Another Report from the Big Fat Who Cares Department

The rest of the world wants Obama.  We know.

Matt Damon, Susan Sarandon, Pam Anderson, and George Clooney want Obama.  We know that too.

The latest celebrities noted on the Obama-wagon include Ashley Judd (that "vocal supporter of abortion rights") who Political Fix at the Post-Dispatch reports was "pitching-in" on phone banks around the state today before appearing at a "Women's Economic Policy" forum this evening in the Delmar Loop.

Judd's support for Obama seems tame (and lucid) in comparison to Lindsay Lohan who posted a rant against Sarah Palin saying that she couldn't "bite [her] tongue anymore."  Lohan says that Palin is probably not qualified to be more than a television news anchor.

Just who do these celebrities think they are?  Why are they given a forum to speak on politics?  Is Lindsay Lohan qualified to determine who is and is not ready for the vice presidency?  Qualified to vote, sure.  But to lead opinion because she's an actress - not even close.

So to all the Hollywood types out there telling us who to vote for in November . . . WHO CARES!

Are the Democrats insensitive, unintelligent, or just not paying attention?

First Joe Biden asks a state senator bound to a wheelchair to "stand up."

Now the Obama campaign has launched a negative ad against John McCain for not sending e-mail.  They're, of course, trying to portray him as out-of-touch with the modern world but they never thought to ask why he doesn't send e-mail . . . "he can't use a keyboard because of the relentless beatings he received from the Viet Cong in service to our country."

Are Biden and Obama really as insensitive as they seem?  I doubt it.

Are they just not that smart?  No, I think that they are intelligent but ignorant here.

Are they not paying attention?  I don't think they are.  And shouldn't paying attention should be a prerequisite to the presidency or vice-presidency.

Profound Statement of the Day

"Abortion is the sacrament of the religion of liberalism."

Rush Limbaugh

9/11/2008

Never Forget

September 11, 2001

Palin in Primetime

Even Big Media is on the Sarah Palin bandwagon . . .  

ABC (formerly known as the All Barack Channel) announced today that Charles Gibson's interviews of Palin will "form the basis of a special prime-time edition of '20/20' Friday."  Parts of those interviews will also be "spread around" to "Nightline" and "Good Morning America" too.

America can't get enough of Governor Palin.  

Don't forget that John McCain made the decision to select Palin as his running mate.  A choice that stands in stark contrast to Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden - Biden who today admitted that he might not have been the best pick for VP.  Biden said, "Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president . . . it might have been a better pick than me."

In choosing their running mates (the first truly executive decisions made by either presidential candidate), McCain hit a home run and Obama struck out.

Let The Accusations of Racism Fly

Here they come . . . the allegations of racism are on their way, beginning today with New York governor David Paterson arguing that Sarah Palin referring to Barack Obama's experience as a "community organizer" was "code" for calling Obama "black."

Huh?!

Paterson explained, "I think where there are overtones is when there are uses of language that are designed to inhibit other people's progress with a subtle reference to their race."

Again, huh?!

Paterson gives Republicans credit for their intelligence.  He says that the GOP "is too smart to call Barack Obama 'black' in a sense that it would be a negative" so instead they call him a "community organizer," which, of course, means black.  Then those racist Republicans "kept saying it [and] they kept laughing."

Why is it racist to refer to a candidate as a "community organizer" when, in fact, he was?  And why is it okay for The Nation or U.S. News & World Report to refer to Obama as a "community organizer" but when Sarah Palin did it it was obviously a veiled reference to his race?

It is not, by any means, racist to quote a man's resume.

And, by the way, is there anyone on the planet who doesn't already know that Barack Obama is black?  Even if the Republican National Convention was the political equivalent of a Klan meeting, which apparently the governor of New York believes, why would Sarah Palin need tell anybody there about Obama's race?

Without grounds, Governor Paterson and the rest of our friends on the left should keep their accusations to themselves.  

I can't believe I'm doing this but . . .

here's a link to a column by Camille Paglia at salon.com.

Sarah Palin has even won ultra-liberal Paglia's respect and even admiration.

From the Big Fat Who Cares Department . . .

the British Broadcasting Company has conducted a poll that found people in Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the UK all prefer Barack Obama over John McCain for President of the United States.

First of all . . . WHO CARES!

Second, do you think that some of these foreign folks might actually prefer Obama because his presidency would create a weaker America, which would be in their own countries' perceived best political or economic interests?

John McCain . . . Country First!

Trial Lawyers Want Nixon to Turn Back the Clock on Tort Reform

One major reason that I supported Kenny Hulshof in the Republican primary for governor is that he supports tort reform and his opponent did not.  But Missouri trial lawyers' support for Sarah Steelman's campaign was only lukewarm compared to their current support for Democrat Jay Nixon.

And trial attorneys are sending Nixon more than moral support.  They are filling his campaign coffers at a tremendous rate.  According to an article from Tony Messenger in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "a look at Nixon's big-money donors starts and ends with Missouri's big-name lawyers, specifically personal injury attorneys."

Nixon's supporters are the folks who file lawsuits for injured people (or for uninjured people claiming to be injured).  Some, indeed, are advocates for the downtrodden little guy but a good many are slick ambulance-chasers out to get their one-third contingency fee off of the top of the biggest and most settlements they can get.  These lawyers' bottom lines have been affected by common sense legislation passed by the Republican-led Missouri legislature and signed into law by Governor Matt Blunt in 2005.  This legislation - now law - is commonly referred to as tort reform.

Tort reform put an end to personal injury lawyers shopping around for the most liberal forum in which to file their lawsuits (the City of St. Louis was a favorite) and now requires all tort suits to be filed where the alleged injury happened.

Tort reform prevents a defendant who is only minimally responsible for causing an injury from having to pay an entire judgment, just because that defendant has deeper pockets than the one who was more responsible for the injury.

Tort reform limits requires a correlation between the amount of actual damages in a case and the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded.

Tort reform brings evidence of money actually paid to healthcare providers, instead of amounts billed but written off.

Tort reform allows people accused of causing harm to express natural human sympathy to a victim or the victim's family without their words being construed as an admission of guilt or responsibility.

Tort reform evened the playing field between plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation.  The trial lawyers are funding Jay Nixon in the hope of getting some of their old advantages back.

To keep the courtrooms fair, Kenny Hulshof needs your vote in November.

Keep Global Warming Nuts out of my Dining Room!

Liberals are keen to keep government out of the bedroom but conservatives and all friends of personal liberty had better stand up to keep the government out of our kitchens, dining rooms, and drive-through windows.

The environmentalists are at it again, now led by Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, who wants to save the planet from global warming by turning us all into vegetarians.  Meat production, you see, produces methane (via gassy animals), which is a "greenhouse gas" said to be 23 times worse than carbon monoxide.

Right now, Pachauri is only "suggesting" one meat-free day each week, but that is only the beginning.  He wants us all to then "decrease it from there."  As a mere suggestion, this is no big deal, but here's the scary part . . . advocacy groups are calling "for governments to lead campaigns to reduce meat consumption by 60 percent by 2020."  

We don't need the government campaigning for and eventually mandating vegetarianism.  This is still America - let's keep it that way!

Dr. Pachauri's background is interesting and worth knowing . . .  

He was Al Gore's co-recipient of last year's Nobel Peace Prize.  (You can judge a man by the company he keeps.)

You might think that as the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Pachauri's doctorate would be in planetary or some physical science, right?  Nope.  It's in economics.

And, here's the most interesting part of his background in the context of advocating vegetarianism . . . he's a Hindu and already practices vegetarianism for religious reasons.  Is there some covert proselytizing going on here?

Instead of converting to vegetarianism, I'm seriously thinking of converting to meatatarianism . . . Wendy's anyone?  (Too bad they closed them all in this market.)

Turning Tide?

Since the Republican National Convention, polls are showing a new leader in the race for the White House . . .

USA Today/Gallup shows McCain-Palin leading Obama-Biden by four points among registered voters and TEN points among likely voters.  And Gallup's daily tracking poll has McCain up by three.

In case you don't trust Gallup, check out Zogby International, who also shows McCain-Palin ahead of their rivals 49.7% to 45.9%

See what happens when a conservative with executive experience and a personality joins the ticket.

McCain for President!

John McCain's speech tonight accepting the Republican nomination for president did not elevate him to the lofty post of the Saint Louis Conservative's favorite politician.  But it did convince me that I don't need to hold my nose quite so tightly when I vote for him in November.  

I still have real problems with McCain on some of his domestic policy points and I'm not sure that he is truly conservative.  I remain worried about the type of judge that he might appoint to the federal courts, including the Supreme Court, but I must admit that he hit the conservative bulls-eye with the first appointed position he filled.

And since Barack Obama agrees with McCain on the things that I disagree with him about, those issues are a wash.

What McCain said tonight that brought me over to his side was his personal story about what our great country meant to him.  Looking to the American people, McCain made a solemn vow.  "My country saved me," he said, "and I will fight for her as long as I draw breath so help me God."  I believe him.  And I believe that McCain is the man to to continue the fight for America in this dangerous world.

Sample Reaction to "The Speech"

From The Sun (British):

"Sarah Palin's sensational performance at the Republican Party Convention may turn out to be the tipping point of this rollercoaster American election.

Obama fans hoping she would fluff her big night were in for a nasty shock.

This speech has turned the election upside down. It was simply stunning."

My new favorite politician

Ever since George H.W. Bush sucker-punched the conservative movement by breaking his "no new taxes" pledge, I've been hoping for a leader to emerge and put us back on track.  Presidential candidates have come and gone.  They and many others have emerged but they all failed.  They either compromised their conservative principles or lacked the spark necessary to lead.

But now I believe that John McCain has found the leader that I've been hoping for . . . and her name is Sarah Palin.

This bulldog - or maybe a Malamute - from Wasilla, Alaska, "rocked the house" with a speech at the Republican National Convention that even the Associated Press had to call "star-turning."  

Governor Palin's speech had many highlights.  Here are three of my favorites . . .

In comparing her experience to that of Barack Obama, Palin said, "I guess that a small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer - except that you have actual responsibilities."

Spelling out "the right reason" to go to Washington, Palin said it "is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it."

And describing what voters face this November, Palin said, "here's how I look at the choice Americans face in this election:  in politics there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers, and then there are those like John McCain who use their careers to promote change."

I had only one problem with last night's speech - it ran long and my DVR cut off the end of it.  So you, like me, can read the text here.

Last night my new favorite politician asked last night for all of us to the McCain-Palin cause.  Consider it done Governor.

Lieberman for McCain

It is no secret that Connecticut Democrat Joe Lieberman is a supporter of John McCain for president.  In fact, some thought he would get the V.P. nod.  I'm thankful that he didn't but I was happy to see him reach out to fellow Democrats in support of McCain's candidacy tonight.  

It is remarkable and newsworthy that a sitting U.S. Senator and former nominee of the Democrats for the vice-presidency appeared at a Republican convention and endorsed the Republican ticket.

And, I think that Lieberman means what he said tonight.  He believes that this country is more important than partisan politics and also believes that his friend, John McCain, is the right man to lead it.

Lieberman gave the reasons that he's backing the GOP in November.  I want to note two . . . 

First, in speaking of Sarah Palin, Lieberman said that she "like John McCain is a reformer.  She's taken on the special interests and the political power brokers in Alaska and reached across party lines to get things done.  The truth is she is a leader we can count on to help John shake up Washington.  That's why I believe that the real ticket for change this year is the McCain-Palin ticket."

While it may be unlikely that any politician will really change the way that business is done in the capitol, I know that there's no chance that Barack Obama will.  He's just beholden to different special interests than the current administration is.  With Palin prodding and McCain's own "maverick" tendencies, he might just try.

Second, Liberman stated that "John McCain will be a president our allies will trust and our enemies will fear.  And that's the kind of president we need in today's world."

I couldn't agree more.  On foreign policy, there is no contest between McCain and Obama.  McCain wins that issue in a landslide.  Instead of inspiring trust in our allies, Obama promises only wide-eyed idol worship, with no substance.  And instead of inspiring fear in our enemies, Obama will inspire hope - hope that America will back away defeated from the fight before it is finished.

I disagree with John McCain on many issues but American needs him now.  The alternative is disaster.  Even Joe Lieberman knows that.

(On a side note, Fred Thompson spoke before Lieberman did tonight.  His speech can be read here.  It is powerful.  I don't have the time right now to comment on it is worth the read.)

Grandma Vice President?

If John McCain is elected president and Sarah Palin vice-president in November, come January McCain will be addressed as Mr. President and Palin will be Madam Vice-President.  But I suspect that she will prefer the title she'll receive this December even more . . . "Grandma."

Palin's daughter Bristol (shown here holding her 5-month-old brother Trig) is pregnant.  Yes, she's only 17.  No, she's not married.  Yes, she and her boyfriend made a mistake and engaged in activity with this possible result before they were married.  But mistakes happen.  Life happens.  What matters his how people deal with those mistakes.  And it seems that Bristol, her boyfriend, and the entire Palin family are handling this pregnancy perfectly, with "unconditional love and support."  The Palins seem to understand that this child is a gift from God.

Thankfully, this child is coming into a family that believes in the sanctity of life.  I hate to think about what might have happened if such a "scandal" arose in the family of a "Pro-Choice" politician.  

Sarah and Todd Palin are "proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby."  They should be.  In that respect, they raised her right.  Bristol and the baby's father plan to marry.  Good for them.

I remember when my wife and I first told our parents that we were expecting a baby.  And I remember when the baby was born.  I remember the looks on the grandparents' faces and I could feel the joy in their hearts.   If McCain and Palin win this election, the VP-to-be may think that she's happy this November but those feelings will shrink to nothing when she becomes Grandma Vice President in November.  And if they lose in November, Governor Palin may be sad for a while but come December, it won't seem to matter anymore.

Brilliant

John McCain has officially named Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

McCain's Response to Obama's Speech

Tonight, John McCain published this response to Barack Obama's speech in Denver accepting the Democrats' nomination for president.  The speech was "misleading" and "fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama."  The speech's top six false claims are listed with proof of their falsity.

Obama's campaign is form over substance.  And any underlying substance that it does have is glossed over so that his over-the-top liberalism doesn't shock the American electorate.

Pot Calls Kettle Black

Today in Denver, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid referred to GOP presidential candidate John McCain as "kindly old Doc McCain" and accused him of attempting to apply an "18th Century Solution" to the "21st Century problem" of dependence on foreign oil.  The Hill accurately described this as "a thinly veiled reference" to McCain's age.

Now, don't get me wrong, McCain's age is a legitimate concern.  He's 71.  That fact has me very, very interested in his choice of a running mate.  But I think that its a bit out of place for 68-year-old Harry Reid to be the one playing the age card for the Democrats.  

Maybe Reid is the only Democrat who doesn't remember what happened when folks questioned Ronald Reagan's ability to serve at the age of 73.

In his comments, Reid compared John McCain's (and most Republicans') call for more domestic oil drilling to a snake-oil sales pitch.  Reid thinks that "the simple fact is that the promise of more oil isn't part of the solution, it's part of the problem."

No, Senator Reid, the simple fact is that the more oil America gets for itself by drilling within our own territory the less oil we will need to import.  Another simple fact is that the more oil we have, the lower the price will be.  The laws of supply and demand aren't snake oil.

Could you vote for a candidate who opposed a ban on infanticide?

. . . this question needs to be posed to anybody who is still thinking of voting for Barack Obama.

Andrew McCarthy wrote a powerful piece in National Review on then-State Senator Obama's pointed opposition to "Born Alive" legislation that stood to protect babies who were born living and breathing after failed attempts to abort them.  (Read it here.)

That legislation came in response to the testimony of a nurse who described holding one such child in a closet waiting for this struggling human being to die.  That same nurse also testified that one in five children aborted by early induction - with the plan that their underdeveloped bodies would not survive the trauma of birth - actually did survive birth but were simply discarded anyway and left to die.

I am sickened by the nurse's accounts - and shocked by Obama's opposition to a law to protect living, breathing, human beings - outside the womb.  

So, seriously, ask any Obama supporter you know if they really want to vote for a man who supported infanticide.

Update . . . here's the link to a 2006 column on the subject from the nurse referenced above.

The Commercial Obama Doesn't Want You to See

Barack Obama is outraged at a new advertisement being run by the American Issues Project.  According to the Associated Press story, the Obama campaign has "warned" station managers and sought intervention from the Justice Department to prevent you and me from seeing it.

That was enough to pique my interest.  The one minute spot criticizes Obama's association with William Ayers, a founder of the radical group The Weather Underground, which conducted terrorist activities in the 1960's including bombing the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon.

Isn't a presidential candidate's association with a known and unrepentant terrorist isn't fair game, I'm not sure what is.

Since St. Louis stations may not be brave enough to run the ad - you may have to link here to see for yourself.  Take a look.  And, if you don't believe it, check out the documentation supporting the ad's veracity.

If Barack Obama doesn't want you to see this ad -

Click here to see it for yourself - or here for the documentation of the ad's truth.

I think that it is worth asking 

Joe Biden - The Pro-Choice "Catholic"

I'm not Catholic and I don't even play one on t.v. but I think that my Catholic friends would agree that my position on abortion is closer to the Vatican's than many prominent Catholic Democrat politicians.

My friend (and the guy who guest-hosts this blog when I'm away) The Tim Man has posted an excellent piece on the conflict between V.P.-nominee-to-be Joe Biden's Pro-Choice positions and his so-called Catholic faith.  It is worth the read - link here.

Suffice it to say . . . the two don't mesh.  Biden has sold out his faith (and possibly something else) for personal political gain within the Democratic Party.

Communist Sportsmanship

Angel Matos of Cuba was disqualified from his bronze medal taekwondo match in the Beijing Olympics.  He responded by kicking the referee in the mouth.  (View photo progression here.)  Matos and his coach have been banned from the Olympics for life.  

Obviously Matos' actions crossed the line.  Everybody would agree to that, right?

Not so fast.  If you're a communist dictator (possibly retired), you stand in "total solidarity" with these thugs.  As reported today at Breitbart, Fidel Castro issued an essay published by Cuba's state media expressing that solidarity and claiming that his country's athletes had been cheated throughout the games.  This, of course, justifies a kick in the mouth.

If only somebody would have kicked Castro in the mouth a few dozen years ago the world would be a better place.

Little Bits About Biden

This weekend, Barack Obama selected Joe Biden to be his running mate . . . and Republicans cheered.  Biden's a guy who has been running for president for decades and never garnered much support from anywhere.  Even better, he's been honest and told the world that Obama is not ready for the presidency.  "The presidency," he said, "is not something that lends itself to on the job training."

The GOP is also thrilled to have a verbose "gaffe machine" on the Democrats' ticket:  

Biden showed his sensitivity to immigrants by saying that in his home state of Delaware "you can not go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent."

Biden proudly claims that he could run well in the South because his state "was a slave state."

And, last but not least, Biden described Obama as "the first mainstream African-American candidate who's articulate and bright and clean and a nice-lookin' guy."

I'm surprised that I'm saying this but . . . John McCain's got a chance.

Poverty in St. Louis - but no change in leadership

St. Louis plays a role in a commentary posted by Glenn Beck today at CNN.com.  (Many thanks to regular reader Dameon for alerting me to Beck's commentary.)  Hit the link here to read the entire piece - it is well worth it - but here is the gist of it . . .

America's cities are becoming increasingly impoverished.  Nearly one third of the residents of Detroit and Buffalo live beneath the poverty line.  Those two cities have the highest percentage of people living in poverty but St. Louis isn't too far down the list at No. 6.  

And despite the state of our cities, Democrats who year after year, decade after decade, offer the same old tried and failed "solutions" to poverty keep getting elected to big city halls.  Detroit hasn't had a Republican mayor since 1961.  Buffalo hasn't since 1954.  And St. Louis hasn't had a Republican mayor since 1949.  1949!

As Beck puts it, "if the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, the asylums in those cities must be as full as the soup kitchens."

Would it be too much to ask for "change" and new leadership in St. Louis (and the country's other big cities) sometime this century?

Thank You President Bush

The American beach volleyball team of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor defeated the Chinese team of Jie Wang and Jia Tian 2-0 to complete a perfect Olympic tournament and win their second consecutive gold medal.

Interviewed immediately afterward, Walsh asked if she could say something, then looked straight at the camera and said, "Mr. President, thank you for your inspiration.  Thank you for all you do."

And I thought that everyone hated George Bush.  That's what the media and the Democrats keep telling me.

McCain Takes The Lead!

Doing his best impression of American swimmer Jason Lezak, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has surged TWELVE points in the latest Reuters/Zogby poll, coming from 7 points down in July to lead Barack Obama by 5.

Keep up the good work Senator McCain!   And don't blow your momentum by naming a "moderate" as your running mate.

Do Nothing Democrat Congress

Today's Wall Street Journal lashes out at this session of the United States Congress.  So far, "our" representatives in Washington have passed fewer bills than any prior Congress in twenty years (apparently they don't keep records back further than that).

Given who is running Congress - the Democrats - I'm not at all disappointed that these folks aren't accomplishing much.  But what must their constituencies think of them?

The Ice Age is Coming

In spite of the "consensus" that the earth is warming, a scientist from the University of Mexico is now predicting that due to a decrease in solar activity, temperatures are actually going to drop in about ten years and the planet will experience a "little ice age" for a period of 60-80 years.  That scientist, Velasco Herrera, said that predictions of global warming coming from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are wrong because their mathematical models are flawed.  Those models don't account for natural disasters, like volcanoes, or solar activity.  (Link to story here.)

The scientific wheels are falling off the global warming bus - yet our politicians are still taking us all on the ride.

Obama Bias at the Washington Post

In a shocking development the Washington Post has admitted its own pro-Barack Obama bias.  Ombudsman Deborah Howell noted yesterday that since June 4, Obama has had a 3 to 1 advantage in front page stories.  He also leads McCain 142-96 in total stories.  "The disparity is so wide," Howell wrote, "that it doesn't look good."

No, it doesn't.  But what would you expect from Pravda on the Potomac?

Pro-"Choice" V.P. for McCain --- Just Say No

Tom Ridge, the former GOP governor of Pennsylvania, seems to want to be John McCain's running mate.  Today on Fox News Sunday (as reported here by the Associated Press), Ridge stated his opinion that Republicans would accept a pro-abortion vice presidential candidate like Ridge.  "At the end of the day," he said, "I think the Republican Party will be comfortable with whatever choice John [McCain] makes."

Ridge is wrong.  Very wrong.

John McCain is 71 years old.  If elected, he would be the oldest man to take office as President of the United States.  The possibility of his selected V.P. taking over the presidency is significant - so significant that Ridge's assurances that any vice president would defer to the president's opinion is insufficient.

Because of the very real possibility that McCain's vice president could assume the presidency, McCain cannot name a pro-"choice" running mate.  Not without turning off a huge chunk of the Republican voting base (me included) and giving the election to Barack Obama anyway.

Barack Obama is No Harry Truman

During his presidency, Harry Truman had a sign on his desk carrying the motto:  "The Buck Stops Here."  The sign, of course, symbolized that the chain of command went no further.  Truman explained in his farewell address that "the President - whoever he is - has to decide.  He can't pass the buck to anybody.  No one else can do the deciding for him.  That's his job."

And that's the job that Barack Obama is running for.  But in a televised interview today, Rev. Rick Warren asked Obama at what point an unborn child gets "human rights."  Obama passed the buck stating that "whether you're looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity . . . is above my pay grade."

With all due respect, Senator Obama, there is no "pay grade" above the presidency.  And if you are elected to that office and there is a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court during your term the buck is destined to stop with you.

Obama knows that, of course, but played the "I don't know" card because he was speaking to a group of Pro-Life evangelical Christians.  He was and is trying to fudge the truth about his pro-abortion position enough to fool some of them into voting for him in November.  Don't fall for it.

John McCain, asked the same question at the same event, chose to answer it.  He said that a baby's human rights began "at the moment of conception."

If you're Pro-Life and the abortion issue matters to you, the buck stops with each of you in the voting booth this November.  John McCain (whatever his faults) is the only choice you have.

(FYI - the photo above is actually the sign from President Truman's desk.  The photo comes from this entry at the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum's website, which tells a bit more about the sign, if anyone is interested.)

Howard Dean playing the race card - badly

Howard Dean (you all remember the scream) is now the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.  Today, he called the Republican Party the "white" party reasoning that "if you look at folks of color, even women, they're more successful in the Democratic party than they are in the white, uh, excuse me, in the Republican party."  (Listen here.)

Dean's play of the race card seems off base to me.  Apparently he is not aware that Colin Powell is not white . . . Condoleezza Rice is not white . . . Clarence Thomas is not white.  All three seem more successful than any minority Democrat since Thurgood Marshall.  

Marshall, of course, was the last African-American Democrat to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court where Thomas now serves.  Thomas, a Republican, was appointed by another member of the "white" party, George H.W. Bush.  Democrat Bill Clinton, by the way, appointed two of the nine current justices and, last I checked, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer are both white.

Powell and Rice, arguably, are more "successful" than any other African-Americans in history.  As Secretary of State, Powell was and Rice now is fourth in line to the presidency.  Since there has never been a minority President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, or President pro tempore of the Senate, and never before a black Secretary of State, these two Republicans rose higher than any minority Democrat ever did.  And one of them is "even" a woman.

I also find it a bit ironic in this context that the white man directly ahead of Condoleezza Rice in the order of presidential succession is Senator Robert Byrd is a former Ku Klux Klan member, recruiter, and "Exalted Cyclops."  But Byrd doesn't belong to the "white" party . . . he's a Democrat.

Powell, Rice, and Thomas are not the only minority Republicans who have achieved great success.  They are simply three great examples to refute Howard Dean's latest stupid comments.

Soviet (Freudian Slip?) Update

Well, the Red Army now controls one third of the "sovereign" nation of Georgia.  Russian tanks remain on the move and now threaten Georgia's second largest city.

And, Russian state radio - either reverting to old Soviet habits or perhaps learning from the American left - is blaming Dick Cheney for starting the war in South Ossetia.  The Republican Party, led by Cheney, this Pravda-esque report claims, needs this war to stop Barack Obama from being elected president.  (I don't think Tom Clancy or even Dan Brown could have come up with a plot that crazy.)  No possible explanation for why the Russians fell for this obvious Cheney trap is proffered.

Blaming Cheney may just seem silly but that "silly" report contains a possibly ominous clue.  A political scientist close to Russian Prime Minister a.k.a. Dictator Vladimir Putin is also claiming that the U.S. is "now engineering an armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia."

Georgia and Ukraine are both former republics of the Soviet Union.  But the Russian bear is seen as a threat in Eastern Europe too.  Their recent aggression has increased Polish fears of their old oppressors and pushed a long-stalled agreement to position an American missile defense system in Poland over the top.  The Russians have reacted angrily, but so far limited that reaction to words.

The old cold war seems to be ramping back up these days.  And the temperature seems to be rising steadily.

Does anybody really think that Barack Obama has the experience to handle a situation like this?

Dr. Aafia Siddique - captured terrorist or just another victim of the evil Bush administration?

Alex Mayer at stltoday.com's The Platform wrote today about an ABC News story on the capture of Al Qaeda terrorist suspect and FBI most wanted woman Aafia Siddique.  This M.I.T. and Brandeis University-educated woman was captured and arrested last month in Afghanistan.  Before she could be questioned by Amercian soldiers and F.B.I. agents there she grabbed a soldier's weapon and began shooting.  At the time, she was screaming "Allah Akbar" and shouting that she wanted to kill Americans.  In addition, at the time of her arrest, Siddique was in possession of documents relating to weapons of mass destruction, maps of New York City and target lists, jars of chemicals, and a thumb drive containing e-mails between terrorist cells.

Nonetheless, Mayer reports, Siddique "has a legion of human-rights and Islamic activists who have rallied to her cause and who insist that she is an innocent victim."

Wake up and smell the fundamentalist-extremist coffee folks.  The western world has enemies and this woman certainly appears to be one of them.

Steelman should endorse Hulshof - and now!

One week ago today, Kenny Hulshof won the Republican nomination for governor - defeating Sarah Steelman.  Since then, Steelman has been silent.  And it is starting to be noticed.  See, for example, Chad Livengood's article in today's Springfield News-Leader.  

The Missouri Republican Party needs to present a united front or Jay Nixon will be the next governor of the state.  

MO GOP Executive Director Jared Craighead is quoted by Livengood saying that the state party doesn't "need to put on some sort of show" and that the candidates don't need to "hold hands and say we're united."  

Craighead may be right about the need for a touchy-feely spectacle but Steelman needs to say something.  Her supporters have to back Hulshof in November for him to have a chance.  She should point out that her positions are much more closely aligned with Hulshof's than Nixon's and convince folks to get out an vote against Nixon - who would be an absolute disaster for the state.

Sarah Steelman should quit sulking and do her duty.  The sooner the better.

Obama's plan to buy votes from seniors falls flat

I've not met many tax cuts that I didn't like - but I have to point out Barack Obama's blatant attempt to buy the votes of senior citizens . . . even though that attempt is a dud.

In an Associated Press story, Andrew Taylor analyzes Barack Obama's plan to exempt seniors earning less than $50,000 a year from paying any federal income tax.  Tax experts, think tanks, and even the AARP are critical of the plan.  This tax break would, according to AARP, "only partly offset additional taxes that Obama would impose on older adults through higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains."

According to the experts, most of the seniors who could use some financial help are already paying no income tax - so this proposal wouldn't help them.  But lots of retirees with "substantial assets" who don't earn over $50,000 because they don't need that much income anymore would get the largess.

But "cutting" taxes for seniors sounds good in a sound bite.  And who looks at details anymore?  Obama and the Democrats are hoping that nobody will realize that the money that he wants to put in their front pockets is coming out of their own back pockets - likely with a "small" transaction fee kept in Washington.

Lonely Franken a typical Democrat . . . promises everything - but has no idea the cost

Comedian Al Franken is a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota.  (I daresay this is one candidate less qualified for the office he's seeking than our friend Brock Olivo was for Congress.)  His campaign hit Drudge Report today because he had a glorious campaign stop where one - yes one - person showed up to hear him speak in a roundtable on veterans' issues.

That makes the story funny in a laugh-at-Al Franken sort of way.  

But the story tells a more valuable lesson about Democrats (and all too many Republicans) running for office.  They'll promise anybody anything for a vote but have no idea how to implement it.

The story Drudge linked is from the St. Cloud Times (full story here) and reports:  "Franken said he would work to guarantee every veteran health care for life by making full VA health care funding an untouchable entitlement in the budget, increasing funding for mental health treatment for veterans, and increasing pay and benefits for military personnel and families."  But, now here's the good part, "he said he did not know how much the program would cost, or how he would pay for it."

Typical liberalism . . . promise everything to everyone with no concept of the cost.  I think Franken is being just a bit dishonest in his ignorance, though.  I think he knows how he'd pay for this . . . more taxes from taken from you and me.  After all, he is a liberal Democrat and to them the American people are bottomless pit of revenue.  And it really is the government's money anyway.

Always be on the lookout for promises of more federal money and more federal programs - the money has to come from somewhere.

Bill Clinton Speaks Out on Edwards Scandal

What's the big deal?  All John Edwards did was lie about sex.

Return of the Evil Empire?

In 1983, Ronald Reagan declared the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics an Evil Empire.

In 1991, that empire dissolved.

Today, Russia - the dominant force in the old U.S.S.R. - launched an invasion of South Ossetia, a disputed region in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Is the old Evil Empire making a comeback?

Illinois' New Fundraiser

In a shocking development, Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich told the truth.

He announced a plan to raise revenue by installing speed cameras on Interstate Highways throughout Illinois.  The money grab is blatant and not even sugar-coated with claims to improve highway safety.

See Rod, it's not so hard to tell the truth.

Censorship at Random House - Publisher of The Da Vinci Code doesn't want to offend Muslims

Random House has "postponed indefinitely" publication of The Jewel of Medina, a novel by Sherry Jones, which was due out on August 12.  According to Reuters, the book "traces the life of A'isha from her engagement to Mohammed, when she was six, until the prophet's death."

Though the author claims to have "written respectfully about Islam and Mohammed," the publisher felt that the novel "might be offensive to some in the Muslim community" and pulled it.  Random House also felt that the novel "could incite acts of violence."

Offending Muslims is verboten at Random House . . . but offending Catholics isn't.  Random House, you see, published The Da Vinci Code.  (Doubleday is the named publisher - but that's a division of Random House.)

I'm not Catholic and I don't even play one on television.  I actually enjoyed The Da Vinci Code quite a lot.  I don't really understand the offense taken either - it's just fiction everybody, not history after all - but, again, I'm not Catholic.

A large number of Catholics did find The Da Vinci Code offensive but that didn't keep and shouldn't have kept it from being published.

But the same goes here . . . even if Muslims find The Jewel of Medina offensive, that shouldn't keep it from being published.  There should be no room for such a double standard.

Shame on Random House.

Commission claims babies harm the economy

Australia's Productivity Commission (clearly not a reproductivity commission) has issued a report urging parents not to have more than two children.  Kids, you see, don't work and don't pay taxes.  They also seem to be causing mommies to stay home to care for them and keeping them from being "productive" citizens.  By choosing to stay at home, these selfish women are "depressing the labour supply and reducing the taxation base."  (Link to story.)

This story is a ridiculous example of egg-head bureaucrats with misplaced priorities.  Children aren't economic resources.  They're people.  And parents don't choose to have children because of the financial benefit.  In fact, they welcome children in spite of their significant costs.

It is also ridiculous to value only work outside the home.  Mothers (or fathers) who choose to stay at home to care for their own children are providing significant value to those children and to society - whether or not that value shows up on a tax return.

Did the commission consider the economic effect of all the goods and services purchased for children?  What about the money spent to keep them entertained?  Fed?  Clothed?  Diapered?  What about people buying new houses or moving to bigger apartments to have room for more kids?  I doubt that any of that was considered.  It doesn't fit the template.

The template seems these days that human beings are bad.  We're destructive of nature and destroying the planet.  The fewer of us - the better.

I have a suggestion for how people who think that there are too many people on the planet can have a direct impact on solving that "problem" themselves.  But I think I'll keep that to myself.

Hulshof Declares Victory

The election was too close for Kenny Hulshof's comfort but he's defeated Sarah Steelman and earned the Republican nomination for governor.  According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Hulshof declared victory less than an hour ago.  At this moment, the Secretary of State's official web-site is showing Hulshof leading by over 18,000 votes with just 16 precincts unreported.

Take tonight to celebrate Kenny.  But set your sights on Jay Nixon tomorrow.

And Sarah, take tonight to be angry or despondent, whatever you feel like.  But, for the sake of the state, please throw your support to Kenny tomorrow and help him defeat Nixon in November.

And take heart Republicans, Hulshof or Steelman garnered over 60,000 more votes today than Jay Nixon did.  Victory in November is possible . . . but only if the GOP unites behind its candidate.

(By the way, if you're interested in any other Missouri election results, those too can be found at the Secretary of State's web-site . . . just hit this link.)

What's most predictable?

Jason Isringhausen blowing a save in the ninth?

A weather report from the Tamm Avenue overpass during a winter storm?

Or . . . 

Dr. Ken Warren appearing on St. Louis television on election night?

The Return of Ivan Drago

Today, it has been reported that the International Olympic Committee suspended seven Russian athletes and accused the "formerly" communist nation of "systematic doping."

The more things change . . . the more they stay the same.

The Blogger's New Toy

Missouri had a tax holiday this past weekend and this blogger took advantage and purchased a new Apple Macbook.  Admittedly, the purchase was not necessary but does allow me to take advantage of occasional downtimes in my days and lunchtimes for blog purposes.  Free Wi-Fi makes me happy.  I just finished a sandwich (Subway - Spicy Italian) while browsing the web and can tell you all about it instantly.  This toy may cause my regular nightly postings to be more scattered throughout the day.  And I may get more sleep at night.

Widespread Support for Hulshof

Yesterday, I noted my support for Kenny Hulshof in tomorrow's Republican primary for governor.  Just in case I can't convince you to support him, maybe the numerous endorsements from around the state will help you make up your mind . . .

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Kansas City Star

Springfield News-Leader

Joplin Globe

Southeast Missourian

Sikeston Standard-Democrat

Webster County Citizen

The Republican

In addition to earning "the support of every editorial board with which he and Sarah Steelman have visited," Kenny Hulshof has also earned the support of Senator Kit Bond, Congressman Roy Blunt, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, and Missouri Right to Life.

Kenny Hulshof is the right choice for Missouri.  

I'm Voting for Hulshof on Tuesday

There are two good candidates on the Republican primary ballot for governor this year.  Sarah Steelman is a political bulldog with a take-no-prisoners approach to campaigning.  She deserves credit for the job she's done as Missouri's Treasurer.  I believe that her position on ethanol mandates is correct, and her opponent's position is not.  On the other hand, Steelman wrongly opposed tort reform when serving in the Missouri Senate.  Nonetheless, she is a low-tax, pro-life conservative and would make a tremendous governor.

But I'm voting for Kenny Hulshof on Tuesday.  Hulshof is a popular and accomplished Congressman from a diverse district.  He's done a great job in Washington and deserves credit for that.  I disagree with his position on ethanol but that is a trifle - since the mandate only kicks in when ethanol is cheaper than gasoline.  My disagreement with him on that issue is less severe than my disagreement with Steelman on tort reform.  Further, like Steelman, Hulshof is a low-tax, pro-life conservative.  And I think that he would make an even better governor than she would.

These two candidates agree with each other much than they disagree.  But Steelman started throwing punches early in the campaign.  Her shots at a fellow Republican and fellow conservative soured me to her candidacy.  She comes across as a typical politician - one willing to say or do anything, including throwing another good candidate under the bus - to get ahead.

Most importantly, listening throughout the campaign season to both candidates, Hulshof seems to be better prepared and better able to lead Missouri.  He's simply better qualified.

I could understand a vote for Sarah Steelman for governor.  And if she wins the nomination on Tuesday, I would have no difficulty voting for her in November.  But on Tuesday, Kenny Hulshof has my vote and I hope that he gets yours too.

Nuts On Parade Update - Not so many nuts paraded

Thanks to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, fewer nuts (and other private parts) were on display than expected on Saturday night as the World Naked Bicycle Ride hit St. Louis.  The police had promised to enforce a city ordinance on indecent and lewd conduct.  And according to the Associated Press story, officers "were on hand to ensure that riders wore the bare minimum, which included thongs, pasties, loin cloths, bathing suits and even body painting."

And though the AP reported hundreds of participants in this misguided protest, that appears inflated.  The Political Fix blog on stltoday.com claimed there were "more than 1oo mostly-naked bikers," though with "gawkers, the crowed was easily larger than 300."  The Belleville News-Democrat reported "dozens" of bikers.

With titillating aspect of this event curtailed by the police and a relatively small crowd appearing, this protest event really turned out to be a dud.  My apologies to all for writing about it.

It does serve as a good reminder, though, that there are at least dozens (News-Democrat) and possibly hundreds of really unintelligent people out there who actually believe that a mindless protest makes a difference.  Watch out for them.  And when you see them, tell them about the wonders of California and New York.  Maybe they'll move to be with their own kind.