We The people will always take a stand for freedom

This video speaks for itself. It points out where the foundation of this nation's strength lay. It is in our indomitable quest for freedom! Long live freedom.and, long live the United States of America

Well well seems the socialist crowd in England is growing sick of taxes on "Petrol"

I ran across this call for a Crusade to stop the petrol tax robbery over at The London Daily Express. It's almost like looking at a link on a conservative American blog calling for the reader to join in the movement against Obamacare or some such thing.
In almost tea party fashion it seems the Brits-who appear to me to be largely socialist- are growing sick and tired of the socialist establishment's taxes on what they call "petrol".


This is an interesting development -even in a country where the citizenry seems quite content with confiscatory taxes on anything that moves- there is beginning to be a backlash on taxes which they have correctly figured out are killing their economy! Consider this quote from the afore mentioned article....

"Peter Carroll, founder of FairFuelUK, which has also been calling for the duty increase to be scrapped said: “We are delighted that the Daily Express is crusading to have the increase axed. 

“This Government will be defined by how it deals with this crucial issue. Fuel prices affect every single citizen of this country, even if they are not drivers. It will impact on everything we buy in shops and everywhere we go. 
“If the duty rise goes ahead, the Government risks economic collapse, social disintegration and outbursts of direct action which none of us want to see. 
“At the very least we will see a return to the recession, if not a full-blown depression. People will have to give up their jobs, businesses will fold and it will be terrible for everyone.” 

Would that someone in this country could get the same message to our vacillator in chief Barack Hussein Obama! As oils prices continue to rise he and his minions in the Democratic party continue to insist on stifling any and all new oil exploration off our own coasts and Anwar!

As the price of gasoline continues to surge it has more and more of a negative effect on the economy of this country. People have less and less money to spend on goods and services that might provide Americans with jobs and are in ever growing numbers sending their hard earned dollars-not only to wasteful governments in the form of taxes-but also to Arab nations that would like nothing better than to see us all dead!

It's time for the Tea Party to make a demand for more American production of oil,coal,shale,and natural gas a center piece of it's agenda alongside a demand for less government interference in our lives and business as well as lower tax.

Perhaps it's time for us to start our own Crusade against taxes on gasoline and Obama's prohibition on production from the Gulf of Mexico.

U.N approves "No Fly Zone" now will the U.S and the World act

The answer appears to be a resounding yes! Now that the U.N. has approved not only military action-such as taking out tank positions as well as ground forces-but also an actual "No-Fly Zone" it appears as a new coalition of the willing may soon be taking action to stop forces loyal to Libyan dictator Kadaffy from completely defeating the Libyan rebellion and possibly slaughtering scores of people who had stood against his tyrannical rule!

Mark Mardell at BBC News is reporting ...

"the first strikes will be unilateral ones by British and French aircraft. They could be in the air within hours. It is likely five Arab air forces will take part. Hillary Clinton has said it will mean bombing Libyan air defences. Nato will step up if asked but could take a while."

It's about time. It had begun to appear as though our dawdler in chief was well prepared to fiddle as Libya burned so to speak,but,ti her credit Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took a personal interest in this matter and -it appears-has almost forced the hand of the Obama administration on this issue.

Hillary is not my favorite politician by a long shot but-it is my opinion-she has more stones than "The One" has. In an earlier post I made the case for perhaps being able to win some hearts and minds in the Arab world by being decisive and taking action to aid the people of Libya in their quest for freedom from the much hated Kadaffy. It is heartening to see that apparently the United States and our allies in both Europe and the middle East are finally ready to get mobilized and take action!

So the answer to the question that headlines this post is ...
Yes the U.S. and the World are finally going to take action to see that the Libyan Rebels prevail in their struggle for freedom!

Having second thoughts about nuclear power

As the headline at Drudge screams "Surgeon General: get iodide" and headlines from around the world give more grim news of the nuclear disaster in Japan,and,even the U.S Navy prepares to move warships into safer waters, I have to admit I am having serious doubts about the use of nuclear power in this country going forward.

Since I have been old enough to have an informed opinion I have been a supporter of nuclear energy as a relatively safe,clean form of energy but the atomic disaster at Japan's Fukushima power station has changed all that!

Today-even as I am writing this-we have the unprecedented spectacle of 3 nuclear reactors out of control,containments damaged,and at least on reactor vessel breached. As if this is not bad enough there has been a strange emission of white smoke coming from one of the reactors. Is the core itself on fire? No one but the Japanese government and the people at the scene no for sure.

To top all that off radiation levels near the site of Fukushima power complex are dangerously high ,and,our government has said that a 50 mile radius around the plant should be evacuated. This is a truly frightening disaster unfolding before our very eyes.

Being a citizen of Central Missouri i live just miles from a large nuclear power plant. I can't imagine what it would be like if this was happening at that power plant. The idea that my entire family could be exposed to something like this is a nightmare I can't begin to wrap my mind around.

Therefore I have come to the conclusion that nuclear energy may well be just too darn dangerous to consider as a viable energy source going forward.In fairness I have to admit that our reactors-or the majority any way-are constructed much much better than the Fukushima complex. Where the Japanese outer containment appears to be sheet metal ours are made of concrete with walls that measure at least four feet thick .
In fact our outside containment buildings are built to withstand a direct hit from an airplane.

"the design and thickness of the containment and the missile shield are governed by federal regulations (10 CFR 50.55a), and must be strong enough to withstand the impact of a fully loaded passenger airliner without rupture.^[2]"

That being said what of the unforeseen? Our plants should be able to withstand the strongest earthquake that could come in their area,but, what if a quake occurs higher than what the building is designed for? What happens if a tsunami hits, or any other of a whole host of things that no one saw coming?

Nuclear power is a great thing when all goes well,but can quickly turn into a real bitch when all does not,and, in the final analysis that risk,the risk of radiation release and out of control fission are just too great,no matter how remote the possibilities.

As of this writing no one -and I mean no one- knows how this will end. This horrible horrible event could well render much of Japan uninhabitable. Given the extraordinary risks that even the most remote event presents I have therefor begun to have sever misgivings and very very strong second thoughts about nuclear energy. I fear that this is one genie that needs to be put back in the bottle,encased in concrete, and buried as far and as deep as one can do!

Freedom for Libya

We have all seen the images on t.v. people all over the middle east rising up against tyranny and demanding freedom! First in Tunisia,then in Egypt,Bahrain,Yemen,and then Libya. We have seen the images of thousands upon thousands of ordinary rank and file people getting courage and becoming bold enough to demand that the dictators that have ruled their lives leave and allow them to be free!

These are exciting times. We are witnessing a sea change in the thinking of people in the Muslim world. I believe that they are rejecting what Al-Qaeda-has been preaching-and have instead embraced the ideals of freedom and self determination that we cherish so highly!

I have watched the pundits on television wring their hands with worry that if the United States becomes involved in another Islamic country it would work against us. Hog wash! In Libya the people-ordinary people-old men-young men-and women-have stood up against a tyrant and are demanding freedom!

America has a golden opportunity here to win the hearts and minds of a Muslim world that has rejected the ideology of Al-Qaeda, and instead has embraced,the fundamental ideals of freedom and self determination,that are the bedrock of all republics.

Now is the time for America,Europe,and the entire free world, to stand with the freedom fighters in Libya,impose a no fly zone,and provide air support to the people of Libya in their fight for liberty and freedom.

Failure to act  on our part may  well open a door for Al-Qaeda-to exploit the situation-convince the people we care nothing of freedom for them-and allow Al-Qaeda to win the war of ideologies!

Australian P.M addresses Congress gives rousing pro-American speech

Yesterday March 9,2011 Australia's prime Minister Julia Gillard gave,what can only be called, a rousing pro-American speech to a joint session of Congress. What a breath of fresh air this speech is. For once here is a world leader saying good things about America. In fact Ms. Gillard spoke more highly of these United States than I can ever recall hearing our own President speak of this nation!

No apology tour here instead the Prime minister started her speech recalling how she watched the landing of our astronauts on the moon and how she thought "America can do anything" in fact she reiterates later in the speech her belief that "America still can do anything".

This woman was more of a cheerleader-in this speech- than our own President was in his most recent State of the Union address. However she doesn't stop there she continued on by saying that it was America who freed the world during WWII and that our values of "Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness' have been an inspiration and a model for people who yearn for,and,love freedom the world over.

Then she asserts that America has a true ally down under in Australia. In fact again and again she reinforces the fact that there is a truly special bond between the Australian and American people and that Australia will always stand by,and with, America.

For my part of all the other English speaking people of the world I feel the Aussies are probably most like us and I feel a true kinship with them. I don't know what this womans politics are whether she be conservative or liberal, but I like her statement that "real mates talk  straight" and that Australians say what they mean and mean what they say! Would that more of our own politicians would speak so plainly!

As I watched this video I began to get a lump in my throat ,and noticed that Boehner was getting choked up, I could definitely sympathize with him, it is just so refreshing to here someone from another country sing the praises of this great land we call America. In fact as I watched I was proud of our Australian friends America is indeed lucky to have such a stalwart Allie as we do in the Australian people Long live America,long live Australia, and may God bless both our peoples!

Why can't we drill here drill now revisited

Once again the price of gasoline has risen above $3.00 per gallon,and yet,the administration of President Barack Hussein Obama is dragging it's feet in resuming exploration for oil in the Gulf of Mexico -as well as other areas of this country-to the detriment of us all.

Meanwhile as turmoil continues in the Middle East our addiction to foreign oil is becoming a national security nightmare. What happens if  Saudi Arabia is the next domino to fall to the wave of unrest that is sweeping the Arab world?

This country could be brought to a standstill very quickly and the recent economic unpleasantness could be dwarfed by the  calamity that could befall us if the lifeblood of western civilization is cutoff!

No matter what your politics on the matter of oil is,the fact remains, that oil powers our world. Yet this country sets on vast reserves that have been put off by limits by enviro-nazis and their partners in crime the Democratic Party!!

Still this is only part of the bigger picture. This country also has unbelievable amounts of coal,shale,coal sands etc that could be tapped to power this country-but in the name of the global warming myth-these vast reserves have been and are being -put off limits.

At the same time conservatives rail against subsidies for ethanol and bio-fuels but at least every time a person buys a dollars worth of ethanol or bio diesel that dollar stays here to support American farmers rather than fund Islamic killers who thirst for our blood!!

It's time to WAKE UP AMERICA!!! We have enough of our own energy to fuel this nation!! We MUST start doing every thing we can RIGHT NOW to develop all our energy options,oil,coal,natural gas, bio fuels,solar wind,any source we can exploit in order to sever the umbilical cord of dependence that connects us to a place and a group of people who regularly call for our death!

As much as I wistfully hope that the calls for democracy and freedom in the middle east will actually produce good fruit,I fear that what is going to happen,is the rise of an Islamic extremist empire that will become a grave threat to this nation.

It is high time for a Declaration of Energy Independence. We can no longer afford to be held captive in our addiction to middle eastern oil!

Related post "Why can't we drill here drill now"

Kaddafi Duck at it again claims protesters fueled by Nescafe spiked with drugs

After years of near silence Mouammer Gaddafi is once more on the world stage playing court jester in a grim comedy of death and destruction!

In what has to be one of his most bizarre pronunciations yet Gaddafi claims...

"Muammar Gaddafi blamed a revolt against his rule on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on Thursday, and said the protesters were fueled by milk and Nescafe spiked with hallucinogenic drugs, in a rambling appeal for calm." (Reuters)

Whats more is that this guy-who apparently is a drug addict himself-is accusing the rebels of being such. Give me a break! This would be funny except for the fact that a lot of people have lost-and are losing -their lives because of this bastard's monomaniacal obsession with his own dictatorship!

However his nuttiness doesn't stop there Kadaffy also had this to say...

"Their ages are 17. They give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe," said Gaddafi.

"They are criminals ... is it logical that you let this phenomenon continue in any city? ... We do not see what is happening in Egypt and Tunisia happening in Libya, ever!"

Face it Mooammer-or whatever your crazy ass name is- the people of your country are sick and tired of all your crap and claptrap and-I suspect-will eventually give you what you deserve death!!

For too long tin horn pieces of crap like Kadaffy have made life a living hell for the poor souls who are unfortunate enough to have been born into their regimes. One can only hope that the new wave of protests,and,demands for freedom and democracy in the  middle east will lead to something good.

Alas I'm not holding my breath. When it's all said and done chances are that Egypt, Libya, Tunisia et-al  more than likely will end up being ruled either by a different military dictator,or, Islamic extremist mullahs.

In the mean time one can still have a good laugh at Kadaffy's expense-while at the same time-lamenting the horrible toll in human life that said laugh has cost!

Super laser could make Star Wars missle defense possible

In a post by  Polipundit titled "Navy breaks record with futuristic laser" it looks like Ronald Reagan's dream of a strategic missile defense could well be on the road to becoming a reality.

According to this post the Navy has succeeded in blasting a cruise missile out of the sky using what used to be called a "Buck Rodgers" ray gun!
A ray gun by the way that can eat through 20 feet of steel per second!

This is nothing short of mind boggling At a time when we see a rogue state like Iran on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon,and,China is on the ascendancy militarily,it seems to this blogger as though we need Star Wars-as the Strategic Defense Initiative- was euphemistically named-more than ever.

But more than ballistic missile defense this thing could revolutionize the way we can defend against any kind of missile or air attack. Furthermore it can be tuned to different wavelengths as well as powers, and be used for communication as well as detection.

When SDI was first proposed naysayers said it was impossible to shoot down ballistic missiles. Well it seems this breakthrough has proven them wrong. Once again Reagan was right,and,because he had the foresight to start this nation on the path that would lead to this super laser it seems his dream of a "Star Wars Missile Defense" may well soon become a reality!

Herman Cain just the man to replace Obama

This is a video well worth watching!! It is Herman Cain Atlanta talk radio host,and possible Presidential candidate, at CPAC. I have researched this man before, and the more I see and hear,the more i feel this guy may well be the conservative candidate-as well as-just the man to replace Obama!

America is at a crossroads. There is a battle going on for the soul of this nation. We stand at a point in history where we will either adhere to the great values and principles that have made this nation "A shining city on a hill"or we will descend even further than we already have into the morass of socialism,and,eventual communism!

Many of us who are conservative have been longing for someone to enter the scene who could live up to the legacy of Ronald Reagan. I'm beginning to believe that Herman Cain may well be the man to fit the bill. In fact I am beginning to think that this man might well be able to surpass Reagan.

Here is a man of vision. Here is a man of faith. Here is a man that knows that this nation is the greatest nation on the face of the earth,and,he is not afraid to say it!!
He does not apologize for the greatness of this nation. He is a man who has ran a business and made a payroll. He was the CEO of Godfather's Pizza-as well as being-a newspaper columnist and a politician!

He stands for...

a strong national defense, the FairTax, tax cuts, energy independence, capping and cutting government spending, restructuring Social Security, and defending the U.S. Constitution.^[3]

He is a common sense,no nonsense conservative whom I think may well be just what we need at this juncture in history. He is a cheerleader for this nation,for it's founding principle,and,for the freedoms we hold so dear.
Herman Cain is a man who can inspire with his words.

The only other potential candidate that stirs me as much as Herman Cain is Allen West. Alas Allen West has already inferred that he intends to concentrate his energies on his position in the house as well he should.

So for the upcoming race in 2012 I truly hope this man-Herman Cain- will make a serious run for the GOP nomination. So to wrap it up,please watch the video it's worth the time,and Herman Cain may well be just the man to replace Obama in 2012

Joy and Celebration in Egypt

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Regardless of what your opinion may be about who or what entity has been behind the uprising in Egypt the pictures out of Egypt today make it clear that this is,as of now, a popular uprising of the totality of the people of Egypt.

One can clearly see that young and old,secular and religious,men and women, children and elderly have all come together to demand the ouster of a dictator. 

This dictator brutalized the people of Egypt for 30 some years.Today to a person the people are chanting :We have done it", "We the people have driven Mubarak out" 

The most striking thing that I see in this picture is that the people are saying "the people and the Army have won"! 

At this point it appears that the military sides with the people. One can only hope that the Army can truly guide this country through a peaceful transition to a true democratic republican form of government. 

Something else that is striking is that American journalist are surrounded by the Egyptians and there is no words of hate toward America, they are not calling for a fundamentalist Islamic state, rather they are jubilant, celebrating their new found chance for freedom, and demanding democracy, as well as,warning any future would be dictators that the people will not go back to repression.

These are people who have hungered for freedom and now have a taste of it for the first time ever!

It is my fervent hope and prayer that the voices of reason will prevail and that the Egyptians can truly form a republic that will uphold the rights of all the people,guarantee freedom,and be at peace with it's neighbors,and join the family of democratic republics of the world

                                         

Happy Birthday Mr. President:Ronald Reagan's 100th

As you can tell by the title of this video Ronald Reagan was a true believer in the Idea that America can do anything it sets it's mind to do! In a sense he was championing the idea of "Yes We Can" long before O'bama and company co-opted the term.

While Ronald Reagan was President he was widely reviled in the media,and,called bellicose,stubborn,ignorant,reckless and even worse Today while watching the liberal media fawn over Reagan I sensed a wistful longing for this great man of vision to somehow return.

Here was a man who believed in the highest ideals of the American experiment that if free people were left to their own devices under minimal restraint from government their was no limit to what those people could achieve.

When Democrats and their servants in the media claimed America's best days were behind her Reagan countered by saying America's best days were yet to come.

When the Gipper first entered the Presidency America was in a situation similar to the one we find ourselves in today. The economy was in a depression and we were perceived by the world to be fading away and becoming increasingly  irrelevant.

Reagan changed all that. Through his unwavering belief in American exceptional ism  He challenged us to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and be proud once more to be Americans and believe that we could reach for the stars and take control of our own futures.

There was no end to Reagan's faith in the power of the individual while always insisting that people could better solve the ills of the nation than any government program or agency.

He was the first President in a long time to invoke the original vision of our Founding Fathers, and ,was always a great Champion of those enduring values and ideals of individual freedom and responsibility,combined with a faith in God,and,a belief in the common sense of free men that lead this country to greatness.

So what would Ronald Reagan think of today's politics? I believe he would tell us once more that our greatest days are yet ahead. I believe he would be delighted with the Tea Party movement and their call to returning to our founding principals,and, most of all he would challenge us to look to ourselves for the solution to this country's problems,and, not the government.

America today needs a big dose of that Reagan optimism,common sense,and call to renewed American exceptional ism!

Global climate swings bring monster blizzard to midwest

The scene outside my home

My contribution to global warming 

OMG My fireplace burns carbon!!! I guess that stove caused all this snow!!!

Wow what a snow storm! I live in Mid Missouri,and believe me, we have been hit hard by the worst snow we have had in years! In fact for the first time that anyone can remember in this area we were put under a blizzard warning by the national weather service.

At the time of this writing-4:27 p.m. Feb.1 2011- we have at least a foot of snow on the ground and it's still coming.

You may be wondering about the title of this post"Global climate swings brings monster blizzard to Midwest". I chose that as a result of a Matt Lauer interview Michio Kaku with  a few days ago on the Today Show.

Matt was interviewing a prominent pop scientist that claimed the heavy snows we are seeing are a result of "climate swings" caused by global warming  (If video won't work click here)

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Give me a break! This guy say's that the common sense idea that we are having colder weather because the world is cooling is wrong!

Here is my take. Many scientists say that global temperatures have remained constant or even cooled in the last several years. I contend that these "cycles that Mr. Kaku attributes to "global warming" are actually the "cycles' that most of us call weather!

To his credit Mr. Kaku does say that there is no proof that humans are responsible for the alleged global warming that are causing the ubiquitous "cycles' that are causing these extremes in our weather.

There is precedent for what we are seeing today. In the period from the 16th to 19th centuries there was what has been called "The little ice age"

During this period there were times of extreme winter weather interspersed with warming periods.
All of life follows cycles,and,what we are experiencing now is just another cycle in the long history of the Earth.

The Earth has seen dramatic swings over the millennia  Everything from times when most of the earth was a rain forest. To epochs when the globe was a giant snowball.

Weather comes and goes. In my life I have seen us go from very hard winters during the seventies_when the scientists said man was bringing on an ice age- to warm years in the eighties and early nineties-when scientists really got on the man made global warming band wagon-all I know is this just seems part of the natural rhythm of our planet.

It's time for everybody to calm down and realize we are so insignificant when compared to this Earth that there is no way we have permanently altered the climate of an entire planet. To believe so is the height of arrogance and hubris.

Tax time blues

Well once again it's time to roll up the old sleeves and recommence the onerous American tradition of preparing our tax forms so Uncle Sam can plunder our wealth,as well as, show us who is really in control here!

I hate it! No matter how you slice it filing a tax return is a complete pain in the a--! I know I know. All theses great new software programs and online services "make it fast and easy" to file your taxes.

I agree they are a help,but,and this is a big but. It still galls me to have to spend the amount of time that I do,online,filing taxes. Especially when it could all be so much simpler and easier.

Foe instance if the FairTax were a reality there would be no need to file a return at all,and,this great national nightmare could be brought to an end. Or even if the flat tax were implemented life would be so much simpler. The form for the flat tax takes up no more space than the cover of a paper back book for goodness sake,and,buy God it's fair,everyone across the board pays the same flat percentage rate!

But have our leaders in Washington had enough sense to consider scrapping the current code which,by all accounts, would fill entire volumes? To date no!

What makes it all even worse is that when Paul Bremer was calling the shots in Iraq he imposed a flat tax in that country. Hell the Iraqis have it better than we do. Even the Russians instituted a flat tax and their economy thrived as a result!

I personally support the Fair Tax plan which according to their web site would...

• Enables workers to keep their entire paychecks
• Enables retirees to keep their entire pensions
• Refunds in advance the tax on purchases of basic necessities
• Allows American products to compete fairly
• Brings transparency and accountability to tax policy
• Ensures Social Security and Medicare funding
• Closes all loopholes and brings fairness to taxation
• Abolishes the IRS (source)

There is however hope. for the first time in years politicians,pundits,and the people are all calling for talks on fundamental tax reform. The President even made mention of it in his State of the Union address

I certainly hope that before 2012 we will see the current tax code scrapped and replaced either with the FairTax,or a flat tax, but I'm not holding my breath!

Well well civility didn't last long

Well Well the much talked about "new era of civility" didn't last long and who was it that violated the new atmosphere of kum by yah and holding of hands? Darn sure wasn't a Republican.

No it was a Democrat! In fact one Representative Steve Cohen Democrat from Tennessee fired of a salvo on the floor of the House likening Republicans and critics of Obama care to Nazi's and Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.

This is soo typical of these folks. They always talk the talk but they never walk the walk. We have heard so much about how flaming rhetoric from the right are fanning the flames of violence,and, how we have all got to take a deep breath and not call each other names blah blah blah!

Well how about the other side? Do they never have to dial it back? Do the rules of civility and decorum not apply to the nuts on the left?

Here is my wager about this outrage. You will never hear one peep from the leftist media! However if a Republican had said something in the well of the house comparing Dems to Stalinists it would be Katy bar the door.

Seems the hypocrisy of the left never ends!

Hoorah for Gabriel Giffords

http://giffords.house.gov/

While watching the morning news the report came that in-addition to Congresswoman Giffords being able to give hand signs-as well as open her eyes-she has now been taken off ventilator! To this very welcome news indeed I say hoorah for Gabriel Giffords!

I'm a little late perhaps in speaking directly to the tragedy in Arizona. However waiting a space I believe can bring a little clarity to the discussion.

It has now emerged that the consensus on this heinous act-which the left tried to pin on the right-is that this was a lone act of a deranged nut! Words do not suffice to express how horrible this senseless act of violence was. The cost staggering. 

A vibrant young woman shot in the head and maimed in the prime of life. An innocent 9 year old girl -with a new and burning desire to learn of American politics-silenced before she could grow to make her contribution,involved citizens trying to contribute to the political discourse,and a Federal judge assassinated!

Nothing short of an assault on our system of government. A slap in the face to the will of the people who elected Ms. Giffords-and generally -a kick in the face to all of us.

The fervent prayer and earnest desire of this blogger is that Gabriel Giffords will make a rapid and complete recovery from this unimaginable act of mindlessness. It is also my hope that the bum who did this will feel the full force of American justice and be made to pay for this evil deed!

Miracles do happen. Others in similar straits have made amazing recoveries. Let us all pray that this is the case for the Honorable Representative from Arizona,and,that she will soon be able to execute her duties and responsibilities to the great people of Arizona who elected her to this high office!

Why no calls for the left to tone it down?

I hate to sound like a broken record,but,since the liberal media is keeping up the relentless mantra about how the "tone of political rhetoric" has got to change I feel compelled to call them out on the hypocrisy!

I can't help but ask the question: Why no calls for the left to tone it down? Every time some liberal pundit on the three old stream networks calls for a change in the tone of our political discourse,or for the debate to become more civil,etc,etc,etc what they are really saying is that the Right,and,the Tea Party,and by extension,the Republicans have got to quite down and quit opposing their socialistic agenda!

Well why is it that they seem to be so blind and deaf to the outrages on the left side of the aisle? Take for example the picture at the top of this page. When Bush was President they had no problem with nut cases on the left showing up at protests with signs like this. Could you imagine how tied into knots they would get should someone from the Right be seen carrying a sign like that referring to the "Anointed One"?

Even today the left -and leftist media- advocates violence against republicans consider these examples from Andrew Breitbart's Big Government blog...

"Martin concluded the article with a plea for Obama to emulate the violent tactics of the Prohibition-era Chicago mob boss Al Capone.

Obama’s critics keep blasting him for Chicago-style politics. So, fine. Channel your inner Al Capone and go gangsta against your foes. Let ‘em know that if they aren’t with you, they are against you, and will pay the price.

The Huffington Post followed-up with their own call for gangland violence against Republicans with the publication on February 14 of a column by David Bourgeois with the title, Obama Better Start Breaking Kneecaps.

So much for toning down the rhetoric. The left is more than capable of saying things that-by their standards-could well incite violence. Here is a quote from 2008 in Right Wing News...

"Are you angry? [Yeah!] Are you angry? [Yeah!] Are you angry? [Yeah!] Well, we've been watching intifada in Palestine, we've been watching an uprising in Iraq, and the question is that what are we doing? How come we don't have an intifada in this country? Because it seem[s] to me, that we are comfortable in where we are, watching CNN, ABC, NBC, Fox, and all these mainstream... giving us a window to the world while the world is being managed from Washington, from New York, from every other place in here in San Francisco: Chevron, Bechtel, [Carlyle?] Group, Halliburton; every one of those lying, cheating, stealing, deceiving individuals are in our country and we're sitting here and watching the world pass by, people being bombed, and it's about time that we have an intifada in this country that change[s] fundamentally the political dynamics in here. And we know every-- They're gonna say some Palestinian being too radical -- well, you haven't seen radicalism yet." -- U.C. Berkeley Lecturer Hatem Bazian fires up the crowd at an anti-war rally by calling for an American intifada"

This is nothing short of a call for violent revolution against the government. The left has been foaming at tje mouth over the Tea Party just suggesting we might have to have a second "American Revolution" which said revolution is a type of revolution that is a far cry from an "Intifada"!

Here is another glaring example of the hypocrisy of the left on this subject....

 "A spoiled child (Bush) is telling us our Social Security isn't safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here's your answer, you ungrateful whelp: [audio sound of 4 gunshots being fired.] Just try it, you little b*stard. [audio of gun being cocked]." -- A "humor bit" from the Randi Rhodes show

It's a wonder some lunatic from the left wasn't inspired by that nonsense to pick up a gun and go after Bush!
These quotes just begin to scratch the surface check out these horribly violent leftist quotes being reported by  Townhall.com...

"F*** God D*mned Joe the God D*mned Motherf*cking plumber! I want Motherf*cking Joe the plumber dead." -- Liberal talk show host Charles Karel Bouley on the air.

 "..And then there's Rumsfeld who said of Iraq 'We have our good days and our bad days.' We should put this S.O.B. up against a wall and say 'This is one of our bad days' and pull the trigger." -- From a fundraising ad put out by the St. Petersburg Democratic Club

 "...In an ideal world, American consumers could be convinced to do the right thing through an appeal to logic with public service messages like the 'What Would Jesus Drive?' TV campaign, but the kind of people who would buy a car that increases the risk to other motorists in an accident can't be reasoned with. They're selfish and stupid. It's unfortunate that drivers must worry that their SUVs are being targeted by insulting stickers and Molotov cocktails, but one thing's for sure: It couldn't be happening to a more deserving group of people." -- Ted Rall winks at ecoterrorism

Yeah the hatred,vitriol,and just down right meanness of the left is actually -in my opinion- unmatched.
So once again,considering these quotes- where in the world are the calls from the left wing media for liberals to tone down their rhetoric?!

            

Democrats have used maps with targets too!

Since the tragic shooting of Arizona Representative Gabriel Giffords there has been much talk about the heated rhetoric,and,vitriol of recent campaigns being responsible for the shooting of Ms. Giffords and the killing and injury of several others.

One person in particular-Sarah Palin-has been singled out as the "poster girl" if you will of what is wrong with the highly charged atmosphere of current American politics because of her use of such terms as "targeting,don't retreat reload, and other firearms related references!

Well guess what seems the Democrats are as guilty as anyone else of using this kind of "firearms related speech" in political campaigns. In fact according to some sources they have used maps depicting targets against their political opposition since at least as far back as 2004.

As I was preparing for this post I recalled Bush years when it was common to see liberal activists hanging George Bush in effigy,displaying posters calling for Bush to be killed ,and,others calling him a terrorist and calling for his death!
 etc,etc

Where was all the concern and outrage on the left over hate filled rhetoric then? I remember Bush being asked by reporters how he felt about such incendiary language at the time and his reply was usually that they had a right to their opinions under the principle of free speech.

Political language in American politics has historically been quite heated and charged with vitriol. We are told by the talking heads on television that the political climate has never been as overheated and highly charged as it is today. Nonsense!

What of the era running up to the Civil War when the rhetoric became so violent and hateful the it wasn't deranged lunatics killing people for unknown reasons but sane people taking up arms against their own neighbors!!

You see I live in Missouri and it is an historical fact that because of the political climate prior to the Civil War their was a very bloody "Border War" going on between Kansas and Missouri. There was also an incident on the steps of this Nation's Capitol where one Senator nearly caned another to death!

No the current political climate,and, the speech of the Tea Party or anyone else is not to blame for Sunday's tragedy. The blame lies solely with a deranged lunatic who decided to grab a semi-automatic pistol and open fire on a group of unarmed and innocent people!

New content to be added at Vote for Democracy.org

In a previous post I reported about a new site that sought to bring a new face to public opinion polling.

Vote for Democracy describes it self as a ...

"a brand new website promoting political partication throught online voting. We hope to allow users to shape the political debate by showing support for politicians and policies that they believe in. It is our feeling that online partication will also will translate to higher turnouts in the final elections and that that is good for the country."

I originally described this new project as a "new kind of public opinion poll. Now it  seems they want  to be true to their stated goal of fostering public debate about the issues by allowing their users to "create their own ballot issues.

When I first visited this site I had to register as a voter at Vote for Democracy so I am already a registered user. However when the first ballot appeared registration had been waived in order to "enhance participation". Can't say as I blame the creator of the site seeing as how this new experiment in social media has only ben around for four weeks now.

I am excited about the potential for this project and really want to be a part of helping it succeed.

So if you haven't already visited Vote for Democracy click here and hop on over and check it out!
I have participated in four different polls so far and -though participation is light-have enjoyed the experience.

P.S. to my Conservative friends democrats currently out number Republicans by a narrow margin. Don't miss out on a chance to be in on the ground floor of a place on the web that has the potential to be the next big thing!

A reply to Ezra Klein: The Constitution is quite clear!

Well it seems Mr. Klein has trouble understanding the Constitution of the United States. I'm not the smartest guy in the world-but-I have never had trouble understanding the Constitution. It's not like trying to read the original version of the King James Bible which-with its arcane English-can be a bit daunting for modern English readers.

Actually the Constitution is pretty clear and straight forward. I know a lot of folks have already written miles of commentary about this video,but,I want to draw your attention not to what Klein says in the above video but rather to  what he had to say in a related article in the Washington Post!

It seems Mr. Klein has-as most liberals do-a problem understanding the "right to have and bear arms"

Here is what he had to say in the Washington Post concerning that right...

"My friends on the right don't like to hear this, but the Constitution is not a clear document. Written more than 200 years ago, when America had 13 states and very different problems, it rarely speaks directly to the questions we ask it. The Second Amendment, for instance, says nothing about keeping a gun in the home if you've not signed up with a "well-regulated militia," but interpreting the Second Amendment broadly has been important to those who want to bear arms. And so they've done it."

Lets examine this statement. Mr. Klein says that the Constitution "rarely speaks to the questions we ask it".

What? It speaks quite clearly about freedom of the press,freedom of religion,freedom of assembly to name but a few of the questions we could ask of it,and,it speaks very clearly about the right of the people to have and bear arms.

In fact why don't we let the Constitution speak for itself...

 "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Yep looks pretty clear to me. The constitution says "the right of the people to have and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. The part about a well regulated militia is in their to give justification for the people to be able to possess guns.

It doesn't say a thing about being "enrolled in a militia". The founders had just gone through a revolution where ordinary citizens had formed themselves into voluntary militias in order to fight the British. They were not supplied by the government. However they did place themselves at the disposal of the Continental Congress.

The founders vision was that free citizens would voluntarily continue to form militias to protect their freedom.
How could free men come together to protect themselves if deprived of the right to arms!! Lets listen to the Founding Fathers in their own words...

"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."

-- James Madison, The Federalist Papers

"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed."

-- Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers at 184-188

Very clear words indeed from the very men who had a part in drafting the Constitution but none more clear than Patrick Henry...

" Are we at last brought to such a humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defence? Where is the difference between having our arms in our own possession and under our own direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defence be the *real* object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?"

-- Patrick Henry, speech of June 9 1788

This last quote- more than all the others- makes it clear that the people themselves WERE the militia. Who better to be trusted with arms than law abiding patriotic citizens!!

No the Constitution is not confusing. Actually the Constitution is quite clear. The real problem is the confused and fuzzy thinking of folks like Ezra Klein and his fellows on the left!!