I simply cannot believe that Senator Lindsey Graham actually said this.

“My hope is that our Democratic colleagues — if you start listening to the bloggers — if we’re going to let the bloggers run the country, then the country’s best days are behind us.”

Excuse me, Senator? Is it really your position that government officials should not listen to the voices of the people as expressed in public forums? Do you really believe that such voices are irrelevant, and that listening to citizens like me is a danger to our nationÂ’s greatness? Could it be that the time has come for you to go, so that we can have leaders who actually give a damn what the people have to say?

Posted by: Greg at 01:35 PM | Comments (22) | Add Comment
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This, my friends, is troubling – and not because of the fact that it honoring the faith of those responsible for 9/11, but because it is setting aside a day to honor any faith.

Hawaii’s state Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday to celebrate “Islam Day” _ over the objections of a few lawmakers who said they didn’t want to honor a religion connected to Sept. 11, 2001.
Â…The resolution to proclaim Sept. 24, 2009, as Islam Day passed the Senate on a 22-3 vote. It had previously passed the House.
The bill seeks to recognize “the rich religious, scientific, cultural and artistic contributions” that Islam and the Islamic world have made.

Now hold on – will there be a Judaism Day? How about a Christianity Day? Buddhism Day? Scientology Day? Jedi Knight Day (hey – the British recognize Jedi Knights as a religion for census purposes)? And where are the usual crew of secularists raising a red flag over this state recognition of religion?

Posted by: Greg at 01:31 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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We have many laws regulating the ownership and use of firearms. Why not enforce them rather than make new ones?

Amid a wave of publicity about drug-related gun violence along the Mexican border and police killings in U.S. cities, more Americans than ever oppose new government efforts to regulate guns.
Recent polls show shrinking support for new gun control measures and strong public sentiment for enforcing existing laws instead. So strong is the shift in public opinion that a proposed assault-weapons ban — once backed by three in four Americans — now rates barely one in two.
Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll, told reporters Tuesday that “every bit of data is showing us that Americans are getting more conservative about gun control.”

But is it really a question of being more conservative? Or is it simply a question of recognizing that more laws are not the solution to the illegal sale and use of guns when we already have many that go unenforced?

Posted by: Greg at 09:55 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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Hate crime protection will be guaranteed for pedophiles – but attacks on current and former members of the armed forces because of their military service has been denied by Democrats.

During a House Judiciary Committee meeting, Congressman Steve King (R-IA) offered up an amendment to the hate crimes bill to exclude pedophiles from being a protected category under the hate crimes legislation.
Every single Democrat voted it down.

In the same meeting, Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL) offered an amendment to include veterans as a class protected under the hate crimes bill. Not only did the Democrats vote it down, but Cogresswoman Debbie Waasserman Schultz attacked the Republicans for even thinking veterans might need protection under hate crimes legislation.

Why vote down an amendment excluding pedophiles from protection? Even if one accepts the argument that they were not intended to be covered by the statute, why not make the exclusion explicit?

And as for our veterans, weÂ’ve seen hate-inspired assaults on them for at least four decades, dating back to the Vietnam War. If veteran status is a basis for protection under other civil rights statutes, why not this one? Could it be that we have seen the majority in Congress demonstrate that, like Bill Clinton in the 1960s, it loathes the military?

Of course, I oppose hate crime laws -- and I therefore oppose the entire bill currently under consideration. But if we are to have such laws, why would we protect those who prey on vulnerable children, but not the patriots who defend our nation from its enemies?

Posted by: Greg at 09:54 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Arlen Specter goes from first to last in seniority on the Judiciary Committee.

The Senate dealt a blow tonight to Sen. Arlen Specter's hold on seniority in several key committees, a week after the Pennsylvanian's party switch placed Democrats on the precipice of a 60-seat majority.

In a unanimous voice vote, the Senate approved a resolution that added Specter to the Democratic side of the dais on the five committees on which he serves, an expected move that gives Democrats larger margins on key panels such as Judiciary and Appropriations.

But Democrats placed Specter in one of the two most junior slots on each of the five committees for the remainder of this Congress, which goes through December 2010. Democrats have suggested that they will consider revisiting Specter's seniority claim at the committee level only after the midterm elections next year.

Looks like Specter has hurt his home state of Pennsylvania by surrendering seniority for personal political advantage. We already know that he wasn’t interested in principle – now we see that he also doesn’t care about the best interests of his constituents. You see, it is really all about the best interests of Arlen!

Posted by: Greg at 09:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Posted by: Greg at 09:50 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I never thought I would be as ashamed of my country as I am at this moment. This is positively disgraceful.

Bibles in Afghan languages sent to a U.S. soldier at a base in Afghanistan were confiscated and destroyed to ensure that troops did not breach regulations which forbid proselytizing, a military spokeswoman said.

* * *

Military officials have said the bibles were sent through private mail to an evangelical Christian soldier by his church back home. The soldier brought them to the bible study class where they were filmed.

Confiscated and destroyed? Why not simply returned to the sender? Why resort to book burning in order to suppress the free exercise of religion on the part of both American soldiers and the citizens of Afghanistan?

There’s another country that destroys contraband Bibles in order to protect Islam by guaranteeing that Muslims do not hear the Gospel and are therefore not tempted to exercise their human right to freely change their religion. That country is Saudi Arabia – I wrote about that a couple of years ago.

I’m curious – will there be riots in the streets over this? Will there be an investigation of who gave the order, and apologies to offended Christians like happened when it was falsely reported that a Koran may have been desecrated at Gitmo? Or since Christians don't riot or issue fatwas, willthe US government simply ignore the offense given? And will the liberals who expressed outrage that soldiers might share the Gospel with Muslims express their revulsion at this act of official desecration of Christian religious texts by the US government?

I wonder -- in the next report of countries that suppress the religious liberty of their people, will the US State Department now include the United States as an offender rather than a champion of religious liberty?

Posted by: Greg at 09:47 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Posted by: Greg at 09:42 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I’ve noted, in recent years, a certain tendency among left-wingers. When confronted with a woman offering a conservative view, the tendency is to refuse to address the argument. Instead, there is a concerted effort to denigrate that conservative woman as a woman – by sexually degrading her.

Such is the case with the current Miss California.

Miss California Carrie Prejean says a website has posted racy photos of her in an attempt to belittle her Christianity.
"Recently, photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid website that openly mocks me for my Christian faith," Prejean said yesterday in a statement.
A photo of Prejean wearing only pink panties with her back turned to the camera appeared Monday on a gossip blog.
In explaining the photos, Prejean said, "I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos."

Add to that the issue that was made over her breast implants and it is pretty clear what the lefties who support gay marriage want us to believe – Carrie Prejean is a whore, and therefore her words should be disregarded and her position is discredited. In other words, rather than engage in a well-reasoned attack on her position on gay marriage, they choose to instead engage in an ad hominem attack on her person. And in this case with photos that I don’t see as particularly scandalous.

Now I might let this go without comment, were it not that this is a part of the pattern of attacks on conservative women that has to do with their gender and sexuality.

Consider, for example, the sort of crap unleashed against Michelle Malkin – fake photos and comments about her alleged sexual antics

Then there were the disgusting sex-based attacks on Senator Fred ThompsonÂ’s wife, Jeri.

And donÂ’t forget the fake Sarah Palin photos that were somehow supposed to discredit her candidacy for vice president last fall.

So I guess the question that has to be asked is this – why do leftists hate women so much that they attack them on the crudest of sexual levels rather than engage them on the battle of ideas? Could it be that, despite their constant claims to worship at the altar of female empowerment and liberated sexuality, that too many folks on the Left are simply misogynistic patriarchs who insist that women keep to their proper place -- which is silent and in the background unless they are mouthing liberal political philosophy.

UPDATE: By interesting coincidence, Joshuapundit just posted a wonderful quote from one of the twentieth century's greatest conservative women.

"I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left."

- Margaret Thatcher

Indeed -- hence this move to sexually belittle conservative women by the intellectually bankrupt American Left.

Posted by: Greg at 09:40 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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Posted by: Greg at 09:29 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I've been remiss in posting these, due in large part to the process of returning to the house. So with sincerest apologies, here are some belated announcements of Watcher's Council results honoring some fine blog posts from around the internet

APRIL 17, 2009

Winning Council Submissions

• First place with 2 points! - Joshuapundit - A Few Inconvenient Truths About Israel And ‘SettlementsÂ’
• Second place with 1 2/3 points - The Razor - What is a Man?


• Third place with 1 1/3 points - (T*) - Bookworm Room - Separation does not mean destruction
• Third place with 1 1/3 points - (T*) - The Glittering Eye - Majority of Those Who Pay No Income Taxes Believe the Tax System is Fair


• Fourth place with 2/3 points - (T*) - Right Truth - Radical Leftist Appointments
• Fourth place with 2/3 points - (T*) - The Provocateur - Krugman, the Tea Parties, and AlinskyÂ’s Rule #13


• Fifth place with 1/3 point - Rhymes With Right - Lege Considering Campus Carry Bill, Chron Says “No”

Winning Non-Council Submissions

• First place with 2 points! - Macs Mind - About that Obama Iraq Visit


• Second place with 1 1/3 points - Information Dissemination - Observing the Obama Administration Somali Piracy Policy
• Third place with 1 points - (T*) - Dr. Melissa Clouthier - Tea Parties And Liberal Angst


• Third place with 1 points - (T*) - Shrinkwrapped - On demographics And Meaning, Part IV
• Third place with 1 points - (T*) - Jerusalem Post - Caroline Glick - Surviving in a post-American world


• Third place with 1 points - (T*) - Mark Steyn - Our Reprimitivized Future
• Fourth place with 2/3 points - Gay Patriot - Anti-Tea Party Hysteria: Opposition to Big Government DoesnÂ’t Meet Netroots Standard for Acceptable Political Grievances


• Fifth place with 1/3 point - (T*) - The Times Online - From Fatwa to Jihad: The Rushdie Affair and Its Legacy by Kenan Malik
• Fifth place with 1/3 point - (T*) - American Thinker - DHS, ‘Rightwing ExtremismÂ’ and Information Warfare

APRIL 24, 2009

Winning Council Submissions

• First place with 1 2/3 points! - Joshuapundit - The Real Holocaust Denial


• Second place with 1 1/3 points - (T*) - The Glittering Eye - For the Want of a Horseshoe Nail
• Second place with 1 1/3 points - (T*) - Soccer Dad - Preoccupied with occupation


• Second place with 1 1/3 points - (T*) - Wolf Howling - Throwing Green Fuel On An Economic Fire
• Third place with 2/3 points - (T*) - The Razor - Obama Administration Sucking Moonbats Out of Private Sector


• Third place with 2/3 points - (T*) - Bookworm Room - Honing our arguments
• Fourth place with 1/3 points - Right Truth - Witch Hunts (and you are the witch)

Winning Non-Council Submissions

• First place with 3 points! - Doug Ross@Journal - Let Them Eat Dirt
• Second place with 1 1/3 points - Elder of Ziyon - More of those “civilians” killed in Gaza (UPDATED)


• Third place with 1 point - (T*) - American Daughter - The Intimidation Begins
• Third place with 1 point - (T*) - AIFD - Obama Administration Stacking the Deck with Islamists


• Fourth place with 2/3 points - Rortybomb - Ban Mortgage Prepayment Penalties at the Federal Level, 1: Texas
• Fifth place with 1/3 point - (T*) - Portfolio - Confessions of a TARP CEOÂ’s Wife


• Fifth place with 1/3 point - (T*) - The Journal of the American Enterprise Institute - The Coming of the Fourth American Republic
• Fifth place with 1/3 point - (T*) - Britannica Blog - Shock peace therapy for the mideast

MAY 1, 2009

Winning Council Submissions

• First place with 2 1/3 points! - Wolf Howling - Words Have Meaning Rick


• Second place with 1 2/3 points - Soccer Dad - ItÂ’s easy being green. Not.
• Third place with 1 point - (T*) Right Truth - The next 1,360 days


• Third place with 1 point - (T*) The Razor - Why An Alcoholic Supports the Legalization of Illicit Drugs
• Third place with 1 point - (T*) The Colossus of Rhodey - Did the NY Times bury an “inconvenient” torture memo story? And a torture question Â…


• Fourth place with 2/3 point - (T*) - Bookworm Room - Torture, Real and Imagined
• Fourth place with 2/3 point - (T*) - The Provocateur - Is Commercial Real Estate Next?

Winning Non-Council Submissions

• First place with 2 2/3 points! - Legal Insurrection - Which city would you sacrifice?
• Second place with 2 1/3 points - Michael Sheurer @ WaPo - Say Its Osama. What If He WonÂ’t Talk?


• Third place with 1 point - The Washington Times - BarackÂ’s in the basement
• Fourth place with 2/3 point - (T*) - Right Wing Nut House - The Moral Parameters of Torture


• Fourth place with 2/3 point - (T*) - Cheat Seeking Missiles - John And Teresa And Conflict
• Fifth place with 1/3 point - (T*) - The New Republic - Regift, Please!


• Fifth place with 1/3 point - (T*) - The New Ledger - What Will the Stress Tests Mean

Congratulations all around to the many fine bloggers honored here.

Posted by: Greg at 09:24 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 862 words, total size 15 kb.

Over the summer, my wife and I went on a little vacation to visit my folks. In advance of the trip, we made a decision as to how much money we wanted to have available to us for purchases during the trip. But I'll be honest -- we didn't want to carry cash, and were not particularly interested in purchasing traveler's checks. How, then were we going to access the funds we had set aside for the trip? Easy -- we got ourselves a couple of Prepaid Visa cards! It turned out to be one of those decisions that was exactly right for us.

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Posted by: Greg at 09:10 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Joe the Plumber should have disappeared by now – fifteen minutes of fame and all that. After all, the attack upon him after he engaged in some pretty reasonable speech when he was approached by Barack Obama made him, one would have hoped temporarily, a political figure. But why is he still around – and why do we care what he thinks on social issues?

In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?
At a state level, it’s up to them. I don’t want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it’s wrong. People don’t understand the dictionary—it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we’re supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we’re supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they’re people, and they’re going to do their thing.

I won’t even begin to get into the level of ignorance displayed in that answer. There are good arguments to be made against gay marriage, but he puts out none of them. And to then resort to the slur – and to justify it as not being a slur – is offensive to me and to most Christians I know.

But what especially hurts is to see the argument that he has gay friends, and that he will not allow them near his children. First, it is completely wrong-headed to say that he is loving towards gay people while asserting that this is the correct path. But even more significant, I have seen how destructive that approach is in my own family, where one relative has rejected her own sister over her sexual orientation and attempted to ensure that her children have no relationship with their aunt and her partner – all in the name of Christianity. I have a number of terms I could use for that, and none of them is “love” or one of its synonyms.

But beyond that, there is even another issue. Is this guy someone we want to have as a face of the GOP? Do we want him defining our “brand”? And I ask that as a conservative who is a Christian – but who definitely is not a “Christian conservative” in the sense that term is so often used to discredit the Christians, conservatives, and the GOP.

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Joe the Plumber should have disappeared by now – fifteen minutes of fame and all that. After all, the attack upon him after he engaged in some pretty reasonable speech when he was approached by Barack Obama made him, one would have hoped temporarily, a political figure. But why is he still around – and why do we care what he thinks on social issues?

In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?
At a state level, it’s up to them. I don’t want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it’s wrong. People don’t understand the dictionary—it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we’re supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we’re supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they’re people, and they’re going to do their thing.

I won’t even begin to get into the level of ignorance displayed in that answer. There are good arguments to be made against gay marriage, but he puts out none of them. And to then resort to the slur – and to justify it as not being a slur – is offensive to me and to most Christians I know.

But what especially hurts is to see the argument that he has gay friends, and that he will not allow them near his children. First, it is completely wrong-headed to say that he is loving towards gay people while asserting that this is the correct path. But even more significant, I have seen how destructive that approach is in my own family, where one relative has rejected her own sister over her sexual orientation and attempted to ensure that her children have no relationship with their aunt and her partner – all in the name of Christianity. I have a number of terms I could use for that, and none of them is “love” or one of its synonyms.

But beyond that, there is even another issue. Is this guy someone we want to have as a face of the GOP? Do we want him defining our “brand”? And I ask that as a conservative who is a Christian – but who definitely is not a “Christian conservative” in the sense that term is so often used to discredit the Christians, conservatives, and the GOP.

Posted by: Greg at 12:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 470 words, total size 3 kb.

Joe the Plumber should have disappeared by now – fifteen minutes of fame and all that. After all, the attack upon him after he engaged in some pretty reasonable speech when he was approached by Barack Obama made him, one would have hoped temporarily, a political figure. But why is he still around – and why do we care what he thinks on social issues?

In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?
At a state level, it’s up to them. I don’t want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it’s wrong. People don’t understand the dictionary—it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we’re supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we’re supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they’re people, and they’re going to do their thing.

I won’t even begin to get into the level of ignorance displayed in that answer. There are good arguments to be made against gay marriage, but he puts out none of them. And to then resort to the slur – and to justify it as not being a slur – is offensive to me and to most Christians I know.

But what especially hurts is to see the argument that he has gay friends, and that he will not allow them near his children. First, it is completely wrong-headed to say that he is loving towards gay people while asserting that this is the correct path. But even more significant, I have seen how destructive that approach is in my own family, where one relative has rejected her own sister over her sexual orientation and attempted to ensure that her children have no relationship with their aunt and her partner – all in the name of Christianity. I have a number of terms I could use for that, and none of them is “love” or one of its synonyms.

But beyond that, there is even another issue. Is this guy someone we want to have as a face of the GOP? Do we want him defining our “brand”? And I ask that as a conservative who is a Christian – but who definitely is not a “Christian conservative” in the sense that term is so often used to discredit the Christians, conservatives, and the GOP.

Posted by: Greg at 12:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 470 words, total size 3 kb.

Joe the Plumber should have disappeared by now – fifteen minutes of fame and all that. After all, the attack upon him after he engaged in some pretty reasonable speech when he was approached by Barack Obama made him, one would have hoped temporarily, a political figure. But why is he still around – and why do we care what he thinks on social issues?

In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?
At a state level, it’s up to them. I don’t want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it’s wrong. People don’t understand the dictionary—it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we’re supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we’re supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they’re people, and they’re going to do their thing.

I won’t even begin to get into the level of ignorance displayed in that answer. There are good arguments to be made against gay marriage, but he puts out none of them. And to then resort to the slur – and to justify it as not being a slur – is offensive to me and to most Christians I know.

But what especially hurts is to see the argument that he has gay friends, and that he will not allow them near his children. First, it is completely wrong-headed to say that he is loving towards gay people while asserting that this is the correct path. But even more significant, I have seen how destructive that approach is in my own family, where one relative has rejected her own sister over her sexual orientation and attempted to ensure that her children have no relationship with their aunt and her partner – all in the name of Christianity. I have a number of terms I could use for that, and none of them is “love” or one of its synonyms.

But beyond that, there is even another issue. Is this guy someone we want to have as a face of the GOP? Do we want him defining our “brand”? And I ask that as a conservative who is a Christian – but who definitely is not a “Christian conservative” in the sense that term is so often used to discredit the Christians, conservatives, and the GOP.

Posted by: Greg at 12:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 470 words, total size 3 kb.

Joe the Plumber should have disappeared by now – fifteen minutes of fame and all that. After all, the attack upon him after he engaged in some pretty reasonable speech when he was approached by Barack Obama made him, one would have hoped temporarily, a political figure. But why is he still around – and why do we care what he thinks on social issues?

In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?
At a state level, it’s up to them. I don’t want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it’s wrong. People don’t understand the dictionary—it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we’re supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we’re supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they’re people, and they’re going to do their thing.

I won’t even begin to get into the level of ignorance displayed in that answer. There are good arguments to be made against gay marriage, but he puts out none of them. And to then resort to the slur – and to justify it as not being a slur – is offensive to me and to most Christians I know.

But what especially hurts is to see the argument that he has gay friends, and that he will not allow them near his children. First, it is completely wrong-headed to say that he is loving towards gay people while asserting that this is the correct path. But even more significant, I have seen how destructive that approach is in my own family, where one relative has rejected her own sister over her sexual orientation and attempted to ensure that her children have no relationship with their aunt and her partner – all in the name of Christianity. I have a number of terms I could use for that, and none of them is “love” or one of its synonyms.

But beyond that, there is even another issue. Is this guy someone we want to have as a face of the GOP? Do we want him defining our “brand”? And I ask that as a conservative who is a Christian – but who definitely is not a “Christian conservative” in the sense that term is so often used to discredit the Christians, conservatives, and the GOP.

Posted by: Greg at 12:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 470 words, total size 3 kb.

Joe the Plumber should have disappeared by now – fifteen minutes of fame and all that. After all, the attack upon him after he engaged in some pretty reasonable speech when he was approached by Barack Obama made him, one would have hoped temporarily, a political figure. But why is he still around – and why do we care what he thinks on social issues?

In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?
At a state level, it’s up to them. I don’t want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it’s wrong. People don’t understand the dictionary—it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we’re supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we’re supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they’re people, and they’re going to do their thing.

I won’t even begin to get into the level of ignorance displayed in that answer. There are good arguments to be made against gay marriage, but he puts out none of them. And to then resort to the slur – and to justify it as not being a slur – is offensive to me and to most Christians I know.

But what especially hurts is to see the argument that he has gay friends, and that he will not allow them near his children. First, it is completely wrong-headed to say that he is loving towards gay people while asserting that this is the correct path. But even more significant, I have seen how destructive that approach is in my own family, where one relative has rejected her own sister over her sexual orientation and attempted to ensure that her children have no relationship with their aunt and her partner – all in the name of Christianity. I have a number of terms I could use for that, and none of them is “love” or one of its synonyms.

But beyond that, there is even another issue. Is this guy someone we want to have as a face of the GOP? Do we want him defining our “brand”? And I ask that as a conservative who is a Christian – but who definitely is not a “Christian conservative” in the sense that term is so often used to discredit the Christians, conservatives, and the GOP.

Posted by: Greg at 12:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 470 words, total size 3 kb.

Murtha. Again. Looting our defense budget for the benefit of friends, family, and himself.

The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building.
Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. With its long corridor of sparsely occupied offices and an unmanned reception area, Murtech's most striking feature is its owner -- Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49. He is the nephew of Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway over the Defense Department's spending as chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

That John Murtha is corrupt is a given. We’ve known it since Abscam. And evidence of his steering defense funds to his own benefit and not that of the country. That Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats continue to protect him is a disgrace – and business as usual for the Donkey Party.

Posted by: Greg at 12:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 206 words, total size 1 kb.

Murtha. Again. Looting our defense budget for the benefit of friends, family, and himself.

The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building.
Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. With its long corridor of sparsely occupied offices and an unmanned reception area, Murtech's most striking feature is its owner -- Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49. He is the nephew of Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway over the Defense Department's spending as chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

That John Murtha is corrupt is a given. We’ve known it since Abscam. And evidence of his steering defense funds to his own benefit and not that of the country. That Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats continue to protect him is a disgrace – and business as usual for the Donkey Party.

Posted by: Greg at 12:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 206 words, total size 1 kb.

Murtha. Again. Looting our defense budget for the benefit of friends, family, and himself.

The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building.
Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. With its long corridor of sparsely occupied offices and an unmanned reception area, Murtech's most striking feature is its owner -- Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49. He is the nephew of Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway over the Defense Department's spending as chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

That John Murtha is corrupt is a given. We’ve known it since Abscam. And evidence of his steering defense funds to his own benefit and not that of the country. That Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats continue to protect him is a disgrace – and business as usual for the Donkey Party.

Posted by: Greg at 12:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 206 words, total size 1 kb.

Murtha. Again. Looting our defense budget for the benefit of friends, family, and himself.

The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building.
Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. With its long corridor of sparsely occupied offices and an unmanned reception area, Murtech's most striking feature is its owner -- Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49. He is the nephew of Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway over the Defense Department's spending as chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

That John Murtha is corrupt is a given. We’ve known it since Abscam. And evidence of his steering defense funds to his own benefit and not that of the country. That Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats continue to protect him is a disgrace – and business as usual for the Donkey Party.

Posted by: Greg at 12:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 206 words, total size 1 kb.

Murtha. Again. Looting our defense budget for the benefit of friends, family, and himself.

The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building.
Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. With its long corridor of sparsely occupied offices and an unmanned reception area, Murtech's most striking feature is its owner -- Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49. He is the nephew of Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway over the Defense Department's spending as chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

That John Murtha is corrupt is a given. We’ve known it since Abscam. And evidence of his steering defense funds to his own benefit and not that of the country. That Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats continue to protect him is a disgrace – and business as usual for the Donkey Party.

Posted by: Greg at 12:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 206 words, total size 1 kb.

Could be – if this theory is true.

n Van Gogh's Ear: Paul Gauguin and the Pact of Silence, Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans claim it was the sword attack, not Van Gogh's madness, that led him to commit suicide two years later.
The prevailing theory is that the Dutchman, who painted Sunflowers and the Potato Eaters, almost bled to death after slashing his own ear with a razor in a fit of lunacy on the night of December 23, 1888.
He is said to have wrapped it in cloth and handed it to a prostitute in a nearby brothel.
However, the new work from experts in Hamburg offers a very different version.
Gauguin, an excellent fencer, was planning to leave Van Gogh's "Yellow House" in Arles, southwestern France, after an unhappy stay.
He had walked out of the house with his baggage and his trusty épée in hand, but was followed by the troubled Van Gogh, who had earlier thrown a glass at him.
As the pair approached a bordello, their row intensified, and Gauguin cut off Van Gogh's left earlobe with his sword – either in anger or self-defence.
He then threw the weapon in the Rhône. Van Gogh delivered the ear to the prostitute and staggered home, where police discovered him the following day, the new account claims.

Of course, the only thing lacking with this theory is something called “evidence” – aside from a couple of obscure references to silence and the timing of the ear being cut off, there is nothing there. But it does go to show how some academics can make a career out of the most absurd of claims – and get published, too!

Posted by: Greg at 12:44 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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One of the problems with my local paper, the Houston Chronicle, is that it often provides only sketchy details on stories. This one, involving a call for the awarding of the Congressional Medal of Honor to a WWI veteran, is one of this sort of frustrating stories that leaves as many questions as it answers.

AUSTIN — Texas legislators want Congress to right a wrong that they say was caused by bigotry — denial of the Medal of Honor to an American war hero with roots in Mexico.
Marcelino Serna served valiantly in World War I and returned to Texas a military legend, but his advocates say he was bypassed for AmericaÂ’s highest military decoration because of his heritage and the fact that he spoke little English.
State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, last week presented a resolution on SernaÂ’s case to the Texas House Committee on Defense and VeteransÂ’ Affairs. The resolution would ask Congress to reconsider a Medal of Honor for Serna, who died in 1992 at age 95.
The resolution has already cleared the state Senate and the House committee. It needs final approval from the full House to be presented to Congress.
Serna spoke almost no English when he enlisted in the Army. After three weeks of training, the Army shipped him across the Atlantic.
“Can you imagine that? A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, then Colorado, sent to England,” Pickett said.
When Army officers realized that Serna was a Mexican national, they offered him the chance to return home. A friend translated his answer — a firm “no.” Serna decided he would stay and fight for the United States.
He carried out his duties with uncommon valor. Army records stated that Serna killed three dozen enemy soldiers and captured nearly the same number.
Serna received a medal for bravery from the French government, the Croix de Guerre, the British Medal of Honor, the Italian Cross of Merit and two Purple Hearts, among other awards. But the U.S. Medal of Honor, the rarest and most prestigious military decoration, eluded him.
After being discharged in 1919, Serna settled in El Paso and became a U.S. citizen five years later.

Now let’s get this on the table – Marcelino Serna appears to have been one hell of a man. He appears to have been an exemplary soldier, and to have performed acts that are justifiably called heroic. However, the criteria for receiving this award requires that the recipient engage in an act of

"[conspicuous] gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against any enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party."

And it is the phrase “above and beyond the call of duty” that leaves me stuck on this one. Did Serna rise above the call of duty in his actions? I’m not sure. I’d love to know more about the man and his deeds. Could someone direct me to more information?

Posted by: Greg at 12:43 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Finally, Richard Cohen sees that there is a problem with affirmative action as it is sometimes practiced. This is particularly true in the case currently before the Supreme Court, involving the city of New HavenÂ’s decision to not promote qualified firefighters of their race.

Blatant affirmative action always entailed a disturbing and ex post facto changing of the rules -- oops, you're white. Sorry, not what we wanted. As a consequence, it was not racists who were punished but all whites. There is no need to cling to such a remedy anymore. There is, though, every need to retain and strengthen anti-discrimination laws, especially in areas such as fire departments, where racial discrimination was once endemic. Sufficient progress has been made to revert to treating individuals as individuals. After all, it is not some amorphous entity called "whites" who will suffer: It is un-lieutenant Ricci.

Now Cohen takes this position in the context of discussing Obama’s upcoming nominee to the Supreme Court. Oddly enough, the position he takes is quite akin to that taken by a current member of the Supreme Court – Chief Justice John Roberts. Has Cohen come to recognize that it is, indeed, a sordid business for the government (any government, whether federal or city) to divide and classify its citizens by race and to award benefits and burdens based upon that classification? Will Obama – who arguably achieved his current position based upon merit, not an affirmative action quota – recognize the same truth that conservatives have long embraced, and make an appointment based upon that truth?

Posted by: Greg at 12:42 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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And I, for one, donÂ’t see a problem with a Christian minister telling Christian soldiers to obey the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ.

In a video obtained by Al Jazeera and broadcast Monday, Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief of the US military chaplains in Afghanistan, is seen telling soldiers that as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a responsibility "to be witnesses for him."

"The special forces guys - they hunt men basically. We do the same things as Christians, we hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down," he says.

"Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them into the kingdom. That's what we do, that's our business."

The translated Bibles appear to be the New Testament. According to Al Jazeera, US soldiers "had them specially printed and shipped to Afghanistan." On the tape, one soldier describes how his church in the US helped raise money for the bibles. Al Jazeera reports that "What these soldiers have been doing may well be in direct violation of the US Constitution, their professional codes and the regulations in place for all forces in Afghanistan." The US military officially forbids "proselytising of any religion, faith or practice.

As I see it, the terrorist supporters at A-Jazeera may have it exactly backwards. Chaplains are not forbidden to preach the Gospel, and soldiers retain the right to practice their faith. Indeed, any attempt to restrict either would constitute a serious violation of the US Constitution – and for the US government to seek to restrict sharing the Gospel with locals in Afghanistan or any other country constitutes a material cooperation with the violation of human rights.

Posted by: Greg at 08:31 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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If these poll numbers are accurate, almost certainly.

Newly-minted Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter would whip old Republican rival Pat Toomey 53 - 33 percent if the 2010 Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race were held today, but if popular former Gov. Tom Ridge becomes the Republican candidate, he trails Specter by just 46 - 43 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Independent voters, who back Sen. Specter over Toomey 45 - 36 percent, switch to Ridge 47 - 37 percent if he becomes a candidate. The former Republican Governor also gets 14 percent of the Democratic vote, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

In the Specter-Toomey matchup, Republicans back Toomey 74 - 18 percent while Democrats go with their new convert 85 - 4 percent. Men back Specter 47 - 41 percent, as do women 59 - 26 percent. Union households go Democratic 62 - 27 percent.

In a Specter-Ridge face-off, Republicans go with Ridge 82 - 10 percent, while Specter takes Democrats 78 - 14 percent. Men shift to Ridge 50 - 41 percent, while women remain Democratic 51 - 37 percent. Union households back Specter 57 - 34 percent.

Does the GOP want to keep that senate seat in Pennsylvania? If it does, then it needs to find a candidate who can beat Arlen Specter among more than the GOP faithful. Such a candidate exists in Tom Ridge – and Pat Toomey clearly does not have what it takes to get rid of the defective defector.

Posted by: Greg at 08:30 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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When you use campaign cash to support your baby mama, you are likely to be investigated.

The two-time Democratic presidential candidate acknowledged Sunday that investigators are assessing how he spent his campaign funds — a subject that could carry his extramarital affair from the tabloids to the courtroom. Edwards' political action committee paid more than $100,000 for video production to the firm of the woman with whom Edwards had an affair.
The former North Carolina senator said in a carefully worded statement that he is cooperating.
"I am confident that no funds from my campaign were used improperly," Edwards said in the statement. "However, I know that it is the role of government to ensure that this is true. We have made available to the United States both the people and the information necessary to help them get the issue resolved efficiently and in a timely matter."
While Edwards focused his comment on campaign funds, he also had a range of other fundraising organizations — including two nonprofits and a poverty center at his alma mater — that have come under scrutiny.
Chief among them was the PAC that paid Rielle Hunter's company for several months in 2006 for Web videos that documented Edwards' travels and advocacy in the months leading up to his 2008 presidential campaign. The committee also paid her firm an additional $14,086.50 on April 1, 2007.
Edwards acknowledged the affair with Hunter last year, months after dropping his presidential bid.
At the time of the 2007 payment, the PAC only had $7,932.95 in cash on hand, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission. That day, according to the records, Edwards' presidential campaign paid the PAC $14,034.61 for what is listed as a "furniture purchase."

Well, Johnny, I hope you look good in orange. You ought to go away for a very long time.

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Jack Kemp died a matter of days after Arlen Specter defected from the GOP. Frankly, I donÂ’t know what the hero of my youth would have had to say about that move and the reasons for it. But I suspect he would be outraged over the defective defectorÂ’s outrageous claims over the weekend.

"If we had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine."

Frankly, that is reckless, ghoulish speculation. That he was not slapped down – and slapped down hard – by Bob Schieffer is but one more sign that in today’s America there is little decency left on the Left or in the media. And for all of Arlen Specter’s professed respect for Jack Kemp, his abuse of the memory of a man not yet dead a whole 24 hours speaks volumes about his lack of character – especially since the GOP increased spending for cancer research a full 46% beyond the rate of inflation while the GOP controlled Congress, almost the same rate at which defense spending was increased.

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Are you in need of a lawyer with expertise in business and fraud cases? Are you looking for legal representation for Pennsylvania litigation? Well, there are lots of fine firms and attorneys out there, but you might just want to consider the Philadelphia firm of Meyerson & OÂ’Neill. They have extensive experience in complex civil litigation and criminal matters involving white collar crime and investigations by government agencies. Hopefully you wonÂ’t ever need these services, but in todayÂ’s economic climate you might. So get yourself your very own Philadelphia lawyer so that your Pennsylvania and New Jersey legal needs are competently and professionally met.

Posted by: Greg at 08:24 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If, at age 20, you had asked me what I thought the future of the GOP would be, I would have offered you a name – Jack Kemp. Kemp was a truly compassionate, big tent conservative whose vision encompassed all races and classes of Americans. Indeed, I have often felt that it was a great tragedy that the first President Bush did not pick him as his running mate in 1988 – such a choice would have invigorated the youth of the party while adding an intellectual heft to the GOP ticket that Dan Quayle lacked. Indeed, it would have likely led to Kemp seeking and winning the presidency in either 1996 or 2000, rather than being the vice presidential candidate on a doomed ticket with Bob Dole.

The hero of my youth passed this weekend.

Jack Kemp, the former tax-cutting Republican politician and American footballer, who ran for the White House in 1996 as Bob DoleÂ’s running mate, died of cancer on Saturday at the age of 73.
As a Republican congressman, Kemp latched on to supply-side economics and advocated sweeping tax cuts as a means to stimulate production and growth. Initially stymied in Congress, his legislation found a sympathetic supporter in Ronald Reagan, who put forward a fiscal revolution as a campaign pledge in 1980 before his victory in the presidential election.
Kemp’s influence on Republican politics reached its zenith with “Reaganomics” but his voice as a conservative libertarian, who aimed to broaden the party’s appeal among black voters, continued to be heard after Reagan’s presidency.

KempÂ’s vision was and is mine, though I at times took issue with his stance on illegal immigration. I admired him greatly, and regret that it was Newt Gingrich, not Kemp, who became the face and the voice of the GOP in the 1990s.

I have a particular memory of Jack Kemp, one which has stayed with me for over two decades. One of my college buddies was an intern in Kemp’s congressional office, and arranged to get a group of our fellow College Republicans a private meeting with the presidential candidate before he addressed a gathering of Republican activists at a presidential forum in the Chicago area. Being a rather arrogant college student, I confronted Kemp on his unwillingness to support right-to-work laws – and questioned how, as a conservative, he could fail to do so. His response is what has stayed with me for years – that it is unrealistic for conservatives to expect every candidate and every officeholder to check every box on what it means to be a conservative. In his own case, he noted that he represented a blue-collar district in the northeastern US with a high percentage of union members. While it might be more pure for him to take the right-to-work position, it would also doom his electability in that district – and the electability of any similar candidate in any similar district. It was therefore better to prioritize what was truly important and to elect candidates that would pursue those goals, and leave other, less important, principles and platform planks for another day. Failure to do that, he noted, would likely lead to the ultimate failure to accomplish even the goals that were important.

Posted by: Greg at 08:22 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I love watches. I always have, especially since I was a kid. I still remember when my father came home from a WestPac cruise in the late 1960s with a beautiful pair of Seiko watches for him and my mother. I was impressed, especially when I found out that they were not even available in the United States. IÂ’ve always wanted to get such a watch for myself, one that shows high quality and which reflects my own personality and sense of style. ThatÂ’s why I like this wonderful Seiko Chronograph. It looks beautiful and is finely crafted by the watchmakers at Seiko. And the alarm function, while not something I would use every day, is certainly a convenience worth having. Maybe I should start dropping Christmas hints!

Posted by: Greg at 07:31 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Remember this?

Well, never mind -- it looks like military commissions for jihadis may be back on, despite Obama promises to the contrary.

The Obama administration is moving toward reviving the military commission system for prosecuting Guantánamo detainees, which was a target of critics during the Bush administration, including Mr. Obama himself.

Officials said the first public moves could come as soon as next week, perhaps in filings to military judges at the United States naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, outlining an administration plan to amend the Bush administration’s system to provide more legal protections for terrorism suspects.

Personally, I oppose anything other than drumhead courts martial for jihadis, followed by immediate execution. But if these swine are to be afforded treatment as POWs like the Left wants, they should be treated as POWs -- held for the duration of the conflict between the civilized world and Islamist barbarism, just as POWs during WWII were held for the duration of that conflict. Following the conclusion of hostilities, those believed guilty of war crimes may then be subjected to war crimes tribunals in which they have access to surviving documents from both sides, as well (and all are guilty, as irregular combatants).

Ain't the fecklessness of Barry Hussein and the rest of the Obama Regime absolutely stunning?

Posted by: Greg at 04:09 AM | Comments (37) | Add Comment
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Yeah -- and Obama seems to know it.

“One of my clients was directly threatened by the White House….that the full force of the White House press corps would destroy its reputation”

Excuse me. I thought that dissent -- and opposition to White House policy -- was the highest form of patriotism. And I thought that the press was supposed to be an independent watchdog, not the lapdog of the regime in power. I could observe which twentieth century regimes were known for controlling the press and using it to vilify and destroy their opponents, but I wouldn't want to offend liberals by dumping on left-wing leaders from Russia, Germany, China and Cuba as I attack their spiritual heir.

H/T Hot Air

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Now let's be honest -- the recently dumped video game Faith Fighter, featuring religious figures (including Muhammad and Jesus) in death matches is tasteless and offensive. Still, I can't help but find this comment from Canadian Blogger Kathy Shaidle to be rather amusing, given its basis in the tradition of the two religions in question.

Well, I know one thing: When Jesus brought a little girl on her deathbed back to life, He said, "Wake up," not "Move over..."

Remember Muhammad's policy on little girls -- married at six, mated at nine. And you wonder why some of us lack respect for the false prophet of Islam. In today's world he'd be in prison for a good long stretch, and live out his life as a registered sex offender.

Posted by: Greg at 03:46 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Over the years I've had a cordial relationship with Dan at Gone Mild, a liberal blog from Kansas City. We often disagree, but I respect the guy. One of his current posts includes a reasonably concise guide to influencing legislators that every person interested in public policy should print and keep. He makes a lot of references here to Missouri politics, but his points are dead on no matter where you live. Here are his points.

1. Make Sure You Stand a Chance: If you want to accomplish anything with a legislator (as opposed to simply voicing your opinion), make sure you're not far afield from the core constituencies and principles of the legislator you are hoping to influence. In other words, you don't stand a chance of convincing Jason Kander to abandon the Missouri Plan, and you're not going to get Jolie Justus to eliminate support for childcare. Go ahead and vent if you disagree, but don't think you're influencing change.

2. Visit Your Legislator: If there's an important issue pending, get in your car and visit Jefferson City, or find out where you can meet with the legislator during a break, and do it. Nothing is as influential as a face-to-face meeting. If you have written materials, bring a couple copies so the legislator can review them and give a copy to a staff person. Legislators listen to visitors, so, if you can find the time and the gas money, go visit our Capitol City, and treat yourself to some ice cream at Central Dairy on your way home.

3. Write a Real, Personalized Letter: If you can't visit Jefferson City, let the postal service do the work for you. Send a real, personalized letter expressing your thoughts and enclosing any supporting information. I'm not talking about signing your name to a pre-printed post card or a cut-and-paste from an action alert. Those are a waste of time, trees and postage. But a persuasive letter on real stationery signed by a constituent will make a legislator take notice.

4. Pick up the Phone and Call: At this point in the session, where action on bills is happening at a fast and furious pace, calling is probably more effective than writing. Even if you only get to talk to a legislative aide, your voice will be heard. A lot of legislators are pretty generous about sharing their cell phone numbers, and don't hesitate to use them. If you wind up in voice mail, be prepared to leave a clear and short message, including the fact (if true) that you reside in his/her district. Leave your number, and you may get a call back.

5. Send an Email: Email's easy, and that is the problem with it. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can contact every legislator in Jefferson City, and hundreds of others can do the same thing. The result is a deluge that simply drowns out even your well-crafted, reasonable missive. If you care enough to write, care enough to put it on real paper with a stamp, pick up the phone, or drive to Jefferson City. Email is a decent way to communicate with a legislator once a dialog is started through one of those means, but, especially at this time of the session, don't expect to accomplish anything by writing an email.

Well done, Dan! Here's hoping lots of folks use your suggestions -- and more importantly, that they use them to get conservative policies enacted.

Posted by: Greg at 03:37 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You may have noticed “radio silence” around here for the past week. Well, the reason is simple – we got back into the house last Friday, and I’ve been quite busy moving things from our temporary refuge in the Clear Lake area of Houston back into our home in Seabrook. Our recovery from Hurricane Ike is still far from over – but this is the biggest step on the road to recovery, some 7 ½ months after the storm wiped us out.

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And donÂ’t just show it to them, give it back if he is intent upon seeking office as a Democrat.

Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party is prompting his campaign donors large and small to demand their money back, including several Republican senators whose political action committees gave tens of thousands of dollars to the Pennsylvania lawmaker.
Sen. Johnny Isakson didn't waste any time putting himself at the front of the refund line. The Georgia Republican asked Mr. Specter for a return of his leadership political action committee's $5,000 contribution Tuesday on the Senate floor - just hours after Mr. Specter announced he was changing his political stripes.
"Senator Specter readily agreed to return the contribution," said Isakson spokeswoman Sheridan Watson, adding that the exchange was cordial.
While not legally bound to refund any legitimate campaign donation, Mr. Specter has pledged to honor requests for refunds - and the requests are pouring in.

It seems to me that this is the right thing for Republicans to do – they gave money in an effort to keep the seat Republican (a misguided idea, given that Specter was hardly a reliable Republican vote). And while Pat Toomey may or may not be the best candidate who can beat Specter, that money needs to go to a Republican who can.

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On one level, this makes little difference – we will simply trade one liberal justice for another. On another level, this makes it likely that we will have one reliably liberal justice on the high court for decades longer.

Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to retire at the end of the current court term.
The vacancy will give President Obama his first chance to name a member of the high court and begin to shape its future direction.
At 69, Souter is nowhere near the oldest member of the court. In fact, he is in the younger half of the court's age range, with five justices older and just three younger. So far as anyone knows, he is in good health. But he has made clear to friends for some time that he wanted to leave Washington, a city he has never liked, and return to his native New Hampshire. Now, according to reliable sources, he has decided to take the plunge and has informed the White House of his decision.

Of all the justices of my lifetime, it is Souter for whom I hold the least respect. A non-entity whose contributions to our nation’s jurisprudence have been negligible, he seems to have been singularly unqualified. Indeed, his appointment ranks up there with George W. Bush’s abortive nomination of Harriet Miers in terms of its weakness – and Justice Souter exemplifies the sort of judge referred to by one senator regarding a failed Nixon Nominee – "[T]here are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation, aren't they, and a little chance? We can't have all Brandeises, Frankfurters and Cardozos."

But what will we get from Barack Obama? I tend to agree with the assessment that it won’t be a white man – even if that white man has the qualifications and character of a Brandeis, Frankfurter, or Cardozo. It would appear that the top candidates are Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Diane Wood, Harold Koh, and Seth Waxman. To my thinking, Waxman is likely out of the running as simply another white guy – and given that Kagan and Koh are recent Obama nominees to top executive branch positions, I doubt that they are serious candidates fro the position. While Wood has Chicago connections, my money is on Sotomayor – and as a Bush 41 appointee, she would have the advantage of somewhat soothing some elements of the GOP while checking both the female and Hispanic boxes on the quota checklist. Wood, Kagan, and Sotomayor are already targeted for attack by some on the Right, so expect this to be a contentious battle for confirmation.

Posted by: Greg at 02:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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