Teapot Tantrums

Through No Fault of Our Own?

I don't get it. I really don't ... a candidate running for State government ... an incumbent running to retain her seat in State government ... an incumbent who sits on the Joint Ways & Means Committee, who is running to retain her seat in our State government, one who has had a hand in passing the budgetary disasters from which our state is suffering, one who has voted for ever increasing taxes, fees, permit requirements and the like ... and one who has voted for spending the income from those tax, fee, and permit cost increases ... which has resulted in ever increasing programs and their associated costs, requiring a vicious cycle of even *more* increases ... Well, I just don't just understand how this person thinks.

In a recent radio interview with KCUP radio (you can listen to is here), Jean Cowan, Representative for Oregon's House District 10 asserted that we're facing a budget crisis "through no fault of our own" ... she said that the problems we're facing are hard to understand and that there's no easy fix. Simple, Rep. Cowan ... stop voting to increase taxation (which *is* driving our companies out of business and many out of the state, contrary to her assertion that such claims "just don't hold water") and stop voting to increase  spending. Seems pretty simple to me.

If Rep. Cowan were sincere in her assertions that she's supportive of Oregon's kids getting a good education, she wouldn't vote to saddle their parents with an ever-increasing debt load -- *especially* when the rising taxes are driving more and more companies to their economic deaths, eliminating the very jobs that pay the employees, the ones that make up the tax base, the ones that ultimately are responsible for funding our public institutions/programs such as our schools, which she supposedly "supports". If she were a responsible member of the Ways & Means Committee, she would insist that all programs that want continued State funding begin with zero-base budgeting ... let these programs justify their existences rather than giving them automatic funding with automatic increases. Sorry, but State programs should have to function like businesses, which don't automatically get increases ... businesses have to re-examine their budgets and see where they can logically increase based on cash flow ... and where they need to decrease based on cash flow. No business can just decide to make a huge increase in their prices and expect to keep their customers ... State programs shouldn't expect to do that either. 

If she were a responsible representative (no matter what committee she sat on), she'd stick to what principles she claims to have, and back up her claims of believing in the importance of public school education for Oregon's kids, and she'd insist that the schools be funded first, instead of held hostage at the end of the session as a tool for passing higher and higher budgets. Any representative that doesn't do that should be ashamed.

This interview got me to wondering. What do her constituents think? Do they appreciate that she supports them all and votes in the best interest of/represents all her constituents? That's what State Representatives do, isn't it?

Think again. While many seem to appreciate Ms. Cowan's part in helping bring NOAA (yet another public sector employer) to the Oregon Coast, some are more doubtful of the candidate's intent to represent them. Much as Eugene's Mayor Kitty Piercy claims to be "Mayor for All Eugene" but in reality seems to be more interested in being "Mayor for All of Eugene With Whom She Agrees and/or Supported Her Run for Election/Re-Election" ... Rep. Cowan seems happiest to truly represent only those that supported her candidacy.

As Ellen Hawks submitted to Salem's "Statesman Journal" newspaper recently:

"I used to take my mother to the Waldport senior center for meals. We were rudely treated and sexually discriminated against, relegated to the "single ladies table." I complained to the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments, repeatedly. I was either insulted, blamed, or ignored.

I wrote to Rep. Jean Cowan. Part of her response was, "My records show that I either called or visited your house to ask for your support on November 2, 2004 and September 20, 2006. Both times you said you would NOT support my candidacy."

Tax money is going to agencies that don't help and representatives that represent only those who vote for them or give them financial support? No way am I going to support a sick government like that."

For those voters who live in Oregon House District #10 and are planning to cast an intelligent vote for a candidate who will truly represent *all* of her constituents and is resolutely against passing the buck for decisions she's made ... and against passing yet more irresponsible spending bills that will further stress Oregon's taxpayers ... please consider voting for Becky Lemler. She understands that our State government must tighten its belts, right along with Oregon residents/taxpayers, and she's willing to look at ways to make that happen.

From her website:

"Becky is running for state representative because like you, she wants people with true values and principles in the legislature now more than ever. To turn Oregon’s economy around, we need a conservative representative who will use proven approaches for job creation. Becky says job creation will allow us to have proper funding for our schools, law enforcement and other essential services. Then, legislation has to be changed on how these vital services are funded so they will no longer be the first items cut when the state spends too much money on other programs."

Simply having spent time in Salem voting to pass tax increases doesn't necessarily give you the experience and/or judgment to be a good legislator ... you also need real-world experience and common sense, something I don't see in Rep. Cowan, and something I find to be in abundance with Becky Lemler. Our Founders weren't professional politicians who were always ready to tax the people ever more in order to fund their agendas. They were common, everyday folks who wanted the Tax Collector's boot off their collective necks. Becky's cut from the same cloth.

Vote with your head ... make a common sense vote on November 2. If you live in District 10, please vote for Becky Lemler.

A Modern Morality Tale

How's this for apocalyptic literature. This was written by a pastor's wife as a commentary of current events. It is brilliant.

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And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of the land called America, having lost their morals, their initiative, and their will to defend their liberties, chose as their Supreme Leader that person known as "The One."

He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning; but He hypnotized the people telling them, "I am sent to save you. My lack of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego, and my association with evil doers are of no consequence. I shall save you with hope and Change. Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the land that he who preceded me is evil, that he has defiled the nation, and that all he has built must be destroyed.”

And the people rejoiced for even though they knew not what "The One" would do, he had promised that it was good; and they believed.

And "The One" said "We live in the greatest country in the world. Help me change everything about it!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah! Change is good!"

Then He said, "We are going to tax the rich fat-cats."

And the people said "Sock it to them!" and "Redistribute their wealth."

And the people said, "Show us the money!"

And “The One” said, "redistribution of wealth is good for everybody.."

And Joe the plumber asked, "Are you kidding me? You're going to steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??"

And "The One" ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe's personal records were hacked and publicized.

One lone reporter asked, "Isn't that Marxist policy?" And she was banished from the kingdom.

Then a citizen asked, "With no foreign relations experience and having zero military experience or knowledge, how will you deal with radical terrorists?"

And "The One" said, "Simple. I shall sit with them and talk with them and show them how nice we really are; and they will forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah!! We are safe at last, and we can beat our weapons into free cars for the people!"

Then "The One" said "I shall give 95% of you lower taxes."

And one, lone voice said, "But 40% of us don't pay ANY taxes." So "The One" said, "Then I shall give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah! Show us the money!"

Then "The One" said, "I shall tax your Capital Gains when you sell your homes!"

And the people yawned and the slumping housing market collapsed.

And He said. "I shall mandate employer-funded health care for every worker and raise the minimum wage. And I shall give every person unlimited healthcare and medicine and transportation to the clinics."

And the people said, "Give me some of that!"

Then he said, "I shall penalize employers who ship jobs overseas."

And the people said, "Where's my rebate check?"

Then "The One" said, "I shall bankrupt the coal industry and electricity rates will skyrocket!"

And the people said, "Coal is dirty, coal is evil, no more coal! But we don't care for that part about higher electric rates."

So "The One" said, Not to worry. If your rebate isn't enough to cover your expenses, we shall bail you out. Just sign up with the ACORN and you troubles are over!"

Then He said, "Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted. Let's grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free lunches, free medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed housing..."

And the people said, "Hallelujah!" and they made him king!

And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers. Others simply gave up and went out of business and the economy sank like unto a rock dropped from a cliff.

The bank banking industry was destroyed. Manufacturing slowed to a crawl. And more of the people were without a means of support.

Then "The One" said, "I am the "the One"- The Messiah - and I'm here to save you! We shall just print more money so everyone will have enough!"

But our foreign trading partners said unto Him. "Wait a minute. Your dollar is not worth a pile of camel dung! You will have to pay more...

And "The One" said, "Wait a minute. That is unfair!!"

And the world said, "Neither are these other idiotic programs you have embraced. Lo, you have become a Socialist state and a second-rate power. Now you shall play by our rules!"

And the people cried out, "Alas, alas!! What have we done?" But yea verily, it was too late. The people set upon The One and spat upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung. And the once mighty nation was no more; and the once proud people were without sustenance or shelter or hope. And the Change "The One" had given them was as like unto a poison that had destroyed them and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built.

And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in anguish, "give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!" But it was too late, and their homeland was no more.

You may think this a fairy tale, but it's not.

It's happening RIGHT NOW

Good Connections

I’m blessed to be surrounded by very intelligent, savvy people. I spent one weekend a month for the past four months (kinda like the military reserves, huh?) at a lodge outside Turner, Oregon, learning how campaigns work, how fundraising happens, learning more about the Constitution, learning about Republican party history, how to network better, and having the most stimulating conversations concerning the issues of our day.

I love my family, don’t get me wrong. But they really don’t “get this” … they put up with me and my postings on FaceBook (FB), they put up with me going to politically-themed meetings, they put up (barely) with me bringing up political issues at home … yes, they roll their eyes. But this is something I care deeply about.

A dear friend said, “It’s like politics has become your religion or something.”

No, politics has not become my religion. My “religion” is Christianity, my faith is in Jesus Christ as my risen lord and savior … my cause has become to get up, speak up, and take a stand … to wake up the Narcoleptic American Sheeple … to get them to pay attention to what’s going on and get concerned to the point where they begin to take a stand and speak up, too.

I realize that this concern can cause some anxiety. I’ve had my share of anxiety since I “woke up” … and once you wake up to what’s going on around you, you can’t go back to sleep again. I’ve tried. I’ve taken “time off” …. a “break” from current events and the American political theater … I eventually come back after having read some nonfiction books to give my brain a break … but I can’t shut it out completely.

There’s tooooooo much going on. There’s too much at stake. There’s a risk in going back to sleep, and I’m not prepared to take that risk.

People will say to me, “Hey, you’re a Christian. Christians don’t pay attention to or talk about politics. They’re supposed to love everyone and not judge anyone. What do you think you’re doing? All you’re supposed to be doing is loving everyone and praying all the time.”

Yes, I’m a Christian. I’m not *of* this world, but I live in it. While I believe we’re supposed to love people, I don’t believe we’re required to love everything they do. Yes, I pray for people. Heck, I even pray for Barack Obama (and his good health) … I pray that he’ll have one term, that we’ll be delivered from him and what I believe are bad intentions for our country, and that he’ll have a change of heart and mind. I pray for our leaders that they’ll come to their senses and actually *lead* with *wisdom*.

As for judging … c’mon … face it … we all make judgments every single day. Whether you judge for yourself that you’d prefer to cook or order take out, to wear long or short sleeves that day, to have a glass of wine or a glass of soda … to let your child partake of risky activities … you’re making judgments. Making those judgments keeps us alive. Hopefully you’re making positive judgments, but you’re making judgments.

Don’t confuse that for passing judgments. I may judge for myself and my family those behaviors that I don’t want them to emulate because I think they’re detrimental. But that doesn’t mean I’m passing judgment on those that practice those behaviors. That’s between the person and the courts … or between them and God. If I choose not to associate with people who practice what I consider to be bad behaviors, that’s not passing judgment on the person, that’s judging whether I want to be around that behavior.

Should I sit down, shut up, play nice, and “go along to get along?” No, I don’t think that’s productive. There’s time for relaxing (that’s when I listen to a favorite TV show or movie and work on a crocheted doily … they can be very challenging). But I can’t do that all the time.

I have family members that believe I should share nothing but pleasantries or family news here and on FB. They think I shouldn’t share quotes I find, even if I find them interesting …. Because they might cause discomfort in those that read them.  For example, my daughter shared with me a quote by Oscar Wilde that said, “To lose a parent is tragic. To lose both just looks like carelessness.”  OK, I really enjoy a good play on words … that said, I still have three of my parents (I got them the old-fashioned way – through the broken-home system), so I didn’t take it in the classic sense of having “lost” one’s parents in death … well, not entirely. The first part yes, the second part no. However, this family member (and his sister) decided I was horribly insensitive. I didn’t make the original quote; I simply shared it. But, apparently, it was insensitive to share it with anyone else. Perhaps I shouldn’t share my favorite Groucho Marx quote, either, ‘cause it might be insensitive to dog lovers. (“Outside of a dog, a good is man’s best friend; inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”)

Nope, I’m paying attention; I’m sharing whatever I find. Here you will find an eclectic mix of news, humor, tidbits, occasional personal stuff, links, YouTube videos … I don’t set out to make people angry. If people get angry at what I post here … personally, that’s on them. Anger is just as much of a choice as are happiness, depression and boredom. It’s time to quit choosing to accuse those around us of *causing* us to feel a certain way. Your feelings are your choice. (That’s something I have to work on every single day.)

But lately, I’m surrounded by other Republicans, all of them Conservatives (thank God!), and most of them intelligent and able to discuss Constitutional issues, national issues, regional issues, social issues … from differing perspectives and histories, not always coming to the same final conclusion … and all without coming to blows. I’ve yet to see a Conservative launch himself or herself across the table at someone who disagrees with them. I’ve yet to hear Party A devolve into personal attacks because Party B challenged a statement and Party A ran out of arguments. Party A regroups and comes back with another observation to support his/her position …. And we learn from each other and we grow.

So, I’ve been networking, learning from others, and continuing to “learn what I already know” … well, at least I hope I am. I’m glad to be able to understand more fully what I’ve always believed and to know why I’ve believed it and how to communicate it more clearly.

As of last weekend, those weekends came to an end. I graduated from the program (and forgot my completion certificate at the lodge … with the group picture in it!), and I’m going to miss those dear people sooooo much … Greg, Rick, Trudy, Gladys, Jaynee, Tyson, Becky, Rose, Marshall (*such* a bright young mind!), Jeff, Kerry & Stuart. And a special thanks to Ames & Dama for putting us up .. and putting up with us!

Learning What I Know

I’m not a "young chick" anymore, and sometimes I guess you could say I’m kind of stuck in my ways … at least that’s what my kids try to tell me. At my age (hey, I'm not decrepit just yet!!!), someone with an opposing viewpoint isn’t going to convince me to go against my principles, convictions, and what have become my natural inclinations.

I know what I believe.

I’m comfortable being a Christian, Conservative, Republican woman. My faith in Jesus Christ is important to me because I know that without Him, I would have a very different life … and likely not a good one. My faith informs my Conservative leanings because it most closely meshes with my beliefs. Some might say that I’m more of an old-fashioned woman, a traditionalist … that works for me, too. I’m a Republican because the tenets of that party fit best with my Christian, Conservative beliefs …. And because I believe the Democrats are dead wrong on just about everything.

But I know what I believe, and don’t feel the need to go into extreme detail here because it would take *way* too long … But I’m also enough of a grown-up to know that it’s important to make sure I know what I believe is really what I believe.

Likewise, I've always known what I know ... so much has been common sense salted with wisdom gained through the years ... but I also know that what I "know" isn't always what I *know* .. so I took steps over the past few months to make sure I know what I know.

I'm getting there.

 

Wow! What a ride!

After mediocre hit counts because I've been busy (and microblogging on FB more than I should) I had a huge influx of traffic last week!  Going from daily hits in the 20s to 50s range to .... get this ... ***5,135*** in about 48 hours (over 5,100 in about 24 hours) ...

What happened to generate that kind of traffic? Well, someone put this post from 2006 on Reddit.com and it took off like wild fire ... for quite a while there (after I became aware of it) I spent a *lot* of time in the top 100 web sites.

Seriously ... a little ole part-time contributor like me ... Reminds me of the time Deb Schinder linked to me (as an example of a right-wing nut job) and I got a ton of traffic ... but only a fraction of this in comparison. And to think that little post, which still gets me reliable hits every single week (right along with the one about Katie Couric & the sniper), got traffic volume like that nearly four years later.

I guess I'll just keep on pluggin' away.

This Is Your Wake-Up Call

Hello, America – This is your wake-up call! It’s time to get up, speak up and take a stand!

I began blogging in 2005, when my “blogfather” asked me to stop commenting on his blog posts … long enough to put my “gift of gab” to use in posts of my own for our candidate for the governor’s race. Sadly, Jason Atkinson didn’t become our governor, but I did become a blogger … someone who is opinionated in searchable print … on the Internet.

What I’m passionate about, is waking up America … those narcoleptic sheeple out there.
Sheeple are the people who don’t think for themselves, don’t pay attention to what’s going on, follow others because it’s easy, and are so stupid they are, as a friend calls them “four legs looking for a way to die” (or in this case two legs).

Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder in which people fall asleep … unexpectedly and easily … and sometimes with bad timing. They’re hard to wake up and can be hard to keep awake.

In the early days of World War II, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto wrote in his diary, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." …. Yep, they woke up the giant sleeping sheep … but one with narcoleptic tendencies and too little resolve.

As far back as World War II, many Americans suffered from “social narcolepsy.” They’d go along to get along, nap their way through life because it was “easier,” didn’t talk about politics and religion because they’ve been taught that it wasn’t nice … and it took something big to wake them up … these giant sleeping sheep.

In World War II, American Liberals didn’t want to get involved in Europe, because “it wasn’t our war,” but when Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor woke the giant sleeping sheep, we bonded together for a common cause, and the vast majority stayed together for our national survival. But we won the war, rebuilt Japan, liberated the concentration camps, life went on, and the giant sleeping sheep hit the pillow again.

In the 60s, liberals and communists in our colleges and universities were carefully converting our young people to their Leftist ideas … and it took the threat of our social fabric ripping apart to rouse the grownups. Some sheep woke up for a while to try to figure out what was wrong with our young people, and others decided they’d try out the doobies and swinger parties and see for themselves what the kids were jazzed about… and dozed off again.

With the Vietnam War, we Republicans roused enough to try to help the oppressed in southeast Asia fight for their survival, but communists in ivory towers, the kids they’d converted, and the liberals who wanted to get along and share and make everything “equal” … well, they woke up, too … with the goal of stopping the war at all costs, through any mean. They learned how to fight nasty within our own borders, and Republicans learned how to deal with their nastiness and with names like war monger and baby killer hurled at them wholesale … in public … on nightly news clips. But eventually, we withdrew from Vietnam, got our POWs back, and the sleeping giant got drowsy again.

In the late 70s, we were blessed with Jimmy Carter, the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Misery Index, and the sheep woke up long enough to usher in the Reagan Revolution, the Moral Majority, and a brand new generation of conservatives (including me). But the economy improved, hair got big, and we finally got rid of disco music … and the giant sheep drifted off again.

But then came 9/11 … and the giant sleeping sheep got a very nasty wake up call.

When I saw the second plane hit the second tower, I knew my life had changed forever. The sleeping giant roared awake. We banded together and worked for a common cause. We had common outrage, mourned together, shook our fists together, and many of us celebrated together when US troops went into the Middle East to root out the terrorist training camps, captured Saddam Hussein, and searched for Bin Laden.

But it took longer than expected , was messier than desired, Leftists politicized the war for their own gain, John Kerry “reported for duty” … and the sheeple took another nap and keep on sleeping still.
Why shouldn’t we just let them sleep? Because the giant sleeping sheep have functioned so well and so comfortably, stayed in their drowsy state for so long that they actually learned how to *vote* in their sleep.

They say “you get the government that you deserve” … unfortunately, this time we got the government the Leftists deserved.

They didn’t think for themselves, believed what the talking heads wanted them to believe, ignored plain facts, didn’t believe us when we told them what The One himself actually said when he thought no one was listening. They voted for Barack Obama en masse … because he spoke in comforting words and platitudes that made them feel good and didn’t make them think … or because it was “time we had a black president,” without any thought to his qualifications – or lack of them - and voted based on his skin color alone … or because they wanted to “teach those Republicans as lesson” … or because they thought they’d get a free ride and he’d take away all their troubles.

But it wasn’t for the lack of bloggers like me trying to get the word out. We posted on our blogs, on FaceBook, on Twitter … tried to warn people right and left what would happen, didn’t shut up. (I even got kicked off a knitting web site for being too conservative and vocal about it!) The giant sleeping sheep didn’t listen.

But they’re starting to listen now. They’re finally getting that wake-up call. They’re paying attention and experiencing “buyer’s remorse” in droves, embarrassed by their “historic” choices. It’s been painful for many ... but it’s important to get the giant sleeping sheep finally, fully awake.

If you’re awake and aware, you can see what’s coming at you, you can take a stand. You can defend yourself, your family and friends … you can try and help defend your country. It’s time to get up, speak up, take a stand, and *do* something positive for the good of yourself, your friends and family, your country.

If you’re sleeping, things can happen around you without you noticing, until it’s too late to do anything about it. Your society can change, the US can become something you’d never in a million years recognize as *your country*. If you’ve slept through it, didn’t try to do something, you don’t really get to gripe. You get to (or may be forced to), sit down, shut up, play nice, go along to get along … and go back to sleep.

The local fish wrap and network news are there to give you just their side of the story … I’m happy to provide what I can of the other side. So I’ll keep posting. … much to my family’s chagrin … about Conservative and Constitutional issues, what the government’s trying to ram down our throats this week, about the social engineering the Leftists are trying to slip past us yet again, and warnings from friends who immigrated here from communist countries and are seeing disturbing similarities to the places they left.

I want you all to stay awake, and I want the giant sleeping sheep to wake up and stay awake with you, so we can hit it head on … together.

That’s why I blog and will continue to blog .. until the day they load my duffel bag onto the truck headed for the re-education camp.

Is This Impeachable? I'm Thinking It Just Might Be!

We've long known that Dear Leader Mr. Obama our current president has long had ties to Kenya ... hey, he campaigned for the thud Odinga, who belongs to ObaMao's same tribe ... and we've know for quite some time now that he likes to meddle where he doesn't belong (see above and here) but now we know that he's been putting both of these thing together, by meddling in the political affairs of Kenya.

Wake Up, America! It's time to get up, speak up and take a stand! Please share this with friends, family, neighbors ... post it on Facebook & Twitter .. post it on your own blogs. This is an impeachable action, and one that might actually slow the man down!

June 6, 2010 - the 66th Anniversary of the Turning of the Tide

Sixty-six years ago today, the tide of the greatest war in mankind's history (to date) was turned in favor of the Western Allies. It's been said that we were victorious that day "only because of sheer numbers ... they ran out of bullets before we ran out of men." Having watched the 10-part series "WWII in HD" last weekend on the History Channel, I finally get it. That statement is right ... it's amazing to me that some people actually survived being in the various waves of men who landed on that fateful beach ... it's amazing to me, too, that some are willing to talk about it, to verbally relive the horrors they faced that day. The following are accounts by soldiers who are willing to talk about their memories of that day.

Without the sacrifices of the brave men and women who served in WWII, we would not likely be the country that we are today. We are better for them having served, and we as a people would be well served to remember and honor that sacrifice.

Ron Wyden: Horse's Patoot

I love this ... Oregon's own Ron Wyden doesn't get it ... about 8 minutes into this video Jim Demint makes a point that Conservative Oregonians have been trying unsuccessfully to make at the ballot box for years ... "after 10 years of working on this, the Senator from Oregon has missed the point ... the problem isn't "...secret holds" ... the problem is "secret bills" being passed!"

And yet Ron Wyden goes on to keep trying to convolute the language to get Sen. Demint to agree to something that he clearly hasn't said he'd agree to ... Thank goodness Demint is a strong individual who reiterated *again* the language that needs to go into the legislation, not Wyden's circular reasoning.

Makes me Oh So Proud to be from Oregon to have elected representatives like this ... no wait ... to quote Harry Potter in "HP & the Order of the Phoenix" ..... "I must not tell lies."

The Prescience of the Founding Fathers

In reading "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine I came across this, which I thought was quite appropos to the world we live in today (it's found in the chapter entitled "Of Monarchy & Hereditary Succession"):

"Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent. Selected from the rest of mankind, their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed in the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions."

Seems to me that this happens the most with "leaders" who emerge from the elite classes, our very own presumed "aristocracy" ... seems to me also that, for the most part, the majority of our best leaders have been men who came from more "common" origins, educated themselves, and were men of definite faith in someone/something higher than themselves, men who didn't have an excessive abundance of self esteem (i.e. delusions of grandeur), who looked for divine guidance and didn't lean on their own understanding for everything. In addition these men typically didn't surround themselves with thugs, crooks, people of questionable and/or deficient character, who were determined to garner sufficient personal/public power to stay "in power" for as long as possible, filling their own coffers or the coffers of their friends at the expense of the general populace.

These good leaders were the ones who saw a duty, filled it, and went back home to live among those they represented so that they didn't lose a sense of who they really were. They remained connected to the people and were able to maintain a common vision for what was best and what was needed.

Seems to me that far too many of today's "leaders" have lost that common connection to the people they pledged to serve and the Constitution they pledged to uphold and defend. 

On the other hand, there are some that have the right of it and are willing to take principled stands in defending the "common man." In my opinion and observation, I've seen this mostly in Republicans (but unfortunately not in *all* Republicans). Good examples are Michelle Bachman, Jan Brewer, Sarah Palin, Eric Cantor, Joe Wilson, Jim Demint, Greg Walden, and Mike Pence. So far, these individuals have my respect, my admiration, and my confidence. Let's hope they don't blow it.

.... anyway, that's how I see it.

So, Opposition to Illegal Immigration Makes You a Racist, Huh?

A dear friend sent this to me in email today. I think it's important to really understand the problem and not just give a knee-jerk reaction based on what the LameStream Media wants you to think is the truth. This isn't about race ... it's about safety for families.

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This first-hand report gives a real idea of what all is happening on our borders.

The capitulation of our President to Felipe Calderon seems a lot like treason to us...

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Report from Cochise County, Arizona

Being an avid AT reader, and living on the Arizona border in Cochise County, I thought I would provide those who wish to be informed some insight into the truth about the state of the U.S.-Mexican border -- at least in this part of the state.

I moved to Cochise County after retiring from the Army in 2008 to take a position working at Fort Huachuca (pronounced "wa-choo-ka," an Apache word meaning "place of thunder" and referring to the time after the summer monsoon season). Having lived here in 1991 for eight months while attending an Army school, I soon realized that the place had changed considerably in the eighteen years of my absence.

The first thing I noticed was how many border patrol vehicles were on the roads in the city of Sierra Vista. The Border Patrol has a large station near here in the city of Naco. There are far more Border Patrol vehicles in the area than SV police cars. They come in many forms -- trucks for off-road work, trailers carrying all-terrain vehicles, pickups with capacity for carrying large numbers of people once apprehended, and even a staff car for the area chaplain. The Border Patrol presence has grown substantially, so one would think the border area was nice and safe.

Not so. Within a short time after arriving in southern Arizona while on my way to work, I noticed eight illegal immigrants on the side of the road. Fortunately, they were in the custody of capable and attentive Border Patrol agents. Unfortunately, they were less than a hundred feet from my daughter's bus stop. She gets personal service to school now, as the school district refuses to enter the gated community in which we live. There is a nice wash, a valley into which the rainwater drains during the monsoons, which provides a nice route for the illegals to follow into the city, and therefore into their locations for pickup by the vehicles that will get them farther north.  

Later, after I attended a movie on a Friday night, a car passed by me in the next lane going nearly a hundred miles an hour. It took a few seconds before I saw the police behind -- way behind -- with lights and sirens, trying to catch up. Surprise, surprise -- the next morning's paper discussed a Mexican drug runner being caught by County Sheriff's Deputies. On several occasions, the Border Patrol's helicopter has flown low and slow over the neighborhood, rattling windows and shining its spotlight in our backyard. When this happens, I strap on my pistol, grab a flashlight, and look and listen. Fortunately, I haven't found anybody within a hundred yards of the house -- yet.

Working on a U.S. Army fort, one would think we were fairly secure from these threats. Just not true. Reading the Fort Huachuca newspaper one morning, I noticed an interesting part of the "community" page. It asked for volunteers to assist in cleaning up "dumps" on posts where the illegals would drop their supplies used to cross the border and change clothing. They do this in order to blend in and not look like they just spent a day or two crossing the border in the dust and heat of southern Arizona. The most frightening part of this is that Fort Huachuca is the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, where the Army trains its intelligence soldiers -- analysts, interrogators, radio intercept specialists, and counterintelligence agents -- for operations overseas. If we can't secure the fort we use to train our intelligence soldiers, how can we secure anything else?

Much has been discussed about the new law in Arizona making it unlawful to be in Arizona in violation of federal immigration statutes. However, much less has been discussed about the shooting of rancher Robert Krentz. Robert was killed on his ranch on March 28, 2010. His ranch, on which the family began grazing cattle in 1907 (Arizona became a state in 1912), is a large, 35,000-acre area in remote Cochise County. It is so remote that the original Cochise, an Apache leader, used the mountainous terrain near it to hide from the U.S. Cavalry in the early 1870s. But much less is being said about the eight illegal immigrants and their load of 280 pounds of marijuana seized the day before Krentz was killed.  

So Arizona should be boycotted because its people would like to keep it safe? Somebody please explain the logic of that for me. It doesn't take a bullet from a drug runner's gun to make those of us down here near the border understand that this is drug-related violence -- and Rob's death proves it.

It also doesn't take much more reading to see that the drug dealers are a huge problem with far-reaching capabilities. On April 27, 2010, a large drug bust took place here in Cochise County. Among those arrested was Angelica Marie Borquez, the secretary for the Drug Enforcement Division of the Cochise County Attorney office. Allegedly, Ms. Borquez was tipping off the drug runners to counter drug operations conducted by the county. She was so bold that she used the phone in the County Attorney's office to make some of her calls.  

This isn't a blatant effort by drug cartels to obtain control here in America?

Many have already called Arizona residents racists. They are concerned that police will profile Hispanics and disproportionally harass them. But we understand something others in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco don't seem to remember -- we border Mexico. The fact is that most illegal immigrants coming across the border here are, well, Mexicans. Those of us down here facing the danger every day really don't care what some Hollywood actor has to say about the issue. Nor do we care about what the Colombian government or the Latino music community thinks of it. We just want to stay safe.

This is not about race; it's about facts. Use a few of these facts the next time somebody wants to engage you in discussion about the border. Tell him you learned these things from somebody who can see Mexico from his front porch.

T.J. Woodard is a retired Army officer who lives less than ten miles from the Mexican border. He carries a pistol even in his own house in order to be prepared to defend his family whenever necessary.

Oregon Needs a Chris Christie Clone

New Jersey governor Chris Christie is a breath of fresh air. A governor who is direct, actually answers questions, is not afraid to take a stand and defend it, and wants to do the will of the people ... in their case it's to get their state back on track.

If we get Chris Dudley elected in the fall, this is the kind of governor I want to see. If we get the second coming of John "Dr. No" Kitzhaber, we have no chance for improvement .. it will all be decreases in everything but taxes.

Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone'

Breakfast at Ginger's

You know that classic skit? You know, the one where someone stands behind another person and does the actions for the person in front and the person in front has *no* control of what the hands are going to do?

Well, until now I'd only ever seen it done with a human ... in front. This is delightful!

Once You're a Mother, You're a Mother to the World

Ever notice how you watch out for other people's children (sometimes muttering "what's wrong with the mother???") ... once you're a parent, it's (ahem) apparent that you can't turn off the mothering/parenting instinct.

Once you're a mother, you're a mother to the world.

You can't help it. You notice things. You can't *not* notice things. If you see a child wandering toward a street, and the child's mother happens to glance another direction and doesn't notice the wandering child, you don't *not* do something. You either rush forward to stop the child (if you're not worried about someone screaming "STRANGER!!!" .... followed by "POLICE!!!") or you yell to the mother to get her to notice what's going on.

You don't let harm come to children .. no matter what age.

Once you're a mother, you're a mother to the world ... and apparently it's not limited to humans, either.

Heck, I've known some people whose parents have seemed to be from entirely different planets ... I know this is true!

Blood Money

Yep, I said it ... Blood Money ... that's what Planned Parenthood takes in every day as they abort thousands of American babies. These aren't just babies of one ethnicity or another ... these are thousands of *American* babies ... black, white, brown ... they'd take the purple, pink, plaid, and polka-dots ones, too, if they could get their hands on them.

Many people who work at Planned Parenthood think they're "doing the community a service" ... but in reality, they're doing the women of our country (and other countries where it has spread) a major disservice. While I can understand why some women might feel compelled to seek an abortion, while I can understand some circumstances where it might be more understandable than others, I don't believe I could ever condone it. That child ... that innocent life .. did not choose to be conceived. That child has no choice in whether he/she lives or dies. That child simply lives.

Until someone convinces the mother that it's inconvenient ... that's it's very un-planned-ness isn't actually a person ... it's just a mass of cells, or a zygote, or a fetus, or an embryo ... yes, those may be technically correct, but that mass of cells might just be your daughter ... or my granddaughter.

Every innocent life is precious. It's about time someone exposed this organization for what it is, for the industry it supports ... but wait! Someone did! Check out the trailer for the new documentary on Planned Parenthood. It's called .... Blood Money. If the link to this YouTube video of the trailer gets pulled you can catch it here.

SWAT Team Dispatched to Break up Unruly Tea Partiers

We thought it would never happen. We thought people who attended Tea Party functions are always peaceful. Well, apparently not enough.

Seems Obama was speaking at a convention center nearby and some Tea Party people got so out of hand that Obama's people called a SWAT team to get them.

Who would have ever thought it would ever come to this? I sure didn't!

Only Believe 'Em When Their Lips Aren't Moving!

So ... we watched The Stimulus happen, we watched the Wall Street Bailout, and the Auto Bailout (at least Ford didn't take gubmit money!). And we all became a bit disgusted ... many people made personal the determination to not buy a Gubmit Motors car ever again in the future ... but recently the current CEO of Gubmit Motors has been seen in commercials, touting how the company paid back their loan ... IN FULL ... WITH INTEREST ... and FIVE YEARS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE ...

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain ... everything isn't always as it appears ... and in this case, you probably should only believe the guy when his lips aren't moving. 'Cause he's not telling you the whole trust, but only what he thinks you want to hear ... what he thinks might convince people to buy their product once again.

Before you go ahead with that next Gubmint Motors purchase, be sure to read this 4/27/10 article from Shikha Dalmia at Reason.com.

So, before you decide to buy that GM car ... give it some serious thought and decide if you really want to contribute to that fraud.

Hat Tip: Chicks on the Right

I Am Not Now, Nor Have I Ever Been a Member ....

Of the Republican National Committee. But for some strange reason, *they* think I've been a member ... they think I've been a member long enough that they should contact me and try to get me to "re-up" my membership. I ignored the first "notice" they sent me ... must've ignored the second one, too.

...But it was the THIRD one that got my attention ... yeah, the THIRD NOTICE came in a RED ENVELOPE! Yeah, they mean business. They're serious! The red paper tells me that! Actually, you can see how very serious they were here:

Maybe you didn't know this about me, but I often get a bit ticked off when people try to get me to pay for things for which I don't owe. I find it really irritating and downright wrong. So ... I wrote the following letter today.

 

Republican National Committee

Office of Membership Service

310 First Street Southeast

Washington DC 20003

 

To Whom It May Concern:

 

I recently received your “Final Notice” to renew my membership to the Republican National Committee. I find it awfully interesting that I should be getting a “Final Notice” invoice for something I never requested.

 

You see, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a “member” of the Republican National Committee. I do not want to be a member of the Republican National Committee now. I do not plan to be a member of the Republican National Committee ever!

 

One time … one single solitary time … I contributed money. (I believe it may have been when Michael Steele took over running the place – and look what a race-card playing disappointment he turned out to be! I thought he was beyond that!) One donation and now I’m some faceless “member” to whom a “Final Notice” invoice is sent?

 

Your people call me on probably a monthly basis to ask for money. I live in Oregon, one of the highest unemployment and taxation states in the Union, and your people call me for money all the time. I keep telling them I’m not contributing and ask that they remove my name from their calling lists. I’m just about to start suing for y’all violating my request – that’s legal for me to do, considering how the Do Not Call legislation was written – I think it’s a $500 fine the first time. I’ll keep a log and then submit you folks with a bill … and then I’ll send you a “Final Notice” invoice.

 

Maybe then you’d get the idea!

 

I’ve voted Republican since I first registered. I agree with the Party on most everything, but have found that being a Conservative doesn’t seem to matter much with you folks. The RNC doesn’t represent me. We get pooh-poohed by the national-level Republicans all the time.

 

Well, I’ve had it. Please, take me off your calling list. Please, take me of your mailing list. I’m being nice about it this time.

 

Please don’t make me change my party affiliation to get away from your constant money grubbing calls and “Final Notice” invoices for money I Don’t Owe You!.

 

Regards ~

So ... I wrote this letter ... I enjoyed writing it ... then I stuffed it with their "invoice" in their postage-paid envelope and sent it off to them.

Don't get me wrong. I really don't have any delusions that someone at the Republican National Committee is actually going to read my letter ... but at least they had to pay the postage.

How to Cuddle With an Elephant Seal

Just in case you ever wanted to know how.

Obama v. Constitution

Thank God for Barack Obama?I

I saw this posted recently and can find no citation to determine its origin or true authorship, but I loved the sentiment, so I thought I'd share it with y'all. If you happen to know who wrote it or where I can find the original, please let me know and I'd be happy to share that information as well:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written by a 82 year old very wise lady. She gives us a whole new slant on the amazing job Obama is doing:

That is right - I will say it "THANK GOD FOR THE PRESIDENT."

1. He destroyed the Clinton Political Machine - Driving a stake thru the heart of Hillary's Presidential aspirations - something that no Republican was never able to do. Remember when a Hillary Presidency scared the daylights out of you!

2. He killed off the Kennedy Dynasty - No more Kennedy's trolling Washington looking for booze and women wanting rides home. American women and Freedom are safer tonight!

3. He is destroying the Democratic Party before our eyes!

Dennis Moore had never lost a race - quit

Evan Bayh had never lost a race - quit

Byron Dorgan had never lost a race - quit

Harry Reid - soon to be GONE

These are just a handful of the Democrats whose political careers Obama has destroyed! By the end of 2010 dozens more will be gone.

In December of 2008 the Democrats were on the rise. In the last two election cycles they had picked up 14 senate seats and 52 house seats. The press was touting the death of the Conservative Movement and the Republican Party. In just one year, Obama put a stop to all of this and will probably give the house, if not the senate back to the Republicans.

4. He has completely exposed liberals and progressives for what they are. Every Generation seems to need to relearn the lesson on why they should never actually put liberals in charge. He is bringing home the lesson very well.

Liberals tax, borrow and spend - check

Liberals won't bring themselves to protect America - check

Liberals want to take over the economy - check

Liberals think they know what is best for everyone - check

Liberals aren't happy till they are running YOUR life - check

5. He has brought more Americans back to conservatism than anyone since Reagan. In one year he has rejuvenated the Conservative movement and brought out to the streets millions of Freedom Loving Americans. Name me one other time in your life that you saw your friends and neighbors this interested in taking back America!

6. His amazing leadership has sparked the greatest period of sales of firearms and ammunition this country has seen. Law abiding citizens have rallied and have provided a "stimulus" to the sporting goods field while other industries have failed, faded or moved off-shore.

7. In all honesty one year ago I was more afraid than I have been in my life. Not of the economy but of the direction our country was going. I thought Americans had forgotten what this country was all about. My neighbors, friends and strangers proved to me that my lack of confidence of the Greatness and Wisdom of the American people was flat wrong.

8. When the American People wake up no smooth talking teleprompter reader can fool them!

Barack Obama woke up these Great Americans!

Again I want to say Thank You Barack Obama! This is exactly the kind of hope and change we desperately needed.

Be Careful What You Wish For

There are many who have been passing around Internet posts/emails that seem to be from a person telling God that “I just want you to know that Barack Obama is my favorite president” (lamenting that so many of their other favorites have "been taken" this past year) … or the scripture asking for his days to be numbered (Psalm 109:8). Sure, it seems clever … but it’s really more serious than that. This link gives another perspective.

Yes, we may wish for Obama to have a single term as our president, and in *that* respect, call for his days (*in office*) to be few ... but it’s important to read the whole passage and not take the passage out of context ... it also calls in the next verse (Psalm 109:9) for his children to be fatherless and his wife to be a widow ... NO ONE should be asking for that.

You may not like the guy, but please do *not* ask for his death. If you don't like the guy, as I REALLY don't, please remember that he is *still* our president ... the de facto leader of our country ... his death would mean several very bad things for our country ... first, we would be thrown into some pretty serious racial unrest, even though he claims to be the first "post racial president (although he's proven himself to be anything but.)

The second problem would be the line of succession ... do you really want Joe Biden (who can't keep from bumbling on a daily basis), really making his brand of gaffes with international consequences? And do you really want Nancy Pelosi that close to the presidency? She's already proven she's out to screw up this country ... let's not give her any more opportunity, please.

And let's not make any of these people martyrs! You know that's exactly what would happen and anything and everything would be foisted upon us in the name of "that's what he/she would've wanted. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me to have someone take a shot at him, and it *not* be from those of us on the Right ... more likely would be someone trying to usher in Obama's fondest desires (which I'm not certain don't really emanate from someone higher up the food chain than him ... like George Soros??).

I think this article applies well to the Bible verse and the “favorite president” post/email and using them to  "subtly" calling for Obama's death. I think that's just horrible.

That said, I believe it's still important to point out when things are being said and done that endanger our country, even if it means pointing out that our president has said or done them. I do not believe that honoring the office includes keeping our mouths shut when people need to be made aware.

My preference is that people would see what's going on around them and turn to Jesus because he is the *only* hope and salvation we have. Government won't save them, but turning blind eye and acting like Narcoleptic Sheeple isn't going to help anyone either.

I know that not everyone will look at this from the Biblical perspective ... I know not everyone believes as I do ... but I do believe it's important to honor the office ... I just find myself unable to respect what's happening in it and the fact that the man in it seems thoroughly incapable (at this point) of gaining my respect for him through is words and actions, and the consequences they have had, are having, and will continue to have.

I honor the office, but have a hard time honoring the man ... but I will continue to pray for a changing of his heart and his mind, and for his health and safety.

How to Brainwash a Nation? We're Already In (or AT) the Third Stage!

People in the media will pooh-pooh observations by Conservatives and Republicans that there is an active plan at work to subvert our country with the goal of converting it to a Leninist/Marxist state. They can pooh-pooh this all day long if they like, but it's easy to see it if you bother to look objectively, which the media seems unable (or unwilling) to do ... perhaps because they're complicit?

Don't believe me? What would it take to convince you? Perhaps the words of someone who worked in the KGB, someone who actively worked to bring these conversions to pass? Someone who knows the goal and how it's easily achieved?

Remember, Kruschev said that the US would fall to communism without a shot being fired, but that it would fall from within. They (the Soviet Union, at the time) would feed us small amounts of communism at a time until 

Watch the video interview of a former KGB agent (originally broadcast in 1985), in which he lays out the four steps to subverting a culture to turn it to Leninism/Marxism ... People, we're obviously either at or primed for step 3 -- the Crisis portion of our program.

Then consider the words of a Townhall blogger from a year ago and see if you can pick out any truths. I sure can.

The ONLY thing I know and can be sure of is the fact that God is in control. Without that assurance, I would totally freak out and lose hope. I've read the book and, Thank God .. we win.

Back to Simplicity? You Might Want to Rethink That

A lot of people who hate corporations (make sure to say it with a sneer on your face so those around you will know you think of them as eeeeeeeebil) and the modern way of life say they'd like to go back to simpler, pre-corporate times. They would like to get back to "natural" things like eating only locally-grown foods, not killing animals for food, wearing only natural fibers, and the like.

These people are the same ones, a lot of times, that believe the government should take care of us all (benevolently, of course) with free health care (it's a *RIGHT* don't ya know), and making sure that *everything* is "equal".

Let's look at this. In the good old medieval days, people still worked for their sustenance, their shelter, their clothing. The kings (or let's call them the old-time government) didn't take care of them ... and those self-same kings or their lords (corporations?) still got their taxes, one way or another. The kings with lots of lords got the taxes from them, who got the taxes (or whatever) from the peasants ... 'course, you know they had to keep some for themselves, too, for the upkeep of the castle and lands that kept the peasants safe (or at least tried to).

If the peasants (that's you and me) had coinage, the lord got a percentage ('course, I understand that those taxes got hiked periodically, depending on whether the king had to fight a war or play host to another king) ... if the peasant had no coinage, they had to pay with the goods or harvest they produced with their hard labor and the sweat of their brow... and sometimes they were required to spend a certain amount of time in actual servitude to the king.

Oh, and that eating only locally-grown food thing .. let's just hope there isn't a drought or a blight or someone diverts your water (like the federal gov't has been known to do in Oregon and California in the past ten years ... in the name of helping the environment) ... good luck with that.

The king/lords didn't dole out clothing ... people raised fiber animals (oh, and cows and pigs, 'cause let's remember that people back then had no problem with wearing leather), which they used not only for fiber, but also for (eeeebil) meat to feed their families. (Remember, no contraception back in those days .. ever hear the old adage: The rich got richer and the poor got children?) I imagine that, if you were lucky enough to have some sheep, you sheared them, carded the wool, spun it, wove it, sewed it, and clothed your family. IF you were fortunate enough to have more than strictly what your family needed for a given season, you probably either put up extra for a leaner time when it wasn't as plentiful, or you took the extra and traded it to a neighbor who might have something you didn't. Leftists might call this the first "co-op" system ... I like to think of it as the first exercises in free trade.

The king/lord didn't give the peasants remember (that's you and me) food to keep your family healthy, the tools to grow said food, and weapons with which to keep your family safe. Nope! The peasants (remember who that is) had to grow their own food and be diligent about taking very good care of their crops, for without them they and their families would starve. The peasants had to fashion their tools out of whatever they could, possibly harnessing animal labor (remember, animals couldn't sue their "human companions" back in those days, as some in federal gov't would like to make "possible" in these days). If a peasant didn't have the right tools, he learned to make them, to make do with what he had, or traded with another neighbor for something the neighbor valued. (Again with the free trade??) And the weapons .... sticks, staffs, rocks ... whatever ... they weren't thought of as eeeeeebil, but rather as a necessity for keeping the family, the home, the goods, the crops, the animals ... safe ... from others who would like to take what wasn't theirs, to take what they hadn't worked for. (Wow, those people have been with us in one form or another for a very long time, haven't they??)

And then there was health care.

Let's see ... actually, there wasn't health care. And no one was "entitled" to health care. If you were fortunate enough to live near someone who knew something about the healing arts, about herbs and tonics, and basic first aid ('course, they didn't call it that back then, did they) ... you *might* be able to get help when Seamus broke his leg or Meg needed help delivering her baby ... (unless you were concerned about the healer being a witch [seems like most healers are noted as being women ... men being out growing crops and tending/raising livestock and such?], which might have sometimes been true, sometimes not).

There was little to no innovation in medicine in what is now considered the English-speaking world the until ... what? ... the 1700s-ish?? Samuel Hanhemann first proposed homeopathic remedies around 1796, which he developed through rigorous trials ... before things like homeopathy, people didn't have a *lot* of medicines to choose from. After the 1700s, I'm thinking medical advances started coming more rapidly ... but back in the medieval times, you were lucky to get someone who knew how to sew up a wound .. probably more likely to get a mustard plaster or poultice (or whatever) and a dirty bandage. Back then it wasn't even widely held that people should wash their hands or bathe, for pity's sake!

But to expect the king to send someone to your hovel to look at a splinter or tell you why you felt a certain way ... and let's be honest .. there was probably a lot of depression that "just was", and things got infected, and food spoiled and caused illness, and babies didn't all survive, and there was no CPR, and people died of "the fever" or "consumption", and people didn't all understand about sanitation.....

Everyday Life in the Middle Ages 

Average Lifespan Expectancies (scroll down to the table broken out by "ages")

An Introduction to the Middle Ages

Life might have been "simple", but it required hard work, perseverance, a sense of duty, and a willingness to be content with what you had, without demanding what you want or feel you need -- as your right, as your "due" -- from those who had more.

Maybe it's just me, but these leftists who cry out for a return to a simpler time, who decry (with a sneer) corporations, free trade, class systems, hard work, health care that costs something ... they're just crying out for a "simpler" time that was harsher in many ways, allowed for a lot less enjoyment of life, killed you faster, had a lot less security ... they're crying out for what's really just an earlier version of life today (minus faith, electronics and hygiene ... and a few other things).

If you like sci-fi books at all, I can recommend an interesting series ... "The Change Series" ... it's by S.M. Stirling, and takes place in the Pacific NorthWet (yes, I leave out the "s" because it's fun and unexpected, and it can be so wet here ... when we're not 20" below the average rainfall we should've had this year) and specifically most of the first three books takes place in the Willamette Valley, where I grew up.

Dies the Fire

The Protector's War

A Meeting at Corvallis

The Sunrise Lands

The Scourge of God

The Sword of the Lady

I've read the first five of the series (the sixth was to come out this Autumn, but I don't know if it's out yet), and they're well-written, but they can freak you out a bit sometimes (ok, they can freak *me* out a bit 'cause I can have a very vivid imagination). It's interesting to drive around the Willamette Valley and see where some of the incidents in the books take place and imagine what it might look like after "the change". They're interesting, but they're not gentle. A post-change world would not be easy.

If the leftists of the world think it would be so easy to go back to this "simpler" time, let them read through this series and get a taste for what that kind of change could be like, at least from the author's imagination. Maybe they could get the idea ... and then again, maybe I could wake up from this very odd dream that America has become.

Mandated Minimum Wage Hikes Have Hurt Teens, Others

Oregon started with the mandated minimum wage hikes several years ago. Our state's minimum wage is now at $8.40, with a mandated increase coming January 1.  Our state's unemployment numbers are among the highest in the nation. According to the Oregon Employment Department:

Oregon’s Employment Situation: August 2009
Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 12.2 percent in August from the revised July figure of 11.8 percent. Oregon’s unemployment rate has been close to 12 percent for the six month period March through August, following a steep run-up during the prior nine months. Oregon’s unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in August 2008.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 9.4 percent in July to 9.7 percent in August, its highest level in 26 years.

Whether you agree with mandatory hikes in the minimum wage, or whether you support a minimum wage (or not), the evidence has shown that these hikes have had a detrimental effect on our economy. The lower-wage jobs, which had traditionally been used as a jumping off point where people could get their act together, gain some skills and work experience that would translate to getting better jobs, or as a place to make ends meet while you went to school or needed extra money ... well, that concept has gone by the wayside.

I work for a payroll company, and I can tell you that employers don't just have to budget for increases in their hourly wage payouts. They also have to consider the withholding of both the employer *and* employee portions of FICA (Social Security to you and me) and Medicare (remember, that *other* thing we can't qualify for 'til we're old or disabled, are *required* to pay into, and probably *won't* be there when we're finally old enough ... or it will be a shadow of its former self), not to mention what they have to pay in for federal and state unemployment taxes ... and in places with public transportation systems, they likely have to pay in based on an employee's wages for that, too.

I wish I could break it down for you based on age demographics, but I don't know where to go for all that info. I know there are critics out there that will claim that lower wages hurt people and are just a way for "corporations" (remember to use a sneer on your face while you say it) to make money .. but remember that corporations are the entities that provide jobs, and jobs are what provide you with work that helps you *earn* your income ... provided that you aren't one of these twits that believes they shouldn't have to to work for anything and that government should just take care of you.

However, I can share with you what I found in the Wall Street Journal's Oct 3 article regarding teenagers and the July '09 increase in the federal minimum wage, which rose to $7.25.

The Young and the Jobless

The minimum wage hike has driven the wages of teen employees down to $0.00.

Yesterday's September labor market report was lousy by any measure, with 263,000 lost jobs and the jobless rate climbing to 9.8%. But for one group of Americans it was especially awful: the least skilled, especially young workers. Washington will deny the reality, and the media won't make the connection, but one reason for these job losses is the rising minimum wage.

Earlier this year, economist David Neumark of the University of California, Irvine, wrote on these pages that the 70-cent-an-hour increase in the minimum wage would cost some 300,000 jobs. Sure enough, the mandated increase to $7.25 took effect in July, and right on cue the August and September jobless numbers confirm the rapid disappearance of jobs for teenagers.

The September teen unemployment rate hit 25.9%, the highest rate since World War II and up from 23.8% in July. Some 330,000 teen jobs have vanished in two months. Hardest hit of all: black male teens, whose unemployment rate shot up to a catastrophic 50.4%. It was merely a terrible 39.2% in July.

The biggest explanation is of course the bad economy. But it's precisely when the economy is down and businesses are slashing costs that raising the minimum wage is so destructive to job creation. Congress began raising the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour in July 2007, and there are now 691,000 fewer teens working.

As the minimum wage has risen, the gap between the overall unemployment rate and the teen rate has widened, as it did again last month. (See nearby chart.) The current Congress has spent billions of dollars—including $1.5 billion in the stimulus bill—on summer youth employment programs and job training. Yet the jobless numbers suggest that the minimum wage destroyed far more jobs than the government programs helped to create.

Congress and the Obama Administration simply ignore the economic consensus that has long linked higher minimum wages with higher unemployment. Two years ago Mr. Neumark and William Wascher, a Federal Reserve economist, reviewed more than 100 academic studies on the impact of the minimum wage. They found "overwhelming" evidence that the least skilled and the young suffer a loss of employment when the minimum wage is increased. Whatever happened to President Obama's pledge to follow the science? Democrats prefer to cite a few outlier studies known to be methodologically flawed.

State lawmakers are also at fault. At least 10 states have raised their minimum wages above the federal level in the last decade, largely in response to union lobbying and in the name of helping the working poor. Four states with among the highest wage rates are California, Massachusetts, Michigan and New York. Studies have shown in each case that their wage policies killed jobs for teens. The Massachusetts teen employment rate sank by one-third when the minimum wage rose by 88% between 1995 and 2008.

According to new numbers from the Labor Department, in 2008 only 1.1% of Americans who work 40 hours a week or more even earned the minimum wage. In other words, 98.9% of 40-hour-a-week workers earn more than the minimum. The data also show that teenagers are five times more likely to earn the minimum wage than adults. Minimum wage jobs are nearly all first-time or part-time jobs, and an estimated two of every three minimum wage workers get a pay raise within a year on the job.

Study after study reveals that there are long-term career benefits to working as a teenager and that these benefits go well beyond the pay that these youths receive. A study by researchers at Stanford found that those who do not work as teenagers have lower long-term wages and employability even after 10 years. A high-wage society can only come by making workers more productive, and by destroying starter jobs the minimum wage may reduce long-term earnings.

Another recent study across 17 OECD nations, also by Messrs. Neumark and Wascher, found a highly negative association between higher minimum wages and youth employment rates. But it also concluded that having a starter wage, well below the minimum, counteracts much of this negative jobs impact. If Congress won't suspend its recent minimum wage hike, it should at least create a teenage wage of $4 or $5 an hour to help put hundreds of thousands of teens back to work. White House chief economic adviser Larry Summers has endorsed this in the past. Without this change, expect the teen unemployment to remain very high for a long time.

The wonder of it all is that liberals still call "progressive" a policy that has driven the wages of hundreds of thousands of the lowest skilled workers down to $0.00.

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A12

My good friend and blogfather, Gullyborg of Resistance is Futile, posted his own piece, way ahead of the WSJ. Take a gander here and his follow-up observation here on what it will/might for coming elections.

Michael Moore Hates Capitalism

Michael Moore, stalwart defender of "the people", hates capitalism.

This man has made millions off of like-minded people who are willing to spend their hard-earned (???) bucks to watch his movies tearing apart facets of our fine country. And he keeps churning them out, and his like-minded sheeple keep going in droves to see them. And now he's releasing Capitalism: A Love Story...

... and his like-minded sheeple will flock together to see his latest bit of "wisdom" ... without ever getting the irony.

If Michael Moore is so strongly anti-capitalist, shouldn't he pay everyone top dollar for their own good (not for their services) and distribute his movie for free and insist that people be allowed to view it for free?

Ah, but this limousine liberal needs those suckers patrons, doesn't he, or he'll be driving around in a beat up foreign car for real, instead of how he pretends to. This is a guy with a penthouse suite, a fancy driver, etc. who pretends to be one of us, "one of the little guys"...why do people believe it? Because they can't be bothered to actually find out what's behind what they believe.

Seasonal Flu Vaccine Makes H1N1 Hit More Likely? So Says Canadian CDC

The Globe and Mail up in Canada reports that a study's been done which shows people who get vaccinated for the seasonal flu vaccine could be twice as likely to contract the H1N1 (swine flu) virus than those who don't. 

On Sunday Quebec joined Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia in suspending seasonal flu shots for anyone under 65 years of age. Quebec's Health Ministry announced it would postpone vaccinations until January, clearing the autumn months for health professionals to focus on vaccinating against H1N1, which is expected to the more severe influenza strain this season.

“By the time the H1N1 wave is over, there will be ample time to vaccinate for seasonal flu,” Dr. Rubinstein said.

B.C. is expected to announce a similar suspension during a press conference Monday morning.

It seems that the seasonal flu vaccine is still recommended for those 65 and older, due to immunities that would've been built up during the 1957 out break of swine flu.

Read the article and decide for yourself.

Overpaid Celebrities ... Yeah, We Should Take Them Seriously

If you can't get the irony in this YouTube video, there's no point in trying to convince you of anything.

I Thought This Was a Post-Racial Era - What Happened?

Democrats happened. No one brought up race in this whole thing when Barack Obama started running for president because everyone thought it was a good thing that a "melanin-enhanced" individual was running. (I use "melanin-enhanced" because I'm told there's a huge push to get the color "black" removed from speech in everything from science [black hole] to crayons [I have no idea what they'd replace it with], so untwist you knickers! -- I guess we can call him an African American 'cause his dad actually *was* from Africa, whereas the vast majority of the melanin-enhanced in the US have never been there, and many from this generation probably couldn't tell you where it is on the map.)

What I found interesting, though, is that everyone kinda acted like he was the very first melanin-enhanced person to run for president. He wasn't. And like the majority of his predecesors, he was a radical, too, but the media decided to ignore it this time, 'cause he was so charismatic (i.e. he reads well from a teleprompter).

But back to the beginning ... no one really cared about his race. No one mentioned it. People don't want to brign up the elephant in the room and have the invective of "raaaacist!" hurled in their faces, especially when they aren't.

But Barack Obama brought it up, accused Bill of racist motives in not supporting him, and it just mushroomed from there (well, it's only *partly* 'cause the American people are kept in the dark regarding the truths about this guy who's spent $1 or thereabouts to keep all records pertaining to him sealed and are fed a lot of bulls**t about him instead -- but maybe that's just me). He and his lackeys keep stoking the flames, feeding the fire -- in fact, ObaMao felt it necessary last night to point out to David Letterman that he had in fact, been a black man before the election. The problem is that he feels the need to make sure people remember that at every turn.

So, it falls to someone like Star Parker to help us understand why we're talking about race yet again. She knows what she's talking about, being a black woman herself, and one who spent time on welfare (read her book Uncle Sam's Plantation) and escaped that particular institution. Her post below was distributed by GOPUSA.com yesterday.

~~~~~~~~

Why We're Talking About Race -- Again
By Star Parker
September 21, 2009

The Democrats have lost the health care debate.

For months now, polls have been showing that Americans don't want the massive new government controls, regulations, taxes, and spending that Democrats are pushing.

Latest Gallup polling shows 60 percent saying that President Barack Obama's proposal will not expand health coverage without raising taxes on middle class Americans and without affecting the current quality of health care.

Forty three percent approve of how Obama is handling health care and 52 percent disapprove.

You would be hard pressed to find a Democrat or Republican who does not agree that we can improve how we deliver health care.

So the logical conclusion we'd expect now from well intentioned people would be that we go back to square one. We do what Obama promised but never did -- have a truly open, bi-partisan discussion, with all ideas are on the table, to generate the best possible product for the American people.

Why is this not happening? Because it's not about healthcare. It's about ideology.

Despite claims from our Democrat administration that it wants civility, it does not. It wants control.

This nation is already torn apart ideologically. In the last four months we've witnessed two cold-blooded ideologically motivated murders. An abortion doctor shot in a church and a pro-life demonstrator murdered in a drive-by shooting in front of a school.

There are fewer and fewer "self evident truths" about which we all agree.

The current charade to paint ideological differences with our president as racially motivated dangerously pours gasoline on the burning embers of our differences.

But this is what Democrats want. They have lost the health-care debate on substance, so they want to make it emotional. They want to intimidate. And nothing intimidates and polarizes like race.

Months ago they started the process of getting socialized medicine -- taking over one sixth of the American economy -- passed in a few short weeks. The deadlines and breathlessness were because they knew that if Americans got a chance to understand what they were trying to do there would be push back. Exactly what has happened.

When the President spoke recently before the joint session of Congress, he finished by asking that we replace "acrimony with civility." But in this same speech he characterized his opposition as fomenting a "partisan spectacle," of "scare tactics" and of "wild claims about a government takeover of health care."

Our smooth talking President reduced those who disagree with him to a bunch of clowns, incorporated not a single major reform idea coming from the opposition, and then accused Republicans of stifling "honest debate."

Is it any wonder that every freedom loving American is at wits end? And that Congressman Joe Wilson lost it when he yelled out "You lie."

To demonstrate the Obama team's interest in civility, immediately after the speech, Rahm Emanuel, Obama's foul-mouthed, take-no-prisoners chief of staff, "charged over to three Republicans," as reported by the Wall St. Journal, "demanding in a profanity-laced tirade that they force Mr. Wilson to apologize."

Cong. Jim Clyburn, third ranking House Democrat, and black caucus member, took the lead in getting a House vote to formally reprimand Wilson. According to Clyburn, "This is about the rules of the House."

But what rules does Clyburn really care about?

When asked in an interview where the Constitution gives the federal government authority to regulate health care delivery, Clyburn replied, "There's nothing in the Constitution that says that the federal government has anything to do with most of the stuff we do."

Finally an honest Democrat. Clyburn pulled no punches that our Constitution, which is the basis of his authority, is irrelevant to him. That it's all about political thuggery.

Which is why we're now talking about race instead of health care.

---

Star Parker is an author and president of CURE, Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (www.urbancure.org). She can be reached at parker(at)urbancure.org

Say It With Me: "Dissent Is the Highest Form of Patriotism"

Um ... wait ... sorry, I forgot. That only applies if you're a D/L/L/M/S/C/A (Democrat/Liberal/Leftist/Marxist/Socialist/Communist/Anarchist) ... let's just say it's anyone that's *NOT* a C/C/R (Conservative/Christian/Republican) -- those people are supposed to sit down, shut up and play nice, or go in the corner and think about what they've been *accused* of having done.

Why is it that the non-C/C/R is supposed to be quiet ... and if they choose to speak up (having had quite enough, thanks very much) ... when the D/L/L/M/S/C/A has every right to say whatever they want (whether it's true or not) however they want (whether it's vitriol or "street theater") to whomever they want (whether it's old people they're trying to scare or young children or families) wherever they want (whether it's Code Pink and their ilk interrupting presidential speeches, or those of Republicans/Conservatives, or those who peacefully protest something the "true dissenters" support).

Michael Barone, a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, posits his observation, which was distributed by GOPUSA.com. I wonder if you agree with him. I think I do, and I'm not afraid of saying so.

~~~~~~~~

Strangers to Dissent, Liberals Try to Stifle It
By Michael Barone
September 21, 2009

It is an interesting phenomenon that the response of the left half of our political spectrum to criticism and argument is often to try to shut it down. Thus President Obama in his Sept. 9 speech to a joint session of Congress told us to stop "bickering," as if principled objections to major changes in public policy were just childish obstinacy, and chastised his critics for telling "lies," employing "scare tactics" and playing "games." Unlike his predecessor, he sought to use the prestige of his office to shut criticism down.

Now, no one likes criticism very much, and most politicians would prefer to have their colleagues and constituents meekly and gratefully agree with them on pretty much everything. And yes, Rep. Joe Wilson did seem to have broken the rules and standards of decorum of the House (though not of the British House of Commons) when he shouted, "You lie!" in the middle of Obama's speech.

But none of this justifies the charges, passed off as cool-headed analysis, that Obama's critics are motivated by racism. There are plenty of non-racist reasons to oppose (or to support) the Democrats' health care proposals.

I would submit that the president's call for an end to "bickering" and the charges of racism by some of his supporters are the natural reflex of people who are not used to hearing people disagree with them and who are determined to shut them up.

This comes naturally to liberals educated in our great colleges and universities, so many of which have speech codes whose primary aim is to prevent the expression of certain conservative ideas and which are commonly deployed for that purpose. (For examples, see the Website of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which defends students of all political stripes.) Once the haven of free inquiry and expression, academia has become a swamp of stifling political correctness.

Similarly, the "mainstream media" -- the old-line broadcast networks, The New York Times, etc. -- present a politically correct picture of the world. The result is that liberals can live in a cocoon, an America in which seldom is heard a discouraging word. Conservatives, in contrast, find themselves constantly pummeled with liberal criticism, on campus, in news media, and in Hollywood TV and movies. They don't like it, but they've gotten used to it. Liberals aren't used to it and increasingly try to stamp it out.

"Mainstream media" try to help. In the past few weeks, we have seen textbook examples of how MSM have ignored news stories that reflected badly on the administration for which it has such warm feelings. It ignored the videos in which the White House "green jobs czar" proclaimed himself a "communist" and the "truther" petition he signed charging that George W. Bush may have allowed the Sept. 11 attacks.

It ignored the videos released on Andrew Breitbart's biggovernment.com showing ACORN employees offering to help a supposed pimp and prostitute evade taxes and employ 13- to 15-year-old prostitutes. It downplayed last spring's Tea Parties -- locally organized demonstrations against big government that attracted about a million people nationwide -- and downplayed the Tea Party throng at the Capitol and on the Mall Sept. 12.

Actually, "mainstream media" are doing their friends in the Obama administration and the Democratic Party no favors, at least in the long run. Obama comes from one-party Chicago, and the House Democrats' nine top leadership members and committee chairmen come from districts that voted on average 73 percent for Obama last fall. They need help in understanding the larger country they are seeking to govern, where nearly half voted the other way. Instead, they get the impression they can dismiss critics as racist or "Nazis" or as indulging in (as Sen. Harry Reid said) "evil-mongering."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has warned us that there's a danger that intense rhetoric can provoke violence, and no decent person wants to see harm come to our president or other leaders. But it's interesting that the two most violent incidents at this summer's town hall meetings came when a union thug beat up a 65-year-old black conservative in Missouri and when a liberal protester bit off part of a man's finger in California.

These incidents don't justify a conclusion that all liberals are violent. But they are more evidence that American liberals, unused to hearing dissent, have an impulse to shut it down.

---

Michael Barone is senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner.

COPYRIGHT 2009 THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

If It Looks Like a Duck...

Obama wants to call it an "individual mandate" for buying health insurance (to the tune of a $900 fine for a single and up to a $3,800 fine for a family of four if they don't provide evidence of a sufficient health insurance plan when they file their taxes) and says "I absolutely reject the notion" that it's a tax.

"A tax is when you take money involuntarily from people and use it for a public purpose" as noted by Greta van Susteren's guest tonight.

And when you have to report such a policy (or lack thereof) on your *tax return*, with the proceeds to be collected by the IRS or be penalized by the IRS ... THEN IT'S A FREAKING TAX!

So much for ObaMao's promise during his campaign that he would absolutely *not* increase taxes on those making under $250,000 a year ... wait, the it was $200,000 a year ... which, changed to $150,000 a year ... anyone know the threshold now? 

Notice in the video below how Obama condescendingly scolds George Stephanopolous for consulting Merriam Webster's Dictionary to get the most commonly-recognized definition of the word "tax" ... and he accused Stephanopolous of "stretching" to make his point because he had to look up the definition. Puhleeeze! Stephanopolous was attempting to make sure he wasn't misinterpreting the word or misapplying motives to Dear Leader.

As Greta pointed out, "on page 29 of Max Baucus's bill, it says "the consequences for not maintaining insurance would be an excise *tax*" ... if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck ... well, you get the idea.

It's Only Radicals That Protest? Not Anymore!

I'm Not the Only One Who Sees It! Really!

No, I'm not the only one who sees the problems within ACORN and it's wide-spread web of corruption. I'm not the only one commenting on it. My "blogfather" Gullyborg has a good post up todayt with his observations and the outrage of why the media isn't covering this. Why the cricket chirps from the "'objective journalists"? Could it be that they're not objective anymore?

I'm re-reading the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (well, actually listening to it on my iPod so I can listen at work) and I just passed the part where Nicolae Carpathia has been named the President of the UN Security Council and has taken control of the vast majority of the media outlets ... seeing as how Obama is set to be Chair of the UN Security Council on nuclear disarmament, and how the media doesn't cover reality anymore (unless it's "reality TV" shows) ... why am I getting just a little nervous?

If he calls for voluntary destruction of 90% each countries weapons and voluntary donation of the other 10% to the UN for "peacekeeping", I'll soon be watching for the unsuccessful mass attack on Israel!

Yeah, you have to read the series to get the reference.

ACORN ... SEIU ... Apollo Alliance -- What Do They All Have In Common?

I'm not a Glenn Beck fan in the sense that I don't make a point to watch his show every day. I do believe that he makes some very salient points and talks about what others aren't talking about -- but should be.

Yesterday I was sitting on the couch, home early from a minor procedure in the doctor's office, and had Fox News on. Beck's show came on and he did the most interesting monologue using a blackboard (wait, is it raaaacist of me to say 'blackboard'?) and a diagram of the relationship between many organizations and their roots.

I wanted to share it with y'all and give you something to think about. If this doesn't give you a pause for concern, what exactly will it take?

Tea Party Protester Account: Recollections from a Former Leftist

Barbara Curtis was one of the original radicals, it seems. She was a hippie before it was cool to be one. She was a second-tier feminist (I think that's the term she used). Pro-women's right, pro-abortion, anti-government. She was about as leftist as they come, from her account.

Fast forward many years and many experiences later and the former liberal is now a conservative, Christian mother of 12 (9 biologically hers, 3 adopted). Her very inspiring account of attending the 9/12/09 Tea Party protest in Washington, DC is posted at Pajamas Media. Be sure to go there and read the comments:

A Former Radical Goes Back to the Future at the 9/12 March

September 15, 2009 - by Barbara Curtis

In 1967, I was the radical Alinsky wrote the rules for. On the political cutting edge, I’d been arguing with fellow students and coworkers for years about Vietnam, and my growing disgust with my country led me down many winding roads of anti-American thought. I was counterculture before there was a name for it, skipping my prom and graduation as “bourgeois,” going barefoot, braless, and unshaven, and collecting tattoos at the only place in town those days — a crummy hole-in-the-wall next to downtown D.C.’s Greyhound station.

Everything about me was about making a statement. And while it was pretty exciting for me as a young woman to create a new identity based on rejection of the status quo, for years I’d felt like I was alone.

Then suddenly I discovered I wasn’t.

On October 21, a crisp, clear D.C. day, I arrived with my boyfriend at my first anti-war protest and felt a thrill of belonging and hope. The Pentagon grounds were churning with 50,000 or so people like us — a curious conglomeration of serious anti-American academic types (like me) and sha-la-la-la-la-live-for-today potheads (like him). But the differences didn’t matter to us that day, which celebrated everything from putting flowers in National Guard rifles to taunting police until we were tear-gassed. The counterculture had a big umbrella, and we were all hippies at heart — eager to create a new world, whatever that might turn out to be. This day gave us a sense of unity, strength, and purpose.

I went on to help organize events — from the whimsical Ring Around the Capitol (sponsored by Another Mother for Peace) to the ultra-violent May Day, where we used our bodies to stop traffic on the bridges into D.C. Rallying cry: “If the government won’t stop the war, we’ll stop the government.”

Through it all, to be honest, I felt a little ashamed that I wasn’t completely living up to my political ideals, which involved destroying the status quo. I was always a secret admirer of the most radical — people like Bernadine Dohrn and William Ayers. But while they were busy blowing things up, I’d gotten married and had a baby — Samantha Sunshine. Still barefoot and braless, I kept up my counterculture credentials by dropping her in the college daycare center during the week and carrying her on my back for weekend demonstrations. While my heart yearned for solidarity with my most radical leftist comrades, my mother’s instinct to stay alive and out of jail prevailed.

I was also among the original second-wave feminists — fed up with the machismo of our political comrades — who made abortion the next battleground. As a mother, I became a sought-after spokeswoman for the right to “choice.” After all, an unwanted pregnancy at this point would interfere with my education; didn’t I have the right to get rid of a parasite growing in my body?

Flash forward forty years to find this mother of 12 (nine by birth, three by adoption) once again a political activist — but now for the conservative cause.

What happened? Life happened. A 1972 permanent pilgrimage to San Francisco, another baby (Jasmine Moondance), divorce, promiscuity/experimentation, abortion, drug addiction, welfare — all in accord with my proud leftist political banner. A 1980 move to Marin County, Alcoholics Anonymous, a second marriage, New Age spirituality, birth control failures, building a business, owning a home.

A 1987 born-again experience, homeschooling, a son with Down syndrome, a writing career, three adoptions, and finally in 2002 a cross country move with 24 native Californians (my husband, children, sons-in-law and grandchildren) to come back to the traditional values I’d rejected before.

Not much about my current life looks like anything like the me I used to be — other than a lingering weakness for retro hippie fashion. Oh, and the skin art now lumping me with tattoo-come-lately Baby Boomers rather than communicating my colorful past.

But the hopeful giddiness I felt last Saturday at the 9/12 Freedom March took me back 40 years. And what I observed — no matter how ignored or spun by the increasingly irrelevant dinosaur media — tells me that this spontaneous and improbable gathering of conservatives is just the beginning of a movement that in the end will be as culturally revolutionary as the Woodstock generation.

I’m not coming at this like some dry academic — tsk-tsking conservatives and pushing moderation — but as a proud and passionate veteran of the personal-is-the-political generation. My agenda here is to encourage conservatives of all stripes who gathered to speak truth to power in Washington and across the country last Saturday, last month, and last summer. My message is to keep up the good work. Don’t listen to what they say. Keep informed. Keep showing up. And watch our numbers grow.

This is just the beginning.

On the morning of September 12, I left for the march with my camera. Since every picture’s worth a thousand words, I thought that would be the easiest and fastest way to communicate what really took place.

But what was going to take place? How many people would show? Though in my gut — with the latest victories of the new media over the old (Van Jones, ACORN) — I felt momentum building, I was really just one person going without a group, a strategy, or a plan.

At the Dunn-Loring (VA) Metro station, I noted the nearly-full parking lot — unlikely on a Saturday — with many out-of-state cars, many sporting conservative bumper stickers. My hopes began to rise. I was not alone. The platform was filled with people of all ages, some carrying signs. No one quite knew how to ask each other: “Are you going to the march?” But as a reporter, I could and I did.

There was a young couple with three children from Centerville, VA, a middle-aged woman and her mother from Harrisonburg, PA, a couple from Texas — and many more.

No one I talked to — on that platform or throughout the day — had ever been to a protest, march, or demonstration of any kind. No one knew what to expect. All had sacrificed time, energy, and money to come to Washington. All had undertaken this adventure independently with the assumption that they might indeed be the only one showing up.

“But with everything that’s going on, I felt like I had no choice but to come,” was a theme I heard echoed throughout the day.

All seemed informed and concerned, but cheerful and optimistic. I knew this feeling from before — it begins when you move from concern to action. It’s a beautiful thing to behold, and as I discovered on September 12, particularly beautiful in people whose orientation toward their country is not revolution but recovery.

Not much about my current life looks like anything like the me I used to be — other than a lingering weakness for retro hippie fashion. Oh, and the skin art now lumping me with tattoo-come-lately Baby Boomers rather than communicating my colorful past.

But the hopeful giddiness I felt last Saturday at the 9/12 Freedom March took me back 40 years. And what I observed — no matter how ignored or spun by the increasingly irrelevant dinosaur media — tells me that this spontaneous and improbable gathering of conservatives is just the beginning of a movement that in the end will be as culturally revolutionary as the Woodstock generation.

I’m not coming at this like some dry academic — tsk-tsking conservatives and pushing moderation — but as a proud and passionate veteran of the personal-is-the-political generation. My agenda here is to encourage conservatives of all stripes who gathered to speak truth to power in Washington and across the country last Saturday, last month, and last summer. My message is to keep up the good work. Don’t listen to what they say. Keep informed. Keep showing up. And watch our numbers grow.

This is just the beginning.

On the morning of September 12, I left for the march with my camera. Since every picture’s worth a thousand words, I thought that would be the easiest and fastest way to communicate what really took place.

But what was going to take place? How many people would show? Though in my gut — with the latest victories of the new media over the old (Van Jones, ACORN) — I felt momentum building, I was really just one person going without a group, a strategy, or a plan.

At the Dunn-Loring (VA) Metro station, I noted the nearly-full parking lot — unlikely on a Saturday — with many out-of-state cars, many sporting conservative bumper stickers. My hopes began to rise. I was not alone. The platform was filled with people of all ages, some carrying signs. No one quite knew how to ask each other: “Are you going to the march?” But as a reporter, I could and I did.

There was a young couple with three children from Centerville, VA, a middle-aged woman and her mother from Harrisonburg, PA, a couple from Texas — and many more.

No one I talked to — on that platform or throughout the day — had ever been to a protest, march, or demonstration of any kind. No one knew what to expect. All had sacrificed time, energy, and money to come to Washington. All had undertaken this adventure independently with the assumption that they might indeed be the only one showing up.

“But with everything that’s going on, I felt like I had no choice but to come,” was a theme I heard echoed throughout the day.

All seemed informed and concerned, but cheerful and optimistic. I knew this feeling from before — it begins when you move from concern to action. It’s a beautiful thing to behold, and as I discovered on September 12, particularly beautiful in people whose orientation toward their country is not revolution but recovery.

Barbara Curtis is a wife, mother of 12, and author of nine books, including Reaching the Left from the Right: Talking About Social Issues with People Who Don't Think Like You. Visit her at www.barbaracurtis.com or at her blog www.MommyLife.net.

Tea Party Protester Account: A View From the Crowds

Many people who have never ventured out of their political comfort zones have decided that Enough Is Enough! Many got off their couches, and out of their offices, and out of their homeschool rooms and headed for Washington, DC to protest everything from ObamaCare, Commie Czars (hey, it was on their signs, but I do happen to agree), unread-yet-voted-for bills, and a host of other concerns.

Many people went to Washington, DC concerned about their safety, worried about the possibility of angry confrontations from Liberals/Leftists but brought their kids anyway because they thought it was a lesson to be learned.

Many people got the idea from listening to like-minded friends and family members, some from listening to inspiring talk-radio personalities, and many from just paying attention.

But people turned out by the thousands ... the tens of thousands ... and some (across the pond, of course) estimate attendance upwards of two million souls. (Why do we have to look to Europe to get unbiased and realistic coverage about something that happened on our own shores???)

Many people have decided to share their stories of September 12, 2009, when they attended the Tea Party Protest in Washington, DC. They've shared via interview, email, blog, Facebook and other networking sites. I wish I could've gone, but instead, I'll share with you what they've shared as their experiences.

This recollection by Kathy Garriott is posted over at The American Thinker, a great blog that I would heartily recommend as a consistent must-read.

What I Saw at the Revolution

By Kathy Garriott

"Do you think there'll be porta-potties?" Was the anxious question my husband asked.  He's in his fifties, after all. He asked about restroom facilities several days before we left for DC, and enjoined me to "find out on the internet" because he thinks I can find out anything on the internet.  It was from the various conservative blogs and forums that I haunt on the net that had inspired me to put together this trip to DC in the first place.  Like most tea-partiers, I am only loosely affiliated with any of the organizers.  I was anxious about restrooms, too, and anxious about the notorious summer heat and humidity of our nation's capitol.  I'm in my fifties, after all.  I knew the organizers of this event were not professionals (and I mean that in the nicest way) and things like adequate porta-potties might not have crossed their radar.

So we set off to DC with our supplies of poster-making materials and some folding camp chairs, umbrellas, trail mix, and basic first-aid.  If there were no restrooms, well, we'd just deal with that when we got there.  

We'd booked a hotel in the downtown area, and when we arrived a family with three small children was also checking in with some Tea Party paraphrenalia.  If they can face bringing three children under five to a political rally with the uncertain knowledge of available restrooms, I'd better stop whining.

The only preparation we had for this Tea Party were the downloaded  instructions: "We meet at Freedom Plaza between 9 and 11, then we march down Pennsylvania to our rally on Capitol Hill."  Getting up  late, we were on the street at 10 for the twenty-minute walk to Freedom Plaza, marked on our city map.  We started seeing other tea-partiers with their signs and flags, camp chairs slung over their shoulders and Uncle Sam fashions, and we walked together and spoke together without introduction like old alums from the same school.

"Heading to Freedom Plaza?"  asked the Rebels in Fanny Packs.  "Yep!"  We were headed west on F street,  roughly parallel to Pennsylvania Avenue.  Maps were consulted, we all had several, maps with earnest  orange and pink highlighting.  We were at 11th Street when we glanced  two blocks south toward Pennsylvania Avenue and stopped in shock.

A mass of humanity! a wave of signs and people! marched east, framed to our eyes between the tall shadows of the two blocks of buildings.  Husband asked, "Is that a different protest group going ahead of us?  There are always protests going on in DC."  Another said, "I see the yellow Gadsden flags.  That has to be the tea-party."  "But they weren't supposed to start the  march until after eleven o'clock!"

So we hung a sharp left and hurried to Pennsylvania Avenue.  When we reached the curb, we squinted north-eastward to see where the marchers started.  We knew that the march would start with costumed musicians in Revolutionary War gear playing Yankee Doodle.  No music.  There was nothing but a solid mass of people with signs as far as we could see, all the way to Capitol Hill.  We looked southwest, to where we had expected to assemble with speeches before the march: nothing but a thicket of protestors and signs across four lanes of Pennsylvania.

It was like the loudest, most jovial football pep rally you've ever seen, hundreds of thousands rooting for the beloved home team.  Every demonstrator was grinning wide and hoisting the most original, pithy, and often hilarious signage.  One marcher had contrived a life-size cardboard Obama at the podium, with two friends carrying teleprompters made out of plexi-glass--"promises, promises, promises" said one, and "lies, lies, lies" said the other.  People on the curb leaped out to photograph this work of genius, and the protestors all stopped good-naturedly to allow the recording.   "We're not the party of no.  We're the party of HELL, NO!"

But one of the most poignant signs was flaunted by a fledgling couple that were probably newlyweds.  "$800 Plane Ticket.  $300 Hotel Stay.  Marching for freedom--priceless."  DC is an expensive town to visit.  So many had dug deep into their pockets during a financial downturn to make an appearance. 

Husband and I just stood on the curb (we weren't supposed to stand on the sidewalk, and we are law-abiding partiers), laughing and yelling back at the protestors.  "Yay, Texas!  Yay, South Carolina!"  We couldn't stop reading the signs and calling encouragement long enough to join in the marching.  It was just too delightful to stand and watch the parade go by, even though we knew that the early marchers would get the plum spots close to the steps of the capitol, and probably conveniently close to the porta-potties.

While waving our flags and hollering, trying to save some of our voices for the actual rally, a young woman came to stand by me, probably in her early twenties and dressed smartly in good leather boots and a dashing shawl-sweater ensemble. I was the country bumpkin and she the urban sophisticate, but she was bashful and uncertain, and ventured a question to this woman in her fifties wearing a Life is Good t-shirt.  "But what about Freedom Plaza?"  said, worried, as if somehow she had transgressed. " Weren't we supposed to meet at Freedom Plaza before the march?  Why are they already out marching?" 

I found out the next day that at Freedom Plaza, the turnout had been too unmanageable to have the pre-march rally as planned; the Park Service (who would later refuse to give out any estimates of crowd size) demanded that they start the march an hour and a half early because the crowd had swarmed  too large for comfort.   After all, Freedom Plaza is very close to the White House.

There were now three of us, because the  woman seemed to want company and we liked having a young person to look after, watching the crowd go by for more than an hour.  At eleven-thirty, we decided to join in the march and ebullient bellowing.  "No more czars!"  "Enough is enough!"  The marchers paused front of a building with the first amendment engraved in the side, Congress shall make no law... to generate a handsome  noise about the threats to our freedom of speech.

When we got close to the Capitol, the crowd stopped for almost half an hour because there was a bottleneck of people finding their places in front of the capitol.  I noticed that in the parking lot was a reassuringly long row of porta-potties.  We eventually set up "camp" across the pond from the staging area, and really couldn't hear much of what was said.  An informal "parade of signs" marched around the pond, as people showed off their original artwork and slogans to the applause and cheers of  partiers.  The crowd was thick all around the pond, and I turned to look behind and gasped at more crowds that stretched toward the Washington Monument (and also saw the CNN bus sitting bravely in the thick of a partying humanity).  

So the young woman and I talked some politics.  Everyone around me was collaring some friendly stranger to talk politics:  to joyously, vociferously talk politics.  A small, elegant, elderly lady had flown in from San Francisco and told everyone of her low opinion of Nancy Pelosi's character and warned that she posed a  dire threat  to the welfare of the nation.  A man with an Oklahoma flag and a man with a Texas flag crossed the poles, like  military sabers at a wedding, and everyone joked about the two rivalrous states finding common cause.  There was no profanity.  (Well, there were several signs with One Big Ass Mistake, America, but it got no worse than that.)  People made a point of picking up litter, even some that had obviously been there a while.

Observing this, my young companion mentioned that everyone in her social set were "progessives" and that she had been dragged to a Green event.

"You should have seen the mess they left," said in disgust.  I concluded that she was a closeted conservative ready to Come Out but only beginning to figure out how to go about it.  She had decided to come to the Party at the last minute, had come alone, and had found her way to the Metro.

"It was filled with people with signs and flags. We packed in like sardines, but everyone was having such a good time."

Everyone, everyone in the crowds grinned big grins.  Joy.  You could feel the joy of people who have been distressed, even anguished, for over a year suddenly finding that they are not alone and that there is something they can do.   Not alone by a long shot!  We knew with our own eyes that there were hundreds of thousands of people, maybe as much as a million.  Tens of thousands would not have stretched across four lanes of Pennsylvania for hours!

The young woman departed with a hug, infected with the cheer of all those around the Capitol, and eventually the rally was over.

But not really.  The euphoria continued.  We joked with strangers about the dangerous "mob," --Put down that brick!--when we saw the first waste disposals with dozens of discarded signs stacked neatly next to the cans.  The cans overflowed, but upright empty water bottles  tidily circled the cans, to make for easy removal.    

We were relaxed on the Pennsylvania sidewalks now, filling them on both sides as we left. People talked on their cells as they walked.  One women, alone  like our campanion, shrieked happily into her phone, "No, I didn't mind being alone!  Because I wasn't alone!  Not for a single minute!"

And there was a luster to the eyes of the departing partiers.  I heard:  I'm so glad I came.  This was incredible.  I wouldn't have missed it for the world.  It was worth every penny.

And the restaurants were full of us, gauche in our Uncle Sam finery.  We greeted other partiers at their tables, partiers whose names we didn't know, to discuss plans for taking this to the next level.  I caught the sideways glances of chagrin from the urbane Townies.  We tipped the wait-staff well.

The only discouraging word was not all that discouraging.  As we ambled away from the Capitol, some youthful local man  with a soft round face and early balding scalp,  sporting the prerequisite wispy  uptown Van Dyke, muttered  in a high-pitched tone  that conveyed a kind of agonized sqeamishness, "These people need to get out of my city."

His city.  If he's listening, I'd like to tell him...

We'll be back.

Kathy Garriott is a housewife from the American South

Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/09/what_i_saw_at_the_revolution.html

The Conservative Woodstock ... But Without the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N Roll

The LameStream Media likes to pretend "a few thousand" stragglers met up the mall carrying swastikas and being an "unruly" astroturf mob ... yeah, right. That's not how I see it when I look at pictures people have shared. The LSM likes to portray these people as horrible, racist, evil-mongering, knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers ... hey ... not so!

Read the article at Looking at the Left and take a look at the horrible, unruly mob that attended (It could take a couple minutes to load 'cause there are *lots* of pictures of the hateful, angry, unruly mob -- so I've posted just a few for you here).

 

 

 

 

The Environmentally-Aware Leftists vs. the Environment-Hating Righties

Perhaps the EnviroWackos should learn to practice what they preach.

Courtesy of photos posted at Gateway Pundit, let's compare the picture of the the Washington DC mall after the Tea Party protesters left

 

with the view of the mall after the revellers celebrating Obama's inauguration left it.

 

 

Obama's Not the Only One Who's Been Lying!

For months now we've heard one Dem/Lib House Representative or Senator after another claim that there won't be one dime in the proposed health care bills that would provide for federally funded abortions. Those of us who take ... shall we say ... a "dim view" of abortion could've told you from the get-go that this was false. Those who belong to the culture of death have found ways to couch the language, to express themselves in what would seem to those "uneducated" in Lib-Speak to be perfectly reasonable words, a really, really good reason for abortion to be paid for by tax dollars, much of which was taken from those that believe abortion is a *bad* thing!

"That can't be so," you say. Think again, my friend. I think it's well-expressed in a "guest viewpoint" in the Register-Guard this morning. (The Register-Guard serves Oregon's Willamette Valley and a good portion of the rest of the state, too.)

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Reform bills would allow abortion at the public’s expense

By Gayle Atteberry

Appeared in print: Monday, Sep 14, 2009

---

Despite erroneous claims that abortion is not included in any of the proposed health care bills, passage of President Obama’s health care plan would result in the biggest expansion of abortion since Roe vs. Wade.

Until this last month, “abortion” was not specifically mentioned in any of the proposed health bills, allowing proponents to claim that abortion would not be covered in the final health plan.

Both the Senate and House bills call for the creation of a massive new federal health insurance plan called the “public plan,” which would be required to cover all “essential benefits.” According to multiple past administrative and legal interpretations of federal law, unless an abortion exclusion is explicitly written into the bill, abortion coverage will be included as an “essential benefit.”

For example, when the federal Medicaid statue was passed, the law did not mention abortion, but it was interpreted to require coverage of any abortion sought by a Medicaid-­eligible woman.

As the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals said: “Because abortion fits within many of the mandatory categories, including ‘family planning,’ ‘outpatient services,’ ‘impatient services’ and ‘physicians services’ Medicaid covered medically necessary abortion between 1973 and 1976” (Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan vs. Engler, 1996). “Medically necessary” is a term understood by both abortion advocates and foes to include the broadest range of situations.

Therefore, the Hyde Amendment was adopted in 1977, which bans the use of federal funds for Medicaid abortions. The Hyde Amendment must be re-approved annually as a rider to the Health and Human Services appropriations bill.

Recognizing the ramifications of the term “essential benefits,” pro-life members of Congress attempted to add amendments to both the Senate and House health care bills to ban abortion from being included in the plans or to forbid federal money from paying for abortions. All such amendments were defeated by Democratic majorities on numerous committees.

After rejecting all pro-life amendments, the House Energy and Commerce Committee met July 30 and adopted the Capps Amendment. House Resolution 3200, with the Capps Amendment, creates a nationwide insurance plan run by the federal government, and the language explicitly authorizes the public option plan to cover all elective abortions.

In addition, the language would create a new program to provide federal subsidies to cover 27 million Americans to help them purchase health insurance (either private plans or the new federal public plan) that cover abortion. Abortionists would send bills to the federal insurance plan and receive payment from the federal Treasury. It is nonsense to pretend this scheme does not constitute federal subsidies for abortion.

Some say that the Hyde Amendment would forbid taxpayer funding of abortion. However, the Hyde Amendment applies only to Medicaid. An Aug. 5 article from The Associated Press headlined “Government insurance would allow coverage for abortion” addressed the Capps Amendment and its consequences:

“A law called the Hyde Amendment applies the restrictions to Medicaid, forcing states that cover abortion for low-income women to do so with their own money. … The health overhaul would create a stream of federal funding not covered by the restrictions.

“The new federal funds would take the form of subsidies for low- and middle-income people buying coverage through the health insurance exchange. Subsidies would be available for people to buy the public plan or private coverage.”

It gets worse. HR 3200 (Page 49) says that any state law that prevents an essential service (including abortion) will be overturned. The majority of states have laws restricting abortion in some way, such as parental notification, waiting periods and women’s right-to-know laws. These all would be overturned, leaving abortion-on-demand at public expense.

Roe vs. Wade gave women a “constitutional right” to an abortion for the entire nine months of her pregnancy. President Obama’s plan would now require every taxpayer to pay for it.

Gayle Atteberry of Eugene is executive director of Oregon Right to Life.

Joe Wilson Won't Apologize Again! (nor should he)

From The Hill:

Wilson 'not going to apologize again' despite threat of sanction

By Mike Soraghan - 09/13/09 09:43 AM ET

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) said Sunday he will not apologize for his "You lie!" outburst, risking a sanction from the Democrats who run the House.

"I am not going to apologize again," Wilson said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday." "I have apologized to the president. I believe that is sufficient."

Democratic leaders have said they will introduce a "resolution of disapproval" Monday or Tuesday unless Wilson formally apologizes on the House floor. The House returns Monday.

Wilson's outburst Wednesday night during Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress came after Obama said his healthcare plan would not cover illegal immigrants.

Wilson apologized to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday evening and, on Thursday, Obama said he accepted Wilson’s apology. Democratic lawmakers note that he was pressed to do so by Republican leaders.

Several House leaders and many rank-and-file Democrats pushed a reluctant House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Thursday for some sanction against Wilson.

"There was a violation of the rules of the House," said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly. "It needs to be resolved by an apology or a resolution."

It is against House rules to impugn the integrity of the president when speaking on the floor or in committee meetings.

While not a formal censure or reprimand, the resolution, if passed as expected, would put Congress on record as condemning Wilson's conduct.

Wilson said he was coming off several large town hall meetings where constituents made clear they didn't like Obama's healthcare plan. He said his son told him he had a "town hall moment."

"I respect the president," Wilson said. "I would not do that again. I just felt so provoked. I would have said it differently if I had the time."

But he added, "I believe in truth," and said his outburst brought the issue to light and forced Democrats to alter their plan to address the illegal immigration issue.

Wilson said he values civility but is prepared to deal with the scolding on the floor.

"It's going to be tough for me," Wilson said. "I'm a civil person. I believe in civil debate on the floor."

He said Democrats are pushing the apology to distract from the real issues.

"Democrats are playing politics," Wilson said. "I believe in the truth. That was not the truth."

He also rejected an accusation by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd that Wilson's outburst stemmed from racial intolerance.

"No, no. I respect the president," Wilson told host Chris Wallace. He added that there is a relationship of sorts between their families, because his family and First Lady Michelle Obama's family hail from adjacent towns in South Carolina.

Wilson and his Democratic opponent Rob Miller have each reportedly raised more than $1 million in campaign contributions since the episode Wednesday night.

And Wilson was hailed as a hero at a taxpayer rally at the Capitol on Saturday, with speakers praising him, and many protesters waving signs reading "Joe Wilson for President."

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, called the Wilson flap a "red herring," saying "there's no disagreements" on limiting health coverage to those in this country legally.

"The language will be clear" that they won't be covered, Sebelius said. "That will be very spelled out."

September 12 2009 Tea Party Protest/March on Washington DC

The leftists would have you believe that Obama & Co. had no idea there would be a protest of any size in town. His puppet Gibbs said he had "no idea people were coming to DC to be heard." Of course they knew! It's been in the works for months! The people whose business it is to know what's going on in DC on a day to day basis, those that prepare the "threat matrix" for the president (sorry, I feel he doesn't deserve capitalization) would obviously have known and, knowing, Obama did the disrespectful thing and left town so he could say, "Protesters? I didn't see any protesters! It's all lies! The people love me!"

Um .... yeah .....

Out of the other side of their liberal mouths (remember, that's how you tell they're lying ... when the lips are moving!) they will say there were no more than a few thousand protesters gathered on the mall. Word has it that, rather than getting pictures of the hundreds of thousands of gathered protesters, the liberal media made sure to get footage of small groups of stragglers so they portray it as a huge failure (similar to what actually happened to the last "million man" march).

Take a look at the time-lapsed footage and decide the truth for yourself.

~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~

Seems some on the Left are trying to say that the pictures from the Tea Party protest are fakes or are taken from another "event" like the procession from Ted Kennedy's funeral (supposedly because the flags are at half staff ... which they were from Friday 9/11 in honor of those who died in the 9/11 attacks) ... hmmm, so how to decide how many people were there? Let's go right to the source, the drawing released that shows how "they" put a quantity to the number of people who can fit in the Washington Mall, as they tried to quantify those that attended the inauguration in January. What do you think?

Washngton DC Tea Party Speech - Mike Pence

Yesterday hundreds of thousands of protesters (precisely how many hundreds is up to interpretation and political leaning -- personally, from the footage I've seen [and will link] I'm guesstimating it's *way* over a million ... but I can be obstinate like that) converged on Washington DC to protest the current health care bill and our government's continuing problem of taxing and spending without an end in sight. Although many celebrities who think they know something have tried to pass the gathering of Tea Party protesters off as "astroturf" (an artificial political movement put together by powerful organizations rather than a grassroots effort put together for average people with a common interest), there's no doubt in my mind that this is as grassroots as it gets!

For the record, why is it that Democrats/Liberals/Leftists seem to think they are the only ones with an authentic point of view and an authentic right to speak out against those things/people with which they don't agree???

If I could've gone to DC to participate in the protest, I certainly would've love the opportunity. As it is, I've had to make do with reports from others. Here's a speech made by Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN):

~~~~~~~~~

September 12, 2009

Pence Remarks at the National Tea Party “March on Washington”

Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, delivered the following remarks today at the National Tea Party “March on Washington:”

“I am Mike Pence.  I am from Indiana, and it is an honor to welcome the largest gathering of conservatives in American history to your nation’s capitol.

“There are some politicians who think of you people as astroturf.  Un-American.  I’ve got to be honest with you, after nine years of fighting runaway spending here on this hill, you people look like the cavalry to me.

“We stand together at a historic moment in the life of the conservative movement and in the life of this great country.  The coming weeks and months may well set the course for this nation for a generation.  How we as conservatives respond to these challenges, could determine whether America retains her place in the world as a beacon of freedom or whether we slip into the abyss that has swallowed much of Europe in an avalanche of socialism.

“While some are prepared to write the obituary on capitalism and the conservative movement, I believe we are on the verge of a great American awakening.  And it will begin here and begin now and begin with you.

“This Administration and this Congress are getting a badly needed history lesson, starting with just what our founders meant by ‘consent of the governed.’  If silence is consent, it is now revoked.

“We the people, do not consent to runaway federal spending.  We the people, do not consent to the notion that we can borrow and spend and bail our way back to a growing America.  And we the people, do not consent to government-run insurance that will cause millions of Americans to lose the insurance they have, and that will lead us to a government takeover of health care in this nation.

“This week, the president came to this hill and he gave one more speech about the same bad plan.   Mr. President, America doesn’t want another speech, we want another health care plan that is built on freedom.

“And we the people, do not consent to Members of Congress passing thousand-page bills without anybody ever reading them.  Members of Congress should be required to read ever major bill that Congress adopts.  I’ve got to be honest with you, I think Members of Congress should read major bills, but I’d be just as happy if some of them read this just a little more often – the Constitution of the United States.

“You know, there is a lot of good stuff in there and it reminds us that we are a nation led by the people, and not the elites and the bureaucrats and the politicians.  It reminds us that the powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved to the states or to the people.

“And nowhere in our Constitution can you find the word ‘czar.’  It is time Washington, D.C. became a No Czar Zone.

“The American people are not happy. But it is not just about dollars and cents.  It is about who we are as a nation.

“As Ronald Reagan said in 1964, it’s about whether ‘we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.’  My money is on the American people.  My money is on freedom.  My money is on the future.

“This great national Capitol is filled with memorials to freedom’s heroes.  Americans whose faces are carved in bronze, whose names adorn monuments, and just across that river, lie the remains of Americans who paid freedom’s price so we could gather here today.  In their time, they did freedom’s work as citizens and patriots. Now it’s our turn. 

“Let us do as those great Americans we remember in this city have done before: let us stand and fight for freedom.  And if we hold the banner of freedom high, I believe with all my heart that the good and great people of this country will rally to our cause, we will take this Congress back in 2010 and we will take this Country back in 2012, so help us God.”

Single-Payer Healthcare for Native Americans a Big Bust

With a hat tip to the Northwest Republican blog, I invite you to watch a very informative video regarding the health care provided *by treaty* to the Native Americans throughout our country. Apparently a well-know adage is ... "Don't get sick after June" ... now I know why.

Dragnet Still Relevant!!! Sgt. Joe Friday Rocks!

Why We Need Government Healthcare NOW ... Finally Explained!

Waterboarding NEVER Helps! - Or Does It?

With another hat tip to Tom, here is a very interesting article on how Khalid Sheik Mohammed became *such* a very valuable asset ... after waterboarding, etc. [Which supposedly *never* works....]

Read the article at its source (Washington Post) or below and judge for yourself.

How a Detainee Became An Asset
Sept. 11 Plotter Cooperated After Waterboarding

By Peter Finn, Joby Warrick and Julie Tate
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, August 29, 2009

After enduring the CIA's harshest interrogation methods and spending more than a year in the agency's secret prisons, Khalid Sheik Mohammed stood before U.S. intelligence officers in a makeshift lecture hall, leading what they called "terrorist tutorials."

In 2005 and 2006, the bearded, pudgy man who calls himself the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks discussed a wide variety of subjects, including Greek philosophy and al-Qaeda dogma. In one instance, he scolded a listener for poor note-taking and his inability to recall details of an earlier lecture.

Speaking in English, Mohammed "seemed to relish the opportunity, sometimes for hours on end, to discuss the inner workings of al-Qaeda and the group's plans, ideology and operatives," said one of two sources who described the sessions, speaking on the condition of anonymity because much information about detainee confinement remains classified. "He'd even use a chalkboard at times."

These scenes provide previously unpublicized details about the transformation of the man known to U.S. officials as KSM from an avowed and truculent enemy of the United States into what the CIA called its "preeminent source" on al-Qaeda. This reversal occurred after Mohammed was subjected to simulated drowning and prolonged sleep deprivation, among other harsh interrogation techniques.

"KSM, an accomplished resistor, provided only a few intelligence reports prior to the use of the waterboard, and analysis of that information revealed that much of it was outdated, inaccurate or incomplete," according to newly unclassified portions of a 2004 report by the CIA's then-inspector general released Monday by the Justice Department.

The debate over the effectiveness of subjecting detainees to psychological and physical pressure is in some ways irresolvable, because it is impossible to know whether less coercive methods would have achieved the same result. But for defenders of waterboarding, the evidence is clear: Mohammed cooperated, and to an extraordinary extent, only when his spirit was broken in the month after his capture March 1, 2003, as the inspector general's report and other documents released this week indicate.

Over a few weeks, he was subjected to an escalating series of coercive methods, culminating in 7 1/2 days of sleep deprivation, while diapered and shackled, and 183 instances of waterboarding. After the month-long torment, he was never waterboarded again.

"What do you think changed KSM's mind?" one former senior intelligence official said this week after being asked about the effect of waterboarding. "Of course it began with that."

Mohammed, in statements to the International Committee of the Red Cross, said some of the information he provided was untrue.

"During the harshest period of my interrogation I gave a lot of false information in order to satisfy what I believed the interrogators wished to hear in order to make the ill-treatment stop. I later told interrogators that their methods were stupid and counterproductive. I'm sure that the false information I was forced to invent in order to make the ill-treatment stop wasted a lot of their time," he said.

Critics say waterboarding and other harsh methods are unacceptable regardless of their results, and those with detailed knowledge of the CIA's program say the existing assessments offer no scientific basis to draw conclusions about effectiveness.

"Democratic societies don't use torture under any circumstances. It is illegal and immoral," said Tom Parker, policy director for counterterrorism and human rights at Amnesty International. "This is a fool's argument in any event. There is no way to prove or disprove the counterfactual."

John L. Helgerson, the former CIA inspector general who investigated the agency's detention and interrogation program, said his work did not put him in "a position to reach definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of particular interrogation methods."

"Certain of the techniques seemed to have little effect, whereas waterboarding and sleep deprivation were the two most powerful techniques and elicited a lot of information," he said in an interview. "But we didn't have the time or resources to do a careful, systematic analysis of the use of particular techniques with particular individuals and independently confirm the quality of the information that came out."

After his capture, Mohammed first told his captors what he calculated they already knew.

"KSM almost immediately following his capture in March 2003 elaborated on his plan to crash commercial airlines into Heathrow airport," according to a document released by the CIA on Monday that summarizes the intelligence provided by Mohammed. The agency thinks he assumed that Ramzi Binalshibh, a Sept. 11 conspirator captured in September 2002, had already divulged the plan.

One former U.S. official with detailed knowledge of how the interrogations were carried out said Mohammed, like several other detainees, seemed to have decided that it was okay to stop resisting after he had endured a certain amount of pressure.

"Once the harsher techniques were used on [detainees], they could be viewed as having done their duty to Islam or their cause, and their religious principles would ask no more of them," said the former official, who requested anonymity because the events are still classified. "After that point, they became compliant. Obviously, there was also an interest in being able to later say, 'I was tortured into cooperating.' "

Mohammed provided the CIA with an autobiographical statement, describing a rebellious childhood, his decision to join the Muslim Brotherhood as a teenager, and his time in the United States as a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, from where he graduated in 1986 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

"KSM's limited and negative experience in the United States -- which included a brief jail stay because of unpaid bills -- almost certainly helped propel him on his path to becoming a terrorist," according to the intelligence summary. "He stated that his contact with Americans, while minimal, confirmed his view that the United States was a debauched and racist country."

Mohammed provided $1,000 to Ramzi Yousef, a nephew, to help him carry out the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. In 1994, he worked in the Philippines with Yousef, now serving a life sentence at the federal "supermax" prison in Colorado, on a failed plot to down 12 U.S. commercial aircraft over the Pacific.

Mohammed told interrogators it was in the Philippines that he first considered using planes as missiles to strike the United States. He took the idea to Osama bin Laden, who "at first demurred but changed his mind in late 1999," according to the summary.

Mohammed described plans to strike targets in Saudi Arabia, East Asia and the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks, including using a network of Pakistanis "to target gas stations, railroad tracks, and the Brooklyn bridge in New York." Cross-referencing material from different detainees, and leveraging information from one to extract more detail from another, the CIA and FBI went on to round up operatives both in the United States and abroad.

"Detainees in mid-2003 helped us build a list of 70 individuals -- many of who we had never heard of before -- that al-Qaeda deemed suitable for Western operations," according to the CIA summary.

Mohammed told interrogators that after the Sept. 11 attacks, his "overriding priority" was to strike the United States, but that he "realized that a follow-on attack would be difficult because of security measures." Most of the plots, as a result, were "opportunistic and limited," according to the summary.

One former agency official recalled that Mohammed was once asked to write a summary of his knowledge about al-Qaeda's efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction. The terrorist group had explored buying either an intact nuclear weapon or key components such as enriched uranium, although there is no evidence of significant progress on that front.

"He wrote us an essay" on al-Qaeda's nuclear ambitions, the official said. "Not all of it was accurate, but it was quite extensive."

Mohammed was an unparalleled source in deciphering al-Qaeda's strategic doctrine, key operatives and likely targets, the summary said, including describing in "considerable detail the traits and profiles" that al-Qaeda sought in Western operatives and how the terrorist organization might conduct surveillance in the United States.

Mohammed was moved to the U.S. military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in September 2006, and his loquaciousness is now largely confined to occasional appearances before a military commission. Back in his 86-square-foot cell at the secret Camp 7 at Guantanamo, he spends most of his waking hours in prayer, according to a source familiar with his confinement who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

But Mohammed has not abandoned his intellectual pursuits. He requested a Bible for study in his cell, according to the source, in order to better understand his enemy.

Staff writer Walter Pincus contributed to this report.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While I know it's an unpopular opinion, and I don't really care to debate it with anyone, I think that harsh interrogation techniques (short of beatings and the like) have their place in our intelligence arsenal. No, I wouldn't want to go through that myself, but then again ... I'm just a lowly right-wing extremist (according to Nancy Pelosi et al) because I dare to express an opinion opposite to what the current Powers That Be espouse. Who knows? Maybe I should be keeping a packed duffel bag ready for when they want to haul me off to a detention facility for being a "dissident". Whatever ... it's all in God's hands anyway.

Oh, and another thought ... sleep deprivation must be *very* effective because having slept with someone for many, many years who snores loud enough to be classified as a lumber mill ... well, let's just say that a sleep-deprived woman could be very dangerous. I know I sometimes felt I could go from zero to bitch in about 2.2 seconds!

Sen. Edward Kennedy -- Hero or Traitor?

Much has been made of the largely-lauded late Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). "The Liberal Lion of the Senate."

Yes, he served in the Senate for nearly 50 years ... a seat which was largely bought by his family, seeing as he was the only surviving son of the four that his parents originally had.

This gentleman, however, was to my way of thinking not much of a gentleman at all. A serial womanizer who cheated often on his wife, once with deadly consequences. (Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.) Drinking problems and a womanizing history kinda put an end to his hopes for the White House (personally, I'm thanking God that legacy didn't continue). But he still had to get his way.

Being brought up a Roman Catholic in America at the time he was raised, you'd think the'd have been a bit more conservative, like his brother, the late President John F. Kennedy (RIP). Unfortunately, he took after his very liberal brother, the late Robert Kennedy, instead, and somehow became enamored with a lot of socialist/communist/Marxist ideals ... to the point that he "capitalized" on them to try to subvert the late President Ronald Reagan. To my way of thinking, that makes the late Teddy Kennedy more of a traitor than a hero.

(Makes me a bit embarassed to descend from a line that goes back to the Kennedy clan - lowland Scots - just in case I should be related to them.)

Read the Forbes Magazine online article at the source here.  Or just read it below (with a hat tip to my friend Tom for pointing out the article to me).

Ted Kennedy's Soviet Gambit

Peter Robinson, 08.28.09, 12:01 AM EDT
Considering the late senator's complete record requires digging into the USSR's archives.
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Picking his way through the Soviet archives that Boris Yeltsin had just thrown open, in 1991 Tim Sebastian, a reporter for the London Times, came across an arresting memorandum. Composed in 1983 by Victor Chebrikov, the top man at the KGB, the memorandum was addressed to Yuri Andropov, the top man in the entire USSR. The subject: Sen. Edward Kennedy.

"On 9-10 May of this year," the May 14 memorandum explained, "Sen. Edward Kennedy's close friend and trusted confidant [John] Tunney was in Moscow." (Tunney was Kennedy's law school roommate and a former Democratic senator from California.) "The senator charged Tunney to convey the following message, through confidential contacts, to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Y. Andropov."

Kennedy's message was simple. He proposed an unabashed quid pro quo. Kennedy would lend Andropov a hand in dealing with President Reagan. In return, the Soviet leader would lend the Democratic Party a hand in challenging Reagan in the 1984 presidential election. "The only real potential threats to Reagan are problems of war and peace and Soviet-American relations," the memorandum stated. "These issues, according to the senator, will without a doubt become the most important of the election campaign."

Kennedy made Andropov a couple of specific offers.

First he offered to visit Moscow. "The main purpose of the meeting, according to the senator, would be to arm Soviet officials with explanations regarding problems of nuclear disarmament so they may be better prepared and more convincing during appearances in the USA." Kennedy would help the Soviets deal with Reagan by telling them how to brush up their propaganda.

Then he offered to make it possible for Andropov to sit down for a few interviews on American television. "A direct appeal ... to the American people will, without a doubt, attract a great deal of attention and interest in the country. ... If the proposal is recognized as worthy, then Kennedy and his friends will bring about suitable steps to have representatives of the largest television companies in the USA contact Y.V. Andropov for an invitation to Moscow for the interviews. ... The senator underlined the importance that this initiative should be seen as coming from the American side."
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Kennedy would make certain the networks gave Andropov air time--and that they rigged the arrangement to look like honest journalism.

Kennedy's motives? "Like other rational people," the memorandum explained, "[Kennedy] is very troubled by the current state of Soviet-American relations." But that high-minded concern represented only one of Kennedy's motives.

"Tunney remarked that the senator wants to run for president in 1988," the memorandum continued. "Kennedy does not discount that during the 1984 campaign, the Democratic Party may officially turn to him to lead the fight against the Republicans and elect their candidate president."

Kennedy proved eager to deal with Andropov--the leader of the Soviet Union, a former director of the KGB and a principal mover in both the crushing of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the suppression of the 1968 Prague Spring--at least in part to advance his own political prospects.

In 1992, Tim Sebastian published a story about the memorandum in the London Times. Here in the U.S., Sebastian's story received no attention. In his 2006 book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism, historian Paul Kengor reprinted the memorandum in full. "The media," Kengor says, "ignored the revelation."

"The document," Kengor continues, "has stood the test of time. I scrutinized it more carefully than anything I've ever dealt with as a scholar. I showed the document to numerous authorities who deal with Soviet archival material. No one has debunked the memorandum or shown it to be a forgery. Kennedy's office did not deny it."

Why bring all this up now? No evidence exists that Andropov ever acted on the memorandum--within eight months, the Soviet leader would be dead--and now that Kennedy himself has died even many of the former senator's opponents find themselves grieving. Yet precisely because Kennedy represented such a commanding figure--perhaps the most compelling liberal of our day--we need to consider his record in full.

Doing so, it turns out, requires pondering a document in the archives of the politburo.

When President Reagan chose to confront the Soviet Union, calling it the evil empire that it was, Sen. Edward Kennedy chose to offer aid and comfort to General Secretary Andropov. On the Cold War, the greatest issue of his lifetime, Kennedy got it wrong.

Peter Robinson, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a former White House speechwriter, writes a weekly column for Forbes.

This Ain't America No More!

Or so says a police officer at Rep. Jim Moran's (D-VA) townhall meeting held in Reston, VA on Tuesday, August 25, 2009.

The protester is told to take his sign (with a picture of Obama on it) down ... eventually the officer tells him that if he doesn't keep the sign down, the protester will be charged with trespassing. Bear in mind that he's there with a bunch of other protesters, who also have signs ... but his is singled out. My guess is that this particular officer finds the sign offensive ....

Watch the video and try to keep your chin from hitting the floor...





Update: The guy's not a police officer ... he's a "school security officer", basically a rent-a-cop.

Medical Community Won't Take Swine Flu Vaccine

When the medical community chooses to opt out of participating in a large vaccination drive .... you know there's a problem. Many in the medical research and medical practice communities have come out and said that they will not agree to take the Swine Flu (H1N1) vaccine, and they are also urging their friends and family not to take it as well. Why?

Watch the video.


So now it remains to be seen whether the Homeland Security community will win out with mandatory/forced vaccinations or or whether cooler heads will prevail and we'll allow our citizens to make their own decisions.

Daniel Hannan, Please Come Now!

We need someone with Daniel Hannan's clear, concise thinking and expression in the US. He's doing his darndest to straighten things up there, so it's unlikely he'd come work on our problems, too. But he's very clear in his recommendations that we fight Obamacare and gives very good reasons.