2008, A Glance Forward

As we come to the end of 2007 there have been a number of interesting developments throughout the year that have made this year one to remember. We have seen a complete change in the situation in Iraq, much to the frustration of the Democrats, the economy has remained stable with a few bumps in the road in the form of fluctuating energy prices and the crash of the mortgage market.

Congress has reached new lows, and deservedly so, in national approval while the President has remained in the lower range which is somewhat consistent with any President at this point in the second term. The Middle East is, as usual in turmoil, with the recent assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto adding to the confusion.

The quest for a new President has had many twists and turns and is still up in the air for both parties. So with 2007 coming to a close, 2008 will present, as with any year a myriad of interesting situations that will make it a year to remember as was 2007.

While I am not a professional prognosticator, nor make any claim to that type of fame there are a few things that 2008 will bring that can receive a certain degree of speculation that may very well hold true for the new year.

THE SUPER BOWL - While most of this post will deal with politics and issues I wanted to start on a little lighter note for what looks to be a rather obvious out come for the highlight of the sports world. The New England Patriots have completed the first 16 - 0 NFL season in history topping the previous record of the Miami Dolphins. They are a juggernaut that no one can stop. Unless Quarterback Tom Brady is injured to the point in which he cannot play the Pats, ( and this is hard for a Raiders fan to admit), will be the NFL champs and take home the Lombardi Trophy.

THE WAR - Iraq should continue to be a success, again much to the frustration of the Democrats. They had hoped to turn the perceived Iraq, "failure, " into a campaign coup for the 2008 Presidential run, especially since they still believe they are running against George Bush rather than whomever the nominee will be. I have always said success in Iraq means trouble for the Democrats since they have invested so much political capital into Iraq failure. This issue may very well comeback to haunt them at the polls come November. They must push for withdrawal to satisfy their left wing base while watching success change favorably change public opinion about US involvement in Iraq. All in all 2008 will be a bad year for Democrats concerning the war if things remain successful which they should.

THE ECONOMY - Every time the Fed or other economic entities have predicted gloom and doom for the current economy, they have had to regroup and admit that this economy is stronger than they had predicted. Unless a major crash in a vital part of the economy takes place in 2008, next year will be no different. The proof of the strength of the economy lies in the fact that we have two very volatile segments of the economy that are failing yet the economy remains strong. Energy is fluctuation and prices are consistently rising which in any other economy alone would have sent hings into a tail spin. Yet despite rising prices the economy has remained stable and on the up swing. The same thing holds true with the mortgage crises. Any other economy would have crashed under the strain of so many foreclosures and bad and shady mortgages, but again the strength of this economy has allowed it to survive and still grow.

Major indicators such as employment, job creation and consumer confidence have baffled the experts and again unless a major segment of the economy fails, 2008 should remain relatively strong.

THE MIDDLE EAST - This region has always been volatile and 2008 will be no different. Israel and the Palestinians will continue to bicker with the Bush Administration trying to broker peace between the two as it is obvious that this has become a legacy goal for the President.


With the assassination of Bhutto, Pakistan at least in the short term will be highly charged. But also remember that since it first broke away from India as they were seeking independence from Great Britain in the late forties, Pakistan has always been in an uproar in one way or another. Al Qaeda is trying to keep the country off balance in order to gain a foothold there as they had in Afghanistan, but Musharraf, though not the most favorable of leaders, lets face it he is a strong man dictator, but still pro-US and is a willing participant in the fight against Islamic fanatics. The Us will remain a backer of him regardless of how unfavorable he may be because of the lesson learned when Carter with a similar dictator abandoned the Shah of Iran which brought about the take over of that country by radical Islam and created an enemy that troubles both the US and the world today.

THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE - This one is very hard to predict, especially with all of the twists that have taken place in the last two months of 2007. On the Democrat side Hillary and Obama are fighting for the nomination with Edwards trying to creep into the picture. When all is said and done this writer still believes that Hillary Clinton will survive the liberal war and get the Democrat nod for 2008.

The GOP side is far less predictable. No one has received enough support from GOP voters to have a clear lead for the nomination. All of the primary States are up for grabs with a different leader in several of the key States. 2008 could very well be the first year since 1976 when Reagan had a strong challenge to the incumbent Ford and the nomination was decided at the convention. When the February 5th vote count is completed and most of the primaries are over, this writer believes that the question of who will be the GOP nominee will not be answered which will take the nomination to the Convention in September.

THE PRESIDENT - While the last year of a second term is considered the Lame Duck year for a President, Bush will be more of a player than most in his last year in the White House. Two reasons for this are:

1 - We are still at war and as Commander In Chief, he will be highly involved in both the war effort and the appropriations process.

2 - The Democrat Congress are still looking for a way to fight with Bush and as such the war between Reid, Pelosi and company and the President will continue. The backbone for limited spending that I wish he had during his first term will keep the Democrats fired up and as such Bush will still be a thorn in their liberal side throughout 2008.

As 2007 becomes history and 2008 begins anew we can look forward to a brisk campaign for President and in the final analysis, this writer will end this look forward by predicting that with Hillary or Obama as the Democrat nominee, neither can garner the support necessary to win the Presidency. While the GOP nomination is still a toss up between the front runners, any of them should be able to beat the Democrat nominee and keep The White House in Republican control. Happy New Year !

Ken Taylor http://theliberalslies.blogspot.com

The Order of Cincinnatus

Opinion

by David Hinz


For those who do not know, The Order of Cincinnatus was first formed by former officers of the American Revolutionary War. George Washington was its first President General.

Named for the famed Roman General Lucius (Titus) Quinctius Cincinnatus, the society had at its heart, the citizen soldier. Cincinnatus, having left the Roman army to return to his farm, was approached to become dictator of Rome, when the republic was threatened by the Aequi and the Volscians.

In 458 BCE (according to tradition), Cincinnatus, who had been consul in 460 BCE, was plowing his fields when messengers arrived to tell him he had been named dictator to defend the city against the Aequi and the Volscians. He took up the supreme command, defeated Rome's enemies, freed the beseiged consul Minucius, and returned to his farm, all within 16 days. Further, he refused the honors that came with his military victories.

Cincinnatus has come to be identified with public service -- accepting the call to public service in time of crisis, only to voluntarily give up the mantle of power when the crisis was past.

George Washington, following the Revolutionary War returned to his plantation, only to be called back into service to become President of the United States under the new Constitution. The Constitution made no provisions against, and he was offered, the job of President for life.

In the true spirit of Cincinnatus, after two terms, during which the underpinnings of the new nation were established, he returned to private life as a farmer. It is indeed the rare politician who seeks public office -- the office of President of the United States -- not out of personal ambition, but rather, out of public service.

Nearly every candidate, of both parties, seeking the office, have dreamed of that ambition since their youth. Unlike Washington, who saw the office as an obligation, most every candidate looks at President as the ultimate prize to cap their political career.

In my opinion, there is only one candidate who seeks this office for the right reason. Only one candidate, in my opinion, seeks the office because the nation has called him to serve.

While other candidates have planned and schemed for years, organizing their campaigns years in advance, carefully crafting their opinions to conform to the audience necessary to win their party's nomination -- and then the general election -- only one candidate has simply and honestly laid out detailed thoughts and policies to lead the nation forward.

While other candidates have courted the media, careful to say as little of substance as possible -- turning complex policy issues into nonsensical 30 second sound bites, only one candidate has refused to play the game.

One candidate has entered the presidential sweepstakes willingly taking a great financial loss. Many of the candidates have made a lifetime off the public trough, spending decades in government service. One candidate had to be dragged into the race. To many, that candidate appears to lack a fire to be President.

If, by lack of fire, detractors mean that he has not hungered after the office for his entire life -- he is certainly guilty as charged. If, on the other hand, those detractors mean to insinuate that lacking the lifetime ambition to power somehow disqualifies an individual to be President, they are sorely wrong.

We need merely look to the first President General of the Order of Cincinnatus to observe the qualities we SHOULD, as a nation seek in a leader. I think we have that leader, if only we do not discount him, taking instead a candidate with a lust for power.

President Bush Decides To Veto The National Defense Authorization Act

Budget Policy
By Steven Foley

In a surprising turn around (at least to me) The White House said today that the President plans to veto the bill due to a couple of discrepancies.

One portion would, as the report describes, "imperil Iraqi assets held in the United States, including reconstruction and central bank funds." and the other would "permit plaintiff's lawyers immediately to freeze Iraqi funds and would expose Iraq to massive liability in lawsuits concerning the misdeeds of the Saddam Hussein regime,"

This action will most likely jeopardize a 0.5 percent pay increase for troops which the White House said would work with Congress to correct.

Of course both Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are using this opportunity to object to the Presidents action saying the White House should have raised the issue sooner and a veto would be harmful to armed forces, which is odd considering this Congress (and Congressional Democrats in general) have done more harm to the troops than any other in the history of the U.S.

Here's what their statement said:

"Despite the Administration's earlier support for the Department of Defense authorization bill, it appears that President Bush plans to veto this legislation, which is crucial to our armed forces and their families," Pelosi and Reid said.

"We understand that the President is bowing to the demands of the Iraqi government, which is threatening to withdraw billions of dollars invested in U.S. banks if this bill is signed."

Now I realize a successful Iraq is counterproductive to the liberals’ agenda but this is ridiculous. Iraq threatening to withdraw billions of dollars invested in U.S. banks is a perfectly legitimate tactic to use in defense of overburdening a new and fledgling government! Iraqi officials know the kind of instability this bill opens them too is extremely harmful and possibly devastating to the continuing effort to build a viable government.

Once again it seems the Democrats are looking to impede any progress from occurring in Iraq and it shameful!

The White House added that a 3.5 percent increase in troop pay would go into effect even without the president's signature!


Cross posted from The Minority Report

Peace on Earth -- Goodwill Toward Christians and Muslims

WORLD NEWS

by David Hinz

A Christmas message of peace, sent by 138 Muslim scholars representing all sects of Islam, has called for peace on earth, and goodwill toward all men. Yahoo News of India reports that:

The greetings, sent by a group of 138 Sunni, Shi'ite, Sufi and other scholars who recently proposed a dialogue with Christian leaders, called for peace on earth and thanked church leaders who have responded positively to their invitation.

The message, as the dialogue proposal made in October, was unprecedented because there has not been until now such a large group of Islamic scholars that could draft a common letter.

Islam is a decentralised faith, with no pope or archbishop who can speak for believers as a group. While individual Muslim clerics have exchanged holiday greetings with Christians in the past, nothing on this scale has been possible before.

The message is linked as a PDF file here, and begins with a greeting in Arabic, English and Latin.

Al-Salaamu Aleikum; Peace be upon you; Pax Vobiscum

Peace be upon Jesus Christ who says: Peace is upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am resurrected (Chapter of Mary; the Holy Qur’an; 19:34).

During these joyful holidays we write to you, our Christian neighbors all over the world, in order to thank you truly for the beautiful and gracious responses that we Muslims have been receiving from the very first day we issued our invitation to come together to ‘A Common Word’ based on ‘Love of God and love of neighbor’ (see www.acommonword.com for the document and the responses).

We thank you and wish you all a joyous and peaceful Christmas Holiday Season commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.

The group of scholars first came into being as a response to Pope Benedict's Regensburg speech in 2006, during which he cited Islam as a religion of violence. The group of scholars first sought to correct what they saw as inaccuracies in the Pope's presentation, and then began to explore ways to bring the Christian and Islamic communities closer together.

They have developed a website, A Common Word, and seek a greater understanding between the religions. In the summary on their homepage, the clerics spell out their intent.

Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.

The basis for this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbour is thus the common ground between Islam and Christianity.

The website links to The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute in Amman, Jordan, headed by Jordanian Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed bin Talal. According to the Aal al-Bayt website:

The purpose of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought is to serve Islam and humanity at large. Among its objectives are: promoting awareness of Islam and Islamic thought, rectifying unsound ideas and misconceptions about Islam, highlighting the Islamic intellectual contribution and its impact on human civilization, deepening the dialogue and fostering cooperation between the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, highlighting the achievements of Aal al-Bayt (Household of the Prophet) and their calling for middle ground, moderation and tolerance, fostering the encounter of Muslim scholars, the strengthening of their intellectual links and exchange of opinions, and cooperating with research centres, institutes, academic entities and universities in accordance with the objectives of the Institute.

For those many of us who have decried the emergence of a moderate Islamic response to the radical Islamists that wage war against the West, this all comes as welcome news. While some Catholic scholars have expressed skepticism about the sincerity and motives of the Islamic group, many see this as a step closer to world peace.

We can only hope.

He Celebrates This Christmas With Jesus

By David Hinz

Yesterday, as I went about my yearly duty of delivering Christmas presents to those who use mail order or the internet to do their Christmas shopping (Fedex), I listened to Frank Beckmann on WJR Radio, speak to the father of an American serviceman, Sergeant Eddie Jeffers, who was killed September 19, 2007 in Iraq.

The father, David Jeffers has written a wonderful piece at The New Media Journal entitled, "His Best Christmas Ever." His father points out, that although his son has died;

And because Eddie is with Jesus, this will be his best Christmas ever!

If the name Sergeant Eddie Jeffers sounds familiar, it might well be because of a New Media Journal piece that he wrote entitled Hope Rides Again back in February. That piece has become one of the internet's most passed around articles, forwarded from email list to email list. Hope Rides Again talks about both the fears and the hopes of war.

I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others.

I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow them to see their families again...and yet, I too, am just a boy....my age not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid...because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.

A two year veteran of Iraq and the battle for Ramadi, his piece is a indictment of the anti-war peace movement, the congressional Democrats and the MSM. I recommend that you follow the link and read it in it's entirety. To pull a salient quote from that piece:

We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause and see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor...we cannot place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our cause.

He wrote that piece for New Media Journal on February 1, 2007. He was killed in a rollover accident on September 19, 2007. This will be his first Christmas in heaven. In his piece, his father states;

It almost seems ironic at times that “Mundy,” as he was known in his unit, would survive two tours of intense combat, some at close quarters, only to die in a vehicle crash. I believe this was all part of God’s plan.

Please read the entire piece, his father says it so much better than I ever could. Each and every one of us, throughout our lives, touch many other lives. Eddie Jeffers, both through his service to his country, and through his writings about that experience, has touched millions.

Christmas is a time for reflection, as well as a time for celebration. This Christmas, let us reflect on our servicemen and servicewomen far from home, and what their service means to all of us.

Merry Christmas

Schwarzenegger's Big Prisoner Release Plan

On Friday December 21 2007 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger floated a plan to release 22,000 low-risk offenders to save the cash-strapped state about $250 million annually.

According to the The Sacramento Bee:

the administration will ask the Legislature to authorize the release of certain non-serious, nonviolent, non-sex offenders who are in the final 20 months of their terms.

The proposal would cut the prison population by 22,159 inmates and save the cash-strapped state an estimated $256 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1 and more than $780 million through June 30, 2010. The proposal also calls for a reduction of more than 4,000 prison jobs, most of them involving correctional officers.

And just who are these “non-serious”, “non-violent”, “low risk” offenders?

Well, according to former state Sen. Jim Nielsen ”who chaired the California Board of Prison Terms from 1991 to 2000 and later served as Deputy Commissioner until 2007, the law considers human trafficking, child abuse, domestic violence, pimping a child for prostitution, solicitation to commit murder, elder abuse, hate crimes, torturing and killing a domestic animal, manufacturing methamphetamines, armed burglary, firearms felonies, sending Internet porn to minors, creation of child pornography, solicitation of rape and child molestation as non-serious and non-violent crimes.”

Already this plan is hitting major speed bumps from both Republicans and Democrats with Jose Solorio, D-Santa Ana, chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee and Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange voicing opposition saying "Many of us are going to have some very strong concerns about whether it's the direction we want to begin taking," and “Early releases are "DOA" with Assembly Republicans” respectively.

Spitzer also said:

the proposal to release the so-called nonviolent, nonserious, non-sex offenders in the final 20 months of their terms would undermine Assembly Bill 900. The $7.9 billion measure was enacted this year to add 53,000 prison and jail beds and more fully establish rehabilitation as the philosophical underpinning of California's correctional system.

"By letting people out 20 months early, which is supposed to be when they get their re-entry skills, they're not going to get them at all, so recidivism is going to get worse," Spitzer said. "This budget plan is a forfeiture of AB 900 principles, which was supposed to change how we treat criminality in California."

Gubernatorial spokesman Adam Mendelsohn said:

the administration still has not made a final decision on the budget proposal that would save the state $1.112 billion over the next two fiscal years. The governor has called for 10 percent spending cuts in every agency, which in the $9.9 billion Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, almost certainly would require substantial reductions in the inmate population of about 172,000 and the parolee population of 127,000, and in a labor force of 64,000.

Mendelsohn said that, with the state facing a $14 billion deficit, the governor faces difficult decisions as he prepares to unveil his budget proposal Jan. 10.

"With raising taxes not being an option," Mendelsohn said, "you have to look at very severe cuts."

But this is where this administration needs to step up and do the hard thing! The fix here is simple yet would prove to be the most controversial.

It’s time to deport all illegal aliens currently behind bars to their country of origin!

Tony Dolz a Cuban-born Hispanic legal immigrant and State of California Legislative Liaison for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and a man who’s running to replace Congressman Henry Waxman in California’s 30th Congressional District cites a report from the California Joint Committee on Prison Construction and Operations – saying:

California and its regional governments spend more than $500 million a year to arrest and imprison illegal aliens. The cost of incarcerating illegal aliens in California is twice the amount of money that the Governor would like to save by releasing 22,000 felons. The report estimates the total legal costs of crimes committed in California by people who are not legal U.S. residents is estimated to be between $1 billion to $1.5 billion a year. Think about the cost of property losses, lost wages due to injuries, insurance payments, medical payment; and emotional and psychological treatment to innocent victims and how that could swell the dollar amount that we are given. In addition to dollar amounts, how can we calculate the damage to our quality of life at the hands of illegal aliens harming us, our environment and our way of life?

What are our chances of getting harmed by the release of thousands of inmates?

CSUSD Professor Paul Sutton on a 2007 research paper documented a 70% recidivism rate for California inmates; a figured echoed by Governor Schwarzenegger in a June 2007 interview with the Washington Post. Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca, was quoted today as saying that releasing those 22, 000 inmates was going to seriously increase crime in the county.

The Governor and the legislature know full well that you and I have an excellent chance of being victimized by one of these 22,000 felons.

Another thing to consider is that illegal aliens loose in our streets cost us far more than citizens and legal permanent residents do, even criminal ones. Deported illegal aliens would result in permanent savings and a much better solution for a Governor that is rumored to aspire to the U.S. Senate. Illegal aliens cost the state taxpayers $10.5 billion annually in services according to CIS and other sources. Illegal aliens are less likely to have health insurance and Workman’s compensation than citizens holding a valid Social Security number, because their employers have hired them in order to exploit them and give them few if any benefits. To make up for that lack of care from the employers, illegal aliens turn to social services and us the taxpayers or in some cases us the crime victims. According to the U.S. Justice Department up to 40% of illegal aliens do not report income to the state or federal government because they fear apprehension and because they do not have a valid Social Security number. That is a lot of income not generating tax revenue.

I agree with Dolz and his solution, in fact, it was the very first thing I thought of upon hearing the story. Dolz outlines two simple yet practical and economical solutions to this problem that I fully agree with and stand behind:

"I ask that the Governor enroll the prison system in the federal government’s E-Verify program. The E-Verify program is a free and easy to use online system that will verify person’s immigration and legal resident status.

The second suggestion is for the Governor to call the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and have the illegal aliens in our prisons picked up and deported.

So Governor, here are the telephone numbers:

(1) E-Verify Program 888-464-4218

(2) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 866-347-2423"

Bottom line is illegal aliens cost California around $8.8 billion a year that’s $1,183 per native household according to FAIR with some estimating that number as high as 10B.

If this State is in economic crisis and has the Governor looking at creative ways to cut the budget this should be the first action on the list along with severely cutting the almost 45% of CA revenue going to the failed Education bureaucracy.

This state cannot continue to carry the burden of illegal aliens especially those of criminal illegal aliens!


Cross posted from The Minority Report

Christmas Is......

There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say, Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!''

So said Fred Holliwell , the nephew of Ebeneezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens," A Christmas Carol." Christmas is many things to many people. For some it is Santa Claus and toy building elves. For others it is a time to spend time with family and friends and for some a time to share, "Christmas spirits."

But amidst all of the festivities the one fact that must not be forgotten and cannot be denied is that Christmas regardless of ones spiritual beliefs or lack there of is a celebration of a precious birth. A birth, that though it did not take place in December of our calendar year, still effects all of mankind to this very day. A birth that changed history and in whose life all history finds its center.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

So many years ago in Bethlehem this Child who was born, a gift to all mankind in a lowly manger, who would grow to become the sacrifice that a just God required for the transgressions of man and in whose name forgiveness can be found. "And His name shall be called Jesus."

We in the United States have a particular reason to celebrate the birth of the Son of God for it is because of His birth, His death and His resurrection that this nation was born. The Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth in 1620 came to this land to find freedom to worship God as their hearts guided them and thus our Founding Fathers in their wisdom placed the freedom to worship according to ones heart and conscience as our first and foremost right in this nation that we love.

From the very birth of our nation Christmas has been a celebration of the birth of the King of Kings and though the politically correct have been trying to eliminate Him from our present day Christmas the fact still remains that He is the Reason for the Season. Without His birth there would be no Christmas nor the need for the celebration. Though we are a melting pot of many religions and many nationalities the underlying truth still remains that the birth of The Christ is why Christmas exists.

Yet in our freedoms this does not force anyone to celebrate His birth as Christians do for many in their religious or non-religious beliefs do not recognize Him yet we all live in the freedom and liberty that His birth allowed which in-turn gave life to our nation in the search for religious freedom. So as you join with your families and friends this Christmas and you are among those who believe in the Son of God then give thanks to Him for His coming and all that we are, who we are as a nation and His many blessings bestowed.

If your beliefs are of another nature then take a moment to reflect on this great land that we live in and give thanks in your own way for this land of the free and home of the brave. May the blessings of Christmas be yours now and throughout the New Year. Thank you each one for being a part of this blog. Merry Christmas to each of you and as Tiny Tim observed, " God bless us, everyone!"

Ken Taylor

A God Given Purpose Named Shrek

My students would have never guessed how God would use Shrek to strengthen my relationship with them.

The Monday before Thanksgiving, Shrek was alive and happy. His day began with a walk through the woods and around a pond that we called his swamp. Strangers always recognized how the green-cartoon ogre had inspired his name.

Shrek was a happy and handsome English bulldog -- well, he thought he was handsome anyway. His massive chest, narrow keister, and chubby-round head truly brought the cartoon ogre to life.

The relationship between man and dog is interesting. And God clearly has a plan for everything. I would have never imagined, however, that God would choose a 57-pound, white English bulldog to teach me so much about the value of patience and composed leadership.

As a former wrestler and Marine, I understood how controlled aggression, as well as an austere demeanor, could serve as an asset in certain situations. Even as a high school English teacher, those qualities proved useful when reprimanding a student lacking self-discipline or respect for authority. However, in dealing with a strong-headed English bulldog, an aggressive nature served only to exacerbate conflicts involving Shrek’s incredibly stubborn determination.

Through trial and error, I eventually discovered that a quiet and austere character could always defuse Shrek’s worst acts of defiance. But by failing to control my frustration or anger, I exposed a weakness. This little bulldog instinctively recognized my failing, and he would become embolden to behave even worse than when the confrontation began. A bulldog’s tenacity is something to admire, but it will certainly test any human being’s resolve and character.

Surprisingly, working with Shrek helped me to mature as a leader and a teacher. Shrek galvanized a dog’s lesson about leadership that most importantly applies to people, too: people do not follow someone else because they merely like that person; we feel compelled to follow someone because we respect and admire that person. Our conduct is what commands respect from others. Losing our self-control is a surefire way to lose the respect of those who depend on us.

As much as they deny it, teenagers are searching for leadership. And leaders are obligated to inspire others to attempt tackling goals that individuals wouldn’t ordinarily attempt on their own. Amazingly, Shrek helped me become a more composed leader. He was not going to behave himself without a composed-patient influence. My students responded well to the same approach.

Shrek had a knack for making people laugh and grin. He had mastered this undertaking so well

that he could even do it when he was asleep or behaving badly, just like some children. Simply looking at Shrek’s wrinkled face, protruding teeth, and oversized-crinkled tongue made people happy. His obnoxious snoring and deep breathing were uniquely comforting, too. Most of all, his tenacious spirit would have made Winston Churchill smile.

Sadly though, Shrek died that Monday afternoon. His departure caught us off guard, as he had shown no signs of aging. Ironically, the little dog that we loved so much passed away the same day that a disgraced Michael Vick began serving time for his merciless treatment of man’s best friend.

As Shrek passed away, I held him in my arms and told him how much we loved him. He died before getting him to the vet. At Thanksgiving, we remembered the treasured time Shrek had shared with us. We smiled, too, when we saw the giant, green balloon -- of the ogre who had inspired his name -- flying high in the Macy’s Day Parade. The celebration was a fitting tribute to a little spirit who had provided so much joy -- as well as trouble -- during his short, wonderful life.

The following note from a former student conveys a touching message that many of us could share with the four-legged purpose that God has given you:

Dear Mr. Culpepper, The first day I was in your class I wanted to kill you because you'd put me on the spot with a simple question; you could tell I wasn't plugged in, and you called me on it. You weren't going to settle for [my] "stoner" image, for me to just take up space in the class. I was really mad but [the confrontation] also challenged me. It made me take a hard look at myself and motivated me to prove there was more to me; you motivated me to give you my best. You also reminded me of my love for literature. You were the first teacher to confront me, to make me care, and over time you gave me a lot of self confidence with my writing. It really made a difference in me. After completing your class, I looked at teachers differently. I began participating, got more out of classes, and was able to connect with other teachers. I want you to know that you got through to me; it will have a positive influence on me forever. Thank you! Nick

Nick’s thoughtful letter articulates the message I have for Shrek. I want him to know that he got through to me. And I know that his incredibly obstinate will was the divine influence I needed.

(Lee Culpepper is a Marine turned English teacher. Currently, he is writing his first book, Alone and Unafraid: One Marine’s Counterattack Inside the Walls of Public Education.)

Waterboarding Is A Kiddie Ride Compared To This

by Gordon Taylor

From the AP we get a story of the discovery of a Al - Qaida tourture center NE of Baghad.

"We discovered several (weapons) caches, a torture facility that had chains, a bed — an iron bed that was still connected to a battery — knives and swords that were still covered in blood as we went in to go after the terrorists in that area," said Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, the top U.S. commander in northern Iraq.

In addition to the tourture chamber, they also found a mass grave:

The military said it thinks the site was run by al-Qaida in Iraq, and it was found based on tips from local Iraqis. Graves containing 26 bodies were found nearby.

How many mass graves have been uncovered in Gitmo or other facilities used to interogate alledged terrorists?

I am not equating the United States military with al-Qaida, not by any stretch of the imagination. I am just saying, "War is horrible, in all it's colors" and based on what our humanitarians have discovered in Iraq, Africa and else where, waterboarding is like a kiddie ride at the carnival. We ought not sink to the level of these degenerates, but come on, we have a right to extract information from the enemy. I'm just sayin'

The AMT Proves To Be A Taxing Time For Democrats

The Blue Dog Democrats

In 1969 the alternative minimum tax (or AMT) passed into law to prevent a very small group of high income earners (at the time) from avoiding paying income tax altogether. The problem (other than the passage of the bill in the first place) is that the AMT was not indexed for inflation therefore over the years more and more middle income and high middle income citizens are being folded into paying this tax, with some 20 percent of taxpayers in-line to get hit with this year!

In response, Congress has been approving yearly "patches" to the AMT but House Democrats ran into a problem this year in the form of the Blue Dog Democrat voting bloc.

Key House Bloc Opens Door to Alternative Minimum Tax Approval

A key House bloc of fiscally conservative Democrats — who are angered over the handling of legislation to fix the alternative minimum tax — on Wednesday backed off its threat to hold Congress hostage over the winter break, giving a major boost to the likelihood of the bill passing by year's end.

The House was scheduled to vote Wednesday on the patch, which is aimed at keeping the tax from affecting another 20 million more Americans. The version the House will vote on passed the Senate Tuesday night, and does not increase taxes elsewhere to pay for the lost revenue, expected to be about $50 billion. If passed, the bill would go to the president's desk.

The tax initially was aimed at the richest Americans but was not pegged for inflation, so it has steadily included more and more taxpayers. Without a permanent change to the law, Congress must act every year to stem the AMT's creep into more tax filings.

The Blue Dog Democrats — 47 House members who stand on a fiscally conservative platform —favored a fix, but they wanted it to be paid for. The Blue Dogs advocate pay-as-you-go spending that requires any increases in spending to be paid for with increases in revenue.

To get what they wanted, the Blue Dogs had threatened to vote in opposition of the version of the patch that the Senate passed, as well as possibly garner enough votes to prevent the House from adjourning for its holiday recess.


But Wednesday, Blue Dog Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark. — who has been leading the charge on the AMT issue — said that in the end, they he believes that fighting the bill and keeping the House in session through the holidays would punish no one except staff.

"The whole situation is very frustrating to us," Ross said, refraining from criticizing House Democratic leaders.

"They hung tough I think. They hung with the Blue Dogs to the very end. They had to go for paying for it (the AMT) or not covering 20 million people. Our regret as Blue Dogs is that we couldn't give them both," Ross said.

Senate Republicans blocked the Senate from taking up legislation that includes a tax increase, and Bush threatened to veto any bill that raised taxes.

The Senate vote was 48-46 for the House bill, 12 short of the 60 needed to approve it. In so doing the House had no choice but to take up the Senate bill, which shields some 21 million taxpayers without a means to cover the cost to the Treasury.

Now, the best approach in my opinion, would be to combine AMT repeal and extension of the Bush tax cuts with a mass repeal of tax exemptions... but with this congress that may be a tall order.

In Michael Barone's piece yesterday entitled A Taxing Time For Democrats of which I borrowed for my title (thanks Michael) outlines the predicament Democrats are finding themselves in:

The paradox is that the same Democrats who want to increase top-bracket income and capital-gains tax rates are desperately eager to spare relatively high earners from the AMT. So desperate that Senate Democrats agreed to waive the "paygo" rule they reinstated when they took control. Paygo requires that a tax cut be offset by a tax increase or a spending cut of corresponding dollar amounts. But when the Senate early this month passed its $50 billion AMT "patch" exempting 23 million taxpayers from the AMT for one year, it waived the paygo rule. House Democrats are simmering, but they will probably have to go along. There's a process argument for waiving paygo, which is that future AMT revenues are fictitious because no Congress will allow the tax to go into effect. But it's nonetheless embarrassing for Democrats to renounce a rule they adopted as a guarantee of their fiscal responsibility.

The reason Democrats risked this embarrassment is that the AMT tends to fall on voters in places with high state and local government spending and taxes, Democratic places like Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and California. Taxpayers hit by the AMT can't deduct state and local taxes from their federal income tax bill. Sooner or later, that puts downward political pressure on state and local spending. And that, in turn, threatens the vested interest of a key Democratic constituency, the public employee unions. Democratic voters in suburban New Jersey, for example, who feel far from rich face a substantial tax increase if they're suddenly covered by the AMT. They may take their revenge on Democratic candidates and on New Jersey public employee union members.

In the end it appears as though Taxes may play a much bigger role in the 2008 general election than many were prepared to admit. With a declining budget and the very real possibility of recession, the Democrats platform of raising taxes my not only be disastrous to our economy (a recession in never a good time for raising taxes) but my also keep them from obtaining the White House in 2009.

Mr. Barone says it best -- "A tax increase in a recession is usually not a good idea. And Republicans will say that when Democrats promise to tax the rich, they end up raising taxes on the ordinary person, as Bill Clinton and the Democratic Congress did in 1993. The Democrats' desperation to patch the AMT and their willingness to break their own paygo rule suggest that they fear the wrath of those New Jersey suburbanites more than they let on."


Cross posted from The Minority Report

Feds picking on Michigan: Where's the outrage on the left?

Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

The Grinch is back at it trying to steal Christmas from the domestic auto industry again. The same day that Congress officially signs off on a massive new set of rules and regulations expected to push Michigan's largest job suppliers to the brink of bankruptcy we get word from one auto company in particular that they're ready to kill 5,200 jobs in the next year. Which sort of makes the Governor's little happy dance over a recent promise of 500 new jobs over 5 years seem that much more silly. What with her promising tens of millions in tax breaks just to buy that much good news and all. But that's where we sit today.

Michigan companies being targeted by the federal government and nary a Democrat Congressman to lead a filibuster. The radical new CAFE spike moved yesterday and is expected to be signed by the President today with much fanfare. This energy "plan" is going to kill Michigan jobs. It's basically knee-capping Ford, GM and Chrysler by imposing massive fuel economy increases on their vehicle fleets and telling them what they can make and what they can't instead of letting the market dictate production. According to the Detroit News:

"This is basically a no energy bill," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, listing a litany of problems with the bill, including the fact that the technology doesn't exist to produce enough ethanol required by 2022. He predicted that autos would increase in price by 10 percent to 15 percent as a result of the increase in fuel efficiency standards.

The Bush Administration said earlier this year a similar fuel economy is likely to cost the auto industry $114 billion over 10 years, with Detroit's Big Three paying $85 billion. General Motors Corp. has said the $40 billion government estimate is "probably low" and could add as much as $5,000 per vehicle...

Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, said the bill's passage was a "glimmer of hope that we will be able to get beyond the gridlock."

Well of course, Congressman. If you're willing to sell your home State up the river then you'll always be able to get past gridlock. But is getting past gridlock what your district sent you to Washington to do?

Now let me say this very plainly... I disagree with the President on this one. Vehemently. He's a Republican. I'm a Republican. But that doesn't stop me from calling him out and saying he's wrong. Because I'm also a Michigan resident. This is a State I love. I was born here, raised here and Lord willing I'll raise my own family here. And I don't particularly like it when the federal government kicks us when we're down.

Of course it would be nice if we could present a united front here in the State that put the world on wheels. I'd welcome and encourage my friends in the regressisphere to join with me in telling the truth about this new package of legislation. In calling out those who voted for it and more than anything, in putting Michigan first. That might mean taking off those Democrat blinders for a minute but for the love of pete, we're talking about real jobs and real families right here at home.

And it isn't like the industry isn't having a tough enough time on it's own. The Ivory Tower reports that General Motors is prepared to let go 5,200 more workers through buyouts and retirement incentives.

"We continue to work closely with our UAW partners to improve our competitiveness in the currently challenging U.S. market conditions," GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said in a statement. "This first phase of a comprehensive attrition program, designed in conformance with the 2007 UAW national labor agreement, provides our employees with attractive options to consider."

Let me translate that for you... "we can't afford you any more and we're going to take you out behind the woodshed. If you volunteer we'll make it quick and painless. Do you want a blindfold and a cigarette?"

These are the decisions that thousands of Michigan families are faced with right now a week before Christmas. And the Democrats in Congress and the President are piling on. Where's the outrage on the left?

There's a full-court-press going these days on the lefty blogs warning about the dangers of the right-to-work movement (because personal freedom is a dangerous thing). They claim to support union workers. They love union workers. They're all about the middle class.

But why aren't they all about Michigan? Does the regressisphere only care about working families during campaigns? Only during election years? Maybe in a few months when we're closer to November 08 they'll find a voice and start to pretend to care about moms and dads across the State. Heaven knows it isn't politically expedient to defend their home State now.

Maybe I can add that one to my Christmas wish list. A heart for each of the politicians, elected officials and bloggers on the left.

Might as well add consistency to the list too. I haven't seen a single article or admission explaining how tax cuts bring jobs to the State, despite the announcement yesterday from the MEDC of tens of millions of dollars to get a half dozen companies to expand operations here in Michigan.

The Associated Press reports that each of the companies was promised a sweet deal from the State's economic development arm. Tax cuts and incentives. Meaning they'll invest and grow and produce more tax revenue. That's how it works. We see it in the news day after day after day.

But still no "we were wrong" from Andy Dillon, Jennifer Granholm or their lapdogs on blogs around the State. And that's OK. The Democrat Party has a rightly earned and growing reputation for being full of liars, criminals, racists and moral relativists. Their lack of integrity on economic issues is certainly no surprise.

The $516 Billion Ominous Spending Bill

Do-Nothing Congress:
Omnibus Ominous Spending Bill


Last night the House approved a $516 Billion Spending Bill which funded our troops in Afghanistan, Ignored our troops in Iraq, shifted billions of dollars into sensitive programs the president sought to cut and guts the Secure Fence Act!

More blow the fold...

The House Monday approved a $516 billion measure funding 14 Cabinet agencies and funding for troops in Afghanistan, setting the stage for a year-end budget deal with the White House.

President Bush has signaled he'll ultimately sign the measure — assuming up to $40 billion more is provided by the Senate for the Iraq war — despite opposition from GOP conservatives.

In an unusual two-step, lawmakers first voted 253-154 to approve the omnibus spending bill; they then voted 206-201 to add $31 billion for troops in Afghanistan to the measure. The combined $516 billion spending package is set for Senate debate on Tuesday.

At today's bloggers lunch at The Heritage Foundation Senator Tom Coburn and Representatives Jeb Hensarling and Roy Blunt all weighed in on the bill saying while voting against the bill, for the most part, it's far better than one would have hoped to see from a Democrat controlled House and Senate.

Omnibus or Ominous Spending Bill, as WHIP Blunt described it was given to members of the House 24 hours before the vote. Being that the bill stood about 2 feet tall and has more pages than the Bible, the Koran, and Webster’s dictionary combined it's a monumental feat to decipher in 24 hours.

Congressman Blunt said this about the bill:

"In trying to push through a half-trillion dollars in government spending this evening, Democrats will claim their bottom-line numbers are in line with the president's, and their top-line priorities are in line with the American people's. But as page after page of this massive document makes plain, neither contention is true.

"Standing more than a foot tall and coming in at 3,000 pages, examples of misguided policy decisions in this bill are not difficult to find. On one page, for instance, you will find a set of new restrictions on the construction of our security fence along the border; on another, $10 million in 'emergency' funding for attorneys of illegal immigrants. Along with those, you'll even find language gutting a Senate-passed provision encouraging English in the workplace. And as we continue to cull through the text, that may prove to be just the tip of the iceberg.

"But worse than what's in the bill -- and there's plenty here to be concerned about -- is what was deliberately left out: the funds our men and women in uniform need to build on their progress in Iraq and return home safe, secure and successful. On the necessity of these resources, the secretary of Defense could not have been clearer. But as the first session of this Congress comes to a close, it appears House Democrats would prefer to leave our troops out in the cold.

"For all these reasons, and many others, I will vote against this
misguided omnibus bill tonight."

I want to draw your attention to a new site that Heritage has lunched to use as a resource for tracking this bill called Omnibusting. There is a wealth of information stored on the site a lot of which I'm sharing with you in this piece.

Earmarks:


In his 2007 State of the Union address, President Bush said: " Next, there is the matter of earmarks. These special interest items are often slipped into bills at the last hour – when not even C-SPAN is watching. In 2005 alone, the number of earmarks grew to over 13,000 and totaled nearly $18 billion. Even worse, over 90 percent of earmarks never make it to the floor of the House and Senate – they are dropped into committee reports that are not even part of the bill that arrives on my desk. You didn't vote them into law. I didn't sign them into law. Yet, they're treated as if they have the force of law. The time has come to end this practice. So let us work together to reform the budget process, expose every earmark to the light of day and to a vote in Congress, and cut the number and cost of earmarks at least in half by the end of this session."

According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), there were 13,492 appropriations earmarks in fiscal year 2005 see Earmarks in 2005 Appropriation Bills so in order to meet the president's "50 percent reduction," Congress could not pass more than 6,476 earmarks for fiscal year 2008.

Yet, the 2008 omnibus spending bill contains 9,170 earmarks in the 2008 omnibus spending bill. This total, in addition to the 2,161 earmarks in the 2008 defense spending bill (none of which were requested by the Pentagon), bring this year's earmark total to 11,331 earmarks for 2008, a mere 16 percent reduction compared to OMB's baseline of 13,492 earmarks in 2005. (Note: all earmark estimates exclude earmarks requested by the White House.) See Sen. Coburn's site for more details

Winners and Losers: Omnibus Favors Some Government Programs More Than Others

Lawmakers boosted funding for these programs:

• NEA Increase: $20 million increase for the National Endowment of the Arts

• Foreign Aid Increase: $1.5 billion increase for state and foreign operations

• AFL-CIO Grants: two non-competitive grants for the AFL-CIO totaling $3.7 million

• New Office Building: $16 million to convert the former FDA building for use by the House. In addition to the Capitol, the House already has four office buildings—and is still yet to complete construction on a new Capitol Visitors Center.

These programs will be shortchanged in fiscal 2008:

• BRAC: The President’s Budget Request for BRAC is reduced by $900 million.

• Nuclear Weapons Modernization: Democrats eliminated all funding ($89 million requested) for the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) which helps modernize the nuclear weapons stockpile. Absent funding, the performance and reliability of existing weapons may require maintenance of an even larger stockpile in the future.

• IDEA Cuts: The Democrat Omnibus diverts $23 million from IDEA funding to fund a new and untested program for state personnel development.

• Adoption Cuts: Reduced funding for the Adoption Incentives Program from $9.5 million to $4.3 million.

• Farm Service Agencies: Funded at $98 million below the request.

In terms of total cost, this year's earmark total may exceed the total from 2005 when Congress passed nearly $18 billion in earmarks.

Notable earmarks in the 2008 omnibus spending bill include:

$576,000 to manage weeds
Rodent control in Alaska ($113,000)
Olive fruit fly research in France ($213,000)
Hunting and Fishing Museum in Pennsylvania ($200,000)
Louis Armstrong Museum in New York ($150,000)
A bike trail in Minnesota ($700,000)
A river walk in Massachusetts ($1,000,000)
A post office museum in downtown Las Vegas ($200,000); and
The Lincoln Park Zoo in Illinois ($37,000)

Omnibus Guts Secure Fence Act


The Washington Times reports -- Spending bill shrinks border fence:

Congress last night passed a giant new spending bill that undermines current plans for a U.S.-Mexico border fence, allowing the Homeland Security Department to build a single-tier barrier rather than the two-tier version that has worked in California.

-Snip-

"The fact that this was buried in a bloated, 3,500-page omnibus speaks volumes about the Democrats' unserious approach on border security and illegal immigration," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican. "Gutting the Secure Fence Act will make our borders less secure, but it's consistent with the pattern of behavior we've seen all year from this majority."

The 2006 Secure Fence Act specifically called for "two layers of reinforced fencing" and listed five specific sections of border where it should be installed. The new spending bill removes the two-tier requirement and the list of locations

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Peter King, called the change “unacceptable.” And Rep. Duncan Hunter said it would be “a significant step backwards.”

Bad Policy


This bill is Packed With Bad Policy which are outlined here:

• Immigration and Secure Borders: The omnibus includes new restrictions that will delay and in some cases prevent construction of the full border fence, including: removing all specific locations included in the Secure Fence Act; requiring excessive consultation with numerous government officials prior to construction and requiring an explanation for why each 15-mile segment of fencing is necessary rather than an alternative security measure. Finally, the bill excludes an amendment adopted by the House four different times that would prevent the awarding of any government contract to an entity that does not participate in the E-Verify System, or basic pilot on the internet.

• English in the Workplace: The omnibus excludes Senate-passed and House-supported language that would ensure that employers are not subject to government-funded lawsuits for requiring English in the workplace (e.g. Salvation Army).

• Plan Colombia Cuts: The omnibus cuts $93 Billion in military assistance under Plan Colombia from President’s request, meaning that fixed-wing and helicopter interdiction programs critical to the success of Plan Colombia are likely to be curtailed or stopped entirely. Development aid and counter narcotics work are largely dependent upon the Colombian government’s ability to get manpower and resources into otherwise unreachable areas.

• Assistance to North Korea: The omnibus provides $53 million for energy-related assistance to North Korea without requiring any concessions by the North Koreans on their nuclear activities.

• Cuba Restrictions Weakened: While not expressly authorizing counter-narcotics cooperation with Cuba, the Omnibus does omit the prohibition on such efforts which has been carried in previous years.

• Abstinence Funding: The omnibus repeals the requirement in existing law that 33% of Global HIV/AIDS funding be expended for abstinence-until-marriage programs.

• Restricting U.S. Energy Sources: The omnibus prohibits funding for oil shale commercial regulations. Without these regulations, commercial production of the United States’ 2 trillion barrels of oil shale resources is impossible.

• Reducing Funds for States’ Energy Production: The onshore states’ share of revenues from federal oil and gas production is reduced by 2% from 50% to 48%. This breaks a longstanding 50/50 partnership between the Federal government and states.

And these are the major issues that the Republican leadership, spearheaded by Congressmen Blunts office has managed to get through with only 24 hours of review.

Here are Majority Leader John Boehner's and Sen. Jim DeMint's comments and reaction to the passage of this bill in the house:

Misplaced priorities

House Majority Leader John Boehner of Ohio called the half-trillion dollar spending bill "troubling and unacceptable" and an example of "misplaced priorities."

"Even though American troops have made dramatic and universally-recognized progress against al Qaeda in Iraq this year, House Democratic leaders have failed to include the resources necessary to complete their mission," Boehner said.

"Our Armed Forces have made remarkable strides under General Petraeus' strategy, and it is essential that Congress provides them all of the resources they need to defeat the terrorist threat. Yet it seems clear that Democrats are planning to pile billions in worthless pork onto the backs of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. To use our men and women in harm's way as pawns in such a transparent scheme is as cynical as it is irresponsible," Boehner said.

The bill will encounter more Republican opposition in the Senate today.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has called the House-passed bill "completely unacceptable" and a "bad deal."

"Instead of passing a clean bill, Democrats have packed it full of controversial policy riders, wasteful earmarks, and budget gimmicks that add billions in additional domestic spending over the President's level," DeMint said.

Even though many lawmakers are rushing to begin their Christmas vacations, "we have a responsibility to stop wasteful Washington spending and protect American taxpayers," DeMint said on Monday.

He said the bill contains over 8,000 earmarks (pork barrel projects), bringing the total for 2008 up to more than 10,000 earmarks compared to just 2,658 in 2007.

DeMint also complained about "spending gimmicks" that he says have been used to hide at least $14-billion in extra domestic spending.

The spending bill goes beyond what is needed to fund government operations. It also includes "unrelated policy items," DeMint complained. "Many of these riders are backed by special interests, such as organized labor, and could not win passage on their own," he said.

In the end, "We can and should do much better" the democrats have backed themselves into a corner where their only two options are to give in as they did here in the House version (that doesn't go far enough in my opinion) or be faced with a "Continuing Resolution" which would be far worse for them politically.

Now is the time to call on Senate Republicans and Conservative Democrats (if there are any left with the stones to brake with their leadership) to stop this legislation from seeing the Presidents desk.

But just in case I'm standing behind, and encouraging all of you to stand behind U.S. Senators Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) and Jim DeMint (R-SC), and U.S. Representatives John Shadegg (R-AZ), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and John Campbell (R-CA) in their call for President Bush to keep his commitment to cut the number and cost of earmarks at least in half.

I'll leave you with comments from a few of them:

"Once again, Democrats have broken their promises. Democrats promised to cut earmarks in half, but this bill doesn't even come close. In fact, this omnibus could spend more on pork than any appropriations bill in history. Americans want us to end the wasteful and corrupting earmark system that helps special interests at the expense of taxpayers. This bill is earmark business as usual and it deserves to be rejected," Sen. DeMint said.

"No American taxpayer should tolerate Members of Congress spending hard earned tax dollars on pet projects that benefit their cronies or seek to buy themselves back into office. Yet, once again, this bill demonstrates that is exactly what the Congress is doing. Every reform promise has proven hollow. The President should veto this bill and demand an end to self serving Congressional corruption," Rep. Shadegg said.

"Despite claims that they were going to clean up the pork, Democrats produced a massive spending bill that contains nearly 700 pages of 9,000 plus earmarks. Worse, Democrats are forcing members to vote on these earmarks without allowing any time to investigate their merit. Though not all these earmarks will be bad, it is clear that once again the earmarking process has lent itself to the triumph of seniority over merit, secrecy over transparency, and the special interest over the national interest. That alone would be reason enough to veto the bill. The nation would be far better off with a Continuing Resolution than passing a 3,000 page, rammed-down-your-throat spending bill chock full of uninvestigated earmarks," Rep. Hensarling said.

"This omnibus bill still spends too much, includes over 9,000 earmarks, is loaded with accounting gimmicks, and members of Congress were given 24 hours to review all 3,000 pages of it. I urge the President to veto it," Rep. Campbell said.

Cross posted from The Minority Report

Fred Thompson's Revival

Many have already counted him out. In fact quite a number of the political pundits have not had much to say about Fred Thompson for some time. Not much except making comment about how his campaign seems lazy or that Thompson does not seem to have any energy etc.

Then came last weeks Iowa debate and Fred not only hit a home run but it was a Grand Slam and were it in a World Series it most likely would have been the game winner. He has been making the talking heads tour and added a visit to Fox News in which the hosts mentioned that Fred seems to have his energy back and his vigor.

Personally I do not believe that he ever lost it. Fred is a Southerner and as such his approach to things displays an easy going manner as do most true Southerners. The pundits and analysts have never understood this and because of his somewhat easy approach have counted him out thinking that because he was easy going and had that southern drawl that Fred just had no energy.

Yet his campaign has been touring by bus in all of the early primary states not to mention constant visits to the Super Tuesday States. For anyone who has traveled especially on a long bus trip it not only takes a considerable amount of energy but it is also very taxing on the nerves!

Fred is beginning a non-stop bus tour of Iowa this week taking him to nearly every nook and cranny throughout the state. Along with the bus tour he is kicking up his advertising a notch in States like South Carolina and Florida. In every instance his constant message is strong conservatism , US security and prosperity, fiscal responsibility and reducing the tax burden on the American people.

Fred is the only candidate to introduce common sense policy plans for Social Security, reducing the size and spending of the Federal Government and Immigration Reform that deals with border security first followed by specific plans to control the 12 million illegal aliens in the United States through a combination of employer penalties for hiring illegals and tracking them by following the money.

He is also the only candidate to frankly talk about and present programs that will tackle the out of control entitlement problems that are bankrupting this nation and must be either eliminated or brought under control.

This common sense approach and his strong conservative values and political philosophy will play very well as Fred tours extensively, personal meeting with people to bring his message. So for those who have counted Fred out, "don't count your chickens before they hatch."

There are still more than two weeks until Iowa and two weeks more before South Carolina and the big push before Super Tuesday. Every State is up for grabs and those who have been surging in the polls are starting to fade as records are revealed and voters are scrutinizing candidates to make their decision as to which Presidential hopeful deserves their vote.

Polls still have the undecided voters in the high twenties and in some States the low thirties. Which can put any candidate over the top. Fred has received a good bit of mileage from his Iowa debate win and there seems to be some momentum growing.

Time and the final vote count will be the only true indicator as to who will peak at the right time in order to win any particular State that is holding either a Caucus or Primary between January 3 and February 5. No one in the top five candidates can be counted out, especially when the undecided numbers are factored into any of the top fives polling totals, Fred included.

A strong Iowa finish for Fred will give him great momentum for South Carolina and Florida. Then with so many States falling on Super Tuesday, Fred still has a strong possibility of finishing the Primary push with not only several State wins but a strong enough position to take the nomination process to the Convention in September and then from there to the White House in November.

Ken Taylor http://theliberalslies.blogspot.com/


Fred receives endorsement from the troops - courtesy of Marie's Two Cents

The Bomb, Iran's Mullahs and Doomsday

The Bomb, Iran's Mullahs and Doomsday
By: Amil Imani

It is the holiday season and we all have received this most welcome present: the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate about Iran’s nuclear problem. Since 2003 the mullahs running Iran have, on their own and through their own goodwill, have ceased all activities aimed at acquiring the bomb, so says the report.

Therefore, there is nothing to worry about folks, nothing to spoil the holiday season, and there is good reason to be upbeat about a safe and secure world.

Superficial reading of the CIA’s presentation of the findings is the comfort pill that successfully sugar-coats swallowing even the most unpalatable news.

A word of advice for President Bush: now you can also relax and give the celebratory mood a boost by ordering the armed forces to stand down. We have enough trouble in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hot spots of the world. This huge worry about the mullahs’ bomb is a distraction and doesn’t rate anything. Why listen to the warmonger alarmist Dick Cheney and his Neo-cons and keep us all in a jittery mood about the men-of-Allah mullahs?

Mr. President, in addition to the comforting NIE report (which was incidentally ordered by your adoring fans, Congress Democrats), you probably want to hear the dissenters and the skeptics before impulsively singing the praise of the mullahs, as Jimmy Carter did, or hastily launching a re-enactment of “ Shock and Awe,” this time on Iran.

* Prudence demands that you, as our President, make your decision on the basis of facts, first and foremost, and then weigh the opinions, conjectures, and advice of others. You need to do the same with the report. Don’t let the medium, the clever packaging of the report, become or even obscure the message. Once you do that, you will find an awful lot of troubling issues. Let me summarize things as I see them.

* Iran, under the late shah, launched a plan to achieve “Surge Capacity:” A code word for getting all the ingredients and procedures down pat for making the bomb quickly, short of actually making it; a clever power-play.

* A saint and revered man of God, according to none other than Jimmy Carter (who considers himself as another great man of God), the late Ayatollah Khomeini cancelled the nuclear program with the same saintly and prompt edict that he cancelled the life of thousands of Iranians for daring to disagree with his system of medieval Sharia rule.

* After Khomeini’s demise, another mullah much more crafty and ambitious, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, became the president and re-activated the program secretly, while the IAEA watchdog snoozed contentedly on the job.

* Decades later, some Iranians opposed to the rule of the murdering mullahs finally by-passed the watchdog and showed the world proof positive that the mullahs were racing tirelessly with their scheme of getting the ultimate weapon. This information greatly alarmed the United States of America and Israel. The revelation seemed to bother no European nation, the Russians, or the Chinese. Somehow these nations figured that they would let the U.S. do all the worrying about the looming menace while they focused on the lucrative business deals they had diligently worked out with the mullahs: something reminiscent of the cozy deal the French and the Russians had going with the butcher of Baghdad, Saddam Hussein.

* As time went on, you, Mr. President vowed that Iran would never be allowed to achieve its goal during your watch. You kept using all kinds of threats and promises in order to persuade the mullahs to drop the project, to no avail. When a belligerent end-of-the-worlder, Holocaust-denier Ahmadinejad, became the Islamic Republic of Iran’s president, things started heating up greatly. Time and again, the bellicose Ahmadinejad kept vilifying the Great Satan and its sidekick Israel for having the gall to demand Iran abandon its program while his two main adversaries had their own arsenal of nuclear weapons. Ahmadinejad informed the world that what the Islamic Republic does is within its own national rights. He shored up his credibility cleverly by dispatching endless series of negotiators to meetings with the Europeans. He was successfully stalling for time, while working around the clock to get to the Surge Capacity.

* The NIE report assures us that the IRI abandoned its nuclear weapon program some three years ago. So, there is really nothing to fear and even less reason to maintain the dangerous game of brinksmanship with the mullahs.