Call Your Senators NOW!!! (and then call 'em again)

I called my Senators' Washington offices (Kohl & Feingold) on Friday to weigh in on the Obama-Reid-Pelosi Drunken Sailor Spending Spree (oops-I mean, of course the 'stimlus package').

I got a busy signal the first time and had to keep re-dialing.

When I asked Feingold's office how the calls were running, the young man on the end of the line hesitated and then told me that they were overwhelmingly against the current bill.

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE call them (or your own senators) NOW and make your voice be heard.

I also emailed Senator Mitch McConnell and told him that he was the only thing standing between us & disaster.

The madness HAS TO STOP!

You can reach our senators at the following numbers. I put them on my speed dial (heh). Call early & call often!!!

Senator Herb Kohl: 202-224-5653
Senator Russ Feingold: 202-224-5323

Or call the general number for your own personal Senator: 202-224-3121

Victor Davis Hanson Predicts Obama Meltdown

Interesting post by VDH on The Corner on The Impending Obama Meltdown. I am including it in its entirety.

The Impending Obama Meltdown [Victor Davis Hanson]

Some of us have been warning that it was not healthy for the U.S. media to have deified rather than questioned Obama, especially given that they tore apart Bush, ridiculed Palin, and caricatured Hillary. And now we can see the results of their two years of advocacy rather than scrutiny.We are quite literally after two weeks teetering on an Obama implosion—and with no Dick Morris to bail him out—brought on by messianic delusions of grandeur, hubris, and a strange naivete that soaring rhetoric and a multiracial profile can add requisite cover to good old-fashioned Chicago politicking.First, there were the sermons on ethics, belied by the appointments of tax dodgers, crass lobbyists, and wheeler-dealers like Richardson—with the relish of the Blago tapes still to come. (And why does Richardson/Daschle go, but not Geithner?).

Second, was the "stimulus" (the euphemism for "borrow/print money") that was simply a way to go into debt for a generation to shower Democratic constituencies with cash.

Then third, there were the inflated lectures on historic foreign policy to be made by the clumsy political novice who trashed his own country and his predecessor in the most ungracious manner overseas to a censored Saudi-run press organ (e.g., Bush is
dictatorial, the Saudi king is courageous; Obama can mend bridges that America broke to aggrieved Muslims—apparently Tehran hostages, Rushdie, serial attacks in the 1990s, 9/11, Madrid, London never apparently occurred; and neither did feeding Somalis, saving Kuwait, protesting Chechnya, Bosnia/Kosovo, billions to Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinians, help in two Afghan wars, and on and on).

Fourth, there was the campaign rhetoric of Bush shredding the Constitution—FISA, Guantánamo, the Patriot Act, Iraq, renditions, etc.—followed by "all that for now stays the same" inasmuch as we haven't ben hit in over seven years and can't risk another attack.

Fifth, Gibbs as press secretary is a Scott McClellan nightmare that won't go away, given his long McClellan-like relationship with Obama (McClellan should have been fired on day hour one on the job). Blaming Fox News for Obama's calamities is McClellan to the core and doesn't work. He already reminds me of Reverend Wright's undoing at the National Press Club—and he will get worse.

Six, Biden is being Biden. Already, he's ridiculed the chief justice, trashed the former VP, bragged on himself ad nauseam in Bidenesque weird ways, and it's only been two weeks.

And the result of all this?At home, Obama is becoming laughable and laying the groundwork for the greatest conservative populist reaction since the Reagan Revolution.Abroad, some really creepy people are lining up to test Obama's world view of "Bush did it/but I am the world": The North Koreans are readying their missiles; the Iranians are calling us passive, bragging on nukes and satellites; Russia is declaring missile defense is over and the Euros in real need of iffy Russian gas; Pakistanis say no more drone attacks (and then our friends the Indians say "shut up" about Kashmir and the Euros order no more "buy American").

This is quite serious. I can't recall a similarly disastrous start in a half-century (far worse than Bill Clinton's initial slips). Obama immediately must lower the hope-and-change rhetoric, ignore Reid/Pelosi, drop the therapy, and accept the tragic view that the world abroad is not misunderstood but quite dangerous. And he must listen on foreign policy to his National Security Advisor, Billary, and the Secretary of Defense. If he doesn't quit the messianic style and perpetual campaign mode, and begin humbly governing, then he will devolve into Carterism—angry that the once-fawning press betrayed him while we the people, due to our American malaise, are to blame.
02/04
07:15 AM

Is this just a case of "the bigger they are, the harder they fall?" If so, expect a crash of gargantuan proportions....

Merry, Merry.....?

Hmmmm....I think that anyone who is offended by a greeting of "Merry Christmas" needs to be sent to diversity training to cure them of their intolerance.....

Just a thought.

NOW they tell us...

Un-freaking-believable.

I would swear this is from SNL or The Onion....

But it's not.

The MSM is dead....Rest in Peace.

But it looked great on TV.....

Priceless user comment from the Instapundit poll today...

From Mumblix Grumph on November 5, 2008 at 8:03 am.

Yesterday America ordered a RonCo Magic President. How could we not? They have been flogging the product for over 2 years with every Hollywood and media face giving testimonials on how it would change our lives for the better.

Now we wait the 6-8 weeks for shipping. Wait until America opens the box and reads the ingredients. A pinch of Ayers, a dash of Wright, a little Farrakahn and a lot of smoke and mirrors.

Not to mention the fraudulent fund raising.

Too bad he doesn't come with a return policy.

And the true cost is yet to be determined....

One silver lining of the Obama victory...

Here is one 'silver lining perspective' of an Obama presidency and a stronger Democratic majority.

For the past eight years, I have found myself constantly having to defend conservative positions against the naysayers. Despite the majority in Congress, Bush and the Republicans were blamed for every social ill, every global conflict, every sad story of some poor individual who lost their job, didn’t have health insurance, and couldn’t realize the American Dream.

But, it is always easier to point out the flaws in a strategy than to actually create and enact a workable strategy. It is always easier to be against something than to be for it. It is always easier to oppose a war when one is not directly responsible for the safety of the American people. It is always easier to point out all the things that are ‘wrong’ with America than to craft policy and implement it in a way that actually solves the problem. It is always easier to promise a multitude of social programs than to actually make them a reality (and free from their logical consequences).

It is always easier to give a speech than to govern.

The country will have pure, unadulterated exposure to the Democrats and their leftist ideals. There will be no filter - no Bush to blame - no pretense that they lack the power to make the changes or solve the problems. We will see how their policies make us safer, more economically viable, more globally 'admirable', more influential with evil dictators, more egalitarian.

And we can stand back and criticize their failings.

Now the shoe will be on the other foot. I, for one, am looking forward to the role reversal.

The Pictures Tell the Story

So, in the early days of Obama-mania, I asked the question, "What IS a 'community organizer'?" Sounds fairly nebulous...



Since Obama quoted his accomplishments as a community organizer and a state senator, I eagerly awaited a 'flagrant act of journalism' (Charlie Sykes) from the media to provide an explanation. Heh. Still. Waiting.



Check out this excellent set of posts from Doug Ross, who did some research into the truth about the housing projects of which Barack is so proud.



Also, check out this post which gives you even more background on BHO.



Wouldn't it be great if we could read this kind of stuff in the New York Times or Washington Post (or even the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)?

Check this out -- Michael Yon Online

A friend of mine turned me on to this blog by Michael Yon. Michael has reported what is going on in Iraq through firsthand knowledge and is planning to travel to Afghanistan to do the same.

I found his postings very interesting and thought I would pass them along.

Too many times, the politics surrounding the war have created a polarization that does not lead to creative problem-solving. We all need to agree that the war on terrorism is real and is worth winning and is different than any war we have fought before.

Thanks, John. Sorry it took so long to get around to this.

Obama Explains it All

So, the Obama campaign theme "we are the ones we've been waiting for" is starting to make sense. We actually hold the keys to solving all of OUR OWN problems.

So....

If we just would all learn to speak Spanish (and French), we can solve all of our immigration problems.

If we just would talk to Ahmadinejad, we can solve all of our terrorism problems.

If we would just stop driving SUVs and turn our thermostats down, the rest of the world would stop hating us.

And today, we discover that if we would all just inflate our tires properly, we could solve our energy problems.

Here's a link to his comments.

Thank heavens Obama has been sent to us to explain it all!

P.S. One problem with the new energy policy. To quote Michelle Obama, "of course as a black man, Barack can get shot going to the gas station." Perhaps the Obamas will have to inflate their own tires at home.

See Powerline for a shot at the calculation of potential energy savings from properly inflated tires.

Finally....Hillary Simplifies the Tax Code!!!

In a breakthrough announcement, Hillary Clinton revealed her solution for simplifying the U.S. Federal Tax Code.

Clinton's campaign manager, Maggie Williams, said,

This out-of-the-box thinking shows that Hillary is also for 'hope' and 'change' and is ready to lead the country on DAY ONE!!!

Well, it will definitely cut down on tax preparation expense!!!

Live Blogging Obama - Houston Tuesday night speech

Live blogging Obama speech with my comments thrown in at no additional charge. Comments indicated in parentheses and italics....

So, Obama (the great uniter) starts by stepping on the end of Hillary's speech....

The crowd is cheering wildly. Barack thanks them multiple times to try to get them to quiet down.

Y'all know how to do it in Texas.

Houston, I think we have achieved lift off here. (Hillary will definitely accuse him of plagiarism again .)

He thanks specific people for their contributions. Then he talks about how people can start voting today in Texas. I want you to start voting tomorrow. You have from February 19-29th to vote and you can also vote on Election Day March 4th (Eerily reminiscent of 'vote early, vote often', but apparently Texans can vote AND attend a caucus ).

Now he thanks the people of Wisconsin for voting and for his win in the primary.
When you vote in Wisconsin it is 5 degrees outside. (Yeah, but that's a heat wave. At least it wasn't hailing!.)

...

What we are trying to do is not easy and it won't happen overnight. Will take more than big rallys, rousing speeches, more than policy papers and positions and websites. Will require something more.

The problem that we face in America not the lack of good ideas, but Washington has become the place that good ideas go to die. Lobbyists crush them with their money and their influence. Politicians don't spend enough time bridging their differences. We need leaders that can inspire a higher purpose.

We know how difficult it will be. Why are we here tonight? We still believe change is possible. Never needed it more than we do right now.

Workers in Youngstown, Ohio watching job after job disappear, watching jobs disappear in bad trade deals like NAFTA. They have seen machines unbolted to be shipped to China. (Huh? NAFTA has nothing to do with China....) We need jobs in America that pay well, provide health insurance and a pension.

I met a mother today in San Antonio. She has two year old twins who are legally blind. Somehow she got into a predatory loan. (Somehow??? I hope the blogosphere looks into the background of this woman. Don't people bear some responsibility for understanding the terms of loans they are signing? ) She saw her mortgage payments double in two weeks. She is on the verge of packing. She doesn't know where she is going to go.

Struggling homeowners are being tricked out of owning their dream. (So, again -- do we expect them to read the fine print? Or just close their eyes and 'hope' that the government will bail them out if they overextend themselves??? )

I'm here because of a mother I met in Green Bay Wisconsin. She gave me this bracelet, enscribed with the name of her son Ryan. Twenty years old and killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. All gave some, but he gave all. It is time to ask ourselves as a nation if we are serving Ryan, and our young brave men and women. We need us to end this war and bring them home and give them the care and the benefits they deserve.

Year ago, I stood on the steps of the capital in Springfield, Illinois. Those who said, "Why are you running so soon? You're relatively young, you can afford to wait." I had to explain I'm not running because of some long-held ambition. not running because it is owed to me.

I'm running because of the words of Dr. King - the fierce urgency of now. (Note - he will be careful from now on to attribute any quotes!!!)

There is such a thing as being too late. Our nation is at war, our planet is at peril. Dream feels like it is slipping away. Everywhere I go, people are working harder for less. They have never paid more for college or at the pump.

There are 47 million people without health insurance.

Millions of children being left behind. Unable to compete in an international economy. Need to fix our schools, health care, bring an end to global warming, bring good jobs back to America and can't wait to end war in Iraq.

We cannot wait.

Size of our challenges have outstripped the capacity of a broken system to solve. Need politics that will lift the country up. People have grown weary of politics based on spin and PR. Want politics based on truthfulness and honesty to the American people.

Change doesn't happen from the top-down, but from the bottom up. (I don't understand this -- how is big government a bottom-up solution???)

I did volunteer work on the south side of Chicago. Best education I ever had. I know that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they are given the opportunity (So why do we need the government to do it for us???) Americans are decent and generous people -work hard and sacrifice.

Bridge the divides - black, white, Hispanic, Asian, rich, poor, Republican, Democrat, challenge the special interests, challenge ourselves to be better neighbors, citizens, Americans....no destiny we could not fulfill.

After a year of traveling across the country....my faith in the American people has been vindicated. We want to move forward into a better tomorrow. The American people (interrupted by people chanting "yes, we can") have spoken out and they are saying we need to move in a new direction.

As aware as i am of my imperfections....as aware as I am that I am not a perfect vessel. (Vessel? Whoa! This is the kind of comment that leads people to accuse Obama of a 'messianic' complex.)

I can't do it by myself. No president can. Change happens because of you. Question I have for you tonight, Houston, are you really ready for change?

Tell the lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda are over. They have not supported my campaign, will not run my White House, will not drown out the voices of the American people.

We have to stop talking about the 'outrage' of 47M people without health insurance (My quote marks. Outrage?). I will make sure that people have at least as good as the plan I have as a member of Congress. If you already have health insurance, will lower your premiums by $2500 per family per year. If you can't afford, we will subsidize you . Focus on prevention so we have a health care system, instead of a disease-care system...we will do it by the end of my first term as President of the United States of America.


Start restoring balance to our economy. I believe in the free market. We don't believe in government doing what we can do for ourselves. (Huh? So this is a direct contradiction to his entire platform.)

CEOs making more in 10 minutes than ordinary workers are making in one year. CEOs getting a tax break and ordinary workers are left with nothing (Left with nothing? Does he mean no tax break? Or nothing nothing?), something is wrong and has to change.

I want to take away those tax breaks to companies that are shifting jobs overseas. (Does this mean that all global companies who are based in the U.S. will have to pay higher taxes? That will be a GREAT incentive for them to create more jobs in the U.S. How is he going to accomplish this? Almost all large U.S. corporations employ people overseas in their operations.)

Give tax breaks to companies that invest right here in America. Roll back tax cuts that went to wealthy. (Okay. The top 5% of taxpayers already pay over 50%--53.8% to be exact--of all individual income tax. In fact, the Treasury Department says that Bush's tax cuts have shifted more tax to higher wagearners. See great post on this topic at about.com.)

I will give tax cuts to ordinary families that make less than $75K, we will offset your payroll tax. Seniors making less than $50K don't have to pay income tax. You're already having a hard enough time making ends meet.

I will promote trade & embrace globalization. (By taxing the bejeepers out of US-based companies that hire workers overseas.) But we will enforce work standards and safety standards so our children aren't playing with lead paint toys.

I will raise minimum wage, because if you work in America, you should not be poor. (Define poor. Minimum wage? What type of standard-of-living does he think that people who work in minimum-wage-type jobs should earn?)

Asssure that every child in America...has the best education that this country has to offer from the day that child is born to the day that child graduates from college. Not the lack of plans. Lack of political will & urgency.

Those children in the inner city...we think that is somebody else's problem...not our child. Young child in south Texas, rural east Texas, with a lower property tax base, is someone else's problem. (Wa-a-a-a-it a minute. I thought we were 'decent' and 'generous'. Now he makes us sound like a bunch of selfish slobs. hat happened to bottom-up problem solving?)

I am here to say that every child is our problem.

Invest in early childhood education to close the achievement gap....reward teachers for their greatness. By giving them higher salaries and giving them more support. (Teacher salaries are determined by local school boards. Is he suggesting that we 'federalize' teachers??? How will he accomplish this?) Highest standards of excellence. Don't want standards measured by a single standardized test - don't want teachers teaching to the test. (So... how ARE you going to measure it??? I know! Let's have the teachers report on it!!!)

Want students learning art and music and science and literature and social studies. (People cheer wildly. Is this new? I am missing something.)

About time we make college affordable for every young person in America.

We're going to provide a $4,000 tuition credit for every student every year. (Hmmm...even for those CEOs and evil wealthy people???) Students will have to participate in community service. Work in a homeless shelter, veterans' home, under-served school, or the Peace Corps. We invest in you and you invest in America. Together we will march this country forward. (Great idea, but how do we police it, since presumably the students will get their stipend while they are IN college and won't be expected to serve until after they are THROUGH with college??? )

Need an energy policy that makes sense. We send $1B to foreign nations every single day and we are melting the polar ice caps in the bargain. (Huh? Just us? Has he been to China lately?)

That has to change. I will cap emission of greenhouse gases. Generate billions of dollars from polluters to invest in solar, wind and biodiesel. Raise fuel efficiency standards on cars - only way we can actually bring gas prices down long term. (Can someone explain to me how raising efficiency standards on cars will reduce gas prices in a global economy?)

I talked about this in Detroit in front of the automakers. They have to change their ways. Nobody clapped. Room got very quiet.

What you need as President is someone will tell you not what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. Will tell you the truth.

Stop using immigration as a political football and start solving the problem. Nation of laws and immigrants. We can get serious about our borders and crack down on employers who take advantage of undocumented workers and undermining US labor. Make a pathway for those who are here. Pay a fine, learn English, go to the back of the line....we have to give them an opportunity, too. We are a nation of immigrants.

Start reinvesting in the cities. Spending $9B a month in Iraq. Could invest that money in rebuilding roads, schools, hospitals, laying broadband lines, (whoa -- that one snuck in there--think he got a major contribution from a broadband company???), putting people back to work, employ young men and women. (but not in helping people in the Middle East).

We can create the kind of foreign policy that will make us safe and lead to renewed respect for America around the world. As your Commander-in-Chief, my job will be to keep you safe.

I will not hesitate to strike against any who would do us harm. I will do whatever is required. Part of keeping you safe - provide troops with proper equipment, training, proper rotations...no more homeless veterans. No more begging for disability payments, no more waiting in line for the VA. Solemn obligation to honor those who have served on our behalf.

Part of keeping you safe is deploying our military wisely. War in Iraq was unwise. Distracted us from the fight that needed to be fought in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda. They're the ones who killed 3,000 Americans. (This will be a BIG surprise to them, since they are fighting us in Iraq!) Fanned flame of anti-American sentinment. (As evidenced by the fact that Germany, Canada and France all voted for pro-American leaders since the outset of the war! ) Cost us dearly in blood and in treasure. I opposed this war in 2002, will bring this war to an end in 2009. It is time to bring our troops home.

End the mind-set that got us into war. End politics based on fear. Some use Uses 9/11 as a way to scare votes vs. bring our country together against a common enemy. (Reference to John McCain.)

Rediscover the power of our diplomacy. Will meet with our enemies. Folks in Washington said 'You can't do that" and I said "Yes i can". JFK said "should never negotiate out of fear, but should never fear to negotiate'. (Obama quotes that in every speech and has it on his website. But how do you negotiate with countries who refuse to cooperate? have no interest in negotiation? sponsor terrorism? call for the destruction of Israel?) Strong countries and strong presidents talk to their enemies and tell them where America stands. (I don't think that Iran, North Korea or Venezuela have any false impressions about where American stands -- at least, not with Bush in the White House. But I'm sure that a 'stern talking to' from Obama will set them straight immediately!)

Try to resolve differences without resort to war. World is waiting. Go to world community and say "America is back and we are ready to lead". But we will lead not just militarily - yes we will hunt down terrorists, yes we will lock down loose nuclear weapons.

Also going to lead on climate change. Lead on helping countries deal with HIV-AIDs. Lead on bringing an end to the Genocide in Darfur. Lead by example. Highest standards of civil liberties and human rights. I will close Guantanamo. Restore habeus corpus (for terrorists???) and say no to torture. If you are ready for change, you can elect a president who has taught, believes and will obey the Constitution.

All these things are possible if you are ready for change.


A lot of people don't want you to believe. Obama hasn't been in Washington long enough. We need to season and stew him a little bit more and boil all the hope out of him. Same old folks making the same old mistakes over and over again. Need new leadership.

Those who would say...be wary of inspiration because you may be disappointed. Obama may make a good speech, but...what will make a difference is how you work our government. My central premise, the only way we will bring real change...bring new people into the process. Attract new people, independents, stop fighting with Repblicans and bring Republicans over to our side. I want to reach out to everybody.

What about John McCain? I revere and honor his service to our country. But when he embraces George Bush's failed economic policies. Says he is willing to send our troops into 100 years in Iraq...he reps the policies of yesterday and we want to be the party of tomorrow....I am looking forward to having that debate with McCain.

(Still waiting to hear him 'reach out'....)

I talk about hope a lot. Not surprising. Odds of me standing here are very slim. (vs. getting shot on way to gas station, like most other black men -- see Michelle Obama interview ).

I was born to a teenage mother. My father left when I was two. Raised by single mom and grandparents. Didn't have money, didn't have fame. Gave me love, education & hope. I talk about hope. Speech, signs, I wrote a book.

Some suggesting I must be naive--peddling false hope -- you need a reality check. Don't realize how mean and tough the world can be.

That's not what hope is -- hope is not blind optimism. Not ignoring the challenges that stand between you & your dreams. I know how difficult it will be to provide health insurance to every American. Change our energy policy. The status quo serves many powerful people. Fix schools. Alleviate poverty that has built up over centuries. Changing schools will require work...parent better, turn off the TV set and put the video games away, instill a sense of excellence in our children. (I totally agree with him here... ) Will take time.

Easy for politicians to turn us on each other....use immigrants or gay people or folks who aren't like us as scapegoats for what they do. (Whoa - totally random 'gay people as victims' panderment! )

I have fought in the courts, fought on the streets.

Nothing in this country has happened, except someone somewhere was willing to hope.

How country was founded. Group of patriots founded our nation. They had hope. How slaves and abolitions resisted an evil system. How the greatest generation -- my grandpa fought in Patton's army. Grandma stayed home with a baby working on anassembly line. Defeated Hitler and fascism and lifted itself out of Great Depression. Pioneers, immigrants, women right to vote, young people in the sixties, marched, sat in, were beaten ....died for freedom's cause. That's what hope is.

Hope is imagining and then fighting for and then working for, struggling for what did not seem possible before. Moment in every generation when that spirit has to come through if we are to make our mark on history. Cast aside the fear and the doubt. Not willing to settle for what the cynics tells us to accept.

When we decide that the next generation deserves the same chances that somebody gave us. (I thought we were all screwed up. How did the broken system provide the chances that we got? )

We're going to keep the dream alive for those who still hunger for opportunity and thirst for justice? (but not the Iraqis)

It will not be easy, but at some point in our lives...we all have to decide as hard as it is going to be, we are going to join together, lock arms and go about the difficult but noble task of remaking this nation, block by block, county by county, state by state.

Houston, this is our moment. This is our time. If youa re willing to vote for me, stand for me, caucus for me. We will not just win Texas, will win the general election.

(Long speech -- got interrupted by a couple of phone calls and ran out of DVR space - so a lot of paraphrasing, but I think I captured the 'essence'.)

Michelle Obama Strikes Again

Michelle Obama opens mouth, inserts foot....AGAIN. Does her latest comment about being proud of her country for the first time in her adult life really surprise anyone?

After all, remember that this is the woman who said "the realities are, that you know, as a black man, you know, Barack can get shot going to the gas station."

What was THAT all about?

I suppose if you really think that black men take their lives into their hands every time they run an errand, you wouldn't feel very proud of the U.S.

So, maybe she has issues with paranoia, rather than patriotism.

UPDATE: Check out this post from James Joyner. He summarized the blogosphere reaction to Michelle's comment about her pride in her country.

Quote of the Day

God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?

-Thomas Jefferson

Open Letter To Russ Feingold

Dear Senator Feingold,

I am disappointed (but not surprised) by your vote against Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey, based on his refusal to make a 'ruling' on waterboarding when he has yet to review the classified material on the practice.

The American people understand full well that Congress has the ability to make waterboarding illegal, if you felt strongly enough about it to risk the political fallout.

It is highly imprudent during times of war to tip our hand to the enemy about what specific techniques we are willing to use in order to gather valuable intelligence.

I have yet to see one constructive recommendation from you on how to protect your constituents from terrorists who are determined to eliminate us. You seem more concerned about their civil rights and material comfort than our lives.

Perhaps instead of wasting your time on fruitless censure resolutions, you could research what has historically worked against fascism and terrorism (not appeasement and retreat -- see WWII and Vietnam). That would equip you to work positively with the current administration to protect the American people.

While I am obviously not a fan of the anti-war far-left fringe of the Democratic Party to which you pander, I have a strong belief in the two-party system. In order for this system to work, both parties must come to the table with a realistic view of the situation at hand and work together for the best solution(s) possible.

Merely obstructing and taking the opposite stand on anything the administration does is a waste of time and energy and is NOT what the people of Wisconsin are paying you for.

When the Pitbull Meets the Porcupine

No comment necessary...

Is There Any Doubt?

Is there any doubt that we live in a fallen world?

~Columbine
~The Oklahoma City bombing
~The terrorist attacks of 9/11
~The Beslan massacre
~And Monday’s murder of 32 college students at Virginia Tech…evil perpetrated by individuals—senseless, purposeless, meaningless evil.

Why does such evil exist?

People use this question to challenge our faith. How can we reconcile the existence of evil with an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good God? If God is so knowledgeable, good and powerful, why does He permit evil? Why doesn’t he stop it? Or maybe he is powerless to stop it…so He isn’t really so great. In fact, maybe God does not even exist.

We do have an answer – but the problem of evil is not just a problem for Christians to explain. How do atheists and naturalists deal with the problem of evil?

Can you honestly believe that man is somehow the random product of millions of years of evolution and that we are reaching the pinnacle of civilization? That man in his current state represents the epitome of goodness? Not unless you have spent your life in a cave. Man’s inhumanity to man is staggering. How does naturalism explain murder, rape, torture, child abuse? What hope does atheism provide for a world filled with pain, injustice and suffering?

So what is our answer?

Clearly, the world is not as it was meant to be. Evil first appears in the creation story of Adam and Eve. God created a paradise for them with but one caveat – do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Notice that he left them open to the possibility of eating from the tree. He didn’t lock it up, fence it off, or put a force field around it. He gave them a choice and explained the consequences -- but they chose to disobey. Man has been intimately familiar with evil ever since.

God gave us free will – a precious gift. C.S. Lewis once said,

Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free, but has no possibility of going wrong. I cannot. If a thing is free to be good, it is also free to be bad. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.

Of course, God knew what we happen if his creatures used their free will to do wrong, but he thought it worth the risk. Imagine a world without free will – we all would be robots, puppets, automatons – devoid of all significance and value.

The good news is that God had a Plan B. Knowing where free will would lead us, he decided to defeat evil once and for all through his son Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered terrible injustice, physical pain, torture and evil at the hands of people of his own creation. Although he was completely blameless, he suffered a criminal’s death on the cross.

Why?

Isaiah 53:5 says

He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
And by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus took on evil – head on – as the punishment for our wrongdoing. He spared us the awful consequences of the wrongful exercise of our free will and our fallen nature. By putting our faith in him and claiming his gift of eternal life, we gain significance, meaning and hope.

I Peter 1: 3-5

He has given us new birth into a living hope
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade –
Kept in heaven for you,
Who through faith are shielded by God’s power
Until the coming of the salvation that is ready
To be revealed in the last time.

What an awesome God. He freely chose to become human and bear the penalty for our wickedness. Because of this choice, he is intimately familiar with our pain and suffering resulting from evil in a fallen world.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Hypocritical Liberal Outcry Over "The Path to 9/11"

Great post from Bruce Thornton about the liberal outcry over the ABC television special The Path to 9/11. If you haven't seen the special yet, find a friend who taped it and watch it. It is some of the most riveting television I have ever seen (second only to "24").

The whining of Democrats and ex-Clintonistas about the “docudrama” The Path to 9/11 has given us all another example of liberal mendacity and hypocrisy. Start with the total silence of the usual civil liberties suspects to say a word about this attempt at stifling someone’s First Amendment right to free speech. Where are the ACLU and its usual clichés about the “chilling effects” of such attempts? Where are all the blowhard academics who noisily defended the noxious Ward Churchill?

Read the whole thing.

Just Keep On Spending....

Excellent post from Frank Lasee, who is a big proponent of the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights. It is too good to carve up, so I include it here in its entirety.

You can read about TABOR here and sign up for his e-mailings by sending an email to LaseesNotes@yahoo.com.

It is very hard to argue with his logic. But logic never stops the left.

What if I told you that you and your family owe more than half-a-million dollars (I bet you don’t recall borrowing that money either)? Worried about the payments? You should be.

According to a recent analysis in the USA Today, federal, state and local governments have added $10 trillion in the past two years in more borrowing - 13% above inflation. Our government’s debt now stands at nearly $60,000,000,000,000 (sixty-trillion).

That’s more than $500,000 and growing for every American household. For each family it’s growing about $25,000 per year. That’s more than some people make in a year!

Should you be concerned? What should we do?

Our governments will continue to increase taxes and borrowing to cover the interest on the debt. Unless we do something different.

Who is going to make good on this debt?

Do you think our governments should be able to continue to spend more money than they take in year in and year out? (Click here to register your vote – here for Yes, there for No).

For the last several decades, Congress – under the control of both Republicans and Democrats – has increased spending, taxing and borrowing. When they don’t have enough to cover their spending, they borrow more, and more, and more.

This Washington mentality has infected many state governments and is becoming a disease increasingly popular among local governments as well. In Wisconsin, our state debt is nearly $9 billion. That’s about $6500 for a family of four and that’s just part of the government debt.

Match this with the fact that many family incomes are stagnant. Withincreased costs of energy, health care, taxes, and other living costs eroding modest pay raises, it is clear we have a long term issue. Every year government gets more expensive. The price we all pay goes up.

Our government is piling up debt and continues to grow at levels we cannot sustain long term. We must get a handle on this. Taxpayers need protection from a government that takes ever more.

We must require all governments to live on a responsible budget and ask all of us before they dig deeper in our pockets. We need another check on our government. Because our government is setup on the principle of checks and balances.

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (click here for an explanation) will put a growth ceiling on taxes, spending, and borrowing for all governments. As I have written it, it recognizes the relationship that exists between the state and local governments for the delivery of valuable government services. The delivery of government services is a federal, state, and local partnership that has to be recognized.

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights provides taxpayers with more input into how and what our government does for us and how much it costs us.

What do you think about this issue? Click on this link and send me an email with your thoughts.

Lasee’s Notes is a weekly column by Representative Frank Lasee, 2nd Assembly District, covering events in the Legislature and statewide.

If you know of anyone else who would like to receive Lasee’s Notes, please send an email to LaseesNotes@yahoo.com.

Another great video

Check this one out, too.

This ad for the new Honda Accord required 606 takes, cost $6M to shoot and took three months.

This is all real--no computer graphics involved.

Fascinating.

Bush Was Right

So, this video is making the rounds. Check it out here.

Send it to your favorite liberal. It will make his/her head spin.