Saturday, May 30, 2009

You Need to Read This

Go to The Washington Examiner to read how the administration is moving to limit criticism of the "Stimulus" program.

Another Czar? (Up Dated)

It’s hard to keep up with all of the czars that Obama has appointed since January 20. According to Fox News, there were 18 back in the middle of April, so the new Cyber Czar will make at least 19. I appreciate the need for increased need for the security of the Internet. Our country is totally dependent on it now for business, for news, and for personal use.

But, I am more than a little concerned that these czars answer to no one except Obama. They are not subject to Congressional or public oversight. It could easily be (or become) an end run around the separation of powers that has served the United States well up until now. What if one or more of the czars acts AGAINST the public?

If you're interested in more analysis of the Cyber Czar position, read Big Hollywood's
Gary Graham's article.

As Lord Acton said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Only A Poor Choice of Words?

Judge Sotomayor and the Obama administration have stressed the point that her quote about Latina’s making better judgments than white men was a “poor choice of words.” The only trouble is that she said it during a self-written prepared speech, not off the cuff. Then Obama claimed that the sentence was taken out of context. The only trouble with that argument is another sentence in the same speech: "Personal experiences affect the facts that judges choose to see."


Choose to see?

Voter Intimidation Will Continue (Updated)

Included in yesterday's Friday document drop was the Department of Justice order dismissing all charges against the men caught on tape intimidating voters in Philadelphia last November despite their billy club and combative attitude. A prosecution affidavit from Robert Kennedy's former campaign manager had said it was the most blatant form of voter intimidation he had ever seen. One of the Black Panthers told an approaching poll watcher who was white that "you are about to be ruled by the black man, Cracker." Here's the video from election day, in case you've forgotten.


I just realized that it was a default judgment against the New Black Panthers that was dismissed. They had never responded to the suit, so they would have lost by default, except that the Obama administration dropped the suit instead. Holder chose not to prosecute a case he had already won. Hmmmmmm.

In contrast, when five of us women were quietly praying the rosary in front of an abortion clinic, we were forced to stay across the four-lane street from the building. We could not be on the same side of the street even if we were not near the main entrance. I suppose prayer must be more frightening to this administration than billy club wielding men. (Hint: They may be right.) Otherwise, why are pro-lifers still included in the possible terrorist threat group?

Pravda Assesses The US

Read yesterday’s Pravda article (yes, that Pravda) to find some truths about “the American descent into Marxism.” Conservative Americans are routinely excoriated as alarmists for saying what Pravda journalists accept as plain truth. The article traces our descent in three levels:
1. The dumbing down of our educational system where pop culture is substituted for true education.
2. Removal of faith in God until church services have become “Sunday circuses.”
3. The election of Barack Obama created the final collapse with spending that has been record setting in the history of the world.

Pravda predicts that we’ll end up somewhere between the Weimar Republic and Zimbabwe. And explains that the proposed taxes (however disguised) of the current administration to fund “thefts, losses, and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars” make Russian oligarchs look like petty thieves.

Friday, May 29, 2009

The Garden Is Calling

Blogging will be postponed while I work on a dry creek bed/drainage for my backyard. I'll return later today or tomorrow. There's too much going on with ACORN, rigged Chrysler dealership closings, foreign relations, unworkable plans for our economy, etc., not to comment.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Between The Idea And The Reality . . .

The "Stimulus" Bill has proven to be a perfect, concrete illustration of T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Hollow Men:"
Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow

Yesterday, Sweetness and Light posted a few of the promises made about the "Stimulus" Bill beside the sad reality of its failures thus far. John Boehner did the research and held the press conference, but thus far, few, if any, news sources have reported on it. It seems to be another situation of "if it goes unreported, did it really happen?"

While we still have freedom of the Internet, we need to expose the facts to as many people as possible, so please read the article and share it with your neighbors.

One Chart = 1000 Words


Click on chart to enlarge it.

Dr. Sanity has posted this chart which explains relationships that I've been intending to cover for months. However, I must admit that the chart does the work of many words, even mine, for anyone who understands and remembers the Twentieth Century. If you would like a more thorough discussion, go here to read about the Left's inexplicable love affair with tyrants and their failed tyrannies.

The most frightening aspect is realizing how successful the Liberal Left has become in the freedom loving United States by carefully managing its message through academia, mass media, and the entertainment industry. Those who dare to oppose the agenda have immediately been branded as heartless misanthropes in a surreal inversion of reality, a la Alice in Wonderland.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Run Nancy Run

Pity poor Nancy Pelosi who finds no rest for the weary. When her trip to visit the troops in Iraq did not stop the unfortunate questions about her CIA statements, she had to turn right around and flee to China. Of course she'll get to come home when Congress reconvenes next week. But by then, (she hopes) everyone will still be obsessing over Sonia Sotomayor and North Korean nukes and missals.

Barney Frank VS The Truth

Two of my favorite writers team up in one article when Walter Williams reviews Thomas Sowell’s new book, The Housing Boom and Bust. The review and the book both explore the causes of the housing crisis we face today. Unlike Barney Frank’s bald face lie, the problem was not lack of regulation, but legislative interference with established and reasonable financial regulations. Unfortunately the US public seems to accept Frank's false history that shields recalcitrant legislators (especially Frank himself) and their follies from facing the consequences of their actions. Every citizen needs to read the review and the book. We will lose all of our freedoms if we leave the foxes in charge of the hen house, i.e., allow the current politicians to run our country without serious oversight on our part. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance against all enemies, domestic and foreign.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Definition of Insanity

Someone needs to remind President Obama that “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” On *Saturday he admitted in a C Span interview, “We are out of money now.”

That’s precisely what the Tea Party People have been grousing about for months.

Unfortunately, Obama went on to explain that the $1,700,000,000,000 in debt and the deficit of $11,000,000,000,000 was NOT due to his actions – the fault lies with previous administration(s), particularly in the area of health care. (Thus reminding some viewers of a three-year-old with icing on his cheeks earnestly telling his mother that he was NOT the one who ate the icing off the cake before it was served.)

He further enlightened the interviewer by stating that the short term problem of spending money on the financial and automobile industries coupled with a recession would soon be dwarfed by the long term problem of increased health care costs if we do nothing about health care now in spite of the mounting deficit.

In essence, he said we should continue spending even if we are out of money. It sounds exactly like the theory of someone who regularly maxed out his credit cards and borrowed on his home equity to pay them.

Frankly, the theory seldom, if ever, works well in the real world. Eventually one runs out of the possibility of credit on all levels. And it has never worked on a national level, as numerous failed regimes attest.

Footnote: Over the weekend I heard a radio commentator say that our deficit now exceeds the value of all the gold that has ever been mined in the history of the world. I have no way of checking the truth of his statement, so I offer it with that caveat.

*Always, always, always pay attention to the news on Friday evening and Saturday morning. That’s when politicians dump whatever bad news they can no longer conceal. Their modus operandi is to slip the information out when people are least likely to pay attention to the news and by Monday, they hope that new “news” will overshadow the bad “news” they just released. This “Friday Night (or Saturday) Dump” is especially effective on holiday weekends. Consider this Rule Three for the Mass Media.

Monday, May 25, 2009

No Greater Love . . .



"We have sent men and women from the armed forces of the United States to other parts of the world throughout the past century to put down oppression. We defeated Fascism. We defeated Communism. We saved Europe in World War I and World War II. We were willing to do it, glad to do it. We went to Korea. We went to Vietnam. All in the interest of preserving the rights of people.

"And when all those conflicts were over, what did we do? Did we stay and conquer? Did we say, "Okay, we defeated Germany. Now Germany belongs to us? We defeated Japan, so Japan belongs to us"? No. What did we do? We built them up. We gave them democratic systems which they have embraced totally to their soul. And did we ask for any land? No, the only land we ever asked for was enough land to bury our dead. And that is the kind of nation we are." Colin Powell, 2002


Aisne-Marne, France
Ardennes, Belgium
Brittany, France
Brookwood, England
Cambridge, England
Corozal, Panama
Epinal, France
Flanders Field, Belgium
Florence, Italy
Henri-Chapelle, Belgium
Lorraine, France
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Manila, Philippines
Meuse-Argonne, France
Mexico City, Mexico
Netherlands, Netherlands
Normandy, France
North Africa, Tunisia
Oise-Aisne, France
Rhone, France
Sicily-Rome, Italy
Somme, France
St. Mihiel, France
Suresnes, France

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Governator Does Something Right

After Tuesday's defeat at the polls, Governor Schwarzenegger has included defunding Planned Parenthood to the tune of $73,000 in his proposed budget cuts. Why any government entity funds the group is beyond logical reasoning, yet they enjoy tax payer support in almost every state. While legally a non-profit organization, the major abortion provider in the US netted around $1,000,000,000 in profit from sales (abortions) last year. Their pro abortion supporters are at this very moment sending out frantic emails begging Californians to oppose the small budget cut proposal.

Beware of ACORN Supporters

Most Americans are truly upset that in spite of proven fraud and numerous indictments, ACORN continues to receive ever increasing clout and funding from the federal government. The American Spectator has a great article up explaining the $8,500,000,000 they will receive under current spending bills. Note that our dear Barney Frank recently lied about this figure on the Lou Dobbs show.

Note also that Glenn Beck has attacked ACORN and its many affiliations on his television show recently. If you go to his website, you can find a list of about 90 written articles, video clips, and audio segments about this group.

Cap and Trade, Part IV

The San Francisco Examiner (Gasp! San Francisco?) has an excellent editorial about Waxman-Markey's HR 2454. Apparently, buried within its 946 pages are several unpopular surprises that Congressional Clowns want to pass by stealth such as a 3 year program of unemployment benefits. Three years? Are they admitting that the so called surge of Green Jobs is pure bunk? Has news of Spain's painful experience with green jobs penetrated the Beltway?

Michele Malkin has a video on her Blog showing Waxman admitting, "I certainly don't claim to know all the details in this bill." In other words, he is pushing a bill without knowing everything that's in it. That's either extreme incompetence or fraud.

Heritage Foundation has a neat summary of the real costs of HR 2454:
Analysis of the economic impact of Waxman-Markey projects that by 2035 the bill would:

* Reduce aggregate gross domestic product (GDP) by $9.6 trillion;
* Destroy 1,105,000 jobs on average, with peak years seeing unemployment rise by over 2,479,000 jobs;
* Raise electricity rates 90 percent after adjusting for inflation;
* Raise inflation-adjusted gasoline prices by 74 percent;
* Raise residential natural gas prices by 55 percent;

* Raise an average family's annual energy bill by $1,500; and
* Increase inflation-adjusted federal debt by 26 percent, or $29,150 additional federal debt per person, again after adjusting for inflation.

Go here to read the whole article.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Call Your Congressional Clowns!

Tell them to vote 'NO' on HR 2454, the so called Cap and Trade bill. It pretends to "clean the environment," but actually does nothing except clean out your bank account. Americans need to revolt against the unending growth of poorly conceived regulations, laws, and taxes to "solve" environmental issues.

California has led the rest of the nation in environmental regulations, yet in the latest American Lung Association report, 5 of the 10 most polluted cities in America are in California. Most of the thrust of the Cap and Trade crowd is eliminating gases, like the CO2 we all exhale with every breath, to fight climate change. Instead of global warming (Al Gore's fast track to increasing his bank account), we need to spend our time and energies working on particulate matter in the air. And it wouldn't hurt to pay more attention to the details of "scientific" reports. The most hyped ones are short on science, long on bombast and merely extend the reach of government into private lives.

If you've already called them, call again.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Coffin Nails

Barack Obama, like an earnest college sophomore during a midnight bull session, knows how to “solve” the world’s thorniest problems. However, unlike college sophomores, he has the power to make his ideas become national policy. For example, he has taken on the US automobile industry, first throwing money at it, and then firing executives while demanding a merger with his preferred foreign automaker. Now he’s invaded the engineering departments to dictate stringent emission and mileage standards to solve the “global warming (or climate change) problem,” which has never been proven to be a problem at all.

His decrees will probably put the final nails in the US auto industry coffin since he is outlawing their best selling cars during a recession, encouraging buyers to hold on to their beloved SUV’s as long as they can. These companies can’t redesign and retool without trashing designs and tools already paid for. So that’s an additional hit to their bottom line. New manufacturing costs, now estimated to be $1,600 per car, will also depress sales. With an industry that’s already reeling from legacy costs and union wages that foreign carmakers do not face, the new standards appear to be the death blow.

These standards will give new meaning to the term, “Culture of Death” since they will also put more citizens in coffins. Tiny light cars are just not as safe on the road despite seat belts and airbags as the heavier SUV’s and sedans

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Spend And The Lord Shall Send?

Now we find out that the man who runs our country, our banks, and two of our automobile companies, the very man who plans to take over our health care industry ASAP, didn’t even run his own household very well. Apparently Obama and Michele were up to their eyeballs in debt before the book deal came through and Michele got a sweetheart salary increase of 260% the year he became US senator.

In April, The American Thinker had an analysis of their personal finances during the 2000-2005 period from public records. With around $240,000 in annual income, Obama had little or no savings and regularly used lines of credit on his home to make ends meet. Now we understand why he had trouble using his credit card during the Democratic convention 2004. They reported annual child care expenses of $23,000 to $24,000 and Michele recently mentioned that they spent about $10,000 for extra curricular activities for during those difficult years.

Book royalties and an astronomical raise rescued the family finances in 2005. Do you think Obama secretly believes that something like that will rescue the US from his spending spree that quadruples the national debt during his first year in office?

Two Questions for Obama

1. If you really believe that abortion is a great good for society that you and the government must protect and even fund for other nations, then why insist that it should be safe, legal, and rare? Should abortion be available to all mothers in all situations as you have promoted by vetoing the Partial Birth Abortion Act and the Infants Born Alive Act, by rescinding the Mexico City policy, and by your promises regarding the Freedom of Choice Act to Planned Parenthood? Or should it be rare, as you mentioned in your speech at Notre Dame? If, as you mentioned, it’s “a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions,” why do you promote it with such fervor and reject all moral and spiritual arguments against it?
2. At Notre Dame you said regarding abortion, “. . . the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.” Yet your own Department of Homeland Security has labeled pro life proponents as possible domestic terrorists. That not only caricatures Pro Life people, it demonizes them. How can demonized people freely engage in dialogue with those who demonize them? Are you ready to repudiate Napolitano’s DHS Report?

Monday, May 18, 2009

If The News Media Did Not Report It, Did It Really Happen, Part 2

The main stream media continues to ignore the fiery Archbishop Burke’s speech at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, as I wrote earlier. Their motto seems to be, “If you can’t beat them, ignore them.”

Time magazine is the third major news outlet since May 8 to pretend that the Vatican is either pleased or unwilling to say anything negative about Obama, his administrative decisions, or his honor from Notre Dame. In fact, Amy Sullivan, author of the most recent article ends by suggesting that those who oppose Obama on abortion are trying to be more Catholic than the Pope.

Perhaps, she should research the full text of the speech that Archbishop Burke, an extremely highly placed Vatican official, gave on May 8, 2009, just ten days ago. He was interrupted with standing ovations several times, like when he said,
"Catholic institutions cannot offer any platform to, let alone honor, those who teach and act publicly against the moral law. . . If we as individuals are not willing to accept the burdens and the suffering of the Catholic witness to the right to life, we are not worthy of the name Catholic.”

The reason that Catholics get so upset by life issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research, is that it is always and everywhere wrong to kill innocent human beings. Other issues such as war and the death penalty are open to reason and debate, since they can be justified and virtuously employed in the correct circumstances. Knowingly killing innocents, as Americans are doing at the rate of about 4,000 per day, however, can never be honorable.

Those pro abortion politicians, like Nancy Pelosi, who are so upset about water boarding grown men who are actively trying to kill Americans as a way to frighten them into giving information should consider the agonizing "waterboarding" a frail little baby goes through when salt water is pumped into its sanctuary, the womb, as a way to kill it. Or when an inserted vacuum tube tears its arms and legs off without benefit of anesthesia. Then there’s the partial birth abortion where scissors are stuck in the back of the baby’s neck and its skull crushed just as it is about to take it’s first breath. And Obama has four times voted AGAINST giving any medical attention to a baby born alive in spite of an attempted abortion. That’s called infanticide. People who honor those promoting these practices are not worthy of the name Catholic.

Friday, May 15, 2009

By What Authority?

What law authorizes the federal government to get GPS coordinates for the front door of every house in the US. Already two of my relatives, living in fairly remote small towns have been visited by agents doing just this. In view of the fact that Google already offers satellite pictures of every house on the street, why the need for GPS coordinates in addition?

The 140,000 workers hired with “stimulus” money say they are doing it in preparation for the 2010 census – to make it more accurate. In reality it does nothing of the kind, according to Douglas Gibbs, but it does make it easier to monitor citizens, if desired. When was the public debate about this? When did we come to an agreement about the need for it in spite of privacy concerns? Or are we only supposed to be concerned about privacy rights when Republicans control the White House?

The fact that ACORN is supplying and overseeing most of these workers and Rahm Emmanuel is directing the census from inside the White House does not make me feel any better about it. And I never trust government decisions/actions done in secret or in haste. Read more at this link.

Obama Finally Gets It! . . . Or Does He?

At a town hall meeting yesterday, Obama “courageously” spoke out against excessive spending. "The long-term deficit and debt that we have accumulated is unsustainable. We can't keep on just borrowing from China or borrowing from other countries. We have to pay interest on that debt and that means that we're mortgaging our children's future with more and more debt.”

Even the most rabid conservative could say “amen” to that; it was part of the Tea Party message. However, Obama was using that spiel as a major selling point for his health care proposals. Somehow in his magical economic utopia, if the government spends more money on health care for everyone, then we will save money, get the economy going, and get out of debt.

This is from the guy who within 107 days in office has increased the deficit to 11.9% of the Gross Domestic Product, or $1,800,000,000,000. Since 1946, that percentage has varied, but the average for all of those years was 2.3%. In 1934, the year the Depression deficit peaked, the percentage was 5.9% of the GDP. (Read Investor’s Business Daily for more.)


And the people responsible for this are the same ones who excoriated Bush’s $400,000,000,000 deficit. Go to Heritage Foundation to see an excellent visual comparison. Since everyone tends to nod off when mentally comparing billions and trillions, it is necessary to have a visual to understand the impact. In fact, the Obamatrons are depending on our misunderstanding to continue their plans to change the country without opposition.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

ACORN Alert

ACORN has recently been indicted in Nevada and Pennsylvannia as well as ten other states, yet the organization is in line to receive at least $8,000,000,000 in federal funds. To correct this egregious example of corruption, Michele Bachmann (R MN) introduced an amendment in the House Committee on Financial Services to prevent appropriated money going to any group that has been indicted or convicted of fraud. It quickly passed. Then Barney Frank got to thinking about it and saw that the amendment was eviscertated. Read Bachmann's op-ed in the Washington Times to get the full details. Rumors, indictments, and convictions follow this group everywhere it appears, yet ACORN only gains in influence. It will participate in the 2010 Census by providing workers and oversight. And some of them have begun work already in preparation for 2010.

Obama Sends Email Asking for Help with Health Care

Yesterday I received an email on simulated Presidential stationery from President Obama requesting that I help spread the word about Obama’s “innovative ways to reduce health care costs.”

I will be glad to help offer ideas about reducing health care costs, but they are directly opposite Obama’s suggestions. He sees increased government control as the answer to all problems; I see increased government control as the problem in all situations.

In the area of socialized medicine, now referred to as “one payer solution” to avoid well established negative reactions to the term, “socialized medicine,” there are no situations where it has worked out well even though it has been tried in numerous countries. None. It always costs more than expected and it always results in rationing of benefits. Those who think we’ll have the same good medicine practiced today at little or no cost to themselves are naïve to the point of stupidity.

In last month’s Imprimus, John Goodman wrote of several possibilities for improving our delivery of health care while cutting costs by eliminating government interference. Go here to read his insightful suggestions, and then pass some of them along to your Congressional Clowns in the most persuasive language you can muster.

Interference by Congress in the delivery of health care got us into this mess and only by reducing their interference will get us out of it. Go here to read more of my articles on it.

Please remind everyone you meet that no one in America is denied health care because they can’t pay. For years, I helped a hospital raise funds to cover costs for indigent patients who had NOT been turned away. I don’t know of any hospital that does not treat the patient first.

Also keep in mind that the figure of 46,000,000 uninsured Americans is exaggerated at best.
1. First of all, it includes many illegal aliens who are NOT Americans. (And even they are not turned away. Just check the financial records of any hospital in a town near a US border.)
2. Second it includes a lot of young people who CHOOSE not to buy insurance because they want to get a new house and car first.
3. And third, for those uninsured people who are left, there is always a way to work it out should any of them suffer a catastrophic illness. Both the hospital and I survived my treatment for breast cancer that included three surgeries without insurance when I was unemployed. It took awhile, but we worked it out.
4. There are several other answers to health care costs that only require a change in IRS regulations or a brake on medical malpractice awards to ease the situation. As Herman Cain has pointed out, Obama's "solution" is like tearing off your whole roof and rebuilding it when all you need to do is fix a small leak.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

NARTH Gets New Ammunition

In the early nineties, I had one class at ECU investigate a story about the National Association for Research and Therapy for Homosexuals. During their convention at a Los Angeles hotel, extreme security measures had to be employed to protect them and the hotel personnel from homosexual activists who questioned their very reason for being. The NARTH participants had to hide their identities, avoid the hotel lobby and the traditional meeting rooms, and hire extra security guards to protect themselves from the mob.

This group of therapists believed that homosexuality can be treated; the activists believed that it is a genetic condition.

The American Psychological Association has changed their official statement regarding the cause of homosexual inclinations. It now reads: "There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles..."

Previously their official stance had been: "There is considerable recent evidence to suggest that biology, including genetic or inborn hormonal factors, play a significant role in a person's sexuality."

Watch for fireworks as this becomes more well known and more widely discussed. You can read more at World Net Daily.

Congressional Leader Resigns after Ill Chosen Words

The Congressional leader was Trent Lott who resigned as Senate Majority Leader after a brouhaha over his complimentary remarks to Strom Thurmond at the latter's 100th birthday party.

That was 2002, this is 2009. Now we have Nancy Pelosi, two heart beats away from the presidency, who not only lies, but is caught in her lies. When the heat from the media begins to get uncomfortable for her, she takes off to comfort the troops in Iraq at taxpayers' expense. And most important, she keeps her Congressional leadership position.

What happened to our vicious watch dog press?

Do You Want to Give More Power to These People?

The news leaked out yesterday that the Federal Government has probably sent out at least 10,000 "stimulus" checks to dead people. One of the recipients was a woman who has been dead since 1967. This admission came from the crack accountants at Social Security who were responsible for sending $250 checks to retirees. That's $625,000,000 down the drain, if, indeed, they were honest about how many mistakes they made.

If they are that far behind in clearing out their records, can you imagine just how long it's going to take to get the economy "stimulated?" Don't hold your breath.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The View from Great Britain

British journalists have a far different view of the Obama phenomenon than the current crop of American journalists do. Go to the Daily Mail Online to get their well written take on the Correspondents' Dinner.

I Don’t Understand, President Obama

I can’t begin to understand why Obama and his acolytes are making the moves that they are. It appears to me that they have an agenda to destroy our economy, our healthcare system, our education system, and our private lives. Every move that they’ve made so far and every plan they’ve discussed publicly seem to be exactly the wrong one – the one designed to cause the most harm, cost the most money, and provide the fewest benefits to the American people.

When, as a young adult, I encountered liberal utopians, I thought they were just misguided. Their plans sounded magnanimous, but when examined, were full of logical flaws and a gross misunderstanding of basic human nature. I sometimes felt overwhelmed when they pointed to Europe as being more enlightened and more equitable because those governments were continuing down the path toward increased government control.

But since the days of Margaret Thatcher, European countries have been slowly retreating from even democratic socialism because it never worked out as promised. It always failed and the average people in each country where it was tried have always suffered during the process. Europe seemed to be catching on that both individuals and society do better with fewer governmental controls.

In other words, Americans not only have logic, common sense, and psychology to support individual freedom over the nanny state, they now have the history of the 20th century to prove their points. So why, are our leaders pushing us down this path? What do they have to gain? Do they not realize that Utopia does not exist and never will?

If The News Media Did Not Report It, Did It Really Happen?

Last Friday morning Archbishop Burke flew in from Rome to speak at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. He was interrupted with standing ovations several times during the address, including the time he quite forcefully addressed the “greatest scandal” of Notre Dame conferring an honor on President Obama. On Saturday, a Washington Post headline proclaimed that the Vatican continues to remain silent about the Notre Dame commencement controversy. Sunday morning, the Associated Press sent out a similar story to all of their subscribers. Both reports gave the impression that Prolifers were making a mountain out of a molehill by condemning Notre Dame’s actions.

Both media outlets conveniently ignored the fact that Burke, former Archbishop of St. Louis, has been elevated to one of the highest offices in the Vatican (He was recently appointed to head the Catholic Church's highest court, the Apostolic Signatura) and that his public pronouncements reflect the “Vatican” position.*

When I was a kid, my mother punished me for lies of omission as well as spoken lies. Too bad no one calls out the media for ignoring that which they do not wish to acknowledge. Since they have the responsibility of watchdogs for our entire nation, their culpability is too great to even consider.

*Please note that the press frequently and willingly quotes "anonymous" sources in the Vatican which could be anyone from the janitor to a disgruntled prelate.

Wear Black on May 17

Whether or not you plan to attend the commencement at Notre Dame, whether or not you ever went to Notre Dame, or whether or not you are a Catholic, Meeting Christ in the Liturgy asks you to wear black on May 17. It is a dignified way to show your solidarity with all preborn babies and to perform an act reparation for all the crimes against human life. Such an action shows respect for the office of President of the US and for the man who inhabits that office, while also respecting Jesus Christ who in dying for our sins, enables us to live lives of love, for above and beyond mere self interest.

Talking Points

Thomas Sowell has the last, best word on the subject of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques in his column, Talking Points, today. As usual, he offers an intelligent analysis far beyond the frantic group think of today's media. I have been a fan of Thomas Sowell since I read his Black Education: Myths and Tragedies in the early 1970's. He regularly skewers the lack of honesty and lack of logic in most of the politically correct shibboleths of today's left. Apparently I'm not his only fan since both Paul Johnson and David Mamet have called him "our greatest contemporary philosopher."

Monday, May 11, 2009

Blogging Holiday

I'm declaring a day off due to extreme case of Excessive Obama News. Will resume shortly.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

God Bless (And Protect) Archbishop Burke!

Archbishop Burke needs prayer support from all believers, both Catholic and Protestant. He spoke at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast yesterday about the Notre Dama affair and about being a Christian witness in a secular environment. The medis is currently ignoring his bold message, but a whirlwind of reaction will surely hit soon from the pro abortion establishment.

Father Zuhlsdorf has the transcript on his Blog, complete with explanations and comments. You will be inspired and encouraged if you read it.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Killing Me Softly

A steel magnolia takes on Timothy Geitner and expresses everyone's outrage that Obama dared nominate him and the Senate stupidly confirmed him. Remember he is getting double the enforcement money that his predecessor had to go after anyone who dares to do what he did. (And Rangel and Dodd and Daschle and others)

Nanny Knows Best?

On May 6, the Washington Post reported the Obama administration is considering promoting two flu shots all Americans next fall. One will combat the usual winter flu outbreak and the other one will fight swine flu. Public Health officials' main concern appears to be whether drug companies can produce enough vaccines in time.

Other health providers question the effectiveness of flu shots in general and some believe them to be detrimental in the long term.

Priorities, Priorities

Nothing is surprising about Obama’s choices regarding the budget except how clearly they expose his true intentions for all the world to see. For example, he decided to halve the benefits given to families of policemen killed in the line of duty. In another slash and burn, he eviscerated the Department of Labor’s budget for investigating and enforcing union corruption. I guess the police didn’t contribute enough money to his campaign.

On the other hand, he wants to double the enforcement budget at the dearly beloved Internal Revenue Service, where one is guilty until one proves himself to be innocent. And where the regulations are so convoluted, IRS agents won’t stand behind each others’ interpretation of them in specific instances.

While we’re on the subject of the IRS, those “evil” tax loop holes that international companies have been using are perfectly legal until Congress changes the law. Obama’s claim that using them was illegal is entirely spurious.

In A Normal Culture

Nancy Pelosi would resign her office in shame, quit calling herself a Catholic, and disappear from public view. Both the American Bishops and the Pope have publicly reprimanded her. The normally acquiescent news media has repeatedly exposed her blatant lies, such as her latest denial about knowledge of water boarding . But the unflappable San Fran Nan soldiers on undeterred by reality. Cole Porter’s, “Anything Goes” is even more relevant today than when he wrote:
The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Unmentionable Epidemic

The CDC continues to warn Americans not to let their guard down because the Swine Flu virus might mutate and become more virulent and more deadly. They believe that complacency currently poses the biggest threat to public health. Today, 642 cases of swine flu have been confirmed.

Meanwhile the CDC and the media continue to ignore the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, some of which have no cure, afflicting one out of three American teenagers. To bring home this point, a student at ECU had her classmates line up in groups of three, then asked them to take note of the person on their left, then pay attention to the person on their right. Then she announced, “One of the three of you has an STD.”

The cultural elites have been promoting “safe” sex for teenagers for decades, insisting that young people have no more self-control than a dog in heat. Their main line of defense is to throw condoms at the problem while mouthing platitudes about sex education. If all else fails, they cheerfully prescribe an abortion. People who question the effectiveness of condoms are relegated to the back room stacks in the basement of the library, not permitted on the center stage of media coverage.

And after over 40 years of relentless public relations campaigns for casual sex, the result in our culture is that teenagers think nothing of sending pornographic pictures of themselves to all their friends. That leaves little hope that the epidemic of STD’s and ruined lives will end anytime soon.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

First Ms. Prejean, Then Black Pastors in DC

The homosexual activists want homosexual marriage in the US, no matter what. First they denigrated the majority in California who voted against the proposition in November, then they started the process of trying to change the effects of the vote. Next, in response to a direct question about her opinion, Ms. Prejean, without any negative connotations to the words she used, said that she personally believed that marriage could only occur between a man and a woman. And she not only lost the beauty pageant, she has been hunted down and pilloried by the activists ever since.

Yesterday, Marion Barry, backed by a cadre of Black Pastors, voted against recognition of homosexual marriage in the District of Columbia. The ensuing melee was so bad, police had to be called to escort the former mayor and the pastors from the building.

Silly me. I always thought the majority ruled in the US.

Is It Part of The DNA?

For the last 20 years, people have been pointing out hypocritical acts and attitudes of our contemporary eco freaks and tree huggers. Recently, one young lady in England even insisted on having surgical sterilization so she would never have any children to disturb the environment.

Today, Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred posted a long, interesting article enumerating instances of environmentalists evicting natives from their habitat in order to preserve the habitat since the discovery of Yosemite. Despite the fact the Miwoks had been living there for around 4,000 years, they were deemed detrimental to the preservation of the environment and cruelly eliminated in what became “The Yosemite Model.” And about sixty years later, Yosemite opened as a national park without any native residents. Read the whole piece for more specifics and examples.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

Read John Hawkins’ article, Twenty Small Ways to Help Get Our Country Back on Track, for ideas you can put into practice now. Our country needs help.

Tea Party People vs. The Ruling Elite

Back in 2006 many voters either voted against the Republicans or stayed home, delivering both the House and the Senate to the Democrats. A large number of these voters had earlier railed against the steadily increased spending and the ever growing federal government under Bush that continually encroached on their private freedoms. They thought they would just teach the Republicans a lesson for using them to get elected, then ignoring them when governing. More and more began to agree with George Wallace’s evaluation that “there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the two parties.”

Blinded by their own prejudices, the Democrats and the media interpreted their victory as a demand for their Big Government approach to all problems. Obama’s election in 2008 furthered this illusion, especially for those who view the whole world only through the Democrat/Republican lens. No one bothered to check with Middle America and they scoffed at the spontaneous uprising of Tea Parties on April 15.

This week, some Republican politicians, encouraged by the likes of James Carville, began encouraging Republicans to move faster down the road to Democrat Light, while the Tea Party people stare in disbelief. They had “punished” the Republicans for moving to the left and now these same Republicans suggest moving farther to the left faster.

Tea Party People have a visceral opposition to a big government, especially one that eagerly takes over private sector entities and activities. Throughout the twentieth century they have read about and watched big governments become totalitarian governments that spread death and misery to millions of people. They know that every tax and every government program is an intrusion into their personal lives and a diminution of their freedom. They may fail at reforming the Republicans or at forming a successful third party. But they will not willingly let Washington politicians or the media change the country into something it was never meant to be.

HR 1913 Passed House; Fight It in The Senate Now

Last week the heavy Democrat majority in the House easily passed Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 and, in the process, even refused to amend it to specifically exclude pedophiles from the list of “protected” sexual orientations or practices. It is not yet listed on the calendar for a vote in the Senate, but Sen. Ted Kennedy and 34 co-sponsors introduced a similar bill (S 909) that is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

There is still time to fight it, but you must call your Senators immediately to let them know of your opposition. Also notify members of the Senate Judicial Committee; the Democrat members are: Leahy, Kohl, Feinstein, Feingold, Schumer, Durbin, Cardin, Specter, Whitehouse, Wyden, Klobuchar, and Kaufman. The seven Republicans are: Hatch, Grassley, Kyl, Sessions, Graham, Cornyn, and Coburn. The Capitol Switchboard number is 800-202 224-3121 or you can easily find their numbers on the Internet.

As written, it elevates current or perceived sexual orientation to the same legal protection that is now reserved for race. By default, it then criminalizes those who believe homosexual practices (as well as other sexual activities that have been considered deviant) to be immoral. This act will put serious constraints on both freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

It encourages prosecution for all pursuits, including speech, perceived to be hateful by inserting federal authorities and federal money into criminal cases, which are usually the jurisdiction of the states. This opens the door to double jeopardy where one could be tried twice for the same act, both in federal and state courts.

It could protect the participants in activities that are against the law in most states, such as incest, prostitution, bestiality, and pedophilia. Because the bill does not specify, but merely mentions sexual orientation, it could also normalize by federal law a range of bizarre sexual behaviors now considered deviant by the American Psychiatric Association.

Like all hate crime legislation, it punishes thought and intent, rather than visible acts, thus giving the government the authority to determine and then punish someone’s inner thoughts and motivation, a practice formerly left to God alone.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Listen to The Judge. . . .

Judge Napolitano, a judicial analyst for FOX news and author of three books, had three recommendations for Tea Party participants to make their protests more effective.
1. Run for office – outside the current Tweeddledee/Tweedlledum party system. In other words, send Mr. Smith to Washington because the current population there has no understanding of our complaints, much less how to solve them. For moral encouragement, read “A Wind Blows Against the Political Spectrum."
2. Start campaigning now to get your state legislature to pass a resolution asking for a Constitutional Convention to abolish the 16th Amendment which mandates our current income tax system. A Constitutional Convention has to be convened if 2/3 of the states request it.

Today’s tax system is so onerous that even the Secretary of the Treasury “can’t” figure out how to file. If a taxpayer calls the IRS to ask for advice on how to handle a particular situation and FOLLOWS the advice from the IRS, there is no guarantee that the advice followed will stand up during an audit. If you call three different IRS representatives, you will get three different interpretations of the same regulation. There are 1,135 different forms for filing a return this year. Income tax invites fraud and punishes the very success that our country offers all citizens. There has to be a better way to fund the government for real needs without manipulating citizens and encouraging special interest groups' tyranny through tax code carrots and sticks.

Hint: A Constitutional Convention does not necessarily have to take place, but enough states have to ask for it to get the Congressional Clowns to pay attention. It’s sort of like hitting the mule with a 2 by 4 in order to get its attention.

3. Change your attitude toward your government. As Thomas Jefferson said, “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” The IRS and Janet Napolitano (no relation to the Judge) should be shaking in their boots about our reactions to incomprehensible rules and partisan DHS documents.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

A Billion Here,

A billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money. Sen. Dirkson was so right, but after a while everyone just gets numb to the figures. Check out this counter provided by the 9.12 Project:




Friday, May 1, 2009

A Figure That's Sure to Grow

According to the GAO, Medicare mistakenly paid out $19,000,000,000 in improper payments during 2008. Any bets as to how many wrong payments will be paid when the government takes over the whole health care system? Then add in the inevitable waste that is part and parcel of large bureaucracy. And don't forget to count in the fraud that is sure to come. You can almost hear the ding, ding, ding as taxes go up every year. Read the whole CNS news report here.

McCarthy on Protecting the US

Andy McCarthy* wrote a gem of an article today explaining his letter refusing to serve on an Obama task force regarding terrorists and enemy combatants. I highly recommend that you read it. He explains in logical, comprehensive terms the reasons Obama's policy on detainees at Guantanamo Bay is both dangerous and foolish and his possible indictment of those who offered advice to the Bush administration is unlawful, as well as unconscionable. He concludes with:
"As I told the attorney general in my letter, “I am powerless to stop the president, as he takes these reckless steps, from touting his Detention Policy Task Force as a demonstration of his national security seriousness. But I can decline to participate in the charade.”

His actual letter to Eric Holder is posted at Rush Limbaugh.com, but probably won't be there too long.

*In case you've forgotten, McCarthy is best known as the federal prosecutor at the trial of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Just for Fun

We’ve embedded a video comedy routine about current events from Newsbusters. Enjoy a 2 minute break from the serious news by clicking on the start button.






To Be or Not To Be Frightened of The Flu

It is difficult to discern what to make of the current Swine Flu crisis. On the one hand the WHO declares it a Level 5 Pandemic, Biden and Pelosi offer frightening precautions for their own families, and the news media regurgitate warnings and dire predictions at every opportunity. On the other hand, there is a growing distrust of the news media and the public health officials who seem to perennially cry that the sky is falling.

Yesterday, The San Antonio Lightning paper published a leaked private email from a New Braufels ER doctor warning his family that everything is much worse than the public realizes, despite that fact that the number of deaths has not risen as dramatically as expected. According to the physician, this strain of flu is particularly pernicious because the virus is infectious for about two days before the person experiences any symptoms and for about seven days after onset. He also states that there are 10 to 25 cases of swine flu for every case actually reported due to the delay in confirmation from health authorities.

Since supplies of Tamiflu and Relenza are short, he makes the practical suggestion that families stock up on homeopathic and natural remedies such as oscillococinum or N-Acetyl-Cysteine and take ordinary precautions like washing hands with soap frequently and avoiding crowded places.