Tag: Libertarian

Guest Voice: Social Issues Symbolism by Jack Hunter

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When president-elect Barack Obama chose evangelical leader Rick Warren to lead a prayer at his inauguration the cultural Left threw the predictable fits. Said Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way, “this decision further elevates someone who has in recent weeks actively promoted legalized discrimination and denigrated the lives and relationships of millions of Americans,” referring to the recently passed anti-gay marriage referendum, Proposition 8 in California. Said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, “by inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table.” Added Democratic political consultant Chad Griffith “Rick Warren needs to realize that he is further dividing us at a time when the country needs to come together.”

In light of the Rick Warren controversy, such “coming together” rhetoric, so often mouthed by champions of “diversity” has one again proven to be a farce. For a true “coming together” of any sort on social issues, one might expect political opponents to either agree-to-disagree, yet still join and work together where they can, or for both sides to at least concede some principles as a compromise. In this case, as in most cases, the champions of diversity simply do not want an evangelical of Warren’s stripe to even be allowed a seat at the table. And while Warren hasn’t budged from his stance on gay marriage, neither will the Left anytime soon. It seems that the oft-desired “coming together” means not any new, warm embrace, but unconditional surrender, where only conservatives are always expected to wave the white flag.

The rise of social issues in American politics has as much to do with campaign strategies as the issues themselves. Gay marriage has become for the Democrats what abortion has long been for Republicans – issues that are better left unresolved because they are too useful in controlling certain voters. Any liberal or moderate Republican worried about shoring up his evangelical base can do so by mouthing just the right amount of pro-life rhetoric during his campaign, knowing full-well he has no intention of seriously revisiting the subject after the election. Just ask John McCain. To woo the cultural Left, the tiniest illustration by Democrats that they are at least favorable to gay-marriage is enough to garner those votes, even if it’s practically invisible on their actual agenda. Just ask Barack Obama.

Social issues like gay marriage and abortion remain trivialities not because they aren’t important – but because neither are likely to be solved precisely because neither party benefits from doing so. Why do mainstream Republicans or Democrats not demand states’ rights solutions, where individual states would be free to legalize or outlaw gay marriage or abortion according to the popular will? Because neither party really wants any real solutions. The purpose of a Republican supporting something like the Defense of Marriage Act is not to protect marriage per se, but to protect your office by signaling to voters that you stand on the right side of an issue that you and your successors hope never goes away. Likewise, in standing against the Defense of Marriage Act, Democrats benefit for the exact opposite reason.

Rick Warren’s invocation at Obama’s inauguration will not be a brighter, sadder or even different new day in the culture wars – but a symbolic gesture by the president-elect whose very rise to power has been more symbolic than substantive. Leftists who believe Warren’s mere presence at the inauguration represents anything tragic are as naïve as those on the Right who might believe it represents promise. And in both satisfying and enraging both sides of the social issues fence by inviting Warren to his swearing-in, the president-elect may indeed be introducing a new symbolic style, if only to cover-up the same old lack of substance.

When president-elect Barack Obama chose evangelical leader Rick Warren to lead a prayer at his inauguration the cultural Left threw the predictable fits. Said Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way, “this decision further elevates someone who has in recent weeks actively promoted legalized discrimination and denigrated the lives and relationships of millions of Americans,” referring to the recently passed anti-gay marriage referendum, Proposition 8 in California. Said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, “by inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table.” Added Democratic political consultant Chad Griffith “Rick Warren needs to realize that he is further dividing us at a time when the country needs to come together.”

In light of the Rick Warren controversy, such “coming together” rhetoric, so often mouthed by champions of “diversity” has one again proven to be a farce. For a true “coming together” of any sort on social issues, one might expect political opponents to either agree-to-disagree, yet still join and work together where they can, or for both sides to at least concede some principles as a compromise. In this case, as in most cases, the champions of diversity simply do not want an evangelical of Warren’s stripe to even be allowed a seat at the table. And while Warren hasn’t budged from his stance on gay marriage, neither will the Left anytime soon. It seems that the oft-desired “coming together” means not any new, warm embrace, but unconditional surrender, where only conservatives are always expected to wave the white flag.

The rise of social issues in American politics has as much to do with campaign strategies as the issues themselves. Gay marriage has become for the Democrats what abortion has long been for Republicans – issues that are better left unresolved because they are too useful in controlling certain voters. Any liberal or moderate Republican worried about shoring up his evangelical base can do so by mouthing just the right amount of pro-life rhetoric during his campaign, knowing full-well he has no intention of seriously revisiting the subject after the election. Just ask John McCain. To woo the cultural Left, the tiniest illustration by Democrats that they are at least favorable to gay-marriage is enough to garner those votes, even if it’s practically invisible on their actual agenda. Just ask Barack Obama.

Social issues like gay marriage and abortion remain trivialities not because they aren’t important – but because neither are likely to be solved precisely because neither party benefits from doing so. Why do mainstream Republicans or Democrats not demand states’ rights solutions, where individual states would be free to legalize or outlaw gay marriage or abortion according to the popular will? Because neither party really wants any real solutions. The purpose of a Republican supporting something like the Defense of Marriage Act is not to protect marriage per se, but to protect your office by signaling to voters that you stand on the right side of an issue that you and your successors hope never goes away. Likewise, in standing against the Defense of Marriage Act, Democrats benefit for the exact opposite reason.

Rick Warren’s invocation at Obama’s inauguration will not be a brighter, sadder or even different new day in the culture wars – but a symbolic gesture by the president-elect whose very rise to power has been more symbolic than substantive. Leftists who believe Warren’s mere presence at the inauguration represents anything tragic are as naïve as those on the Right who might believe it represents promise. And in both satisfying and enraging both sides of the social issues fence by inviting Warren to his swearing-in, the president-elect may indeed be introducing a new symbolic style, if only to cover-up the same old lack of substance.

Jack Hunter Blogs at The Southern Avenger and Taki’s Magazine

Far Lefty Liberal Columnist Joel Stein Admits that Liberals Hate America

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A stunning admission from the far left, but not a huge surprise.

Via The L.A. Times:

I don’t love America. That’s what conservatives are always telling liberals like me. Their love, they insist, is truer, deeper and more complete. Then liberals, like all people who are accused of not loving something, stammer, get defensive and try to have sex with America even though America will then accuse us of wanting it for its body and not its soul. When America gets like that, there’s no winning.

But I’ve come to believe conservatives are right. They do love America more. Sure, we liberals claim that our love is deeper because we seek to improve the United States by pointing out its flaws. But calling your wife fat isn’t love. True love is the blind belief that your child is the smartest, cutest, most charming person in the world, one you would gladly die for. I’m more in “like” with my country.

A rather mind-numbing statement and a rather frank admission. That is the whole problem with Liberals, they would rather focus on America’s flaws, than focus on it’s greatness. He goes on to blather on about Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.

But this is what bothered me:

Conservatives feel personally blessed to have been born in the only country worth living in. I, on the other hand, just feel lucky to have grown up in a wealthy democracy. If it had been Australia, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Israel or one of those Scandinavian countries with more relaxed attitudes toward sex, that would have been fine with me too.

Hell, why stop there? Why not just move to somewhere more inline with your beliefs, like say, Iran, Russia or maybe North Korea?

The Communist Blathers on:

I wish I felt such certainty. Sure, it makes life less interesting and nuanced, and absolute conviction can lead to dangerous extremism, but I suspect it makes people happier. I’ll never experience the joy of Hannity-level patriotism. I’m the type who always wonders if some other idea or place or system is better and I’m missing out. And, as I figured out shortly after meeting my wife, that is no way to love.

Stop The ACLU agrees with my assessment:

And yeah, I understand the point of the column. It’s a criticism. We’re “blinded” by love to the point where we don’t even see America’s flaws. But that’s not quite true. I see them, as do many conservatives. But unlike liberals, that’s not all I see. I look at America and love her for everything she is, both the good and the bad. I look at my country, and despite the mistakes we have made and inevitably will continue to make, still know that this is the freest, best country on the face of the Earth, know that anyone from anywhere in the world can come here and build a good life for themselves if they’re only willing to work hard and play by the rules, that America will always stand for freedom and justice and democracy.

Liberals look at America, and have a hard time feeling the love and patriotism that conservatives feel because they can’t get get past the flaws. They can’t love America unless she is perfect. Conservatives, however, don’t require perfection to know that America is, indeed, a special, blessed place. It doesn’t mean that the rest of the world is a terrible, terrible place. It doesn’t mean that no one can possibly have a great life anywhere else. However, despite what many Little League coaches and PC teachers may believe, not every runner can finish the race in first, and while the rest of the world may be great, it’s just not the USA.

I could not have put it better myself.   However, I’ll take it a step further, if the Communist is dissatisfied with America and all of it’s supposed “Flaws”, he can always leave, there is not a law forcing him to live here.

Quote of the Day

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Indeed, Toyota claims losses for the first time in 70 years—though how Toyota’s management was able to keep sales up in 1945, when Gen. Curtis LeMay’s B-29s were conducting their nightly visits, escapes me.

Bush may believe he has sinned against free-market principles, but he is following the path of his great free-market predecessor. Ronald Reagan, too, was not prepared to see Japan take down the U.S. auto industry, or steel industry, or computer chip industry, or Harley-Davidson.

Believing Japan was dumping to destroy U.S. companies, Reagan put patriotism before ideology and imposed quotas on Japanese imports. He, too, was castigated by the same commentariat that is berating Bush.

Vice President Cheney, too, has endorsed the bailout of Detroit. Of the senators who voted to pull the plug on General Motors, Cheney is said to have remarked, “It’s Herbert Hoover time” up there in the GOP caucus.

[….]

Like Prohibition in Hoover’s phrase, globalism is “an experiment, noble in purpose, that has failed.”

Iraq Declares Christmas an Official Holiday for First Year

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Some good news from Iraq.

Via FOXNews.com:

Iraq’s Christians, a small minority in the overwhelmingly Muslim country, quietly celebrated Christmas on Thursday with a present from the government, which declared it an official holiday for the first time.

But security worries overshadowed the day for many, particularly in the north where thousands of Christians have fled to escape religious attacks.

Overall security in Iraq has improved markedly in the past year, but a fatal car bombing in Baghdad on Christmas morning was a gruesome reminder that serious problems remain.

The bombing outside a restaurant frequented by police killed four people and wounded 25 others in the Shiite neighborhood of Shula, said a police officer speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give information to news media.

Also Thursday, an oil official said attackers blew up a pipeline in the city of Kirkuk. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack occurred Wednesday and pumping was expected to resume within three days.

In his homily on Thursday, Chaldean Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly praised the establishment of Christmas as an official holiday as a step toward easing tensions.

“I thank it too for making this day an official holiday where we pray to God to make us trust each other as brothers,” he said at the Christmas Mass before several dozen worshippers in the small chapel of a Baghdad monastery.

A senior Shiite cleric, Ammar al-Hakim attended the event, flanked by bodyguards, in a gesture of cooperation with Christians.

“I thank the visitors here and ask them to share happiness and love with their brothers on Christmas. By this they will build a glorious Iraq,” the cardinal said.

Unlike some liberals, who only want to look on the bad side of everything, (No wonder Sean threw you off of his show, idiot.) I think that this is proof that the surge is working. There is no doubt, that there is much work to do in Iraq. But this is a sign that there is some progress in Iraq.

What pisses me off, about the Liberals is this; they refused to admit that we won the overall war on terror in Iraq. Granted, we went there on bad information, I do admit that, as do many Conservatives; but the Liberals continue to repeat that dead fucking tired line of, “We cannot win, we have to leave and let these people fight their own battles.” Further more, they are the most irresponsible people ever. If we just pack up and leave, without fixing what we broke, without making DAMN sure that the Iraqi’s can defend themselves from attack from another Nation, we would be responsible for the worst case of genocide ever.

The Liberals refuse to see that Muqtada al-Sadr is all but irrelevant and hiding in Iran. The insurgency over, other than the spurious car bomb, things are back to normal. It sad that the Communist Liberals won’t give our Military the credit it deserves for accomplishing that enormous feat.

I just wonder how long it will be, before the Magic One will just remove all of our troops from Afghanistan and say, “Oh well, we deserved 9/11 anyhow, so, we’re not going to fight no more!” It would not surprise me at all.

The Moderate Voice,  Scared Monkeys, TigerHawk, Gateway Pundit, and Don Surber

Funny Video: Sponsor an Executive

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This was sent to me by the smartest Democrat I know………………My Mom.  😀

RedState Update:Blagojevich Has Dirt On Obama?

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Jackie and Dunlap talk to the corruptest, bribe-takin’est governor in all of America– Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Find out how much it’ll cost to find out Obama’s involvement!

(CONTENT WARNING NSFW!)

Exit Comment: This video solves the riddle of how many times you can put the f-bomb in a video. WOW! 😮

From the “You Must be kidding!” Dept.: Enviro Nuts in Seattle, Washington Refuse to Salt roads!

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This is just absolutely flippin’ crazy!

Via Seattle, Washington’s Times:

To hear the city’s spin, Seattle’s road crews are making “great progress” in clearing the ice-caked streets.

But it turns out “plowed streets” in Seattle actually means “snow-packed,” as in there’s snow and ice left on major arterials by design.

“We’re trying to create a hard-packed surface,” said Alex Wiggins, chief of staff for the Seattle Department of Transportation. “It doesn’t look like anything you’d find in Chicago or New York.”

The city’s approach means crews clear the roads enough for all-wheel and four-wheel-drive vehicles, or those with front-wheel drive cars as long as they are using chains, Wiggins said.

The icy streets are the result of Seattle’s refusal to use salt, an effective ice-buster used by the state Department of Transportation and cities accustomed to dealing with heavy winter snows.

“If we were using salt, you’d see patches of bare road because salt is very effective,” Wiggins said. “We decided not to utilize salt because it’s not a healthy addition to Puget Sound.”

By ruling out salt and some of the chemicals routinely used by snowbound cities, Seattle has embraced a less-effective strategy for clearing roads, namely sand sprinkled on top of snowpack along major arterials, and a chemical de-icer that is effective when temperatures are below 32 degrees.

Seattle also equips its plows with rubber-edged blades. That minimizes the damage to roads and manhole covers, but it doesn’t scrape off the ice, Wiggins said.

That leaves many drivers, including Seattle police, pretty much on their own until nature does to the snow what the sand can’t: melt it.

The city’s patrol cars are rear-wheel drive. And even with tire chains, officers are avoiding hills and responding on foot, according to a West Precinct officer.

Between Thursday and Monday, the city spread about 6,000 tons of sand on 1,531 miles of streets it considers major arterials.

The tonnage, sprinkled atop the packed snow, amounts to 1.4 pounds of sand per linear foot of roadway, an amount one expert said might be too little to provide effective traction.

“Hmmm. Six thousand tons of sand for that length of road doesn’t seem like it’s enough,” said Diane Spector, a water-resources planner for Wenck Associates, which evaluated snow and ice clearance for nine cities in the Midwest.

Spector and snow-control experts in four cities said sand is typically mixed with salt and used for trouble spots.

“The occasional application of salt is probably not going to have a lasting effect” on the environment, Spector said. But she cautioned it’s highly dependent on where it’s used, how often and how much is applied.

Seattle’s stand against using salt is not shared by the state Department of Transportation, which has battled the latest storms in Western Washington with de-icer, 5,800 tons of salt and 11,500 cubic yards of salt and sand mix, said spokesman Travis Phelps.

Many cities are moving away from sand because it clogs the sewers, runs into waterways, creates air pollution and costs more to clean up.

Its main attraction is that it typically costs less than one-fifth the price of salt, according to Spector.

“We never use sand,” said Ann Williams, spokeswoman for Denver’s Department of Public Works. “Sand causes dust, and there’s also water-quality issues where it goes into streets and into our rivers.”

Instead, it sprays an “anti-icing” agent on dry roads before the snow falls and then a combination of chemicals to melt the ice.

Cheryl Kuck, spokeswoman for the Portland Bureau of Transportation, said her city prepared the streets last week with the “anti-icing” spray. Once the snow started, Portland used chemical de-icers, followed by plowing with 55 plows and treating trouble spots with sand and gravel.

Although the city had plowed 29 of its 36 major routes, “nothing is clear,” Kuck said late Monday afternoon. “This is a difficult and challenging situation that’s going to take us a long time to recover from.”

Wiggins, of Seattle’s transportation department, said the city’s 27 trucks had plowed and sanded 100 percent of Seattle’s main roads, and were going back for second and third passes.

“It’s tough going. I won’t argue with you on that,” he said. But here in Seattle, “we’re sensitive about everything we do that impacts the environment.”

Oh My freakin’ goodness!  These liberal morons are absolutely out of their flippin’ minds! I mean, not plowing or salting the fucking streets, because they’re afraid of polluting the water? Seriously?!?!

Moonbats! You gotta laugh, otherwise, You’d be scared to death.

These are Obambi’s people man! WOW! 😮

Update: Hell, even Malkin Agrees with me! 😀

Others: Townhall.com, Betsy’s Page and Commentary

The Reading Room: The Proper Role of Government by Ezra Taft Benson

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I was given this link via twitter a couple days ago, I bookmarked it.

I admit, that I didn’t read the entire thing, But I read enough of it, to see that it is something that everyone, of all political stripes should, in fact, read.

Go here to read, “The Proper Role of Government by Ezra Taft Benson”

Already?: The Party’s over for Obama and the far left

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Seriously. That was the first thing out of my mouth.

Already?

In other parts of the country one would say, “That Quick?”

Seems that way, because Richard Cohen has basically said of Obama, that the Party; with him and his lesbian sister, was over.

Quotable Quotes:

Not that he was planning to attend, but Barack Obama should know that my sister’s inauguration night party — the one for which she was preparing Obama Punch — has been canceled. The notice went out over the weekend, by e-mail and word of mouth, that Obama’s choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation had simply ruined the party. Warren is anti-gay, and my sister, not to put too fine a point on it, is not. She’s gay.

She is — or was — a committed Obama supporter. On the weekend before the presidential election, my sister and my mother drove from the Boston area, where they both live, to Obama’s New Hampshire headquarters in Manchester. There my mother made 76 phone calls for Obama, which is not bad for someone who is 96, and gives you an idea of the level of commitment to Obama in certain precincts of my family.

I should say right off that my mother feels less strongly about Warren than my sister does. But I should add immediately that my sister feels very strongly, indeed. She’s been in a relationship with another woman, the quite wonderful Nancy, for 19 years, and she resents the fact that Warren has likened same-sex marriage to incest, pederasty and polygamy.

Let me just say right here. What you are seeing, is a major let down by the far left. Many on the far left saw Barack Obama is some sort of Liberal Messiah that would make the world all better again, if he were elected. It had to do with much of his election stump speech, which was filled with bombast and platitudes. In reality, Barack Obama is nothing more than just another Chicago liberal politician who will say and do almost anything to get elected to the office in which he is running for.

Of Obama’s Preacher Problems, Cohen Adds:

The conventional thing to say is that Obama has a preacher problem — first the volcanic Jeremiah Wright and now the transparently anti-gay Warren. But the real problem has nothing to do with ministers and everything to do with Obama’s inability or unwillingness to be a moral leader. Sooner or later, he just might have to stand for something.

This was apparent to me almost a year ago when I reported that Obama’s church, the Trinity United Church of Christ, had given a major award to Louis Farrakhan, the anti-Semitic leader of the Nation of Islam. The award was presented in Wright’s name and featured in a cover story in the church’s magazine, Trumpet. When I asked the Obama campaign about this, I was told that Obama himself did not agree with Farrakhan. What a relief!

And what a joke. I never for a moment thought Obama viewed Farrakhan any differently from the way I do. But I also thought that as a U.S. senator, as a presidential candidate or even as a mere citizen, he had an obligation to denounce the award — maybe quit the church. Do something! He did nothing.

Wow! Isn’t that what Republicans and Independent Conservatives were saying, um, for the last 2 years about Obama, but were derided as racists? Man, talking about turning on your own! 😮

I knew this was coming, I just knew it. The Democratic Party elected someone based upon popularity and it is now coming back to haunt them. I said this way back in the primary, when I was still running this blog over on the old site on Blogger, that Obama was being set up as some sort of “Perfect Liberal” and that the Democrats were setting themselves up for a let down.

Somewhere today, John Edwards and the rest of the Democrats are smiling. Because they are seeing what I am seeing and thinking, “That’s what those assholes get for electing him!” Anytime you elected someone based upon popularity or in Bambi’s case, skin color; it almost always comes back to haunt you, and right now it is.

Something tells me, that this is going to be an interesting four years to come. I predict that by the time Obama’s four years are up, he will be the most hated President among the far left, ever.

Others: Commentary, Babalu Blog, Stop The ACLU, Macsmind and Riehl World View

New York Times….Punked!

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This is a real rip snorter.

It seems that the New York Times got punked.

Early this morning, we posted a letter that carried the name of Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, sharply criticizing Caroline Kennedy.

This letter was a fake. It should not have been published.

Doing so violated both our standards and our procedures in publishing signed letters from our readers.

We have already expressed our regrets to Mr. Delanoë’s office and we are now doing the same to you, our readers.

This letter, like most Letters to the Editor these days, arrived by email. It is Times procedure to verify the authenticity of every letter. In this case, our staff sent an edited version of the letter to the sender of the email and did not hear back. At that point, we should have contacted Mr. Delanoë’s office to verify that he had, in fact, written to us.

We did not do that. Without that verification, the letter should never have been printed.

We are reviewing our procedures for verifying letters to avoid such an incident in the future.

It appears that someone sent them a fake e-mail, and it got published.

Brilliant! 🙄

Others: Michelle Malkin, Ed Driscoll.com, Gawker, Jules Crittenden, Hot Air, Don Surber, Sister Toldjah, Macsmind, Weekly Standard, Blue Crab Boulevard, Gawker, Pajamas Media, Power Line, Althouse, Patterico’s Pontifications and New York Post (Via Memeorandum)

The Huffington Post says “nastiness for me, but not for thee”

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I am reading with mild amusement of how the Huffington Post is decrying the isolated racist comments being left over on a site called “Team Sarah“.

Um…. Has anyone forgotten about the nastiness on that site towards the right?

Some Examples:

When Ann Coulter’s Dad passed away. (H/T Michelle)

When Jerry Falwell Died that vitriol over at HuffPo was so bad that the site monitors had to close the comments section.

When a missile struck near where Dick Cheney was visiting in Iraq, HuffPo’s comment section when so berserk that the Site Monitors had to close the comments section down.

So, I just do not understand where the HuffPo gets off nailing a site, for doing much of the same stuff they do themselves.

By the way, Arianna, if you happen to read this. Take a fucking english course, you marble-mouthed BITCH! 😡



Quote of the Day

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In recent years, this question of ownership has insinuated itself into my mind, and I can’t dislodge it. If my home (automobile, income) is really mine, why must I pay strangers to continue to live in it, use it, retain it? Is it MINE, or not?

Not only must I pay to keep what is presumably mine, but the strangers who demand the tribute have a greater claim upon “my” property than I do. Over the years, I’ve needed to have several repairs made to a shifting foundation, have had to replace the roof shingles, re-pave the driveway, install a sump pump, etc. If, because of unexpected expenses, I had been unable to pay the property tax bill, would the collector have understood when I told him I’d have to give him a pass this time around? Of course not. His claim upon my money (say, should that be “my” money?) outweighs my own.

But I digress. Back to the “bubble.” We have lived in this house for forty-two years. We started construction in the late summer, or early fall, of 1965, and moved in on January 20, 1966, just one week before my son was born. Now for the epiphany: while I was musing over the tax bill, it suddenly dawned on me that, over the years, we’ve paid the local rulers more than the house cost. Much more, in fact. It’s incredible, when you think about it. The local authorities did nothing to facilitate our purchase of the land, the building of the house, or its subsequent maintenance; that all came out of my pocket. Yet, over the years, they’ve collected more from me than I paid the developer for the land and the building. And, needless to say, it’s not ending here – I’ll be paying them until I die or sell the house.

And then there’s the inflation factor. As the dollar has withered over the years, the “value” of the house has increased to seven or eight times the amount paid for it. I’ve always marveled that a building that gradually deteriorates becomes more valuable as it does so. My income, over my working years, did not increase sufficiently to match the decline of the dollar, especially with Medicare forcing me to work for less with each passing year. But for the true, actual, owners of the house, it didn’t matter; their tax rate was based upon the inflated value of the house, so that as the dollars became more worthless, they collected more of them.

What a sweet scheme! No wonder those windbags in the state house, or city hall, never stop referring to home ownership (sic!) as the fulfillment of the American Dream! For them, it’s a sweet dream indeed; for us, it can be a bad dream, if not a nightmare. For every house built within their jurisdiction, they will, eventually, collect more than the contractor, the developer, the architect, etc., from that house, and without significant expense on their part, or liability for flaws or defects. And should some defiant home “owner” challenge them and refuse to pay, they’ll simply take his house away from him, and sell it to someone who will. To cap the climax, I suspect that when the municipality borrows money, it uses “my” home as collateral.

A housing bubble? Of course. Every building that’s constructed means a perpetual flow of income to the local authorities. It may look to you like a house, but to them it’s a cash cow. And you’re getting milked, no bull!

Another Sad story of Police using excessive force

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This is another one of them stories that make my blood boil. 😡

Via The Huston Press’s Blog called HairBalls, we have a story of where 2 undercover Huston cops beat a 12 year old girl, because they thought she was a hooker.

You know, I am not the type person that advocates violence against Police Officers, but in cases like this, the use of deadly force against a police officer, would be, in my opinion, justified.

(Thanks to Lew Rockwell Blog)

Hell Freezes Over: Keith Olbermann pays a nice complement to…. Michelle Malkin (I Think!)

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Here’s tonight “Worst Person in the World” Segment from Keith’s Show.

Keith is referring to this Segment found here. The Bill O. stuff is comedy gold. I love the facial expressions and Keith hilarious impression of Bill O. who’s actually an impression of the news guy from Mary Tyler Moore’s Show; Ted Baxter, and if you don’t get that connection, you’re either a huge fox fan or a idiot. (or both!)

The Sean Hannity stuff speaks for itself. 😉

Parting Message: Ya’ll over on Hot Air quit picking on AllahPundit, He might be an Atheist, but he is one of the more level-headed people that writes on that Blog. More than I say for the other 2 muscle headed mooks that write over there. 😀 (Did I just write that? 😮 )

On Rick Warren

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Yes, I am awake. I was up 30 minutes before the alarm clock went off. Which I believe was amazing. To what extent I slept, I will know later. But I am awake and nursing a mug of coffee. 😀

Now about Rick Warren.  He’s about as traditional Christianity or “Religious Right” as I am Roman Catholic. (See my “About Me” page to see what I am….)

Me and Paul Proctor, (See Here, Here, Here, and Here)  and David Cloud all feel the same way; that Rick Warren is not a genuine representation of Christianity in the traditional sense of the word. In fact, warren scoffs at the idea of a traditional Christianity, in which the true Word of God is used; which is, in this writers opinion, The King James Bible, of course.  Instead, he prefers a non-judgmental, feel good, version of Christianity, that uses any version of the Bible that one wants, or as Warren says, “You can read.” and also, he mingles human philosophy and the Word of God. Something which is extremely ignorant and very dangerous.  He is in the ranks of Robert Schuller or as I like call him, Robert Schuller with a Hawaiian Shirt. 😉

So, in short, while Rick Warren might be the darling of the compromising Neo-Evangelical crowd, he is hardly what I could call a true believer; that is in the True Bible-Believing, Fundamentalist Christianity sense of the word.


Time’s Person of the Year: Barack Obama

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I cannot say that I am shocked or even surprised for that matter.

Now, I am sure that you are expecting me to say something rather nasty or even Ann Coulter’ish sounding about this.

Well, Surprise… 😀

I have absolutely no issue with Obama being named person of the year. I will explain to you why…

Barack Obama came out of nowhere and defeated the Clinton Machine. Because you and I both know, that knocking Hillary out of the captain’s chair is a feat in itself.  You see, unlike some of my fellow Conservatives, I saw what Obama was doing and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I didn’t agree with some of the tactics that some of his surrogates were using, and still do not; however, I did admire the grace that Obama showed, especially under pressure from some of his worst and fiercest critics.  One thing that I can say and any Conservative; of any stripe, would say, if they are being intellectually honest, that they never heard Obama make any sort of “Al Sharpton” sounding statement. I mean; yes, he did drop the occasional reminder that he was a black man. But there was never any of that, “I’m black and oppressed” nonsense that continually flows from the mouths of the race baiting ilk in New York.

Further, let it be known that it is not lost on me, that Obama has a far left progressive ideology. Although, I will say that judging from his cabinet selections so far, it may seem that Obama is going to try to run a White House from a centrist viewpoint and try and avoid some of the more far left politics of his campaign; much to the chagrin of those who are of that political mindset that voted for him.  Personally, I think at the very least or at the very worst; Obama may want to raise taxes to pay for some of the debt that this Nation has incurred at the hands of a quasi-Conservative President.  This could be more the case if both of the wars continue to drag on.  Not to mention that if every Business in America gets a poorly named “Bail out.”

From a libertarian conservative viewpoint I simply say this; this election was not Obama’s to necessarily win, it was John McCain’s to lose.  John McCain was having to follow and associate himself with a very unpopular President, who, in this writers opinion, was elected on the basis of pedigree. Further, John McCain just was not able to articulate Conservative positions without sounding like some old feeble grandfather who was telling a bedtime story. Not to mention, that the economy took a rather large nosedive in the middle of the election cycle. Adding to all this; McCain made some rather disastrous campaign decisions that in essence doomed his campaign to failure. I could sit here and list them all, but I believe anyone who has been following this election cycle as much as I have, knows what I am referring to.

So, in closing, this award, was one well deserved. I hope Obama enjoyes the romance with the media, because I have a sinking feeling it will not last forever.

Hamilton Nolan – Liberal Asshole of the Week

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I hate to be the resident Conservative Flag pole runner upper… But for Pete sakes man… The stuff is just flippin’ wrong.

Seen over a Gawker.com which was written by a  Hamilton Nolan, a suspected child molester: (of which I’ve made my appearence there..and for the record, the posting was up less than 4-6 hours… not 12)

Brief and sinister. Sure, Bush had Fox news yakker Tony Snow as his press secretary, but Tony Snow was an out-and-out smiling conservative asshole even before he got to the White House. All this time America trusted Jay Carney to give them the real unbiased news on the campaign, right there in the trusted pages of Time, an it turns out he was privately on Biden’s team the entire time! Will America ever trust the media again?

Oh, How quaint, insult a dead man. Now, if he were a Liberal and some Conservative had said something like this. It would be front page news. But because it is a Conservative, it is perfectly fine. 🙄

In case anyone has forgotten, Tony Snow died with cancer.  He left a loving wife and 3 kids; 2 sons and a daughter.

Here’s the idiots picture:

Hamilton Nolan - Liberal asshole of the week

Hamilton Nolan - Liberal asshole of the week

According to this, this hosebag piece of liberal shit worked for PR Week before going to gawker.

Here’s the asshole’s e-mail address, let this asshat know what you really think: hamilton@gawker.com

Ana Marie Cox sure did create a fucking monster, when she created that shit rag of a Blog.

Guest Voice “Act Now to Reject Con Con” by Chuck Baldwin

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My good friend, Tom DeWeese, chairman of the American Policy Center, recently issued an urgent alert regarding a revived effort to assemble a modern Constitutional Convention. Mind you, the United States has not assembled such a Convention since 1787, when a Constitutional Convention replaced the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution. Fortunately, the delegates to the Con Con of 1787 were composed of freedom-loving patriots who had just fought a bloody war for independence and were in no mind to reenact tyranny upon the land they had just fought to liberate. However, can one imagine what would happen if the current bunch of politically correct leftists in Washington, D.C., were to be granted the power to rewrite our Constitution? It would be the end of the United States of America, and that is no hyperbole.

The modern Con Con effort began back in the 1970s. Since then, 32 states have issued the call. The total number of states that are required to enact the Con Con is 34. Simple math reveals that we are only two states short of this disaster. As word of this potential calamity began to surface, the effort stalled with the total states issuing the call stuck at 32. With the election of Barack Obama, however, supporters of a Con Con have been emboldened and are now trying to resurrect the momentum. The state that is currently in the crosshairs appears to be Ohio.

States that have already approved a Con Con include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. A few of these states have since seen the error of their ways and have voted to rescind their approvals. This fact, alone, should be enough to kill the push for another Con Con, but don’t expect the powers that be to see it that way. Therefore, it seems that if Ohio approves the Con Con, only one more state would be required, and upon the call of that 34th state, a Con Con would be seated. And, no doubt, state number 34 is already sitting quietly, but excitedly, in the wings, ready to act with “lightning speed” to seal the deal.

Lest anyone take this lightly or think that a Constitutional Convention is no big deal, DeWeese properly warned, “In truth no restrictive language from any state can legally limit the scope or outcome of a [Constitutional] Convention! Once a Convention is called Congress determines how the delegates to the Convention are chosen. Once chosen, those Convention delegates possess more power than the U.S. Congress itself.”

DeWeese is right. If called, a modern Constitutional Convention could declare the U.S. Constitution to be null and void, and could completely rewrite the document. For example, former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger once declared, “There is no effective way to limit or muzzle the actions of a Constitutional Convention. The Convention could make its own rules and set its own agenda.”

Given the fact that Washington, D.C., is comprised mostly of Big-Government liberals and neocons, it is almost certain that the founders’ Constitution–which was founded on the principles of Natural Law that protects individual liberty–would be replaced with some sort of “collective rights” document protecting an ambiguous “common good.” At that point, there is no more United States of America. There would be no more Bill of Rights protecting individuals from governmental abuse and overreach. Furthermore, the principles of Natural Law would be forever removed as a basis of all our nation’s laws and statutes. The nation that had been bequeathed to us by our forebears would be gone forever.

Yes, it is that bad, and, yes, it is that close to happening!

In the short term, every freedom-loving American must do everything they can RIGHT NOW to prevent this from happening. Since the state of Ohio is currently in the crosshairs, it would behoove us to contact every person we know in Ohio and do whatever it takes to motivate them to be sure to let their Ohio legislators know how dangerous this is. Residents and citizens of Ohio need to make sure the Ohio legislature rejects the call for a Constitutional Convention. By the same token, it would be wise for all of us who live in states that have not yet ratified the call for a Con Con to contact our state legislators to make sure that they understand the issue, and that they will do everything in their power to resist any attempt to call for a Constitutional Convention.

For more information on the status of a new Con Con and how to fight it, go to the American Policy Center web site.

In the longer term, there is another question that must be addressed. What will we do if and when a modern Constitutional Convention is called and our U.S. Constitution is declared null and void, with a completely new constitution enacted? Which states will reject the new constitution? Which states will declare their independence from any such new union? Or, will they all surrender their state constitutions and go along with this Twenty-First Century New World Order–a New World Order that will doubtless incorporate some form of North American Community or Union?

It might be a very good idea to immediately begin identifying those states that would unequivocally reject any new union, and would be willing to declare their independence from whatever government would evolve from a modern Constitutional Convention. Yes, I am saying it: we may need to resurrect the original Thirteen Colonies, except they would probably not number thirteen, and, in all likelihood, they would not be located on the East Coast.

I am convinced that there are still millions of Americans who are sick and tired of surrendering their liberties to Big-Government sycophants in both the Democrat and Republican parties, and that if a Constitutional Convention is called–and our U.S. Constitution is wiped away or rewritten–are ready and willing to declare their independence all over again. So, I issue the call: where are the new Thirteen Colonies?

We better start looking now, because there will come a point when the time for looking for good ground is over and the time to stand our ground will be upon us.

Original Article in Question at American Policy Center and an update to the Story

(Via NewsWithViews)

More Signs of the Hard Times Ahead

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This is just not a good thing, at all. 🙁

Via the New York Times:

With unemployment claims reaching their highest levels in decades, states are running out of money to pay benefits, and some are turning to the federal government for loans or increasing taxes on businesses to make the payments.

Thirty states are at risk of having the funds that pay out unemployment benefits become insolvent over the next few months, according to the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. Funds in two states, Indiana and Michigan, have already dried up, and both states are borrowing from the federal government to make payments to the unemployed.

Unemployment taxes are collected by states from employers, but the rate varies from state to state per employee. In good times states build up trust funds so that when unemployment is high there is enough money to cover the requests for benefits, which are guaranteed by the federal government.

“You don’t expect the loans to happen this early in a jobs slump,” said Andrew Stettner, the deputy director of the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy organization for low-wage workers. “You would expect that the states should, even when they are not well prepared, to have savings.”

The Labor Department said last week that initial applications for jobless benefits rose to 573,000, the highest reading since November 1982. It is recommended that states keep at least one year of peak-level benefits in their trusts, but many have not, and already some states are far worse off than others.

Yet more of the ripple effect in the Nation’s Economy. Of course, I could sit here and blame the Democrats or the Republicans. But honestly, who is really to blame here? I personally think it is the fault of both parties really. First off, it is the fault of the globalist Neo-Cons who would rather ship jobs overseas for cheaper labor, than to keep the jobs here on Terra Firma. Second, it is the Democrats, with Bill Clinton putting pressure on the lending companies to offer high risk loans to those, who normally could not afford them. Put simply, it was a system that was set up upon risk and it ultimately failed.

So, now we’re stuck with states with extremely high unemployment rates and states who are having to ask the Federal Government for help to support these people.  Now some of my more purist fellow Libertarians  would essentially say, “Screw ’em! Let ’em suffer!” But seeing I am from the area, and I do admit to being more a moderate, I do not hold to such asinine views.

I personally think that the worst thing that our Government can do is throw up their hands and panic. Throwing more legislation and huge amounts of money at the problem will not work. The Wall Street Bailout proved that. I think, as a moderate, the best thing that the Federal Government can do is give the States that need the help the funds to keep the unemployment programs running and try the best they can to weather out the storm.  The Economy is not going to stay horrible forever, we had a recession in the 1980’s, which was a result of some of the stupidity of the Carter administration.  We weathered that storm out and recovered, I believe that we will do the same here. Yes, there will be hardships for a while, but in the end, we will prevail. We always have and will always will.

Stay Classy Ed Morrissey

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I’m still tweaking about how Ed basically insulted my family.

Now Ed’s gone to a new low, insulting people born with a disability that they have no control over.

Yes, now Ed is in the same category as Keith Olbermann and MSNBC.

Ed, yammering on over at his little Neo-Con Blog, about how Volvo has invented or is now using a “Auto Break system” on their cars, something that might actually save lives. Yowls out the following remark:

Is this really a good idea?  If everyone had it at the same time, maybe.  Unfortunately, the driver behind the oaf who pays more attention to text messaging than traffic will not have much time to respond to the sudden stop of the car ahead of him.  He’ll likely pay the price for the ADD of the driver ahead of him.  Still, it’s a start — and maybe breaking a few Blackberries will condition drivers to pay closer attention to the task at hand.

If anyone has ever bothered to read my about me page, they would that I was diagnosed at the age of five of having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. If I honestly sat here and wrote about just how much of a living hell of my life was, growing up with this dreadful learning disorder; and how my poor mother and father had to sit and watch their only son, sit and suffer, unable to learn the very basics in Math. This Blog posting would be about 25 pages long.

I ask you, my dear readers, since when it become socially acceptable, chick or in vogue to be able to mock those with Learning Disabilities? It is considered to be socially unacceptable to laugh, mock or make light of someone in a wheelchair with some sort of an disability;  How is it, that we, as Americans cannot and will not extend that same respect to those who have disabilities that are not of the visible kind?

This, my friends is a very telling evidence of the downgrade of society, something that has been prevalent for a very long time.   In the 1940’s President FDR was, essentially a handicapped man. FDR suffered from the ravages of Polio. The thing was, nobody knew about it. Arguably, the press is seen as have pulled of a feat of deception. However, the whole thing could be looked at from another perspective.  This author argues that it was not a feat of deception that President Roosevelt’s handicap was not reported; but rather an expression of respect for a man who essentially brought the United States of America out of a depression, fought and destroyed an enemy and brought America to the forefront,  as a great superpower.  Sadly, that expression of respect is not found in our press, nor in society as a whole today.

Evidence of this can by found in this thing we call the Blogosphere when some political figure dies, either Liberal or Conservative. Just take a look at the comment sections and you will see the downgrade of society.  I could easily blame this on the Liberals, however, I believe it is a greater problem than that. It reflects a looseness of society, our gradual drift away from the God-Breathed principles that are found in the Holy Bible.  In the 1940’s, Americans respected others, they knew how to act, morality still existed. Sadly, those ways of being are simply seen as quaint, and old hat. With advent of the 1950’s and the rock and roll rebellion attitude, went the respect and Biblical principles of the era, that I believe was the greatest era ever.

It is a pity that this Nation will never again, return to the principles of which it was founded upon.

Sarah Palin’s Church Firebombed

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Sarah Palin's Church Firebombed

Sarah Palin's Church Firebombed

Look at this Photo. Look at it! This is the picture of Liberals unhinged… 😡

Via Anchorage Daily News:

Fire officials are investigating a suspicious blaze at one of the biggest churches in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The pastor is estimating damage at more than $1 million.

No one was injured in the fire at the Wasilla Bible Church, which started late Friday. About a half dozen church members were in the building doing crafts when the fire began but were able to get out safely after the building’s fire alarm sounded, pastor Larry Kroon said.

“This fire is definitely suspicious,” said Central Mat-Su Fire Chief James Steele.

The church, located off the Parks Highway on the north end of town, is one of the biggest in the Valley with a typical Sunday service drawing up to a 1,000 people.

Several well-known Valley residents attend the church, including Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Wes Keller, R-Wasilla.

Kroon, reached at home Saturday morning, said he’d been up all night and was still in a state of disbelief.

He said the church was only in its second winter in the three-story building and he estimated damage at more than $1 million.

“It’s one of those things, it feels surreal,” he said.

The pastor said he was especially disturbed someone would set the fire while people were inside. There were about a half dozen women inside doing crafts when the fire broke out, he said. He said he had talked to fire officials, but didn’t know of any specific leads.

“The possibilities are so wide and variable,” he said. “Someone intentionally did it, but we don’t know who and why.”

The pastor declined to speculate whether the fire was politically based or directed at Palin, the failed Republican vice presidential candidate. He also declined to say whether the church has received any recent threats.

Palin stopped by the church Saturday morning. Her spokesman, Bill McAllister, said in a statement that Palin told an assistant pastor she apologizes if the fire was connected to the “undeserved negative attention” the church has received since she became the vice presidential candidate on Aug. 29.

“Whatever the motives of the arsonist, the governor has faith in the scriptural passage that what was intended for evil will in some way be used for good,” McAllister said.

Kroon was at home when he got a call from the husband of one of the women who had been in the building. By the time he arrived, smoke was pouring from the windows of a back corner of the building.

The building is equipped with a fire sprinkler system, Kroon said, but the fire was burning in the walls and took hours to put out. Most of the damage was limited to the back corner of the building where four offices and a classroom are located, he said. There is also water damage and the entire building smells like smoke, he said. He said Sunday services are currently scheduled to be held at Wasilla Middle School.

Fire officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Megan Peters, spokeswoman for the Alaska State Troopers, said she could not answer questions about the fire.

This is War! The Liberals have declared war on the Christian Right, of which I am a part of.

It is no secret, that during the 2008 election, that I was not too impressed by Sarah Palin, nor her choice for candidate for Vice President of the United States of America.  However, for a group of Communist Liberals to attack a defenseless building, in which the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted and held in regard; is in the opinion of this writer an act of aggression against the Christian community.

I ask you, as Christians, As Americans, as Human Beings; Will we stand and Fight or accept defeat and possible extinction?

Update: Video (Via Breit Bart)

Needless to say, that Pastor is way too nice, I would be out for Blood myself. 😡

Update #2: Other Blogs talking about it now, a day late… 😛 – TigerHawk, NewsBusters.org, Top of the Ticket, Gateway Pundit, Right Wing News, Power Line and The Other McCain (via Memeorandum)