Heh. via COC

The Beauty of Gitmo

Miss Universe made a visit to Gitmo.

I think she liked it.

I didn’t want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful.

via Hotair

A Beck Beating

I saw this live yesterday and it was simply delicious.

From Newsbusters:

Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck has already shown he's a rating success and is leaving a mark in cable news. However, he may have pulled one of his most successful performances yet.

Beck interviewed Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on his March 30 broadcast. But, the radio and TV host took the opportunity to tell Blumenthal what he thought of his investigation into the bonuses received by American International Group (AIG) executives - whose company received federal bailout money.

"Look, you know what you have done, know what you have done?" Beck said. "You have - you are an insult to George Washington, sir. George Washington made it very clear that we are a respecter of laws, not of men. For your own political gain, you have decided to go after these people at AIG because it is a popular thing."

***Oh, I almost forgot to mention that my Houston buddy Felicia Cravens who is heading up the Houston Tea Party on the 15th of April was also on Beck yesterday. She was the one who led the organization meeting I was a part of and blogged about the other day. She was awesome.

This car's for you!

I see that I wasn't the only one disturbed to see Pres. Obama on TV assuring us that our car warranty will be safe like a used car salesman:

What America really needs in these tough times is a new Used Car Dealer-in-Chief!

And that's just what we got from the Grand Foyer of the White House yesterday as Obama explained all the great new features of owning the world's second-largest automaker.

"Just in case there's still nagging doubts," Obama said, as if to a skeptical buyer.

"Let me say it as plainly as I can: If you buy a car from Chrysler or General Motors, you will be able to get your car serviced and repaired, just like always."

All that was missing was the sharkskin suit, giant pinky ring and slicked-back 'do.

"Your warranty will be safe," Obama promised. "In fact, it will be safer than it's ever been!

"Because, starting today, the United States government will stand behind your warranty."

Sold!

But wait.

This is the same federal government that can't even switch America to digital TV?

Even Jon Stewart had a segment yesterday showing Obama as a slick oily used car salesman.

The problem here? People are fooled every day by a used car salesman.

Look at this AWESOME map of the tea parties!

The GM CEO steps down

I have only a quote to share you:

“Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.” -- Mussolini

Don't be fooled people...

Pres. Obama is all about perception. From his teleprompter to his town halls, all must be carefully orchestrated.

From the WaPo:

But while the online question portion of the White House town hall was open to any member of the public with an Internet connection, the five fully identified questioners called on randomly by the president in the East Room were anything but a diverse lot. They included: a member of the pro-Obama Service Employees International Union, a member of the Democratic National Committee who campaigned for Obama among Hispanics during the primary; a former Democratic candidate for Virginia state delegate who endorsed Obama last fall in an op-ed in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star; and a Virginia businessman who was a donor to Obama's campaign in 2008.

The Shame of Notre Dame

The academia of Notre Dame are sending out e-mails on how to handle the outraged Catholics that are protesting Pres. Obama speaking at their commencement this year.

I was struck by this sentence in the e-mail:

"Rather, the invitation recognizes the president for his historic election, for his concern for the poor, for his efforts to improve educational standards, his respect for the role of faith and religious institutions, and for his commitment to ending war. These issues are dear to the heart of Notre Dame and all Catholics."

Let's take these one by one. Concern for the poor? Records show that Obama gave less than 1% of his income from 2001-2006 to the poor. Real concern there. Improving educational standards? Is that why he is abandoning school choice for Washington D.C. kids? His respect of the role of faith? Rev. Wright. Need I say more? But I will say more. When he reduces tax deductions for charitable contributions, who will suffer the most? The Churches that help the poor of course. His commitment to ending the war? He has announced he will not speed up the process of bringing troops home from Iraq, saying the work isn't done. He is sending 17,000 troops to Afghanistan next month.

Yeah, I can see how these issues override his pro-abortion stances.

Geeze.

The new era...of wussy

From NRO:


The United States can do nothing to stop North Korea from breaking international law in the next 10 days by firing a missile that is unlikely to be shot down by the U.S. or its allies, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday.

Appearing on "FOX News Sunday," Gates said North Korea "probably will" fire the missile, prompting host Chris Wallace to ask: "And there's nothing we can do about it?"
"No," Gates answered, adding, "I would say we're not prepared to do anything about it."

Get Ready For A Party!

Get ready for The TAX DAY TEA PARTY here in Houston.

It's pretty simple. If you think Washington and our politicians are out of control spenders and you don't want your children and grandchildren saddled with enormous debt, then you are the one who needs to attend this tea party. It's one of many across the country.

If you don't believe that we can spend our way out of this economic crisis, then you need to attend. If you are sick of "bailouts' then you need to attend. If you think that government is overreaching and too intrusive, then you need to attend. If you believe in a government that is supposed to be for the people and by the people, then you need to attend.

This is about change. But it's isn't about one man or one party. It's about us. You and me, the American taxpayer, upon which the burden of all this spending will fall.

Channel 13 did a story on it Thurs. See it here.

Here are the details:

April 15 Wednesday 4 p.m. lasting indefinitely - Jones Plaza – 601 Louisiana St Houston TX 77201 by the downtown Post Office Houston



Mark your calender RIGHT NOW.

I went to a organizational meeting of The Tea Party yesterday in Houston. Over 60 people showed up and it was clear they had had enough. Although this was largely a conservative/libertarian group, political labels weren't used. This isn't about Republicans or Democrats. It's about the people of this great country fed up with Washington invading our lives and spending money we don't have. It's about standing up against the unfair burden Washington is forcing upon us.

If you don't believe me, you should have heard the crowd when certain high ranking Republican politicians who wished to speak at the tea party were mentioned. A big "NO' roared from the group. It was clear that this group was as mad at the Republicans for spending as they were at the Democrats. Almost everyone agreed that this wasn't about the politicians or elected officials, this was about the weary taxpayer. It was about the people. It was about the constitution and what it demands of limited government.



Revolution. Liberty.



Be There.

Democrats make me laugh

I can't get over how The Smartest Woman in the universe keeps screwing up.

It's almost as bad as Biden's latest gaffe.

Not surprising, Al Gore ignores "Earth Hour."

Oh, how they made fun of Bush, but these clowns make Bush look like Einstein.

You knew this was coming...

The left is noticing that Pres. Obama, having actually seen intelligence that warn of keeping vigilant against terrorists, continues a military presence in the Middle East. One that will inevitably result in military deaths. Many on the left are not happy.

Maddow, a BIG leftie, tries to justify what Obama is doing somewhat, but she puts together the side by side comparison of Obama and Bush justifying bringing our military to the Middle East. It struck me the same way.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

via Gawker who says Michael Moore is NOT HAPPY either. He says Obama is just like Bush.

You gotta laugh. No one is left enough for these people.

Punish the rich, punish the poor

Just a few comments about Pres. Obama's continued attack on the successful. Now he wants to reduce how much one can take off in tax deductions for charity. Dick Morris points out what Obama failed to mention.

Obama claims it will only impact one or two percent of us. The part that he so conveniently left out is that that one or two percent DOES ALMOST HALF THE DONATING to privtate charity in this country.

Obama is just determined to get us coming or going. If we reduce our giving because we don't get to take off as much, then Obama gets more money from us to fund what HE wants to fund. He doesn't care about private charity or church. He never gave even 1% of what he made to those things.

Who will this hurt the most? The poor.

In 2006, the most recent year for which data is available, four million taxpayers had adjusted gross incomes of $200,000 or more. They comprised 3% of the tax returns, made 31% of the income, but donated 44% of all charitable contributions. Together, they provided charity with $81 billion in that year.

Obama's plan will cost them $10 billion in extra taxes on the income they allocated to charitable donations. How can the president be so glibly certain that they will not curtail their charitable contributions by a like amount or even more?

Imagine all the harm Obama's program will cause. Churches will be hit most hard. They account for the largest share of charitable donations, but universities, disease research, hospitals, soup kitchens, and cultural institutions will also be hard hit. So will international relief efforts that funnel aid abroad through churches or directly.

It is totally dishonest for Obama to pretend that his curtailment of these deductions won't hurt the poor. It will most directly impact them since most of the charities Obama is hurting focus on helping the impoverished.

Here Dick Morris hits the nail on the head:

This proposal is not about saving money. It is about controlling it. By, in effect, transferring at least $11 billion a year from private philanthropy to government spending, Obama empowers the public sector at the expense of the voluntary one.

New Day, New Nightmare

Good grief.

I'm a mutant

I had a lot of fun last night tweeting about my blue eyed status being the cause of all the world's trouble. In case you missed it:

Brazil's President, while meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Thursday, said the global financial crisis was caused by "white people with blue eyes."

Now I find that I'm a mutant. If only I could be the Halle Barry kind of mutant.

Punishing Conservatives

Last year I quoted a George Will column regarding how conservatives give much more to charity. This is from from that column:

Sixteen months ago, Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, published "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism." The surprise is that liberals are markedly less charitable than conservatives.

-- Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).

-- Conservatives also donate more time and give more blood.

-- Residents of the states that voted for John Kerry in 2004 gave smaller percentages of their incomes to charity than did residents of states that voted for George Bush.

-- Bush carried 24 of the 25 states where charitable giving was above average.

-- In the 10 reddest states, in which Bush got more than 60 percent majorities, the average percentage of personal income donated to charity was 3.5. Residents of the bluest states, which gave Bush less than 40 percent, donated just 1.9 percent.

Anyone familiar with the charitable giving of say...Al Gore before and when he was Vice President compared to Vice President Dick Cheney can't help but be struck by the difference:

In a 34-page 1997 federal tax return, Vice President Al Gore and wife Tipper reported giving $353 to charity. In 1992, aided by the royalties of Gore's book, "Earth In The Balance," the couple donated $52,558. Most of that -- $50,000 -- went to the University of Tennessee to endow a chair in memory of Gore's late sister.

VP DickCheney on the other hand:

In one of the largest sums ever donated to charity by a U.S. public official, Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne gave away nearly $7 million last year to help the poor and to medical research.

Obama released his tax returns from 2000-2006 when running for President:

..the Obamas gave far less than 1% of their income to charity; in three of the years, they gave around 1% of their income to charity.

John McCain in comparison:

In 2006, Mr. McCain said he had $358414 in total income and donated $64695, or 18 percent of his total income, to charity.

It's an amazing difference, isn't it?

We conservatives believe in "spreading the wealth" as well, we just want to do it ourselves and not let the government waste it or spend our money on things we are morally opposed to.

It's quite clear that conservatives are more generous when it comes to charity.

So.... is it no surprise that Pres. Obama proposal to change tax policy that will reduce the tax deduction on charitable giving is really aimed at conservatives?

Pres. Obama really is ingenious in his 40 different ways of taxing "the rich." But successful people didn't get there by being stupid or foolish with their money.

Successful people are generous with their money. That is clear. But class warfare and punishing the rich has never and will never work.

Let's not re-write history Pres. Obama

Fred Barnes via Ace


I would say it's worse than "pablum." Frequently, it's simply a flat-out lie:
Obama also seems misinformed about America's economic record in recent decades. Prosperity was "fleeting," he said, but "our strategy is to ensure that we do not return to an economic cycle of bubble and bust." Again, this was in his text.

If he's talking about the past quarter-century, most Americans would love to return to that era. From late 1982 well into 2007, we experienced one of the greatest economic booms in the history of the world, interrupted only by two shallow and brief recessions. Prosperity wasn't fleeting. It was practically non-stop--until the housing bust and credit crisis hit last year.

Ever wanted to join the NRA?

You can now join for a year for FREE.

Good grief.

Every day is like a new nightmare. The Senate just passed the "Give" Act.

We have the two usual betrayers, Snowe and Collins.

Atlas Shrugs has our heros (including 3 Democrats!) here.

If you are not familiar with this, I posted on this previously here.

The Fox Is In The Hen House

CNBC's Larry Kudlow recently wrote that "Obama is declaring war on investors, entrepreneurs, small businesses, large corporations, and private-equity and venture-capital funds."

Certainly looks like that way with his punitive measures and taxes on these kinds of things.

One thing that Obama said on the Tonight Show the other night struck me though.

Obama said:

"We need young people instead of the, you know, a smart kid coming out of school, instead of wanting to be an investment banker, we need them to decide they want to be an engineer, want to be a scientist, they want to be a doctor or a teacher, and if we're rewarding those kinds of things that actually contribute to making things and -- and making people's lives better, that's going to put our economy on solid footing, we won't have this bubble and bust economy that we've gotten so caught up in for the last several years."

Maybe it's in vogue to be all against investment bankers, but guess who made 16 million dollars in just 3 years as an investment banker? That would be Pres. Obama's right hand man, The White House Chief of Staff......Rahm Emanual. A small part of that fortune was made in 2000 when Rahm was named to the board of Freddie Mac by Clinton. According to the Chicago Tribune:

Immediately upon joining the board, Emanuel and other new directors qualified for $380,000 in stock and options plus a $20,000 annual fee, records indicate.

It was easy money. The board met no more than 6 times a year. Do you think we can find some retro outrage left over from this AIG thing? Because it really isn't that different.

On Emanuel's watch, the board was told by executives of a plan to use accounting tricks to mislead shareholders about outsize profits the government-chartered firm was then reaping from risky investments. The goal was to push earnings onto the books in future years, ensuring that Freddie Mac would appear profitable on paper for years to come and helping maximize annual bonuses for company brass.

The accounting scandal wasn't the only one that brewed during Emanuel's tenure.During his brief time on the board, the company hatched a plan to enhance its political muscle. That scheme, also reviewed by the board, led to a record $3.8 million fine from the Federal Election Commission for illegally using corporate resources to host fundraisers for politicians. Emanuel was the beneficiary of one of those parties after he left the board and ran in 2002 for a seat in Congress from the North Side of Chicago.

We still don't know what's on those phone tapes of Gov. Blago's with Rahm. If you remember, Rahm suddenly found that he had to travel out of the country during the whole Blago fiasco. It was easy to avoid questions that way.

Obama doesn't seem to mind that his own Chief of Staff was once one of those "evil" investment bankers AND was a part of the Freddie Mac greed that started this whole stack of cards to fall.

Rahm has slimeball written all over him. I hope the Chicago Tribune has the guts and the fortitude to keep looking into this scumbag. I can't believe he is our President's right hand man.

The Fox is in the henhouse. It's going to get bloody.

Marriage on the Blogs!

Ann Althouse is getting married to one of her long time commenters. (her blog here)

He had been commenting on her blog for five years.

I get it. There are quite a few of you long time commenters that, if I was single, I would defintely want to meet.

I think it's kind of cool that two people can get to know each other through words only for so many years before meeting.

So, congrats Ann. May God bless your union and you be as happy in life as you were in cyberlife.

;-)

"Let America Work"

HotAir has the video of Sen. DeMint and the full text of his speech against the "Give Act" here.

I told you at CPAC that this guy gets it.

These are not Government decisions. We need to focus on what we were set up to do and do it much better than we are doing, instead of every week coming in here, bringing our good intentions and our compassion and every problem we see across the country we say something needs to be done. Then we say: The Government needs to do it.

That is the fatal flaw of the Congress today, is we forget that sacred oath of office that says: We will protect and defend the Constitution which says this Federal Government has a very limited function. And those functions that are not prescribed in the Constitution are left to individuals and to the States.

Contrary to what many of you believe about Democrats, they are not evil little socialists waiting to take over. Just as DeMint says, they are well intentioned. But we all know where the path paved with good intentions leads to.

Democrats believe that the government can better serve the people by orchestrating programs that help them in all areas of life. It's fine to believe that. But that is not what our founding fathers believed. It is not what our Constitution requires.

We are now at a point where we soon won't recognize the principles upon which our country was founded. As government has creeped into our lives over these many decades, we stood by quietly. We hoped that these programs, laws, intervention, and regulations would make our lives better. We "fought" a war on poverty through our government and clearly lost. We "fought" a war on drugs through our government and clearly lost. Our social ills will never be solved by the government. Never. Stop looking there and look in the mirror. The answer is with us and in us.

As more taxes eat away at our hard earned money, and more and more people become more dependent on the government, we are losing everything that made this country great. Liberty and freedom.

DeMint:

Civil society works because it is everything Government is not. It is small, it is personal, it is responsive, it is accountable. Civil society must be protected from any effort to make it more like Government.

That is what we are doing with this bill today. This bill centralizes control of important functions of our civil society. There is a downside to good intentions here in Government. The Founders created a limited government and our oath to support and defend the Constitution means that is our focus here. Our oath is to a limited government. The Founders wanted the people to be free from our good intentions. Government charity is anathema to what our Founders intended and what our Constitution stands for. Despite our good intentions, where we try to implement those good intentions and our compassion through the force of Government, we are effectively violating our oath of office here.

The key:

Do you see anything in our history as a Federal Government that shows we have the ability to effectively manage something like that without extreme levels of waste and fraud and abuse? Look what we have done recently with the stimulus plan and the bailout plans. As soon as it comes to light what is actually happening with that money, people are outraged at what is going on. Despite the good intentions of this bill, we are creating a huge new government entity that will be unmanageable and violates some of the core principles of our civil society. Every time the Government steps in to solve a problem, it creates three new problems in its place.

I'm just heartsick at what is being done here. Before Obama's 4 yr term is done government's sticky fingers will touch almost everything in our lives from healthcare to charitable giving and volunteerism. From increased taxes to owning banking institutions.

More:

Jefferson called it little democracies, when he saw these little groups all around America voluntarily doing things to solve problems and make communities better. Burke called them little platoons. Most people who understand America know that those voluntary groups are what made our country great and what sustain us even today. Civil society binds communities, not by its fruits, but by its motives–charity, donations, giving without thought of getting anything in return. This is the selfless sacrifice that happens throughout America today. This is what works.

This is what works. Each of us, in our own communities and in our own towns, know what we need. We work through local government if need be. What is good for the people of Texas might not be good for the people of New York. Each place, each person should have a say. It's called State Rights and we seem to have completely forgotten that.

The answer:

...we need to realize this Government needs to stop spending and stop borrowing, stop taxing, and let America work.

We can stop the budget vote!!

From Erik at RedState:

We need to get the Blue Dog Democrats to slow down budget approval in the House of Representatives. The vote in committee is tonight.

STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

PICK UP THE PHONE.

CALL 202-224-3121.

Ask for one of these five Congressmen:

1. Alan Boyd of Florida
2. Bob Etheridge of North Carolina
3. Charlie Melancon of Louisiana
4. Chet Edwards of Texas
5. John Yarmuth of Kentucky

Tell them to vote no on the budget tonight. We can stop the budget if you will pick up your phone right now. The vote is tonight.

AIG

There is always another side to the story.

This a letter of resignation from a man who worked for AIG. One of the men who received the bonuses that we have heard so much about. He had agreed to work for a $1 a year, but was promised a bonus contractually. He had nothing to do with the failure of AIG, but is one of those being asked (and possibly taxed 90% by Congress) to give back his bonus. Please read the link to get his full story, it is very interesting.

He is quitting and who could blame him? He has decided that instead of giving back his bonus (which in reality was his salary for the year), he will give it to charity. Why? "This is not a tax-deduction gimmick; I simply believe that I at least deserve to dictate how my earnings are spent, and do not want to see them disappear back into the obscurity of A.I.G.’s or the federal government’s budget. Our earnings have caused such a distraction for so many from the more pressing issues our country faces, and I would like to see my share of it benefit those truly in need."

What has happened here with this whole AIG bonus mess is pure class warfare. When you read through this man's letter you see that he has worked hard for his success. His background and experience was desperately needed at this company and at this time to prevent a disaster that would affect us all.

And what did we do? What did our govt do? We bought a spin of class warfare. We allowed and even encouraged punishment for a small group of people for nothing more than earning their living.

Despicable. We should all be ashamed of ourselves.

A Catholic Leader WHo Stands For Life

Bishop D'Arcy Will Not Attend Notre Dame Graduation

The Bishop will not attend because Pres. Obama is slated to speak.

His statement in part:

"President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred. While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life. "

This will be the 25th Notre Dame graduation during my time as bishop. After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation. I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well. I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith “in season and out of season,” and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions. "

My decision is not an attack on anyone, but is in defense of the truth about human life. "

I have in mind also the statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 2004. “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” Indeed, the measure of any Catholic institution is not only what it stands for, but also what it will not stand for.

..............................

"Even as I continue to ponder in prayer these events, which many have found shocking, so must Notre Dame. Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.


Thank you Bishop for standing for truth and for the most innocent and vunerable of our society.

Hellooo!!!!!!

From NRO:

Yesterday, Sen. Judd Gregg gave a scary-yet-accurate picture of what America’s fiscal outlook will look like if President Obama gets his budget adopted. The president’s plan means:

Seventeen trillion dollars worth of debt at the end of 10 years, $11 trillion at the end of five years. This translates into a debt-to-GDP ratio which we have not seen in this country since the end of World War II when we were trying to pay off the war debt. Basically, you take national debt up to about 80 percent of gross national product. That's the public debt. Historically, it's been about 40 percent.

Gregg explains the implications: “When you get up to an 80 percent ratio, where your public debt is 80 percent of your gross national product, and you maintain that ratio for years to come, you're basically running your country into the ground.”

Folks, this is from the guy Obama first nominated to be our Treasury Secretary.

Does the end of that sentence, "running your country into the ground," scare anyone??? Helloooo!!! Anyone out there??????

The "Give Act." Not what it seems?

Ok, ok. My buddies in the comments want us to take a good long look at "The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act" that passed the house yesterday. Now it goes to the Senate.

Whenever something is named in such a gobbly gook feel good wordy mess, you know you have something to worry about.

I don't think I'm quite where Gateway Pundit is by calling it "The Hitler Youth Bill," but am I bothered by it? You bet.

You can't get to the actual bill right now because of overload, but here is a summary.

Fox News reported that "“The legislation, slated to cost $6 billion over five years, would create 175,000 “new service opportunities” under AmeriCorps, bringing the number of participants in the national volunteer program to 250,000. It would also create additional “corps” to expand the reach of volunteerism into new sectors, including a Clean Energy Corps, Education Corps, Healthy Futures Corps and Veterans Service Corps, and it expands the National Civilian Community Corps to focus on additional areas like disaster relief and energy conservation.”

Gateway Pundit reports that Section 120 of the bill also discusses the “Youth Engagement Zone Program” and states that “service learning” will be “a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency”.

Yeah, it's that "mandatory" thing that brings us to the Hitler reference. If that is indeed true, then we should fight this with every ounce of strength we have. You don't MANDATE volunteerism. Yeah, because then it is no longer a volunteer thing.

There is no way on (if you will pardon the term) God's green earth I am going to let my children "serve' this country in some faux named "Clean Energy Corps" that is nothing more than the Al Gore school of global warming and melting icebergs. Obama and the Democrats could call it "the God's Green Earth Corp" and we would still know exactly what they are talking about; expensive energy alternatives that do not include the cleanest and most inexpensive and efficient energy of all......nuclear energy. Nor will it include shedding of our dependency on foreign oil by drilling more of our own oil and gas right here in our back yard.

As you read through the "public service" gobbly gook it's interesting to note that religion shall have no part in it. RB says in the comments that Congressman George Miller (D-CA) has attached Amendment 49 to this bill that includes language that would prohibits participants from:

(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization.

No Christians or any person of faith need apply unless you leave your faith at the door of "public service." Wow.

This is the dream of Obama. An ever expanding government to "better" our lives. This is truly unprecedented. Having Washington force participating states and organizations to permanently depend on the government for their service activities.

It may not be "Hitler's Youth," but it is almost as disturbing.


Update: Kat says in the comments that the "mandatory" language didn't make it into the Senate bill. Thank goodness. But can't more language be put in at the Senate level? Let's keep a watch on that. It seems with everything else going on, no one seems to be paying much attention to this.

RADIO!

I'll be on live at 10:00 central! Listen here!

"Political Malfeasance"

If you are like me, trying to make sense of Tarp bills, the omnibus bill, AIG bonuses, Mexico, China, inflation, debt, NAFTA, and trying to wrap your mind around how we are spending TRILLIONS freely, then you might want to read George Will here.

He ends with this:

This is but a partial list of recent lawlessness, situational constitutionalism and institutional derangement. Such political malfeasance is pertinent to the financial meltdown as the administration, desperately seeking confidence, tries to stabilize the economy by vastly enlarging government's role in it.

You might need to grab a dictionary to get through his article, but it's good and it's sums things up well.

The simple translation though is that our constitution is under attack. Congress and Obama are using this economic mess to expand government into our lives to a degree not seen before. In doing so they are making things worse.

Scary Update: This is exactly what Will was talking about: (msnbc)

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is considering asking Congress to give the Treasury secretary unprecedented powers to initiate the seizure of non-bank financial companies, such as large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, whose collapse would damage the broader economy, according to an administration document.

The government at present has the authority to seize only banks.

Giving the Treasury secretary authority over a broader range of companies would mark a significant shift from the existing model of financial regulation, which relies on independent agencies that are shielded from the political process.


Glenn Beck, call your office.

How's that "reputation" thing going?

Obama insisted during the campaign and has reiterated in his presidency that he would "restore America's reputation."

Let's see how he is doing in just the short time he has been President.

He totally ticked off our greatest ally, the Brits with rudeness and tacky gifts.

The Russians are laughing at us and our "reset" button.

The French are ticked that Obama didn't know who was actually the current President of France.

Poland is more than irritated that Obama may not live up to the our anti missile shield agreement.

The left's hero, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela thinks Obama is an "ignoramus."

Iran takes Obama's friendly gesture of a video taped message, and tells him to go stuff it.

I don't think this is going as Obama had planned. I'd rather be viewed as the bully than the wimp.

Geithner today

If you want an overview of the press briefing with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner today, a CNN reporter has one here.

Although I must say, she spends more time giving us a detailed description of Geithner's appearance than she does in what he actually says.

I'm not business savy, (I think that is obvious!) so I can't comment on the plan going forward that Geithner puts out there. But if you are business savy, tell me what you think.

Afghanistan

I really am amazed that Obama actually did something he said he would do during the campaign. He is sending 17,000 troops to Afghanistan in May.

I can only imagine the intelligence Obama has received since he took office that led him to this decision that he says was the hardest one he has made so far. What truths did Pres. Obama discover that made him see how important it was to continue Predator attacks in Pakistan? Now Pres. Obama will have to put up with the likes of Code Pink as well. They are "heartbroken."

Michael Yon isn't convinced Afghanistan is worth it. It is my hope that we don't let those people down again. Yon says this: (via NRO)

The hints coming out of Washington tend to cause me to believe we will abandon Afghanistan. I’m making no personal comment one way or the other yet, other than Iraq was worth the effort and costs all the way around – so long as we cement that success. Afghanistan seems little more than a tar pit. I want to hear General Petraeus say success is achievable, and to at least set some white lines by what he defines as success. He’s one of the very few people who have both the experience and character that are required to accurately estimate the truth and then deliver the good, bad and the ugly. If General Petraeus puts his word behind it, I’m only one man but I’ll back him. That’s about all there is to say on Afghanistan.

Also, Yon says this is a rumor going around Iraq:

The rumor: In Iraq, "Brigade Combat Teams" might be renamed to "Brigade Support Teams" so that President Obama can say there are no more "combat" troops in Iraq. This would be like calling your Rottweiler a Chihuahua because your condo does not allow Rottweilers. Pulling this off might require a Jedi Mind Trick. Call it what you like, Mr. President, but please don’t pull out the Rottweilers too quickly.

I totally believe it, don't you? It's all about perception with this President.

The Truth

Update! I'm bumping this to the top. Here is a site where you can register your complaint regarding Notre Dame inviting Pres. Obama to be the commencement speaker this year. Sign the petition! Over 21,000 signatures so far!


Archbishop Charles Chaput writes with such clarity regarding the failure of the Catholic Church in teaching it's true faith and Catholics allowing such evil in society, that I have nothing to add to it. It's perfect. (via HotAir)

Having been asked to examine what November 2008 and its aftermath can teach Catholics about American culture, the state of American Catholicism and the kind of Pauline discipleship necessary today, Archbishop Chaput said:

“November showed us that 40 years of American Catholic complacency and poor formation are bearing exactly the fruit we should have expected. Or to put it more discreetly, the November elections confirmed a trend, rather than created a new moment, in American culture.”

Noting that there was no question about President Barack Obama’s views on abortion “rights,” embryonic stem cell research and other “problematic issues,” he commented:

“Some Catholics in both political parties are deeply troubled by these issues. But too many Catholics just don’t really care. That’s the truth of it. If they cared, our political environment environment would be different. If 65 million Catholics really cared about their faith and cared about what it teaches, neither political party could ignore what we believe about justice for the poor, or the homeless, or immigrants, or the unborn child. If 65 million American Catholics really understood their faith, we wouldn’t need to waste each other’s time arguing about whether the legalized killing of an unborn child is somehow ‘balanced out’ or excused by three other good social policies.”

Offering a sober evaluation of the state of American Catholicism, he added:

“We need to stop over-counting our numbers, our influence, our institutions and our resources, because they’re not real. We can’t talk about following St. Paul and converting our culture until we sober up and get honest about what we’ve allowed ourselves to become. We need to stop lying to each other, to ourselves and to God by claiming to ‘personally oppose’ some homicidal evil — but then allowing it to be legal at the same time.”

Commenting on society’s attitude towards Catholic beliefs, Archbishop Chaput said, “we have to make ourselves stupid to believe some of the things American Catholics are now expected to accept.”

“There’s nothing more empty-headed in a pluralist democracy than telling citizens to keep quiet about their beliefs. A healthy democracy requires exactly the opposite.

Update: Add to this the pathetic and deeply disturbing fact that Notre Dame has asked Pres. Obama, the most pro-abortion President ever, to speak at their 2009 commencement, and you have a University who no longer holds what is truly "Catholic" to be true.

More to the point is George Weigel here.

Slate Stupid

Mark Steyn points out how the left can't let Bush go, even when it's obvious that our new President gives them plenty to make fun of:

In turbulent times, it's good to know some things never change. After a week in which President Obama thanked himself for inviting him to the White House, compared AIG executives to suicide bombers, and did the first Presidential retard joke on national TV, I was impressed to find that Slate is bravely keeping up its Bushism Of The Day feature.

Four more years!

Update: Obama wasn't finished with the gaffes this week.

From RedState:

We would like to think that this is a joke. Sadly, the French media is reporting as true that Barack Obama sent a letter to the President of France pledging support and friendship. His actual words were

“I am certain that we will be able to work together, in the coming four years, in a spirit of peace and friendship to build a safer world.”

There’s just one problem: he sent it to the wrong guy. That’s right. Barack Obama sent the letter to the former President of France, not the present President.

And Nicholas Sarkozy is not amused.*

Give credit where credit is due.....

Pres. Obama is getting one thing right in the war on terror (although he isn't calling it that anymore, he's calling it an "enduring struggle" against bad stuff or something like that...;-)

Anyway, Pres. Obama is continuing the Predator attacks in Pakistan against Al Qaeda that Bush began about 6 months ago without Pakistan's permission.

According to the LA Times, The stepped-up Predator campaign has "killed at least nine senior Al Qaeda leaders and dozens of lower-ranking operatives" and "has depleted the organization's operational tier."

Also, "A strike in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province last Sunday was the second in four days, and the ninth this year."

So good on Pres. Obama. When he does get things right, we need to acknowledge it.

Palin Responds

Regarding Obama's Special Olympics comment on Leno:

“I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics,” Governor Palin said. “This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world.“These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will. By the way, these athletes can outperform many of us and we should be proud of them. I hope President Obama’s comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community.”

Given that she has a special needs child, she has every right to respond.

Obama sends a love letter...

..To Iran. Via video.

I kid you not.

Let's get this out of the way....

Ok, ok. Pres. Obama said "Special Olympics' when referring to his bowling skills on Leno last night. Yes, it made me wince, but it's not the stupidest thing he has ever said so far. Are we really going to slice and dice every slip up he makes like the left did with Bush? Didn't we get SICK of it?

Payback may be a b*tch, but I think we have enough substantive issues and differences that we don't need to pick apart a not well chosen phrase.

What bothers me is that a sitting President even went on The Tonight Show. Just seeing him sitting on that couch like a TV sit com star wanna be, made me uncomfortable.

Obama is trying to keep his ratings up so he can keep passing all his legislative goals (bigger govt), but it's time for him to stop campaigning and start governing (had to add this to further the point, First Read points out that yesterday Obama accidently referred to "voters", showing him to still be in "candidate mode"). Just saying that he is there to "fix problems" isn't enough. He needs to stop townhalls, stop basketball charts, stop Tonight Show appearances, and sit down at the White House, listen to people who know their stuff, and make the tough decisions.

Be the President, Mr. President, not a celebrity.

Update: Let's take a look at someone who really understands Special Olympics. Here is Gov. Palin addressing the 2009 Special Olympics:

The Bait and Switch

Don't let this "distraction" of taxing the AIG bonuses, the blowhards in Congress railing against the bonuses, and Obama denying that he had anything to do with it, keep you from understanding the truth.

The truth is this. Make no mistake about it. These AIG bonuses are the fault of President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senator Chris Dodd. It was under their watch and advocacy that the language that allowed these bonuses to be paid to AIG employees was able to make it into the stimulus bill and became law.

If you remember, Republicans were shut out of the legislative process of the stimulus debate both in the House and the Senate. Period. No one actually read the bill, and then, in the middle of the night, the Democrats in the Conference Committee added the provision that allowed these bonuses. Republicans had NOTHING to do with it.

Now the Dems are trying to cover their a** with all this fake outrage. It's that simple.

President Obama, if you remember, lied about always allowing five days of review online before he would sign the stimulus bill into law. That didn't happen and the legislation was RUSHED though. If we could have had a good look at this, then the bonus language would have been caught.

The Democrats are hoping that their "outrage" will be the soundbites Americans hear, not the truth. Given the liberal media, that might well be the case.

Pathetic.

ACORN, Fraud, and the Obama Campaign

Just got off a conference call that I thought you all might find interesting. It was with Republican National Lawyers Association Vice President Heather Heidelbaugh.

Today in testimony to the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Republican National Lawyers Association Vice President Heather Heidelbaugh asserted that ACORN's Project Vote violated Internal Revenue Code by participating in voter registration and turn out operations for President Obama's campaign.

This isn't just about voter fraud. It's is clear they participated in during the election, in my view. No. It's more than that.

There is a lot of legalese, but let me boil it down for you. There are two whistleblowers helping out Ms. Heidelbaugh. One is Anita Moncrief. She worked as a development associate for ACORN and during the election she was working on the sly with the New York Times regarding all the nefarious things going on with ACORN. She says that the Obama campaign sent a list of maxed out donors to ACORN asking them to contact the donors to give to ACORN since they could no longer give any more money to Obama. This is a clear violation of federal election law. Moncrief shared this with the New York Times, who (surprise!).....killed the story. This is why Moncrief went to Ms. Heidelbaugh.

If that isn't enough to make you sick, then maybe the fact that ACORN is one of about 250 national partners picked to help publicize and recruit employees for the Census might get you a bit nauseous.

What could possibly go wrong? A Democratic front group helping the U.S. Census. It's outrageous and we should all let Congress know that it is.

Enough Obama

Even the network people are complaining about Obama's constant need to explain himself or make excuses:

You know who this global economic implosion is really hurting? Broadcast networks. How can they mint money if Overlord Obama is constantly doing TV addresses, like a Soviet Secretary General?

The president has done all of two primetime TV speeches, and now he's requesting a third, during sweeps. If he's taking this much airtime now, what's Obama going to do when there's, like, a war or two going on, or maybe some kind of looming depression?

The network suits are all bitching, anonymously, to the Hollywood Reporter:

"These repeated interruptions — and the rumor of even more to come — really make it difficult to build audience flow and loyalty. We will all lose one or two million dollars for this."

And tonight you can catch the leader of the free world on Jay Leno! What's next? Is he going to star in a movie? A guest spot on "24" perhaps?

More Good News...

Some Guantanamo prisoners could be released in US

Every day seems worst than the day before.

The Conscience of the Christian Healthcare worker

The conscience of the Christian healthcare worker doesn't seem to be much of a concern of President Obama:

On January 20, 2009, President Bush implemented regulations that would protect health care workers who refuse to participate in abortion-related activities from discrimination. President Obama and his Department of Health and Human Services have published their intent to overturn these regulations. The regulations are intended to educate health care professionals, as well as the general public, about the rights of medical personnel to treat their patients in accordance with their conscience, free from discrimination or intimidation. They also give health care professionals a way to press charges in the event that they experience discrimination. By law the Obama Administration must leave a 30 day period open for the public to comment on his repeal of the right of conscience. Please write into the Department of Health and Human Service today and tell them that you oppose discrimination on account of conscience!

Please let your voice be heard!! Email at proposedrescission@hhs.gov.

Existing federal law allows health-care workers to refuse on moral grounds to provide abortions. This rule Bush strengthened and extended those protections. Overturning these regulations would result in Christian Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals (and especially Catholic Hospitals, which would close rather than comply) not being able to opt out of performing or helping in abortion if their conscience dictates this.

Cardinal Francis George, the head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) met with Pres. Obama for half an hour this week in a meeting not on Obama's schedule, and kept on the down low. The meeting was "private," and few details were given, but the Cardinal released a video the same day regarding the conscience protection regulations, which may suggest what he talked to Pres. Obama about.

According to LifeSiteNews, the Cardinal says the following in the video:

Cardinal George, the president of the USCCB, taped the video released today after the Obama Administration announced in early March that it was rescinding the regulations which guarantee that health workers cannot be forced to provide services that violate their consciences, including abortions.

"As Catholic bishops and American citizens, we are deeply concerned that such an action on the government's part would be the first step in moving our country from democracy to despotism," says the Cardinal in the video.

"Respect for personal conscience and freedom of religion as such ensures our basic freedom from government oppression. No government should come between an individual person and God - that's what America is supposed to be about. This is the true common ground for us as Americans. We therefore need legal protection for freedom of conscience and of religion-including freedom for religious health care institutions to be true to themselves."

The Cardinal observed that the country respects conscientious objection in the case of those who object to war, "even though it's good to defend your country," and for physicians who do not want to participate in the death penalty.

"Why shouldn't our government and our legal system permit conscientious objection to a morally bad action, the killing of babies in their mother's womb?" he asks. "People understand what really happens in an abortion and in related procedures - a living member of the human family is killed - that's what it's all about - and no one should be forced by the government to act as though he or she were blind to this reality."

The Cardinal concluded by urging concerned citizens to contact the government and tell them to retain the conscience protection regulations: "I ask you please to let the government know that you want conscience protections to remain strongly in place. In particular, let the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington know that you stand for the protection of conscience, especially now for those who provide the health care services so necessary for a good society.


The Abortion President strikes again. Let your voice be heard folks.

Dems Fake Outrage

If you really want to understand the absolute hypocritical nature of the Democratic Congressmen in this afternoon grilling of AIG chief executive, Edward Libby (who btw, came out of retirement to help Congress and AIG out of this mess and takes no salary) then look no further than David Freddoso at NRO. It really is laughable that the Congressmen (especially Barney Frank) express such faux outrage at the $165 million in bonuses paid by AIG to its executives. Why? Because they approved it to begin with :(emphasis mine)

One after another, members of the subcommmittee asked some version of the question: How could the company, in the midst of raking in $173 billion from the government and its Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), do something so “unconscionable?”

Rep. Paul Hodes (D., N.H.) declared that the AIG employees’ contracts containing the bonuses “should be held to be invalid or unenforceable on the grounds of public policy.” (No one is sure exactly what that is supposed to mean.) Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.), chairman of the Financial Services Committee, suggested that the government use its status as 80-percent owner of AIG to sue and recoup employees’ contractually obligated bonuses. “They gave themselves contracts that insulate them from the losses,” Frank complained. “We’re the effective owners of this company. We ought to exercise our rights as the owners . . . . Let’s bring a lawsuit, as the owners, against people who really did damage to the company.”

But Frank, Hodes, and 244 other congressmen — all Democrats — voted last month for a stimulus package that explicitly allows TARP funds to be used for such bonuses. To be precise, President Obama’s $789 billion stimulus package contained the following provision, which deals specifically with executive compensation at AIG and other companies that receive TARP money:

The prohibition required under clause (i) shall not be construed to prohibit any bonus payment required to be paid pursuant to a written employment contract executed on or before February 11, 2009, as such valid employment contracts are determined by the Secretary or the designee of the Secretary.

Rep. Ed Royce (R., Calif.) read this statutory language to the subcommittee twice during the hearing’s early-afternoon session, just in case anyone was unaware. The executive compensation loophole was not merely a holdover from President Bush’s original bailout plan. It was laid out in clear statutory language that was enacted and signed by Democrats over vigorous Republican opposition. The provision was inserted in conference committee by Senate Banking Committee chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.), one of the biggest beneficiaries of political contributions from AIG employees.

As Royce noted, “Some Democrats were aware of the bonuses, and went out of their way to protect those bonuses.” President Obama was one of them, but you would not know it from his dramatic performance on Monday, when he addressed the issue of AIG bonuses. “I mean, how do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?” Obama asked. “This is not just a matter of dollars and cents. It’s about our fundamental values . . . excuse me, I’m choked up with anger here.”

Yet it was Obama who signed the very bill that made the rules for bonuses under TARP, and that bill clearly allowed these bonuses.
..................................

In Congress, true outrages are not intended to be remedied in realistic ways. Rather, they represent opportunities for politicians — in this case Democrats — to pretend outrage at their own legislation, and then to score points with populist rhetoric.

Update: Here is a bit more interesting tidbits:

Don't look to the Associated Press to hold the relevant actors accountable for the AIG bonus scandal. This piece buries the lede, leaving all mention of the stimulus package for the 14th paragraph, and mentioning the Dodd amendment only in the 26th paragraph:

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., won passage of a provision earlier this year that they said would have prevented the type of payments now at the center of a storm.
It was dropped without explanation in the final compromise on the economic stimulus measure, replaced by a less restrictive set of conditions backed by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and accepted by the White House.

"The president goes out and says this is not acceptable and then some backroom deal gets cut to let these things get paid out anyway," said Wyden.

Good grief. The Foxes were watching the hen house and now they are outraged that some hens are gone. It's beyond ridiculous.

I've got two words for you my friends. Tea. Party.

The pathetic story of the Octo-Mom

I never posted on the Octo-Mom. I mean, why should I? Everyone seem to agree that she was reprehensible, immoral, and wrong to do what she did. We all said she should be banned, ignored and possibly have the children taken away.

She said she just wanted more children. She claimed she wanted to write a book about raising children. She clearly wanted some fame out of it.

Almost as disturbing as what she did, is the fact that our fascination (horror) of her and these poor babies has gotten her everything she wanted. Nannies, nurses, a house, and a reality show as icing on the cake.

At least this Angelina Jolie shaped faced woman won't be depending on the American taxpayer for a living anymore (or will that continue as well?)

What have we learned here?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Veterans to pay

If you aren't angry enough over the whole AIG thing, this will really make your blood boil.


From Tony Perkins:

The president has proposed a plan that will force veterans to pay for their own treatment of injuries and disabilities resulting from military service to help fund his massive expansion of government spending. Under the plan, the Department of Veterans Affairs would generate revenue by billing veterans' private health insurance providers.

We have a moral obligation to care for those who have been harmed while serving to protect us; not exploit them for cash.

Petition to President Obama on Care for Wounded Veterans

"Diary of a Mad Black Conservative"

Couldn't agree more:

The fact that some people would actually attempt to replace Michael Steele this early shows a grotesque amount of racial insensitivity and would even push loyal GOPers like me to the door. Imagine, to an outsider, how it would look if the Republican Party overthrew its first black chairman.Overthrowing Michael Steele before even one political election has taken place is suicide.

Read the whole thing.

It's all spin folks...

Obama goes on TV to tell us how outraged he is over the AIG bonuses. He gives us ear candy (a phrase I got on twitter, and will continue to use because it just so perfectly describes Obama and his rhetoric) and he tells us what we want to hear. He tells us they will fight to keep the AIG guys from getting their bonuses. But the truth is, his administration knew about them all along. This is from the lefty Talking Points Memo:

I was reading this very dispiriting article in the Times about how folks in the administration have known about the AIG bonuses for months, how the folks at AIG are now saying they'd never have done any of it without the go-ahead from the Treasury and -- best of all -- how the plan to get AIG to pay the bonus money back appears to involve giving AIG still more taxpayer money which they can then hand back to us as 'repayment', while the new bonused execs (bonees?) get to keep the money anyway.

Forget Tax Problems, Obama Taps a Thief

Fromm Gawker:

In the annals of vetting, this will go down as the most laughable miss ever: Vivek Kundra, the D.C. official tapped by Obama to run government technology, pleaded guilty to a theft charge in 1997.

Kundra is currently suspended from his White House job as Yusuf Acar, a manager in the D.C. office Kundra headed, faces bribery charges unrelated to Kundra's 12-year-old theft. When Kundra, an advocate of free Web-based software like Gmail, was first named to the CIO post, tech enthusiasts hailed his nomination as proof that Obama took their concerns seriously. They have fallen strangely silent as Kundra's reputation has grown tarnished. One of Kundra's few remaining defenders, TechPresident's Micah Sifry, noted Kundra's work in "theft and fraud prevention" as he wrote Sunday, "We believe people are innocent until they're proven guilty, right?"

Right. Here's some guilty for you!

Maryland state records show that a Vivek Kundra pleaded guilty to a theft of less than $300, for which he received supervised probation before judgment and a fine of $500, $400 of which was suspended.

This and That

The government solving problems that didn't exist. An excellent piece by Thomas Sowell about the roots of the housing crisis.

The Stem Cell Sham by P.J. O'Rourke. So good, I insist you stop right now and read it.

In Memory of Ron Silver.

Could WH Press Secretary Robert Gibbs be any more classless? I know they think that if they can get people to focus on Rush Limbaugh, then maybe Americans won't notice that they don't really seem to know what they are doing, but it's not working.

I mentioned before that I had trouble finding bullets for my gun. They were sold out everywhere. I thought gun owners might be overreacting, but maybe not.

Chili Recipe

1lb ground meat (I usually use a bit more)
1 can of ranch beans (or any beans)
1 diced onion8 garlic cloves minced
1 29oz diced or crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz tomatoe sauce
3 Tbl chili powder
2t cumin
1t black pepper
1t salt
1 Tbl tobasco sauce

Brown the meat with onion on stovetop. Drain fat. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for a while. If you like jalapenos, put them on top as it cooks for smoky heat. Really good.

Steele Does Get It

Forget all the critics of Michael Steele. He gets it:

"I love this battle because what I see right now is leading to the ultimate political Armageddon between conservatism and liberalism," Steele declared at one point. "And the idea that free enterprise, free markets, free people are going to battle an oppressive, repressive, domineering government. I love that. That's what we are lining up for you folks. So you better get ready, strap it on, because it's coming. And you better pick your sides, you better choose now."

Huffpo is trying to bring him down, of course, but you can catch the audio there.

The Intolerance of the Left

Justice Antonin Scalia speaking with Peter Robinson of Uncommon Knowledge:

“My youngest child went to Amherst. I went to graduation there, and while I was there I gave a lecture. The lecture was boycotted by all of the faculty members at Amherst. It’s no skin off my nose…but it shows a closed-mindedness that should certainly not exist in the academy.”

This is truly appalling to me. This is a Supreme Court Judge. I would be just as appalled if it were a liberal Judge boycotted by the faculty. They should serve as examples of free thought and ideas. This behavior is antithetical to that end.

The left never fails to disappoint with their intolerance of people who don't agree with them.

Shame on Amherst indeed.

Success In Iraq

I know the left would like to forget Iraq because we didn't fail there, but while we might be depressed by what is going on here, It's good to take a look at what so many of our finest gave their lives for, and to thank them in our hearts for it's success.

Dick Cheney with John King:

Cheney said on CNN's "State of the Union with John King": "We have succeeded in creating, in the heart of the Middle East, a democratically governed Iraq. And that's a big deal. And that is, in fact, what we set out to do."

Even ABC news admits it:

Dramatic advances in public attitudes are sweeping Iraq, with declining violence, rising economic well-being and improved services lifting optimism, fueling confidence in public institutions and bolstering support for democracy.
...................................................

While deep difficulties remain, the advances are remarkable. Eighty-four percent of Iraqis now rate security in their own area positively, nearly double its August 2007 level. Seventy-eight percent say their protection from crime is good, more than double its low. Three-quarters say they can go where they want safely – triple what it's been.

It's clear that the negative media campaign against Bush and the United States in general, from our own media, skewed the Iraqi's view of us. The constant anti- American drumbeat had it's affect, but nonetheless, 64 percent of Iraqis, "now call democracy their preferred form of government."

Amazing.