You gotta love this..

How loud and long did the left howl on the blogosphere about the warrantless wiretaps? Pretty much the entire Bush administration. They claimed he was "shredding the constitution." Guess what? Obama will be "shredding the constitution" as well:

The Obama administration fell in line with the Bush administration Thursday when it urged a federal judge to set aside a ruling in a closely watched spy case weighing whether a U.S. president may bypass Congress and establish a program of eavesdropping on Americans without warrants.

At least he's keeping something to keep us safe.

The Sociopath and the bats

First on TVNewser: As his impeachment trial gets underway in Illinois Monday, embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich will sit down for his first network TV interview since his arrest on charges he tried to sell Pres. Obama's senate seat.

Blagojevich will be interviewed on ABC's Good Morning America.
Insiders tell us Blagojevich will appear on "The View" following the GMA interview.

Sitting on the couch on The View, with the exception of Elizabeth of course, will be a the most self absorbed idiots on the face of the earth. And given our Congress, that's saying a lot.

Disgust at the Kennedys

We all thought that at least Caroline stayed out of the limelight and instead choosing to be a mother, doing good here and there. What fools we were! She's a Kennedy! They love to show themselves going to Church and talk about being Catholic, but they never could grasp the "sins of the flesh" thing. Whether it was with a babysitter, a husband's best friend, or Marilyn Monroe, they just cannot keep their vows or clothes on.

Now we hear that even sweet Caroline drank from the bottle of lust they drink from, that is when they aren't actually drinking and driving.

This is harsh, but I think Gawker put it best:

The only Kennedy "curse" is that they're a family of rich a**holes and each succeeding generation is dumber than the previous one.

Another Abortion President

I had hoped that he would show some of his "centrist" views when it comes to an issue that affects and upsets so many Americans.

Too much to "hope" for I suppose.

The AP is reporting that Obama will reverse the Mexico City Policy which will allow federal tax dollars to be used to fund those who provide abortions and provide information about abortion.

The signing of FOCA, wiping out every reasonable restriction on abortion, won't be far behind.

Clinton never let down the abortion lobby and it seems neither will Obama.

The culture of death continues.

Did Obama just make us less safe?

It would seem so. From NRO: (emphasis mine)

So Much for Listening to Dick Cheney [Marc Thiessen]

From today’s WaPo:

President Obama yesterday eliminated the most controversial tools employed by his predecessor against terrorism suspects. With the stroke of his pen, he effectively declared an end to the "war on terror," as President George W. Bush had defined it, signaling to the world that the reach of the U.S. government in
battling its enemies will not be limitless.

While Obama says he has no plans to diminish counterterrorism operations abroad, the notion that a president can circumvent long-standing U.S. laws simply by declaring war was halted by executive order in the Oval Office.

Key components of the secret structure developed under Bush are being swept away: The military's Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, facility, where the rights of habeas corpus and due process had been denied detainees, will close, and the CIA is now prohibited from maintaining its own overseas prisons. And in a broad
swipe at the Bush administration's lawyers, Obama nullified every legal order and opinion on interrogations issued by any lawyer in the executive branch after Sept. 11, 2001.”

ME: A week ago, former Vice President Cheney advised the incoming president to take some time and look carefully at the policies and institutions the Bush administration had put in place to protect the country before following through on campaign pledges to dismantle them. President-elect Obama said on ABC’s This Week: “I think that was pretty good advice, which is I should know what’s going on before we make judgments and that we shouldn’t be making judgments on the basis of incomplete information or campaign rhetoric."

Less than 48 hours after taking office, Obama has begun dismantling those institutions without time for any such review. The CIA program he is effectively shutting down is the reason why America has not been attacked again after 9/11. He has removed the tool that is singularly responsible for stopping al-Qaeda from flying planes into the Library Tower in Los Angeles, Heathrow Airport, and London’s Canary Warf, and blowing up apartment buildings in Chicago, among other plots. It’s not even the end of inauguration week, and Obama is already proving to be the most dangerous man ever to occupy the Oval Office.

Gitmo and Reality

The thought of closing Gitmo makes a liberal feel all warm and fuzzy, but reality brings a much harsher look.

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The emergence of a former Guantánamo Bay detainee as the deputy leader of Al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch has underscored the potential complications in carrying out the executive order President Obama signed Thursday that the detention center be shut down within a year.

The militant, Said Ali al-Shihri, is suspected of involvement in a deadly bombing of the United States Embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sana, in September. He was released to Saudi Arabia in 2007 and passed through a Saudi rehabilitation program for former jihadists before resurfacing with Al Qaeda in Yemen.

The feel good policies will have to face the harsh realities of what it would mean to have Gitmo prisoners freed by technicalities associated with our justice system here.

Obama may be liberal, but he isn't dumb. He knows this reality. So he gives the left a crumb saying he will close Gitmo......in a year. But Politico has 6 signs that Gitmo policies may not change.

This is why I love Milblogs

This is from S4 at War:

A New Boss

I just watched the inauguration in our DFAC (thats army for dining facility). It was full of Ugandan and Sri Lankan workers all glued to the television and about 10 Americans, one with his face buried in his plate of food.
Inaugural quote of the day:
An Iraqi Army Colonel on the election, “Congratulations on your 44…the uhh, first one with the dark skin.”

While that was amusing (awkward as well). This one from The Intrepid Reporter in Iraq is a bit disturbing:(emphasis mine)

Damn I though it was too quiet...

OK Dear Readers The Intrepid Reporter of Lore and Fame, (if only in my own twisted mind) has been in the nightmare mode that Baghdad has become. Namely the Dirty F**king Haj (TM) has been getting active again.

Yeah.. we went from "Dead and Boring" to "Potentially Dead From Incoming." This sucks man. I've Been There Done That with this sh*t before. Hell, I took 2 seperate pieces of shrapnel in 04 when I got caught at Logbase Sietz during the "Worst of the Worst" back in the old days... I really DON'T want to relive those days... like when my f**king house got hit in Sept 04.

For those of you just joining the IR Report, I was smart enough to go to work on September 14, 2005 fifteen minutes early. Thankfully I did as my house took a DIRECT hit from a chinese 82mm mortar round which, if I had been there, would have reduced the Intrepid Reporter to grape jelly. I was early as I got into a p*ssing contest with my so to speak manager at the time, who had given me shit about the fact that I was always JUST on time and never early. That morning I decided to show the p*ick I could be early, and because of it, I'm still alive. Thanks be to Jesus that I went with my urge to show the p*ick that I could be early.

Anyways: Right now, man, lately, we've been under some INSANE level of incoming… like compared to 2004, not so much, but considering that when I got here, it'd been over 9-10 months since any, mind you, ANY rounds hit, and for like 3 days/nights in a row we've had between 2 to 4 incoming rounds. The Close In Weapons System called "Cee-Whiz" has been getting the majority of them, except for the one that jammed/f**ked up the other night. Mind you OF F**KING COURSE that was the one that impacted like right across from my house. Shook the walls blew dirt and stuff everywhere on my porch and roof and rattled my nerves pretty well… killed my buzz too… the b*stards!I can deal with incoming however, it's the side effects like negating a mellow night and having to don my Dragon Skin. Let's face it, it's uncomfortable to lay in the bed and wear that stuff as Household Six was on the Skype Phone with me and heard the whole thing. Hell hath no fury like an Enraged/terrified Italian/Sicilian wife. She sez "Wear it" and well, I tell her I do. Realistically, so far today/tonight it's quiet, but it's only5:44pm local. They seem to shoot at us later in the evening, right after the evening pray call. The real pain in the ass is that we don't seem to have a CAP (Combat Air Patrol) over us of Apaches like we did 'back in the day.' It used to be they'd shoot a few rounds at us, and the Apaches would get a grid location from the "Far Finder" Radar (which tells them roughly within a few meters where the rounds came from) and the next thing we'd usually hear was the beautiful sound of the Bushmaster 25 mike-mike blasting the hell out of the retards who were stupid enough to shoot at us.The reduction of forces has me nervous actually. They seem to be 'building up' towards 'something.' The word on the street is that they want to 'test' the new POTUS and what with everything I'm reading/hearing/seeing on the net/radio and TV, his talking about shutting down here in Iraq sooner is only going to provoke them into doing to us what Hamas is/has been doing to Israel. Meaning small provocative attacks that are pin pricks… not very effective on causing casualties per se, but makes life f**king miserable for the Joes and us Scumbag Contractors.

Otherwise, y'all say a little pray for the ole IR... things here be a bit off the chain...Until LaterThe Intrepid Reporter
Posted by Big Country at 19:03

Life

I went to adoration today to pray for the end to abortion, and while I was in the chapel a funeral was going on in the Church for a 17-year Texas Army National Guard veteran and Federal Air Marshal Service agent, who died in a winter field training exercise on a Black Hawk helicopter conducted by the Army ROTC unit at Texas A&M University.

I could see out the window the Patriot Guard Riders lined up holding flags and saluting. So moving.

As I prayed for life, I was watching the sadness of a life ended too soon.

My prayer for this country, this President, and for all of us, is that we can envision a world where we truly understand the gift of life.

In the Thornton Wilder play "Our Town," the character of Emily joins the dead souls in the town cemetery and sees life as she never did on earth. She exclaims, "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute?"

Like so many of us, she never saw what was right in front of her. How fragile and wonderful our humanity is. If we could only understand that, really understand it, then there would be no need for an abortion law because there would never be a need for abortion.

A life given is the world's greatest gift. A life taken is the world's greatest grief.

I felt both of those today. I was thankful for the life that had grown within me. My children are my unending joy. And I was sad for the life of a soldier no longer with us, and for the lives that never had a moment on this earth.

I pray that God will bless all those hurting from abortion. I pray that like Emily, we will grasp the simple truth that every life matters, that every life is precious and worthy.

March for Life in Washington D.C.

via NRO

Mitt Romney sends this message to the gathering in Washington Today:

Today in Washington , many thousands of American women and men have proudly gathered on the National Mall for the March for Life. In a city of many competing political interests, these marchers have come to speak for only one cause: the goodness of every life, and the rights of the unborn. Thirty-six years ago, those rights were denied by our highest court, in a decision that also denied the rights of all Americans to resolve the abortion issue through democratic debate and legislation. To their great credit, the organizers of the March for Life never let this anniversary pass without speaking to the conscience of America , and calling our nation to uphold its highest ideals in the protection of human life. America owes these marchers a debt of gratitude for their perseverance in a noble cause. I am honored to count myself as their friend and ally. And because of their dedication and their goodness of heart, I am certain that one day this cause will prevail.

He's come a long way.

From Kathryn Jean Lopez at NRO:

I’m in Washington for the March for Life and I’ve got to tell you: This crowd will uplift you. Not every single person, mind you, but I was over at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, on Catholic University’s campus late last night, and there were teens, families, and adults of all ages camped out there from all over the country. There were so many seemingly normal, happy, well-adjusted kids who had to be part of saying “no, this is wrong” in some way. And so here they are (some participating in compline or Eucharistic Adoration, others praying the Rosary, still others texting, talking outside, or sleeping). There’s some glorious yeses, too, though. Last night I ran into a couple from Rhode Island shortly after they got engaged: He proposed in the Crypt Church.It’s a beautiful thing to see how many of this crowd — and so many pro-life religious folks I’ve encountered – are praying for Barack Obama. They love their country and want better for it than legal abortion. They know the power of prayer, and if anything could make him reconsider abortion …

Amen.

Say a prayer for the unborn today on this sad anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Can you feel the unity?

Michelle Malkin was on Fox today talking about this little video of rapper Jay-Z, a VIP of Obama's inauguration.

I can't even bear to post the video.

Just putting this out there

More Americans watched Ronald Reagan being sworn in than they did Barack Obama.

Interesting question

Why are taxpayers subsidizing ex-presidents who are millionaires?

This one will make you sick. It's beyond ridiculous what taxpayers are paying for with ex-Presidents. Who has the biggest spending habit with our money?

You guessed it. Bill Clinton.

Just for a small example. We pay for the satellite TV in Clinton's office, complete with eight separate receivers and all the movie channels that come with the "entertainment package" (I bet) at a cost of $1,800 per year.

Yeah, we pay that even though Clinton has made over 40 million since his retirement on speaking fees alone.

via Fark

You just can't make this stuff up

A gay man, Sam Adams, runs for Mayor of Portland. He wins. Then we discover he had an affair with an underage legislative intern. Both Mayor and the teenager, who has the hilarious sounding porn name of Beau Breedlove, had lied about their relationship for 18 months before Oregon alternative weekly newspaper Williamette Week broke the story. Breedlove is now saying he was told to lie by the Mayor.

Portland law enforcement officials have asked the state to investigate Adams.

Get this:

City Commissioner Randy Leonard said he was "disturbed" that Adams had persuaded Breedlove to lie.

Ummm...a 42 yr old having a sexual relationship with a minor isn't "disturbing? Just the lying about it?"

Adams SWEARS there was no sexual contact UNTIL Breedlove turned 18. They waited patiently. Before that he was just "mentoring" him. I didn't know that's what they are calling it now.

Just another day in the world of Democrats.

Although the party is never mentioned, which is why you haven't heard about it.

The Best Vblogger ever

I've posted his other stuff before. He's great. Go through his YouTube stuff. You won't regret it.

via RWN

Yesterday, not such a good day for some...

No, not us. But people who went to see the historical swearing in of Pres. Obama.

I hate to be the one to break it to the people in that story, but this is just the beginning of a series of disappointments for them.

Someone's got Obama's number

Of course it takes someone across the pond to give us a clear look at Obama, but here it is. It's excellent. It's also more than a bit disturbing. Personally I hope to God she is wrong.

via HotAir

I wish Obama understood this

He could be a part of the most powerful message ever. Life matters.

via LST

Meet Claver T Kamau-Imani

Claver T Kamau-Imani is the gentleman who graciously asked me to be on the radio this morning with him on his new talk show in Houston on "The Truth In Black & Right!" Mon-Fri. 9-11am. KCHN 1050 AM. Streaming KCHNradio.com. I look forward to regularly talking to Claver and I'll let you guys know when the next time will be. But you guys listen every morning!

He is founder and Senior Pastor of Corinthian Christian Empowerment Center in Houston that ministers and houses the homeless, the addicted, ex-cons, and former prostitutes.

He is also unabashedly Republican.

He is amazing, and is out there fighting the good fight.

He is founder of RagingElephants.org, a political organization created to expand the base of the Republican party through racial diversity.
Anyone who has read my blog these many years knows how I feel about racial diversity in our party. This may seem like the worst time to address this problem in our party, but if we never reach out to minorities in a more aggressive way, then they will never hear our message. God knows the media won't give it to them. It's time for us to stop letting the media define our party.

It would mean a great deal to me if all of you would go to Raging Elephants.org and join. This kind of charismatic voice is just what the Republican party needs and Claver needs us to make his voice stronger. Contribute if you can, but please join. Join here, if you are on Facebook. Let's move forward together!

Listen to me on the radio!

I'll be on "The Christian Politician" KCHN 1050 AM. Streaming KCHNradio.com at 10am central!

Glenn Beck interviews Sarah Palin

On this cold, cold day in so many ways, here is something that will warm your heart.



via Libertarian Republican

Winning in Iraq

WSJ has this excellent piece titled "Bush's Real Sin Was Winning in Iraq."

Yet perhaps the most important reason for this unpopularity is the one least commented on.

Here's a hint: It's not because of his failures. To the contrary, Mr. Bush's disfavor in Washington owes more to his greatest success. Simply put, there are those who will never forgive Mr. Bush for not losing a war they had all declared unwinnable.

Oh, how the Democrats howled about how the war was lost. Let's just cut our losses and get out of there, they pleaded. Obama said he was "not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq are going to solve the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do the reverse."

All proven wrong.

The media was against the surge, Democrats were against the surge. Yet it worked. Now they are as quiet as church mice about Iraq. Not a squeak.

After 9-11 Bush told us that he would do everything in his power to get those who planned 9-11 and to keep us safe.

He did both.

Here is one man's thank you: via Mudville

SGP twitter ball tonight!

I'll try to keep your mind off "things" today. Here is the place for "NoObama" news!

Bush commutes sentences of Ramos and Compean

While it's not a pardon. It's still pretty sweet. They are free March 20th.

God bless them.

Even with Obama, money rules

Anyone who thinks Obama is a different kind of politician is only fooling themselves. My gosh, even ABC is noticing: via HotAir


President-elect Barack Obama billed his inauguration an event “for all Americans.” But in the nation’s capital this long weekend, wealthy visitors are finding themselves a bit more equal — and warmer — than others.
Most Americans here to see President-elect Obama make history crammed onto buses and trains, slept on floors and fought crowds and cold. But the wealthiest Americans coming to see the event are enjoying all the perks their money and power ever warranted.

For CEOs and stars arriving by private jet, local airports have shut down entire runways to serve as parking lots for their planes. Officials are prepared to handle hundreds of private aircraft for the long weekend.

More:

Visitors who hadn’t raised hundreds of thousands of dollars couldn’t get closer to the performance. “Excuse me! You got tickets? If you don’t have tickets, you have to go to ‘General Population,’” shouted a guard at an entrance near the memorial, gesturing with her arms to turn around and head back away from the show.

The concert was supposed to be part of “the people’s party,” said Shawn Paterniti, who had come with his wife Mia from Columbia, Md., to see the show. “But still, you have the VIPs who want their front-row seats. So I guess they get their tickets no one knows about,” he said, as he and his wife headed to join the “general population,” far away from the performances.
“It seems odd to have a VIP section for a concert about unity,” quipped the local blog DCist.com. The blogger, Kriston Capps, suggested a new name for the event: “We Are One, but Some Are More One Than Others.”

Read my tribute written in 1994 in the Star Fort Worth Star Telegram here.

Gun Stuff

I finally got to shoot my new gun today. I was a bit nervous. I held the gun too tight and now I have a bruise on the bottom of my thumb. I tried to prepare myself for how loud this place is. I'm just astounded at the different types of guns at the shooting range. I swear, some looked like bazookas. All types of people too.

It was fun though. I'm terrible at it right now, but I'm going to take some classes and get better (I had someone coaching me, but not a professional). I tried to get a video of me shooting (my still camera does it) but it didn't work right and it's just as well, like I said, I was terrible. Too nervous. Too tight.

Practice. Practice. I'll keep you guys updated!

I wanted to share.....

You guys know how much I appreciate you reading me. I wanted to share you with a few links where different news organizations picked me up. It's so cool. I love it. Reuters picks me up pretty regularly so I assume that is where these newspapers get me. Here are a few.

USA Today

Chicago Sun Times (they pick me up all the time. Someone must be a conservative over there!)

Naperville Sun

The Houston Chronicle (Even though I blog for them, someone over there picked me up. Probably didn't even know I did blog for them)

Beacon News

I even got picked up by the New York Times a while back, but I forgot to bookmark it and now I can't find it. Also way back I was in some German paper that was written in German, naturally. This was before I was aware of Bablefish to translate it, so I have no idea what it was about.

I share this with you because I find it amazing that just an ordinary citizen like me can have her voice heard because of the blogosphere. It really is astounding when you think about it. It really means that everyone's voice can be heard.