Winning the Gun Fight

A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie. ~ Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (According to Merriam Webster, the definition of bourgeoisie is the middle class.)

The good news is that gun rights have once again prevailed even though there are those who are trying to circumvent the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of the second amendment and individual gun ownership. After the Supreme Court's ruling, the Washington D.C. city council passed a law requiring would-be gun owners to pay a registration fee, pass a 20-question multiple choice test, take a five-hour training course, undergo an invasive background check every six years, re-register any firearm every three years, and finally, submit all handguns for ballistics testing. Current D.C. law also bans an overwhelming majority of firearms commonly used for self-defense.

Thanks to an amendment offered by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) The United States Senate has voted, with overwhelming bipartisan support, to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens in the District of Columbia. The amendment will repeal restrictive gun control laws passed by the District of Columbia's city council after the D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court decision. The vote margin was 62-36.

"Today's vote brings us one step closer to restoring the Second Amendment freedom of law-abiding D.C. residents," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. "It's ludicrous that good people in our nation's capital continue to be harassed as they try to defend themselves and their loved ones in their own homes. This vote reinforces the historic Heller ruling."

"NRA would like to thank the lead sponsor, Sen. John Ensign, for his efforts to reform D.C.'s gun laws and enable folks to protect their property and their loved ones," concluded Cox. "It's time for leaders in Washington to wake up to the fact that the Supreme Court decision is now the law of the land."

At least we Nevadans have one senator with whom we agree.

However, we heard Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff, say yesterday that the Obama administration will begin work on reinstating the assault weapons ban that the Bush administration let expire. The problem with any gun ban is that it only takes the banned weapon out of the hands of law-abiding citizens. Criminals will keep and continue to buy as many assault weapons as they choose. Obama's past record on gun ownership has been decidedly in favor of strict government gun control, to the point of taking guns completely out of the hands of the citizens. We need to be vigilant in ensuring that those in government positions do not take away any more of our rights.

Please check out this video on you tube. This woman gives powerful testimony.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT6YRCS0oqE&feature=related

The Heat is On

It's time to take back our country. WorldNetDaily reports the following statement from Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina:

"Freedom is in our hands; it always has been. We've entrusted it to people in Washington, and increasingly they have picked our pockets and pulled power from us.

"People don't need to look to Washington," DeMint continued. "It's the people's government. And the people are going to have to take it back. They can do it with their voices and with their votes – and they may have to do it with their legs. People are going to have to show that they're not going to take it anymore."

What exactly, does DeMint advocate the "remnant" do? Apparently, make a noise in the government's seats of power.

"I think some of these folks," DeMint said, "might think twice if they had several hundred people standing outside one of their state offices asking, 'What in the world are you thinking?'"

The good news is that we'll be surprised if Harry Reid lasts beyond the next election. Currently, in Nevada we're being hit with pro-Harry commercials, as if he's actually done something positive for Nevada. We think that only Harry believes he's actually working on behalf of Nevadans. The below website is probably self-explanatory with its name being DumpReid.

http://www.dumpreid.com/

If Money Grows on Trees, then Washington is the Manure

President Obama is set to address the nation in a prime-time speech tonight. It's being reported that in the speech, he will explain the decision to spend $787 billion on his economic stimulus bill, the rationale behind his $50 billion housing plan, and his desire to advance universal health care. All of this will be done under the umbrella of "fiscal responsibility," which will also lay groundwork for his administration's hefty tax increases.

And Even More Spending: Yesterday democrats unveiled a $410 billion spending bill to fund government operations through the year. Lawmakers included 806 pages worth of earmark requests in the bill that would cost taxpayers $3.8 billion to fund.

USA Today reported some of the projects include:

$142,500 for a museum honoring the late House speaker Sam Rayburn, requested by Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas

$300,000 for a science camp curriculum in West Virginia requested by Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va.

$150,000 for renovations to the Westwood Theater in Rexburg, Idaho, requested by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.

*****

John Hawkins is quickly becoming one of our favorite columnists. He's written a column today for Townhall.com entitled Fifteen Reasons I'm Already Tired of the Obama Era. All we can say is "Amen!" The link below will take you to the article.

http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnHawkins/2009/02/24/fifteen_reasons_im_already_tired_of_the_obama_era?page=full&comments=true

The good news is that the American people are responding to their politicians and it's not going to be pretty in the 2010 elections for the incumbents. Rick Santelli from CNBC called for another tea party and now there is a new website by a gentleman named J.P. Freire: http://newamericanteaparty.com/

The Truth Hurts

On Thursday we posted CNBC reporter, Rick Santelli's, rant about the foreclosure bailout proposed by President Obama. It seems that Mr. Santelli has picked up fans. He said that he often rants on CNBC without anyone getting too excited over it. However, this particular rant has hit a nerve with Americans as so many of them are against the foreclosure bailout. Many Americans are ready to join Mr. Santelli's tea party.

The White House is completely disconnected from disgruntled Americans as is evidenced by the statement by Obama's press secretary, Robert Gibbs: "I feel assured that Mr. Santelli doesn't know what he's talking about." It's nice that you feel assured, Mr Gibbs; that would make you among the minority of Americans who feel that way. Most of us agree with Rick Santelli.

Here's a good article on Rick Santelli's rant and its backlash for President Obama: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2009/2/23/rick-santelli-the-man-who-talked-back.html

And another article:

http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2009/02/21/my-favorite-american/

It's really a pathetic statement about President Obama when Maureen Dowd of the NY Times is even writing articles questioning his plans. Maureen Dowd was a huge President Bush hater and she's certainly no conservative. Yet, this is the second time we've referenced her on our blog since Obama was elected. So we have to give Ms. Dowd kudos today for being somewhat fair and balanced in her reporting of Obama. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/opinion/22dowd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

It's An ObamaNation

Remember when the Supreme Court delivered a majority opinion that stated that the second amendment guarantees the right of the individual to own firearms? Remember when Obama stated (even though his past record indicated otherwise) that he agreed with the Supreme Court ruling but that he also felt there was a need for "common sense" regulation? Well hang on to your hats, folks, because the proposed "common sense" legislation is beginning. Illinois is proposing a bill that would require all gun owners to purchase a million dollar insurance policy to cover liability. According to Glenn Beck, there is not one single insurance company in the United States that will sell that kind of a policy. But if you don't have a million-dollar gun-ownership policy, Illinois will revoke your firearms owner I.D. card and then you will be committing a felony if you don't get rid of your gun. To see the news clip from Glenn Beck's T.V. show on Fox News, click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3649902&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/glennbeck/index.html

We believe that Obama is masking his true intentions behind rhetoric. His record is very anti-gun ownership for the individual, so he'll find another way around the Supreme Court decision. We also believe that he's employing the same tactic with the so-called "Fairness Doctrine." His administration has stated that he's not for bringing back the Fairness Doctrine, but we believe it will come up again, only disguised with a different title. So we were cautiously hopeful when we read that Republican Senator, Jim DeMint, S.C., wants Senate Democrats to go on the record one way or another on the issue.

Senator DeMint stated, “I’m glad President Obama finally confirmed his opposition to the Fairness Doctrine, which attacks the right of free speech on talk radio, but many Democrats in Congress are still pushing it,” DeMint said. “With the support of the new administration, now is the time for Congress to take a stand against this kind of censorship. I intend to seek a vote on this amendment next week so every senator is on record: Do you support free speech or do you want to silence voices you disagree with?”

As stated above, we're very cautiously optimistic but we're not holding our breaths, because the dems in Congress won't like Senator DeMint's proposal and will probably do everything they can to stop a vote on the issue. The link below will take you to the entire article.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/02/putin_warns_us_to_eschew_socia.html

And while we're on the subject of America turning into a socialist country, there's an article today on the AmericanThinker.com about a warning issued to the United States from Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin. He tells the United States not to make the same mistake Russia made by going socialist, because “In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.” Obama, are you listening? To read the entire article, click here:
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/02/putin_warns_us_to_eschew_socia.html

Oh President... You Have Some 'Splainin' To Do

Rick Santelli, reporter for CNBC, sounded off this morning about the mortgage bailout President Obama proposed yesterday. Is a revolt coming? It sure sounds like Mr. Santelli is ready to lead one. Here's the link to the video of Mr. Santelli (be sure to scroll down):

http://exposingobama.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/cnbcsantelliobamamortgagecgotraders/

Apparently, Mr. Santelli isn't the only one questioning President Obama's actions. Students in Mesa, AZ, where the president spoke yesterday, are also not sure that Obama knows what he's doing:

http://www.kxmc.com/News/Nation/334389.asp

The Power of the People

"...men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — ...to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — ...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

The above statement was written by Thomas Jefferson and is part of the Declaration of Independence. We are living in a country whose leaders no longer listen to its people, even though the government is supposed to be "We the People." What do "we the people" do when we can't get our representatives to even acknowledge our presence? According to Thomas Jefferson, there comes a point when it is the right of the people to alter or abolish a destructive government and to take their power back from their government representatives. Are we at that point? Probably not yet, but we need to remember that the current abuses of our government are being done with the power of "we the people."

It's not the U.S. Constitution that is flawed; the flaws are solely those of the government representatives who are selfishly manipulating the Constitution to cover their abuses. The fight to be heard by our government representatives and to regain our lost power seems daunting and overwhelming, but it can be done. We just have to keep fighting.

After all, President Obama is just one man -- a powerful man, but still, only one man. If your representatives don't stand up to him on your behalf, then you need to stand up to your representatives. Vote them out of office and find a representative who will listen to you and who understands that you are the employer.

Become informed. If something doesn't feel right to you, it probably isn't right, regardless of what your politicians may be telling you. Your gut instinct may be the most valuable asset you have right now.

Below are links to two good articles:

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NjVkOTNmYWEyNDdlYzZkMjU3ZmYxZTc3OTcwNzU5Nzg=

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-obama-diet-for-america-a-steady-stream-of-whoppers/

Relaxation & Plenty of Snow

We spent a snowy three-day weekend at our home in Utah. We arrived Friday evening to discover that our driveway leading up to the garage was covered with a foot to a foot-and-a-half of snow. We live in the desert, so we don't have four-wheel drive on our vehicles; however, the next vehicles we buy will definitely have four-wheel drive. Edie tried to drive through the snow up the driveway to get to the garage, but that was not to be. So Sandy trudged through the snow up the driveway and retrieved two shovels out of the garage, and thus began the hour-long effort to shovel snow so we could park in the garage. Oh, and it started snowing again while we were shoveling. We weren't appropriately dressed, because we drove up from the desert, so needless to say, we were cold. But the continual shoveling warmed us up...except for Sandy's feet. Edie was wearing fur lined shoes; Sandy wasn't. Sandy's shoes and socks were soaked through by the time we finished shoveling, and she didn't think her toes would ever get warm again.

It continued to snow during the night on Friday, so when we awakened on Saturday, our driveway was once again covered in snow. However, we were blessed with the kindness of one of the townsfolk (who happens to be our sister-in-law's father) who plowed our driveway for us. We were so thankful, because we weren't looking forward to shoveling our way out of the driveway when it was time for us to leave. Even though it lightly snowed again Monday morning, we were able to get away before heavier snowfalls arrived.

This is a picture of the house across the street from our home. It was taken at Christmas, but it still looks just about the same. The snow may be not quite this deep now, but there's still plenty of it.

The original part of our home in Utah was built in 1947ish, and the addition was built in 1987. Needless to say, it is in need of some repairs and upgrades. We're slowly tackling those projects. We've replaced two of the exterior doors, with one more to go. We hope to paint those doors while we're in Utah in April. We will replace and upgrade some of the plumbing at that time as well. The repairs and upgrades will be an ongoing project for a very long time, but we do them happily because we are so thankful to have this home in our little home town. It is our inheritance from our parents in a town that was settled in part by our father's ancestors. When we are there, we're home.

Welcome to Socialist America

Republican Representative John Culberson of Texas was on the Glenn Beck radio program this morning. He claims the democrats were urgently pushing for the spending bill to be voted on today, because speaker Nancy Pelosi is leaving at 6:00 p.m. for an eight-day trip to Europe. So Princess Pelosi (to quote Sean Hannity) rushed the vote on a nearly 1,071 page stimulus bill so she can jet off to Europe, and because she wanted to be involved in the bill-signing press conference before she left. The democrats have broken their promise to give 48 hours consideration to any major bill, they have excoriated the republican members of congress for their "lack of bipartisanship" when they voiced their opposition to the bill, some members of congress have berated "we the people" for being against the bill, and now they are about to pass the biggest pork-laden spending bill in the history of the planet without even reading it.

A lot of Americans are angry about not just the amount of our money that will be spent on pork projects, but they're also angry about the way the democrats have gone about getting this bill passed. We hope the angry majority let their elected representatives know the extent of their ire when those representatives who voted for passage of this bill come up for reelection.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar

On February 9, 2009, Bill O'Reilly stated on his Fox News show, The O'Reilly Factor, that liberal journalist, Helen Thomas, sounds like a witch when she talks. He has now been accused of being an ageist and a sexist by the Women's Media Center, an organization founded by Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem.

Whether Mr. O'Reilly's remarks were appropriate or not is up for debate; we won't argue it either way. What does irk us, however, is Women's Media Center's demand for an apology from Mr. O'Reilly. That sort of behavior is divisive and petty and it really irks us. So Edie sent the following email to Women's Media Center:

As a woman I was horrified and embarrassed last night as I watched Women's Media Center representative, Courtney Martin, speak as a guest on The O'Reilly Factor. For the record, I will say that while I do often watch Bill O'Reilly's show, I don't always agree with him. Having said that, however, I find myself to be less concerned about Mr. O'Reilly's mocking of Helen Thomas than I am about Ms. Martin's victimizing other women. It is her type of whiny victimization that gives all women a bad reputation.

While your organization may believe it supports women's rights and equality, your method of doing so actually encourages women victimization. The most victimized I have ever felt in my life is when I let other peoples' statements about me become my reality. I saw the episode of The O'Reilly Factor that included Mr. O'Reilly's mocking of Helen Thomas' voice and, quite frankly, I forgot all about it once it was done. While Ms. Martin did accomplish drawing attention to Mr. O'Reilly's comments, unfortunately, most of us who viewed the exchange are not reflecting on Ms. Martin's concerns as much as we now realize that Helen Thomas does, indeed, sound like a witch.

Instead of continuing to make women feel like victims, why don't we spend more time helping them feel personally empowered? It would be liberating for Ms. Thomas to realize that she is above Mr. O'Reilly's mocking. Now, however, Ms. Martin's demand for an apology that will never come puts Ms. Thomas in bondage to Mr. O'Reilly, since he is the one who allegedly wronged her. If she chooses to feel wronged, then only his apology will release her from those shackles. It's not a prison that I would choose.

I'm all for women's equality and rights. I completely believe that women should rise out of the holes in which some men and members of society try to bury them. And I feel that way about ALL women, regardless of political affiliation, religion, or race -- which brings me to the issue of Sarah Palin. If it's true that Women's Media Center did not defend Sarah Palin as a woman (as Mr. O'Reilly stated), whether or not you agree with her politics, then WMC is part of the problem, not the solution. I have to agree with Mr. O'Reilly's statement to Ms. Martin; it is absolutely hypocritical of Women's Media Center to not stand up with Governor Palin when other people were denigrating her and her daughter. She was ripped apart by the media and Saturday Night Live, yet we are supposed to be outraged that some man thinks Helen Thomas sounds like a witch. Fortunately, Governor Palin showed other women how to be empowered by not letting biased and unkind assessments of her become her reality.

And, finally, let's face it: no one is harder on a woman than another woman. Rather than being empowered by their own strengths and talents, women victimize themselves with their jealousy and backbiting towards other women. Perhaps we should spend more energy towards encouraging women to support and strengthen each other.

In summary, I was very unimpressed with Ms. Martin on The O'Reilly Factor and, if she is an example of how your group handles womens' issues, I am equally unimpressed with the Women's Media Center.

Inflation... The Next Frontier

The 778-page “stimulus package” bill – containing more than a trillion dollars of government spending – was passed by a Senate vote of 61-37 yesterday. The spending bill is now in a House/Senate conference committee, where the differences between the two will be battled out. It could be voted on as early as tomorrow. The link below will take you to a website that lists how each senator voted.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00061

As currently written, this bill threatens our health care system by mandating a cost-effectiveness standard to health care. The new standard in this ridiculous spending bill will lead to rationed health care. Hidden in the bill is a component that would create a government-run comparative effectiveness research program. This will create a board that will have the power to ration health care as it sees fit.

Please contact your two U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative and ask that they vote NO on any so-called stimulus package.

******

An excellent website to keep track of expenditures in Washington D.C. is http://www.legistorm.com/. The following was taken from LegiStorm's website.

"LegiStorm launched in September 2006. Our web site is dedicated to providing a variety of important information about the US Congress.

Based on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, LegiStorm's first information product was a database of congressional staff salaries but we have now added other valuable information, such as the most comprehensive database of all privately financed trips taken by members of Congress and congressional staffers.

The information is provided in a strictly factual, non-partisan fashion. We have no political affiliations and no political purpose except to make the workings of Congress as transparent as possible. We expect this resource to be useful to journalists, researchers, lobbyists and current and would-be staffers - as well as regular citizens who simply want to know how their representatives spend public money."

Where did I put my gun rights?

Yesterday, Ken Blackwell wrote for Townhall.com a column discussing the effect Justice Ginsburg's possible resignation could have on the Supreme Court and gun rights in this country.

Said Blackwell, "Of all these issues, the most significant is whether the Second Amendment only protects gun owners from the federal government, or if it also applies to states and cities. Liberals argue that the amendment only limits the federal government. There are two major lawsuits underway right now, both of which could go to the Supreme Court. So gun owners had better beware, and should be urging their senators to ask these nominees tough questions on the Second Amendment." Read the entire column by clicking here: http://townhall.com/columnists/KenBlackwell/2009/02/09/obama,_ginsburg_and_guns?page=1

We are gun owners as are many other members of our family, several of whom also have a CCW. We feel very strongly about our second amendment rights. Our brother-in-law sent us the following:

PEOPLE ASK WHY?

Why I Carry a Gun

My old grandpa said to me son,' there comes a time in every man's life when he stops bustin' knuckles and starts bustin' caps and usually it's when he becomes too old to take an ass whoopin'.

I don't carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed.

I don't carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.

I don't carry a gun because I'm paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I'm evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.

I don't carry a gun because I'm angry. I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.

I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

I don't carry a gun because I'm a cowboy. I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a cowboy.

I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.

I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.

I don't carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

Police Protection is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves. Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.

Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take an ass whoopin'

Author Unknown (but obviously brilliant)

**********************************************

A LITTLE GUN HISTORY

In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.

China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated

Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million.

It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own Government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results are now in:

List of 7 items:

Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent.

Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent.

Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!

In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent.

Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not, and criminals still possess their guns! While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months, since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed.

There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the ELDERLY. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort, and expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns. The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it.

You won't see this data on the US evening news, or hear politicians disseminating this information. Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws adversely affect only the law-abiding citizens.

Take note my fellow Americans, before it's too late! The next time someone talks in favor of gun control, please remind them of this history lesson. With guns, we are 'citizens'. Without them, we are 'subjects'.

Obama Is Flunking His On-The-Job Training

Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct. ~ Thomas Jefferson

We have been saying for months that we didn't understand Barack Obama's appeal. He has very little experience in Washington and no experience running a business or anything else (except, perhaps, his mouth). It appears that a reporter in Great Britain agrees with us.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/4561229/Barack-Obama-is-a-novice-and-it-shows.html

Why can't we learn from other people's mistakes? National health care is a disaster wherever it's tried. Yet, U.S. politicians and many Americans want it here. So, let's review again why it's a disastrous idea:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123413701032661445.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

Regular Joes

We hear that Joe the Plumber was invited to attend a Conservative Working Group weekly strategy meeting on the Hill on Tuesday morning. The Senate staffers who attended refused to release any information on what Joe said during the meeting, but Joe himself said that the group just needed to listen to some good old common sense (not much of that going around on the Hill). He reportedly also told the group that “Republicans on the Hill are afraid of saying too much,” and “someone go in there and kick some ass.”

Staffers emphasized that he was there to give a different perspective on the stimulus debate — not to effect serious policy change; however, one staffer sent this e-mail to her list on Monday: “In case you weren’t planning to attend CWG tomorrow morning, you might want to reconsider because Joe the Plumber will be joining us!”

We're glad that the Senate staffers are willing to listen to a "regular Joe." Now if we could get Congress to listen to the rest of us regular Joes, maybe we could work on fixing the mess our country is in.

Where Are The Elders of Israel?

It looks as if the American people's voices are being heard above the din in Washington. The so-called stimulus bill, which is pork-laden and has very little to do with stimulating the economy, may have hit a snag. According to an article on the National Review Online, the democrats in the Senate are admitting that they don't have enough votes to pass the bill in its present form. The article also details some of the ridiculous expenditures listed in the bill. The link below will take you to the entire article.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjcyODIyZGM2MGU1ZDdkNDgxZDc3OTNjYjM4ZDY1ODI=

*****

Another concern that's rearing its ugly head again is the Kyoto treaty. Supposedly, if a country signs on to the treaty, which even Bill Clinton refused to do, each country would get a limited number of carbon dioxide credits. If the country's usage is under its limit of credits, it can trade the excess to the countries that are over the limit. Huh? Does that make sense to anybody? This is another attempt to globalize the United States and to enslave this country and its citizens by global warming fear mongering. We are, at least for the time being, a sovereign country, and should never sign on to anything that puts us in the "global community." In the past, liberals have tried to shove this down our throats under the guise of Cap and Trade. Now that the democrats have a majority in Congress and a very liberal President, the dems will again try to get this bill passed. Senator Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, has said that she will draft a cap and trade legislation for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in as little as the next few weeks and definitely before the end of the year.

*****

This one is really frightening. A United Nations human rights treaty that could prohibit children from being spanked or homeschooled, ban youngsters from facing the death penalty and forbid parents from deciding their families' religion is on America's doorstep, a legal expert warns.

Michael Farris of Purcellville, Va., is president of ParentalRights.org, chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association and chancellor of Patrick Henry College. He told World Net Daily that under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, or CRC, every decision a parent makes can be reviewed by the government to determine whether it is in the child's best interest. The link below will take you to the entire article.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=87929

Please call and/or e-mail your elected officials and voice your concerns. This country is sinking fast, and it's up to us to save it.

The Bloom is Fading on Rose-bama

When liberal newswoman Maureen Dowd from the liberal NY Times writes an article about the fall of the anointed Barack Obama, well... that's just blog-worthy. She didn't exactly take him to task, but she did mention his fall, so we have to mention her. See article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/opinion/04dowd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

We don't understand why anyone voted for Obama. He's never governed anything; his time in the U.S. Senate wasn't even a full term; when he did show up for a vote as a senator, it was usually to vote 'present'. To the people who keep remarking that we need to give President Obama a chance, Edie replies, "I don't need to give him a chance. I caught on during his two-year campaign that he was clueless about economics and politics. He no longer needs a chance; we now need lifeboats for this Titanic-like nation that he's sinking." When a candidate tells you that he/she has plans to fix what's wrong in the country, but then does not reveal those plans, the voters should run from that candidate.

Here's another good article on the fast sinking Obama-ship: http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/the-obamosion/

Honest Mistakes or Intentional Fraud?

How many tax evaders does it take to create President Obama's cabinet? Apparently, it depends on how many job openings he has.

First, Tim Geithner, the now head of the IRS, had tax evasion problems. He was confirmed anyway. Next, Tom Daschle had tax evasion problems. He's the nominee to be the Health and Human Services Secretary. Here's some additional information on his tax issues: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NzRkMTY2NDYyM2VmMTkzZjk1OWRiOTI0NTM4NDUzNWM=

Now we're being informed that Nancy Killefer has withdrawn her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government (we don't even know what a performance officer does) because of tax evasion problems. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9646DBG0&show_article=1

This just proves our belief that liberals want everyone except them to pay more taxes. Jonah Goldberg shares that same opinion in this article: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goldberg3-2009feb03,0,49616.column

DEMOCRATS BY THE NUMBER

New Townhall.com blogger, Dwayne Horner, recently compiled a stunning list of the tax transgressions by those writing, creating and implementing the nation's tax policy. Here's a sampling.

$34,000: the amount of federal taxes that Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner (D) failed to pay during his employment at the International Monetary Fund despite receiving extra compensation and explanatory brochures that described his tax liabilities.

$75,000: the amount of money that the head of the powerful tax-writing committee, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), was forced to report on his taxes after the discovery that he had not reported income from a Costa Rican rental property. His excuses for the failure started with blaming his wife, then his accountant and finally the fact that he didn't speak Spanish.

$140,000: the amount of back taxes and interest that Cabinet nominee Tom Daschle (D) was forced to cough up after the vetting process revealed significant, unexplained tax liabilities.

$800,000: the amount of "sweetheart" mortgages Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) received from Countrywide Financial, the details for which he has refused to release details despite months of promises to do so.

To see the entire list that Horner compiled of just some of the scandals involving Democrats, click on the link below:
http://townhall.com/blog/g/e0e5886b-4eae-4420-88d0-4128d08e997b

At the end of the list, Horner wrote the following:

"As you see, it's a pattern of corruption by Democrats that mostly goes ignored by the main stream media. We hear from people like Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) say how these men like Daschle and Geithner are "honorable" men who just made a "mistake." Imagine if you and I didn't pay OUR taxes, would we get these same benefit of the doubt Democratic establishment members get?"