Friday, June 29, 2007

Is Fred taking a shot at Rudy?

I think not:



Former GOP Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, speaking at a GOP gathering in
South Carolina today, hit his usual core issues, tax cuts, and terrorism -- but also took an apparent shot at GOP front-runner Rudy Giuliani's checklist of things he says a president needs to do to be successful.Thompson, in what seemed to be a direct criticism of Giuliani, said, "The question is what are your underlying principles what do you believe in?" The still unannounced candidate went on to say, "Anybody can talk from a mental checklist of talking points. What do you really believe in? Where are you coming from?"


Don't hit the link on the Sun's page. It takes you to MSNBC and we don't want to give them any extra traffic. The Sun has the whole article up anyway.

I think he is talking about all politicians. We hear too many questions answered with these "talking points". That is one of the reasons I like Fred. When he is asked a question he seems to answer it with his true beliefs, not what he thinks people want to here.Let me know if you get that same feeling with any other candidates, Republican or Democrat, because I don't.

I don't want a president that just kisses up to me. I want to know how he feels about the issues.

Win, Fred, Win

Pelosi and Reid to try to end the war again

With the London bombs discovered, I doubt they will announce this today. But look for it in the near future:


Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are expected tomorrow to announce a new coordinated effort to force votes in July to end the Iraq war, according to Democratic insiders.

Reid has already publicly declared that Senate Democrats will offer four Iraq-related amendments to the upcoming 2008 Defense authorization bill, including a proposal by Reid and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) to set a firm timetable to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by next spring.

Pelosi is planning to announce that the House will also vote on a bill setting a new withdrawal timetable of April 1, 2008, although the details of the proposal were still up in the air at press time, according to Democratic sources. The House will consider this proposal as a freestanding bill, said the sources.

Pelosi is also planning to force a vote on a proposal by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, to repeal the 2002 use-of-force resolution for Iraq. This "deauthorization" proposal may be offered as an amendment to the 2008 Defense spending bill, which the House is scheduled to take up following the week-long July 4th recess.



There has been some indication that some Republicans are about to withdraw their support for the war as well:


"We must not abandon our mission, but we must begin a transition where the Iraqi government and its neighbors play a larger role in stabilizing Iraq," Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, wrote in a letter to Bush.

Voinovich, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released his letter Tuesday — one day after Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the panel's top Republican, said in a floor speech that Bush's strategy was not working.

"The longer we delay the planning for a redeployment, the less likely it is to be successful," said Lugar, who plans to meet later this week with Stephen Hadley, Bush's national security adviser.

Lugar and Voinovich are not the first GOP members to call for U.S. troops to leave Iraq. Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Gordon Smith of Oregon made similar remarks earlier this year. But their public break is significant because it raises the possibility that Senate Democrats could muster the 60 votes needed to pass legislation that would call for Bush to bring troops home.


This timetable idea made it through Congress once and had to be vetoed by the President. Although, the Democrats did not have enough votes to override the veto last time, it will not take many republicans signing on to give them the votes they need.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Some good news out of the House.

Here is the news:


Two House votes in the last few minutes offer some insight into the workings of the lower chamber. The first, on an amendment by Rahm Emanual, would strip funding for the office of the Vice President, a snarky swipe at the assertion by Dick Cheney's counsel that the Vice President isn't part of the executive branch. That motion failed, but only by seven votes, 217-210 -- and produced a round of catcalls at the end.

The second is the Pence amendment to forbid the FCC from re-enacting the Fairness Doctrine. I live-blogged the debate on this amendment earlier today, and the voice vote at the time was said to carry Pence to victory. He wanted a recorded vote and got it. The final result: an overwhelming rejection of the Fairness Doctrine, 309-115, with 1 vote present. The Democrats split almost exactly, while all voting Republicans voted for the amendment.


That makes today a great day for our side.

First the Amnesty Bill failed.

The House voted down an amendment to cut funding of the Vice President's office.

And then votes to forbid the re-enacting of the Fairness Doctrine.

It's a good day to be red. Don't you think?

Next Battle

The Fairness Doctrine.

Rest assured, just as we will not forget the actions of the Senate, they will not forget ours. It looks like they have set their sights on talk radio for now. How long before they come after bloggers is yet to be determined.

I am proud of all the people who have spoken out about the Amnesty bill. I hope this is only the beginning of this type of display. If we fight hard enough we may be able to prod our elected officials into listening to us about numerous issues.

The Amnesty Bill is dead, now what.

The bill is gone for now:


The bill's supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage of the legislation, which critics assailed as offering amnesty to illegal immigrants. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate.

Senators in both parties said the issue is so volatile that Congress is highly unlikely to revisit it this fall or next year, when the presidential election will increasingly dominate American politics.



I think it is gone for good this time. It will not come back up this session. I don't think it will come up again as the 2008 elections are nearing. The Senators were hoping to put it through now and hope we would forget by then.

The roll call.

These are the Republicans voting for cloture:

Bennett (R-UT)
Craig (R-ID)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)

Remember them come election time.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Gun owners beware.

Have you noticed the number of gun shops have been decreasing. This may be why:


The government is using paperwork errors as small as the abbreviation of a city name to shut down some of the nation's longest-serving gun shops, and 2nd Amendment advocates fear the right to bear arms will mean little if there's no way to obtain a gun.

...

Ryan Horsley, a spokesman for Red's, which has been in business 71 years, said the store has been battling over its license because of rules infractions such as a missing poster for more than six years.

...

"Imagine having your driver's license revoked because you did not completely spell out the word 'no' when answering a 'yes' or 'no' question on your application five years ago," his petition asks. He told WND the inspectors begin with efforts to locate any petty violation they can, usually clerical mistakes. "They list these errors as 'willful' which Congress set in the wording to protect FFL dealers," he said. "The dealer's Federal Firearms License is then revoked and the dealer must enter an appeals process which is extremely unfair."

He said essentially the appeal of a ATF decision goes directly to the people who originally made the decision.

...

And he noted a family gun business that had been operation in Baltimore, Md., for years was attacked because of the "wanton, repeated crime" of abbreviating Baltimore as "Blto" on the "teeny, tiny spaces on the forms provided by the teeny, tiny little minds."




Read the whole article at the link above.

Hey Congress, We the People are not Stupid.

I would just like to let these idiots on Capital Hill know how I feel about being called a bunch of names - ignorant, racist, etc... because I don't support letting them destroy my children's future.

I have written this time and again on my blog and in countless e-mails and letters to various members of Congress. Well here it goes again: I will not vote for and I will do everything in my power to ensure no one else votes for any member of congress that supports this bill.

I do not believe anyone telling me this is not amnesty. I am a Republican, you cannot tell me things over and over again and expect me to change my opinion. That is one thing the Democratic politicians have over the Republicans. Their base may follow the leader but ours don't.

If the Republican members of Congress cannot accept this it is time for them to go.

Sorry about that, I just needed to let off some steam.

Bolton on Iranian Threat

John Bolton offered some views about the way we are treating the threat that Iran poses:


Sanctions and diplomacy have failed and it may be too late for internal opposition to oust the Islamist regime, leaving only military intervention to stop Iran's drive to nuclear weapons, the US's former ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

Worse still, according to Ambassador Bolton,
the Bush administration does not recognize the urgency of the hour and that the options are now limited to only the possibility of regime change from within or a last-resort military intervention, and it is still clinging to the dangerous and misguided belief that sanctions can be effective.

As a consequence, Bolton said he was "very worried" about the well-being of Israel. If he were in Israel's predicament, he said, "I'd be pushing the US very hard. I am pushing the US [administration] very hard, from the outside, in Washington."

...

Bolton, however, was witheringly critical of the ongoing diplomatic contacts with Teheran, which he said were merely playing into the hands of the regime.

"The current approach of the Europeans and the Americans is not just doomed to failure, but dangerous," he said. "Dealing with [the Iranians] just gives them what they want, which is more time...

"We have fiddled away four years, in which Europe tried to persuade Iran to give up voluntarily," he complained. "Iran in those four years mastered uranium conversion from solid to
gas and now enrichment to weapons grade... We lost four years to feckless European diplomacy and our options are very limited."


We cannot afford to give them more time. Stopping Iran now is our best option. If we sit here and make more threats of diplomatic sanctions we might as well be giving them our blessing at attacking Israel, and us eventually.

Tap our oil supplies

I am tired of paying too much for gas, and hearing how it is all the oil companies fault. Several reports I have read state the oil companies get between $.08 and $.12 per gallon, while government gets around $.50 per gallon.

The Senate wants to raise the tax even higher on oil companies. All this will do is drive cost up more.

Even with that, the main problem I have with the way things are going is that we are making countries who hate us rich. We provide the money these countries use to promote anti-American policy, and aid to terrorism.


We do not have to do this:


One contributing factor in America’s apparent foreign-oil dependence (we will discuss the oil realities below) is the diminutive size of the US nuclear power industry, which remains too small for a country with the energy needs and appetite of the United States. Bush says that energy experts believe the US needs to build three new nuclear plants per year starting in 2015, just to keep pace with the country’s nuclear energy needs.

Yet the US has not ordered a new nuclear power plant since the 1970s. In fact, there were 112 reactors operating in the US in 1990; today, there are just 104. Bush wants to change that, forecasting construction of dozens of new nuclear plants by the end of this decade. In fact, as Sen. Pete
Domenici (R-NM) observed during the Senate floor debate, thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2004, “over 30 nuclear power plants are in the works…We went more than two decades without a single one applying, and we have now over 30.” Hailing America’s “nuclear renaissance,” he notes that once operational, “these plants will provide enough electricity for nearly 30 million American homes.”


As far as the oil goes:


The Energy Information Administration, a sub-agency of the Department of Energy, reports that, at this moment, the US has 29.9 billion barrels of oil. In other words, the US actually possesses more oil than oil-exporting countries such as Mexico, Norway and the UK.[3]

Plus, there are vast, untapped oil fields and other energy sources inside the US:

Just off the coast of Louisiana, Chevron has found an oil field—the “Jack 2” well—with 15 billion barrels of oil.


The nonpartisan research firm RAND estimates that Colorado, Utah and Wyoming sit on a goldmine of oil-shale deposits, once thought to be too expensive to convert into petroleum. These states hold between 500 billion and 1.1 trillion recoverable barrels. As RAND’s James Bartis explained in 2005, “We’ve got more oil in this very compact area than the entire Middle East.”[4]

As The Economist has reported, drillers have discovered a billion barrels of oil in Sevier County, Utah, alone.

Plus, the so-called Greater Rocky Mountain Region holds between 165 trillion and 260 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which explains why geologists are calling this swath of the US, “the Persian Gulf of natural gas.” (Iran, by way of comparison, sits atop 26.7 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.)

In fact, when we add America’s existing proven reserves to the new finds along the Gulf and in the Big Sky states, the US possesses more oil than all the smug, petroleum-producing headaches of the world—combined. More than Saudi Arabia, more than Iran, more than the UAE, more than Venezuela, more than Russia.



We need to tap into our own oil, quit buying from these countries that hate us.

Secure our Borders

If you have not signed Senator Inhofe's petition to secure our borders yet, get to it.

Update: Ann Coulter on Hardball.

Ann was on Hardball with Chris Mathews last night. Video of her opinion on the president, here.

I do not agree with her totally. Bush has not performed as well as I would have liked on many issues. But, I have agreed with many things he has done.

That being said, this Amnesty bill has caused me to look at him as if he had a Dem. in front of his name instead of Rep. I am disappointed at how this whole thing is going. I am quickly losing any respect I have in the Republican Party.


Update: I Do believe we should leave attacks on family members deaths out of it, too.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Bush: "Amnesty"

Even President Bush calls it amnesty:


While President Bush has insisted the immigration reform package he's promoting in the Senate does not provide amnesty for illegal aliens, he made an apparent slip of the tongue today that suggested otherwise, catching the attention of the bill's fervent opponents.

At a briefing today at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the president
said: "You know, I've heard all the rhetoric – you've heard it, too – about how
this is amnesty. Amnesty means that you've got to pay a price for having been
here illegally, and this bill does that."


A contributor to an ABC News blog forum acknowledged it likely was a "slip of the tongue" but charged the president "knows what he is doing is wrong."



It is wrong. There is no question about it.

The House GOP thinks so:


House Republicans disapprove of the Senate immigration bill that is expected to go back to the floor for debate Tuesday afternoon, according to a resolution that was floated during a House GOP meeting Tuesday morning.The one-line resolution, which simply reads, “resolved the House GOP Conference disapproves of the Senate immigration bill,” was offered by Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.). It is expected to pass the House Republican Conference by a large margin when the body meets again Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m., despite the fact the Senate bill’s language has yet to be finalized.



We need to keep pressure on the Senate. The time has come to start pressuring members on the House. Do so here.

Fred second in Iowa.

Watch out Mitt here comes Fred:


Political Wire got an advance look at a new Strategic Vision (R) poll in Iowa

...

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney still leads his rivals but Fred Thompson jumped to a solid second place and is just six points behind, followed by Rudy Giuliani in third and John McCain falling to fourth place.


Win, Fred, Win

Roll Call for Amnesty.

Here it is.

The Republicans that need to go:
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Burr (R-NC)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Craig (R-ID)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
If one of these Amnesty loving, spineless individuals is your Senator, do everything in your power to ensure he is defeated.

Amnesty

The first vote for cloture passed:

They’re calling the roll now, which, I presume, is just to see if everyone’s present. They’re not announcing how each one voted after reading his/her name so I guess the vote is right after this.Wait, no — it looks like this is the actual vote. They’re not even announcing the votes as they come in. We’re going to have to wait until all the votes are in.I count only 29 no’s thus far and most everyone’s voted. Jim Webb
just voted yes. We’re going to lose.


Ensign just voted yes.

Update: It wasn’t even close. 64-35. There shall be no Humping Robot today, my friends — nor, perhaps, ever again.


I'll get the roll up as soon as possible.

I will also do everything in my power to ensure the republicans voting in favor of this bill will not be re-elected.

I will also give my opinion then. Maybe I will cool off by then. I doubt it though.

Rasmusen: Fred's lead is growing.

The report:

Thompson, preparing to formally announce his candidacy, leads the pack in the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey with 27% support. That gives him a four-point advantage over former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani who is currently preferred by 23% of Likely Primary Voters. A week ago, it was Thompson 28% and Giuliani 27%. Two weeks ago, they were tied at 24%. Prior to that time, Giuliani had been on top in every weekly Rasmussen Reports poll for
five months.



There are reports Fred will announce today.

Win, Fred, Win

Monday, June 25, 2007

Sex Education: "heavy on sex and light on education".

Read this report from Campus Reports Online:


The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has released a report on how a number of "comprehensive" sexual education (CSE) programs being promoted to our youth are heavy on sex and light on education.


The study, conducted by medical professionals, looked closely at some of the most common CSE curricula currently in use in an attempt to see if the content was truthful and truly comprehensive. A cursory review of the study shows that the materials distributed by the "comprehensive" programs mention abstinence only 321 times.


In contrast the materials mention usage of condoms 2,763 times - and only mention condom failure rates a total of 23 times! The study showed these programs have very little impact on increasing condom use among children,
and even less impact in delaying sexual activities - the latter being no
surprise considering the focus on condoms instead of abstaining.



Do your kids a favor. Sit them down and talk to them about sex, and stop signing those permission slips that come home from school every year. If they do not send these slips home, find out what is going on at school.

The Democrats are Afraid of Fred.

They have started their attack. The democrats announce that Fred should not be president because:


Another DNC research report sketches likely lines of attack on Thompson: "reliable supporter, defender of President Bush," "staunch supporter of Scooter Libby," "key role in Bush Supreme Court nominations," "already has a flip-flop problem," "ill-equipped for the campaign," "a thin Senate record, questions of 'work ethic', " "controversial legal clients may cause problems," "lobbying careers full of land mines."



Let me address these. (in order):

Fred supports the war. He does not support everything the president does. Do you?

Fred believes Libby was a casualty of politics. So do I.

John Roberts, enough said.

Changing your opinion about one or two issues is growing up, changing your mind to get elected (i.e. Clinton) is flip flopping.

As far as ill equipped for the campaign, I think he is doing well so far.

I have covered work ethic before, here.

The last two could be a problem for any lawyer, we'll see when we get there.

Win, Fred, Win

The Constitution is not valid in Atlanta.

Not for the 2007 Atlanta Pride festival:


The city of Atlanta has created a Constitution-free zone on public property for this weekend's 2007 Atlanta Pride festival, according to pastors and lawyers who have been trying to secure an assurance that Christians' free-speech rights will be protected.

The Constitution does not apply in Piedmont Park this weekend," attorney Joel Thornton, of the International Human Rights Group told WND.

"The city of Atlanta, whose attorneys I have been negotiating with for the past six months, has just sent me a letter saying that they 'will not be able to offer you or your client[s] any assistance in this matter,'" he said.

The theme of the Piedmont Park event for Atlanta's "gay" community may be: "Our Rights, Your Rights, Human Rights," but the pastors have no doubts their Christian message will be silenced by the authority of the city's police force.

An estimated 300,000 people from all areas of the country attend the festival, which is the culmination of Atlanta's "Gay" Pride month, an event welcoming "diversity," "tolerance" and "rights."


If it were the other way around you can bet they would help.

A great quote.

From John Hawkins:


At this point, the people supporting this bill might as well be supporting putting crack in elementary school vending machines because quite frankly, it probably couldn’t do much more damage to their political careers than this bill.



This is true. If this passes it will cause the GOP to lose seats. They are betting on these illegals to vote conservative. We all know they will not. But, even if they do, the GOP will be losing a lot of their base. Me included.

Israel preparing for war.

Israel is getting ready:


Israel is preparing for an imminent war with Iran, Syria and/or their non-state clients.

Israeli military intelligence has projected that a major attack could come from any of five adversaries in the Middle East. Officials said such a strike could spark a war as early as July 2007.


On Sunday, Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told the Cabinet that the Jewish state faces five adversaries in what could result in an imminent confrontation. Yadlin cited Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, Hamas and Al Qaida.



With the fact that Iran has called for Israel's destruction, I think they should have been preparing for a long time.

I wonder who will side with Israel? The UN, not likely:


The U.N.’s main body focusing on human rights – the Human Rights Council - has just wrapped up its first year of existence with endless bouts of Israel-bashing. Kofi Annan had pitched this dysfunctional organization last year as “a great new chance for the United Nations, and for humanity, to renew the struggle for human rights.” To his credit, his successor as Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, voiced disappointment at the Council’s decision to single out Israel as the only specific regional item on its agenda, “given the range and scope of allegations of human rights violations throughout the world.”


We should be preparing too.

Update: Cloture Vote

Remember the first vote for cloture on the Amnesty bill is Tuesday morning. If you have not done so, contact your Senator here.

Call, write e-mails, send a telegraph, however you prefer, just get in touch and let them know how you feel.

No Amnesty!

There are 12 undecided senators leaning against the Amnesty bill:


Bond (R-Mo.), Bingaman (D-N.M.), Burr (R-N.C.), Boxer (D-Calif.), Cochran (R-Miss.), Conrad (D-N.D.), Ensign (R-Nev.), Levin (D-Mich.), Gregg (R-N.H.), Nelson (D-Neb.), Hatch (R-Utah), Webb (D-Va.).


Be sure and contact these.

Goodbye John

One time front runner John McCain has fallen to single digits, but what about Fred:


A new Mason-Dixon poll of likely Republican Nevada caucus goers finds Arizona Senator John McCain in single digits:

Fred Thompson, 25 percent
Mitt Romney, 20 percent
Rudy Giuliani, 17 percent
John McCain, 8 percent


The Amnesty stance is really hurting McCain.

The Weekend's Best.

I have been busy on the weekends lately and have not been able to post much, if at all. This is what you need to read:


Fred to officially toss his hat in!

Kausfiles Idea: Preview The Negative Ads That Will Run For Amnesty-Without-Security Proponents

Video: Feinstein “looking at” reviving the Fairness Doctrine

Old girlfriends cast their vote for Thompson

Audio: Teddy Kennedy sings in Spanish, promises illegal alien activist that “We won’t let you down, my friend” Update: Shamnesty’s “too close to call” Update: Rasmussen shows shamnesty support dropping again

Obama To Christians: We Are The Way, The Truth, and The Life — Not Christ.

Iran News Round Up

Ron Paul not invited to Iowa debate

Unfair

Dissin' Fred Like a Lib


That will probably keep you busy for a while. I'll get back to you soon.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Wanted murderer and a convicted child molester found in Immigration raids.

Reuters reports:


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Scores of illegal immigrants, including a man wanted for murder and a convicted child molester, were arrested in Southern California raids this week, U.S. authorities said on Friday.

...

Of the 175 people arrested, 27 are criminal aliens and another 26 are "immigration fugitives" who had ignored deportation orders by a judge.

...

Among those arrested in the raids was Almarez Reveles Gonzalo, 35, wanted in Mexico for the murder of his 74-year-old uncle, ICE said. He was turned over to Mexican authorities. Also arrested was Jamie Pena-Martinez, 30, a Mexican national previously convicted of child molestation who was ordered deported.

...

Most of those arrested in the raids were Mexicans, but others came from India, Kenya, the Philippines and Columbia. Of the 175 arrested, ICE said, 100 had already been deported.

Atlas Shrugs: " Can we bomb Iran now?"

We do need to stop them:


Iran is closer to nuclear weapons than anyone, including Israel, is admitting. According to today’s Jerusalem Post, Iran has produce 100 kilograms (220 lbs) of enriched uranium.

...

The first atomic weapon, “little boy”, dropped on Japan had 64 kg of uranium. Using that primitive technology, Iran has enough material already to make 3 or 4 bombs.

According to
this video (From www.israeliweapons.com) Israel is able to build 10 nukes from 40 kilos of Uranium.

The time to act against Iran is NOW.


She is right. They will not wait too long to put the uranium to use.

At least Pelosi supports Canada's troops.

Maybe she would support ours if we had universal health care.

Michelle Malkin has the whole story here.

This is terrible. I am a veteran of the US Navy, and find this insulting. The Speaker of the House (or at least her employees) does not know the difference in our military uniforms and the uniforms worn by other countries. This is the third person in line for the White House we are talking about.











Lamar Alexander to vote against cloture on Tuesday.

From the corner:

This problem has been years in the making and will take time to fix. We must secure the border first once and for all, verified by credible sources, without amnesty – you are here legally or you are not here. We also must make it easier for highly skilled workers to come to America to create jobs and expect and assist those here legally to become Americans by speaking our language and appreciating our history and culture.

I will oppose any bill that does not include these essential elements.”

Federalism!

Listen to Fred here.

Fred has been the only no vote on several 99-1 votes. He believes in states rights. So do I:


Only a few years ago, Texas was losing doctors fast. Rising malpractice insurance rates were fueling what analysts called a crisis. In some parts of the state, emergency wards were closing and residents were facing long trips for even basic medical care. The doctors who were most likely to leave the state were those hit hardest by malpractice insurance premiums -- the "high risk" specialists such as neurosurgeons, cardiologists and obstetricians.

Then, in 2003, Texas passed Prop 12, capping non-economic damages in medical malpractice suits to $750,000. $250,000 of that applied to physicians. There were no limits put on damages for medical expenses or economic expenses such as past and future lost income.

At the time, there were only four insurance companies left in Texas willing to cover doctors, and they were scheduling rate increases. Now 30 insurers are doing business in the Lone Star State and others are moving into the market. Rates have fallen on an average of more than 20 percent. Malpractice lawsuits have fallen 50 percent,

So many doctors have now requested Texas medical licenses that thousands are backlogged and an emergency appropriations was passed to help the Texas Medical Board speed up their processing. Now, other states are considering similar legislation to stop the loss of their own doctors to Texas. I consider this a small but important victory for the principles of Federalism.

Your Doctor could keep you from owning a gun.

A new bill in the House of Representatives will allow doctors ban you from owning a gun:


The House of Representatives has fast-tracked new legislation to "improve" the National Instant Criminal Background Check System by allowing doctors to now decide who can own firearms.

The proposal, H.R. 2640, was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., in the wake of the April tragedy at Virginia Tech, when a gunman shot and killed more than 30 people, then killed himself.

...

If the Act passes in the Senate, it would provide grants so states can add the names of criminals to the NICS system, which would label them as unable to own firearms, but it also flags those with medical or psychological issues as unfit to possess a gun.


The plan allows names to be entered into the NICS system based solely on a physician's diagnosis or prescription of a medication: adults who have taken Ritalin and soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder would be classified as mentally ill and given the same opportunity to own firearms as convicted felons: None.



The worst part:


The National Rifle Association has endorsed the plan as a way to keep guns
out of the hands of criminals and the mentally unstable.



I knew it was just a matter of time before things like this started happening.

A quote from Thomas Jefferson:


"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I
advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives
boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks." --Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785. ME 5:85, Papers 8:407

A few more quotes on the subject:


To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people
always possess arms..."
- Richard Henry Lee, 1788, Member of the First U.S. Senate


"That the said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize
Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms..."
- Samuel Adams, Debates and Proceedings in the Convention of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, at 86-87 (Peirce & Hale, eds., Boston, 1850. 2, col. 2.


"...to disarm the people is the best and most effective way to enslave
them..."
- George Mason


There are many more on that last link. Read them.

Clinton and Boxer gunning for talk radio. Are blogs next?

Listen to this Breitbart exclusive report.

They want to attack talk radio because right wing talk radio is doing great at getting the agenda out, while left wing talk radio is going down the toilet.

Unfortunately the Amnesty bill has members of the Republican party wanting to do it too:

Comments by Republican senators on Thursday suggested that they were feeling the heat from conservative critics of the bill, who object to provisions offering legal status. The Republican whip, Trent Lott of Mississippi, who supports the bill, said: “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.”



Fight this now. If they want to control talk radio it will not be long before they come after bloggers.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Who is behind the push for the Amnesty Bill?

Maybe this will answer the question.

You guessed it, big business.

Red State has more.

Toward the bottom of the first link you will see National Council Of La Raza chief executive Janet Murguía. Read this about La Raza.


Behind the respectable front of the National Council of La Raza lies the real agenda of the La Raza movement, the agenda that led to those thousands of illegal immigrants in the streets of American cities, waving Mexican flags, brazenly defying our laws, and demanding concessions.

Key among the secondary organizations is the radical racist group Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, or Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan (MEChA), one of the most anti-American groups in the country, which has permeated U.S. campuses since the 1960s, and continues its push to carve a racist nation out of the American West.

One of America's greatest strengths has always been taking in immigrants from cultures around the world, and assimilating them into our country as Americans. By being citizens of the U.S. we are Americans first, and only, in our national loyalties.

This is totally opposed by MEChA for the hordes of illegal immigrants pouring across our borders, to whom they say:

"Chicano is our identity; it defines who we are as people. It rejects the notion that we...should assimilate into the Anglo-American melting pot...Aztlan was the legendary homeland of the Aztecas ... It became synonymous with the vast territories of the Southwest, brutally stolen from a Mexican people marginalized and betrayed by the hostile custodians of the Manifest Destiny."

....

"In the spirit of a new people that is conscious not only of its proud historical heritage but also of the brutal gringo invasion of our territories, we, the Chicano inhabitants and civilizers of the northern land of Aztlan from whence came our forefathers, reclaiming the land of their birth and consecrating the determination of our people of the sun, declare that the call of our blood is our power, our responsibility, and our inevitable destiny. ... Aztlan belongs to those who plant the seeds, water the fields, and gather the crops and not to the foreign Europeans. ... We are a bronze people with a bronze culture. Before the world, before all of North America, before all our brothers in the bronze continent, we are a nation, we are a union of free pueblos, we are Aztlan. For La Raza todo. Fuera de La Raza nada.

"That closing two-sentence motto is chilling to everyone who values equal rights for all. It says: "For The Race everything. Outside The Race, nothing."


Read the whole article. These are the kinds of people the president is working with and for. I want my country back.

Fred "on the move" in Florida.

Fred has gained 14% in the last month according to Strategic Vision polls.

(05/16/07):


12. Who is your first choice for the Republican nomination in 2008?


(Republicans only)


Rudy Giuliani 32%
John McCain 20%
Fred Thompson 10%
Newt Gingrich 7%


(06/21/07):

14. Who is your first choice for the Republican nomination in 2008?

(Republicans only)

Rudy Giuliani 30%
Fred Thompson 24%
John McCain 11%
Mitt Romney 8%


Win, Fred, Win

Mark Levin slams Trent Lott

Mark Levin is one of the best. This is proof.

The republicans are loosing the base of their party. They have forgotten the fact that we think for ourselves. We do not blindly follow the leader on any and all issues.

The democrats can get away with this "we know what is best" stuff. The republicans cannot.

Why is Iran getting a free pass to attack us?

Right Wing News asks some excellent questions:


Ok, so Iran is training people to kidnap the British in Iraq.

How come we're not killing anyone in Iran over this? Why aren't we reading reports about Iranian officials being found hanging from light posts or missiles being fired into the family homes of important mullahs over there? If the Mahdi army is responsible for this kidnapping, why isn't Muqtada al-Sadr being waterboarded right now by Americans demanding to know where those Brits
are? Better yet, why is Mookie still breathing at this point?

Click the link to read the report he is discussing.


He also has an interesting thought on Bush:


We've been hearing these stories out of Iraq for months, even years now, but what we're not hearing about is the people responsible paying any sort of price for targeting Americans or our allies. Additionally, we keep hearing that George Bush is this wild eyed, cowboy with a John Wayne complex who has no qualms about inflicting any and all horrors on our enemies...I really wish that were true.




I have written about this in the past.

If you want to be successful in Iraq, Iran must be taken out of the equation.

Fred speaks out about CAIR.

Be sure and listen here.

The transcript is at the link too.

This is a must listen to report. CAIR is getting a vast majority of its money from "wealthy Persian governments".

Hot Air's report on this.

Are Sunspots the key to Climate Change?

Timothy Patterson thinks so:


Specifically, we find a very strong and consistent 11-year cycle throughout the whole record in the sediments and diatom remains. This correlates closely to the well-known 11-year "Schwabe" sunspot cycle, during which the output of the sun varies by about 0.1%. Sunspots, violent storms on the surface of the sun, have the effect of increasing solar output, so, by counting the spots visible on the surface of our star, we have an indirect measure of its varying brightness. Such records have been kept for many centuries and match very well with the changes in marine productivity we are observing.



He also acknowledges that science is many years away from understanding global climate change:


The fact that science is many years away from properly understanding global climate doesn't seem to bother our leaders at all. Inviting testimony only from those who don't question political orthodoxy on the issue, parliamentarians are charging ahead with the impossible and expensive goal of "stopping global climate change." Liberal MP Ralph Goodale's June 11 House of Commons assertion that Parliament should have "a real good discussion about the potential for carbon capture and sequestration in dealing with carbon dioxide, which has tremendous potential for improving the climate, not only here in Canada but around the world," would be humorous were he, and even the current government, not deadly serious about devoting vast resources to this hopeless crusade.




How do the scientists feel about it:



In a 2003 poll conducted by German environmental researchers Dennis Bray and Hans von Storch, two-thirds of more than 530 climate scientists from 27 countries surveyed did not believe that "the current state of scientific knowledge is developed well enough to allow for a reasonable assessment of the effects of greenhouse gases." About half of those polled stated that the science of climate change was not sufficiently settled to pass the issue over to policymakers at all.



What does he suggest governments do:



Solar scientists predict that, by 2020, the sun will be starting into its weakest Schwabe solar cycle of the past two centuries, likely leading to unusually cool conditions on Earth. Beginning to plan for adaptation to such a cool period, one which may continue well beyond one 11-year cycle, as did the Little Ice Age, should be a priority for governments. It is global cooling, not warming, that is the major climate threat to the world, especially Canada. As a country at the northern limit to agriculture in the world, it would take very little cooling to destroy much of our food crops, while a warming would only require that we adopt farming techniques practiced to the south of us.


Meantime, we need to continue research into this, the most complex field of science ever tackled, and immediately halt wasted expenditures on the King
Canute-like task of "stopping climate change."



I am no expert on this problem. It may be warming, it may be cooling. But throwing money away trying to control it is foolish.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Frank Newport: "New Gallup data shows confidence in Congress at all time low"

In a USA Today article he discusses the polls:


Just 14% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in
Congress.


This 14% Congressional confidence rating is the all-time low for this measure, which Gallup initiated in 1973. The previous low point for Congress was 18% at several points in the period of time 1991 to 1994.



The democrats seem to have forgotten what its like to be in power. I'm glad they have gotten this country straightened out. Yeah right.

Support the Marines.

I found this at Confederate Yankee:


This just in via email from Blackfive:

With combat operations in Iraq as kinetic as they've ever been, the Marines
could use your support. No links, just please use the info below at your
discretion. At Blackfive, we have been trying to improve our relationship with
the Public Affairs Officers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not surprisingly, the
Marines have begun a really intense exchange of ideas with us. One Marine Combat Commander embraced our offer of support. One of the requests that they had of us was to attempt to get 6,000 positive and supportive emails - one for each Marine, Sailor and Soldier in the Marine Regimental Combat Team - 6. Grim, our resident thinker and former Marine at Blackfive, has taken responsibility for
this project. From Grim's interview with Marine Colonel Simcock, Commander of
RCT-6:

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2007/06/roundtable_with.html


COL. SIMCOCK: (Chuckles.) I'll tell you what, the one thing that all Marines
want to know about -- and that includes me and everyone within Regimental Combat
Team 6 -- we want to know that the American public are behind us. We believe
that the actions that we're taking over here are very, very important to
America. We're fighting a group of people that, if they could, would take away
the freedoms that America enjoys. If anyone -- you know, just sit down, jot us
-- throw us an e- mail, write us a letter, let us know that the American public
are behind us. Because we watch the news just like everyone else. It's broadcast
over here in our chow halls and the weight rooms, and we watch that stuff, and
we're a little bit concerned sometimes that America really doesn't know what's
going on over here, and we get sometimes concerns that the American public isn't
behind us and doesn't see the importance of what's going on. So that's something
I think that all Marines, soldiers and sailors would like to hear from back
home, that in fact, yes, they think what we're doing over here is important and
they are in fact behind us.


The Marines have set up a special email address to send a supportive message to the Marines is:
RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil . The emails are being scanned by the PAO before being printed and distributed to individual Marines.

And, guess what?, the RCT-6 has a blog at http://fightin6thmarines.vox.com/

AFTER A FEW DAYS, WE HAVE ONLY GOTTEN THE MARINES ABOUT 2,000 EMAILS. WE COULD USE SOME HELP IN GETTING THE WORD OUT.

Thanks!Best,Matt



I'm sending mine now. You should do the same.

Sign a new No Amnesty petition.

A new No Amnesty petition to sign.

Speak up, don't let them give this country away.

A little history lesson.

The article is called the Father of the Iranian revolution:



We just don't get it. The Left in America is screaming to high heaven that the mess we are in in Iraq and the war on terrorism has been caused by the right-wing and that George W. Bush, the so-called "dim-witted cowboy," has created the entire mess.

The truth is the entire nightmare can be traced back to the liberal democratic policies of the leftist Jimmy Carter, who created a firestorm that destabilized our greatest ally in the Muslim world, the shah of Iran, in favor of a religious fanatic, the ayatollah Khomeini.

Carter viewed Khomeini as more of a religious holy man in a grassroots revolution than a founding father of modern terrorism. Carter's ambassador to the UN, Andrew Young, said "Khomeini will eventually be hailed as a saint." Carter's Iranian ambassador, William Sullivan, said, "Khomeini is a Gandhi-like figure." Carter adviser James Bill proclaimed in a Newsweek interview on February 12, 1979 that Khomeini was not a mad mujahid, but a man of "impeccable integrity and honesty."

The shah was terrified of Carter. He told his personal confidant, "Who knows what sort of calamity he [Carter] may unleash on the world?"



He did unleash it, and many people have paid with their lives. Appeasement does not work with Islamic fanatics. That is the basis of the situation we are experiencing today. The Carter administration laid the groundwork for these terror organizations in the 70's.

We will not be able to appease these people. I would love for this not to be true. To be able to talk our differences out, as I'm sure all Americans would. The main difference between the left and right on this issue, the right has correctly determined these people are not interested in talk. They are interested in killing. It will continue until we destroy them or they destroy us.

As I have said before, the time to act is now.

Click the link above and rest the whole article. It is worth the time.

Fred: "perhaps this is the occasion where the man meets the times.”

In an interview from London, Fred sounds like he's ready to be president:



"I think they perceive the reality and the reality is that perhaps this is the occasion where the man meets the times."

He said he had the experience for a tough presidential campaign in an already crowded field for the Republican nomination in next year’s presidential election.
“As we say where I grew up this ain’t my first rodeo. I’ve seen it up close
and personal. I’ve had good friends run for president. I've campaigned for
them. I’ve known a few presidents. I understand what the job is about and I
wouldn’t run for it if I wasn’t willing to pay the price”.


He gives his opinion on starting out with the "high expectations" :


“You start out with these kinds of poll numbers and you have a level of expectation. But frankly I’d rather have that problem than the problem that some
of the others have.”



On the War:


But he is also seeking to distance himself from the unpopular incumbent president, George Bush. In the interview Mr Thompson was strongly critical of the conduct of the Iraq war, and said America would proceed with a greater “dose of realism” in the future.

But he insisted the original decision to go to war was “just” and said the US was right to try to promote democracy around the world.


I think he is ready to announce. It sounds like he is chomping at the bit.

Win, Fred, Win

A Flyer from the 9/11 Families For A Secure America.

Click here.

Stop the Amnesty Bill.

Find your senator's phone numbers and e-mail them here.

Who is doing the Price Gouging?

We all know how bad the oil companies are. They are getting rich providing a valuable product to consumers. But who profits most:


State, local and federal taxes make up about 20 percent of the cost paid at the pump, according to Conoco Phillips, an international, integrated energy company.

So, while many tend to assume major gas companies are hugely profiting when gas prices peak, this may not be the case. According to the U.S. Energy information Administration, when the average price of regular unleaded gas peaked at $3 per gallon in 2006, most major companies were profiting only about
10 cents per gallon on refining and marketing options, while the federal tax alone is as much as 18.4 cents per gallon.


As of March, the national average gasoline tax is 45.8 cents. New York has the highest gas tax at 60.8 cents at the pump, with Hawaii just behind costing 60.2 cents per gallon, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

Gas taxes include federal, averaging 18.4 cents per gallon; state, averaging 18.2 cents per gallon; and additional taxes costing an average of 9.15 cents per gallon. The additional taxes include applicable sales taxes, gross receipts taxes, oil inspection fees, underground storage tank fees and other environmental fees.




So the oil company (who supplies the product) gets about $.10 a gallon, while the government (who does absolutely nothing) gets around $.45.8 a gallon. Who is it that needs to be investigated for price gouging?

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Press Release from the House Immigration Reform Caucus.

Michelle Malkin has the release here:



“First and foremost, we must gain control of our borders, and the Senate bill fails to do this,” King said. “Furthermore, against the wishes of the American people, the Senate bill would provide almost immediate amnesty for an estimated 12 million illegal aliens here in the United States. These are serious issues that would only serve to weaken the security of our country.”

“The immigration status quo is intolerable. Not because our immigration laws are broken, but because they are not vigorously enforced,” Smith said. “Immigration enforcement has failed primarily because Administrations for 20 years have not enforced sanctions on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Our resolution calls on the Administration to enforce employer sanctions systematically, not just sporadically.”

The bill also reforms the H-2A Visa program to allow for a market-based number of temporary agricultural workers each year. The legislation does not provide amnesty, or the legalization of aliens illegally residing in the United States, and would make English our nation’s official language.




Furthermore, House Republican leaders have introduced a resolution calling for the enforcement of all immigration laws points out a number of current laws that are not fully enforced. This includes implementing both the entry and exit portions of the U.S. VISIT program, enforcing the employer sanctions that were enacted as part of the “Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986,” and increasing the number of Border Patrol agents, detention beds, and immigration investigators.





Sounds pretty good. Of course we'll have to wait and see. Bush would probably veto it anyway. It seems he has found his pen.

Take the Pledge.

Do these points upset you as much as they upset me:


1. You, and hundreds of thousands of Americans like you, told Congress: No amnesty for illegal aliens! No Bush Amnesty Bill!

2. Congress heard you, loud and clear. It refused to cut off debate on the Bush Amnesty Bill, in effect killing it. Or so we thought.

3. President Bush refuses to accept the will of the people. Nothing’s going to stop his Big Business backers from getting their cheap labor. He’s bribing Senators with threats and pork, and another vote is set for Wednesday!



If so, go here to take a pledge to provide no further monetary support for the Republicans supporting this bill.

Is It time for the "second-tier" candidates to go?

Jim Addison over at Wizbang Politics thinks so:



It's time for the so-called "second-tier" candidates - Brownback, Huckabee, Hunter, Gilmore, Tommy Thompson, Tancredo, and Paul - to wake up and smell the coffee. Their personal ego trips are becoming a long national nightmare. All they are accomplishing (besides making themselves look foolish, of course) is wasting time in debates which should be divided among the serious candidates.

If these losers won't withdraw on their own, debate sponsors should simply not invite them to any more fora.



I would not say that all of them should go. But they should start evaluating their chances. I would have to agree with Mr. Addison, they are taking up valuable time.

Hamas: ' missionaries to be 'dealt with harshly'

Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadia Salafiya, has issued a warning to Christians:


Christians can continue living safely in the Gaza Strip only if they accept Islamic law, including a ban on alcohol and on women roaming publicly without proper head coverings, an Islamist militant leader in Gaza told WND in an exclusive interview.

The militant leader said Christians in Gaza who engage in "missionary activity" will be "dealt with harshly."



"I expect our Christian neighbors to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza," said Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadia Salafiya, an Islamic outreach movement that recently announced the opening of a "military wing" to enforce Muslim law in Gaza.



Jihadia Salafiya is suspected of attacking a United Nations school in Gaza last
month
, after the school allowed boys and girls to participate in the same sporting event. One person was killed in that attack.

"The situation has now changed 180 degrees in Gaza," said Abu Saqer, speaking from Gaza yesterday.





Do you believe they will allow Christians to live in peace if they follow Islamic law? I don't either. The whole Middle East is a ticking time bomb.

I keep hearing about the moderate Islamic community, but have yet to hear one word from them. Maybe they are scared. Lord knows I would be.

I sincerely believe the time for talking has past. I wish it hadn't but it has. The people of Israel need to get rid of Olmert. Replace him with someone who can deal with these terrorists. The US needs to assist Israel in dealing with this too.

The acts of these terrorists have continued to grow more ruthless and frequent for the last 20 or 30 years. The US, Israel and Europe have allowed this to happen. The time to act is now. Quit talking and start acting.

Fred takes the lead (Rasmussen Reports)

Fred moves ahead of Rudy:



There’s change at the top in the race for the Republican Presidential
nomination.


The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds former
Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson earning support from 28% of Likely Republican Primary Voters. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attracts support from 27%. While Thompson’s one-point edge is statistically insignificant, it is the first time all year that anybody but Giuliani has been on top in Rasmussen
Reports polling. A
week ago, Thompson and Giuliani were tied at 24%.


Each time I see a report on Fred there is a line like this:



It remains an open question as to how Thompson will hold up once he actually enters the campaign and has to compete directly with other candidates. To date, he retains the allure of the new kid in town while GOP voters already know the things they don’t like about the others.



I think Fred will do just fine when he starts competing with the other candidates.

Win, Fred, Win

Friday, June 15, 2007

Laura Ingraham grills Tony Snow over Amnesty Bill.

Tony tries to convince her this is the best thing that can happen. She didn't buy it. Go here to listen. The first question:


What is the U.S. government doing to stop the invasion from Mexico?


"Sixty-nine percent of Americans, 85 percent of the GOP, 55 percent
of the Democrats want the border enforced," said Ingraham. "Does that affect you guys, or do you guys just blow it off?"


Snow repeated, several times, the Bush administration's talking points on the issue – how the failed comprehensive immigration reform bill, which fell far short on its last test in the U.S. Senate, would secure the borders, require illegal aliens to pay a fine and require them to "keep their noses clean," and learn English.


But Ingraham, who worked as a speechwriter for two years in the Reagan
administration and later served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence
Thomas before launching "The Laura Ingraham Show" in 2001, wasn't letting him off the hook.


"Eight-five % of the GOP doesn't like what the White House is
doing on this," she said. "You're talking the base of this party."



She also states:


Tony, why don't people believe you?" she asked. "The majority of your party, people who voted for President Bush … They see the conservative coalition
dissolving before their eyes."




This is a good interview. Do yourself a favor, listen.

A lot of people feel the same way. Is it just me or is the Bush administration playing the same game as the democrats use? If they tell us the same thing over and over are we eventually going to believe them? I am not. I will not vote for anyone who supports this bill. I suggest you do the same.

Secure the border. Enforce the laws.

China is supplying insurgents in Iraq and Taliban forces in Afghanistan

From the Washington Post:


New intelligence reveals China is covertly supplying large quantities of small arms and weapons to insurgents in Iraq and the Taliban militia in Afghanistan, through Iran.




Some arms were sent by aircraft directly from Chinese factories to Afghanistan and included large-caliber sniper rifles, millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades and components for roadside bombs, as well as other small arms.

The Washington Times reported June 5 that Chinese-made HN-5 anti-aircraft missiles were being used by the Taliban.




U.S. Army specialists suspect the weapons were transferred within the past three months.

The Bush administration has been trying to hide or downplay the intelligence reports to protect its pro-business policies toward China, and to continue to claim that China is helping the United States in the war on terrorism. U.S. officials have openly criticized Iran for the arms transfers but so far there has been no mention that China is a main supplier.



That last part is what bothers me. If this is true it is an outrage.

Fred's speech to be shown at the National Right to Life conference.

Hot Air has the speech here.

Go get em Fred.

Eternal Combat.

Read this post from one of my favorite bloggers, Hillbilly White Trash.


You should read the whole post. I want you to at least read the last paragraph:


PS, it is still possible to kill this abomination in the Senate and if not there there prospects for killing it in the House are much better, but you're going to have to raise holy hell (I know you've been doing that but what comes next is going to have to make what has come before seem tame). And if we do kill this thing this year it will not come back next year due to the election. However the political class will not take this defeat lightly. If we prove to them that we still run this country, not them, they will be even more determined to bring us to heel. So get used to the idea that the price of liberty is not just eternal vigilance, but eternal combat as well.



How true. Get on the phone. Send e-mails. It is time to take our country back from the bureaucrats in Washington.

A Wonderful letter.

I just received this letter, written by a housewife in New Jersey, in an e-mail:



"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11,2001?

Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania ?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible,burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?...Well, I don't.I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia .

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat,and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran"and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it-I don't care !!



"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." --Ronald Reagan


"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Also by.. Ronald Reagan


One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America , he said: "A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in... And how many want out."

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:


1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.





Well said.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Sorry

I have been pretty busy with trying to pay the bills. I will be able to do a little more on Friday. I have not been posting that much anyways, but I have about got all the kinks worked out of the blog. You will start to see an increase. I promise.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Here comes the Amnesty Bill, again.

Lindsey Graham has authored an amendment to the bill that would provide $4.4 billion to fund border security:



South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a principle author of the amendment with Republican Sens. Jon Kyl and Mel Martinez, says his amendment
is designed to be "a confidence builder" to address members' concerns that
ramped up border security provisions in the bill won't, in the end, get
funded.


Graham hopes to provide $4.4 billion the day the bill is signed,
through an estimate in fees and fines in the current immigration bill, to be
used to beef up all the border security measures in the bill, with an additional
$800 million for further measures, taking from measures put forward last year by
New Hampshire Sen.
Judd Gregg who called for more investment in
capital infrastructure, like unmanned aerial vehicles and new Coast Guard
boats.




The bill is alive and well. Get back on the phone.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Will Liz Cheney join Thompson team?

Drudge has it as a news flash at the top of his page right now.

Harry Reid just don't get it.

Reid don't want a military strike against Iran:


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected on Monday another prominent
senator's call for a military strike against Iran, saying a U.S. attack would
destabilize the Middle East.Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent from
Connecticut and chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said over the
weekend the United States should be prepared to use military force to stop Iran
from training and equipping Iraqi militants blamed for the deaths of U.S. troops
in Iraq.




"The invasion of (Iran) is only going to destabilize that part of the
world more," Reid said on Monday after speaking at a forum hosted by the Center
for American Progress think tank.






He just don't get it. The Middle East is already "destabilized". Almost every country over there is having problems with war and terrorism. They have been for a long time, even before Bush came along. The time to act is now. We cannot afford to wait until Iran develops nuclear weapons. I don't think they have them yet. I believe if they had them they would have used one by now. We must stop them from developing one.

We are fighting Iranian insurgents in Iraq. Iran is training, supporting, and supplying them. That alone is reason enough to attack them. Add to that the threat of a nuclear program, and there is no question what we should do.

Stop Iran.

I warned you. Be prepared to fight.

I told you last Friday to keep up the fight against the Amnesty bill. Now Right Wing News is saying this:


Folks, I hate to tell you this, but I am hearing that the Senate amnesty bill is going to be coming back up for another vote, probably within a month's time
.


Keep up with the calls and e-mails.

Secure the border.

How does Fred feel about the Immigration issue?

Go here and watch the videos.

Fred understands the issues.

Win, Fred, Win

Rasmussen reports: Fred tied with Rudy!

Fred ties Rudy, 24%. McCain and Romney tied at 11%:



Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has to share his spot atop the
field of Republican Presidential hopefuls this week. The newest face in the
race, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, is now tied with Giuliani. The
latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds each man earning
support from 24% of likely Republican Primary voters. A
week ago, Giuliani had a six percentage point lead over Thompson, 23% to 17%.


Fred (Our next president) Thompson has moved to the top extremely fast. He will keep going.

Win, Fred, Win

Monday, June 11, 2007

So, Fred is not that lazy after all.

A lot has been mentioned about Fred Thompson (our next President) being too lazy. Well Jeff Nelligan, the former public affairs chief for the Government Accountability Office, has a different opinion:



Every profile I’ve read on Thompson contains references, by the typical
unnamed coward sources, to him being “lazy”, his Senate career lackluster, and
gasp, there’s not a piece of legislation with his name on it! (Well gee, Teddy
Kennedy has his name on a bunch of bills – and that’s made the nation a better
place, n’cest pa?)


My experience with Senator Thompson dates to when I was the public
affairs chief for GAO, the Government Accountability Office, a legislative
branch agency providing oversight of the feds. Thompson was chairman of the
Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, the complementary panel to GAO. It’s kind of a backwater committee, with not the visibility of say, Foreign Affairs, or
Armed Services, or Appropriations. But the committee is essential to
investigating the mechanics of government – and how those gears can be made to
work more efficiently.



Thompson was committed back of GAO’s High Risk list, another
blockbuster for serious students of government but relegated to a desultory
affair, that identified those agencies in government that were performing sup
par, wasting taxpayer dollars, and thus needed fixing. These are the kinds of
endeavors that are dull as dishwater but vital as air for those who want a
Government That Works. Thompson was the guy who knew all these arcane, and while other members were dancing around getting headlines on the issue of the day, Thompson was grinding it out in Committee; I know, I had to attend those
hearings and they were full of minutiae.


In fact, of the many Members I’ve dealt with in my primo roll as the
number-one Hill hack, Thompson was one of the two or three who always impressed me as immersed in details, the guy who took on these arcane and non-headline issues, and pursued them doggedly. Another, coincidentally enough, was Senator Joe Lieberman, ranking on the Committee and a genuine friend of Thompson’s.


So we zing to the press conference outside the Senate, with just a few
journalists, with Thompson going on calmly about improper payments and Medicare, the maddening system of billings done by Medicare providers that involved waste, fraud and abuse with a capital WFA. Then- OMB director Mitch Daniels was with
Thompson, but Thompson knew this subject matter cold.

So now I hear the stories about Thompson, which are typical of 1.
Opponents who want to drag him down, which is the way it works, and 2. A lazy
press corps who but for a few stalwarts, didn’t cover this subject matter when
Thompson was preaching at the wind. Now, I’m too much of a nothing burger to
have any say in this race. But Thompson, whatever his faults, is not getting a
fair shake. When you’re waxing on about OMB circulars and Clinger-Cohen’s
e-billing protocols, you’re not exactly lazy or lackluster. In fact, you’re
actually doing what government is supposed to be doing, which is trying to do
better.





So, while most of the Senators where out trying to get points for the "issue of the day". Ole Fred was busy working. I am tired of seeing our Representatives "grandstanding" on the "issue of the day" anyway. I would rather hear less from them, especially if it means they are working to make this a better country. After all, is not why they are there.

Win, Fred, Win