Conservatism With Heart

Gilmore Girls!

2009-07-10T01:32:00.004-05:00

Several friends and I are watching the show Gilmore Girls on DVD right now. It is an amazing show. I have several great quotes that I will add to this post later when I get a chance.

My Take on Sarah Palin!

2009-07-09T00:41:00.000-05:00

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
--From Hamlet (III, ii, 239)

Sarah Palin's resignation had barely hit the airwaves and the convulsions and screaming from the left hit an all time high. High pitched squeals were heard about how this was the end of her career, etc, etc...

Why is it that the left is so afraid of her? Especially, elitist liberal women? And some elitists on the right as well? As the above Hamlet quote says, some are protesting a little too much.

During this past week, I've had many ask me why Sarah Palin isn't running for re-election as Governor and why she is resigning. Since, we've heard the high pitched squeals on the left, lets look at what some others have said.

--Roger Stone gave his insight in his article entitled, Palin's Plan. An excerpt:

As Bill Kristol, the only DC based analyst who "gets it" said the move also frees Palin to "write her book, give speeches, travel the country, and educate herself on some issues." It also frees her to build a net work of fundraisers and supporters throughout the country - many of whom will be her TV viewers.

Palin will also be more in demand as a dinner speaker, fundraiser and campaigner than any other Republican in 2011. She can suspend her TV career and will have a chance to collect countless political IOUs along the way, campaigning for candidates and raising them money and hitting the State Republican dinner circuit. Demand for the "New Palin" will only increase.

Palin's "star-power," charisma, presence and genuineness can not be discounted. No one can discount her moxie, her energy and her inspirational qualities. Her anti-elite middle-class message can have resonance again when the Obama economic polices likely fail. The Ivy leaguers and Hollywood crowd so high on Obama may be riding for a fall. The media has unfairly labeled her as "dumb." All she must do is disprove this...and she can have sixty minutes each week to do it.

Palin's stunning move guarantees an outsider strategy in which Palin is a movement but not a party candidate. No decision on running should be made until 2011 and focus must be on image repair. This is a woman who held off 36 year Senate vet Joe Biden in a 90 minute debate. She may just be up to the task.

--Conservatives for Palin had an extensive post where they listed reactions from many. One of those was from The Anchoress who took the words right out of my mouth. An excerpt:

It’s tough to govern and not go broke when the other side has decided to nibble you to death – and to build up a “record of questionable ethics” against you while they do so. The left and the press, who one might characterize as “at war” with Palin and her family, have tossed together a mess of Palin narratives (she’s “stupid,” they’re “trailer-trash,” the daughters are “sluts,” she looks like a “slutty flight attendant,” they are cornpone, she is inept, she “can see Russia from her window” and oh, yeah, she’s really her son’s grandmother, and one of her “slutty” daughters got pregnant just a few weeks after giving birth to that retarded kid that everyone wishes she [or her daughter, winkwink] had aborted) and they have created an enormous battle-hill out of all of that.

And I suspect Sarah Palin has looked around and decided, no – she is not going to die on that hate-constructed hill. I think she’s going to do her thing, forge her own path by her own lights, and eventually head back into politics on her own damn hill – and with (one fervently hopes) a hum-dinger of a speech-writer.

One of the jobs of a believer -whether Christian or not- is to find meaning in what is going on around and within. I suspect Palin is finding meaning in the abuse she’s been handed. I suspect her interior strength and her interior narrative of faith, family and love of homeland are commingling into a strategy, based on that meaning; a strategy that will be broad in scope, takes the long-view and is played close to the vest.

While, I don't know the exact reason for Sarah Palin's latest move, I do take great offense to how her and her family have been treated by the hate filled left. No one, not even Bush has had their family put through so much torture. Not one hate filled thing has been said about Obama's children and barely a mention was made about Biden's daughter's drug problems. Yet, somehow it is okay to drag Sarah Palin's children and family through the mud. I would think the line would be drawn at making fun of a Downs Syndrome baby, but apparently not.

I conclude with a post from Legal Insurrection by William Jacobsen. He is convinced that the main reason for the Palin Derangement Syndrome is precisely because of her audacity to give birth to Trig, a Downs Syndrome Baby.

My Take on Michael Jackson!

2009-07-08T00:02:00.000-05:00

When I was 13 years old and buying my first albums, I bought a copy of Thriller. I liked a couple of his songs and thought he was a good singer. As the years went by his popularity soared and so did his bizarre behavior. To be honest, I didn't pay too much attention. So, I didn't really know much about the first allegations of child sex abuse in 1993.

Then, as an adult, I started to see how tormented Michael Jackson seemed to be, as the surgeries and behavior increased. By the time the second set of allegations of abuse against Jackson were filed in 2005, I was paying attention. The surgeries, the behavior and the allegations all pointed to someone who was a very tormented individual.

I watched a documentary on him that showed how he kept having surgeries so he could look like his hero, Peter Pan. He named his ranch, Neverland and he spent time with young boys. Jackson never had a childhood and seemed determined to spend the rest of his life attempting to re-create one.

Micheal Jackson's death is tragic, as any loss of life is. We don't know yet how culpable any of his Doctors will be in his death. Yet, the bottom line is he had insomnia, he wasn't at peace with himself or his life and he was willing to go to great lengths to find drugs to help him sleep. While I feel sad about the loss of life and empathy for his children, this man was not a god to be worshiped. He was a great entertainer, but one who like Presley and many others found fame fleeting and needed more out of life and didn't find it.

Gerald Ford Presidential Museum

2009-07-07T00:09:00.000-05:00

My thanks to Mike and Rivka for the great guest blogging while I was gone. I want to weigh in on numerous issues this week but I'll start off with something I did while on my trip.

I always go and visit family in Michigan every summer. While I was there this time, my Mom and my 2 youngest kids and I went to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. Ford wasn't one of my favorite presidents, but my goal is to make it to all of the presidential museums. So, Ford's was a lot easier than Clinton's will be, and I'm not sure I will even be able to bring myself to go to Carter's.

What I liked about the Museum:

--It was a very nice museum overall
--They had a really nice set-up covering Ford's funeral. They had recordings of the speeches at his funeral and you could hear each of them by pushing different buttons. I was able to hear Cheney, Bush and Rumsfeld's comments.
--A re-creation of what the Oval Office looked like during Ford's term
--They had a temporary exhibit of Caroline Kennedy's Doll Collection which was fascinating.

Interesting Facts that I learned:

--Ford was on the Warren Commission and he wrote a book on it
--Ford's vast experience
--That Rockefeller was his initial VP but because he was such a liberal Republican Ford dumped him for Bob Dole when he ran for President because of the challenge by the conservative Ronald Reagan

Some of my Thoughts:

--I always have to buy fun stuff at the Presidential Museum gift shops. I bought the book to the left by Betty Ford. Although, I didn't choose to get the autographed copy which was $50.
--While Ford and Dole are 2 of the most patriotic and experienced men to be on a ticket, I can't think of 2 more boring men. Is there any wonder why they lost? The best thing they did was deliver us Jimmy Carter who in turn gave us Ronald Reagan.

The Palin's Taking On The Left!

2009-07-05T07:06:00.015-05:00

Don't mess with Sarah! Late last night to my delight I stumbed across this from Gateway Pundit:

It's On! Palin's Legal Counsel Threatens to Sue Liberal Blogs and State Run Media For Slander.

we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation.
This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law.

I am with Jim- Go for it Sarah, it is about time!

By the way, those who say that Sarah ruined her political career by resigning are wrong. IF her political career is ruined it is because of the liberal slugs who made her look like an idiot either by comedy, or slander or defamation of her character. I also blame the tin foil hats who continue to regurgitate the lies they hear.

The left did the same thing to Bush and that is how Obama got elected.

I hope Sarah sets a precedence by sending a STRONG message to Liberals that they can't do a Saul Alinsky on Conservatives and their children anymore and get away with it.

UPDATE: I found a great analysis regarding Palin's resignation. Click here.

UPDATE #2: Click here for Mark Levin's assessment based on what he knows as of yesterday, not based on 'speculation' as to 'why' she resigned.

The Declaration Of Independence... READ IT!

2009-07-04T06:40:00.005-05:00

I challenge you to read this to your family tonight. Happy 4th of July!
~Rivka

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free People.

Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

John Hancock
Button Gwinnett
Lyman hall
Geo Walton
Wm Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
Edward Rutledge
Thos Heyward, Junr.
Thomas Lynch, Junr.
Arthur Middleton
Samuel Chase
Thos. Stone
George Wythe
Charles Carrol of Carrollton
Richard Henry Lee
Th Jefferson
Benja. Harrison
Thos Nelson, jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Robt Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benj. Franklin
John Morton
Geo. Clymer Smith
Geo Taylor
James Wilson
Geo. Ross
Caesar Rodney
Geo. Read
Tho M: Kean
Wm. Floyd
Phil. Livingston
Frans. Lewis
Lewis Morris
Richd. Stockton
Jno.WItherspoon
Fras. Hopkinson
John Hart
Abra. Clark
Josiah Bartlett
Wm. Whipple
Saml. Adams
John Adams
Robt. Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Step. Hopkins
William Ellery
Roger Sherman
Saml Huntington
Wm. Williams
Oliver Wolcott
Matthew Thorton

How many of these 'acts of the king' do you find eerily familiar in this day and age? I will give you one: "Imposing taxes on us without our consent".

Sarah Palin ~Breaking The Mold Again!

2009-07-03T17:04:00.006-05:00

As you already know, Sarah Palin has stepped down and said she is not retreating but is moving forward!

I think Sarah is just doing what she always does. She isn't 'leaving the scene', she is just moving forward! Much to the leftist chagrin. There is nothing wrong with resigning in order to move forward to a possible run for president or to support real Conservatives running for office.

It is humorous hearing the left say that by resigning she is ruining her political career. After all, Obama being in a hate-filled racist church for 20 years and buddying up with people like Ayers didn't seem to make a difference in getting elected. Barry's lack of experience, especially compared to Palin, didn't matter either.

Sarah Palin is a leader, she is strong. Today I saw her as someone who is made in the Reagan/Thatcher mold. I am convinced she is the one we need in 2012 or 2016 who will reverse the damage Obama has done. She has the guts to do it. She has more guts than any man I have seen who has run or is rumored to run on our side. She won't drop her convictions to 'get along' like so many other Republicans have done.

I can see why she stepped down. She is a mover and a shaker and doesn't want to waste her time and Alaskans money to have to work on defending herself from the wild accusations from the wacko statists who hate her in Alaska. Why waste time doing that when she can get out there and make a difference and perhaps save this country from the downward spiral into socialism with Obama and the leftist nuts in charge.

I say go for it Palin!

By Rivka

4th of July Bombshell: Sarah Palin to Resign as Alaska Governor July 26

2009-07-03T15:59:00.001-05:00

Does this signal readiness for a run in 2012?

More to come... stay tuned!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-03T13:29:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th of July!

photo by Mike's America

I'm so thankful I was born here!

You know how some people celebrate Christmas in July. I like to celebrate Thanksgiving on the 4th of July.

It's a day to be truly thankful to be an American. It's such an amazing country that millions around the world will stake everything they have to get here and enjoy the same freedom that those of us who were born here enjoy every day. Some new arrivals may think we take our freedom for granted (read the story of one first generation American who thanks his mother for coming here). Well, that may be true for some Americans (and we know who we are talking about don't we?) but it's not true for me.

Today is a celebration of Thanksgiving for being so fortunate to live in one of the greatest nations that ever blessed the surface of the earth.

It's a day to be proud of our accomplisments, our history and the hard won freedom that made it all possible.

Celebrate with music

Two favorites here: Lee Greenwoods "Proud to be an American" and the US Air Force Band's jazz version of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." If you are done with loud sounds for the day and ready to mellow out, how about the USAF Band's instrumental version of "America the Beautiful?"

More links to patriotic music downloads at the bottom of this post.

Contrasting Demonstrations in Honduras: Violent Communists for Dictatorship vs. Peaceful Democracy

2009-07-02T20:04:00.002-05:00

Guess which side Obama is on?

Citizens of the small Central American country Honduras are getting tired of the bad rap they have taken by removing their President before he could declare a dicatorship. They've taken to the streets for the past few days eager to send us all a message about what is really happening.

A pictorial of their demonstrations contrasts with the image of communist inspired violence in the streets:

People demonstrate against ousted president Manuel Zelaya and in demand of peace and democracy, at Morazan Square in central Tegucigalpa, on June 30, 2009. Tensions were running high in Honduras Tuesday with new street protests planned as deposed Zelaya vowed to return only days after being ousted in an army-backed coup.

Supporters of ousted Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya hold up placards during a march in downtown Tegucigalpa July 1, 2009.

A man holds a banner during a demonstration against ousted president Manuel Zelaya and in demand of peace and democracy, at Morazan Square in central Tegucigalpa, on June 30, 2009.

The poster reads, "Yes to democracy, not to dictatorship of Chavez".

A woman holds a sign reading: "We are happy Mel. Do not come back."

Contrast the above with this:

A demonstrator throws a Molotov cocktail during clashes between supporters of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and armed forces in Tegucigalpa on June 29, 2009.

And if you want to know who is behind the violence, here's a clue:

A demonstrator holds a banner of the late Argentine-born revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara during a show of support for ousted Honduras President Manuel Zelaya outside the Ministry of Foreign Relations in San Jose July 1, 2009.

Yep, the same old communist evil that has been directly responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands and the oppression of millions more thoughout Latin America.

Unemployment Continues to Skyrocket as Obama's Stimulus Plan Fails

2009-07-02T00:10:00.001-05:00

Remember the CBO warning that Obama's plan was worse than doing nothing? They were right!

Thursday news that employers cut a larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June, driving the unemployment rate up to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent.

I've updated this chart:

The original chart (minus the actual unemployment figures in red) is from the Obama's transition team and was used as a scare tactic to insist that disaster would fall on us if we didn't agree to Obama's spending spree.

Reminder: All of the economic forecasts, budget projections and deficit outlooks are based on rosy assumptions by the Obama economic team that have now been proven to be completely false! That means things are likely to be even worse than we originally feared!

Promises, Promises....

2009-07-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

Obama announces his position on taxing health benefits is "evolving."Those making $250,000 or less are about to see their taxes go up... AGAIN!

Throughout the campaign, then Senator Obama delivered a variation of this pledge:

"I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes." --Barack Obama

I've been watching a historical drama of the years Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain led Britain to the threshold of disaster in the late 1930's. At one point, Neville is pressed on a pledge he made to repair Britain's defenses. He responds: "A pledge doesn't mean it's forever."

Months ago, most of us learned that the promises Barack Obama made as a candidate were never intended as solemn vows. More like campaign slogans that can be discarded as readily as an American flag at an Obama rally. At the beginning of April President Obama signed the bill which was the single largest increase in tobacco taxes in history. That tax mostly impacted the poor and black Americans who are more likely to smoke.

Obama often signals his intention to abandon another campaign pledge by suggesting his stance on an issue is evolving. That language is being used again in the discussion over taxing health care benefits and also mandating same style health plans for everyone (something candidate Obama opposed).

At Wednesday's Obama ~~campaign rally~~ Town Hall meeting on health care, Obama managed to skewer both promises in a single answer. A new personal best!

Read carefully:

Q: Rob on Twitter said, "Does it really make sense, Mr. President, to tax me on my health care coverage?"

OBAMA: let me describe for you how this argument has evolved and where I've stood on it in the past and what's being debated in Congress.
...
Now, nobody at this point is -- or not many folks are talking about taxing benefits or completely eliminating the exclusion. What they are calling for now in Congress is to cap the exclusion so that people who have very high-priced health care, at a certain point they can only get a deduction up to a certain point, right? So let's say that the average health care cost for families -- a good health care plan costs $13,000. What they would say is the employer and the employee get an exclusion up to $13,000, but if you get some Cadillac plan that costs $17,000, then what we're going to do is you're going to have to pay taxes on that last $4,000. And the idea that is being debated in Congress right now is, is that a good way to ensure that people don't have these big Cadillac plans but instead have more sensible plans?

Now, I don't think -- and by the way, that also raises some money. So this has been offered as an alternative way to pay for that extra one-third of health care that we're not able to pay for through simply reallocating money.

I think the better way to do it remains the proposal I have to cap itemized deductions. I think that is a way that we can ensure that people who currently have health care aren't suddenly seeing the costs go up to pay for other people's costs going down, but instead everybody's costs can go down effectively.

In between all the usual Obama doublespeak one clear message rings out: TAXES WILL GO UP! And if you think only the rich will be paying higher taxes, think again.

Yes, think again next time you walk into a dark room and turn on the lights or start your car. Under the cap and tax energy bill that narrowly passed the House of Representatives last week every American will pay more for energy and every product and service with an energy component (that's everything).

Will Obama be Held Accountable for Breaking His Pledge?

Readers old enough to remember will recall how the first President Bush paid dearly for breaking his "read my lips, no new taxes" pledge. Will Obama be held to the same standard? Unlikely. With most Americans seemingly more interested in the latest celebrity tragedy than with how much Democrats are stealing from their pockets, any political points on this issue made by Republicans is likely to be ignored.

Still, there remain enough mushy middle ground voters of above average intelligence who are beginning to realize this isn't the "hope and change" they voted for. And if we keep pounding the drum, those numbers will continue to grow.

Keep pounding the drum!

Whose Side is Obama On?

2009-06-30T23:30:00.003-05:00

He joins Castro and Chavez in criticizing the overthrow of looming dictatorship in Honduras!

Mata covered the Honduras story here. We had another dictator for life, in the mold of Castro and Venezuela's Chavez seeking to turn that small country into another tinpot dictatorship. The Army, the courts and the Congress acted and tossed the bum out.

And yet, Obama, who refuses to meddle when people in Iran are dying in the streets is peddle to the meddle to join some of the worst violators of human rights in the Western hemisphere in condemning Honduras.

The cartoon above says it all. And this also, by way of Gateway Pundit:

Gingrich: Obama sides with Castro and Chavez on Honduras
by Michael O'Brien
The Hill
June 30, 2009

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich accused President Obama of siding with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez when it comes to the recent coup in Honduras.

Gingrich blasted Obama for opposing the coup in Honduras, which the former GOP leader insisted would have left in place a "leftist dictatorship."

Gingrich tweeted Tuesday:

Sadly the obama administration has joined castro and chavez attacking honduran supreme court and congress for defending their constitution

Having castro call for defending democracy should convince any reasonable person that honduras was on the edge of a leftist dictatorship.

Honduras: Ousted President Caught in "Naked Power Grab"

Nothing so shocking about this coup
BY GLENN GARVIN
Miami Herald
June 30, 2009

...For weeks, Zelaya -- an erratic leftist who styles himself after his good pal Hugo Chávez of Venezuela -- has been engaged in a naked and illegal power grab, trying to rewrite the Honduran constitution to allow him to run for reelection in November.

First Zelaya scheduled a national vote on a constitutional convention. After the Honduran supreme court ruled that only the country's congress could call such an election, Zelaya ordered the army to help him stage it anyway. (It would be ''non-binding,'' he said.) When the head of the armed forces, acting on orders from the supreme court, refused, Zelaya fired him, then led a mob to break into a military base where the ballots were stored.

His actions have been repudiated by the country's supreme court, its congress, its attorney-general, its chief human-rights advocate, all its major churches, its main business association, his own political party (which recently began debating an inquiry into Zelaya's sanity) and most Hondurans: Recent polls have shown his approval rating down below 30 percent.

In fact, about the only people who didn't condemn Zelaya's political gangsterism were the foreign leaders and diplomats who now primly lecture Hondurans about the importance of constitutional law. They're also strangely silent about the vicious stream of threats against Honduras spewing from Chávez since Zelaya was deposed.

Just another example of Obama cozying up to America's sworn enemies while dissing our friends and the ideals of American exceptionalism!

Norm Coleman Concedes to Fraud King Al Franken in MN Senate Election

2009-06-30T15:23:00.001-05:00

Now that the cheaters have succeeded in such a blatant way, what future election will be free and fair?

GOP's Coleman concedes, sending Franken to Senate
By BRIAN BAKST
Associated PressJune 30, 2009

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republican Norm Coleman has conceded to Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota's contested Senate race, ending a nearly eight-month recount and court fight. Coleman conceded at a news conference in St. Paul, a few hours after a unanimous Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the former "Saturday Night Live" comedian and liberal commentator should be certified the winner.

Franken's presence in the Senate would give the Democrats control of 60 seats, enough to overcome any Republican filibuster if they stay united.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the earliest Franken would be seated is next week, because the Senate is out of session for the July 4 holiday.

Democrats now have one more clown in the U.S. Senate. You would think they had enough already!

Supreme Court Overturns Sotormayor: Sides with Firefighters

2009-06-29T10:26:00.000-05:00

Apparently, not enough justices on the court who decide their cases on the basis of race!

Court rules for white firefighters over promotions
By MARK SHERMAN
The Associated Press
Monday, June 29, 2009 11:19 AM

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.

New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.

The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide and make it harder to prove discrimination when there is no evidence it was intentional.

"Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer's reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions," Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his opinion for the court. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

Obama Playing Monopoly with OUR Money!

2009-06-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

It's a game where we all lose!

Full size graphic here.

Narrow House Vote Approves Massive Energy Tax Increase for "Global Warming"

2009-06-26T22:20:00.001-05:00

Vote was 219 For 219 Against (Roll Call). 8 Republicans voted For and 2 Did not vote. Enough to have made the difference.

Republicans who voted For:

Mary Bono Mack, CA-45
Mike Castle, DE
Mark Steven Kirk, IL-10
Leonard Lance, NJ-7
Frank LoBiondo, NJ-2
John McHugh, NY-23
Dave Reichert, WA-8
Chris Smit, NJ-4

If you are a constituent of any of the above, you may wish to express your displeasure at their voting for a bill that will do nothing to prevent climate change but will saddle American's with thousands more in tax increases and job losses. Contact links for each member are available on their web page linked above.

Not Voting were:

Jeff Flake, AZ-6
John Sullivan OK-1

Constitutents of Jeff Flake may wish to inquire why he was not able to vote today. Cong. Sullivan was on one month's leave for treatment of an alcohol addiction. It's interesting to note that Cong. Patrick Kennedy (D-MA) was taken out of alcohol rehab for the purposes of voting. Dems apparently felt passing this bill was more important, or perhaps more doable, than sobering up a Kennedy.

300 Page Amendment to 1200 Page Bill Added at 3:09AM

House GOP Leader John Boehner (OH) describes the rush Democrats imposed on consideration of this bill so that few would have the chance to read it and object:

Dems had 30 years to write this bill, but left only hours to read it or debate it.

Graphic from House Leader Boehner's blog shows complexity of Democrat bill:

Congressional ACORN Corruption Probe Disbanded by "Powers that Be"

2009-06-26T21:33:00.001-05:00

If you are a friend of President Obama you need have no fear of a corruption probe!

Here's another in what is fast becoming a series of moves designed to further shield Obama allies from any accountability before the law:

Conyers backs off probe of ACORN
Says 'powers that be' ended plans for hearings on group
By S.A. Miller
Washington Times
June 26, 2009

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. has backed off his plan to investigate purported wrongdoing by the liberal activist group ACORN, saying "powers that be" put the kibosh on the idea.

Mr. Conyers, Michigan Democrat, earlier bucked his party leaders by calling for hearings on accusations the Association of Community Organization for Reform Now (ACORN) has committed crimes ranging from voter fraud to a mob-style "protection" racket.

"The powers that be decided against it," Mr. Conyers told The Washington Times as he left the House chambers Wednesday.

The chairman declined to elaborate, shrugging off questions about who told him how to run his committee and give the Democrat-allied group a pass.
...

Pittsburgh lawyer Heather Heidelbaugh, whose testimony about ACORN at a March 19 hearing on voting issues prompted Mr. Conyers to call for a probe, said she was perplexed by Mr. Conyers' explanation for his change of heart.

"If the chair of the Judiciary Committee cannot hold a hearing if he wants to, [then] who are the powers that he is beholden to?" she said. "Is it the leadership, is it the White House, is it contributors? Who is 'the power'?"
...

Capitol Hill had bristled at the prospect of hearings because it threatened to rekindle criticism of the financial ties and close cooperation between President Obama's campaign and ACORN and its sister organizations Citizens Services Inc. and Project Vote.

The groups came under fire during the campaign after probes into suspected voter fraud in a series of presidential battleground states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Mexico and Nevada.

ACORN and its affiliates are currently the target of at least 14 lawsuits related to voter fraud in the 2008 election and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act complaint filed by former ACORN members.
...

Ms. Heidelbaugh, who spearheaded an unsuccessful lawsuit last year to stop ACORN's Pennsylvania voter-registration drive, testified in March that the nonprofit group was violating tax, campaign-finance and other laws by, among other things, sharing with the Barack Obama campaign a list of the Democrat's maxed-out campaign donors so ACORN could use it to solicit them for a get-out-the-vote drive.

ACORN also provided liberal causes with protest-for-hire services and coerced donations from targets of demonstrations through a shakedown it called the "muscle for the money" program, said Ms. Heidelbaugh, a member of the executive board of the Republican National Lawyers Association.

Mr. Conyers, a fierce partisan known for his drive to continue investigating President George W. Bush's administration, had been an unlikely champion for opponents of ACORN.

The culture of corruption within the Democrat Party is alive and well and there is no check and balance that can stop it!

Global Warming Bill Voting Today in House of Representatives

2009-06-26T14:04:00.000-05:00

NOTE: Dee's away, Mike is at play!

CLOSE VOTE: CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE!
Red State has the list of Reps who are on the fence!

Plus: New bombshell EPA report, doubting science, censored!

The House of Representatives is holding a series of votes on the 1300 page+ cap and tax bill today. It's doubtful that more than a handful of members have actually read the bill.

But with absolute certainty we know the following:

There is no one who can honestly guarantee that if this bill passes it will make the slightest difference to the world's ever changing climate.
It will however, be one of the most massive tax increases in history and will tax American families thousands or more per year.
For every green job created, many more jobs will be lost as the increase in production costs of American goods drive customers overseas where competitors do not have such burdensome costs and regulations.

Want more proof that the global warming debate is a fraud? Read on....

EPA Tries to Silence EPA Expert on Global Warming

In May we learned of an Office of Management and Budget report which cast doubt on the assumptions underlying the global warming fanatics drive to control our lives. Today, we learn that an EPA official with extensive knowledge of the science of global warming was being censored for speaking out.

Here's the gist of the story:

Source inside EPA confirms claims of science being ignored, suppressed, by top EPA management
By Thomas Fuller
San Francisco Examiner
June 25, 2009

Source inside the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed many of the claims made by analyst Alan Carlin, the economist/physicist who yesterday went public with accusations that science was being ignored in evaluating the danger of CO2.

The source, who chooses not to be identified for fear of retaliation, said that Carlin was rebuffed in his attempt to introduce scientific evidence that does not accord with the EPA's view of global warming, which largely relies on IPCC reports. The source also saw Carlin's report and said that it was 'based on 8 points of peer-reviewed, recent and relevant scientific publications' that cast doubt on the wisdom of regulating CO2 as a pollutant.

The EPA's draft Endangerment Finding was initially written over a year ago during the Bush administration, and Lisa Jackson (the new head of the EPA) and her team wanted to get the Finding out on or near Earth Day, according to a schedule that was made public about a week before formal publication of the proposal. The draft was submitted to agency workgroups with only one week for review and comment, which is unprecedented, and received only light comments--except for Carlin's.

Alan Carlin, who had hosted a series of seminars featuring peer-reviewed scientists who disagree with the IPCC reports (but were unattended by members of the workgroup developing the Endangerment Finding) went public...via the Competitive Enterprise Institute after realising that there would be no debate about the science. The lectures by the scientists are available on the EPA website, but were not even mentioned in the Finding. Carlin was advised to get an attorney--and has since been reassigned to mundane work.
...
EPA may not have the expertise to evaluate many of the comments, as they are more charged with dealing with the effects of global warming through regulation rather than determining the true nature of the cause. Our source says members of the workgroup complained to other EPA staff that they don't understand these issues, much less how to relate the scientific studies identified in Carlin's report to the IPCC report.

Here is the PDF of the report by Alan Carlin.

Preface: We have become increasingly concerned that EPA and many other agencies and countries have paid too little attention to the scinece of global warming. EPOA and others have tended to accept the findings reached by outside groups., particularly the IPCC and the CCSP as being correct without a careful and recritical examination of their conclusions and documentation.
...
We do not maintain that we or anyone else have all the answered needed to take action now. ... we believe our concerns and reservations are sufficiently imporatnt to warrant a serious review of the science by EPA before any attempt is made to reach conclusions on this subject.

The report goes on to highlight the major differences which exist in the science of this issue.

Here is the email by the EPA official in charge, who declined to submit Carlin's comments for further review stating:

“The time for such discussion of fundamental issues has passed for
this round. The administrator and the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision.
…
I can only see one impact of your comments given where we are in the process, and
that would be a very negative impact on our office.”
--Al McGartland, Office Director of EPA’s National Center for
Environmental Economics, March 17, 2009

It's become increasingly clear that the science on climate change is not "settled" as the fanatics like to suggest. It is also clear that no one can make a legitimate claim that the fantastically expensive and economically disruptive legislation currently before congress will make the slightest difference in our climate.

What is clear is that the climate change bill is riding on the back of a fraud and that it's real agenda is another massive power and money grab by the socialists in power who need more funds for their political indoctrination programs.

Obama Health Care Plan Not the Gold Standard He Promised in Campaign?

2009-06-26T09:30:00.001-05:00

NOTE: Dee's away (see below). The following is from your guest host, Mike's America.

If not, then why does the current bill exempt Members of Congress?

"If you don't have health insurance, you'll be able to get the same kind of health insurance Members of Congress get for themselves."
--Barack Obama, "Closing Argument" speech, Canton, Ohio, October 26, 2008

In a rare moment during last night's Democrat Party health care infomercial on ABC, President Obama was challenged by Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and researcher at the New York University Langone Medical Center. Dr. Devinsky asked if Obama's wife or one of his daughters was sick and the plan the President proposed limited tests and treatments, would Obama "potentially sacrifice the health of your family for the greater good of insuring millions, or would you do everything you possibly could as a father and husband to get the best health care and outcome for your family?"

The short answer (something that is difficult for Obama) is no. He would do whatever it takes.

But the question itself stems from a faulty premise. Neither Obama, nor members of Congress will have to face the difficult choices of Obama-Care. Page 114, line 22 of the Kennedy-Dodd "Affordable Health Choices Act" bill (PDF) clearly exempts members of congress and federal employees and their families. They will continue to be covered by what many regard as the Gold Standard for health care at your expense.

Will YOUR Member of Congress Join Obama Care?

Thursday, Rush Limbaugh started a new campaign directed at those members of congress pushing health care reform. He invited his listeners to call or write their Representative and Senators and ask "will you be giving up your federal benefit and joining Obama Care?" If not, then why foist this monstrosity on us?

Unions Exempt from Health Care Taxes

Readers may recall how candidate Obama pounced on John McCain in the presidential election wrongly claiming he would tax health care benefits. Well guess what? Obama may soon be taxing health care benefits. But the bill Democrats are working on exempts Unions, whose health care plans are among the most generous of all (otherwise GM and Chrysler would still be making money).

It appears that the finest health care at an affordable cost will come to Americans, like the auto union, who invested early and often by contributing to the Obama campaign! For the rest of us, get used to standing in line and being told that lifesaving care is unavailable.

I'm Out of Here!

2009-06-25T15:00:00.001-05:00

I'm going on vacation! Be nice to my guest bloggers, Rivka and Mike while I'm gone!

This is What is Means to be Pro-Life!

2009-06-25T01:20:00.002-05:00

As seen on the Oprah show - Eliot was born with an undeveloped lung, a heart with a hole in it and DNA that placed faulty information into each and every cell of his body. However, that could not stop the living God from proclaiming Himself through this boy who never uttered a word. In the midst of heartbreaking tragedy, the Mooney family found the presence of God strengthening, comforting, and guiding them. Their story reminds us to seek God and endure our struggles rather than blame Him for our hardships. Download this video and many others at www.catholicmediahouse.com

There is a lot of debate about what it means to be pro-life and pro-choice. To be honest, I have been sickened recently at how the pro-abortion crowd has attempted to not only defend Dr. Tiller's slaughter of 60,000 babies but have tried to make him out to be a martyr.

The above story is one of many babies that many would deem worthless, and a great candidate for abortion. Eliot's parents thought otherwise and they chose life. In my opinion, as long as there are people like this in our society there is hope.

Iran Links!

2009-06-24T02:13:00.002-05:00

"In your opening remarks, sir, you said about Iran that you were appalled and outraged. What took you so long?"--Major Garrett

--The Women of Iran

--Iran - why we are rooting for the protesters
Patrick quotes Michael Totten:

Are those protesting true believers in democracy? We do not know, because they have never been given the chance. What we do know is that they reject the dishonesty of a repressive theocracy. For that reason alone, we should stand with them.

Let us weep for Iran. Let us cheer the Iranians.

And concludes with his own thoughts:

And, in the case of Iran, "regime" means both religion and politics. Young Iranis are rejecting both. What's happening in Iran bodes well for all of us.

--Ouch! John McCain Not Sure Who Obama's Siding With In Iran
An excerpt:

"I know what side I'm on," McCain cut in. "I'm on the side of the people. I'm not on Ahmadinejad's side or Mousavi. I'm on the side of the Iranian people and I'm on the right side of history. And I'm not going to walk on the other side of the street while people are being killed and beaten in the streets of Iran."

McCain said Obama's reaction wasn't equal to the situation. "We can't sit by and watch a film clip on television of a young woman bleeding to death and say that we're worried about the Iranian reaction or our ability to negotiate with them. We have to stand up for those people," he said.

--President Clueless Says It's Not Too Late For Iranian Government to Peacefully Resolve Unrest -- Says Justice Will Prevail

--Neda's Fiancee: She Started Attending Protests Deeply Outraged by the Election Results

--Obama O.K. With Inviting Murderers to 4th of July Weenie Roast

--Obama Press Conference: He's Waiting to See How Iran Crisis "Plays Out"

Iranian Revolution Edition of Conservatism With Heart!

2009-06-22T00:25:00.002-05:00

LIVE TODAY at 9:00-10:00 am CST!! To listen, go here!!

Some of the articles and topics I will be discussing:

--Iran Protests Grow
--Obama Clueless on Iran
--Obama Pressured to Strike a Firmer Tone
--GREEN LIGHT FOR A CRACKDOWN
--Iranian Hero & Leading Activist Ahmad Batebi On Obama: "His Lack of Response Will Not Be Regarded Kindly" (Audio-Video)
--Who Is Hossain Mousavi? ...Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi Reports On the Iranian Opposition Leader
--Reagan vs. Obama: How to handle Tyranny
--Optimism and Anger in Tehran
--And more...

To be a part of the show, call in, toll-free 1-877-864-4869!!

To listen to podcasts of my previous shows, go here!

Friday Smorgasbord!

2009-06-19T01:49:00.003-05:00

--Obama is afraid of the ONE news outlet that isn't worshiping him. Lets see, 90% of all the Drive By Media and the Newspapers are not only not critical of Obama but they out right praise him. Yet, Obama (the President of the United States) is whining about the fact that Fox News is actually doing their job and keeping the President accountable for his decisions and actions.

--Iran Protests Grow--Mike includes 2 articles, below are 2 quotes, one from each of the articles:

...several administration officials acknowledged that Mr. Obama might run the risk of coming across on the wrong side of history at a potentially transformative moment in Iran.--"Obama Pressured to Strike a Firmer Tone"

SILENCE is complicity. Our president's refusal to take a forthright moral stand on the side of the Iranian freedom marchers is read in Tehran as a blank check for the current regime.-- "GREEN LIGHT FOR A CRACKDOWN"

--Reagan vs. Obama: How to Handle Tyranny

--Letterman's Palin Joke Costs CBS an Advertiser
Embassy Suites pulled their advertising because of the number of complaints they got. It does make a difference to speak up! There was a report that Olive Garden had also pulled theirs, but it turned out not to be true.

--Progressives--Bob shows that liberals have been wanting to portray themselves as progressives for a long time. I too have discovered this in reading The Forgotten Man. Guess what Socialist leaning liberals in the 1920's and 30's wanted to be called? Progressives

--The hostility of an MSNBC Anchor
Gee, I just can't understand why MSNBC isn't doing better in the ratings. I was impressed with John Ziegler though, and I went and checked out his radio show, etc...