The Ardent Love of Liberty

More and More

2010-01-13T11:44:00.001-08:00

So if we keep throwing money at the war, it will eventually be successful, right? Just like if we keep throwing money at education our children will get smarter. And if we keep sending our sons to Scouts without any parental involvement except to say that the Scoutmaster isn't doing his job, our sons will automatically become Eagle Scouts. And if our sons attend church and Scouts then they will go on a mission.

No, it doesn't work that way. We have to be involved and find the roots of the problem then look for the solution. Throwing money at the problem, like the recent stimulus package and health care bill, will bring us nothing but debt and less time.

Health Care Bill and Bankruptcy

2010-01-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

Don't fall all over yourself worrying about if Harry Reid should be stomped, quartered, hanged, and then killed for his racial remarks during the 2008 election cycle. Of course he should, end of story. He won't win re-election in Nevada and will most likely resign in order to shield his son, in a race of his own for the governor of Nevada, further disgrace. Don't take your eye off of the ball when it comes to this ugly health care bill still in flux.

There was an excellent article at the Heritage Foundation today about the real cost of nationalized health care with regards to state budgets. Right now, and I know first-hand, that state budgets are cutting every expense they can and still come up short. The only way some of them are surviving are an influx of federal funds. But what happens when those federal funds run dry or are not renewed next year? Even more cuts and fewer services.

Amendment X - The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Health care is not a right nor should it be enforced through legislative action on each state.

If this health care plan goes through it will make states more and more dependent upon the federal government for existence, which is exactly the plan of those in control. Then when a state, aka Texas, makes noise about independence or disagrees with federal policies (No Child Left Behind, Patriot Act, TSA Airport Screenings) then they will be threatened with a cut of federal funding for their programs.

Let's not take our eye off of the ball to turn up our noses at Harry Reid or despair that Sarah Palin has been given a national platform on Fox News. Watch what health care does because if it is successful we are in for a whole heap of trouble.

Fresh Faces in Government

2010-01-08T08:10:00.001-08:00

Love this article today in the Opinion section of the Deseret News. Check it out.

Big Brother and the Toilet

2010-01-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

Read a hilarious, but maddening and somewhat depressing, article about the evolution of the modern American toilet from its obvious environmentally-unfriendly days of 5 gallon flushing power to the puny 1.6 gallon regulated babbling brook we find today. Has there actually been a massive increase in plunger sales or plumber calls since the government decided to regulate things like how much water our toilet can flush?

Regulate our toilet water? Sheesh, next thing you know they will want to regulate how much toilet paper an eating establishment carries in the bathroom. Wait. They already tried to do that in Florida.

Government control over all aspects of our lives is ruining this country. See the current health care legislation for the most egregious example. The uncontrollable lust for power and the greed to keep everybody equal and level reminds me of a place I spent time in. The former Soviet Union. For nearly 70 years they tried to control everything about a person and their life but look how that ended. Tragic.

We cannot afford a perestroika in America, it should never get to that point.

Your Recovery Dollars at Work

2010-01-06T19:16:00.001-08:00

The story reported here is that federal stimulus money - $9.5 million - went to 14 fake zip codes in Virginia. Huh? The administration says it went to recipients who didn't know who their Congressman was - so why are we giving that much money to people who don't know their own zip code?

Love the accountability.

You knew it was a bad plan to start with and it has only gotten worse.

Karl Malone Gets It Right

2010-01-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

I love Karl Malone. He, more than Larry Bird or Michael Jordan, and John Stockton were my sports heroes growing up in SLC in the 80's. They came to work everyday, played hard, and played the game the right way - with a couple of nasty elbows and body bumps thrown in.

Since John and Karl retired the NBA has gone deeper into a thug league, the gangsta image is alive and well. How do you combat that when the brightest stars are flashing bling, covering themselves with tattoos, and now pointing guns at each other in the locker room? It has made the game unwatchable.

The latest incident is that Gilbert Arenas, a member of the Washington Wizards, brought handguns to the locker room and after a gambling argument with a teammate, presented him with three guns to shoot it out.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. That type of behavior should ensure that Gilbert Arenas never owns another gun in his life.

Karl Malone, a gun advocate and responsible owner, wrote an article for Sports Illustrated about athletes and guns. I loved the article because it focuses on the accountability that most gun owners feel and the responsibility they take upon themselves when purchasing, owning, and carrying a weapon. A must read.

Thank you Karl Malone for telling the truth and, I can't believe I am saying this, articulating what so many responsible gun owners feel.

Mike Lee Announces Run For Senate

2010-01-05T11:25:00.001-08:00

Mike Lee, son of former BYU president Rex Lee, announced today that he would run for the US Senate seat currently occupied by Bob Bennett. He joins Cherilyn Eager, James Williams, and Tim Bridgewater as challengers to Sen. Bennett this fall.

I am still investigating what the differences are between the 4 of them, more on that later. Sen. Bennett must sense the oncoming tsunami as he was on the new last night about security related to the new federal court house here in Salt Lake. Sen. Bennett was the one who secured the funding for that building and was commenting on the need for beefed-up security there in light of yesterday's Las Vegas shootings.

We are going to see a LOT more of Senator Bennett in the coming months as they move to the Republican primary in May. At this point it looks iffy that he makes it out of the Republican primary - I wouldn't bet on him.

Bennett NOT for Senate

2010-01-04T11:26:00.000-08:00

Excellent article today on why Bob Bennett is not a good choice to represent Utah in the United States Senate. The author, Erick Erickson, is the editor of RedState. com and has good insight. I wrote a blog entry a few days ago about the same thing.

Sorry Senator Bennett, that nice Christmas card you sent to me won't work this year.

Good Worth Fighting For

2010-01-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

Last night I was laying on my back looking up at the ceiling while Kathryn watched the end of the Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers. Interesting perspective to listen to the dialogue and not see the pictures.

Sam and Frodo are having a conversation about their journey and here is what they said -

Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo; the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end... because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going... because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

There is darkness now but one day the light will come back, we are holding on and fighting for the goods things in this world. For our families, for our heritage, for our freedoms that were bravely bought with brave mens' blood, and for our God. May we remember to fight and know both the savor of victory and the bitterness of defeat.

Wild Dog Alert

2010-01-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) (no relation, thank goodness), the Health Care Bill lynch pin, is begging state AG's around the nation to not go through with a lawsuit that would challenge the constitutionality of the proposed Senate version of the Health Care Bill if it indeed is signed into law. Read about it here.

Senator Nelson said he would cast the deciding 'Yea' vote for the bill if his state, Nebraska, was exempt from paying the coverage for any new Medicaid patients. Under current law the state pays no more than 50% of the costs and the federal government pays the rest, which could be greater for states who are poverty-stricken (or have poorly managed state governments). Nelson's provision would have the federal government pay 100% of the costs for all new Medicaid enrollees.

That is over $100,000,000 over the next 10 years.

For Nebraska alone. No other state, just Nebraska.

To refute the unconstitutionality claim he says that ALL states will get the same provision.

WHOA! Hold on! Tiny Nebraska (pop. 1.78 million) costs $100 million over 10 years to cover all new enrollees - about $56 per person over that period in Nebraska. Let's extend that out to the whole nation. USA population - 304 million x $56 = $17,024,000,000.

Yeah, $17 trillion over 10 years.

Of course President Obama has stated that "largest deficit-reduction plan in over a decade."

Good math Mr. President, an extra $17 trillion over a decade.

Don't call of the dogs, keep feeding them the Alpo.

Now Is The Time

2010-01-02T12:49:00.001-08:00

2010 marks a mid-cycle election and now is the time to start making the distinction between the candidates. Primaries are coming up in the spring so don't wait until then to decide who you would like to support.

2009 was an interesting year for me, I dropped my membership with the Republican party and became independent. I don't care what party, or even if there is a party, that a candidate represents as long as they represent me and my beliefs. They could be Democrat or Republican, Constitutional or Libertarian, that distinction makes no difference to me. What matters is substance and what they stand for.

Who is up for re-election this year? Senator Bob Bennett is on the clock and I will work hard to ensure that he is no elected to represent Utah. I hope Mark Shurtleff doesn't come back into the race, he doesn't bring anything new to the table. Two candidates look good to me - Cherilyn Eager, James Williams, and Mike Lee (if he decides to run). Check them out as a conservative alternative to the now-conservative minded Bob Bennett.

Rob Bishop is also up for re-election but I think Rep. Bishop has done a good job, no complaints. There are no challengers at this point but I am sure one or two will pop up. They will need to be fairly right-wing to out conservative Rep. Bishop.

The last race I am looking at this year is for the local House seat that Jim Gowans occupies. 4 years ago my best friend tried to win that seat and didn't succeed. Gowans is a powerful man in Tooele with many connections in both parties. Jess was a strong candidate but still failed to reach the voters with his conservative message although all signs pointed to a strong showing. Voter apathy will continually remain the biggest problem in Tooele County. I don't know if Gowans runs this year or if he gives it up to a new candidate. Hopefully there are some good people who decide to take the plunge in the next month or two.

Now is the time to learn about these candidates and their positions. An exciting time of year!

Victory in Defeat

2009-11-04T08:57:00.001-08:00

Read a fascinating article this morning about a Republican defeat in NY that was actually a victory. Read it here.

In a nutshell - the GOP chose a candidate that was decidedly left of center and supported her throughout the whole cycle. Conservatives were unhappy with the GOP candidate so they supported an independent candidate. At the last minute, the Republicans pulled their support from their candidate and backed the independent.

The Republican party needs to understand that if they want to matter then they will need to matter to conservatives.

Vote Today

2009-11-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

I hope you had an opportunity to vote today - vote smart and keep informed. Be diligent and watchful.

"If America is destroyed, it may be by Americans who salute the flag, sing the national anthem, march in patriotic parades, cheer Fourth of July speakers – normally good Americans, but Americans who fail to comprehend what is required to keep our country strong and free, Americans who have been lulled away into a false security."

Ezra Taft Benson

Revenge?

2009-11-01T17:34:00.001-08:00

Saw an article today about Republicans plotting "revenge" against Democratic candidates for President Obama winning last November. They say that this is the blowback from all of the different policies that President Obama is trying to foist upon this country in his first 10 months in office.

I hate the idea of revenge and that the Republican party is considering the idea of victory in the polls this week as such.

We are not keeping score, this isn't sports. War is not a good analogy for politics. We are talking about the lives of the citizens of this nation. It can be a win-win situation, there doesn't have to be a winner and a loser when it comes to elections - the American people should be the winner of every election. When good men and women come together to properly govern themselves everybody is better. When personal agendas and greed govern men then they need to be replaced.

The Republicans are losers if they think that they win by defeating Obama-endorsed candidates this November.

Czars Are Not Good

2009-10-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

The czars that the Obama administration has appointed are undertaking tasks that they are not Constitutionally able to enforce and it is troubling that this administration and Congress believe there is nothing wrong with the idea. Appointed advisers, or czars, are not new with President Obama, they were in place long before him. However, he has taken the position to new levels.

The problems with the czars? They are not approved, like other cabinet and administration appointments, by the Senate. So they are not vetted or is there investigation and discussion on their merits and their shortcomings before a panel. They are simply appointed.

This week, companies that received TARP funds were told by the "Pay Czar" Kenneth Feinberg that he was cutting executive compensation by an average of 50%. Read about it in the Wall Street Journal here.

Two different thoughts on this -

If you are a company that accepted bailout TARP money then you know that you had just sold your soul to the devil. In an open market you would have folded but you effectively gave up your control to the federal government. You had to know that something like this would come. Brilliant PR strategy by the White House on this move but with a good chance at backfiring on them.
This position of this czar is so ripe for corruption due to the large amounts of money involved not only in the compensation of these executives but the fortune of many mega companies that are affected when talent leaves the firm if they don't feel like they are being rewarded for their hard-work. You could be on the side of the affected company and watch your talented executives leave - so you do anything you can to stop that, including making donations to certain campaign funds. Or you could be on the side of the competition - you would love to see the brain drain from your competitor. So you make deals and contributions. This administration has shown a propensity for having more skeletons in their closet in the first year than the previous 6 administrations combined.

Nowhere is the idea of a czar considered Constitutionally sound, it is independent of any branch and has no oversight.

Get rid of the czars.

2009-10-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

So 13,000 people die last year from the regular flu and nothing is ever mentioned but 1,000 people die this year from "the swine flu" and the Obama administration feels like it needs to declare an emergency? 120 million vaccinations promised by mid-October but only 12 million (10%) delivered?

When a state of emergency, like war, is declared by a government then it gains extra powers that it would not normally be granted in times of peace to become the "protector" of the people. A prime example of this is the Patriot Act that is still around that a all-Democratic Congress renewed this year. The Patriot Act is perhaps the most un-Constitutional piece of legislation since the establishment of the Federal Reserve and the income tax. Why isn't this state of emergency being considered at the state level? A central government with this much power is so dangerous.

Two other notes, why don't the Obama children get the vaccination? It's not available to them? Come on, give me a break. (Update 10/29/2009 - the Obama girls did get their shot, thanks to Christina for the story link). And a Democratic Congress and Democratic President are cowards for attaching an incredibly short-sighted hate crimes bill to the Defense bill that was signed today. It couldn't stand on its own so these cowards put it with legislation that they knew would pass. These men and women do not deserve to represent their people and if they are representative of their constituency, so help us God.

A Slave Currency

2009-09-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is the Amero, it is the proposed monetary unit that will take the place of the dollar and the peso if President Obama and his friends have their way. There has been several mentions of a new global currency this week at the UN and the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. It is the same concept as the Euro, the currency of those countries that are part of the European Union.

So why is this so important? And why do we care?

If we lose the dollar, which we are currently in the process of doing as China continues to buy up American debt at an astounding rate, then we lose our national sovereignty. We lose our identity. We lose any independence we have and tie ourselves unwillingly to the fortunes of Mexico, Canada, and other Latin American countries that have nowhere near the economy, infrastructure, or freedoms that you and I enjoy here in America.

We may as well burn the Constitution as its rights will be superseded by those in some form of a union treaty. When the EU became a reality, all member countries agreed to be governed by EU laws that trumped those of the individual country. Now any law that is made in an EU country is subject to laws made by the EU. Court judgments that are made in the country can be overturned by the EU courts. Are our interests and situations the same as Mexico's? No, not at all.

The global currency is another step on the way to allowing the UN to be the world government and the US losing everything that it has. Please elect leaders this fall who will follow the Constitution.

Solutions to Health Care

2009-09-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

I read the transcript of Ron Paul's comments to Congress yesterday and I loved them. They made so much sense in the health care debate.

Forget the public option. Forget the awful plans put forth by Max Baucus and my very own Bob Bennett. They don't solve the problem, they only further government control of aspects of our lives that should be left up to the patient and free market.

Like Congressman Paul states, health care is not a right, just as education is not a right nor is a job a right. Those things shouldn't be provided by the government but by the free market. The federal government needs to get out of the way.

Read the article here.

Obama and the World Order

2009-09-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

President Obama gave another 'historic' speech at the United Nations this morning and talked about how America cannot go it alone. The AP called the speech blunt in tone, although he said he wants "a new era of engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect". Kind of like imposing those new high tariffs on Chinese products.

Through all of this talk he spoke about working together for the common good of the world but there was one very disturbing statement he made.

In an era where our destiny is shared, power is no longer a zero-sum game. No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed. That is the future America wants.

No, America does not want a new world order, we are firmly opposed to such a concept. That may be the socialist utopia that President Obama envisions but that is not what the Founding Fathers wanted nor what the American people want. Mr. President, you represent us, not the Saul Alinsky's and Noam Chomsky's of the world who think we can all band together in a la-la land of love and happiness. We love our national sovereignty, we fight for it and sacrifice for it. We will not give in to a world order that you spoke about.

Remember, this is coming from a man who also claimed that climate change was more important than economic recovery, that the days of America dragging its feet on this issue are over.

Yes, they are over, Mr. President. Climate change hoopla is NOT more important than several of the other issues we are working on.

One more thing- remember that promise last fall during the campaign to sit down and talk with President Ahmadinejad of Iran over the conflict? Hey, he was in the room with you? Did you guys sit down and have a beer together to talk about your differences? Shoot, it looked good when you tried to do it with that cop from Boston a couple of months ago . . .

It's Ovah! Isn't it?

2009-09-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Obama administration announced last week that the economic depression is over! Based on what? That not as many people are losing their jobs as were last month? The national unemployment rate is still very high - 9.7% and is expected to top 10% in 2010. Congress will now extend unemployment benefits (for the third time) another 13 weeks.

Some kind of turnaround you are taking credit for, Mr. President.

Now President Obama has announced that he will impose high tariffs on some Chinese imports, sparking another preventable trade war. Only this time it isn't with Canada. It is with our biggest trading partner.

And the one who owns 1/3 of our national debt. China continues to buy up US national debt at an astounding rate.

So if the US starts the trade war, China will end it very quickly by devaluing the dollar and making our currency worth next to nothing.

Yeah, that is a great victory over the recession.

Ron Paul wrote an excellent article on this, read it here.

Mr. President, don't do this. Please reconsider this move. We should be able to trade freely with all but avoid entangling alliances. This is what happens when we don't.

Martial Law and the Threat of Quarantine

2009-09-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

For decades there has always been the threat of suspending the Constitution and the declaration of martial law to impose the government's will on the people. We have seen several instances of that through the years, the latest being the suspension of law in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

When is the next opportunity to do something like this? The US faces the threat of quarantine over the perceived deadliness of the swine flu. If people are quarantined to their homes for a matter of weeks, this can be enforced through law enforcement/military involvement and the declaration of martial law because of a pandemic that would "threaten" to wipe out large swathes of the population.

Don't fall for this and be very careful as we move forward with the coming of winter. Please ensure that you have supplies to be self-sufficient for several weeks without access to food, water, fuel, power, and outside contact.

One Of His Own

2009-09-20T16:27:00.001-07:00

President Obama must be tired of trying to control Congress, national media, and federal agencies so he has decided to try something new.

Controlling state politics.

Specifically the governor's race in New York.

And the incumbent Democratic governor, David Paterson, told President Obama to pound sand.

So President Obama, being the big man that he is, leaked the story to the media to try and put the pressure on Gov. Paterson. The White House would "prefer" Andrew Cuomo to run instead. The meeting happened on the same day that the President invited himself to give a speech on Wall Street this last week. David Paterson, despite failing numbers in all polls, told the President that he is still running for governor next year.

Wow. The a branch of the federal government trying to use the bully pulpit to influence state politics.

What an awful abuse of power and contempt for the Constitution's separation of federal and states' rights.

Pigs Are Preparing For Takeoff

2009-09-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama took a step yesterday that, on the surface, I applaud in principle. He has decided to cut back on the proposed US missile shield defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic. Instead he wants something more flexible and claims to be worried more about Iran than about Russia.

I do not agree with spending millions on putting up defenses in foreign countries and then saying that is protects US self-interest. I understand these are our allies, I understand that they are part of NATO. But the US is not an international police force. A pullout of all US troops from Europe is something I support, as well as a pullout of much of Asia. I don't support the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, we never should have entered them. If you would have asked me that several years ago I would have had a completely different answer.

Our interest is here at home, where we are attempting to rebuff the overtures of a legislature and executive office desperate to spend our way out of a recession and impose not only silly environmental programs (cap-and-trade) but socialized medicine (all of the proposed popular health-care plans - especially the Bob Bennett plan). Let's concentrate on domestic policy. How about we stop giving so much foreign aid to countries that are dependent on it and use the money here?

How about if we stop spending and start saving? How about some civility on both sides of the aisle? How about if we actually follow the Constitution and not use it as simply as a guideline?

Don't get me wrong here, I think there are much more nefarious reasons President Obama pulled that defense system out of Eastern Europe but it is a move of his that I finally agree with and I applaud him for it.

Hypocrite of the House

2009-09-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary, is one of my least favorite people. He is arrogant, disrespectful, condescending, and very much believes that he or the executive office are never mistaken.

He is a perfect fit for this presidency.

This morning he criticized, justly, CNN for causing a false panic in Washington DC with reports of an incident with the Coast Guard on the Potomac River. CNN failed to check with the Coast Guard before issuing warnings to the public that there was a terrorist incident between the Coast Guard and a suspicious boat. It caused the nearby Reagan National Airport to cancel flights. However, it turned out to be simply a routine exercise for the Coast Guard. Nice job to pick September 11 to do this sort exercise, guys. It couldn't have waited?

So what does Robert Gibbs have to do with this? He held a press conference criticizing CNN for not investigating the background of the story before bringing it on the air. He said they should have checked their facts. After all of the problems this White House has had with vetting their appointments (see Van Jones recently) isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black?

I miss Tony Snow, I felt like he was someone I could trust in that position even if I couldn't trust President Bush or Vice President Cheney. Where are the men and women of integrity in this administration? Adrift, whimsical, and sophomoric are good ways to describe this administration.

Always Cherish Freedom

2009-09-11T08:29:00.001-07:00

On a day to remember freedom, please remember that you are indeed free to choose in so many different ways. Please don't choose the path that will limit that freedom for yourself and your neighbors.

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned -- this is the sum of good government.

Thomas Jefferson

Ron Paul - For the Love of Freedom

2009-08-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

Here here . . .

Preview of This Fall's Commercials from the White House

2009-08-14T20:19:00.001-07:00

Thought you might like to see a preview of the commercials that the White House will be pushing this Fall. Hey, haven't we gone through this before? Like in 1976? What? You don't remember the great Swine Flu epidemic of '76?

Lifestyles of the Rich and Elected

2009-08-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

Congress wants to add the cost of 8 new executive jets, at the cost of $550 million, to the Pentagon budget to ferry members of Congress to various parts of the world for trips. Why add it to the Pentagon budget? Because it can easily get lost and justified.

This is, of course, after they killed funding to build new F-22 fighter jets.

Perhaps we can have the jets full of Congress and their spouses intercept enemy fighters instead of the F-22's that were planned on. If they are shot down then the cost will certainly be justified . . .

Why do we need these new executive jets? So members of Congress can take global-warming research trips with their spouses to Australia and the South Pole. There, they can see the effects of global-warming up close while snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, riding a cable car through an Australian rain forest, visiting a penguin rookery, and going to the South Pole.

Yep, that ought to provide conclusive evidence that global warming exists.

As a taxpayer, I am always happy to pay for you and your spouse to go on these trips, especially when you need to take a specially equipped rocket and ski Air Force plane to land at the South Pole. What did you see there? I saw lots and lots of snow and ice when I watched the Discovery Channel show on the South Pole. How was your experience any different.

You had better be glad you were not representing my district or my state, I would vote you out in a heartbeat for crap like that.

Don't Try This At Home

2009-08-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hey, want to allow the government access to anything and everything on your computer at home? Well then go click on www.cars.gov to check out the "Cash for Clunkers" program. After agreeing to the privacy act and security agreement you are given a warning message that your computer will now become part of the Federal computer system and is property of the United States government. Any files can be inspected or checked by officials both domestic and foreign.

So you have just given permission to the federal government to check your computer at any time and track anything you have on there at any time.

Scary, scary stuff.

Your Freedom of Speech - Going, Going, . . .

2009-08-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Obama administration has a new directive for the American people in trying to fight the disinformation against universal health care. If you hear something 'fishy' in the healthcare debate then you are to contact the White House with the source of that information. They will then store it in a database and track all of this 'disinformation.' The FOX News story about it is here.

Whoa. I thought I was reading Pravda again. Yes, comrade. Glory to Mother Russia. Shoplifters of the World, Unite and Take Over.

OK, so that last one wasn't ever in Pravda. Lyrics from bygone days . . .

This is a direct threat to the freedom of speech. If you are not allowed to voice an opposing view or face repercussions if you do so then there is no free speech. President Obama claimed that this was going to be the most transparent administration ever, there would be nothing to hide. They were right in one sense - they no longer have to hide when they take away freedoms.

Here is the text of the message -

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there. Since we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

Remember that liberty's best friend, Nancy Pelosi, has reported people showing up to healthcare debates and town hall meetings with swastikas. Oh my. Still not as scary as the people in your district Nancy. Harry Reid called dissenting views on healthcare "loud, shrill voices."

We are losing freedom and Big Brother is becoming much more bold than he was in the Bush administration. All in the name of insuring the children and the poor.

Just be glad you are not the poor guy who has to administer and monitor flag@whitehouse.gov. :)

Book Review: Samuel Adams, A Life by Ira Stoll

2009-08-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading this book and absolutely loved it. I was familiar with the biographies of most of the founding fathers but Samuel Adams was a name that appeared in fabric of the revolution but has now been cosigned to beer commercials.

How sad, what a fearless and pious humble revolutionary.

Samuel Adams was not as well known as his cousin, John Adams, nor as famous as the governor of post-revolutionary Mass., John Hancock, but he could definitely be called the catalyst of the American Revolution.

One thing that impressed me about Samuel Adams was his belief that God wanted a free people and that this nation could only remain free if it adhered to upright moral values. Here is a sample -

Luxury & Extravagance are in my opinion totally destructive of those Virtues which are necessary for the Preservation of the Liberty and Happiness of the People. Piety, Justice, Moderation, Temperance, Industry, and Frugality are absolutely necessary to preserve the advantages of liberty . . . We cannot too warmly express our gratitude to Almighty God, who hath smiled on the virtuous struggles of the United States, and crowned the conflict with so happy a conclusion, Our Independence is confirmed.

From his creation of the Mass. Constitution to his initial reluctance of the Constitution (the Federalist Papers were written partially as an answer to the arguments of Samuel Adams against a strong central government), this man served his country with all that he had. Three cheers to Samuel Adams and encouragement to all to discover who he was.

5 out of 5 stars * * * * *

A Clunker for Those Wanting Cash

2009-07-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

The Obama administration, with great fanfare and the acclaim of carmakers and environmental activists, announced earlier this year the wonderful 'Cash for Clunkers' program. Trade in your old car and get up to $4500 in credit towards a new car. A win-win right?

Today the Department of Transportation has suspended the program for fear of running out of money.

It has only been in operation since July 1. The online application that dealers use to get reimbursed for their $4500 for each customer they handed the deal to came online just last Friday. And hardly any dealer has actually received the reimbursement.

So the dealers are giving out the discounts of $4500, like they were requested to do, then they go to the website to be reimbursed by the federal government, like they were requested to do, and they don't get any money due to the backlog. Now the federal government is shutting down the program. Will they ever be reimbursed for the $4500 they have handed out?

Wow. A simple program like this should be fairly simple to administer. But they can't get it right. It hasn't even been in operation a month before the feds figured out they would go bankrupt from it.

And we want to hand them the keys to universal healthcare by August?

No way. I smell a lemon.

The Bigger Picture

2009-07-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Incidents this weekend have reminded me how little I understand about what I know and how it fits into the bigger picture. I love this quote -

Man has, through the richness of the intellectual quest, become more knowing, more clever, and more skeptical. But we have not become more profound or more reverent. Nor have we found a way to put our learning in the context of the eternal.

Josiah Royce

For all that we argue about, think we understand, proclaim that others just don't get it - do we get it ourselves? Has our presence moved the thoughts of those around us forward? Backward? Nowhere? I think it has more to do with humility than it does in realizing what we don't know. I find that when I am humble I am more teachable. As I am reading my biography of Samual Adams I consistently note the humility found in the Founding Fathers of our nation. I hope that I too can be humble enough to receive the counsel God would have me heed. Thank our God for second, third, and an infinity of chances to get it right.

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

2009-07-23T08:43:00.001-07:00

Here is the organization chart for the new Democrat sponsored healthcare plan that they, and the president, are trying to ram through Congress.

Holy smokes.

Yeah, that ought to work seeing as how we are so good at eliminating bureaucracy and cutting the red-tape.

If you understand this chart then you need to run for office apparently . . .

Or you are just a big geeky nerd.

I Vant To Count the Uninsured!

2009-07-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

To boost his plea for a rush on this Healthcare package he is ramming through Congress, the president told all 12 viewers of his infomercial last night that there are now 47,000,000 uninsured Americans.

Except he was wrong. Way off.

According to this Census Bureau report in August 2008, there were 46,000,000 uninsured Americans in United States at the end of 2007. However, nearly 10,000,000 of them were uninsured foreigners or illegals and another 9,000,000 were those who make over $75,000 annually and chose not to carry health insurance.

Remember that these are not off-the-cuff remarks, this is a prepared speech before a national television audience (albeit an unwilling audience) with facts that should be vetted and cited by source. Then again, this administration has shown a lack of consideration for the vetting process as evidence by its numerous Cabinet nominees that were discovered to have some ugly skeletons in the closet.

Mr. President, you seem to have a problem telling the truth when your cause is at stake. You will get farther with the American people if you don't lie to them. Ask Bill Clinton about that - I am sure your Secretary of State has his number.

In light of the numbers problems and your wish to create a czar (this term drives me nuts, it should be tsar) for everything, I would hope that you will nominate Count VonCount from Sesame Street as your new Counting Czar (Tsar). Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

Run Forrest!

2009-07-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

What is the huge push by President Obama to get this Healthcare bill passed before Congress leaves for their August recess? He is going on primetime tv tonight to explain his Healthcare Plan to the American people.

Like that is going to go over well. Remember the last primetime news conference he made the networks run? Yeah, June 24. ABC begrudgingly showed it and finished 9th out of 12 in that time slot.

So what is the rush? Could it be because he is slipping in the public opinion polls? That the cost of his healthcare is skyrocketing?

Slow down Mr. President!

The next president is saying the same thing - slow down! Mitt Romney on Obamacare.

Congress rushed the first two stimulus packages through because it was absolutely necessary to save our economy. How is that working? It isn't.

Yet, the promised report on Gitmo closing and the spending cuts report - the ones that were promised with hard deadlines - have not yet been produced. No rush on those apparently.

Forrest Gump kept going fast but didn't know why he was going fast and running. President Obama knows why he is going fast, because he doesn't want you or Congress to understand what he is trying to implement. He is all about the victories in planning and legislation but when the rubber meets the road and it is time for physical implementation of the proposals he falls flat on his face.

Slow down Mr. President. Please.

Government Healthcare As A "Right", Not A "Good"

2009-07-20T17:16:00.001-07:00

I read an excellent article today by Ron Paul about universal healthcare becoming a "right" instead of being classified as a "good." Read it here. Dr. Paul does an excellent job of explaining why healthcare should be be changed but not in the way the current administration is proposing. Since when was healthcare a right? Did it say something about it in the Constitution?

I must have missed that part. Maybe it is next to the section on gay marriage.

I agree that there are problems with healthcare in this country but government-owned universal healthcare, like universal education and universal employment for all, is not a right but a commodity and should be treated as such.

The more the government controls, the less you do and what type of decisions will they make? Decisions in your best interest or theirs?

Heh. Right.

So When Are Those Jobs Being Created?

2009-07-17T23:08:00.001-07:00

When President Obama rammed the stimulus package through Congress in April 2009 it was with the promise that this would create jobs immediately because that is what the American people needed.

Many people didn't believe him then and less are believing him now.

9.25% unemployment last month.

No end in sight.

Where are those jobs Mr. President?

You have lost any credibility you previously had from the American people.

This is what happens when we elect a community organizer to the highest office in the land.

It's not the government's responsibility to bail out people and businesses who make bad decisions. Who is going to bail out the government now?

Thomas Jefferson would have been devastated.

Don't Save, SPEND Your Way Out of Bankruptcy

2009-07-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

Joe Biden was in front of an AARP group in VA and told the audience that "we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt."

Really? Has that been my problem all along? Dang.

He also said "We are going to bankrupt as a nation."

Does Joe Biden think that being $1,000,000,000,000+ (trillion) in debt is not bankruptcy yet? So what is his threshold for being considered bankrupt? Read the article here.

Not only are we financially bankrupt but we are morally/ethically bankrupt as well and election of Barack Obama is proof of that.

As a Delawarean, I am ashamed that Joe Biden used to represent my home state. Joe, you are an imbecile.

All of you who voted for Obama/Biden, are you proud of your vote? Is this country better off than it was 6 months ago? All the warm fuzzies and the shivers up your leg gone?

Good. Welcome back to reality.

Democrats Own Everything Now

2009-07-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

The Democrats own the White House.

The Democrats own the Senate.

The Democrats own the House.

No more excuses about debate or opposition, they have a super majority in the Senate and can pass anything they want through brute force.

No checks or balances. This is the scariest part of the equation - there is nothing the opposition can do short of convincing Democrats to change their vote. You and I can do that by contacting our members of Congress often. We put them in there and we can throw them out.

Problems with the economy? They are in charge, they own it. Our grandchildren will reap the most trouble from the latest spending spree.

Problems with terrorists? They own those problems. Closing Guantanamo isn't that easy, is it Mr. President?

Problems with the green movement, Al Gore, the Cap and Trade Act? They own that too.

Problems with the homosexual agenda? They own that, but Pandora's box has already been opened.

Healthcare issues? They will attempt to solve it with socialized health care, while charging you an arm and a leg to do it. You pay for the system but you don't reap any benefits - that is how socialism works. Ask Britain how wonderful their healthcare system is. Remember Hillarycare in 1993? Yup, same thing.

They are in charge and they will be held accountable in 2010 and 2012.

Republicans will also be held accountable for all that they try to do during this time, I hope they don't sit back and whine but get out there and fight.

How is it going so far?

You tell me.

Two New Causes To Investigate

2009-07-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

I had a fantastic evening with a former missionary companion last night, just the two of us had an opportunity to go out to dinner and talk about things that were going on in our lives. He spoke passionately about his country, his love for American and her freedoms, how he was involved with Mitt Romney's campaign and his future involvement with conservative causes. I love him and admire him for all of the many things he has accomplished in his life, on top of which he is an amazing husband and father. He inspires me to be committed to things that I believe in and that is why I share these next two causes with you -

The first is the Patrick Henry Caucus. Patrick Henry reminds me of Nathan in the New Testament - a man without guile. Patrick Henry was not afraid to say what he believed in, no matter who he might offend or who might agree/disagree with him. He disagreed with the Founding Fathers at times but he always remained true to the cause of freedom and liberty. There is a movement afoot that encapsulates the ideals of Patrick Henry and promotes freedom and liberty no matter what the price that needs to be paid to return us to those. Please investigate the Patrick Henry Caucus here, I believe you will find it well worth your time. Thanks to my father-in-law, Bob Norman, for giving me the heads up for the Patrick Henry Caucus.

The second is the 9.12 project, headed by Glenn Beck. In the Independence Day parade here in Tooele we had a float that had the 9.12 project on it. I didn't know what it was and neither did my brother-in-law sitting next to me. I looked it up today and was surprised to find it was related to Glenn Beck. I have read many of Glenn Beck's books and although I don't like his move to FOX from CNN, he and I see eye to eye on many things. His 9.12 project mission statement is as follows -

This is a non-political movement. The 9-12 Project is designed to bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001. The day after America was attacked we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States or political parties. We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the greatest nation ever created.

I love the concept of not considering who belongs to what party but considering what our freedoms are and how we can protect and preserve them. Please check out the 9.12 project here and get involved.

Have a wonderful Independence Day, thank the Lord for all of the blessings you enjoy as a citizen of this country, and please be careful out on the roads as you travel tonight. 4th of July accidents are a terrible thing. :)

We Must Fight

2009-06-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

If we believe that our freedom is eroding, if we believe that those whom we have elected are not representing our interests, if we are afraid of the world our children will inherit - we need to do something about it.

Stand up and call out injustice when you see it.

Don't be cowered by political correctness or the brayings of special interest groups.

Just because the majority believe it or do it will never make it right.

Do something.

Do anything.

Just do it.

If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained _ we must fight!

Patrick Henry

Kings of America

2009-06-17T11:17:00.001-07:00

I was reading in Common Sense by Thomas Paine when I came across this passage-

There is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of monarchy; it first excludes a man from the means of information, yet empowers him to act in cases where the highest judgment is required. The state of a king shuts him from the world, yet the business of a king requires him to know it thoroughly; wherefore the different parts, by unnaturally opposing and destroying each other, prove the whole character to be absurd and useless.

This inspired two thoughts for me - we don't have kings in American politics, or do we? Is the king, or politician, so wrapped up in his own agenda or himself that he has little time to spend among the people?

My belief is that we do have kings in politics today and it is not necessarily by choice that some kings are made. Huge amounts of funding are required currently to run a political race, even at a local level like a seat on the city council or school board. The average person cannot afford such costs by himself and is thus dependent on donors and organizations for funds. Rarely do we see a campaign in the last 30 years that does not have the endorsements of powerful organizations. Usually only the wealthy or well-connected are able to be in a position to run for office. They are the kings, and queens, of American politics.

This leads to the next belief- are they so wrapped up in fundraising, especially if the position only lasts a short time like a US House seat every two years, that they don't understand the issues? If you are in financial survival mode continually, how are you able to get the proper understanding of what is happening with the rest of your constituents? The politician will frequently make the decision based on his staff recommendations or the promptings of his largest donors.

How to change this? I don't know. My best friend ran for office several years ago and gave it everything he had, but still lost due to special interests for his opponent. We have moved back full circle to what Thomas Paine and the colonists were concerned about in the 1770's - a monarchy, or ruling class, who do not represent their constituents.

Some Different Views of Illegal Immigration

2009-05-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have always been opposed to illegal immigration. That doesn't mean I am xenophobic, that I hate Hispanics, that I don't love my fellow man, etc. . . . I am not opposed to people immigrating here legally like many of my Eastern European friends have done. They traveled, and continue to travel, a hard path of adjustment and trial to secure their place in America the right way. It is those who flaunt the law and come here by illegal means, then prey upon the taxpayer and demand equal rights when they don't have any to begin with that makes me upset.
I found a series of videos that present some different points of views on illegal immigration. I really like the point of view that the United States needs to "encourage" countries like Mexico and Guatemala to give their people incentive to stay by boosting their economies. Cut off their aid if they don't, they both take billions in US foreign aid each year. The US also needs to stop looking at the bottom line inside the states when it comes to illegal immigration. Want to know why California is financially bankrupt? Providing state benefits to illegals and their dependents who pay very little in taxes is part of that problem.

Here is the website with the video links.

And here is the first video as a sample. I think it will help broaden your perspective.

The Response to North Korean Nuclear Tests

2009-05-26T12:07:00.001-07:00

So, North Korea sets off 5 nuclear missiles on Sunday, endangering the lives of billions of people in that region and thumbing their nose at the United Nations Security Council. This administration's response to the provocation?

By acting in blatant defiance of the United Nations Security Council, North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community. North Korea’s behavior increases tensions and undermines stability in Northeast Asia. Such provocations will only serve to deepen North Korea’s isolation.

Heh, forceful that President Obama is. So how are we going to stop them from doing this again? Are we going to stop them from doing this again? New sanctions from the UN? Is the UN going to respond? Is this the crisis Joe Biden talked about before the election that was going to test this new presidency?

Hello?

Is this thing on?

Oh wait, we have a new Supreme Court justice nomination, that ought to keep them distracted for a while. And the Prop 8 decision in CA.

Thank goodness for Kobe and LeBron in tight NBA playoff battles.

Good article here.

Sonya Sotomayor - New Supreme Court Justice

2009-05-26T08:44:00.001-07:00

President Obama is playing identity politics again and nominating U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit judge Sonya Sotomayor as the replacement for the retiring David Souter. The President will claim she is the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, which is incorrect, and that she will emphathize with the downtrodden and poor - essentially that her decisions will be based on empathy and not on the Constitution. Here is an example of that "empathy" -

In another example of her radical judicial philosophy, Sotomayor stated in a 2002 speech at Berkeley that she believes it is appropriate for a judge to consider their “experiences as women and people of color,” which she believes should “affect our decisions.” In the same speech, Sotomayor went on to say, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.” She restated her commitment to that unlawful judicial philosophy at a speech she gave in 2005 at Duke Law School when she reiterated that the “Court of Appeals is where policy is made.”

Read a preliminary article here. I think she will pass the Senate confirmation hearing and be sitting on the bench come the end of summer when the Supreme Court resumes. Activist judges who don't interpret the law according to the Constitution but instead try to make the law themselves are becoming more and more prevelant. Look for President Obama to replace Justice Ginsburg soon as well as her health is declining rapidly.

New Supreme Court Justice and the Expansion of the Executive Branch

2009-05-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Interesting thoughts from Daphne Eviatar of the Washington Independent on why President Obama might not pick a hard-core liberal but a justice who would favor the expansion of power of the executive branch of government. That would be in line with what President Obama and his predecessors (Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II) have attempted to do with varying results. With a pick like that he would satisfy both conservatives and liberals - because he didn't pick one or the other and settled for somebody who might be more "down the middle." Ms. Eviatar suggests that Solicitor General Elana Kagan might be the leading candidate for the position. If that happens then he has made a much more dangerous pick than a justice who would support common liberal causes - it would upset the greater balance of power within the government and would give the president the opportunity to make decisions without the checks and balances prescribed by the Constitution. Could be a very interesting couple of days to watch.

Hunstman, Obama, and China

2009-05-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

I waited for a couple days to write this post because I found myself initially thinking what a dupe John Huntsman Jr. was for accepting the post as ambassador to China. But due to waiting and thinking this one I have come to a different conclusion.

I think it is a smart move by Huntsman and an interesting move by President Obama.

President Obama gets to trump this move as a bipartisan appointment to an important post for a prominent and rising Republican star. Huntsman backed Obama's opponent John McCain during the presidential campaign, not Romney as I had expected before he made the announcement. Democratic pundits will now point to this as an example of the President attempting to reach out and give an equal hand to Republicans.

Or is it an attempt to stifle the competition in 2012?

Huntsman name has come up several times in discussions about 2012 Republican candidates along with Charlie Crist, Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin, and Mitt Romney. I believe he is a viable candidate for President in 2012, but now even more so in 2016 and let me explain why. What are the qualifications the public wants to see in a president?

He is charismatic. Bill Clinton is charismatic, George Bush Jr. is charismatic, Barack Obama is charismatic, Ronald Reagan was charismatic. I don't know what happened to Carter or George Bush Sr. Dole is not, Kerry is not, Gore is not, McCain is not. John Huntsman is charismatic.
He doesn't come across as too far left or right, more in the center. Huntsman is far right enough for the mainstream to believe in his conservative values but enough in the center to capture the moderate and center-leaning left votes as well. He is conservative enough for the South (wrong religion though) but liberal enough for the cities on the East Coast and the Left Coast. He appeals to that middle section that determines the presidency. His support of civil unions in Utah has gone a long way to forming that belief.
He has executive level experience. Clinton, Reagan, and Bush were governors. Obama served in the Senate and was a community organizer :). Huntsman was a governor, a fairly good one at that.
He makes people believe that he can do what he promises. Clinton, Reagan, both Bushes, and Obama have made people believe those campaign promises. Did you ever think John Kerry, Walter Mondale, Al Gore, or Michael Dukakis could be tough with countries like Russia, China, or Iran? Nope. Huntsman gives the air of honesty and trust, he has energy and he never seems to get ruffled. I believe what he says.

So what does he lack? Foreign experience.

Then again, neither did Barack Obama or George Bush.

So how does this work out? He goes to China and visibly deals with a world superpower. He gains that experience that would put him at the forefront of the GOP primary in 2016. Maybe in 2012 but I think his best chance is in 2016.

Now, I have no doubt that Obama did this for ulterior reasons as well. One of his biggest challengers for 2012 is out-of-sight-out-of-mind. If Hunstman does well, it reflects well on President Obama. If he does poorly then it doesn't necessarily come back to President Obama, this adminstration is very good at blaming somebody else when problems come up. President Obama did the same thing with his biggest Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Any success she has reflects well on the President, she owns the failures.

But could this backfire for the President? Absolutely, and in 2012. More likely he has set up the Democratic party to fall in the 2016 presidential election by affording the opportunity to Huntsman to gain important foreign experience. But why should Barack Obama worry? In 2016 he will be safely ensconced in a pantheon of his own making, kind of like Bill Clinton.

Another reason I like this move is the opportunity for a recognized member of the LDS church to be in China and be at the forefront. As one of the first 50 missionaries to the Soviet Union in 1991 I know what working on the frontier is like. I think this bodes well for LDS recognition in China and is something else in softening the hearts of Chinese leader.

Hang on for a wild ride in the next 7 years!

Greg Book Review - How Starbucks Saved My Life / Michael Gates Gill

2009-05-19T08:59:00.001-07:00

Loved this book, perhaps the best book I have read in a long time. This is a story of a man who had everything in life - a great family, a privilege upbringing, a fantastic education, and a job that paid him in six-figures each year. Through a series of circumstances and bad choices (an affair at an older age that resulted in the birth of a child out of wedlock) he lost everything and ended up in his neighborhood Starbucks shop. A manager there offered him a job and he took it, thinking that the service industry was not going to be the right place for him but he needed to pay the rent and eat.

It turned out to be life-changing.

He started to interact with people that he never would have given a second glance to in his previous elite life. He started to serve people instead of being served. He saw people that were different but were the same.

And he loved it.

It made me think about what I do for a living and how I interact with people. It is no secret that I don't love what I do (data warehouse manager) but I do it for my family and because that is where the Lord needs me. I know that in time I will be in a position that I enjoy and I am where I am supposed to be. In the meantime . . . doing what is asked. But that doesn't mean I can't show love and respect, that I can't serve, that I can't see the good in all that I interact with at work.

Too bad I don't drink coffee or I would frequent Starbucks because of this book.

Two thumbs up, highly recommended.

Math You Can Believe In

2009-05-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

Quotes coming from President Barack Obama as he lectures the country on being fiscally conservative -

"We can no longer afford to spend as if deficits don't matter and waste is not our problem. We can no longer afford to leave the hard choices for the next budget, the next administration -- or the next generation."

Oh really? President Obama released his budget today of $3.4 TRILLION dollars.

That wasn't the big news though, it was that President Obama cut a whopping $17 billion out of the budget. This is his sacrifice, telling us we must tighten our belts and do without.

Let's do the math.

17,000,000,000 (17 billion) is what percentage of 3,400,000,000,000 (3.4 trillion) ? .5 %

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the president has sacrificed .5% of his proposed federal budget and tells us that he is not wasting your money.

This is fiscal restraint?

Unbelievable. He must think we are using Monopoly money and we just landed on his 4 hotel Boardwalk property.

Prepare to have your taxes raised - where else is the money going to come from? Are they going to print more? If so then your dollar won't be worth anything in the coming years. And you thought this recession was bad.

A Christian Nation? Yes, Absolutely

2009-05-06T06:22:00.001-07:00

So why won't President Obama host an event for the National Prayer Day?

Perhaps he doesn't want to offend our Muslim brothers.

Perhaps he believes that we are at a sensitive time in negotiations with Pakistan and the war on Iraq.

No, I don't believe that for a second. I believe that he is only as Christian as polling numbers says he should be to win votes and get high approval ratings. He is showing his true colors.

For a bit of a course correction, President Obama did not say that we are "not a Christian nation" in his press conference in Turkey. You might see emails from conservative groups claiming he said that, but here is what he said-

"One of the great strengths of the United States is ... we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."
President Barack Obama, Turkey, April 19, 2009

I respect and honor those other religious traditions that uphold truth and values in America, they have all made important contributions to the fabric of our society. But to imply or deny that our Founding Fathers were Christian and this nation was not built upon a Christian foundation is wrong. Here are some quotes that prove otherwise -

The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.
John Adams

In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered… do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?
Ben Franklin at the Constitutional Convention, June 1787

For my own part, I sincerely esteem it [the Constitution] a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests.
Alexander Hamilton after the Constitutional Convention 1787

God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever.
Thomas Jefferson

To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian
George Washington at Valley Forge, 1778

Now is there any question our Founding Fathers were Christians and this strong nation was built as a Christian nation? Honoring and respecting the covenants God makes with us is paramount to our success as a nation.

To deny that is foolish and dangerous.

More, More, More!

2009-05-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

They have come back for more because the $3,000,000,000,000 (trillion) they asked for previously (and received) wasn't enough. Barack Obama has asked Congress to give him another $85,000,000,000 (billion) for more things this year, especially to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and start phasing out troops in Iraq only to ship them to Afghanistan.

So Congress wants to give him $95,000,000,000 (billion) instead, including $2,000,000,000 (billion) for the possibility of an influenza epidemic.

You know, swine flu.

See, Rahm Emmanuel (White House Chief of Staff) told you that he wouldn't let a crisis go to waste.

This money does not include the funding for the following-

closing Guantanomo and shipping those prisoners somewhere else
the foundation for national health care
funding to start the cap-and-trade policy
middle class tax cuts
Michelle's new shoes

So where does this money come from? You.

Or they just print more, which ultimately means that the value of those dollars that you have has just become much less. I remember that very well - when I started my mission in Russia in 1991, the value of the ruble was 33 rubles for a dollar. When I ended in 1993 it was nearly 5,000 rubles for a dollar.

You do the math.

Kicking It With The President

2009-05-04T10:02:00.001-07:00

Barry and I chill-axing at the Tooele County Democratic Convention on Saturday evening. He tried to sing 2nd tenor with me in the choir that evening but he was a little flat.

Culture of Fear Case Study - Swine Flu

2009-04-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

"Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste."
-Rahm Emanuel, Obama White House Chief of Staff
Nov 10, 2008

In the first 100 days of the Obama presidency, no crisis (real or imagined) has passed without being exploited by those in power whether it be the furthering of the financial meltdown or the shift of power from the people to the government for control of freedoms guarenteed in the Constitution. These crisis events that lead to more governmental control did not originate with this administration but go as far back as the early 1900's with the establishment of the Federal Reserve and the 16th Amendment that instituted an income tax. With each new crisis (World War I and II, the Great Depression, Korean and Vietnam wars, fall of the Soviet Union, incidents at Ruby Ridge, Waco, and Oklahoma City, 9/11 and the War on Terror) the government has thrust itself into the lives of American citizens and continues to erode freedoms granted in the Constitution. Fear has played a huge part in helping the three branches of the government to pass temporary stopgap measures that soon become permanent and irrevocable.

The outbreak of swine flu is another opportunity for government control.

There is no questioning that swine flu is more than likely a contagious and deadly sickness that will directly and indirectly affect the lives of millions of people. What do we know about swine flu? What are the origins of the sickness? How is it spread? What can we do to prevent the spread and contain it? There are a lot of questions to be answered but very few answers right now.

Which is why the advice and reaction of government officials around the world is so troubling. The media and governments love fear. Egypt and Jordan are slaughtering their pigs as an excuse, even thought it can't be confirmed that contact with a pig will give a person swine flu. These are Muslim countries that forbid contact with pigs anyways and they see this as a way to get rid of something that benefits the Christian minorities.

Here is Joe Biden, always known for his honesty, integrity, and dealing in straight facts (just a hint of sarcasm there) telling Americans that they should not be using mass transit systems or be in school because they might catch swine flu from somebody. The WHO (World Health Organization) claims that "all humanity is under threat" and is calling for "global solidarity" to fight this battle. I have heard that term "global solidarity" WAY too much in the past 4 months.

Remember the avian, or bird, flu? Huge scare worldwide and mass panic, especially in the financial markets. What was the result? 421 cases and 257 deaths worldwide from 2003 to 2009, per this report, about a 60% mortality rate. Regular flu, influenza, mortality rates are 0.1%. So far there are nearly 3,000 reported cases of swine flu worldwide, with 151 deaths (150 of them in Mexico) for a raw mortality rate of about 5% - hard to say right now.

Let's be rational here and not do something that will give up our freedoms. The answer is not to get the "swine flu" vaccine when it comes out, you have no idea what it contains or doesn't contain. Will it actually help? How much testing has been done on the vaccine? Lot's of questions that still need to be answered. Tthis doesn't mean we should be unprepared however, here is an article from Meridian Magazine on the differences between an epidemic and a pandemic and preparing for them.

You make the call for you and your family but be careful of other consequences here.

"In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way. "
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Polls Reflect the Common Man, Right?

2009-04-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Interesting article about the popularity of President Barack Obama and his high popularity poll number 100 days into his presidency. I admire President Obama like I admire President Clinton (Bill, not Hillary) in that they have a charisma that draws people to them, that allows people to trust them.

And then the people find out the truth.

Dick Morris, an advisor to President Clinton, writes that President Obama is planting seeds that will lead an absolute disaster in a matter of 6-12 months-

He hasn't raised taxes yet, which is inevitable under Democratic leadership and his free-wheeling government spending.
He hasn't set up his healthcare plan in which the government will tell you which doctors you can go to, that your medication is unnecessary, and your treatment is not covered or there are unbearable delays to receive it. Your doctor will not have any incentive to treat you as he will be reimbursed by the government at a flat cost.
He hasn't granted amnesty for illegal aliens, making those who came here legally a punch-line in a joke. If you think that granting amnesty for aliens who are currently in the country is a cure for the immigration problem then think again. How soon will it happen again?
He hasn't closed any of the car companies or banks that he now owns under the guise of the TARP program.

As long as President Obama continues to look good on magazine covers and in photo-ops and the media continues to fawn over him then the numbers will stay up. Watch out this fall though.

A Mishmash of Mixups

2009-04-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

Arlen Specter defects to the Russians, sorry I mean Democrats.

The Obama administration has made embarrassing bungles at home and abroad in his first 100 days and the Republicans can barely muster a response.

A Democratic Congress and White House have saddled our children and grandchildren with more debt than they will ever be able to repay and the White House calls upon all American to practice fiscal responsibility. The Republican response? No alternatives.

Republicans have lost several election fights in the past 6 months (House race in NY, Franken recount disaster in MN).

The RNC has fought a huge battle over the chairmanship, eventually settling on Michael Steele. I never believed he was the right person to lead the party.

Now this.

Is it any wonder why Republicans are losing ground and the faith of the American people?

Sheesh.

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants” — Thomas Jefferson

Don't Look At Me! It's Only My Plane!

2009-04-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

So what's dumber than having Air Force One, with trailing military fighters, buzz Lower Manhattan to get a photo-op in front of the Statue of Liberty?

Let's launch an investigation to place the blame somewhere other than where it belongs! Like the Oval Office!

So, not only did the federal government (read WHITE HOUSE) spend your tax dollars for an updated photo-op of Air Force One, scaring millions of New Yorkers who remembered the last time a low-flying jet plane came screaming through the city, but now we are going to launch an internal investigation (funded again by your tax dollars) to see who authorized the decision to do such a stupid thing? And the FAA ordered everybody to keep silent about it even though they KNEW it would induce panic?

Unbelievable.

What else have they ordered people to keep silent about?

Let me save the feds some money. See the guy sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office? Yeah, he is the one. HINT: He goes by the name of Barry, like he did in high school. Now, the president wasn't on board but it's his plane and the plan originated in a White House office.

You will hear about how mad he is, how it will never happen again, how sensitive he is to the needs of New Yorkers and another attack possibility that Joe Biden spoke so confidently about happening during the election campaign . . . (the last comment might have an interesting connection to this whole "event").

I am sure George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the other Founding Fathers are turning over in their graves. This is exactly what they envisioned 200+ years from writing the Constitution.

A Traitor Among Us

2009-04-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

Arlen Specter, I don't believe you and I suspect that the people who voted for you won't either. You sold out all those who supported you and fought for your cause. You are a traitor to those who donated to your campaign because they believed in you.

Today Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) switched parties from Republican to Democrat. This is like what Jim Jeffords (I-VT) did when he switched from Republican to Independent several years ago. Jeffords is, really, a Democrat and not an Independent. When he switched it gave control to the Democrats. Now the Democrats only need 1 more vote to make any piece of legislation filibuster-proof. Meaning - whatever they want, goes.

This is crass and low. His reasons for switching are not about idea or ideals. This is a man who has voted Democrat many times, much like John McCain did.

Here is a quote from RedState -

Just over a month ago, Specter told The Hill “I am staying a Republican because I think I have an important role — a more important role — to play there. I think the United States desparately needs a two party system. It is the basis of politics in America. I think each of the 41 Republican Senators, in a sense, and I don’t want to overstate this, is a national asset, because if one was gone you would only have 40. The Democrats would have 60 and they would control all of the mechanisms of government.”

Arlen Specter chose to become a Democrat because he was afraid that he couldn't win the Republican primary in 2010 against Pat Toomey, let alone the general election. In his statement he claims that the Republican party has left him.

I understand that. I left the Republican party as well because I didn't feel like they were following the mandates and instructions of the Constitution. Not because I didn't think I could win the next election as a Republican so I switched parties.

Specter just knew he couldn't win in the Republican party with his ideas. Because he has no ideas. He is the epitome of what is wrong with Washington.

I hope the good people of PA see through this garbage and vote him right out of office next year.

Of course President Barack Obama has called to welcome him to the party. Hopefully he won't offer him a ride in Air Force One as it flies past the Statue of Liberty for an updated photo shoot.

Goodbye Sen. Specter, don't let the door hit you in the rear.

Greg Book Review - The Associate / John Grisham

2009-04-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe my luck when I found this book in the library last week. I really enjoy the early Grisham novels and I was expecting this one to be better than the last one I read from him (The Appeal).

Disappointed was a good start.

This one was about a poor schmuck, Kyle, who was blackmailed to steal secrets from a big law firm that he was beginning to work at. His handler, known as Benny, had a compromising video of Kyle from his undergraduate days, Benny uses that to get Kyle to obtain information on an upcoming lawsuit between two big defense contractors. Well, Kyle is a poor first-year employee at the firm and he is working horrific hours, having to do menial chores, but of course gets put on the top-secret lawsuit - just right for Benny to steal secrets. Kyle finally tells the FBI and they go after Benny, but Benny escapes and disappears into the night. The novel ends with Kyle walking out of the big law firm and going to join his Dad in practice in Scranton, PA.

Lame. They never find Benny nor do we know who he really is. There is never closure in this story, so many open ends that need to be tied up. Kind of like one of those Law and Orders that just abruptly ends.

The writing was not well done, it seemed to be a mixture of earlier books - copy and paste at its best. Lazy writing.

Two thumbs down and let's hope they don't make a movie out of this one.

Greg Book Review - Blink / Malcom Gladwell

2009-04-27T08:44:00.001-07:00

I picked this book up by Malcom Gladwell because I couldn't find his new book, The Outliers, in the library. A friend had recommended his recent book but since it wasn't available I found this one.

And I am glad I did. It was fantastic and fascinating.

Blink is about the judgements and perception we instantly create when we experience it for the first time. Have you ever saw something and known that something just wasn't right - it wasn't what it was purported to be? Gladwell opens up with the story of the Kouros (statues representing male youth in ancient Greece) that were offered to a large museum in New York. As the museum contemplated buying the collection they had many scientists come and test the statues for authenticity. All of the test came up positive as there had been some questions if the collection was of real kouroi. After all of the scientific tests had been run and the museum was on the cusp of buying the collection, they showed it to certain Greek art experts and all of them immediately said there was something wrong with the statues. They couldn't exactly put their finger on it but there were instant feelings that these were not real kouros statues.

Have you ever had that same feeling? That something wasn't quite right? The author goes through some fascinating ideas on why this occurs and comes up with some interesting theories on not only why it happens but how we can overcome preconceived notions.

One of the more interesting theories is his last chapter about situational autism. He explains that in high stress situations, we tend to blank out reason and go with base instincts and beliefs. Those who have not trained extensively in the right situations, like police officers, will fall back on thought processes that can lead to disastrous results. The idea is to train yourself to respond correctly in such situations by simulating those situations and evaluating them afterwards for responses.

2 thumbs up, can't wait to read The Outliers.

Greg Book Review - Bruce R. McConkie - Highlights From His Life and Teachings

2009-04-15T20:21:00.001-07:00

This was the second biography I had read about Bruce R. McConkie, the first being written by his son entitled The Bruce R. McConkie Story: Reflections of a Son. They are different books as the book by Horne does a decent job of chronicling the life of Elder McConkie from public and semi-private sources for the first half while the second half is devoted to some of the unpublished manuscripts and teachings of Elder McConkie that you won't find in many other places. The Joseph McConkie biography is much better with regards to his life, and that is well expected as he has access and experiences with Elder McConkie that nobody else could possibly have had. There is an extensive section on Elder McConkie and the revelation on the priesthood, which he was present for, that is fairly detailed.
I liked this book but it became a bit monotonous after a while. The teaching/doctrine section of the book was grouped by subject and it was a habit of Elder McConkie to repeat many of the main points of his talk so by the time you finished reading several different talks in each section you had probably heard the same point several times over. I think the whole book could have been reduced in the amount of material it offered and not suffered. If you are looking for a good Elder McConkie biography then I would recommend his son's book. If you are looking for a smattering of Elder McConkie's teachings on various subjects that come from unpublished or difficult to find sources then this book would be the one to choose.

1 thumb up, 1 thumb down

Rick Perry and Texas Sovereignty

2009-04-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

Take a listen to Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and his recent remarks about the sovereignty of Texas. He rails against the rights of the federal government vs. states' rights. I like Gov Perry and he has some good points. His prominent use of the 10th amendment is good to see as people may start returning to the Constitution. Maybe it is time to consider moving to Texas (wouldn't be the first time Kathryn and I nearly moved to Texas). Couple of things to remember though -

The stimulus package is not affiliated with just one party or the current administration. Many of the current financial crisis roots can be found during Clinton years with the extending of bad mortgages to those who could not afford them, the Bush adminstration's support of deregulation and their two attempts at a stimulus before Barack Obama took office, and the current administration's lack of control with regards to spending. Both Republicans and Democrats have lacked ethics and control when it comes to increasing the size of government.
Gov Perry attended the Bilderberg Group conference in Istanbul, Turkey in 2007. That is not a good sign as those who attend that conference are specifically invited and all things discussed there are secret. Don't be surprised to see Gov. Perry's name come up as a presidential candidate in the next 24 months. If it does, you had better believe that the Bilderberg is backing him to some extent.

Officially Unaffiliated

2009-04-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

I did it today. I went to visit the Tooele County Courthouse, the office of the county clerk and changed my voter registration to Unaffiliated. It was easy but it was hard. Since last summer I have toyed with the idea of leaving the Republican party as I no longer feel like they align with the my values or beliefs. It actually started nearly 3 years ago when my best friend ran for office here in Tooele and should have easily won but the leadership of the county Republican party was so poor that Jess got beat pretty good. I was devastated. I had worked so hard with him on this campaign and I felt awful for him. It hasn't gotten any better either as the county party put up a nice guy last year for election but again got beat down by the incumbent who deserved to lose as he barely showed up for the election. At least Jess made him work for his victory in 2006.

Under George Bush the Republican party has strayed from its values of less government, lower taxes, more personal responsibility, a strong but limited defense, a foreign policy that keeps our troops home and doesn't become the world's policemen, conservative moral values, less involvement in international organizations, less socialism. I don't want to be associated with what I am seeing now.

I want to be FOR something, not against something. I want to believe in what I am doing, not wondering if my representatives (I'm talking to you Orrin Hatch and you Bob Bennett) have other motives for their non-conservative actions. I want to believe they are doing the best they can but I don't believe that any longer.

I love the Constitution and am willing to do whatever I can to defend it and its principles.

I am not ready to join another party - Democrat, Republican, Constitution, Green, Libertarian, Communist, etc. I am ready to support who I feel best represents my values and refuse to be tied to a label.

I Love America

2009-04-05T08:32:00.001-07:00

As I was perusing my usual sites this morning for a brief update before conference (the milk before the meat) I came across an incredible rant by Warner Todd Huston, a regular contributor to RedState.com. What made the rant amazing was the common themes on which he touched - we, as Americans, have lost touch with each other. More and more we are seeing ourselves turn inward and worry about the self instead of the community. I was impressed by Bishop Edgeley's talk yesterday in Priesthood Session about the phone call to our brethren. (Sorry, no link for that yet on the Church's website)

I am not tired, I am full of life and energy. It is time to wake up and be men and women of courage, valor, ethics, and moral decency. We need to continue to put off the natural man who is consumed with himself and think about those things that matter - our spouses, our children, our family, our community, our God, our country. Madison Ave, Hollywood, and Washington DC does not represent this country. Those families who are trying the best they can to raise their children in righteousness, those who are willing to serve their country by thinking more about others than themselves, those who practice self-control in their financial, social, and work-related activities are the ones who built this nation and will continue to be it's base and foundation.

Read the article and see if you don't find yourself saying "Amen, brother!" Here is the article. After reading it, resolve to do something about your situation this week. Take your wife out on a date to look at the stars, play soccer with your children, call your siblings to tell them that you love them, make sure you are registered to vote, send an email to your Congressman, turn off your TV, gather your family around for family prayer. Do something to make a positive difference in their life.

And you will find you have made a positive difference in your life as well.

Filthy Lucre

2009-03-25T19:01:00.001-07:00

So who is profiting from this economic crisis? George Soros is. If you don't know George Soros, you should. He is one of the puppet masters, one of the most powerful men in the world but he doesn't want you to know that. His involvement with both political parties, but lately more so with the Democrats and MoveOn.org is well-known.

What isn't well known is his connections with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), his inclusion in the Bilderberger Conferences, and the Trilateral Commission. These are all international bodies whose members decide the foreign/domestic, military, and monetary policies of the most powerful nations on the world. They also control all of the world's most powerful banks. They set who wins and who loses. They set who wins and who loses. Google them and learn more about them. Secret combinations in the latter days are what these are.

Here is a story about George Soros and how he "foresaw" the world economic crisis and took steps to "guard" himself against it. Well, duh. He created it. And now, like all other activities when you know beforehand what is coming, he is gaining immensely from it.

He knows exactly what he is doing, as do most of the people on the list in the article. All of it filthy lucre.

Promises, Promises

2009-03-25T07:59:00.001-07:00

Candidate Obama vs President Obama -

Don't believe everything that you hear as it comes from the teleprompter either in front of him or at the back of the room.

Wrong Region

2009-03-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ummm, President Obama, remember those DVD's you gave to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown when he visited the White House for the first time? You know, the ones you had Joe Biden pick up at Best Buy on his way home that night?

Did you ever think they might not work in the land of tea and biscuits?

Turns out they don't. Read it here. When he tried to play them, the message came up as 'Wrong Region.' Hopefully that shows up on the teleprompter in a couple of weeks when you are in London for the G20 Summit.

Crossing the Line AGAIN

2009-03-20T08:10:00.001-07:00

President Obama, I know you were trying to be funny with Jay Leno. You were in Hollywood, perhaps the only place in American that still loves you and thinks you are a honest, upright man.

But when you joked about your bowling game (129, 8 year old Josh can bowl better than that) being like the Special Olympics you crossed a line that you cannot come back from. Here is what he said.

Only 2 months into your presidency and you are showing your colors as a self-centered, vain, little man who cannot say anything intelligent without a speechwriter or a teleprompter. I found a great quote on the different between you and the Special Olympics -

They offer dignity to people who legitimately need help. They defend the weak. You defend the lazy, the dishonest, the professionally offended, and the freeloaders. That makes you different from them. Quite a bit different.

You can read the article the quote came from here.

President Obama, you are small-minded and insensitive. Perhaps you need your White House Press Secretary to stop attacking private citizens from the White House Press Room and address your idiot remarks from the pulpit. Who are you going to blame now? AIG? Rush Limbaugh? Republicans? Right-wing Christian fundamentalists? Own up to this Mr. President. You screwed up big time and revealed a lot about yourself in the process.

At least Bill Clinton had some charisma to go with his ineptitude. You have the charisma of a sheet of plywood. President Obama called the head of the Special Olympics and apologized, in a manner that was described as "very moving." He even invited some Special Olympians to come play basketball and bowl at the White House. Spare me your false disappointment you hypocrite. The real dignity is with those athletes and their families, not in your fly-away rhetoric and false hope.

Leading Us By A Flaxen Cord

2009-03-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

Congress is slowly leading us down to slavery with a flaxen cord. Did you notice the violation of the Constitution today?

The outrage over AIG bonuses (that leading Senate Banking Committee members knew about, including AIG's biggest political donation recipient Chris Dodd (D-CT) heads) is growing louder and louder. So what does Congress do? They grow louder and bolder in their rhetoric.

Don't be fooled. Timothy Geithner, Chris Dodd, Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and others all knew about this long before they claim they did. Read about it here.

That's not the scary part though.

Congress passed a law today that taxed those bonuses retroactively. That is the scary part. Here is Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution-

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
An ex post facto law is a law that makes an action criminal now and a punishment assessed when the action, when originally done, was not criminal. So it would be like eating a donut yesterday and Congress passing a law today that says eating donuts is a felony and then being punished for eating that donut even though I did it when it wasn't classified as criminal.

Now, I know that levying a 90% tax against the bonus isn't exactly making it criminal, but they are doing it retroactively when they should have been policing it in the first place. We are now on a slippery slope, what is next? Speaking out against the president? Owning a gun? Rallying in protest of government policies. Just wait, it is beginning.

The false and hypocritical outrage by the Democrats over the AIG bonuses is masking a much bigger problem. Our Constitution is slowly being destroyed right in front of us while we worry about the NCAA basketball tournament and the hoax of global warming.

What Did We Expect?

2009-03-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Hail Captain Obvious! Are you telling me this comes as a surprise to you?

13 companies that received TARP funds are on record as not paying over $220 million dollars in back taxes. 2 of the companies owe more than $100 million in back taxes. Read the story here.

Unbelievable.

Here comes the false rage against these companies. President Obama is doing it now at the AIG bonuses that he supposedly knew nothing about. Democrats will be up in arms about how the American people are getting robbed blind by these crooks! Too bad they are the ones that pushed so hard for this and other spending.

This is what you get when you approve a tax cheat as the head of the Treasury.

Crossing the Line With Veterans

2009-03-18T12:12:00.001-07:00

President Obama and his new administration have done some very questionable things in the first two months in office but none come close to what he is proposing now for veterans. When a soldier is wounded in the service of his country, he is able to go to the VA for health care related to those disabilities. The Veterans Administration picks up the tab for that care. If he goes to the VA hospital for a non-combat/service related condition then his private insurance picks up the tab.

Until now. President Obama wants private insurance to pick up the tab for non-combat/service related conditions AND for care of injuries that happened in the service of your country. Read about it here. So if you are wounded fighting for Uncle Sam, your private health insurance would need to cover that instead of the VA.

Thanks for serving your country. Now get out and pay your own way for the loss of your leg. Or the post traumatic stress syndrome nightmares that you suffer. Or the shrapnel lodged in your back from the mine your Humvee ran over and killed all of your buddies except for you.

The American Legion is disgusted, they had a meeting and left shaking their heads. Read about that here.

This is the lowest of lows. Many have given their lives for their country and are still living everyday with the horrors of what they encountered. To try and save money this Obama administration proposed destroying this nation's foundation? While private banks, who still give out executive bonuses because some of them (AIG) were huge Democratic donors, are getting billions we are forcing veterans to pay their own medical costs? We are going to let them stand on their own? Not while I am still breathing. Not while I still have the power to support those men and women who have given so selflessly to our country. God help those who are serious in their attempts to thwart real bravery and courage as this may turn the tide against this sophomoric president and his bumbling administration.

I Am A Conservative, Not A Republican

2009-03-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Republican party is spiraling downward with a series of embarrassing gaffes and positions by party leadership. For two years I have watched this slide and found that while I agree with some points of the platform, I have found that Republican leaders are more about self than about the principles they endorse during election years.

I am a conservative, not a Republican. There is starting to be a big difference.

I believe that less government is good, the less the government intrudes in my life and the lives of my friends and families the better. Don't give me a legislative branch that is full of Republicans trying their best to spend my tax dollars on personal earmarks. Don't give me Republicans in Congress who vote for the stimulus bills (yes, another stimulus bill is being floated), the bailouts, federally funded embryonic stem cell research, DC to get a House seat, and who approve tax cheats as Cabinet members.

Don't give me the IRS, the Department of Education, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and others who want to control every aspect of my life.

Don't give me an executive branch of government who rules by executive orders instead of legislation, who uses the office of the President to ignore the Constitution, who compares his intentions to Abraham Lincoln instead of letting others compare his actions to one of the greatest presidents, who uses his office to blast private citizens (Rush Limbaugh) for disagreeing politically, who funds overseas abortions with my tax dollars, who preaches fiscal responsibility to states receiving the stimulus money and to CEO but signs the biggest budget increase in history and an omnibus bill that is filled with more pork than a Porky Pig family reunion.

Don't give me a judicial branch who is willing to write legislation through judicial review and rule from the bench, who is afraid to overturn Roe vs Wade, who will not honor the rights of the majority but will allow the minority to prevail, who cite international law in their decisions, and who are willing to give up sovereignty to a world court.

Don't give me a Republican National Committee chair, Michael Steele, who believes that abortion is an individual woman's right to choose, who believes that homosexuality is like being black - you don't have a choice, who was elected because of communication skills but has shown to be incompetent. This man isn't fit to lead the Republican party and neither are leaders like Mitch McConnell (minority leader in the Senate), Orrin Hatch, Bob Bennett, Arlen Specter, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Guliani, Dick Cheney, and Colin Powell. It is more about them than it is about us.

I am a conservative, not a Republican and will not be a Republican again until they start to believe the same way I do.

I am a conservative, not a Republican

Orrin Does NOT Represent Me

2009-03-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sen. Orrin Hatch (?-UT) has had two major issues come up in the last week where he has taken a stance that has been the opposite of mine. The first issue is his support of embryonic stem-cell research. I don't agree with Sen. Hatch on federal funding for stem-cell research, in fact I don't agree with stem-cell research on embryos at all. I may not understand all of the facts on stem-cell research but to test them on human embryos, which have the potential to grow into babies, is not right. Neither is making clones of them for testing purposes only. After the stem cells are removed, the embryo is discarded. How is this different than abortion? I believe life starts at conception. I understand that stem-cell research has the potential to save lives, to cure diseases, and to make life better for those who are suffering. But at what price? The end does not justify the means in any way with embryonic stem-cell research. How many embryos were destroyed to save those lives? I know that Senator Hatch has family connections with conditions that have been, or could, be helped by stem-cell technology.

But geez, at what price?

The second issue is the granting of a 4th House seat to Utah while at the same time granting a seat in the House to Washington DC.

Wait a minute. Don't you have to be a state to have representation? Yes, you do.

Article I, Section 2 -

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

Since DC is not a state, it does not qualify to be represented by either a member of the House or a Senator. There are US territories that have non-voting representation (Guam, Puerto Rico) but this representative will be a full-voting member of the House.

And Senator Hatch approves it.

No matter that Utah would have gotten a 4th House seat anyways next year with the 2010 census (Utah missed it by 80 people in the 2000 census). Why did he push this bill? It gave the Dems another sure seat in the House while the Utah seat could be up for grabs as Utah does have a Democratic House member currently (Jim Matheson).

I don't understand Senator Hatch, he is making some uncharacteristic moves in the past year. And moving farther and farther away from his base.

British Gift Fail

2009-03-08T16:38:00.001-07:00

This last week, British Prime Minister and fellow socialist Gordon Brown, paid a visit to the Obama White House for his first talks with the new president. And the White House failed in it's first foreign leader visit.

No state dinner. No major press conference. Brief meeting with President Obama.
But those weren't even the biggest failures. That happened during the gift exchange. Gordon Brown brought the following thoughtful gifts for President Obama and his family -

an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet
a framed commission for HMS Resolute
a first edition of the seven-volume biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert
to the girls - an outfit each from Topshop
six children's books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America

And what did America's pride and joy give Gordon Brown in return for such splendid and special gifts -

A collection of 25 American movies on DVD

Great. Just what he wanted. Did he stop at Target or Best Buy on the way home to pick that up? Geez Mr. President, how kind of you to take the time to put such thought into your gift. The White House offers up the excuse that President Obama is so tired from the economic crisis he is trying to solve and the amount of work that crosses his desk that he just wasn't able to do what was expected with Prime Minister Brown.

This administration continues to act like it has no clue as to what it is doing, that it bit off much more than it can chew and now is floundering. The vetting process for Cabinet picks is non-existent, nobody wants to work for Treasury Sec. Timothy Geithner as he continues solo in his job, and the Dow, which predicts future trends, is plummeting. Why? The plan is to spend us out of this recession and Obama is campaigning to sell this snake oil to the American people by creating fear. He doesn't have time for silly things like foreign relations, that is why he has Hillary Clinton.

My question - was 'The Patriot' included in the collection? Perhaps 'Pee Wee's Big Adventure'? Just wondering . . .

We Invoke the 10th Amendment

2009-03-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

Something extraordinary is happening, sit up and take notice of the renewal of the power of the Constitution. 16 states have now introduced legislation at the state level to reject funds from the Obama-Reid-Pelosi "stimulus" package that is being given to each state. They are invoking the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, which reads as follows -

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Which means that any power not given to the federal government by the Constitution is left to the discretion of the states. The federal government only has as much power as the States give it - it is a servant of the states and not the other way around as most administrations would like you to believe.

An example of how the federal government does this is by withholding funding for certain projects if national laws are not implemented in the state. For instance, if the federal government passes a bill that says the speed limit is 55 mph, you must have auto insurance to drive a vehicle, and that the intoxication limit for driving is .08 blood alcohol level and the state of Utah does not adhere to these laws or copy them, then federal highway funds will be withheld. If you don't do this then I won't give you this. Do it my way or you can't play.

16 states have said "Enough." And it all has to do with the stimulus package.

These state legislatures have seen that there are so many strings attached to this money that they want no part of some of it. Some states have rejected more of the stimulus money than others but they are all saying that the rights of the state trump the right of the federal government.

Kudos to these state legislatures, kudos to them for understanding that this is an absolute breach of power by the federal government and it seems to be getting worse under the Obama administration.

Where is my state, Utah, in all of this? (Crickets chirping) Utah's governor, John Huntsman, has too many national ambitions to do something silly like this. The state legislature is wrapped up in their own budget cutting, ethics bill problems, defending state legislators who say inflammatory things that upset certain special interest groups, etc.

Utah will not be one of the state invoking the 10th Amendment, but 16 states (nearly 1/3 of the states) are. You might want to check out home prices in these states as they are the ones that have the guts to fight -

Washington
New Hampshire
Montana
Michigan
Texas
Arizona
Missouri
Oklahoma
Georgia
South Carolina
Tennessee
Kentucky
Kansas
Indiana
West Virginia
Minnesota

Back At It

2009-03-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

4 weeks ago I accepted a new position at work and it has eaten a lot of my free time as I try and replace the legend who is retiring. Family concerns have been a big issue as well, blogging has been low on the list but now some things have settled and I can get back at it.
So many things have happened over the past few weeks that I don't know where to start. How about I just say what has been lately on my mind -

I have a missionary buddy who is big into supporting gay marriage and he makes sure that everybody knows about it, especially on his Facebook pages. It makes me sad to see that, I really like him and he was a great missionary when we were out in the field - I don't know how his life has been since then. There is a state Senator here in Utah, Chris Buttars, who said some controversial things about the gay movement this last week and the gay community in Utah (yes, there is one) was up in arms. They held a protest up at the state capitol this weekend to show their solidarity and how wrong Sen. Buttars is. I agree with some of Sen. Buttar's comments but I disagree with part of them as well. He certainly has the right to say them and will bear the consequences of his words but nobody can deny him the right to think and say as he pleases. The gay movement, in general, seems to want to deny him the right to do that. If you don't agree with them then they want swift punishment like censure or removal from office. Where were the leaders of the gay community after the defeat of Prop 8 and the resulting violence against Mormons in Utah and California? Not very loud. I have never believed that the proponents of gay marriage actually want equal civil rights, they want society to accord them equal moral standing with traditional marriage. They want gay marriage to be the equivalent of traditional marriage morally. That can't and won't happen. Cleon Skousen, in his book The 5,000 Year Leap, explains the idea of the Founding Fathers that in order for the Constitution to survive it had to be upheld by a moral people. We are falling further into the abyss as the lowest common denominator gets lower and lower.
Now the Democrats want Roland Burris, the Blagoevich pick from Illinois, to resign from the Senate? Hey Harry Reid, you are the bumbling fool who was determined to seat this guy and call him legit! Now Burris is changing his story, explaining how he went from no contact with the governor, to then talking to the governor's brother but refusing his pay-to-play demands, to now admitting that he promised to raise campaign funds for the governor while bugging him about the newly open Senate seat. This is awful. And now Roland Burris is playing the race card, getting black churches in Chicago to do a 'laying on of hands' for him at a photo op yesterday. He is telling Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, and all others involved to pack sand, he is not resigning. In fact, he announced that he is going to seek "reelection" to the seat in 2010. By the way, he voted twice for the stimulus bill, is there any clearer indication on why the Dems wanted him to be seated so quickly in the Senate?
So we have a President who shoved a bailout through Congress, wants an multi-trillion dollar budget to pass, is committed to dragging through another $500 billion dollar pork-filled bill through Congress currently and has the audacity to tell Congress and America in his "State of the Union" speech last Tuesday that he plans on reducing the deficit by 1/2 by the end of his term? Huh? How do you spend do much and then claim to be wanting fiscal responsibility? You want to limit CEO pay when you are out spending billions and trillions of dollars? You can't spend to prosperity Mr. President.
Like Rush Limbaugh, I want President Obama to fail. I want him to fail to set up his socialistic agenda that will spend and tax my family and I (through 3 generations) into oblivion with programs that I don't need nor does America need. I want him to fail to set up socialized health care. I want him to fail at setting up a North American Union. I want him to fail miserably at ignoring the Constitution and removing my rights. I want him to fail miserably at sending more troops to Afghanistan as he is bringing them out of Iraq. I want him to fail in supporting the UN and it's myriad of failed attempts to make one big happy world family. I love America and hate her enemies and I believe he is an enemy. The man himself may be a great father, a loving husband, and a great guy socially. But his policies are awful and his direction needs to change.

So, more later . . .

I Am A Coward

2009-02-20T12:55:00.000-08:00

According to our new Attorney General, Eric Holder, I am a coward.

No, really, I am.

So are you. And your family. And your extended family.

All Americans are cowards, he says.

Why are we all cowards?

Because I refuse to talk about race. Here is what AG Holder said in a speech at the Justice Department -

Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. We, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race.

This statement, coming from the first black attorney general, who was appointed by the first black president.

In high school, college, in our neighborhood and at work I have friends who are from many different backgrounds, including Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and African American. It has never been an issue with them, why is it seemingly an issue with politicians who are trying to manufacture an issue?

In high school I was one of 3 white guys on my basketball team and the only white guy on my summer league team in downtown Wilmington, DE. So? It wasn't anything to them nor to me, we just played basketball. I baptized an African student in Leningrad on my mission. So? I love Edmund and he loves me, our differences in race was never an issue to him.

But people like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrahkhan, and now Eric Holder want to constantly remind me of our differences.

Hey guys - I DON'T CARE WHAT COLOR YOU ARE. You have the same tools that I do. I realize and understand that there are people who don't believe the same way I do and that are very racist. There are blacks, like you Mr. Holder, who believe I am racist because I am white. Isn't that racism also? If I criticize your policies or President Obama's policies is that racist? No, it is not. I am not criticizing your race but your lack of common sense and reason. Stop picking at this wound and let the problems heal, this isn't the 1960's again.

Address the real issues among the African-American community - critically high percentages of single-parent families, violence and murder rates of young black and hispanic males, out-of-control out-of-wedlock birthrates among minorities and now in the population in general, high drop out rates of blacks in high school, high drug usage stats among both genders of young blacks.

Mr. Holder, if you want to have a positive affect on people then address the real problem of personal responsibility.

Here are two articles on it - one from Bill Cosby, and another from Linda Chavez.

I am not a coward Mr. Holder. Stop using race and your office as a political tool and address the real problems at hand.

Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln

2009-02-12T06:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to a man of unquestioned integrity, compassion, and dedication to the cause of freedom for all men. If only all would place their fellow men in such high esteem and serve with love and kindness.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack,the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up- for you the flag is flung- for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths- for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Walt Whitman

A Lot of Little Oinkers

2009-02-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

Thomas Jefferson

The 'stimulus' package is on the verge of passing after going through the House and the Senate. In the House not one Republican voted for the package but several Democrats crossed the aisle and voted 'No'. The AP called this vote strictly partisan. In the Senate every Democrat voted 'Yes' on the package while three Republican Senators (the two goofballs from Maine and Arlen 'Benedict' Specter from PA) crossed the aisle and voted 'Yes'. Of course the AP called this vote a sign of Barack Obama's ability to build a bipartisan coalition and unite people.

Yet the Senate is about to pull a fast one on the American people.

When the Senate got the bill for the package it was over $800 billion, then three wannabe Republicans (Specter, Collins, Snow) said if you cut this amount then we will vote for the package. That gave the Dems 60+ votes, enough to make the bill filibuster proof - the bill would pass no matter what the absolutely inept Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel said or did. (he told Republicans in the Senate that they should let this go to vote without a fight, it might make the GOP look bad). You are a tool, Mitch McConnell, go back to Kentucky and take Orrin Hatch with you please.

If a bill is changed from when it leaves the House to when it is passed in the Senate, it goes to conference between the two bodies and they work together to redo the differences so that another vote can be taken in both chambers. Well, the Democrats knew that they could add most of the things they cut back into the bill during conference. That is why Nancy Pelosi, the House Majority Leader, wasn't worried about the cuts. A secret meeting was held last night between Democrat leaders (sans Republicans) to hammer out more spending.

It will be back over $800 billion when it is presented to both houses of Congress in the next couple of days. In 3 years, with interest, it will total over $1.1 trillion in spending. Here is a list of wasteful spending being included in the 'stimulus' package, thanks to the office of Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK).

Every Democratic Senator and House member is sticking their pet project in this bill, making it so big and unwieldy that we don't know exactly what we are getting. A pork project is defined as allocating specific funds that will help a Senator or House member pay for a project in their district/state that should never be funded by the federal government.

There is a lot of pork going around. Please remember this when you go to the polls in two years.

Blurring the Line

2009-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Mark Shurtleff, the Attorney General of Utah, would like to take control of the situation on death row and start to deny inmates the process of the seemingly unending appeals to keep them alive. He is proposing an amendment to the Utah Constitution that would cap the appeals at a certain point and making the prisoner face the executioner. He appeals to the public with the cry that this is costing the taxpayers millions of dollars and would finally bring closure and justice for the victims' families.

Mr. Shurtleff, I admire your sentiment but I abhor the amendment you are proposing.

This is a matter for the judiciary branch of government, it has to do with the legal process running its course. The legislative branch, which you are indirectly a member of, does not carry that power to deny the due process of justice. If you would like to change this process then perhaps you should campaign and work to get justices appointed to the bench who will enforce the laws that are on the books.

I get frustrated when one branch of government crosses their boundary and starts to take on the responsibility of another branch. The President does it with the use of executive orders (effectively making law without the legislative branch), President Bush signed more executive orders than any other president and President Obama is on track to sign even more than President Bush. The judiciary will sometimes legislate from the bench, some of the most recent examples are the denial of voting referendums that outlaw gay marriage in several states. Here, AG Shurtleff is proposing a premature end to the judicial appeal process by the state legislature.

I am not opposed to the death penalty and feel that if the crime justifies the taking of the criminal's life then so be it. However, I don't agree with his move by Mark Shurtleff to use the Constitution to blur the line between the judicial and legislative branches.

Here is the article in the Deseret News about the new amendment to the Utah Constitution that Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is proposing.

Math of the Democrats

2009-02-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Dostoyevsky talked about the concept of 2 + 2 = 5 because we want to believe it is so in his work Notes from the Underground. Fiction, meet Reality. Reality, Fiction. Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has taken funny math to a new level.

She wants you to understand the importance of not passing this stimulus package. Dang it, this is important so listen to her and act NOW!

Did she just say 500 million Americans will lose their job each month as long as the pork-laden stimulus bill is not passed?

Really Nancy? 500 million Americans?

Seeing as how America only has a population of 350 million people currently . . .

This brought to you by woman who believes that birth control SHOULD be in the stimulus package and that they way to boost the economy is to limit the number of children each family has.

You know, like that financially prosperous wonderland of China.

Sheesh, the tripe this woman spews. Even CA should be ashamed of electing her to represent them in Congress.

The Merry Merry-Go-Round

2009-02-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

So, Tom Daschle, President Obama's choice for the Sec of Health and Human Services has tax problems?

Am I surprised? Haven't we played this game lately?

Last week? With Timothy Geithner?

Tom Daschle, who was the leader of the Democrats in the Senate for years before he was ousted by a Republican 4 years ago, has claimed he is "deeply embarrassed" over his tax problems and vows to answer the questions the Senate panels puts before him today.

Tommy Boy made over $5.2 million in the last 3 years and didn't pay a dime in taxes on it or other services until he was under consideration for a cabinet position by President Obama. He then promptly payed over $100,000 plus interest in back taxes to bring him current. And this is what he had to say about it (courtesy of the story on Fox News)-

"I apologize for the errors and profoundly regret that you have had to devote time to them," Daschle said in a letter to Sen. Max Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the panel, released on Monday. Daschle wrote that his "mistakes were unintentional" and he had "disclosed this information to the committee voluntarily, and paid the taxes and any interest owed promptly." "As you can well imagine, I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed by the errors that required me to amend my tax returns," he added.

Embarrassed, Mr. Daschle, that you didn't catch this $100,000 error or embarrassed that you got caught?

Democrats, including the President, are standing behind Mr. Daschle. John Kerrey, that purveyor of truth and all that is good in America, calls it an "innocent mistake." When asked if he stands behind his pick, President Obama stated "absolutely."

When does this parade of fools end? First Bill Richardson (who had the decency to bow out), Hillary Clinton and questions on money her husband is STILL taking from foreign donors, Timothy Geithner and his tax problems, Eric Holder and his questions on gun issues, and now Tom Daschle and taxes.

How we have lost sight of what the Lord established as criteria of those who are elected to lead this nation -

Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wisemen ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil. (D&C 98:10)

You Won. You Own It Now.

2009-01-29T11:41:00.001-08:00

Democrats in the House, especially Speaker Nancy Pelosi, gloated at Obama's party last night how the House passed the the $825 billion stimulus package that they were so insistent this country needs. In the wonderful spirit of bipartisanship brotherhood it passed 244-188.

Not a single Republican in the House voted for this package.

Nope, not one.

Some Democrats voted NO as well. At least the ones who want to be re-elected did.

Kudos to Eric Cantor, the Minority Whip in the house for getting this consensus together.

Here is a list of some of the wonderful things this package will pay for in the next decade. And then you and your children, and your grandchildren will be paying it off for the rest of your life.

The other night President Obama came and visited with Republican House members, claiming he wanted to listen and learn from them about the House stimulus proposal. If he did listen, he didn't act on it nor did he learn. His arrogance in leadership is unmatched.

President Obama, you won. Nancy Pelosi, you won as well. Harry Reid, you are on the clock and will win as well.

But now you own this package and everything that comes with it. If it fails, you fail. If it succeeds, you succeed. But your fate is tied directly to this package.

Good luck in the 2010 and 2012 elections, the repercussions could be devastating.

Greg Book Review - Cry Silent Tears - The True Story of the Horrific Childhood of a Mute Little Boy

2009-01-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

I don't know how to describe my feelings while reading this book.

Horrified.

Shocked.

Weak.

The need to be physically sick.

This is a book about a young boy, Joe Peters, who lost his father at the age of 5 and went to live with his mother and half-brothers. They abused him physically, mentally, and sexually for over 10 years before Joe finally escaped.

But he never really escaped.

The power of his mother over him led him to believe that one day she would turn around and love him rather than beat him or keep him chained in the basement with little food or water. The scenes of sexual abuse by his brothers and mother's boyfriend, his unwilling involvement with child pornography and prostitution, and the way his mother lied to authorities about his abuse made me literally sick to my stomach and I wanted to retch.

I don't know if Joe every grew out of his abuse but he didn't pass it on when he married and had children of his own. He now fights to give voice to children in situations like his and against the horrors of child pornography. His website can be found here.

Please do everything you can to fight pornography, especially child pornography. It is a vile and perverted lifestyle that demeans and devalues all members of the human family. Please do everything you can to stop and prevent child abuse and domestic violence. No human being deserves to be treated like that and there are options for those that have suffered at the hands of an abuser.

One thumb up for the important and sensitive topic it brings to the forefront and one thumb down as I have never had a book make me feel so down and sick.

Orrin Hatch (R or D? - UT)

2009-01-28T21:03:00.000-08:00

Orrin Hatch is very disappointing. Very disappointing as the supposed king of conservative values and a senior Republican in the Senate.

First it was the 'Yes' vote on the first bailout.

Then it was a 'Present' vote on Hillary's nomination for the Sec of State. He did this because his good buddy Ted Kennedy (D-MA) was in the hospital and couldn't vote. Moral Orrin decided that it wouldn't be fair and told reporters that if Teddy was there their votes would cancel out. You think Kennedy would have done that if you weren't there Senator Hatch? No, Orrin, they are not laughing with you, they are laughing at you.

Then came the 'Yes' vote on Treasury Sec. Tim Geithner. You know, the guy who can't, and refuses, to do his own taxes? Orrin ignored my important telephone call last week to vote NO on Geithner. The wrath of Greg will fall upon you now Uncle Orrin.

Today it was a 'Yes' on Eric Holder, the Attorney General nominee. Good bye Second Amendment, hello terrorism. We will now commence becoming a nation of sissies and special interests.

Orrin is rolling over for the Obama administration. Hey Orrin! Bipartisanship goes BOTH ways. It does not mean a Republican crossing the aisle to vote the same as all of the Democrats all of the time, the Democrats have to actually cross the aisle and vote for Republican sponsered ideas as well. John McCain gets that one wrong all of the time. The media will call it bipartisan when the Republican votes with the Democrats but they call it cowardice and treason when the Democrat does.

Go sit on the other side of the aisle Orrin, you have chosen your path. And it will not lead to re-election here in Utah. We want somebody who does what they say and not only in an election year.

Second Amendment Going, Going . . .

2009-01-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

Eric Holder is the nominee for the Attorney General of the United States. But Eric Holder would prefer if Americans did not own guns because we all know that law-abiding citizens who have guns are the reason that we have such high crime rates in this country. He is responsible for the approval of the pardons of Mark Rich and other white-collar criminals at the end of President Clinton's second term. He led the night-time raid to remove six-year old Elian Gonzalez from his family in Florida and shipped him back to Cuba in 2000. He also approved the release of 16 members of FALN, an ultra-nationalist Puerto Rican separatist group responsible for over 130 bombings, 5 deaths, and hundreds of injuries.

Holder doesn't want anybody in DC to have handguns and when normal people don't have access to guns, guess who does? Obviously those gang members and criminals will comply with the handgun ban and start to use slingshots or trick gum to hold up people and rob the local 7-11.

Here is what Barack Obama said about guns and people -

"I don't believe people should be able to own guns."

He believes that government grants the right to people to own guns. Well, the Second Amendment protects the rights of citizens to own guns and defend themselves.

Huge difference. There is a good discussion at RedState about this, here is the link.

If a person does not have the freedom of life, the right to own and control property, and the freedom to exercise his conscience then life falls apart. The Constitution defends these rights and the Founding Fathers were well aware of this. Now a former community organizer and self-proclaimed "Constitutional scholar" would like you to give up that right.

Don't do it. Contact your Senator about Eric Holder and ask him/her to vote NO on Holder.

I am all for President Obama succeeding with issues that matter and that I agree with. But I will fight he and his supporters for every inch if they try to impose things on this country and this people that will hurt us and take us away from the principles that this country was founded upon. We won't back down.

Caroline Kennedy is Gone - I Think . . .

2009-01-23T20:14:00.000-08:00

Ahh, the tax problem strikes again!

Questions surrounding Caroline Kennedy, her taxes, and her illegal housekeeper (isn't this starting to sound familiar?) were the unofficial reasons cited when Caroline pulled her name out of the Senate race late on Wed night. Now both Gov. Paterson's aides and Kennedy's team are trading accusations claiming each was wrong. Gov Paterson said she was not going to be the pick and that is why she dropped out, Kennedy's aides said that the Gov. had begun press conference preparations to announce her name as the next Senator from the state of New York. Blah, blah, blah. I'm gonna tell Mom if you say that again . . .

Today Gov. Paterson announced a little-known Democrat, Kirsten Gillibrand, as the new Senator to replace Sec of State Hillary Clinton. Democratic insiders have complained that Gillibrand is an unknown and has no experience. Yeah, thinking that Kennedy did. I mean, after all, I think she had been on a couple of school boards. Maybe she was a community organizer at one point . . .

Gillibrand comes into this as an elected official, currently serving in the New York State House. She will have two years in the US Senate before she faces re-election. She is a Democrat (pro gay marriage and pro abortion) but she is pro gun-rights (supported by the NRA) and is against giving illegals a driver's license (unlike her predecessor). She will 99th in seniority in the Senate (Harry Reid has yet to seat Al Franken, the nut, until all the court case has been decided, much to Al's displeasure.).

Call Your Senator

2009-01-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

So I called Senators Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch today, my senators from Utah. The girls who answered the phones were very cordial and polite, both said they would pass on my phone message to the Senators.

First time I have done that. I have emailed them before but not called. Kind of cool.

Call your senator and let him/her know that you oppose Tim Geithner for the head of the Treasury Dept. Here are their Washington office numbers and websites -

Sen. Bob Bennett - (202) 224-5444 and website

Sen Orrin Hatch - (202) 224-5251 and website

I had a buddy of mine contact Sen. Bennett after the election and ask for tickets to the inaugeration. Boom! Sen. Bennett arranged for everything and now has a big fan. My friend is very liberal but he thinks very highly of Sen. Bennett. Kudos to Sen. Bennett!

NO to Geithner - Take Action Now!

2009-01-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

The Finance Committee voted 18-5 in affirmative today for Tim Geithner to be the head of the Treasury Department. Now he will move on to full Senate confirmation.

Here are the questions surrounding Tim-

He didn't pay taxes from 2001 - 2004. That right there should disqualify him from the position, he will the boss of the IRS.
His employer during that time, the IMF, gave him extra money to pay those taxes and he signed a form acknowledging that the money given to him was for taxes.
When he was audited he paid the back taxes, plus interest, for 2003 and 2004. But not for 2002 and 2001.
When President Obama hinted to him that he would like him to serve as Treasury head in November all of the taxes were paid in full.
During Senate confirmation hearings he claimed that his self-employment taxes were too complicated. He said he forgot about them. He said he was sorry. Best of all, he blamed TurboTax for his mistakes.

This man is head of the New York Federal Reserve bank and high up in the IMF and he uses TurboTax for his taxes? Really? You have to be joking, right? The man who would be head of the IRS didn't pay his taxes for 4 years and acknowledged that he didn't. My son Elias has a better tax record than this guy. Mr. Geithner took money from his employer to pay them and then used it on other things. He is the architect of the first bailout, you know, the one that has worked so well. This is the man that you want handling your money?

Here is a quote from a committee member that voted affirmative for him-

One committee member, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., a former tax commissioner, said in normal times, Geithner's failure to pay his taxes would have led Conrad to oppose the nomination.

"But these are not normal times," Conrad said. He said the economy's not "out of the woods" and touted Geithner's extensive experience at a time when the country needs a treasury secretary imminently.

Unbelievable. Incredible. Do they think we are dumb enough to agree with this?

Time for action, call your Senator. Today. Tell him/her that Timothy Geithner is absolutely unacceptable to be head of the Treasury.

What are we doing accepting this farce?

Baby Beware

2009-01-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

What is the first things President Obama did on his first day in office? He rescinded the Mexico City policy which President Bush instituted, which made it illegal for federal funds to be given to international groups that promoted overseas abortions or lobbied pro-life governments to expand or eliminate their abortion limits.

Now your tax dollars can go to organizations, like Planned Parenthood, that encourage and actively participate in abortions.

Shame on you, President Obama. As a father you should know better than this.

Folks, this is what we get when the American people vote for the candidate who had the most liberal voting record (besides his popular present votes on issues he didn't want to take a stand on) in the Senate. More liberal than Hillary. More liberal than Chuck Schumer or Dianne Feinstein, more liberal than Barabara Boxer. He campaigned from the center to a little left of center and on his first day he has gone far left.

It is going to be a 4 year struggle.

Pelosimobile - Order Yours Today!

2009-01-21T07:21:00.000-08:00

Take a peek at the future! Brought to you by the $1 trillion plus budget of Nancy Pelosi and friends.

See Silly Jill

2009-01-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

Pictured above is Jill Biden, the wife of Vice-President Joe Biden. She and her hubby were guests of Oprah and it was all fun and games, girl talk, fluff between Oprah and Jill while Joe sat looking on.

Until Jill told Oprah about a situation that is a federal crime.

Whoops!

See Jill, silly Jill. See her open her mouth and insert her foot. See her husband shush her loudly, hoping she won't say anything else about it because he has realized what she just revealed. See Oprah and her audience think that the shushing of Jill is cute and they all laugh. Silly Jill.

What did Jill say and then not shut up about?

Jill told Oprah that Barack Obama came to Joe Biden and offered him his choice of serving as the Vice-President or as the Secretary of State. If he turned down the Vice-President's position then he could serve as the Sec of State (take that Hillary! You were at least the SECOND choice). Except that Barack Obama can't offer a cabinet position to somebody until AFTER he is elected per federal law. Here is the law (thanks to RedState.com for this excerpt) -

Whoever, being a candidate, directly or indirectly promises or pledges the appointment, or the use of his influence or support for the appointment of any person to any public or private position or employment, for the purpose of procuring support in his candidacy shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

So if it is true, and Biden's spokesperson vehemently denies the situation occured like Jill described it, then the President-elect broke federal law. Doesn't seem to be a problem for many people. Nothing is really being said, we are just basking in the Sun King's glorious inaugaration and reveling in the Audacity of Hype.

Vice President Joe Biden is known for sticking his foot in his mouth (Obama's handlers kept him relatively tame during the campaign) and now his wife has followed in the family footsteps. This time it might land his boss in a federal prison. Let Nancy Pelosi and her friends come after the Bush administration and try to prosecute them after they have left office, I am sure there are many things that the Obama adminstration would not like to have see the light of day. Darn Senate confirmation hearings and Oprah Winfrey show . . .

Looking Through the Television Tube Darkly

2009-01-19T13:14:00.001-08:00

If there is one thing that I have learned it is that with any "crisis" that involves the use of federal dollars, there is usually somebody making a killing while the general public is left to suffer or bear the consequences.

Let's take the proposed delay by the Obama White House to move the switch from analog to digital TV back to mid-June.

The FCC controls everything that is utilized in certain frequencies around the nation. TV has come through as an analog signal for decades, this takes up a certain amount of frequency but back in the Clinton years scientists found that if they switched the signal to digital then they could fit it into a much smaller frequency. Which meant the remaining frequencies could be utilized by other technologies. Or companies could buy more shares, or bandwidth, on those frequencies. So the move was made to switch all television signals from analog to digital on Feb. 17, 2009. You have probably seen all of those public service announcements by unknown Congressmen and scientists talking about the switch. The federal government got involved by selling, or giving vouchers, for free converter boxes.

Then they ran out of boxes. Or so they say. This analog/digital switch only affects 9% of American households. Kind of hard to underestimate how many boxes you need for that. So for the sake of making sure that all Americans could watch the propaganda box adequately, the Obama administration is proposing that the switch be delayed for a few months.

What a nice guy! Thinking of all of those hard-working Americans who wouldn't be able to enjoy American Idol, the NCAA basketball tournament, or another life-changing episode of ER.

I say "Baloney" and here is why.

Advising the Obama transition team is one R. Gerard Salemme. He is a big-time donor to Obama and advising President Obama on telecom issues. Well, Mr. Salemme is also the vice president of policy for a company called Clearwater. Clearwater is a partner of Sprint and they help Sprint customers connect to the internet, like through their BlackBerry.

Sprint is launching a 4G network, the latest to help you connect with your Sprint products to the internet. It is much faster and more reliable than the current 3G networking available on most phone products. Sprint, with the help and guidance of Clearwater, is already up and running, ahead of their competition by owning their spectrum of frequency.

Their main competitor, Verizon, also has a 4G network ready to push out to their spectrum of frequency that they have bought from the FCC. But their spectrum will not be available until the switch from analog to digital TV takes place, then their spectrum will be freed up.

So, if you are Mr. R. Gerald Salemme on the Obama transition team advising on telecom issues and you have the opportunity to delay your main competitor's move to 4G (your company, Clearwater, partnered with Sprint, is the only currently available 4G network) , what would your advice to President Obama be? Might it be to delay the transition and give your company 4 more months as the exclusive provider of 4G services?

Could there be a small conflict of interest here?

Hmmm, I thought Barack Obama campaigned on a platform of transparency. So far his picks for Cabinet posts have been awful and surprisingly sophomoric. His party has come down hard on transparency with the rescinding of House rules and the proposed check-card policy. Now this?

Transparency that is opaque, if you ask me. Stop with the false philanthropy, again, and tell the American people why the change in policy. We went through this with Clinton and both Bushes, let's not start anew. Read the article about it here.

Here is a thought - turn off the tube and make this a moot point.

P.S. - Love this image, it and others like it can be found here.

Congressional Budget Woes

2009-01-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

So how much has your budget suffered because of the current economic conditions? I have 5 friends that have been laid off in the last week. At work they are talking about cutting welfare programs to the bone or eliminating them all together, having workers take unpaid furloughs, taking away parking, etc.

So the budget cuts have hit Congress too. Right?

Heh. Whatever.

Member Representational Allowance (MPA) are funds allocated to each Congressional office for routine maintenance, salaries, mailing costs, etc. to the tune of about $1.5 million each year. Every year the offices get an increase, between $20,000 and $30,000.

So you would think that this year might be a little different due to economic problems.

Nope. House Democrats have passed an increase of $90,000 to each office. Yes, TRIPLE the amount that is usually given. So that they can respond to increased concerns by their constituents. Or attend the inauguration ball, whichever will be of the most social benefit.

I am cutting costs here and they get a larger than ever budget increase. I am hoping to keep my job and they are releasing the rest of the bailout funds so mismanaged companies like Bank of America can get a second infusion of $25 billion. I am stocking up on my food storage as best I can and they are passing a $1 trillion dollar economic "stimulus" package budget. The first draft of bailout money did nothing for the economy, although it allowed the Bank of America to make sure that their acquisition of Merrill Lynch didn't absolutely sink them. President-elect Obama is now saying changes will take time, don't expect too much too soon. That is not what he said 3 months ago, he was talking up an instantaneous revitalization. Welcome to reality Mr. President.

Let's make Congress earn their new budget. Make sure they hear from you. Often. Even more often than that. Hold them accountable.

In every downturn somebody is profiting. Who would that be? Try the Federal Reserve. They are laughing all the way to the bank. Their bank. And then they go print some more money and laugh some more.

Geithner and Taxes

2009-01-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

Did anybody from Obama's transition team do the vetting on the picks for Cabinet members? Or did they do it and just not care because they knew that Republicans in the Senate simply roll over in the name of "making sure the transition is smooth?"

During Senate confirmation hearings today, the nominee for the head of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner (former Clintonite and head of the Federal Reserve, which should be a red flag immediately), admitted to not paying taxes between 2001 and 2004. He also had an illegal housekeeper. He kisses dogs in secret. OK, that last part isn't true but the first two came up during the confirmation hearings.

So what did the Senators do about it?

Nothing.

Zippo.

Zilch.

In fact, Orrin Hatch (R-UT) had this to say -

"I still support him. I have no problem. He's a very, very competent guy."

Incoming White House Liar, err . . . Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on the situation-

"He made a common mistake on his taxes, and was unaware that his part-time housekeeper's work authorization expired for the last three months of her employment. We hope that the Senate will confirm him with strong bipartisan support so that he can begin the important work of the country."

Competent does not miss paying his taxes for 4 years. Competent does not have illegal aliens for work. Oh, the Senate will confirm him with or without Republicans. They are powerless. I am so disappointed in Sen. Hatch, he is again abandoning the principles his constituents (like me!) voted him in for.

When I was in the application process with the Secret Service (SS is under the Treasury) they asked for the last 4 years of my tax returns. Why shouldn't their head be under the same scrutiny. If he is not honest with his taxes, what other things would he feel the need to not be honest with?

Amazing, absolutely amazing.

We go back again to the company President-elect Obama keeps, why are all of them turning out to have some major skeletons? And why are not more people caring?

The Character of President Washington

2009-01-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

In the current book that I am reading, the author divides the presidents into 5 different categories and rates them with a score of 1-5 (5 being the highest). I am currently on the character category and have had a passage stick in my mind about one of my heroes, George Washington.

In 1783 when the British forces had surrendered at Yorktown and were leaving New York City, Washington learned of a plotted coup among his senior officers. Being a man who would confront those who opposed him head-on, he called them all together to speak with them and let them know he knew about the conspiracy. He was going to tell them that the actions they were considering were going against the very things that they had fought the war over. Here is what the author, Alvin Stephen Felzenberg, says happened before the speech -

Eyewitnesses recorded that Washington had carried the day even before he delivered his speech. As he fumbled with his papers while putting on his reading glasses, Washington announced that he had "grown not only gray, but almost blind" in the service of his country. Moved by this sight, his underlings shelved their plans.

I stand in awe of the service of this great man - his integrity and character helped form this nation. Where are men and women of like character today? Where are political leaders who have been tested in character and not found wanting? Or are we content with those whose money, and the money of others, have caused them to be persons of influence? Character can only be learned through the constant refinement and continual testing that challenges bring. Let us elect good men and women to the offices of leadership, who are principled and will govern with integrity. Those who have proven that they can be trusted in difficult situations deserve our attention, rather than operatives who are owed favors or who have bought their positions.

Bailout BS - False Philanthropy

2009-01-12T11:46:00.001-08:00

President Bush is asking Congress, on behalf of President-elect Barack Obama, to release the final $350 billion of the funds authorized by the bailout last fall. This way, President-elect Obama will have all of the funds at his disposal when he sits down in the Oval Office next Monday, Jan. 20. So he can get right to work. Yep. That is what he is going to do next Monday. Here is his To Do list for Jan 20 -

7:00 am eat Cocoa Puffs
7:30 am Call powerful Democrats in Congress to apologize pre-emptively for remarks made during inauguration speech.
9:00 am Hide Blackberry from Secret Service in Michelle's coat pocket. Now it looks like she is packing heat.
11:00 am March in parade - can't I get on a float or something?
2:00 pm Inauguration and speech. Hey, isn't that Caroline Kennedy out there in the audience? HI CAROLINE! When is that governor of NY going to come around? Doesn't he understand Illinois politics? I thought the funds were already deposited in the account . . .
7:00 pm Kiss Michelle and the girls goodnight. Then log on to Target and Cabela's and proceed to spend the rest of the bailout money.

So what happened to the first half of the funds? How were they spent? What type of an effect did they have on the economy? If we just spend $800 billion in taxpayer dollars, how come Obama's budget is asking for another $1 trillion of taxpayer funds to be spent on stimulus?

So how were the funds distributed? WE DON'T KNOW. They have not been accounted for nor are the companies that received them willing to open their books to show us. TARP has no idea where or how they were spent. But they were spent. Where is the outrage? Here is Larry Summers' (former Clintonite, deposed Harvard president, new Obama Nation Economic Council director) take on how Obama is feeling about the lack of accounting -

"The president-elect also shares the frustration of the American people that we have seen too little effect from this rescue plan on jobs, incomes, and the ability of responsible homeowners to stay in their homes. He believes the American people are right to be angry with the way this plan has been implemented."

False philanthropy, claiming that they are doing it for us and are concerned with the people's welfare, is cruel and wicked. Reminds me of Giddianhi in 3 Nephi 3 (especially verse 5), his only concern is for our well-being. No, it isn't. Spending more and more is not going to get us out of this mess, saving and cutting programs loaded with pork is what is going to help. Cut until we get the level of spending down and we are not spending on the deficit. It just won't work, others are also saying as much. You can't spend the way Obama is proposing out of a recession.

Be careful, Congress and President Obama are going to come back and ask for more, with nothing to show for the first $800 billion. Paulsen had promised that the first half was needed for homeowner mortgage relief but nothing has changed, the money went to big banks, not to the taxpayers. You are not going to see anything from this nor will you see anything in the future from it.

Now is the chance for Republicans in Congress (talking to you Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch!) to step up and say NO. You may not change the fact that it will sail through a Democratic House and Senate but your vote will be counted and noticed by those of us who cherish and love freedom. Your moment of accountability will come.

Sunday School Politics

2009-01-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

Discussion in 11 year old Primary Sunday School class yesterday -

Bro. McCabe: Max, will you read part of the First Vision story found in JSH?

Max: (reading) . . . and they are an Obamanation before me . . .

Other Class Participants: Did you just say Obamanation? What does Obama have to do with Joseph Smith?

(in rapid succession)
Others: That is cool!

Others: How did he know that? Why is Obama in the scriptures?

(Quickly trying to intervene before this discussion gets out of hand)
Bro. Nelson and Bro. McCabe: No, it is ABOMINATION, not OBAMANATION. We are not doing politics in this class like we have at Scouts sometimes. Max, keep reading!

Others: I still don't understand why Obama is in the scriptures . . .

The joy of teaching eleven 11 year olds in a Sunday School class!

Fred Thompson and the Economy

2009-01-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

Had a friend send me this video on Fred Thompson and economy. Funny, really funny. I will bet NBC will be calling him for a job soon, he explains it so well! How come he wasn't like this on the campaign trail last year? Need to get myself a big rake . . .

Distraction Overload

2009-01-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Things are happening so lightning quick now that average guys like me are having trouble staying up with the dominoes falling at a rapid rate. Events are taking place in the world, primarily in Europe and America, that would lead us to a world government if we are not attentive.

Yesterday, the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, called for a body at the UN to be formed that would function similar to the Security Council but be for judging the economic policies of governments. French president Nicolas Sarkozy called for state intervention to rescue banks and other financial institutions as well as pump more money in to the economy to stimulate growth. He is urging the United States to join the EU in this effort. This is on the same day that President-Elect Obama gave a speech about how we will all be starving in the streets if we don't pass his economic stimulus package.

This is getting way out of hand and in the name of "saving the people", we are losing our freedoms and sovereignty. We lost a good deal of freedom when President Bush and a Republican Congress played on our fears and in the name of patriotism rammed through the Patriot Act several years ago. Last year we were forced to accept a bailout package for industries that needed to be pruned and weeded of the deadwood. Now we are hearing that we need this stimulus package, plus the $1 trillion budget being pushed by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, or we could all certainly face another Great Depression.

Fear, how powerful is it?

If you don't support this economic package then you don't care about starving children. If you didn't support the Patriot Act you were unpatriotic, wanted the troops to be sacrificed, and hated America. We wrote to our Congressmen and said "Don't vote for the bailout!" and at first they resisted but in the end it passed.

Things are being put up to distract us from the government's takeover of various institutions. It isn't a loan, they now have stakes in the auto and financial industries. States like CA, TX, and NY are coming to Congress with their hat in hand looking for some relief. The steelmakers are looking like they want a bailout. Heck, even the porn industry wants a bailout! The seating of Roland Burris, Caroline Kennedy, Al Franken, the confirmation hearings in the Senate for proposed cabinet members is taking up all of the space in the news next to the "Woe is me" problems with the economy.

Wake up, the government is nationalizing our industries through all of this! They have stakes in everything! Guess who else did this? The Soviet Union. Look how much they lost in terms of freedoms, lives, generations of hope and prosperity.

We can't fall for this rouse, we can't allow ourselves to be herded like cattle into an EU type agreement and become one big happy government. We don't want a common currency, we don't want the "international justice court" to replace the Supreme Court, we don't want Interpol and the U.N. to be our way of order. If we lose sight of the mark then we are lost.

It's time to wake up (thanks to Nephi and Lehi for such good calls in scripture), stand up, organize, and make ourselves effective. Time to put away the gossip of Hollywood, the lure of constant sports and recreation, the counting of each diminishing penny, and get to what is important. The family and its preservation is key, the Constitution needs to be upheld by good people, and people need to become involved with their communities, their countries, their education.

No more distractions, no more excuses. Let's get to work.