Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Still spoiling kids for Christmas

Rush talked about this AP article on his show today:

Sometimes, it's OK to tell your kids you're broke

It's a tough economy out there, even for a kid. And many parents are wondering how to broach the subject. Should they shield their children from the hard times and spend like there's no tomorrow? Or is it better to share the reality that more families — often their own — simply can't have it all, even at Christmas? It can be a real dilemma.

What are these kids expecting for Christmas that makes this conversation even necessary?
I think the problem is that people have been spending like there's no tomorrow in the first place.  Irresponsible spending, through purchasing homes people couldn't afford, is what got us into this financial mess.  Continuing to spend what you don't have "for the sake of the children" will only perpetuate the crisis.

..."Eventually, they will grow up and face the same stress and challenges we all face," Hale says. "What's wrong with spoiling them now? These sweet-spirited innocent years are so fleeting."

I weep for the future.

Parents who try to protect their children by spoiling them only hurt them.  These children will grow up to be adults who expect to continue to be spoiled and can't cope with the stress and challenges their parents were trying to protect them from.  

First Thanksgiving Proclamation

The first United States Thanksgiving Proclamation, by President George Washington, issued on October 3, 1789. (See the original)

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.


Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.


And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.


Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.



Happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of Pres. Bush's last Thanksgiving...

Here are the best pictures of Pres. Bush pardoning the White House turkey over the last 8 years:

Come on, you're gonna miss him, you know you will!

America is Taking Crazy Pills!!!

One of the most frustrating things about the McCain loss is that the reasons I dislike McCain are the same reasons he should have won.  John McCain was the true candidate of change.  He has a long history of defying Republicans and working with Democrats.  As a conservative, this has driven me nuts, but supposedly America was looking for more bipartisan leadership, a unifier ... and they settled on the most liberal Senator with no record of reaching across the aisle.

After the bitter 2000 primary battle, McCain held a grudge against the new President Bush and Republicans.  He voted against the Bush tax cuts.  He worked with Democrats for McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform - which conservatives believe is unconstitutional because it restricts free speech; the McCain-Edwards-Kennedy Patients' Bill of Rights - which conservatives opposed as undue government interference in the free market; McCain-Lieberman global warming - which conservatives do not believe is man-made and thus cannot be stopped; McCain-Kennedy amnesty for illegals - which conservatives are vehemently against.

On all these positions, McCain is more than moderate, he is liberal, joining up with some of the most liberal members of the Senate.  Clearly he can work well with others and make compromises with the left - which I don't like, but America professes to love.  Oh, and I almost forgot - McCain was rumored to be considering changing his party affiliation in 2000 before Sen. Jeffords made the leap and gave the Senate to the Democrats.  McCain was also rumored to be on John F. Kerry's VP list.

He further irked conservatives when he joined the Gang of 14 - the group that forced a compromise in the impasse of judicial confirmations.  When Democrats wouldn't allow the full Senate to vote up or down on judicial confirmations, conservatives wanted to go for the "nuclear option," which would only require a majority, rather than 60 votes to bring them to the floor.  A Republican argument against going nuclear is that when Democrats come into office, they will also use the nuclear option for their judges.  Well, we didn't end up going nuclear, but mark my words, the Dems WILL.  

So these are all the things that have happened over the last 8 years to make me dislike John McCain, but then he became the Republican presidential candidate.  McCain being infinitely

 better than either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, I had to put aside my qualms and back him.  I had to continue to defend him even though, through the course of the campaign, he pledged to include Democrats in his cabinet, considered Lieberman for VP, supported the bailout, continued to oppose drilling in ANWR, and attacked Obama for not taking public financing.  All of which are anathema to conservatives, but should have endeared him to Americans looking for change in Washington.

McCain was the anti-Bush candidate, the candidate of change, the unifier, the true maverick, the bipartisan compromiser willing to throw out his ideals in the name of consensus - all of which I HATE and yet I supported him and America, wanting all these qualities, went for OBAMA!

I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!

Related posts:

McCain Aides are Taking Crazy Pills!!!

"Republicans" for Obama are Taking Crazy Pills!

The Media are taking Crazy Pills!

Obama Supporters Are Taking Crazy Pills!

I FEEL I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!

How to Survive Election Day

...without feeling like you're taking crazy pills!

The best advice I can give is to turn off your tv, computer, and radio (unless you're listening to Rush) for the next 24 hours and focus on one thing: getting to your polling place and voting McCain.

Nothing that the media can say before the polls close means anything.  It's all speculation - pro-Obama speculation based on skewed polls at that.  Republicans are historically underrepresented in election and exit polls - plus many Republicans will lie and say they voted Obama, while many Democrats will lie and say they're Republicans or Independents who voted Obama.  Polls mean nothing, it's the votes that count.  We can still turn this thing around!

The media want Obama to win - you know it and I know it.  So don't torture yourself watching their spin - it is meant to depress and demoralize you so that you give up and don't bother voting.  They'll tell you how bad it looks for McCain and that it will be an early night - maybe inexperienced Obama voters won't go to the polls, but don't let that be you!

They'll tell you about record turnout in heavily Democratic areas - don't listen: they say this every year and this year many Democrats may vote their gut and vote McCain.  They'll talk about court orders to keep Democratic strong hold polls open late - again this happens every year and what can we do about it?  They'll call races too close to call for Obama - people on the West Coast do not pay attention, get out there and vote McCain no matter how it looks, your vote is important, too!

There will be plenty of time to freak out once the votes start coming in if Obama wins, why stress the whole day over nothing?  For your sanity and nerves, stay away from the media until 7 or 8pm - or later if you can stand it - and VOTE MCCAIN!

"Don't give up, don't ever give up." - Jimmy V.

McCain Aides are Taking Crazy Pills!!!

WHY are McCain aides going after Palin with one week left before the election?!

In recent days, the CNN Political Ticker has reported on McCain "advisers" complaining about Palin:

"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.

"Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

Now, today's Politico Playbook says:

In convo with Playbook, a top McCain adviser one-ups the priceless “diva” description, calling her “a whack job.”

Are these advisers insane?! The last thing the campaign needs is public pot shots aimed at one half of the ticket. It seems like, aside from finger pointing at Palin as the problem as the McCain ship is going down, some McCain advisers are upset at the loss of a few moderates and Republicans to Obama because of the Palin pick. Well, it's too late to win them back anyway, but the last way to do it is to throw the supporters you have left, the ones who love Palin, under the bus.

These insulting comments are offensive and demoralizing to the Republican base, and couldn't come at a worse time. With one week left until the election and McCain down in the polls, the base needs to be excited enough to turn out. Instead these comments could pit conservative Palin supporters against moderate McCain at a time when unity is so important.

Hopefully these comments won't end up meaning much, but still, why would McCain aides risk the campaign to make petty comments?! Are they TRYING to make it even harder to win this election?!

I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!
Related posts:

"Republicans" for Obama are Taking Crazy Pills!

The Media are taking Crazy Pills!

Obama Supporters Are Taking Crazy Pills!

I FEEL I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!

"Republicans" for Obama are Taking Crazy Pills!

What is up with all these "conservatives" or "Republicans" endorsing Obama because they haven't liked McCain in the last 2 months?!

You're really going to dump McCain after his record of 40 years in public service for someone who is the most inexperienced, unqualified, untested, unaccomplished radical leftist presidential candidate in history?!

How can you complain about McCain being "erratic" (since when is it erratic to go to DC to work with Congress on legislation to address the crisis?) on the economic crisis when Obama's policies have contributed and would only prolong the problems in the economy?!

How can you reject McCain and Palin's true record of change (since when is standing up to one's party on principle and working with Democrats on key legislation NOT true change?) in favor of Obama's empty, unproven words of change?

How can you complain about Palin's inexperience for the VICE-PRESIDENCY (since when is being mayor, oil commissioner, and governor inexperience?) when Obama is as or more inexperienced for the PRESIDENCY?!?!

HOW DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?!?!?!

WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!?!?!?!?!

I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The only problem conservatives or Republicans should have with McCain is that he is too much of a maverick. He defied conservatives on very important issues: campaign finance reform, amnesty for illegal immigrants, global warming, the Gang of 14 compromise on judges, the bailout, drilling in ANWR.

Just listing these makes me upset at how McCain is our nominee! But I ascribe to Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of fellow Republicans - especially in an election year!!! Many of the people abandoning ship claim close ties with Reagan but are ignoring his wise words. I will save all my criticism for Nov. 5.

Any problem with McCain, however, is vastly over-shadowed by Obama and his ideology. Obama and Biden are the most and third most liberal Senators, respectively. Somehow 2 conservatives have recently written that they base their support on their HOPE that Obama would be sensible and abandon his left-wing politics as president:

Ken Adelman:

I sure hope Obama is more open, centrist, sensible—dare I say, Clintonesque—than his liberal record indicates, than his cooperation with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid portends. If not, I will be even more startled by my vote than I am now.

Christopher Buckley:

But having a first-class temperament and a first-class intellect, President Obama will (I pray, secularly) surely understand that traditional left-politics aren’t going to get us out of this pit we’ve dug for ourselves. If he raises taxes and throws up tariff walls and opens the coffers of the DNC to bribe-money from the special interest groups against whom he has (somewhat disingenuously) railed during the campaign trail, then he will almost certainly reap a whirlwind that will make Katrina look like a balmy summer zephyr.

That is FAR too great a leap of faith in this political unknown! There is NOTHING in Obama's past to indicate that he will suddenly become moderate and stand up to Pelosi and Reid's liberal Congressional majority! This election is too important to rest on unfounded wishful thinking that Obama will see the light and come around to your own policies!

WAKE UP, PEOPLE!!!

The future of our country is at stake!!!

Related posts:

The Media are taking Crazy Pills!

Obama Supporters Are Taking Crazy Pills!

I FEEL I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!

The Media are taking Crazy Pills!

The behavior of the media has been the most appalling and frightening thing to come out of this election so far. Their unabashed championing of Obama and undercutting of McCain has become a serious problem and will be even more troubling if Obama is elected and it continues. Witness the way they went after Joe the Plumber - an ordinary citizen who challenged Obama. That will have a chilling effect on anyone who dares questions Obama now or in the future. It's one thing to have bloggers after you, but the media and a potential administration is downright scary!

On a less serious note, the New York Times gave FRONT PAGE coverage today to this major, earth-shattering election issue: "$150,000 Wardrobe for Palin May Alter Tailor-Made Image"! Gee, think this "news" story was trying to drive a wedge between Palin and her base? They also had three front page stories on Palin's personal life and that of her family when she was originally chosen for VP. Meanwhile, they put out a whitewash article on Obama's connection to unrepentent terrorist Ayers on a Saturday, the slowest news day of the week. And don't forget the hit piece on McCain that implied he was having an affair with a lobbyist! The New York Times has sunk so low, the have less than zero credibility - negative credibility!

The media is even covering for Obama and the Democrats on the biggest financial issue of our time. Here's an excerpt from a great article on the negligence of the media in covering the economic collapse, directed to the media:

You know that if the situation were reversed, and the truth would damage McCain and help Obama, you would be moving heaven and earth to get the true story out there.

If you want to redeem your honor, you will swallow hard and make a list of all the stories you would print if it were McCain who had been getting money from Fannie Mae, McCain whose campaign had consulted with its discredited former CEO, McCain who had voted against tightening its lending practices.

SOOOO TRUE!!! The current financial crisis is directly attributable to Democrats and Obama and yet Republicans are getting the blame and McCain is suffering because of it!

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS COUNTRY?!?! I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!


Update 10/26/08: Michael Malone of ABC says:

The traditional media are playing a very, very dangerous game -- with their readers, with the Constitution and with their own fates. ...

If the current polls are correct, we are about to elect as president of the United States a man who is essentially a cipher, who has left almost no paper trail, seems to have few friends (that at least will talk) and has entire years missing out of his biography.

That isn't Sen. Obama's fault: His job is to put his best face forward. No, it is the traditional media's fault, for it alone (unlike the alternative media) has had the resources to cover this story properly, and has systematically refused to do so.

He offers insight into WHY editors are so supportive of Obama - to save their jobs and their industry:

With luck, this monolithic, single-party government will crush the alternative media via a revived fairness doctrine, re-invigorate unions by getting rid of secret votes, and just maybe be beholden to people like you in the traditional media for getting it there.

Great article!

Related posts:

Obama Supporters Are Taking Crazy Pills!

I FEEL I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!

Obama Supporters Are Taking Crazy Pills!

So last week the media was all over the meme that McCain-Palin supporters are angry and violent. But that quietly faded away AFTER we learned the Secret Service could find no evidence of anyone yelling "Kill Him!,"and ...

a McCain support was smacked in the face with a sign and wooden stick by an Obama supporter,


a car with a McCain sticker was keyed with KKK,


a SC Republican Party HQ was vandalized with the words "Republican means slavery,"

Obama supporters wore "Sarah Palin is a C**T" shirts,


Molotov cocktails were thrown at a McCain sign in front of a house,


people are posing for pictures with guns aimed at Sarah Palin,



and those are only the ones I've heard about recently!

Yet somehow it's Republicans who are hateful and dangerous?! I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!

Michelle Malkin has a whole list of things deranged liberals have done

I FEEL I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!

Sorry for not blogging lately. I've been caught up with microblogging on Twitter, started a new job a few weeks ago, blah, blah, blah - so I'm going to try to blog more often. Starting with:


WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY?!?! The least accomplished, most inexperienced empty-suit of a radical liberal could win the presidency - with even North Carolina leaning blue! I am about to be represented completely by Democrats - in VIRGINIA! Al Bleeping Franken could become a SENATOR!
As Mugatu would say: I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!! Or more accurately, I feel like the only person left NOT taking crazy pills!


Of course I couldn't pass up barrel of gaffes Joe Biden!




JOBS is my favorite 3 letter word! J-O-B-S!

And people are comparing Palin to Quayle?!?!?! I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!


The only religious votive within 20 miles of San Francisco:
People really think Obama is The One, The Messiah. I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!


I was going to make this a whole long post, but instead I'm going to add new bizarre items every day that make me think to myself: "I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!!!"

Obama's Assault on 1st Amendment Rights

A Preview of His Presidency?

There has been a disturbing pattern of Barack Obama and his campaign attacking the free speech of political opponents through intimidation and lawsuits. Could this be a preview of things to come should he win the election? What kind of damage could he do as the most powerful politician in the world? Questions we should all be asking ourselves, and the answers are not looking pretty.

The Obama Truth Squad:
The most recent example of Obama tampling the 1st Amendment is perhaps the most disturbing: a report by KMOV that "The Barack Obama campaign is asking Missouri law enforcement to target anyone who lies or runs a misleading TV ad during the presidential campaign." What is meant by "target" is unclear but district attorneys and sheriffs are lined up to help the Obama campaign do it. How can one campaign be allowed to use the intimidation of law enforcement to go after political opponents?! The report says, "They will be reminding voters that Barack Obama is a Christian who wants to cut taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 a year."- That is NOT the job of law enforcement, it is an abuse of taxpayer resources and betrays the public confidence in the fairness of its officials. Furthermore, Obama's definition of "lie" or "mislead" is pretty much anything that comes out of a Republican or conservatives mouth.

The Obama Action Wire:
The Obama campaign has used the "Action Wire," or as the WashTimes calls them Digital Brownshirts, to twice attempt to shut down WGN Chicago's phone lines because National Review writers Stanley Kurtz and David Freddosso were on to talk about their investigations into Obama's past.

Kurtz had been trying unsuccessfully at that point to look at the records of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge which Obama worked on with Ayers. Freddosso has written a book exposing the life of Obama: The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate . So much for free speech and the free exchange of ideas.

Those are two official Obama campaign projects, now on to Obama's attack on political advertisements. Instead of refuting ads against him, Obama tries to use the threat of government force to get them off the air.

American Issues Project - Ayers
According to the Politico, Obama's attorney "called on the Justice Department to open “an investigation of the American Issues Project; its officers and directors; and its anonymous donors, whoever they may be." "The Obama campaign plans to punish the stations that air the ad financially, an Obama aide said, organizing his supporters to target the stations that air it and their advertisers."

Here is the ad:

Obama's lawyer wrote "calls the ad’s attempt to link Obama to terrorism 'an appalling lie, a disgraceful smear of the lowest kind on the senator’s patriotism and commitment to the rule of law.'" What in that ad was a lie? Here's a fact sheet for every line of the ad.

Obama vs. the NRA
Obama, already distrusted by bitter gun-clingers, doesn't like his record on guns being exposed so he's writing to radio and TV stations to threaten their FCC licenses, saying "For the sake of both FCC licensing requirements and the public interest, your station should refuse to continue to air this advertisement."

Here's one of the ads:

Although MSM fact checkers have attempted to support Obama on this here's the NRA's response and some fact checking on the fact checkers.
Jake Tapper has summaries and videos of the other ads.

This is just a peak into what the Obama-machine could do to its political enemies as leader of the free world. With these antics on display just during the campaign, Obama's on track to put Pres. Clinton's IRS audits of opponents to shame.
SCARY STUFF!!!

Biden's just a barrel of gaffes

From his CBS news interview earlier this week:

"Part of what a leader does is to instill confidence is to demonstrate he or she knows what they are talking about and communicates to people ... "

Biden just did a terrible job communicating with good English. Doesn't instill confidence. But maybe he can still show he knows what he's talking about:

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed. He said, 'look, here's what happened.'"

FAIL! The stock market crashed in 1929 when Herbert Hoover was president, FDR was famous for his radio addresses and TV was still being invented.


Some great comments on Biden's quote:

...And if you owned an experimental TV set in 1929, you would have seen him. And you would have said to yourself, "Who is that guy? What happened to President Hoover?" (Reason)


kevinbinversie: When the Great Depression happened, FDR was a Governor...just like Pontius Pilate

Don't Tase Me, Po'!

A break from serious politics to give you this gem:


Naked man walking dog Tasered by Tallahassee police

A 40-year-old man walking his dog in the nude Friday night in northwest Tallahassee was Tasered by police when he became belligerent and refused to follow an officer’s commands.
...
When asked what he was doing, the man told the officer, “Allah told me to watch a Bruce Willis movie and walk the dog,” McCranie said.

“He was obviously having some sort of emotional distress,” he said. “It was unfortunate we had to use the Taser. … It was the only way we could subdue him without having to hurt him.”

Learning about Sarah Palin

Gotten around to reading some of the more in-depth Sarah Palin articles lately. Here are some good ones, with my favorite passages:


NYT: Palin fuses politics and motherhood in new way

"Many people will express sympathy, but you don't want or need that, because Trig will be a joy," Palin wrote. She added, "Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed-up world you live in down there on Earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome."

WSJ: How Palin Beat Alaska's Establishment

Enter Mrs. Palin. The former mayor of Wasilla had been appointed by Mr. Murkowski in 2003 to the state oil and gas regulatory agency. She'd had the temerity to blow the whistle on fellow GOP Commissioner Randy Ruedrich for refusing to disclose energy dealings. Mr. Murkowski and GOP Attorney General Gregg Renkes closed ranks around Mr. Ruedrich—who also chaired the state GOP. Mrs. Palin resigned. Having thus offended the entire old boy network, she challenged the governor for his seat.

London Times: Sarah Palin: it's go west, towards the future of conservatism

No one paid much attention to the fact that she had been elected governor of a state. Or that she got to that office not because, unlike some politicians I could mention, her husband had been there before her, or because she bleated continuously about glass ceilings, but by challenging the entrenched interests in her own party and beating them. In almost two years as Governor she has cleaned out the Augean stables of Alaskan Government. You don't win a statewide election and enjoy approval ratings of more than 80 per cent without real political talent.

Feb. 08 Vogue: Altered State

"I've been taken aback by the nasty criticism about my appearance," she says. "I wish they'd stick with the issues instead of discussing my black go-go boots. A reporter once asked me about it during the campaign, and I assured him I was trying to be as frumpy as I could by wearing my hair on top of my head and these schoolmarm glasses, but he said, 'No, that's not what I mean.' I guess I was naive, but when I hear people talk about it I just want to escort them back to the Neanderthal cave while we get down to business."

Vogue author in Sept 08 Telegraph: Rebecca Johnson: 'I am a liberal, but I'm blown away by Sarah Palin'

Deriding Palin's modest background and lack of Ivy League credentials will only turn voters off. We should celebrate what is groundbreaking about Sarah Palin: a card-carrying member of Feminists for Life is a big step forward from Housewives for Life. And then we should talk about the issues.

Fox News: A Priest’s View of the Palins

As you read along, consider this: how a family fares in such a challenge is mostly about good instinct and character. ...

I ask if any of us guys could be a mom of five, with a handicapped child, achieve an 83% approval rating as state governor, and smile all the way through a prime time speech, after the week this woman has just had.

Pat Buchanan: One of Them and One of Us

Barack has zero foreign policy experience. Palin runs a state that is home to anti-missile, missile and air defense bases facing the Far East, commands the Alaska National Guard and has a soldier-son heading for Iraq.

Camille Paglia: Fresh blood for the vampire

Now that's the Sarah Palin brand of can-do, no-excuses, moose-hunting feminism -- a world away from the whining, sniping, wearily ironic mode of the establishment feminism represented by Gloria Steinem, a Hillary Clinton supporter whose shameless Democratic partisanship over the past four decades has severely limited American feminism and not allowed it to become the big tent it can and should be. Sarah Palin, if her reputation survives the punishing next two months, may be breaking down those barriers. Feminism, which should be about equal rights and equal opportunity, should not be a closed club requiring an ideological litmus test for membership.

9/11 2008

Sarracuda's Best Lines from the RNC

I have been so busy I haven't had time to post the best of Sarah Palin's convention speech. But judging from the enthusiasm she has generated, I think a review of her best lines would still be appreciated - and as I was going through her speech, I was struck by how many great lines there were! Here's a sample:

• They [small town people] love their country in good times and bad -- and they're always proud of America.

• And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor if sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.

• But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or even a reform, not even in the state senate.

• This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word "victory" -- except when he's talking about his own campaign.

• But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away, when the stadium lights go out and those styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot...
  

• What does he actually seek to accomplish after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet?

• Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America, and he's worried that someone won't read them their rights.

• In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.

• He [Harry Reid] said, quote, "I can't stand John McCain." Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps no accolade we hear this week is better proof that we've chosen the right man. Clearly, what the majority leader was driving at is that he can't stand up to John McCain...

• My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery.

• This world of threats and dangers, it's not just a community and it doesn't just need an organizer.

And two final more serious, but excellent quotes:

• And though both Senator Obama and Senator Biden have been going on lately about how they're always, quote, "fighting for you," let us face the matter squarely. There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you.

• To the most powerful office on Earth, he would bring the compassion that comes from having once been powerless, the wisdom that comes even to the captives by the grace of God -- the special confidence of those who have seen evil and have seen how evil is overcome.

Giuliani: Best Lines of the Night

Wednesday of the RNC was AWESOME! Rudy Giuliani rocked the house - as Grant said to me: "That's a man who doesn't have to worry about being elected anymore - he can say whatever he wants!"

I understand Rudy deviated from his prepared text, so here's a copy of his speech as delivered. There were SO many great lines, I tried to whittle them down to the very BEST:

• On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer-WHAT?! ...Maybe this is the first problem on the resume....

• And nearly 130 times, he couldn't make a decision. He couldn't figure out whether to vote yes or no. It was too tough!
  
  I didn't know about this vote "present" when I was mayor of New York City. ...Sarah Palin didn't have this vote "present" when she was mayor or governor. You don't get "present" -- it doesn't work in an executive job. For president of the United States, it's not good enough to be present! You have to make a decision!
  

• They would have you believe that this election is about change versus more of the same. But that's really a false choice, because there's good change and bad change. Because change is not a destination, just as hope is not a strategy.

• Well, I'll tell you, if I were Joe Biden, I'd want to get that VP thing in writing.

• So he changed his position again, and he put out a statement exactly like the statement of John McCain's three days earlier. I have some advice for Senator Obama: Next time, call John McCain.

• In choosing Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain has chosen for the future. The other guy looked back, John looked forward.

• She's been a mayor. I love that. I'm sorry -- I'm sorry that Barack Obama feels that her hometown isn't cosmopolitan enough. I'm sorry, Barack -- that it's not flashy enough. Maybe they cling to religion there.

Sarracuda Palin's best will be up as soon as I can get to it.

RNC Tuesday: Top Lines of the Night

I thought Fred Thompson gave a GREAT speech tonight! I finally had the opportunity to hear the full story of John McCain's ordeal in Vietnam - it is an amazing story and I will be forever grateful to McCain for his sacrifice and character in putting Country First. Please read Fred Thompson's speech, McCain's story deserves to be told.

Thompson also went on the attack and served up some delicious red meat to the crowd. My favorite one-liners from Fred Thompson's speech:

• It’s pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, “Who is this man?” and “Can we trust this man with the Presidency?”
  
  
• My friends … that is character you can believe in.
  
  
• The respect he is given around the world is not because of a teleprompter speech designed to appeal to American critics abroad, but because of decades of clearly demonstrated character and statesmanship.
  
  
• To deal with these challenges the Democrats present a history making nominee for president. History making in that he is the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for President.
  
  
• Apparently they believe that he would match up well with the history making, Democrat controlled Congress. History making because it’s the least accomplished and most unpopular Congress in our nation’s history.
  
  
• No, they’re just going to tax “businesses”! So unless you buy something from a “business”, like groceries or clothes or gasoline … or unless you get a paycheck from a big or a small “business”, don’t worry … it’s not going to affect you.
  
  
• And we need a President who doesn’t think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade.

After Thompson;s rousing speech, Joe Lieberman came on stage and initially seemed to suck the life out of the auditorium. It was a tough act to follow, but eventually Lieberman hit his stride. He went after his Senate colleague and former fellow party-member Obama directly which I found to be slightly surprising. Here are my favorite Lieberman lines:

• I’m here to support John McCain because country matters more than party.

• Both presidential candidates this year talk about changing the culture of Washington, about breaking through the partisan gridlock and special interests that are poisoning our politics. But only one of them has actually done it.

• My Democratic friends know all about John’s record of independence and accomplishment. Maybe that’s why some of them are spending so much time and so much money trying to convince voters that John McCain is someone else.

• Eloquence is no substitute for a record — not in these tough times.
  
  
• In the Senate he has not reached across party lines to get anything significant done, nor has he been willing to take on powerful interest groups in the Democratic Party.
  
  
• The McCain-Palin ticket is the real ticket for change this year.
  
  
• When others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, when Barack Obama was voting to cut off funding for our troops on the ground, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge, and because of that, today, our troops are at last beginning to come home, not in failure, but in honor!

All in all a great night of speeches - the Republican base is pumped up and hopes to have attracted undecided voters with Lieberman's appeal to independents and Thompson's focus on character. Can't wait until tomorrow night!

Sarah Palin: Barracuda

In honor of VP nominee Sarah Palin's nickname, here's a quick video featuring Heart's Barracuda:

All hail Emperor Obama!

HAD to post this pic after I saw it on twitter! GREAT combination of Obama themes: Messiah Obama, the presidential seal flop, "hope" and "change," the coronation of Emperor Obama at Barackopolis, and excellent use of arugula!
("Anybody Gone Into Whole Foods Lately And See What They Charge For Arugula?")

More on the over-the-top Greco-Roman set in Invesco field tonight:

TEMPLE OF DEM ON MT. O-LYMPUS

Democrats will kneel before the "Temple of Obama" tonight.

As if a Rocky Mountain coronation were not lofty enough, Barack Obama will aim for Mount Olympus when he accepts his party's nomination atop an enormous, Greek-columned stage - built by the same cheesy set team that put together Britney Spears' last tour.

Haha, and this guy complained about the "Celebrity" ad? Looks like it was even more spot on than we originally thought!

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Hillary Mocks Obama

From Analysis: A perfect night for Clinton, Obama?, Hillary, in her own words:

• Dec. 3, 2007: "So you decide which makes more sense: Entrust our country to someone who is ready on Day One ... or to put America in the hands of someone with little national or international experience, who started running for president the day he arrived in the U.S. Senate."

• March 2008. "I know Sen. McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And Sen. Obama has a speech he gave in 2002."

• Feb. 23, 2008: "Now, I could stand up here and say, 'Let's just get everybody together. Let's get unified.' The skies will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect."

That last one is a rip on Obama saying in January:

“... a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany, and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Barack.”

Scary stuff - more Messiah Obama

McCain turns the second quote into an effective ad:

These two are going to be such fun!

As if Obama didn't already have enough gaffe problems for himself, he now adds Joe Biden to the ticket! These two bumbling fools are like the gift that keeps on giving! Three gaffes within 24 hours!

UPDATE: Biden: Barackal, America, Obaman Apparently, in addition to call him "Barack America" (see below), Biden also said "Barackal Bama" and "Barack Obaman"

Obama introduces Biden as the "next president"... er, I mean vice president:


Joe Biden endorses "Barack America"... er, I mean Barack Obama:


Obama calls Eau Claire a "big important state"... er, I mean Wisconsin.


Now, let's go get a bratwurst!

Pondering the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act

The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act has been in the news recently because Obama voted against an Illinois version that was nearly identical to the federal one, but later said he supported the federal. It was passed by large majorities in the U.S. Congress and was even supported by pro-choice groups, but I truly wonder why.


Some questions - pro-choicers, please answer if you can:

• To be consistent with the idea that a fetus is a choice that can be aborted, shouldn't a baby born accidentally alive in the process of a botched abortion merely be put to death outside of the womb?

• Why does the fetus suddenly get rights and medical attention?

• What is it about being out of the womb that seems to change things so dramatically?

• Doesn't that mean that the woman's choice - that holiest of holy "constitutional right" - is taken away from her?

• If it's ok to keep that premature baby alive, why don't we just deliver all babies marked for abortion early and put them up for adoption?

• If the argument is that the baby will die anyway, but it is more humane to give it medical care and drugs to numb the pain before death, why don't we give babies that are about to be torn apart in a more traditional abortion some sort of anaesthetic?

This, like Partial Birth Abortion, is such a great issue for the pro-life movement because it puts pro-choicers between a rock and a hard place.


They have to choose between defending leaving babies to die in medical waste bins (and in the case of PBA, a truly barbaric abortion procedure, both of which are perfectly logical extensions of the pro-choice argument,) or backing away from their principles but not coming across as complete monsters.


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Obama "Uh" Montage

UPDATE: It has come to my attention that the link I provided earlier only works for RUSH 24/7 subscribers, so I replaced it with a YouTube version:

Courtesy of Rush Limbaugh, here is a full 7 min 35 sec of uhs, ahs, and you knows, cut from a 40 minute Obama press conference - no repeats or, uh, loops.


What a great motivational speaker that Obama is - so, ah, articulate and inspirational!


YES, uh, WE, ah, CAN, you know?


BONUS! While looking for the YouTube version, I found this 1min David Letterman clip of counting the 30 times Obama said "uh" during a tv interview. ENJOY!

Daily Mail horror stories just get worse and worse

True Daily Mail horror story. I think the title says it all:

When my little girl was born with Down's, I felt like I'd given birth to an alien and just wanted to get rid of her

‘The words Down’s syndrome hit me like a punch to the stomach,’ says Loretta. ‘I know it’s not a politically correct thing to say and you’re supposed to love your baby no matter what, but all the maternal instincts that had overflowed at the joy of my baby’s birth simply died.

‘Instead, I felt nothing but coldness. I couldn’t even hold her or feed her. I told the midwife to get this thing away from me. I was totally distraught.

‘Ignoring pleas from nurses to stay in bed, I dragged myself into the bathroom, put the shower on at a freezing temperature and lay there sobbing, curled up on the floor of the cubicle. I felt I was trapped in my worst nightmare, and somehow thought the coldwater, like needles stabbing into me, would bring me out of it.

...All I could think was I’d been cursed and that I couldn’t imagine coping with a disabled child, let alone what I regarded as the stigma of having one.’

...‘To me at that time, she wasn’t a baby, she was an alien,’ admits Loretta, ‘and, appalled as I am to admit it, I was just heartbroken and ashamed that I didn’t have a proper baby.

‘Of course I feel guilty about my behaviour now, but at the time I was so shocked I simply couldn’t cope in any other way.’

'Feelings of bitterness and loss just seemed to engulf me. It was as if the baby I had dreamed of had died. Suddenly, I couldn't bear to look at or even touch her, I just wanted to be away from her.

'Charlie was as devastated as me and the next five days were terrible. Charlie would pick Grace up, but then say he couldn't imagine making a life with her. "If we have her adopted we could try for a normal baby," he told me. And, though I know it will sound horribly callous, I felt the same way.

'If the nurses brought Grace anywhere near my room, I would tell them: "Just take her away, I don't want her".

'Charlie even contacted social services. "They said we could have her fostered," he said. The social worker even arrived with papers ready to sign Grace over - although thankfully they decided I was in too much of a confused state to sign anything then.

'I was so distressed that in the end doctors gave me sedatives to calm me down.

Does have a happy ending:

I just feel blessed to have such a beautiful baby.

'She has given me the strength to cope on my own and to do what I thought was impossible for me - to love a disabled child.'

Special 'All Hope and Change' Post!

The latest print version of National Review arrived at our office today and it has a spectacular cover! Love the top: "Special 'All Hope and Change' Issue"! Excellent play on the Obama logo combined with the Obama Snob photo. Obama truly is an "enigma" wrapped inside a riddle. Who really knows who Obama is and what he thinks? Does he even know?

In case you can't read the bottom, there are articles "on his radical past," "on his Chicago way," and "The evidence of Dreams."

Can't wait to read it; should hit newsstands on Monday.

Back from the dead

This is an inspiring story about a man who came out of a coma after doctors advised his family to pull the plug. It pretty much epitomizes why I am pro-life on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide and why I supported the fight of Terri Schiavo's family to keep her alive.

Doctors are wrong all the time, you never know what will happen in the future - whether it's a miracle or a medical advance - that could bring your loved one back to you. Why NOT err on the side of life? What do you have to lose? You'll never regret giving them a longer chance to recover, but you may regret pulling the plug too early.

'I'm glad I can do anything'

Monk suffered a traumatic closed brain injury when he was T-boned eight years ago in a midsize car by a large pickup truck.

...Monk went into a coma upon impact and had no measurable brain function for 18 days. He spent three months in a coma.

"Some of the doctors told Mom and Dad to just pull the plug," Monk said.

"We heard that for months," Monk's mom, Janice Monk, added. "From every place we went, they told us he'd never be anything but a vegetable."

Hearing this makes Monk mad.

"Doctors are there to heal," he said, "not to give up."

But Monk never gave up on himself. He did wake up, and he's no vegetable.

...But Monk cherishes these days more than most because he knows how fragile life can be. He also knows that he has a purpose for being here -- because God told him so.

..."He said, 'My son, I'm not ready for you yet. You still have many things to do for us down there, and when it's your day, I'll bring you back home, but not yet,"' Monk said.

This is Monk's daily reminder that no matter his circumstances, he has to help people.

And Monk takes God's words to heart.

Pelosi in the Pocket of "Big Alt"

While Nancy Pelosi called House Republicans in the #dontgo movement, (aka Texas Tea Party, aka phantom Congress, aka whatever-you-want,) "the handmaidens of the oil companies," it appears that she herself is a handmaiden to alternative fuels. More specifically: T. Boone Pickens' corp.


It has come to light that she has invested $50,000-$100,000 in the very technology she now attempts to impose on the American people; technology that stands to benefit from high gas prices and which will in turn benefit her. No wonder she refuses to hold a vote on a comprehensive energy plan that includes offshore drilling. Or as she says, it's all in the name of "trying to save the planet."
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Daily Mail Horror Story: Choosing Life After Rape

This is a pretty amazing article about turning a horrific event into a a positive future.

At 16 she was gang raped and left pregnant. Now one mother explains... Why I love my rapist's baby

...'All the hatred I felt towards those men disappeared when I saw the baby. I put Phoebe on Elizabeth's breast and that was the most moving sight.

'In that moment, it wasn't about her being attacked in some car park, it was simply about the precious moment a new mum holds her baby.'

Elizabeth concurs. 'I have never, ever blamed Phoebe for what happened.

'While it was terrifying, knowing that I was going to be a mum made me look forward and focus on something else. I suppose I have tried to look beyond what happened, to the life that was created.'

...'If I have to, I will say that she was the good that came out of something bad. And I will tell her that, however she came to be, I have never ever regretted having her, and I would not be without her for the world.'