Friday, August 31, 2012

Of Dog Whistles and Other Such Things

I have enjoyed the spin on the left about the convention this week.  The outright falsehoods that are going on about the auto plant in Wisconsin has been quite amusing.  The video and newspaper reports that prove that the plant was indeed still making cars when President Obama took the oath of office doesn't seem to deter them.  I guess Romney's underwear is truly magic since the videos dated long before he choose Paul Ryan as his running mate.  

The outright disgusting behavior that was shown towards Mia Love and Condi Rice was very sad,  but even worse, it was expected.  The cries of the female version of Uncle Tom was heard loud and clear.  We get it, you don't like any person of color being conservative.  They are not allowed to think for themselves.  They must follow your vision, because after all, you are the party of tolerance.  

The left got their pants all twisted by Ann Romney's line of 'I have a real marriage'.  She wasn't talking about gay marriage.  She was talking about the same thing that every other married couple knows to be true, marriage is work.  The movies and the fairy tales don't tell you that when you are growing up.  She had five children to raise with a husband who travels.  She has dealt with real tragedy in her life.  The loss of a child, numerous health problems in breast cancer and the knowledge that she will be dealing with MS for the rest of her life.  She has come out the other side of those things with her marriage in tact.  That is not an easy thing to do.  The rates of divorce in our country prove that.  

Chris Matthews schooled me this week on the words that I am not allowed to use.  Chicago means racist.  Golf means racist.  All that secret code, oh my.  Al Sharpton has decided that the fact that Romney has a proven and clear record of putting minorities and women in positions of power and authority is a negative.  I am not even going to try and figure that out.  In his world up is down and black is white.  The only people who can legitimately put minorities is someone who shares his world view.  If not, I guess they are just pandering.  Some have gone as far to say that proves that they are racists.  Paul Ryan's college girlfriend who happens to be black is also somehow proof that he really doesn't like black people.  You figure it out, it just makes my head hurt.  

But this has to be one of my favorites of the week.  
 But that line about how when America needs to accomplish something great, "you need an American"? Dog whistle to the birthers?
Now, take a look at what he actually said:
Tonight that American flag is still there on the moon. And I don't doubt for a second that Neil Armstrong's spirit is still with us: that unique blend of optimism, humility and the utter confidence that when the world needs someone to do the really big stuff, you need an American.
She is just pulling this crap out of thin air.  He didn't say when America needs to accomplish something, he said when the world does.  He was talking about American Exceptionalism.  Something that Maria Cordona obviously cannot even begin to understand.  The left doesn't see America in the same vision that I and others on the right do.  They just don't.  They don't view our place in the world as something special.  We are just one of many to them.  We should be more like Europe to them.  Why they don't just pick up and move to Europe is something that I don't understand.  You like it there so much, pack your bags.  No one is stopping you.  I will help you pack.  

Thursday, August 30, 2012

More of the Tolerant Non Racist Left - Condi Rice Edition Language Warning

Tweets following Condi Rice's amazing (no telepromter needed) speech at the Republican National Convention:

Fuck Condoleezza Rice fucking uncle tom    

Fuck Condoleezza Rice!!!!!!!! Uncle Tom ass Biotch!!!

Condaleeza Rice has to be the biggest Uncle Tom in history.... Right after Uncle Ruckus from Boondocks.

Condoleezza Rice..smh.. I guess I have to respect the fact that she's been an uncle Tom for quite sometime now.. that can't be easy

See, Condoleezza Rice, is what we call, an Uncle Tom.

Watching Condalezza Rice at the Republican Convention makes me sick she a Uncle Tom like hell

I hope that fuckin' Uncle Tom  was paying attention Condoleeza Rice disagreed with the first black president w/o disrespecting him

Somebody need to tell Condoleeza "Red Beans and" Rice ol uncle Tom ass she got lipstick on her teeth.

Condeleeeza Rice is such a dick rider.... that;s why I don't like her uncle tom ass....!!!
sadly, this one is from a black woman.  

CONDELEEZZA RICE IS A UNCLE TOM ASS BROAD... SHE'S BEING PLAYED BY THE REPUBLICANS AS A PAWN AND SHE'S OK WITH IT... SMDH

CONDOLEEZZA RICE......YOU OLE UNCLE TOM AS BITCH!!!!!!!!

Condoleeza Rice is the definition of a Uncle Tom

Why is it so hard for people to call Condi Rice an Uncle Tom?

Condoleeza rice is the definition of an uncle Tom and a coon all at the sane time!

I wonder how Condoleeza Rice and  feel when them white folks make em sleep in the slave quarters after the election.

Yep, racism only exists on the right.  Got it.  

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Rand Paul at Republican National Convention - Video

The Paul fans need to face facts.  The closest Ron Paul will ever get to the oval office is if his son becomes President.  Which is very possible one day.  

Ann Romney GOP Convention Speech - Video

This was the speech of her life.  I thought she did wonderfully.  My regular readers are well aware that I really like her much more than her husband.  She comes across as very down to earth.  Her #1 goal had to be to humanize her husband, I thought she nailed it.  She has a grace about her.  She will make a great first lady.  This is a woman who has dedicated her life to charitable causes, her husband, and her family.  While they may not be the choices that every woman would make, there is nothing wrong with those choices.  They must have done something right, their sons have grown up to be productive, happy, and healthy adults.  

MSNBC's spin was out there.  That tells me that she did well.  Scroll down to see what Juan Williams has to say.  You will laugh and laugh.  

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Juan Williams Doesn't Believe that Ann Romney has had Struggles

Yeah, cuz living with MS and surviving breast cancer is easy.  Taking care of five young children was a piece of cake.  Money doesn't make your life easy.  Money doesn't give you happiness.  You may have more options then people without it, that is true, but everyone has problems.  Everyone has struggles.  Was Sunny Von Bulow happy?  Gloria Vanderbuilt had a very stormy childhood because of her parents.

Putz

Mia Gets Some Love at Republican Convention - Video


Wait, she is black.  She is not supposed to exist!  Wait, she is a woman.  Didn't she get the memo about the war that is being waged against her?  LOL

Patrick Murphy Using Children in Ads Against Allen West

I don't like this.  I don't like it at all.  Children should be left out of political attack ads.  If you must use them, then use them in positive ads.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Quote of the Day - President Obama Edition Part 17

I don't have as much time to campaign this time as I did in 2008, so this whole thing is riding on you making it happen.
President Obama via email to his supporters.  He has attended twice as many fundraisers than President Bush did in 2004.  

He is truly delusional.  Oh, and arrogant too.  Want to see how much?  Go here.   

Kill Mitt Romney FaceBook Page

That's right, there is a Kill Mitt Romney Facebook page.  This page was posted on August 10th.  That is more than two weeks ago and it has yet to be removed from Facebook.  

What the heck is going on over there?  It has been reported and is still up.  The pages says specifically that this is a threat.  

This is a page advocating for the murder of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney
There is also a webpage listed:
 http://staphmeal.com/

He doesn't seem to like cops much either.  

Where the hell is secret service?  

I have zero use for President Obama, zero.  I abhor everything he stands for.  Never at anytime have I said anything remotely close to this.  Nor would I want anyone to harm the man.  Not only would be bad for our country, he is father and a husband.  I will do my talking at the ballot box on 11/6.  

This scum needs a nice talking to from the secret service, and a little jail time.  

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Quote of the Day - Michelle Obama Edition


So that one new voter that you register in your precinct -- think about it -- that one neighbor that you get to the polls on November the 2 I want you to understand, that could be the one that makes the difference. That one conversation, that one new volunteer you recruit, that could be the one that puts this over the top.
Here that dems?  Go to the polls on November 2.  

Hey I like this idea. 

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Quote of the Day - Jake Tapper Edition

"I have said before… [that I] thought the media helped tip the scales. I didn’t think the coverage in 2008 was especially fair to either Hilary Clinton or John McCain,"
Jake Tapper, White House Reporter, ABC News.  
One of the few real reporters left.  

It is a shame he didn't get the nod for one of the debates.   

Monday, August 20, 2012

Akin Must Step Aside - Now


I feel for the man.  I do.  He is in a difficult position.  He worked hard during the primary to get the nomination.  It was a three-way race and it didn't come easy for him.

But the truth is this.  He can't fix it.  He can't walk it back.  Especially since earlier this afternoon he admitted that he was wrong on "the science" that a woman can stave off pregnancy during a rape.

His comments were not only wrong from a medical point of view, they were wrong from an ethical point of view.  Every pro-life politician should be better prepared for the "what about cases of rape and incest" question.  You know they are coming.  It is no different for anti death penalty candidates getting the what if your wife/daughter was raped and murdered question.  They are designed to make the politician look silly when they can't adequately answer the question.  Politics is a rough and tumble business.  The media loves tripping you up and takes particular pride when you are a conservative republican.

Clare McCaskill is the worst possible choice to win that seat.  Akin continuing in this race is will all but guarantee that not only she gets re-elected, it also says that Harry Reid will more than likely stay Majority Leader.
I will go further and say he doesn't deserve to win this seat after these comments.  They were irresponsible, false, and more importantly demeaning to women.  I have seen the data and the numbers that are complied about pregnancies that occur due to rape and incest.  They are very small in comparison to the amount of pregnancies in this country each year, less than 1%.

But let me tell you, if you are the woman who ends up being in that 1% you don't care that it is rare.  That is an academic discussion at that point.  If you don't believe me, just ask yourself if you developed a very rare form of cancer, would that make you feel any better that it was rare?  Would you say 'lucky me"?  I don't think that you would.

When I was still living in Connecticut I used to volunteer at a rape crisis center.  I used to talk to woman of all different ages.  Most of whom were raped within the past few hours.  They were trying to decide if they should call the police, or go to the hospital.  Many of the women I talked to wanted to know if they went to the hospital would the police be called.  Which of course they would be.  Some elected not to go to the hospital for that reason.  They common thread among these women was shame.  There was no such thing as legitimate or illegitimate rape.

It is very possible that what he meant by that part of the comment was the fact that rape is the most over-reported crime according to stats.  Sadly, some women use the accusation as a hammer.  There are some LaCrosse players who are well aware of that.  That is true.  There have been men who were sent to jail and years later the accuser recants.  One such story was a woman who said she thought she was pregnant and didn't want to tell her parents.  Horrible, absolutely horrible.  I personally felt that woman should have been prosecuted for what she did to that man's life.

None of that makes what Akin said OK.  I don't care that Whoopi Goldberg once said "It wasn't rape, rape".  I don't care that Hollywood lionizes Polanski.  Again, none of that matters.  What matters is, is this man competent to serve as a U.S. Senator?  I think the answer is quite obviously no.

He has until 5pm tomorrow afternoon to have his name removed from the ballot and still give another person a decent chance to compete for that seat.  For the good of the party he should do it.  But he also should do it because it is the right thing to do.

I, for one, am very proud that republicans have not tried to justify his actions or his words.  At least not in large measure.  There are a few.  But generally speaking most seem to feel the same way I do.  Akin must step aside, and he should be doing it tonight.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Quote of the Day - The Clare McCaskill Re-election Bid Just Got Easier Edition

"First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare.  It it's a legtimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
Todd Akin, GOP Senate Candidate, Missouri

What a jackass.  While he is correct that pregnancy from rape is rare, about .008%, it isn't because "your body shuts down".  Many women in this country use birth control on a regular basis.  

There were three people running for the GOP nomination and this was the best of the lot?  One of the other two had to better than this lunatic.  

Senator McCaskill must be doing cartwheels tonight.  Her re-election bid just got a whole lot easier.  

Pizza, Safety, & Raaaaacism


Jets Pizza in Dearborn, Michigan will no longer be delivering pizza in the city of Detroit after dark.  Recently a 19-year-old employee was shot point-blank in the chest while delivering a pizza.  The normal procedure had been two people would go to make any delivery in Detroit.  One of the delivery people was legally armed.  It was the last delivery of the night and only person remained and was willing to go to make the delivery.  Luckily the young college student was not killed.
The cries of raaaaacism didn't take long.  So let me see an employer has to take the extra step of hiring people who have legal carry permits in order to protect the delivery man from being robbed and/or shot at while in the city limits.  The management/owners of this pizza place have at very least a moral obligation to their employees for their safety.  In some states it may even be possible that they have a legal one.

I am sorry, but his has nothing to do with race, this has to with safety.  A young man was doing his summer job and was shot in the chest and the bullet nicked his lung.  He is a football player and more than likely will miss the season because he was trying to be responsible and do the job for which he was hired to do; deliver pizza.

Detroit is the armpit of U.S. cities at this point in time.  If I owned a business that had delivery options available it is very possible that I wouldn't even go into Detroit in broad daylight.  I wouldn't be able to live with myself if one of my employees was badly injured or worse yet killed just to make a food delivery.  It isn't worth it.

I do have sympathy for the people who are left in that city.  Good paying jobs are not easy to come by, the crime rate is very high, gangs have infested the city, and it is just downright dangerous.  The public school system is an abject failure.  We could spend $50K per student and it probably wouldn't make a dent.

But this has become the new mantra in the U.S., cry racism at every turn.  As an employer do you really think it makes a difference that the city is mostly black?  Do you think the owner of this restaurant would do something different if the city were mostly white and still just as dangerous?

A local resident said this:
Ryan, a resident of southwest Detroit where the shooting happened, said he would “never let his wife outside after dark.” Would he go outside himself after dark? “Yeah, I would, but I’m armed,” Ryan said.
He added that many delivery companies in Detroit won’t go to addresses they don’t already know.
This man lives there and is afraid to let his own wife go out onto the streets after dark.  Is he racist too?  Maybe he is one of those safe hating black men?

Another said this:
John from Chesterfield called in and said, “This is not racist, this is a high probability risk assessment. I was in the military … If you’re going to go into Detroit after dark the risk assessment is you’re going to be robbed, shot or mugged … There are people in Detroit who don’t want to go out after dark either, it’s crazy, but that’s it.
One more for good measure:
Mike, a U.S. Post Office manager, said he had a part-time carrier who moonlighted in that area as a pizza delivery man, and he was also attacked. “The guy jumped out of the bushes and basically attacked him, pulled out a gun … It’s very dangerous over there. I’m black, I’m from the city, but that’s the highest crime area I staffed. I can’t blame the pizza owner for doing that. He has to look at those employees every day.”
The owner/management of this business is doing the responsible thing.  He is protecting his employees from danger that can easily be controlled by not making deliveries after dark when the chances are high they will be robbed, mugged, or even killed.

As I said, I have a great deal of sympathy for the people in Detroit who are stuck in this crime ridden area and sadly can't find a way out.  From what I have heard, the mayor is really trying, but has yet to make a significant difference as of yet.

If you bought me a house, paid all of bills, gave me a very healthy monthly salary, I still wouldn't live there.

This isn't about racism, this is about common sense.  Sadly, there are elements in that city that put zero value on human life, personal property, or civil liberties.  I realize it is easy to say that the citizens need to band together to stop these elements when I am not the one doing it.  I remember a woman in Baltimore who tried to do just that and she was murdered, and her killer was never found.  She was killed in broad daylight in the middle of the street.  Someone saw who did it, but are too scared to come forward.  I can't say that I blame them.  But the problem is, until the citizens band together to rid their city of these elements, they won't be getting any pizza deliveries from Jets.  I have this feeling that many others will be doing the same.  The honest people in this city are being held prisoner by the thugs.

Where is Jesse Jackson on this issue?

Friday, August 17, 2012

Paul Ryan Rally, Springfield, VA - Updated with Video


It was quite the day.  Paul Ryan held a rally this afternoon in Springfield, VA, a burb of Washington, DC.  Iain's Wife and I decided to take in the festivities.  I felt bad because I kept seeing all this people I know and got distracted.  Sorry Iain's Wife if I was rude.  She was able to give an interview with some French paper or something.  I will let her tell you that story, it was kind of funny.

There were about 10 or so Obama supporters holding a protest rally, holding signs about Medicare of all things.  Yea, keep drinking that Kool-Aid.  Obamacare cut $700 B from Medicare and you are accusing Romney/Ryan of trying to destroy it?  Nice try.  At one point they were singing The National Anthem.  I thought this was behavior that should be encouraged, so I tried to join them for the last stanza.  I then congratulated them on knowing the words.  I then got back to my work of helping collect signatures for American for Prosperity.

We make it inside and find a comfy place to sit.  We were in high school gym and it just continued to get hotter and hotter.  It is a long wait if you want to get a half way decent place to hang out, but then it takes a few hours for them to show after that.

We did have a little excitement with what I believe was a Ron Paul fan, interrupting the speech with chants about the stimulus spending that Paul Ryan has done.  I can't imagine that would anger a Obamanut.  They have never found a spending project that they don't like.

It was nice day.  We heard from a bunch of local pols.   I am unable to download the pics into this post, but here is a link that you can go to.  Iain's Wife was nice enough to even circle the protester for you.

Quote of the Day - Dana Milbank Edition Part 2


I disagree with the Family Research Council’s views on gays and lesbians. But it’s absurd to put the group, as the law center does, in the same category as Aryan Nations, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Stormfront and the Westboro Baptist Church. The center says the FRC “often makes false claims about the LGBT community based on discredited research and junk science.” Exhibit A in its dossier is a quote by an FRC official from 1999 (!) saying that “gaining access to children has been a long-term goal of the homosexual movement.”
Offensive, certainly. But in the same category as the KKK?
Washington Post's Dana Milbank

Wow, it is refreshing to see some common sense coming from this man.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Quote of the Day - Toure Edition Part 2


“That really bothered me, you notice he said anger twice. He’s really trying to use racial coding and access some really deep stereotypes about the angry black man. This is part of the playbook against Obama, the ‘otherization,’ he’s not like us.”
“I know it’s a heavy thing, I don’t say it lightly, but this is ‘niggerization, you are not one of us, you are like the scary black man who we’ve been trained to fear.”
Toure on the following comment by Governor Romney:
"He demonizes some.  He panders to others.  His campaign strategy is to smash America apart and then cobble together 51% of the pieces.  If an American president wins that way, we all lose.  So, Mr. President, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago, and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting America."
See my decoder ring (because all republicans and conservatives apparently have one) must be on the fritz, because I don't see any code words that really mean nigger.  

Can another of you please tell me which cereal box the decoder rings are in this month, so I don't miss any other code words?  Thanks.  It is greatly appreciated.  

Sadly, Toure is part of the problem and he doesn't even see it.  There was nothing even remotely racist about the Governor's comment.  As I said yesterday, the word racism has lost all meaning in this country.  We no longer use it properly and it is now used like a club to squash dissent of our president.  This is a very sad time in America.  

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Chains, Politics, Racism, & VP Biden


All the political chatter today is about Vice President Biden's remark
"put y'all back in chains"
But let's looks the entire quote in context
“Romney wants to, he said in the first 100 days, he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules. Unchain Wall Street. They're going to put y’all back in chains,”
To me these look very different when taken in full context.  He was using a metaphor.  A poor one may be, but a metaphor just the same.

Much has been made of the fact that this took place in Danville, Va which is a city that has a population of almost 49% black.  This is what I find offensive.  If he had said this in a city that had a population that is say only 8% black it would have been different?  You can see from the pictures of the event that the crowd was diverse.
What I find so offensive is that what I am hearing in this uproar is that apparently we are supposed to change our language depending on who were are talking to.  Does that mean that I am supposed to create a blog for hispanic readers, another for whites, and yet another for blacks?  That I am supposed to change the language I use for the point I am trying to make depending on the skin color of the reader?  That is really offensive to me.
Is what he said stupid?  Of course it is.  But in full context it wasn't racist.

I do believe that Biden has some preconceived notions of things.  I think many will remember that he once made a comment about Indians and 7-11's.  The fact of the matter is that in the area that I live in you would be hard pressed to find a 7-11 that didn't have employees that are not of Indian descent.  What he said is true, at least in this area of the country.  That may not be true everywhere, but here it is.  So is that racism/bigotry?  No, it isn't.  Maybe it isn't polite to point it out, but that is about political correctness, not racism.

See I am no fan of how everything we say and do in this country has to fit into some preconceived notion of being politically correct.  Who is it that makes these rules?  Because we all know that they are different for different people.  Had Paul Ryan used the same words the likes of Roland Martin would be the first one to screaming and yelling it was indeed racist.  Whereas today he is saying that it isn't.  For once I actually agree with him that it was not a racist statement.

We need to get past all this PC nonsense and realize that using the metaphor of chains has nothing to do with slavery.  It is a commonly used metaphor that covers all kinds of things.  I am sick to death of everything being labeled "offensive" or "racist".  It is no more attractive when it comes from the right then when it comes from the left.

I dare anyone who disagrees with me on this to look me in the eye and tell me honestly that you wouldn't feel that had the exact same scenario happened to a politician you agree with, you wouldn't be defending it and saying it wasn't racist and people were over-reacting.  If you can't do that, then stop playing the same "racist" card that has been played on us for the past four years.

Is VP Biden a gaffe machine?  Oh, yes.  He is not the smartest tool in the shed, that is for sure.  He also has a habit of changing his dialect up a little bit depending on the crowd he is front of.  Which is offensive.  But there is no proof that VP Biden is a racist and that this comment was nothing more than metaphor of a theme that the right has been using for the past two years, of unshackling the private sector.  Could he have used a different word than chain?  Yea maybe.  But why should he have?  At some point we have to get beyond this nonsense and stop equating everything to race and slavery.

Take it away Joe:


I Think This May Be What John Sununu Was Referring To

Yep, that seems about right.  

Monday, August 13, 2012

Vice President Biden Tells Us The Democrats Don't Value Anything


Today, the brain trust that is Vice President Biden said that his father told him this:
"Don't tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I will tell you what you value"
It has been something like 1195 days since they last passed a budget.  My math may be a little off, I found a number from last summer and added the days to today as best as I could.

Obviously they don't value anything.

Apparently no one on the Obama campaign bothered to find out what he was going to say.

What a twit.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Romney Ryan Rally - Manassas Virginia


For reasons that kind of escaped me I signed up for tickets to go the Romney rally before anyone knew that the Ryan VP rollout was going to be done.  It is not secret that I don't like Romney.  Or, I should say I am not happy about him being the nominee, as I am sure he is a very nice man.

It is also no secret that I don't think Ryan was the best choice he could have made.  I put no real thought into who I really wanted to be VP, but out of the possibilities Ryan was at the bottom of my list.  I stick by the fact that he doesn't balance the ticket well.  While it is true that this election is about the economy for the most part, people do care about foreign policy and readiness to deal with hot spots around the world.  Romney's little foreign trip has been widely panned.  I don't think he made any major or fatal mistakes, but he did give fodder for the left to use in October when the rest of the country really starts paying attention.  Lets be honest, most are not right now.  It is just the die hards like you and me.

But I do feel slightly better about Ryan as choice after yesterday.  The rollout went relatively smoothly.  A few little things such as Romney's little slip of the tongue and calling him the next president (Which Obama did the same by the way).  That will give the left a little fun.  So, let them have their fun.  It is nothing fatal, especially since the video of Obama doing the same does exist.

So I went to Manassas, Virginia yesterday to the most local of the rallies for me.  Manassas is one of many historic places in Virginia, as the battle of Bull Run in the civil war was fought there, so it draws a great deal of tourists.  The lines were long and it was hot.  The secret service had to wand you before you entered the pavilion where the speeches were to be held.  As with most long days on the campaign, the later it gets the more likely they are to be late, and late they were.  Luckily they played some good music and I have the opinion when all else fails, dance.  So that is what I did.

We heard from the local politicians, our Lt. Gov (who is running to be our next gov), Governor McDonnell, Former Gov and currently running for senate, George Allen.  Then there was another long wait for the bus to arrive.  Eventually they got there and the main speeches began.  As I said, Ryan gave a very good speech.  Short on specifics, but the crowd ate it up.  Then Romney spoke.  He laid out the five things that he feels are the reasons you need to vote for him.  Ugh.  This is when he made really mad.  I believe it was #2, education.  EDUCATION!!!!  That is a state issue.  We spend $70B annually on The Department of Education which doesn't educate one child.  A big part of that goes to salaries, benefits, and pensions for those employees.  Wouldn't that money be more efficiently spent at the state level?  It may actually get into the classroom to help the kids.  Insert primal scream here.
So, we will have yet another administration that won't really do anything to reduce the size and scope of government.  Yes, yes, yes, he will do better than Obama.  But he is not going to do what really needs to be done.  So I left with a sad face, a very sad face.

It was nice to see a bunch of friends, acquaintances, and other activists that I have gotten to know over the years.  I ran into Smitty and Stacy of The Other McCain fame.  Stacy is quite pleased.  He was one of the people beating the Ryan drumbeat over the past month.  My friend Debbie Munoz gave their prayer to start off the day.  Many of friends were up on the stage, that was also nice to see.  (Would have been nicer had they scored me a ticket!!!!!)
Here are some great photos of the day.  Enjoy!!!

Friday, August 10, 2012

President Obama is Right - She Didn't Build That


So Sandra Fluke appeared with the President of the United States a few days ago to talk about "free" contraception and keeping the government out of our bedrooms. I will forgo the whole paradox of keeping the government out of your bedroom while the government now demands that I fund what goes on your bedroom for a minute. I was kind of hoping that they would go back to the You didn't build that theme, because Fluke certainly didn't earn her appearance with POTUS. Rush Limbaugh did. A case where the president is indeed correct, she didn't build that.  Someone else made that happen.

And before liberals start in, I did speak out about Rush calling her a slut.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

How Much Air Time Will This Get?

So far the media is doing a good job on making people aware of outright deceit that the Obama campaign and his minions are waging.  Even MSNBC is calling on the Obama campaign to demand that the dishonest ad be pulled from the air.  

Look I feel for the man, he lost his wife.  But, that doesn't make what he is doing OK, nor does it justify the outright lies his commercials are spreading.  I am going to go Harry Reid on him and ask how his wife would feel that her death is being used in this fashion?  She must be so ashamed.


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Loughner Pleads Guilty - Life Without Parole


First I would like to say that this is the best thing for the families involved.  They are going to be spared a trial.  They can close this horrible chapter as best they can and get on with the healing process; both physically and emotionally.

That said, this makes me sad that he will be spending the rest of his life in jail without parole.  Obviously guilt isn't an issue.  He did it.  What makes me sad is the belief that putting severely mentally ill people in jail for life without parole is the right thing to do.
Dr. Christina Pietz, a forensic psychologist, told the judge Tuesday that Loughner is "one of the worst" mentally ill patients she's ever seen.
But she continued, adding that Loughner has shown improvement and he's no longer in restraints. "He is competent to proceed," Pietz told the court.
He's no longer hearing voices, and he has no difficulty in understanding, Pietz said. Loughner is rational and able to consult with his attorneys, she said.
In high school he was showing signs of his illness.  He became ostracized and began a journey into darkness that people without a mental illness don't usually understand.  See I do understand it.  I have a mental illness.  I began showing symptoms when I was 13 years old.  My life has been difficult at times.  I too lost friends, lost boyfriends, and lost jobs.  I don't have a psychotic illness like this young man has.  I don't hear voices.  But I do live virtually everyday in a funk.  It has been explained to me by three different doctors like this.  On a scale of one to ten most people will normally fall between a 6 to an 8.  I fall from a 4 to a 6.  So your down days are my good days.  I have tried all kinds of different medications.  Some work better than others.  But none can get me out that of funk.  I personally don't see the point in the medication most of the time, but I still take it.  Because it helps keeping me from going into jags where I can't get out of bed and just cry endlessly.  I have experienced thoughts of suicide.  Not just thoughts, but very well thought out plans.  Every so often I go back and read this journal of sorts that I kept during that time period.  It is bizarre.

But the point is, I was able to plan.  People have this completely ridiculous belief that if you plan something that means that you can't possibly be mentally ill.  Want to read my journals?  They are proof positive that can and you do plan when you are experiencing even the worst of your mental illness.  Very few suicides are not well thought out.  Just look at Mary Kennedy recently, she waited until her children were not around.  That wasn't an accident.  She did that because even though in her mind she thought her children would be better off without her, she didn't want them to find her.  You would be amazed about the steps that people will take in order to take their own lives.  It is rarely something that is spur of the moment.

Let us just get down to brass tacks here.  Mental illness costs us as a society billions of dollars every year.  We jail people, we feed them when they are homeless, they end up on disability or welfare.  Many are able to function quite well the majority of the time.  Sadly, some are not.  Especially when you start getting into the more serious illnesses like Loughner has.  He hears voices, he is paranoid, he believes people are trying to harm him.  They are trying to implant things into his brain.

It isn't like these people just wake up one day are in full-blown mental illness.  It creeps up on you more slowly than that.  At least to the person it is happening to.  I can't speak for being the person watching it.  My family falls into the stigma bunch.  To this day they don't admit that I have problems.  It is too shameful I guess for them.  My sister-in-law once told me that she is too busy to be depressed.  Gee, I pencil it in to my weekly planner.  I no longer speak to her.  I have a friend who once told me that she didn't understand it all and was much like my mother's attitude of "get over it" until someone she was close to went into a really bad down cycle of his bi-polar disorder and had to be hospitalized.  He is an attorney.  He is obviously well-educated and high functioning most of the time.  But if his meds go off for whatever reason bad things happen.  Luckily he never hurt anyone else.

Loughner and his victims were not so lucky.  All the red flags were there.  The warning signals should have been on full alert to his teachers. and yes to his parents.  Everyone decided to close their eyes to what was happening to this young man.  He didn't choose this illness.  Believe me, no one would.  Nor could I think of anyone that I hate enough that I would wish this upon.  The drugs you take make you sick.  They give you gastrointestinal issues at first.  You get headaches, weight gain, you sometimes can't sleep, or other times can't stay awake.  The drugs for Loughner are far worse than anything I have ever had to endure.

I just ask myself as a society do we really feel that locking away a young man who is obviously ill is the best course of action? I also ask what responsibility do the people who had to have seen what was happening and did nothing have?    We need to stop acting like mental illness is a dirty word.  It is an illness no different from high blood pressure or diabetes.  The person who has it can't help it.  It has nothing to do with behavioral factors.  They deserve help and in many cases they get nothing but ridicule, or worse get ignored.  Loughner lived in a state that he could have been hospitalized.  His teachers or parents could have gotten him in front of judge for at least a 48 hour hold, and then could have kept him as long as 30 days.  The same was true of the Virginia Tech  shooter.  In those 30 days they can get a course of meds started.  Hell, Andrea Yates was told two days before she killed her five children by a doctor she needed to think happy thoughts.  They knew she was ill.  But they wouldn't keep her in a hospital.  Five beautiful children are dead.  Was not spending the money to keep her hospitalized the best course of action?  I certainly don't think so.  I bet those kids would love to have a chance of life.  At least two were old enough to at least somewhat understand what their own mother was doing to them.  Think of the horror of that.

I was reading some of the comments across the internet today on this case.  Many were saying he should fry.  One conservative actually said since he isn't curable he should be killed.  My illness isn't curable, should I worry that someone is going to come after me as a pre-cautionary measure?   Gee, that puts us in the same company as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Nigeria for killing the mentally ill.  Boy that is company we should want to be in huh?

There are no easy answers.  But virtually every time one of these mass shooting happens, we later find out that they are mentally ill and were giving up signs of it all the over the place.  Isn't time we start listening?

One of the Classiest Acts of the Summer Olympics

Gold Medalist and Fastest Man in the World, Usain Bolt stopped his interview to observe the National Anthem being played for another Athlete.  Bolt, who is Jamaican, has no reason to stop the National Anthem for another country, but he was showed his class and stopped speaking.  I would think this was classy no matter the country, but I really appreciate that it was our medalist hearing the anthem.


Sunday, August 5, 2012

Michelle Malkin at AFP's Saving the American Dream Summitt

I was lucky enough to see this live.  She and Scott Walker both spoke at the Ronald Reagan Dinner Friday night, and Mark Levin spoke at the general session Saturday afternoon.  If I can find videos of the other two speeches I will post them.  


This is my favorite of all the different conferences.  Americans for Prosperity do a very good job at  giving you actionable ideas to spread the word on what the economic fallout is going to be from the policies that are being passed.  



Thursday, August 2, 2012

The Chick Fil A Ruckus in One Picture

This is what all of this is about.  This is what the radical left wants to stop.  Homosexuals are just the group they are using today.  Tomorrow, the next day, or the day after that they will move onto some one or something else.  

When Harry Reid Loses Jon Stewart, It Must Be Bad Video

Now, I would venture to say that Gov. Romney has been able to taxes down to a low rate and that is part of the reason that they don't want to release more.  But, to for the Senate Majority leader to come out and accuse him the way that he did, bringing his dead father into it, is way below the belt.  Your son has been accused of corruption, Mr. Reid.  Are you ashamed of him as well.  I don't agree with Jon Stewart politically, but one of the things that I do admire about him is that he will stand up to the left occasionally.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Chick Fil A - My Take


Since people keep coming back to my blogs, I have to assume that you care about what I think.  So here it goes.  

Personally I find this whole thing ridiculous, and I mean that from both sides.  The Cathy Family are Christian conservatives, they have never hid that fact since they franchised the Chick Fil A restaurants.   They are not allowed to be open on Sundays, that is part of the franchise agreement.  Chick Fil A has a very slow growth plan that has helped them grow into the second largest chicken fast food restaurant in the country.  It has worked for them.  They don't normally allow a franchise owner to own more than one, and they are looking for owners who are going to be hands on.  They are not looking for people to turn the place over in a short period of time.  They approve about 80 applications per year.  

Now, it is a fact that not all owners agree with the Cathy's stance on marriage.  At least one Chick Fil A is going to participate in a gay pride parade sometime this summer.  I don't know the exact date.  That is one of the reasons that I find this so silly.  These are individually owned, how does anyone know what the owner actually thinks?  I am sure that they are just like the country as a whole; some will agree, some will disagree.  

The left for some reason has chosen this restaurant as the poster child of hate.  Hate is a very strong word.  A word that the left doesn't fully define.  Because I am against gay marriage and I have friends who are gay. They are my friends, so obviously I don't hate them.  I was asked once by a former boss about my friendship with two men who happen to be gay, Ken and Norman.  Both great guys who I love dearly.  Norman and I hung out outside of work as well.  We have been to each other homes.  He is a very good man who happens to be gay.  I don't want him tied up, gassed or anything else for that matter.  He can work where he wants, he can live where he wants, the only two things that I don't think he can do is get married or adopt children.  I know gay people who don't think that gay people raising children is a good idea.  His opinion is that childhood is hard enough without having that added pressure of being the odd kid out with gay parents.  He takes a great deal of ridicule, and yes outright hate from other gays for his belief.  He has been in a long-term relationship, something like 20 years.  Both families are very accepting of them, and they have nieces and nephews that they love dearly.   I don't think a gay person is a danger to a child in any way, I just think that it just makes their lives harder than they need to be and question is placing an adopted child in that environment the best thing for them.  I don't think that it is.  Am I a bigot or a hater?  According to many I am.  

This is what Christians see.  They see a society that has consistently told them that what they believe makes them haters and bigots.  They see a society that tells them that their rights as an American citizen to worship freely is really just a hate crime.  Put a Christmas tree in a town square and you are forcing your beliefs unto someone else, yet forcing them to accept gay marriage is tolerance.  It was only about 50 years ago that Christian conservatives started having a voice in politics.  For the most part before then they went about their lives, but the sexual and cultural revolutions forced them to find their voice.  

You hear from more moderate people in the republican party that they are going to be the ruin of it.  They are ridiculed in pop culture as ignorant hicks.  It never occurs to the people doing the ridiculing that all they are doing is standing by what they deeply believe in.  

Every Christian in the end gets called a hypocrite.  Somehow a Christian has to be perfect or they are one.  They are not allowed to make the same mistakes that others are allowed to make.  No Christian will ever tell they are perfect.  They will flat-out say that they fall short each and every day.  But, they try to live the best that they can in the eyes of God and what the bible tells them that they are to strive for.  

The fact remains if you are ready to redefine marriage then you need to be all in.  If you are not, it is the same intolerance that you are accusing Christians of.  There are approximately 6 million Muslims in the United States.  Plural marriage is widely accepted in the faith of Islam.  There are still Mormons who practice that as well.  If you are going to redefine marriage for homosexuals, then you must redefine for all.  Using the logic that is used if you don't approve of gay marriage, you are a hater and bigot if you don't agree.

Christians feel that they and their belief system is under constant attack in this country.  You can disagree with that premise, but that doesn't make it less so.  Now, if the issue truly is about the issues of benefits that can be done without redefining marriage.  But the problem is that isn't what this is truly about.  It is truly about forcing the Christian belief system out of this country.

There are conservative churches that are being sued for being unwilling to perform marriage ceremonies for gay people in states where gay marriage is legal.  That is about forcing their will on an organization that doesn't want it.  My church would close its doors before it performed a marriage ceremony for people of the same-sex.  I wouldn't want it any other way.  Those are my beliefs, beliefs that I am entitled to under our constitution.  You see, you don't get to have it both ways.   The radical agenda that is being pushed by some in this fight are trying to force their will upon me, and using the tactic that it is the other way around.  Do I believe that everyone in this movement feels that way?  No.  Many just refuse to see what is really happening.  A push has been going on this country to eliminate all that is Christian for about 100 years.  They are getting closer and closer to getting it done.  They have accomplished this in part by redefining many things in our culture.  They have made the killing of an unborn baby just another lifestyle choice of getting rid of some cells.  They have made sex on the first date commonplace.  This is regardless to the bad effects that it has on society.  If it feels good, do it.  The consequences of your actions be left for another day, or better yet just leave them for someone else to clean up.  

I don't hate gay people.  I could care less what consenting adults do in their bedrooms.  What I do care about is the society that we are leaving for the next generation.  I care about God having a place in the lives for the believers.  You don't want to believe in God, don't.  That is your choice, it is your soul.  But stop trying to take away my choices and the life that I want to live and to leave to the next generation.  The next time someone wants to call me a hater, just think about this; how much tolerance do you have for Christians?  Probably not very much.   Eating or not eating at Chick Fil A will change none of this.  So I didn't waste my money or time today.  

Picture of the Day - Rocking It


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