Every American should be outraged by this...
From the Washington Post...
Md. Passes Rules on Wal-Mart Insurance
Bill Obligates Firms On Health Spending
By John Wagner and Michael BarbaroWashington Post Staff WritersWednesday, April 6, 2005; Page A01
"Maryland lawmakers yesterday approved legislation that would effectively require Wal-Mart to boost spending on health care, a direct legislative thrust against a corporate giant that is already on the defensive on many fronts nationwide.
"We're looking for responsible businesses to ante up . . . and provide adequate health care," said Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles), the Finance Committee chairman, as the Senate approved the measure with a majority wide enough to survive an anticipated veto. A similar bill has cleared the House of Delegates, and legislators expect to reconcile their differences easily."
So they did it.
The Democrat controlled State Legislature in Maryland has decided that they know more about how to run Wal-Mart than Wal-Mart does. They have mandated what benefits a privately owned business must provide their employees.
"Lawmakers said they did not set out to single out Wal-Mart when they drafted a bill requiring organizations with more than 10,000 employees to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health benefits -- or put the money directly into the state's health program for the poor."
Healthcare is the tool that the Democrat Party will use to dismantle our Economy. They are just now starting to learn how to use it.
Wal-Mart MUST fight this. And I don't mean through the Courts, and I don't mean through the Legislature, and I don't mean through the Media.
Wal-Mart, if they will do it, has the ability to stop this kind of attack cold.
They have to shut down every Wal-Mart store in the State of Maryland.
Tomorrow.
They need to lock the doors, bring in crews from out of state to pack up the merchandise, and ship the whole shooting match to other places.
When they are done, they need to retain ownership of all of the buildings, and put up signs on the doors saying:
"Anti-Free-Market forces in the Democrat controlled State Legislature have made it impossible for the Wal-Mart Corporation to continue to do business in the state of Maryland.
We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Write your Congressman and/or Senator.
In the meantime, have fun shopping at the Mom-n-Pop Shop."
If they did this, 17,000 people would lose their jobs. The buying power of every single citizen of the State of Maryland would decrease. State Tax revenues would decrease, and all of the people currently employed in every Wal-Mart store in Maryland would draw Unemployment, directly from the State Treasury.
Then they need to start an advertizing campaign, spareing no expense, and lay the blame for every problem that Wal-Mart's withdrawal creates squarely at the feet of the Democrats who caused it.
Wal-Mart needs to send a message to the Democrats in Maryland, and to every State Legislature in America.
They need to remind the American People what Wal-Mart does for them. (And they do plenty.)
Wal-Mart needs to fight this, and they need to win.
For the good of America.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Justice...
Is it over yet?
The Alito (or as the esteemed Senator Kennedy says it, "Alioto") Confirmation Hearings, I mean?
No, they are not. The part that comes now is when Senator Kennedy and Senator Biden, and Boxer get to demonize Judge Alito till the cows come home and he doesn't get to answer them.
So far he has been able to answer them point for point, (not that that does any good when confronting Liberals,) and he just keeps looking smarter and smarter, while they make themselves look dumber and dumber.
But now they have the floor.
And now, we get to see what a horrible Monster Judge "Alioto" really is, and he will not be allowed to twist the facts the way he has done for the last couple of days.
He will be confirmed. The next time you see his picture, realize that you are looking at the 110th Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Just what has been accomplished over the last couple of days? Has any of the harsh rhetoric, wild accusations against Judge Alito, or attacks against his character stopped him from being confirmed?
No. Not even close.
Have they hurt him at all?
Yes, they have. One only has to look at the pictures of his wife as she burst into tears and left the hearing room to realize that he and his family are indeed human beings. They have feelings.
The only thing he has EVER done to deserve the treatment he has endured over the past two days was to agree to serve his country (us,) if he is confirmed, and making the mistake of being nominated by a duly elected Republican President. He is not a racist. He is not a sexist. He is not a right-wing zealot bent upon revoking the Constitutional freedoms of Americans. He is not a lunatic.
What he is, from the actual evidence that has so far been presented, is a fair and impartial Judge, who has devoted his life to the Law, and has shown no propensity whatsoever to institute any particular agenda, other than the one set forth in our Constitution by our Founding Fathers.
There are some of you who believe that the purpose of these hearings, in part, is to allow the particular political parties to "shore up" their bases.
Funny, I thought the purpose of these hearings was to determine if the candidate was QUALIFIED to sit on the Supreme Court. (Silly Me...)
Which Judge Alito is.
If I were President Bush, do you know what I would do?
The next opening that came up that required Senate Hearings, I would nominate Senator Kennedy.
Then I would call every Republican Senator, and tell them that the gloves are off. Whatever you or your staff can dig up on Kennedy, throw it at him, on National Television.
The Hearings, if they exposed every shady thing Kennedy has done, or could possibly be accused of, would take three years.
I would see if Senator Kennedy could stand up to the type of scrutiny that he has subjected Judge "Alioto" to.
I think it would be interesting to watch as Senator Kennedy attempted to defend himself against the type of onslaught that he has directed against Judge Alito and Justice Roberts.
I would see how HE would like this treatment.
It would be nothing but fair, and just.
The Alito (or as the esteemed Senator Kennedy says it, "Alioto") Confirmation Hearings, I mean?
No, they are not. The part that comes now is when Senator Kennedy and Senator Biden, and Boxer get to demonize Judge Alito till the cows come home and he doesn't get to answer them.
So far he has been able to answer them point for point, (not that that does any good when confronting Liberals,) and he just keeps looking smarter and smarter, while they make themselves look dumber and dumber.
But now they have the floor.
And now, we get to see what a horrible Monster Judge "Alioto" really is, and he will not be allowed to twist the facts the way he has done for the last couple of days.
He will be confirmed. The next time you see his picture, realize that you are looking at the 110th Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Just what has been accomplished over the last couple of days? Has any of the harsh rhetoric, wild accusations against Judge Alito, or attacks against his character stopped him from being confirmed?
No. Not even close.
Have they hurt him at all?
Yes, they have. One only has to look at the pictures of his wife as she burst into tears and left the hearing room to realize that he and his family are indeed human beings. They have feelings.
The only thing he has EVER done to deserve the treatment he has endured over the past two days was to agree to serve his country (us,) if he is confirmed, and making the mistake of being nominated by a duly elected Republican President. He is not a racist. He is not a sexist. He is not a right-wing zealot bent upon revoking the Constitutional freedoms of Americans. He is not a lunatic.
What he is, from the actual evidence that has so far been presented, is a fair and impartial Judge, who has devoted his life to the Law, and has shown no propensity whatsoever to institute any particular agenda, other than the one set forth in our Constitution by our Founding Fathers.
There are some of you who believe that the purpose of these hearings, in part, is to allow the particular political parties to "shore up" their bases.
Funny, I thought the purpose of these hearings was to determine if the candidate was QUALIFIED to sit on the Supreme Court. (Silly Me...)
Which Judge Alito is.
If I were President Bush, do you know what I would do?
The next opening that came up that required Senate Hearings, I would nominate Senator Kennedy.
Then I would call every Republican Senator, and tell them that the gloves are off. Whatever you or your staff can dig up on Kennedy, throw it at him, on National Television.
The Hearings, if they exposed every shady thing Kennedy has done, or could possibly be accused of, would take three years.
I would see if Senator Kennedy could stand up to the type of scrutiny that he has subjected Judge "Alioto" to.
I think it would be interesting to watch as Senator Kennedy attempted to defend himself against the type of onslaught that he has directed against Judge Alito and Justice Roberts.
I would see how HE would like this treatment.
It would be nothing but fair, and just.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Double Standard...
From Rasmussenreports.com...
Supreme Court Nomination: 58% Say Senate Dems Should Confirm Qualified Conservative
July 11, 2005--If President Bush nominates a qualified conservative to serve on the Supreme Court, 58% of Likely Voters say that Senate Democrats should vote to confirm that nominee.
A Rasmussen Reports survey found that just 24% believe that Harry Reid's party should oppose such a nominee.
Republicans and unaffiliated voters strongly support confirmation. Democrats are evenly divided--43% say their Senators should vote to confirm while 38% take the opposite view.
The divide among Democrats is strictly along ideological lines--58% of liberal Democrats want their party to oppose confirmation of a qualified conservative. 56% of moderate and conservative Democrats take the opposite view.
There it is, Dems, in black and white. (You guys are the ones who love to govern by opinion polls...)
The American People have spoken. They want the Democrats to vote to confirm Judge Sam Alito.
This puts Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden solidly outside the mainstream of American opinion.
And this is not a new poll. They had to have seen it before the Roberts confirmation hearings.
What this says to me is that opposing President Bush and anything that he tries to do is more important to Senate Democrats than absolutely anything else.
Even the will of the American People.
But then again, they have never expressed much faith in the American People anyway. They do not believe that we have sense enough to manage our own money (opposition to privatization of Socialist Security accounts, "Tax Cuts for the Rich", the push for Nationalized Healthcare even though Health insurance is readily available to anyone who is willing to make it a priority or willing to demand it as a condition of employment,) they do not believe that we have sense enough to read our own Constitution or to elect our own leaders.
They do not believe that we have sense enough to manage our own lives.
Well, we do.
I voted for President Bush PRECISELY because I wanted a Conservative Republican to nominate the next few Supreme Court Justices.
And the Democrats supported Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and if she is not too far to the left, then President Bush should be able to nominate William F. Buckley if he wants to, and he should be confirmed.
Without a fuss.
That is, if the Democrats were consistent.
But with each blustering speech, with each unreasonable protest of the President's Nominees, with every word that issues from Ted Kennedy's mouth, the double standard becomes ever more evident.
Supreme Court Nomination: 58% Say Senate Dems Should Confirm Qualified Conservative
July 11, 2005--If President Bush nominates a qualified conservative to serve on the Supreme Court, 58% of Likely Voters say that Senate Democrats should vote to confirm that nominee.
A Rasmussen Reports survey found that just 24% believe that Harry Reid's party should oppose such a nominee.
Republicans and unaffiliated voters strongly support confirmation. Democrats are evenly divided--43% say their Senators should vote to confirm while 38% take the opposite view.
The divide among Democrats is strictly along ideological lines--58% of liberal Democrats want their party to oppose confirmation of a qualified conservative. 56% of moderate and conservative Democrats take the opposite view.
There it is, Dems, in black and white. (You guys are the ones who love to govern by opinion polls...)
The American People have spoken. They want the Democrats to vote to confirm Judge Sam Alito.
This puts Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden solidly outside the mainstream of American opinion.
And this is not a new poll. They had to have seen it before the Roberts confirmation hearings.
What this says to me is that opposing President Bush and anything that he tries to do is more important to Senate Democrats than absolutely anything else.
Even the will of the American People.
But then again, they have never expressed much faith in the American People anyway. They do not believe that we have sense enough to manage our own money (opposition to privatization of Socialist Security accounts, "Tax Cuts for the Rich", the push for Nationalized Healthcare even though Health insurance is readily available to anyone who is willing to make it a priority or willing to demand it as a condition of employment,) they do not believe that we have sense enough to read our own Constitution or to elect our own leaders.
They do not believe that we have sense enough to manage our own lives.
Well, we do.
I voted for President Bush PRECISELY because I wanted a Conservative Republican to nominate the next few Supreme Court Justices.
And the Democrats supported Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and if she is not too far to the left, then President Bush should be able to nominate William F. Buckley if he wants to, and he should be confirmed.
Without a fuss.
That is, if the Democrats were consistent.
But with each blustering speech, with each unreasonable protest of the President's Nominees, with every word that issues from Ted Kennedy's mouth, the double standard becomes ever more evident.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Tug's Proclamation To Humanity.
I Tugboatcapn, as a citizen of The United States Of America, a circumstance in which I, myself had no part, but rather consider it to be a blessing from Almighty God, and as a citizen of The World, as all human beings are, do hereby offer this proclaimation to Humanity.
I will acknowledge the existence and Divine leadership of Almighty God, and do hereby pledge to follow His leadership, as laid out for His people in His Word, The Holy Bible, and His personal instruction, as I recieve it through prayer, and the respectful study of His Holy Word. I believe, because of personal experience regarding the improvement of my own life and level of general happiness through adherance to the dictates set forth in The Holy Bible, that this is the first and most important thing that I can do for my fellow man, and for humanity in general.
I will never, through my own actions or inactions, become a burden in any way to any other human being or to society in general, and will depend only upon myself for my basic survival, happiness, and general well-being, to the absolute best of my ability. I will provide for myself and my family MYSELF, by whatever means necessary (within the law), and will strive at all times toward complete self-sufficiency, to the level that it is possible in our society.
I will promise to, however I am able, help the disadvantaged to become equally self-sufficient, to the level that they are capable, and to assist them in all ways practical to overcome the disadvantages to which they are subject, be it through education, motivation, or example.
I will protect and preserve our natural environment inasmuch as I am able without encroaching upon the Freedoms of others, and will protect all living things (holding life to be a creation of Almighty God, and therefore sacred), will give the benefit of doubt to life where doubt may exist, and will strive to be a good steward of one of the most precious gifts bestowed upon us by our Creator, our planet. I will not recklessly pollute, abuse, or disrespect this gift, and will use it wisely.
I will, by any and all means at my disposal, defend the defensless, help the helpless, and attempt to spread hope to the hopeless, wherever they may be, as is my duty as a citizen of The United States Of America, having been blessed as such by Almighty God with opportunities and advantages currently unavailable to people who were born into adversity through no fault of their own.
I will, through my vote and through my financial contributions, uphold and preserve the Freedoms enumerated in our Constitution by our Founding Fathers, and will oppose, by all means at my disposal, all those who would undermine, subvert, and repeal those Freedoms, as is my duty as a citizen of The United States Of America.
I will, through my vote and my financial contributions, support the spread of Freedom, Independence and Justice to any and all areas of the world where it is lacking, as is my duty as a citizen of The World, and a believer in the Human Spirit.
I will uphold and obey the laws set forth by my community and by Society in general, and will do my best to see that the guilty are punished and the unjustly accused are fully exhonorated and restored, as is my duty as a citizen, and if I disagree with these laws, I will work to change them through the mechanisms set forth by our Constitution, and by no other method, lest our society descend into anarchy.
I will respect myself, my fellow man, my surroundings, and my society, and will expect the same level of respect to be extended to me and my family, as is my duty and my right as a citizen of The United States Of America, and of The World.
I hereby offer this proclaimation, knowing that these principals require no significant change in my current lifestyle, so that any who may be unsure may know what principals drive my opinions and attitudes, and so that they can understand the driving forces which govern my words and actions, both past and present, and will continue to do so in the future, and I believe that if all citizens of the United States and of The World would pledge to adhere to these same principals, whether to the exact words set forth here, or to the spirit thereof, the circumstances of all of Humanity would improve.
- TBC
I will acknowledge the existence and Divine leadership of Almighty God, and do hereby pledge to follow His leadership, as laid out for His people in His Word, The Holy Bible, and His personal instruction, as I recieve it through prayer, and the respectful study of His Holy Word. I believe, because of personal experience regarding the improvement of my own life and level of general happiness through adherance to the dictates set forth in The Holy Bible, that this is the first and most important thing that I can do for my fellow man, and for humanity in general.
I will never, through my own actions or inactions, become a burden in any way to any other human being or to society in general, and will depend only upon myself for my basic survival, happiness, and general well-being, to the absolute best of my ability. I will provide for myself and my family MYSELF, by whatever means necessary (within the law), and will strive at all times toward complete self-sufficiency, to the level that it is possible in our society.
I will promise to, however I am able, help the disadvantaged to become equally self-sufficient, to the level that they are capable, and to assist them in all ways practical to overcome the disadvantages to which they are subject, be it through education, motivation, or example.
I will protect and preserve our natural environment inasmuch as I am able without encroaching upon the Freedoms of others, and will protect all living things (holding life to be a creation of Almighty God, and therefore sacred), will give the benefit of doubt to life where doubt may exist, and will strive to be a good steward of one of the most precious gifts bestowed upon us by our Creator, our planet. I will not recklessly pollute, abuse, or disrespect this gift, and will use it wisely.
I will, by any and all means at my disposal, defend the defensless, help the helpless, and attempt to spread hope to the hopeless, wherever they may be, as is my duty as a citizen of The United States Of America, having been blessed as such by Almighty God with opportunities and advantages currently unavailable to people who were born into adversity through no fault of their own.
I will, through my vote and through my financial contributions, uphold and preserve the Freedoms enumerated in our Constitution by our Founding Fathers, and will oppose, by all means at my disposal, all those who would undermine, subvert, and repeal those Freedoms, as is my duty as a citizen of The United States Of America.
I will, through my vote and my financial contributions, support the spread of Freedom, Independence and Justice to any and all areas of the world where it is lacking, as is my duty as a citizen of The World, and a believer in the Human Spirit.
I will uphold and obey the laws set forth by my community and by Society in general, and will do my best to see that the guilty are punished and the unjustly accused are fully exhonorated and restored, as is my duty as a citizen, and if I disagree with these laws, I will work to change them through the mechanisms set forth by our Constitution, and by no other method, lest our society descend into anarchy.
I will respect myself, my fellow man, my surroundings, and my society, and will expect the same level of respect to be extended to me and my family, as is my duty and my right as a citizen of The United States Of America, and of The World.
I hereby offer this proclaimation, knowing that these principals require no significant change in my current lifestyle, so that any who may be unsure may know what principals drive my opinions and attitudes, and so that they can understand the driving forces which govern my words and actions, both past and present, and will continue to do so in the future, and I believe that if all citizens of the United States and of The World would pledge to adhere to these same principals, whether to the exact words set forth here, or to the spirit thereof, the circumstances of all of Humanity would improve.
- TBC
Friday, January 06, 2006
Foxes In The Henhouse...
I listened to the radio all day today, my usual menu of Talk Radio and popular music, and the interspersed News breaks.
I did not hear Jack Abramoff's name once.
It's already starting to disappear, just like I said it would. We will hear sporadic News updates occasionally, on significant days such as Abramoff's sentencing hearing, and we will eventually be given a list of the most prominent Republicans who were tainted by their association with Abramoff and his cronies, but this scandal is being allowed to fade.
A couple of people that I talked to today mentioned him, and he is still a topic of discussion on the blogs, but by this time next week, this affair will have gone the way of Able Danger.
The scandal will be mentioned once in a while by people trying to illustrate a point about Republican Corruption, or some such, but the Major Media coverage is about over.
One of the reasons that this is happening is that it will taint far too many politicians from both sides of the aisle if it is pursued agressively. Sure, it might further undermine the reputation of Tom Delay, and a few other Republican Lawmakers, but I don't believe that the Democrats and their lapdog reporters and Media outlets are really willing to trade Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Harry Reid for whichever Republicans they might take down. They (the Republicans included...) would much rather that the whole thing just go away.
This is a much bigger mouthfull than anyone anticipated.
But that is not the main reason that this will be relegated to page 17A. (And soon...)
The REAL reason is that if this is pursued to it's logical conclusion, it will cause the American People to demand a complete overhaul of the Lobbying System.
If that were to happen, then no longer would a Congressional Seat that pays $162,100 per year be worth spending $50,000,000 to win. (Doesn't that seem a little fishy to you? It does to me, and always has...)
What this might do is cause our Representatives to re-inforce the open-handed slap at our (your and my) Freedom of Political Speech rights known as the McCain-Feingold Encumbent Protection Act, which, in a way, created Lobbyists like Abramoff in the first place, and Partisan Attack Organizations like Moveon.org. Abramoff was not the only Lobbyist in Washington, and it would be naive to think that he is the only crooked one. Rest assured that if it were to be investigated closely enough, connections could be found from shady lobbyists to every single member of the House and Senate.
Any action taken in response to this scandal by the politicians who are tainted by it will only make matters worse for the American People. We lose more of our Freedom, more of our voice, and more of our influence over our own elected representatives each and every time they begin to monkey with our ability to support the candidate of our choice, and each and every time that we do not hold our elected representatives to account when they are caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
Here is another interesting bit of fallout stemming partially from this scandal.
Guess who is beginning to gain political traction lately, and has taken the lead on this issue...
Newt Gingrich.
On his website, he has outlined a plan to fix this problem, and I have heard something from him every day on different Talk Shows for the past week, and he is clearly positioning himself for a 2008 Presidential run. (And I can't tell you that I would not be willing to vote for him. I would rather have him as President than Hillary or McCain...)
I don't know, but I would be willing to bet that there aren't many Democrats who wanted HIM back...
I don't know how far he will get, but it will be interesting to watch.
Back to the scandal. I don't want it to go away. I want every single politician who has done anything wrong to be exposed, tried, and punished, regardless of which party they are from, and let the chips fall where they may.
I would rather have an honest Democrat in the Senate than a crooked Republican. I would rather know that the representatives that I send to Washington with my vote actually represent me, and not the highest bidder.
I did not hear Jack Abramoff's name once.
It's already starting to disappear, just like I said it would. We will hear sporadic News updates occasionally, on significant days such as Abramoff's sentencing hearing, and we will eventually be given a list of the most prominent Republicans who were tainted by their association with Abramoff and his cronies, but this scandal is being allowed to fade.
A couple of people that I talked to today mentioned him, and he is still a topic of discussion on the blogs, but by this time next week, this affair will have gone the way of Able Danger.
The scandal will be mentioned once in a while by people trying to illustrate a point about Republican Corruption, or some such, but the Major Media coverage is about over.
One of the reasons that this is happening is that it will taint far too many politicians from both sides of the aisle if it is pursued agressively. Sure, it might further undermine the reputation of Tom Delay, and a few other Republican Lawmakers, but I don't believe that the Democrats and their lapdog reporters and Media outlets are really willing to trade Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Harry Reid for whichever Republicans they might take down. They (the Republicans included...) would much rather that the whole thing just go away.
This is a much bigger mouthfull than anyone anticipated.
But that is not the main reason that this will be relegated to page 17A. (And soon...)
The REAL reason is that if this is pursued to it's logical conclusion, it will cause the American People to demand a complete overhaul of the Lobbying System.
If that were to happen, then no longer would a Congressional Seat that pays $162,100 per year be worth spending $50,000,000 to win. (Doesn't that seem a little fishy to you? It does to me, and always has...)
What this might do is cause our Representatives to re-inforce the open-handed slap at our (your and my) Freedom of Political Speech rights known as the McCain-Feingold Encumbent Protection Act, which, in a way, created Lobbyists like Abramoff in the first place, and Partisan Attack Organizations like Moveon.org. Abramoff was not the only Lobbyist in Washington, and it would be naive to think that he is the only crooked one. Rest assured that if it were to be investigated closely enough, connections could be found from shady lobbyists to every single member of the House and Senate.
Any action taken in response to this scandal by the politicians who are tainted by it will only make matters worse for the American People. We lose more of our Freedom, more of our voice, and more of our influence over our own elected representatives each and every time they begin to monkey with our ability to support the candidate of our choice, and each and every time that we do not hold our elected representatives to account when they are caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
Here is another interesting bit of fallout stemming partially from this scandal.
Guess who is beginning to gain political traction lately, and has taken the lead on this issue...
Newt Gingrich.
On his website, he has outlined a plan to fix this problem, and I have heard something from him every day on different Talk Shows for the past week, and he is clearly positioning himself for a 2008 Presidential run. (And I can't tell you that I would not be willing to vote for him. I would rather have him as President than Hillary or McCain...)
I don't know, but I would be willing to bet that there aren't many Democrats who wanted HIM back...
I don't know how far he will get, but it will be interesting to watch.
Back to the scandal. I don't want it to go away. I want every single politician who has done anything wrong to be exposed, tried, and punished, regardless of which party they are from, and let the chips fall where they may.
I would rather have an honest Democrat in the Senate than a crooked Republican. I would rather know that the representatives that I send to Washington with my vote actually represent me, and not the highest bidder.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
The Biggest Scandal Since...
Travel-gate? White-water-gate??
Lewinski-gate???
Well, maybe...But only because the MSM believes that they can turn it into a primarily Republican scandal.
From ABC snooze .com...
"Political Effects of Abramoff Deal Emerge...
By LIZ MARLANTES
" WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2006 — The legal fallout from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff's decision to cooperate with a federal corruption probe — and provide evidence against an unknown number of high-level Washington officials — remains to be seen.
"But the political effects, in the nation's capital and in many lawmakers' home states, have already begun to emerge.
Abramoff today pleaded guilty to two fraud charges stemming from his purchase of a Florida gambling boat fleet, a day after pleading guilty to three felony counts of mail fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion.
" Not surprisingly, Abramoff's former associates have scrambled to distance themselves from him — and his money. Politicians from both sides of the aisle are returning campaign contributions from the disgraced lobbyist. While those contributions may have been perfectly legal, it's the political taint that may hold the bigger danger, analysts said.
Read that last paragraph again...
BOTH sides of the aisle?
The contributions may have been PERFECTLY LEGAL?
How is this a Republican scandal?
The New York Times says that it may ensnare as many as a dozen members of the House and Senate. The Wall Street Journal says as many as sixty.
It could admittedly affect Republicans like Byron Dorgan, Harry Reid, Carl Levin, John Breaux, or Mary Landrieu...
No, wait...Those are Democrats, aren't they?
Is it possible that when you leave all the Democrats out that the number of people who this thing affects drops from sixty down to twelve?
(Just a question...)
Now, let me explain how this WILL NOT be a Republican scandal, if people will just take a little time and figure it out.
It doesn't matter how many Republicans are tangled up in this, how many are charged, convicted, expelled from the Government, voted out, imprisoned or executed.
This is the BUSH administration. The BUSH Justice Department. BUSH prosecutors.
Either the affected Republican Politicians will be exhonorated, and their names cleared (everywhere except the News Media...), or they will be found guilty and punished BY A REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION.
Either this is a baseless accusation, or a very public example of the Bush Administration dealing with corruption, and punishing those who are guilty, no matter who they are, or how badly the President needs them politically.
Win, Win.
Either way, a Republican Administration comes through this particular scandal with it's integrity intact.
But it is a Republican Scandal because the New York Times, Chicken-Noodle-News, ABC/CBS/NBC etc are going to make it one. (Rest assured that they will report it with every bit of accuracy and integrity with which they reported the Collapsed Coal Mine story, and the Hurricane Katrina story, and the GWB National Guard Memo story, and on, and on, and on...)
And if you don't pay close attention, you will fall for the trick.
So pay attention.
Lewinski-gate???
Well, maybe...But only because the MSM believes that they can turn it into a primarily Republican scandal.
From ABC snooze .com...
"Political Effects of Abramoff Deal Emerge...
By LIZ MARLANTES
" WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2006 — The legal fallout from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff's decision to cooperate with a federal corruption probe — and provide evidence against an unknown number of high-level Washington officials — remains to be seen.
"But the political effects, in the nation's capital and in many lawmakers' home states, have already begun to emerge.
Abramoff today pleaded guilty to two fraud charges stemming from his purchase of a Florida gambling boat fleet, a day after pleading guilty to three felony counts of mail fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion.
" Not surprisingly, Abramoff's former associates have scrambled to distance themselves from him — and his money. Politicians from both sides of the aisle are returning campaign contributions from the disgraced lobbyist. While those contributions may have been perfectly legal, it's the political taint that may hold the bigger danger, analysts said.
Read that last paragraph again...
BOTH sides of the aisle?
The contributions may have been PERFECTLY LEGAL?
How is this a Republican scandal?
The New York Times says that it may ensnare as many as a dozen members of the House and Senate. The Wall Street Journal says as many as sixty.
It could admittedly affect Republicans like Byron Dorgan, Harry Reid, Carl Levin, John Breaux, or Mary Landrieu...
No, wait...Those are Democrats, aren't they?
Is it possible that when you leave all the Democrats out that the number of people who this thing affects drops from sixty down to twelve?
(Just a question...)
Now, let me explain how this WILL NOT be a Republican scandal, if people will just take a little time and figure it out.
It doesn't matter how many Republicans are tangled up in this, how many are charged, convicted, expelled from the Government, voted out, imprisoned or executed.
This is the BUSH administration. The BUSH Justice Department. BUSH prosecutors.
Either the affected Republican Politicians will be exhonorated, and their names cleared (everywhere except the News Media...), or they will be found guilty and punished BY A REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION.
Either this is a baseless accusation, or a very public example of the Bush Administration dealing with corruption, and punishing those who are guilty, no matter who they are, or how badly the President needs them politically.
Win, Win.
Either way, a Republican Administration comes through this particular scandal with it's integrity intact.
But it is a Republican Scandal because the New York Times, Chicken-Noodle-News, ABC/CBS/NBC etc are going to make it one. (Rest assured that they will report it with every bit of accuracy and integrity with which they reported the Collapsed Coal Mine story, and the Hurricane Katrina story, and the GWB National Guard Memo story, and on, and on, and on...)
And if you don't pay close attention, you will fall for the trick.
So pay attention.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
It's Going To Be A Great Year!!
...To be a Republican!
This year we will see a lot of amazing things happen. The troops will start to come home from Iraq this year, and not because the Democrats demanded it, but because they have finished the job, and can return as heroes.
This year will see the first functioning Democracy in the Middle East Region in the history of the World. Think about that for a minute. For the first time in history, the Iraqi people will be allowed to govern themselves, under a constitution that they wrote and voted for (or against...they at least had a choice...) and with leaders whom they elect, and who are accountable to the Iraqi voters.
They have Freedom. Real Freedom. For the first time ever.
And it will happen this year over the screaming objections of the entire American Democrat Party (except for Joe Leiberman). It will happen this year because the American Voters elected and re-elected a President who had the vision to make it happen. We elected a President who had the strength of will to perservere in the face of viscious personal attacks, constant discouragement, and catastrophic doom and gloom predictions from those in our Country who would rather lose a War than give him any credit for winning one.
This is an election year for numerous Senators and Congressmen (Congresspersons?), one of which is Hillary Rodham-Clinton-Rodham, who is also the presumptive front-runner for the Democrat nomination in the 2008 presidential race.
This will be the absolute funniest thing you have ever seen (if you pay close attention.) She is going to have to figure out a way to run for her own Senate seat, staying far enough to the left to win New York City, while staying far enough to the right to carry the rest of the state, and then as soon as she wins, she will immediately turn into a Reagan Republican, in order to try to win the presidential election. She is going to make John F. Kerry look like Abraham Lincoln and George Washington all rolled up into one.
And the American people are not going to buy it. Not for a minute. She will win her Senate seat back, but she will lose a presidential election in a landslide. (I know that the presidential election is two years from now, but Hillary's about-face will happen this year, and I and my fellow right wing bloggers will be here to point it all out to you.) (This is going to be FUN!!)
This year will hold more and more evidence that the President and his supporters have been right all along about more and more things, from Tax Cuts to Socialist Security to the Supreme Court to the War, and his critics will be proven to have been wrong over and over again. And not just wrong. Malicious and obnoxious and mean and loud and wrong. But mostly wrong.
Hopefully this will be the year that the Democrats learn that hatred and opposition do not win elections. If it is, then maybe the Democrats who actually have ideas which may be good for America can begin to make themselves heard, and rejoin the debate with something constructive to add. I know that there are some, they are just currently lost in the cacophony of obstructionism and venom directed toward President Bush by the majority of their party. I eagerly await their return to the forefront of the political process, and I also yearn for the relegation of the Radical Moonbat Looney Left to the fringes where they belong.
Maybe this will be the year.
I know that there will be setbacks. This is a battle that will never go away. There will always be those among us who believe that a gradual creep towards Socialism and Globalism is the best thing for America, and that our National Sovreignty is not important, and that America is the focus of Evil in the Modern World.
But right now, We on the Right side of the aisle are winning.
This is going to be our year.
This year we will see a lot of amazing things happen. The troops will start to come home from Iraq this year, and not because the Democrats demanded it, but because they have finished the job, and can return as heroes.
This year will see the first functioning Democracy in the Middle East Region in the history of the World. Think about that for a minute. For the first time in history, the Iraqi people will be allowed to govern themselves, under a constitution that they wrote and voted for (or against...they at least had a choice...) and with leaders whom they elect, and who are accountable to the Iraqi voters.
They have Freedom. Real Freedom. For the first time ever.
And it will happen this year over the screaming objections of the entire American Democrat Party (except for Joe Leiberman). It will happen this year because the American Voters elected and re-elected a President who had the vision to make it happen. We elected a President who had the strength of will to perservere in the face of viscious personal attacks, constant discouragement, and catastrophic doom and gloom predictions from those in our Country who would rather lose a War than give him any credit for winning one.
This is an election year for numerous Senators and Congressmen (Congresspersons?), one of which is Hillary Rodham-Clinton-Rodham, who is also the presumptive front-runner for the Democrat nomination in the 2008 presidential race.
This will be the absolute funniest thing you have ever seen (if you pay close attention.) She is going to have to figure out a way to run for her own Senate seat, staying far enough to the left to win New York City, while staying far enough to the right to carry the rest of the state, and then as soon as she wins, she will immediately turn into a Reagan Republican, in order to try to win the presidential election. She is going to make John F. Kerry look like Abraham Lincoln and George Washington all rolled up into one.
And the American people are not going to buy it. Not for a minute. She will win her Senate seat back, but she will lose a presidential election in a landslide. (I know that the presidential election is two years from now, but Hillary's about-face will happen this year, and I and my fellow right wing bloggers will be here to point it all out to you.) (This is going to be FUN!!)
This year will hold more and more evidence that the President and his supporters have been right all along about more and more things, from Tax Cuts to Socialist Security to the Supreme Court to the War, and his critics will be proven to have been wrong over and over again. And not just wrong. Malicious and obnoxious and mean and loud and wrong. But mostly wrong.
Hopefully this will be the year that the Democrats learn that hatred and opposition do not win elections. If it is, then maybe the Democrats who actually have ideas which may be good for America can begin to make themselves heard, and rejoin the debate with something constructive to add. I know that there are some, they are just currently lost in the cacophony of obstructionism and venom directed toward President Bush by the majority of their party. I eagerly await their return to the forefront of the political process, and I also yearn for the relegation of the Radical Moonbat Looney Left to the fringes where they belong.
Maybe this will be the year.
I know that there will be setbacks. This is a battle that will never go away. There will always be those among us who believe that a gradual creep towards Socialism and Globalism is the best thing for America, and that our National Sovreignty is not important, and that America is the focus of Evil in the Modern World.
But right now, We on the Right side of the aisle are winning.
This is going to be our year.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Tug's New Years Resolutions
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
New Year's Day is the time when traditionally we take stock of our lives, and resolve to change the things that we don't like, and do the things that we already knew we should have been doing all along.
So for my first post of the New Year, I have decided to share with everyone my own New Year's Resolutions.
1. Tithe my income.
You never go wrong giving money to God. I used to tithe a lot more regularly when I went to church more regularly, but I have gotten out of the habit of doing both. I feel that I am closer to God right now than I have ever been in my life, but then I believe that if you were raised in church, you have to step back away from Religion to really know God, and I am currently in the tail end of that process, which brings us to number...
2. Find a church that I like, and start attending regularly.
God does not reside within the walls of a church. You can find Him anywhere. He will come to you. But you cannot give back to God everything that you need to give to Him (He does not need you. He is God. But we need to give to God, and to work for Him, for our own emotional and spiritual well being) if you are not active in a good, growing church.
I have not been gloriously happy and content living in Florida, and I blame this situation, in part, on the fact that I have not attended church since I have lived here. Churches are a good place to build a network of like minded, compatible individuals who are united for their own mutual good. Friends, if you want to call them that. I don't have any here. I want some.
I have friends in the blogosphere, and I appreciate each and every one of them, but they can't keep the dog for us when we need to be out of town for a couple of days.
3.) Have sex with my wife every night. (tee hee)
(Xena added this one while I was out of the room. Not a bad resolution, though, so I am going to leave it. Yee-hah!!)
That brings us to number...
4. Spend less time blogging, and more time paying attention to my wife and doggy.
I seriously thought about giving up Blogging completely, but I decided against that. There are a lot of you out there who are seriously misguided, and I must do my part to straighten you out, for your own good. (Just kidding.) I feel that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and to mine as well. Any time any of you want the correct and logical take on the events of the day, just come here, and I will provide it for you, to the best of my ability.
But I will no longer neglect my wife in order to do it.
5. Get more sleep.
I am 39 years old. For the last couple of years, I have been living on about 3 or 4 hours of sleep per night, and it is killing me. There is no reason for me to do this to myself anymore, so I am going to quit it.
6. Buy another house.
My wife and I live in a 30 year old (31 ?) double wide mobile home. It is a pretty nice place, considering what we have to work with, but I owe her more than this. She is a good wife, and she should not have to apologize to anyone for the house that I have provided for her. I can and will do better, this year.
7. Move back to North Carolina.
I do not belong in Florida. I have tried to make the best of it, but this trip to N.C. over the past few days reminded me in no uncertain terms that I belong there, not here. Fortunately, I am portable, and so is the wife and doggy. We can relocate, and I am planning to be back where God intended me to be by this time next year, in a house that the wife can be proud of. Maybe even one that she can look down her nose at the less fortunate about.
8. Play my guitars.
They have been sadly neglected lately. I used to be a pretty good musician, and I have made a pretty fair amount of money playing music over the course of my life, but right now I am as rusty as a railroad spike. There is no excuse for this.
I will remedy this situation this year.
9. Bathe every day.
(It's a joke, Son. Humor! Arr Arr Arr! Nanoo Nanoo...)
10. Start a business and become filthy rich.
It ain't ever going to happen as long as I am working for someone else. Other people do it, and I have the same amount of fingers and toes as they do. If anyone else can, then I can.
Ever since my wreck, I have thought about what it would be like to make a living without an Eighteen Wheeler up under me, and now I believe that I may have stumbled on to a plan that might work. More on this later. If it works, I will share the details here, and we can all get rich.
Pray for me, and keep your fingers crossed.
11. Call my Mama.
She loves me, and I love her. I don't call her nearly enough. I will do better this year.
12. Write my Congressman and my Senator more often, and not just bitch about stuff on my blog.
This is how we make a difference in our Country. If my representatives do things that I do not like, then I will tell them so. If they do things that I like, I will tell them that as well. If they are about to do something that I do not like, I will ask them not to.
I will make my voice heard, at the highest levels of our government.
If you do not agree with me, then I suggest that you do the same.
These are a few of my goals for the New Year. I have others, but they shall remain private.
What are your Resolutions for the New Year?
New Year's Day is the time when traditionally we take stock of our lives, and resolve to change the things that we don't like, and do the things that we already knew we should have been doing all along.
So for my first post of the New Year, I have decided to share with everyone my own New Year's Resolutions.
1. Tithe my income.
You never go wrong giving money to God. I used to tithe a lot more regularly when I went to church more regularly, but I have gotten out of the habit of doing both. I feel that I am closer to God right now than I have ever been in my life, but then I believe that if you were raised in church, you have to step back away from Religion to really know God, and I am currently in the tail end of that process, which brings us to number...
2. Find a church that I like, and start attending regularly.
God does not reside within the walls of a church. You can find Him anywhere. He will come to you. But you cannot give back to God everything that you need to give to Him (He does not need you. He is God. But we need to give to God, and to work for Him, for our own emotional and spiritual well being) if you are not active in a good, growing church.
I have not been gloriously happy and content living in Florida, and I blame this situation, in part, on the fact that I have not attended church since I have lived here. Churches are a good place to build a network of like minded, compatible individuals who are united for their own mutual good. Friends, if you want to call them that. I don't have any here. I want some.
I have friends in the blogosphere, and I appreciate each and every one of them, but they can't keep the dog for us when we need to be out of town for a couple of days.
3.) Have sex with my wife every night. (tee hee)
(Xena added this one while I was out of the room. Not a bad resolution, though, so I am going to leave it. Yee-hah!!)
That brings us to number...
4. Spend less time blogging, and more time paying attention to my wife and doggy.
I seriously thought about giving up Blogging completely, but I decided against that. There are a lot of you out there who are seriously misguided, and I must do my part to straighten you out, for your own good. (Just kidding.) I feel that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and to mine as well. Any time any of you want the correct and logical take on the events of the day, just come here, and I will provide it for you, to the best of my ability.
But I will no longer neglect my wife in order to do it.
5. Get more sleep.
I am 39 years old. For the last couple of years, I have been living on about 3 or 4 hours of sleep per night, and it is killing me. There is no reason for me to do this to myself anymore, so I am going to quit it.
6. Buy another house.
My wife and I live in a 30 year old (31 ?) double wide mobile home. It is a pretty nice place, considering what we have to work with, but I owe her more than this. She is a good wife, and she should not have to apologize to anyone for the house that I have provided for her. I can and will do better, this year.
7. Move back to North Carolina.
I do not belong in Florida. I have tried to make the best of it, but this trip to N.C. over the past few days reminded me in no uncertain terms that I belong there, not here. Fortunately, I am portable, and so is the wife and doggy. We can relocate, and I am planning to be back where God intended me to be by this time next year, in a house that the wife can be proud of. Maybe even one that she can look down her nose at the less fortunate about.
8. Play my guitars.
They have been sadly neglected lately. I used to be a pretty good musician, and I have made a pretty fair amount of money playing music over the course of my life, but right now I am as rusty as a railroad spike. There is no excuse for this.
I will remedy this situation this year.
9. Bathe every day.
(It's a joke, Son. Humor! Arr Arr Arr! Nanoo Nanoo...)
10. Start a business and become filthy rich.
It ain't ever going to happen as long as I am working for someone else. Other people do it, and I have the same amount of fingers and toes as they do. If anyone else can, then I can.
Ever since my wreck, I have thought about what it would be like to make a living without an Eighteen Wheeler up under me, and now I believe that I may have stumbled on to a plan that might work. More on this later. If it works, I will share the details here, and we can all get rich.
Pray for me, and keep your fingers crossed.
11. Call my Mama.
She loves me, and I love her. I don't call her nearly enough. I will do better this year.
12. Write my Congressman and my Senator more often, and not just bitch about stuff on my blog.
This is how we make a difference in our Country. If my representatives do things that I do not like, then I will tell them so. If they do things that I like, I will tell them that as well. If they are about to do something that I do not like, I will ask them not to.
I will make my voice heard, at the highest levels of our government.
If you do not agree with me, then I suggest that you do the same.
These are a few of my goals for the New Year. I have others, but they shall remain private.
What are your Resolutions for the New Year?
Friday, December 23, 2005
Merry Christmas!
My wife and I are leaving in the wee hours tomorrow to go to a birthday party in North Carolina for Jesus, so this will be my last post until we get back.
Jesus has told us that He will not be there physically unless it just works out for Him to come, but He will attend in Spirit.
He has gone to prepare a place for us, so that where He is, there we can be also. He has been working on it for a little over two thousand years, so I imagine it will be spectacular. I can't wait...
I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. If you celebrate something besides Jesus' Birthday this time of year, then have a Merry Whatever you celebrate. My sincere wish is for everyone to be happy and joyful for the next week, and to be content and successful throughout the upcoming year.
May Santa Clause bring you everything on your list, and may you make everybody happy with whatever you did for them.
When you are opening your gifts, feasting and celebrating, don't forget to remember the gift that Jesus gave to the world, and if you have not yet recieved this gift, please know that He intended for you to have it, and that He died trying to give it to you.
So Happy Birthday, Jesus!!
And Merry Christmas everybody else!!
See you next year!!
Jesus has told us that He will not be there physically unless it just works out for Him to come, but He will attend in Spirit.
He has gone to prepare a place for us, so that where He is, there we can be also. He has been working on it for a little over two thousand years, so I imagine it will be spectacular. I can't wait...
I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. If you celebrate something besides Jesus' Birthday this time of year, then have a Merry Whatever you celebrate. My sincere wish is for everyone to be happy and joyful for the next week, and to be content and successful throughout the upcoming year.
May Santa Clause bring you everything on your list, and may you make everybody happy with whatever you did for them.
When you are opening your gifts, feasting and celebrating, don't forget to remember the gift that Jesus gave to the world, and if you have not yet recieved this gift, please know that He intended for you to have it, and that He died trying to give it to you.
So Happy Birthday, Jesus!!
And Merry Christmas everybody else!!
See you next year!!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
The Jesus Post...
Over the last couple of weeks there has been an ongoing debate that has overflowed from ER's blog, to Mark's, to mine, and back again.
It concerns Jesus' political affiliation.
ER has asserted repeatedly that Jesus was a Liberal, and in His day, I guess that he probably was considered to be liberal. He was a pacifist, (not an appeaser, a pacifist...)He was clearly anti-establishment. He talked against the government, and the religious leaders of His day.
But that is where the similarities between Jesus and the modern Liberal movement end, as far as I can tell.
Some say that Jesus commanded us to help the poor, and the disadvantaged, and that using their vote to elect people who will use tax money to help these people is doing The Lord's Work.
I have done a pretty extensive search of the New Testament (because I want to get this right...), and I can find only one instance where Jesus told anyone to give to the poor.
"Matthew 19:21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."
The same story appears in Mark 10:21.
In this instance, Jesus told the "Rich Young Ruler", (as I have heard him called all my life) not necessarily to help the poor. That was a by-product.
What Jesus told the young man to do was get rid of his idol. To rid himself of the thing that was most important to him. The thing that would come between him and God.
Helping the poor was just an easy way to get rid of it.
Now Jesus did encourage general kindness and benevolence between us, His people.
Luke 3:11"He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise."
Matthew 25:35-36 "For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."
Matthew 25:40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
But he never advocated putting Government in charge of anything, least of all, our Christian charity. Not that I can find. (He said to pay your taxes, (Matthew 22:21), but that's the only reference to anything dealing with Government that I have found.)
He encouraged industriousness and productivity, and discouraged sloth and inefficiency.
Matthew 25:27-29 "Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath."
Jesus fed 5000 hungry people at one time, but he never fed anyone twice in a row.
He never gave money to a beggar.
He did not want the political power that came with being a provider. He actively ran from it.
He cured the sick, healed the lame, made the blind to see. But in every case, he witnessed to their Soul in the process. His focus was on the Kingdom of Heaven, not the politics of the world, or the needs of the disadvantaged. He preached the Gospel everywhere He went, constantly. (Even if He happened to be in a Government Building.)
And in every case, He made the people whom he helped able to provide for themselves. He never did anything for them that could lead to any type of dependancy on government, or the Charity of others.
So where did Jesus weigh in on the "Left - Right" debate?
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." (Sorry. That one is grossly out of context. It was just too perfect to pass up...)
Jesus was NOT a Liberal, not in the modern context.
Nor was He a Conservative.
HE WAS THE SON OF GOD.
For me to beat on my chest and say "Jesus agrees with ME!!" would be blasphemous. I am nothing.
He is God incarnate, sent to save Mankind from the Bondage of Sin, not to help me prop up my own insignificant political arguements.
Or you with yours...
(All references from the King James Version of the Holy Bible, Courtesy of BibleGateway.com)
It concerns Jesus' political affiliation.
ER has asserted repeatedly that Jesus was a Liberal, and in His day, I guess that he probably was considered to be liberal. He was a pacifist, (not an appeaser, a pacifist...)He was clearly anti-establishment. He talked against the government, and the religious leaders of His day.
But that is where the similarities between Jesus and the modern Liberal movement end, as far as I can tell.
Some say that Jesus commanded us to help the poor, and the disadvantaged, and that using their vote to elect people who will use tax money to help these people is doing The Lord's Work.
I have done a pretty extensive search of the New Testament (because I want to get this right...), and I can find only one instance where Jesus told anyone to give to the poor.
"Matthew 19:21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."
The same story appears in Mark 10:21.
In this instance, Jesus told the "Rich Young Ruler", (as I have heard him called all my life) not necessarily to help the poor. That was a by-product.
What Jesus told the young man to do was get rid of his idol. To rid himself of the thing that was most important to him. The thing that would come between him and God.
Helping the poor was just an easy way to get rid of it.
Now Jesus did encourage general kindness and benevolence between us, His people.
Luke 3:11"He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise."
Matthew 25:35-36 "For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."
Matthew 25:40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
But he never advocated putting Government in charge of anything, least of all, our Christian charity. Not that I can find. (He said to pay your taxes, (Matthew 22:21), but that's the only reference to anything dealing with Government that I have found.)
He encouraged industriousness and productivity, and discouraged sloth and inefficiency.
Matthew 25:27-29 "Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath."
Jesus fed 5000 hungry people at one time, but he never fed anyone twice in a row.
He never gave money to a beggar.
He did not want the political power that came with being a provider. He actively ran from it.
He cured the sick, healed the lame, made the blind to see. But in every case, he witnessed to their Soul in the process. His focus was on the Kingdom of Heaven, not the politics of the world, or the needs of the disadvantaged. He preached the Gospel everywhere He went, constantly. (Even if He happened to be in a Government Building.)
And in every case, He made the people whom he helped able to provide for themselves. He never did anything for them that could lead to any type of dependancy on government, or the Charity of others.
So where did Jesus weigh in on the "Left - Right" debate?
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." (Sorry. That one is grossly out of context. It was just too perfect to pass up...)
Jesus was NOT a Liberal, not in the modern context.
Nor was He a Conservative.
HE WAS THE SON OF GOD.
For me to beat on my chest and say "Jesus agrees with ME!!" would be blasphemous. I am nothing.
He is God incarnate, sent to save Mankind from the Bondage of Sin, not to help me prop up my own insignificant political arguements.
Or you with yours...
(All references from the King James Version of the Holy Bible, Courtesy of BibleGateway.com)
Let's Bash The President...
Not Bush...
Clinton.
Just for fun, I am issuing a challenge.
Name any problem, any bad thing going on anywhere in the world that affects Americans, and I will blame it on Bill Clinton within three steps. (And probably find a document to prove my point.)
Yee-ha!!
Clinton.
Just for fun, I am issuing a challenge.
Name any problem, any bad thing going on anywhere in the world that affects Americans, and I will blame it on Bill Clinton within three steps. (And probably find a document to prove my point.)
Yee-ha!!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Republicans, Lets Rock!!
Turn up your speakers.
You should be hearing a song by a band called "The Right Brothers," called "Bush Was Right."
The song is going to be used in an Ad sponsored by Rightmarch.com on the Fox Network. Click the link to view the Ad.
I love it. It is a happy, celebratory list of all the things that The President and Conservatives have been right about, set to music.
And we have reason to celebrate. In spite of a constant barrage of opposition and negativity from the Party of Losers, we are winning.
The Economy is booming, Unemployment is at an historic low, Inflation is low, The elections in Iraq have been successful and thanks to President Bush and his commitment to spreading Freedom and Self Governance to the people of the Middle East, Iraqis are well on their way to Independance, and our Troops can soon begin to come home as victorious Heroes.
So turn it up, and enjoy.
I would ask that if you like the song, or if you are a proud Republican who has 99 cents, go here, and buy it.
I have been a member of a struggling band, so I encourage everyone to support up-and-coming musicians, and I don't think that these guys are going to get much support from the Music Industry.
BUSH WAS RIGHT!! (Tug Bangs Head...)
NYAH NYAH NYAH NYAH NYAAAH NYAAH!!!
You should be hearing a song by a band called "The Right Brothers," called "Bush Was Right."
The song is going to be used in an Ad sponsored by Rightmarch.com on the Fox Network. Click the link to view the Ad.
I love it. It is a happy, celebratory list of all the things that The President and Conservatives have been right about, set to music.
And we have reason to celebrate. In spite of a constant barrage of opposition and negativity from the Party of Losers, we are winning.
The Economy is booming, Unemployment is at an historic low, Inflation is low, The elections in Iraq have been successful and thanks to President Bush and his commitment to spreading Freedom and Self Governance to the people of the Middle East, Iraqis are well on their way to Independance, and our Troops can soon begin to come home as victorious Heroes.
So turn it up, and enjoy.
I would ask that if you like the song, or if you are a proud Republican who has 99 cents, go here, and buy it.
I have been a member of a struggling band, so I encourage everyone to support up-and-coming musicians, and I don't think that these guys are going to get much support from the Music Industry.
BUSH WAS RIGHT!! (Tug Bangs Head...)
NYAH NYAH NYAH NYAH NYAAAH NYAAH!!!
Friday, December 16, 2005
The Empire Strikes Back...
Over the past couple of weeks the Republicans have been on the offensive concerning the War on Terrorism, and more specifically, Iraq.
The President has made four speeches at various locations around the country, talking about his strategy for victory, (something the Democrats have yet to offer...) and he has published a 35 page document outlining his Iraq plan.
He even admitted that some of the intellegence that the war in Iraq was based upon was faulty, and accepted responsibility for going to War based on this intelligence, diffusing the "Bush will never admit to making a mistake" arguement, without providing a soundbite that could be used against Republicans in future elections. Then he continued on to say that he still did the right thing, which is the truth. (Ask any Iraqi citizen.) (Insurgent Suicide Bombers don't count.)
Things have been looking good for Republicans and the President.
Until today.
(You didn't expect the Democrats to take all of this lying down, did you?)
Today an article was published in the New York Times (Al-Jazeera America...) saying that the President secretly lifted some restrictions on spying on Americans in the weeks and months following 9/11.
Well, DUH...
If he hadn't, it would have been an impeachable offense.
A couple of things that the article in the Al-Jazeera America Times fails to mention are that it has been OVER FOUR YEARS since we have had a Terrorist attack on U.S. Soil, and that is just over the amount of time that the Patriot Act has been in force, and that the author of the article has a book coming out in ten days, and that this allegation is a chapter in that book.
This article in part led to this atrocity.
The Democrats in the Senate today filibustered an attempt to make 16 key provisions of the Patriot Act permanent. The final vote was 52 to 47, which means that the measure would have passed, had it not had to pass the filibuster attempt. (Note: The American Voters put enough Republican Senators in the Senate to pass this measure. The Democrats with the help of a handfull of Maverick Moderate Republicans have again usurped power from the American People by using the filibuster rule.) (Aren't you glad you live in a Democracy?)
Bill Frist changed his vote at the last moment, choosing to vote with the prevailing side so that he could then call for a re-vote at any time. The Press called this a "Proceedural Maneuver."
So Senator Frist voting with the prevailing side in order to re-present the issue is portrayed as a "Dirty Trick" by the Media, while the de-railing of the will of the representatives of the Majority of the American People is portrayed as "a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders." Hooray for those courageous Democrats!!
Nope. No media Bias here...
These are litterally the type of people who would burn down the house to get rid of a mouse. They must NEVER be returned to power.
So now, if nothing is done to re-instate these provisions of the Patriot Act, the Clinton Era "Gorelick Wall of Separation" is back in place, and we are again vulnerable to Terrorists operating on U.S. Soil (with the full protection afforded American Citizens by our Constitution), free to plan and carry out attacks against U.S. citizens trying to live their every-day lives, and those who would protect us from these Terrorists have their hands tied with Red Tape.
Let me ask you a question...
How has the Patriot Act affected you? (Not "How COULD it affect you", not "How could it affect your neighbor", not "How could it be mis-used by future Administrations", How HAS it affected YOU?")
Do you really care if anyone is keeping track of what books you are reading? (If so, then buy your books with cash, and don't check them out of a Library...)
Is there anything incriminating in your e-mails or phone calls? (If so, then you are a criminal, and deserve to be caught, and punished.)
Is it really so bad, and is it really an infringement on your Civil Rights if the FBI, CIA and NSA (No Such Agency) share their information amongst each other in the name of our National Security?
I'll tell you how the Patriot Act has affected you.
It has prevented another "9/11" for over FOUR YEARS.
If we are attacked again because we have taken these tools away from those who would protect us, we know who to blame.
What do you think the next target will be?
Will it be worth it to the Democrats?
The President has made four speeches at various locations around the country, talking about his strategy for victory, (something the Democrats have yet to offer...) and he has published a 35 page document outlining his Iraq plan.
He even admitted that some of the intellegence that the war in Iraq was based upon was faulty, and accepted responsibility for going to War based on this intelligence, diffusing the "Bush will never admit to making a mistake" arguement, without providing a soundbite that could be used against Republicans in future elections. Then he continued on to say that he still did the right thing, which is the truth. (Ask any Iraqi citizen.) (Insurgent Suicide Bombers don't count.)
Things have been looking good for Republicans and the President.
Until today.
(You didn't expect the Democrats to take all of this lying down, did you?)
Today an article was published in the New York Times (Al-Jazeera America...) saying that the President secretly lifted some restrictions on spying on Americans in the weeks and months following 9/11.
Well, DUH...
If he hadn't, it would have been an impeachable offense.
A couple of things that the article in the Al-Jazeera America Times fails to mention are that it has been OVER FOUR YEARS since we have had a Terrorist attack on U.S. Soil, and that is just over the amount of time that the Patriot Act has been in force, and that the author of the article has a book coming out in ten days, and that this allegation is a chapter in that book.
This article in part led to this atrocity.
The Democrats in the Senate today filibustered an attempt to make 16 key provisions of the Patriot Act permanent. The final vote was 52 to 47, which means that the measure would have passed, had it not had to pass the filibuster attempt. (Note: The American Voters put enough Republican Senators in the Senate to pass this measure. The Democrats with the help of a handfull of Maverick Moderate Republicans have again usurped power from the American People by using the filibuster rule.) (Aren't you glad you live in a Democracy?)
Bill Frist changed his vote at the last moment, choosing to vote with the prevailing side so that he could then call for a re-vote at any time. The Press called this a "Proceedural Maneuver."
So Senator Frist voting with the prevailing side in order to re-present the issue is portrayed as a "Dirty Trick" by the Media, while the de-railing of the will of the representatives of the Majority of the American People is portrayed as "a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders." Hooray for those courageous Democrats!!
Nope. No media Bias here...
These are litterally the type of people who would burn down the house to get rid of a mouse. They must NEVER be returned to power.
So now, if nothing is done to re-instate these provisions of the Patriot Act, the Clinton Era "Gorelick Wall of Separation" is back in place, and we are again vulnerable to Terrorists operating on U.S. Soil (with the full protection afforded American Citizens by our Constitution), free to plan and carry out attacks against U.S. citizens trying to live their every-day lives, and those who would protect us from these Terrorists have their hands tied with Red Tape.
Let me ask you a question...
How has the Patriot Act affected you? (Not "How COULD it affect you", not "How could it affect your neighbor", not "How could it be mis-used by future Administrations", How HAS it affected YOU?")
Do you really care if anyone is keeping track of what books you are reading? (If so, then buy your books with cash, and don't check them out of a Library...)
Is there anything incriminating in your e-mails or phone calls? (If so, then you are a criminal, and deserve to be caught, and punished.)
Is it really so bad, and is it really an infringement on your Civil Rights if the FBI, CIA and NSA (No Such Agency) share their information amongst each other in the name of our National Security?
I'll tell you how the Patriot Act has affected you.
It has prevented another "9/11" for over FOUR YEARS.
If we are attacked again because we have taken these tools away from those who would protect us, we know who to blame.
What do you think the next target will be?
Will it be worth it to the Democrats?
Monday, December 12, 2005
Forget The Trap, Let's Build A Better Mouse...
From Breitbart.com, or as I like to call it, "News of the Weird..."
Mice Created With Human Brain Cells
"SAN FRANCISCO - Add another creation to the strange scientific menagerie where animal species are being mixed together in ever more exotic combinations. Scientists announced Monday that they had created mice with small amounts of human brain cells in an effort to make realistic models of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease."
GIVE MY CREATION...LIFE!!
(Huh huh.. heh heh... uhn humm...snort...)
WHY do we have to do things like this? Haven't we treated mice badly enough over the course of the years??
Now we want them to KNOW how bad they have it, apparently.
We coop them up in cages, drip shampoo in their eyes, make them smoke cigarettes, inject them with psychodelic drugs, give them cancer, (Everything we do to mice gives them cancer, evidently...) infect them with AIDS, (I never want to meet the guy who has THAT job...) and that isn't good enough for us.
We want them to be SMART enough to KNOW what we are doing to them.
"How does that feel, Mr. Mouse?"
"Well, it doesn't burn as bad as what you did yesterday, but it still sucks..."
"Thank you, Mr Mouse! You are really helping us to understand the effect of battery acid on open sores. Aren't you proud??"
What are these scientists going to do when they come to work one morning, and find a 6 foot mousetrap in the middle of the lab, with a pepperoni pizza on it?
My guess is that they will try to get the pizza...
Can we please stop these Frankensteinian experiments before we create a species that can kick our butts??
Now don't get me wrong. I don't oppose animal testing. A lot of good comes from it. A lot of human lives have been saved, not to mention the progress we have made in keeping old men sexually active, and helping them to retain their hair.
But implanting mice with human brain cells crosses the line.
It makes me nervous.
The last thing we need is a smarter mouse.
What kind of experiments will they perform on US when the tables are turned?
Mice Created With Human Brain Cells
"SAN FRANCISCO - Add another creation to the strange scientific menagerie where animal species are being mixed together in ever more exotic combinations. Scientists announced Monday that they had created mice with small amounts of human brain cells in an effort to make realistic models of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease."
GIVE MY CREATION...LIFE!!
(Huh huh.. heh heh... uhn humm...snort...)
WHY do we have to do things like this? Haven't we treated mice badly enough over the course of the years??
Now we want them to KNOW how bad they have it, apparently.
We coop them up in cages, drip shampoo in their eyes, make them smoke cigarettes, inject them with psychodelic drugs, give them cancer, (Everything we do to mice gives them cancer, evidently...) infect them with AIDS, (I never want to meet the guy who has THAT job...) and that isn't good enough for us.
We want them to be SMART enough to KNOW what we are doing to them.
"How does that feel, Mr. Mouse?"
"Well, it doesn't burn as bad as what you did yesterday, but it still sucks..."
"Thank you, Mr Mouse! You are really helping us to understand the effect of battery acid on open sores. Aren't you proud??"
What are these scientists going to do when they come to work one morning, and find a 6 foot mousetrap in the middle of the lab, with a pepperoni pizza on it?
My guess is that they will try to get the pizza...
Can we please stop these Frankensteinian experiments before we create a species that can kick our butts??
Now don't get me wrong. I don't oppose animal testing. A lot of good comes from it. A lot of human lives have been saved, not to mention the progress we have made in keeping old men sexually active, and helping them to retain their hair.
But implanting mice with human brain cells crosses the line.
It makes me nervous.
The last thing we need is a smarter mouse.
What kind of experiments will they perform on US when the tables are turned?
Saturday, December 10, 2005
"Out Of The Box" Christmas...
Have you guys heard about this?
Upside down Christmas Trees?
$599.95??
How much did you spend on YOUR Christmas Tree? I spent about $50.00, (we already had some of the decorations and lights and whatnot...) and I thought that THAT was a ridiculous amount to spend on something I would have to kill a whole saturday putting up, enjoy for about three weeks, and then kill a whole Saturday taking back down.
But the upside down thing got me thinking. I love "out of the Box" ideas, so I thought about hanging mine from the ceiling. Kinda the same idea as those other people were paying $600.00 for, but with a Redneck twist.
But if you know any Rednecks, you understand that "just a little out of the box" just won't do.
So the idea struck me to hang it from the Ceiling Fan.
Made Decorating it a breeze! (Literally!!)
You just sit in your chair with a box of ornaments, put the little hooks on them one at a time, and then toss 'em at the tree. The one in the room who has the most to stay on the tree on the first throw WINS!!
The Garland and the lights, you just start them at the bottom, (the small end,) turn on the fan, and keep feeding the cord and moving up.
Easy as pie, and a lot of fun, as long as you are quick enough to feed the cord as fast as the fan is turning.
But as with almost all Redneck "out of the box" ideas, I encountered a problem.
I can't figure out how to keep the extention cord for the lights from winding itself around the fan, and unplugging the lights.
And the tree keeps slinging ornaments off at random, occaisionally hitting someone in the head.
(Ow! Dag Nabbit...Honey!?!, Will you turn the fan off until I finish my post?!...Thanks, Baby!!...)
(I love remote control...)
Anyway, I think I am going to put it back down on the floor, right side up.
And just glue all the presents to the ceiling.
Just so you know...Everybody that We are buying presents for this year is getting really light stuff from us...and if you aren't tall enough to reach it, We are keeping it.
Merry Christmas, everybody!!
Upside down Christmas Trees?
$599.95??
How much did you spend on YOUR Christmas Tree? I spent about $50.00, (we already had some of the decorations and lights and whatnot...) and I thought that THAT was a ridiculous amount to spend on something I would have to kill a whole saturday putting up, enjoy for about three weeks, and then kill a whole Saturday taking back down.
But the upside down thing got me thinking. I love "out of the Box" ideas, so I thought about hanging mine from the ceiling. Kinda the same idea as those other people were paying $600.00 for, but with a Redneck twist.
But if you know any Rednecks, you understand that "just a little out of the box" just won't do.
So the idea struck me to hang it from the Ceiling Fan.
Made Decorating it a breeze! (Literally!!)
You just sit in your chair with a box of ornaments, put the little hooks on them one at a time, and then toss 'em at the tree. The one in the room who has the most to stay on the tree on the first throw WINS!!
The Garland and the lights, you just start them at the bottom, (the small end,) turn on the fan, and keep feeding the cord and moving up.
Easy as pie, and a lot of fun, as long as you are quick enough to feed the cord as fast as the fan is turning.
But as with almost all Redneck "out of the box" ideas, I encountered a problem.
I can't figure out how to keep the extention cord for the lights from winding itself around the fan, and unplugging the lights.
And the tree keeps slinging ornaments off at random, occaisionally hitting someone in the head.
(Ow! Dag Nabbit...Honey!?!, Will you turn the fan off until I finish my post?!...Thanks, Baby!!...)
(I love remote control...)
Anyway, I think I am going to put it back down on the floor, right side up.
And just glue all the presents to the ceiling.
Just so you know...Everybody that We are buying presents for this year is getting really light stuff from us...and if you aren't tall enough to reach it, We are keeping it.
Merry Christmas, everybody!!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Relocation, Relocation, Relocation...
From Breitbart.com via the Drudge report...
"Ahmadinejad says Israel should be moved to Europe...
"Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (the American Hostage Taking Former Terrorist... - TBC) said that if Germany and Austria feel responsible for massacring Jews during World War II, a state of Israel should be established on their soil. Ahmadinejad, who sparked an international outcry in October when he said Israel "must be wiped off the map", also repeated his view Thursday that the Jewish state was a "tumour".
"Now that you believe the Jews were oppressed, why should the Palestinian Muslims have to pay the price?" the hardline president asked in an interview with Iran's Arabic-language satellite channel, Al-Alam.
"Why did you come to give a piece of Islamic land and the territory of the Palestinian people to them?
"You oppressed them, so give a part of Europe to the Zionist regime so they can establish any government they want. We would support it," he said, according to a transcript of his original Farsi-language comments given to AFP. "
Wow. This is a novel idea...
Let's put aside for a moment the fact that Isrealis lived in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus and before, and by most historical accounts built the city in the first place, and the Palestinians lived...who knows where back then.
I think that this idea may have some merit, actually.
But I have a better one.
Let's give 'em France.
Think of the problems that this would solve for the U.S., the Middle East, and the World...
Wouldn't work though...
Muslims hate Jews, wherever they are. If we relocated the Jews to France, the Muslims would follow them to France, and blow themselves up to try to kill them there. By recent news accounts, Muslims pretty much own France now anyway, so we would have the same problem all over again.
Here's an even better idea.
Want to have peace in the Middle East?
Want to win the War on Terror?
Want to solve the Israeli/Palestinian problem once and for all?
Then let's relocate all Muslims to the Moon.
That's the best way I can think of, anyway...
"Ahmadinejad says Israel should be moved to Europe...
"Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (the American Hostage Taking Former Terrorist... - TBC) said that if Germany and Austria feel responsible for massacring Jews during World War II, a state of Israel should be established on their soil. Ahmadinejad, who sparked an international outcry in October when he said Israel "must be wiped off the map", also repeated his view Thursday that the Jewish state was a "tumour".
"Now that you believe the Jews were oppressed, why should the Palestinian Muslims have to pay the price?" the hardline president asked in an interview with Iran's Arabic-language satellite channel, Al-Alam.
"Why did you come to give a piece of Islamic land and the territory of the Palestinian people to them?
"You oppressed them, so give a part of Europe to the Zionist regime so they can establish any government they want. We would support it," he said, according to a transcript of his original Farsi-language comments given to AFP. "
Wow. This is a novel idea...
Let's put aside for a moment the fact that Isrealis lived in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus and before, and by most historical accounts built the city in the first place, and the Palestinians lived...who knows where back then.
I think that this idea may have some merit, actually.
But I have a better one.
Let's give 'em France.
Think of the problems that this would solve for the U.S., the Middle East, and the World...
Wouldn't work though...
Muslims hate Jews, wherever they are. If we relocated the Jews to France, the Muslims would follow them to France, and blow themselves up to try to kill them there. By recent news accounts, Muslims pretty much own France now anyway, so we would have the same problem all over again.
Here's an even better idea.
Want to have peace in the Middle East?
Want to win the War on Terror?
Want to solve the Israeli/Palestinian problem once and for all?
Then let's relocate all Muslims to the Moon.
That's the best way I can think of, anyway...
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Real American Heroes...
I have come to the realization that I have been wrong about Howard Dean and John F. Kerry.
These may be two of the finest, most brilliant, most patriotic men this country has ever seen.
I missed it all last year during the Presidential Campaign, which surprises me a little. I usually pick up on things like this.
But it is crystal clear now, and with every soundbite, every new quote, every new interview, it becomes even clearer.
These two men may, all by themselves, save America from the Democrat Party.
John F. Kerry was THE standard bearer for the Democrats during the last Election cycle. The very best they had to offer. A shining example of what Democrats are.
Howard Dean is the Chairman of the Democrat National Committee. The head fundraiser and spokesman for all things Democrat.
Who could have ever guessed that they both are Republican operatives.
How they gained their lofty positions within the Democrat Party is anyone's guess, but over the next few months, if they continue their present respective courses, they may prove to be the two most effective campaigners the Republican Party has ever had. Maybe even more effective than Michael Moore.
And the strategy is brilliant.
Over the weekend, Kerry, on behalf of all Democrats, accused the U.S. Military of committing acts of Terrorism against Iraqi women and children, and "kids" (baby goats?) and Dean announced that our soldiers were incapable of winning wars. (But they support the troops...)
Yesterday Kerry called Rush Limbaugh a "Doughnut-Eating Draft Dodger" for the crime of playing a tape of Kerry's weekend comments.
Tommorrow he plans to call the President a "Poopy-Head", and then hold his breath until we bring the troops home, or until he turns blue and passes out, whichever comes first. (Or until someone gives him candy.)
This is a strategy worthy of the Evil Genius, Karl Rove.
Get two of the most recognizable democrats in America to go on television at every opportunity, and make the Democrat position so indefensible that no one in their right mind, (if they truly love their Country) could in good conscience vote for Democrats anymore.
Brilliant!
So I say three cheers for these two great Americans, along with their accomplices John Murtha and Nancy Pelosi, and may they be successful in their efforts.
May History remember them as Heroes.
These may be two of the finest, most brilliant, most patriotic men this country has ever seen.
I missed it all last year during the Presidential Campaign, which surprises me a little. I usually pick up on things like this.
But it is crystal clear now, and with every soundbite, every new quote, every new interview, it becomes even clearer.
These two men may, all by themselves, save America from the Democrat Party.
John F. Kerry was THE standard bearer for the Democrats during the last Election cycle. The very best they had to offer. A shining example of what Democrats are.
Howard Dean is the Chairman of the Democrat National Committee. The head fundraiser and spokesman for all things Democrat.
Who could have ever guessed that they both are Republican operatives.
How they gained their lofty positions within the Democrat Party is anyone's guess, but over the next few months, if they continue their present respective courses, they may prove to be the two most effective campaigners the Republican Party has ever had. Maybe even more effective than Michael Moore.
And the strategy is brilliant.
Over the weekend, Kerry, on behalf of all Democrats, accused the U.S. Military of committing acts of Terrorism against Iraqi women and children, and "kids" (baby goats?) and Dean announced that our soldiers were incapable of winning wars. (But they support the troops...)
Yesterday Kerry called Rush Limbaugh a "Doughnut-Eating Draft Dodger" for the crime of playing a tape of Kerry's weekend comments.
Tommorrow he plans to call the President a "Poopy-Head", and then hold his breath until we bring the troops home, or until he turns blue and passes out, whichever comes first. (Or until someone gives him candy.)
This is a strategy worthy of the Evil Genius, Karl Rove.
Get two of the most recognizable democrats in America to go on television at every opportunity, and make the Democrat position so indefensible that no one in their right mind, (if they truly love their Country) could in good conscience vote for Democrats anymore.
Brilliant!
So I say three cheers for these two great Americans, along with their accomplices John Murtha and Nancy Pelosi, and may they be successful in their efforts.
May History remember them as Heroes.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Down With Big Brother...
Have you ever read George Orwell's books, "1984", and "Animal Farm"?
I make a point to read each of them about once every couple of years. If you are willing to actually think about what these books contain, you realize that while Orwell's timing may have been off by a few years, he was truly a prophet.
"Animal Farm" is a microcosm of pure Communism and Socialism, and illustrates the final inevitable outcome of embracing these immoral and oppressive systems. (I know that there are differences between these two systems, but the basic premise of both is Social and Economic equality through redistribution of wealth from producers to non-producers by Government intervention, so I tend to lump them together.)
"1984" deals with the loss of personal Freedom and individuality that Socialism run amok creates. The Hero, Winston Smith, is indeed equal with everyone he knows. They are all equally miserable, hopeless, and powerless to improve their lives in any way. To even think of doing so is a crime punishable by not just death, but erasure, as if the person guilty of wanting to improve their lot in life were never there.
There are people in the story who are not destitute and miserable, but they are all in the upper levels of Government.
As I listen to the ongoing struggle in our government between those who would push our society gradually toward this circumstance, and those who resist that push (not nearly strongly enough, in my opinion) I am reminded more and more every day of phrases from this book.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Once again, Orwell is off a little bit, but only slightly, and only in the details.
When I hear the comments uttered by the Leaders of the Modern Democrat Party over the last few months, their words begin to all meld together until all I hear is this:
TRUTH IS LIES
DEFEAT IS VICTORY
VICTIMHOOD IS POWER
And when I listen to their supporters, read their blogs, and their comments on the blogs of others, I hear:
RIGHTEOUSNESS IS EVIL
LIBERTY IS OPPRESSION
ACCOMPLISHMENT IS FAILURE
In the book, Winston Smith worked in the Ministry of Truth. He revised history, rewriting the newspaper archives so that there was no record of any change of position by the Government on any issue. (Think about that when you hear phrases like "I voted for the 87 billion, before I voted against it," or "WMD's were the only reason that we agreed to go into Iraq," or "I never had sex with that woman Ms. Lewinski,")
The reason that "The Party" had to have people to do this job was that nothing that was broadcast to the people through the Media was true in the first place, and any evidence of contradiction was evidence of the Corruption of the Government. (Think about that when you remember how quickly the Dan Rather "Memogate" story went away, and when you hear the outrage of the Mainstream Media in America at the thought that the U.S. Military may have been planting pro-America stories in Arab Newspapers.)
(I must admit that the thought of the Military planting news stories makes me a little nervous, except that the Mainstream Media ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT report a story that might make the President or the War or America look good, so I'm glad that at least SOME positive news is getting out, by whatever method.)
So while all of you who basically disagree with me on every single important issue are sitting around dreaming about how wonderful life will be when the Federal Government has finally eliminated Economic and Social inequality, and has finally begun to provide Universal Healthcare to everyone free of charge, and eliminated starvation and poverty and has made everything fair, take a little time and read these books.
Do you really want to live like that?
Me neither.
Think about what you are doing.
I make a point to read each of them about once every couple of years. If you are willing to actually think about what these books contain, you realize that while Orwell's timing may have been off by a few years, he was truly a prophet.
"Animal Farm" is a microcosm of pure Communism and Socialism, and illustrates the final inevitable outcome of embracing these immoral and oppressive systems. (I know that there are differences between these two systems, but the basic premise of both is Social and Economic equality through redistribution of wealth from producers to non-producers by Government intervention, so I tend to lump them together.)
"1984" deals with the loss of personal Freedom and individuality that Socialism run amok creates. The Hero, Winston Smith, is indeed equal with everyone he knows. They are all equally miserable, hopeless, and powerless to improve their lives in any way. To even think of doing so is a crime punishable by not just death, but erasure, as if the person guilty of wanting to improve their lot in life were never there.
There are people in the story who are not destitute and miserable, but they are all in the upper levels of Government.
As I listen to the ongoing struggle in our government between those who would push our society gradually toward this circumstance, and those who resist that push (not nearly strongly enough, in my opinion) I am reminded more and more every day of phrases from this book.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Once again, Orwell is off a little bit, but only slightly, and only in the details.
When I hear the comments uttered by the Leaders of the Modern Democrat Party over the last few months, their words begin to all meld together until all I hear is this:
TRUTH IS LIES
DEFEAT IS VICTORY
VICTIMHOOD IS POWER
And when I listen to their supporters, read their blogs, and their comments on the blogs of others, I hear:
RIGHTEOUSNESS IS EVIL
LIBERTY IS OPPRESSION
ACCOMPLISHMENT IS FAILURE
In the book, Winston Smith worked in the Ministry of Truth. He revised history, rewriting the newspaper archives so that there was no record of any change of position by the Government on any issue. (Think about that when you hear phrases like "I voted for the 87 billion, before I voted against it," or "WMD's were the only reason that we agreed to go into Iraq," or "I never had sex with that woman Ms. Lewinski,")
The reason that "The Party" had to have people to do this job was that nothing that was broadcast to the people through the Media was true in the first place, and any evidence of contradiction was evidence of the Corruption of the Government. (Think about that when you remember how quickly the Dan Rather "Memogate" story went away, and when you hear the outrage of the Mainstream Media in America at the thought that the U.S. Military may have been planting pro-America stories in Arab Newspapers.)
(I must admit that the thought of the Military planting news stories makes me a little nervous, except that the Mainstream Media ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT report a story that might make the President or the War or America look good, so I'm glad that at least SOME positive news is getting out, by whatever method.)
So while all of you who basically disagree with me on every single important issue are sitting around dreaming about how wonderful life will be when the Federal Government has finally eliminated Economic and Social inequality, and has finally begun to provide Universal Healthcare to everyone free of charge, and eliminated starvation and poverty and has made everything fair, take a little time and read these books.
Do you really want to live like that?
Me neither.
Think about what you are doing.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Democrat Plan To Bring Soldiers Home Is Working...
From the Ass. Press...
Dec 2, 1:24 AM EST
Murtha Says Army Is 'Broken, Worn Out'
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) -- Most U.S. troops will leave Iraq within a year because the Army is "broken, worn out" and "living hand to mouth," Rep. John Murtha told a civic group.
Two weeks ago, Murtha created a storm of comment when he called for U.S. troops to leave Iraq now. The Democratic congressman spoke to a group of community and business leaders in Latrobe on Wednesday, the same day President Bush said troops would be withdrawn when they've achieved victory, not under an artificial deadline set by politicians.
Murtha predicted most troops will be out of Iraq within a year.
"I predict he'll make it look like we're staying the course," Murtha said, referring to Bush. "Staying the course is not a policy."
There are no such crimes as Treason or Sedition anymore. Can you imagine a Congressman saying something like this in public during WWII?
The very idea that the United States Military has been beaten into uselessness by a bunch of cowardly murderers hiding among innocent civilians, making bombs from Anti-Freeze jugs and leaving them beside of roads, and blowing themselves up whether they kill or injure anyone else or not is the height of stupidity, and a U.S. Congressman uttering such bilge should be held accountable for the damage he does to his Country, and it's Military with such irresponible statements.
I know that Americans have, and should continue to have Freedom of Speech, and I understand what a Patriotic and nessecary thing it is to bring down the President and undermine the War, but statements like that can only serve to embolden our enemies and cost more of our soldiers their lives.
It crossed the line.
The truth is that this War would have been over and the troops would be home, or redeployed to defend freedom somewhere else already if Washington would turn them loose and let them win. We tell them "Go fight the War, but don't hurt anybody!!"
The Military is just fine. They are fully capable and well equipped enough to dominate the world, if that were our goal.
It is the American People and the Democrat Party who no longer have the stomach to oppose Evil, defend America, and win Wars.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Four more US soldiers have been killed in Iraq, the Pentagon said in a statement on Saturday. - Xinhua
Congratulations, Congressman Murtha. Your plan is working. Four more U.S. soldiers are coming home.
Dec 2, 1:24 AM EST
Murtha Says Army Is 'Broken, Worn Out'
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) -- Most U.S. troops will leave Iraq within a year because the Army is "broken, worn out" and "living hand to mouth," Rep. John Murtha told a civic group.
Two weeks ago, Murtha created a storm of comment when he called for U.S. troops to leave Iraq now. The Democratic congressman spoke to a group of community and business leaders in Latrobe on Wednesday, the same day President Bush said troops would be withdrawn when they've achieved victory, not under an artificial deadline set by politicians.
Murtha predicted most troops will be out of Iraq within a year.
"I predict he'll make it look like we're staying the course," Murtha said, referring to Bush. "Staying the course is not a policy."
There are no such crimes as Treason or Sedition anymore. Can you imagine a Congressman saying something like this in public during WWII?
The very idea that the United States Military has been beaten into uselessness by a bunch of cowardly murderers hiding among innocent civilians, making bombs from Anti-Freeze jugs and leaving them beside of roads, and blowing themselves up whether they kill or injure anyone else or not is the height of stupidity, and a U.S. Congressman uttering such bilge should be held accountable for the damage he does to his Country, and it's Military with such irresponible statements.
I know that Americans have, and should continue to have Freedom of Speech, and I understand what a Patriotic and nessecary thing it is to bring down the President and undermine the War, but statements like that can only serve to embolden our enemies and cost more of our soldiers their lives.
It crossed the line.
The truth is that this War would have been over and the troops would be home, or redeployed to defend freedom somewhere else already if Washington would turn them loose and let them win. We tell them "Go fight the War, but don't hurt anybody!!"
The Military is just fine. They are fully capable and well equipped enough to dominate the world, if that were our goal.
It is the American People and the Democrat Party who no longer have the stomach to oppose Evil, defend America, and win Wars.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Four more US soldiers have been killed in Iraq, the Pentagon said in a statement on Saturday. - Xinhua
Congratulations, Congressman Murtha. Your plan is working. Four more U.S. soldiers are coming home.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Togetherness...
The Wife and I are currently in negotiations to buy a house in North Carolina.
If we get it, we are going to move back there.
The house that we are looking at needs a little work, so our original plan was for me to go ahead after the first of the year, and move up there and work a job there, and work on the house, and for her to stay here and finish out the school year.
But after sleeping together on it, I have come to the realization that I just can't leave her behind alone.
I just can't stand the thought of her being in Florida without me when it gets hot.
And I also know that it will get hard on me, and when it does, I will want her to be there.
Now don't get me wrong. I know how to handle myself, and I'm sure that she does as well, but it's just better if you have a partner.
And I know how I am, (I was single for a very long time...) and with temptation of all kinds lurking behind every Convenience store counter, there is no telling what I might get into, if I am left unsupervised. Things could get sticky and messy.
And I know that she could be tempted as well, and if she is lonely and some handsome guy comes along, she might blow it.
(Not that I'm worried...)
So after an all night session of, uhm, discussion, we have decided to get our things together and try to come at the same time.
I am sure that as long as we continue to focus on each other, and be there to fulfill each other's needs, that we will have a happy ending.
Relationships are tricky at best, and when you find one that fits, you need to work on it at every opportunity, and hang on to it.
After all, a perfect pair only comes along once in a lifetime...
If we get it, we are going to move back there.
The house that we are looking at needs a little work, so our original plan was for me to go ahead after the first of the year, and move up there and work a job there, and work on the house, and for her to stay here and finish out the school year.
But after sleeping together on it, I have come to the realization that I just can't leave her behind alone.
I just can't stand the thought of her being in Florida without me when it gets hot.
And I also know that it will get hard on me, and when it does, I will want her to be there.
Now don't get me wrong. I know how to handle myself, and I'm sure that she does as well, but it's just better if you have a partner.
And I know how I am, (I was single for a very long time...) and with temptation of all kinds lurking behind every Convenience store counter, there is no telling what I might get into, if I am left unsupervised. Things could get sticky and messy.
And I know that she could be tempted as well, and if she is lonely and some handsome guy comes along, she might blow it.
(Not that I'm worried...)
So after an all night session of, uhm, discussion, we have decided to get our things together and try to come at the same time.
I am sure that as long as we continue to focus on each other, and be there to fulfill each other's needs, that we will have a happy ending.
Relationships are tricky at best, and when you find one that fits, you need to work on it at every opportunity, and hang on to it.
After all, a perfect pair only comes along once in a lifetime...
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
OK, Dems...NOW What?
From Condescending News Network . Com...
White House: Document spells out Iraq strategy
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In an effort to address criticism that the United States has no clear plan for winning the war in Iraq, the White House Wednesday released a 35-page document that it says maps out the national plan for achieving victory.
"National Strategy for Victory in Iraq," a National Security Council document, attempts to define what victory in Iraq means in the short term, the medium term and the long term."
You wanted an exit strategy, well there it is.
Now what?
Or more importantly, what is the Democrat strategy for ending the War? Cut and run? Increase the number of troops? Finish the job? Announce to the Insurgents a specific timetable for pulling the troops out?
What?
I'll tell you what the Democrat strategy is.
Hammer the President.
That's it. The Sum Total of the Democrat strategy regarding the War in Iraq. Just bash and accuse and undermine and oppose the President.
They have no interest in winning this War. They roundly ignore news of anything positive coming from Iraq, even when it comes from one of their own, preferring rather to focus on trumped up accusations of lies as to the reason we went to War in the first place, and to attempt to position themselves to take credit for any reduction of troops in Iraq, when it inevitably happens. (READ THAT LINK. Its the only morsel of real truth regarding the situation in Iraq that has come from any Democrat in a LONG, LONG time),
They are truly pathetic.
It's okay, though. President Bush's approval numbers are at about the same level as President Lincoln's were at the height of the War of Northern Aggression. Today history recognizes President Lincoln as one of the Greatest Presidents of all time, and the liberator of the slaves.
In a few years, history will recognize President Bush as one of the Greatest Presidents of all time, the Liberator of Twenty Million Iraqis from Tyranny, the Founder of Democracy in the Middle East, and the Stabilizer of the region, in the face of strong domestic opposition.
And history will remember the Democrats as the people who fought the liberation of the Iraqi people and the stabilization of that region for political advantage.
Which side of this conflict would you rather history remember YOU as being on?
White House: Document spells out Iraq strategy
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In an effort to address criticism that the United States has no clear plan for winning the war in Iraq, the White House Wednesday released a 35-page document that it says maps out the national plan for achieving victory.
"National Strategy for Victory in Iraq," a National Security Council document, attempts to define what victory in Iraq means in the short term, the medium term and the long term."
You wanted an exit strategy, well there it is.
Now what?
Or more importantly, what is the Democrat strategy for ending the War? Cut and run? Increase the number of troops? Finish the job? Announce to the Insurgents a specific timetable for pulling the troops out?
What?
I'll tell you what the Democrat strategy is.
Hammer the President.
That's it. The Sum Total of the Democrat strategy regarding the War in Iraq. Just bash and accuse and undermine and oppose the President.
They have no interest in winning this War. They roundly ignore news of anything positive coming from Iraq, even when it comes from one of their own, preferring rather to focus on trumped up accusations of lies as to the reason we went to War in the first place, and to attempt to position themselves to take credit for any reduction of troops in Iraq, when it inevitably happens. (READ THAT LINK. Its the only morsel of real truth regarding the situation in Iraq that has come from any Democrat in a LONG, LONG time),
They are truly pathetic.
It's okay, though. President Bush's approval numbers are at about the same level as President Lincoln's were at the height of the War of Northern Aggression. Today history recognizes President Lincoln as one of the Greatest Presidents of all time, and the liberator of the slaves.
In a few years, history will recognize President Bush as one of the Greatest Presidents of all time, the Liberator of Twenty Million Iraqis from Tyranny, the Founder of Democracy in the Middle East, and the Stabilizer of the region, in the face of strong domestic opposition.
And history will remember the Democrats as the people who fought the liberation of the Iraqi people and the stabilization of that region for political advantage.
Which side of this conflict would you rather history remember YOU as being on?
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
You Can Quote Me...
In 1794, when Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief of French refugees who fled from insurrection in San Domingo to Baltimore and Philadelphia, James Madison stood on the floor of the House to object saying, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents." -- James Madison, 4 Annals of congress 179 (1794)
"Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated." --Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Albert Gallatin, 1817
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship."-- Alexander Tyler
"A wise and frugal government ... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government."-- Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
" The government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government."-- James Madison, speech in the House of Representatives, January 10, 1794
"[T]he best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it." - Benjamin Franklin
My objections to Socialism in America are not new. The problem is that Socialism is highly addictive, and we have had a taste of it now.
Most people do not know that America has tried Socialism (or more acurately, Communism) (Same economics, different methodology...) before. The Pilgrims originally set up a system by which all property was communally owned and shared. According to the Colony's Governor, William Bradford, "This system (“taking away of property and bringing [it] into a commonwealth”) bred “confusion and discontent” and “retarded much employment that would have been to [the settlers’] benefit and comfort.”
When they realized that this system was going to starve them all to death, the Pilgrims switched to a "Free Market" style economic system, by which each settler was allotted a parcel of land, and allowed to use, keep, or sell whatever they produced on it.
According to Bradford “This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious.” In fact, “much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been” and productivity increased. “Women,” for example, “went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn.”
One last quote:
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana
The Founding Fathers remembered the lessons of the past when they set up this Nation, but now I am afraid that we are going to have to re-learn them.
Special thanks to the website of economist Dr. Walter E. Williams.
P.S. Tommorrow night, I promise I will post on something other than the evils of Socialism...
"Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated." --Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Albert Gallatin, 1817
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship."-- Alexander Tyler
"A wise and frugal government ... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government."-- Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
" The government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government."-- James Madison, speech in the House of Representatives, January 10, 1794
"[T]he best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it." - Benjamin Franklin
My objections to Socialism in America are not new. The problem is that Socialism is highly addictive, and we have had a taste of it now.
Most people do not know that America has tried Socialism (or more acurately, Communism) (Same economics, different methodology...) before. The Pilgrims originally set up a system by which all property was communally owned and shared. According to the Colony's Governor, William Bradford, "This system (“taking away of property and bringing [it] into a commonwealth”) bred “confusion and discontent” and “retarded much employment that would have been to [the settlers’] benefit and comfort.”
When they realized that this system was going to starve them all to death, the Pilgrims switched to a "Free Market" style economic system, by which each settler was allotted a parcel of land, and allowed to use, keep, or sell whatever they produced on it.
According to Bradford “This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious.” In fact, “much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been” and productivity increased. “Women,” for example, “went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn.”
One last quote:
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana
The Founding Fathers remembered the lessons of the past when they set up this Nation, but now I am afraid that we are going to have to re-learn them.
Special thanks to the website of economist Dr. Walter E. Williams.
P.S. Tommorrow night, I promise I will post on something other than the evils of Socialism...
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Killing The Golden Goose, American Style...
I hope that the UAW is happy.
GM has announced a new round of Layoffs, and Plant Closings.
An estimated 35,000 workers will lose their jobs.
The American Left should be dancing in the streets.
GM has been subject to an ongoing attack for several years now by the Left.
By "The Left", I mean the Labor Unions and the Environmental Lobbies.
By conservative estimate, it costs GM about 65$ per hour to employ a union member.
GM has aproximately 1.1 Million people drawing pensions and healthcare benifits, who no longer work for GM. They contribute nothing to GM anymore, they only cost GM money.
GM has aproximately 180,000 workers who actually do contribute to GM's profits.
In what Economics class is this equation sustainable?
If you want a GM product, I suggest that you buy it quick. GM won't be around much longer.
Those of you who work for GM now had better start looking for another job, for your own good. (Good luck finding one that pays as well...)
The Union is killing GM. Plain and simple. They threaten strikes unless GM provides benifits that no company can sustain. But this is not surprising. This is what Unions do.
They protect the unproductive, discourage innovation, and undermine profitability, without which no corporation can survive. They take the bargaining power away from the individual. They take away the possibility for rewards for individual excellence, and reward incompetence and derail consequences for substandard performance.
They are Socialist in their very nature.
I have never been a Union member, nor will I ever be. I hate everything that Unions are.
But then, I hate Socialism, in any form.
At the same time that this situation has been brewing, the Environmentalist Left has been engaging in an ongoing attack against SUV's, GM's best selling product, with gleeful help from the Media.
So the Left has successfully taken down another EEE-VILLL successful American Corporation.
Congratulations.
I hope those of you who manage to keep your jobs enjoy paying the extra taxes and higher prices for your cars, and all of the other advantages that flirting with Socialism affords.
I just hope that the rest of us can learn the lessons of GM.
For all of America's history, up until the mid to late 1940's, the Tax burden in America was around 3% of the GDP. Now it is 27%, and growing every year.
What changed?
We began to introduce Socialism.
We need to arrest this trend, or the Federal Government will go the way of GM.
GM has announced a new round of Layoffs, and Plant Closings.
An estimated 35,000 workers will lose their jobs.
The American Left should be dancing in the streets.
GM has been subject to an ongoing attack for several years now by the Left.
By "The Left", I mean the Labor Unions and the Environmental Lobbies.
By conservative estimate, it costs GM about 65$ per hour to employ a union member.
GM has aproximately 1.1 Million people drawing pensions and healthcare benifits, who no longer work for GM. They contribute nothing to GM anymore, they only cost GM money.
GM has aproximately 180,000 workers who actually do contribute to GM's profits.
In what Economics class is this equation sustainable?
If you want a GM product, I suggest that you buy it quick. GM won't be around much longer.
Those of you who work for GM now had better start looking for another job, for your own good. (Good luck finding one that pays as well...)
The Union is killing GM. Plain and simple. They threaten strikes unless GM provides benifits that no company can sustain. But this is not surprising. This is what Unions do.
They protect the unproductive, discourage innovation, and undermine profitability, without which no corporation can survive. They take the bargaining power away from the individual. They take away the possibility for rewards for individual excellence, and reward incompetence and derail consequences for substandard performance.
They are Socialist in their very nature.
I have never been a Union member, nor will I ever be. I hate everything that Unions are.
But then, I hate Socialism, in any form.
At the same time that this situation has been brewing, the Environmentalist Left has been engaging in an ongoing attack against SUV's, GM's best selling product, with gleeful help from the Media.
So the Left has successfully taken down another EEE-VILLL successful American Corporation.
Congratulations.
I hope those of you who manage to keep your jobs enjoy paying the extra taxes and higher prices for your cars, and all of the other advantages that flirting with Socialism affords.
I just hope that the rest of us can learn the lessons of GM.
For all of America's history, up until the mid to late 1940's, the Tax burden in America was around 3% of the GDP. Now it is 27%, and growing every year.
What changed?
We began to introduce Socialism.
We need to arrest this trend, or the Federal Government will go the way of GM.
Friday, November 18, 2005
The Religion Of Liberalism.
In a comment responding to another Blogger on my last post, I refered to Environmentalism and Liberalism as Religions.
The person to whom I was speaking accused me of "spin".
Since then I have been thinking about this subject more and more, though.
Is Liberalism a Religion?
Sure looks like one...
It believes in an omnipotent benevolent Creator and Protector, (Government,) that can be called upon to help you in your hour of need.
It requires a tithe (taxes.) (If only the Liberal Tithe would stop at 10%...)
It oppresses other Religions (Christianity) as a matter of Good v.s Evil.
Un-believers are labeled as heritics and lunatics, and must be converted, or silenced and forced to go along with the priciples of Liberalism whether they believe or not.
It's believers follow unquestioningly the edicts of it's Priests (Ted Kennedy, Howard Dean, The Clintons), and chant it's prayers (Bush Lied, War For Oil, Halliburton/Cheyney/ Wal-MartBigOilBigTobaccoSuv's are Evil, Help the Poor/Children/Minorities/Women).
It's followers believe without a doubt that they are doing Good, without regard for the results of their policies, and they will never admit failure.
It may even be the last religion on Earth (unless there is some Pagan or Satanic Cult that I am unaware of) that practices Human Sacrifice (Abortion) by which unborn children are sacrificed to the gods of convenience and momentary pleasure.
There are Fundamentalist Jihadist Liberals, and Moderate Peaceful Liberals, who basically believe the same doctrine, but have varying levels of committment.
To a completely impartial observer, Liberalism qualifies as a Religion on almost every level.
So I say we call a spade a spade. (So to speak.)
Let's declare it a Religion. Let's give it it's proper due.
(I'll deal with Environmentalism on another post.)
The person to whom I was speaking accused me of "spin".
Since then I have been thinking about this subject more and more, though.
Is Liberalism a Religion?
Sure looks like one...
It believes in an omnipotent benevolent Creator and Protector, (Government,) that can be called upon to help you in your hour of need.
It requires a tithe (taxes.) (If only the Liberal Tithe would stop at 10%...)
It oppresses other Religions (Christianity) as a matter of Good v.s Evil.
Un-believers are labeled as heritics and lunatics, and must be converted, or silenced and forced to go along with the priciples of Liberalism whether they believe or not.
It's believers follow unquestioningly the edicts of it's Priests (Ted Kennedy, Howard Dean, The Clintons), and chant it's prayers (Bush Lied, War For Oil, Halliburton/Cheyney/ Wal-MartBigOilBigTobaccoSuv's are Evil, Help the Poor/Children/Minorities/Women).
It's followers believe without a doubt that they are doing Good, without regard for the results of their policies, and they will never admit failure.
It may even be the last religion on Earth (unless there is some Pagan or Satanic Cult that I am unaware of) that practices Human Sacrifice (Abortion) by which unborn children are sacrificed to the gods of convenience and momentary pleasure.
There are Fundamentalist Jihadist Liberals, and Moderate Peaceful Liberals, who basically believe the same doctrine, but have varying levels of committment.
To a completely impartial observer, Liberalism qualifies as a Religion on almost every level.
So I say we call a spade a spade. (So to speak.)
Let's declare it a Religion. Let's give it it's proper due.
(I'll deal with Environmentalism on another post.)
Monday, November 14, 2005
Answer Me This...
From CNN.com...
Jordan 'failed bomber' confesses on TV...
Monday, November 14, 2005; Posted: 2:14 a.m. EST (07:14 GMT)
"I tried to detonate mine but I failed,' woman tells interrogators."
"My husband detonated his bomb, and I tried to detonate mine but failed," Saijida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi said on Jordanian television. "People fled running, and I left running with them."
"Jordanian authorities say al-Rishawi, 35, and her husband, Hussein Ali al-Shamari, went to carry out their bombings at the Radisson hotel. His explosives went off, killing 38 people attending a wedding reception in the ballroom."
'Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher said al-Rishawi is the sister of Zarqawi's "right-hand man," who was killed in Falluja, Iraq. He did not identify the Zarqawi lieutenant."
This story is intriguing to me on several levels. It brings up all kinds of interesting questions...
For one thing, this woman is the sister of a very high ranking Al-Queda official, and the wife of another one (who, incidentally succeeded in blowing himself up.)
Is Al-Queda having recruitment problems? Are they now having to resort to sending their right hand men, and family members? Even the women?
That's another thing...
Haven't female suicide bombers been rare up until now?
Isn't one of the motivating factors in recruiting suicide bombers the promise of Eternity in Paradise, surrounded by seventy perpetual virgins?
How does that work for a woman?
Does she get male virgins, or female virgins?
If she gets male virgins, how does that work within the religion of Islam? Would Allah be okay with the idea of a woman in a position of power over that many men for all of eternity?
Or does she become one of the virgins for some other suicide bomber? If so, do you think it would be worth it to blow yourself up so that you could have the chance to service some dude once every 25 to 35 days? (If he was an absolute machine...)
Or would she be assigned to her husband? In that case, she would get the chance to share him with sixty-nine other chicks...
And if that is the case, then is it possible that her husband might have tampered with her bomb, so that it wouldn't go off?
Is it possible that she screwed up on purpose?
And the ultimate question on this subject...
Have you ever thought about what a woman has to do to remain a perpetual virgin? She has to refrain from EVER having sex, right?
Would you want to live for all eternity with seventy women with whom you could NEVER have sex? EVER?
FOR ALL ETERNITY??
Hmmm...
Jordan 'failed bomber' confesses on TV...
Monday, November 14, 2005; Posted: 2:14 a.m. EST (07:14 GMT)
"I tried to detonate mine but I failed,' woman tells interrogators."
"My husband detonated his bomb, and I tried to detonate mine but failed," Saijida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi said on Jordanian television. "People fled running, and I left running with them."
"Jordanian authorities say al-Rishawi, 35, and her husband, Hussein Ali al-Shamari, went to carry out their bombings at the Radisson hotel. His explosives went off, killing 38 people attending a wedding reception in the ballroom."
'Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher said al-Rishawi is the sister of Zarqawi's "right-hand man," who was killed in Falluja, Iraq. He did not identify the Zarqawi lieutenant."
This story is intriguing to me on several levels. It brings up all kinds of interesting questions...
For one thing, this woman is the sister of a very high ranking Al-Queda official, and the wife of another one (who, incidentally succeeded in blowing himself up.)
Is Al-Queda having recruitment problems? Are they now having to resort to sending their right hand men, and family members? Even the women?
That's another thing...
Haven't female suicide bombers been rare up until now?
Isn't one of the motivating factors in recruiting suicide bombers the promise of Eternity in Paradise, surrounded by seventy perpetual virgins?
How does that work for a woman?
Does she get male virgins, or female virgins?
If she gets male virgins, how does that work within the religion of Islam? Would Allah be okay with the idea of a woman in a position of power over that many men for all of eternity?
Or does she become one of the virgins for some other suicide bomber? If so, do you think it would be worth it to blow yourself up so that you could have the chance to service some dude once every 25 to 35 days? (If he was an absolute machine...)
Or would she be assigned to her husband? In that case, she would get the chance to share him with sixty-nine other chicks...
And if that is the case, then is it possible that her husband might have tampered with her bomb, so that it wouldn't go off?
Is it possible that she screwed up on purpose?
And the ultimate question on this subject...
Have you ever thought about what a woman has to do to remain a perpetual virgin? She has to refrain from EVER having sex, right?
Would you want to live for all eternity with seventy women with whom you could NEVER have sex? EVER?
FOR ALL ETERNITY??
Hmmm...
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Get Killed or Die Trying
(Follow all links.)
Do you listen to Rap Music?
I do sometimes. It isn't my favorite genre, but I like some of it. I think that a lot of it is too violent, promotes the wrong stereotypes, and warps expectations and priorities, but I appreciate artistic expression.
The rapper Fi'tty Scent (Curtis Jackson) has released a new movie in a theatre near you. It is entitled "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'."
This inspiring movie chronicles the struggle of a young man, who at an early age realized the disadvantages of poverty. It tells the story of how he studied very hard, got really good grades, stayed out of trouble, went to college, and then worked his way up the corporate ladder to eventually become the CEO of a Fortune 500 Corporation.
Fans and Critics alike have sung the praises of this inspirational film, and I highly reccomend it, even though I have not yet seen it. (To those of you who are pigmentally challenged like me, I highly reccomend waiting until it comes out on home video.)
I believe that the youth of america need more positive roll models like Fi'tty Scent to help them find the path to success.
Do you listen to Rap Music?
I do sometimes. It isn't my favorite genre, but I like some of it. I think that a lot of it is too violent, promotes the wrong stereotypes, and warps expectations and priorities, but I appreciate artistic expression.
The rapper Fi'tty Scent (Curtis Jackson) has released a new movie in a theatre near you. It is entitled "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'."
This inspiring movie chronicles the struggle of a young man, who at an early age realized the disadvantages of poverty. It tells the story of how he studied very hard, got really good grades, stayed out of trouble, went to college, and then worked his way up the corporate ladder to eventually become the CEO of a Fortune 500 Corporation.
Fans and Critics alike have sung the praises of this inspirational film, and I highly reccomend it, even though I have not yet seen it. (To those of you who are pigmentally challenged like me, I highly reccomend waiting until it comes out on home video.)
I believe that the youth of america need more positive roll models like Fi'tty Scent to help them find the path to success.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
The REAL Oil Pirates...
The Senate wasted today with a politically motivated, useless, grandstanding investigation into the "excessive" profits of the oil industry in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
They were careful to leave out any mention of the real profiteers of the oil trade.
THE GOVERNMENT.
THEMSELVES.
From The Tax Foundation website...
"State and Federal Treasuries "Profit" More from Gasoline Sales than U.S. Oil Industry
by Jonathan Williams and Scott A. Hodge
High gas prices and strong oil company earnings have generated a rash of new tax proposals in recent months. Some lawmakers have called for new “windfall profits” taxes—similar to the one signed into federal law in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter—that would tax the profits of major oil companies at a rate of 50 percent. Meanwhile, many commentators have voiced support for the idea of increasing gas taxes to keep the price of gasoline at post-Katrina highs, thereby reducing gas consumption.
However, often ignored in this debate is the fact that oil industry profits are highly cyclical, making them just as prone to “busts” as to “booms.” Additionally, tax collections on the production and import of gasoline by state and federal governments are already near historic highs. In fact, in recent decades governments have collected far more revenue from gasoline taxes than the largest U.S. oil companies have collectively earned in domestic profits. "
These hypocritical politicians have engaged in a political witch hunt aimed at the oil industry, ignoring the fact that Taxes on gas and heating oil are HIGHER THAN THE PROFITS REALIZED BY THE COMPANIES THAT THEY SEEK TO DEMONIZE.
"In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that has followed, consumers are feeling the economic consequences of the disaster. Record gasoline prices are constantly in the headlines, which leaves many asking why prices are so high. While supply and demand are the primary determinants of gasoline prices, a significant portion of the price consumers pay at the pump can be attributed to gasoline taxes. In fact, the federal gas tax alone equals 18.4 cents for every gallon purchased."
So our Senators are grilling "Big Oil" for making a 9.8% profit on gasoline while the Federal Government makes 18.4 cents per gallon?
And in addition, the Senate is considering imposing a "Windfall Profits Tax" on the oil industry, and they are doing it because they think that the American people are so stupid that they will think that the oil companies should be punished for making a profit. (And they are probably right.)
Does no one besides me realize that Corporations do not PAY taxes? Corporations COLLECT taxes. They do not PAY them. You CAN'T MAKE THEM PAY TAXES. They add taxes to the top of the price of whatever they sell. IN ADDITION TO PROFITS. The only thing that a "Windfall Profits Tax" on oil will do is RAISE prices at the pump, and send money to an already bloated and overfed Government.
Where are the tax cuts?
Wouldn't that be the quickest, easiest way for the government to provide relief from high gas prices at the pump?
Are they interested in the well being of the consumer or not?
They were careful to leave out any mention of the real profiteers of the oil trade.
THE GOVERNMENT.
THEMSELVES.
From The Tax Foundation website...
"State and Federal Treasuries "Profit" More from Gasoline Sales than U.S. Oil Industry
by Jonathan Williams and Scott A. Hodge
High gas prices and strong oil company earnings have generated a rash of new tax proposals in recent months. Some lawmakers have called for new “windfall profits” taxes—similar to the one signed into federal law in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter—that would tax the profits of major oil companies at a rate of 50 percent. Meanwhile, many commentators have voiced support for the idea of increasing gas taxes to keep the price of gasoline at post-Katrina highs, thereby reducing gas consumption.
However, often ignored in this debate is the fact that oil industry profits are highly cyclical, making them just as prone to “busts” as to “booms.” Additionally, tax collections on the production and import of gasoline by state and federal governments are already near historic highs. In fact, in recent decades governments have collected far more revenue from gasoline taxes than the largest U.S. oil companies have collectively earned in domestic profits. "
These hypocritical politicians have engaged in a political witch hunt aimed at the oil industry, ignoring the fact that Taxes on gas and heating oil are HIGHER THAN THE PROFITS REALIZED BY THE COMPANIES THAT THEY SEEK TO DEMONIZE.
"In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that has followed, consumers are feeling the economic consequences of the disaster. Record gasoline prices are constantly in the headlines, which leaves many asking why prices are so high. While supply and demand are the primary determinants of gasoline prices, a significant portion of the price consumers pay at the pump can be attributed to gasoline taxes. In fact, the federal gas tax alone equals 18.4 cents for every gallon purchased."
So our Senators are grilling "Big Oil" for making a 9.8% profit on gasoline while the Federal Government makes 18.4 cents per gallon?
And in addition, the Senate is considering imposing a "Windfall Profits Tax" on the oil industry, and they are doing it because they think that the American people are so stupid that they will think that the oil companies should be punished for making a profit. (And they are probably right.)
Does no one besides me realize that Corporations do not PAY taxes? Corporations COLLECT taxes. They do not PAY them. You CAN'T MAKE THEM PAY TAXES. They add taxes to the top of the price of whatever they sell. IN ADDITION TO PROFITS. The only thing that a "Windfall Profits Tax" on oil will do is RAISE prices at the pump, and send money to an already bloated and overfed Government.
Where are the tax cuts?
Wouldn't that be the quickest, easiest way for the government to provide relief from high gas prices at the pump?
Are they interested in the well being of the consumer or not?
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
FASCIST!!
Occasionally when a left leaning ideaologue visits my blog, or when I visit their's, I get called a Fascist. I assume that they assume that the term "Fascist" means "Extreme right wing", and it is usually associated (within this context) with Hitler, or being a Nazi. They do this, (again, I am assuming,) because they need a scary, evil sounding label to brand me with, in order to attack my credibility with any hapless reader who may happen to stumble across my writings.
(Hitler was a Socialist, by the way. Mousilini was a Fascist.)
The problem is that no one has ever used this term correctly.
I am not a Fascist. I am a "Free Market Capitalist." A "Laissez-Faire" Capitalist, which, loosley translated means a "leave us the hell alone" Capitalist. I believe the less Government interferes with the "Free Market" economic system, the better off everyone is, and the stronger our Economy becomes. (Sorry, ER, you still haven't convinced me...)
I believe that if a businessman figures out how to turn profits with his company, legally, then that businessman should be allowed to keep those profits. I also believe that if anyone, businessman, or private citizen, fails, due to bad decisions made while exercising their own freedom to make bad decisions, then they should be allowed to fail, so that the rest of us can be allowed to learn from their mistakes. So that THEY can be allowed to learn from their mistakes.
I am not, however, heartless. I do not believe that anyone in America should be allowed to starve. I also do not believe that anyone who has failed in life due to decisions that they have made while exercising their freedom to make bad decisions, should be allowed to live the same lifestyle (supported by the rest of us who have not made such bad decisions) as a working couple, both making their own income, and trying to manage their money wisely.
(How about THAT sentence?)
My point is that the term "Fascist" has a specific meaning, and it ain't "Extreme right wing."
If you look up the term "Fascist" on Dictionary.com, it says:
"fas·cist ( P ) Pronunciation Key (fshst)n.
often Fascist:
1) An advocate or adherent of fascism.
2)A reactionary or dictatorial person. "
Well, I have no interest in setting up any kind of dictatorship in America. I like our system of Elected Representative Government just fine.
The strict definition of an Economic Fascist (as I understand it) is "Someone who believes in the Government control of privately owned businesses."
I say all of that to say this.
There are evidently some real Economic Fascists in our Government.
Next week, the chief executives of all of the major oil companies are being called before the Senate to explain why their profits climbed as high as 9% during the last business quarter. (9% is not an outrageous amount of profit for a business to make, in case you didn't know...)
The Senate is also expected to demand that these oil companies "give back" some of these exorbitant profits to help pay for heating costs for "the poor".
The confiscation of profits from privately owned businesses for the public good is called "Fascism."
Do you know who the most prominent "Fascists" (by this definition) in the Senate are?
Republican Senator Charles "Chuck" Grassley of Iowa, and New York Senator Hillary Clinton. (We all know what she claims to be.)
I will say what I said on another blog recently about Wal-Mart.
If I owned Exxon-Mobil, I would shut it down.
Then watch what would happen to gas prices, and oil company profits.
Watch what would happen to consumer confidence, the stock market, inflation, and unemployment.
Do you want high gas prices?
Then support people who, for political advantage, would take the profit out of the oil industry.
How high do you want the price of a gallon of gas to go?
(Hitler was a Socialist, by the way. Mousilini was a Fascist.)
The problem is that no one has ever used this term correctly.
I am not a Fascist. I am a "Free Market Capitalist." A "Laissez-Faire" Capitalist, which, loosley translated means a "leave us the hell alone" Capitalist. I believe the less Government interferes with the "Free Market" economic system, the better off everyone is, and the stronger our Economy becomes. (Sorry, ER, you still haven't convinced me...)
I believe that if a businessman figures out how to turn profits with his company, legally, then that businessman should be allowed to keep those profits. I also believe that if anyone, businessman, or private citizen, fails, due to bad decisions made while exercising their own freedom to make bad decisions, then they should be allowed to fail, so that the rest of us can be allowed to learn from their mistakes. So that THEY can be allowed to learn from their mistakes.
I am not, however, heartless. I do not believe that anyone in America should be allowed to starve. I also do not believe that anyone who has failed in life due to decisions that they have made while exercising their freedom to make bad decisions, should be allowed to live the same lifestyle (supported by the rest of us who have not made such bad decisions) as a working couple, both making their own income, and trying to manage their money wisely.
(How about THAT sentence?)
My point is that the term "Fascist" has a specific meaning, and it ain't "Extreme right wing."
If you look up the term "Fascist" on Dictionary.com, it says:
"fas·cist ( P ) Pronunciation Key (fshst)n.
often Fascist:
1) An advocate or adherent of fascism.
2)A reactionary or dictatorial person. "
Well, I have no interest in setting up any kind of dictatorship in America. I like our system of Elected Representative Government just fine.
The strict definition of an Economic Fascist (as I understand it) is "Someone who believes in the Government control of privately owned businesses."
I say all of that to say this.
There are evidently some real Economic Fascists in our Government.
Next week, the chief executives of all of the major oil companies are being called before the Senate to explain why their profits climbed as high as 9% during the last business quarter. (9% is not an outrageous amount of profit for a business to make, in case you didn't know...)
The Senate is also expected to demand that these oil companies "give back" some of these exorbitant profits to help pay for heating costs for "the poor".
The confiscation of profits from privately owned businesses for the public good is called "Fascism."
Do you know who the most prominent "Fascists" (by this definition) in the Senate are?
Republican Senator Charles "Chuck" Grassley of Iowa, and New York Senator Hillary Clinton. (We all know what she claims to be.)
I will say what I said on another blog recently about Wal-Mart.
If I owned Exxon-Mobil, I would shut it down.
Then watch what would happen to gas prices, and oil company profits.
Watch what would happen to consumer confidence, the stock market, inflation, and unemployment.
Do you want high gas prices?
Then support people who, for political advantage, would take the profit out of the oil industry.
How high do you want the price of a gallon of gas to go?
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Acting!!...Marvelous!!!...
Did you watch "The West Wing" tonight?
I don't watch it very often becuase it usually turns me into a raving maniac for a couple of hours afterwards, but I watched it tonight.
Tonight "The West Wing" featured a "live" presidential debate between the Pro-Choice Republican candidate senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda), and Pro-Life (or rather Anti-reckless Abortion) (Who in the world is FOR reckless Abortion?) Democrat Candidate congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits).
Just before they went onstage, the two candidates decided to bravely throw caution to the proverbial wind, and forget the rules of debate decided on beforehand by their staffers, in order to have an "honest" debate.
I watched as they presented their respective viewpionts, and a horrible thought struck me.
I would vote for the Republican candidate, even if it were Alan Alda!
He explained that it is not the job of the President or Government to create jobs, but rather to get out of the way of the market, and let IT create the jobs.
He explained that the choice was between a Republican who might not be able to "pay for tax cuts", and a Democrat who could not pay for expanding Government programs, even with tax increases. Neither balancing the budget.
He explained the importance of getting "control" of government rather than growing government. He explained that an unobtrusive Government was what the founding fathers wanted for us.
He refused to take any other pledge, other that the Oath of Office, when challenged by his opponent to pledge never to go to war for oil. (Like we have ever done that before.)
I'm sorry, but his proposals and explanations of the issues just made more sense to me, even though while I was watching him do it, I knew full well that Alda had trouble even making his mouth say the things he was saying. He doesn't believe a word of any of it.
But he sold it.
This makes me think of Hillary's drift to the right (not the right of center, just the right of where she used to be...) as we plod on toward the 2008 election cycle. She won't speak out against the war, she has softened on Abortion, and has in general tried to distance herself from the positions of the "Radical Left".
The truth is that I would never vote for Alan Alda for president, because I know how he really feels about the issues. No amount of acting skill or slick writing can change that.
I would know that even if he spouted the right rhetoric, gave all of the right answers, and sold his part perfectly, I would still take into account what I know already of his political views.
Same thing with Hillary. Even if she pleged to only nominate Pro-Life judges to the Supreme Court, promised never to socialize medicine, and to offer a tax cut for working families who pay for their own healthcare, and proposed a flat tax system, I still could not vote for her, because I know that she would not be articulating her core beliefs, but rather saying whatever she and her advisors thought would get her enough votes to win.
I have to be able to believe that the candidate that I am listening to is actually expressing his or her beliefs.
This is why, when given a choice between George W. Bush, and John F. Kerry, I choose Bush.
This is why, when given a choice between George W. Bush, and Al Gore, I choose Bush.
This is why, when given a choice between Hillary and an un-named Republican, the Republican would have to be pretty bad for me to choose Hillary.
Character, and honesty are THE MOST important factors when choosing an elected leader.
Aside from that, all we are doing is judging acting skills.
I don't watch it very often becuase it usually turns me into a raving maniac for a couple of hours afterwards, but I watched it tonight.
Tonight "The West Wing" featured a "live" presidential debate between the Pro-Choice Republican candidate senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda), and Pro-Life (or rather Anti-reckless Abortion) (Who in the world is FOR reckless Abortion?) Democrat Candidate congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits).
Just before they went onstage, the two candidates decided to bravely throw caution to the proverbial wind, and forget the rules of debate decided on beforehand by their staffers, in order to have an "honest" debate.
I watched as they presented their respective viewpionts, and a horrible thought struck me.
I would vote for the Republican candidate, even if it were Alan Alda!
He explained that it is not the job of the President or Government to create jobs, but rather to get out of the way of the market, and let IT create the jobs.
He explained that the choice was between a Republican who might not be able to "pay for tax cuts", and a Democrat who could not pay for expanding Government programs, even with tax increases. Neither balancing the budget.
He explained the importance of getting "control" of government rather than growing government. He explained that an unobtrusive Government was what the founding fathers wanted for us.
He refused to take any other pledge, other that the Oath of Office, when challenged by his opponent to pledge never to go to war for oil. (Like we have ever done that before.)
I'm sorry, but his proposals and explanations of the issues just made more sense to me, even though while I was watching him do it, I knew full well that Alda had trouble even making his mouth say the things he was saying. He doesn't believe a word of any of it.
But he sold it.
This makes me think of Hillary's drift to the right (not the right of center, just the right of where she used to be...) as we plod on toward the 2008 election cycle. She won't speak out against the war, she has softened on Abortion, and has in general tried to distance herself from the positions of the "Radical Left".
The truth is that I would never vote for Alan Alda for president, because I know how he really feels about the issues. No amount of acting skill or slick writing can change that.
I would know that even if he spouted the right rhetoric, gave all of the right answers, and sold his part perfectly, I would still take into account what I know already of his political views.
Same thing with Hillary. Even if she pleged to only nominate Pro-Life judges to the Supreme Court, promised never to socialize medicine, and to offer a tax cut for working families who pay for their own healthcare, and proposed a flat tax system, I still could not vote for her, because I know that she would not be articulating her core beliefs, but rather saying whatever she and her advisors thought would get her enough votes to win.
I have to be able to believe that the candidate that I am listening to is actually expressing his or her beliefs.
This is why, when given a choice between George W. Bush, and John F. Kerry, I choose Bush.
This is why, when given a choice between George W. Bush, and Al Gore, I choose Bush.
This is why, when given a choice between Hillary and an un-named Republican, the Republican would have to be pretty bad for me to choose Hillary.
Character, and honesty are THE MOST important factors when choosing an elected leader.
Aside from that, all we are doing is judging acting skills.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Wal-Mart Revisited...
From Brietbart.com, via the Drudge Report...
"WAL-MART ECONOMY KEEPS LID ON U.S. INFLATION: studyNov 04 12:50 PM US/Eastern
"The "rock-bottom" pricing strategy used by retail giant Wal-Mart has filtered into the US economy and kept a lid on inflation, according to a study commissioned by the company and released."
Didn't that just say that Wal-Mart commissioned and released a study into whether they, as a company were good or bad for the U.S. economy?
"The study by the economic research firm Global Insight concluded that the discounting along with other measures led to cumulative savings for consumers of 263 billion dollars between 1985 and 2004, or 895 dollars per person."
"The report also found that Wal-Mart's low pay for employees led to a 2.2 percent drop in overall wages across the economy but maintained that this was offset by falling consumer prices." (emphasis mine.)
"Consumers earned less in nominal dollars, but their income bought them more in the economy with Wal-Mart because of real disposable income gains," the study concluded." (again, emphasis mine.)
The Free Market works, folks.
Hate Wal-Mart all you want.
Wal-Mart is a good thing for America.
"WAL-MART ECONOMY KEEPS LID ON U.S. INFLATION: studyNov 04 12:50 PM US/Eastern
"The "rock-bottom" pricing strategy used by retail giant Wal-Mart has filtered into the US economy and kept a lid on inflation, according to a study commissioned by the company and released."
Didn't that just say that Wal-Mart commissioned and released a study into whether they, as a company were good or bad for the U.S. economy?
"The study by the economic research firm Global Insight concluded that the discounting along with other measures led to cumulative savings for consumers of 263 billion dollars between 1985 and 2004, or 895 dollars per person."
"The report also found that Wal-Mart's low pay for employees led to a 2.2 percent drop in overall wages across the economy but maintained that this was offset by falling consumer prices." (emphasis mine.)
"Consumers earned less in nominal dollars, but their income bought them more in the economy with Wal-Mart because of real disposable income gains," the study concluded." (again, emphasis mine.)
The Free Market works, folks.
Hate Wal-Mart all you want.
Wal-Mart is a good thing for America.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Tug's Wreck...
My friend, ER, in one of his recent posts, spoke of a wreck that he survived a number of years ago. It started me thinking about my own closest call.
Wednesday morning, March 10, 2004, about 8:10 am, I was pulling a load of live turkeys from a farm deep in the woods of eastern North Carolina to the Cargill processing plant in St Pauls, NC.
It wasn't even supposed to be my load, but one of the other guys had to go to the dentist that morning, and he asked me if I would trade schedules with him that night so that he could go home about 4:00 am and rest a few hours before he went. I traded.
The schedule on that job was erratic, to say the least. We went in sometime before midnight, giving ourselves enough time to get to whichever farm our first load came from, pulled two or three loads per night, and went back home whenever we dropped the last load of the day at the plant in the morning. The length of the workday varied according to how many loads, how far from the plant the farm was, and whether or not we totaled our truck that night.
The night was uneventful for the most part. I pulled my first two loads, dropped them at the plant, and took the only trailer that was left there, number 326.
Normally, none of us would pull 326, because it had weak springs on the right hand side, and was tipsy. It would scare you. We had complained about it to our supervisor, but most of our trailers were junk, and if they had put them all in the shop, we wouldn't have had any to pull the birds with. The only thing we could do was put one or two in the shop until they were fixed, and pull the rest until we got them back.
I hooked to 326, and headed to the farm. When I got to the farm, the loading crew was running behind, so I parked off to the side, and took a nap.
They woke me up about 7:30, and I pulled up to the loader. The standard procedure was to load half of one side, turn around, and load all of the other side, turn back around, and load the rest of the first side. But this what we called a "Cleanout Load." The last load of that flock, from that farm. I had to get every last bird from that farm on that load, and if it was heavy, then it was heavy.
They wound up loading the whole right side twice.
The side with the weak springs.
I made it seven miles.
I had stopped at a stop sign, and started again, and was up to around 35 MPH. The road curved around to the left, and about halfway around the curve, I glanced at my mirror, and observed my left side trailer wheels coming off the ground, real gentle like.
I cannot describe the feeling you get when you see something like that.
I backed off the fuel, and tried to set the trailer back down, but it kept on coming up, so I slammed the fuel back to it, to try to keep the cab ahead of the load. I knew at that point that I was going to turn over, and my main concern was not getting trapped under 2500 dying turkeys, out in the middle of the woods.
The truck turned almost completely upside down in a ditch with about a foot of water in it. When it stopped sliding, I climbed out the driver's side window, and surveyed the damage.
I had totaled an almost new, T-800 Kenworth road tractor, a 30 year old cage trailer, and killed 1300 of the little turkeys in the trailer, and almost killed the big one in the cab.
When I tried to climb back in to get my cell phone, there wasn't room in the cab for a human being. I had to find the headset cord, and follow it to the phone, and fish it out from outside.
Anyway, I called in, reported the wreck, and the ambulance came and took me away. (They wouldn't let me drive the ambulance...I was bummed.)
At the Hospital, I discovered that I do not have one single private part, but that I was not seriously hurt. I was one big purple bruise, but the only broken bone that I had was my floating rib on my left side. I had a cut on my head behind my right ear, a cut and sprained index finger on my right hand, and a sprained right wrist.
But that was it.
I lived through it. I don't know why.
I think about that every time I look at the pictures of that truck. I think about my wife of almost five months walking around the truck, taking pictures and crying. I think about myself, covered with mud and blood, sitting in the wheelchair at the hospital, trying through a case of mild shock to explain what happened, to the company safety manager, and what I must have looked like to him. I think about how my wife must have felt when she got that phone call at work, and learned that her new husband had just destroyed an 80,000 lb truck, and was at the hospital.
I think about how she must have felt when she realized that her new husband no longer had a job, and probably could not get another one any time soon. I think about how worthless I became as the depression set in over the next few weeks.
I'm glad she stuck with me through it. I certainly wouldn't have blamed her if she hadn't. I became a pitiful monster.
I think about how easily and quickly you can lose it all.
But she, my family and her family prayed me through the aftermath. Today I have a decent job, (Still driving tractor-trailers), my self esteem is back, and this is just an unpleasant memory.
But if anyone ever asks me how I know that there is a God, I can tell them that I know because I felt His hands close around me as the cab of that truck folded up.
Take it however you want, but I believe.
I got the pictures to prove it.
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