Wednesday Thoughts

Several things for your reading enjoyment today.

Thought 1:
San Francisco shows its ultra-liberal stripes with identification cards that do not include the gender on them. You can count on San Fran to lay siege to any and all conservative or Christian principles, can't you?

Thought 2:
Ralph Peters writes about what went right in Iraq. The article is great, so go read it. The summary is:
- we didn't quit
- Petraeus took command to WIN, not just keep on keeping on
- the surge rocked
- our fanatical enemies went way overboard, alienating the locals
- Iraqis are just tired of the death and violence.

Thought 3:
John Stossel writes about the philosophies used by the Pilgrims when they arrived here. First, they tried socialism, with everyone working communal land, and everyone was to get an equal share of the production. They almost starved, some people stole, some people faked being sick, etc. Finally, when they gave everyone their own land to work, some began to see some major success. The idea is that if the consequence is separated from the action, then there is no reason to produce. It's the difference between capitalism and socialism, and only one of them works.

Thought 4:
Democrat Congressman William Jefferson, who is possibly the most corrupt politician ever, has just had two more bribery accusations leveled at him. Where is the MSM coverage? You won't see it.

Thought 5:
Indiana Republican Mike Pence is taking steps to prevent federal funding from being used for abortions, and has apparently garnered some real support. In particular, he is aiming for Planned Parenthood.

There's my two cents (times five).

Ted Danson: Lying Environmentalist Wacko

Rush Limbaugh reports on an admission that simply confirms what conservatives think (and predict) about the environmentalist movement. Long-time environmental alarmist Ted Danson admitted in an interview for CNBC that his previous statement that the oceans would 'die' in 10 years was a lie. He made that statement in 1988, by the way.

Despite that, he expects us all to believe he's still an expert when he tells us that humanity is over-fishing the oceans.

How does the saying go? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me...

Don't buy the hype from Danson and his eco-pals.

There's my two cents.

Bangladesh Update

Just an update on the tragedy in Bangladesh. The death count is a relatively small 3,500, which is good. The problem, though, is that many thousands are completely without shelter or food as entire villages were swept away. Millions of dollars in aid have been sent from around the world.

Contact the usual places if you want to help out.

Quote: Guns

Just a couple of quotes that apply to the 2nd Amendment (since it will be in the news more in the near future):

“The gun has been called the great equalizer, meaning that a small person with a gun is equal to a large person, but it is a great equalizer in another way, too. It insures that the people are the equal of their government whenever that government forgets that it is servant and not master of the governed. When the British forgot that they got a revolution. And, as a result, we Americans got a Constitution; a Constitution that, as those who wrote it were determined, would keep men free. If we give up part of that Constitution we give up part of our freedom and increase the chance that we will lose it all. I am not ready to take that risk. I believe that the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms must not be infringed if liberty in America is to survive.”
-- Ronald Reagan --

“The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States.”
-- Noah Webster --

Both quotes posted at Heavy-Handed Politics.

Bring It Home!

From an e-mail I received from NumbersUSA:

FRIENDS, WE'VE NEVER SEEN THIS MUCH INTEREST IN DRIVING ILLEGAL ALIENS BACK HOME,

The SAVE Act (H.R. 4088) to take away jobs from illegal aliens (and "save" the jobs for American workers) became so red-hot-popular in the U.S. House today that several Senators rushed to introduce it in their chamber.

This afternoon, two identical bills to Rep. Shuler's SAVE Act in the House were introduced in the Senate.

One was sponsored by Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.). The other by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.).

The Senate bills are S. 2366 and S. 2368. Call your Senators and strongly encourage them to get on board with this! It is good legislation that has bipartisan support, and would ultimately help stem the tide of illegal immigration.

While you're at it, also urge your Senators to put back the $3 billion for border security. These two measures are two excellent steps on the road to real immigration reform, and need to be passed into law.

There's my two cents.

Who Do You Trust?

The November 19th, 2007 edition of US News & World Report contains an article about what groups of people Americans trust most...and least. There is broad discontent with our nation's leaders, with two thirds saying today's leaders 'pale in comparison' with those of 20 years ago. But, I wanted to point out some specific sections of America.

Here is the percentage of people who have a "great deal" of confidence in...
- Military leaders: 40%
- Medical leaders: 27%
- Supreme Court: 23%
- Religious leaders: 22%
...
- Congress: 9%
- Wall Street: 9%
- Media: 8%
- Entertainment industry: 7%

I think these numbers are very telling. The biggest problem I see here is that three of the worst confidence inducers (Congress, Media, and Entertainment industry) have a huge impact on American life, especially as it relates to the spread of information.

There's my two cents.

Another Economic Disconnect

I think it's funny how you hear about our economy being a disaster, with a crisis here and a crisis there, and then you see an article with this headline:

With Turkey Beckoning, Travelers Hit the Road, Sky, Train Tracks; Record Numbers Expected

Something doesn't add up here...how can the economy be a disaster, with gas prices and food/heating costs about to plunge America into general chaos if a record number of people are expected to travel long distances to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family?

The truth is that the economy is fine. Sure, there are problems -- for example, no one would complain if gas prices came down -- but anytime the economy at large is growing by almost 4% per year, things are fine. The fact that more Americans are traveling this year than ever should put the question to bed all by itself.

There's my two cents.

The U.N.'s Numbers Are Way Off

Well, this is an interesting admission of guilt. The AP reports:

The number of AIDS cases worldwide fell by more than 6 million cases this year to 33.2 million, global health officials said Tuesday. But the decline is mostly on paper.

Previous estimates were largely inflated, and the new numbers are the result of a new methodology. They show AIDS cases in 2007 were down from almost 39.5 million last year, according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations AIDS agency.

While it's truly a great thing that AIDS cases are declining, there is another point to consider here. Think about it...what happened when the AIDS crisis first burst onto the world stage? Billions of dollars (mostly from the U.S.) were sent to Africa to help combat the disease, right? So what happens if the numbers actually show that good progress is being made against this horrible virus? The funding will likely diminish. Though the U.N. offers a couple of plausible-sounding reasons for the numbers revisions, many are skeptical that the U.N. simply just got caught inflating their numbers (remember, it was about a 20% revision!) to keep the funding up.

Now, let's apply a little logic here. If the U.N. is willing to inflate (i.e. lie about) the numbers of AIDS cases to get more money, do you think they'd be willing to do the same for other things? Sure, it only makes sense. Hm, let's see what else we have going on right now that has a consensus of scientists agreeing that a disaster is looming, and only the U.N. can combat it with massive amounts of cash...

Aha! I've got it: global warming.

There's my two cents.

Guns In D.C.?

One of the much-anticipated showdowns of the John Roberts Supreme Court has arrived: the gun ban in Washington, D.C. You may or may not know that a previous ruling outlawed owning a gun in Washington, D.C., but an appeals court struck down that ruling as being incompatible with the 2nd Amendment. Now, the Supreme Court has decided to hear the case.

How will the Supreme Court define the reach of the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution?

Will they side with the individual's right to own a gun, or will they restrict it to a regulated force (i.e. 'militia') like the Armed Forces?

You can bet this will be a biggie! Keep your eyes on this one, because it could be a big-time signal of just how 'originalist' or 'activist' this Court is.

There's my two cents.

The Department Of Education...Suks

From Michelle Malkin:

First, the U.S. dropped out of a major international math competition this summer. Now comes word that our student’s test scores on a major international reading exam have been rendered invalid because the contractor who printed the tests misnumbered the pages–and the Department of Education failed to proofread the booklets.

The story goes on from there, but the main point is that the Department of Education is not only a political machine, but an incompetent one at that. It's just another example of how the government simply cannot manage anything efficiently or effectively.

That's why it's hard for me to believe it when some people talk about the government needing to get more involved in American life. Are you serious? It's bad enough that the government is ruining our children's education; do we really want them more involved in other things like health care?

There's my two cents.

No Shortage Of Farm Workers

Speaking of the supposed shortage of farm workers...

According to a new study from the Center for Immigration Studies, the idea that immigration is needed to prevent a shortage of farm workers is a myth:

For several years stories in the media have reported a farm labor shortage. This study examines this question and finds little evidence to support this conclusion. First, fruit and vegetable production is actually rising. Second, wages for farm workers have not risen dramatically. Third, household expenditure on fresh fruits and vegetables has remain relatively constant, averaging about $1 a day for the past decade.

The study is quite long and very detailed, so if you want more information, go check it out. The bottom line is that this myth is substantiated by the industry to try to keep wages down as low as possible, and by illegal alien advocates.

Oh, and Democrats, who want as many illegal aliens here as possible.

There's my two cents.

How To Reduce Illegal Immigration

Want to know how to diminish the illegal alien presence in the workplace? Go after the employers. It's working in Arizona, after Gov. Janet Napolitano signed a new law that will take effect in January 2008:

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of undocumented workers have been fired as a result of Arizona businesses reviewing the work-eligibility forms of their employees as the state's new employer-sanctions law draws near.

The fired workers couldn't provide missing information uncovered during the reviews or confessed to being in the country illegally, say attorneys involved in the reviews.

Opponents are whining about constitutionality and profiling, but read this:

Eligio Medina Roldan, 44, is one of those workers who lost his job. The undocumented immigrant from Mexico City had been working at a Phoenix warehouse for the past four years using fake documents. Earlier this month, a supervisor from the company's corporate headquarters in Texas questioned him about some of the information he provided on the I-9 form. Medina Roldan said he was given eight days to prove he was legally eligible to work in the U.S. or he would lose his job.

"I don't have papers that show I can work legally, so I won't be able to work," he said. "And I can't work, then I've lost the reason for being here. My only option is to go back" to Mexico.

Bingo!!!

But don't worry about worker shortages - the Center for Immigration Studies indicates there are more than enough Americans ready to step in.

It's what we conservatives have been saying for a long, long time: take away the magnet, and the problem goes away by itself.

There's my two cents.

The Latest FISA Battle

A Senate Judiciary Committee is working on a new FISA bill that would not provide immunity to telecommunications companies for working with the government. The House is working on a similar bill.

Bush has pledged to veto a bill without the immunity provision, so it looks to be another showdown.

There's my two cents.

Pakistan Update

In a follow up to my recent post about the events in Pakistan, things are continuing to escalate. Musharraf is proceeding with preparations for an election while Bhutto is pledging to unite his political opposition to oust him from power.

Arrests continue, as does unrest.

Fortunately, the Bush administration has been helping Musharraf protect Pakistan's nuclear weapons. Also, the military has proposed helping Pakistani troops help fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban in a fashion similar to how our forces have addressed similar opposition in Iraq.

Just keeping you posted.

There's my two cents.

Here A Flip, There A Flop, Everywhere A Flip-Flop

Hillary Clinton made a new statement that she no longer backs a plan to give driver's licenses to illegal aliens, and applauds Gov. Eliot Spitzer's decision to withdraw his plan.

In case you were counting, that makes six different positions since the debate a couple weeks ago.

That's presidential material, don't you think?

There's my two cents.

Democrats Playing Politics With Border Security

In a previous blog, I mentioned how a Senate conference committee stripped the $3 billion for border security out of a defense appropriations bill. In response, even some Democrats are angry at the blatant political abuse of such a critical issue.

Call your Senators and demand they put the $3 billion back into the bill.

There's my two cents.

More Trouble For Hillary

Iowa is looking more and more like a lost cause for Hillary. Obama is overtaking Hillary in Iowa, as voters look for change and honesty in dealing with several major issues.

Of course, Hillary can probably afford to lose Iowa and still win the nomination, but the chinks in Hillary's armor are definitely being widened. And we still have almost a year left before the election!

There's my two cents.

Do You Feel The Earth Shaking?

Seriously, I think I feel a tremor...

The New York Times has admitted progress in Iraq:

The security improvements in most neighborhoods are real. Days now pass without a car bomb, after a high of 44 in the city in February. The number of bodies appearing on Baghdad’s streets has plummeted to about 5 a day, from as many as 35 eight months ago, and suicide bombings across Iraq fell to 16 in October, half the number of last summer and down sharply from a recent peak of 59 in March, the American military says.

As a result, for the first time in nearly two years, people are moving with freedom around much of this city.

You would think that if the New York Times actually admits we're winning in Iraq, there is absolutely no one with any shred of honesty and integrity that can still deny it.

Of course, the Democrats in Congress still do.

There's my two cents.

Thankfulness At Home And Abroad

Mark Steyn is a delightfully snarky Canadian who is has a conservative outsider's take on many facets of American life. In a recent column, Steyn takes square aim at how much of the world views America, suggesting that they should all be thankful for what we've done.

Steyn points out that although the pace of life is fast in America, we are one of the oldest constitutional democracies on the planet, and in that we rely heavily on a tradition longer than almost everyone else:

We know Eastern Europe was a totalitarian prison until the Nineties, but we forget that Mediterranean Europe (Greece, Spain, Portugal) has democratic roots going all the way back until, oh, the mid-Seventies; France and Germany's constitutions date back barely half a century, Italy's only to the 1940s, and Belgium's goes back about 20 minutes, and currently it's not clear whether even that latest rewrite remains operative. The U.S. Constitution is not only older than France's, Germany's, Italy's or Spain's constitution, it's older than all of them put together.

Steyn illustrates how even those who would destroy the foundations of American tradition use that very argument to do so:

I don't believe the U.S. Constitution includes a right to abortion or gay marriage or a zillion other things the Left claims to detect emanating from the penumbra, but I find it sweetly touching that in America even political radicalism has to be framed as an appeal to constitutional tradition from the powdered-wig era.

In Europe, by contrast, one reason why there's no politically significant pro-life movement is because, in a world where constitutions have the life expectancy of an Oldsmobile, great questions are just seen as part of the general tide, the way things are going, no sense trying to fight it. And, by the time you realize you have to, the tide's usually up to your neck.

According to Steyn, here's where America differs from Europe:

So Americans should be thankful they have one of the last functioning nation-states. Europeans, because they've been so inept at exercising it, no longer believe in national sovereignty, whereas it would never occur to Americans not to. This profoundly different attitude to the nation-state underpins, in turn, Euro-American attitudes to transnational institutions such as the United Nations.

When something terrible and destructive happens – a tsunami hits Indonesia, an earthquake devastates Pakistan – the United States can project itself anywhere on the planet within hours and start saving lives, setting up hospitals and restoring the water supply.

Aside from Britain and France, the Europeans cannot project power in any meaningful way anywhere.

Finally, he warns against America following Europe's example:

If America were to follow the Europeans and maintain only shriveled attenuated residual military capacity, the world would very quickly be nastier and bloodier, and far more unstable. It's not just Americans and Iraqis and Afghans who owe a debt of thanks to the U.S. soldier but all the Europeans grown plump and prosperous in a globalized economy guaranteed by the most benign hegemon in history.

It is extremely illuminating to have someone outside the U.S. put so fine a point on the things that make America great. The things that Steyn describes in Europe are all the results of socialism run wild. We don't have to guess what will happen if socialism gets implemented here in America; we can look at our neighbors across the pond and see exactly what we'll get!

So, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let's realize how truly blessed we are to be living in America in 2007, and let's hang onto the things that got us to where we are today.

There's my two cents.

The True War Over Oil

One of the common mantras spouted by ill-informed anti-war people in regard to Iraq is that we went to war over oil. Well, if you want a war over oil, you've got one.

Unfortunately, we're on the wrong end of it.

In an OPEC summit over the weekend, Venezuelan Dictator Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad essentially declared war on America through oil prices. Chavez called for fellow members of OPEC -- which control 40% of the world's oil supply -- to fight against American 'imperialism', which is a commonly used term to refer to America's policy of spreading freedom and liberty around the world.

Predicting oil at $250 per barrel if America takes action against Iran, these two dictators are essentially trying to drag OPEC into the middle of the ideological struggle between these dictators and America. Fortunately, Saudi Arabia brushed aside much of the conflicting rhetoric in favor of simply 'producing prosperity'. But, we cannot rely on Saudi Arabia to be friendly for us forever - that is something like keeping a wolf in your house to guard against the pack of coyotes outside your door. More on that in future blog posts.

Anyway, the cooperation between Venezuela and Iran is increasing in an attempt to attack America through its dependence on foreign oil, with Chavez visiting Iran repeatedly and making disparaging remarks about the strength of the American dollar:

"Soon we will not talk about dollars because the dollar is falling in value and the empire of the dollar is crashing," Chavez said in comments translated into Farsi from Spanish.

"Naturally, by the crash of the dollar, America's empire will crash," Chavez said at a joint news conference with Ahmadinejad. The two presidents share the same viewpoint in denouncing U.S. influence in the world.

So, if it's a war for oil you want, you've got it. It's not even a secret anymore - America's enemies are openly advocating the fall of America through our dependence on foreign oil. How are those environmentalist wackos looking now?

There's my two cents.

More Environmentalist Wackos On Display

If it didn't impact our pocketbooks so much, it would be greatly amusing to watch environmentalist wackos. Today's display is from two sources. The first is the U.N. panel that recently shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. Here's a fun quote:

According to the U.N. panel of scientists, whose latest report is a synthesis of three previous ones, enough carbon dioxide already has built up that it imperils islands, coastlines and a fifth to two-thirds of the world's species.

As early as 2020, 75 million to 250 million people in Africa will suffer water shortages, residents of Asia's large cities will be at great risk of river and coastal flooding.

Another source says the world itself is dying.

Did you get that? You only have 13 years left to live, and it'll likely be a completely miserable existence, too. Of course, environmentalist wackos have been saying things like that for decades, and we're still here (not to mention living better than ever). The intent is to bring up the Kyoto Treaty again, which the U.S. opted out of in 2001 (thank goodness!).

What's going on here is that the U.N. is trying to fleece the U.S. into volunteering to fund the rest of the world's sham global warming fears. Let's not give in to that, okay? There are limits of even America's wealth and generosity.

The second environmentalist wacko story is from Heather Mills, who thinks that eating meat and dairy, and chopping down trees, is killing the planet. Her solution? Drink rat's milk.

Also, this die-hard environmentalist is so dedicated to her beliefs about global warming that she showed up to make this rat's milk proposal in this vehicle:


I'll consider paying attention to these people (other than laughing at them) once they start taking their own advice. Care to join me?

There's my two cents.

Tragedy in Bangladesh

You've probably seen the headlines, but a cyclone ripped through Bangladesh, killing as many as 15,000 people and displacing hundreds of thousands more.

Awful...

Expect more details in the coming days on how you can help, but I'm sure the Salvation Army and the Red Cross would be good places to start.

Stacking The Deck

It's easy to win if you stack the deck, right? Well, interestingly, after the knocks the Clinton campaign has been taking for planting at least one question at a previous debate, but it looks like ALL of the questions -- from supposedly undecided voters -- at last week's debate were planted!

Not only was Wolf Blitzer behaving himself (after Hillary's warning), but the questioners were:

- the political director of the Democratic Party of Arkansas and a high-level staffer for the Arkansas Democratic Party since the 1990s
- the president of the Islamic Society of Nevada, a major Dem contributor, and former president of MECha (a group that wants to overthrow the United States government
- a well-known antiwar activist
- a UNLV student who asked Hillary Clinton whether she preferred "diamonds or pearls" wrote that CNN forced her to ask the "frilly" question instead of a pre-approved query regarding the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility; she is also a former staffer for the Nevada Democratic Party Chair, Harry Reid, whose son heads Hillary Clinton’s Nevada campaign
- a political communications intern for Senator Harry Reid in Washington, D.C. who is currently a junior at UNLV and an immigrant on a quest to become a United States citizen (note: she's not even eligible to vote!)
- a union offical who has previously been published in a union journal
- an Executive Director of the ¡Sí Se Puede! Foundation and a recruiter at UNLV

If the Democrats were actually interested in hearing from the American public, why would they plant every single one of the questions at that debate? They -- and Hillary, in particular -- simply cannot handle real questions from real people, so they have decided to deceive the American public by planting only the questions they want to talk about.

There's my two cents.

Pelosi: It's Illegal To Make Your Employees Speak English

Believe it or not, it's true.

John Fund reports in the Wall Street Journal that Nancy Pelosi has promised to remove protections for speaking English from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission piece of a commerce bill coming through the House. The politics of why are a bit muddled, but the point is the same: an employer cannot require an employee to speak English.

Does that make sense to you?

Among the employers currently being sued for this very issue is the Salvation Army.

In March the EEOC sued the Salvation Army because its thrift store in Framingham, Mass., required its employees to speak English on the job. The requirement was clearly posted and employees were given a year to learn the language. The EEOC claimed the store had fired two Hispanic employees for continuing to speak Spanish on the job. It said that the firings violated the law because the English-only policy was not "relevant" to job performance or safety.

What kind of insanity is this? Are we in America, or not?? What language do we speak here in America?? That's right, ENGLISH!!!

These Democrats are completely out of control, and need to be called to account for their actions. They will stop at nothing to give America away to illegal alien lawbreakers who have no desire to become Americans, speak English, or contribute in any way at all to the greatness of this country.

It's no wonder normal Americans from both parties think this Congress sucks. It does!

There's my two cents.

How Much Of Our Own Oil Are We Using?

As a follow up to a previous blog about how environmentalist wackos have prevented America from tapping much of its own oil resources (thus forcing us to rely on foreign sources), the President of Shell Oil went on a 50-city tour to talk about the energy crisis, and some startling statements came out of a recent stop. Check it out:

Just nine years ago, oil was at $8 per barrel, and gas was half of what it is now. The president of Shell, John Hofmeister, is warning Americans the next ten years could bring an economic nightmare if something is not done.

Hofmeister has been on a tour, making the case that the county needs to begin using its own 100 billion barrel oil reserves.

"A lot of the weakness of the dollar has to do with the shipping of cash out of this country to the oil exporting countries in -- trillions of dollars in the last several years," Hofmeister said. "The question is do we want to continue that without developing our own domestic resources where we could be putting trillions of dollars into the development of our own natural resources?"

[T]he company's president said that America has to act now.

I'd just like to point out a couple things. First, we have 100 billion barrels of our own oil reserves. 100 billion barrels! Second, our energy crisis is a major contributor of how weak the dollar is in comparison to other currencies. Third, do you see how our lack of domestic resources has jacked up the cost of oil? From $8 a barrel [according to Hofmeister, although what I've found on the Internet isn't quite that low; regardless, the point is still valid] to $100 a barrel in less than a decade!

We need to do something now! Contact your reps and tell them to get over the hype of environmentalism and start protecting America from our own idiotic wackos.

There's my two cents.

Reunion Joy

Michelle Malkin brings us the wonderful story of 7-year-old Hunter Braun of Cherry Hill, NJ, who went to school on Wednesday thinking he would be giving a report on his father, an Army Colonel in Baghdad.

As he spoke, the principal, Mary Kline, interrupted:

"Hunter, I know it's awfully hard to do your report at an assembly like this. I thought and thought about somebody who would be the best person to help. Who could that be?" Kline asked.

Neither Hunter nor his 9-year-old sister, Rachel, knew what Kline was talking about. Then:

Suddenly, Lars Braun strode into the multipurpose room in his Army fatigues. Faster than a soldier could snap to attention, Rachel Braun ran across the room and leaped into her father's arms, while Hunter -- still not quite believing his eyes -- sauntered over for a hug.

Hunter helped his dad fold an American flag.

Kline helped arrange the surprise with the kids' mother, Terri Lynn, and Rachel's teacher, Eileen Steidle. They didn't know the timing would work out until shortly before; the Braun's younger children would be surprised later in the day.

Kline had also just received a federal Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award for consistent academic excellence.

It's easy to see why. Check out some of the quotes from the story:

"As our country has honored us, we want to honor our country," Kline told her students.

"I worry about my dad every second of every day. But I'm proud to have a dad in the Army," Rachel said.

Added Hunter, "For my report, I asked my dad if he likes being a soldier. He said he likes it because he gets to help people. He's very proud and that's one of the main things he joined the Army for."

"Home is where the Army sends us. We'll roll with whatever comes," Terri Lynn said.

If only our nation's political leaders had the kind of pride and perspective as these people! When asked by one of the students why Braun was still serving in Iraq (he was a career soldier), Braun's immediate answer was:

"We have to make it safe for everybody and make life be normal again. That's what the people there want, too."

These are the unselfish people that protect the rest of us, and it's good to see that at least one school somewhere (I'm sure there are others, too) honors them and supports them. Without families like the Brauns, America would be a much lesser place.

There's my two cents.

Senate Kills Iraq Surrender Bill

The surrender bill that the House passed recently was killed by the Senate, 53-45. The vote came just minutes after the Republicans attempted unsuccessfully (by the same vote count) to pass a bill to fund our troops with no surrender deadlines attached. The audacity of these Democrats is just astounding!

Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement during the debate:

The president got $470 billion this week. We met with Secretary Gates. He indicated to us there's 187,500 people in Iraq as we speak. He said the army is going to be just fine until the end of February. The Marines okay 'til the middle of March. I guess we expect too much from President Bush to recognize that this business that we're in of government is one that we're bound by the Constitution, that we have certain obligations and duties, one of which is to make sure that there are three separate and equal branches of government. We're going to continue to do what we can for the troops, recognizing that we've been told by the secretary of defense that everything is fine until the end of February and with the Marines until the middle of March. How much more can we do than say, "Mr. President, if you need the money, here it is. But just let us have a little accountability for the American people"? He said no.

Really? Next February? That's awfully strange, because Rush Limbaugh highlighted a Washington Times story that says the following:

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that if Congress fails to approve war funds this week, combat troops and civilian personnel will face reductions in services and equipment.

"I strongly urged the Congress to pass a global war on terror funding bill that the president would sign," Mr. Gates said at a Pentagon briefing. "With the passage of the Defense Appropriations Act, there is a misperception that the department can continue funding our troops in the field for an indefinite period of time through accounting maneuvers. ... This is a serious misconception."

"Congress has provided very limited flexibility to deal with this funding shortage," Mr. Gates said. "We can only move a total of $3.7 billion under general transfer authority, which only amounts to a little over one week"s worth of war expenses."

Mr. Gates described the funding scramble as an impossible situation.

Reid says February, Gates says one week. Who do you think we should believe? You might want to call your Senators and Congressmen to urge them to pass a funding bill that doesn't force the U.S. to surrender. Tell them that Bush is already bringing troops home because of success, and and ask them to let our troops finish the job.

There's my two cents.

Football Power And Real Life

I couldn't believe it when I came across an article in the New York Times about a little town called Smith Center, Kansas, not too far from where I grew up.

Apparently, the Smith Center Redmen -- the high school football team -- have won 51 consecutive games and three straight state championships, and have outscored their opponents this season a whopping 704-0.

But, they are more than just a juggernaut of a football team. They are one of the main activities of this town of about 2,000, and almost the entire town regularly turns out at the games. Each week, the head coach, Roger Barta, releases a scouting report on the next opponent, and within a day it's the hop topic around town. Football (especially K-State) fans may recall the name of Mark Simoneau, who currently plays linebacker for the New Orleans Saints - he is one of Barta's former players.

Not only is this small town very supportive of the team, but the team itself is a prime example of how to achieve the highest levels of success. Through all the wins and success, the philosophy remains that of humility, hard work, and accountability. Barta embraces the theory that it takes a village to raise a child, and he puts it into practice. For example, all the players on the football team have trading cards made of them, but it's not intended for hero worship. Instead, each player signs a contract pledging to remain alcohol-, drug- and tobacco-free. If a player breaks that contract, they have to go to the gradeschool and explain to the children why they were kicked off the team and their cards were revoked.

Can you imagine what would happen if our Congressmen and Senators were held accountable like that??

It is people like this that reflect the American spirit through their hard work, honesty, and humility. Though Smith Center was once a distant opponent of mine, I salute Coach Barta, the players, and the town for creating such a positive place to grow tomorrow's leaders. They deserve all the success they can make for themselves.

There's my two cents.

Friday Quick Hits

Friday Quick Hits

Quick Hit #1: More liberal cannibalism.
MoveOn.org's latest target is liberal Democrat Senator Diane Feinstein, who invited their ire by recently voting to confirm Mukasey as Attorney General, among other things. Another example of how anyone who disagrees with the wacko Leftists in this country will be trashed. Munch, munch, munch...

Quick Hit #2: Profiling project canceled.
I recently blogged about a police project in Los Angeles to profile Muslim neighborhoods to protect against potential Islamic extremism. In a mind-bogglingly stupid move, the project has been shelved because various Muslim groups (and the ACLU) were 'uncomfortable' with it. Apparently, it's more important to be politically correct than safe. It figures. I wonder what the reaction will be when an attack happens in L.A.? They'll probably blame it on Bush for not doing enough to fight homegrown terrorism.

Quick Hit #3: Move over Bible...
The American Family Association reports on a move by many hotel chains to remove Gideon Bibles from rooms, and in some cases replace them with 'intimacy kits' that include sex toys. If you want to sign a petition against the change, go here. Watching society slide downward...

Quick Hit #4: Hated Abroad?
Charles Krauthammer writes a great perspective piece at RealClearPolitics.com about the myth that America has become more hated and reviled around the world under George W. Bush's leadership. In reality, though, Bush has greatly strengthened our relationships with France, Germany, Australia, Canada, Eastern Europe, and several states in the Middle East. Several of these places have moved closer to U.S. policies in recent years than they have in decades. That is partly due to changes in leadership (and thus, the voting public), but it also boils down to the fact that it doesn't matter if they necessarily like us, but rather if there is a greater threat that we can all unite against. In these times, it's an 'Iran-Syria-Hezbollah-Hamas' threat (especially a nuclear one) that binds our allies to us, and the hinge for those allies is American success in Iraq. Yet another reason to WIN.

Quick Hit #5: Income 'gap' is misleading.
If you listen to most politicians, you hear about how the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. That's simply not true. In a study of the median income change from 1996 to 2005, it is the lower income quintiles (referring to the five 20% chunks of all income earners) that have benefited by far the most. Check out the graph:

As you can see, income overall has risen over 24%, and the biggest winners in this race are the lowest incomes. The top 1% has actually LOST income! When it comes to the economy, it rarely pays to listen to the hype. Look at the facts, instead.

Last but not least...
I've found a couple of great inspirational stories that are guaranteed to warm your heart. I'll be posting them sometime this weekend.

Have a great one!

MSM Loves Hillary

Brent Bozell and Tim Graham write a scathing piece at NRO about how the MSM has totally shirked its duty in regard to Hillary Clinton.

Starting with when she first came onto the national political scene, the MSM has been in the tank for her, both by supporting everything she says and by ignoring the numerous personal, political, and financial scandals.

Bozell and Graham take an in-depth look at what investigative journalism should be (and used to be), and then they pick apart how the MSM has departed from true journalism in regard to Clinton.

They also illustrate how any attempt to portray the truth of Hillary's deficiencies provoke substantial anger from the Clinton machine, usually in the form of public smearing and labels like 'Clinton hater' or 'vast right wing conspiracy'. However, the real root of that anger is that the Clintons no longer have the monopoly on the media that they once had. With the rise of the new media, the truth can still come out despite their efforts to control their image.

The authors' point is that the truth is what needs to come out more than anything, especially as people decide if Clinton is truly the best person to lead our country. Unfortunately, most Americans don't know most of Clinton's history because the MSM has surrounded her in a blatantly-slanted blanket of protection.

There's my two cents.