The Islamic terrorists win another one in the UK. This UK TV show has decided not to do a scheduled story line that included an attack by Islamic Terrorists because they don’t want to offend Muslims. Hmmm! What type of terrorists has declared war on the west? A) Protestant B)Catholic C) Hindu D)Jewish E) None of the above
If you answered E) none of the above you would be correct. The terrorists that have declared war on the west do it in the name of Islam. But the west wants to stick its head in the sand and worries about offending Muslims instead of putting pressure on the leaders of the Islamic religion to step up its efforts to clear the name of their religion if they choose to do so. This is so disturbing on so many levels and it is another defeat against the west even though we will not see it that way.
The truth is the truth, and the truth is not always politically correct. Political correctness will be the death of all things good, including the ability to speak the truth. Just a thought…
8/17/2007 - The first person to purchase the book...
I have received so many kind comments from friends and family that have been buying my book, My Life; Ignored! I want to thank you all!
The first official order that came through the web site was from the person that introduced me and my wife Justine in college, Paula. Without that introduction, the tale I tell in My Life; Ignored! would be a much different one than the one being told. In the Forward of the book, my brother Kenny, sisters Christine, and Trishia write some kinds words including their memories of me growing up. Kenny references the Jimmy Stewart movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” and I couldn’t help thinking that if Paula didn’t introduce us, what my life would have been like. I have been blessed with this life and it is ironic that although I haven’t spoken to Paula in such a long time, and have not seen her for an even longer time, she was the first order.
Now that I am in the “author club” (there is a secret society of authors and I probably shouldn’t be sharing this with you) but they told me it is usually the author’s mom that buys the first 100 books. I failed to inform my mom of this policy since I am new to the “author club”. I am sure my mom is relieved since that would have really dampened her encouragement of me to finish the book. Knowing she had to purchase so many to get the ball rolling.
Anyway, thank you Paula for not only introducing Justine and I but for being the first to purchase My Life; Ignored! I hope you enjoy it!
If you would like to purchase it “just click here”. Mom? Only kidding, she has bought enough to place me on the New York Time’s best selling list!
You will not find this assault on free speech in any newspaper or evening news casts even though it should be a front page or lead story everywhere! There is an ongoing assault on the talk radio circuit, and in particular, Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, Shawn Hannity, and others, by the same liberals that are supposedly free speech “advocates”. They advocate the freedom of speech only when it is theirs or speech they agree with! They hate to compete in the arena of ideas because they more often than not, lose. Their ideas can only be implemented under the dark cloud of cover because when the sun shines in on most of their ideas; they are rejected. The most recent example was the illegal immigration bill that was going to give amnesty to the people that have blatantly broken our laws, and worse, it would have given immediate temporary citizenship to criminals, gang members, and terrorists. When we found out and organized around the likes of the above talk show hosts, the bill went down in flames!!! Boy did that tick off liberals and republican elitists and all others that believe they know what’s best for us and the people be damned. We all need to keep a close eye on this assault that is happening and we need to stay tuned to the radio. Even if you don’t like talk radio you need to stand up for the rights of these radio hosts because if they squash talk radio, your speech is next. Just a thought…
8/14/2007 - When we stop putting up with …
When will we stop putting up with illegal aliens killing our citizens before we enforce our borders? It is not an isolated incident and the statistics continue to support an epidemic…
When will we stop putting up with the despair and poverty of our inner cities by supporting the government programs that are perpetuating the problem? It has been going on for thirty years and we have still not learned that money is not the issue; government dependence is…
When will we stop putting up with the excuses for partisan politics over national security interests? It seems that if Bush says black, democrats say white, even if it is clearly black…
When will we stop putting up with Al Gore’s “the sky is falling” rhetoric on global warming? We should all be good stewards of the environment but there is no imminent crisis no matter what the media portrays. Maybe if he would stop jet setting around the world to speak the “environmentalist” wackos, he could do his part along with the rest of us…
When will we stop putting up with a presidential election cycle that spans 2-4 years? Can we make it a 6 week knock down drag out fight that might be interesting enough that most voters would tune in and get engaged? Model it like an American Idol show except shorter…
When will we stop putting up with…? I could go on forever but then you might not put up with me. Just a thought…
8/10/2007 - A ray of hope on the southern border...
A little good news on the illegal immigration front. Homeland Security and the federal government are stepping up enforcement on the Mexican border by adding additional sanctions on employers, adding 3 billion to the budget, and sharing information on driver’s licenses to help employers weed out illegal applicants. All good but we will see if they are serious in the next year by watching their actions. It is all about actions. The words of bureaucrats and politicians are worthless and have no meaning. Stopping illegal’s, drug traffickers, and terrorists at our border; priceless. Just a thought…
The guys that make up the Rich Hand Band were in Harvard Square this past weekend on the street doing what they do best; performing live. Pete Cassani leader of “The Peasants” playing rhythm and lead, Mike Perkins on vocals and mouth harp, Leif Benestad laying down the bass, and Charlie “Berkley Drummer Man” on the skins, and Mike’s daughter Jill shakin the shaker. Check out their medley of Feelin Alright and Can’t Always Get What You Want live and local. Check out this link to YouTube to hear their performance…
I am really excited about the 2008 election because I believe we are going to have two distinct choices of political philosophy; big government and limited government, peace through words and peace through strength. Of course there are many other differences but this election in my view will be defining because of the clear distinction between the candidates.
I believe Romney or Giuliani will get the nod on the GOP side and Hillary will get the nod on the Democratic side.
Hillary is of the belief that the government should make the key decisions in your life, especially healthcare decisions. She also believes that the government is best equipped to decide which companies survive in our capitalist system and how much money people should be able to make. She sees what people earn as the property of the government, and it is the government that allows you to keep a certain percentage of “your” earnings. She believes the market is something to fear not to participate in. She believes terrorists only need a little convincing to understand how good we Americans really are. She will achieve peace through dialogue and despises the military.
Romney and Giuliani believe that the individual in pursuit of their dreams is better for a strong economy than government regulation and intervention. They believe what people earn is the property of the person who earns it, not the government allowing individuals to keep a percentage of their earnings. They both talk about introducing market forces into the economy.
So here is why I am excited all summed up, Hillary vs. GOP:
Big Government vs. Limited government, Peace through passivity (words) vs. Peace through action (strength), Terrorism as a law enforcement issue vs. Terrorism as war, Limited Speech (Fairness Doctrine) vs. Free speech, Government running the market vs. Free markets, Feelings vs. Analysis, Healthcare destruction vs. Healthcare revival, Anti military vs. Pro military.
This is an important election and will define who we are for a long time. I would love to be able to vote for a woman as president but this is not the one. It is about the philosophy of the candidate not the gender that is important here. Just a thought…
8/6/2007 - Oh my, My book is almost ready...
I just spoke with the printer and my book will be ready in about a week. I have mixed feelings of excitement, trepidation, fear, nausea, excitement again, followed by nausea. I can’t wait for people to read it, and I don’t want anyone to read it! I think it is great when I have re-read it, and I think it is not so great when I re-read it. I am most concerned that people get the message I am trying to convey. I know where I am coming from in this book but will the readers?
It is now being scrutinized by the person that does our press releases. I am interested to see what she thinks, and what she thinks should be the focus of the press release. Will she focus on the motivational aspect of the book, the humor, or the autobiographical nature of the message? Or will she ask; why do you want to publicize this book?
Will I sell 100, 1000, 10,000 or none? Well I know I will sell some to family members because they will be the way family always is; supportive.Should I have a book release party and will anyone show up if I do?
Then I think to myself that the concept of this book is to follow your dreams no matter what others think and I get a burst of “I will ignore the critics” energy. I take a deep breath and think of what a great accomplishment this is.
I have to say running for office is much easier than writing a book so I now look forward to my 2008 congressional campaign; God willing. Thank you in advance to anyone that buys my book. Details and a link to purchase will be coming soon. It will be on the home page of my website in the next week or so. In the meantime I will be excited, nauseous, sleepless in Colorado, and really proud to say “I am an author”. Is this country great or what!!!
8/3/2007 - This is EXACTLY why you the taxpayer needs to vote…
Please read this article on earmarks and pork barrel spending; please! Our system is broken and we need to fix it. These “lawmakers” are wasting and wasting and wasting our hard earned dollars on programs that are duplicated, obsolete, or just political favors for donors, and they do it with no conscience or thought of what it means to the future of our country. We need to vote them ALL out to send a message that will be heard around the world. As long as we keep even one current lawmaker in the congress, we will never be able to reform the congress the way it needs to be reformed. Committee chairmen are too powerful and have only self interest at heart. All bills considered need to be considered by the full house. The practice of “bottling up bills in committee” needs to be eliminated. The only thing committees are good for is specialized research on complex issues. The law making process needs to be transparent and the practice of “senior” incumbents controlling the agenda must be reformed. So all you folks that do not vote out there; you are part of the problem. If you don’t like what you see you need to change it. There are always candidates in the congressional races that would make a competent alternative to the incumbent; like me for instance. It is time for huge change in 2008. It can only happen if you and I are willing to step up to the plate. Just a thought…
8/2/2007 - A nightmare in Minnesota…
The bridge collapse in Minnesotais every commuter’s nightmare that crosses over bridges or passes through tunnels on their way to work each day. Looking at the video it is all I can do but shutter to think about how the people sitting in their cars must have been feeling inside. Tragic and nightmarish are the only two words that come to mind for me.
There are heroes that need to be recognized in this tragedy like the first responders and the people that helped others get out of their vehicles. The people that helped those school children out of the bus at their own peril was a shining example of the American spirit and the value we place on human life. God bless those heroes and victims.
The investigation has begun and I will wait for the final report before commenting on cause or blame. I do know this – based on the tax revenue our government collects from taxes related to transportation and gas, there is absolutely NO acceptable excuse that includes a lack of funds for maintenance. There are only two reasons for this tragedy at first reflection; terrorism or neglect. Terrorism is being downplayed at this point so it will most likely be neglect. If I was the government official responsible for the management of the state’s infrastructure, I would be reviewing all records involved with the bridges maintenance records.
There will be blame here and it will be argued that we lack funds in our country for maintaining infrastructure. It will be a hollow argument for the families of these victims in Minnesota but the reality for the rest of us is that the funds are there, but why is our infrastructure not a priority for government officials and politicians? We will hear many excuses and a cry for more funds but listen to hear if anyone talks about the way we prioritize the use of our tax dollars. I suspect it will not be front and center in the argument.
Much will be argued moving forward but today we pray for the victims and their families. In the weeks to come we will be evaluating the facts and arguing where to place the blame for this tragedy. It will be a heated and partisan debate to be sure…
7/31/2007 - American’s are fighters…
Americans love a fight; especially when it is a fight for freedom and honor. America was founded on the belief that all good things are worth fighting for and we never back down in the face of evil. In other words; America is invested in winning. Compare and contrast that to most of the democratic leadership currently suggesting we are losers. They suggest we are losing in Iraq and the war on terror and that we should retreat now. Even when there is evidence that there has been a change in Iraq. It is starting to look like we have convinced the Iraqi people that winning freedom and democracy is a cause worth fighting for.
A question was posed to a North Carolina democratic congressman on one of the talking head shows on Sunday asking him what would happen if General Petraeus’s report is positive? His answer was “it would be a problem for us" (the democrats). Invested in defeat is where the Democratic Party has placed their political future.
So who do you want to support? The democrats that are invested in defeat or those invested in victory? The choice for most will those invested in victory. So when you start considering your candidates for 08, look for candidates that are invested in the American way of life and victory. It probably won’t be a democrat. Just a thought…
7/27/2007 - A little love…
Remember to hug your loved ones every day. I have been spending some great quality time with my family over these past few days and I am doing my best to take my own advice. So far it is so much less stressful than posting about politics in WashingtonDC. I will be back to my usual by my next post but everyone needs a break; even me. Enjoy those hugs!!
The radical organization, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), is telling its members that the illegal immigration debate was about hate towards Hispanics. Nothing could be further from the truth. The effort to stop illegal immigration was an issue first and foremost about security, and in addition about fairness and the ability to control our internal resources. NCLR references debate on the senate floor as evidence of this hate but I can tell you, I followed this debate with a passion and there was no hate involved, only common sense.
NCLR is also the group that promotes a take back of the south western part of the US because there organization believes it is Mexico’s by right. They further lose credibility when they spend much of their resources stopping the congress from passing legislation that would make English the official language. They say they want to keep Spanish as an alternative language and that is fine. Anyone can speak any language they want here in the US. The problem is we spend millions and millions of dollars translating government forms and communications; by making English the official language we can save money but also encourage more people to learn English which will improve their opportunities for success in this country.
So is that hateful? If so NCLR is right but I think it is just common sense. Just a thought…
7/22/2007 - Globalization; good or bad?
This article on the Financial Time’s Web site is headlined, “Backlash in rich nations against globalization”, but I think they are making some big assumptions here. There are 4 questions in this poll and they each tell a different story and I don’t believe the questions support the story as intended.
The first thing you always look at in polls is the population polled. It is conveniently missing in this article. Are the respondents; old, young, voters, men, women, how many are from which countries, etc… The only indication given about the population is that it is a “1000 people online in each of the six countries”. The Harris polling organization was involved but I am still suspicious. I would like to see the breakdown and weighting methodology they used before I agree with any analysis here.
Question 1; “Do you think globalization is having a positive or negative effect in your country?” The largest percentage for all countries is “not sure”. When combined with the “positive” response, it leaves a small percentage overall answering “negative”. But the story makes the statement, “Viewing globalization as an overwhelmingly negative force…” you have to wonder; how did they conclude that? I would even bet that many of the “negative” responders are not well educated in the complexity of globalization.
Question 2; “Regardless of your social background, do you believe all people in your country have the same opportunities to fulfill their potential?” How this question fits is unclear in their statement that there is a backlash against globalization. The only interesting aspect of this question is the US has the highest percentage of respondents answering “yes”. (Only 40%. Shows you how liberals have stolen people’s dreams)
Question 3; “Do you think your country should set pay caps for heads of companies?” Oh boy! This one is scary. Again, we see the lack of understanding in how private business works. The owners of the companies (stock holders) should determine acceptable wages, not the government. The government has no business in this arena. If stock holders are unhappy with the arrangement, they have avenues to address C level wages.
Question 4; “Should free competition be one of the European Union’s objectives”? Overwhelmingly positive responses with the exception of the US responses; there were none listed. Again, “backlash” against globalization?
So here is my conclusion; they used the headline “Backlash in rich nations against globalization” because they know most people would not analyze the data. Therefore; you will remember the headline and assume it is true. This is the only conclusion I can come to because their data does not support their headline. Just a thought…
If it is made in China the cost could be your life. China has closed 3 companies that have been tainting foods and medicines with lethal ingredients. I know we need to keep costs down in order to keep goods affordable, but what if, God forbid, a shipment of frozen food gets to our shores and kills thousands of us before it is detected? Is it worth the price? China and many foreign countries provide cheaper goods because they pay less for labor, have less regulation, and because many industries are government subsidized. I for one would like to know where my food supply is coming from in the world. If I have a choice, even if it is a more expensive choice, I may want to choose the product from the countries I feel understand food safety. I’m not saying I would never buy imported food from China; I would just like the opportunity to make a choice. I am betting most Americans would like the choice as well. Let China compete for our shelf space but let’s make it fair and indicate where our food products are manufactured or grown. If we know, we can choose. Just a thought…
7/17/2007 - The next attack will be due to a “hole” in the fence…
Stories about Middle Eastern illegal’s coming across the border are finally making it onto “main stream” websites like this one on ABC’s site. If you read my blog with any regularity, you know I have been blasting this trumpet for quite a while. This is scary and this is exactly why the American public squashed illegal immigration “reform” with such passion. We know intuitively that this has been going on and we know how important stopping this invasion is to our future. What we need now is to use the passion we showed for killing the bill, and redirect it to get the fence built. We need a fence and we need it now!!!
7/15/2007 - Political correctness is putting our troops in harms way...
Here we have undeniable evidence Iran is pointing 50 missiles at one of our Army bases in Iraq, and we do nothing about Iran. The Israeli’s, our best, longest, and most trusted ally in the area, with a significant interest in monitoring Iran, is trying to help us understand the threat. And what do we do? Ignore it. Before more of our troops die due to Iranian support of terrorists and militia’s adverse to democracy, we must act. We need to start the military campaign now in Iran, and our politicians need to face the reality that the Iranian threat is real. We will hear about the “no weapons of mass destruction” argument used to keep us out. We will hear that by being in Iraq and Iran“we are creating terrorists”. These arguments must be ignored and we must do what is right for our soldiers, the Israeli’s, and for future American generations. I believe the only reason we have been slow to address Iran is the politician’s lack of backbone in making the argument to the American public. We must accept that the world may see this as an assault on the Islamic doctrine, and it is. Iran is an Islamic Republic, and the terrorists have claimed their work is the work of Islam. They have said it, not us. We need to state we are at war with the ideology of this Islamic Republic, even if it is, politically incorrect. Just a thought…
7/11/2007 - Where did all my time go?
This is the title to a song that I hope to record for my next CD but it is a question I ponder often. I don’t know if I’m strange for doing this but it keeps me motivated and it also keeps me grounded. Every day I hug wife and kids and say I love you (even though my son Taylor, being 13, is starting to hug with one arm, but I refuse to stop hugging him!) because I know we need to take advantage of the time we have. When I look forward, I get anxious about having the time to do all the things I dream about doing which includes, running for office, more CD’s,the book tour, and so much more. But I never forget about the past either. The past really helps me to focus on what I can do better as I move forward.
When I started writing my new book, My Life; Ignored!, I had a hard time narrowing down the stories to tell because there were so many. In order to write a book that would have a chance to be published, I had to choose the stories that fit in with my theme; living life to the fullest because time is so short for us here on this earth. I wanted to mention everyone that had an impact on my life but it just wasn’t practical. I am very happy with the result of my effort but there are so many more stories I couldn’t tell.
So many people I have had the chance to know really well, and have had an impact in my life, may not notice their name in my book - but it isn’t because they didn’t have an impact. I have had such a blessed life and I don’t know what I have done to deserve it but I silently thank God every day. The last couple of days I have been thinking about the past 20 years of my life and the one thing I know is that the time has flown by. I have lost touch with many special people that had a significant impact on my life. I can only hope I have impacted their lives in a positive way.
I am looking forward to the release of my book but I don’t want anyone to feel slighted. Just because you are not in the pages doesn’t mean you are not in my heart. When you read the book you will see that you have made me “famous”, and you are “famous” to me for what you have done. I just keep wondering; where did all my time go? Just a thought…
Boy this is going to be a real mine field for these politicians. I can’t say if I were advising any of these candidates, I would advise them to participate in this forum. But since I don’t like any of these candidates I say; go for it! I am particularly interested to see if they allow members of the perverse groups like NAMBLA (pedophiles) into the audience to ask questions like; what is your position on allowing men to violate boys at will? And will the transvestite “community” be allowed to sit in the front row with their big floppy hats; and use the ladies room?
The gay lifestyle is tolerated by most Americans, including me, if the consenting adults are discreet and respectful of my right to protect my children from being exposed to the public displays of profanity often found in “Gay Pride” parades. I don’t condone it or want to see it promoted but I don’t want it to be persecuted either. Most Americans are tolerant but will not accept special class distinction through a government sanctioned institution, like marriage, unless it is “forced” on them. Every time there is a vote to accept “gay marriage” it goes down in a blaze, even in California.
So as a politician the only “good” thing to come out of a debate like this is for it to be forgotten quickly. This is going to be a great test of their “skills”. They will be working hard to look tolerant without producing a sound bite for the evening news. I for one will be sitting next to the “women” in the front row with the floppy hat; but I’ll be using the men’s room. Just a thought…
I subscribe to an e-newsletter (Make it Great), written by a colleague I met through my position as Executive Director of HDI. His name is Phil Gerbyshak. Phil has written his first motivational book “10 Ways to Make It Great!”, and has the dream and drive of becoming a professional motivational speaker, full time! Phil is well on his way. So why am I introducing you to Phil?
Well, first I consider him a friend more than a colleague. But more importantly Phil represents the type of person I would consider to be living a “Life; Ignored!” As most of you know that read this page, my book is about to be published, “My Life; Ignored!”, and ever since I wrote my book, I look at things through a different lens. I read and listen with my ears tuned to the message of my book which I believe is a combination of; self help, motivational, autobiographical, but mostly tongue in cheek funny!
Phil interviews the author of “Attitude is Everything” in this latest e-newsletter, and he has challenged his subscribers to submit their “Favorite attitude adjuster”. So what is an attitude adjuster you ask? Here is my secret to a good attitude and why I wrote my book:
I have a formula for success that I use and it is a complicated algebra problem. Now before you click “back” look at the formula. I believe that if this was how mathematical formulas worked, we would have a lot more “Mathematicians” in this world.
D + (GxA) = S - Like any good formula you need to know the values:
D = Dreams; G = Goals, A = Action, and S = Success
Dreams plus, Goals times Action, equals Success. My favorite attitude adjuster is to know that I am always dreaming, I have set my goals, I am always acting (even if it is one itsy bitsy piece at a time), and I define my own success and IGNORE everyone else’s definition. Your attitude will brighten significantly if you are taking action to implement your passions; whatever they may be.
Jeff Keller, the author of “Attitude is Everything” suggests not watching the news or TV as a way to keep a good attitude. That is not an option for me because as you know, I love politics and current events. My passion is driven by understanding and commenting on the news of the day. But I understand his point; news is depressing. But it is only depressing if you don’t take action to change things. If I go any further here I will be writing a book (wait I did that already!)
Anyway, check out Phil’s e-newsletter, Jeff’s book, and remember; you control you; period. Just a thought…
We need to analyze the profiles of the latest perpetrators of the terrorist attacks in Londonand understand what this means to us in the US, and how we must change our immigration policy. I have been writing for a very long time on the issue of Islam as a “religion of peace”. I have seen no evidence; therefore I consider it a religion of violence. Does that mean that there are no peaceful people in the Muslim religion? No, but the latest profiles help to make my point that this is not about economics, poverty, or a misunderstanding of a faith, it is the fundamental premise of the religion that has submission as its mission. These individuals in the latest London attacks are highly educated, and represent more than just your “suppressed” masses. They knew exactly what they were doing and believed they were following the wishes of the Islamic scriptures.
People that follow Islam believe that all must adhere to the strict rules of the “faith” and that religion and politics are the same. That Shariah law will be the law of the land someday, and that the separation between church and state is something that must be changed over time. Our system of government can not and should not tolerate any efforts of people that want to change the fundamental structure of this countries success; our constitutional separation of church and state. In order to protect ourselves from the slow invasion of our freedoms, we must limit immigration of people that practice Islam. Islam in its current form is in direct conflict with everything we hold dear and have fought and died for over the past 230 years. Islam is a political movement, more than it is a religion, and we must treat it that way. Political correctness is not acceptable here; it is suicidal.
For those of you that keep wishing that “moderate” Muslims will stand up and condemn these acts, keep wishing. For those of you that are interested in keeping this country safe and want to stop this quiet and calculated invasion of our country, we need to support immigration policies that limit the ability of our enemies to migrate here. Until we see a true movement within the “moderate” Muslim community that is actually quantifiable and not anecdotal, we must stop our enemy now. They will stop at nothing to destroy us, we must act accordingly…
Get ready for the left wing hoopla about President Bush commuting “Scooter” Libby’s sentence. There was no crime, only the stories of many of the witnesses that could not be corroborated, and Libbey ended up in a tangled web of he said, she said. This in no way resembles Clinton’s absolute lie under oath for the Monica Lewinsky episode. He was caught red handed lying about his actions. Libby’s “obstruction” charges are so complicated and there isn’t even an underlying crime that he supposedly was “covering” up for. It was a witch hunt and that is the only similarity with the Clinton affair. If Clinton would have told the truth about his sexual escapades he would never have been impeached. Scooter Libbey had nothing to lie about under oath. If you ask somebody about a story from a year ago more than once, I bet even you would have a hard time keeping the story straight. Just a thought…
7/2/2007 - Disturbing logic…
I was driving home on my Friday commute flipping radio channels and I stopped on Hugh Hewitt’s show when it was time for his “Beltway Boys” feature. Hugh was on vacation and the substitute host was Dean Barnett (I believe). Anyway, Dean posed the question to Mort Kondracke, editor of Roll Call magazine; do you believe the “Fairness Doctrine” should be re-instituted? His answer was a resounding yes, and his logic was that the talk radio discussions were bringing down the “civility” of the debate. First, I don’t think that it is anyone’s right to decide how we debate, but he lost his credibility when he was asked to name the people on talk radio that promoted this lack of civility in the illegal immigration debate. He named Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh as stirring up a “radical” view of the immigration bill and they were responsible for mis-information on the details of the bill. When pressed for specifics he had none; case closed.
To my complete surprise when the same question was posed to Fred Barnes, editor of the Weekly Standard (a conservative publication, supposedly) his answer was the same. I almost fell out of my car listening to their arguments and pure fabrications on what happens on talk radio. They obviously don’t listen to any of these hosts. The people voice their opinion and radio hosts listen and debate the merits. Some radio hosts state their opinion on issues and callers debate the merits. It seems that Fred is a fair weather conservative because he only likes free speech when the speech agrees with him and his views. It was pathetic and disturbing to listen to two political pundits that make their living off of the first amendment, attack others that make their living off the first amendment. They have been in WashingtonDC way too long when they think any argument can be made to limit free speech against our government. Especially such civil speech which is truly what is happening on the talk show circuit. They should listen once in a while before embarking on such unfounded arguments. Just a thought…
I know this is a silly question but; do you think our congressman deserve a raise? Stop laughing, I can hear you…
6/28/2007 - It’s your credibility; stupid!
This is good news. The fundamental issue Americans had with this entire process was the credibility factor of the Federal Government on immigration enforcement; they had none. The federal government now has the opportunity to show the people that they can enforce the current border legislation that calls for nearly 800 miles of fence along the southern border. If they are serious about real reform, the message they will send by building the fence will go a long way towards goodwill in the next attempt at “comprehensive reform”. We have all known from the beginning that this was doomed because of the way it was designed (in secret), the mad rush to get it done with little debate, and the lack of credibility in past performance of enforcement. This is a nation of laws and today is a great day for the rule of law.
Now we must keep our eye on the vitriol toward the American people from the supporters of this bill in the form of the “Fairness Doctrine”. The current crop of politicians in Washington despises the fact that you and I have a voice. They blame our “ignorance” on the immigration issue but it is really our knowledge of what was in the bill that was the reason for the defeat. Talk radio helped shine the light of knowledge. The supporters of this bill are bound to support the “Fairness Doctrine” because they still think you’re stupid! Just a thought…
6/27/2007 - Fairness or an assault on free speech?
We must re-position the current argument over the “Fairness” Doctrine to reflect the true intentions of the politicians pushing for its reenactment. It is a blatant attempt to crush our constitutional right to FREE SPEECH! To imply that these politicians have any concern for fairness is to be totally naïve to the underlying contempt they have for you and me. They think we are stupid; period. They don’t like the fact that we have an outlet to discuss, analyze, criticize, and organize against their attempts to jam legislation down our throats like they are attempting with this illegal immigration amnesty bill. We tick them off when we speak out. Listen to the tone in the voices of, John Kerry, Dianne Feinstein, Lindsey Graham, Trent Lott, Dick Durbin, Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, and others when they refer to you, the “talk radio” crowd, who they see as overly sensitive and emotional about the issues of the day. This is worth paying attention to. If you don’t listen to talk radio, you should. If you do, you should listen closely to the attempt to shut you down and take away your constitutional right to , speech, assembly, and redress of the government, when these incumbent politicians talk about the “Fairness Doctrine”. There is nothing fair about it!
6/26/2007 - Term limits is a must…
Disappointing but expected, our politicians have again helped me to make the argument for term limits. These current politicians are so confident that you will give them a pass at the next election; they have chosen to undermine the fundamental security of this nation by voting for the illegal amnesty bill to move forward in the Senate. I am so angered I can’t even start writing what I feel because I will spew my anger and I don’t want you to have to read it. My answer to this is to vote out my incumbents no matter how they voted to send a message that I am done with the status quo. You should do the same. We need to send a message to everyone running for election in 2008 that we can do without you and when you defy our will, we can really do without you. Term limits. Anyone in?
We are under assault by entrenched politicians because they know when we have a right to speak out, their power is threatened. That is why again I say we need term limits. There isn’t one politician I can name, that if they left congress today, we would suffer as a nation. They are full of themselves. I was tempted to end the last sentence with a different word (you can use your imagination) but this is a family blog. It is a family of American citizens willing to fight back against the tyranny of entrenched politicians. This is going to be a bumpy ride but it will have its rewards at the end if you take a chance and get on the wagon. All aboard??? Just a thought…
6/22/2007 - More evidence of the assault on talk radio…
Two Senators, one that wants to be your president, Hillary Clinton, were vocalizing the need to “legislate” talk radio. What does that mean? Listen to this clip of Senator James Inhofe describe his conversation with Hillary Clinton and Barbara Boxer. Two people that would love to take your talk shows away from you and replace them with what they find acceptable. Chilling, isn’t it? It should be. This is scary stuff folks and it is what happens when people in power want to stay there. Term limits; vote for me!!! Well at least the voters in Colorado’s District 5 will have a choice. Just a thought…
6/21/2007 - The "Fairness Doctrine"?
There is no greater threat to our nation than terrorism and the radical agenda of Islamic jihadists. But we can’t ignore any threat that has the possibility of undermining the values of this great nation. I am speaking specifically about the rights of free speech. The democrats and some republicans are concerned about the power of talk radio and they are determined to limit or possibly end talk radio as we have come to love and hate today. These critics have a problem with talk show hosts and audiences that have the nerve to challenge their legislative agenda, and their ability to ram bad legislation through the congress with little scrutiny.
The premise of their argument is that talk radio is slanted in the favor of people that believe in conservative principals and that there needs to be a “balanced” perspective to challenge the conservative positions. They conveniently forget that 98% of the editorial pages and the 3 out of the 4 major networks are slanted left. They also forget that talk radio has to compete in the arena of ideas, and in order to stay in business it must garner an audience that advertisers are willing to pay for, otherwise they go out of business like Radio America which was the liberals answer to Rush Limbaugh and Sinclair broadcasting. Radio America failed of course because their ideas don’t appeal to any audience that has the opportunity to turn the dial. That is why liberals and people with political power don’t want you to be able to turn the dial. Their ideas do not resonate because they are fundamentally flawed but the supporters of the “Fairness Doctrine” believe if you only heard their ideas more often you would change your mind. They are wrong about their ideas and they are wrong to try to trample your free speech.
Keep a close eye on this legislation. Better yet, keep your ears peeled to the radio and get ready to stand up for your constitutional rights. Just a thought…
A Bloomberg candidacy will be good for republicans and bad for democrats but don't get excited just yet. Bloomberg was a Republican In Name Only (RINO) and he has now left the party to become an independent. He is doing this to leave his presidential option on the table. He was a democrat most of his life and he only switched parties in the New York City Mayoral race because the democratic field was so crowded (good strategy). But Chris Mathews and others are salivating that Bloomberg has a chance to win, which is completely ridiculous. He is a North Eastern liberal and he rubs most people outside of NY the wrong way with his elitist attitude. He can do whatever he wants with his estimated 5 billion dollars of net worth, but he would be better off giving the estimated 400 million he will have to spend on a presidential campaign to the inner city youth programs of New York City. Bloomberg is such a non-starter and his only real value is to give the media stories to fill this marathon of a presidential campaign. The more you get to know Bloomberg the less you will like him as a candidate. He should pursue a life of philanthropy and leave it at that. So get ready for the “Bloomberg Factor” analysis coming from the press that is already bored off its gord with the current contenders. Just a thought…
6/19/2007 - Where are the moderate Muslims?
Another example of the “religion of peace” is described in this news story as Muslims around the world encourage suicide bombers to strike out against Britain. Hmmmm! Britain had the gaul to bestow the honor of Knighthood on Salman Rushdie, author of Satanic Verses, which earned him a death sentence from the late Ayatollah Khomeini. He is the author of many works and according to Britain deserves this honor. The outrage of the Muslim community shows its inability to understand the workings of a democratic society. Christians are maligned more often than any religion and yet the calls for death and destruction never seem to be the answer in the Christian community. So where are these “peaceful” Muslims? I know if they were speaking out the American media would be falling over backward to get the word out. Hmmm! “Religion of Peace”? Again, where are the moderates?
6/18/2007 - China policy and spending...
I am not a protectionist but I can tell you, if I were president, China would not be receiving the special treatment our government has bestowed upon them. They are building an empire on the backs of their children and enslaved citizenry. We must hold China accountable for their actions as a trading partner. We need a more rigorous auditing system in place that reviews their business practices and labor policies while enforcing penalties for behavior that is unacceptable to free and moral nations. If anybody believes China isn’t using slave or child labor has their head in the sand. The latest outbreaks of contaminated food products coming out of China is no surprise. You can’t operate with a labor force like theirs and expect the level of competency you have in developed nations.
Until we deal with our out of control spending here, nothing will change. China is a major investor in our debt. This fact impacts the way we deal with them. It is time to balance the budget (by reducing spending) and work our way out of debt so we can leverage our markets to help improve the conditions of millions of Chinese citizens. Just a thought…
6/15/2007 - People are pissed…
I was at a swimathon this morning and it lasted a couple of hours and somehow the conversation turned political and it wasn’t me that started it; for once. There were 4 women and me, and let me tell you, they were passionate. They were passionate about the illegal immigration issue, the 50 million dollar pants lawsuit, a local Colorado issue giving illegal’s drivers licenses in the state through a bureaucratic loop hole, and Paris Hilton’s sentence; not being long enough. The answer; throw all the bums out. Term limits was mentioned and GW is really lucky he is a lame duck because he would be thrown out on his tail by the electorate if he wasn’t.
We talked about our local congressman Doug Lamborn being AWOL and it is the reason I am going to run against him again. My position; “It is not just the votes that count – it’s the leadership stupid”, or something like that. We need fighters and revolutionaries in congress right now. We are at a critical moment in history and we need people that understand it and want to do something about it. We have Islamic radicals on the move and our leaders are sticking their heads in the sand, cowering from political correctness. We have Hamas staking claim in Gaza, Muslims in this country planning attacks, and don’t be fooled, it only takes one of these groups to be successful, wreaking havoc on this country, with an open invitation through our open border. Wake up! Get involved! Throw the bums out and let’s put term limits back on the front burner of issues. We have to weed out the fundamental problem with our politicians; their infatuation with remaining in power. Term limits will curb that desire and may force them to do their job; protecting this great nation. Just a thought…
6/14/2007 - Chaos...
Hamas has officially stated they are in control of Gaza. The Israeli’s can not wait any longer. They must eliminate Hamas and run them out of Gaza now. Their security is in deep jeopardy and this is a defining moment for them. The Fattah Party has always been weak and difficult to deal with but the slim hope of any agreement is now over. If they don’t act now it will only get more difficult over time.
Fly your flag today in honor of all those that have died protecting her. It’s the least we can do. I wrote this son “The Flag” after September 11th and I hope you enjoy it. I particularly love my kid’s parts near the end of the song.
The immigration bill is not dead yet but the politicians that support it will be in November of 08. Laura Ingraham believes that if this bill passes it will be the end of the Republican Party as we know it and I agree. Conservatives will leave in droves and it will not be just “Christian” conservatives turning their backs on the party. Analysts view the RP through a very narrow lens but it is wider than they think. The RP will be RIP if illegal immigration passes and becomes law. Just a thought…
6/13/2007 - A win for American culture over Islam!
Muslim cab drivers in Minnesotahave been told that if they don’t pick up passengers that have alcohol in their baggage they could lose their license. Finally some sanity. There is a huge clash of culture between those that follow Islam and everyone else. This case is the slippery slope argument in action. First; you allow cab drivers to refuse passengers because of religious beliefs, and soon you have cab drivers refusing to pick up people for any reason; They’re black, Hispanic, white, women, Muslim, gay, you name it, non gratis.
The Islamic religion is a religion of intolerance and we can not let that intolerance permeate our culture. If Muslims choose to live in America they need to understand the constitution and our founding principals. There is a separation between government and religion and if your religion tells you can’t do something but it is lawful under the US constitution, guess what? The constitution wins every time.
There is a huge problem between the beliefs of Muslims and the American culture. We need to make sure we stay true to our founding principals and keep the culture of Islam in check. I am extremely suspicious of the Islamic faith based on their actions and reading the Koran. I treat all individuals with respect and that will not change. But as for the Islamic faith in general, I don’t trust it. I know this makes all of you that are mired in political correctness uneasy. I am being honest which is who I am. You’ll get no apology here…
6/12/2007 - A tribute to my political hero Ronald Reagan…
Today is the anniversary of one of the most powerful speeches given by a US President. Ronald Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” speech. I really miss him. He was my inspiration and the reason I continue to follow politics and get involved. My Aunt Dot forwarded some of his greatest quotes and I share them with you on this special day. God Bless Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan and their family. His leadership was an inspiration to us all. Enjoy!
"Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win,they lose." - Ronald Reagan
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - Ronald Reagan
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
"Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the U.S. was too strong." - Ronald Reagan
"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandment's would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."- Ronald Reagan
"The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination." - Ronald Reagan
"Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other." - Ronald Reagan "The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program." - Ronald Reagan
"I've laid down the law, though, to everyone from now on about anything that happens: no matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting." - Ronald Reagan
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first." - Ronald Reagan
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." - Ronald Reagan
"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book." - Ronald Reagan
"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. - Ronald Reagan
"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan
6/6/2007 - My book is coming...
I did not watch the republican debate last night but that is not how I choose a candidate. I personally think this format is more effective in the general election when the candidates are truly squared off in ideas and direction. It sounds like there was a lot of Bush bashing which is deserved in the areas of immigration and spending. Most of the electorate is already sick of this so don’t expect any movement in the polls based on the performances. The hard core voters like me have candidates in mind but are waiting for the field to thin a bit before getting excited. So missing these debates has little impact for us.
A bit of personal news. My book is finished and it is with the editor and I have started on the cover design. I expect it to be ready for sale in July or August. I will be going out to speak at my company’s network of 60 local chapters throughout the US. That is if they request my appearance! My company is publishing the book and I hope I am able to make a few dollars for us as well as getting the opportunity to share my life story with others. It is a motivational book and I hope it does just that for those that dare to read it! As soon as the cover design is done I will post it on my web page with information on when, how, and how much it will cost to purchase. It will be on Amazon, my company’s web site as well as this website. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I will keep you informed as dates and deadlines are secured. Thanks for your support!!
Who is to blame for the plight of inner city Blacks? Is it George Bush? Barrack Obama? The government? You? Me? Where do the seeds of hope and despair originate? I say in each and every one of us. Everyone; black, white, rich, poor, all start out with a reservoir of hope. So what is it that helps some to realize the hope and others to realize the despair?
Questions that only each and every individual must answer for themselves. Any politician that pretends they or the government is the answer is a liar, period. Obama called the reaction to hurricane Katrina by the Bush administration, “color blind in its incompetence”. But who had the people of New Orleans put their hope in prior to Katrina? The government. Look at what it got them; hopelessness, despair, poverty, and dependence. Everything Obama is promising. Nothing will change if he thinks government is the reason for the plight of the Black Community.
Until everyone realizes it is only the individual spirit that realizes hope, nothing will change. Obama is promising same old, same old. My suggestion is run as far from him and his ilk as fast as you can. We can’t stand by and watch another generation get eaten by the lies of more politicians, black or white…
6/5/2007 - Just look around…
This past week I spent part of my vacation at both Disney World and Universal Studios. I couldn’t help but notice the way we as a nation and the world have “super sized”. I say the world because there were many British, Latin Americans, and Europeans amongst the crowds. There were many, many people riding around in little motorized scooters with what appeared to be on the surface, “body dimension” issues (This is now the term being used by the parks for people that can’t fit into the seats on the rides, “This ride may not accommodate people with certain “body dimensions” please try the seat before proceeding to ride”.). There may have been more detailed health reasons for the use of these scooters, but I have to say many of the scooters cup holders and baskets offered up a window into the inhabitants eating and drinking habits. Most had super size, unlimited refill soda cups in them with assorted massive chicken legs and cotton candy. I don’t begrudge people for indulgence but I can make my feelings known that I don’t want to pay for the double by pass and leg amputation surgeries that were in many of these “riders” future.
The democrats are fighting over a healthcare plan run and paid for by government and I can’t help thinking, why? Why do I, someone that watches his diet, exercises twice a week at minimum, limits his alcohol, and gets a good nights sleep, have to pay for the over indulgence and under activity of someone else? Why do they have to pay for my surgery if I happen to have a heart attack while I’m exercising? Why has healthcare become a “right” without responsibility? The best way to continue on this trend to a “super sized” America is to subsidize it with a “free” healthcare system.
So what’s your answer Rich? I have two ideas to start; 1) eliminate all health insurance for non surgical procedures and prescription drugs. When people pay their way they are more likely to be accountable for their habits and use of the system. 2) Train more doctors by taking down the monopoly the AMA has on training and certification. Just like the University and College pricing that has sky rocketed out of control, competition and accountability has to be supplanted in the process of these institutions. These would be a start. Then maybe the people that need to ride around in scooters at Disney and Universal might think twice before refilling that “diet” coke for the 5th time. Just a thought…
6/4/2007 - Just a thought or two...
I spent the last week on vacation in Orlando, avoiding news and politics as much as possible. I did bring a book to keep my political addiction nourished, Bill Bennett’s America; The Last Best Hope, Volume 1. It is our nation’s history starting with Columbus through WW II. I have not finished it but I would recommend it so far, especially if you love history and politics.
Spent most of our time in Universal Studios with a day at Disney. It was fun and great to spend the time with the kids and of course my wife. As we strolled the parks and navigated the lines, we noticed that the world has super sized. Just an observation, not being judgmental. Health care costs are going to bankrupt us based on the anecdotal evidence we observed throughout our week in Florida.
I see the president has resorted to calling the “secure the border” crowd names. He has forgotten who he came to the dance with. There was even an article about how the outrage about the Senate illegal immigration bill has been diminishing. They are delusional. The general citizenry is watching this and the election fallout for ALL incumbents will be significant if they pass this anti American legislation. We’ll see soon enough. Good to be away, good to be back!
5/25/2007 - A prayer for our soldiers…
I truly believe in God and the power of faith. I do not put my faith in the “men of God”. Too often we watch with disappointment, men that proclaim and preach the word of God fall from grace as all humans are prone to do. Therefore, I have little faith in the men of God and I devote my faith directly to my God. I believe in the power of prayer and I believe we all should pray for the men, women, and families of our military that have sacrificed their lives to give us the opportunity to live ours the way we choose. I pray:
Please God wrap your warmth around the hearts of the children who have lost a mom or dad in their service to this nation. Fill their hearts with the love that their parents showed for this country. Help them to take the fond memories they have of their parents and turn them into a beacon of hope for a better future. Comfort the husband, wives, mothers and fathers that have shared their loved ones with us, in protecting our nation, that they will find comfort in your presence and know they are never alone in your spirit. Please God share with the families all of our prayers on this Memorial Day in hope that they understand the gratitude we have for their ultimate sacrifice. We know nothing can ease their pain here on earth, and we know no words can end the pain. Our hearts are heavy but our gratitude is never ending. Amen.
Remember the true meaning of Memorial Day as you crank up the barbecue and fill up the cooler. We can because of what our soldiers have done. Lift your glass and toast their honor. God Bless our military…
5/24/2007 - Devil in the details…
The democrats want one thing in the illegal immigration bill and that is the naturalization and quick path to voting rights for illegal’s; period. If you think about that for a moment it puts the rest of the bill and its “triggers” in perspective. All of the “conservative” issues in the bill are triggers designed to be implemented at later dates like border fencing, merit based consideration, etc… Here is the rub. Ted Kennedy knows that by giving 20 million more illegal voters access to the ballot box, the makeup of our governing body will be impacted in his view, in the democrats favor, and will make for disregarding or changing the “triggers” that much easier in the future. This is a reallllly bad bill and deserves no support from any true American. It isn’t about compassion or the economy; it’s about maintaining the American culture and value system that welcomes immigrants, but legal immigrants. The only bill we need right now, today, effective immediately is a secure border bill that stops the bleeding at our southern and northern border. Employer sanctions and improved identity cards and databases would be nice, but only secure borders will allow for the debate to move forward. Just a thought…
5/23/2007 - It is all about the trust factor…
The truth of the matter regarding any type of “Immigration” reform is that we as Americans do not trust our government when they say they will enforce the border. The laws to enforce the border have been on the books for decades and they have been virtually ignored by the federal government. What makes them think that we should trust them now to do the right thing? That is why the only workable solution is to close the border and monitor the progress for the next two years and evaluate the results. Then and only then can we begin to discuss what to do with those that are here illegally. We can’t give amnesty to people that have broken our laws. That is a concept that does not sit well with the American electorate. I believe if we think about this from a human behavioral standpoint, that if the probability to get across the border is diminished, and the ability to get a job with fake documents is reduced, and employers are punished severely for breaking the laws by hiring illegal’s, the 12 – 20 million number will diminish greatly. They will have no source of income, their families will not be able to join them, and so they will start heading south of the border. The economic arguments don’t hold water for me because I believe we have the domestic worker pool we need for these jobs that Mexicans are doing but we have made it too easy not to work. Don’t trust this bill; trust your instincts no matter what names they call you. Just a thought…
5/21/2007 - Who is running our government anyway? It is time to march on DC to find out!
Who was at the table in these secret negotiations on one of the biggest implications to the future of this nation’s security and prosperity? Special interests groups but not ones with our interests at heart. No one was there representing us! This bill will cost legal citizens 2.5 TRILLION dollars in bounty from you, me, and our children. Where are the representatives looking out for us! I am outraged as you should be. This is the biggest sellout of American assets and wealth in the history of our nation but worse, most Americans can’t get up the energy to unite and fight back. What is going on here? Where is the outrage? I hear it on the air waves but we need to take it to the streets. We need a new march on WashingtonDC to wake up these politicians and show them the real numbers and the real constituency. It is panic time folks! It is time to take a few hundred dollars out of your savings account and fly or drive to WashingtonDC. How does July 4th sound? How appropriate.
Since I am only reaching hundreds of people a month, not hundreds of thousands, I need you to send an e-mail to your list and suggest a March for Legal Immigration on this July 4th. Let’s just start sending e-mails to everyone and see if it gets picked up on the internet and lands on Drudge. We can sit on the Capitol lawn and discuss how we are not happy with the direction this congress and administration is taking us, and that we are just standing up for the rights of legal immigrants and the future of our children to inherit a prosperous nation.
I will make it easy to start. Copy the following text and hit send. Let’s start a march!
(Subject line) March for Legal Immigration
It is time to show our politicians that we are taking back our future and protecting the rights of US citizens and the people that want to come here through legal immigration channels. This is not about anything but securing a prosperous future for our children and the rights of legal immigrants.
We will not stand by and let this congress and administration squander 2.5 Trillion of our hard earned dollars. We will see you on July 4th 2007 at the CapitolBuilding. I’ll be the one wearing Red, White, and Blue, carrying an American Flag. We are Americans and we are civil – and we will not take it any more!
Reading the blogs on both sides of the political spectrum, it seems we have an issue that has finally united us. Both democrats and republicans want the border secured. Instinctually Americans know nothing can be discussed until we close the border securely. If I were confident that the border was secure, I would open my ears to ideas on how to deal with the current crop of illegal’s here in our country. Until then, I hear nothing because I can’t trust this crop of politicians to follow through on a border fence. They will find a way to weasel out of building a fence and we are back to zero with 12 million more illegal’s to deal with. We need to get rid of every incumbent politician and start over in 2008. Every one of them, republican and democrat!!! There’s a thought…
5/17/2007 - Disappointments abound…
I can’t even describe the disappointment I’m feeling about President Bush. I have always believed he is a fundamentally good man but his lack of judgment and his inability to articulate the argument for Iraq, has left me disappointed. This latest attempt to give amnesty to millions of criminals that have crossed our border to take jobs illegally, drive on our roads illegally, supporting criminals that are avoiding taxes and putting hard working Americans out of work, especially in the trades illegally, is the end of the rope for my support of the president. He has lost all credibility with me on immigration. He has ruined our party and I use “our” loosely. I feel so disconnected because I don’t recognize the party anymore under his leadership. He has spent us into oblivion on programs that have little value except to create or reward huge federal bureaucracies (drug bill, education, and farm subsidies); he has left the party hanging on the border, and has tried to treat the opposition as if they are upstanding statesmen; which they are not. We will lose every election moving forward until we find a candidate to rally the party back to our core principles, sound spending policy, tax reform, secure borders and a bold effort to combat our biggest threat, political correctness. We need to boldly proclaim the values of conservatism and embrace what is right without cowering to the criticism of the media and democrats. He has left the party in worse shape than he inherited, and for that there is no other statement to describe his presidency than, disappointing…
5/16/2007 - Winners and Losers in last night’s debate…
I watched last night’s Republican debate and I have to say it moved rather quickly and efficiently for having 10 participants on the stage. Credit goes to the Fox team for keeping the question short, focused, and relevant. The real stand out for me was Duncan Hunter who I thought had great presence and strong answers to the questions posed to him. I would say he moved up to the first tier in my eyes. I won’t even discuss Ron Paul, pathetic. His text polling is evidence of an organized group of people outside the Republican Party trying to influence talking points. Here is my summary:
John McCain: Nervous, uncomfortable and I thought marginal – neutral
Mitt Romney: Good performance, looked great, polished – met expectation
Rudy Giuliani: Gift from Paul made him look strong – strong performance
Duncan Hunter: Showed he can be presidential, good answers – winner
Tom Tancredo: Side tracked in his answer on his key issue immigration – neutral
Huckabee: Alright, didn’t know him well, don’t care if I do – neutral
Jim Gilmore – who?
Thompson: Uncomfortable and not presidential, OK answers – below expectations
Brownback: Who?
Paul: Democratic plant, should not be on the stage for next debate – pathetic
Fox should not be conducting any polling unless they are willing to spend the money on real polling methods. This is not American Idol. Just a thought…
I heard this this morning on the Laura Ingraham radio show; Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer have agreed that the Fairness Doctrine needs to be put on the congressional fast track for consideration and implementation. What is the “Fairness” Doctrine you ask? It is the democrat’s version of your free speech rights. They don’t believe in the free flow of ideas unless they are their ideas. Because liberal and democratic ideals don’t sit well with most Americans, democrats believe that it is best for you if they control what ideas you hear and which ones are best for you and your fellow hick seeds. You see, you just don’t understand what is best for you and you don’t have the capability to discern the speech of conservatives like, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Shawn Hannitty, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, and so many more. You are as Rush likes to say, “Mind numb robots”. He says that with tongue in cheek but democrats truly believe that you are. The people to fear are the ones that believe in this doctrine. They are the scariest of all people and are reminiscent of days gone by, when dictators and kings ruled the world. Democrats are more comfortable in a world where discourse is limited and where they are not held accountable by a media they don’t control. So keep your ears open as this doctrine starts to make its way to the headlines disguised as an effort to bring “civility” back to the “public” airwaves. You see the “drive by media” (again a Rush term for the major media organizations) will not be upset with this assault on speech because it reinstates their monopoly on information flow in this country. It is scary to think there are still politicians that think they know what is best for us but there is; they are called the democrats…
I have had this book on my reading list ever since I heard Thomas Barnett interviewed by Hugh Hewitt on talk radio. I am only into the third chapter and I have an entirely new perspective on the military and the transformation that needs to happen in this changing world. He believes that true global connectivity is the key to a peaceful future. The more we interact economically as a community, the more peaceful the world. The problem right now is that the old “rule sets” have changed, and we have been slow to understand the phenomenon and create new “rule sets” that will be embraced by the rest of the world. We are the lone “superpower” and we need to understand how we drive and enforce these new “rule sets”. It is premature to do a review but I wanted to share it with you if you are looking to build your summer reading list.
We are facing a new era and our military is going to increasingly find itself in some uncomfortable situations, like Iraq, until we get a handle on the new enemy and how to deal with them. The new enemy is not wearing uniforms and declaring war from a state pulpit. They are declaring war from reclusive caves in disconnected countries throughout the world.
The cold war is over and the adjustments the military needs to make are unclear and according to Barnett, there is a great inside struggle (inside the Pentagon) to define their “new” purpose. If it is to kill people and break things, that approach works for a defined and stationary enemy, but if it is to nurture democracy and weed out individuals or small groups of despots, the approach will need to be different. I am looking forward to finishing this book and applying Thomas Barnett’s arguments to Iraq. I may be surprised at what I find but as a strategic thinker, I find compelling arguments interesting, and I am willing to listen to reason built on facts and make adjustments accordingly. I just wish our current political crop could do the same.
I highly recommend this book if you want an insiders view of pentagon operations. His writing style is simple and direct, making it a pleasure to read because the topic can be complicated if you are not a military strategist. I can’t wait to get back to the book…
Considered to be politically incorrect to discuss, we have a huge and growing terrorist problem south of our border. Since the late 90’s, intelligence experts say Hezbollah and Al Qaeda have formed a close partnership in many Latin American countries, including Mexico.
As our politicians and particularly George Bush argue to leave our border porous and ignore the millions of potential criminals pouring into our country illegally, terrorists are training and plotting to kill us right below our southern border, and we are discussing what it will do to the berry picking industry if we close and secure our border. Nuts!
This is suicide folks. A battlefront against America is being staged right on our southern border and our politicians are ignoring the reality of this situation. We need to get the current crop of politicians out in this next election cycle and bring in a new body that understands the priorities of the federal government.
There is no greater responsibility to our nation than to secure our borders and hunt down the terrorist’s intent on killing us. This story has been buried because it is considered by many to be politically incorrect. Political correctness will be the death of our nation. You mark my words…
The question is whether anyone will notice? The work ethic in France has brought that economy to its knees. No one wants to work there anymore because the incentive is gone. Why would you bust your butt to be paid the same thing as the loafer that never shows up?
Sarkozy is also looking to tighten current immigration laws. The riots that were burning the cities outside Paris were the result of Muslim immigrants allowed to take over communities throughout France.
All I can say is pop the cork and pass the cheese. It’s about time…
5/8/2007 - Hamas is using “Mickey Mouse” to spew “religion of peace” message…
Hatred, hatred, hatred, is being preached by a Mickey Mouse rip off on a Palestinian children’s TV show. How do we stop the cycle of hatred between Islam and the rest of the civilized world? I know it’s not through this medium.
Should we bunch them in with the “hard working” illegal’s that come to this country, or the 20% of illegal’s that end up in our prison system? Choices, choices. All six were doing this in the name of their “religion of peace” Islam. Let’s not profile here because that may be politically incorrect although extremely effective in hunting down terrorists in this country.
What is it going to take to wake up folks? We need to secure our borders now and we need to closely monitor individuals that fit the terrorist profile. Anything else is national suicide. We must balance common sense and liberty. Liberty is a principal that must not be compromised but if we don’t close our borders, limit immigration from nations with large populations of terrorists, and treat terror as a “war on terror”, we will have no choice.
If a terrorist is successful in conducting a large scale attack, and we find out the source of entry was through our southern border or an over extended visa from Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc, watch for the assault on liberty to hasten. It will be hard to stop because we failed to use our common sense now. Common sense says secure the border, stop immigration from terrorist havens, and monitor individuals here in the US with a terrorist profile. Just a thought…
5/7/2007 - Our children are NOT bad for the environment!
I love my children as I’m sure you do. The environmentalists are not satisfied with trying to guilt Americans and the world into recycling, stealing our land, and preaching their lunacy and hysteria around “global warming”, now they want to limit how many children we can have.
According to these Nazi, fascist, pigs (OPT, based in London) dressed in the cloak of environmental activism, are now saying our “children are bad for the planet”. You know what; these idiots are bad for the planet. The CO2 they release as they spew this hot air is a crime, and they should be arrested for wasting our resources.
There are so many things wrong with this article. To suggest couples base child rearing decisions on the impact to the environment is ludicrous. OPT is not targeting the countries that are producing children at the fastest clip but on western countries like Britain which has a 1.7 fertility rate. Why then go after a low fertility rate country like Britain? Because western developed countries have “higher per capita carbon emission” rates.
I am not making this up folks. This world is going nuts and we are letting it happen. Global Warming is a scientific theory and has no consensus in the scientific community. They are lying and you need to question their premise. Being a caretaker of the earth is a good thing. These people are nuts! Just a thought…
5/6/2007 - What happened in Vegas stays right here...
Spent the last week at our annual conference in Las Vegas and it was exhausting and exhilarating. We run from the time we get there to the time we leave so it is physically exhausting but we get to speak and host about 3000 professionals and that is exhilarating.
I had the opportunity to see Aerosmith in concert which was an unexpected treat. I had not seen them perform since way back in MadisonSquareGarden in NY when they first hit the big time. They were awesome!
I was assigned to escort our first keynote speaker Dennis Miller from his arrival at the hotel to the backstage along with a couple of security guards. I got to talk with him about his appearance on the O’Reilly Factor, where he discussed the Rosie explosion with Bill. That was interesting. I am adding the details of this experience in my new book in the chapter, “Famous People I Have Met and What I Learned from Them”.
I had a number of speaking opportunities and gave out a few awards in front of 3000 people. Always an exhilarating experience! We have a great membership and I always feel comfortable in front of them.
I missed my wife and children as always. I missed them twice as much this time because I spoke with a friend at conference whose 16 year old son was diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of cancer there is. I gave him the opportunity to speak about it and my heart was so heavy and all I could think about how much more I wanted to hold and hug my kids. I was so amazed by his ability to trust God as he told me of his son’s strength and how proud he was of him. If you pray, pray for him.
I ran into my cousin Brian who I have not seen in years and had the opportunity to meet his wonderful wife Jennifer. She was working hard at another conference being held at the hotel while Brian was working hard on his tan at the pool. Brian is an awesome guy who I don’t get to see enough of and it was so great to meet his bride! These are the meetings that make you long to be closer to family. I love seeing my cousins!
Overall a great week but I had no time to keep up with my rants so I apologize to all of you that show up often. There are quite a few of you now, and I will be writing more now that I am back from Vegas. So much for, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!
5/5/2007 - I will catch up but for now this must be said...
I was away at a conference this past week and there is a lot to catch up on but not in this post. Bill Clinton spoke at the Kennedy School of Government and the topic was why governments fail to react to impending disasters like Katrina. They asked why was it that all the experts knew the levies needed to be updated and better plans put in place but nothing was done over the last 20 years? Why? That’s easy; Louisiana democrats were busy stealing the money “earmarked” for the levies, the disaster plans, and using it to buy votes and keep the people of New Orleans dependent on government programs. To think that today’s politicians can think about anything but themselves is to be politically ignorant. Just look at the Iraq debate and you can see our politicians can’t think beyond THEIR political future. Country be damned! They don’t need to spend 1.5 million dollars at the school to figure out how to fix it. Stop electing liberals and criminals and the problem is fixed. Just a thought…
“It’s all Bush’s fault” should be the bumper sticker for all the democratic presidential hopefuls. Whether it’s poverty, inequity, failed education, high gas prices, or “global warming”, it’s GW. Hmm! Last night’s democratic “debate” was really just another platform to place all the world’s ills on the president and offered only reassurance to the American electorate that democrats do not deserve the opportunity to run this country ever again.
The funny thing is they all fell over each other to say that we should get out of Iraq but did not have the intellectual fortitude to address what will happen to the Iraqis we leave behind. Brian never asked the question which I am still waiting to hear from the mainstream media; if we have lost this war, who is the winner? Do we the greatest nation in the world concede to al Qaeda, Iran, Syria, Osama, the Taliban, or just your run of the mill insurgent terrorist? I would like to hear who these candidates would give the winning prize to. They certainly want us to lose so they must have considered who they suspect is beating us, no?
These people are a disgrace to this country, every one of them. They don’t have a single patriotic bone amongst them and we should run them out of Dodge. And one more note, did you notice they all showed up in private jets? “Global warming” for the minions not for the autocrats, eat cake they say through their actions. This is a pathetic bunch and the one good thing about seeing them so early and often is that their true intentions will be hard to hide. And I believe the American people will reject this bunch of ingrates straight out. Just a thought…
I watched last nights show with my wife and children and I will say we were moved in spirit and moved to give a donation. I watched my two children struggle with the reality of Africa, and the deplorable living conditions for those innocent children. If you weren’t moved, I would question your humanity.
Even though I was moved each time they showed the conditions in Africa, I have to admit that when I watched the video clips of kids in America, and especially the kids that were victims of hurricane Katrina, I felt a tinge of anger. I could not help thinking about the billions and billions of dollars that were given to help those families. What has happened there?
It was a night that my children learned how fortunate they are, and it was a night to reflect on how each and every one of us can make a difference. It also highlighted how important it is to keep government in check, and leave as much of the world’s charity where it belongs; with us. I wish I could adopt an African orphan and welcome them into my home, because instinctually I know that money is a short term solution.
We need to break the cycle of poverty and offer real hope, not just money. Money is the short term solution but opening up our hearts and home is a real solution. We also need to re-commit to the kids of our own country by holding our government and poor communities accountable for the support we give them. We can’t continue to allow drug addicted parents to rob the money and resources designated to their children, and worse, steal the hope in their children’s hearts anymore. The poor people of Louisiana were the product of government dependence. We must break the chains of government and bring back hope and education to the children of those communities.
We must not feel guilty about what we have, rather we should be proud of what we gave, 30 million before the show ended and I am sure much more to come. I was proud of the entertainment community last night as they focused on the kids and didn’t use the event as a political platform. Ellen DeGeneres was an excellent hostess and she personally donated $100,000. I know my conservative friends are not big fans of her but personally I think she is one of the funniest people I have ever watched. Now I know she is generous as well. It also reminded us last night what we can do when we band together toward a common goal.
We are a generous nation, a prosperous nation, a caring loving nation, with the moral obligation to help others of the world who are less fortunate. We must continue to stand by all of the people around the world that deserve their God given rights to be free. It will not get done by donating our money, it will get done only by supporting democracy; the framework and government structure that allows people hope and opportunity to pursue their dreams. Democrats, republicans, independents, and a-political people can come together for a cause, we saw it last night. Let’s keep up the momentum. Just a thought…
Rudy Giuliani told it like it is today, and the democrats are in a tizzy. Rudy pointed out the obvious in a stump stop in New Hampshire; “if a Democrat is elected president in 2008, America will be at risk for another terrorist attack on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001.
But if a Republican is elected, he said, especially if it is him, terrorist attacks can be anticipated and stopped.
“If any Republican is elected president —- and I think obviously I would be the best at this —- we will remain on offense and will anticipate what [the terrorists] will do and try to stop them before they do it,”
Hillary posted this response that rings hollow and hypocritical: "One of the great tragedies of this Administration is that the President failed to keep this country unified after 9/11. We have to protect our country from terrorism -- it shouldn't be a Democratic fight or a Republican fight. The plain truth is that this Administration has done too little to protect our ports, make our mass transit safer, and protect our cities. They have isolated us in the world and have let Al Qaeda regroup. The next President is going to be left with these problems and will have to do what it takes to make us safer and bring Democrats and Republicans together around this common mission of protecting our nation. That is exactly what has to be done and what I am ready to do."
She has a selective memory regarding the go, go 90’s and the Clinton administration’s failure to address terrorism. They treated terrorism as a “law enforcement” issue and were unwilling to rock the boat of the feel good atmosphere that was about to implode on its ear on September 11th. President Bush was left with a huge mess to clean up and Hillary was right there as “co-President” cruising along with blinders on to anything difficult or in need of true leadership.
So it is no wonder the democrats are concerned about Rudy’s comments. The truth about terror and the democrat’s response and policy towards it, is exactly what Rudy suggested. That is why they are so quick to respond. Huge blow to the democrats here and especially Hillary. Nice punch Rudy! Just a thought…
4/24/2007 - I'm so tired of these politicians. Are you?
We need honest debate from both the left and right. We need to come together to discuss issues again and stop thinking and acting, political party first, country second. Our elected leaders are not acting in the best interest of our nation on the core issues that face us today, namely; the war on terror, border security, the bloated federal budget, and the pending social security crisis. I know we want to approach all of these issues in different ways but we at least need to approach them.
We need adults in government today. We have seen too many officials acting as if they are spoiled children and will only “play the game” if they are guaranteed to win. I understand discourse but I don’t understand no-course. There is too much going on that will define our future viability not to engage in the necessary debate.
We the people need to engage and hold these representatives accountable. We will implode if we don’t come together sooner rather than later. Our representatives don’t seem to be able to see this. We need to help them. Contact them and let them know where you stand. Just a thought…
An American marine on the front line tells it how it is and tells Harry Reid to, well, read it and see what real Americans think about Reid and his ilk... God Bless marines like Corporal Tyler Rock and his family!
4/23/2007 - Where is the American media coverage of this “Hiroshima, Nagasaki” size attack being promised by Al Qaeda?
British Intelligence is reporting that Al Qaeda in Iraq in cahoots with Iran is planning a “large scale” attack on a western target with a deadline that is timed to happen before Prime Minister Tony Blair leaves office this summer. When you read this article you can’t help wonder after all of the media and left’s criticism of the intelligence agencies inability to “connect the dots” before the 911 attack, there might be an outlet or two making headlines with this story.
The problem of course is the story doesn’t fit the current media template; “the war in Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terrorism”; which is complete nonsense. We have Islamic extremism in the Middle East doing their best to convince democrats we need to leave Iraq. They do this by causing chaos and playing to the lack of will and intelligence of representatives like Harry Reid. The minute we announce that we are leaving Iraq (which I don’t think will happen as long as George Bush is President) Al Qaeda and Islamic terrorists will start dancing in the streets and boarding planes and boats for the next target; us.
We need the media to spend a little time analyzing the facts of this story and making Americans aware that the threat is still alive and real. They need to forget their hatred for Bush and their allegiance to the left, and report what the motives are of these terrorists. I don’t expect they will, but Americans need to stay diligent in observing activity at airports and in Middle Eastern neighborhoods because the Islamic terrorists are not giving up until we are dead or at the rule of Islam. Doesn’t fit your template; it should. Just a thought…
Al Qaeda is rebuilding their network around the world while our politicians are arguing whether or not to fund and support our troops. It used to be that politics stopped at the shore line but that has changed. We now have politicians that can’t even agree that funding our troops overseas, at war, fighting terror, is a priority. The message that is being sent around the world is that when the going gets tough for America, democrats will run and leave the battle for another day. Al Qaeda has been emboldened by the words of democrats led by Harry Reid, who recently commented “the war is lost" in Iraq. Harry Reid is a disgrace to our country; he and the democrats that take the position of defeat will be defeated at the ballot box. But in the meantime we have Al Qaeda building up their network because they are encouraged and hopeful we will leave with our tails between our legs from both Iraq and Afghanistan. We need politicians with a bigger vision than the vision of power on Capitol Hill. If we keep electing politicians like Reid, Capitol Hill will be in the reach of Al Qaeda’s network very soon, all courtesy of the likes of Reid and the democrats. Just a thought…
4/21/2007 - Alec Baldwin needs a break here from the parent in you…
I met Alec Baldwin not once but twice and I will say I have seen his temper. I despise his politics but I think he is a brilliant actor. I also have to say that having this tape leaked to the press by his X wife, Kim Bassinger, shows how nasty their divorce has been. I know the tape sounds really bad for him and I would never talk that way to my 11 and 13 year olds (I think), but I can’t help but think how wrong this is to be in the public. Eleven year old girls, and I have one myself, can be very difficult when they want to be, and I can understand the level of frustration Alex must have been feeling even though I can’t picture myself saying this to my daughter. And believe me, she can push buttons. But add to this saga the nasty divorce and the manipulation of this child in their divorce, and you can see how we need to step back from judgment, and look at all the facts. The facts that we may never have and probably don’t want to know. Glass houses and all, you know…
Again, I have met Alex, and he is actually in my upcoming book in the chapter; “Famous People I have met, and the Lessons I Learned from Them”. I for one think leaking this tape of a parent angered and frustrated by a daughter is despicable. I know there are many of you out there that have said things to your kids in anger that if exposed like this tape was would be extremely embarrassed. Sad to say how easy one incident like this in the media could label you as an unfit parent, even though the entire picture might not support that conclusion.
Let’s put this tape away and let the family work it out. Just a thought…
Folks you have to read this. If you wonder why I harp on this subject all you have to do is read this and it should send shivers up your spine. We must not make “accommodations” for this religion that undermines women’s rights, free speech, free thought, and progress. This “religion of peace” as I keep on saying has one intent; to rule as many people around the globe as possible. Enough said you must read!
4/19/2007 - Don't expect restraint from the media...
It is a free for all in the media when it comes to sensational events and to expect restraint from them is unrealistic. We need to face the fact that today’s media is all about ratings and if they think an audience will watch, they will air the footage. The footage of this killer Cho, is disturbing and I can’t even imagine if one of my family members had been killed how I would feel but that doesn’t matter anymore. Consideration for the victim is incidental to ratings. The discussion in the board room seems to always come down to one “justification”; if we don’t air the footage, it will end up on another network or the internet so let’s air it; first.
The big question for me is why with a record of mental instability he was still allowed to live on the campus? The other question is his ability to acquire a gun. I am a huge 2nd amendment supporter but this is the type of case that gives the opponents ammunition to go after gun rights. His mental instability and record with the state should have been available to the gun shop that sold him the gun immediately. I suspect there were issues of “privacy” with the medical records but there are ways to flag people in a system without revealing the details.
There will be a lot more information coming out that will make us wonder why he was still on campus, but we have to keep in mind the delicate balance of what we think someone is capable of and what they do. It seems Cho left a trail of indicators that should have been a warning to authorities and professionals to look closer at his life. We don’t want a police state but we can’t ignore the warning signs either. Just a thought…
4/18/2007 - It took away from the convocation...
Was yesterday’s convocation intended to help heal the pain of the victim’s families, friends, and classmates or promote political correctness? I have to ask because as I listened to the speakers, in particular the first Imam, he spoke Arabic and gave praise to Allah. All of which is fine but I have to wonder how many Muslims are enrolled at the University and were any of the victims Muslim? I know this sounds cynical but I am not the only one asking; why would a Muslim Imam be asked to be the first religious representative onto the podium, and there was no representation for those that observe Catholicism, and limited Christian representation?
This country, and I would guess Virginia Tech are 80% Christian but if you turned on the TV or radio at the opening of the convocation you would have thought you were in a Middle Eastern country. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have all religions represented but I do question the motivation and intention of why this Imam was chosen to speak first. I for one was very uncomfortable with his words and actions. This smacked of political correctness when the focus should have been on the victims and their friends, families, and classmates. Islam is so counter to our culture that this all rang false to me. It overshadowed the purpose behind the intent of the event for me. From what I have been hearing on the radio waves it made many wonder why political correctness took a front seat in such an important step toward healing.
4/17/2007 - We will never understand...
We struggle to understand the motivation of killers like the one at Virginia Tech. Acting without a soul he killed 31 innocent individuals. We must understand that as compassionate and loving human beings we can never understand how people can act out or even consider this type of heinous crime. It is pure evil. Most people can not relate to evil and it is why suicide bombers are an effective weapon in terrorism. We can not relate so we assume no one else could want to do these acts but that is the wrong thinking.
There are people that will do this and will do it with no consideration for your values or mine. As we consider what happened yesterday and try to understand what we can do better next time we are faced with evil, we must come to terms with the fact that when individuals choose the path of evil, and are willing to die for their cause, there is only one thing we can do to stop them; it is kill them first. When the value of ones life is no longer a bargaining chip, there is no alternative but to destroy them before they destroy more innocent human lives.
Whether it is the 911 hijackers, Islamic terrorists, or individual terrorists like the one at Virginia Tech, we must not be blinded by our own disbelief. We don’t have to understand evil but we do need to recognize it exists and act accordingly. Anything else is suicidal. God Bless the families of these victims and may we learn from their loss and understand we will never understand…
4/16/2007 - Let’s do it for our kids for once…
We will never get a handle on the border if we don’t enforce our immigration laws from every angle. We need to build and reinforce the fencing along the border, increase border patrols, continue raids on both residences and businesses, and we need to increase the penalty for businesses that continue to hire illegals.
This Op ED in the Colorado Gazette makes reference to the current immigration raids in Southern California, Operation Return to Sender, and they come to the conclusion that we have to give amnesty to the “12 Million” illegal’s already here in the US. They come to this conclusion even when in the same op ed they site figures like this; over a recent two week period 359 arrests of illegal’s in these raids produced 50 illegal’s with records of child molestation to murder”.
I for one don’t believe it is a futile exercise to stop illegal’s, especially child sex offenders and murderers from coming into our country to victimize our kids. Are these the illegal’s we hear about that are just here to pick our grapes? Are these the people that just come here to work at jobs Americans won’t do? Our jails are filling up with hard core Mexican criminals and we only pay attention when they drive drunk and kill two teenage girls in Virginia, which happened recently and was all over the local news there. These arguments ring hallow with me especially the “anchor” baby arguments. The ones designed to pull at the heart strings of compassionate Americans. No one wants to see a family separated and that is why it is so important to close and secure the border; air tight.
We need to remember our children and protect them from the criminal element that is pouring over the border from Mexico. Let’s think about our kids for once. Just a thought…
Below are some common definitions of the word Czar. I cringe whenever representatives of our government talk about implementing an, “Education Czar”, “War Czar”, “Energy Czar”. We spent a lifetime defeating Russia and we are not a country of “emperors” even though many act as if they are. Just stop; it is unbecoming of an American representative, even if you are the president…
Czar - a male monarch or emperor (especially of Russia prior to 1917)
Czar - Tsar (Bulgarian цар, Russian царь, ; often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to 1917 (although this usage is only technically correct until 1721).
Czar - Title of the ruler of Russia. Taken from the word Caesar, which means emperor
Czar - A king or emperor, especially one of the former emperors of Russia
4/13/2007 - Liberals are perpetuating racism...
Laura Ingraham played a clip from The View, which is mostly liberal babble, and it is interesting how Rose McGowen can continue to impugn the victims of the Duke Rape allegations, even though the charges have been completely debunk by the overseeing prosecution. The audio clip included one of the “hosts” reference to the “white boys” (with a tone of nastiness and prejudice unlike Imus who had no tone of malice for the basketball players) saying that she would not be surprised if hiring hookers and bad behavior was something these “white boys” engaged in often. Why is it OK to impugn the “white boys”? Is this not the language that Sharpton and Jackson are trying to stop? Why are they getting a pass? Could it be that we have created a culture where you can impugn “white boys” at will, and why are they the only group that is not “proteted” from insult? I as a “white boy” am sick and tired of being impugned by everyone including white liberals as being racist. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. I grew up in New York City and have seen first hand the ugliness of racism. I will have no part of it and I believe most “white boys” feel the same way. I will not cry victim but I will say I am not going to cower from pointing out the hypocrisy of racists like Sharpton and Jackson. People that can’t see past the color of someone’s skin are the racist, not the people that speak the truth. It is time to shine the light on why the black community is still struggling in this country. It is because they are listening to the Jackson’s, Sharpton’s, and “hosts” on the view, as well as the acceptance of the rap culture that continues to undermine the good women and men in black America. I am sick of being the target of this garbage from the most racist people in our society; liberals. Just a thought…
Finally, the hypocrites are exposed for the two things they promote with vigor; continued racial division and squashing free speech, especially conservative speech. As for hypocrites, where is the outrage from Sharpton and Jackson regarding the Duke Lacrosse players unjustly accused by a black prostitute? Jackson actually made a pledge to pay for her education; where does that offer stand now? Where is the apology to the three white kids who have gone through hell because of the accusations made by this black prostitute with support from Jackson and Sharpton? Jackson and Sharpton were quick to assume the white guys were in the wrong and they were willing to exploit the case to the benefit of their racial extortion industry. By insisting we focus on the racial aspect of events rather than the individual actions, they perpetuate a culture of division, which is exactly what they want.
Jackson and Sharpton have now turned the Imus issue into a campaign to assault speech on the radio air waves. If you have been on the side lines so far, you now need to step up and pay attention. This is a direct quote from Sharpton, “It is our feeling that this is only the beginning. We must have a broad discussion on what is permitted and not permitted in terms of the airwaves” Thisis chilling, and the usual guilt driven liberals are going to do their best to cow tow to political correctness and their harbored guilt. For example, Keith Oberman a leftist lunatic on CNN is asking the question; does this mean Rush Limbaugh and others in the talk radio industry are on probation? Oberman believes that Rush Limbaugh, Shawn Hannity, and Laura Ingraham, are some how in the same camp as Imus. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The choir will continue to grow from the left because they can’t compete in the arena of ideas and will use this event to silence conservative talk radio.
Focusing on race does nothing but feed the fire of racism. We are fundamentally a merit based society. There is no need to be guilty for the ills of the black community; there is a wealth of opportunity for all. We need to stop depending on others for our success, and blaming others for our failure. I don’t care what race, creed, or gender you are. If you don’t believe this I feel sorry for you. Just a thought…
So much more to talk about besides Imus but I have to say the racial dialogue is refreshing. If you listen to talk radio, many listeners that describe themselves as black Americans are speaking out against Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and the destructive culture of rap. These Americans are sick and tired of the way blacks are treated like a monolithic group on every issue, the way the so called leaders are promoting their dependence industry to the detriment of the black community, and you can hear in their voices they are done with the way the media (mostly guilt driven liberals) treat anyone that doesn’t fit the template that Sharpton and Jackson have created for black America. These callers are asking why it isn’t Thomas Sowell, Shelby Steele, Walter Williams, and Clarence Thomas that are held up as examples in their community. They despise the fact that there is an anti-education, anti white man culture so prevalent in the young black generation. They understand that the key to success is education, and education is racial neutral and a great equalizer. So even though Imus is a nobody and should be ignored, there is a good side to this issue; dialogue about race in America. So don’t listen to Sharpton or Jackson, just turn on your local talk radio to hear the refreshing perspective of every day black Americans. Just a thought…
My good friend and brother in music Pete Cassani is featured in this Chicago Tribune article. He is a phenomenal song writer and real estate sales person as well. The college crowd loves him because he is real and can be trusted. I love him for the same reasons... Check it out
He has written a song called Commonwealth Realty download here (big file 6+MG)
Don Imus is a jerk and always has been. I grew up in NY and have known this for more years than I care to admit. His show stinks to be frank, and I can’t believe he still has an audience. He is a miserable old man who is miserable to everyone around him so the question I have is; why is the Rutgers basketball team so caught up on what an old cranky white guy says about them? Is their self esteem that low that they even care what he says? And the big question; is Black America that self conscious that they care what a miserable old white man says about them? Unfortunately what this incident is bringing to light is the Black and White tension that continues to exist because Black America continues to embrace a culture of dependence and a reliance on all things government, and the White community is guilt driven so they don’t call the “cultural” mores like rap what they are; destructive, for fear of being called racist. It is really easy to continue to blame the “white man” for all of the ills in the Black community. Look at the two Black “leaders” that are leading the charge against Imus, Al Sharpton, and Jessie Jackson. These are two of the highest profile racists in the Black community. They make their living on a Black dependency and blaming White America for everything bad in the world and they have a monetary stake in seeing racism continue in America. Without racism these two would have nothing to talk about and no one to blame. What Imus said was despicable and wrong but what Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson do to the Black community is much worse. We can’t go on living our lives worried about what others say about us. We create our own self worth. No one can do that for you. Whether you are White or Black you control your destiny. There are too many opportunities out there to blame anyone but yourself for your own failures. If you are wrapped up in what others think about you, I feel sorry for you. Get over this bums comments, there are many more like him that will say worse things about you, just not into a microphone. Ignore them and live your life by taking all the opportunity this world has to offer. Don’t let an angry, grumpy, miserable, white guy control your destiny. Just a thought…
4/10/2007 - CircuitCity has lost my business…
I have been meaning to get to this story for a while now. Circuit City announced it will layoff their workers in the higher pay range and replace them with new workers with lower pay and more importantly, less skill. I will not be shopping there, not because they are paying less to their employees, that is their right, but because of the idiocy of the logic behind the layoffs. They are a reseller of electronic components and many of them are somewhat complicated, especially to the elders, like me. When I shop, I always look for good deals but I don’t always buy the cheapest item. I truly appreciate a knowledgeable sales person and I am willing to pay for that. I do not buy electronics at Wal-Mart unless I am very familiar with the technology. I recently bought a flat screen and I bought it at Office Depot, partly because of price, but mostly because the salesperson had knowledge of the technology and helped me understand the pros and cons of the set I purchased. The other aspect CircuitCity is missing is that they are a customer service driven industry. You get what you pay for when it comes to customer service. I expect people will be avoiding their store in droves because no one wants to deal with snotty nose teenagers and especially when you are dishing out hundreds if not thousands of dollars on an item. We want to feel appreciated when we spend big dollars with companies. I expect the employees that are left at CircuitCity will not be transmitting a feeling of appreciation to their customers because they will be reflecting the culture of the corporate office. You can not cut your way to success in a customer driven business. I can go to Sam’s Club or Wal-Mart for self service purchases; I will not be going to CircuitCity for any purchases. Just a thought…
4/9/2007 - Fund the troops now Mrs. Speaker...
Nancy Pelosi is still off gallivanting the world while the bill to fund our troops fighting the Global War on Terror sits neglected in the House. Pelosi failed to appoint conferees to work out the details with the Senate (who are in session and waiting) which is necessary to get our brave men and women funded to continue their duties to our nation. The republicans have drafted a letter to ask her to get back to work (which would not be a problem here if the troops were funded) so a “porkless” bill can be crafted and passed. She is ignoring this most important of all issues; National Security. This is a true indication of the left’s contempt for our soldiers and their families. They talk about supporting the troops but make no mistake they don’t. They loath the power the military represents and believe it antagonizes the regimes of the rest of the world. To her and her ilk the US military is the problem not the two bit dictators and Islamic extremists around the world. Just a thought…
4/6/2007 - O'Reilly finally shows passion...
Finally we get to see the passion of Bill O’Reilly! My biggest criticism of Bill is that he too often plays a middle of the road, can’t show what I truly believe "middle man", but this exchange is different. This video shows a passionate man making a great argument about how we have allowed illegal aliens into this country and in some cases, even after arrest, set them free to the peril of our citizens. A drunk illegal killed a teenage girl in Virginia after being arrested multiple times; was never deported and ended up ending this young promising American’s life, prematurely. Geraldo Rivera tries to argue the point that it is a case strictly about drunk driving but the argument rings hollow. If this illegal was stopped at the border or deported on his first arrest, this girl would be alive today; period. This is a perfect example of why the fence needs to be built and a return to a true vetting process of those immigrants wanting to enter our country. We may have found that he has a long record in Mexico and if we had a process in place to discover that, he would have been denied entry and this girl and her poor family would be whole today. Build the fence, and shut the border. We are getting too many of the worst Mexico has to offer and loosing our best.
4/5/2007 - Term Limit the stupidity of our representatives…
Nancy Pelosi is an embarrassment to woman and the United States of America. They must think we are complete imbeciles and by the actions of many of our representatives, they are right. Nancy Pelosi is lying about what the Israeli Prime Minister said about peace talks and was too stupid to understand the propaganda techniques used by Assad of Syria on her unsanctioned visit to a terrorist nation responsible for killing our soldiers. Absolute shame on her! She should be censured by the congress and brought before a committee to determine her intentions. I would like to see her run out of office by the people but that will not happen. San Francisco is strongly anti constitution and supports this type of breach in responsibilities as long as they agree. If it was a republican rep and a democratic president the cries would be deafening.
I have never been a strong supporter of term limits but I am now a huge advocate. We can not address our problems until we rid our selves of the career politicians. We need to amend the constitution to increase the house term to 4 years and limit the time anyone can serve to two terms. The senate should be restricted to 2 terms and ALL elected representatives should not be eligible for a pension. This would be a start. These people are so obsessed with power they have lost site of the values and greatness of this country.
Term limits, term limits, term limits… Every one of these people could be replaced with one of us and it would be for the better. Career politicians are BAD for this country. Just a thought…
At one time not long ago Great Britain was truly a country to envy. They had control of the high seas with one of the greatest naval fleets in the world. They dominated the world in trade and economy, education, and class. They garnered respect because they were grounded in the principal of power through principled strength. So what has happened? This Iranian hostage situation would never have happened under Margaret Thatcher, one of the greatest leaders of our time. She would have resolved this the way Great Britain always has, through tough talk backed up with eminent action. Tony Blair has failed in this test and I’m not sure George Bush would have passed it either because it seems the once great powers of the world are more concerned about perception than outcome. A two bit Islamic Dictator is spitting in the face of the west and getting away with it. What message does this send to Chavez, Bin Laden, and all the other despots of the world? I’ll tell you; that the west is no longer willing to make a stand on values. These dictators and terrorists can kill thousands and still poke a stick in our eye before we take action. The great leaders have left the building. Sad but true…
4/2/2007 - They are the most radical elements of the House of Representatives; they don't speak for this nation...
Nancy Pelosi is on a Middle East “tour” on the taxpayer’s dime and is visiting Syria against the recommendations of the White House. She should be ashamed of herself meeting with Syria. They are a terrorist state killing our soldiers and they are using her visit to make American’s look divided in our resolve. She is a disgrace in my opinion and is encouraging our enemies. She is on vacation with the first Muslim house member ever to be elected and in my opinion is disturbing. Mostly because he was supported by groups like CAIR and other Muslim groups associated with terrorists. We are going to commit national suicide if we keep electing the likes of Pelosi and this Muslim rep, Ellison from Minnesota. We are boiling in the pot just like a frog that doesn’t know it until it’s too late. These people do not represent our interests as Americans. At best they represent a small group of individuals from California and Minnesota. That is why our constitution leaves foreign policy up to the president. It is not in our national interest to have the most radical elements of the House of Representatives acting as if they speak for this great nation. Wake up folks and start paying attention…
3/29/2007 - Them ain't fighting words...
In general I have always liked Tony Blair but I have to take issue with his “escalation” of his rhetoric that includes, hold your breath, asking the UN to craft a “harsh” statement toward Iran. Now those are fighting words. This is becoming an embarrassment for Britain and the West and exactly what Iran wants; to look like their standing strong against the West. Starting tomorrow morning one military vessel of Iran’s will be destroyed every day until every soldier is returned. If one soldier is harmed or killed it will mean an attack of full proportions on all Iranian military facilities. Now that would be a message Iran and the world will understand. Ronald Reagan’s example of action against Iran back in the 80’s should be the example Britain is looking toward not Jimmy Carter’s example. Just a thought…
3/28/2007 - A few thoughts and prayers...
God Bless Tony Snow and his family. Everyone that is human should put politics aside and pray for the best for him and his family. It is so sad to see the vitriol of the left and their disgusting remarks. They should be ashamed of themselves…
Great Britain and the US should amass off the shores of Iran and publicly announce a timeline to Iran for the release of the hostages. The west is being tested and every day Iran holds the hostages they are considering it a “victory” in the PR war for radical Muslims. There is no question based on the evidence that Iranwent into Iraq waters to capture these soldiers. They knew what they were doing and need to be held accountable…
The democrats can not be trusted with the defense of this nation. That is why I predict we will see a return of conservatives to the House and Senate next election. The democrats have misread the American people and are making a huge mistake with the pullout deadline and their insistence of defeat in Iraq. The Democratic Party is a party for defeatists and losers; period.
3/25/2007 - Iran; release the Brits within 24 hours or else...
The Iranian’s are escalating this incident to continue to test the Brits resolve as well as our commitment to stand by our ally. We need to give them 24 hours to release the soldiers or we are coming in full force and going to destroy their Navy; period. No more pussy footing around with these terrorists. Let’s send the message to the world that messing with the West does not bode well for those that do. I think we need to release our Air Force to do what they do best. Rev up the B2’s, F15’s, and Stealth Fighter’s and let’s put an end to this incident. Drop a special force team to rescue the 15 soldiers and the second they are confirmed free, start the fire works. We have seen what the Iranians think of diplomacy so let’s not waste our time. Just a thought…
The Iranian’s have taken 15 British soldiers captive in the waters between Iran and Iraq. The response by the British has been to warn Iran of the consequences if they harm the soldiers and they have summoned the Iranian Ambassador to discuss the matter in talks that were described as “brisk but cordial”. I think it is time to call the Iranians bluff here and send a message that this activity is not acceptable the same way a nuclear Iran is unacceptable. Iran is flexing its muscle to send a message to countries in the region that they are the “power broker” of the region. We need to show the other countries in the region that they are not the power brokers in the region and take swift military action by surrounding their ships and forcing the return of the soldiers immediately. This is another “test” of the West’s will by Iran in the region and, this message (whether it is weak or strong) will be seen loud and clear by all of the people as to what our resolve is with Iran. This opportunity doesn’t look all that important on the surface, but this is a huge test of the way we will treat Iran in the future. Do we have the resolve, or are we going to go weak kneed to the “bargaining” table? Time will tell…
This is not about politics; it’s about what is best for the Edwards. My first thought is I pray for Mrs. Edwards, and her entire family. I lost a close Aunt to breast cancer and I have seen what a family goes through when dealing with this disease. If the Edward’s choose to continue as a family to run for president or leave the race it will be their decision and theirs alone. I don’t think we should judge or attempt to criticize any decision they make. We all deal with things differently and the best way we know how. We can disagree on political views but we should all respect whatever they choose to do and share a prayer for them as both republicans and democrats but more importantly, as fellow human beings. God bless the Edwards family.
We need to do something about the budget process or our politicians are going to spend us into bankruptcy. Here is what the democrats are trying to do:
“The Senate Budget plan would give such programs an $18 billion increase, about 4 percent. At the urging of Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., House Budget Committee Democrats were poised to award domestic agencies with a $23 billion increase.
Democrats opted to put off politically painful decisions on shoring up the finances of Medicare and Social Security”.
“Award” domestic agencies; for WHAT!!! What have they done to deserve an award? Show me a program that isn’t bloated, inefficient and not failing and I will shut up about the awards, but this is ludicrous. We need people to be elected that are willing to make the “painful decisions” of reducing our federal spending. I would argue there is much that could be cut that would not cause pain.
This is a huge problem and the “budget” process needs to be updated:
“Congress' annual debate on the budget is guided by an arcane process in which a nonbinding congressional budget resolution sets the stage for subsequent bills affecting taxes and benefit programs such as Medicare, as well as the annual appropriations bills.
In many years, Congress opts to punt on difficult budget issues and simply focus on the 12 annual bills funding the budgets of Cabinet agencies such as Defense, Education and Agriculture. This year is likely to be such a stand-pat year”.
Where is the backbone? When will we learn? Probably when it is too late is my best guess...
3/21/2007 - The democrats are illiterate in constitutional law...
This request by the democrats to have presidential advisors appear in front of Congress under oath is absolutely ludicrous and the president has finally been pushed to the point where he has drawn the line in the sand on the separation of powers. The president has the absolute right to fire every Attorney General in the country. He doesn’t need cause and he especially doesn’t need to explain anything to congress. Normally the Senate has an advice and consent role in the appointment of Attorney Generals which was suspended under the Patriot Act. The Senate has voted to rescind that provision from the Act because they are “outraged” by these 8 firings. They have NO Authority in the dismissal process and this is just political grand standing. But for anyone that is concerned about our constitution and the ability of the branches to operate according to the constitution, this is a battle that must be fought by the president. He has no choice but to put these imbeciles in their place. We have a war going on, we have a budget crisis, we need Social Security reform, 1/3 of DC people are illiterate and these idiots are pursuing their hatred for the president with the blindness of madmen. The constitution be damned according to the democrat’s action. I say these democrats that are illiterate in constitutional law need to go; now. Just a thought…
3/20/2007 - Government run education is failing in our US cities...
This is the kind of story that breaks my heart. A third of the people living in WashingtonDC are illiterate. This is more evidence of government’s failure and why we need more personal choice in education. The only problem is that we have generation after generation reliant on the government and seeing the need to break out of the cycle is less clear to individuals that are well, not educated. The real crime here is the way government programs and particularly government education in our US cities is stealing the future hope and opportunity for the minorities and poor in this country. It is not cruel to say education is failing; it is cruel to continue to think that government is the answer. The answer is allowing more freedom in educational choices. Tie the funding to the children and let them choose their school. That would be a start in the right direction. Until then just expect the numbers get worse and the opportunities for minorities to dwindle. Just a thought…
3/19/2007 - Democrats have not done their homework...
“Democratic lawmakers say the public put them in charge of Congress to demand more progress in Iraq - and to start getting the U.S. troops out”.No they didn’t. Democrats won the election because conservatives were upset with republicans on the Iraq strategy, and wanted a new direction to win, not a defeatist approach to lose. Iraq is a complicated mix of ethnicities and will need time to build up a trust amongst each other. That trust will only have time to develop if we continue on the path of the current strategy. We need to continue to move in and stabilize insurgent areas, and commit to remaining there until the Iraqis have been able to see progress. The Iraqi’s also need to see and trust the US resolve in helping them get past the daily bombings and into a period of stable commerce and relations with each other. Democrats are the insurgent’s only hope now and they should not fall prey to the insurgent’s strategy to wait out the American resolve. Democrats forced a pullout in Viet Nam and they are hoping to do it today because they believe that they “won” that war. All they did was to solidify their image as weak on defense and have never recovered. Americans hate to lose; period. And most Americans that have taken the time to review history, have learned the failures of the past, and refuse to abandon a people in need again. I wish our democratic leaders of today would have learned as well. Just a thought…
3/16/2007 - Disappointed big time...
You have probably not heard the audio clip yet unless you listen to Laura Ingraham’s radio program, and my guess is you may never get to hear it. But it was extremely disturbing. It was a clip of President Bush on his trip to Mexico last week touting the great effectiveness of Ted Kennedy as a legislative leader. How wonderful and effective he is and how much of an advocate he is for immigration “reform”. Red flags and sirens should be going off at this point for you; they do for me! The president is again trying to sell the bull of a “comprehensive” amnesty program. I truly believe the president is actually in favor of undermining the sovereignty of this nation for the implementation of a “North American Alliance” much like the European Union. One monetary system, ease of movement through both Canada and Mexico (read no borders), and other business “benefits” that will undermine our laws and constitution. I have been disappointed by this president. I had high hopes in the beginning and I still believe he is steadfast in the war on terror. The rest of his legacy will be a total failure in my eyes (except for 2 Supreme Court Judges Roberts and Alito (don’t forget the Miers debacle we had to live through) and he has undermined the entire conservative reputation with his initiatives. It will not be a sad day to see this President go but I fear what’s coming down the Pike if this is what passes for “conservative” and patriotic. Just a thought…
We are fighting two wars on terror; one with Muslim extremists and the other with democratic extremists. Both the Muslims and democrats want to destroy our way of life, control the way we live, and crush the institutions that have made this country great. The only difference is the Muslims use violence and killing, and the democrats use the media and lies. Take for instance the democrats meddling in the firing of 8 Attorney Generals. It is the constitutional right of the Executive Branch to hire and fire at will any of the 93 Attorney Generals, period. The democrats are trying to usurp the constitution with their latest efforts to make this an issue. They are also trying to undermine the military’s ability to fight the war in Iraqwith foolish resolutions and funding tricks that will ultimately lead to our defeat in Iraq. They want the government to take over the healthcare system even as they demagogue about the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed hospital, a government run healthcare institution. They want to limit profits on corporations, redistribute from the productive to the non-productive, limit free speech, undermine the value of marriage, support the UN, ruin the economy on the basis of an unproven theory “Global Warming”, avoid profiling Muslim men from “terror watch” countries like Iran and Syria because of their obsession with Political Correctness, and the list goes on… They are dangerous and must be held accountable for their actions. The democratic leadership is no friend to freedom or the values that have made this country great. They may not want to kill us like the terrorists want to, but the results of their actions will have the same results on the future of this country. Just a thought…
3/13/2007 - Haliburton can go, just leave the contracts behind...
So here we go again with the DubaiPort deal argument. I hate when I have to agree with guys like Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senator from NY, but he is right on with this one. Halliburton is considering moving their corporate headquarters from HoustonTexas to Dubai to “save several hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes”. Where do you think most of Halliburton revenue comes from? Part of it, 16 billion is in contracts with the military, including contracts in Iraq. Here is my big problem, they want to win the contracts but they don’t want to pay the taxes. That’s fine, but no government contracts that involve the military should go to any company that is not 100% US based and operated. I’m sick of business leaders and some politicians that are willing to sell the soul of this nation to the lowest bidder. There will be a lot of pressure in the coming years for American multi-national companies to move to Dubai because of the incentives, and I say good riddance but don’t expect to be able to operate here in the US and especially expect to handle any military contracts for the US. I understand the pursuit to find shareholder value, but at what price? There are some things that should not be accepted by Americans, foreign control of military contracts and the operations of the nation’s ports and airports are two of them. Just a thought…
3/12/2007 - The left and the lunacy...
This is what happens when you don’t agree with the left. The scientists that don’t sign onto the Global Warming alarmist movement are being threatened with death. This is that “tolerant” left that says it is the republicans and Bush that stymie free speech. They quickly call republicans Nazis when they disagree with this lunacy. But who is looking like the Nazis in this case? The lefts only motivation is to stop capitalism and protect their phony industry of “pollution credits” (they only like capitalism when it works for their nutty industries). Al Gore owns a company that is into the trading of these phony credits and you can bet he and his leftist friends are going to protect it until the death. They can’t win in the arena of ideas so they have moved into the pollution arena.
In other news, Oprah Winfrey’s generosity and commitment to help children in Africa is being criticized for being too strict. The children are not even allowed sweets and treats; Aghast!! File it under, no good deed goes unpunished. Oprah will probably think twice about the next time she invests hundreds of millions of dollars to help others. Just a thought…
3/11/2007 - The left is taking their ball and going home...
Sophomoric is about the nicest thing you can say about the left. These leftist socialist, anti-capitalist, anti-American groups are boycotting their own debate because FOX News was scheduled tobroadcast the event in Nevada. They have had their way for so long with PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and the like that they don’t even recognize how unbalanced those networks are. They believe FOX is “right wing”. If you ask a conservative about FOX, they will suggest it is not “right wing” enough to offset the others. The bottom line is the left can’t get their message out and accepted without the guise the liberal media gives it. Their ideas are out of step with America and they have someone to blame; FOX. Maybe they should review their radical agenda instead of the way it is reported by FOX. Just a thought…
3/10/2007 - Walter Reed Hospital is the tip of the healthcare iceberg...
Walter Reed hospital is a disgrace when you think about the way we as Americans prioritize issues. We are handing out trillions of dollars on programs that make people more dependent on government and reward bad behavior and meanwhile we cut all kinds of corners for care to our veterans. What does that say about our priorities? Why are we encouraging dependent behavior but we are unwilling to fund help for a group of people that are willing to die for our values?The other issue that needs to be shouted from the roof tops is that this is what you get when the government is in charge of the healthcare program. As our politicians are criticizing the conditions at Walter Reed, out of the other side of their mouth they want to put us all into a system of healthcare run by the same bureaucrats. That doesn’t make sense, does it? If you care to dig deeper into this story at Walter Reed, the facility in question is slated for closure so not to put additional dollars into fixing it is was probably the right fiscal decision. The problem now is it is in the political arena. The people operating these facilities work with the budgets they are given and must prioritize and unfortunately our veterans have suffered here. This is so typical of government though, and we need to keep this in mind as our left leaning socialist democrats try to push this healthcare boondoggle on the rest of us. Just a thought…
It’s just people that want to come here and work hard at “the jobs most Americans will not do”. This is the crap they keep dishing and we keep seeing the arsenals of the drug dealers coming across our Mexican border getting more sophisticated every day. We are in a war on our southern border. There is no denying it. And what is the Bush administration doing? Arresting and convicting border agents that shoot drug dealers in the butt and sentencing them to 20 years in prison. This makes sense to you? And for the jobs that we Americans will not do; this study says 2 out of every 3 construction jobs in this country are done by “Latinos”. Code word for illegal’s. No not dishwashers, house keepers, lawn care, and fast food, but construction. The backbone of a local economy. Construction is a skilled trade and by allowing this to happen we are taking away millions of good jobs from our citizens. This must be stopped and I blame this administration for their lack of understanding this issue. Close the da_ _ border!
Surprised? The democratic leadership and particularly Nancy Pelosi just don’t understand how to fight terrorism or have what it takes to protect this nation. She is more concerned about the wacky left that elects her in the San Francisco district she represents. She is desperately trying to walk the tight rope between the extreme fringe on the left and her best imitation of being a “moderate”. She had promised to end the war and believed that is what the Americans were saying last election but she is finding out that Americans want to win, not cut and run. They were upset with the pace and management of the war. Democrats that felt emboldened are finding out that what they want to do in Iraq is not shared by the electorate and if they make the wrong move here, the next election will be ugly for them. With stories like this one that says there has been an 80% decrease in Iraq insurgency attacks since the surge has been implemented, make it difficult for democrats to implement their cut and run "strategy". People like Pelosi don’t understand our enemy has an absolute hate for us and our western ways. Pelosi and her ilk will never get it so I don’t know why I waste my breath.
3/7/2007 - Our legal system did not work in this "case"...
This entire Scooter Libbey trial raises some really disturbing questions for me. One of them is the jury process and whether or not it works anymore in high profile trials. It seems jurors are more interested in a book deal than the facts. The juror that rushed out to meet the press and was a former reporter had only one person in mind during this trial; himself. I shiver at the fact that one of the agreed upon facts in this “case” is there was no underlying crime. Valerie Plame was not covert and therefore there was no problem with leaking her name to anyone. This is a he said she said mess of contradicting memories about a news story, period. This is not the tip of an iceberg and the Howard Dean’s of the Democratic Party need to be called to the mat for the lies they are perpetuating. It is also depressing how politically ignorant the majority of Americans are. In a recent NY Times poll over 79% believed that the charges were “serious”. Serious? Forgetting what you say to a reporter about a story is not serious. We need to start teaching kids how to think through an argument and not rely on political hacks and reporters to do it for them. You should really evaluate you intelligence if you think this is anything more than a witch hunt by an over zealous prosecutor. Get the facts man; you will be amazed and disappointed how far this fiasco was allowed to progress. Just a thought…
3/5/2007 - Keep the government out of our healthcare...
All of you that think the government running our healthcare is a good thing need to read this article closely. The military is currently required to use the government healthcare system and actually some active military I know use part of the private system for certain healthcare needs because of the limited access for some services. This is the argument I have every time a politician talks about the government getting involved in healthcare; show me a program they run that gives you the confidence that you would now trust them with your health? It all sounds good because you think healthcare is expensive, and it is. But relative to what Americans spend on leisure activities it is not out of bounds. It just seems no one likes to use their money on healthcare. They would rather take their family on a vacation to Disney. And that is a choice you should be able to make but don’t try to get in my pocket when you get sick. I think the first step is to get the insurance companies out of paying for routine healthcare like doctors visits and we the consumers into the payment equation. Then we need to address the AMA monopoly on medical schools and increase the number of doctors in the system. Finally we need to address the way law suits are handled against doctors and the system. Those few changes will get us on our way to reducing costs. Getting the government involved any further is a recipe for disaster. Just look at how the military is treated in the government healthcare system and tell me your healthcare experience will be any different. Just a thought…
3/3/2007 - Flying with the Senators and Advisor to the President...
I spent half the week in Washington Dc at a business meeting. As part of that meeting I got the chance to tour the Pentagon’s JointSupportOperationsCenter. One of our members is the Director of the center and it was a great experience. The security is high so we didn’t get to see as much as would have liked but it was still very impressive. I was scheduled to fly back to Denver, Friday at 2:35 on Frontier Airlines from ReganAirport. As I was waiting I noticed I would be flying with some distinguished guests. I first spotted Colorado Senator Wayne Allard and I believe his wife. Then I noticed mulling around the corner out of view keeping a close eye on his Blackberry, Colorado Senator Ken Salazar. This would not be unusual since it was Friday in DC and politicians were heading home. But then moseying up to the waiting area came Karl Rove, President Bush’s close advisor. His presence was a bit strange. Now we ended up being delayed an hour due to “mechanical” issues, but I had a sneaking suspicion it may have been caused by an increased revue of security. Now I don’t know that, but by the lack of frustration from our political co passengers, it seemed to me it was standard procedure for them (I am only guessing). They got on the plane with the “Elite” program passengers but I was surprised to see Senator Allard was in aisle 7, Salazar in 10, and Carl Rove was on the aisle in 13 and I was window 14. I loved the fact that they were traveling like the rest of the American public. Impressive in light of the hoopla Nancy Pelosi is making over “needing” a private jet. We would all love a private jet but not at taxpayer’s expense. Just a thought…
Yeh! Let’s bring in more Mexican thugs like the ones in this LA suburb of Cudahy. These are those “hard working” people that are doing the jobs that Americans “won’t do”. This is what we want from immigrants coming to America? This is what we want for our children’s future? If you had to live next to this crap you wouldn’t put up with it so why should these folks in CA? I am so sick of gang members, drug traffickers, and the scum of this world being welcomed here in America. It is time to shut the border, bomb Iran, hold the line on North Korea and leave our president behind. It is unfortunate because I don’t think George Bush is a “bad” man but he has lost his will to do what’s right for this country. If he does not hold the line in Iraq, force the hand of Iran, and close the borders of this country he will be a failure. Roberts and Allito will be it but overshadowed when the results of his failed policies rear their ugly heads in the near future…
2/26/2007 - Get back to making movies; good movies...
The Oscar’s are nothing more than a preview to the Democratic Nation Convention. They promote fear and anxiety about things like “Global Warming” and the loss of civil liberties instead of promoting what’s great with America. I can not watch this garbage but like a train wreck I flipped to the channel twice during the evening; once as Mellissa Ethridge accepted an award for something but immediately launched into a political “tirade” (clicked the channel immediately) and the other was when the best actress award was announced and a woman I never heard of won. Most of what is awarded is nothing I recognize but that’s not surprising. I limit my movie going to Harry Potter, Narnia, and things that interest my children. I am a DVD guy since it is not as painful to the wallet when the movie is a clunker. The audience was dismal for the time slot and the reviews pathetic and that will continue until the movie industry re connects with Americans again.
In real news: Israel is holding a national nuclear drill for its citizens. It will not be long before they are forced to strike Iran. Even Arab countries are considering giving them fly over permission.
At least the Israeli’s are taking the Iranian leaders words seriously. If Iran was as close to the US as Canada is, an attack on their nuclear facilities would have been a done deal. We would not ask anyone’s permission, and I would hope because of the eminent danger and proximity we would not have had to justify our action. I expect the US will publicly deny giving Israel clearance to fly over Iraq to Iran, but I would assume we will be hearing about the attack in early June. Just a guess, but time is running out for the Iranian leader’s arrogance and threats. It will be a great day for the free world when Israel destroys or significantly sets back Iran’s nuclear capability. Until Iran is a true democracy and not run by the “law” of Islam, they can’t be trusted. Just a thought…
The democrats can’t have it both ways. For the longest time they were saying, “Bush was going it alone” in the war against terror in Iraq. They wanted France, Germany, and Russia’s blessings and they were saying how we went it alone with no support from other nations. At the time the dinosaur media did not challenge the democrat’s position (surprise, surprise) even though as we knew then and the democrats are now admitting, we shared the battlefield with 26 countries. But now that Britain is reducing their force by 1600 and Denmark 460, the new democratic mantra is the coalition force is breaking up??? Will the dinosaur media call them on it? Did anyone else notice this hypocrisy? Are these the type of people we want running our country?
Side notes: Senator Lieberman is considering switching his affiliation to the Republicans. It won’t happen but its fun to ponder. And Nancy Pelosi is whining to the president about Dick Cheney making the comment, “the Democrats plan for Iraq would validate the Al Qaeda strategy”. And what is there to whine about? It sounds like the VP is just telling the plain truth. Nancy Pelosi is embarrassing good women all across this country with her whininess and constant pettiness.
2/22/2007 - Good news bad news...
The religion of “peace” and tolerance has convicted a young Muslim Blogger for insulting Islam and the Egyptian President. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison. An Egyptian Lawyer that attended the trial was quoted as saying, “I was hoping he would get a harsher sentence because he presented to the world a bad image of Egypt. There are things one should not talk about, like religion or politics. He should have got a ten year sentence”. This is a good news bad news story. The good news is that there is a young movement in Egypt that is criticizing the government and the teachings of Islam as intolerant and radical. The bad news is that there is not enough support for these Bloggers. This should have Egyptians taking to the street but I am sure that will not happen. And if it is it will be squashed by the religion of “peace” supporters.
In other “news”; The FDA is cracking down on meat and poultry packing plants in an effort to curb the increase in recent bacterial outbreaks. Some groups are opposing it and you have to ask why? Is the protection and the integrity of our food supply not important? Or could it be that it will expose the fact that most of these plants hire illegal workers that have questionable hygiene habits? You decide…
No kidding? It’s funny that when we enforce the borders we deter the illegal crossing of said border. Now I don’t have a degree in Rocket Science, but I think even I could have predicted this result. The increased enforcement is welcome and is about time. Now if the President will stop the Federal governments use of drug dealers to testify against our border agents, and if he releases the 2 border agents recently sent to prison for shooting a drug dealer in the butt; we will have something to celebrate. The border and terrorism are paramount for conservative Americans and any candidate that ignores them does so at their own political peril. Just a thought…
I wish they would move on from the Anna Nicole Smith story; please.
American’s are wishful thinkers by nature. Wishful thinker’s have a high opinion of themselves and are often convinced (in their own mind) that eventually everyone will see things the way they do. Although this may seem like a logical way to think as an American; I believe we do so at our own peril. Liberal thinkers are absolutely convinced that this is the case. That is why you see liberals embracing despots around the world and talking about “engagement” of the enemy. They believe all you have to do is get enemies to see things the way we do, like magic, the world is singing one big cum ba yah! But what if the enemy understands this and is using it against us? What if the enemy is willing to do the unthinkable to us no matter how much we “embrace” them? The nineteen hijackers that killed 3000 and took down the WorldTradeCenter buildings were in this country, living within western culture, exposed to our lifestyle, for 5 years or more, but still chose to kill us. They took advantage of our wishful thinking that - if only they could get to know us, there would be no reason to harm us – pre 9/11 thinking. We have to know our enemy to effectively combat their intentions. We need to know how they think and how committed they are to their cause. We have to engage them but based on the understanding that we will take their words seriously. Iran has vowed to annihilate Israel and western civilization. We need to engage them alright but with sanctions, military force, and whatever action it takes to change their mind. Our actions need to reflect a response to their words. We can not afford to wish that if we ignore or reward aggressive behavior the behavior will stop because they will realize we are good guys. This is suicidal. It is the same with the terrorist threat; anyone associated with or sympathetic to terrorism in this country needs to be deported immediately. We can wish for people to like us and be our friends but to think we can do that with Iran and terrorists is suicide. Just a thought…
I just finished the book “Infiltration” by Paul Sperry about the insurgence of terrorists and Islam at the highest levels of our government. I encourage the “Islam is a peaceful religion” crowd to read this book. It will scare you, upset you, and possibly launch you into action. The book describes an enemy willing to slowly make political inroads to get to the ultimate goal of turning the US into an Islamic nation. It chronicles the deception of the many organizations that are fundraising and running interference for terrorists and their cause. Although not all Muslims are terrorists, they all subscribe to a doctrine, not of political freedom, but religious oppression. Muslims are using our constitution to their advantage to spread Islam through our prisons, the media, legal intimidation, and they understand how to use our political correctness as a weapon to disarm our distrust about their intentions. I for one will not back down. I see through this movement like a pane of glass. The leaders are educated, disciplined, patient, and organized. Don’t be fooled about the true intention of the followers of Islam. It is not “radical Islam”. That is redundant. Islam as compared to the Christian and Judeo traditions do not wish to live in peace with any other religion. The goal is to be the only religion by any means necessary. This is a battle that has been going on for centuries in the Middle East and it is now here in the US. I know you don’t want to seem “intolerant” but that is exactly what the leaders of this “religion” want you to feel. Don’t fall for it. You know who you are. You are not anti Muslim or Islam; you just don’t want to live under it. But be prepared to face a long battle and to recognize the tactics they use. Get familiar with their intentions, the history of Muhammad and the writings of the Quran. They will scare you to death. It is time to wake up before the movement grows any larger. Read all you can about this religion and please read “Infiltration” by Paul Sperry.
Today started the end of the democratic control of congress. The American people will not put up with this. The American people will not allow our troops to be left hanging half way around the world. Republicans and all good Americans need to shout from the highest mountain to make sure the funding for our troops does not stop. Call, e-mail, write you congressman and state your outrage. These democrats are enemies of this nation. We need to defeat any congressman that voted for this bill. Jack Murtha is a thug, criminal, and disgrace to this nation. He should be in jail for all of his past extortion efforts of lobbyists; instead he is pledging to disarm our troops. Nancy Pelosi is an incompetent woman that should go back to San Francisco and protect her grand children because if she gets her way Al Qaeda will be at our shores and bombing our children with a frequency never seen before.
Thomas Jefferson one of our Founding Fathers was an eloquent writer that believed there would be times when the people of this nation would need to change the government by any means necessary when it stop representing the people it served. I believe that time is now. I say “throw the bums out”. God Bless our Military and their families; they deserve better than these bums in congress!
2/15/2007 - What will it take?
It’s a sad day when the United States Congress is doing its best to support Iran rather than our own troops or our own government. Democrats and some republicans are so blinded by hate for Bush and political expediency that they are willing to undermine what’s best for this country. Right now what is best for our country is to support our troop’s current efforts to bring stability to Baghdad and other areas rocked by terrorists and insurgents. Can they not see the bigger threat to stability if we don’t complete the mission and back away now? Do they not see the threat of Iran? The similarities to Hitler in the 1930’s are chilling. I fear the will to protect this nation is gone. I fear there will have to be millions killed before these politicians understand the threat of Iran must be dealt with now not later. My kids and yours are counting on us to hold these politicians accountable. There is no option for failure here. This is not Viet Nam 1969, this is Iraq 2007. This is a connected world that is easy for our enemies to follow us around and harm us and our interests. The president should do what needs to be done to protect US citizens, democrats be damned, terrorists and Iran beware…
No matter how you feel about the war on terror in Iraq one thing is for sure; the democrats are hypocrites and can’t be trusted in this debate. This youtube video takes all the key democrats of today and shows their positions on Iraq and going to war. They have out right lied about their positions and have tried to place all the blame on President Bush but in today’s media; you can’t get away with lies for long. Click this link and hear the words of; Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Edwards, Joe Biden, and others. They said not long ago; Sadam Hussein must be stopped because of his “weapons of mass destruction”. It seems when you ask them today they have forgotten those comments. Thanks to me, a few friends, and the technology of youtube you get the “rest of the story”. Do not trust the democrats with your future and safety. They have proven themselves untrustworthy. Just listen…
2/9/2007 - Make Former Speaker Hastert Pay Us Back...
I am praying but not hopeful that the American people are watching the use of the United States Air Force as a “taxi” service for congress. There is no need for anyone other than the President and VP to have access to air travel provided by the taxpayers. If I would have realized that former Speaker Hastert was getting this treatment I would have been just as outraged, and I am. He should pay back the treasury through his campaign fund for all of the flights he took back to his Chicago district. This is not a partisan issue; it is an issue of arrogance. To believe that US representatives including the “Speaker” of the house should travel any different than you or me shows how out of touch our government has become. This second in line for the presidency argument does not fly with me. We have a system that has procedures that go far beyond the 2nd in line. Every member of congress could argue they are in line for the presidency depending on how many government officials were killed, God forbid, in a terrorist attack. And in fact, the more our representatives fly commercial, like me and you, the better understanding and diligence they will have for strong security measures. I urge you to write your representatives and tell them “The Air Force has more important things to do than shuttle their sorry hides around the country; stop the congressional “taxi” service now”. Watch how quickly this story dies in the media. I watched Matt Lauer this morning snidely commenting how this is a non-issue for the American people; oh yeah! Show him you care. This is outrageous!
I predict that the republican base is going to walk away in the 2008 presidential race. Their disgust with the way the Bush administration and the republicans in the Senate have handled the illegal infiltrators on our southern border will anger them to the point they stay home. I have always thought the president a decent man, and I respect his leadership in the war on terror abroad, but when it comes to protecting our own back yard, he has failed miserably. The case against two border patrol agents who were convicted of firing their weapon and injuring a known Mexican drug dealer, has shined the light on the immigration fiasco and the Federal governments role in undermining the security of this nation. I and many Americans hold the President and this congress responsible and there will be a price paid at the ballot box. People that care about the border and securing it are so outraged by what’s going on, I predict they will be willing to watch a left wing democrat like Hillary Clinton win the presidency just to send a message. The president and the republican congress are sitting on a time bomb and the conviction of these two border patrol agents has ignited the fuse. The president has failed to fund the fence in its entirety and he continues to believe we need to have an amnesty program. He is flat out wrong and any republican holding this belief will be defeated at the ballot box. It gives me heartburn to think of Hillary as president but President Bush is alienating the base to the degree he is handing over the reigns to his new good buddy Bill Clinton and his wife. I am disgusted that the president is siding with Mexican drug dealers and not the people that got him elected. The Mexican drug dealer has received immunity from prosecution and is suing the American government (you and me) for 5 million dollars not pesos, of your hard earned tax dollars. Outraged yet? Make sure you read and follow this story. Even if they shot this drug dealer in the butt, why are we arresting the agents? Shoot all the drug dealers in the butt as far as I’m concerned. I don’t see the crime. Do you?
This is so out of control! The president and the VP get to travel by Air Force jets but the thought that congress is using the Air Force as a taxi service is just another example of their arrogance and delusion of self importance. If it is not safe to fly commercial for congress, it is not safe for Americans; period. They are not Kings and Queens of a Monarchy; they are common citizen legislators and need to be treated just like us peons. Nancy Pelosi is insisting on a “jumbo” jet that can make it across the country non stop and has the room for her “posse” including her friends and family and undoubtedly lobbyists. It needs to stop now! Every one of these elitists who don’t want to stand in the security lines, wait for baggage, deal with the delays, can take their stuff out of their DC office and go home to their district. We should replace every one of our members of congress if they think they can justify this crap. This is America not Russia or China. They need to get off their high horse and into a commercial airliner. This is bull and I’m done. You should be too!!
I know the “Global Warming” crowd will disregard this article that concludes that the current “Global Warming” movement is politics, not science. This is an article by Dr. Tim Ball with credentials from some of the most prestigious University’s in the world and has supporting evidence from Richard Lindzen, Professor at MIT; a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and has been with Harvard and the University of Chicago.
This is only for those of you willing to open your eyes and to get past the politics of the environmental movement. Hundreds of billions of dollars are on the line for environmentalists. No wonder they are rabid about the Global Warming myth. Readers beware to be enlightened…
2/5/2007 - A few thoughts...
I should say something about the Super Bowl but I will ignore it. I am already tired of Hillary and Obama 24/7. Nancy Pelosi’s favorability rating at 49%? Proving that the main stream media still holds a powerful foothold on public opinion. It also shows that most people don’t have the time or political aptitude to understand the difference in what someone says and what they truly stand for. If they knew what Hillary and Nancy really would do if they had their dithers, they would shiver and run. Hillary will launch an attack on Obama’s Muslim roots saving me a lot of time to post on her. I am so disappointed with our political process that I find myself gravitating away. The only thing that keeps me coming back is my children’s future. No matter how much you want to ignore it you must fight that urge and get involved. I am still writing a book but finding it hard to find the time to finish. I am about ¾ done and getting anxious about the results of this effort. You will be surprised to see how funny I can be! Keep reading my blog and please share my web site with others. I can’t believe how many visitors I continue to get since the election. It spiked at 1500 unique visitors a month and has remained over 500 since then. That is encouraging and I thank you for letting me get my thoughts across. This was a bit scattered today but that is how I feel. Stay tuned…
2/2/2007 - Hillary as Dictator?
Record cold temperatures across the country; and the beat goes on with the “Global Warming” crowd. No matter what the science says, they will see what they want to see. I guess the homeless movement is passé.
In related news; Hillary Clinton said today (hear it for yourself on youtube) in a speech that she is “going to take Exxon Mobil’s record profits and put them into a fund to explore alternative energy sources to reduce our dependence on oil”. Did Hillary buy Exxon Mobil? Do the stockholders (me and you if you have a 401K) agree with Hillary that this is the way we want our profits spent? Where does she get the authority? This is very indicative of the way she will operate as, God forbid, president. It is her dictorial instincts, better than thou attitude of knowing what is best for the peons. I am no huge fan of oil company’s but I am a huge fan of capitalism and if we look at the reasons for the huge profits it breaks down this way: Exxon Mobil buys the oil at the market price of say $50 a barrel. They have no control of what OPEC sets for prices so they pay the market price for their core product. They refine the oil and sell the gas for a 15% profit. For example based on the $50 barrel price the price of a gallon of gas is $1.50 and they sell 1000 gallons, at 15% profit; they make $225 profit. So now the base price of a barrel of oil goes to $75 a barrel (no profit for Exxon here) and that increase raises the cost of a gallon of gas to $2.00 a gallon. They sell the same 1000 gallons at a 15% profit but now that profit is $300.00. So Exxon still makes 15% but of a higher price. Put that on a scale of millions of gallons and the same 15% for Exxon Mobil become s a huge number. But still 15% because the additional dollars go to the oil producing countries. It is simple economics but it is also our capitalist system and the best system in the world. I guess Hillary is running on a Dictatorship platform? I’m not sure but it sure sounds like it. Keep a close ear to what Evita, I mean Hillary says. Just a thought…
According to this article Americans are not saving any of their income and actually they are spending 1.5 % more than they make. I am a saver so this surprises me but when I look at the way this figure is calculated; it seems to me they have not taken into account the way 401K’s work. Here is how their figure is calculated; “The savings rate is computed by taking the amount of personal income left after taxes are paid, an amount known as disposable income and subtracting the amount of spending.”
People who contribute to their 401K actually take a percentage of their income pre-tax and put it into a savings vehicle like a mutual fund and then employers match the amount up to a certain percentage. For example if you have $100 a week taken out for your 401K and you have an employer match, at the end of the year you have saved $5200 and depending on the employer match, it could be as much as double or $10,400.00 saved. The numbers I have heard related to people putting money into 401K’s is encouraging and tempers this story a little bit. But if you don’t want to be left out in retirement, as your friends that have saved travel the world, doing the things they have always dreamed about, while you sit at home waiting for your social security check, start saving. Depending on the government to take care of you is bad financial planning. Just a thought…
According to John Kerry, we are a pariah in the world. I ask John Kerry; who does the world turn too when there is a natural disaster? Who does the world turn too when another country invades them? Where do people turn when there are epidemics like aids, bird flu, and SARS? We are the most generous nation in the world. We are the most compassionate civilization in history. We have a political system, although messy at times, that is envied and despised in the world because it is based on freedom and law. So who is the real pariah? Is it not the dictatorships of the world? Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Sudan, China; all of who kill dissidents and squash any form of freedom they disagree with. Sound familiar? Democrats since winning power are now trying to resurrect the “Fairness Doctrine”, which actually impedes free speech and the free flow of ideas across the radio waves of the US. They send up flares and warnings when Christians get involved in politics with cries for a separation of church and state. But when it comes to Muslims and Islam they turn a blind eye and ignore the terrorist threat posed by Islam and encourage “diversity” in religious thought; excluding Christians and Jews of course. Democrats encourage and legitimize religions and nations not on facts but on political correctness. They are unwilling to use the military when necessary even when it is clear that it is best to do so. Like with Iran’s nuclear program and the war on terror. So who is the real pariah? If the democrats get their way; Kerry’s comments may ring true one day. Just a thought…
When will we learn? When will we react? When will we stop committing slow suicide by being politically correct about Iran and Islam? When we will learn the UN is an anti American institution? When are we going to elect politicians that have a backbone and understand the true threat of Islam and Iran? When will we realize that Islam is not a religion but a terrorist movement? What will we do the next time an airline is brought down by a terrorist? Or a building? Or a school building? Have you ever read passages from the Quran? Do you know the story of Muhammad? Do you feel threatened when a religion is built on conversion through violence? Whose side do you think the Muslims in the US are on? Are you tired of the focus on terror? Do you believe there is a terrorist threat? Do you believe that our politicians are capable of stopping the terrorist threat? Are you willing to risk your family’s future? Do you care? Am I paranoid? Are you? Wake up…
1/23/2007 - The state of our union is sad...
Here is the State of the Union speech I suggest:
“My fellow Americans; the state of the union is divided. No matter what I propose to you tonight 50% of you will like it and the others will hate it. Not because of the substance but because of the greedy quest for power all of you here in this chamber desire. To the republicans I say you are weak kneed jelly fish that run like rats when the democrats put on a media offensive, and you lack any direction, and none of you deserve to be leading this nation. To the democrats I say you are despicable as you embolden our enemy in the war on terror in America, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and I consider your actions treasonous. Illegal immigration is bringing down this country one illegal at a time. Our healthcare, education, and social services are at their breaking point and we are about to collapse from within. The terrorists only need to wait a little longer as we bicker amongst ourselves and hand over this once great nation to the illegal immigrants and the nation of Islam. We are so divided that I fear the only thing that can bring us back together is another terrorist attack; therefore my plan is to stop fighting terror, open our borders further, increase the number of student visas from Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and any country that has Muslim terrorists to move us closer to an attack that will hopefully reunite us. I leave you with this; I don’t care what the polls say but that seems to be the way this body leads so; I give you permission to pull out all of our troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, and everywhere else in the world and replace them with UN negotiators. I will sit and watch, and wait, hoping that something will unite us as Americans because I fear we have lost our soul. We are imploding on the weight of the incompetence exuded by this body of Congress. You are weak and your legacy will be to have been responsible for this great nation’s downfall. I hope the poll numbers are worth it. God Bless the American people and Screw you bunch of incompetent imbeciles”
A gloomy assessment but it feels so hopeless and I consider myself an optimist…
1/19/2007 - Here comes the "feel good"...
Nancy Pelosi has announced a “Special Committee” to address the “Global Warming crisis”. This committee will have one mission and one result; the attempt to undermine our capitalist way of life and the resurrection of the Kyoto Treaty; a treaty designed to undermine the competitive edge of the United States. The focus is on intentions not results. By using a “special committee” she thinks this is sending a message that she is embracing a larger group of individuals in the process (mostly radical environmentalists I’m sure) but she is really undermining her own parties responsibility to handle the issues of the people. Democrats are angry because the heads of the committee’s that handle these issues were not told, and they feel like they were bi-passed in an effort to undermine their new found power. If you read closely it is all about the power; surprise, surprise. The only good thing about this is the committee has no real power just PR potential. It is about what they say they are trying to do, not what they accomplish. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Global warming is not an issue for a special committee; it is an issue that deserves a real debate. Not an Al Gore movie or a Michael Moore documentary but a real debate amongst scientists that are not being funded by an organization with a mission. I wish they would put as much effort into killing terrorists and closing our border as they do in undermining the engine of our economy; capitalism. Just a thought…
1/18/2007 - A couple of thoughts...
This is why I am very skeptical about the Global Warming is killing us crowd. Weather patterns when studied over significant periods of time show both warming and cooling trends. This is not to say we ignore the environment just the alarmists. They are really targeting capitalism not the environment. Most are socialists or leftovers from that great system of human domination, communism. Discount their message but keep a common sense approach to protect our environment.
In this politically correct story; Northwest Airlines should not pay the Muslim Extortionist group CAIR for the recent event discussed in this story. The passengers were late on arrival from their chartered flight from Mecca, did not have the proper luggage tickets. Therefore deserve nothing but an empathy statement from the Airline. Northwest did nothing wrong and if this was a group of Catholic pilgrims coming back from Ireland, Northwest would not have even apologized. It was not their fault and has no control over the departure and arrival of chartered flights. This is ridiculous. This is a money grab and part of a bigger effort to get people in the Airline Industry uncomfortable to approach Muslim passengers and making it easier for terrorists to get on planes. It’s that simple. Read the Quran; it’s an eye opener…
Democrats; the protectors of free speech; protectors of transvestite rights, animal rights, terrorist rights, are now concerned that conservatives have taken over control of the media outlets. They discard ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, the New York Times, the LA Times, the Boston Globe, and the hundreds of other liberal outlets as relevant in their discussion of talk radio. You see Liberal’s ideas don’t attract an audience on radio. They have tried and consistently fail. Prior to August 1987 the FCC placed rules around radio stations that basically killed AM radio. When the doctrine was lifted due to its “chilling effect on the first amendment”, the current talk radio industry launched with the conservative power house Rush Limbaugh who launched the most successful radio show in the history of radio. His success launched the talk radio industry that has seen great success for “conservative” commentators and little success for liberal ones. The media market now had competition in the arena of ideas that they had never had to deal with before. Often the talk show circuit brings to the forefront the hypocrisy of politicians, and because democrats seem to have more hypocrites in their ranks they have had to address the lies and deceit they have rained on the American people. Republicans have had their fair share of these politicians as well. So now that the democrats have taken control of congress, they are trying to get traction for the “Fairness” doctrine to advocate for a “chilling effect on the first amendment”. I thought the democrats loved free speech? I thought they were the defenders of freedom and the common man? I thought descent was good when it came to speaking out against the Iraq war? Actually they used the word patriotic to describe the “free” speech against the war and the Patriot Act? They have actually shown their true colors; they are for free speech, as long as the speech does not criticize their ideas and intentions. Makes you wonder doesn’t it? Keep your ear out for this one because I’m not sure the Republican incumbents will fight too hard to stop it. It will be up to us to maintain our freedom of speech.
1/16/2007 - A proud parental moment...
My son and daughter swam like champions this past weekend. One in LawrenceKansas, and the other in Estes ParkColorado. My daughter swam 3 personal bests that made her eligible for the State Meets in March. My son swam in an All Star meet invitational that was attended by swimmers from 7 states. He swam personal bests in 5 of the 6 events and place 2nd in the two back stroke events, 3rd in the 200 free, 4th in the 100 free (moving up 1 place from his seed time), and 5th in both the 100 fly and 50 free. He was 5th overall out of the 7 states represented in his age group. I could not be prouder of these two extremely disciplined swimmers. They have a great coach Terre Christensen and her hard work combined with theirs makes for many a proud moment for Mom and Dad. Thank you.
Here is an article on the improvement of ultra sound technology. When you see these pictures you realize that the abortion debate will be defined through technology in the upcoming years. To look at these pictures and call them anything but babies is a stretch. I am hopeful with the help of technology and education we can all better understand the development of life and the best way to approach the debate. There will be a need to revisit the debate based on this technology. It will be an improvement in the debate to help focus on facts over emotion. Just a thought…
1/11/2007 - What the President should have said…
(Read it as if you were giving the speech)
“My fellow Americans, we are engaged in a World War against terrorism and Iraq is just one front in that battle. September 11th has forced us to take more aggressive action against the terrorists of the world, both abroad and right here in the United States. We are waging a war with the fundamental premise of Islam; which is to have all citizens of the world submit to their religion and “Islamic Law”; which is unacceptable and in direct conflict with our principals and purpose. I will not stand by and let that happen, and it is imperative that Iraq becomes an example of our resolve and what we as Americans are willing to do to defeat these enemies of the world’s freedom loving peoples, and to protect our freedoms here in the United States. I understand it is uncomfortable to believe that there are those out there whose soul purpose is to destroy us, but it is a fact, and our success in Iraq will indicate our resolve and dedication to the larger cause; our American way of life. I know there are critics out there, but it is easy to be a critic, and much harder to develop solutions, and to the critics I say; what do you offer in this World War against terror? Any solution that includes our retreat from this effort will not be accepted by me or my administration. My door is open to the critics that want to offer alternative solutions but my ears are closed to retreat. This battle front in Iraq is difficult but it is an indication of the resolve of our enemy. We can not abandon our fight and we will defeat the terrorists in Iraq and around the world. I ask the American people to join me in our resolve behind the good men and women in our military who are on the front line of this World war to say; we are with you, we support your families, you serve a noble cause and we know your efforts in Iraq are keeping us safe at home, and we pledge our resolve to win this fight. God Bless our Troops and God Bless all those that carry the mantle of freedom. God Bless the American people, here are the details of my strategy to beat the terrorists in Iraq…”
Along with the details of the strategy the president outlined, the speech above would have framed it to engage the American people in the bigger purpose of our efforts in Iraq. If the President would like to call me to join his speech writing team I would be honored. I am waiting by the phone… Hmm! The silence is deafening…
When was the last time the ACLU fought for American’s values? This is the most out of touch “law” organization in the country. They should move their headquarters out of WashingtonDC and into the UN building in New York. They spend more time defending citizens that live under two bit dictators and socialist regimes than they do defending American civil liberties. I don’t know what their original charter stated but now I am sure it includes the phrase; “will do our best to undermine the US constitution and the security of the US homeland”. The ACLU is suing the Rhode Island State Police because they stopped a van full of illegal immigrants for not using a blinker and during the stop asked the van full of people (not seat belted I’m sure, aghast!) for ID. Surprise, surprise they had none. The 14 were escorted to the Federal ICE office by the State Trooper and handed over to immigration officials. The ACLU is suing based on the accusation that the Trooper violated the “Racial Profiling Prevention Act” an act I’m sure that is designed to handcuff our law enforcement and give lawyers from the ACLU many opportunities to sue the government. I guess only normally law abiding US citizens that don’t use their blinker or run a stop sign or run a red light are allowed to be pulled over. Those in our country illegally should not be approached because, well, they look like illegal immigrants so hands off. Don’t you understand that they are here doing the jobs “Americans refuse to do”. Who is going to do all the work we refuse to do? The society will fall apart if this kind of behavior by law enforcement is allowed to continue. Think about how fast our prisons will empty out if we start pulling over illegal’s violating traffic laws (see yesterday’s post). This is so ludicrous I just don’t know why anyone wants to go into law enforcement but thank God they do. We’re with you Trooper…
So much for the notion that people coming here illegally from Mexico are law abiding citizens looking to support their family by doing the work “most Americans will not do”. They may be taking American jobs to support their family but they are also doing things here that are getting them arrested. According to these figures, the charges range from traffic tickets to weapons and drug charges. The good news is we are deporting more of these illegal’s than before but will this data have any impact on the renewed debate about a “comprehensive” immigration policy (read amnesty)? According to this study illegal’s get arrested up to six times while here. That’s right six times. Where is the outrage about the strain on our resources from, police (Federal, State, and Local), prisons, and the courts to name a few? We always here from our politicians how we need more resources for our law enforcement to do their jobs. How about a border fence to keep the criminals out? Here is an additional excerpt from this article that speaks for itself; “A separate report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University showed that the number of immigrants who were deported as "aggravated felons" doubled over the last 15 years, from 10,303 in 1992 to an estimated 23,065 in 2006”. That’s only the deported ones; the ones that were part of the “catch and release policy” surely increase this number ten fold. Legal immigration is a good thing for this country when the proper vetting process is followed. I think this speaks to the need to send all illegal’s home and re-submit an application for review to decide if they deserve a chance to return. Is that too much common sense? I thought so…
I say cut back to a one day work week while the democrats have control. The more days off they give themselves the better off the American Taxpayer and economy. Now that I think about it; a two year hiatus is in order. They can start campaigning now, they can spend some time in their districts to see how the real economy works, and they can spend the remaining time on the talk show circuit building up their egos and babysitting the children. Since Nancy Pelosi is so concerned about the children, she can offer to watch her own grandchildren for the next two years and leave ours alone. I’m sure her children will appreciate that gesture. If not, I’m sure there are lots of working parents that could use her help. Anything to keep her out of our pockets. Just a thought…
The president is embarking on a new Iraq policy and he is considering increased troop deployment but I am conflicted because the plan lacks a strategic component and a definition of what success will look like in Iraq. Here is the dilemma I see as I start to understand the goals of the factions within Iraq. There are many that are determined to implement Islamic Law as the guiding principals for their governance. This I believe is the reason it took so long initially to form a democratic government in Iraq. We in the west (and Israel) understand the true and necessary component of the separation of church (religion) and state (government). Those who follow the Quran as their guiding principal believe that can not be allowed. In contrast, those that follow the Bible or the Torah know that the greatest threat to their religious beliefs is a government run by a theocracy. For all the shouting the left does here about the threat of a theocratic takeover by the ‘religious right”, they know deep down that is disingenuous. The Christian and Judeo values that this country was founded on have a strong track record here in the US as the foundation of the most successful experiment in self government ever witnessed by humanity. Christians and Jews protect the values needed for a successful democracy but they rarely if ever promote the idea of Priests and Rabbis running for political office and changing our form of government to eliminate all opposing religious views and to dominate through violence and terrorism. Actually that would not be tolerated here by the citizenry by Christians and Jews so why is it tolerated for Muslims? In Iraq we see it as a requirement to keep the country from becoming an Islamic Theocracy ruled by Mullahs, and instead create a sectarian model with a separation from Islam. Will we ever win this argument with the absolute determination of devout Muslims having influence in Iraq? The Quran teaches a forced takeover of all non-Muslims and includes the acceptable use of violence. How do you deal with a people so blinded by their faith? We must monitor the problems we will face here in the US as many more Muslims “immigrate” here. We are not founded on Islamic principals and they are actually a threat to this government. I think we need to answer that question in Iraq and determine if our goal of freedom and democracy is their goal. If it is we have an easy decision; if it is not then have we already won? We removed a brutal dictator, gave the Iraqis an opportunity to choose a government, and we are now just providing security for what? We need to keep Iran out of the country but do we do that from the streets of Baghdad or the border of Iraq and Iran? I believe with enough time all peoples long to be free. But at what cost? Those pursuing freedom are paying with their lives as terrorists are killing as many as possible sympathetic to western democracy. Is there enough will to fight for a true democracy with a separation of church and state? I want to know what the strategy is and the definition of victory from not only George Bush but also the Iraqi people before sending our troops to die for a lost cause. Just a thought…
The democrats have already voted to undermine the 3/5 super majority needed to raise taxes on the American people and businesses. So much for the pledge to not raise taxes by the many “moderate” democrats that made the pledge during their campaigns. I’m not surprised and I’m not comforted when they say they will be looking at raising taxes on the “highest” income learners. We already know that the top income earners pay a huge share of the federal taxes (top 1% pays 35% of taxes) and in order to get the money these socialists are trying to get they have to hit everyone that works and earns more than $30,000 a year. So you can say with confidence that to democrats everyone is rich. Get ready for the bull crap about the homeless and the working poor because obviously the trillions of dollars we have spent in the war on poverty was just a few dollars short of success. The reality is that we need more accountability from people and leave the true earners of this country alone. No amount of money is going to fix the problem; it is a people problem. This economy is humming and does not need roadblocks raised in the way of capital, earnings, savings, and estates by raising taxes. A quick personal note; Nancy Pelosi is an embarrassment to women. I look at her and compare her to the women I work with and there is no comparison. I bet the terrorists around the world are thanking the American people for being so complacent in the political process. When people like Pelosi get to the top you know the system is broken. She would be a joke if it wasn’t so dangerous to have her 2 steps removed from the presidency. In these terrorist times, my guess the incentive to get rid of the top 2 politicians in the US has just escalated. God Bless the Secret Service. Think of the embarrassment and chaos it would cause to have her in charge. Just a thought…
According to this article, Israel is considering a nuclear attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and if they do it; “could destabilize parts of the Islamic world friendly to the west”. The Islamic world friendly to the west? Is anyone kidding themselves that Islamic countries have any intention of a long term relationship with the west? Islam has one intention in the world and that is total domination of all governments not already ruled by “Islamic Law”. Islam is defined as submission and I believe we here in the US need to rescind religious status to the Muslim “religion”, and make them register as a political party. They do not want any separation of church and state, they want an Islamic state. We need to open our eyes and end this farce about the “religion of piece”. There is nothing peaceful about the intent of Muslims and the terrorists that are the devout believers of the Quran. They are bent on the idea of the destruction of Israel and I am amazed that Israel has not already demolished Iran’s nuclear facilities. No matter when they do it, it will destabilize the Islamic world. It will bring some peace of mind to western countries because as we all know deep down; Iran can not have a nuclear weapon. Iran and the Muslim countries of the world are the ones destabilizing the world; not Israel. Israel is content to live within their borders and they believe in democracy and freedom for all religions. Israel is not the one threatening to annihilate any country I know of. Can we say that of the other countries in the Middle East? Just a thought…
1/4/2007 - Don't make yearly resolutions...
The New Year is traditionally a time Americans make resolutions that they rarely keep; weight loss, stop a bad habit, and saving more money for retirement. Some set personal goals for the year and quickly abandon them when the going gets tough or they miss one benchmark. Not me. I have not made a resolution in 15 years. I have resolved to be better every day. I set goals based on passion and necessity. I set goals often; mostly small ones with an occasional run for congress thrown in. I think you need to stop doing yearly resolutions and focus on daily or short term goals. I am not saying to abandon the big goals, just realize that they are always a work in progress and you may leave them and go back often. If you don’t go back to it you may have set the wrong goal. This is not failure; it is reality. Dream big knowing it is a long term goal, sometimes a lifetime goal. So if you made a New Year’s resolution don’t fret you now know next year you don’t have to. The bad news is you should be setting goals daily and often. Once you come to terms with it you will smile more often and walk taller with a purpose in life. I started writing my first book last year and I have a goal to publish it this year. Big dream big goal. I hope to make it but I am having so much fun writing it I almost don’t want it to end. I did not make a New Year’s resolution to finish it this year, I just set a goal. I walk with more purpose this year knowing I have a goal; actually a dream…
12/30/2006 - Just another excuse to be violent...
Just read this article about Arab and Muslim reaction to Saddam’s execution and tell me we are dealing with rational people. The followers of Islam have a distorted view of the world, government, policy, and daily life compared too much of the rest of the world. The statements in this article are disturbing how all is blamed on the US and no matter what we do we are the enemy. This execution was carried out by the Iraqi government not the US. The world has one less despot in it today. I don’t feel like rejoicing but I do feel that the millions of individuals that Saddam tortured, terrorized, and killed have been given justice. Saddam will burn in hell for the life he led. Unfortunately the Muslim world is looking for yet another excuse to continue their violent tendencies. It is disturbing to watch because there are people in this country that actually think they can negotiate with a people so blinded by religion and hatred.
12/26/2006 - Reflect but don't be fooled...
This time of year Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus and the Christian/Western traditions we all love. It is also a time of year to celebrate by spending time with family and friends in the comforts of our homes. These values are cherished and are the result of the blood sweat and tears of many Americans that have sacrificed their lives throughout our history. As Christians we tend to look at others through a lens fogged with our Christian values. This is both good and dangerous. As we look the other way, we have a religion dedicated to our destruction looking on and pledging to destroy us. There are some that believe we can change the way they look at us through engagement and dialogue. That may work with some Muslims but there is a larger contingency that will not be so easily swayed. We can’t keep our head in the sand and deny this threat even if it is the Christmas season. This is a time we must commit to our values and be willing to say and do what needs to be done to protect our values and traditions. I am doing my best to learn about the Koran and the Muslim religion because I don’t believe it is a “religion of peace” but I am open to understand what it is that Muslims despise about Western values. I am willing to listen but I am going to be very critical. I will not be convinced through political correctness; just the actions of Muslim leaders around the world. You may not want to be critical of others but I know we have to be for our survival. The more I learn about Islam, the more disturbed I become. Celebrate during this Christmas season and spend this precious time with your family. Understand there are people out there that will die to take that away from you. The disturbing question is; are we?
12/21/2006 - The congressman is right to say what he said...
I applaud Representative Goode for his concern and remarks over the possibility of Muslims continuing to immigrate here and being elected to government office. Just look at what has happened when large groups of Muslims immigrated to France, England, and Denmark, and look at what they have done to those societies. They have tried to impose restrictions on women, special rights and dress exceptions, and frankly their culture clashes with western culture. If they don’t want to assimilate into western culture then they are not welcome; period. It needs to be said and dealt with straight on just like the congressman has. The so called Muslim rights group CAIR, is a radical group that should continue to be investigated and their call for an apology should be ignored. Wake up folks, the Muslim religion is dangerous because it is a magnet for terrorists. They should be watched closely and we should keep an eye on those that have been elected and the agenda they pursue. I will not fall prey to the PC garbage. I will call a spade a spade. Tough if CAIR doesn’t like it…
12/20/2006 - What are the Brits thinking?
Since it is the holiday season I had to address something other than Muslim extremists, or politics. The news never ends on those topics so I thought I would change direction and comment on this nutty story out of the UK. The headline “UK report says robots will have rights”. Assuming that we will ever have robots like the ones we have seen in the latest Sci fi thrillers, extending “rights” similar to the ones humans have shows how warped and PC our thinking has become. The only rights I can see extending to robots are the ones we currently have for say, the protection of damages on a car, house, or some other expensive object we own. So if someone steals it or damages it, we have recourse. To even suggest that robots will be entitled to civil rights is just nuts. But I can see it now, someone kicks a “cute” robot dog and dents its exterior and they are thrown in jail for abuse. The scenario is played over and over again on the evening news and the outrage builds against the culprit. Satellite trucks are parked outside the perpetrators house trying to get a comment on why they “abused” the robot dog. It becomes a national incident and congress holds a special session on “robot rights”. This article goes as far as to say they will also receive “healthcare” to insure maintenance of their “body parts” I guess. I know this is silly but it is articles like this that give us the deepest view into the human psyche. We continually project our values on other life forms without thought to consequence. Look a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and their quest to save everything that is non human. Don’t eat meat, poultry, or fish they say. They disregard the natural order of our existence. They believe the dog, cat, cow, and shark, have the same rights as humans. This is the same thinking being applied in this article to robots. Get ready for PETER (People for the Ethical Treatment of Electronic Robots). You laugh but you know I’m right. I am not saying we go out and “abuse” anything. I’m just saying we need to approach this subject with common sense. It must be nice to have so much spare time that you can sit around and discuss the rights of robots when we have starvation, genocide, radical extremists trying to take over the world, and general human insanity around the globe. Actually, maybe we are the insane ones trying to improve the human condition. That may be a lost cause. Maybe the Brits are on to something here. Just a thought…
12/15/2006 - They're all about the power...
I feel for Senator Johnson’s family and I hope he recovers quickly and fully. Anytime an illness like this strikes it is a difficult time but it has to be compounded by it being the Christmas season. But in WashingtonDC nothing trumps the quest for power. Not illness, death, nothing gets in the way when it comes to controlling the power levers of the Federal government... That’s why it is so apparent when democratic and republican leaders stand there and talk about how they hope Senator Johnson gets well; deep down what democrats are praying for is the ability to maintain power and the republicans are hoping to gain back power. I’m not suggesting republicans wish ill on the Senator, just that they are hoping he resigns and then gets healthy. With a republican Governor in the state of South Dakota, he will choose the Senator’s successor; most likely a republican. So call me a cynic if you will but you know I’m right. These guys are interested in the welfare of one thing; their power. This is a front page story because of the possible shift in power and this is the only reason DC politicians care. Sad but true… God Bless the Senator and his family, damn the power…
12/12/2006 - His words are real; we need to respond...
He speaks of the destruction of Israel. He organizes a conference of extreme idiots that question the history and existence of the Holocaust. He has vowed to create a nuclear bomb to annihilate Israel and the US. When will the world take him seriously? After Israel has been struck by a nuclear bomb and it’s too late? I don’t understand why we haven’t learned our lesson. We say we will never forget but we seem to have forgotten the lessons of WWII and 9/11. We are being told they want to kill us and yet we seem to discount the words of these extremists maybe hoping they are some how going to see things our way; eventually. They will not change their way until we show them the words they speak are unacceptable and will invoke consequences. He needs to be dealt with now and we need to send a message to the world; words have meaning, use them wisely.
12/9/2006 - Don't let your guard down...
The latest convert to the “religion of peace”. This new convert to Islam was planning on setting off 4 hand grenades in a crowded shopping mall the Friday before Christmas. A holiday celebrated by a true religion of peace. If you can’t see or don’t want to see it; let me remind you, we are in a holy war. A battle of civilizations and belief systems. On the one hand we have a religion that spawned the most successful and peace loving nation in the world. On the other hand we have a religion that has spawned the most oppressive and desperate nations in the world. One embraces all faiths and cultures, the other embraces one hard line message that must be followed or you are executed and in some more reasonable cases left alone as a second class citizen. The majority of countries that embrace Islam believe that a country should be ruled by the Mullahs. The countries that embrace Christianity and Judaism believe that religions should be left alone to worship, and that governments function better when there is a separation between religion and state affairs. Oh yeah, and they believe in democracy rather than dictatorship or “supreme” rulers. So are we going to continue to ignore the fact that people that follow Islam are more likely to be terrorists and keep an eye on them, or are we going to continue on our politically correct path of saying that it is not all Muslims and ignore the threat? It amazes me how quiet the leaders of Islam are in this country and it perpetuates the suspicion. I am not going to let political correctness blind me to the threat. You shouldn’t either…
12/8/2006 - Boot Baker's boys butts out of DC...
Jim Baker and “the old man group” need to fade away into oblivion. The report on Iraq they “authored” totally lacks the understanding and reality of the enemy we face; Iran, Syria, Islamic terrorists. This report created by the supposedly “experienced elders”, gets an F for failing but also an F for frocking stupidity and a total lack of credible analysis. President Bush would be right to tear it up and throw it in the garbage. He should tell it like it is and tell them all to go back to their retirement homes in Florida. We need to get some analysis from some of our young Iraq veterans that have been there on the ground and have faced the enemy in Iraq, and have spoken with our friends there as well. They will give us the recommendations we need to win the freedom and stability for the good people of Iraq. And it won’t include the Iranian Mullahs and two bit dictator of Syria. They would not muck it up with the Palestinian issue either like this report does. The radical Islamist always tie Palestinian statehood to everything and it is just a convenient way to get closer to Israel to destroy it. It may include some help from our good friend in the region Israel, and maybe even Britain, but forget about the “axis of evil” empire. Have these “elders” not learned anything in their cumulative thousand years on this earth? Were they not paying attention to the rise of Islamic terror around the world? Have they not learned the lesson of appeasing the enemy we saw with Hitler? These guys are a joke and need to get the hell out the way for some people who have our interests in mind. This crowd needs to be booted in the rear and the door slammed in their face if they turn around. Our country is in danger and it will be even worse if we follow any “recommendation” in this report. They are setting us up to lose, dis-honor our fallen soldiers, and embolden the terrorists. Boot their butts our of Washington now! Whew…
12/6/2006 - Democrats meet with Hamas Secretly?
If this article is true, and they find out who these democrats are, and whether or not they are members of congress that have been meeting with terrorists in secret, they should be impeached from congress. What message does this activity send to all terrorists throughout the world? It says that we are a divided nation that is willing to negotiate the principles of our government. This is outrageous! I will be surprised if any news organization goes after this story with any vigor. If you don’t like the policy toward a group or government, debate the policy through the means spelled out in our constitution. I have always been suspicious of the democratic leadership of this country when it comes to their judgment on how to approach hostile regimes. Now I know why; because they believe they are beyond the law. We are in for a really rough go in the next few years with this group of traitors. That’s right; traitors. What are they discussing with terrorists, and what are they promising they will do on behalf of the American electorate they represent? I remember not long ago, democrats were outraged that Vice President Dick Cheney met with American oil and energy executives in private and would not divulge the content of their meeting. The media still references that meeting. I wonder if we will see any outrage over this meeting of democrats with a sworn enemy of the United States. Are you concerned? You should be; outraged!
12/5/2006- Muslims next step...
Muslims want special considerations at airports now. This article is indicative of the growing problem and culture clash between Muslims and Western civilization here in our own country. We can not make special considerations for Muslims, and we need to treat them as we treat any other religion. In the airport, people of faith can silently have a word with their God. We do not need to accommodate every request because it is of a religious nature. Based on the actions of these Muslim organizations, it won’t be long before requests to have a special area, time for prayer, be set aside in our schools for those children that practice the Muslim faith. It will be interesting to see where all the anti Christian prayer in public school activists will stand, when this question is posed by the Muslim activists. What will we do? What will this Christian nation do? What will Americans do? You wait it is coming; mark my words. They have our politically correct number. Just look at the recent incident at the MinneapolisAirport. We are now finding out more about the incident where 6 imams were kicked off a US Air flight. This was a concerted effort to get publicity. (you need to read this link!)These imams were conducting themselves in a manner that if US Air didn’t take action, they would have been putting their passengers in jeopardy. Eye witnesses and Arab speaking passengers have confirmed that they were talking about Osama Bin Laden and pledging allegiance to Allah. Obviously testing our resolve and our ability to confront this behavior and test security. This time we passed the test but their effort is the first step to making us feel like we need to be more “tolerant” of their religious practices. As I posted earlier; they are trying to make it politically incorrect to question Muslims in US airports. This is an effort that will ultimately help terrorists trying to kill us. We can’t cower to any of these groups that are trying to impose themselves and take advantage of our accepting nature to do us harm. There are places to pray openly; Masques, Churches, and Synagogues.
12/4/2006 - Bolton is an Implementer...
I have been traveling so I have been delinquent in posting; I apologize. I was considering a brief on interesting news events but only one keeps getting my “craw”. Ambassador John Bolton’s resignation from the UN. His resignation irks me because he is truly the reformer needed at that corrupt and spineless institution; the UN. It also signals that the Bush administration doesn’t have the will to fight the battle for his permanent confirmation, or anything else for that matter. This world and in particular our government need more John Bolton’s to straighten out the bureaucrats that believe talking is doing. John Bolton knows talking is just that; talking. Talk till your blue in the face. Implementers are the rulers of the world. Talking is for the “has been” nations like France and “wanna be” nations like the two bit dictators of the Southern Hemisphere. We need to watch out for the “implementers” like Syria and Iran who understand that babble means nothing as they build a little empire in the Middle East. Talkers don’t understand the implementer’s mentality and they are often caught off guard by their actions. Often their sentences start with; “how could they?” Totally oblivious that there is a reality outside their academia and cocktail parties. John Bolton understood this dynamic all too well and that’s why he scared the democratic “talkers”. They would much rather talk than face the reality of confronting the threat of the Implementers. One day we will face the reality and the democrats will say; “How could they have set that nuclear bomb off in New York City?” For now they just keep talking while John Bolton is forced out of the UN for implementing; for the good guys…
11/23/2006 - Giving Thanks...
I am thankful for my family. I am thankful we are healthy and together. I hope we all take a moment today and remember our troops and their families around the world and in particular in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military and their families are often forgotten while we gather to eat, drink, watch football, and enjoy parades here in the US. We live the way we do because our military is willing to live the way they do. Say a special prayer today for them, their families, and their safety. Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless…
11/22/2006 - Can we get rid of the criminals in congress already?
Here the democrats go again playing the race card. Nancy Pelosi is considering a highly questionable representative to chair the powerful House Intelligence Committee, Alcee Hastings, a black man. It doesn’t matter if he is a blue man; he is more corrupt than the last person considered by Pelosi for the Democratic Majority Leadership, Jack Murtha. Talk about two people that should be swept out of power. They are both from the old school where power brokerage was up for sale and they were the salesman. Murtha is so ethically challenged it is embarrassing to see him continue to get re-elected in PA. What are the good people of PA thinking? I guess you could say that about many districts across the country but when are we going to clean up the house in honest? Alcee Hastings was actually impeached from his role as a federal judge based on overwhelming evidence that he was involved in a scandal that included bribery. What the heck are we Americans thinking about when we elect this garbage? Alcee is being pushed by the Congressional Black Caucus and Nancy Pelosi wants to throw them a bone to keep their support. As far as I’m concerned any group that only considers people based on race is a racist group. I believe we should have only the best and the best comes in many different colors and genders. Alcee Hastings is a disgrace to the black community as Murtha is to the white community. But they are both disgraceful as Americans. I don’t see the world through colored glasses nor do I care what gender an elected official is. I want people in government that at least have not been under investigation in their lifetime. Is that too much to ask?
I fly often, sometimes three times a month. I am more likely to fly US Air for the actions they took to remove the six imams than to avoid them or call them intolerant. The plane is no place for any open praying but rather silent praying. Even though I fly frequently, it is still stressful and any outward “ceremony” of prayer, is disturbing to me. Call it superstition but if six Muslim imams stood up and started praying on my plane, I would have left the plane. Even if there were six imams on the plane and they weren’t praying I may have left anyway. I am not going to be a victim of political correctness as a result of this complaint being filed by the radical Muslim organization CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations). This is a dangerous organization with shady ties to terrorist organizations around the world. I judge people by their actions not words. I observe Muslim countries and the way they treat their women, use government as a weapon to impose religious rules, and their general intolerance toward non Muslims, and I conclude this is not a religion of peace. When Muslims start practicing peace, I will then change my perception based on their actions. This could easily be a ploy to set up an opportunity for the next terrorist tactic on an airline. If they get people and especially the airlines to shy away from acting on this type of “prayer” ritual, the next time it may be Muslims dressed up as imams and they take down a plane because we were too politically correct to confront them. I don’t want Muslims, Christians or Jews performing any religious ceremony on any plane I am on, and if they choose to allow this type of behavior, I will not be flying that airline. My guess is that most people are in my camp on this one. This is Muslims trying to impose their beliefs on our institutions. We do not need to comply with any religions request that imposes their view on private organizations. They are free to worship without government intervention. That does not include a right to practice anywhere, anytime, they please in our community. Next we will have them interrupting movies to pause for their prayer ritual. Simple solution; don’t plan to be in public if it is your time to pray. I don’t need to accommodate your religion and you don’t need to accommodate mine…
Charley Rangel is approaching this from the wrong angle and with the wrong intention, but the idea of American youth serving our country is a good one. I believe his suggestion to bring back the draft is based on the wrong assumption; (the military is made up of mostly minorities and the under educated because they have little other opportunity. Therefore; we as a country agree to war with less debate since they are not our kids going off to fight). He couldn’t be further from reality, but the basic idea of serving our country is a good one. I think a mandatory one year service to our country would do a lot to help us understand the cost of freedom, and would help our young make an easier transition into the “real’ world. Here is how it would work; at the age of 18 or right after High School graduation, men and women would choose the branch of service they would like to spend the next year training with. They would do basic training and based on their interest and skill level, they would be assigned to work in that area for the year. At the end of the year they would be released or have the opportunity to sign on for a military assignment. No one in this program would be deployed to an active war zone like Iraq. That would be only for our trained and committed troops. The payoff would be a greater appreciation of the function of the military, freedom, a trained citizenry in case of a terrorist attack, and a glimpse at the real world. There would be no exceptions for medical (except for extreme cases), the status of your family, or economic wealth. I would suspect we would have an increased interest in volunteering not only for the military, but other organizations like the Red Cross, and other humanitarian organizations. Exposure to areas of our country and the world is a great way to help us to understand and appreciate the great nation we have been blessed with. So although Charley Rangel has the wrong intention, there is merit in the idea of civil service to our nation. Just a thought...
11/16/2006 - Americans want to win...
The democrats have already threatened to pull funding from our troops in Iraq along with recommending a 4 – 6 month retreat from the Iraqi people. They’re not even in power yet and they can’t wait to help us lose. First, it is totally irresponsible to threaten to cut off funds for our troops as Rep Kucinich is suggesting, but he is a left wing radical and this is not surprising from him. But Carl Levin, the new Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee starting in January, is demanding a time table for retreat. This is not what the American people were bargaining on. They were looking for a debate on the best way to win in Iraq; how to terminate the 12,000 terrorists that have migrated there, how to support the Iraqi government more effectively so it takes root and takes control, and to clearly define what winning is going to look like. Americans by nature hate defeatists. That is what the democratic leadership is promoting in their current policy “drip” campaign. My gut is there will be a significant backlash if they continue to act like losers. Americans hate to lose and there is no need to do so in Iraq. I would suggest they change their strategy fast. Just a thought…
11/15/2006 - Don't be folled by Party leaders...
Nancy Pelosi can’t even work diplomatically with her own party, imagine the behind closed doors maneuvering she will deliver when “working” with republicans. Here is a sample of the way she sees her role; “She will ensure that they [the Murtha camp] wins. This is hardball politics … We are entering an era where when the Speaker instructs you what to do, you do it,” he said. “Yes, she’s making calls to people. She is contacting people and letting them know that it’s an unequivocal letter.” Said Rep. Moran (D). Nancy Pelosi has no intent to work with republicans so they should be very careful in what they agree to do when it comes to the agenda. She is on a mission to move the country left while using the rhetoric of the right. Don’t be fooled. She and other leaders like Murtha are the people we need to weed out from government because they will stand in the way of good democrats getting solutions to our problems to the floor of the House. The same goes for the republicans that can’t see beyond their own leadership ambitions. This first round of a congressional purge by the voters will be followed by a second if the two parties don’t heed the message the voters sent. It is a wave of accountability that they are riding here; so far there are very few surfers in congress that I can see. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top of this wave…
11/14/2006 - There was no mandate to move left...
The democrats are acting as if they have a mandate to raise taxes, reduce security, socialize healthcare, run from the difficulty in Iraq, and run over the current republican leadership. The current republican leadership seems almost eager to take a back seat in the remaining months of their control of congress. I think the democrats have mistakes the “message” of this election and the republicans are using it as another excuse not to do the work they were elected to do. I don’t believe people believe we are under taxed and most are sophisticated enough to know we all pay any tax proposed by politicians, because you can’t tax the rich enough to pay all the debts we are accumulating. We are also smart enough to know we don’t want our healthcare run by the same people who run the Department of Motor Vehicles or City Hall. We also know that terrorists are trying to kill us and listening in on terrorists is not an infringement on our civil rights. We also know we need to define a winning strategy in Iraq not a withdrawal strategy. The voters were saying that most of the politicians are not living up to their promises and they were held accountable. The democrats that were elected were conservative in nature not leftists. They should elect a leadership that reflects the people’s wishes to govern more pragmatically. As far as the republicans go, they need to reflect on the core values they used to stand for; fiscal conservatism, strong national defense, and secure borders. They have failed and they are running from their core values. Big mistake if they don’t want to remain out of power. I’m just not sure if that isn’t a role they are more comfortable in…
Thank God for our military! Honor them this Veterans Day! They are not fools…
11/10/2006 - Get a backbone...
It is really discouraging to listen to the president talk about the way he is going to work with Pelosi. He should have stated that he was willing to work with the conservative democrats that were elected to implement America’s wishes for a secure border, a new strategy of engagement in Iraq, making tax cuts permanent, and looking at the budget line by line to insure we are not duplicating our spending efforts in any area of government. He should have also taken up the democrats pledge to end the culture of lobbyists power in Washington. Unfortunately I think the president is going to spend the next two years undermining the American principals he was elected on. There are democrats and republicans in congress that want to work together but it is not Pelosi and Reed. And in the republican ranks a change of leadership is needed to reflect the new opportunity we have to do right by the American people. The common ground is this; a winning solution in Iraq which is not based on leaving them high and dry; ending corruption through kicking all the lobbyists off the floor of the house; investigating the way contracts are being divided up in Iraq and making sure business leaders are not determining strategy there; reinvigorating the Social Security debate with a balance of security and individual choices for Americans; and last but not least to get the fence built on the southern border so we can then figure out what to do with the illegal’s that are here. The American’s did not vote for San Francisco liberal policy or intolerant conservative policy but practical policy. There is too much to be done that we need to move past the issues that divide and focus on the issues that unite us. Where are the leaders? Unfortunately our president has lost his desire and we can’t trust a Reed or Pelosi. We need the “back benchers” to get a backbone. Don’t hold your breath…
11/9/2006 - It is time for me to move on...
Doug Lamborn spoke last night to the local news media and that was all I needed to finalize my decision to move beyond the Republican Party. As I listened to the morning news and the president’s comments regarding the election results, I realized, reforming the Republican Party can only be done by improving a competing party. Hopefully the Democratic Party will not do too much damage in the next few years. I would feel better about that with the new balance of power except for the comments the president made on illegal immigration. His plan is amnesty and his spending habits are liberal in nature. The only thing he has done effectively is to reduce the tax burden on the working class. And for all you left fanatics we are all rich according to democrats if you pay any tax; so beware. I am looking at the principals of the Reform Party. Ross Perot was a really bad candidate but the founding principles are very attractive. The thing I like most is it is mostly about fiscal responsibility and supporting policies that help American small businesses and workers. We must balance that process and stop rewarding anti American behavior. It is not protectionism just because you care about the impact on American companies and workers. An issue that needs much more scrutiny in the future. So I will embark on a new chapter in my political life and I will keep you informed as we go.
Update: From the countywebsites in District 5, what I can report is that there were at least 925 write in votes cast in the congressional race. I will not know until December 1st the actual breakdown of how many were in my name. By law, the Secretary of State will post the final results at that time. I will then have the hard numbers but based on my website traffic, I am hoping the majority were for me. And it was because of you taking interest. My deepest thanks and I hope you continue with me on the journey!
11/7/2006 - It is time...
This is it. This is where the pavement hits the roads. This is where your conscious meets your action. This is where you take the opportunity to make a difference. This is where you have the opportunity to make it known that you are not willing to stand for the status quo. Whatever happens on this day of election, it will be the will of the people; the beauty of our process. It is a process that has placed its faith in the idea that individuals will make the right decision. That no matter how much I believe people should revolt against the system, it is the voter’s choice. It will always be the final decision and can be corrected in the future at the next election, but each election reflects the opportunity to make our voice known. Don’t miss out on this opportunity be a part of this process. I know anyone visiting this website knows that this is a great opportunity to have their voice heard. But voting for me is a chance you will need to make. I will do you proud and I will listen and act in the interest of all of the voters of District 5, not just party activists and monetary donors. I am proud to be a candidate. I am honored to do right if you choose to give me your vote. Thank you…
11/6/2006 - Talk about fun on Election Day...
The polls are tightening according to the pollsters and again I have yet to find anyone that has been polled. The new dynamic which I think pollsters are struggling with in recent years, where polls have been unreliable, is not only bias, but the phone habits of people being polled. How are the pollsters weighing the fact that many are using cell phones only and have given up their home phone? How are they weighing for people that have caller ID and don’t answer if they don’t know who it is? Do these people have a common pattern to consider? I think we need to be very careful as we watch the polls including exit polls which have been wrong in the recent past; significantly wrong. So although I am not showing up on the poll charts, it may be my voters are busy with their lives and not available to be polled. How much fun would it be to see the faces of the pollsters when they see a Write-in candidate win and they had no idea? Now that’s what I call fun…
11/5/2006 - Are you going to vote for Doug because he deserves it?
Does any politician involved in the current mud slinging campaign deserve your vote? It is time to hold them all accountable. If you want to get their attention you need to vote so they understand how you feel. Voting for Doug is status quo and voting for Jay is rewarding a party with no ideas. They are so bent on beating each other that it is truly the voters that will be beat. They do not deserve your vote and if you are tired of being ignored, make it known! Our internal polls have us up by 1%, or is that the total vote count, I forget. But either way you need to vote for me Rich Hand. I will truly appreciate your vote! I promise…
11/4/2006 - A surprise is looming...
Spirits are high here at campaign headquarters and we are expecting a great showing even though my poll numbers aren’t. Who believes polls anyway? We have continued to work, attend family functions, and be productive members of society, during this entire campaign. Just like the Founding Fathers intended; no money groveling, false promises, or production of disgusting political ads, to annoy the voters. The vote turnout for this campaign will give us an indication of the ability to compete without money. Spread the word if you haven’t already by talking to and e-mailing everyone you know. I appreciate your support and vote on November 7th! That’s it for now from the campaign headquarters.
11/3/2006- Is the congressman’s endorsement there?
Today is my birthday. Yesterday I asked for Representative Joel Hefley’s endorsement but I am too anxious to open up and read the paper to see the headline, “Representative Hefley Endorses Republican Write-in Rich Hand; ethics above party”. Is it there? I can’t look so I need you to do it for me. Is this going to be a happy birthday? It really doesn’t matter since I have a wonderful family, friends, and career. That is what is really important on your birthday; count your blessings. With all the disgusting campaigning, mudslinging, and accusations of wrong doing, can we all agree not to encourage the two parties with your vote? We have a chance to make a difference on Tuesday to send this message for future campaigns; sleaze is not acceptable. I am encouraged by the people I get to talk with but will the word continue to spread fast enough? I am proud to be an American and a candidate that represents change. I have tried to do my part. I hope you can find it in your heart to endorse me with your vote. Thanks.
11/2/2006- A request to Representative Hefley...
Here we go again. Here we have another article in the Gazette about the childish behavior of Jay Fawcett and Doug Lamborn and the analysis of their despicable negative campaign ads. I wish Representative Joel Hefley would put the voters of this district out of their misery by endorsing me. At least we could unite around an opportunity to show our disgust for both the candidates. Leaving the ballot blank for the D5 race is not a solution, that in no way sends the message that needs to be sent; a pox on both your houses.
I will ask again like I did in DC weeks back; I respectfully ask for your endorsement as the Republican Candidate for District 5. The party is already going to blame you for the loss of the seat if that happens even though it is the Doug Lamborn campaign that will deserve that blame. This could be a call on republican, unenrolled, and moderate democrats to come together and send a message to the next campaign that this behavior will not be rewarded.
Tomorrow is my birthday and a great opportunity to turn this campaign into a winning message. Thank you for your consideration.
Rich Hand
Republican Write-in Candidate
Congressional District 5 Colorado
11/1/2006 - As I promised in my post in the Gazette forum; Iraq...
“Stay the Course” is a sound bite not a strategy. The way I see it as a congressman in the next term - this is the decision that will need to be made: Do we pull our troops from Iraq or do we keep our troops in Iraq? This is the question in the most simplistic way it can be asked. Let’s look at each one. First, should we pull our troops from Iraq? If we do what happens? If you believe we should, are you willing to live with the results? Here is what I believe the results will be if we remove our troops prematurely:
Terrorists will claim victory
Iraqi’s that want a free and representative government will be overrun by armed groups and fall even further into chaos.
Iran will have a greater opportunity to influence the Iraqi citizen’s future which is a future I believe is not in their or our interest.
The terrorists that have made this their battle front against the west, will now have a greater recruiting tool, and the time to focus their efforts in moving the front closer to us.
The message we will have sent around the world is that the US can be beaten by breaking the political will of the American people.
American’s are quitters when the going gets tough.
If we keep our troops there what should we be doing? Here is what I believe the results will be and the efforts I support:
Terrorism will be defeated in this battle at the hands of our military strength and political will. The message around the world will be American’s stand by freedom seeking people, and support our troops even when the going gets tough. Potential terrorist recruits will not be as willing to join any fight where the American military has a stake.
Iraqi’s will be more willing to move forward with confidence knowing we will not walk away.
Our credibility as a nation of compassionate, freedom loving individuals will remain respected and envied throughout the world.
So what should we do differently in Iraq to reduce the time needed to allow a democratic government to take seed?
This is all premised on listening to the recommendations of our Generals on the ground in Iraq.
We should consider the Iraqi Prime Minister’s request to have a permanent US base of operations in Iraq. It will serve a few purposes; sending a message to the Iraqi people, Iran, and Syria, that we are committed to a successful democracy taking hold in Iraq. This is no different from our commitment in Germany and Japan. We have been supporting them since WWII. It is time to redeploy troops from Germany to support the efforts of the Iraqi government.
We should increase troop levels which will have two impacts, one; increase our ability and the number of Iraqi troops being trained, and two; help choke off the supply chain to terrorists coming from Iran and Syria.
We need to profile successes and increase diplomatic efforts to put the Iraqi Prime Minister front and center.
The bottom line is we have 2 choices; to stay or go. To go we leave with our heads down and we dishonor the memory of the fallen in Iraq. To stay we show resolve, respect, and commitment to our troops and the Iraqi people. I don’t believe we have a choice. There is only one path, it is a difficult one but it is the right one. American’s do not want to re-live another Vietnam, as many people on the left and in the Democratic Party, like John Kerry do. This is not Vietnam. It will only resemble it if we choose to leave pre-maturely. We would all love to leave Iraq and get our troops out of harms way but I will bet if you ask the troops there, which choice they would make, I believe they would choose to stay.
Call this policy “stay the course” if you must live by sound bites. I call it American guts and resolve. As American’s we need to show more of it! God Bless our troops and their families.
Embarrassing is the only way to describe it. A debate is about issues but it is also about the integrity of the messenger. Doug Lamborn is such a divisive figure that I can’t imagine him building the coalitions needed in WashingtonDC to get budget reform, immigration reform, and Social Security reform on the agenda and moving forward. I think Jay Fawcett has a huge hurdle to get over in this district because it is nauseating for most to think guys like John Kerry, who basically just called our honorable military soldiers a bunch of uneducated dummies, get rewarded for these comments by sending a democrat to DC. His contempt is a reflection of the party he is in. This is the heart of the current Democratic Party leadership in DC. Do we reward them by sending them a member from this district which is home to many of our nations most honorable citizens? Sorry Jay; that’s a fact. So what is a Republican to do in District 5? Write in Rich Hand. This will be a powerful message to both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party that we want better candidates and any process that nominates a candidate like Doug Lamborn is broken. I am not perfect and I have no “political” experience but just look at what political experience has gotten us. The government is a partisan mess. American values have been trumped by the extreme views of both parties. We can not move forward much longer in this fashion. Let’s start the wave here in CD5. We are tired of abortion, gay rights, global warming, corporate and individual greed, driving the agenda. I suggest we focus like a laser beam for the next two years on balancing the budget, absolute support of our troops, coherent foreign policy, and stopping the influx of illegal immigrants. I will not cater to one issue voters while our financial problems threaten to render all other issues mute. Let’s agree to focus on stopping the bleeding of interest payments (200 billion a year), picking away at the 7 + trillion in debt we are carrying, and the immoral greed of transferring our debt to our children. I know we can’t ignore the rest of the issues but we must focus and prioritize. Our politicians are like children with ADD; they can’t finish anything they start and there attention span is about two headlines long. The time is now, time is running out…
10/30/2006 - A radio "debate" today. If you can call it that...
Later this afternoon Doug Lamborn and Jay Fawcett will “debate” on KVOR (drive time talk radio) answering pre submitted caller questions. This was a requirement I’m sure of the Lamborn campaign. It definitely wasn’t Jay Fawcett’s request because he knows how to speak on his feet. Listen for Doug’s mantra; I will never raise your taxes; I will protect the unborn; I am for family values; I support staying the course in Iraq. Jay’s mantra; I will listen to everyone in the district; he is pro marriage; he will protect gun owners; and he will be independent of national democrats. Here is what will be missing; No talk of how either will put forth a proposal on the dangerously expanding federal budget, deficit, Social Security liability, the Medicare drug debacle legislation, and how we can build a bridge in congress that puts politics aside to get some of these issues that threaten our fiscal viability as a nation. We need to agree that the number one priority after Iraq and the war on terror, is the bloated budget. I understand Doug wants to protect the unborn, but as a congressman there is little real impact he can affect. The law is the law and it has been upheld by the Supreme Court so that battle has moved to the issue of judicial appointments. The Executive branch and Senate confirmation is the battle front federally and more importantly at the State level. He only succeeds in dividing people with keeping the abortion issue front and center. I understand it motivates religious voters but it is not where I would focus my efforts. Jay will spend his entire time saying he is not liberal and will listen to all. But you only have to listen to his argument regarding minimum wage to understand he doesn’t understand economics. He believes minimum wage need to be raised because you can’t raise a family on it. I believe it is about 3% of wage earners that are actually head of household. The majority of people getting minimum wage are students in households with $50,000 plus incomes and senior citizens supplementing incomes. The point is Jay knows that the hire the minimum wage, the easier it is for unions to raise their wages during contract negotiations. So Jay is a special interest advocate that cares less about the people paying the taxes and more about a small constituency of voters. So there you have it! The choice is clear; write – in Rich Hand. I will be the only one working for the entire 5th congressional district. No money, no strings, just working to make a broken system better.
10/29/2006 - A piece of the democrat's plan...
The democratic plan is starting to leak out as they are feeling more confident in making gains this election. Now hold your hat because there are some real surprises; raising the top marginal tax rate from 37% to 39% on the “rich”, increased Medicare drug spending, and adding a “windfall” profit tax on corporations making “exorbitant” profits (most likely going after oil companies; for now). These are just a few of the “plans” that have leaked out. Interesting that this election according to democrats is a referendum on Iraq, and so far no mention of a plan for that. Just the usual playbook. Now the republicans have lacked leadership in holding the line on spending so my criticism of the democrats should not be seen as an endorsement on their plan either. I have a real problem having any political party determining what determines too much profit for a company. I understand the concern but when you start to look at how to manage that criterion, you quickly realize that is a stock holder issue. The democrats think they can, but we should be extremely weary of their criteria. I do not want them taking the profits of stock holders (52% of Americans are stock holders through 401 K type vehicles), and handing them over to their campaign donors and lobbyist friends in other industries and programs. The other main element of this leaked plan, raising the top marginal rate, is a loser for Americans. Question; if raising taxes was the answer to economic prosperity, then why not raise it to 90%? We need to look at spending. Where is the plan to look at our budget priorities and make the hard choices that must be made? Our budget outlay is nearly 3 trillion dollars. There has to be a few areas we could trim. So all you republicans in District 5, considering the democrat, should review the “plan”. These are only a few of the items that Jay Fawcett and the democrats will target. It will get better…
The reward for the donor is access and getting the candidate most likely to push their agenda elected. The reward for the candidate is getting your name in front of the voter in a positive way or your opponent’s name out there in a negative way. Meanwhile the majority of the electorate has to put up with the resulting ads that mostly annoy and disgust. But the donor lists are telling. The most extremes of both parties are the most likely to give to their candidate. The anti government/government in your bedroom activists are giving to Lamborn, and the government in your pocket as deep as possible to support wacky agendas/keep the government out of the bedroom crowd except in the case of homosexuals crowd, are giving to Fawcett. So what does this say about our choices for a sensible agenda and candidate; we don’t have one in these two. We need to break the cycle of dependence and move away from the light; vote for the write-in Rich Hand and know money has no influence in my agenda. So the two parties will have to deal with a candidate truly selected by the voters of a district. The message will be loud and clear; get off the fringe and into the issues that are knocking on our door this election. Let’s leave the hard right and left to battle it out in the Democratic and Republican Party giving all the money they want. Let’s give the votes to a candidate that understands we need to stop dividing this nation on issues and prioritize our focus to foreign policy and the budget. Leave the one issue voter behind for now. Their time will come but for now we need to take care of cleaning house and getting our House in order. There are good people on both sides of the aisle wanting to get a hold on our budget and foreign policy. Let’s embrace them all. Leave the other battles behind; for now. Just a thought…
This is extremely embarrassing to the Lamborn campaign no matter how they try to spin Cheney’s visit. I would love to hear the scolding his campaign is going to get from the Cheney people. To have to spend any national party money is this district shows how much trouble Lamborn is in. As we watch other races tighten, this race is getting last minute support because? Because Doug Lamborn is a candidate that can not unite the party, never mind the district. The way he approaches the issues alienates so many people including republicans. I would also love to know what type of pressure Representative Hefley is under from the Republican Party. He didn’t back down on Delay, and I suspect he won’t back down on Lamborn. How can we expect a candidate that has this much trouble organizing a campaign to organize an agenda for district 5? He will be in such debt to the party that we can expect the bickering and partisan politics to continue while the issues of Social Security, budget reform, etc… take a back seat. Why would we reward this guy? He has done nothing to deserve it. Vote for a change; write in Rich Hand…
Is this the person you want representing you? Doug Lamborn was being interviewed by a reporter and this is an answer from Doug Lamborn to the question; you don’t believe in the Murtha plan, what is the Doug Lamborn plan? The answer; “I don’t have my own plan”. For his sake I hope he went on to clarify this admission. At least he could have said something like I support the president’s plan, or I support the current strategy; or something that would give you the confidence he has some kind of handle on the situation. Where has leadership and public speaking gone? Where have men and women with passion and the ability to articulate their passion gone? It is simply an observation on the way he conducts himself in public. That is part of being a leader. We need a leader but is it Doug Lamborn? He avoids speaking engagements, he can’t debate, and he is representative of a small number of supporters in the Republican Party, and this is our choice? Wrong! Write in Rich Hand and send a message; we have a plan and it is to change the status quo in WashingtonDC…
10/24/2006 - This e-mail from the Colorado Springs School made my day. Mr. Benson's efforts will make a difference regarding the future of these students and based on the e-mail, so will my candidacy! Mr. Lamborn: You missed a great opportunity to talk to a really bright group of students...
Here is the e-mail:
Rich,
Thank you so much for coming in and visiting us. The feedback from the students in my various classes has been interesting. This morning - My largest class involved in the election research project had a great discussion about your visit. It was refreshing to see in a class that had been almost to the level of anger in past discussions, a strong level of agreement!
They all felt like your presentation was excellent and they appreciated your sincerity and the honesty that came from a non-traditional political background. I jotted down some notes to share with you: Many students said they were "pleasantly surprised", that after reading your website they weren't expecting much but instead they were quite impressed. Many students talked about how much they appreciated the way in which you answered questions (especially that you asked after each answer if the question had been fully addressed.). Many of them were genuinely moved by your explanation of the problems facing election campaigns today and the need to make changes for the future. There was a general agreement summed up by one student that: "while Mr. Fawcett speaks well and impresses important people, Mr. Hand was a better speaker for us - he spoke to us and at our level. He understood us, and we could understand him." The student who asked you the question about the problems facing young black men in America commented: "I really appreciated his honest and direct answer. He seemed to understand what I was talking about."And a final student comment: "it really stinks that more people can't hear his message"
So, I thank you not only for coming in and visiting, but for helping me in my quest to inspire these kids to take a stand and try to make a difference in the world. Whether or not they agreed with all of your platform, they were inspired by your message and your willingness to work towards changing a system that doesn't work.
take care and good luck,
David Benson
10/23/2006 - Mr. Lamborn refused the invitation and missed out on talking to a great group of students at Colorado Springs School...
Here in Colorado we have started early voting. I like early voting because it offers the opportunity to avoid lines, but I still have a place in my heart for the traditional Election Day excitement! I was born on Election Day 1959, and it is just in my blood.
I spoke today to students at the Colorado Springs School and I was impressed! I wish there was a Mr. Benson in every school. He is offering his students a great opportunity to engage in the political debate. They asked a number of well thought out questions and I hope I answered them in a way that offered them some insight into me and my “campaign”. What is becoming clearer every day for me is the need to have a good alternative to the Republican and Democratic Party’s. We have to get out of the “horse race” mentality and start addressing the issues important to American’s. The republicans are in trouble only because they are not perceived as putting up the good fight in congress. They seemed to give up on the Social Security debate too easily and with almost a sense of relief. It took a major backlash from their supporters to get anything on immigration passed. It has not helped that it seems like all republican scandals make front page news but you know what, if they were doing good on their promise to curb out of control spending, this would not be a problem because people understand one mistake by one or two people does not implicate everyone. If that were the case both parties would be swept out of office. They have left themselves vulnerable because of a lack of leadership. They are the party in power and blaming democrats for impeding progress doesn’t fly with most Americans. This election is a testament on their leadership as a party and they are only in trouble because their leadership has failed. They deserve to go. I however will be voting for me and will have no part in rewarding either party. I encourage you to join me in protest. Democrat’s are salivating for power but is that what we want? More ineptness, different party? Your choice…
10/21/2006 - Still time ...
Don't give up! The web site is getting great interest - now all I need is your vote!!
“Poll shows 13 point lead for Lamborn”, and a quote from Lamborn; “I’m going to continue to unite as many Republicans as possible, but this is an encouraging sign right now that most Republicans are team players,” Lamborn said. So no matter how you win, as long as you win, is the message Lamborn is suggesting here. Our kids will be proud of their parents as republicans, standing together to support this man that according to our current congressman, Joel Hefley, and most republicans, including myself, ran a “sleazy” campaign. So let’s show our kids that team is more important than principle. Let’s show our kids what republicans are truly made of. And what are republicans made of? To have a guy like Lamborn going to DC to represent us is a sad day for the Republican Party. I have never been a big fan of third parties but this campaign has opened my eyes to how broken this process truly is. I am so glad I can stand in front of my children and the students of Colorado SpringsSchool (October 23rd), and tell them that principle matters and feel good about that message. Because, hold your breath, I am voting for me. I am going to take the 5 additional seconds it will take to write-in Rich Hand, I take that back, 3 seconds, it takes to feel good about my choice. I won’t be holding hands and jumping off the bridge with the rest of the republicans. You shouldn’t either…
I posted this video on my home page about efforts to get more “regular” citizen candidates elected to office. I am not a fan of public financing either but I agree something has to be done. We have created an elite class that has basically bought an paid for our choice of candidates. Yes there are people that contribute $5, $10 and small amounts to the party candidates, but it is controlled and only a “special” few have the opportunity to get elected in the current system. Let’s do our part and clean it up by writing in Rich Hand for congress this election cycle. Show your displeasure with not only the candidates but your limited access to the process. Thank you…
Reading the latest article on the D5 race, I noticed a link to the Gazette Voters “Guide”. It lists the candidates for each race but does not include many candidates that have official status on the Secretary of States website. It contains mostly Democratic and Republican Party candidates and some minor party candidates but it also includes a few “unaffiliated” candidates. Now this is curious to me how these few candidates get posted but according to the Gazette’s Assistant City Editor, “Mr. Hand,
We do not include write-in candidates in the voters guide.
Barry Noreen
assistant city editor
The Gazette”
There is no “unaffiliated” party on the SOS website that I have found. So why does the Gazette choose to disregard our write-in candidates but include “unaffiliated” candidates? This is a gross mis-representation to the voters of Colorado. They are afraid if we are listed we would have a chance of winning. Another example of the media bias. Not surprising just disappointing…
If Joel Hefley were to go on record and encourage voters in D5 to vote for me as the Republican Write-in, what would be the result? Even with that endorsement could a write-in win? This AP story suggests that this race is in play for the democrats because Representative Hefley refused to endorse Doug Lamborn’s campaign. I have said this before; wrong. This seat is in play for one reason; Doug Lamborn’s campaign, both in the primary and general election. This is not our retiring congressman’s issue. They will likely try to blame him; if he would have just compromised his principals for the good of the party, if he would have just turned his back on the politics as usual game. Rep Hefley has to live with himself and to be able to sleep at night. My guess is that he will, and he does based on his decision not to support Lamborn. This district is one of the most conservative in the country, the question is why has Doug Lamborn been unable to convince his own party he is the guy? This seat will be lost only because Doug has not convinced voters he is the guy. To add to his problem this year’s voter turnout will be huge. There is something for everyone on this ballot between the races, amendments, and referendums. That does not help Doug in any way. His best scenario is to have as low a turnout as possible because the casual voter of D5 is likely to do little research and because he has chosen to assume R’s will just blindly vote, there are over 200,000 non R’s angry with R’s and impressed with Jay’s military service. In my opinion it is in the best interest of the R’s to go outside the party to stay in power. My candidacy represents an opportunity to vote against the incumbents and parties, while retaining the house. Rep Hefley if you’re out there I would appreciate your consideration… Ed Sealover is only a phone call away…
10/16/2006 - Write-in candidates as spoiler?
It has been suggested that Fawcett supporters are encouraging voters to check out the “alternative” candidates like myself in an effort to siphon votes away from Lamborn, therefore helping Fawcett to win this election. First, the only reason alternatives are considered is when the competency of the party candidate is in question. In such a republican stronghold like CD5, there is only one reason the R candidate will lose; the campaigns inability to get the message out with a competent messenger, period. It is not only that Doug Lamborn is uncomfortable in front of an audience, it is the issues he focuses his energy on. Voters watch Doug and they may be comfortable that he will vote their way on many issues, but it is not just about how a representative votes that is important. People want a representative that will lead not just vote. They want to believe that when the light of the election dims, that leader is still working as if they were in the spotlight. Working to build coalitions within congress no matter what the party affiliation of that member is should be a stated goal but I haven’t heard it. Listening and opening up new communications and opportunities for solutions should be another goal but I haven’t heard it. Voters don’t want a regurgitation of the party line. They want fresh approaches to goals that are stated like budget reform. Not just “I will never raise your taxes”. I’m so tired of that mantra. The goal is a given, but by not addressing the budget in a comprehensive way, and dealing with the fundamentals of fiscal responsibility, guys like Doug end up raising our taxes by increasing the deficit and debt. We need people we are confident will work for reform not just do lip service. He does not give you any confidence, that he is a worker or even understands the effort it will take in congress to move things forward. This is not meant to be personal but he does not act like a leader according to my criteria. Jay has a D next to his name and as long as the committee chair is decided by the party in power I will not waste time talking about his issues. Good man, strong presentation skills, Democrat. So I appreciate the democrats that are sending people my way (lots from Col Pols, Thanks!), but for the R’s out there, it will not be me that looses this election, it will be Doug. I still think I can win, otherwise why do it?
10/15/2006 - I couldn't resist...
I had to have a little fun with Representative Hefley’s press release covered in the Gazette that was issued to clear up his feelings about the CD5 race. I have to say I would have liked to have seen a mention of the write-in candidates but I think I understand. I have written a jingle based loosely on the melody of the new GeorgeStrait song; “Give It Away”. You know the one, it starts; that picture of our honeymoon, that night in FriscoBay she said give it away, but I can’t give it away. It got me thinking that we shouldn’t just give CD5 away so I spent 3 minutes writing this jingle. Hold it against me if you must but I couldn’t resist…
I have never been passionate about term limits, because I am an avid voter, and I try to make change in the voting booth. This campaign has opened my eyes to the absolute need to move our politicians through the system with term limits. Will there be good people that have to move? You bet, but I believe we need to move more citizen legislators through the process to get more and varied experience in WashingtonDC. I am confident that our system of checks and balances can handle change well. It does now with the president and it will with 2 terms for Senators (12 years) and 4 terms for Congress (8 years). The rash of episodes we are reading about between lobbyists and pages is a direct result of the accrual of too much power, and the lack of citizen legislator’s interest to get involved in the process. The voters must stand up now if they want change. I am disgusted by the power and influence that lobbyists have, and the behavior that we have seen lately by congressmen that pretend to reflect “family” values. We need to send people that are living family values like me. I “campaign” around my family and work schedule because I value my family. I am not obsessed with the thought of winning this election and will not change my view on family balance to “win”. These folks that are willing to put their family in the backseat to gain power must be questioned? I want to make a change to shape the future for my children, not to ruin the precious moments we have now as a family. Voters can get to know me through this web site and by contacting me. I believe we need to maintain a balance as candidates and put some of the responsibility on voters to get involved. It is not that hard. Candidates can talk family values; we need one that knows how to live them. I will serve no more than 4 terms but honestly, that may be too long. Just a thought…
10/13/2006 - Note to DemoGirl from Colorado Pols; Thank you...
I met with Representative Hefley and respectfully asked for his endorsement, and he respectfully declined. He actually never declined but we moved off the subject rather quickly. I now must ask the other primary candidates that have held back their endorsement to consider endorsing my candidacy. I know if I was not on the ballot, I would not be voting the current party candidate, or the democrat. I can’t say that if any of the other primary candidates would have won. My efforts here would be severely discounted, even in my own mind, if one of the other 5 candidates had emerged victorious. That did not happen and now I really feel that we need to make the statement that what happened in the Lamborn campaign is not acceptable. Let’s think really hard before rewarding Fawcett. This is the ultimate; cut off the nose to spite the face argument. Primary candidates: I know you don’t know me, and I respect that, but if you really want to vote your conscience, write me in. Better yet, send an endorsement my way. There is no better way to make a change than to vote for one. You can unite to beat me in 2008 since I will not be accepting money then either. But for now, let’s stand together against losing the seat and sending this message to democrats; we are upset with our party but we still hold the republican principles close to our vest. We are not willing to sacrifice our stands by staying home, holding our nose, or voting against our beliefs. We are gentlemen/women and we will win because we are principled…
10/12/2006 - Gazette article - Doug is right about Jay and Nancy Pelosi...
Doug Lamborn is using the Nancy Pelosi as Leader argument because it is true. A vote for Jay Fawcett does give the democrats an opportunity to take over the House and make her speaker. The problem is if Doug Lamborn was an effective politician, he would be out and about challenging Jay on his ideas every chance he has. He should have been out front in the debate arena a long time ago. The only way you get better at what you do is to practice and do more of it. If he had been debating Jay for the last month he would have a much better chance of getting people focused on the message rather than the way he delivers it. As a politician, I can’t believe he has not been working on the skills necessary to deliver an effective message. This is about a bad campaign strategy and an unwillingness to get in front of people. He is in a district that wants to vote for republicans. This is not a hostile environment. The R voters of this district can see through bias reporting. The problem now is the Lamborn campaign is playing defense in a game they should be up by 21 points. Instead we are under 2 minutes, tie game (maybe). So even when you deliver a true message like the Pelosi argument it seems a bit defensive. The only way to pull this out is a strong offense. Whoever is running Doug’s campaign is either convinced by internal polls that Doug wins no matter what, or they are completely convinced that the more the voters see of Doug the more they will seek an alternative. That’s not a great place to be but it will be interesting to see the results on November 7th. I still believe I offer a good alternative but why wouldn’t I. No surprise here…
10/11/2006 - Punish the party not the platform...
Yesterday the Joseph Michelli show on KVOR was discussing the need for Republicans to stick together, even though they may not be happy with the Republican Party’s choice for their candidate in the Congressional D5 race. This is the problem with how party politics works. The reality is; even if you like Jay Fawcett as a man, to vote for him in protest could give the leadership to the Democratic Party, which in turn gives the committee gavel to Nancy Pelosi, Charles Rangel, and God forbid if we see this happen at the senate level we get the likes of Ted Kennedy, etc… Ted Kennedy having power over which judges make it to confirmation is problematic. He and his fellow democrats already have blocked good women and men from getting an up or down vote on the floor of the senate. Imagine if they have the power. The issue of judges is a huge issue for the conservative voters of this country and this district. We do not have a race in this state but there are key races across the country that could change the power structure in Washington. My point in this; the way the party system works you really have to consider carefully what it means to vote the “person” not the party. So as I listen to callers basically saying you need to hold your nose and vote for Doug Lamborn, I get frustrated because there is an alternative in my candidacy. I am written off because I am a write-in. But the way I see it, voting for me is a baby step in the right direction to improving the prospects of being able to vote the person. What do I mean? I still have an R next to my name and I align very closely with the party platform. But the advantage is I am not the party candidate, so a vote for me will send a message that we need to look at how we are operating as a party. It will send a message that the voters are willing to look outside the party but without the risk of losing power to democrats; which is what a vote for Jay Fawcett could potentially do. Jay says this will not happen. All you have to do is look at Ken Salazar to see the proof. He to me seemed like an acceptable candidate, a “conservative” democrat, and look at his performance; disappointing. I believe one day we will get to vote the person and not the party, but it will not happen if we continue to hold our nose and reward the parties for sending us marginal candidates. So although I understand the argument I don’t agree with the solution. Party insiders are controlling this process and until the voters engage in the process of vetting out all the candidates, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. There are enough people in this town upset with the candidate to send me to DC. But if they are not willing to do their homework, money and the party will make the rules. Let’s make a real change. I will even accept you holding your nose as you; Write-in Rich Hand, Republican, Congressional District 5; I’m a safe bet…
10/10/2006 - American's will decide what to do on the border not France, Mexico, or the UN...
Mexican officials in Francehave suggested they may take our decision to build (rebuild) a fence along our southern border to the UN for review. Let them. This is the type of action that only increases American resolve to secure our border. A strong border policy allows for better relations between the two countries. Any legislation without a secure border is a waste of breath and time. The issue is not that Mexican’s want to come to the US; it is how desperate they are to leave a corrupt Mexican government. The Mexican government would be better off spending time on reforming their country’s economy and socialist policies instead of trying to stop a fence on our soil. This is about failed Mexican policy as much as it is a porous border. Just a thought…
10/9/2006 - It is Jay's Judgment...
Jay Fawcett’s recent ad campaign is designed to highlight his military experience and we can all agree that should be honored and respected. He focuses on this service in an effort to make him seem more conservative. Most military personnel are more conservative than liberal. So to the casual observer, Jay would seem like a good choice for someone in the military. He also wants to use his service as a weapon in this campaign to say that those that have not served are somehow less qualified for a position in congress. When you look past Jay’s military experience it quickly becomes apparent that in the political arena of ideas, he has poor judgment. His military service does not insulate him from being criticized as a liberal democrat, aligned with party leaders like Nancy Pelosi, Charles Rangel, Maxine Waters, Dennis Kucinich, Barney Frank, and John Murtha. The party that believes if we’re just nice to everyone, they will be nice back. The Democratic Party has blocked any discussion of Social Security Reform, wants to roll back the tax cuts, increase taxes on the rich (rich to democrats is anyone paying taxes), take God out of everything, Rely on the UN instead of the US for foreign policy, build up unions by implementing a false wage (minimum wage) because it feels good and makes good headlines, force the under privileged to remain captive to a failed inner city public school system at the bequest of the unions. To leave our borders vulnerable because they want more uninformed voters dependent on failing government programs, government, government, and more government. Let’s be frank, anyone with good judgment would be doing everything they can to reduce the tentacles of government. He has the military experience, it’s the judgment he lacks…
10/6/2006 - Jay Fawcett = Nancy Pelosi, scary...
I think having a women in charge of the House of Representatives is a good idea; but not Nancy Pelosi. Woman does not mean liberal. We need good conservative women in our congress and I would rather focus on individuals as apposed to gender, race, etc…, but to Nancy’s point, giving a conservative woman a shot at leadership is a good thing. I am fortunate to work with some extremely talented women, and let me tell you something that may seem controversial; they see things differently than men. So when you go out to vote, remember that voting for Democrat Jay Fawcett will give you an opportunity to see a woman in charge. A San Francisco liberal woman with an agenda that will set back our National Security and economic advances; so vote for Jay if you agree with her stand. Otherwise send a message by voting for me. I will vote for a woman to lead the 110th Congress but it will be a conservative woman. Just a thought…
While our media and leadership are focused on the Foley scandal, our military is tracking the movement of North Korean nuclear ambitions, and the possibility that they are about to test a nuclear weapon. Thank God for our military! What has this political process become? When did it go from a vigorous debate about ideas and philosophy, to the disgusting mud slinging event it has become? What I don’t think incumbents and career politicians understand is it casts a pox on both their houses. I said this in the debate Tuesday night; the party’s have lost their compass. They have forgotten their mission. As voters we possess the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of democracy; the vote. Let’s not let them forget that. Let’s use it to support reasonable alternatives like myself. Just a thought…
10/5/2006 - Dennis Hastert will go...
I listened to speaker Hastert this morning on the Lara Ingram show and I will predict right now, 9:00 AM Mountain Time, October 5th, he will resign as speaker if he hasn’t already by the time this is posted. He may be a good man but he could not articulate his involvement or lack of involvement in the Foley scandal. I have very little confidence he will last, and more importantly, I am wondering how he rose up to be the Speaker of the House. We need a change in Washington and we need to rally as Americans around candidates that are independent of the restraints of the party leadership, to send a clear message that we want real change not just new window dressings…
Update: Maybe I'm wrong but it is early still. His comments are encouraging that he will fight and clear this up but we have seen this type of scenario before, aka Lott...
10/4/2006 - Vote to change the culture of DC...
Last night Brian Scott the Democratic write-in candidate and I debated the issues. A nice story capping the highlights by Ed Sealover from the Gazette made the paper today. I am posting my debate notes which include my opening statement, positions on Iraq, the Budget,Immigration,Marriage, Energy policy and closing remarks. With all the scandal in WashingtonDC isn’t it time to throw them all out? This is what career politicians get you. Brian and I have both imposed term limits on our campaigns, he at 1 term (2 years), me at 4 terms (8 years). Both of us agreed that the corruption and inaction is the product of incumbent paralysis. They start campaigning the minute they are elected. We will not. It was a good time and it was a polite and informative debate. Brian is passionate about changing the strategy in Iraq, and he was extremely effective at bringing the debate to a personal level. My family and friends complimented his approach, passion and politeness. They were impressed with his honesty and personality, as was I. He has a wonderful family and I kept thinking how the voters need to check out the alternatives to the “major” party candidates. We have to get more messages out there but I have to be honest it was disappointing not to have a better turnout. It’s not over till it’s over though. We have a chance until the votes have been counted. Thanks to our family and friends that attended.
10/3/2006 - The New York Times has determined that Colorado’s District 5 race is no safe for GOP…
Citing the Colorado congressional district 5 as a traditional GOP stronghold, the article is speculating that because current congressman Joel Hefley has decided not to endorse Doug Lamborn, voters may turn to the democratic candidate Jay Fawcett. The important thing to note here is the Republican Party has an alternative to Jay Fawcett with my write in candidacy. I know conventional wisdom says I can’t win, but what has Doug Lamborn done to mend fences and build consensus within the party? Republican activists will look at my campaign as a spoiler and argue that we need to unite around Lamborn. This may be important to the party but what about the 127,000 unaffiliated voters of this district? Will they care about the party losing power? Or will they care that they get a candidate willing to fight for their values. Doug as the nominee of the Republican Party has an obligation to get out and convince the voters that he is the best alternative in this race. He can not avoid getting into the debate arena and duking it out with Jay Fawcett. He needs to show leadership in this race. He has to give the republicans a reason to vote for him and not just rely on the party faithful. That is not leadership, that is not what the conservative movement is about, that is not what the voters deserve. I will make my views known tonight at the debate in the Penrose Library to help voters make an informed decision. Doug should do the same. That is leadership, that is what conservatives do, that is what the voters deserve. I will not fib and say that I am not nervous about putting myself in front of the voters for judgment, but this is what the GOP needs to do to win. Doug should know that; the voters do…
10/2/2006 - Debate at Penrose Library 7:00 PM October 3rd...
I will be participating in a debate tomorrow night at the Penrose Public Library, 7-8:30 between the 3 write in candidates. We will open up with remarks and then take on the issues. We will focus on Iraq and the Budget but we will also discuss Immigration, Education, Energy Policy, Judges, and Marriage. We have invited the two major candidates and we have received a response from one of them. I have also contacted Congressman Hefley’s office here in the springs and spoke with his Chief of Staff Loren Whittamore to remind him of the upcoming debate we discussed in DC. I hope he shows up. I am excited about the opportunity but I have tempered my expectations because of the way the write-in candidates are continually written off. If you have an opportunity to attend I hope you will. I will post on my perspective of what happens and what type of recognition if any we receive.
9/28/2006 - My visit to Washington DC...
I had a great visit with my cousin Jean Doyle and the Congressman from Colorado’s District 5, Joel Hefley on Tuesday. I had a business trip in the area and I took advantage the opportunity to combine business with pleasure. Let me first say that I have not seen my cousin Jean in about 8 years. I have shared a few e-mails and kept up with her life through my mother, but otherwise we have not shared a hug and conversation in too long. She is such a great person and I now know I have missed a lot of great opportunities for political discourse. She is an Appropriations Associate for Congress Women Nina Lowey, right around the corner from congressman Hefley’s office; how convenient.
As I drove to DC from the hotel in Baltimore I thought I left myself enough time. According to Mapquest and the time of day, anyone could have made the mistake of not leaving an extra 2 hours of buffer. I ended up parking right near the White House and I asked one of the Park Police, where is the RayburnBuilding? At this point I still had 25 minutes, I thought. I knew I was in a little trouble when he said that the building was right next to the CapitalBuilding, and that I should probably take a cab. Being as cheap as I am, and wanting to see some sights, and having a view of the Capital clearly in my sights, I chose to walk, fast. I looked at my watch as I approached the building that never seemed to get closer, and realized I was about to be late for my appointment so I called his office. My first thought was I was going to lose the opportunity to speak with Congressman Hefley, but I still would have a chance to see my cousin. I spoke with Kelly at his office (she is great by the way) and explained I thought I was still 10 minutes away. She checked with the Congressman and he was still willing to meet with me. Wonderful surprise! I picked up my pace. I had a challenge getting through security because I was a bit frazzled and I couldn’t follow their directions. I ended up getting through and the 2 guards were very pleasant and helpful. I went to the 3rd floor, found the office and walked in.
I had about ten minutes remaining in my half hour appointment, but our conversation lasted approximately an hour. We seemed to connect easily and I found the Congressman engaging and extremely easy to talk to. We talked about family, music, art, and politics. We talked about my positions and concerns about losing the seat. We shared concerns about the way the primary campaign went, concerns about how the lack of a Lamborn campaign could hurt Bob Beauprez’s chances. I did take away one hope from our meeting; the Congressman said he would do his best to come to the debate we are going to have on Tuesday, as an observer. I took that to be a good sign that we connected on some level. I hope he has the opportunity to come.
I left that office with a perk in my step and ventured around the corner to see my cousin Jean. I couldn’t help thinking how grown up she was (she is about 20 years younger than me, yikes!) and how cool it was that she was really making an impact in life and how good a job her parents did bringing her up. They are, and should be proud. The conversation made me think about how quickly time goes by and how important it is to keep in touch with family. Thank you Jean for our conversation and hugs, it meant a lot.
I will have to go back to DC on business again and I will make sure I get more time with Jean. And by chance if I end up in the office around the corner, I will be trying to steal her from Congress Woman Lowey; sorry Congress Woman…
9/21/2006 - The Jay Fawcett ad is "sleazy"...
A lot of chatter yesterday on the local talk station regarding democrat Jay Fawcett’s radio ad referencing congressman Joel Hefley’s comments about Republican Doug Lamborn’s “sleazy” campaign. The congressman has now included Jay in the list of campaigns he considers “sleazy”. I have a meeting in WashingtonDC with the Congressman on Tuesday and I am hoping that at the conclusion of that meeting I am not categorized as “sleazy” as well. I hope to leave there with a better understanding of the issues that the Congressman feels are important to our district and I hope to convince him that I am a person worth consideration. I don’t expect to come out with an endorsement but I do respect the fact that the Congressman seems to have a real knack for ethics and I like that. I also have a family member that is a staffer for a Democratic Congress Woman from NY and I look forward to catching up with her on my visit as well. Back to the Jay Fawcett ad; I heard it and it completely turned me off. The other blaring fact is that a vote for Jay is a vote for Nancy Pelosi and that is something this district understands and will not tolerate. Congressman if you’re watching my Blog; I look forward to our meeting and I thank you in advance for your time. Kind regards…
9/20/2006 - Why are we putting up with this scum in our country?
Boot Hugo Chavez right out the door with Ahmadinejad, Annan, Chirac, and all the blow hards that are using our free democracy as a grandstand for their bull_ _ _ _! Who the hell are these 2 bit dictators and ingrates to stand on our soil and call our president the devil, spit in the eye of democracy, and tell this great nation what we are doing wrong? The little Hitler from Iranshould be locked up for his threats to Israel and the rest of the free world. This is the treatment you receive when you are not respected. It’s time to close the UN and let some other nation host these academic idiots. It’s time to tell it like it is and screw political correctness. Is this the kind of temperament we need in our elected officials? You bet; look what being nice has gotten us. A kick in the a__!!! I’m done with these thugs being given a world stage by our media. When will we learn? When a nuclear bomb reigns down on this nation? Wake up!
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is suggesting that in order to get people to go to the doctor and get them to send their kids to school we need to “pay” them. A study they are referencing says the program has had success in Mexico and Brazil. Mexico a success? I would like to see their definition of success. How many people have they paid and how many families have broken the cycle of poverty through this program? Here is a fundamental problem with this idea and many of our government programs targeting the poor; good intentions, flawed logic. I know this is so hard to say when it feels so good; you can’t pay people to break the cycle of poverty, they need to do it themselves. We need to reduce government’s role because government is the biggest impediment to success in our urban and poor communities. The cycle of poverty that we saw in New Orleans and continue in large cities like NY, are fostered by the ability of people to continually rely on programs that “pay” them to be poor. It is an injustice to these groups to assume they can’t help themselves improve their own standard of living. We have stolen their dreams with the programs of government and although it may make billionaire Michael Bloomberg and others feel good; they are not doing good. They would do better by slowly phasing out these programs of dependency, and replacing them with the reality of the American Dream. The foundation of the American Dream is not the security of a government program, but the freedom to be what we want to be on our own merits. The sooner people like Michael Bloomberg stop trying to help the faster the dream becomes a reality…
The first reaction of Muslims to any criticism of Islam is violence. Why is that? It seems whether it’s a cartoon, a book by Rushdie, or a quote by the Pope, the reaction isn’t civil, it’s violent. In contrast, Jews and Christians are verbally assaulted without a second thought on many fronts, including the latest attempt to give radical Islam moral equivalence to American Christians, by Rosie O’Donnell on the view. I don’t see any flags being burned, large protests of Christians threatening violence. No they engage in dialogue and defend Christianity with words and debate. We need to remember these reactions and understand that Islam is a religion that has a huge number of members on the continual brink of violence. They have a lot of PR work to do with Americans if they expect Islam to be seen as a “religion of peace”. The media keeps telling us that these are the extremists that are hijacking the religion, and that most Muslims are peace loving. I’m not buying it and I think most Americans aren’t buying it either. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Actions are what we measure, not the words of religious apologists. Just a thought…
9/14/2006 - Murtha is not credible, and I did not serve in the military...
I have written about the great men and women that have served and serve in today’s military many times here on this Blog. I have the utmost respect for them and what they have chosen to do and this country is the greatest in the world because they stand guard and protect the freedoms and values we hold dear. With that said, just because you have served in the military does not mean that you have better ideas on how to govern this country or that your service insulates you from criticism of your policy and direction; that includes military matters. If we applied this logic that seems to pop its head whenever the military is discussed, that only people with military experience have credibility in military matters, what would it look like? If we were to apply this test to all the other areas of policy that are important in governing this country; Bill Frist would be the lone voice in the senate when it comes to healthcare policy. Only politicians with financial and accounting backgrounds would be considered credible in the budget debate, etc… You get the crux of what I’m saying. So when we comment on John Murtha’s visit to Colorado Springs to support Jay Fawcett, and we comment how out of touch with the world we believe he is, the argument becomes; Lamborn didn’t serve, Rich Hand didn’t serve but Jay Fawcett has, that somehow that argument refutes the fact that Murtha’s policy is nuts. Send our troops to a base 15,000 miles away and call them a “quick” response force. This is credible? You don’t have to be military to know that cut and run is not good policy. You don’t need to be military to know this guy is so out of touch with logic, absorbed with the lime light, that he is delusional on Iraq policy. If there is one thing he should know about the military is that his lack of support for the mission in Iraq is undermining the morale of the people he pretends to support. As a candidate I would propose that we increase our force in Iraq and use it as a base of operations for our upcoming confrontation with Iran. It will serve 2 purposes; increase the number of troops to suppress the insurgency and secure the borders to stop the flow of arms and terrorists, and it will send the message to Iran that we are serious about stopping their pursuit of nuclear weapons. I’m not military but I’m sure there are a few military folks in this town that have some thoughts on this and Murtha. Only military people may respond the rest of you don’t matter…
The credibility of the poll the Fawcett campaign claims has him leading Lamborn is about as credible as the headline of this post. This whole concept of republicans for Jay is ridiculous. We republicans are upset but we are not insane. Every honest republican in this district understands that voting for Jay is a vote for Pelosi, Reid, and Kennedy. Are the republicans in this district going to want to hand over all the progress made on the judiciary committee (granted, we should push harder!) by voting for Jay? Absolutely not. Republicans know that if they want to send a message it will not be one to risk our seat. There is some speculation that if Jay wins the seat it will open up an opportunity in 2 years for Jeff Crank to challenge and win the seat. Jeff can challenge the seat no matter who holds it for the next 2 years and to suggest any republican in this community would not be repulsed by a democrat representing this district, and God forbid, being responsible for a national change of power, does not understand republicans. We may be upset but we are not insane. There are 2 republican write in candidates if the urge is that great to send a message. But for now Rich Hand has a big lead in his poll! I swear; just ask my mother…
9/12/2006 - Debates are in the works...
Where is the Lamborn campaign? Where is the Fawcett campaign? Today I was at a meeting along with Greg Hollister, and Brian Scott, all write-in candidates in the D5 race planning debate strategy. In an effort to highlight the alternatives in the CD5 race, we were discussing our plans for an upcoming debate series at a meeting in a highly secured location here in the Springs. We have agreed to a series of debates and will be releasing details once confirmation on the locations is secured. As expected, my past post requesting a debate between all the candidates went unanswered (except my fellow write-in’s). Jay and Doug probably didn’t get the e-mail, SPAM filters and all, but I will bet they will have a surrogate at the upcoming debates amongst the write in candidates. I believe Doug Lamborn feels he can coast to victory and he may be right. With the efforts of Joseph Michelli to convince his listeners that we must unite behind Doug Lamborn to insure we don’t lose the seat to a democrat, he may think it’s all sewn up. Maybe hiding in the tall grass is a good strategy. I don’t believe republican voters are sheep. As a matter of fact I think they are principled voters, sometimes to a fault. So taking for granted a republican vote is a risky strategy in my opinion. I’m sure we will see his campaign ads soon (or the Trail Ridge Group) targeting Jay Fawcett, and that may be enough to get out the base, or not. Only time will tell if we can mow some of that high grass and get Doug Lamborn to actually campaign…
9/11/2006 - September 11th
I struggle for words to describe my feelings around the 911 observance. My flag is out, my thoughts are focused but my thanks don’t seem to be enough. Compared to the efforts and selflessness of the heroes of that day, and the continuing efforts of our military and law enforcement dedicated to our protection from terror, thank you doesn’t seem like it’s enough . Our ability as a nation to continue our day to day pursuits, our abilities to chase our dreams, and the ability of our children to have great hopes for the future, is the greatest testament to the great men and women that serve today. They need to be thanked from the bottom of our hearts. The ability of us as a nation and the luxury we have to take our freedom for granted, are gifts to be treasured. I know there is a great amount of criticism that we have not had to sacrifice anything while our military is off in a far away place hunting down and killing terrorists, protecting freedom, and planting the seeds of hope, but they know this is one of the greatest comforts they bring to us as a nation. Every American knows that it is our military that provides these luxuries to us; I just wish we celebrated their efforts more often. Even today on the remembrance of 911, there are far too few flags flying, too many politicians claiming political grandstanding, and people going on with their day as usual; but that is the blessing our military gives to us. Thank you from one voice in the millions, God bless those that lost friends and family, and God bless our military, you are in our hearts always …
9/10/2006 -
I was not able to attend my sister Christine’s wedding this Saturday but by looking at the pictures; they had a wonderful day. My sister has raised 3 beautiful children, mostly on her own, and she should be proud of her efforts. My 2 nephews and niece are beautiful and respectful people. I have always observed from a distance but it is very apparent that Christine has done all that a single parent can to point her children to the right path. She looked extremely happy and deservingly so after the years enduring the role of both mom and dad in her household. We send our love and hugs from Colorado and hope to attend the “party” in May. All our love and best wishes to Larry and Chris. May you have a wonderful life together…
9/8/2006 - Why the fuss?
Just my gut instinct on the controversial mini series “Road to 911”; thou does protest too much. The Clinton administrations lack of understanding and inability to come to an agreement that terrorism was a major threat to this country, is about to be revealed in this “fictional” program. Here is the reality; Americans already know that the approach of the Clinton administration toward terrorism was flawed, this reaction by the former president and his staff to the program is the proof. Democrats know that this will be a powerful reminder to the electorate this election on the differences between our current president and the way most republicans view the war on terror, compared to the way Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid democrats view the threat of terrorism. This will have an impact that will hurt democrats and they know it. But they may have over played their hand with their efforts to censor the program. I thought it was Christian conservatives that were the censors? It sounds like the democrats have been threatening free speech and “artistic” freedom at ABC. I thought they were the party of tolerance and progressive thought? It is just a gut that this series has hit a serious vulnerability in the Democratic Party; national security. They probably should have let the program quietly fade into the sunset. It will now own the news cycle and highlight the weakness of the democratic approach to national security. Just a thought…
9/7/2006 - Good People Wanted?
I was talking to someone today regarding the congressional race in CD5 and my frustration with the lack of coverage of the 3 write-in candidates. Why the disinterest in write-in candidates with local media? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard media figures say that we need more good people to get involved in the political process. Do they mean only people willing to go through the 2 party system? Is there a specific criterion being used to decide what defines the good people they are looking for? It seems like the expectation is for the candidate to drive the news and then the news media can cover the event. Fair enough but let’s apply it evenly. What has Doug Lamborn or Jay Fawcett done differently than Brian Scott, Greg Hollister, or Rich Hand to deserve their attention? They went through the primary process of the two major party’s, but what about the 127,000 un-enrolled voters who have chosen to not register with a party. Are their interests to be ignored because they have chosen to be independent of the two parties’? Maybe they would like to learn about the candidates that have chosen a path that is different and represents real change. Where is it written that only the party nominees count in an election? Granted only the party candidates spend any real dollars with the media in these campaigns. I can’t believe that the local media would have money as a motivating factor in this election, can you? I don’t want to believe that. I expect because the write-in candidates actually live the lives career politicians pretend to know, career politicians have the time to spend running around pretending to care about every issue that is whispered in their ear, kissing babies, begging for money, ruining parades by injecting politics, eating chicken and pancakes, they make for good footage and fodder for the press. The bottom line is if you want good people to get involved you have to cover them and give them an opportunity to get their issues out. You get what you cover. The two candidates being covered are not the only option. Just go onto the Secretary of State’s website and read under the district 5 candidates list; Doug Lamborn, Jay Fawcett, Rich Hand, Gregory Hollister, Brian Scott. There are 5 candidates not 2. Where have all the good people gone?
9/6/2006 - Raising the minimum does feel good but...
I can’t wait to see Senator Reid’s rebuttal to this letter from the president’s Chief of Staff, Josh Bolton. This letter clearly states the president’s Iraq policy and unveils the bankrupt Senator Reid and the democratic leadership he represents. This is why it is so important that voters take a moment to reflect on what voting for a democrat means to our country’s future. We do not want people leading this country that are as misguided as Senator Reid. Locally we have the D candidate, Jay Fawcett, who if elected puts Senator Reid closer to a leadership role which he does not deserve or show any instinct to be effective at. So voters need to think hard about their choice here in the 5th District, real hard.
Speaking of Jay, he made an impromptu appearance on the Joseph Michelli show (KVOR), to weigh in on the minimum wage argument. Joseph had it right and Jay was left with trying to defend an issue that rebukes all common sense. Jay being a D supports the $1.70 minimum wage hike. When asked to defend his position he had to circle the issue because it is strictly a feel good issue. If it was good policy and made sense why not raise the minimum wage to $20.00 an hour? If $6.85 is good, isn’t $20 better. Wouldn’t we all feel better that everyone would be making a “livable” wage? It is similar to the tax increase issue; if raising taxes was good for the economy why don’t we raise our way to prosperity? So when you hear the argument that we need to raise the minimum wage just ask the speaker; why not raise it to $20 an hour? Watch the dancing begin. Joseph was right on (he was also taken out of context and flogged by Media Matters); if you are a business you pay for the value of the employee. Most employers can’t and often don’t pay minimum wage because the market dictates that good employees are worth more. I have worked for minimum wage and have spent my life making my employee value worth more. It’s that simple…
Iran’s leadership believes American’s are weak. Our president knows better, and it is time to unite as Americans against the Iranian regime and the radical Muslim fascists they support. It is clear now what our enemy’s intentions are, and we need to face the facts and listen to what the candidates for congress are proposing we do about this evil facing our nation. I say we keep terrorists on defense by keeping pressure in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I believe we need to increase our presence in Iraq, particularly on the Iran and Syrian borders to make our intentions clear; we will protect this world from a nuclear terrorist regime. We should build a coalition outside the UN that includes Israel, Britain, Japan, and any other country serious about defeating terrorism. We need to give our military leaders the continued support to address Iran. It is painstakingly obvious that diplomacy with Iran is a waste of time and building any support within the UN is hopeless, so it is incumbent on our representatives to move forward in our best interest. The economy is at the top of the list of issues important to the electorate in this campaign. That is until Iran launches a missile that destroys Israel, or they arm a terrorist that penetrates our southern border and takes out an American city. Nothing matters if we are not secure. We need to elect representatives that understand the threat to the US. We can no longer fight Iran with words; they are falling on deaf ears. They want our way of life destroyed. We need to vote for people that understand the importance of protecting it. Just a thought…
8/31/2006 - This was sent today to the District 5 candidates and Representative Hefley's office:
8/31/2006
Doug Lamborn Campaign
Jay Fawcett Campaign
Greg Hollister Campaign
To whom it may concern:
In light of the Honorable Joel Hefley’s recent decision not to endorse a particular campaign in the general election, it may have caused confusion for the voting public about where the Republican Party stands. It also invites more inquiry into the democratic and write-in candidates stands on issues in this campaign. In an effort to address this confusion, I am suggesting we agree to be part of a panel discussion in a public forum to address the following issues:
What is the impact of Joel Hefley's decision not to support a campaign in the CD 5 race?
·What will this mean to a district that has been represented by a republican for 20 years?
What will be the impact of 2 write in candidates on the republican side?
·Will it have any impact?
·Will it increase the likelihood of the democrat getting elected?
As a district what kind of leadership do we want?
·What are the key issues?
·Which issues will build consensus?
·Which issues will divide the district?
Each panel member will get 3-5 minutes to present the overall position statement of their campaign. The moderator will present the questions to the panel. Panel members will respond and the moderator will then take a few follow up inquiries from the audience. A brief 2 minute wrap up for each panel member at the conclusion. This will not be a debate format but more of an informational campaign for voters that have an interest in this campaign.
I suggest a public venue, possibly one of our college or university campuses. I suggest either Tuesday September 19th or Wednesday September 20th at 7:00 PM. I will work on the details for the venue. If you have another suggestion that makes it more convenient to the public please let me know.
I have copied Representative Hefley’s office as well to leave open the possibility that he may want to facilitate or be a member of the panel.
I believe we owe this to the good people of our district. If you can respond by Friday, September 8th via e-mail it would be appreciated. This will leave enough time for the logistics and communications needed to make this a valuable and informative event.
Kind regards,
Rich Hand
Write-in Candidate
Congressional District 5
8/30/2006 - The District 5 race is going to be interesting...
Although there was only a brief comment in today’s story in the Gazette regarding the D5 congressional race, I wanted to expand here on what Ed and I discussed yesterday, and add a few additional thoughts regarding Representative Hefley’s decision not to endorse Doug Lamborn. First, this is huge in party politics and I know some are calling it sour grapes because the congressman’s choice to succeed him did not win, but I disagree. I think Joel Hefley has strong principles and Doug’s campaign activity rubbed Joel Hefley the wrong way. I respect him for standing on his principles and not doing the “right” thing for the party by remaining silent on the issue. This must have been a difficult decision in many ways for him. Ed asked me whether or not with all this talk about write-in candidates; was I planning on doing anything different in my campaign? I told Ed that this campaign from the beginning has decided not to accept campaign donations. This is definitely a disadvantage but I am committed to the principle of engaging voters and expecting voters to do their homework and seek out alternative candidates. Second, we need reform that encourages the 2 party’s to govern instead of a perpetual Hatfield and McCoy’s mentality we have observed over the paste decade or so which is why I chose the write-in route rather than the party process. I believe Ed Sealover is doing a good job of covering the issues but I requested with the current turmoil in the Republican Party, that he seek out responses to issues from me and Greg. I expect he will.
I have argued the point that a vote for Jay Fawcett is a vote for Nancy Pelosi. I stand by that. If you are a voter that is going to vote the “man” I commend you. I am only stating the facts; that the left controls the Democratic Party and by adding another D increases the probability that the agenda will change in a direction that will not be supported by the majority of D5 voters. That’s reality.
Ed said I will be kicking off the campaign soon and he is correct. I have been putting together a band and we have been rehearsing to play a “meet the candidate” at Acacia Park. I will also be contacting Greg, the new write-in candidate to see if he is interested in joining me on a panel to discuss the D5 race, the choices voters have, and the consequences of; voting for Jay, a write-in, or most importantly the impact of staying home.
Greg are you interested?
8/29/2006 - Open Letter to Congressman Hefley...
Dear Congressman,
The most recent article in the Gazette regarding the 5th congressional district race by Ed Sealover, suggests you will not support the republican nominee Doug Lamborn. It is reported that you were disappointed with the way he conducted his primary campaign; enough said.
It was also hinted at in the article that you were being encouraged to run as a write-in, and with all due respect I hope you don’t. You have served this community well but there comes a time for everyone to take on new challenges and opportunities. You I am sure will have many.
I ask you to support the alternative write – in candidate on the ballot, me, Rich Hand. I have been a republican for most of my adult life and I will represent this district with integrity and honesty. I am not a career politician therefore I am not beholden to any particular interests, except the voters of the district.
I hope you can find it in your heart to open up an opportunity for a candidate like myself by asking your past supporters to consider my campaign. I would be honored to continue the good service you have provided to this district with a renewed energy of someone anxious to make a difference for our district and the good citizens of this great nation.
I wrote about this last week but now I have a document that supports my position; A vote for Jay Fawcett, is a vote for Nancy Pelosi. Again, this is not to say the Jay Fawcett has positions that are similar to Pelosi, but if the Democrats gain control over the house this article gives you a good indication the country will go in; the wrong one. So if you’re a Republican, you either have to vote for Doug Lamborn or myself. I am not an official party candidate but I am a legitimate one. If you are reading this, and you are a Colorado district 5 voter, you have done your homework. I hope you will become convinced based on my writings to give me a close look and real consideration. By voting for me you will not be putting Pelosi into a leadership role that will take this country in a liberal dangerous direction. Dangerous because liberals don’t get that we confront evil in our time. Dangerous because liberals are in charge of the UN; enough said…
Read this UN “gobble de goop” and tell me as a nation we want to trust our future existence to this group of misfits? Iran is threatening the annihilation of Israel and as a nuclear power will be a greater threat to the US, and these people burry their heads in the sand. If you can get through this article without disgust, you are better than me. All you “world order” advocates are getting a glimpse into the “workings” of a world government; absolute impotency. Two bit dictators acting as if they are morally equivalent to western nations. Russia and China can see only the economic impact they will incur if nuclear sanctions are imposed on Iran. Our policy needs to be based on our interests as a nation; not what France, Russia, China, or any other nation considers acceptable. Again, as I have stated in many past posts, the UN has one really effective purpose, distributing food to hungry nations; period. I know as Americans we are doing our best to insulate ourselves from the reality that we are at war, but we are at war. We need to face the facts that time is running out to decide what our Iranian policy will be. It’s uncomfortable but it’s reality; we need to do what is right for the US first and foremost. Very few nations at the UN care much about our future security; we should.
8/24/2006 - A vote for Jay is a vote for Nancy Pelosi...
A vote for Jay Fawcett in the 5th congressional district race is a vote for Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Barbara Boxer, Ted Kennedy, and people like Howard Dean and his radical views of the world. If either of the houses moves into the democratic column, we can expect a radical change in direction, and not one the voters of this district will have supported. The front and center issue will become the removal of George Bush, and normalizing relations with fringe radical Islamic fascists, like Hamas that want to kill us. You see, it’s not as if Jay Fawcett is in any way like the left wing of the Democratic Party, but a vote for him puts these radicals one step closer to power; and that would be a disaster. I have been reading the letters in the Gazette and there is a tone of disappointment with the candidate elected by the Republican Party, Doug Lamborn. I understand the disappointment because if I were not running in this race, I would have preferred Jeff Crank or a number of the others over Doug. So the party line is suck it up, you have no choice. Well there is a choice. Although my candidacy is a write in and not “sanctioned” by the party, I am a 15+ year republican and my positions have not changed, just my approach. By electing me, there is absolutely no worry that the radical left will gain power because of our district choice. As you have read on my web site, I’m a conservative, but I am also a pragmatist (Pragmatists see the world in terms of what works best or most efficiently). You can keep your core values and still move the debate forward. Governing is not about beating democrats, that is what elections are for. Governing means developing coalitions of like minded congressmen and women, no matter what party they represent, and making good arguments, tough choices, pursue policy with determined resolve, and to do what is right for the people of D5 and the country. So if you are disappointed with your choices, give me a closer look. I am much like you, disappointed with the direction and operation of political party’s, think money is undermining the election process, have to go to work every day to make a living, know that government is spending at an unsustainable pace, and that democrats can’t be trusted with our defense or military. This is not about Jay Fawcett the man; it is about the party he represents. A party that has lost its soul and is dangerous to our health…
8/23/2006 - When is enough, enough...
As Colorado residents, we recently argued over whether or not to allow our state officials to keep tax revenues that by law were to be returned to the taxpayers. It was called referendum C. It was controversial to say the least and it formed many interesting political bedfellows. In the law that is called TABOR, based on a complicated formula, tax payers are refunded excess tax revenues in the form of a rebate. In my opinion it is a formula that should be adopted at the federal level with one exception, the provision that based on the formula, cuts funding to levels that actually are below the previous years, making it difficult to plan for the future. I believe that needs to be fixed but otherwise it acts as a fiscal watchdog for the taxpayers of Colorado. The voters took many issues into consideration and decided that they would allow the state to keep the rebates temporarily to assist in funding programs that were in dire need according to many. Part of the problem is that states are forced to fund federal programs like Medicare/Medicaid making the revenue pie available for other state programs smaller and smaller. In the recent past, we approved a ballot initiative that by law mandates certain funding levels for K-12 education, which sounds good, but also dips into the limited pool of available tax revenues. So in Colorado we argue over how TABOR has either hurt or helped our state, depending on your perspective, but the reality is tax receipts to the state have increased under TABOR at a rate that on the surface is a significant amount of money. So when the state asks for more money for education, roads, bridges, social programs, we have to ask ourselves; when is enough, enough? We make decisions regarding our personal finances every day. If the gas bill increases, or we want to go on vacation, or the kids are heading to college, we can not demand a raise from our employer. We get paid based on our value to the organization. Create more value and possibly get a raise, no guarantee. But whenever we talk about government programs, why is it assumed that we must fund it? Why is it so easy for people to get caught up in the emotional argument without looking at the details? For example, no one wants to see a good student miss out on college because they can’t afford it but why isn’t the question; why have education expenses out paced inflation and cost of living expenses 3 fold and more? And why should one family be penalized to pay for another family’s child because they chose to be frugal and save for their child’s education? When is enough, enough? Where is it that because we want to go to college we are entitled to it? It is important to make college achievement attainable but we need to send a message to our institutions of higher learning that just because you want more doesn’t mean you’ll get more. I’m picking on education here but there are other programs that continue to expand their budgets. We need to look at unfunded mandates from the Federal Government as part of this solution as well. It is important that government looks at the budget for what it is; our hard earned dollars. Just because you want it; it doesn’t mean your going to get it. When is enough, enough? Will there ever be enough? Will we ever cut a program? It is interesting when you ask a supporter of government programs to forgo their personal tax refund, or increase their personal tax burden by sending in additional taxes what the response is. That is usually when people agree; enough is enough…
Pat Buchanan can be a bit over the top at times. It may be that he is trying to sell books by using doomsday rhetoric, but he makes some great points about how the current illegal immigration problem can no longer be ignored. If we choose to ignore it, we do so at the peril of this great nation. He uses census statistics and many are disturbing like 1 in 12 illegal’s has a criminal record. Our border patrol apprehends 150,000 illegal’s a month trying to cross the border. The estimates of how this will impact the demographics are staggering if you project out 50 years. He blames it on the lack of republican and elite interest about the problem and their ultimate desire to undermine our sovereignty with a “North American Union”. I don’t pretend to know the motives but I do know that if Americans were asked if they wanted to give up their sovereignty to join Mexico it would be a resounding no. We need to elect politicians today that want to protect our borders. It is important that our nation stays sovereign and that immigrants coming here, come with motives that will benefit the future of our nation…
8/17/2006- Will Doug Lamborn's endorsements make a difference?
Do endorsements really help a candidacy? I reviewed Doug Lamborn’s website, and he has a list of conservative groups that have given him their endorsement. Endorsements simply play on the group think mentality of human beings; as Dr. Bea Carson, author of Avoiding Abilene: Breaking Out of Groupthink, states: “We are so sure that everyone is in agreement that we don’t want to be the lone dissenting voice.” That must explain the frantic exercise of politicians at every level to garner the endorsements of all these groups as part of their campaign strategy. It may add value for some but for me, I have never voted for a candidate because of any group’s endorsement. Actually to me it is exactly the opposite. I use the endorsements as a way to eliminate the candidates that I vote for. You have to look at why organizations endorse candidates. It is really a political donation in disguise because what these groups are really looking for is access. There are some fundamental issues that Republicans tend to share like gun rights and the protection of the 2nd amendment. It is not necessary to get the endorsement of the NRA to validate your position. Your personal character and word should be enough for voters to make a decision where you stand, unless of course you have shown a propensity for changing positions or people don’t feel comfortable with your word. Is an endorsement a replacement for a candidate’s trustworthiness? Mr. Lamborn has a few groups that offer 100% support. They are the Christian Coalition and the Colorado Right to Life. Does that mean that the NRA is 25% and the Minutemen Civil Defense is 35%? I know for some people these endorsements may hold weight but my guess is that most people don’t care. It will make for good copy in flyers and TV ads but most will judge the candidates on what they see, hear, and feel about the candidate and their positions through debates, interviews, writings, and speeches. That’s why keeping alternative candidates out of the debates, newspapers, and main stream media is so important to the campaigns of party candidates. They know that at the end of the day it isn’t the ads, endorsements, or party affiliation that wins votes, it’s the performance of the candidate. It’s sad that it appears there are only 2 candidates in this race when you read the papers or listen to the pundits. It’s up to the voters to do their homework if they want other candidates to have an opportunity to compete. Endorsements are verbal donations, nothing else. They don’t make the candidate a more effective leader or the right choice for you. The only endorsement that is worth anything is your vote. It’s the only endorsement that truly holds any weight with me.
8/16/2006- The numbers suggest a huge opportunity for the voters of CD 5...
Let’s look at some numbers for the congressional race in district 5. As you may know by now, the republican candidate that makes it through the primary, based on conventional wisdom, is considered to be the most likely winner in the general election. That’s interesting because the nominee, Doug Lamborn, won with a total vote count of 15,011 votes over the other republican primary contenders where 55,548 republicans showed up to vote. There are 184,592 registered republicans in district 5 according to the Secretary of State’s website, making Doug the favorite for 8% of the party voters. 30% of republicans voted in the primary and we are to believe that Doug will be the winner. Now from my perspective this leaves a huge opportunity of voters that decided not to vote, were not interested in being part of the process, or will never vote, but in theory represent a possibility for anyone in this race to win, including myself. There are 400,674 registered voters in CD 5, making Doug’s win an impressive 3% of the total voting population in CD 5. I understand most of them did not have the opportunity to vote in the primary, but when you look at the numbers, it quickly becomes apparent that nothing is guaranteed here for anyone; especially the party candidates. The Democrats are 86,854, and unaffiliated voters number 127,885, totaling 214,739. In theory, even if every republican voted for Doug, he could still lose; same with the democrats. I don’t know Mr. Lamborn, but I’m not sure he has that many republican allies. He being a “career” politician, I’m sure he has cultivated a few enemies over the years that would like nothing better than to see him fail. So let’s tally the opportunity; 214,885 voters have not had a chance to speak yet, of the 184,592 voters that did, only 55,548 chose to vote (why?), leaving an opportunity of 345,126. I would like to send a message to these voters; there is a choice in this election. Don’t let 15,011 voters make your choice for you. Go beyond the commercials and do your homework. Find out about Doug, Jay, and myself and make an informed decision. I think if you get to know me I will become your choice. I look forward to meeting you! Write in RICH HAND. Thank you!
8/15/2006 - Diplomacy is a deadly weapon...
Why can’t we see that diplomacy has become a weapon for our enemies to use against us? It is clear to see for anyone that wants to, so why do we remain obsessed with a diplomatic solution in the Middle East? We have been using diplomacy as a foundational process there since the founding of Israel, and where has it left us? We are in the middle of another war; we have seen an increase in terrorism, continued instability throughout the world, and no further toward peace than we were at the height of the Israel Palestinian “conflict”. Here’s why. In order for diplomacy to work there needs to be some fundamental principles present to move forward. The first is that both parties engaging in diplomacy must have the common goal of wanting a diplomatic solution. For example, the Israeli’s want to live in peace, the Palestinian’s want the elimination of Israel as a State and a people. This exposes a fundamental problem with pursuing diplomacy between the parties. There is no common ground to base any solution. It is an exercise in buying time. Diplomacy can not be imposed by outside parties. The parties may engage others to spearhead the process, but both parties must be in agreement with the “moderator” or the effort is futile. Terrorists have figured out that western culture is obsessed with finding “diplomatic” solutions and has been able to incorporate that weakness into their arsenal against us. The current “conflict” between Hezbollah and Israel is the perfect example. Hezbollah accepts “diplomatic” efforts only to use the time to rearm, further recruit, strengthen, and adjust tactics learned, to then return to the ultimate goal; the destruction of their enemy. We don’t have to go back very far to find another perfect example of this tactic; Iraq under Saddam. He used our obsession for diplomacy to his advantage for many years. In the end the same result occurred so what was the impact of all that “diplomacy”? More people of Iraq suffered under his regime than had to; he stole billions in the oil for food scandal, and undermined the credibility of the west and particularly the UN. It also showed the current regimes of Iran, Syria, and North Korea, how to effectively use the UN and diplomacy against us. Saddam showed our enemies how to use “diplomacy” as an effective tool and more importantly, where our breaking point is. As long as terrorists and our enemies show some sign of “wanting” a diplomatic solution, we will continue to pursue it, to our detriment. There is a time and place for diplomacy but not with Hezbollah. They will be back with a vengeance and again we will have been fooled by our enemies. They will be stronger and we will wonder why.
8/14/2006 - A Difficult Decision...
For the first time in about 15 years I did not vote on an election day. It was the primary for the seat I am running for in the general election, so I felt it would be OK to abstain this one time. It was difficult for me to break this long streak of voting at every election, but believe me it will not happen on November 7th. In my opinion it really didn’t matter who won, my campaign is different from all the others. It is important to give voters a choice. According to the Secretary of State’s web site, it will be Jay Fawcett (D), Doug Lamborn (R ), and Rich Hand (R ) write-in; the voters get to choose from on Election Day. For Republicans that do not align with Doug Lamborn and do not want to help a Democrat get elected, they have me. Huge hurdles to overcome but I expect that there will be many voters that will want a common sense choice to the party candidates. My campaign is relying on this districts highly motivated and informed voter to do their homework and not just vote for the candidate with the best TV ads. I know if there is anywhere a campaign like mine can succeed, it’s here. 7 down, 3 to go…
8/14/2006 - Catching up from vacation...
Back from a 2 week family vacation and so much has happened that I will comment briefly on a few events and start fresh from there.
It is no surprise that the terrorists are still trying to kill us on airplanes or anywhere else. They are relentless and we need to be too.
The “cease fire” is a mistake and the terrorists are already claiming victory as I suggested in a previous post. This is what happens when you have people in charge that don’t understand the enemy. Israel would never have agreed to this under Netanyahu (SIC). He understands the enemy. We will be in this war sooner rather than later if we want to win the war on terror. France is still useless.
Doug Lamborn has won the Republican Primary in District 5. He thinks he has the seat at this point. I don’t.
More to come soon after I get caught up and in campaign mode. I am looking forward to giving Mr. Lamborn a run for his money this fall. You should too!
It is interesting to read that the race between the 6 republican primary contenders has turned nasty. I’m not sure why because their positions are very similar. Usually campaigns get nasty because the differences are so stark that people get “heated” defending or promoting their positions. In this race it is basically a personality contest if you analyze it from a “casual” observer’s perspective. They all support a strong defense, promising to stand tough on illegal immigration, pro family values, fiscal responsibility, etc…, but the problem is the real contest is not about the issues, but raising money. A politician’s resume should not need to include a qualification: “1977 – 2001 Begged for money; raised $100,000”. That is why my campaign is not asking for, or accepting any money. I am expecting voters to engage in the political process and to decide whether or not I am a good candidate on the basis of my positions, not my ability to beg for money. That means I will not have money to produce annoying television ads that voters hate and click through anyway. So are my expectations high regarding the voters? You bet. I believe that if they get engaged they will take the time to write in; Rich Hand, not because they saw me 100 times in a television ad, but because they think I will be the best representative for them in Washington. The pundits may laugh me off because they have no faith in the voters getting engaged. It will be interesting to see if they’re right. Just a thought…
7/24/2006- It's not just our national security that is at risk with the lack of enforcement of our immigration laws...
The hard working American middle class is being undermined and devastated by illegal immigration, and we can’t have it. We are told there are many jobs Americans won’t do! So what are the jobs that Americans will not do?? Well I’m only 46, and while working through High School in the restaurant industry, I remember wanting to be part of the construction trades because they paid well and it was good physical work. Today it is still good physical work, but because of the illegal workers in this industry, Americans have been forced to work for the same wages I was attracted to back then. These are the jobs that kids were told to pursue when academics was not their bag. Learn a trade they were told and you can make a living. That is becoming harder to do because of the illegal immigration. Large builders and developers are wreaking the benefits, while the American worker is getting the shaft. So ask a framer, carpenter, drywaller, painter, laborer next time you see one, how has the illegal immigration issue impacted you? Don’t buy the argument that this is keeping the cost of housing down; bull, check out the price of a new home these days, and tell me someone’s not making money off the back of our middle class; illegally. The restaurant and hotel industry is similar. I travel often in my work, and it is very apparent that this industry has its share of illegal immigrants and the service levels are starting to show the impact. I will not go to the Wendy’s chain anymore because the service is being impacted by their decision to hire people that have extreme difficulty communicating with customers. Enough said. The story can be applied to many industries, and there needs to be a reassessment of the drive to cut cost and the need to pay qualified labor. The true market needs to set the wage. Our minority communities, kids, and legal immigrant workers are capable and willing to work for the true market wage, not one that is artificially deflated because the ability of illegal’s to take the jobs, and the employer’s disregard of our laws, that hire them. So why are people supporting open borders and amnesty? Money. I’m not saying business does not have the need and right to keep costs down, just do it legally. You are breaking the law, and the back of the American working class.
Sending Condoleezza Rice to the Mideast is very risky politically and a strategic mistake. The idea that there is some chance of “negotiating” a cease fire is setting false expectations. Does the US “negotiate” with terrorists? Did we not criticize France and Spain for appeasing and taking actions based on terrorist demands? Israel needs to be supported in their effort to root out Hezbollah, and should not be encouraged to stop until Hezbollah is destroyed. Any “cease fire” will be spun as a victory for Hezbollah and will be used to recruit more maniacs. They need to learn that terrorism is a short lived career and when you attack Israel the US or any of their allies, you are destroyed, period. It is the only language and action they understand. So for Condoleezza this should be a very short “negotiation”; tell Israel we’re in full support of their action and if Syria or Iran weighs in, so will the US. Anything else will be a strategic failure no matter how much the media highlights a meaningless cease fire.
7/19/2006 - This is a letter to the editor from a friend of our family to the Orange County Register on the subject of Im
