Women, Know Your Limits!

::::Just waiting for the pots and pans to fly now....::::

A Movement in Search of a Message?

After some soul searching, John van Hecke at Minnesota 2020 laments just that:

It's pop quiz time, folks. Question #1: what's the progressive message? Question #2: what's the conservative message? Question #3: Was question 1 or 2 easier to answer?

Unfortunately, the answer to question 3 is question 2. Everyone knows the conservative message: no taxes, no gay marriage, no immigration, and no abortions. The conservative message isn’t the problem.

No, the problem is the progressive message. We don't have one. It's not a degree of cogency, either. Progressives lack a single, coherent message.

A great many progressive activists will disagree with me, citing human rights, reproductive rights, civil rights, single-payer healthcare, and green transit. They're correct but they make my point. A panoply of diffuse issues, no matter how well intentioned, is not a broad, resonant progressive message.

For the past forty-odd years, conservatives have managed message creation, moving from fringe to mainstream. Looking toward the 2008 legislative session, I was curious about their policy and political positioning. So, I toured Minnesota's conservative advocacy organizations’ websites, studying their issues and message.

Frankly, it's what I expected.

The Minnesota Family Council and Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life oppose gay marriage and abortions while obsessing over sexuality. The Center for the American Experiment's most recent pieces advocate for school vouchers and employer-based health insurance. Minnesota Majority exhorts an anti-immigrant enforcement agenda. The Free Market Institute, the 501c3 arm of the Tax Payers League, opposes taxes and proposes "borrow and spend" transportation funding.

The conservative policy advocacy organizations are parts of a whole. They could be a divisive, disastrous mix yet they create a cohesive conservative message. While conservative cooperation is straining at the seams, their political leadership maintains their centralized message.

Mind you that Matt Entenza's "Minnesota 2020" prides itself as being a "non partisan" progressive think tank, yet somehow goes out of its way to make it a point to bash Republicans.

But hasn't the message, "Whatever it is, I'm against it!" been the democrat "progressive" message all along?

Yet all is not lost for our democrat progressive friends. For if the democrats err..."progressives" at Minnesota 2020 can't come up with a cohesive message, then by golly they'll steal one:

A smart message starts with a smart goal: moving Minnesota forward. When our message exceeds the sum of its parts, we succeed. Until that moment, it's just wishful thinking.

Now where have I heard that one before?

Glad you joined the club, folks.

Wednesday Hero Blogburst 1-30-2007

SSgt. Justing R. Whiting
27 years old from Hancock, New York
3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
January 19, 2008


Staff Sgt. Justin R. Whiting, a Special Forces medical sergeant sustained fatal wounds when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive devise 16 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq.

He is survived by his mother, Estelline, of Colorado Springs, Colo., father, Randall, of Hancock, N.Y., sister, Amanda, of DuPont, Wash., and brother Nathan of Dover, Tenn.

For more information on SSgt. Justin Whiting, you can download this PDF file.

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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

The Problem.

Gary Gross has a great post on the unfortunate defeat of Fred Thompson during the primary process, and there isn't one sentence of his screed with which I do not agree. Gary, also citing Andrew Ferguson's piece in the Weekly Standard, suggests that a low-key candidate of Fred's calibre, while possibly a whirlygig in years gone by, is unfortunately unelectable in today's American-Idol brand of politics. While I agree in part, I think the bigger problem lies with the current Primary system in general. The following is the comment I left on his post:

IMO, the whole primary system is a sham, and needs to be re-worked on a national basis.

With the ability of both parties to gerry-rig the others’ primary elections, the outcomes have absolutely nothing to do with the will of the rank and file of the respective parties.

I heard yesterday that McCain was counting on the support of democrats and independents. He knows he can’t win via the rank and file of the Republican party.

The rank and file, via the primary process, is effectively disenfranchised.

IMO, we need to go back to state nominating conventions, with the Party faithful made up of locally-elected delegates determining who they will support. The result will be an election untainted by agents provacateurs on both sides, and will be a move toward more ideologically pure candidates.

A Life, Simply Led

A copy of the eulogy I delivered at my father's wake..

A Life, Simply Led.

A life, simply led, can have a profound effect on the world. Take my dad, for instance.

He was no Nobel laureate; he had a 10^th grade education. Yet he knew things about people and how to relate to people that all the Masters and PhDs in the world couldn’t teach you. And teach me, he did. He had a simple way about him. Never one to put on airs; Leo had a down to earth sense of humor and a welcoming personality that immediately attracted people to him. Here are some of the valuable lessons that we learned as kids from Leo:

Lesson Number One: Be yourself and friends will come.

When I was young, I, for one, couldn’t understand this attraction and affection that others had for my dad. Of course, as many a young lad does, I had him pegged in this “dad box;” and, as is the case with many a young lad, I was certain that even if I didn’t quite know everything there was to know in the world (though, at the tender young age of 15, I was certain that I was near that point), I was most certainly smarter than my dad. I was too young, too foolish, and too proud to realize and recognize just how wise this guy with a 10^th grade education actually was, and just how big a heart a man could really have.

But even at the wise age of 15, I soon came to realize that Dad was in his element (and I was out of mine), when he was dealing with people. When it came to dealing with people, Dad was Michaelangelo; a master artist using only himself and his real personality as a medium. Every social interaction was a masterpiece.

I remember going to the local watering hole in Auburndale with my dad; in the small farming community, the local bar was the gathering place for all, including families with children. But I remember my dad regaling people there with his tales from the Army and his years as a truck driver; and having everyone there just rolling in laughter and hanging on his every word. And I remember sitting there, watching the proceedings, just flabbergasted that they would hang on every word uttered by my dad.

Lesson Number 2: Family comes first, and foremost; nothing is more important.

As a child our home was a regular hang out for relatives. No, not just one or two, but sometimes literally dozens of folks would descend from out of town, making our two-flat apartment look like the Berwyn version of O’Hare Airport during a blizzard. In his wisdom, he knew the value of family, and welcomed the many, many relatives from my mom’s side with open arms; the more being the merrier. Leo’s open doors hospitality policy for visitors extended to their home in Auburndale Wisconsin; as you’ll see on one of the pictures on the posters, on one weekend there were over 40 people in the home. With one bathroom. And a limited-capacity septic tank. I won’t draw you the picture; I’m sure you get it. But not only did my dad take everything in stride, he welcomed the challenge. Time spent with family was the sweet golden trim on the tapestry that was life, and he relished every moment, including our weekly Sunday trip to Grandma and Grandpa Pusateri’s house, where we would enjoy dinner and the company of Uncle Lee and Aunt Dorothy and their kids; which not only nourished family bonds, but also built true friendships that would last the course of a lifetime.

Lesson Number 3: Work hard; sacrifice; provide for your family.

Dad never had what one could call a “cushy job.”

Dad began driving a truck at the age of 12, while working for his father in his father’s grocery store.

From working 16 hour days, 7 days a week, for five dollars a week at the local Jewel; to delivering mail, while walking two routes per day, including Christmas, during his 12-year tenure in the Post Office; to driving countless miles away from home during his 25-year tenure as a truck driver; to taking seemingly menial cleaning jobs when there were no other jobs to be had; we as children never went a day when we were wanting for food nor the basic necessities of life. And no matter what he did, no matter how seemingly menial the task, my dad was proud of his work. Providing for his family was a responsibility that Leo embraced. Our education was also very important to Dad; and he made sure that there was enough money saved so that the tuition for all five of us kids to go through St. Mary of Celle School, from kindergarten through 8^th grade, could be met. And yet somehow, Dad and mom managed to save enough money so that we could go for a family vacation nearly every year, or spend our summers at Hansen’s Hideaway campground.

Through example, Dad taught me the dignity of a hard day’s work; along with the virtue of sacrifice, putting his children and family ahead of himself.

Lesson Number 4: The Art of Life is embodied in Service to Others

During our growing up years, Dad worked many hours providing for his family; yet he also managed to find a lot of time to be active in our lives and to volunteer to serve others. When he wasn’t driving semi loads across the country, he would often be driving us kids to various functions, such as ballet and music lessons. Dad was an assistant Cub Master for our local boy-scout troop, and was instrumental in making sure that a lot of working class kids got to take the ride of their lifetimes in a turbo-prop airplane around the Chicago skyline; complete with a chartered bus to get us to the airport. My dad was also Commander for the local chapter of Catholic War Veterans, and was active in the Moose Community in Forest Park.

But perhaps the greatest service of all that my dad performed was being a good father, and a good friend. No matter where he lived, no matter whom he met, Dad went out of his way to know everyone on a first name basis. He was eager to know people; where they worked, how many kids they had, what were their likes and dislikes. While he and my mother, and then he and my stepmother Nell, lived in Marshfield, Dad couldn’t go anywhere in town without seeing a number of people that he knew and asking him how they were doing.

The entire city of Marshfield, Wisconsin was “Cheers,” and Dad was “Norm.”

Even during his relatively short time at Spring Meadows, Dad took the time to know everyone of the 150+ residents by name. When I came to visit with the residents after his death, I was told that Leo, being true to his nature, was the hub of social activity at Spring Meadows. He was the one, more than any other resident there, I am told, who would get people together. If there was a new resident, Leo would come up to the resident and say, “You’re new here. Why don’t we talk,” and would immediately do his level best to make the new resident feel at home. The people there were visibly shaken at the news of Leo’s death, for they lost a dear friend as much as we lost a father.

Our father’s life was indeed a life simply led. Yet such profound lessons were taught to us as his children that one couldn’t simply learn in any sort of a formal way. In leading by example, our father left a legacy that will be difficult for any of us to match; yet, in emulating him, and in teaching our children through the same examples he gave, his legacy of leaving the world a better place than he found it will beyond a doubt have taken root and will flourish for many years to come.

Fairy Tales...

(Click on pic for full size)

You are free...

Free from the illness, pain and suffering that binds you.

Free from the worries that trouble you.

Go and live free, Dad... Go to your Creator, and hear the words,

"Well done, good and faithful servant!"

You are now free, my father

In memory of Leo J. Pusateri, Sr.,

July 12, 1927 - January 24, 2008.

I'll have more on my dad later; I'm running on a grand total of 2 and a half hours sleep since 6am, Tuesday, January 22.

I need some rest.

****UPDATE****

Here is his obituary.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who provided kind thoughts, prayers, and words of support during what was certainly a very difficult time.

They meant the world to me.

Well, what do we have here...

I'm sure that Clinton, Inc., thought that they'd have a driving nail in the coffin of the Obama campaign with relation to the "pure as the wind-driven snow" candidate's less-than-savory associations with Tony Rezko. After all, she used Tony Rezko like a hammer on Obama during last week's debate.

Of course, Hillary herself is beyond reproach, and represents only the highest ethical values. Even while she and her husband posed with Tony Rezko themselves:

Now isn't that special?

True to form, Hillary pleas Alzheimer's with the whole deal.

Heh. You can't buy this kind of comedy.

There is no greater love than this...

From here:

Expectant mother Lorraine Allard learned the devastating news that she was in the advanced stages of liver cancer when she was four months pregnant, according to the Daily Mail.

Allard, of St. Olaves in the U.K., had a choice: Delay treatment to save her baby, or terminate the pregnancy to save herself.

She chose the former, waiting until the fetus was viable before scheduling a Caesarian section.

"If I am going to die, my baby is going to live," Allard told her husband, Martyn, according to the Mail.

The baby came a week early and Allard, 33, gave birth on Nov. 18 to a healthy but premature boy she named Liam.

Exactly two months later, Allard died. She'd begun chemotherapy just after her son's birth. But in the end, it was too late.

Doctors believe Allard had bowel cancer that had gone undetected for years, eventually spreading to her liver. She realized something was wrong after she began suffering from stomach cramps, and tests revealed that her liver was covered with malignant tumors, the Mail reported.

"The doctors said they couldn't do anything because she was pregnant," Martyn Allard, 34, told the Mail. "She told them straight away they were not going to get rid of it. She'd have lost the will to fight."

The courageous and selfless mother was able to get out of bed and hold her tiny son several times beside his incubator before her death. Liam is the Allards' fourth child and first boy; his sisters are Leah, 10; Amy, 8; and Courtney, 20 months.

"Lorraine was positive all the way through," Martyn Allard told the paper. "She had strength for both of us. I can't begin to describe how brave she was. Towards the end we knew things weren't going well, but she was overjoyed that she had given life to Liam."

'Nuff said.

A request...

I just received a call that my dad is slipping; he's in excruciating pain right now; he's decided that he just wants to be made comfortable; he knows he's not going to get better...

I'm leaving for Chicago right now... don't know when I'll get a chance to get back and post on here.

Please keep us in your prayers...

Thanks--

-Leo-

Sometimes you get the weirdest searches...

Check this out (click on pic for full size):

Curious.

Next time you bitch about the cost of gasoline...

Lay the blame where it belongs: Right on the laps of the enviro-whackos and those who cater to their every whim:

Bill Delays Oil Exploration for Polar Bear Listing
By Monisha Bansal
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
January 21, 2008

(CNSNews.com) - Environmentalists welcomed a bill introduced by a House Democrat last week that would delay the sale of land in Alaska for oil exploration. Environmentalists believe the Interior Department wants to avoid classifying the polar bear as an endangered species until the land -- which is polar bear habitat -- is sold.

"The only thing keeping pace with the melting of the sea ice is the breakneck speed with which the Department of the Interior is rushing to approve oil and gas activities in polar bear habitat," said Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate, Air and Energy Program, a liberal organization.

"This oil and gas sale must not proceed, because the impacts to polar bears have not been considered," Siegel said.

Yeah, asswipe. Just like all the damage that the Alaska pipeline did to those poor caribou.

It's time that we started ignoring these chicken-little alarmists for the idiots that they are.

The Word, "Discipline" Doesn't Even Begin To Describe This...

What if he had to find a suitcase nuke or something?

Jack Bauer spent 48 days in jail for DWI...

I guess it beats a Chinese prison.

The end of the American Republic?

“The American Republic will endure until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money.” -Alexis De Tocqueville

Politicians, especially since FDR, have long known that they can bribe the people with their own money. But since FDR, a healthy majority of the American people couldn’t be bought. They loved freedom, less government, and a secure nation more than the baubles and breadcumbs that may have flowed from Washington, D.C.

The nation, on the whole, was a conservative nation.

Nothing illustrated this more than the wholesale acceptance of Ronald Wilson Reagan in the 1980s, and of his legacy as borne in the Contract with America that launched the Republican Congressional revolution of 1994.

And nothing spelled out the repudiation of the conservative principles on which this nation was founded than the third place finish of Fred Thompson in South Carolina.

On point after point, from immigration, to national security, to taxes and to life itself, Fred Thompson mirrored the conservative ideals that, when put into practice, have been proven to be so effective in governing our nation since the penning of the Federalist Papers.

If there was anywhere in this nation where it couldn’t have been more clear, it would have been in South Carolina; traditionally a bastion of clear thinking, small government conservatives.

Yet John McCain, in every sense an opportunistic political populist with a liberal voting record as long as the Mississippi, ran the table.

Newt Gingrich caught a lot of flack when he proclaimed that Reaganesque conservatism was in its death throes, and that politicians needed to embrace a more “centrist” approach.

He was right in the sense that South Carolina is current living proof that Reaganesque conservatism is, if anything, on life support.

Maybe Rush Limbaugh was right last week when he said that it took a Jimmy Carter to give us Ronaldus Magnus.

Perhaps 2012 will be the year of Fred… if the liberals haven’t run us into the ground by then.

Rush on Fred Thompson

I was listening to Rush Limbaugh yesterday, and believe me folks, he endorsed Fred Thompson in every way but Sunday. He kept biting his lip from out and out endorsing him, but he went so far as to suggest that it may be better to put up with four years of Hillary or Obama, then 8 years of Huckabee; stating, “It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan.”

Rush knows what’s at stake; he knows that the very future of conservatism is on the line in this election.

Rush knows that Fred Thompson is the only conservative choice in the race.

Fred: First on tackling illegal immigration, First in common sense.

From Numbers, USA

(January 18) The day before South Carolina’s Republican Primary, the Rasmussen Poll of the state shows the frontrunners as McCain (24%), Huckabee (24%), Romney (18%) and Thompson (16%). Of the four, according to NumbersUSA President Roy Beck’s Presidential Grid that rates each candidate in 16 immigration categories, Fred Thompson scores the highest. And Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) scores the lowest overall. The ratings are based on how well a candidate’s immigration stances would protect American workers, taxpayers, communities, infrastructure, individual freedom and the environment.

Fred on Gitmo:

SENECA, S.C. --

(AP) -- Republican U.S. presidential candidate Fred Thompson on Friday defended the detention of foreign nationals at the U.S. Navy base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

''The last thing in the world we need is a bunch of enemy combatants over here in our court system,'' the former Tennessee senator said during a radio interview in front of a couple hundred people at a restaurant.

He said closing the detention facility would allow prisoners to demand rights given to U.S. citizens and would not help ``buy off world opinion.''

The Guantánamo remarks were a slap at Arizona Sen. John McCain, the winner of the New Hampshire primary and former Vietnam-held prisoner-of-war, who has called for the facility to be shuttered in part because it is harming the United States' global reputation.

Fred on issues:


No. Contest.

Full Speed Ahead, Fred! (c)

The Democrat Plan for Getting Out of a Hole: Dig Deeper.

From Martin Crutsinger (AP):

Bush started this year saying he did not know whether a stimulus plan was needed and if it was, he wanted to make sure that Congress made his first-term tax cuts permanent.

But the deteriorating economic situation has now convinced him of the need to offer a stimulus package. Democrats are letting it be known that if Bush is serious about moving quickly, he will need to delink the proposal from his drive to make his tax cuts permanent.

Yeah. Raise taxes. That'll stimulate the economy. NOT.

Why is it that democrats are just chomping at the bit to get their grubby little fingers on our money?

Mike Huckabee...looking more and more like a democrat.

Fred Thompson is mad.

And so am I.

What do you do when you're desperate, when you know that you are lacking in substance and devoid of serious gravitas?

Why run push polls against your Republican opponent, of course:

Fred Thompson Gets Mad

By Joel Achenbach
PROSPERITY, S.C. -- You rarely see Fred Thompson get too riled about anything, but steam was near about shooting from his ears today when he heard at a campaign stop that some of his supporters had received "push poll" calls from a group supporting Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

At a steak house in this small town west of Columbia, a man in the small crowd told Thompson that many people had gotten such calls in the past 24 hours. Thompson asked anyone who had received such a call to raise his or hand. At least a dozen hands shot up. The former senator said he'd heard of push polls accusing him of supporting partial birth abortion.

"They're taking the most outrageous, easily disproved things that they can come up with. It's amazing to me. Its so ham-handed," Thompson said. "I had a 100 percent pro-life voting record over 8 years."

Trey Taylor, 41, told The Post that he'd gotten a call in which, after he'd revealed his preference for Thompson, a recorded voice said Thompson had lobbied on behalf of a "radical" pro-abortion organization. The recording then cited Huckabee's anti-abortion record.

Speaking with reporters, Thompson looked like he was ready to strip the bark off Huckabee. He suggested that Huckabee isn't trying to "win the legitimate way" by focusing on the issues. At the most recent debate, he said, "I confronted him man to man, with regard to the issues. This is the response I get."

Not only does Huckabee govern like a democrat; he's campaigning like one.

The greatest thing since the seat belt...

When "Imaginary Friends" Go Too Far...

(A play in two acts)

The scene is a living room in a modest home, in a small Minneapolis suburb. June Cleaver, Ward’s liberal-leaning wife, is vacuuming, while wearing her full compliment of high heels, a flowing dress, and string of pearls. Ward Cleaver is sitting down in his recliner, relaxing after a hard day’s work, reading the Strib and cussing at Nick Coleman’s latest article. Suddenly, there’s an abrupt knock. Four bratty neighborhood kids await outside the door…

June Cleaver: (opening door) “Why hello kids—how are all of you? Would you like some campaign contributions? I baked them fresh!”

(The four children, T-Paw, Normie, Willie and A-Klo walk in the door)

T-Paw:(syrupy sweet voice) “Hello, Mrs. Cleaver! Mmmm.. gee, thanks for those contributions! Oh—Mrs. Cleaver—come here and meet Willie’s friend, Global Warming!” (T-Paw points to an empty space next to Willie)

June Cleaver: (thinking to self): “An imaginary friend. Isn’t that cute!” (then, out-loud, playing along:) “Gosh golly, T-Paw and Willie,” (looking at the empty space between them)—“Looks like you’ve got yourself quite a friend! Why—isn’t that nice!”

T-Paw: “Yep, and me and Willie are going to go to the North Pole, where Global Warming lives, an’ ‘splore!”

June Cleaver: “Well, isn’t that special! You kids better dress warm… and be back by the time the street lights are on, okay?”

T-Paw: “Okay, Mrs. Cleaver! Come on Willie, Normie and A-Klo—let’s go ‘splorin!”

(the four trot out the door and turn north; Leave it to Beaver type music in background)

Ward Cleaver: “June, do you really think you should encourage their having an imaginary friend like Global Warming?”

June Cleaver: “Ward, what can it hurt. After all, they’re just children exercising their imaginations!”

Ward Cleaver: “But what if it goes too far?”

June Cleaver: “Nonsense, Ward—what harm could kids do with an imaginary friend, anyway?”

Ward Cleaver: “Maybe you’re right, June, but I wonder…” (music out)

Act II

(A week later, The Cleavers receive another knock at their door. T-Paw, Willie, Normie and A-Klo are there with a bucket.)

T-Paw: (in a syrupy-sweet voice) “Hello, Mrs. Cleaver—My, but don’t you look wonderful!”

June Cleaver: “Why, thank you T-Paw! What can I do for you?”

T-Paw: “Well, Mrs. Cleaver, it turns out that our friend, Global Warming, isn’t very nice!”

June Cleaver: “Really, why do you say that?”

Willie: “Well, well… me, me, me an’ T-T-T-Paw went to-to-to the Nawth Pole… an- an-and Gwobal Warming started k-k-kiwwing powar beawrs an’ baby seaows and stuff!”

June Cleaver: (playing along) “You don’t say! Why the nerve…”

Normie: “Yeah, Mrs. Cleavah. That’s why we’re asking fer contributions—so we can hire a hit man to kill Gwobal Wahming! (laughs like Elmer Fudd--holds out bucket)

June Cleaver: (puzzled) “I beg your pardon?”

A-Klo: (hands on hips) “Mrs. Cleaver, All we’re asking is 40 percent of your paycheck! I mean, it’s really important that we stop Global Warming before he kills even more cute baby seals and polar bears!! :::whining, on the verge of tears::: I mean, you want to save cute baby seals and polar bears—don’t you ??” :::sniff:::

June Cleaver: “Well, of course, but..”

(Meanwhile, Mr. Cleaver, overhearing the conversation, comes to the door)

Ward Cleaver: “Now children, it was all well and good that Mrs. Cleaver and I played along with your imaginary friend, but..”

Willie: “IMAGINAWY FWIEND?!?”

A-Klo: (hands on hips—pursed lips, frown) “Yeah. What do you mean, ‘maginary?”

Ward Cleaver: “Heh—now kids, you don’t really believe in Global Warming, do you?”

Normie: “I sure do! Don’t you??!?”

Ward Cleaver: “Why, no!”

Normie: “Well—I’m gonna hold my bweath til my face turns bwue unwess you take back what you said!” (bears down, puffs cheeks and holds breath)

Ward Cleaver: Now, Normie--i

T-Paw: “Yeah, you meanie!” (T-Paw kicks Ward Cleaver in the 'nads).

Ward Cleaver: “—Oooh—hey! ::cough:: —that hurt!” :::cough:::

:::Willie starts to sob uncontrollably:::

:::Normie’s face starts to turn an iridescent array of colors::::

June Cleaver: “Ward— you made Willie cry! Take back what you said!”

Ward Cleaver: “But June!!”

June Cleaver: “Ward—they’re children! Don’t destroy their imaginations!”

A-Klo: (hands on hips) “Yeah—our ‘maginations!”

:::Normie starts teetering:::

Ward Cleaver: “But June—they want us to give them money!”

June Cleaver: “Ward—if you don’t take back what you said right now and give them some money, you’ll be cut off from The Beaver!”

Ward Cleaver: (Looks up and down at Mrs. Cleaver, turns toward children, and emits a deep sigh) “Okay kids… How much…”

Normie: “A couple-a-grand oughta do, fer stahters. (Elmer Fudd laugh)”

(Ward writes a check, grudgingly signs it, and drops it in Normie’s bucket)

T-Paw: (syrupy sweet) “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver. How very generous of you. We’ll be back!”

(T-Paw, Willie, Normie and A-Klo skip away from the Cleaver household, bucket in tow, to the next house down the block….)

June Cleaver: "Aren’t they nice kids, Ward?"

::::Leave it to Beaver Music out:::::

Fin.

***UPDATE***
More on T-Paw, Normie's and A-Klo's "Imaginary friend" (h/t Minnesotans for Global Warming, via Freedom Dogs). Long, but more than worth the view.

Grab a tub of popcorn for this one.

And no, this didn't come from Scrappleface.

In their "No Pervert Left Behind" program, the ACLU is arguing that sex in public bathroom stalls is "private."

From Yahoo News:

ST. PAUL, Minn. - In an effort to help Sen. Larry Craig, the American Civil Liberties Union is arguing that people who have sex in public bathrooms have an expectation of privacy.

Craig, of Idaho, is asking the Minnesota Court of Appeals to let him withdraw his guilty plea to disorderly conduct stemming from a bathroom sex sting at the Minneapolis airport.

The ACLU filed a brief Tuesday supporting Craig. It cited a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling 38 years ago that found that people who have sex in closed stalls in public restrooms "have a reasonable expectation of privacy."

That means the state cannot prove Craig was inviting an undercover officer to have sex in public, the ACLU wrote.

Yeah. Riiiight.

Hal in the Workplace...

From here:

Microsoft submitted a patent application in the US for a “unique monitoring system” that could link workers to their computers. Wireless sensors could read “heart rate, galvanic skin response, EMG, brain signals, respiration rate, body temperature, movement facial movements, facial expressions and blood pressure”, the application states.

The system could also “automatically detect frustration or stress in the user” and “offer and provide assistance accordingly”. Physical changes to an employee would be matched to an individual psychological profile based on a worker’s weight, age and health. If the system picked up an increase in heart rate or facial expressions suggestive of stress or frustration, it would tell management that he needed help.

Alas, if this comes to pass, I have only two words for the fate of humanity:

"Check, please."

Wednesday Hero Blogburst 1-16-2008

Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus
28 years old from Wolf Creek, Montana
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
July 29, 2006


Marine Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus was the nephew of Montana Senator Max Baucus. He joined the corps in 2002 and was sent to Iraq in March of 2005.

Cpl. Baucus was killed alongside fellow Marines Sgt. Christian Williams, 27 yrs old from Winter Haven, Fla. and Lance Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield, 19 yrs old from Clovis, Calif. during combat operations in Al Anbar province.

"Phillip was an incredible person, a dedicated Marine, a loving son and husband, and a proud Montanan and American," Sen. Baucus said. "He heroically served the country he loved and he gave it his all."


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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

On going native...

If he keeps this up, our esteemed Senator Norm Coleman, will be "swimming with the fishies," politically speaking.

A new study finds that Sen. Norm Coleman voted with a majority of fellow Republicans just 64 percent of the time last year on the eve of a tough re-election battle, his lowest rating since entering the Senate in 2003.

Looked at another way, the Minnesota senator opposed his party 36 percent of the time, putting him fifth among GOP senators, behind party moderates Olympia Snowe (Maine), Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania), Susan Collins (Maine) and Gordon Smith (Oregon). [NOTE: Norm Coleman voted against his party more than CHUCK HAGEL--ed]

The party unity ratings were published by Congressional Quarterly, a Capitol Hill publication.

The 64 percent rating follows 77 percent ratings in 2006 and 2005, 91 percent in 2004, and 92 percent in 2003. Coleman's fifth-place rating in 2007 is his highest, but not by much. In 2005, his opposition voting record was 6th among Republicans. In 2004, he was 13th in the category, his highest figure. He was 8th in 2003 and 2006.

Two of Coleman's Democratic challengers said Coleman is doing what he can to help his own re-election, not Minnesotans. A spokesman for Coleman counters that he's consistently been an "independent Republican" looking out for the state's best interests.

So, Senator Coleman, you believe that 30 percent of the Republican party agenda of low taxes, energy independence, and smaller government is not in the best interests of the citizens of the state of Minnesota?

Your base-- you know, the ones that work for you and give you money to get you elected--would like to have a talk with you, Norm.

With a RINO voting record like that, who the hell needs democrats?

When it comes to pork...

Murtha remains the King....

From the New York Times, nonetheless:

The Pork King Keeps His Crown

The new earmark disclosure rules put into effect by Congress confirm the pre-eminence of Representative John Murtha at procuring eye-popping chunks of pork for contractors he helped put in business in Johnstown, Pa. The Pennsylvania Democrat, a power player on defense appropriations, exudes pride, not embarrassment, for delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in largesse to district beneficiaries. They, in turn, requite with hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations.

Mr. Murtha led all House members this year, securing $162 million in district favors, according to the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.

[SNIP]

In 1991, Mr. Murtha used a $5 million earmark to create the National Defense Center for Environmental Excellence in Johnstown to develop anti-pollution technology for the military. Since then, it has garnered more than $670 million in contracts and earmarks. Meanwhile it is managed by another contractor Mr. Murtha helped create, Concurrent Technologies, a research operation that somehow was allowed to be set up as a tax-exempt charity, according to The Washington Post. Thanks to Mr. Murtha, Concurrent has boomed; the annual salary for its top three executives averages $462,000.

There’s been no report of Mr. Murtha’s profiting personally. “This is about jobs,” the congressman insists. But the Murtha operation — which has become a model for other entrepreneurial lawmakers — is a gross example of quid pro quo Washington. Every one of the 26 beneficiaries of Mr. Murtha’s earmarks in last year’s defense budget made contributions to his campaign kitty, a total of $413,250, according to the newspaper Roll Call.

Once a Marine, now a bloatedly corrupt politician.

Is this really who you want representing you, PA-12???

Move over, O.J.

Being from the Chicago area, I've been following the story of Drew Peterson, a former police sergeant from Bolingbrook, a western suburb near Aurora and Naperville. Police and the Bolingbrook and surrounding communities are still searching for his wife, Stacy, who "turned up missing" under suspicious circumstances this past October 28. More suspicious still is the fate of Drew Peterson's third wife, who "drowned" in the family bathtub, also under suspicious circumstances.

Although Drew Peterson is a suspect in his current and now his ex-wife's untimely demises, he's now pulling an O.J. Simpson, and "ready to tell his story."

Prepared to sell his story

Lacking the media swarm, and apparently with no place to be, Peterson chatted about a range of subjects, from his love of flying to the actor he'd most like to see play him in the movie version of his life.

"I look a lot like Denzel [Washington]," he joked.

Oh really?



Perhaps Mr. Peterson was looking at the wrong motion picture for a body double.


May I suggest the following instead:

That is all.

Of Kittens and Crows...

Cute, eh?

HIllary Clinton: This campaign isn't about race or gender...

Hillary Clinton, the guest today on Meet the Press with Tim Russert, defended her campaign's character assassination campaign against Barack Obama (h/t Gary Gross). Said Mrs. Clinton (all emphases mine):

"I don't think either of us want to inject race or gender in this campaign. We are running as individuals, we are making our cases to the American people, and it's imperative that we get the record and the facts straight because people are entitled to have that information."

And still later in the same interview,

SEN. CLINTON: "Well, you know, I don't think that either of us should use gender. I don't think this campaign is about gender, and I sure hope it's not about race. It needs to be about the individuals. Each of us is running for the highest position, the most difficult job in the world."

Yet, early in Hillary's campaign,

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton has a not-so-secret weapon working for her as she seeks the presidency: women.

Just 12 days into her campaign, the New York senator and former first lady has made it clear that appealing to female voters will be central to her message, and not the afterthought it has been in past presidential campaigns. Already, her campaign says, young women in particular are drawn to her candidacy and the prospect of electing America's first woman president. Officials with the Clinton campaign cite anecdotal evidence from supporters and from the turnout of women at early campaign events.

So which is it, Mrs. Clinton? Is the female vote still "central to (your) message," or isn't it?

Read the entire transcript of the Russert fisking interview, here.

***UPDATE****

Check out Gary Gross’ Let Freedom Ring where he takes Hillary to task for claiming credit for the surge’s success in Iraq.

The Thompson Awakening

As the GOP primary season rolls on, and the issue of substance rears its head, it's becoming increasingly clear that Fred Thompson remains the only true conservative choice:

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — John and Ann Berenberk dutifully watched the umpteenth Republican presidential debate on television on Thursday night and had an epiphany. It was about the candidate they had previously referred to as the tall, silent one. Fred D. Thompson.

The last of the candidates to enter the race, Mr. Thompson, 65, a former Tennessee senator, has so far seemed to distinguish himself mainly by a laconic style that has made him almost invisible beside the others on the stage in past debates, the Berenberks said.

“But then last night — we hadn’t even been thinking about him — all of a sudden it was clear he was the one,” said Mr. Berenberk, a retired teacher. “The bluntness, the forcefulness. He was really impressive.”

Whether this was a new Fred Thompson, or just a sign of mirage-inducing campaign fatigue among voters, many people attending Mr. Thompson’s campaign rallies here on the day after the debate reported having similar revelations.

[SNIP]

Mr. Thompson has made all the same points during campaign events throughout the state, aides said. But many voters who flocked to his rallies on Friday had never heard him make them until they heard him in the latest debate on the Fox News Channel.

Jim Sickles, a retired corrections officer; Natalie Bankowski, an office manager; and Maryanne Gasper, who said she was “a waitress, with two other jobs,” were among a dozen people randomly interviewed who said they had been undecided or leaning toward other Republican candidates — mainly Mr. Huckabee — until Thursday night.

The more the campaign wears on, the more that everyday people are starting to realize that, far from being a slick re-packaged candidate that speaks in focus-group tested soundbites, Fred Thompson is a genuine man who has, and will continue to deal in true conservative principles and ideals. To Fred, they're not soundbites, nor trite platitudes. They're the core of his being.

As time goes by, epiphanies to that effect will become the norm, not the exception.

***UPDATE****

Joe Sixpack isn't the only one awakening to the merits of a Fred Thompson presidency; the major media pundits are taking note as well.

See Flopping Aces for a great compendium of thoughts around the MSM as well as the blogosphere.

Michele Bachmann kicks off 2008 Campaign in St. Cloud

And in grand style.

Fresh in from a Christmas trip to Iraq, and an earlier trip to Israel, MN 6th District U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann kicked off her 2008 campaign today at a home in St. Cloud. Looking even better than she did a year ago, Bachmann was her usual firebrand self, yet even more confident in her convictions than she was a year ago.

Bachmann related that after the 2006 elections, the House Republicans had a "Come to Jesus" moment and realized that their poor showing in the 2006 elections were directly related to the fact that many in the Republican Party had forgotten how to be Republican, and that House Republicans stood firm in the face of a democrat majority that voted 40 times to declare defeat in Iraq, and who tried to put forth the largest tax increase in the history of the United States.

Bachmann related how when Republicans were in the majority, an average of 600 votes were cast during a normal legislative year. Last year, according to Bachmann, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 bills were put up for a vote in the House. Of those 1200, only around 140 passed; and of those 140 bills, nearly half of those were for re-naming post offices.

In other words, the U.S. House Democrat leadership got nothing done of substance. Bachmann described most of the 1200 bills brought to the floor as "vanity bills," bills designed to look good to constituents, but were short on substance and weren't even meant to pass.

This despite an inordinate amount of time spent in Washington at the behest of the House democrat leadership. In her talk, Bachmann lamented the fact that she was required to spend so much time in Washington, as she didn't get nearly as much of a chance to visit with her constituents as her predecessor, Mark Kennedy, who was in office during a Republican majority.

In her speech, Bachmann described herself as having an iron spine, and that she has not and would not bend from her principles of small government, sanctity of life, strong national defense, and low taxes.

Bachmann also related how she is one of 16 legislators in the U.S. House and Senate (Senator Norm Coleman being the other Minnesota legislator on the list) being targeted for extinction by George Soros and Moveon.org. She related how the democrats had outspent her campaign by $3,000,000 in 2006, yet she emerged victorious because she stayed true to the conservative message.

Bachmann closed her talk as she related her experiences in Israel and Iraq, having spent Christmas with our troops in Baghdad. She related how humbled she felt at their sacrifices, and the pride that she felt with regard to all that they accomplished since the surge began.

Also present at the gala were Minnesota Representatives Steve Gottwalt and Dan Severson, as well as bloggers extraordinaire King Banaian (and his lovely wife) and Gary Gross; along with St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis, and soon-to-be returning KNSI talk show host Dan "The Ox" Ochsner.

Everyone there was fired up and ready to run through walls to ensure a successful 2008 election.

Folks, there is no greater conservative voice in the United States House of Representatives than Michele Bachmann. Although I was a bit skiddish in the beginning, since I have come to know her I have every confidence in her conservative, principled leadership, and the residents of Minnesota 6th are more than fortunate to benefit from her unwavering dedication to conservative ideals.

Strib gets an F- for still being clueless...

The folks at the Strib have reached a new height low in cluelessness with this one:

State gets D+ for aid to teachers

A national study says Minnesota hasn't done enough to improve the quality of teaching its students.

By NORMAN DRAPER and JAMES WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: January 9, 2008 - 8:28 PM

Anyway, you probably have an idea where this is going, so I'll cut to the chase:

On the plus side, the "Quality Counts" report showed that Minnesota students' chances for success based on education and family factors far outstrip those of students in most states. In that category, Minnesota got a B+, and ranked seventh nationwide.

Alas, my dear readers--never let good news get in the way of a hit piece:

But those findings, based on such factors as family income, parent education and parent employment, suggest that students' home lives have as much to do with their success as their schooling.

Thank you Captains Obvious! Like that's some kind of revelation or something. Here's a bozo button for your efforts:

Your mothers must be proud.

But that's what happens when you have a couple of statists a la Norman Draper and James Walsh, who believe that the state should parent children. They blame parents for their childrens' successes; like it's a badge of dishonor that they're involved.

Word to Draper and Walsh: Success in education is next to impossible without parent support. The parents are the first and foremost teachers of their children. Not the school; Not the state; but PARENTS. If the parents don't value education, neither will their kids, no matter how much money you throw into education. And, speaking of money,

Still, it's the finding that Minnesota has fallen to near the bottom of the pack when it comes to teaching that was most startling. The state's low ranking comes mostly from a lack of various teaching programs and effectiveness measures that other states have.

When you can draw a direct causal line between those "programs" and teaching effectiveness, we'll talk.

For instance, Minnesota was docked for not having a statewide program to reduce class sizes, for paying teachers less than what workers in comparable professions are paid, and for not linking student achievement to teacher evaluations.

Here's something else for you to chew on Mssrs. Draper and Walsh: teaching is a calling. It's not everyone that's cut out for, nor has the desire to work with kids. Teaching is, in many ways, its own reward, and teachers wouldn't be in it if it were only for pay. And if someone isn't cut out for it, a high salary isn't going to keep him there teaching. And even if it does, you don't want someone who's in it just for the money to be teaching your kids.

Don't get me wrong, being in education myself, I wouldn't mind a fat paycheck. But I couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life, either.

And of course, all this talk has the usual suspects out making political hay with the issue:

State Rep. Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, and chairwoman of the House K-12 finance division, argued that such findings show that "the chickens have come home to roost" in terms of the state's inadequate funding of education.

The problem, Ms. Greiling, is not underfunding the schools. The problem, Ms. Greiling, is quite simply the notion that schools are trying to stuff five pints of mud down a three-pint jar. Politicians and parents alike are increasingly trying to abdicate more and more parental responsibility on the schools. Clarion calls, such as "We need sex education in the schools! We need multicultural gender-fair, disability- aware (and every other P.C. liberal cause du jour) education in the schools! We need consumer education in the schools!" are legion.

And the schools are equally to blame; for they not only accept this increasing parental responsibility, but they largely act as if they're actually equipped for the task. In return, what you get is a curriculum that's a mile wide and a millimeter deep.

And then they sit and wonder why Johnny can't read nor write.

There's only so much you can do in a 7 1/2 hour day, Rep. Greiling.

You want to fix education? Quit having people in Washington, D.C. and in St. Paul who don't know jack about education making unworkable and unfunded mandates, rules and regulations that are more about anal paperwork than they are about educating children. Quit having those same yahoos asking the schools to continue to do that which they are ill-equipped to do; mainly, to be babysitters and parents for kids whose biological parents are too lazy or too afraid to actually be parents.

It doesn't take a village to raise a child. Villages do a horrible job of raising children.

Rather, it takes committed parents who are willing to invest time and effort in getting their kids ready and willing to learn during the time they're in school as well as to hold their children accountable for keeping up with their studies. Additionally, it takes parents who are willing to take back the responsibility for raising their children that was abdicated to the school districts.

Parents are the ones who should be teaching their kids about sexuality and values, not the State.

Parents, not the State, are the ones who should be teaching their kids their values. Period.

And, above all, it should be parents, not the State who discipline their child. Of everything that parents have abdicated to the State, the right to discipline their child has been the most detrimental. In my practice, I've seen more than my share of parents afraid to discipline their child (I'm talking corporal punishment--not beating here); under the fear that they'll be reported to the school or to the police (along with a share of kids who aren't afraid to do it).

So, Norman Draper and Steve Walsh, next time you want to write a hit-piece about how we're underfunding schools in Minnesota, you may want to take a deeper look into the actual causes of our educational woes.

Until then, I've no choice but to give you two clowns a F- for your level of factual reporting.

Yet another fine upstanding person..

Doing the jobs Americans won't do.

Hugo Alva, 32, of Cold Spring is accused of two counts of soliciting a minor to engage in sexual contact.

The charges are felonies.

Alva has been a minister at El Pan de Vida Church, and at least two teenage girls who attended the church accused him of phone harassment this summer. Police have said the calls were sexual in nature. Jurors must find that Alva intended to commit sexual acts with the girls in order to convict him of the charges.

There are no allegations that Alva had any sexual contact with the girls.

If convicted of the charges, Alva could face deportation; he is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.

How about deportation anyway, given that he's here illegally.

Mrs. Clinton's namesake dies...

The man for whom Hillary Clinton was named has died today.



Oops. My bad.

"What--me worry?"

Very interesting

ABC's Good Morning America, whose audience pretty much caters to the Oprah crowd, just aired an extended, stoic-faced hit piece on the Obama-Rezko affair. Mind you, as Mark and Matt will attest, this is old news.

So why now?

I'm off to work, and won't have time to get into a long, drawn out post, but one need only remember two words to explain it:

Clinton, Inc.

Tears aren't their only weapon. Not by a long shot.

A new low in dhimmitude...

This time, from pointy-headed academicians...

NEW YORK (MNA) – An academic delegation of Columbia University professors and deans of faculties plans to visit Tehran to officially apologize to Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. The delegation plans to express regret for the insulting remarks Columbia University President Lee Bollinger directed at Ahmadinejad on September 24 in his introductory speech, the Mehr News Agency correspondent in New York reported.

To borrow a line from an Andrew Lloyd Weber masterpiece, keep your hand at the level of your eye, gents.

And, oh yes, don't forget to bow toward Mecca at the proper times while you're there. They'll probably get awfully testy if you don't.

Bon voyage.

The Crying Game!

First, cue the music! (click on the little blue arrow):

boomp3.com

Then watch the Perpetrator err..ex-Commander in Chief in rare form at Ron Brown's 1996 funeral...



Note how he's able to go from happy-go-lucky good ol' boy to utter depression in under 2 seconds; by all accounts, a new land speed record.

Now, fast forward to yesterday after the New Hampshire Primary.

Watch his eyes carefully throughout, and note a quick sideward glance (around a millesecond in length) at the 14-second mark (alerting him to the presence of a camera in the vicinity) followed by a near immediate change in demeanor:



Now that shot's gotta get Hillary another 40,000 votes, at least.

Yep, the more things stay the same, the more they stay the same!

Well, if things don't work out for the ol' Hill & Bill Travelling Salvation Show, may I suggest a new business venture for the couple:


****UPDATE****

Welcome Dr. Sanity Readers, and thanks to Pat for adding this to her Carnival of the Insanities.

Click here for the main page and latest posts.

Wednesday Hero Blogburst 1-9-2008

January 9th, 2008

Sgt. Frank T. Carvill
51 years old from Carlstadt, New Jersey
3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery
June 04, 2004
When Frank T. Carvill told his sister he had been called up to go to Iraq, she was stunned. “Gee, Frank, are you going to be part of the AARP battalion?” she teased.

Carvill joined the Guard in the 80’s out of a sense of patriotism. He was a devoted big brother to Peggy Liguori, who still remembers how as kids, he took her to see “Blue Hawaii” and “Born Free” at the movies. He was the longtime pal to Rick Rancitelli who admired Carvill’s “million-dollar vocabulary” and his writing and public speaking skills. In 1993. Sgt. Carvill was working in the WTC as a paralegal when it was attacked. He helped a co-worker down 54 floors to safety. In 2001, he was still working at the WTC. He had just left the North Tower moments before the first plane hit.

Sgt. Carvill was killed when his convoy was attacked outside of Baghdad.

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. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

More prudent use of your tax dollars...

What hath Margaret Sanger wrought?



Go here to find out more.

He Lives!

Every time I look at weeding the Psyc's Pselect Pscreeds blogroll, I take a look at Bogus Gold, and think that I should probably delete it, since Doug hadn't made a post since friggen July of 1889.

But then, there's always been a little inkling in the back of my brain, whispering, "He'll be back; patience!" Well, much to my amazement, and unbeknownst to me until today, Bogus Doug has again re-united with his blogging mistress, and has been writing now for the better part of three weeks.

Of course, he's a little worse for wear, and perhaps a bit senile, thinking that John McCain will be the Republican nominee and eventual president, but he'll come around.

Welcome back to the land of the addicted, Doug.

Isn't it bad enough to be given the name..

...without going out and playing the part?

Moron Arrested After Driving Truck Into House

Bryan Scott Moron, 20, of Burleson, Texas, was arrested Friday after he lost control of his truck and struck a mailbox, then a house, MyFOXDFW.com reports.

Living up to his surname, Moron failed sobriety tests, the station said. The arrest report showed his blood alcohol level to be more than twice the legal limit.

Moron, a restaurant server, was also driving at an excessive speed, according to the report.

The guy never had a chance.

Now here's a surprise---NOT

From Fox:

WASHINGTON — Nearly half of U.S. diplomats unwilling to volunteer to work in Iraq say one reason for their refusal is they don't agree with Bush administration's policies in the country, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Security concerns and separation from family ranked as the top reasons for not wanting to serve in Iraq. But 48 percent cited "disagreement" with administration policy as a factor in their opposition, said the survey conducted by the American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents U.S. diplomats.

The U.S. Diplomatic corps is pretty much made of liberal weenies anyway, so the fact that this is even a story is beyond me. Secondly, their job isn't to make nor influence policy. Their job is to enact policy. Period.

If they don't want to perform a core function of their job, then they need to look elsewhere for employment.

Give credit where it's due...

"It's not easy" being cheesy.

And beefed up security tells me that Obama will be going nowhere near Fort Marcy Park in the near future.

Why Lt. Col. Russell has more than a chance to beat Murtha

There are those who believe that Lt. Col. William Russell has no chance to win against the Gasbag from Johnstown, Jack P(utz). Murtha (D-Al Qaeda).

To that I politely say, HOGWASH.

While Diana Irey, Murtha's most formidable opponent to date, garnered 39 percent of the vote and fell short of victory, certain circumstances exist today that weren't in play at the time of Irey's candidacy that play well in Russell's favor:

1. Haditha. The truth about Haditha had not yet come to light. There is no longer an argument regarding the fact that the Haditha Marines had *NOT* committed "cold blooded murder," as Murtha had so loudly proclaimed; and to this day Murtha refuses to apologize for and to retract his unfounded accusations.

One of the Marines that Murtha wrongfully accused of cold blooded murder, Justin Sharrat, is in actuality one of PA-12's own constituents. There is a heavy concentration of military personnel, both active and retired, in PA-12. The truth about Haditha, especially after having been brought to light not only by Darryl and Justin Sharrat, but also by the highly decorated candidate, Lt. Col. William Russell, shall sprout some mighty stout legs.

There is no honorable military person who, in good conscience, can vote for an ex-Marine who sold one of their own down the river. Just ask John Kerry.

2. William Russell is retired military.

While Diana Irey was bright, knowledgeable, and in every way competent, Lt. Colonel Russell will add yet another dimension of credibility to the mix that will appeal to PA-12's military voters. Not only is Russell retired military, his record is beyond reproach, and Russell exemplifies all that is honorable in a veteran; a stark contrast to his incumbent opponent.

3. Murtha continues to be corrupt.
His earmarks and other "boss politician" antics, while certainly bringing pork in the area to buy votes (this, being the latest example), at the same time have gotten additional scrutiny that had not been brought to bear, even in local media, until relatively recently.

Due to these factors, do not lose sight of the notion that now, more than ever, the Murtha Machine is a corrupt, and yet vulnerable machine that could well be on life support at this juncture, and that Lt. Colonel William Russell, via his weapon of honor and righteousness, will be the one to put this monster in retirement mode, once and for all.

For the latest news on Murtha and PA-12, be sure to visit Murtha Must Go!!