Texas Woman Told to Remove 'Offensive' American Flag From Office

At first glance, I thought this was just another case of political correctness run amok, (read the story here) but the second read, and the third made me realize that this goes beyond the scope of the normal, run of the mill silliness and garbage we hear about in the press almost on a daily basis.  America in many ways has become a charicature of its former self.  When an employee, and a foreign one at that, and please don't start on me about my "xenophobic paranoia", who has the timerity to complain about the presence of an AMERICAN flag in AMERICA and effect the removal of it from an office, even temporarily, then we are heading, as a nation down a road where we lose our identity.  And although there are those who say, But this is an isolated incident"....and it well may be,  but the fact that this story barely measured on the Richter Scale by the press and caused little to no outrage together with the fact that it happened not in in Haigh-Ashbury in San Francisco nor in Vermont, but in TEXAS, a true bastion of patriotic, middle America...remember "Don't Mess with Texas?" is indicative of our changing attitudes about First Amendment rights and patriotism in America.

Does Michael Vick Really Deserve a Second Chance?

I've always been for giving second chances, indeed our nation is a forgiving one.  And we forgive not only people, but entire nations - (Remember the Marshall Plan?).  Deep down, we want to see the down and out guy succeed in life once again, and most of the time irrespective of whatever crime or other "infraction" he or she may have committed.   However, this forgiveness doesn't happen automatically.  Generally two things must happen.  The perpetrator must "do time" whether that means a jail sentence for the crime if one was committed, or serve some other penance.  Second, they must ask for forgiveness.  

Now then, Michael Vick is finishing up his sentence for his role in a dogfighting ring.  The question is being asked, "Does he deserve a second chance?", in this case to continue his career in the NFL.   My first inclination is that yes, Michael Vick should be give a second chance just like everyone else.    After all, he did complete his prison sentence and he has asked for forgiveness and is reportedly in discussions with PETA for some service announcement yada yada, but then I started thinking about this.  Given the abhorent social nature of toruring  animals, how can anyone believe that a change of one's nature can realistically occur?  This isn't a DUI case where, upon reflection, genuine remorse is possible and even probable.  At which point during Michael Vick's prison sentence did he get this epiphany, this "aha!" moment when he realized, " I have done a very horrible thing (over a period of several years), and I will do whatever it takes to make this right!"  Torture of living beings, child molestation, serial killings are sociopathic in nature. 

The following article by Brian Cluxton from HELP FIDO says it even better:

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Michael Vick - Why not everyone deserves a second chance.

Michael Vick has been back in the news a lot the last few days, with his release from prison yesterday. KC Dog Blog has an excellent post about Vick and the HSUS. This morning, I heard Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio talking about Vick's possible reinstatement to the NFL and he made some great points which got me thinking about this issue again. I have always been in favor of giving people a second chance in life, if they are truly sorry for what they did and want to make amends. And I've honestly debated this issue in my own mind - trying to reconcile my own beliefs of giving people a second chance and Vick's actions. However, here's why I believe Vick does NOT deserve a second chance in the NFL.
First of all, it's not like Vick drove drunk, got in a bar fight, used steroids, dealt drugs, committed fraud, cheated on his wife or any one of a number of other illegal and/or immoral activities. ALL of those things and more are horrible. But he tortured and killed innocent dogs with his own hands. This was not just about dog fighting (as heinous and horrific as that is). He tortured animals. He threw dogs to the ground repeatedly until they were dead. He hooked up dogs to electrocution devices, drowned them or beat them to death. This was not Jack Bauer on 24 committing torture to save the world. These also weren't the acts of a 14 or 15 year old immature kid, shooting birds in the back yard with a bb gun. What kind of person does that? These were completely innocent dogs that just wanted some food, water, safe shelter and some love and attention every once in a while. What would you think of one of your neighbors if you found out they tortured and killed dogs? Anyone that would commit acts of torture like that is clearly a sociopath and has no place in a civilized society, let alone deserving of a second chance.

Gengrich Call on Pelosi to Resign....and so does Common Sense

This from the UPI. 

 U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., should resign, one-time Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich says.

Gingrich, appearing Wednesday on ABC TV's "Good Morning America" show, said Pelosi isn't qualified to lead the House because she last week accused the Central Intelligence Agency of misleading her in 2002 on whether terrorism detainees were being subjected to harsh interrogation techniques that many equate with torture, including waterboarding.

"She really disqualified herself to be the speaker," Gingrich said. "She has a unique responsibility for national security. ... She made this allegation that smears everyone who's trying to defend her."

 Common Sense Take:

It's ludicrous in one sense to even discuss this issue as once again, partisanship rules in American politics.  NO dems are calling for her resignation.  But most Americans understand that if the Speaker was a Repulbican, no member of the GOP would be on the resignation bandwagon either.  Having said that....How can anyone who has watched her stumble and stutter as she tried to talk herself out of the pickle she obviously got herself in, believe she didn't know that waterboarding was being used? 

Records show that Pelosi and several democratic members of congress attended dozens of meetings but she refuses to acknowledge that she was told specifically that that WB was being used.  I guess other Dems, her aide, and the CIA all "misrembered".

Pelosi was particularly harsh in describing the CIA's account.

"They mislead us all the time," she said. And when a reporter asked whether the agency had lied, Pelosi said yes.

But Pelosi defended her own lack of action on the issue, saying her focus at the time was on "wresting congressional control from Republicans so her party could change course".

This is truly a sad state of affairs. She is on a committee related directly to our national security but her main concern was to seat more dems in power?

So she is either incompetent or lying....or both.

JD

This Pretty Much Sums Up My Thoughts....

Found this little gem in my email basket today:

> > I recently asked my friend ' s little girl what she wanted to be
when
> > she grows up. She said she wanted to be President some day. Both of
> > her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked
her,
> > 'If you were President what would be the first thing you would
do? '
> >
> > She replied, 'I'd give food and houses to all the homeless
people.'
> >
> > Her parents beamed.
> >
> > 'Wow...what a worthy goal. ' I told her, ' But you
don't have to wait
> > until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house
and
> > mow the lawn, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you
$50. Then I'lltake you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy
hangs out,and you can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house.
'
> >
> > She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me
straight
> > in the eye and asked, ' Why doesn't the homeless guy come
over and dothe work, and you can just pay him the $50? '
> >
> > I said, 'Welcome to the Republican Party.'
> >
> > Her parents still aren't speaking to me.

Back Again...

Sorry folks but as much as I enjoy writing down my thoughts, as of late (and I hate to admit it), the news out there has been so oppressively depressing, that I just couldn't bring myself to write.  For a self described, eternal optomist, my thoughts on my country and the world we live in has become such a pervasive downer lately that writing about it all became too depressing, too difficult and too laborious to keep up with it all.  But I believe that I need to write...for myself if no other reason.  There scope of our problems and the sheer rate of the continuous drone of bad news requires me to organize my thoughts and writing does this for me. 

How far and how quickly we have fallen in this country and the fact that we are looking dead straight into an abyss keep me up at night. 

Now Can We Take Illegal Immigration Seriously?!!

You think the war in Iraq is costing us too much? Read this:

Boy, am I confused. I have been hammered with the propaganda that it is theIraq war and the war on terror that is bankrupting us. I now find that to beRIDICULOUS.

I hope the following 14 reasons are forwarded over and over again until theyare read so many times that the reader gets sick of reading them. Includedare URL's for verification of all the following facts.



1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal alienseach year by state governments.

Verify at: :http://tinyurl.com/zob77



2. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programssuch as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.
Verify athttp ://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html



3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens.
Verify at:
http://www. cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html



4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary schooleducation for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word ofEnglish!
Verify at:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html

5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for theAmerican-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.
Verify at
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html



6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens.
Verify at:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html



7. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.
Verify at:
< I>http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html



8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare &social services by the American taxpayers.
< BR>Verify at:http://premium.cnn.com/TRANSCIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html



9. $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused bythe illegal aliens.

Verify at:http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html



10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's twoand a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, theirchildren, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US
Verify at:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html

;

11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens thatcrossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal aliens fromTerrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroin andmarijuana, crossed into the U. S from the Southern border.

Verify at: Homeland Security Report:
http://tinyurl.com/t9sht



12. The National Policy Institute, "estimated that the total cost of massdeportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average cost ofbetween $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period."
Verify at:
http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf



13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back totheir countries of origin.
& nbsp; Verify at:

http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm <http://www.rense.com/ge neral75/niht.htm>



14. "The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex CrimesCommitted by Illegal Immigrants In The United States ."
; Verify at: http: //www.drdsk.com/articleshtml
<http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml>



The total cost is a whopping $ 338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR.



Are we THAT stupid?

If this doesn't bother you then just delete the message. If, on the otherhand, it does raise the hair on the back of your neck, I hope you forward itto every legal resident in the country including every representative inWashington , D.C. - five times a week for as long as it takes to restore somesemblance of intelligence in our policies and enforcement thereof.

Jim Silvin

7370 S Ocean Drive #413-B

Jensen Beach, Florida 34957

772 229-1027

How Will We React to Terroism Now?

With the events in Mumbai still playing out, the next question is how will we react?  By "we", I don't mean necessarily just the US.  I mean the world community at large.  We already see the apologists are out in force with their usual call for negotiaions and their take that its somehow our fault.  I continue to have doubts as to the U.S. resolve to do what's necessary to ensure our survival, but the rest of the world is perhaps a lost cause.  I do not doubt for a second that the enemies of the U.S. and the Western world as a whole have the upperhand.  We simply do not show the ability to come together to battle, much less win the war on terrorism.

Yet Another Sign of the Apocalypse?

This story isn't about politics.  It doesn't center around the economy.  Nor does it revolve around civl rights.  It does, however, speak volumes about one element of our society that calls into question our moral framework as a civilization. Our culture.  And I'm not talking about internet porn (a subject for another day).  But it still puts into question our long held belief that our culture is somehow superior or at the very least a positive objective for other countries to strive for.  Clearly, the culture of the United States in music, cinema, dance, architecture, literature, poetry, and even cuisine have been regarded, at least to most of the world, in positive terms.  Our freedoms and liberties we hold dear are guaranteed by the most unique of documents in the history of the world, the U.S. Constitution.  Much if not most of our elemens of our culture wouldn't be possible without the freedoms endemic in these United States.

But then you come up on an article that makes me question where this "civlization" of ours is headed.  When a bright, young man can commit suicide, live and online while hundreds of people watch is bad enough.  But when no one steps forward to assist and instead, laughs and even encourages the young man in his death, it is appaling as well as disturbing.  It reminds me of the time I witnessed a "jumper" many years ago.  The crowd that gathered in the square, instead of being horrified as I was, actually became, in a very real way, contributors to a death.  What started out as morbid curiosity, quickly gave way to a macabe form of entertainment.  Soon, the mob began chanting, "jump!"  The young man, no doubt feeling the additional pressure to "perform" for his fans, did just that.  He executed an almost flawless swan dive onto the cobblestone streed 10 stories below.  When the deed was done, there was stunned silence, but that soon passed.  Many in the crowd, obviously elated at their great fortune to have been a witness at such an event began high fiving each other as though their favorite team had just scored.

I'm tired of hearing that this type of thing happens all the time and I shouldn't be so critical.  Or that its the internet's fault, as if it had a morality itself.  The internet is simply the vehicle.  It is us, our culture that allows us a return to the shameless ethics of the Middle Ages and the Old West where life was cheap.  We have now created a virtual public "hanging" for all of us to enjoy.  No.  I'm sorry.  I see these things and I see a society that cares very little for each other.  Add to it, the ingredients of limited resources, massive populations, divisiveness, and a probable world wide depression and we have a recipe for a very different world in the next few years.

Gays to Serve Openly in the Military?

I'm not sure what to think on this one.  Even with my he-man prejudices I had while on active duty, I think its a matter of time before this becomes the norm.  I served for 20 years.  I knew more than a few soldiers who were gay and did little to nothing to hide the fact and I'm sure for every "obvious" gay there were a dozen who to one degree or another hid their orientation.  I remember, clearly during my first two years in the service two soldiers who I "discovered" were gay and perhaps due to the particular situation of those discoveries, it repulsed me.  The images have stayed with me for a long time, unfaded in any meaningful way over the years.  I made and joined in on the usual jokes, undoubtedly making some of those still in the closet feel uncomfortable.  And I still, to this day, over a decade after Clinton's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, don't know if this is the time or not, but I have three observations. 

1.  Gays have been serving in the military all along.

2.  The day will come when gays serve openly.  Call it "progressive", call it a sign of the further decline of our civilization.  It will happen.

3.  I have stretched my brain trying to find one instance where I can say with any certainty that any mission failed due to anyone being "gay".

What a Great Idea The Bailout Has Been!

This from the AP:

"Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced Wednesday that the administration had decided to scrap what had originally been the centerpiece of the program — a proposal to buy troubled assets to get them off the books of banks as a way of promoting increased lending.

Instead, Paulson said the administration will proceed with an alternative plan to spend $250 billion to buy stock in the banks as a way of bolstering their financial situation and accomplishing the same goal — getting the institutions to return to more normal lending.

However, critics contend the administration should be imposing more restrictions on the stock purchases as a way of insuring that the banks will use the government resources to increase lending rather than just hoarding the cash or using it to acquire other banks or boost dividends for stockholders."

WUA Take:  It seems that the warnings by GOP lawmakers and conservative think tanks that the $700 Billion bailout was a knee jerk reaction are proving to be correct.  It was too much too fast, and shoved down the American people's throats.  Instead of taking the time to study, confer, and debate the various appropriate responses (if any) to the credit and mortgage crisis, lobbyists for the banking industry, the very people who would benefit from any bailout, got their way...AGAIN.  To show who REALLY pulls the strings in the halls of congress and at the White House, the banks brought together the most unlikely of allies, Bush and Nancy Pelosi together to ensure their plans were implemented.  The banks were the doctor as well as the patient, prescribing their own medicine.  From the lack of substantive commentary by most of those in congress, they were were either "yes" men or in typical, chicken little fashion, they simply decided to throw money at the problem without puting into place the oversights that those in congress themselves blamed for the crisis in the first place.

Now here is our government, changing the focus of the bailout.  I'm sure that behind the scenes, the administration, long abandoning the most basic of fiscal conservativism is continuing to play the role of the puppet....and quite happy about it I might add.  I believe that at this point, they feel it simply hurts too much to think.

Are We REALLY Ready for This?

C'mon America.  What on EARTH are we thinking?  As an educator, I'm appalled.  And although this article is somewhat dated and from before Proposition 8 was passed in California, it clearly shows the agenda.  The battle lines are drawn.  It will be an interesting 4-8 years.

This, from WorldNetDaily:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Some parents are shocked to find their children are learning to be homosexual allies and will participate in "Coming Out Day" at a public elementary school tomorrow – and they claim the school failed to notify parents.

One mother of a kindergartner who attends Faith Ringgold School of Art and Science, a K-8 charter school in Hayward, Calif., said she asked her 5-year-old daughter what she was learning at school.

The little girl replied, "We're learning to be allies."

The mother also said a Gay Straight Alliance club regularly meets in the kindergarten classroom during lunch.

According to a Pacific Justice Institute report, Faith Ringgold opted not to inform the parents of its pro-homosexual activities beforehand. The school is celebrating "Gay and Lesbian History Month" and is in the process of observing "Ally Week," a pro-"gay" occasion usually geared toward high school students.

The school is scheduled to host discussions about families and has posted fliers on school grounds portraying only homosexuals. According to the report, a "TransAction Gender-Bender Read-Aloud" will take place Nov. 20. Students will listen to traditional stories with "gay" or transgender twists, to include "Jane and the Beanstalk."

Some parents only recently noticed posters promoting the school's "Coming Out Day" tomorrow – celebrated 12 days after the national "Coming Out Day" usually observed on Oct. 11. When WND contacted the school to confirm the event, a female representative replied, "Yes, it is scheduled on our calendar."

When asked if the school made any efforts to inform parents, she refused to answer and said Hayward Unified School District would have to respond to additional questions. However, the district did not answer its phones or e-mails, and a voicemail recording would not take messages. "Coming Out Day" is not listed on the district's online school calendar.

Some of the parents contacted Pacific Justice Institute for representation when they learned the school was pushing pro-"gay" events for young children without warning.

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, said opponents of California's proposed ban on same-sex marriage, or Proposition 8, often say the measure would not have an effect on public schools – but this is one of many recent developments that prove otherwise.

"Do we need any further proof that gay activists will target children as early as possible?" he asked. "Opponents of traditional marriage keep telling us that Prop. 8 has nothing to do with education. In reality, they want to push the gay lifestyle on kindergartners, and we can only imagine how much worse it will be if Prop. 8 is defeated. This is not a scenario most Californians want replayed in their elementary schools."

GOP in Tatters. What Went Wrong...

Well, here we are, eight years after being in full control of the Presidency, congress and the senate....a total reversal in fortune.   What precipitated this total collapse of the Republicans in this election?  I don't think there is any doubt but that it comes down to two major issues and several smaller ones.  The first major issue, the Iraq war is an interesting study.  However the war turns out,  and irrespective of how history ultimately treats George W. on the issue, this war was THE major reason for his drop from the most popular president in history (for a time), to the most unpopular.  And remember back some 7 years ago, when our economy was robust, the real estate market was a "boom" and our decision to invade Iraq was seen as the moral and just thing to do.  Things started to change when it became clear that our leaders had seriously miscalculated in Iraq and our "quick little war" quickly morphed into something else entirely.  Something in the mind of the public morphed into something else as well.....pessimism.  Pessimism steers the economy.  In the end our beautiful, steel and concrete economic base was a house of cards.  Our economic downturn, fueled by both a pessimistic public and bad policies from the GOP AND the Democrats (don't let anyone tell you otherwise), created a perfect storm that became the second of the two major reasons I alluded to previously.  And this economic perfect storm created the conditions for Tuesday's results.

Of course, as I said there were lots of smaller reasons that were in play as well.  Guantanamo, gas and food prices, and the lack of any energy policy whatsoever contributed mightily to the call for change.

"Bush's chief strategist, Karl Rove, envisioned building a long-term Republican majority by broadening the party's base in part by building support among women, labor groups and Hispanics."

The problem here is that the GOP didn't have a plan building any support among women and labor groups, and their plan for building support among hispanics was largely limited to try to woo the Hispanic vote by opening the borders for illegal immigrants.  The insane policies (or lack of current illegal immigration policy enforcement) was an enormously unpopular misstep.    Bush and Rove seriously misjudged the effect on the vote.  The idea that Hispanics would vote for the GOP if only Bush would adopt a Lassez Faire attitude for their illegal "brethren" was ludicrous and will continue to have negative repercussions for this country.

The American people, like all people, are fickle when it comes to basic ideals on conservativism versus liberalism.  For the most part, I like to think that the buld of the American public still believe in Conservative ideology and not liberalism or worse, socialism especially when it comes to economics.  But if history has taught us anything, everything is dependent upon one's situation.  If I'm out of work and I need to feed my family, socialism and the government handouts it supposedly provides, suddenly becomes an attractive alternative.  If you don't believe me, look at Italy in the 1930s.  America, put on your seatbelts.  You voted for change.  For better or worse, its coming.

2000 Year Old Wisdom Especially True Today...

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officials should be tempered and controlled, and foreign assistance should be curtailed lest our country become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."

Who said this you might ask?  McCain, Obama?  Not even close.  These words, which are as true today as they were over 2000 years ago were written by none other than Cicero in 55 BC.

Barack Obama and the Change We Must Prevent

 By Guest Contributor George The Banker

Barack Obama and the Change We Must Prevent

The United States of America is just a few days away from Election Day 2008.

In a very short time the citizens of this country will elect a new leader who will face unprecedented challenges at home and abroad. We, the people, have spent the past year listening to campaign ads, reading our local newspapers, watching debates and interviews on the evening news, and discussing with our friends and neighbors which man should be elected 44^th President of the United States .

The distinctions between the candidates could not be clearer, or the rhetoric sharper. Barack Obama enthralls the masses with his sermon-like speeches in which he promises to bring forth "change" and reinvigorate "hope". John McCain talks of duty and putting country first to much smaller but no less enthused audiences. Two men who could not be more different, battling to the bitter end for that small percentage of undecided voters in states such as Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, and Colorado. If there were not such grave consequences for the country held in the outcome of this election, it would certainly be great entertainment and we could watch it, tub of popcorn in hand, with the unabated exuberance that is felt when viewing any high-stakes drama.

There has been one hole in the plotline though, large enough for a bitter, gun toting, bible hugging redneck from Pennsylvania to drive a tractor through. And with a mere week until the rolling of the red carpet it has yet to be resolved. The Democratic candidate for President, Barack Obama, has yet to be seriously investigated as a contender for the highest political office in the country, and arguably the world. Not one "hardball" question has been thrown in his direction, while the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has been dissected to exhaustion over her family, her choices of clothing, and the nuances of her speech. It is a sad state of affairs when a duplicitous mainstream American media would go to such great lengths to shield a candidate who harbors their political views from any challenge to what they envision as his coronation on November 4th.

As an average "Joe The Plumber" type of American, I desire (and deserve) to have a full accounting of the backgrounds and beliefs of the candidates who are running for political office, whether it be Mayor of Wasilla or President of the United States. In this I and every American have been failed by the mainstream media, and a vast majority will head to their local polling venue next week with little knowledge of whom they are voting for. That is, if they are voting for someone besides John McCain. His service to this country is well-documented and his reputation as a patriotic maverick is well-earned.

What very few of us seem to know is what lies in Barack Obama's past, and what drives his desire to become President. Unfortunately, this may be a willful blindness on the part of those who know that his distinctions are dubious and his plans for this country chafe against the grain of everything that our forefathers risked their lives for centuries ago.

So let's talk about a man who knows how to bring about change. Change, change, change-on a scale never before imagined. He was a distinguished student, earning a law degree while proving himself a man of the world by also studying French, German, Greek and Latin. He spent the better part of his twenties and early thirties associating with a host of questionable revolutionaries who helped form his populist agenda and disdain for democracy and capitalism. Although the practice of law was his profession, he found his true passion in liberal political movements, and left his law practice in order to become a community organizer and propagandist. He stood against his own country during a time of war, and insisted that capitulation to the enemy, not victory, was the swiftest way to bring about peace. Holding the teachings of prior social revolutionaries close to his heart, this man believed that there should be a "classless" society in which wealth is equally distributed, or "spread around", amongst members of the working class and capitalism would be abandoned to its own miserable fate.

Does this sound like a Readers Digest version of Barack Obama's autobiography?

We know that Mr. Obama studied law at Harvard, left a promising career as a civil rights attorney to focus on his work as a community organizer and make his first venture in politics as an Illinois state legislator. The individuals he chose to associate with in his formative years include a known domestic terrorist, William Ayers, and an anti-American hate monger, The Revered Jeremiah Wright. As a United States Senator, he continually voted against supporting our troops in the field, and also voted against the Surge of 2007 that brought about significant change in Iraq and has tremendously reduced the levels of violence in that country. Upon meeting a local Ohio plumber on the campaign trail, he was quoted as saying his goal as President will be to "spread the wealth around", bringing a new level of transparency to his most socialist inner beliefs which have been kept secret from the public during his presidential campaign.

Well, dear reader, I regret to inform you that the man I spoke of earlier was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, not Barack Hussein Obama (who knew he had a middle name?). The similarities between these two individuals could not be more easily connected. The old saying that "history repeats itself" continues to ring true, as before our eyes we witness a populist demagogue preparing to lead a socialist revolution as if he has received a mandate from Heaven.

The difference is that this is 2008 America, and We The People do not desire, nor have ever desired, to turn the greatest democracy on Earth into a neo-Marxist society where the people are solely dependent on the state for their well-being. The Constitution was written by men of courage who risked their lives to throw off the yolk of a government that was excessive in power and negligent of liberty. It is a timeless document that limits the role of government and expressly states the individual rights of the people. The Democratic candidate for President, Barack Obama, has stated that the Constitution's central flaw is that it does not outline what powers ARE granted to government; he calls this a document of "negative liberties". In this Obama displays his overt disdain for the principles of American democracy.

As you step into that voting booth on November 4^th, you have the distinct choice between a veteran who has served America his entire life out of love for country, and a man who wants to change the fundamental principles your country was founded upon and countless thousands have died to protect. The greatest document of freedom ever composed in human history, our United States Constitution, was written to protect us from a government like that envisioned by the Democrat Party of 2008. And to protect us from a man like Barack Obama.

Iraq wants guaranteed U.S. departure by 2011

This from the Associated Press:  BAGHDAD - Iraq wants to remove any possibility that U.S. troops could remain after 2011 from a proposed security agreement now under negotiation, a Shiite lawmaker close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Thursday.

Ok....if this doesn't doesn't illustrate why the Iraq policy is a failed experiment, then nothing does.  Why are we hanging on to this ill planned, devastatingly expensive war is beyond me. Simply put, after the hundreds of billions of dollars and over 4200 U.S. deaths not to mention the untold injuries, and the devastation all this causes to their families, the Iraqis don't want us in their country.  We are holding on HOPING the the Iraqi leadership will somehow "come around" and celebrate the United States as liberators.  Hello! The Shiite's and the Iraqi leadership doesn't want us, and they hold the cards.  We have done their work for them, thank you very much...now they want us to go home.

At the end of the day, what the invasion, the occupation, the surge, and the costs involved bought us is ungratitude and the very real possibility of an Iraqi - Iranian coalition bought and paid for by the United States!  To show how much the Iraqi government values and appreciates the U.S. military for removing a vicious dictator from their country, they refuse to even use their considerable oil profits to help pay us back or even for their own infastructure.  That too is largly the burden of the U.S. taxpayer.  They now have made it clear that they are using us to the bitter end to drain further our dwindling economic base.

As a conservative, maybe I'm supposed to somehow agree with the war.  I don't.  Maybe I'm supposed to continue to make excuses for our continued presence.  I won't.  And if you think that this is a new position I have, it isn't.  (See the tab "My Ten Truths on Terrorism" which I posted years ago when I started this blog.)   Have we done some good in Iraq?  Yes.  Is the average Iraqi better off now?  You bet.  But the better question is, Is the average American better off?  How can anyone answer that question with any answer other than "No"?  And we aren't going to be better off, irrespective of whether we "win" militarily.  We are holding on to a dream but the winds of reality are pointing in another direction.  I think its time for us to wake the hell up America and get the hell out of Iraq as soon as possible.  They want to give US a timetable to leave??!!  Well, let's give the single finger salute, stop the sacrificing of our Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen for an ungrateful Iraqi government and get the hell out.  They are obviously more than capable of taking care of themselves.  Let their new friends in Tehran fund them from here on out.

Sharia Law Revealed

The following is an article from the BBC:

Somali woman executed by stoning

A woman in Somalia has been stoned to death after an Islamic Sharia law court found her guilty of adultery. The woman was buried up to her neck and then pelted to death with stones in front of a large crowd in Kismayo. It was the first such execution in the southern port city since Islamist insurgents captured it from government-allied forces in August. A local Islamist leader said the woman, Aisho Ibrahim Dhuhulow, had pleaded guilty to committing adultery. "She was asked several times to review her confession but she stressed that she wanted Sharia law and the deserved punishment to apply," said Sheikh Hayakallah. A group of men performed the execution in one of the city's main squares in front of thousands of people, AFP news agency said. This is what the Islamic apologists are fighting for.  They defend Sharia law to be implimented not only in Britain and the rest of Europe, but here in America as well.  They defend it in the name of "diversity" and "religous tolerance".  Too bad the "tolerance" no longer applies to Christianity in America.  These apologists, almost always liberals living in the fringe area of the Democratic Party are fond of separating the terrorists from the mainstreem Islamic faith and arguing the tenents of the Islamic Sharia Law as honorable.  Well, no longer can they argue the veracity of statements like that.  It's time for us to wake up and call a rose a rose.    - J Dickson

Well if THIS Doesn't Piss You Off....

In typical fashion, Congress's knee jerk bailout, that was supposed to be an influx of liquidity into the financial system encouraging banks to start lending again was rushed through to law so fast that congress forgot one critical thing.  They forgot to establish adequate standards to assure that banks actually used this capital for the purposes it was meant for!  Instead, the banks are planned to employ the new capital to help finance purchases of weaker rivals.

$700 BILLION just went to the nine richest banks so that they further dominate the banking system by buying up their rivals.  Instead of helping the country get out of the financial morass, these banks just got richer.

It's time folks to hold congress, the treasury, and these scumbag bankers accountable.  PERIOD!

Sanctuary Cities...ENOUGH ALREADY!

From 9/11 Commission hearings:

COMMISSIONER JOHN LEHMAN: "Were you aware that it was the US government established policy not to question or oppose the sanctuary policies of New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, San Diego for political reasons, which policy in those cities prohibited the local police from cooperating at all with federal immigration authorities?"

CONDOLEEZA RICE: "I do not believe I was aware of that."

The above reflects the governement's lack of dedication to the problem of illegal protection of illegal immigrants by local politicians throughout this country. The list of sanctuary cities in this country is over 100 and growing.  Just this week two New York City police officers were shot by an illegal from the Dominican Republic.  The fact that the illegal had been previously deported on drug charges further illustrates the total lack of respect for existing federal laws.  The New York Times, as expected, reported very carefully that the suspect was respectfully identified as MR and didn't mention the illegal immigrant status until the end of the piece. 

Have the city councils and mayors of these cities lost their minds or is it simply, as many apologists suggest, a "common form of civil disobedience" meant to protect these unfortunate souls who simply want to provide for their families?  Well, I want to provide for my family too and I do empathise with men and women who simply are trying to make their way.  But I can not and will not accept that those who are elected to maintain law and order, the very basis of a civilized society, ignore existing laws and in many cases enact unlawful policies requiring other city and local officials to also ignore federal and state laws.

Yes, I have read the reports that illegals are "valuable and necessary" to our economy, etc etc. 

And?

Well let's see.  If I decided that after a night of binge drinking that I was still a terrific driver, shouldn't I be able to rely on the local mayor's office to ensure that the police don't arrest or otherwise harrass me?  Well, I guess that would depend on whether or not I was an illegal.

In these sanctuary cities where Robin Hood laws are common, they ignore the ugly realities of "consequences".  For the past several years gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) have been a growing plague in many Central American countries. As these gangs and their crime grow, many of these countries have passed  aggressive anti-gang laws.  Because our border operates like a sieve and our cities encourage illegal immigration, many gang members from Mexico, and Central and South America have imported not only their illegal immigration status, but their crime as well.  Law enforcement officials estimate 9 out of 10 Mara Salvatrucha gang members are here illegally.

According to a recent National Gang Threat Assessment, MS-13 is active in 31% of the cities that responded to the gang survey which includes nearly every major city in the U.S.

MS-13 is a gang in every sense.  They have increasingly been involved in shooting at border officers, murders, extortion, and drug trafficking.  And guess how the mayors in these sanctuary cities are  responding to this threat?  If they are stopped by police officers and arrested for a crime, you would assume that the gang member would be deported but you'd be wrong.  They are protected.

They are protected just like a 19-year-old illegal immigrant who was stopped and arrested 3-times for  law violations. Even though officers knew he was here illegally the officers were prohibited by their department's policy from taking any further action. This same 19-year-old illegal immigrant later murdered a Denver police officer.

WUA Common Sense:  Its time to take action.  All around the country there are signs of a backlash against these idiotic policies.  In many communities, there are ballots and measures intended to force local officials to obey the laws they were sworn to enforce.  My take is this.  The laws already are on the books.  Impeach and remove those in office who refuse to perform their duties as elected or appointed officials.  If that doesn't work, hold back any and all federal funding to the sanctuary cities.  The ability for the federal governement to withold funds is also already in the books.  No endless debate is necessary.  In short, enforce the laws at the federal level that the local governments refuse to.  Its utterly insane what these cities are costing all of us .... illegally and in the name of "compassion".

Why I'm Voting Democrat - NOT!

I found this little gem while surfing the net trying to decide whether to give up my life long ideals of conservativism and take up the liberal standard and join a cult.  I am pleased to announce that from this day forward, I'm burning my copy of the Constitution and voting for Barack!

Why I'm voting Democrat!

• I'm voting Democrat because English has no place being the official language in America .
• I'm voting Democrat because I'd rather pay $4 for a gallon of gas than allow drilling for oil off the coasts of America .
• I'm voting Democrat because I think the government will do a better job of spending my money than I could.
  
• I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq , I know the Islamic terrorists will stop trying to kill us because they'll think we're a good and decent country.
  
• I'm voting Democrat because I believe people who can't tell us if it will rain in two or three days, can now tell us the polar ice caps will disappear in ten years if I don't start riding a bicycle, build a windmill or inflate my tires to proper levels.
• I'm voting Democrat because it's alright to kill millions of babies as long as we keep violent, convicted murderers on death row alive. I'm voting Democrat because I believe businesses in America should not be allowed to make profits. Businesses should just break even and give the rest to the government so politicians and bureaucrats can redistribute the money the way they think it should be redistributed.
  
• I'm voting Democrat because I believe guns, and not the people misusing them, are the cause of crimes and killings.
  
• I'm voting Democrat because when someone with a weapon threatens my family or me, I know the government can respond faster through a call to 911 than I can with a gun in my hand.
  
• I'm voting Democrat because oil companies' 5% profit on a gallon of gas are obscene, but government taxes of 18% on the same gallon of gas are just fine.
  
• I'm voting Democrat because I believe three or four elitist liberals should rewrite the Constitution every few months to suit some fringe element that could never get their agenda past voters.
• I'm voting Democrat because illegal aliens are not criminals, and they are not sucking up resources through government aid, hospital services, education, or social services, but are just people trying to make a better life by coming to America illegally. We can't blame them for that, can we? 
  

Makes ya wonder why anyone would ever vote Republican, doesn't it?

North Korea Off U.S. Terrorist List!

Well all I can say is THANK GOD!  Thanks to heaven on high that the North Korean Fascho-communist government has FINALLY come to it's senses!  I was really starting to worry that they would never give up their nuclear intentions!  Now that they have AGREED to dismantle their nukes AND give up their state sponsored terrorist program, we can cross North Korea off our "to-do" checklist, give them white hats and instead concentrate on the other more pressing problems our country faces. 

Yes.  Good Ole Doublya has finally cracked the code in dealing with the North Koreans.  He showed them who's boss.  And my sources inside the negotiations have told me that that George warned the North Koreans not to renege on their agreement, "or else!"  I for one see no reason for George to get so confrontational with them.  I mean, if nothing else, the North Koreans are an honorable folk and wish nothing more than to live in harmony with thier neighbors.  They simply want their rightful place in the world, as the caregivers for  humanity, much like they have been for their own populace.  By the way, I'll post a tasty North Korean grass soup recipe later in the week.

And here I thought George W. was slow.