Gay Marriage.

I don't know what can be added to the political issue of gay marriage that has not already been said. I do not believe that we should re-define marriage for any reason. It will only open up a pandora's box and we all know it. Polygamist will be the first to demand marriage as well. We have already seen this. Our efforts should be on strengthening marriage as it is. I think the divorce laws are far too lax and make it too easy to walk away. How to strengthen marriage is another post though.

I do believe that gay couples should certainly have the right to have a union where their partners decide medical decisions if they are not able to do so themselves and all other legal rights of a partner in a civil union. The problem is that marriage is a religious issue at it's heart. To most Americans marriage is seen as sacrament blessed by God (even if many Americans don't treat it as such) Our faith tells us that marriage is between a man and a woman. Naturally that would bring much emotion into the issue as the definition is attempted to be changed. Although the state does regulate and approve marriage, it is still defined by most Americans, as a religious vow to each other before God. I realize that many gay couples feel they have done that as well, but it is quite different to ask a society to change a fundamental belief to accommodate a small portion of the population. In the end, I have to say, that I see the gay rights advocates wanting this more as a stamp of approval by society than any real desire for marriage.

Shakespeare said "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." So what does it matter to gay couples if what they have is called a civil union as long as their rights are respected?

People have a right to share their life with whomever they wish. Gay people , although sexually different, are not different from straight people when it comes to being men and women of character or not. I have a problem with society in general with our obsession with sex. Sex is but a part of life. With many people it isn't a part at all. It is not our soul. It is not who we are. Who we are attracted to does not (or should not) define us. How we live our lives is what defines us.

I don't like how fighting for a gay marriage ban alienates gay people from the Republican party. There are so many wonderful talented people who happen to be gay. Should their sexuality be what we think of them? Or should it be their talent and kindness and intelligence? Which do you think they would rather be known for?

There are so many other issues that we should focus on that matter to all people. Issues that we, as conservatives, can agree on. As as seen on this blog, there are many gay conservatives. People, no matter what their sexual orientation or color or religion, can believe in and fight for smaller government, lower taxes, less regulation, a stronger military, a better educational system, and a belief in the sanctity of life.

One thing I know. God loves each of us without end. It doesn't matter if we are gay, straight, full of sin, or lost in grief or substance abuse. His love and mercy looks past all the things that haunt us. His love soothes and smoothes the rough edges of our lives. When people tell me they can't give up something in their life they think is wrong, I say don't worry about that. Seek God first. Fall on your knees and offer it all to him. He will show you the path clearly and it is never what you expect it to be. Never.

In the end, the things in this life that the world tells us is so important; sex, money, fame, and even comfort, are not who we are. They are not what gives us peace. They are not what our soul thirsts for. Whether we believe or realize it, our soul thirsts for the one who gave us life.

It is in that union we find all that matters.

Since I've been having fun with Al, let's do a caption contest!

Al Gore, The environmentalist.

From Newsbusters:

People magazine, another publicity engine of the Time Warner empire, gives a box to Al Gore (page 35, I believe) to explain "How I'm Saving The Planet." People asked: "His film 'An Inconvenient Truth' warns about global warming. So what is Gore doing about it?"
Here are Gore's answers for the publicity box:

"1. I turn off lights in my house [to conserve energy]. We're getting sensor switches that automatically turn them off when the room is empty.

2. We got a hybrid car recently.

3. We try to live a carbon neutral life. On climatecrisis.org, you'll find a calculator which can add up the carbon dioxide you produce and give you options for neutralizing that.

4. This movie saves carbon dioxide because I don't have to fly and drive places to get my message across."

That's it???? I'm thinking this has to be some sort of a joke. As one commenter pointed out, he could have shown his movie on TV so people didn't have to drive to the movie theatres.

Limo liberals are the worst, aren't they? I'm not a "tree hugger" like Al and I do more to help the earth. I recycle everything. I make my kids bike to most places. I carpool all the time. I have always conserved energy in the house by keeping the thermostat on 80 in the summer and on 68 in the winter. And needless to say, my limo and private jet flying is way below that of Al's.

Geeze.

Racism and Europe.

I have little interest in sports in the United States, much less European sports, but I happened to be watching ESPN with my son when they did a story on racism in football over there (what we call soccer) The story told left me in disbelief.

It seems two of the best players in Europe are black and when they play they are faced with fans holding up Nazi flags and putting their hands up in the Nazi salute. Not just a few either, but a whole crowd of them. One black player became so frustrated with the "monkey sounds" the fans were making, he said he would not play. (I don't blame him!) Then they show video of the coach of the Spanish team telling his player to "show that black piece of sh*t that you are better than he is."

One sign held up during the game with the black player said "Bananas and peanuts are your payment for infamy."

Unfreakingbelievable! Can you even imagine for a moment ANY of those things happening in a sports stadium in the United States??? Before anyone could get the sign up or their hand in the air we would have them on the ground and that would be BEFORE the security got there, but the Europeans don't seem to have a problem with allowing large number of skinheads and racists to hold signs, make their salutes, and make "monkey sounds" at all!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't tell you how sick this makes me. It also reinforces my belief of why we are so much damn better than Europe. (sorry to generalize an entire region, but there should be an outcry about this and according to this story on ESPN, there doesn't seem to be)

Keeping Us Safe.

While much of the focus this week has been on the killings in Haditha, it may be easy to forget or overlook one vital important fact. We are killing terrorists almost every day in Iraq. We are killing men who would come into your home and slit you children's throat if given the chance. Do. We. Get. That?

One may argue that that is unlikely. But we also thought the same thing about 9-11. One might argue that these terrorists are over there and not here. But then we hear about this in the news today:

"A Canadian counter-terrorism investigation that led to the arrests of 17 people accused of plotting bombings in Ontario is linked to probes in a half-dozen countries, the National Post has learned. Well before police tactical teams began their sweeps around Toronto on Friday, at least 18 related arrests had already taken place in Canada, the United States, Britain, Bosnia, Denmark, Sweden, and Bangladesh.

The six-month RCMP investigation, called Project OSage, is one of several overlapping probes that include an FBI case called Operation Northern Exposure and a British probe known as Operation Mazhar.

The Toronto busts are linked to arrests that began last August at a Canadian border post near Niagara Falls and continued in October in Sarajevo, London and Scandinavia, and earlier this year in New York and Georgia.

The FBI confirmed Saturday the arrests were related to the recent indictments in the U.S. of Ehsanul Sadequee and Syed Ahmed, who are accused of meeting with extremists in Toronto last March to discuss terrorist training and plots.

The intricate web of connections between Toronto, London, Atlanta, Sarajevo, Dhaka, and elsewhere illustrates the challenge confronting counter-terrorism investigators almost five years after 9/11."

And in the "Bush was also right about this" category, you might be interested in how they broke up these terrorist gangs:

"Linking the international probes are online communications, phone calls and in particular videotapes that authorities allege show some of the targets the young extremists considered blowing up."

Wiretapping works?? Who knew?

We would do well to remember why we haven't been attacked again. Why at least 10 attacks from Al Qaeda have been thwarted since 9-11.

Imagine the news focusing on these things instead of the negative? Imagine being thankful for what our boys in Iraq are doing. Imagine being thankful for what President Bush has done to make us safe.

via Powerline

crossposted at TexasSparkle

Update: Ace has the reaction to this story from the left side of the blogsphere. Which is pretty much crickets singing.

Tired?

Who needs coffee?

I want one. Really.

A disabled Iraqi Veteran Sues Michael Moore...

for *gasp* using an interview clip in his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" that is taken out of context and made to look like the soldier was anti-war and not behind Pres. Bush and the war, both of which are not true.

I'm shocked. Piecing together clips to create a false picture? Oh wait. That's the whole movie.

Silly me.

via LST

A Role Model For Women?

Elizabeth Vargas has left ABC on leave pregnant with her second child. Charlie Gibson is the new anchor. This has angered the Feminists.

"Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, and Susan Scanlan, chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, penned a letter this week to the heads of ABC, asking them to reinstate Vargas, who is expected to return to the network's 20/20 program following her maternity leave."

But get this:

According to AP reporter Jocelyn Noveck, "the feminists also said, referring to the cancellation of ABC's "Commander in Chief," starring Geena Davis as the first woman president, "You have now managed to eliminate two of the country's most visible women role models,"

Geena Davis??? An actress on a T.V show?? Uhh... what about say...THE SECRETARY OF STATE Condi Rice???? Wouldn't one say SHE is the most visible role model for women? Or perhaps Justice Sandra Day O'Conner? Or is it only permissible to be a role model for women if you are a "feminist?"

The "08 Presidential Campaign Begins.

First we have Hillary's video, then Al Gore's global warming/campaign movie, and now we have Kerry talking out of his...umm mouth:

"Kerry, who voted to give President Bush authorization to use force against Saddam Hussein in 2002, said he would attach an amendment to this summer's defense appropriations bill calling for a total withdrawal of U.S. combat troops by the end of this year. But he acknowledged that the idea would be unpopular. "I know I'm not going to get the majority of my own caucus."

As the LA Times goes on to say:

"As for his own political ambitions, Kerry would say only that he is "thinking very hard" about another presidential run in 2008.

"And I'm thinking about it a lot earlier than I'd like to because it's clear there are several other people also thinking about it," he said" ( I guess so! She's already made a video! And he made a movie! )

He is introducing a bill for the total withdrawal by the end of the year? Oh, he's running alright.

If I weren't so sick about the idea of Hillary as President, I think I could really enjoy watching Kerry , Al , and Hillary have a go at each other. Oh heck. I'm looking forward to it anyway.

Good News for our Military.

Let's hope this gets the press it would have if the opposite had been found (but don't count on it):

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A military investigation into allegations that U.S. troops intentionally killed Iraqi civilians in a March raid in a village north of Baghdad has cleared the troops of misconduct, two defense officials said Friday, despite dramatic video footage of slain children.

The investigation of the March 15 attack in the village of Ishaqi concluded that the U.S. troops followed normal procedures in raising the level of force as they came under attack upon approaching a building where they believed an al-Qaida terrorist was hiding, two defense officials said.

President Bush.

The left loves to beat the drum of the Bush's poll numbers. There is no doubt that the constant negative reporting from Iraq and none of the progress, makes people tire of this war and brings down Bush's poll numbers. Many have accused me of being a cheerleader for Bush, although I rarely post on him. But when I was looking through my archives for something I found this one I posted back in January of 2005. I think I will re-post it. I think Bush deserves it since there is this completely false picture painted of him from the left.

During the first Inaugural of President Bush most conservatives were just relieved to be rid of Clinton at last. But Texans were ecstatic!!!! Not only did we suffer so during the Clinton years but we had to suffer through Texas Governor Ann Richards as well. When George Bush decided to run against Richards no one thought he could win. I didn't think he could win. Richards was very popular, extremely funny, and witty. But policy wise, she was a classic left wing liberal. Wrong on everything.

I am not a bumper sticker kind of girl. I don't like them on my car. But I put those Bush stickers all over my mini van. I did what I could for the campaign ( I had 3 little ones at the time) and I told whoever would listen to vote for Bush. It was a nasty and dirty fight and the night Bush won was almost as sweet as when he later won the Presidency. The next day I made a poster that said "There is a God, George won!!" and taped it to the back window of my van. SOOOOO unlike me. But I was so happy.

The Clinton years had depressed me. It made me realize that Americans could be charmed away from the real issues. It made me realize what a visual star quality Americans liked now and the issues, they felt, never really changed much. And sometimes it seems that way. But changes do take place, just at a very slow pace. The democrats were very good at increasing taxes slowly and in different ways, where many Americans didn't realize how much of their paycheck was flying out the door to the government. Reagan shook us awake on that one. But it took his star quality to get there as well.

Bush had something more than star quality though. Bush had been a regular guy. Liberals like to paint him as part of American royalty like the Kennedys, but it was so different for Bush. Growing up in Midland Texas no one gets the feeling that your a part of royalty even if your dad is in the Senate.

I'll tell a personal story that I think reveals a lot about Bush. The year before Bush ran for Governor I was driving over with my best friend to her mom's house who happened to live in the same neighborhood as Bush. The houses are expensive in this area. But not because of how big or plush they are, they look like normal middle class homes, but because of the location the land is very expensive. We passed by Bush's home and my friend said. "You know what is interesting? My mom says she sees George Bush mowing his lawn. You would think the son of a former President would hire someone to do that." Right then I was impressed with that simple thing that all of us do. Mow our lawn. I am sure Bush could have afforded it, but that is the kind of guy he is. His home in Crawford is big but I have seen pictures of the inside, and you can tell from the outside, it is not fancy or over adorned. It looks like a home you or I might have. No one can ever accuse Bush of being aloof or elite, no matter how much money he has. Part of the reason I think he won is that people sensed that he was more like us (certainly more than Kerry) and his down to earth quality was real.

So I watched every single part of Bush's first Inaugural. But his Inaugural address impressed me so much I kept a copy of it in my hope chest.
Here are my two favorite excerpts.

"...The stakes for America are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most."

The "cause of freedom" now seem prophetic. At last the conversation is at least being discussed regarding the hearts and character of our children. And Bush did pull us out of recession that threatened our economy and considering what happened 8 months after he took office, it is a miracle that it was achieved.

But the quote Bush sited towards the end of his speech and then referred to at the end is the one that touched my heart. First Bush said:

"After the Declaration Of Independence was signed, Virginia statesman John Page wrote to Thomas Jefferson: "We know the race is not to the swift nor the Battle to the Strong. Do you not think an Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm?"

And then a few paragraphs later Bush ended with this:

We are not this story's author who fills time and eternity with his purpose. Yet his purpose is achieved in our duty; and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another.

Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today: to make our country more just and generous; to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.

The work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm."


Beautiful.

Wow.

Once in a while I will read about something going on in my country that I had never heard of or had any idea about and it always blows me away. Michelle has the scoop on this.

"A local radio reporter was assaulted Thursday while leaving a Los Angeles charter school that his station has said imparts separatist ethics, a station official said.
The reporter, Sandy Wells, was not hurt, according to station spokesman Steve Sheldon.
Wells was leaving the campus of Academia Semillas Del Pueblo, 4736 Huntington Drive, after interviewing the principal when a car came around the corner, jumped the curb and the driver tried to run him down, Sheldon said.
Wells managed to dodge the car, but the driver, a man who appeared to be in his mid-20s, got out and tackled him, taking away his tape recorder, he said.
The incident was reported to police, Sheldon said, adding that it is believed to be linked to the station's reporting on the school.
The Los Angeles Unified School District said it would issue a statement on the assault later in the day."

What's the back ground here?

"McIntyre in the Morning has begun an investigation into Academia Semillas del Pueblo, an LAUSD charter school. The website for the K-8 school says it is, "dedicated to providing urban children of immigrant native families an excellent education founded upon their own language, cultural values and global realities." The school's student body is 91.3% hispanic and 8.7% native / alaskan native. There is not a single white, black, or asian student.
The school receives support not only from the tax payer but also the National Council of La Raza and the Pasadena City College chapter of MeCHA (Movimemeniento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan). In various interviews and actions the school's founder, principal and council trustee secretary, Marcos Aguilar, has shown contempt for racial integration. Like everyone else connected to the school, Aguilar has refused repeated attempts by McIntyre in the Morning for an interview, telling our reporter he only speaks with spanish speaking media and warning the reporter, "I would be very careful before I came down here."

Expose the left has the video of the reporter Sandy Wells on the O'Reilly Factor last night.

Unfreakinbelievable.

Oh, Good Grief!

Robert Kennedy Jr. says Republicans stole the 2004 elections.

We won. Period. Get over it.

via Outside The Beltway

Is this a joke?

From Talk to Action:

"Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued high-tech military weaponry, and instructed to engage the infidel on the streets of New York City. You are on a mission - both a religious mission and a military mission -- to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state - especially moderate, mainstream Christians. Your mission is "to conduct physical and spiritual warfare"; all who resist must be taken out with extreme prejudice. You have never felt so powerful, so driven by a purpose: you are 13 years old. You are playing a real-time strategy video game whose creators are linked to the empire of mega-church pastor Rick Warren, best selling author of The Purpose Driven Life.

The game, slated for release by October 2006 in advance of the Christmas shopping rush, has been previewed at video game exhibitions, and reviewed by major newspapers and magazines. But until now, no fan or critic has pointed out the controversial game's connection to Mr. Warren or his dominionist agenda."

Although I am not familiar with Mr. Warren and I realize there are all sorts of religious nut cases out there, I find it incredible that anyone with even the most basic knowledge of Christianity would see this game as Christian based. "Killing infidels for not converting??? Uhh... no. Not Christianity. (I also love the "convert Catholics," like we aren't Christians) Please.

Does anyone else know anything about this?

Hillary.

Do you want to see the "Hillary for President...oops, I mean for Senate video?" Here it is.

I can't explain my visceral reaction to this woman. I pretty much like everyone. I can find the good in everyone. I have defended, in a personal way, even Ted Kennedy here. But Hillary literally makes me sick to my stomach to watch. I find her dishonest, hiding a hidden agenda by clothing herself in moderation. Nothing about her is genuine or real. From her personal life to her past, she puts a very different face on the reality of her life. She wears a mask.

As President, she would be the worst thing to ever happen to this country.


via Powerline

Condi Rice...

rocks.

I saw her on Bill O'Reilly last night discussing the strategy of dealing with Iran. It should make everyone happy that she is working a deal with the international community to box Iran in. If Russia and China comply, then we should be able to avoid any notion of a war with Iran.

Harry Reid.

You know that free boxing ticket thing? The one where nothing wrong was done? Well, Reid isn't going to do it any more.

Haditha continued.

Michelle is on top of it as usual. But I have to copy her link to Mark Davis in the Dallas Morning News. It is so right on:

"Anyone with a shred of human decency approaches this with the utmost gravity. Those of us who support the troops and the war they are fighting have a special responsibility not to sugarcoat, minimize or marginalize any wrongdoing by those troops.

But, conversely, those who are exercising their right to speak ill of the war and the Americans fighting it have a responsibility not to allow their anti-war venom to inflame their assessments of bad moments in the war's history.

That track record is forever blemished by the absurd overreaction to Abu Ghraib, a prison scandal that was bad enough if treated objectively. The wheels of justice turned, and prices are being paid for humiliating detainees outside the protocols of interrogation.

But the day Sen. Ted Kennedy equated American misdeeds at that prison with the unspeakable torture that had happened there under Saddam, the reputation of war criticism was deservedly damaged beyond easy repair.

And now we have Mr. Murtha, barely able to contain the spring in his step as he basks in the grisly particulars.

"This is the kind of war you have to win the hearts and minds of the people," he said this weekend. "And we're set back every time something like this happens."

He should know a thing or two about setbacks, having inflicted so many with his own derisive tongue.

Our troops will face PR hurdles when Iraqis ask how a force they are supposed to trust can have bad seeds that create dark chapters like Abu Ghraib and, perhaps, Haditha. But that pales compared to the sucker punch Mr. Murtha delivered to every man and woman in uniform when he said the mission they still believe in is a "flawed policy wrapped in an illusion."

And I think I'd rather explain to Iraqis how we are an army of human beings who may sometimes display tragic flaws than explain how a key congressman – and ex-Marine, remember – could say as he did a few months ago that he would not join today's military, empathizing with those who did not wish to serve."

You remember al Qaeda?

You know...the ones who attacked us? The ones the left keeps insisting that we aren't really pursuing since we are in Iraq?

These guys:

Zarqawi Aide Captured by Iraqis(Baghdad) Labeled as one of Iraq's most-wanted al-Qaeda terrorists, Kassim al-Ani was captured by Iraqi army security forces in Baghdad Sunday night. Kassim al-Ani, a/k/a Qasim Al-Aani, is a senior aide to the Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. From KUNA.net.kw:

Chief of the 3rd Brigades in the Iraqi Army Jawad Roomi Al-Daini told KUNA Al-Aani is a leader of an insurgent group and is behind many attacks in several Iraqi districts. He said Al-Aani was involved in the assassination of the son of Chief Justice of Iraqi Supreme Court, Judge Madhat Al-Mahmoud, pointing out that the killer's brother, who is a member in the terrorist group, was also arrested. In total, three al Qaeda terrorists were grabbed, senior aide Al-Aani, his brother and one other unnamed individual.Notably, two weeks ago it was reported that Salah Hussain Abdul Razak (a/k/a Salah Hussein Abdelrazzaq), also a senior aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was captured in Ramadi.From AINA.org:

The relevant Interior Ministry statement said "terrorist Salah Hussein Abdelrazzaq was arrested Sunday evening" in Al-Ramadi and had in his possession a mobile telephone storing photos showing him and Al-Zarqawi.

But wait, there's more.

About one week ago, it was reported that another senior al Qaeda in Iraq member was captured by Jordanian Intelligence. Iraqi citizen Ziad Khalaf Raja al-Karbouly (a/k/a Ziad al-Karbouli and Abu Houthiyfah) was arrested after being lured into Jordan. Al-Karbouly (right) worked as a customs agent on the Iraq-Jordan border. On Jordanian state-run television, al-Karbouly described the kidnapping and killing of a Jordanian driver in Iraq. He also seized two Moroccans who worked at their country's embassy and admitted to killing Iraqis.

Taken all together, I'd say that al Qaeda in Iraq seems to have had a miserable two weeks. In total, three senior aides to Zarqawi have been captured in three separate operations. And I seem to recall others from earlier. In fact, over the last year, it's likely that Zarqawi lost at least a dozen senior aides. So, what's up? Just how many senior aides can a guy have? And how many can he lose and still be effective?

But as Ace says(sarcastically):

"I didn't bother posting on this, of course, because I didn't see the point. The MSM is providing virtually wall-to-wall coverage of Al Qaeda's very bad two weeks; what's the point of bloggers merely echoing what the MSM is shouting from the rooftops."

Yeah, why report on us nabbing the bad guys who attacked us when we the media can report on how bad our guys are?

Ted Nugent...

is insane. But you got to love him.

Maybe it's just my "high school loves to rock inner girl" thinking that though.

via LGF

Funny thing. Al Gore thinks Bush is a right wing extremist and Ted thinks Bush is too liberal. Heh.

Tony Snow...

handling the wicked witch of the press with his usual charm and grace. Funny.

Regarding the incident in Haditha.

There are so many things I wanted to say about it, but as usual Michelle has it all and says it much better than I could. If allegations are true, then everyone agrees that it is horrifying and those guilty should be punished to the full extent of the law. If not true, then I wish the media could be punished (but they won't be) for trying to paint a picture of a military force like the Marines, whose honor and integrity in general are without question, as ruthless killers who don't abide by the rules of war.

It is obvious that this is being used by many to undermine the good work of hundreds of thousands Soldiers and Marines in the military even before an investigation is complete. There is no one who would be more disgusted by the these actions, if true, than the Marine Corp itself. There will be justice for those accused, one way or another. Of that, we know.

But there is no justice in our media though. Of that, we know also.

UPDATE: Blue Star Chronicles has more interesting information regarding Haditha.

UPDATE II: Michelle has an excellent wrap up on her "Vent" video at HotAir. Check it out.

But the most important thing she says is at the end. We will do well remember that these terrorist's main strategy is to kill and maim men, women, and children every day and they do it. If you are angry about innocent death, be angry at the right people.

Here ya go...

Geeky Star Wars funny stuff. Enjoy.

via NRO

The Culture of Corruption...

.....continues. unfortunately for the Democrats, it continues for them.

In addition to Reps. William Jefferson and Alan Mollohan, they now have to add their own leadership (again) because Harry Reid has been taking favors from a corrupt industry while doing business on their behalf:

"Senate Democratic Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) accepted free ringside tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission to three professional boxing matches while that state agency was trying to influence him on federal regulation of boxing.

Reid took the free seats for Las Vegas fights between 2003 and 2005 as he was pressing legislation to increase government oversight of the sport, including the creation of a federal boxing commission that Nevada's agency feared might usurp its authority.
He defended the gifts, saying that they would never influence his position on the bill and he was simply trying to learn how his legislation might affect an important home state industry. "Anyone from Nevada would say I'm glad he is there taking care of the state's number one businesses," he said. "I love the fights anyways, so it wasn't like being punished," added the senator, a former boxer and boxing judge.

Senate ethics rules generally allow lawmakers to accept gifts from federal, state or local governments, but specifically warn against taking such gifts -- particularly on multiple occasions -- when they might be connected to efforts to influence official actions. ...
Several ethics experts said Reid should have paid for the tickets, which were close to the ring and worth between several hundred and several thousand dollars each, to avoid the appearance he was being influenced by gifts."

And to make matters worse, as The Captain points out:


"...two GOP Senators also attended fights with Harry Reid. John McCain insisted on paying for his tickets at the retail value ($1400) while Reid's fellow Nevadan, John Ensign, recused himself from participating in Reid's pending legislation.

This follows on Reid's four interventions on behalf of clients of Jack Abramoff, actions which closely coincided with large donations from the tribes Abramoff represented. Reid, some will recall, also accepted campaign assistance from a former aide, Edward Ayoob, after Abramoff hired Ayoob to work as a lobbyist."

I agree with the Captain, it was a huge tactical error for the Democrats to try and paint their party as pure. Power corrupts both sides and everyone knows it. I think it has proven to only disgust voters even more with the entire Congress.

Ugh.

I saw this at Oxblog:

MICHAEL LEDEEN WRITES:

Anybody else notice that the Washington Post today has not a single tribute to a fallen warrior?

But the title of the Post's lead editorial is "Memorial Day", in which the editors observe that

"What ought to be unquestioned among us is the honor due those who have little to say about the rightness of a war but who take on the duty of fighting it."

If smugness were a smell this would stink to high heaven.

An Iowa Voice noticed this:

Anyone else notice that Google didn't put up a holiday logo for Memorial Day?

They will celebrate "World Water Day" or Frank Lloyd Wright's birthday, but no Veteran's Day or Memorial Day?

I am going out of town this weekend. I'll just leave an open thread. Everyone have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Immigration.

You guys know that I have agreed with Bush on the guest worker program because of my sympathy for those who wish to have a better life. The arguments on the Senate floor are really starting to make me reconsider. It's some powerful stuff.

Michelle has it all.

Exactly.

From NRO:

"On Monday I noted a report on Drudge that suggested that Al Gore and his entourage had driven 500 yards to his premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Gore's team denies this and I'm willing to take their word that the former Vice President and his staff did walk to the premiere. However, this Reuters story says:

Last week, Gore and his team were seen driving the 500 metres or so from a hotel to the Cannes festival headquarters in several cars. The representative said that arriving at events like photocalls and news conferences in cars was normal practice in Cannes. And Gore walked the shorter distance from another hotel to the festival for the movie's screening.

Well that's better, then, isn't it? Normal practice. Just like the normal practice of everyday life that Gore wants us to change so badly?

Gore's representatives also stress that they are making the film "carbon neutral," which is done by sponsoring tree planting and other projects that offset carbon emissions in some way. All very well for the rich like Paramount Pictures or Al Gore for that matter. They can afford to make things carbon neutral. The ordinary worker who needs his car to get to his job generally can't afford to offset his emissions. Think about the implications for a moment - Al Gore, Laurie David et al can continue to use the benefits of fossil fuels because they can afford to offset them. The rest of us can't. Welcome to the new aristocracy, ladies and gentlemen."

This is just so typical. Not only Gore taking a car a short distance to the festivities over a movie he narrated about global warming, but also the fact that it was SEVERAL cars. They want us all to "cut back" and "conserve energy," but heaven forbid THEY do it. At least with Republicans we make no bones about the opportunity for success in this country. We invite everyone along for the ride. (excuse the pun) But the Democrats in congress want higher salaries while you pay more taxes. They want you to have universal health care while they have private care. They want you forced to save money in a government program called Social Security, when they don't have to. They want to regulate businesses and tax corporations more while they sit in a nice cushy government job.

Aristocracy is just the perfect word for the Democratic leaders.

Read all about the in "The Vision of the Anointed" by Thomas Sowell.

Update on fake soldier story.

Michelle sums the whole thing at Townhall. If you think this isn't interesting enough to read, take a gander at an excerpt from the "soldier" and his experience and then think about how the anti-war left just took this story and ran with it because, after all, wouldn't that be just what you would expect from our military?

In his 20-minute Internet video interview at peacefilms.org, which promises that watching the video "will change your life," MacBeth (who also claims to have served in Special Forces) says:

-- Superiors told him "our job over there is to strike fear in the hearts of the Iraqis . . . to be brutal and to not feel" and that "the Geneva Convention doesn't mean crap."

-- He would "do night raids, pull people out, on their knees and zip-tied," and if a man didn't answer the way he wanted him to, he "would shoot his youngest kid and keep going."

-- "By my hand alone . . . almost 200 people were taken out by me. That's just a rough estimate. A lot of them at close range . . . they would actually feel the hot muzzle of my rifle on their forehead . . . we'd do stuff that would scare them first . . . beat 'em up or kick 'em or hit the wife . . . slaughtering 30-40 people a night sometimes, women and children . . . I was trained, you know, in all the Ranger school, 18 months of that crap . . . I got disappointed in my country . . . but I didn't say anything because I would have been locked up."

-- "Other things they told us to do, man, we were ordered to go into a mosque. This really hurts me a lot. My nightmares come mostly from this . . . we infiltrated the mosque . . . a couple hundred of people of all ages were praying . . . we started slaughtering them, we started shooting them, started taking them out . . . we would burn their bodies, hang the bodies from the rafters . . . after a while, it's just sickening to think that I took part in that . . . "
-- "Kids threw rocks at us before and the guard command officer told us to take them out . . . Our job was just kill, kill, kill."

-- "I'm so disappointed in my country. I'm ashamed to have actually served in Iraq."

Al Gore's Penguin Army

Too funny.

h/t Dave

Related: Fact Checking Al

Doggy Pics!!

Jewel in the top pic and Shaq in the bottom pic. Aren't they adorable?

Let's have some fun.

I was listening to my country music station this morning while running, and they were having people call in and say which song tells or best represents their life. Here is mine. Tell me yours.

Who I Am

by Jessica Andrews

If I live to be a hundred
And never see the seven wonders
That'll be alright
If I don't make it to the big leagues
If I never win a Grammy
I'm gonna be just fine
Cause I know exactly who I am

I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done my momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
And they know just where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am

So when I make a big mistake
And when I fall flat on my face
I know I'll be alright
Should my tender heart be broken
I will cry those teardrops knowing
I will be just fine
Cause nothing changes who I am

I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done my momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
And they know just where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am

I'm a saint and I'm a sinner
I'm a loser; I'm a winner
I am steady and unstable
I'm young, but I am able

I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done my momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
And they know where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am

Sex ed or no? No.

"Wisconsin Passes abstinence Law for Unmarried Couples"

"Republican Sen. Mary Lazich, a bill"s sponsor, said sex education teachers can still teach about birth control, but must emphasize that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective method to avoid health risks."

You would think this would make me happy. But it doesn't. I don't think sex ed has ANY place in the classroom. No more than teaching religion does. Both should be taught by parents and church. If we need classes for anyone, it should be the parents on how to teach their kids.

Parents are the first and foremost teachers of their children. It is THEIR values that must be passed on, not some educational beaucrat's. When one argues that sex ed isn't being taught by parents and therefore the schools must take up the slack, I argue that religion isn't being taught by many parents either, so let's teach that in schools too.

Sex and religion should be taught by parents or a church the parent chooses PERIOD. One of the biggest fights I ever faced was fighting sex ed in my Catholic school. Long story, but even they were getting it wrong as far as my kids were concerned.

Plus, how long does it take to teach the above reference?..."sex education teachers can still teach about birth control, but must emphasize that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective method to avoid health risks." Because that is IT. That is the basic facts right there that all kids need to know. Abstinence is the ONLY 100% effective method to not get disease or get pregnant. That took all of 5 seconds to type and even less to say.

We aren't talking adults here. We are talking CHILDREN. If parents aren't doing the job, then let's teach THEM how to do it right.

Oh snap!!!

WASHINGTON, May 23 — The Senate Intelligence Committee overwhelmingly endorsed Gen. Michael V. Hayden today to become the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency, with all but three Democratic members of the committee voting to send General Hayden's nomination to the Senate floor.

Do I really need to say more?

How did I miss this story???

An "Iraqi War Veteran Against The War" who isn't a veteran and never went to Iraq.

HotAir has it all! I love this site!.

Remember...

that little thing I mentioned in my "I want to apologize as well" post about not trusting the media? Well this is why....(It's from The Captain)


"The AP ran an earlier story on the Osama bin Laden tape that included an admission implicating two Gitmo detainees in the 9/11 attack. However, the the AP later ran "excerpts" of the Bin Laden tape, that admission curiously went unreported -- even though it would have a significant impact on the debate over the fate of Gitmo detainees.

This is what ran in the original piece by Maamoun Youssef, which I have also cached here:

The terror mastermind did indicate that two suspects had links to the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon: "All the prisoners to date have no connection to the Sept. 11 events or knew anything about them, except for two of the brothers," bin Laden said [emphasis mine -- CE]. But he did not provide names or elaborate further and it wasn't possible to determine if or where they were held.

However, that passage cannot be found in the AP excerpts. It does, however, include this:

"And then I call to memory my brothers the prisoners in Guantanamo — may Allah free them all — and I state the fact, about which I also am certain, that all the prisoners of Guantanamo, who were captured in 2001 and the first half of 2002 and who number in the hundreds, have no connection whatsoever to the events of September 11th..."

Note the strategic appearance of the ellipses at the end of the quote in the later article. The AP wants to cut off Osama before he admits that Gitmo holds two accessories to the 9/11 attacks. One would think that a news organization might have found that somewhat, oh, newsworthy."

Bad Karma....

be gone! Way too much bad vibes in the comment sections. I will lighten up. Today is my birthday! Feel free to cyber sing me "Happy Birthday!"

My most memorable birthday was when I was 10. As you all know I am a huge animal lover and I wanted a cat or dog so badly. But my father didn't like them in the house. We had some hunting dogs he kept in the back yard, but I wanted an indoor pet. I woke up on the morning of my birthday and there was a line of confetti leading out of my bedroom door. I followed it to the garage and there was what looked like a white styrofoam box with a bow. I bent down and saw there was a little door in the front with a piece of paper taped over it that said "Open me." I tore the paper off and there was a little black kitten. I was so excited I screamed like a maniac and scared the poor cat to death! I named her "Charcoal."

Oh, how I loved that cat.

Which reminds me, now that I have the scanner thing down, I'm going to show you some newer pictures of my newest dog, Jewel, that I got from a rescue shelter recently, and some of my older dog, Shaq. Probably tomorrow.

Open thread. As a present to me, I want everyone to say one nice thing about someone with whom they have disagreed with here. No snarky remarks. No backhanded compliments. If you can't find something to say then say something nice about someone in the political arena with whom you disagree.

If you haven't read these yet...

Read them:

Katrina What The Media Missed.

Revisionist History.

Good Times.

Here are some excerpts from Michael Barone of U.S. News and World Report that tells us about them:

"First, economic growth. In 2005, as in 2004, the world economy grew by about 5 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund, and the IMF projects similar growth for several years to come. This is faster growth than in all but a few peak years in the 1980s and 1990s, and it's in vivid contrast to the long periods of stagnation or contraction in history. The great engine of this growth is, of course, the United States, which produces more than one fifth of world economic product and whose gross domestic product has been growing at around 4 percent--4.8 percent in the latest quarter. "

"Free-market economic growth is enabling millions of people to rise out of poverty every year, even more than the experts expect. As the IMF writes, "The momentum and resilience of the global economy in 2005 continued to exceed expectations."

"But aren't we also living in times of record strife? Actually, no. Just the opposite. The Human Security Centre of the University of British Columbia has been keeping track of armed conflicts since World War II. It reports that the number of genocides and violent conflicts dropped rapidly after the end of the Cold War and that in 2005 the number of armed conflicts was down 40 percent from 1992. Wars have also become less deadly: The average number of people killed per conflict per year in 1950 was 38,000; in 2002 it was just 600. The conflict in Iraq has not significantly changed that picture. American casualties are orders of magnitude lower than in the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, and precision weapons have enabled us to vastly reduce the civilian death toll."

I know the left hates to be confronted with good news, but there it is. Enjoy it anyway. That's the wonderful thing about a free economy and a Democracy. We all benefit, even those who don't appreciate it.

via Powerline

My first Michelle Malkin type hate mail!

I've gotten a few hate mails over time, but nothing too bad. Today I got the kind that Malkin deals with daily I suppose.

I feel so special.

Nothing like civil disagreement.

"your occupation is a right wing trailer trash whore. You bedwetters vomit crap about defending the war, yet your are the cowards--why dont you put your phony blond fat ass on the line and go over to iraq. Bush lied and you know it, but being the whore that you are, you try to slime someone who has really shown guts by telling mcclame what she feels to HIS FACE, unlike a little tramp whore like you who does it behind someones back. So typical of the right wing chickenhawks. All mouth. "

Gordon Dolinar

In case you are wondering, I believe this umm..gentleman came from reading about me here.

I want to apologize as well.

Newsbusters has this:

As keynote commencement speaker, Times Publisher Arthur Sulzbergerr Jr."apologized" to graduates at the State University of New York at New Paltz on Sunday for the failure of his generation to stop the Iraq War and to sufficiently promote "fundamental human rights" like abortion, immigration, and gay marriage.

"It wasn't supposed to be this way," Sulzberger said. "You weren't supposed to be graduating in an America fighting a misbegotten war in a foreign land. You weren't supposed to be graduating into a world where we are still fighting for fundamental human rights, be it the rights of immigrants to start a new life, the right of gays to marry or the rights of women to choose."

Heaven knows I'm not the Publisher of the New York Times. I'm just a small voice. A wife, mother, caretaker, volunteer, and activist. I'm not powerful and I'm not rich, but I would like to apologize to all graduates this year as well.

I'd like to apologize that our country never let the people decide about abortion, that they allowed a billion dollar a year industry to thrive off the agony of women. I apologize that no one ever listens to the millions of women who suffer from their abortion. My generation hasn't done a good enough job of telling you when the heart of your child starts beating or the horror of abortion on that child.

I apologize that my generation never took the time to stop illegal immigration and now it is an almost impossible task to remedy.

I apologize that we made divorce so easy and made people believe that it wasn't that big of a deal so that even grown children of divorce are still suffering from the pain of their parent's divorce in more ways than we can even imagine. I apologize that instead of seeking ways to solidify marriage for children, we are only looking at more ways to re-define marriage. In doing so, we are opening up a pandora's box of which the family will likely never recover.

I apologize that my party didn't do more to stop these things that hurt our families so. I apologize that men like Arthur Sulzberger Jr. have had such an influence over hiding the negative side of these issues while pretending to be objective. I apologize that our media is so biased and blinded by their own ideology that it took the internet to finally find some truth and balance on issues and news coverage.

I apologize that Mr. Sulzberger sees a tyrannical monster, that abused and murdered women and children, being taken down as "misbegotten." Mr. Sulzberger doesn't see a Democracy in the Middle East as worth fighting for because it doesn't fit his standard what is good for the world. I apologize that Mr. Suzberger doesn't seem to understand why we have not been attacked again by terrorists. I apologize for those in my generation who don't see much of anything worth fighting for, because if defeating terrorism isn't, then I don't know what would be.

We let you down, graduates. Now it is up to you to make sure that men like Mr. Sulzberger no longer try control what you hear as news viewed through the prism of his ideology. It is up to you to seek truth and never trust that the mainstream media is giving you the whole story. Their credibility was diminished long ago.

Encourage debate. Seek Truth. Follow the good. Question everything.

Oh, that culture of corruption....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "FBI agents videotaped Rep. William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, accepting $100,000 in cash they said was intended as a bribe for a Nigerian official and later found $90,000 of the money hidden in his freezer, according to a court document released on Sunday."

What? He spent $10,000 on his way home???

"Jefferson, a senior member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, has been under investigation for his role in helping a Nigerian company with an Internet venture."

Hey! I wonder if that has anything to do with this e-mail I've been getting...;-)

Remember this guy? He used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings right after Katrina when they were still rescuing people.

Addition: On a smaller more local note of corruption, a Democrat falls into a water for sex scandal. What will they think of next? via LST

Another Addition: More local corruption from those who are not the party of corruption.

Ok, I was feeling bad...

so I searched and searched for a good recent picture of Al Gore. This was as good as I got. I think it deserves a caption.

The Rove Indictment!

Heh.

Read the comments.

via NRO

Is it just me?...

Or does it seem like the last 10 yrs have been hell on Al Gore?

Weeken Caption Contest!

I'm asking for money.

But not for me.

Hugh Hewitt had a great idea to give readers links to GOP Senate candidates that are best positioned to either retain their seats or take a blue seat red and ask you to give at least $50.

As Hugh says:

"It is a lot of money, but the stakes are incredibly high, including success in the war and the ability to confirm good judges to the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts."

Even $25 each, or $10 each would help.

"A Senate majority is a terrible thing to lose, and a wonderful thing to strengthen. Dig deep:"

Arizona's Jon Kyl
Maryland's Michael Steele
Minnesota's Mark Kennedy
Missouri's Jim Talent
Montana's Conrad Burns
Nebraska's Pete Ricketts
New Jersey's Tom Kean
Ohio's Mike DeWine
Pennsylvania's Rick Santorum
Washington State's Mike McGavick

Some of you have asked to contribute to this blog. This is how you can contribute. If I have even a tiny part in keeping us in the majority, that is worth more to me than gold. So if you read this blog and like it, then consider giving to these candidates. Do it for me!

Thanks!

NRO liveblogging the McCain speech at Columbia.

Interesting. I'll put in order here for you:

"At New School commencement. Bob Kerrey just gave introductory remarks, mostly devoted to defending his decision to invite John McCain. At the mention of the senator's name there are loud boos and a smattering of applause. McCain, sitting behind Kerrey with various poo-bahs, laughs. When Kerrey mentions McCain's address at Liberty University, someone yells something about that being Jerry Falwell's university (thanks for the information!). Kerrey gets good applause when he says the word “liberal” should mean open-mindedness and individual freedom. But he salutes those who have protested McCain's speech as a sign of vigorous debate. He notes that McCain said, in defending his Liberty talk, that no one was objecting to him speaking at liberal The New School: “Well, John, at least you solved that problem.” McCain throws head back in laughter (he's good at demonstrating good nature in such circumstances). Finishes by saluting McCain and the protestors again."

"One of the student speakers now attacking McCain as not representing the university’s values and his appearance here as a top-down decision that over-shadows what should be a joyful occasion for students. And now she's preemptively attacking McCain's speech based on the fact that he said he's going to say the same thing he said at Liberty—a pretty effective tactic for her (makes McCain seem canned, if he's actually going to say the same thing, that is). She continues: “preemptive war is dangerous and wrong”; “Osama bin laden has not been found and neither have the WMD”; “We have nothing to fear from anyone on this living planet”; “We can allow our humanity always come before our nationality”; “This is not arrogance of young, strong-minded woman...I speak out of a need to honor the voices that came before me.” Standing ovation from a lot of the students."

"LOL. It sure sounds like that student speaker is doing her level best to keep it a "joyful" occassion! Maybe she can throw some pig blood on McCain to make it the happiest day of their lives!"

"McCain speaking. People holding up orange, “McCain: our commencement is not your platform” signs. A few anti-McCain banners being held in the aisles. At the beginning of his remarks, McCain thanks the prior student for the Cliff Note's version of his speech. A little laughter. Some students standing with their backs to him in front, but vast majority sitting and listening."

"McCain opens with a long riff about the arrogance of youth and how he learned humility as he grew older. He says we have “a noisy contentious society,” and that we love “self-expression,” but “that passion sometimes overwhelms our civility.” (That's you standing with your backs to him in front!) He says he was young he was “quite infatuated with self-expression” and thought he was “so much more eloquent and wiser than anyone I knew.” Hard to imagine an opening better suited to, through the subtle art of self-deprecation, make the protestors look like asses."

"Well, that was a pretty shameful performance by The New School student body, but I suppose it could have been worse. Kerrey must be a little embarrassed. He gets up: “For those of you who listened to two speeches...one from McCain...the other from [the student], you saw two acts of bravery.” (Actually, it is very bad form to directly attack another speaker in such a forum—but I guess Kerrey feels he can only go so far in defending civility.) Kerrey says, in contrast, that in heckling from the audience, there is “no bravery required.” He gets pretty good applause. Asks if when students get older and someone is heckling, laughing or booing them, will they stand up for their beliefs? “Will you stand and say unpopular things?” A loud shout from the back: “You are a war criminal!”
Another: “Let's graduate!”

It just makes my blood boil to think of all that McCain did and gave for his country and these snot nosed no experienced little arrogant selfish lefties who wouldn't know sacrifice if it slapped them in their smug youthful faces, stand up there and bash him. ARGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Victor Davis Hanson should be required reading for everyone.

"We should also accept that the United States, as the world’s policeman, always suffers the easy hatred of the cops, who are as ankle-bitten when things are calm as they are desperately sought when danger looms."

"The international Left loves to champion humanitarian causes that do not involve the immediate security needs of the United States, damning us for inaction even as they are the first to slander us for being military interventionists."

"The United States must control our borders, for reasons that transcend even terrorism and national security. One way to cool the populist hatred emanating from Latin America is to ensure that it becomes a privilege, not a birthright, to enter the United States."

Awesome. Read the whole thing.

h/t BigDog

OMG!

Canada.com has this:

Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country’s Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims.
“This is reminiscent of the Holocaust,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. “Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis.”

via Stop The ACLU

Everyone here knows how I don't like references to Hitler and Nazi's because it diminishes the evil they did, but I think it is warranted in this case.

Update: Allah Pundit sarcastically hits it spot on:

"The important thing now is not to worry. Remember — worrying is what “fear-stricken” conservatives do. True bravery is affecting near-complete indifference to the prospect of a nuclear-armed, Holocaust-denying radical Islamic state forcing Jews to wear yellow insignia while simultaneously hosing down the front of your pants daily over NSA data mining."

via Ace

Check out...

MTV2's preview of their new animated show "Where My Dogs At?"

Crazy and almost too true to be funny.

via Pink is the new blog

The Young and Clueless Who Join The Military.

If you read my post on the controversy surrounding Godsmack and the Navy using their music in their recruitment commercials, then you know that many on the left feel that the military is full of clueless young men who didn't really understand what they were signing up for.

Maybe they don't. Maybe they don't realize that the military will make men out of them. Maybe they don't realize what chance they are being given.

Growing up I had the best father. He was firm, sweet, loving, and kind. Imagine my surprise when I learned as a teenager that he had been a troublemaker, bitter and angry, getting into fights, drinking his life away. But a life changing moment made him decide to join the military at the age of 20.

The military taught him discipline, selflessness, and a sense of accomplishment he could never have found anywhere else. The army was a door to a new life and my father stepped through it and never looked back. He served as a sergeant during the Korean war. He came home, went to college on the G.I. bill and then law school.

He was the best man I ever knew.

I know I'm not objective, but the hundreds of people that showed up at the funeral home when died might be. I stood for hours and listened to one person after another tell how my father had helped them. Stories that made me cry and humbled me. He lived a giving life. He was my inspiration. Standing there at the age of 22, I knew then that my life would have to have meaning and purpose as well. I knew what my father had learned at about the same age, that life is about what you give to people.

You see, the military not only changed my father's life, it changed mine and everyone else that knew him.

Many may go into the military clueless, but they come out stronger, better, knowing that if they died tomorrow, they had already lived a life of purpose.

This was probably tossed around the blogosphere a while ago, but I just saw it and thought it hilarious. I think a caption contest is in order. Maybe we could name the group?

In case you missed it...

Here is the ad for Ned Lamont for the U.S. Senate (running against Joe Lieberman) starring Kos.

Allah and Jeff at PW and Ace have been having fun with it, but I think it is fine. The Kossacks will love it and vote for the guy.

Kos doesn't exactly have a winning track record for endorsing candidates (0-18 I believe) so I'm not sure what good it will do.

I still can't get over how different Kos is compared to how I pictured him.

Video link to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Ramesh Ponnuru apearance. My response below.

LIfe issues. A response to Ramesh Ponnuru's appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Click link above to watch video.

2 wrongs don't make a right.

I'm with Jay at Wizbang on this one.

"One of the key figures in the 2002 election day phone-jamming scheme has found out his fate. Former National Republican Committee official James Tobin, helped state Republican officials find a telemarketer who was willing -- for a fee -- to make repeated calls to the Democrats' get-out-the-vote phone bank, preventing them from calling out to registered Democrats to remind them to vote, and would-be voters calling in to get a ride to the polls. In the end, Congressman John E. Sununu (R) defeated Governor Jeanne Shaheen (D) by a very narrow margin.
Tobin is the third official to be sentenced in the scam, and a fourth is awaiting trial."

He goes on:

"In 2002, I voted for Sununu, but I was nominally a Democrat and as such was a potential victim of this crime. More to the point, I don't like anyone screwing around with our electoral process in such a flagrantly illegal manner. I thought the assholes who slashed the tires on Republican-leased vehicles on 2004's election day in Milwaukee were miserable scum who ought to be locked up and the keys thrown away, and I think the scum behind the phone-jamming deserve the same treatment."

The rightwing bloggers need to make a big deal out of this. We CANNOT stoop to the level of the Democrats to win and we need to make sure all officials understand that.

*note: I just got an idea during my morning run. You know how the Democrats give out free cigarettes to the homeless and underprivileged to vote for them? I think we should start giving out Starbucks gift cards or maybe i-tunes downloads to get uninterested voters to vote for us.

;-)

Don't you hate....

how conservatives just follow the President blindly. Unlike the Democrats who came out loudly and forcefully against Clinton for lying, perjury, immorality, and impeachment. *snort*

Say What???

From WND:

"... a woman used a handgun to fend off a gator that was attacking her own dog, and was issued a warning citation for hunting without a permit.
Candy Frey of Bradenton, Fla., shows the dog door where she was able to push a 3-foot gator out after it scuffled with her dogs (courtesy Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Candy Frey says a 3-foot gator confronted her golden retriever at her East Manatee, Fla., home.
She and he daughter were able to push the creature through the dog door of her patio, but she also got her gun and opened fire.
"I was running on so much adrenaline," Frey, 48, a former U.S. Marine aviation technician, told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. "I just freaked out and shot him – boom, boom, boom, boom."
She had noticed her dog was bleeding from the head when she first saw the animals scuffling.
"I have to take this guy out," Frey recalled thinking. "You can't wait to see how long it's going to sit there."
Frey told the paper the gunshot wounds appeared to self-heal, and a wildlife officer who came to her home put the gator back in the lake.
The latest incidents come amid a rash of fatal attacks in Florida, where three women were mauled and killed by alligators in the past week.

Let me get this straight. Alligators are KILLING people in Florida and one starts to munch on a family pet and a woman shoots him. Not only does she get a ticket for hunting without a permit, but the alligator is put back in the water!

I may have had to shoot the officer as well. (just kidding, but you get my drift)


via Fark

Columbine video game.

The AP has this:

5/17/06 - DENVER, CO) - An online game based on the Columbine High School massacre is drawing criticism from relatives of those who died in the 1999 attack, including a father who says it trivializes the actions of the two teen killers.

The game, Super Columbine Massacre RPG, was posted on a Web site last year, but is becoming more popular now. It draws on investigative material, including images of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, who killed 12 classmates and a teacher before committing suicide.

This is just wrong, wrong. Is nothing off-limits anymore?

Slowly but.....

surely. It's not perfect. It needs work. But this immigration thing? At least they are doing something! So everyone stop your whining already.

God told me...

to totally ignore Pat Robertson.

This is a public toliet in Houston. Would you use it? Me? Hell no.

h/t Craig

*snopes says it is in Switzerland.

Sex Survey for Teens.

"A group called Students for Unity at Port Washington High School distributed this "heterosexual Questionaire" to several hundred students at the school to spur discussion about the "Day of Silence." Read more here.

Here are the questions. I took the liberty of answering them.

1) What do you think caused your heterosexuality? Boys.

2) When did you decide you were heterosexual? About the time I noticed the dreamy brown eyes of a 2nd grader sitting behind me in class. His name was Kevin.

3) Could it be that your heterosexuality is just a phase? Could be. I noticed I could not have cared less about it when I was exhausted taking care of babies.

4) To whom have you disclosed your heterosexuality? How did they react? I have told no one.

5) If you have never slept with someone of your same gender, then how do you know you wouldn't prefer it? Well, I haven't slept with a baboon either but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't prefer it.

6) Is it likely that you have (sic) just haven't' met the right same gender partner yet? If you can find me a girl who looks exactly like Johnny Depp I might give it a go.

7) Why do you flaunt your lifestyle with wedding rings, photos at work and talk of your heterosexual escapades? Because it's so hot to talk about.

8) Your heterosexuality doesn't offend me as long as you don't try to come on to me, but why do so many heterosexuals try to seduce others to their orientation? Because most are skanks and man ho's.

9) Considering the battering abuse and divorce rate associated with heterosexual coupling, why would you want to enter into that kind of relationship? I wouldn't want to enter that kind. I'm more into the loving nurturing and having babies kind of relationship.

10) Why do you heterosexuals place so much emphasis on sex? Don't you mean men?

Ok, obviously this is a propaganda survey made to make teens "think" about their sexuality. It has to be done at school because heaven knows the poor teens of today never hear about sex anywhere else.

How about this for a handout:

Matthew 7:12

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated. That's it. No matter what sexual orientation, race, religion. It works every time.


via Fark

The MSM reports on WWII.

The way it might have been with the media we have today.

via Wizbang

Calling record story is falling apart.

Bellsouth says it gave no records to the governement: (emphasis mine)

"Based on our review to date, we have confirmed no such contract exists and we have not provided bulk customer calling records to the NSA," the Atlanta-based regional Bell said in a statement.

Nor did Verizon:

"Verizon Communications this afternoon said that it "was not asked by the (National Security Agency) to provide, nor did Verizon provide, customer records" from any of its telephone businesses "or any call data from those records." Any media reports that say it did those things "are simply false," the company stated."

And AT&T hasn't said yet:

"It is the second company to challenge a USA TODAY report Thursday that said three phone companies had assisted the NSA in collecting "call records of tens of millions of Americans." Late Monday, BellSouth said it had not "provided bulk customer calling records" to the NSA. The third company named by USA TODAY, AT&T, has not commented on whether it assisted the NSA."

But that won't keep biased reporters ( and of course leftwing bloggers) from repeating the story over and over and always using the word "wiretapping" instead of "records." Like this at the White House briefing yesterday:

Helen Thomas: "The President today denied he'd ever broken the law in terms of wiretaps. He also indicated that anything that was looked into, any calls, had some sort of foreign aspect either to or from. And he has said he's always obeyed the law. Are all of these stories untrue that we've been reading for the last several days that millions of Americans have been wiretapped?"

The MSM is getting nervous too. They think the government may now have access to who leaks these false stories.

Maybe this is what the fuss is all about. The MSM doesn't really care about the phone records of ordinary citizens or do they care about the wiretapping of those calling Al Queda. They are making a big deal out of this because they are afraid that maybe we can prove they put out false stories with "anonymous sources" that no one can verify.

It would explain much.

via Iowa Voice

NOW endorses Lieberman's challenger for the Democratic nomination to the Senate.

Lieberman has "a 95% vote record rating" from NARAL, but that is just not pro-abortion enough.

The Gift of Suffering.

I was going to blog on how well Tony Snow did at his first press conference as the White House Press Secretary, but watching him sent me down a different road. Someone asked him why he wore a yellow bracelet and he answered that it was because he had cancer last year. He got emotional and had to pause. Then he said that having cancer was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

I'm not sure what the details of that feeling is, but I have a hunch. It reminded me of a true story our Priest told a few Sundays ago. I can't remember the details of the names or year, but I will just tell the story as best I remember it.

There was a famous gymnast who was at the pinnacle of his career when he had a horrible accident while performing and was paralyzed from the neck down. Five years later there was some sort of sport convention. There was a packed audience in a large auditorium to hear great athletes speak. At one point there was a spotlight on the center stage with a empty chair. A famous football player carried out the gymnast that had been injured 5 yrs before. He was like a rag doll. He weighed only 86 pounds. Once he was settled in the chair, he began to speak. He said that right after the accident he wanted to kill himself. He said that he would never wish what happened to him on his worst enemy. He said he prayed that no one in the audience would ever known the pain, the inner anguish, and the deep sorrow that he had experienced. He said he prayed that no one would go through what he had gone though unless.......unless it was the only way for them to know God. That is what had happened to him. He was living the high life. He never thought of God nor thought he needed him. But when he was brought down crashing into the reality of his situation he had nowhere else to turn for his inner pain. Finally he became exhausted with the sorrow and gave his life to God. He said that the accident and all that followed was the best thing that ever happened to him because it led him to God. It gave him the greatest joy and peace he had ever known.

There is meaning in suffering. Sometimes for us and sometimes for others. We just hardly ever look past the immediate pain to see the greater good. I think Tony was able to see things he had been missing. Such is the way of pain laid at God's feet. We see clearly through what was nothing but black glass before.

Castro fumes!!!

"I AM NOT RICH!!"

In case you are feeling......

like Republicans are no better than the Democrats, Hispanic Pundit has this to make you feel better and remember why you vote Republican:


"Here’s how the members of the U.S. House voted on that bill to extend prior tax cuts for small businesses and investors and to reign in the dreaded Alternative Minimum Tax:

15/197 = Democrats in favor of less taxes (8%).
229/231 = Republicans in favor of less taxes (99%).

182/197 = Democrats against lower taxes (92%).
2/231 = Republicans against lower taxes (1%)."

Liveblogging the President's speech tonight.

No, I won't be. But The Truth Laid Bare has links to everyone who will. Feel free to comment here on the speech, before, during, and after.

Why women over 30...

shouldn't drink.

Song recommendation.

"Afterglow" INXS

The guy can sing. I love this song. Very smooth and sexy.

What country is "the most savage, cruel and murderous empire that has existed in the history of the world?"

The United State is. At least according to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. That is but one part of his insane rant. Read the rest.

Seriously. We need to drill under Disney Land and in Yellowstone National Park if it wll stop us from having to buy oil from this guy.

via Oxblog

Border Patrol.

I predict that Bush's poll numbers will rise after tonight's speech. According to the Washington Post, he will unveil a plan that will send the National Guard to the border.

Which will make the Republicans and moderate Democrats a bit happier. Now on to spending cuts?

Too scary a thought...

to be funny.

"President Al Gore"

Really.