Sing it sister!

Oh yeah.

I Have The Power

I have my power back on that is....That sound you hear is me singing and rejoicing (actually, you should be glad that you can't really hear me).

This is the point where I would start lamenting over my week without power and also post a picture of my shrine to Thomas Edison, but instead I'll look on the bright side and say that I had a wonderful time with my neighbors cooking out and watching movies in the driveway. I also went and stayed a few nights with my daughter at college for some quality time.

Ok, now where were we? Oh yes, the financial markets took a hit and the govt came riding in on it's white horse. The left blames the right and the right blames the left. That is what is what we are left with now. Each one blaming the other and claiming the other is lying. The problem? We can't trust the media to tell us the truth. It's politics at it's worse. Obama brought nothing new to this table, that is for sure.

Let's catch up on politics, shall we?

Remember when the left made the false claim that Sarah Palin had tried to ban books at a library in Alaska? (I think they are still trying to run with that one even though they know it's false) Well, Michelle Malkin has an excellent article here on how the leftists are the ones who openly try to ban books that don't espouse what they believe. It's always interesting to me that the left justifies for themselves what they claim to abhor in those on the right. Sarah Palin's personal e-mail being hacked by the son of a Democratic politician is a perfect example of this. I haven't heard one peep from those who see us tapping the phones of suspected terrorists as the greatest invasion of privacy know to man. Not a peep about this invasion of privacy. Imagine if Joe Biden's or Nancy Pelosi's personal e-mail had been hacked by the son of a Republican. Oh my sweet Lord, we wouldn't have heard the end of it. Such is the hypocrisy of the left.

Next, I can't believe we have come to the point where what could be the first black First Lady actually participates in pure sexism:

"People shouldn’t make a decision this time based on 'I like that guy' or you know, 'she's cute' you know, this isn't…"

The crowd laughed and applauded.

"And I'm talking about me," Michelle Obama continued. "But that shouldn't be anyone's reason for making a judgment this time around."

We all know who she was talking about. How clever of her to try and hide her sexism that way. Imagine if Cindy McCain has said, "People shouldn't make a decision based on 'I like that guy' or you know, 'he's black.'

For women like Michelle, women's rights and respect for women's accomplishments only matters if that women is liberal. It's a sad state of affairs for the feminists.

Oh, we would never hear the end of that one either. Such is the double standard the media allows.

Is it any wonder that none of us really trust the media? It has gotten to the point where you watch all you can, listen all you can, and then decide what's true or not. It's a sad commentary on journalists in general and the mainstream media specifically.

Also, Obama promised a new "kind of politics," but he has delivered not just more of the same, but some of the most egregious lies that I have ever seem in political ads. He was hoping to get away with it because it was Spanish language TV, but even ABC news calls Obama on the carpet for the lies.

First, Obama takes Rush Limbaugh out of context (which I find the left does constantly) and then ties him to John McCain. What a joke! Anyone who listens to Rush even in passing knows that Rush has never had a good thing to say about McCain and did not want him to be the nominee. McCain has never had any time for Rush either. And this issue of immigration has been one of the most contested points on which they have disagreed. So it's beyond ridiculous to try to relate the two together. But Obama was hoping that those who speak only Spanish would be fooled, because it is my opinion that he must not think much of of Mexican Americans or immigrants, and figure that they don't know enough about Rush or McCain to know the difference. I hope all Mexican Americans are insulted by this.

It's one thing to "spin" things a certain way, but it's another to lie and try to fool people into believing that two people who have never agreed with each other, are now representing each other. I mean, if ABC news is commenting on the complete dishonesty of this, then you know how bad it is.

I had to add this. It seems the left is now threatening groups with their tax exempt status. Call it leftwing McCarthyism. Because that is what it is and it's nothing new.

I always say that feminists have become the men they hated, and now the left has become the censors that they imagined the right to be.

That is it for now. I am still catching up with my life. Still praying for all those still hurting from the devastation that Hurrincan Ike brought to us.

Guns, Taxes, and Lies

Obama is at the point where he is saying what he needs to say to get elected. Here he is at a recent campaign stop:

"And if they tell you that, 'Well, we're not sure where he stands on guns.' I want you to say, 'He believes in the Second Amendment.' If they tell you, 'Well, he's going to raise your taxes,' you say, 'No, he's not, he's going lower them.' You are my ambassadors. You guys are the ones who can make the case."

First of all, anyone who doesn't think that Obama will raise all of our taxes, I got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. Raising taxes on capital gains and dividends is a nightmare. The last thing this economy needs. And does anyone who knows Democrats really think that Obama will only let Bush's tax cuts expire on those making over $250,000? Please.

But the "I believe in the Second Amendment" lie is the worst. Obama has had little legislative experience compared to Biden or McCain, but he still has had enough time to do plenty on gun rights.

FACT: Barack Obama voted for an Illinois State Senate bill to ban and confiscate “assault weapons,” but the bill was so poorly crafted, it would have also banned most semi-auto and single and double barrel shotguns commonly used by sportsmen.
FACT: Barack Obama voted to allow reckless lawsuits designed to bankrupt the firearms industry.
FACT: Barack Obama wants to re-impose the failed and discredited Clinton Gun Ban.
FACT: Barack Obama voted to ban almost all rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting and sport shooting.
FACT: Barack Obama has endorsed a 500% increase in the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition.
FACT: Barack Obama has endorsed a complete ban on handgun ownership.
FACT: Barack Obama supports local gun bans in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and other cities.
FACT: Barack Obama voted to uphold local gun bans and the criminal prosecution of people who use firearms in self-defense.
FACT: Barack Obama supports gun owner licensing and gun registration.
FACT: Barack Obama refused to sign a friend-of-the-court Brief in support of individual Second Amendment rights in the Heller case.
FACT: Barack Obama opposes Right to Carry laws.
FACT: Barack Obama was a member of the Board of Directors of the Joyce Foundation, the leading source of funds for anti-gun organizations and “research.”
FACT: Barack Obama supported a proposal to ban gun stores within 5 miles of a school or park, which would eliminate almost every gun store in America.
FACT: Barack Obama voted not to notify gun owners when the state of Illinois did records searches on them.
FACT: Barack Obama voted against a measure to lower the Firearms Owners Identification card age minimum from 21 to 18, a measure designed to assist young people in the military.
FACT: Barack Obama favors a ban on standard capacity magazines.
FACT: Barack Obama supports mandatory micro-stamping.
FACT: Barack Obama supports mandatory waiting periods.
FACT: Barack Obama supports repeal of the Tiahrt Amendment, which prohibits information on gun traces collected by the BATFE from being used in reckless lawsuits against firearm dealers and manufacturers.
FACT: Barack Obama supports one-gun-a-month handgun purchase restrictions.
FACT: Barack Obama supports a ban on inexpensive handguns.

Obama's delusion that he somehow supports the 2nd Amendment is dishonest at best. His insistence that he won't raise taxes is simply a lie in my opinion. Obama truly is Jimmy Carter all over again.

h/t Mike

Economic Stuff

As I slowly lose my mind without electricity or access to a blow dryer or the ability to make a good pasta dish, I thought I would just share some good points here and I'm hearing on my battery operated radio. (Stocking up on wine for the hurricane was my best idea by far)

From NRO:

Both Joe Biden and Sarah Palin were asked whether or not they were in favor of the AIG bailout today. Now as Ramesh noted, Biden's decision to blame tax cuts for the wealthy for the AIG bailout is frankly idiotic. But also profoundly troubling is that nowhere in the statement does Biden evince any knowledge of what AIG does or why it was important to be bailed out — and his ignorance goes a long way toward explaining why he's against a bailout that is pretty obviously necessary to prevent a potential worldwide financial crises. (Meanwhile, Obama issued a statement that makes it impossible to discern whether he's for or against the bailout, and said statement even gets AIG's name wrong.)

Now here's Palin's statement today on AIG:

“Dissapointed that taxpayers are called upon to bailout another one,” she said. “Certainly AIG though with the construction bonds that they’re holding and with the insurance that they are holding very, very impactful to Americans so you know the shot that has been called by the Feds its understandable but very, very disappointing that taxpayers are called upon for another one.”

That is exactly right. It's terrible that the bailout is occurring but Palin indicates that she understands why letting the world's largest insurer go down would be a very bad shock to the financial system. AIG underwrites a massive amount of credit default swaps — which are very similar to insurance contracts for debt instruments. While I wouldn't say AIG couldn't have done anything to avoid their predicament, in some important respects, AIG's financial burdens were not created through their own mismanagement so much as being left holding the bag on these contracts after the failings of its customers. Thus the AIG bailout is more about maintaining liquidity — refusing to bailout AIG would not be about addressing moral hazard in the way it would be if the Fed were dealing with an investment bank insolvency.

The bottom line is that Gov. Palin gets it, and veteran Senator Biden is embarrassingly clueless.

That's my girl.

And...McCain was right on fannie and freddie:

McCain Did Anticipate Problems with Fannie and Freddie [Mark Hemingway]
ABC's Jake Tapper:

"Two years ago, I warned that the oversight of Fannie and Freddie was terrible, that we were facing a crisis because of it, or certainly serious problems," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told CBS this morning. "The influence that Fannie and Freddie had in the inside the Beltway, old boy network, which led to this kind of corruption is unacceptable and I warned about it a couple of years ago.”How does this claim of foresight square with this interview that McCain gave to the Keene (NH) Sentinel, discussing the subprime mortgage crisis, in December 2007?
Tapper goes on to quote McCain saying of the broader subprime/liquidity crises that occurred at in the last few months of 2007, "So, I’d like to tell you that I did anticipate it, but I have to give you straight talk, I did not."

A couple points — in the quote above McCain is clearly referring to Fannie and Freddie explicitly. While they're arguably the lynchpin of the current financial crises, anticipating problems with Fannie and Freddie is hardly the same as foreseeing the overall extent subprime crises.

And if Tapper googled a little harder he would see that McCain's not making a "claim" — he really did anticpate the problems with GSEs and see them as a systemic financial problem. He even sponsored legislation to deal with it:

I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.

McCain deserves credit for being on the right side of this. Meanwhile, Obama in just four years in the Senate raked more contributions from Fannie and Freddie than any other Senator in the last 19 years — save Dodd. McCain should pummel Obama with this. He's right on Fannie/Freddie where Obama has done nothing but take their money look the other way.

Wow

I heard Gianna Jesson speak many many years ago. I always wondered if her incredible story would ever make it past Churches and pro-life groups. Well, it finally has. And just in time to show Obama how wrong he has been on the issue of life.

Where the left went wrong and took Obama with them

The polls are swinging McCain's way. I know the Obama people are asking themselves how this could be happening?

This is how it happened. It was the perfect storm of public relations.

Just as the right went crazy over Sarah Palin and McCain surprised everyone in a political world where there was thought to be no surprises, the left started attacking her. And it wasn't on policy. It was personal. They attacked her family and her motherhood. Many Hillary supporters still angry from the primaries, gritted their teeth once again and their animosity grew. The rest of us shook our heads in dismay.

Obama immediately came out with a statement pleading with his supporters to leave Sarah's family alone. But his supporters didn't listen and then Obama made the mistake of trying to diminish her accomplishments by calling her a "small town mayor," ignoring that she was a sitting Governor. Although disingenuous, it wasn't a personal attack. But it was caught up in all the ugliness. Obama was suppose to be above this kind of politics. That was his hook. But it didn't look like he was above it after all. Obama quickly backtracked and stopped mentioning Sarah at all, but it was too late. He had thrown himself in the middle of it and seemed to become part of the feeding frenzy on Sarah. To be clear, Obama wasn't a part of it, but that was the perception.

Amid all this Sarah Palin presented herself to the nation beautifully. She was strong, confident, and poised. She didn't let the attacks get to her. Her teleprompter failed during the most important speech of her life at the RNC and she didn't miss a beat. This lady was tough. We all saw that and most of us loved it.

Even as Charlie Gibson looked down his nose at Sarah with obvious disdain in her first national interview, Sarah was proving to the nation that she could take it with the best of them.

Then came the celebrity put downs. Pamela Anderson said the Sarah Palin could "suck it." Matt Damon said that her candidacy was like a "bad Disney movie." Who do you think represents women better in this country, Sarah Palin or Pamela Anderson? Who do you think represents men better in this country, Todd Palin or Matt Damon? Did the Hollywood types not think that those of us who share Sarah's values would be insulted? There are quite a number of us. Enough to turn an election. Maybe they should think about what they say before blurting out things that insult millions of us.

It all came together for the perfect political storm.

Politics is crazy even in a normal election and this is far from a normal election. A lot can change and McCain is far from winning this thing no matter what the polls say now. I believe this thing will be neck and neck until the end. But if Obama loses, we will all look back at this point and acknowledge this was where it all went wrong.

Day Three

We are still without power (and yes we have a generator) but we are having to use it to keep the refrigerators cold and the air conditioning unit we bought for the bedroom. We have a limited amount of gas and I haven't wanted to go wait in line in the few places that have gas around here.

There are a lot of silver linings. Both nights we have bonded with our neighbors and grilled out front while the kids played. The only time it felt "Red Dawnish" was listening to the radio where people called in with information on which grocery stores were open and which gas stations had gas and who was selling generators, ice, and water. I haven't had to do hunt for those things, thank goodness, since I'm a planner and had everything early.

Another silver lining was I got TONS done that I've been meaning to do forever. I got all the closets cleaned out in the house (six!) All women reading this knows what a wonderful feeling that is!

Also, a cool front came through and it feels great outside. Beautiful blue Sky's. It's suppose to get down to 59 tonight so mother nature is giving us a bit of an apology I think.

We got the tree off our trampoline and cut up and out front for the city to take away. Neighbors really helped each other and that was nice to see.

I am getting some cabin fever. We rode around just a bit yesterday and all the red lights are out so it's all four way stops at intersections, so it's hardly worth driving around.

I hope and pray that the electricity comes on today. I know Galveston needs some help. People who can help in Houston should be doing what we can. I know the Salvation Army is asking for donations (money only) so if you can, help out there.

I loved reading all of your comments. They all made me smile. It's like a sweet little cyber community of my very own. So many of you offering help and even offering to come evacuate to Dallas or Louisiana. So sweet.

I hope I can get back to blogging regularly soon. I did see the SNL sketch with Palin and Hillary. It was hilarious. Google it if you haven't seen it.

Thanks for everyone's concern! I really appreciate it.

Notes from the wilderness

Well, it feels like the wilderness anyway to a spoiled chick such as myself.

I am connected to the internet by way of a battery pack. But I did want everyone to know that we are just fine, but with no power. But it's been kind of cool because we had a big block party last night and all the neighbors shared food and drink. The kids played with their boogie boards on all the water.

School is cancelled here through Wednesday. I've been listening to the radio and it just sounds awful in Galveston and surrounding areas. Let's keep them in our prayers. I heard that north of where I live in Conroe and Montgomery county that their energy company had a catastrophic event and they will not have power for 2 to 4 weeks! Luckily it isn't our power company.

The kids have been doing things that we did as kids when we only had 3 channels on TV. Playing board games and staying outside. I am more convinced than ever that cable TV is the root of all evil.....;-) I say that even as I go through withdrawals from not watching Fox News.

Friday night was something. I have never seen wind like that in my life. A tree in our back yard broke and fell on our trampoline. We have so many large trees I was worried all night that one would fall on our house. But we lucked out. No glass breakage either.

Since I can't watch Tv, I would appreciate you guys telling me what you have seen. I've talked to my Mom and she told me a little. It really sounds bad. But from what I've heard there hasn't been loss of life. Have you guys heard of any?

I'll try to get on later.