My Take on the Writers Strike

This is my take on the Writers strike.

First, I think the Writers strike is valid and they should get their demands. The above video explains what they are upset about. While Hollywood is awash in money and actors may make obscene amounts writers often don't get near what they deserve. I am almost always against strikes since I am no fan of unions but this time I think they have a point.

Second, I am concerned about the strike. The thought of some of my favorite shows being disrupted is not fun. Save all the lectures on how I will have more time to read and pursue other worthier causes, they won't help ;-). I'm hoping they come to a speedy resolution and soon.

24 already appears to be taking a hit. This article says this season is being cancelled all together and this one says it is just being postponed.

TV Guide shows the status of some of the popular shows, below is the status of some of the shows I watch:

Grey's Anatomy: Eleven episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are four left.

Lost: Eighth episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there eight episodes left.

The Office: Twelve half-hour episodes will be produced. Eleven half-hour episodes have aired, so there is one half-hour episode left.

Prison Break: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.

Private Practice: Ten or 11 episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four or five
left.

One Tree Hill: Twelve episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are twelve episodes left.

Another perspective: This guy points out how many people are being put out of work by this strike. Camera, make-up, hair people are all out of work plus numerous others. He talks about how during these strikes many lose their houses and much more. I think it is a bad deal all the way around and I don't understand why the powers that be don't just pay the writers their due and not make everyone, including themselves suffer.

My Interview with State Rep. Doug Ervin

As I've alluded to in past posts I view State Representative Doug Ervin as a stellar conservative legislator. Thats why I'm thrilled that I'm going to have the honor of having him on my internet radio show next Monday, November 12th.

We will be talking about HB818, the groundbreaking health insurance bill that he sponsored that was passed this past summer. It is free-market health care reform that Missouri is leading the way on. This is the ideal direction that we needed to be headed towards instead of some form of Hillarycare.

Here is what Beverly Gossage from the Show-Me Institute had to say about it:

"...the bill offers a common-sense approach to health care reform — not more government intervention and bureaucracy."

I'm sure I will ask other questions as well and it should be an enlightening hour for all. Make sure to tune in and feel free to call in with your comments and/or questions.

The details:

When--Monday November 12th

Time--9:00-10:00 am CST

Where--Togi Net site

Name--The name of my show is the same as my blog, Conservatism With Heart

Number to call in--1-877-864-4869

Interview with a Liberal

I will be interviewing the one and only James Manning from Peace on That on my radio show this coming Monday, November 5th. He will be my first official liberal guest and he is my oldest liberal blogging friend. He made a comment on my Tom Delay post which I did at the very beginning. He obviously is a pretty good guy if he has been able to survive all this time without getting banned :-). In fact, I don't think he's ever even been deleted.

Tune in for the fireworks as we talk about various political candidates.

One of my favorite things about him is his comedic ability. I've told him he should be a writer for SNL. Here are my top 4 comedy posts of his, take the time to check them out:

--The Cuss Out Kit (I take partial credit for the inspiration for this because he did this in response to a troll problem I was having :-))
--Christian Cuss Out Kit
--Press Secretary
--Bush Appoints Liberal Blogger as Ambassador to Venezuela(This is my favorite since I play a starring role in it :-).)

Sweet Justice!

The family of Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, US Marine Corps, has begun this civil lawsuit* against Mr. Phelps and certain members of the so-called Westboro Baptist Church to bring an end to the reign of terror and abuse that they inflicted upon the grieving families of US service members killed in defense of our nation. Using innocent children to deliver their twisted message of hatred and fear, the defendants in this suit have sought to attack the memory of our departed heroes, to strip their loved ones of their dignity, and to use abuse and intimidation as a tool for preventing surviving family members from reaching closure over their loss.

It is the sincere hope of Mr. Al Snyder, Matthew’s father, that this suit will spark similar legal actions against Mr. Phelps wherever he seeks to inflict harm upon the memory of our heroes and their families.--from Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder's website

I was one happy camper when the verdict came in on Wednesday that a Maryland jury had awarded a Marine father $11 million in his lawsuit against Fred Phelps and his cult. As I pointed out in my comprehensive post on Phelps back in April, he is evil incarnate and his group is not a church but a cult.

My hope and prayer is that every single military family who has been subjected to Phelps' picketing at their loved one's funeral will file suit also. This group of hateful people need to be bankrupted so they are unable to inflict pain on anyone else. They are not preaching a message from God. The message they preach is straight from the pit of hell and does nothing but subject innocent people to enormous harm.

Previously:
Fred Phelps=Pure Evil

Others blogging:
Marie's Two Cents
Amy Proctor
Chicken Hawk Express
Born Again Redneck

You Go W!!

Bush has had a fire in his belly lately and it is great to see. This is just an excerpt of what he had to say about House Democrats yesterday:

...Congress is not getting its work done. We're near the end of the year, and there really isn't much to show for it. The House of Representatives has wasted valuable time on a constant stream of investigations, and the Senate has wasted valuable time on an endless series of failed votes to pull our troops out of Iraq. And yet there's important work to be done on behalf of the American people.

They have not been able to send a single annual appropriations bill to my desk, and that's the worst record for a Congress in 20 years.

--The Whole Transcript
--The Video

In all fairness I urged my fellow citizens back in 2006 not to put the Dems in power, if only more had listened. Hopefully, many will have learned their lesson and vote differently in 2008. Kristol points out how that could be a very likely scenario.

Also blogging:
Mike's America
Chickenhawk Express
Marie's Two Cents

Laura Bush's Trip to the Middle East

I have to admit I have been baffled and disheartened at the conservative backlash at Laura Bush for some of the things she did while in the Middle East.

So I was happy to see Mike and Amy Proctor both posting their take on it all. I thought Amy's post said it all, and said it well.

I have seen so much bashing of our own side recently and I just don't get it. I love Michelle Malkin's blog but every time I go there she has something negative and hateful to say about conservatives or Republicans. I have completely stopped listening to Laura Ingraham because she seems to be slowly sliding into Michael Savage mode. I don't get this bandwagon of trashing our own side and I refuse to get on.

This is not to say that I won't be critical of Republicans when they deserve it (as I clearly have been) but I don't get this overwhelming negativism and pessimism about our own side. Why do we insist on eating our own?

Arnold Rocks!!!

Hat tip: Wordsmith

This is the side of Arnold that I love. He has been a little disappointing recently on some issues but he has been awesome on the California Fire Crisis. He rocks in this video, it is a must-see!! He totally calls the Drive By Media on their pessimism. Anyone who takes on the Drive By Media gets hero status with me.

Anyone who is complaining about the planes just wants to complain because its a bunch of nonsense.

Trust me when I tell you, you are looking for a mistake and you won't find it because its all good news. As much as you maybe hate it, but its good news.--Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Why Bush Isn't a Lame Duck President!

There has been much talk about Bush being a lame duck President. Liberals have been screaming it forever, especially because of the War in Iraq and conservatives have been yelling it because of immigration. I would argue that especially as of late Bush has been showing quite a bit of strength and muscle and is anything but a lame duck.

1) The President & GOP's victory in defeating the disastrous expansion of SCHIP.

2) Bush's speeches on the necessity of a Missile Defense System. Iran is a serious threat and Bush is well aware of that and taking the necessary preventive steps.

3) The Continued Progress in the War in Iraq.

4) Bush Warns Cuba!

5) Judge Southwick is confirmed by the Senate!

Mike Meets Fred Thompson

Fred Thompson came to Mike's neck of the woods yesterday and Mike got to meet him and ask a question. Check out his excellent post. He also was interviewed by a local news station, to read the article go here!

In the Presence of My Enemies

I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the story of Gracia and Martin Burnham. Here is a brief excerpt about what happened to them from a review of Gracia's book:

In The Presence of My Enemies tells the story of Martin and Gracia Burnham, a missionary couple who were kidnapped and held for over a year by the Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group with ties to Osama Bin Laden.

While celebrating their anniversary at a small resort in the Philippines they were snatched away and spent the next year of their lives on the run, fighting to survive in the Philippine jungles. They were constantly faced with incredible hardship and often lacked even the most rudimentary comforts. They were held pending the payment of a large ransom, one which missionary groups will never pay. It was not until the aftermath of September 11 that real progress was made in trying to rescue the Burnhams.

This was an event that was very close to my heart and affected me in a personal way. The Burnhams both went to Calvary Bible College which is here in KC. There were people from my church that personally knew them and when they were abducted in the summer of 2001 it was talked about a lot here in KC. I prayed for them on a daily basis while they were missing for over a year. I will never forget hearing the news that Gracia had made it out alive while Martin had been killed during the rescue. It was a huge deal.

I think it was a year later that Gracia published her book and came and spoke here in KC. I was fortunate enough to get to hear her tell her story and she even autographed my copy of her book. The book is extremely compelling and very moving on so many different levels. It gives you a first hand glimpse of terrorists and what it is like to be a captive at their hands.

I was reminded of all of this Saturday night when the History channel aired a documentary entitled, Stalking Jihad. It was a great program telling the other side of the story of how the CIA was involved in helping the Philippine military rescue the Burnhams and the other innocent people the Abu Sayyaf had kidnapped. It is sad how much the Philippine government limited our involvement, otherwise I think they probably could've been rescued sooner and perhaps Martin would've escaped alive.

What I did find interesting was that 9/11 actually helped speed up their rescue rather than dampen the rescue efforts.

For so many different reasons I highly recommend that you read Gracia's book, In the Presence of My Enemies and watch the History channel's, Stalking Jihad. I'm hoping that the History Channel re-airs it because I didn't get to see the whole thing and Netflix doesn't have it.