesn't know a thing about the New Black Panther case?

Come on, buddy... get off the New York Times pipe and try a healthy dose of... oh, let's say any honest news source? And the vacation BS doesn't fly.. we heard that same load of crap from Charlie Gibson and the ACORN saga. I've been on "vacation" from my political "job" and I know all about both of these stories, and have heard both sides of the issues, because I actually make an effort to see what people from the left and from the right are saying.

And speaking of what people on the left are saying... how about that woman Shirley Sherrod from the NAALCP? Wow, did she really step in it, or what? If I may quote her directly:

"The first time I was faced with having to help a white farmer save his farm, he took a long time talking but he was trying to show me he was superior to me. I know what he was doing, but he had come to me for help. What he didn't know while he was taking all that time trying to show me he was superior to me was, I was trying to decide just how much help I was going to give him."

"I was struggling with the fact that so many black people had lost their farmland, and here I was faced with having to help a white person save their land. So I didn't give him the full force of what I could do."

"I did enough so that when he, I assumed the Department of Agriculture had sent him to me, either that or the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and he needed to go back and report that I did try to help him."

[...]"So I took him to a white lawyer that had attended some of training that we had provided because Chapter 12 bankruptcy had just been enacted for the family farm. So I figured if I take him to one of them, that his own kind would take care of him."

Oops.

Darned that Tea Party, and all the non-evidence of alleged "racism..." I think Andrew Breitbart is still offering $100K to the United Negro College Fund - and has been since March - if anyone can produce real evidence of Tea Party racism. Still. Waiting.

Well, aside from that, I'd just like to quickly ask if anyone else has noticed how the Obama administration always wants to have things paid for, unless of course it's things they want?

Like tax cuts, for example. There's a massive leftist talking point circulating right now that the Bush tax cuts are "for the wealthy" and that they "need to be paid for."

Someone needs to explain basic economics to leftists. Me? Sure, okay...

So listen, leftists, here's how it works. That rich guy getting the tax cut? Well, actually he's not "getting a tax cut," he's now awaiting a tax hike, since these tax rates have been in place for nearly a decade.

That rich guy... he's the guy you work for. If you take that tax cut away from him, he just might have to cut jobs, because essentially, something's gotta give, and it's likely he's not going to downsize his home or tell his children they can't attend college.

And here's a little more economy 101 for you, leftists. If you give a business owner a tax break, he's going to take that extra money and invest it in his business. In the process of doing this, he's likely to generate more income, which will increase the tax revenues generated for your precious government. That's right - more taxes by reducing taxes. It really works. Happened in the 1980's, happened during the first years of the Bush administration.

Not only that, but he's likely to hire a person, or two, or more - and they will have an income, from which your precious government will certainly take their share off the top, you betcha.

Now, if we were to do this the other way - the way Obama wants to do it - we will give away free money to the unemployed, without cutting spending anywhere else. This will simply put an extra burden on the entire economy. Nobody anywhere will be spending any more money. People will not work, especially in the states where unemployment benefits are nearly equal to the average salary of a blue collar worker.

To pay for this, you'll do one of two things - you'll tax the "rich," so that they can not invest in and grow their businesses, or you'll borrow from China, making future generations even more subservient to foreign interests that are not really interested in the concept of a future for the United States - unless a new nation called China West fits your concept of interested in a future for America.

See, leftists - it's the spending that's the issue, not the taxes. The more we spend, the less we have, and if our income is reduced and we continue to spend, the problem persists. Try it out in your home budget sometime. It really happens this way, we didn't dream it up while listening to Lawrence Welk and playing hopscotch, or whatever you think we square Conservatives do.

All in all, I'd say we're right on course for 1 1/2 years into the Barack Hussein Obama term. Those of us who were paying attention are not surprised at all to hear that his approval ratings are falling so drastically that even New Hampshire - a state Obama won in 2008 - now ranks in the bottom ten states for job approval.

I can see November from my house.. and it's looking good!

Content of Character

2010-07-10T17:20:00.004-07:00

Good Man:

Bad Man:

Any Questions?

Great post of interest here.

Bring It On: Holder Justice Department Files Suit Against Arizona SB 1070

2010-07-06T20:50:00.004-07:00

Eric Holder's Justice Department today filed suit against Governor Jan Brewer and the State of Arizona, over the fact that Arizona wishes to help the federal government do its job.

In a document that covers more paper (25 pages) than the law against which they are filing suit (10 pages), Barack Hussein Obama's non-partisan legal team claims that, "Although states may exercise their police power in a manner that has an incidental or indirect effect on aliens, a state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with the federal immigration laws."

The suit goes on to state, "The Constitution and the federal immigration laws do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country."

Although the Holder Justice Department believes that a "patchwork" of immigration policies is not permitted by The Constitution, it is interesting to note that to date there has not been one lawsuit filed against any city that has declared itself a "Sanctuary City," even though "Sanctuary City" policy flies directly in the face of federal law.

Additionally, it should be noted that the federal government is more than willing to accept help from local and state officials any time any other federal laws are broken, such as in the case of bank robbery, or upon the transportation of weapons or other contraband across state lines or international borders. Yet conveniently the federal government seems to have complete disregard and disrespect for Arizona's attempts to provide assistance in border and immigration enforcement.

However, in this instance the Obama administration's chief legal counsel seems to believe that the nation is better served by filing suit against their own, rather than protecting their own against forces that wreak havoc and may potentially bring harm within America's borders.

Gov. Jan Brewer, who is named as a defendant along with the state, called the lawsuit "a terribly bad decision."

"It is wrong that our own federal government is suing the people of Arizona for helping to enforce federal immigration law. As a direct result of failed and inconsistent federal enforcement, Arizona is under attack from violent Mexican drug and immigrant smuggling cartels," Brewer said in a written statement.

She continued, "Now, Arizona is under attack in federal court from President Obama and his Department of Justice. Today's filing is nothing more than a massive waste of taxpayer funds."

If you wish to read the Holder Justice Department lawsuit, it can be found here.

Politico.com has an article here about the lawsuit.

AZCentral.com, the online presence of The Arizona Republic, offers the Associated Press report on the situation here.

For a view from the radical left, The Huffington Post and its commenters can be read here.

If that's not enough for you, there's plenty more discussion at Memeorandum.

Arizona SB 1070: A Media Bias Update

2010-07-04T20:33:00.004-07:00

Arizona is being fed propaganda the likes of which America has not seen since the days of Woodrow Wilson, courtesy of The Arizona Republic.

In an effort to promote its purely leftist / open borders agenda, The Republic is running a multiple part series describing the woes of illegal aliens who are now suffering because of the racists in Arizona who hate all brown people.

Last week's propaganda piece by The Republic described the troubles of a poor illegal family who was so frightened of Arizona's new anti-illegal alien law that they picked up and moved all the way to Pennsylvania.

The article, entitled "Undocumented couple leave SB 1070 behind," began:

"A white Ford pickup with Arizona plates is driving north on U.S. 191 headed for the Utah border. Afraid of encountering police, the family inside is traveling at night. The pickup's headlights cut through a sea of darkness.

The family is in a hurry to get out of Arizona, to get away from the state's harsh new immigration law."

The pickup crosses into Utah at 11:59 p.m. Luis Sanchez breathes a sigh of relief as his wife, Marlen Ramirez, keeps driving. Both are undocumented immigrants from Mexico.

"Look," he says. "We are here. We have arrived in Utah."

They have made it safely out of Arizona, past the Maricopa County sheriff's deputy they saw as they were leaving Surprise and past the highway patrol cars they saw along Interstate 17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff.

The article went on to describe how the family had attempted to make money by having a yard sale, but because so many of their neighbors are also haunted by SB 1070 and plan to leave Arizona, they were only able to raise $30, and ended up having to throw away most of their belongings. They were even forced to leave behind their Chihuahua "Brandy" and her 10-day-old puppies that were still nursing, and had not yet even opened their eyes.

Just before leaving, Luis and Marlen broke the news: The dogs would have to stay and would be given to another family. Vanessa (their 10-year-old daughter) turned her head. Tears ran down her face.

This week's piece of anti-rule-of-law literature is a compelling story about Oscar Vazquez, a man who recently had the honor of standing before President Barack Hussein Obama as he was introduced as an "outstanding graduate," while receiving his degree in engineering from Arizona State University.

A year later, Vazquez sat in a dark bedroom in this dusty city, his engineering degree tucked in a scrapbook filled with other mementos of his college days.

Even as he listened to Obama speak of brighter futures, Vazquez knew his path first would have to go through Mexico, where he would admit his illegal status and ask for permission to re-enter the U.S.

"I decided to take a gamble and do the right thing," he said.

Shortly after graduation in May 2009, Vazquez moved to Mexico, separating himself from his U.S. citizen wife and year-old daughter in Phoenix. He figures to remain here at least through March, when, according to a letter from the government, authorities will decide whether he can legally return to the United States.

The story goes on to describe how Vazquez works the night shift at a factory that produces electronic parts for automobiles.

"He showed his degree in mechanical engineering to his bosses," the article describes, "because they didn't really believe he had one."

"Vazquez, 24, did not want to enter the United States illegally. But he was 12 and, despite his protests, did as his mother told him.

These stories tug at heart strings, no doubt. Certainly the plight of many illegals here in America is a difficult situation to frown upon, since it surely is true that most of these people are good, hard working, honest people just like you and I who want nothing more than the best for their families.

I too want the best for these people and their families. I believe that any good person would.

This is why I propose that The National Council of La Raza, as well as any other groups who claim to be for the rights of Latin people, take their argument straight to the source of the problem: the governments of Latin American nations.

Perhaps if these "rights" groups were to pressure the correct nations - the nations from which these poor people have fled for decades due to their Marxist policies, corruption, and absolute lack of concern for their natural citizens - The United States would not have such appeal, and these good people would not be forced to suffer such trials and troubles.

And The Star Spangled Banner, In Triumph Shall Wave...

2010-07-02T17:36:00.003-07:00

I thought I'd share something awesome my Dad sent me a few weeks ago, as it is extremely fitting as we celebrate America's Independence from tyranny.

As my Dad explained the story to me, he was listening to Herman Cain's radio show, and Mr. Cain mentioned a certain video of himself giving a speech and doing a Q & A session at a Douglas County Tea Party event.

The video tells the rest of the story. The last question / statement Cain takes that night is from a man who brings up the idea of a second, and seemingly lost verse of The Star Spangled Banner. He says that the verse needs to be brought back to light, and he begins to sing the verse.

This man has an amazing voice. If this man's singing doesn't make your heart swell with pride and bring a tear to your eye, there's not much that will.

At the time of the broadcast my Dad heard, this video had been viewed about 385,000 times. When I read the email a few days after I received it, it was at about 1.2 million hits, and at the time of this post it's reached over 2.2 million viewings.

This video should be seen by every American. Period.

My Dad also then searched out, and included in his email to me, a link that offers a full four verses of our National Anthem listed. You can check that out here.

God Bless The United States of America. Have a great Independence Day weekend, friends.

Taxation With Possible Perspiration to Begin Today

2010-07-01T22:09:00.004-07:00

The "White Person" Tax officially went into effect today, courtesy of the Barack Hussein Obama administration and the Democratically controlled Congress.

In their efforts to redistribute wealth from the rich folk to the poor folk, Liberal Progressives added a special tax into the "Health Care Reform" bill that seems (to this humble correspondent) specifically aimed at white people who have expendable income.

Effective today, a ten percent federal tax has been added to all indoor tanning visits. According to MyFoxPhoenix.com, the tax on all indoor tanning is supposed to generate $2.7 billion dollars by 2019 - to help pay for the health care upheaval.

Politico.com is encouraging tanners to carry an, "Obama Tax Hike Exemption Card" the next time they hit the salon for a tan, with the promise phrase of, "No family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase," emblazoned on the front along with a signature from the President.

It is being reported that Washington went after indoor tanning businesses because some studies show indoor tanning is unhealthy and in some cases can lead to cancer.

Twenty Years: Just Words

2010-06-28T19:13:00.003-07:00

These are quotes of The Reverend Jeremiah Wright, formerly of Trinity United Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois.

These quotes are from a five day seminar advertised as focusing on politics and public policy in South Africa and America given between January 21-25, 2010 in Chicago.

"White folk done took this country," Wright said. "You're in their home, and they're gonna let you know it."

"You are not now, nor have you ever been, nor will you ever be a brother to white folk," he said. "And if you do not realize that, you are in serious trouble."

"Bill [Jones, author of the book "Is God a White Racist?] said, 'They just killed four of their own at Kent State. They'll step on you like a cockroach and keep on movin', cause you not a brother to them.' "

The educational system in America is designed by whites to mis-educate blacks, "not by benign neglect but by malignant intent."

"It was always about becoming white . . . to master what [they] do."

Ethiopian Jews "...are despised by white Jews": "And now the Knesset [Israeli parliament] is meeting with European Jews, voting on whether or not these African Jews can get into [Israel]."

"We probably have more African-Americans who've been brainwashed than we have South Africans who've been brainwashed."

Martin Luther King was, "...misguided for advocating nonviolence among his people, 'born in the oven of America.'"

Twenty years. Twenty years of his adult life President Obama spent listening to the words of Jeremiah Wright, yet when asked about what he had heard Reverend Wright say during those years, the aspiring candidate said this:

"Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect."

Remember this speech by President Obama [The one that was essentially plagiarized from Deval Patric]??

“Don’t tell me that words don’t matter.

‘I have a dream.’

Just words.

‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’

Just words.

‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’

Just words.

That's right, people. Just words.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Just words.

Remember General Betray Us?

2010-06-25T17:17:00.003-07:00

Before the politics: A personal note.

Thank you to all who have expressed concern for my well being, told me that I have been missed, and so on. I truly appreciate the kindness I have been shown by all of you.

I am fine. Actually, I am feeling great. Of course I have been keeping up on the news, but I've been so busy that I quite simply have not had the energy or the ability to focus enough to organize my thoughts into a post.

I made a commitment to myself some time back, and I have been true to that commitment. Over the past couple of months I have been exercising regularly, and to date have lost about 20 pounds. I feel great about the effort I made, and I am enjoying the physical changes as well. I've tightened up my belt a couple of notches, and have been wearing some t-shirts that I haven't worn in a few years.

So... now the politics:

The following letter was written into a comment form at Moveon.org after learning that they had scrubbed all records of their "General Betray Us" advertisements.

Subject: What happened to General Betray Us???

Message: What happened to your articles, videos, advertisements, etc. describing General David Patraeus as "General Betray Us?" I find it fascinating that you have removed all trace of your organization's own history of slandering this great patriot.

Funny how suddenly you want nothing to do with your own position and opinion about the man, now that the man is working for your ideological pawn, Barack Hussein Obama.

Thank you so very much for holding such a double standard regarding this situation, and exemplifying such amazing hypocrisy. You truly are everything I believed you to be - a hack partisan organization that only has conviction for America's best interests when it suits your political agenda, which means you have no conviction for America's best interests whatsoever.

Soloman
Phoenix, Arizona -

You know, Phoenix - that hotbed of "racism" where we actually expect the rule of law to be followed and expect our borders secured.

If you would like to offer this vile, partisan, anti-American organization a comment of your own, you can use this link to their "General Comment or Suggestion" page.

To My Dad

2010-06-20T13:04:00.003-07:00

I've learned more from you than I'll ever know.

You didn't even have to teach me. I just had to watch and listen.

You let me choose my own path. I didn't always take your advice, but that's okay. I know that even though you watched me make mistakes and it probably ate at you inside, you wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I now understand that you were allowing me to learn from my mistakes, which ultimately has made me a better, stronger person.

While my life has not brought fatherhood my way, should I ever become a parent I could only hope to be half the Dad that you are to me.

Today if I ever wonder what is the right thing to do, I ask myself, "What would Dad do in this situation?"

Thank you, Dad - for all that you have done, and for all that you continue to do. You are my role model, and for that I am eternally grateful.

I love you. Happy Father's Day.

California's "Dirty Little Secret" Regarding Illegal Immigration

2010-05-17T21:00:00.004-07:00

California has a dirty little secret it does not want you to know about, and it is very closely related to Arizona S. B. 1070, known as "The Arizona Immigration Law."

It seems California already has on its books a law that covers how enforcement officials are to handle illegal aliens, and it looks a lot like that "racist" law Arizona is soon to enact.

From California Penal Code, Section 834b:

834b. (a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully
cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization
Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is
suspected of being present in the United States in violation of
federal immigration laws.
(b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected
of being present in the United States in violation of federal
immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the
following:
(1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen
of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent
resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time
or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of
immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall not
be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and
place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding
documentation to indicate his or her legal status.
(2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien
who is present in the United States in violation of federal
immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal
justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or
leave the United States.
(3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United
States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal
status and provide any additional information that may be requested
by any other public entity.
(c) Any legislative, administrative, or other action by a city,
county, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with
jurisdictional boundaries, or by a law enforcement agency, to prevent
or limit the cooperation required by subdivision (a) is expressly
prohibited.

And from the "racist" Arizona law, S. B. 1070:

ARTICLE 8. ENFORCEMENT OF IMMIGRATION LAWS

11-1051. Cooperation and assistance in enforcement of immigration laws; indemnification

A. NO OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE MAY ADOPT A POLICY THAT LIMITS OR RESTRICTS THE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS TO LESS THAN THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY FEDERAL LAW.

B. FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON. THE PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c).

C. IF AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES IS CONVICTED OF A VIOLATION OF STATE OR LOCAL LAW, ON DISCHARGE FROM IMPRISONMENT OR ASSESSMENT OF ANY FINE THAT IS IMPOSED, THE ALIEN SHALL BE TRANSFERRED IMMEDIATELY TO THE CUSTODY OF THE UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT OR THE UNITED STATES CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION.

D. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW, A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY MAY SECURELY TRANSPORT AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND WHO IS IN THE AGENCY'S CUSTODY TO A FEDERAL FACILITY IN THIS STATE OR TO ANY OTHER POINT OF TRANSFER INTO FEDERAL CUSTODY THAT IS OUTSIDE THE JURISDICTION OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

It seems if we examine the California Penal Code closely, we find that many California cities, including specifically San Fransisco and Los Angeles, are in violation of both Federal and State law as they behave as "Sanctuary Cities."

Additionally, in demanding fiscal boycotts of another State within The Union, these California cities are in violation of The Constitution, as it is the duty of the Federal Government to regulate Interstate Commerce, as per Article 1, Section 8.

I would argue that if the Mayor of San Fransisco and the City Council of Los Angeles wish to boycott Arizona due to S. B. 1070, they might first consider a boycott of their own state.

And here's a thought for all the legislators in California who wish to boycott Arizona:

Arizonans pump millions of dollars into the California economy. Every summer when temperatures rise in the desert, Phoenicians and other Arizonans head west to Sea World, Disneyland, the beaches, and other California attractions. However, given the current political climate, many Arizonans are already planning trips within Arizona or to other vacation destinations.

In light of the embarrassing statements made by Attorney General Holder and President Barack Hussein Obama, perhaps it would be wise that everyone on the "pro-illegal" side of the discussion take a step back, make an effort to read the law, and reconsider their position.

Hat tip to Kerry Picket at The Washington Times.

Phoenix Suns Advance to Western Conference Finals

2010-05-09T21:04:00.002-07:00

Alright... all of the "Los Suns" crap aside, I'm pretty darned happy basketball fan tonight.

The Phoenix Suns swept their nemesis, The San Antonio Spurs, in four straight games tonight. This is a monumental achievement for The Suns, who had lost to The Spurs in their four most recent meetings with The Spurs, including the 2004-05 Western Conference Finals.

These are two different teams than we've seen in the past, as all of the players mentioned during their post-game interviews. The Suns have a new coach and a different system than the "Seven Seconds or Less" that made them an icon of the past decade, a fan favorite around the league, and a guaranteed early exit from the postseason.

This version of The Suns in a hard-nosed, grind-it-out team that has learned the fundamentals of the game. They have learned to play half-court offense effectively by spreading the floor and moving the ball well.

Suns Coach Alvin Gentry was an assistant under former coach Mike D'Antoni, who left for New York and The Knicks following the 2007-08 season. Gentry took over when Terry Porter was fired midway through the 2008-09 season. In addition to being an assistant coach under such recognizable names as Larry Brown and San Antonio's Greg Popovich, Gentry has also led The Miami Heat, The Detroit Pistons, and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Suns have possibly the best pick-and-roll combination in the league with Steve Nash and Amaré Stoudemire. The tandem has recently been compared to John Stockton and Karl Malone, who are often considered the best pick-and-roll combo in league history.

In addition to being one of the best ever running that play, Nash is a two-time MVP, and at 36 years old is playing some of the best basketball of his career. He has the longest running streak (112) of playoff game appearances without making it to the finals, which is both a daunting statistic and a testament to his greatness. Nash is also a seven-time all-star and one of the best free-throw and three-point shooters in NBA history.

Stoudemire was on the trading block around the time of the All-Star game this year. However, once the trade deadline passed and it became obvious that he would remain a Sun, Amaré elevated his game to a new level. He is now a force to be reckoned with in the lane, and has developed great accuracy from 15-18 feet.

A great threat from three-point range or to drive the lane, Jason Richardson is coming into his own since arriving in Phoenix midway through the 2008-09 season. A former slam-dunk contest champion, Richardson is a barometer of sorts for the team. When Richardson scores over 20 points in a game, The Suns are undefeated in the playoffs.

And then there's revitalized legend Grant Hill. Hill has become a huge part of The Suns success. He has the ability to play nearly any position on the floor, has incredible intelligence on the court, and accepts whatever role the coaching staff asks of him. He has been a starter and a bench player since coming to Phoenix and never complained. Hill came out of Duke University with incredible expectations, but his career has been riddled by injuries. However, since arriving in Phoenix Hill has advanced out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career, has played in nearly every game without injury, and now is playing in the Conference finals with a chance to go to the NBA finals.

Plus, one of their starters, second year player Robin Lopez, has not played throughout the playoffs. The Suns are hopeful that he might return for the next series.

Additionally they have built a very effective bench. Second year point guard Goran Dragic had a bit of a coming out party on Friday night, scoring 23 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter and effectively dismantling The Spurs by himself. He has shown incredible learning capacity, and appears to be growing into The Suns point guard of the future.

Chris Dudley came to the team as a "throw-in" player in a trade last year that brought the known Jason Richardson to the team, but Number 3 has become a standout in his own right, bringing great defense and deadly accuracy from three point range.

Lou Amundson is a fan-favorite in Phoenix, bringing great defensive end rebounding energy to the floor. Chants of "Lou" ring throughout America West Arena when Amundson blocks one of his opponents shots or makes one of his trademark two-handed dunks.

Former Arizona Wildcat Channing Frye has the height to play the inside game, but has also shown the ability to stretch the defense with his excellent shooting, especially from outside the tree-point arc.

The Suns do not yet know who they will play in the Western Conference Finals. All indicators point toward the Los Angeles Lakers defeating The Utah Jazz, since the Lakers are up in that series 3 games to none.

The Lakers won the season series against The Suns 3-1, while The Suns and Jazz split their season series at two games each. If the Lakers win the series against The Jazz, they will have home court against The Suns, but if by some chance The Jazz came back to win that series, The Suns would have home court.

One final thought... The Suns had the best winning percentage in the Western Conference in the second half of the year (.793) going 23-6 since the all-star break. Either competitor will be a difficult match-up, and The Lakers are the defending NBA Champions.

Regardless, it is good to see The Spurs "go fishing" at the expense of my hometown team.