Think you can't fight back? Sure you can!

So many people (especially timid, apolitical Christians) think they are powerless in the fight against politically correct tyranny, for example, on college campi. You're NOT powerless! Look what Sean Hannity is doing. This is the birth of a movement and the Left will cut and run just as they always do when they are outnumbered by those who dare stand up for what they believe. God bless Sean Hannity and others like him who get in the face of so many seditious Leftists and throw it right back at them.

Join the fight, people! If nothing else, it could break up the monotony of your life. If you don't join the fight, you may not be able to continue to have the luxury of a monotonous life. Think about it!

An Important Piece by Boortz

I missed Drudge's mention, this morning, of the networks programming on "the end of America. "Neal Boortz mentions it and delves into the if's and why's of the situation, if, in fact America is coming to an end. Boortz nails it at Nealz Nuze:

You can trace the decline of American to several different and varied beginning point. Among them:

The adoption of a graduated and progressive income tax, as envisioned by Karl Marx.
The adoption of a system of government education of our children, again as envisioned by Karl Marx.
The movement away from a rule of law to a rule of the majority (Democracy) which really took hold during the days of Franklin Roosevelt.
America, the welfare state, is growing steadily. In the last few weeks we started George Bush's Medicare prescription drug program. The original estimates for this welfare boondoggle ran at about $300 billion for the next ten years. Those estimates doubled before the program even began. The actual tab will probably be closer to one trillion dollars for the first ten years .. and growing after that. Baby boomers will be retiring over the next decade. As they retire they will start drawing down Social Security and Medicare dollars by the bucketful. The cost will be enormous. As presently structured, these income transfer programs can't handle it, but all attempts at reform, at least insofar as Social Security is concerned, have failed.

Back to the main point. Americans are no longer in love with freedom. In fact, the case can be made that Americans are afraid of freedom. Oh, they want to be free to go on vacation and to chose where to live, who to marry and what to wear each day, but that just about covers it. Americans want the government to educate their children, guarantee their jobs, determine their wages, provide them with medical care, pay for their prescriptions, ensure their comfort in retirement, regulate their business competitors, and control the actions of their neighbors. If you suggest that the responsibility for any of these factors be placed back into the hands of the individual the screams and howls of outrage and indignation will be heard across the country.

If the networks want to do a series on the end of America, their script has already been written ... by some Russian named Ayn Rand.

Check out the "Nuze."

Sixty-two Years Ago Today...

In honor of my father-in-law, William A. Norrod, of San Antonio, TX, who survived the bombing and subsequent sinking of the HMT Rohna, and in honor of the hundreds who died in the service to our country sixty-two years ago, I would like to repost the following tribute written here last year:

"One of the reasons Thanksgiving is so special to our family is that my father-in-law, William A. Norrod, of San Antonio, TX., survived one of the worst WWII maritime disasters ever to have occurred. For more than the 30 years I have been married to his daughter, he related story after story about the HMT Rohna and prior to 1995, it was virtually impossible to find any information about this sea disaster. (Quite frankly, I often doubted his veracity regarding this incident.) It was so devastating that the gov't covered up the disaster so that Germany could not claim regional victory and dishearten our war resolve. The following information is from the Rohna Survivors Memorial Association website:

On November 26, 1943, during WWII, one thousand, one hundred and thirty eight men perished when a British troopship, the HMT Rohna, was attacked from the air and destroyed in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Algeria. Two important but virtually unknown historical events occurred at that time.

It was the first successful "hit" of a merchant vessel at-sea carrying US troops by a German remote-controlled, rocket-boosted bomb, thus giving birth to the "Missile Age", and it resulted in the greatest loss of troops (1015) at sea in U.S. history. Combined with the loss of ship's crew and officers, and three Red Cross workers, more lives were lost then on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.

The "hit" was so devastating that the U.S. Government placed a veil of secrecy upon it. The events which followed were so shameful that the secrecy continued for decades until recently, when documents were grudgingly released under pressure of the Freedom of Information Act. The government still does not acknowledge this tragedy, thus most families of the casualties still do not know the fate of their loved ones.

In 1995, over fifty years later, a group of survivors, next-of-kin and rescuers, informally came together for the sole purpose of enabling the creation and dedication of a Rohna Memorial.

On Memorial Day, 1996, a monument was dedicated to the memory of the 1015 men who lost their lives in this incident, at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Seales, Alabama.

The Rohna Survivors Memorial Association is a website devoted to this WWII disaster. Please visit the site. The group of survivors gets smaller each year, but they are a devoted and loyal lot. God bless them all."

Thanksgiving Day

A big day in America. So many reasons to be thankful!

This Thanksgiving is the first time that I can ever remember staying home with just my wife and kids. We normally head to San Antonio to be with Teeka's parents and siblings, but this year her sister had a baby in Houston and sort of put a wrench in familial festivities. Still, it will have worked out to be a blessing to be able to enjoy a "private" Thanksgiving with our kids, Justin and Chelsea, because it will be the last time Chelsea will be with us as a single young lady.

My "boyfriend-in-law," Eric, became her fiance some months ago and they'll be getting married in just three weeks, so it's pretty hectic around here. The time not traveling down I-35 will be put to good use here at home.

Since it's just the four of us (Eric went home to East Texas), we're just roasting a turkey breast with the trimmings, but Justin really wanted a smoked turkey, so I lovingly threw a 13 pounder on the smoker last nite and it's coming along quite nicely.

It's more of a relaxed day than most Thanksgivings. The turkeys look to be ready to eat in about 3 hours. Justin stayed up most of the night with three of his friends playing Battle Field II, so consequently he's catching up on sleep. Teeka and Chelsea couldn't wait to see Pride and Prejudice, so that's where they scurried off to.

I'm happily monitoring the kitchen activities while listening to a terrific Dennis Prager program on the "specialness" of this day here in America, simultaneously blogging and reading some really outstanding columns online. It's a great day!

The gist of Prager's show is a theme of which he has spoken on many occasions; the ideals which set America apart from the rest of the world and have contributed to our greatness. They are the three precepts found on our coinage; Liberty, In God We Trust and E Pluribus Unum. Prager is expounding on the genius our foredads had in building this country on these values and the incredible blessings we have as a result. Unfortunately, if we don't fight to uphold these values, we will lose the precious blessings and opportunities which have been afforded us.

Lest I continue to ramble, on this special day, I need to link just a few of the good Thanksgiving columns I came across.

First up is Christopher Hitchens who puts it this way:

Concerning Thanksgiving, that most distinctive and unique of all American holidays, there need be no resentment and no recrimination. Likewise, there need be no wearisome present-giving, no order of divine service, and no obligation to the dead. This holiday is like a free gift, or even (profane though the concept may be to some readers) a free lunch--and a very big and handsome one at that. This is the festival on which one hears that distinct and generous American voice: the one that says "why not?" Family values are certainly involved, but even those with no family will still be invited, or will invite. The doors are not exactly left open as for a Passover Seder, yet who would not be ashamed to think of a neighbor who was excluded or forgotten on such a national day?

You owe it to yourself to read the rest of it...It's not too lengthy.

Next, you must read Tony Snow's column. Here's a morsel:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- If there's a theme to Thanksgiving, it's humility.

Think back. When the earliest American settlers surveyed the rough and resplendent land around them, they could have cursed their fates. They could have groused about the raging rivers and dense dark forests, or bemoaned the loved ones claimed by harsh weather, illness, hunger or simple loneliness. They could have thought of the comforts they left behind.

Instead, they gave thanks. They gave thanks for the family and friends who transformed a wilderness into home. They gave thanks for their freedom.

It says something about our national unselfishness that the first men and women who fled to our shores didn't take credit for taming the chill winds and angry beasts. They thanked God for helping them turn a jagged, thicket-strewn continent into an idyll called America. Indeed, if you sift through the layers of history, you find something stronger than human will at America's foundation. You find faith.

Be sure to read the whole piece.

Lots of great reading out there about this special day. Lots of reasons to be thankful.

Thanks to all my readers for stopping by! Thanks to my precious family and our wonderful friends! Thanks to the amazing men and women who voluntarily put themselves in harms way to protect our way of life and most importantly, Thanks to our loving Father and elder brother, Jesus Christ, who are the source of all our blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Some Essential Thanksgiving Reads

Thanks to HUMAN EVENTS ONLINE for printing the Real Story of the First Thanksgiving by one of most beloved founding dads, Benjamin Franklin in 1785:

“There is a tradition that in the planting of New England, the first settlers met with many difficulties and hardships, as is generally the case when a civiliz’d people attempt to establish themselves in a wilderness country. Being so piously dispos’d, they sought relief from heaven by laying their wants and distresses before the Lord in frequent set days of fasting and prayer. Constant meditation and discourse on these subjects kept their minds gloomy and discontented, and like the children of Israel there were many dispos’d to return to the Egypt which persecution had induc’d them to abandon.

“At length, when it was proposed in the Assembly to proclaim another fast, a farmer of plain sense rose and remark’d that the inconveniences they suffer’d, and concerning which they had so often weary’d heaven with their complaints, were not so great as they might have expected, and were diminishing every day as the colony strengthen’d; that the earth began to reward their labour and furnish liberally for their subsistence; that their seas and rivers were full of fish, the air sweet, the climate healthy, and above all, they were in the full enjoyment of liberty, civil and religious.

“He therefore thought that reflecting and conversing on these subjects would be more comfortable and lead more to make them contented with their situation; and that it would be more becoming the gratitude they ow’d to the divine being, if instead of a fast they should proclaim a thanksgiving. His advice was taken, and from that day to this, they have in every year observ’d circumstances of public felicity sufficient to furnish employment for a Thanksgiving Day, which is therefore constantly ordered and religiously observed.”

Maybe you've read this or heard the Maha Rushie relate the real history of how the Pilgrims came to learn the failings of collectivism. What Your History Books Never Told You is always a good reminder of what our very earliest foredads endured.

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789 is a precious reminder to all of us just how important Almighty God's role was in the founding and developement of this most blessed nation:

City of New York, October 3, 1789

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th. day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Lastly, the Thanksgiving Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln deserves our consideration:

This is the proclamation which set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving. During his administration, President Lincoln issued many orders like this. For example, on November 28, 1861, he ordered government departments closed for a local day of thanksgiving.

The holiday we know today as Thanksgiving was recommended to Lincoln by Sarah Josepha Hale, a prominent magazine editor. Her letters to Lincoln urged him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise."

According to an April 1, 1864 letter from John Nicolay, one of Lincoln's secretaries, this document was written by Secretary of State William Seward, and the original was in his handwriting. Fellow Cabinet member Gideon Welles recorded in his diary on October 3 that he complimented Seward on his work. A year later, the manuscript was sold to benefit Union troops and since then has disappeared.

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Have a blessed and bountiful Thanksgiving Day!

Bolton Admonishes U.N.

That phrase has a pleasing ring to it...Bolton admonishes the U.N...I hope there's more where that came from, afterall, how often does anyone admonish the U.N.?

Check out the piece in at washingtonpost.com to see what kind of waves Bolton is making over there:

"Americans are a very practical people, and they don't view the U.N. through theological lenses," Bolton told reporters outside the General Assembly hall. "They look at it as a competitor in the marketplace for global problem-solving, and if it's successful at solving problems, they'll be inclined to use it. If it's not successful at solving problems, they'll say, 'Are there other institutions?' . . . that's why making the U.N. stronger and more effective is a reform priority for us: Because if it's a more agile, effective organization, it is more likely to be a successful competitor as a global problem-solver."

My only disagreement with this is that I don't think we should try to make the U.N. stronger and more effective. I think we should adopt the Leftist tactic of "cut and run" in this instance. It's a failed institution. It's a money hole and it's a fraternity of thugs, socialists and communists who want to separate us from our wealth.

Bolton seems to be a good man, but the U.N. needs to be put out of business, not made stronger.

Welcome washingtonpost.com readers!

Prager: "The Left hates inequality, not evil"

Some brilliant observations in this piece by Dennis Prager." Here's a tidbit:

...everyone hates someone, and that includes people on the Left. The problem is that because they don't hate evil, they hate those who oppose evil. That is how liberals went from anti-communist to anti-anti-communist. To paraphrase one of the greatest moral insights of the Talmud, those who show mercy to the cruel will be cruel to the merciful. So, George W. Bush, not the Islamic terror world, is the Left's villain; life-embracing Israel is the Left's villain, not their death-loving enemies; and religious Christians who note moral weaknesses within the Islamic world are the real danger, not the moral weaknesses within the Islamic world.

To be sure, it's an upside down, inside out world. Be sure to read the entire piece. It's important.

The Leftist Plan for Iraq

Our buddy, Pete, over at iHillary, sheds light on the enlightened Leftist plan to ensure defeat in the War against the Islamo-facist terrorists in Iraq and anywhere else they may pop up.

Although Pete deals in the world of parody, this is right on, dead center truth. The Left is actually demanding that we "cut and run" from Iraq which would ensure the triumph of international terrorism. This is what would make them happy because it would be the ruination of President Bush, which is the focal point of all of their dreams, wishes and rants. They offer absolutely no alternative in order to guarantee a victory against the radical terrorists. The Leftists in this country are like the Leftists in France, and the Leftists in the U.N., to whom they cozied up throughout the Kerry campaign.

The French have been reduced to humiliation in their struggle against Islamo-facist rioters because of their policy of appeasement and accommodation. The U.N., in all of their corruption, has been humiliated for their failed policies and ineptitude.

You cannot appease and accommodate irrational terrorists. You cannot negotiate with them. They have to be defeated. They have to be destroyed.

Can the Left point to any successes in the last 60 years? Why must they constantly resort to name calling in lieu of serious debate? Could it be that they can't compete in the arena of ideas?

What in the world is going on in Israel?

If you're wondering what's going on with Ariel Sharon and the Likud Party, your "go to" guy needs to be Joel C. Rosenberg. Check out his blog and read his most recent piece on the unusual political goings on over there.

The scenario he paints goes like this:

Imagine if George W. Bush – elected President of the United States with overwhelming conservative Republican support – suddenly woke up one morning, called a press conference, and announced, “I believe Hillary Clinton was right about how to reform health care, and I hereby intend to implement her plan to nationalize America’s health care system.”

Imagine then that a furious GOP demanded that President Bush at the very least hold a referendum within the party to decide whether embracing HillaryCare was really a good idea, and abide by its results. Now imagine that having lost that referendum decisively, and choosing to ignore the results, President Bush now asked Dick Cheney to step down and asked Hillary to serve as his Vice President for the sake of “national unity.”

Finally, imagine that having begun to implement HillaryCare and thus alienating most of the GOP, President Bush decided to bolt the party that nominated and elected him and create his own “centrist” party.

Now welcome to Israel.

Be sure to read the whole piece. He's well connected in the Middle East and has perspective and insight not found in most journalists.

Sunset and Moonrise over Four Peaks, Arizona

Last week I made it a point to catch a sunset and subsequent full moon-rise as close as I could get to Four Peaks. Unfortunately, the pics are not nearly as spectacular as when you're standing in the Sonoran Desert on Hwy 87, amid the surrounding glory.

Next time you see an Arizona license plate, take note of the image of Four Peaks in the background. It came as an epiphany to me one day a few years back, when I was sitting at a stop light heading east on Shea Blvd out of Scottsdale, gazing at Four Peaks while gazing at the license plate on the car in front of me. Hmmm....(I mused inwardly)....Four Peaks is the image on the majority of Arizona license plates...how 'bout that...well, it wasn't THAT big of an epiphany, still, a point of interest which held my interest for the duration of the stop light!

There are many incredible visual points of interest in the vicinity of Four Peaks. If you ever go to Phoenix, head east on Shea Blvd to check them out.

Sunset is an especially beautiful time of day to do so.

Wouldn't THIS be a Good thing?

Tonight's headlines include this little piece: Russia to build oil pipeline to supply Japan. Okay, isn't this a good thing for everyone concerned?

Unless, of course, it takes away oil from the good ol' USA.

Surely we want Japan and every other country to have all the oil they can afford to buy, including ourselves, so more power to Russia for building an outlet to get more of their oil on the market.

Go for it, Ruskies! Ship your crude to as many places as possible and don't be dissuaded by the whacked out environmentalists. Drill and pump 'til your heart's content and build those pipelines in every direction. More power to you! It may well be that you all are not nearly as constrained as we are. Time will tell, but go for it while you can. The more oil you can market, the more stable the market will be. Our hats are off to you!

Welcome washingtonpost.com readers!

Bible Belt Residents Most Charitable in Country

It shouldn't be all that surprising, but stats show that Bible Belt states are the most charitable in the country. Most Bible believing folks believe that we should take care of each other while secular folk are more apt to believe that government should take care of those in need.

Think about it. Who came to the aid of Katrina and Rita victims quicker? Big government or the independent Christian Organizations across the fruited plane? Red Cross is right up there, as well, but they, like vast governmental bureaucracies, because of their size, are often inefficient.

If I were a person, or group, in need, I would much rather be in the so-called, and much maligned, "Bible Belt" than some religiously "unfriendly" community which may be found in some "enlightened" secular community.

Gas Prices Continue to drop

We were in East Texas, Saturday, and we paid $1.91/per gallon for regular unleaded. Whoo hoo!!!!

It's now $2.03 at Sam's Club here in Dallas. Sure is nice to see the prices come down, BUT, they can only stay down if we start more drilling in Alaska and everywhere else. These prices aren't sustainable if we continue to depend on imported oil and gas.

Still, it's great to see the price drop below the big duece.

More on gas prices here.

Lots to be thankful for as this Thanksgiving week begins!

President Speaks up for Religious Freedom in China

Kudos to President Bush for calling for religious freedom in Communist China, where 80 million people profess the name of Christ and half that number have to worship secretly in underground chruches. Way to go Mr. President! Christians around the world appreciate your efforts!

See the story here.

Repubs MUST step up to the plate!

The Congressional republicans are going to have to get with it real soon. So much is happening and those on the right side of the isle are always the last to respond or fight back. It's reassuring to see Vice-President Cheney and President Bush actually begin to fight. Too bad that they are still in defense mode. They need to get into a locked and loaded offensive against the Left, which is in full French-style surrender mode to the terrorists. They see Iraq as Viet Nam and they, apparently, want the same ignominious result. Victory isn't in their vocabulary. Any victory of President Bush is a direct defeat for them, which is why they are so opposed to anything he does which may be gaining ground.

The Republican leadership must come forward now and defend what we are doing in Iraq. So far, only conservative talk show hosts have had the cohones to stand up and fight for what is right. Where are you, Congressional Republicans?

There has to be a definitive vote so as to put the dems on record as to whether or not they want an immediate pull out in Iraq. Make them put their names out there so we can see who they are!

An immediate pull out of our troops in Iraq would spell out surrender to the terrorists. The Left must know this, which makes their agenda all the more sinister. Our surrender by way of an Iraqi withdrawal would only empower and encourage international terrorism. What is it with our Leftist politicos? Is this what they want?

We're not supposed to question their patriotism. But when their policies guarantee failure, what are we to surmise...that they are patriotic idiots, or treasonous enemies from within? Either way, we can't afford to ever allow them to be in charge of foreign policy or our national defense.

In the meantime the Left is unambiguously telling our troops and our enemies that America is divided and unwilling to win. Wrong! America is unwilling to continue to put up with the untenable Leftists in Congress. Where are you, Congressional Republicans?!

What does This say about the world?

On three, lets all puke! Ready? One, two, three,
HURL!!!

Senate Repubs Screw Bush

The pusillanimous Senate Republicans, fearing their constituents and throwing all principle to the wind, voted today to require the Whitehouse to provide monthly updates on the Iraq War. The Left is ecstatic. Conservatives are fuming and the RINO's will seek the resulting poll numbers to see if they were right. Regardless of the polls, they were wrong!

The Senate already has access to this information. This was a gutless show of non-support for President Bush and it was even MORE gutless because the President was out of the country. Way to go, RINO's!

Senate Majority Leader, Frist, as well as the other spineless repubs who went along with this vote have no idea what they have wrought upon themselves. Even Sen. George Allen, one of the leading conservative presidential hopefuls, went along with this pro-leftist vote! He lost huge points today among conservatives.

It wasn't Bush who lost today...it was the spineless republicans in the Senate who lost big time. They are toast and, sadly, no, tragically, it only opens the door for the Left in '06 and '08. Many Conservatives may just decide to stay home, which could insure a Leftist victory. How pathetically sad!

Way to go, Sen. Frist! You are responsible for this! You are no conservative. Conservatives need a fighter, not an appeaser. You sold out and for what? THIS isn't going to get you a presidential nomination, just as the the leftward leanings of John McCain won't get him the nomination. The MSM may be kissing up to you all now, but the conservatives out here in "flyover" country aren't, and we have very good memories. You've made your bed and you're not going to have a good night's sleep from here on out!

Conservatives are so very pissed off! We're not even sure you can make it up to us, though you better try!

"Envirophobia"

I've exhausted my flicker pics for this month so I'm unable to download this outstanding Cox & Forkum political toon which appropriately depicts the repubs for what they are... Go there to see it!

The dearth of leadership

It seems there is a severe lack of leadership in this country, especially on the right side of the isle. The republican majority, for what it's worth, has absolutely lost it. Where are the republican leaders and what do they stand for these days?

Senate Majority leader Frist was offended and hurt last week when the vocal minority leader Harry Reid called for a surprise closed door session of congress. Offended and hurt? Isn't Sen. Frist the majority leader? If he was so offended, why the hell didn't he go on offense to make up for the insubordination?

The republicans have no imagination, no creativity, no clue and definitely no balls when it comes to dealing with the opposition. They are no match for the unscrupulous left!

And what's the deal with the republican "leadership" calling "Big Oil" execs to Congress to explain their profits? Have they forgotten what they should have learned in "Econ 101?" Is capitalism on trial now in Congress?

The leadership problem extends far beyond politics. Why didn't one or all of those "Big Oil" execs stand up and give those arrogant Congressmen the economic facts of life? Do you think Howard Hughes would have taken that crap from those people in Congress. He would have, and did, put them to shame by putting them in their proper place and rightly walked out when he was called upon to defend his capitalistic methods of operation by corrupt politicians. Shame on our present day oil execs for not doing the same thing.

What's becoming of our nation devoid of leadership? The only ones standing up and unabashedly speaking up without fear of retribution from the PC crowd are the Rush Limbaugh's (as if there's more than one!) the Hugh Hewitt's, the Dennis Prager's, the Sean Hannity's, the Laura Ingraham's and other fearless, wisemen who boldly speak against the failing establishment. Many good columnists like Walter E. Williams, Michael Barone, Mark Steyn, David Limbaugh, Victor Davis Hanson, and so many others also lead the way. Where are the politicos who seek our support as we approach election day?

Politicians are losing it. America needs real leadership. We need someone who will boldly address our border problems...(close them...build the high tech wall!) We need someone who will boldly slash spending and taxes! We need someone who will boldly stand up against the socialistic leftists who more often than not, shamelessly, stand on the side of our terroristic enemies for the sole purpose of destroying the Bush administration. Where is the republican leadership to combat this treasonous behavior?

Why is it that, although the republicans are in the majority, we can't start drilling in the frozen tundra wastelands of Alaska? Why is it, that we can't drill off the coast of Florida or California? Why is it we're not building new refineries this very minute? What's with this republican "majority?" They have become an impotent bunch of appeasers, more answerable to the media than to their constituents who put them in office. They are losing the conservative base.

Americans deserve better leadership and if we don't get it, the whole batch of encumbants are going to find themselves back in the private sector.

UPDATE/PS...I wrote the above, last night, in great haste and failed to mention the hardest working and one of the most effective journalists of our time, Michelle Malkin, when listing a mere handful of leading columnists. Forgive me, Michelle. You've always been at the top of my "go to" list of bloggers/columnists when I want the latest news and info.

Additionally, I forgot to say that our current bunch of republican congressmen and women are an embarrassment to the conservative movement.

I've said it before, many times, and will say it again; as entertaining as it is to see the left racing ever further to the left on a daily basis, this only serves to "allow" the "right" to devolve toward the left as well. The entire congressional mess is racing to the left at breakneck speeds. The conservative movement has been co-opted by the liberal wing (who like to be called "moderate") of the republican party and they only appear to be conservative, by comparison, because the left has become a virtual socialistic, leftist party.

Conservatives know what's going on and we're disgusted.

Great news for San Francisco!

The inevitable "big one" could strike at any time in the Bay Area, but good news came today from the Bloomberg News Service (forgive me for my lack of links, but this months old computer hasn't the whistles and bells that my home base 'puter has which allows me instant linkage with one easy step). The big news is that San Franciscans will soon have at least 20 seconds warning before any given earthquake. Think of it! 20 seconds!

Just enough time to lock and load your handgun to be ready for the ensuing looting and rioting.

O' wait...handguns have been outlawed there as of last Tuesday and have to be turned in to Big Government on April 1st, 2006 (April fools day, coincidentally!). Nevermind!

Question of the day

From Rush: (paraphrased)

How long will it take before we hear the exit strategy from the French?

Are we becoming France?

John Stossel has a good piece titled Holy Shiite! Movie shelved for using word ‘Muslim’. It will probably make you mad, but it might also motivate you to do something about it. Be sure to read it!

Just One More Read for the Day

Okay, it's late and you've already read the essentials. But if you didn't stop by The Anchoress, there's one more essential read you probably missed. You can find it here. Go there to see what's really going on in Never Never Land.

There's a certain "je ne sais quoi" about those "youths"

France still doesn't quite get it. I read somewhere that France is threatening to "punish" the rioters. Punish? Huh? Those "youthful insurgents" are lucky to still be alive. In normal countries they would have all been shot or arrested, but not in France. After 12 days, France's politically correct leaders still think they can make nice with these terrorists by giving them the benefit of victimhood; by making excuses for them saying they have "good reason" to riot because of the economy and so on. Some grown up is going to have to step up and let the enlightened elites know that it doesn't really matter WHY they are rioting. The fact that rioting has been out of control now for almost two weeks is reason enough to get serious in battling these so-called "youths."

Victor Davis Hanson, who is in France this week on a lecture tour, told Hugh Hewitt today in an interview, that he fears this could spawn the advent of "a man on a horse," as he put it, an "adult" as it were, a radical to counter the failing leftist policies. This has been Europe's history and according to Hanson, if these riots grow into a larger Jihad encompassing more and more European countries, someone like that might appear. That wouldn't be a good thing!
__________

Patrick Buchanan has a "must read" over at Human Events Online titled Paris Burning: How Empires End. Check it out. It's an important piece.

Some Arizona Pics

Norman Lykes House photo by rich glasgow

Here are a few shots of the beautiful desertscapes in and around Phoenix, Paradise Valley and Scottsdale. So many great sites...so little space!

This Frank Lloyd Wright house is about to go on the market and is one of the reasons I've spent so much time in Arizona in the past ten years. I first painted this house inside and out in '95 and am now doing some touch up to get it ready for the market. It overlooks downtown Phoenix and is a stone's throw from Squaw Peak.

I'm heading back to Phoenix in mere minutes so it's going to be another week of light to zero blogging. Doh!!!

Goldwater Memorial photo by rich glasgow

Camelback from Goldwater Memorial photo by rich glasgow

Praying Monk photo by rich glasgow

Camelback Sunset photo by rich glasgow

Squaw Peak photo by rich glasgow

Phoenix hillside photo by rich glasgow

Rioting "Youths" now in Paris after ten days of violence

News reports of the ten days of rioting in France are conspicuously avoiding any mention of the nationality of the perpetrators. Mostly, they are respectfully referred to as "youths."

The politically correct methodology of appeasement is going unabated as if the policy has actually been effective. When will the Left learn that their policies have failed. How many fires will have to burn in France before they realize that there can be no appeasement with terror.

Here's the latest "give the perps a break" coverage of the riots over there. Maybe Texas should send them a few of our Texas Rangers. There's a saying down here in Texas, "One riot, one Ranger."

On the road again...

Back in Phoenix sans computer. Bummer! The Hampton Inn provides a communal computer but it's not like your own. Had to leave the laptop home 'cause it was more hassle than it was worth. It was ridden with viruses and the hotel's high speed connection was on and off. I'll be back this weekend. Thanks for stopping by!