Opposition Media shut down...Censorship imposed...

Am I referring to Hugo Chavez? To Raul or Fidel Castro? To Kim Jong Il?

Hell, no--I'm referring to the oppressors at Tuft's University, who put the screws to its only conservative publication:

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

To air concerns, contact: Lawrence Bacow, Tufts University President
bacow@tufts.edu

Tufts University finds conservative student publication guilty on two counts each of harassment and creation of a hostile environment

With this decision, Tufts University changes its position on free speech and effectively hampers the ability of its students to engage in political dialogue.

MEDFORD, MA — 5/10/2007 — The Tufts University Committee on Student Life (CSL) found THE PRIMARY SOURCE, the journal of conservative thought at Tufts, guilty of harassment and creation of a hostile environment resulting in sanctions against the publication. According to former Editor-in-Chief Douglas Kingman, “THE PRIMARY SOURCE condemns the ruling as a direct assault on the freedom of political expression and speech at Tufts.”

In its decision, the CSL stated that “this is a complicated case that, at its core, requires us to resolve a conflict between two important policies at Tufts University: freedom of expression on the one hand, and non-discrimination on the other.” The CSL choose not to uphold freedom of expression at Tufts.

The ruling is a reversal of current University policies. Dean of Students Bruce Reitman states in the University handbook that students should “cherish the opportunity to be learning in a place where controversial expression is embraced.” Furthermore, Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow stated in a campus editorial that “the First Amendment protects freedom of speech and that includes most offensive speech.”

THE PRIMARY SOURCE was brought before the CSL on charges from student David Dennis and the Muslim Student Association for, respectively, printing a Christmas carol parody entitled “O Come All Ye Black Folk” and “Islam, Arabic Translation: Submission”. The paper was charged with creating a hostile environment, harassment, and breaching community standards. The carol parody was meant to be a critique of collegiate affirmative action policies through the eyes of an admissions officer. It sought to satirically illustrate the offensive nature of racial stereotypes underlying affirmative action but was seen by some as racially insensitive. “Islam, Arabic Translation: Submission” was meant to draw attention to the radical fringe of Islam by quoting the Koran and news accounts detailing the actions of radical Muslims.

THE PRIMARY SOURCE will be forced to end its twenty-five year practice of printing unsigned editorials, a vital component of the free press. Furthermore, THE PRIMARY SOURCE has been singled out in this ruling because only THE PRIMARY SOURCE will be prohibited from printing unsigned editorials—all other campus publications still maintain the privilege. This punishment is being issued despite President Bacow’s statement in the Tufts Observer magazine that “the appropriate response to offensive speech is more speech, not less.”

Whether it's trying to re-implement the Fairness Doctrine, or severely restricting Conservative thought, liberals, the supposed champions of diversity; the alleged guardians of liberty and tolerance; are themselves ethically- challenged, and no better than two-bit tinhorn dictators who wield the power of military might to impose their will upon their citizens. The pointy-headed spineless, gutless faculty at Tuft's University are apparently no exception.

For alumni of Tuft's University, you may want to politely hang up the next time your alumni association calls you up for a handout. To reiterate:

Dean of Students Bruce Reitman states in the University handbook that students should “cherish the opportunity to be learning in a place where controversial expression is embraced.” Furthermore, Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow stated in a campus editorial that “the First Amendment protects freedom of speech and that includes most offensive speech.”

Then again, i suppose that liberal speech can get pretty offensive, no?

Hospital Bloopers...

These were actual hospital patient reports...enjoy!

1. The patient refused autopsy.

2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.

3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.

4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.

5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

6. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.

7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.

8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.

9. Discharge status: Alive but without permission.

10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.

11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.

12. She is numb from her toes down.

Minnesota Republicans get Religion on Taxes...

Not only did the Republican minority in the Minnesota Legislature slay the giant, they managed to simultaneously energize their base, and gave them a reason to get out the vote in '08.

The following is a press release prepared by Marty Seifert's office regarding a press conference held today:

TAX BILL VETO UNFORTUNATE BUT NECESSARY
Seifert Says: "We needed compromise, not a special session."

SAINT PAUL - (May 31, 2007) - Minnesota House Republican Leader Marty Seifert today said the veto of the tax bill was unfortunate but necessary.

"There were some good provisions in the tax bill that will not happen because an unacceptable controversial provision was inserted in the bill in the final hours of session," Representative Marty Seifert said. "In all of our negotiations, it was clearly communicated that government on autopilot would lead to a veto of the entire bill. The Democrats rolled the dice and the taxpayers lost."

Seifert said building inflation into the state's budget forecast removes a critical tool of fiscal management that is necessary to keep government spending under control.

"The state budget is built on taxpayer dollars. We owe it to the taxpayers to audit our government programs each year to determine if the dollars are being used effectively," Seifert said. "Government on autopilot is a gimmick directly connected to tax increases not fiscal responsibility."

Seifert said the greatest disappointment of the legislative session was the failure to provide direct property tax relief to homeowners.

"There were many solid proposals this session and we should spend the legislative interim reaching a compromise that provides immediate relief to property owners and long-term property tax reform. The property tax bill should be the first bill we vote on during the 2008 legislative
session," Seifert said.

Seifert said a costly special session should not be triggered by the veto of the tax bill or any other line item vetoes.

"We do not need a special session. It is unfortunate the Democrats failed to reach an agreement with the Governor and Republicans to deliver real results during the session. Their inability to compromise and failure to get the job done should not be rewarded with a special session," Seifert said.

The democrats gambled with a poison pill that Governor Pawlenty made clear he wouldn't swallow.

To put in an automatically-indexed raise in spending, regardless of need, is at once foolhardy as it is laziness to assess what the needs are before deciding the level of spending.

Long-term readers of this blog know that I haven't always been kind to our state legislators, nor to the governor.

The Minnesota Republican minority, including such stalwarts as Marty Seifert, Laura Brod, and Steve Gottwalt have held together against all odds to emerge as the true champions of the taxpayer. They deserve our congratulations, our thanks, and our support.

Left unchecked, the democrats would have conducted a drunken orgy, with "sky is the limit" spending levels that would have the net effect of tanking Minnesota's economy and killing job creation.

KUDOS to Minnesota's Republican "giant slayer" state legislators--and to Governor Pawlenty--they just gave me (and many, many others) a reason to vote FOR them in 2008!

****UPDATE****

King has more about why the veto was a good thing, Anti-Strib gives a good dressing-down of the critics.

Gary Gross thinks the Guv should be enshrined in Eveleth, MN. :-)

Immigration bill: P.O.S.

My sentiments exactly, Andy.

Kevin Ecker leads the charge!

Komrade Hillary's Manifesto

Karl Marx, Lenin, Stalin--hell--that whole corner of hell are applauding Hillary right now:

To set the scene, you may want to cue the music (opens in new window):

Clinton: Shared Prosperity Should Replace 'On Your Own' Society


MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a broad economic vision Tuesday, saying it's time to replace an "on your own" society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity.


The Democratic senator said what the Bush administration touts as an ownership society really is an "on your own" society that has widened the gap between rich and poor.

"I prefer a 'we're all in it together' society," she said. "I believe our government can once again work for all Americans. It can promote the great American tradition of opportunity for all and special privileges for none."

That means pairing growth with fairness, she said, to ensure that the middle-class succeeds in the global economy, not just corporate CEOs.

"There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets. But markets work best with rules that promote our values, protect our workers and give all people a chance to succeed," she said. "Fairness doesn't just happen. It requires the right government policies."

Komrade Hillary--you have learned well. The State does know best and is, of course, the final arbiter of "fairness," is it not? After all, as Orwell asserted, "We are all equal here. Some are more equal than others."

Beyond education, Clinton said she would reduce special breaks for corporations, eliminate tax incentives for companies that ship jobs overseas and open up CEO pay to greater public scrutiny.

In 1965, the average corporate chief executive earned 24 times as much as the average worker, she said. By 2005, it was 262 times as much. In the last six years, productivity has increased, but family incomes have gone down, she said, leading to rising inequality and pessimism in the work force.

"It's not as if America hasn't been successful these last six years, but the measure of success does not relate to what's happening in households across our country," she said. "It's like trickle down economics, without the trickle." (emphases added)

Is that so, Herr Hillary?

It's been a rough week for John Edwards, and now comes more bad news for his "two Americas" campaign theme. A new study by the Congressional Budget Office says the poor have been getting less poor. On average, CBO found that low-wage households with children had incomes after inflation that were more than one-third higher in 2005 than in 1991.

But then again, Komrade Hillary was never much of one for telling the truth, was she?

Fred now raising funds

So reports the USA Today:

Former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson hasn't formally announced he'll run for the Republican presidential nomination -- but today he did begin raising money for a prospective bid, USA TODAY Washington bureau chief Susan Page writes. She continues:

In a conference call with about 100 people -- many of whom have urged him to jump in the race -- Thompson asked for their help in raising funds for a testing-the-waters committee, which is likely to be formed next week. That money could be used for a campaign when and if he's ready to run.

"I'm not saying anything against any of the candidates, but I think he can fill the vacuum that has not been filled yet on the Republican side," Mack Mattingly, a former U.S. senator from Georgia who was on the call, says of Thompson. He predicts the actor and former senator "will be just like a magnet" who can attract conservative Democrats and Republicans.

Wednesday Hero Blogburst, 5-30-2007

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Kathy

Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie
41 years old from Ann-Arbor, Michigan


Specialist Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie is a Iraqi American U.S. Army linguist soldier, from Ann-Arbor, Michigan who was kidnapped on October 23, 2006 in Baghdad and has not been seen since.

al-Taayie joined the Army in 2004 to help not only his country, the United States, but also his birthplace of Iraq and was deployed in 2005. On October 23, 2006 he was visiting his wife in the Karrada Shiite neighborhood in central Baghdad when he and his cousin were kidnapped by a group calling themselves Ahel al-Beit Brigades. His cousin was released shortly after. On November 2, 2006 al-Taayie's uncle received a ransom demand of $250,000 for his return. Along with the ransom came a grainy video that showed a man beaten up who was identified as al-Taayie. No more has been heard from al-Taayie or his captures.

For more information on Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie you can go here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

A positive step to stop the slaughter...

President Bush today unveiled a set of sanctions, designed to effect the stopping of the carnage that is occurring in Darfur:

Traveling in Darfur a few days later, I got a whirlwind tour of hell. These "defense operations" involve the use of local militias to destroy village after village, sending millions into densely populated camps. The outskirts of those camps are ruled by brutal mounted militias that use rape and murder as tools of intimidation.

During that visit, it was clear that 15,000 to 20,000 U.N. peacekeepers, armed with attack helicopters and a mandate to protect civilians, could make a difference. That mission was eventually approved by the U.N. Security Council. But leaders of the regime have obstructed the deployment of that force at every turn, fearful it might eventually be used to arrest them on charges of genocide.

Yesterday's welcome announcement by President Bush of stronger American sanctions against Sudan, and new efforts in the Security Council to internationalize those sanctions, is an attempt to break this resistance. Within the administration, most concede these actions by themselves will not be enough. But the effective use of this stick -- banks expelling Sudanese accounts worth hundreds of millions of dollars -- might make the threat of other, heftier sticks more credible in the future.

While some of the usual suspects are cool to the idea of sanctions for the Sudan, the U.S. has found a heretofore unlikely ally in its quest to quell conditions in Darfur:

there is also a gathering coalition for stronger action that includes the United States, Britain, Denmark, some African countries -- and now France. The new government of Nicolas Sarkozy is reviewing its Darfur policy and has signaled a willingness to join the U.N. peacekeeping force and perhaps to establish humanitarian corridors in eastern Chad.

It is my hope that this is the beginning of a broader effort that will stop the slaughter of innocents. '

After all, freedom from tyranny isn't just for Iraqis. If one believes in the worthiness for fighting for freedom, one must believe it so for all the world's citizens.

Who needs bulimia..

When you got this, courtesy of your local moonbat worshippers in the Church of the Poison Mind? (I wonder if this will show up in their hymnal?)



I think that the applause you hear at the end is due to relief; much akin to the relief you'd feel when someone finally stops smacking you across the teeth with a 2x4.

BIG h/t: Are We Lumberjacks?

Nappy-headed Maher: Where's the outrage, now?

Bill Maher made some boneheaded statements that, IMO, rival those of Imus:

"And it's easy to start a religion! Watch, I do it for you: I had a vision last night! A vision! The Blessed Virgin Mary came to me--I don't know how she got past the guards--and she told me it's high time to take the high ground from the Seventh Day Adventists and give it to the 24-hour party people. And what happens in the confessional stays in the confessional. Gay men, don't say you're life partners, say you're a nunnery of two. 'We weren't having sex, officer; I was performing a very private Mass, here in my car. I was letting my rod and staff comfort him. Take this and eat of it, [our emphasis] for this is my roommate Barry. And for all those who believe there is a special place for you in Kevin.",

Where is the outrage here?

Where is Time Warner (HBO's parent company) on this? Are they calling for sensitivity training for Maher? Will Bill Maher be required to apologize on multiple occasions, and meet with Catholics personally offended by his hate speech?

Will Time Warner call for Maher to step down for offending not a woman's basketball team, but millions of Catholics nationwide?

Somehow, I don't think so.

After all, Bill's one of their own (wink-wink, nod-nod).

As an aside, who should Maher be proclaiming as a soulmate, than RINO, laugh-a-minute candidate Ron Paul.

$16,923,000 and counting..."The Goalie" comes through.

That's the amount of money that Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty saved the taxpayers, and that was just in the Omnibus Health & Human Services bill.

And there's a lot more pork cut where that came from.

Included in the line item vetoes:

$750,000 for a work-study grant for college students who also receive MFIP. According to the Goalie:

"The beneficiaries for these grants are the schools who should already be paying for work performed as part of the work study arrangment. Subsidies to colleges for work study for MFIP recipients are also not a necessity given the Legislature's decision to repeal MFIP's 20-hour work requirement.

Also, shot-and-a-save: $7,291,000 for FY 2009. Says the gov:

"The manner in which this money (for work for MFIP recipients-ed) is used is not optimal and there are more effective ways to accomplish goals in this area. Vetoing second-year funding gives the state an opportunity during the next legislative session to develop more cost-effective alternatives to meeting our federal work requirements.

There was one that got by, however:

Chapter
139

House File
298

Senate File
(184)

Description:
Family planning clinics oral contraceptive
dispensing by registered nurses.

Presented
5/22/2007

Signed
5/25/2007  

Personally, I'm at a loss as to the need for or even more so that the state (READ-TAXPAYERS) should have any involvement whatsoever in funding oral contraception; not to mention to require that it be dispensed by Registered Nurses, when LPN's would do.

I'll have more as events unfold.

What media bias?

Where, but at Day By Day will you hear these facts?

Al Qaeda loves its (stolen) cars...

It seems that the Al Qaeda terrorists are using stolen cars--American stolen cars--to fund their jihad.

So says a Florida private investigator, and he says he has proof.

But it would appear that those involved in this auto-laundering scheme are trying to sue the investigator, for telling the truth!

Along with the "flying Imams" lawsuit, this story is illustrative of the radical Muslim set here in America trying their damndest to continue flying under the radar unimpeded, and they're trying to utilize the court system to do it!

Gary Gross at Let Freedom Ring has the details.

The trouble with trolls...

A snivelling foul-mouthed, self-centered teenage troll has seen it fit to crap on the comment section of this blog, time and time again. Unfortunately, Blogger has no means of banning commenters; therefore I needed to switch to Haloscan.

Even more unfortunate is the fact that in the process, all previous comments were lost.

My apologies to all whose comments were deleted.

Thanks for your understanding!

-Leo-

Memorial Day Weekend...

My Grandfather was a veteran of WWI; my father is a veteran of WWII; and my uncle is a veteran of the Korean war. Myself, I cannot serve my country as I was then and would now be medically excluded from doing so. I am not fit to shine these men's boots, and I stand in awe of those who have served, and continue to serve today.

I am wholly appreciative of those who came before us; who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that our society is so apt to take for granted today.

But if you'll allow me to have a moment of selfishness; I would like to take this post to honor our favorite soldier, our son, Doug.

Doug enlisted and attended boot camp during the summer of his junior year in high school, knowing from the beginning that deployment to Iraq was very likely, if not a certainty. Doug is smart, was a good student, and a star swimmer and football player. His avenues were wide open. He didn't need to join the military. His goal was to spend a life in service, first as a soldier, and then as a Minnesota state trooper (he's going to go to school in Alexandria for law enforcement this fall). Doug has always had a "can do!" spirit. He eschewed the normal vices associated with high school, such as drinking, drugs, etc., although I'm sure he had more than ample opportunity to partake in such things.

Doug had a higher calling, and he rose to the occasion. He is most certainly a better man than I!

He's been in Iraq since March, 2006; and due to an extension in his tour is not scheduled to come back until sometime in July or August.

Our son, Our Hero!

Thanks, Doug, for your selfless service to your country!

HOOAH!~

Less time in recess, and more time in detention?

From an internal memo:

Article IV, Section 23 of the Minnesota Constitution says the Legislature "may" send bills to the Governor in the three days following adjournment of a session.

"Any bill passed during the last three days of a session may be presented to the governor during the three days following the day of final adjournment and becomes law if the governor signs and deposits it in the office of the secretary of state within 14 days after the adjournment of the legislature. Any bill passed during the last three days of the session which is not signed and deposited within 14 days after adjournment does not become a law."

So far, the Revisor has not presented ten bills:

* The Higher Ed Finance Bill
* The HHS Finance Bill
* The State Government Finance Bill.
* The Transportation "Lights On" Bill
* The E-12 Finance Bill
* The charitable gaming bill
* The bill on gangs, landlords, and public nuisances
* The State-wide school employees insurance pool bill
* The bill to require contractors to get a new certificate
* The Omnibus Tax Bill (which is not "due" until today, because it was passed unconstitutionally on Tuesday at 12:01:06 a.m.).

Just as the DFL fumbled the time schedule on Monday with six hours and 46 minutes of recess, so it is late in delivering bills. House leadership is going to need a little more time with this menu.

Perhaps they should have spent less time in "recess" and more time in "detention."

Al, Bill, & Hillary...

Al Gore and Bill and Hillary Clinton go to heaven, and God addresses Al first. "Al, what do you believe in?"

Al replies: "Well, I believe that I won that election, but that it was your will that I did not serve. And I've come to understand that now."

God thinks for a second and says:"Very good. Come and sit at my left."

God then addresses Bill. "Bill, what do you believe in?"

Bill replies: "I believe in forgiveness. I've sinned, but I've never held a grudge against my fellow man, and I hope no grudges are held against me."

God thinks for a second and says: "You are forgiven, my son. Come and sit at my right."

Then God addresses Hillary. "Hillary, what do you believe in?" She replies: "I believe you're in my chair."

The Fifth Column

One of the categories I regularly file my screeds is under The Fifth Column, a term which is defined by Britannica thusly:

"...(a) clandestine group or faction of subversive agents who attempt to undermine a nation's solidarity by any means at their disposal. The term is credited to Emilio Mola Vidal, a Nationalist general during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). As four of his army columns moved on Madrid, the general referred to his militant supporters within the capital as his "fifth column,"

Chiefly illustrative of the "Fifth Column" in this nation is our mainstream media, and their one-sided reporting of what is going on in Iraq and elsewhere. Unlike stellar WWII journalists Ernie Pyle and the Walter Winchill, who in years past fully understood the term, "loose lips sink ships," the media of today wield the awesome powers endowed them by the Constitution like a slobbering drunk meandering his way from whorehouse to whorehouse. Completely missing today in their equation of First Amendment powers is an accompanying ethos to utilize those powers responsibly.

In their quest to promote an agenda, or even merely to give the appearance of objectivity, these useful idiots are either wittingly or unwittingly duped into playing into the hands of our bloodthirsty enemies (remember--those guys who want to murder as many of us as they can??); the very enemies that at this very moment have our American sons and daughters in their crosshairs.

I would hope and pray that these morons have a clue that their printed and spoken words have the very real capacity to entail deadly consequences, but I'm not so sure they give a rip.

An email from Chief Warrant Officer Jim Funk says it all:

...You inspire and report the enemy's objective every day. You are the enemy's greatest weapon. The enemy cannot beat us on the battlefield so all he does is try to wreak enough havoc and have you report it every day. With you and the enemy using each other, you continually break the will of the American public and American government.

"We go out daily and bust and kill the enemy, uncover and destroy huge weapons caches and continue to establish infrastructure. So daily we put a whoopin on the enemy, but all the enemy has to do is turn on the TV and get re-inspired. He gets to see his daily roadside bomb, truck bomb, suicide bomber or mortar attack. He doesn't see any accomplishments of the U.S. military (FOX, you're not exempt, you suck also).

"Let's give you an example. A couple of days ago we conducted an air assault. We lifted troops into an area for an operation. The operation went well and our ground troops killed (insurgents) and took several prisoners, freed a few hostages and uncovered a weapons cache containing munitions and chemicals that were going to be used in improvised bombs.

"The next morning I woke up and turned on AFN (Armed Forces Network) and watched the nightly news (NBC). Nothing, none of that reported. But the daily car bomb report was reported, and the file footage was not even from the event. There was a car bomb in the Sadr City area and your news report showed old car bomb footage from another part of town from some other time.

"So we really set the enemy back that night but all the enemy had to do was turn on the news and be reassured that the enemy's agenda (objective) was still going to be fed to the American public.

"We, the soldiers, keep breaking the back of the enemy. You, the media, keep rejuvenating the enemy.

"How hard would it be to contact the PAO (public affairs officer) of the 1st CAV, 36th CAB, 25th ID or the Marines and ask what did you guys accomplish today - good and bad? How about some insurgent blooper videos? Now that would be something to show on the evening news.

"Media, we know you hate the George Bush administration, but report both sides, not just your one-sided agenda. You have got to realize how you are continually motivating every extremist, jihadist and terrorist to continue their resolve to kill American soldiers.

Big tip o' the hat to Brutally Honest.

The Church of the Poison Mind...

Is now holding services.



Yes, dear readers... an adherent of the Church of Global Warming has now seen it fit to deify its leader:

The Last Temptation of Al Gore

By ERIC POOLEY

Let's say you were dreaming up the perfect stealth candidate for 2008, a Democrat who could step into the presidential race when the party confronts its inevitable doubts about the front-runners. You would want a candidate with the grassroots appeal of Barack Obama—someone with a message that transcends politics, someone who spoke out loud and clear and early against the war in Iraq. But you would also want a candidate with the operational toughness of Hillary Clinton—someone with experience and credibility on the world stage.

In other words, you would want someone like Al Gore—the improbably charismatic (compared to what?--ed.), Academy Award–winning, Nobel Prize–nominated environmental prophet with an army of followers and huge reserves of political and cultural capital at his command. There's only one problem. The former Vice President just doesn't seem interested. He says he has "fallen out of love with politics," which is shorthand for both his general disgust with the process and the pain he still feels over the hard blow of the 2000 election, when he became only the fourth man in U.S. history to win the popular vote but lose a presidential election. In the face of wrenching disappointment, he showed enormous discipline—waking up every day knowing he came so close, believing the Supreme Court was dead wrong to shut down the Florida recount but never talking about it publicly because he didn't want Americans to lose faith in their system. That changes a man forever.

...Oh... if only... (orgasmic shudders)....

Yes, the global warming messiah--the prophet, Al Gore.

Probably not an accident, that Mr. Pooley chose to play on a title of a movie depicting Christ when he chose to write about his personal savior.

Yes, Al Gore...the one that would lead civilization down the primrose path away from the evils of capitalism to a land flowing--flowing I tell you!!--not with milk and honey, but with fruits and nuts.

Yes, the man who would lead all to the socialist utopian's utopia... one that would once again bring balance to the planet, and place power in the hands of those who know better.

Ahh... if only...

Leftist's Values are Value-less...

See Mox Argon for yet another great primer.

Silencing the Minority...

More on the Stalinist tactics of the Minnesota DFL:

Terrorist Sympathizer Revealed...

***UPDATE***

See here for more.

(h/t Are We Lumberjacks)

As expected...

Undeclared candidate Fred Thompson is creaming all the declared candidates.

With Thompson's stand on illegal immigration, who can blame them?

You can cast your vote here, yourself.

Best comment on Story Chat--EVER!

The St. Cloud Times web site has a feature where readers are allowed to comment on the stories and editorials of the day, called "Story Chat."

This is pretty much a message board, dominated by folks who make Karl Marx look like Ronald Reagan; but there are some good conservative minds who post there.

I've seen some doozies but this one literally gave me a belly laugh:

Jay Vachal from St. Cloud
Comment Posted: 5/24/2007 10:02:04 AM

"The icing on the cake was the majority leadership flying around the state bragging about how their's was the first legislature in years to finish before the deadline. "

"Look mommy, I made poo poo!"

Just about sums it up, doesn't it?

What war on terror?

What a knob.

I think they must be applying some weird chemical treatments on his scalp with those $400 haircuts:

NEW YORK (AP) - Democrat John Edwards Wednesday repudiated the notion that there is a "global war on terror," calling it an ideological doctrine advanced by the Bush administration that has strained American military resources and emboldened terrorists.

In a defense policy speech he planned to deliver at the Council on Foreign Relations, Edwards called the war on terror a "bumper sticker" slogan Bush had used to justify everything from abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison to the invasion of Iraq.

"We need a post-Bush, post-9/11, post-Iraq military that is mission focused on protecting Americans from 21st century threats, not misused for discredited ideological purposes," Edwards said in remarks prepared for delivery. "By framing this as a war, we have walked right into the trap the terrorists have set—that we are engaged in some kind of clash of civilizations and a war on Islam."

You know, a guy might chalk up this absolute stupidity to ignorance.

But nobody can be that ignorant. Can they?

Our war against terrorists is emboldening them?

Yeah... like they were really sheepish when they attacked the World Trade Center.

Twice.

What a fidiot.

Wednesday Hero Blogburst, 5/23/2007

Pfc. Joseph Allen Jeffries
21 years old from Beaverton, Oregon
Army Reserve’s 320th Psychological Operations Company
May 29, 2004


Below is all the information that could be found on Pfc. Joseph Jeffries.

Pfc. Jeffries was killed with two fellow soldiers, Capt. Daniel W. Eggers and Sgt. 1st Class Robert J. Mogensen, and an unnamed sailor, when their vehicle drove over an IED in Kandahar, Afghanistan. All four service members were attached to the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife, Betsy, and his parents Mark and Linda Jeffries.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesay Hero, you can go here.

Sowell nails it.

Nothing is more common than political “solutions” to immediate problems which create much bigger problems down the road. The current immigration bill in the Senate is a classic example.

The big talking point of those who want to legalize the illegal immigrants currently in the United States is to say that it is “unrealistic” to round up and deport 12 million people.

Back in 1986 it was “unrealistic” to round up and deport the three million illegal immigrants in the United States then. So they were given amnesty — honestly labeled, back then — which is precisely why there are now 12 million illegal immigrants.

As a result of the current amnesty bill — not honestly labeled this time — will it be “unrealistic” to round up and deport 40 million or 50 million illegal immigrants in the future?

If the current immigration bill is as “realistic” as its advocates claim, why is it being rushed through the Senate faster than a local zoning ordinance could be passed?

We are, after all, talking about a major and irreversible change in the American population, the American culture, and the American political balance. Why is there no time to talk about it?

Are its advocates afraid that the voting public might discover what a fraud it is? The biggest fraud is denying that this is an amnesty bill.

Its advocates’ argument is that illegal immigrants will have to meet certain requirements to become citizens. But amnesty is not about how you become a citizen.

The word is from the same root as “amnesia.” It means you forget or overlook some crime, as if it never happened. All this elaborate talk about the steps illegal immigrants must go through to become citizens is a distraction from the crime they committed when they crossed the border illegally.

Instead, all attention is focused on what to do to accommodate those who committed this crime. It is a question that would be recognized as an insult to our intelligence on any other issue.

For example, there are undoubtedly thousands, perhaps millions, of unsolved crimes and uncaught criminals in this country, and we cannot realistically expect to find and prosecute all these fugitives from justice.

But does anyone suggest that our focus should be on trying to normalize the lives of domestic fugitives from justice — “bring them out of the shadows” in Ted Kennedy’s phrase — and develop some path by which they can be given an acceptable legal status?

Does anyone suggest that, if domestic criminals come forward, pay some fine, and apply to have their crimes overlooked, they can be put on a path to be restored to good standing in our society?

Just as we don’t need to solve every crime and catch every criminal in order to have deterrents to crime, neither do we have to ferret out and deport every one of the 12 million illegal aliens in this country in order to deter a flood of new illegal aliens.

Read the rest.

(h/t Lemuel)

The job's not done until the last cow is in the barn.

Now's not the time for gloating.

Remember the end game.

Our troops continue to need their support, however antagonistic it may be, to successfully complete their mission.

Now's the time to keep on reminding our democrat legislators, kicking and screaming though they may be, of their sworn duty to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Keep in mind that they're under tremendous pressure right now from elements in their party, many with deep pockets, who wish only defeat for America.

Right now, like it or not, they don't need our vitriol.

They need our support for doing the right thing, however begrudgingly it was done.

Michael Yon is there...where are the rest of the "journalists"?

Michael Yon is a journalist in the tradition of Ernie Pyle and Walter Winchill. In the thick of things and on the front lines, as well as a veteran Green Beret himself, Mr. Yon presents no-holds barred, tell-it-like-it is accounts of what life is really like as a soldier in Iraq, as well as the progress they're making.

As an aside, he does something no self-respecting traditional MSM journalist has the cajones to do: He tells both sides of the story!

While progress in Anbar is robust enough to make mainstream news reports, down in southern Iraq, the enemy is resurging. They are well-resourced, resilient and intelligent, and capable of landing hard punches. They recently “shot down” a C-130 with IEDs planted by the landing strip. The enemy may be good, but American and British forces are much better. On my previous two missions with the British Army, 2 Rifles and the next day the Duke of Lancaster Regiment, they killed roughly 40 enemy, and the Brits did so without sustaining a scratch. On the next mission with British forces, the enemy would successfully engage us, taking two British soldiers.

Of course, MSM organs, such as the LA Times tell one side of the story:

Although the violence pales in comparison to Baghdad, seven British soldiers have been killed in Basra in April, three by gunfire and four when a roadside bomb tore through their Warrior fighting vehicle.

The deaths pushed Britain's monthly toll in Iraq to 11, the highest since 27 of its troops were killed in March 2003 during the invasion, according to the website icasualties.org, which tracks U.S. and British military casualties in Iraq.

The increase in violence comes as Britain begins to disengage from southern Iraq, leaving Shiite political parties and their militias to battle over the spoils. At stake is control of political patronage in Iraq's second-largest city and of the billions of dollars in oil that flow through the country's only seaport.

Contrast that to what Yon, who is there in the thick of it, has to say:

As the British increase their forces in Afghanistan, they are drawing down in Iraq. Although the drawdown in Iraq is based on pragmatism, the enemy apparently is attempting to create the perception of a military rout. So while the British reduce their forces in southern Iraq, they are coming under heavier fire and the enemy makes claims of driving “the occupiers” out.

In reality, the Brits were about to transfer authority over the Maysan Province to the Iraqi government. Thus, the day’s purpose, although seemingly more ceremonial in nature, was to counterpunch in the perception war, by focusing on the progress being made by the Iraqi Security Forces in the region. Some of the biggest battles in Iraq today are being fought not with bombs and bullets, but with cameras and keyboards. For whatever reasons – and there are many – today, when western media is most needed here, it’s nearly gone.

Unfortunately for Mr. Yon, for British and American troops, and for the Iraqis, it is a "battle of perception."

Briitish and American commanders readily say that those who were previously seen as liberators are now increasingly perceived as occupiers. Some of the shift in perception follows merely from being here so long that our moves are increasingly likely to be interpreted negatively. Though I have seen British and American soldiers treating Iraqis with respect and kindness – often putting their own lives at risk to reduce danger to Iraqis – the simple act of moving from point A to B often creates frictions, even when we are moving by means of the smallest possible footprint, in this instance by flying.

Smaller helicopters often fly very low using maneuverability as cover. Larger aircraft usually fly a little higher, and rely more on countermeasures to foil missiles. Countermeasures can be seen activating from helicopters over Baghdad every single day. This is no secret: Millions of Iraqis must see the flares popping out of aircraft to foil surface to air missiles. Yet, the countermeasures often seem to pop for no apparent reason. No missile is tracking us. Pilots say that the sensors still can be foiled by a glint off the water, or a refinery gas fire, for instance.

Near misses like this are one of the faces of that ugly part of war that our American and British commanders keep talking about. These are moments when, with no ill-intentions whatsoever, we go from being liberators to occupiers. I’ve been with American forces when we accidentally killed the wrong people. I’ve also seen American commanders, and now British, go to nearly ridiculous measures to avoid innocent loss of life. But sometimes, despite their heroic efforts, it still happens.

And not helping things is the constant barrage by members of the lamestream media, who continuously refuse to report both sides of the story; instead cherrypicking anything to fit their "we lost the war" template, and in the process discarding any information to the contrary.

We need more Ernie Pyles today.

We need more Michael Yons.

Give 'em (our troops) hell, eh John...

Harry Truman. The rough and tumble, "buck-stops-here," decisive democrat president, inarguably made the decision (a difficult one, to be sure) that assured victory for the United States during WWII. Truman is highly regarded by members of both sides of the political aisle as a great leader of impeccable moral character.

So when Independence, MO has a celebration in honor of its favorite son and 33rd president, who should they trot out to speak?

Why the coward, seditionist, and traitor himself--yes, the old seditious gasbag, Jack Murtha

Iraq is a topic at Truman Days

Rep. John Murtha tells Independence audience that U.S. troops are confused and fatigued.

Having received a phone call from my son in Iraq yesterday, I can unequivocally say that he is anything but confused and fatigued. And for that seditious windbag of slime to come out and say anything to that effect is proof positive that the only place from which he speaks is his anal cavity.

So, to our esteemed congressman from PA-12, on behalf of our son and his comrades who are performing honorably, courageously, and with purpose in the line of duty, I hereby extend to you my one-fingered salute.

Use your imagination as to which finger, asswipe. 

Almost akin to a stopped clock... The NYT got it right...

...with regard to the current Minnesota legislative session. According to this article (all emphases mine): (username netfree4ever, password: bugmenot)

Professor Jacobs said the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, frustrated by years of cuts to social programs that have long defined Minnesota’s progressive reputation, went too far too fast after taking control of the House of Representatives last fall, scaring moderate Republicans back into party unity, and bruising moderate Democrats crucial to the majority’s success.

“The Democrats won a majority but they didn’t win a liberal Democratic majority,” he said. “They misread the election.”

And the Democrats’ legislative plans for more taxes and spending in turn appear to have bolstered the fortunes of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican who has brought his party charging back to the political right — perhaps to fuel ambitions for national office, many people at the Capitol say — with sweeping vetoes that have dismissed much of the Legislature’s work as liberal over-reaching.

And as proof positive that Minnesotans didn't bargain for a tax & spend, anything-goes legislature:

(Governor) Pawlenty, who won a second term in November by only 21,000 votes out of 2.2 million cast, has seen his popularity soar recently, with a 55 percent approval rating earlier this month as he stood up to the Legislature, according to a poll by Minnesota Public Radio.

Unlike Larry Pogemiller, Tarryl Clark and Larry Haws would have you believe, Minnesotans are not now nor were they ever ready for a reaming up the taxpayer bunghole in the form of the largest proposed tax increase ever in Minnesota history. And with the DFL campaigning like fiscal conservatives, who could blame them? Like a hungry hog in hummingbird clothing, Minnesota democrats have unmasked themselves for the true socialists that they are, and Minnesota taxpayers don't want any part of it.

Democratic leaders concede that the timing of some of their ideas — including a plan, also vetoed by Mr. Pawlenty and opposed by Mr. Berns and Mr. Benson, to raise income taxes on families making over $400,000 to pay for property tax relief — might have struck some people as ill-timed at a moment when the economy is sluggish and the state has surplus money to spend. (can you say 2 billion??--ed)

Gee...ya think so?? And which mental gnat giant actually thought that this proposed taxpayer-financed giveaway would fly?

The majority’s plan to allow illegal immigrants to pay the same tuition rates as state residents, called the Minnesota Dream Act, similarly foundered when people like Mr. Berns and Mr. Benson opposed it, and the governor threatened a veto.

But the democrats still don't get it:

But they say that after years of spending cuts by Republicans, Minnesotans voted for change, and a restoration of the things that create the state’s reputation for a high quality of life. That means more spending for education, transportation and health care, the party leaders said.

Perhaps Minnesotans voted for a change in leadership, but they did not vote for a financial raping to the tune of $5 billion extra dollars! If the democrats actually ran on what they were going to do, instead of lying through their teeth, I can guaran-damn-tee you not one of them would be voted for as much as dog catcher (And for those of you who think that the government is the source for a "high quality of life," and all that is good in the world, think again).

Even gasoline, which is at or near the highest price point in history, is not safe from democrat avarice; as they initially demanded a progressive 10-cent extra per-gallon tax to be increased in perpetuity; to a now pared-down tax increase of five cents.

They think government has it tough. What about the family who has to pare down a summer vacation, or may even need to choose between enough fuel to get to work and food to go on the table; in no small part due to the government taking a 40- to 50-cent per gallon cut on a product is has absolutely no hand in producing? Lawmakers from some states are recognizing this hardship:

Lawmakers in Connecticut and Texas, by contrast, are considering actually suspending their state gas tax for this summer’s summer driving season, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group in Washington.

But with bloodsucking vampires like Pogemiller, Tarryl Clark and Larry Haws at the helm, don't look for a similar garlic-laden idea to even enter the minds of the DFL. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't look for it to pass if they were in the middle of the Sahara and the bill was a drink of water.

It just isn't in them to put taxpayers first.

Question: If a liberal rag from NYC can get it right, why can't the DFL from our own state?

Birds of a Feather?

It appears that Air America is being resuscitated (kinda like trying to revive the carcass of a cow that's been dead for a month, but I digress) with a big re-launch this coming Monday. Curiously, among the scheduled guests, is RINO extraordinaire and presidential wannabee, Michael Bloomberg:

Democratic contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, along with luminaries such as Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Gloria Steinem, are among the more than 30 headliners whose interviews will be broadcast starting Monday, Air America said.

Green said Bloomberg was chosen because he is "among these recognized Americans."

They may want to invite Chuckie Hagel, and Ron Paul, while they're at it.

Red v. Blue--on technology...

My 16-year old son turned me on to Red v. Blue; a series of internet movies based on characters from the video game "Halo."

Here is their latest offering:

There goes the neighborhood.

"Boy, I'd say we pulled a fast one on those suckers.. err
voters..didn't we?"

With a dose of good cheer and laughter, a collection of republicans and democrats saw fit to agree to pass the "Selling Our Nation Down the River for Votes" Act.

Yes, dear readers, what has been described as a "done deal" has gone through without so much as peep of opposition or debate!:

Bipartisan immigration deal reached

Lawmakers from both parties and the Bush administration forge compromise on comprehensive overhaul.

By DENA BUNIS

The Orange County Register

WASHINGTON The Senate is poised to begin debate on the most sweeping immigration overhaul in decades after a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced they have agreed on a deal. Their draft would provide a way for millions of undocumented immigrants to come forward and live and work legally in the United States.

"Politics is the art of the possible, and the agreement we just reached is the best possible chance we will have in years to secure our borders, bring millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America,'' Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said Thursay. Kennedy, flanked by two other Democrats, seven Republicans and two Bush cabinet secretaries, outlined a plan that has created a most unlikely political coalition.

Lesson Number One:

ANYTHING---I MEAN ANYTHING that has Ted "The Swimmer (*hic) Kennedy's stamp of approval has got to be bad for America.

The "best possible chance to secure our borders?"

How so? No fence, no nothing?

Will the problems of illegal immigration actually be solved, just with a stroke of Bush's pen??

Was the problem solved during the 1980s when President Reagan, in one of the few mistakes he made as president, allowed amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegals? Was the flood of illegal immigration stemmed at that time, or in the future?

Here are some illegal immigration fun facts to chew on:

• Immigrants account for 11.5 percent of the total population, the highest percentage in 70 years. If current trends continue, by the end of this decade the immigrant share of the total population will surpass the all time high of 14.8 percent reached in 1890.

Immigration has become the determinate factor in population growth. The arrival of 1.5 million immigrants each year, coupled with 750,000 births to immigrant women annually, means that immigration policy is adding over two million people to the U.S. population each year, accounting for at least two-thirds of U.S. population growth.

Now tell me we're going to be able to enforce those laws, on that size of a population, when our linguini-spined politicians don't have the cajones to enforce the laws we already have!

Tony Snow was on Rush the other day, and claimed that this bill would be a good deal for Republicans in the long run, saying that the illegals from Mexico are Roman Catholic, and therefore anti-abortion; and that they would ultimately be Republican voters.

Mr. Snow--God love ya BUT THAT's NOT THE FRIGGEN ISSUE!!!

I couldn't give a damn if every friggen illegal immigrant from Mexico would flood the border in November of '08 to vote Republican! The issue is that they don't have business being here--PERIOD, much less voting in our elections, whether they vote democrat or republican.

What part of the word, ILLEGAL don't you understand, Mr. Snow and Mr. Bush??

This measure supposedly makes an illegal pay a $5,000 fine (around half their yearly income), pay theirs and their family's fare back to Mexico, and wait in Mexico until their paperwork is in order to return to the States, which could take years.

Yeah--like that's really gonna happen. Like millions of illegal aliens are actually going to comply. And like we'll be able to do anything about it if they don't.

"But Leo--" you say, "There's no way we can round up all those people...and...we needed new laws to control the border!"

We don't need new laws to control the border. We don't need new laws to deal with illegal immigration. What we need are some politicians who actually have the cajones to enforce the laws we currently have!

While enforcing the laws against illegal immigration is admittedly a daunting task, that still does not make it right to throw ones hands up in capitulation, in effect, screaming "UNCLE!" and hoping for the best.

"But Leo--" you say, "Those poor, hardworking illegal immigrants come here to do the job Americans won't do! They're indispensable to the American economy! Without them, our economy will collapse!"

Hmmm... sounds suspiciously like what Southern plantation owners used to say about slaves, doesn't it?

And let's face it, folks... at average earnings rate rarely exceeding $12,o00 per year, are they really making any more than slave wages in the first place?

Is a cheap head of lettuce really worth promulgating slavery in the 21st century?

At the very least, this is a cop out and a complete dereliction of our government's responsibility to defend our borders, which under this measure will continue to be so porous as to make a sieve look like a hunk of cement.

Oh,, and did I mention that taxpayers will be funding their education, as well, WHILE THEY ARE HERE ILLEGALLY!

The DREAM Act would eliminate this provision and allow illegal alien college and university students to be eligible for in-state tuition without affording out-of-state citizen students the same opportunity. Thus, the University of Alabama could offer in-state tuition to illegal alien students while requiring citizens residing in Mississippi to pay the much higher out-of-state tuition rates.

Allowing all illegal aliens enrolled in college to receive in-state tuition rates means that while American citizens from 49 other states have to pay out-of-state tuition rates to send their kids to [*S5032] UVA, people who have illegally immigrated to this country might not. Out-of-state tuition rates range from 2 to 3 ½ times the in-state resident tuition rate.

Well...isn't that special?

I wonder if the 9/11 terrorists, many of whom were on student visas, would now have been eligible to have their flight school paid for them by taxpayer-financed student loans and grants?

This is not a good day to be a republican, a democrat, or even an American.

When President Bush signs this travesty into law, the United States, as a sovereign nation with sovereign borders, will have ceased to exist.

Go ahead, Ted Kennedy. Go ahead, President Bush. Laugh now, while you can.

Because you certainly won't be laughing at the hornet's nest you'll have stirred up at the polls, when you'll be given the bum's rush by some awfully angry voters with very long memories.

Fred Thompson: Right on Immigration!

Fred on the Amnesty illegal immigration act currently sailing through Congress without a peep of debate:

Scrap This Bill

By Fred Thompson

With this bill, the American people are going to think they are being sold the same bill of goods as before on border security. We should scrap this bill and the whole debate until we can convince the American people that we have secured the borders or at least have made great headway.

Which other viable GOP candidate is right on this issue?

The way I see it is:

This is illegal immigration:

And this is illegal immigration, after Fred gets done with it:

Any questions?

Don't Stop us From Winning the Peace!

A MUST-READ letter from a soldier in-theatre, at Freedom Dogs!

Closed circuit to Folsom, California...

Once in a while while looking at Sitemeter, I'll see that someone got here through a google search of something.

Today, one of those searches struck home--in a big way, as the search words were

 "My mom is dying from cancer and she keeps dry heaving and vomitting"..

Dear child, whoever you are, having lost a mother to cancer myself, my heart is going out to you in a big way.

I will keep you, your family, and your mother, in my thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

-Leo-

McDonald's tries new marketing strategy...

From Fox:

OTTAWA, Ill. — An Illinois 8-year-old got more than a hamburger and french fries when she opened her Happy Meal this week.

A 17-year-old employee of an Ottawa, Ill., McDonald's is out of work and facing drug charges after allegedly hiding marijuana and a lighter in the Happy Meal.

Keith Irelan and his three children went through a McDonald's drive-thru Monday night to order Happy Meals. They were on their way to meet their mother at a nearby school for a picnic, police said.

But one of the children — an 8-year-old girl — got a lighter, pipe, and bag of marijuana in her Happy Meal, according to Ottawa Police Chief Brian Zeilmann. Her father went to the police.

"To be honest, you don't expect that," Irelan told FOX Chicago affiliate WFLD-TV.

"She said 'Mom, I have a lighter in my Happy Meal,'" the girl's mother said.

The girl showed the lighter to her dad, then told him later that she got two other "toys" in her Happy Meal. One of those toys was a bag of marijuana.

[SNIP]

McDonald's employee Brandon Scott of Ottawa was fired on the spot, then arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Now that's a happy meal.

And quite a business ploy too...

Just think... you eat, get stoned, and then you go back to McDonald's for even more munchies!

A sheer stroke of genius!

They shouldn't fire that employee--hell--they should move him to upper management!

A good primer about the World Bank scandal...

...can be found here.

Breaking News from St. Paul!!!

Looks like a compromise will be reached.

See Gary Gross' Let Freedom Ring blog for details!

Putting lipstick on a pig...

Everything the democrats do is a political calculation; aimed not at bettering our nation, but rather at maintaining their tenuous grip on power.

Russ "I support the troops by making them surrender!" Feingold's measure to cut our soldiers off at the knees by March 31, 2008 failed in the U.S. Senate by a 67 to 29 margin, with no republicans voting for the bill, and 19 democrats voting with the Republicans.

The cowards couldn't even be up front with what they wanted to do, as the measure was couched in "...an unrelated water-projects bill."

Curiously enough, Donk Presidential wannabees Hillary and Obama voted FOR the measure.

My dear readers, given the original premise of this piece, I firmly believe this was no serendipitous measure casually slipped in by the ever-whacked out Russ Feingold.

This was orchestrated from the top.

This ex-lax move had all the markings of a coldly calculated ploy designed to accomplish a number of objectives.

The prime objective of this exercise, IMO, was to give the two main Donk presidential candidates cover with their whacko-left base; ostensibly by cutting our troops off at the knees.

For it is the whacko lefties who they will have to mollify if they expect to get the '08 nomination.

The second objective was to do so without leaving the entire party looking like a collection of jackass losers to moderate rank-and-file democrats and swing voters.

Time will tell if this was a successful ploy; but my guess is that anyone in the American electorate with an IQ surpassing a toaster should be able to see right through this sham.


You know, if the democrats choose to seek advantage by engaging in blatant political posturing with domestic agenda items, so be it.

That is politics.

But they are choosing to do so with policies that directly and deleteriously affect those making the sacrifice to serve in harm's way during wartime.

That, my dear readers, is treason.

Wednesday Hero Blogburst, 5-16-2007

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Cindy Lance Cpl. Steven Chavez 20 years old from Hondo, New Mexico 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force March 14, 2007 Tears ran down cheeks and strong men choked back emotion as the city of Hondo, NM payed tribute to fallen Marine, Steven Chavez. LCpl. Chavez lost his life on March 14, 2007 in a non-combat incident in which he was accidentally shot. Chavez enlisted in the Marine Cops. right after he graduated in 2005. "You pray and you pray that the day never comes, and then it does," said Novelda Chavez, Chavez's mother. "Your emotions are mixed — it's not true, it's a bad dream, a bad dream you never wake up from." In a letter Chavez wrote before he was sent to Iraq, he wrote: "First of all I would like to thank everyone for your support. When I'm home on leave and when I'm away. That is so important to me. Thank you for your kind, supporting words in your letters and for the packages I've received. Those are awesome. I've been through some pretty hard times, in the short time I've been in the Marine Corp. None harder then what I'm about to face. Yes I'm scared; nothing is scarier than the uncertainty of what your future holds for you. I'm prepared to face whatever lies ahead. I put my life in the hands of the Lord. And pray that He guides my fellow soldiers and I down a safe path, that He will calm our fears, and give us the strength to do the job we have been trained to do, and to do that job well. There are many lonely nights, when you're lying in your bunk thinking of family and friends, wondering what they are doing at that very moment. Wondering what mom is cooking for supper. I can almost taste the tortillas on the griddle. I want to say to all of you tonight, I wouldn't change one thing about my life. I've never been more proud of the choices I made in my life than the day I graduated from basic drill instructor placed that Anchor, Globe and Eagle Pin in my hand I knew then I was a UNITED STATES MARINE! I'm Proud to protect and serve My Country I'm Proud to protect and serve My Community I'm Proud to protect and serve you Thank you so much for your Support. Keep those letters coming. Mail is a precious commodity when you're so far from Home. YOUR U.S. MARINE LANCE CORPORAL STEVE CHAVEZ"
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

"We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived"

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesay Hero, you can go here.

The "mandate" that ain't...

Not that Bush's numbers are in the stratosphere by any stretch of the imagination, but if ratings can be compared to an outhouse, the democrat-controlled congress is certainly renting out the basement:

May 15, 2007 Congress Approval Down to 29%; Bush Approval Steady at 33% Both ratings are slightly lower than 2007 averages by Joseph Carroll GALLUP NEWS SERVICE PRINCETON, NJ -- A new Gallup Poll finds continued low levels of public support for both Congress and President George W. Bush. Twenty-nine percent of Americans approve of Congress, down slightly from last month's reading (33%) and this year's high point of 37%, while Bush's approval rating is holding steady at 33%. Both the ratings of Congress and the president are slightly lower than their respective 2007 averages. Approval ratings of Congress are higher among Democrats than Republicans, while Bush's ratings are much higher among Republicans. Congressional Job Approval According to the May 10-13, 2007, Gallup Poll, 29% of Americans approve and 64% disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job. Congressional approval is down 4 percentage points since last month, and is 3 points lower than the 32% average measured during the first five months of the year. The high point for the congressional approval rating so far this year was the 37% approval measured in February. Although ratings are quite low, Americans have been more positive in their assessments of Congress this year than last year, when an average of just 25% approved of Congress.

But these were the folks who were supposed to be the saviors, to place the nation back in the hands of the people!

A 29 percent approval rating? Why, how could this be?

Could it be because they have become a do-nothing congress? Interested only in ad nauseum "investigations" and "gotcha games" vs. doing the people's business?

What items of any import have the dem majority accomplished, other than to demoralize our troops, along with our nation's citizens in a seditious attempt further their grip on power?

Could it be that the people, having elected them (many of them who actually ran on a more conservative platform than their Republican counterparts), are now seeing them for what they really are-- bitter self-centered obstructionists who only have revenge on their minds, and not the best interests of the electorate nor their nation at heart?

Their attempts to drag down Bush may have succeeded to an extent, but it appears that in the process they neglected to notice the albatross clad about their own shoulders.

Good for what ails today's moonbats...

Official Vehicle of the MN DFL Majority...

And nothing brings it home more than THIS.

Oh how do I screw up your life--let me count the ways!

Top Ten Votes this past week:

The Minnesota House cast 65 roll call votes last week. Here are ten of those votes. You might rank them differently. [The date and page in the House Journal for the vote is provided.



1. NO TOWING OR IMPOUND FEES FOR WELFARE RECIPIENTS: Rep. Jeremy Kalin (D-Lindstrom) offered an amendment to HF 1351 (Hornstein) (Transportation Policy Bill). The successful amendment will waive towing and impoundment fees on, and vacate judgments against, owners of towed cars if they are on one of Minnesota’s twelve major welfare programs.



The welfare programs include: the Minnesota Family Investment Program, The Diversionary

Work Program, Medical Assistance, General Assistance, General Assistance Medical Care,

Emergency General Assistance, Minnesota Supplemental Aid, Minnesota Supplemental

Aid/Emergency Assistance, Supplemental Security Income, the Low-Income Heating and

Energy Assistance Program, Emergency Assistance, or Food Stamps.



· Don’t focus on the fact that Minnesota has those twelve programs.

· Don’t focus on the fact that while the guy across the street in the subsidized apartment is sleeping in because the tow truck will pull his car out of the snow for free, you are digging and scraping in the cold.

· Don’t focus on the fact that your taxes will pay for his towing and impoundment costs.

· Focus on the fact that 85 Representatives thought this was a good idea.



The Kalin amendment passed by an 85-47 margin. [05/10; HJ page 6255]



2. SEX OFFENDERS AND ALEC BALDWIN CAN SMOKE, BUT YOU CAN’T: The House passed the conference report on SF 238 (Huntley) (Smoking Ban).



The bill bars smoking in virtually all public places, including bars and bowling alleys. But smoking is permitted for sex offenders who are civilly committed to the St. Hospital in St. Peter, and for actors who are appearing on stage in a Minnesota production.



The Conference Report passed by an 81-48 margin. [05/11; HJ page 6581]



3. A QUICK RAISE FOR LEGISLATORS: The House voted to eliminate the ceiling on fees which Notaries Public can charge for attesting that someone has signed a document in their presence. That language replaced the first language in SF 463 by Rep. Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park), which would have just raised the fee by 50%. Now, notaries can charge whatever they want.



Oh, and by the way, every Representative is automatically granted the right to be a Notary Public, so this was a potential pay raise that just slipped right through.



Rep. Hortman’s amendment to her own bill passed by an 85-47 margin. [05/10; HJ page 6297]



4. A 30% HIKE IN ELECTRICITY BILLS IN WESTERN MINNESOTA: Rep. Marty Seifert lost on an amendment to yet another “global warming” bill. His amendment would have deleted a provision in SF 145 (Hilty) (More restrictions on power utilities).



The provision is expected to raise electric bills in western Minnesota by 30%, because it bars the construction of a new electrical plant or the purchase of electricity from other regions unless high fees and regulatory costs are paid.



Rep. Seifert failed to get the provision taken out of the bill when his amendment failed by a 50-78 margin. [05/11; HJ page 6560]



5. THE PRACTICE FREEWAY: There is a stretch of Interstate 35E in St. Paul where the six-lane freeway has a speed limit of 45 miles per hour or less. Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) tried to raise that speed limit to 55 miles per hour.



His amendment to HF 1351 (Hornstein) (Transportation Policy Bill) lost by a 40-92 margin. [05/10; HJ page 6249]



6. PUTTING MORE COSTS AND LIABILITIES ON SMALL BUSINESS: The House passed to HF 1758 (Davnie) which imposes costs and expands liabilities on businesses which accept credit cards if someone hacks into their computers and steals the financial information of customers.



The House rejected an amendment by Rep. Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove) that would have exempted small businesses which are too small to process their own credit card transactions, and have this work done by outside contractors. The Zellers amendment sought to protect these small businesses when security breaches were not on their computers or sites.



The amendment failed by a 48-83 margin. [05/08; HJ page 6138]



7. CAR RACES ON LEGAL TRACKS ARE NOISY? SO SUE ME: The House rejected an amendment by Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar) to SF 1131 (Dill) (Game and Fish Bill). The amendment would have exempted organizers of car races on legal tracks from lawsuits for noise pollution and public nuisance claims.



The Hackbarth amendment failed by a 47-84 margin. [05/07; HJ page 5699]



8. THE SWANSON COVER-UP CONTINUES: By a 129-0 margin, the House again referred a motion by Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano) to the Rules Committee. The motion asked that a House committee investigate allegations that Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson violated state and federal criminal and labor laws in reportedly oppressing workers and forcing out a staffer who tried to organize the lawyers and staff under the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (“AFSCME”).



This was the second time that the House referred the investigation to the Rules Committee. This was the second time that Chairman Tony Sertich (D-Chisholm) has buried the request for an investigation. [05/07; HJ page 5710]



9. BONDING OVER-RIDE: Rep. Paul Kohls (R-Victoria) put the liberals on the spot when he asked the House to over-ride Governor Tim Pawlenty’s veto of HF 866 (Hausman), the Bonding Bill. The motion failed by an 82-46 margin. [05/08; HJ page 6114]



The bonding bill started out with $2 million of flood relief for Browns Valley, and $6 million of repairs for state prison facilities. The Governor argued that important projects should bring the bill up to $71 million. The House raised the ante to $255 million of projects in a non-emergency bill in a non-bonding year. The Senate raised the ante to $283 million. The House and Senate conferees raised the price tag to over a third of $1 billion. The Governor vetoed it.



Rep. Kohls requested the vote to show that the majority could not get the 90 votes (including

at least five Republican votes) to over-ride any of the bills which the Governor has already

vetoed. To this point, the DFL majority has not sought to over-ride any of the other vetoes,

because you never back up the car to check on a dead skunk.





10. INCOME TAX INCREASE: The House passed a bill to impose the third-highest income tax rate in the nation on 21,000 workers and small businesses, and to transfer that money to about 90% of property owners.



The bill would take $21,500 from each of the top earners, which would yield $452 million. That money would be sent to residential property owners to partially offset higher spending and taxes by local government.



Governor Pawlenty is expected to veto the bill.



HF 2294 Dill (Income Tax Increase) passed by a 73-58 margin. [05/11; HJ page 6556]