Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Thomas Sowell on flower-power denial and self-anointed heroes who don't want the facts to get in the way of their glory days...

Thomas Sowell - columnsPreserving a Vision
...For those liberals who lived through the 1960s, that was often also the springtime of their youth, increasingly treasured as a memory, as the grim realities of old age settle down upon them today. It is expecting an awful lot to expect them to consider any alternative vision of the world, especially one that shatters the beautiful picture of themselves as wise and compassionate saviors of society.

But what are the facts?

While liberals may think of the 1960s as the beginning of many "progressive" trends in American society, cold hard facts tell a very different story. The 1960s marked the end of many beneficial trends that had been going on for years -- and a complete reversal of those trends as programs, policies, and ideologies of the liberals took hold...

Part II
...Some people want to preserve historic buildings and others want to preserve forests or art. But the liberal media and intelligentsia are strenuously trying to preserve the vision of poverty and economic distress.

Why these desperate attempts to preserve poverty as a vision while it is eroding as a reality? Because it is "the poor" who give the left its moral authority and political clout. The very phrase "the poor" suggests that we are talking about some permanent group of people rather than transients in low income brackets who will be in higher income brackets in a few more years.

The poor are the very lifeblood of the left, attracting activists, support among the intelligentsia, and -- perhaps most important -- allowing the left to indulge in self-congratulation as people who "care." But, if they really cared, they would want to know what the facts are and what the actual consequences of their various nostrums are...

Part III
...The point, however, is not simply to move money around but to change behavior in a way that will result in more economic activity. Tax cuts have a long track record of doing that, resulting in rising national incomes and rising employment.

But there is no way that some people are ever going to admit that what they call "tax cuts for the rich" are tax cuts for the economy. As far as they are concerned, this is all just an excuse to "give" something to the rich, in hopes that it will "trickle down" to the lower income brackets...

...The "trickle down theory" has been a stock phrase on the left for decades and yet not one of those who denounce it can find anybody who advocated it. The tenacity with which they cling to these catchwords shows how desperately they need them, if only to safeguard their vision of the world and of themselves...

Part IV
Despite the warm glow of self-satisfaction that the liberal vision confers on liberals, ugly facts keep intruding to undermine that vision. Some liberals eventually jump ship and defect to conservatism when the facts keep piling up too high to ignore.

This takes time, of course, and in the meantime there is a never-ending supply of new young people to become charmed with the liberal vision and replace those who have become disenchanted with it.

Other liberals hang on to liberal ideas to the bitter end -- especially when the end is not that bitter for them personally, when they live insulated lives in academia, the courts, foundations and other places where there is no price for liberals to pay for being wrong, no matter how disastrous the consequences for others.

Still, facts are a danger to the vision. In recent times, those on the left have increasingly sought to suppress facts that go counter to the vision...

...The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom -- whether black or white -- who find in that paranoid vision an excuse for counterproductive and ultimately self-destructive attitudes and behavior.

Thomas Sowell is the liberal antidote...conservative therapy for the liberally deranged. :)
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Friday, May 19, 2006

Blogging break...

Send me an e-mailThis blog has been a great vent for me on political, cultural and global issues, among numerous other topics over the last 3 months. The original purpose of this venture was to share some thoughts with family and friends who might not have otherwise understood my interests and positions or even known them to begin with.

I have found it difficult at times to effectively discuss many of the topics I've posted about, and this format provides a fantastic outlet...especially for those of us who aren't as quick on our feet verbally as we'd like to be. It's also became a lot more fun than I ever thought. I've really enjoyed the creative aspect of setting up the site and trying to make each post visually interesting...not to mention all the great poking around and reading needed to motivate a posting.

Hopefully this break will be temporary. I am hooked on (and frustrated with) the current political scene and feel strongly that core conservative & Christian principles are vital to our country's prosperity and freedom. I continue to have a great interest in what I think are extremely important long-term issues like abortion, education, religious freedom (not freedom from religion), the war against Islamic terrorism, and the poisonous cultural effects of moral relativism and political correctness. I'm sure I'll ramp back up again, but it's time for a break.

Having said that, what I'd really like to do is find a number of other generally like-minded folks out there who would be interested in posting here! If you like the format and direction of this site and want to blog here, send me an e-mail. I'd love to make CBT a group effort!

Subscribe over to the left if you want to get an e-mail when this blog wakes up again!

Cheers.

P.S. I've made close to 300 posts in just over 3 1/2 months since I started. Here are a few:

Pelosi is aweful, and not left enough for S.F.
  • Fear-mongering and climate change: Al's big lie...

  • Condi discusses Iran with Matt Lauer... What's not to love about Condi!

  • Sowell's random thoughts & my random links...

  • While U.S. politicians pander hysterically, China digs for oil...

  • Know a CEO who is rude to people he/she perceives to be in subordinate roles?

  • Why take responsibility or look for solutions when you can obfuscate, blame others and play a sypathetic media with overt political opportunism?
  • Can George W. Bush get his groove back?
  • The British Sunday Times uncovers the "new woman"...

  • These amazing photos by Jan von Holleben will make you smile...

  • As if the obviously-perverted "man with the yellow hat" and "curious" George weren't enough...

  • Katie Cronkite: Good Night, and Good Pluck...

  • A "race card" play for the true connoisseur...

  • Be a man, for God's sake... (you mean that's ok?)

  • Muammar Gadhafi: "Libya is the only real democracy in the world"...Charlie Sheen probably agrees

  • Gregory (and NBC) called to task by Laura Ingraham on the Today show this morning...follow up on O'Reilly

  • This performance by Chris Bliss is one of the coolest things I've ever seen...
  • Top 10 Reagan quotes...
  • The Discovery of Noah's Ark? That would change everything...

  • A mathematician's approach to the origins of life...

  • The Natural Law...and Moral Absolutes

  • The Democratic Plantation... and the Victims of the Political Elite

  • TV, Role Models, Morality...are we looking in the right place?

  • The U.S. and the Roman Empire...

  • Sharpton's a homo, pass it on...humor!


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    What's so difficult about the notion of controlling our borders, and enforcing our laws?

    North American Union to Replace USA?...maybe a lot if your vision is for a North American Union.

    This is making more sense to me now. Bush really does want to move more in the direction of open borders with Mexico. So that explains why he's so obviously uncomfortable with the whole border issue...he doesn't want to control the border at all.

    Video and coverage of interview with David Gregory here.

    It all just seems so simple to me:

    "Control the Border...

    Enforce the Law"!


    Conservative Blog TherapyRelated:
    Ominous Rumblings of a “North American Union”
    Trinational Call for a North American Economic and Security Community by 2010

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    Thursday, May 18, 2006

    Will the real Teddy please stand up...

    "Back in 1907, when the U.S. was in the midst of a third wave of immigration, President Teddy Roosevelt offered this opinion on immigrants and their role and duties in our society:"
    "In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
    "Oh for the good ole’ days!"

    H/T Nathan Tabor.

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    If golf is a glimpse into someone's soul, Coach Bobby Knight is in real trouble...
    (Rated "R" for Really Foul Language)

    One of the great things about golf is that it truly does test your emotional self-control...of which Coach Knight clearly has none. If you're a golfer you'll know how he feels, although hopefully you show a little more verbal restraint:



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    Greg Koukl from Stand to Reason...interviewed by the BBC on the topic of abortion:

    Listen to the interview by clicking hereOn The Interview this week Carrie Gracie meets
    anti-abortionist Greg Koukl: (Listen here)
    Abortion is the most emotive political issue in the United States at the moment and Greg is at the forefront of the struggle.

    Through a Christian organisation he has set up, he trains people in the arguments against abortion and uses videos and photos to further his cause.

    And abortion has had an impact on Greg's own life -- his wife had two abortions before they met and the couple have now adopted a baby girl from a mother who had considered abortion.
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    Another reason why minor league baseball is great: "Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night"!

    Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit NightTake me out to the ballgame...or I'll sue:
    Inspired by a Los Angeles Angels fan who filed a lawsuit against the club because he did not receive a red nylon tote bag as part of the major league club's Mother’s Day promotion last May, the Altoona Curve have announced that they will be holding Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night as part of their Sunday, July 2nd game at Blair County Ballpark.

    The Curve’s salute to all ridiculous lawsuits ever filed will include the following:

  • A Pink Tote Bag Giveaway to the first 137 men in attendance ages 18 and over
  • The first 137 women 18 and over will receive lukewarm coffee so they will not burn themselves
  • The first 137 kids will be given a beach ball with a warning not to ingest it
  • Angels merchandise and novelty items given away throughout the game
  • Honoring some of history's "Most Frivolous Lawsuits" during the game
  • A grand prize drawing in which one fan will receive a “clue” and their own frivolous lawsuit.

    “We realize that these giveaways as part of our Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night are fairly stupid and serve no real purpose,” said Curve General Manager Todd Parnell. “But if our fans don’t like them, then they can sue us!”

    Curve President and Managing Partner Chuck Greenberg, himself a practicing corporate and sports attorney, declined to comment on his club’s promotion because of concerns that his comments could lead to a frivolous lawsuit.

    The Altoona Curve have become widely recognized for the fun, themed nights, including their annual “Awful Night” and the innovative “2006 Retro Celebrity Series”, which is bringing 11 of the most popular names from some of televisions most popular shows to Blair County Ballpark during the 2006 season. The club was honored by Minor League Baseball as the winner of the 2004 Larry MacPhail Award for promotional excellence among all affiliated minor league clubs.

    For more information on the Altoona Curve, visit the club’s official website at www.altoonacurve.com.
  • Very nice!

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    Wednesday, May 17, 2006

    What's going on with boys?

    Craig Ferguson may be the funniest guy on late night television...(a few highlights from 2005)

    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Prince Charles (2005):




    Craig Ferguson: Donald Rumsfeld - The Week In Review (2005):
    Things seem to be getting to the Secretary of Defense - he needs distractions from the escalating insurgency in Iraq...




    Craig Ferguson: George Bush on Larry King (2005):
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson may be on very late, so if you don't have the energy to stay up after Letterman, we have some of Craig's surreal skits here for your enjoyment...

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    Video roundup: The Axis of Legislative Blackmail...

    (click images for .wmv files) Bush Immigration SpeechMcCain 'banana' on Senate floor 5-17-06Kennedy on fences
    On Bush: Talk down to me some more please...
    On McCain: The "line" is back in their own country, banana-brain!
    On Kennedy: You made more sense when you were drinking.

    Previous post here.

    Other related:
    Senate OKs Border Fence
    "Call it a Banana"
    Kennedy On Immigration: Detached From Reality, Part II
    Amnesty is not amnesty, and this is not a ham sandwich!

    (Thanks to Greg and Ian for the videos.)

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    Immigration Myths, Misnomers and Red Herrings...

    Right Wing NewsJohn Hawkins from RightWingNews is now writing articles for Human Events.

    His first contribution is a strong one called Tackling a Handful of Immigration Myths, Misnomers and Red Herrings. It's right-on.

    The myths, misnomers and red herrings:

  • We need illegals to do the jobs Americans won’t do.
  • We’ve got to bring the illegal aliens “out of the shadows?”
  • They’re “immigrants.”
  • There’s just no way to secure the border without instituting a guest worker program to help slow down the flow of illegal immigrants.
  • There’s no way we can round up and deport 12 million illegal aliens.
  • Illegals are an essential part of the economy.
  • We want to make illegal aliens “go to the back of the line.”
  • I do not support amnesty, but here’s my plan that accomplishes the same thing.

    Here's the closing:
    The only reason that politicians won’t call an “amnesty” an “amnesty” is because they have such a low opinion of the American people that they believe we can be tricked with weasel words. It’s not an abortion, it’s a “choice.” We’re not raising taxes, we’re asking people to “pay their fair share.” It’s not amnesty, it’s “earned legalization.” Any way you slice it, it’s the same piece of rancid meatloaf.
    Read it all here.

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  • Tuesday, May 16, 2006

    If Bush Insists on Amnesty, Conservatives Likely to Abandon GOP

    Republicans Seek to Revive Their ActivistsThere was a great comment thread over at Stop the ACLU a few days ago. The post was titled Putting Things In Perspective and the topic was conservatives jumping ship in the upcoming elections. It's worth a few minutes.

    I don't know how many will stay away, but if the behavior and attitudes don't change...and if there isn't a clear conservative leader who steps forward, I'm done. No more voting for the lesser of two evils. I hate the idea that Pelosi could be Speaker and I damn near vomit at the idea of Hillary as President, but I don't know any other way to send the message.

    I've never heard of Richard Viguerie before, but I have to say that I agree with this press release:

    MANASSAS, Va., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, regarding President Bush's immigration proposal:
    "If President Bush continues to insist on amnesty, the voters will take it out on Republican candidates in the November elections.

    "The voters keep sending the message to Bush and the GOP that they don't want to talk about guest workers or amnesty until our borders are secure. But the White House is notorious for not having any receivers -- only transmitters.

    "Until we can put a stop to the unrestricted flow of illegal immigrants into our country, amnesty is a non-starter. Let the President enforce the laws we have right now.

    "The Bush Administration's liberal immigration policies are part of an even greater problem with conservatives.

    "The President has also betrayed conservative voters with a massive expansion of the federal government, huge increases in spending, failure to veto even a single bill, the Harriet Miers fiasco, and a lack of action on social issues.

    "When President Bush says to his supporters, 'Trust me on immigration,' he has exhausted his reservoir of good faith with conservatives. Americans, especially conservatives, are beginning to tune the President out."
    Then, this morning I get this e-mail: (I don't imagine my reply was what Ken Mehlman was looking for)
    Dear Friend,

    Our immigration system is broken. And we need your help to fix it.

    In his address to the nation last night, President Bush showed the way to getting real results on this difficult issue. We need your help today to stand up in support of the President's bold plan. Sign the petition and call your Senators and Representatives to demand immediate action on comprehensive immigration reform.

    Our nation faces a long-term problem that requires a long-term solution. As the President outlined, America needs real reform that includes:

    - Dramatic increases in manpower and technology at the border.
    - A system of controlled, temporary, and legal entry into the United States that meets our economic needs and relieves the pressure of illegal immigration at the border. No amnesty.
    - Holding employers who hire illegal immigrants accountable, with beefed-up ID requirements - no excuses.

    Harry Reid and Senate Democrats have played partisan politics and resisted these basic reform principles and have attempted to block border security legislation at every turn. Every day of Reid's obstruction is one more day with a broken system that isn't working.

    Sign our petition to demand solutions, not politics. And call your Senators and Representatives to tell them that you support the President's plan for real border security.

    America is a nation of laws. We are also a welcoming nation, one that moves forward confidently in the tradition of Ronald Reagan, who called America a "shining city on the hill" with the doors "open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here." There is no contradiction between these American values. Together, we will secure the border and welcome those who wish to come here legally and build a better life.

    This is a decisive moment. The time for action on immigration reform is now.

    Sincerely,
    Reply to Ken here
    Ken Mehlman (my link, please reply to Ken if you feel so inclined)
    Chairman, Republican National Committee
    You're losing it Ken!!! Actually, I think he knows.

    Others who are on a similar wavelength:
    Chrisy over at Common Sense America - here,
    Michelle Malkin - here,
    FrauBudgie over at Red State - here,
    Debbie at Right Truth - here,
    Jeff at The Autonomist - here,
    The Institute For Immigration Policy Review - here,
    Polipundit - here,
    Independent Conservative - here.

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    The Bush-McCain-Kennedy axis of political obstruction...

    Click here to tell your Senators...Once again, Mac Johnson speaks for me:
    ...Every one of the President’s proposals for increased security could be passed quickly, if they were not tied to a guest worker amnesty. Indeed, all of them could have already been passed and signed into law if they weren’t being used as sugar to coat the bitter pill of legalization for millions of illegal aliens. But the President and Senators John McCain and Teddy Kennedy (as well as others) want the amnesty giveaway so badly that they refuse to allow the Senate to vote on the enforcement measures as a separate bill, as the House of Representatives has done.

    Essentially, they have offered the American people a take it or leave it deal: give us our guest worker amnesty, or we will let the whole world across our open borders until you do. Give us the laws we want, or we will not enforce the laws we already have...


    Give us the laws we want,
    or we will not enforce
    the laws we already have.


    ...If a guest-worker program and amnesty are such good ideas, then why can they not be passed as separate bills, as the increased enforcement measures easily could be?

    If increased enforcement, by itself, is doomed to failure, then why do open borders advocates fear it so much? Shouldn’t they simply pass an enforcement bill and show everyone how right they were? An amnesty could then easily be added later.

    The simple fact is that an enforcement-only approach would work better than any comprehensive bill promising legalization to lawbreakers. And this is why every proponent of amnesty and guest worker shenanigans is working so hard to see that an enforcement-only bill will never pass—even if that means leaving America’s borders wide open as long as it takes to frustrate voters into accepting a comprehensive bill.

    The illogic of the comprehensive reform scam can be seen in the numerous self-contradictions the president uttered in support of it in a mere 16-minute speech.

    Deporting the 11 million to 20 million illegal aliens already here is simply impossible we are told. But then in tonight’s address the President bragged that we have deported 6 million illegal aliens in just the last five years. Why is 6 million possible and praiseworthy, but 11 million is a ludicrous impossibility?

    Click here to watch the speechThe President bragged tonight (video) of his commitment to deporting every illegal alien caught crossing our border. And then reasoned that we cannot deport those that have been here illegally for a few years. Why is it good to deport those caught at the border, but wrong to deport those that make it inland and buy a fake ID? How is the criminal transformed by this illegal stay?

    How can the President promise to use all manner of technology—motion sensors, drones, cameras, fences, vehicle barriers—to keep dangerous illegal aliens out, and then argue that those same criminal aliens become indispensable and honorable once past the gizmos? Why bother to keep out anyone, if they all become wonderful by the time they reach Dallas?

    Why, in short, would he have us believe that enforcing immigration laws at the border is a good thing, but we must not enforce immigration laws just a few miles north of the border?

    Because you cannot simultaneously argue for earnestly enforcing the immigration laws in our interior and also argue for a guest worker amnesty of the millions of illegal aliens already hiding there...

    ...The only way we can secure our borders is to pass an enforcement-only bill, and then see to it that it is actually enforced. Our nation’s security cannot be held hostage to the politics of amnesty any longer.
    Click here for the entire article.

    Related:
    Senator Kennedy: Illegal Immigrants ARE NOT criminals

    Come Home, Mr. President by Rep. Tom Tancredo

    Minuteman Civil Defense Corps reaction

    100 Million New Legal Immigrants over the Next Twenty Years

    And finally, Press 1 for English:
    There are many aspects of the President’s plan to criticize. But it makes no sense to expend effort dissecting a proposal made in bad faith. From some obscure sense of misguided compassion, misdirected Christian mercy, or just plain old-fashioned elitism President Bush has decided that he has a greater loyalty to citizens of Mexico than to those of his own country. We owe him, and his party, none of our own.
    ***UPDATE***

    Amnesty is NOT amnesty, and this is NOT a ham sandwich!The Senate Rejects Enforcement 1st. Here are the GOP Senators who oppose Enforcement First and voted against the House proposal:

    Bennett (UT), Brownback (R-KS), Chafee (RI), Coleman (MN), Collins (ME), Craig (ID), DeWine (OH), Graham (SC), Hagel (NE), Lugar (IN), Martinez (FL), Murkowski (AK), Shelby (AL), Snow (ME), Specter (PA), Stevens (AK), Voinovich (OH), Warner (VA)

    Not voting:

    Cochran (R-MS), Gregg (R-NH), Lott (R-MS), McCain (R-AZ), Rockefeller (D-WV)

    Make some phone calls or send some e-mails!

    More related:
    Border Lipstick on Amnesty Pig:
    ...If Mr. Bush were sending 60,000 or 600,000 instead of 6,000 troops and it was the Army and Marines with "shoot-to-kill" orders, tanks and helicopters instead of the National Guard for a purely "support" role, he might gain some credibility.

    If Mr. Bush, instead of coddling Mexico, gave Mr. Fox a bold warning to stop Mexican soldiers, gangsters and police from shooting at our Border Patrol and crossing into our country "or else," that would be the right message.

    It's hard to take seriously an administration that has consistently undermined real immigration enforcement: (The rest here.)
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    Monday, May 15, 2006

    Is Bush about to have a "Read My Lips" moment?


    (Click the image above for video)

    I'm dreading this speech tonight. My expectations are so low for George nowadays. Michelle nails it...another must-watch.

    On a related note, I saw Dan Bartlett this morning and once again I have to hear...amongst all of the immigrations talking points...that President Bush and Vicente Fox are "great friends". (video here)

    Great friends? Vicente Fox leads one of the most corrupt governments on the planet!!!! His governments policies have to a large degree caused this mess in the first place!!!!

    President Bush should choose his "friends" more carefully!

    Here's some video of Newt on Meet the Press yesterday. He's making sense, but it doesn't seem that ANY of the Bush speech-writers are listening.

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    Fear-mongering and climate change: Al's big lie...


    (Click the image for the video link courtesy of FoxNews)

    Paul Gigot has a great Journal Editorial Report interview with MIT Professor of Meteorology, Richard Lindzen. The report is titled "Climate of Fear" and discusses the extent to which the "fact" about global warming are misunderstood and misrepresented by fear-mongers (my words) like Al Gore. If you're craving some calm, reasonable thinking on the subject of climate change, you must watch.

    Here is some of Professor Lindzen's work on the subect Global Warming: The Origin and Nature of the Alleged Scientific Consensus.

    Here are some of the many experts who contest Kyoto's scientific foundation.

    If, on the other hand, you want hysterical doomsday theory, and more self-important, misstated propaganda from Al, then here's the trailer for "An Inconvenient Truth":




    Al wants the spotlight, and the leftist-greenie-media are more than happy to give it to him. He's hurting his own cause, however, by lying about the current state of the science on this very important subject. He's not after the truth, he's on a crusade to define the truth...his truth.

    The earth is in a warming trend. We get that. We need to prepare, plan, continue research, educate, etc... The thing that many people are taking issue with, or are at least sceptical about, is the notion that all scientists agree that this warming is caused by man.

    They don't, and political and personal agendas need to be pushed aside before we can have an honest, thoughtful debate about how and when to deal with the problem...if it is a problem at all.

    I hate to digress, but if you haven't seen this hilarious parody of Al on South Park you must find the time to check it out!

    Al Gore on SNL - click here for the videoAnd finally, Al was on SNL over the weekend. Click the image to the right or here for the video.

    Expose the Left has it covered here:
    He was also in the show later, on the “Weekend Update” segment to play a silly game of “point, counter-point” with one of the anchors. One of the anchors said that “global warming is a scientific fact”. It was quite obvious that this was a propaganda piece for his new movie on global warming.
    Previous:
    Global Warming - For the True Connoisseur...Demagoguery at it's finest
    The world as we know it is coming to an end... sometime. We're pretty sure.
    Al Gore visits South Park to talk about the single biggest threat to our planet: Manbearpig.

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    Intelligent Design: Ready for prime time? Let's let the kids decide for themselves...

    About Chuck ColsonBreakPoint is a great resource if you haven't checked it out before, and Prison Fellowship - led by Mark Earley - is a fantastic organization. Check them out.

    Here is a piece of Chuck Colson's latest on "Science and Democracy":
    Virginia Commonwealth University recently released the results of its “Life Sciences Survey,” which measures public attitudes toward scientific issues. Among the issues asked about was the “origin of biological life.”

    By nearly a 5-1 margin, people believe that God, either “directly” or by guiding the process, was responsible for the “origin of biological life.” Only 15 percent agreed with teaching a strictly materialistic explanation.

    Most Americans, you see, favor a “pluralistic approach to teaching about origin of life in public schools.” In this “pluralistic approach,” sometimes called “teaching the controversy,” students would be exposed to various explanations.

    These polling results cause weeping and gnashing of teeth among doctrinaire Darwinists, who see it as evidence of irrationality or superstition among ordinary Americans. Some even suggest that America’s leadership in science and technology is threatened by these “unscientific” attitudes.

    Nonsense! What’s on display is not irrationality or disdain for science: It’s simply a reflection of the innate human understanding of God—what theologians call the imago Dei. Years of propaganda by scientists and teachers can’t erase it, and it’s also a recognition of the limits of science.
    Read the whole article here.

    Listen (Windows Media Player) here.

    About Mark Earley

    Click here to listen to a recent interview of Mark Earley by one of my favorites...Bill Bennett.

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    Sunday, May 14, 2006

    Not pissed off enough yet?...

    Gateway Pundit can help.
    Although, US law will not allow American companies from drilling for oil off the coast of Florida, the US laws will not stop the Chinese from setting up 36 new oil wells there for Cuba.
    There just aren't many things more irritating than this. Libs have blocked the drilling for oil off of our coasts for decades, resulting in us having to compromise national security because of our dependecy on middle-eastern oil....but it's ok for Cuba and China?

    Right. Dems aren't anti-american...we just need to conserve more. Plus, I'm sure Fidel will sell us some.

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    Saturday, May 13, 2006

    OK. I'm for a smaller government, but here's an exception...

    Check out Marie Jon' columnsMarie Jon' has a fantastic suggestion...
    I'm afraid we desperately need to establish a new department. Let's call it the "Department Of Knock It Off." Its primary responsibility will be to keep the buffoons that are in our legislative halls as well as those in the media, from reeking havoc with America's safety.
    Click here for the entire article.

    This is the first article I've read from Marie, but I'm browsing more and really liking her style and commentary.

    Here's another one that I should read every morning: (my wife too!) Love and Respect Your Spouse and Receive All the Fantastic Perks

    Here's another quick article toss... a really good one called "A defense of Western Civilization" by Warner Todd Huston:
    The leftist, elite tells us that it must somehow be all our fault that others wish us ill. Our enemies scold us that our own actions are the sole reason for attacks on us and apologists within agree with them. Those same internal apologists turn us away from the evils perpetrated by our enemies to give our faux introspection greater weight. And all past positives we are responsible for are papered over with a series of asides that are meant to make hypocrisy of our success.
    The rest here.

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    California continues to promote English as a 2nd language...

    California, once again, is trailing by example in the court system.

    Alexandra over at All Things Beautiful talks about how "wonderful" liberal justice is, with tongue planted firmly in cheek...a good read.

    From the AP:
    A judge Friday suspended California's high school exit exam, finding it discriminatory in a ruling that could allow thousands of students who failed the test to get their diplomas anyway.

    Superior Court Judge Robert Freedman also denied the state's request to immediately stay the decision pending an appeal.

    Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said the state would immediately appeal the ruling, which he said creates "chaos" for more than 1,100 high schools that are completing graduation preparations.

    "There are students who are within days of graduation. They are left with uncertainty over whether they will be granted a diploma," O'Connell said in a teleconference. "How are these students and these schools to plan for their futures?"

    Mayra Ibanez, one of 10 students who, along with their parents, sued over the exam, said during a San Francisco news conference with her attorneys that she cried when she heard about the ruling.

    "It is hard to be poor. It is hard to grow up in a place where there is a lot of crime," said the 18-year-old, a Mexican immigrant who attends school in the working-class San Francisco Bay area city of Richmond. "No one will be hurt if we get our diploma."

    The Alameda County judge agreed with the plaintiffs that the exam discriminates against poor students and those who are learning English.

    "There is evidence in the record that shows that students in economically challenged communities have not had an equal opportunity to learn the materials tested," Freedman wrote.
    The state is appealing, stating that the six students failed the exam because they have poor English skills, not because they were denied a good education. Students have multiple opportunities to take the exam, starting when they are sophomores.

    The land of fruits and nuts indeed.

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    Moral Relativism, The Nazis and Christianity...

    I've come across two great articles recently that used the Nazis as examples of how cultures that embrace moral relativism are doomed. Great commentary, and important reading:

    Archived Articles by Rebecca HagelinRebecca Hagelin leads off her column with a statement from a student at Hamilton College in New York: "Of course I dislike the Nazis. But who is to say they’re morally wrong?" She continues...
    Whoa. If that statement floors you as much as it does me, then you probably can understand the need for “Christian Ethics in Plain Language,” an eye-opening book by Kerby Anderson that brings a biblical perspective to a variety of ethical issues, from abortion and euthanasia to drugs and gambling.

    The statement above was spoken by a student at Hamilton College in New York. “Professor Roger Simon … said that he has never met a student who denied the Holocaust happened,” Anderson writes. “But he also reported that 10 to 20 percent of his students cannot bring themselves to say that killing millions of people is wrong.”

    If this isn’t an indictment of how modern society has deified “tolerance,” nothing is. What could illustrate the dangerous folly of moral relativism more perfectly than a student who can’t admit that mass murder is wrong -- not because of his feelings but because it’s a fact? A society of people who cannot condemn the Nazis is a society courting moral anarchy.
    Read the rest here.

    Dare2Share - Energizing and Equipping Teenagers to Know, Live, Share, and Own Their Faith in Jesus. Lane Palmer believe that You CAN Handle the Truth. Here's a sample:
    First, to not believe in absolute truth is illogical. To deny an absolute is to make an absolute statement. To claim there is no truth is saying: it is a truth that there is no truth! This just doesn't work.

    Second, to not believe in absolute truth is impractical. Without it, all you are left with is relative truth, which really isn't truth at all. Relative truth is a squishy spongy worldview that just adapts to whatever situation you put it in. For example, what if it's "true" for me to break into your garage and steal your SUV just because? I don't think you would appreciate relative truth at that time. In fact, you would be glad that there is an absolute thing in America called the law with trained professionals around to back it up. This is why relative truth is so impractical, because any decent society will eventually crumble under its weak foundation. The world saw the most horrific example of a nation that convinced itself of her ability to determine truth. It was called Nazi Germany, and at some point the idea of relative moral truth turned into a philosophy of selfishness, which in the end created a culture of death.
    Great stuff!

    I'm tired of hearing and watching people in leadership positions who are afraid of truth...so concerned about offending others that they abandon their sense of right and wrong and instead find themselves in obscurity - no-mans-land. This is a frightening place where there is no truth, where you are by default subjugated by any and all evil.

    Take a stand on the side of right America, and be prepared to fight for it.

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    Friday, May 12, 2006

    From PETA: Happy Mothers Day! Thanks for all the knife-wielding bunny-killing and everything!

    PETA’s New Comic for Kids - a Real-Life Horror Story! Point well-taken PETA...Mommy and Daddy are murderers. I don't know how I've gone this long without realizing, but I definitely want my kids in the know... wait, then I'm the murderer? Well, I did have a wonderful lightly battered Tilapia in a creamy dill sauce last week...oh the guilt.

    Alert folks to animal cruelty, but how about taking it easy on the bizarro, fanatical rhetoric. At least act like you care half as much about human life as you do about chickens and guppies.

    (hat tip SkylarkD)

    Here's a previous post that has an equally disturbing comic...for Fathers Day, along with a good article on PETA from Nathan Tabor.

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    Don't believe everything you hear about the economy...

    From Tobin Smith via FoxNews:
    I continue to be amazed that Americans can be so gloomy over the state of the economy with 4.7 percent unemployment rates.

    But then I remember that there are millions of people who honestly believe that the tax cuts from May 2003 have NOT had a positive effect.

    Which proves and indisputable fact: when it comes to public perception, HE who has the biggest microphone wins the minds of the majority.

    I read 10 newspapers a day, listen to dozens of news reports and watch a little TV when I'm not working or on the golf course.

    Nowhere have I read (with a few exceptions) the following ACTUAL official economic data statistics shared with the American taxpayer:
    Click here for the rest.

    Recent related:
    Who knew the economy was good?

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    Condi runs-off liberal professor at B.C.

    OK...this is just ridiculous. I'm wondering if it can really be true that a 5-year English professor at B.C. would quit "as a direct result of your decision to invite Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to be the commencement speaker at this year's graduation." Huh?

    His letter to the president of B.C. continues...
    Many members of the faculty and student body already have voiced their objection to the invitation, arguing that Rice's actions as secretary of state are inconsistent with the broader humanistic values of the university and the Catholic and Jesuit traditions from which those values derive.

    But I am not writing this letter simply because of an objection to the war against Iraq. My concern is more fundamental. Simply put, Rice is a liar.

    She has lied to the American people knowingly, repeatedly, often extravagantly over the past five years, in an effort to justify a pathologically misguided foreign policy.

    The public record of her deceits is extensive. During the ramp-up to the Iraq war, she made 29 false or misleading public statements concerning Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and links to Al Qaeda, according to a congressional investigation by the House Committee on Government Reform.

    To cite one example:

    In an effort to build the case for war, then-National Security Adviser Rice repeatedly asserted that Iraq was pursuing a nuclear weapon, and specifically seeking uranium in Africa.

    In July of 2003, after these claims were disproved, Rice said: ''Now if there were doubts about the underlying intelligence . . . those doubts were not communicated to the president, the vice president, or to me."

    Rice's own deputy, Stephen Hadley, later admitted that the CIA had sent her a memo eight months earlier warning against the use of this claim.

    In the three years since the war began, Rice has continued to misrepresent or simply ignore the truth about our deadly adventure in Iraq.

    Like the president whom she serves so faithfully, she refuses to recognize her errors or the tragic consequences of those errors to the young soldiers and civilians dying in Iraq. She is a diplomat whose central allegiance is not to the democratic cause of this nation, but absolute power.

    This is the woman to whom you will be bestowing an honorary degree, along with the privilege of addressing the graduating class of 2006.

    It is this last notion I find most reprehensible: that Boston College would entrust to Rice the role of moral exemplar.

    To be clear: I am not questioning her intellectual gifts or academic accomplishments. Nor her potentially inspiring role as a powerful woman of color.

    But these are not the factors by which a commencement speaker should be judged. It is the content of one's character that matters here -- the reverence for truth and knowledge that Boston College purports to champion.

    Rice does not personify these values; she repudiates them. Whatever inspiring rhetoric she might present to the graduating class, her actions as a citizen and politician tell a different story.

    Honestly, Father Leahy, what lessons do you expect her to impart to impressionable seniors?

    That hard work in the corporate sector might gain them a spot on the board of Chevron? That they, too, might someday have an oil tanker named after them? That it is acceptable to lie to the American people for political gain?

    Given the widespread objection to inviting Rice, I would like to think you will rescind the offer. But that is clearly not going to happen.

    Like the administration in Washington, you appear too proud to admit to your mistake. Instead, you will mouth a bunch of platitudes, all of which boil down to: You don't want to lose face.

    In this sense, you leave me no choice.

    I cannot, in good conscience, exhort my students to pursue truth and knowledge, then collect a paycheck from an institution that displays such flagrant disregard for both.

    I would like to apologize to my students and prospective students. I would also urge them to investigate the words and actions of Rice, and to exercise their own First Amendment rights at her speech.
    MM - A VISIT FROM A SPECIAL GUESTHat tip to Michelle Malkin (shown to the right with photojournalist Michael Yon at her house earlier today) who appropriately suggests that Condi should speak at more college campuses!

    Steve Almond is a deranged elitist moron...and Condi rocks.

    Condiblog

    Americans for Dr. Rice

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    Thursday, May 11, 2006

    "You've got... an agenda!"

    Does AOL Hate President Bush Or What?

    Click above to see examples over at Sweetness & Light.

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    Howard Dean: It depends what your definition of "platform" is...

    Click for the video(click the image for the video, thanks to Ian)

    Dean represents Democrats perfectly: Say whatever you need to say to appeal to the audience you're speaking to at that moment. Now the gays are upset, his party is upset, and the rest of us are enjoying the transparency.

    Dean said:
    "The Democratic Party platform from 2004 says that marriage is between a man and a woman. That's what it says. I think where we may take exception with some religious leaders is that we believe in inclusion, that everybody deserves to live with dignity and respect, and that equal rights under the law are important."
    What he meant to say:
    "We support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of our nation and seek equal responsibilities, benefits, and protections for these families. In our country, marriage has been defined at the state level for 200 years, and we believe it should continue to be defined there. We repudiate President Bush's divisive effort to politicize the Constitution by pursuing a "Federal Marriage Amendment"."
    What a moron.

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    Church Sign Smackdown II

    Kerry is a Tool WuzzaDem cracks me up!!!

    Click the image to the right or here for Church Signs discussing Kerry

    The original here.

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    U.N. American
    U.N. Helpful
    U.N. Believable

    Today's Vent:

    Useless U.N.

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    The Da Vinci Code and the culture war - a thorough analysis...

    Greek Orthodox church slams Da Vinci Codeby Fred Hutchison: (images linked to related info)
    The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, and the second century Gospel of Judas are two books in the news that promote the heresy of Gnosticism.

    Gnosticism is the topic of a nineteen-hundred-year-old theological controversy, but it is also relevant to contemporary politics and the culture war. The upcoming Hollywood movie The Da Vinci Code, based upon the book, will hit the theaters during election season. Can Gnostic attitudes influence elections? Yes.

    The Democratic Party is simultaneously more secular and more messianic than the Republican Party. Interestingly, since Gnosticism is dualistic, it lends support to both secular and messianic politics. As we shall see, a person with Gnostic tendencies will tend to follow left-wing ideology on political culture war issues.

    The main body of this essay will be devoted to the political and cultural implications of Gnosticism. Subsequently, a few historical facts will be offered to show that some of the claims of The Da Vinci Code are historically impossible. The final section of this essay will be titled "For Christians Only" and will explain what Gnosticism was in history, why the early church declared it to be a heresy, and why it is dangerous for Christians today.
    Click here for the rest.

    The Da Vinci Code’s Top Ten Errors Here's the conclusion:
    The Da Vinci Code is not only false, it is historically impossible. The Da Vinci Code and The Gospel of Judas promote Gnostic heresy. This is vitally significant, since the deception of Gnosticism can lead to eternal damnation.

    Gnosticism involves a peculiar form of dualism, an ersatz spirituality, and a bogus elitism. Gnostic ideas have a mischievous effect on political ideology and a ruinous effect on culture. Most Quasi-Gnostics are religious and political liberals. They invariably side with the anti-life and anti-family camp in the culture war.

    The upcoming movie The Da Vinci Code could well be a public triumph for Gnosticism, feminism, and libertinism--and a setback for the culture war and for doctrinally orthodox Christianity. Our only means of fighting this wave of darkness and lies is with truth. The Da Vinci Code is astonishingly easy to debunk with a few facts from history. Commit to memory two or three of the six historical impossibilities described in this essay, and astonish your neighbors who are planning to see the Da Vinci Code.
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    ACLU Has Massive Database Of Its Members’ Financial Information...

    Hypocrisy for the true connoisseur.

    Check it out here.

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    Kennedy: battling depression, alcoholism, bi-polar disorder, cocaine, pain-killers...but who could be better for R.I.?

    Sacred Cow Burgers - 'Kennedy's Elixir'Why is being a Kennedy an automatic ticket to public office? I don't get it.

    Patrick obviously has a problem with alcohol, pain killers...whatever else. Not an especially big deal, except for the complete double-standard from the media when compared to the similar case of Rush Limbaugh, who never smashed his car into a median (but imagine if he had!). It doesn't seem like it was just Ambien either.

    Now the state Democrats are pretending that his long history of ongoing additions and mental health issues shouldn't diminish their support for him as a "competant public servant" in Congress. Nuts.

    Here's a few related must-reads:

    Ann Coulter - Conservatives need 12-step program to manhood

    The Conservative Cat - Patrick Kennedy Crashes Without Burning

    MM - The Kennedy LicenseMichelle Malkin - Another Kennedy cover-up?

    Potfry has a translation of Kennedy's statement


    ***UPDATE 5-12-06***

    Bryan over at Sanctuary tops the list of hilarious Kennedy Photoshops.

    Well done!

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    Pacific Research Institute Releases First Objective State-By-State Ranking of the Best and Worst Tort Systems in America

    Click to read the reportRead the press release from the Pacific Research Institute.

    Co-author Dr. Lawrence J. McQuillan:
    "What’s unique about this study is that it uses objective data, and with that data, can predict the winners and losers in the race for jobs and business investment. For states that don’t institute reforms – a metric factored into the ranking – the writing is on the wall...We hope that governors and state legislators will use the Index as a tool to assess their tort systems and enact laws that will improve their ranking, and as a consequence, the business climate of their state."
    U.S. Map of Tort Reform RankingsThe 10 Best: #1 Texas , #2 Colorado, #3 N. Dakota, #4 Ohio, #5 Michigan, #6 Utah, #7 Kansas, #8 Virginia, #9 N. Carolina, #10 Georgia.

    The 10 worst: #50 Vermont, #49 Rhode Island, #48 New York, #47 Pennsylvania, #46 Maryland, #45 Montana, #44 Connecticut, #43 W. Virginia, #42 Florida, $41 Massachusetts

    Co-author Hovannes Abramyan:
    "A poor civil-justice system lowers the standard of living for ordinary citizens...By limiting job and business opportunities, imposing excessive costs on consumers, and inhibiting innovation in products and services, the many are suffering for the few who gain from unnecessary civil lawsuits"
    Lots of recent articles on "tort reform" here.

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