Jason Whitlock Nails it Again!!

"Jesse and Al, as they’re prone to do, served a kernel of truth stacked on a mountain of lies."--Jason Whitlock

It is ironic to me that Whitlock is a Kansas City Star columnist because every time he has an excellent article I find out about it via the national news. I think it has something to do with the fact that I NEVER, EVER read the sports page. I linked to his page on my blog so I could check in on his articles from time to time but I have been so busy I don't even get to visit a fraction of my favorite blogs.

His recent article is on the Jena Six controversy. As usual, he speaks the truth and makes Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson look like the fools that they are. Here are some excerpts from his column but take the time to read the whole thing:

"Where was our compassion long before Bell got into this kind of trouble?

That’s the question that needed to be asked in Jena and across the country on Thursday. But it wasn’t asked because everyone has been lied to about what really transpired in the small southern town.

There was no “schoolyard fight” as a result of nooses being hung on a whites-only tree.

Justin Barker, the white victim, was cold-cocked from behind, knocked unconscious and stomped by six black athletes. Barker, luckily, sustained no life-threatening injuries and was released from the hospital three hours after the attack.

A black U.S. attorney, Don Washington, investigated the “Jena Six” case and concluded that the attack on Barker had absolutely nothing to do with the noose-hanging incident three months before. The nooses and two off-campus incidents were tied to Barker’s assault by people wanting to gain sympathy for the “Jena Six” in reaction to Walters’ extreme charges of attempted murder.

Much has been written about Bell’s trial, the six-person all-white jury that convicted him of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery and the clueless public defender who called no witnesses and offered no defense. It is rarely mentioned that no black people responded to the jury summonses and that Bell’s public defender was black.

It’s almost never mentioned that Bell’s absentee father returned from Dallas and re-entered his son’s life only after Bell faced attempted-murder charges. At a bond hearing in August, Bell’s father and a parade of local ministers promised a judge that they would supervise Bell if he was released from prison.

Where were the promises and supervision before any of this?

It’s rarely mentioned that Bell was already on probation for assault when he was accused of participating in Barker’s attack. And it’s never mentioned that white people in the “racist” town of Jena provided Bell support and protected his football career long before Jesse, Al, Bell’s father and all the others took a sincere interest in Mychal Bell.

You won’t hear about any of that because it doesn’t fit the picture we want to paint of Jena, this case, America and ourselves."

His conclusion:
"But the kids responsible for Barker’s beating deserve to be punished. The prosecutor needed to be challenged on his excessive charges. And we as black folks need to question ourselves about why too many of us can only get energized to help our young people once they’re in harm’s way.

I’ve been the spokesman for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City for six years. Getting black men to volunteer to mentor for just two hours a week to the more than 100 black boys on a waiting list is a yearly crisis. It’s a nationwide crisis for the organization. In Kansas City, we’re lucky if we get 20 black Big Brothers a year.

You don’t want to see any more “Jena Six” cases? Love Mychal Bell before he violently breaks the law."

Lincoln--A stupid baboon?

"We admire Lincoln today as an American folk hero. During the Civil War, however, he was the most unpopular president the nation had ever known. His critics called him a tyrant, a hick, a stupid baboon who was unfit for office. As commander in chief of the armed forces, he was denounced as a bungling amateur who meddled in military affairs he knew nothing about."

--Russell Freedman from his book, Lincoln A Photobiography

Does the above quote sound familiar? I am currently reading, Lincoln A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. I was struck by the similar attacks that the critics expressed over 140 years ago about Lincoln to what Bush's critics accuse him of today. As Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun."

History has since regarded Lincoln as one of our greatest presidents and very few people remember what his critics had to say. I think history will view Bush in a much more favorable way than he is viewed now and his critics will be forgotten over time.

It is always important to be a student of history so we can see the big picture and realize that life is much more than what is talked about in the latest poll. Bush is a student of history and he realizes that. This is why he is willing to stand on principle and do what is right despite how much criticism he gets and no matter how low his poll numbers go. He sees beyond the latest poll to what is best for this country 40 years from now.

According to one of Clinton's own advisors, Clinton didn't deal with the terrorism problem while he was in office because he knew his poll numbers might suffer as a result. He cared more about his poll numbers than protecting this country. He was offered Bin Laden on a silver platter and turned it down because of fears of what public opinion might be. We should all be thank-ful that Bush cares more about protecting this country than about his poll numbers.

Bush's Speech

I am knee deep in my projects so no time to post. Check out Mike's excellent post on Bush's speech. As for the Democrats' response, D is for Defeat!! Gateway Pundit calls them whiny :-).

I only had a chance to check several blogs so if you've done a post on his speech let me know in the comments' section and I'll add it to my list below. Thanks!!

Others blogging:
Sister Toldjah
Gateway Pundit
The Oxford Medievalist

Also, wonder why I love both Fred and Rudy? Check this out!!

Becoming Jane

As most of you know I am a HUGE Jane Austen fan. I have seen the movies: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Persuasion so many times that I probably have them memorized. I also have the movie Mansfield Park but it is my least favorite. Austen's other book Northanger Abbey has yet to have a decent movie done on it, I saw a BBC version once and it was horrible. I have read the actual books of my 4 favorites but have yet to read the other 2.

For my birthday a friend took me to see the movie, Becoming Jane which is a movie about her real life and romance. At first when I watched the movie I was confused because they were having her life be similar to Pride and Prejudice and I had always heard that her story was similar to Persuasion.

So when I got home I did some research. I found out that she had 2 different romances and one of them was similar to Pride and Prejudice and the other to Persuasion which made it all make sense. Jane's sister, Charlotte destroyed most of their letters so little is known about how serious either of these romances were.

What I found fascinating is that without even thinking about it I had always pictured Jane Austen to be very like the heroine Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. And that is how the movie portrays her so that was very encouraging to me because it fit what my perception of her was.

Of course, the movie on her real life doesn't necessarily have a happy ending (at least romantically) like her novels do. Neither of her romances worked out and she died at the age of 41, unmarried. She also died without having a clue how extremely popular her novels would really become.

Yet, the movie was good because it was the true story about a woman fulfilling her dream of being a writer when women didn't have professions back then and didn't make their living by being a writer. She also did have a marriage proposal from someone whom she didn't love but who had money and she didn't settle for him. She was above settling and was willing to make her own way in the world. That is hard enough to do today let alone back then when it was unheard of.

It is a great movie and I highly recommend it, 2 thumbs up!!

September 11th--My Generation's Pearl Harbor

I spent a lot of time trying to find the right videos for today. Something different, but equally as moving as some of those I've seen in the past. I thought both of these were good.

I am grieved today and it is not just over the horrible tragedy we suffered 6 years ago. I am also grieved at how callous and hateful many have become and how they seem to have forgotten we were all attacked that day. This growing conspiracy theory about how 9/11 was an inside job is such a slap in the face to all the victims.

Terrorists attacked us that day and they have caused unending horror for so many people. I watched some videos of 911 calls that day of people who were scared because they were afraid they were going to die. How many 911 operators have post traumatic stress disorder because of what they experienced that day? It seems to me that anyone who experienced and then survived the events of that day had a hard time picking up the pieces of their life.

September 11th is one of those days that anyone who lived through it will remember what they were doing that day. It is an event seared in people's minds like Pearl Harbor or the assassination of JFK. The reason it is so important not to forget is so we don't have to live through a similar event again.

May we never forget!!

Previous posts:
9/11 Tribute
The Importance of Remembering 9/11

Today's Inspiration--Sgt. Matt Lammers

“Everybody keeps calling me a hero,” he says. “I have a hard time hearing that. I was just a soldier doing his job. The heroes are the men and women still over there. … I got to come back. I didn’t die. That’s a blessing.”

“I keep telling people I’m not the story,” he says. “I was just a soldier doing his job. The story is the men who saved my life.”--Sgt. Matt Lammers

The KC Star highlighted a local soldier who was wounded in Iraq and is recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. The story is very inspirational and I found myself getting choked up several times. Here are some excerpts from the article, Infantryman's Latest Battle:

"Lammers lost both legs and his left arm June 9 when his Humvee hit a buried explosive in Baghdad. Comrades saved his life, and now he’ll lean on other comrades as he begins at least a year of rehabilitation at the Center for the Intrepid, a gleaming, glass-and-metal center that opened this year to treat grievously injured soldiers.
..............

It was Lammers’ act of generosity that put him in that Humvee. Scheduled for a trip home, Lammers switched places to let another soldier go home for his first wedding anniversary.

Lammers and his men were returning to base in Baghdad when the Humvee drove over the explosive.
.................

Lammers probably will spend at least another year here, retraining his muscles and mind. He and his wife recently moved to base housing, where their daughters — Jaelen, 1, and Taena, 5 — will join them next month.

The hope is that Lammers will leave Texas in a year on new legs with a new arm. His doctors think he’s a good candidate for a new type of bionic arm that responds directly to a user’s nervous system.
..................

Peer motivation plays a huge role. Soldiers who lost a leg visit with soldiers who lost two; burn victims meet with burn victims. The idea is that soldiers with grievous wounds benefit from bonding with others facing the same challenges. The message: You’re not alone. You can do this. I can help.

“These guys don’t say to each other, ‘I’m sorry you got hurt,’ or ‘Oh, that’s a tragic injury,’ ” says Mark Heniser, Lammers’ physical therapist. “It’s like a locker room in here. They compete with each other. They tease each other. So we can’t then turn around and tell them there’s something they can’t do.”
....................

A total of 571 service men and women had lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan as of April 1, according to Pentagon statistics.
....................

Soldiers who lost limbs in Iraq have gone on to run laps with President Bush, take up snowboarding and run for Congress. Just as importantly, they’ve also gone back to work, held their babies and tied their shoes.

The newest devices give amputees unprecedented control and mobility.
.....................

Gary Lammers, principal at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Lenexa, worried like any parent but respected his son’s decision.

Asked now about his son’s service and his attitude, he pauses. His voice thickens.

“I well up with pride,” he says. “And at the same time, I understand that this strength comes from Matt and not me. But I’m so very proud to be his dad.”"

To read the rest of the article, go here!

How to Help:
To contribute to the Sgt. Matt Lammers Medical Fund, send checks made out to the fund to Country Club Bank, 13451 Briar St., Leawood, KS 66209. Contributions made by credit card are accepted by calling 816-751-1470.

UPDATE: To donate to other wounded soldiers, go here!

When you look at men like Sgt. Matt Lammers you can't help but be so thank-ful and so proud of our men and women in the military. There are always some bad apples in the bunch but I think most are like Lammers and deserve our gratitude and support.

Those like John Murtha who would disgrace our soldiers without having all the evidence and without giving them the benefit of the doubt are traitors of the worst kind. Robin has been on top of the story on how the Haditha Marines are being cleared one by one of the crimes that Murtha unfairly accused them of. He owes those men and their families an apology and he owes the Country the decency of resigning.

Sawyer Says...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEE!!!

Wishing you an early Christmas greeting :)

There is always room for more Sawyer on your birthday!

Off To Somewhere Cooler

I am headed out of town for the next week. My kids and I are going to Michigan to visit my family. KC is having temps in the 100's so I am hoping to have some cooler weather there.

Since I won't have much access to the internet while I am gone I have asked Mike from Mike's America, Wordsmith from Sparks from the Anvil and Skye from Midnight Blue & Ancora Imparo to be guest bloggers. They have graciously agreed to fill in and lest any trolls think they will have a free ride my friend Kelli has agreed to monitor the comments' section.

I pre-taped my radio show for next Monday so it won't be live but make sure to tune in. I continued my interview with pro-life leader, Bill Price and it was a great discussion.

Have an awesome week everyone and make sure to check in for the great insights from Mike, Wordsmith and Skye!

Karl Rove

"They are likely to nominate a tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate by the name of Hillary Rodham Clinton."--Karl Rove

Karl Rove was loved by many conservatives and hated by the left. Whatever you want to say about him he's been a huge force in the political realm. To be honest I was shocked today to hear the news that he was leaving a year early. I asked my radio guest, Bill Price (who personally knows Rove) if he saw this coming and he said he didn't.

Paul Gigot describes Karl Rove in his column as "relaxed and cheerful". That is amazing to me when you look at the amount of stress he's been under for numerous years and how much he is vilified by so many. Yet, in the brief amount of time that I got to meet him last September that was my impression of him as well.

As Gigot points out, Karl Rove has clearly been extremely influential and I would argue that its been an influence for good.

I love his quote about Hillary at the top, I can't think of a more accurate term for her than "fatally flawed".

Bush and Presidential Nominees Coming to KC for VFW

President Bush, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are all coming to KC next week. They are coming for the six-day national VFW convention that will be held at Bartle Hall. It will run from August 18th to the 23rd. President Bush's date to speak is still to be announced but Hillary Clinton and John McCain will speak on August 20th and Fred Thompson and Obama will speak on August 21st. I will be out of town but it wouldn't have mattered since the convention won't be open to the public.

Also, speaking will be my Governor Matt Blunt and our new KC Mayor, Mark Funkhouser.

The VFW last met in KC in 1999 when Bill Clinton was President. Before that it goes all the way back to 1931 when Harry Truman was a judge and was the general chairman of the convention.

The VFW makes up an important voting block since 91% of veterans vote in presidential elections and when you combine them with their families they make up approximately 75 million Americans.

The VFW members will also get free tours of our World War I Museum which is the nation's only World War I Memorial and Museum.

Source:
KC Star--Bush and presidential wannabes to address VFW convention at Bartle Hall