Charlton Heston, Actor, Author, Patriot
Charlton Heston, the Oscar-winning actor who achieved stardom playing larger-than-life figures including Moses, Michelangelo and Andrew Jackson in historical epics and went on to become a best-selling author, a contentious Hollywood labor leader, an unapologetic gun advocate and darling of conservative causes, has died. He was 84.
Source: LA Times
A man of integrity and strength, and an American patriot. A force for freedom was lost when he retired from public life. Today a light is gone from the world.
An organization calling itself StopTeenDrinkingTN.org sent me a rather inflammatory letter asking me to contact Senator Paul Stanley, author of a bill that is designed to allow adult citizens of Tennessee to have wine delivered to their home from out of state wineries. One section claims (emphasis in original):
Senate Bill 1977, sponsored by your local state legislator, Sen. Paul Stanley, will make it legal to ship wine across state lines and directly into the hands of whoever opens the door of a home, no matter what their age. No ID check required.
Yet a simple search of current Tennessee legislation shows that article five of Senate Bill 1977 clearly states:
The containers must contain a label identifying the contents as containing alcohol and stating that a signature of a person age 21 or older is required.
Further, the status summary page shows that there have been no amendments to this legislation, meaning that the requirement of an adult signature has been in the text of the bill since the beginning. StopTeenDrinkingTN.org is lying, pure and simple. A check of their web site shows that the lie is repeated there as well.
This leads me to believe that StopTeenDrinkingTN.org is a fascist organization that will stop at nothing in their quest to extinguish freedom. The end, after all, justifies the means.
Rush Limbaugh is telling Texas and Ohio Republicans to "pimp yourselves for a day" and vote for Hillary in order to keep the war alive in the Democrat party:
I know I'm fighting an uphill battle here, folks, on trying to convince you Republicans in Ohio and Texas to cross over, pimp yourselves for a day, vote for Hillary to keep this campaign going, this Uncivil War, Democrat Party. I know what's going to happen. Even if I convince you to do it -- remember what this is, this is about us winning. You have to understand, it's not about Hillary winning; it's about us winning. It's about our party winning. It's about those people losing. They've got some problems in the Democrat Party. It's not all sweetness and light over there, and we need them to continue warring with each other. We love these stories of black people claiming they've been threatened with violence or their lives because they're not supporting Obama. We want all this kind of stuff out there. We want the Clinton campaign to keep pumping out these pictures of Obama dressed up as Bin Laden. We want this kind of stuff. If Hillary loses this thing, all of that's going to come to a screeching halt. We want all the disruption in that party as possible. It's about us winning. . . .
I also think it's important here to call out ladies and gentlemen, the media. The media has turned on the Clintons, and the bias and the venom shown toward the Clintons and the favoritism being shown toward Obama is offensive. We need to keep chaos alive. That is the slogan of this program, but we're not going to be able to keep chaos alive.
Texans and Ohioans have two choices: vote for a Democrat in the Democrat primary, or waste a vote when voting against McCain in the "Republican" primary. If it were me, I would vote for Hillary just to keep the chaos alive.
Hat tip to NewsMax.
The Conservative movement has lost a dedicated member. The Great Debate has lost a passionate voice. Tonight, I received this email from the chairman of the county GOP.
Dear Friends,
It is with complete shock and sadness that I report to you that Lt. Commander Tracy Dewitt, US Navy (Retired) passed away this morning. Tracy was also the President of the Northeast Shelby Republican Club. Currently, there are very few details and as more become available, we will pass them along.
Once in a while, an individual comes along that stands out in the crowd with those qualities of leadership and determination that rally the rest of us to get involved and make a difference. Tracy was one of these people. His commitment to our party made each of us work a little harder and reach a little higher.
Please keep his wife Gillis, their children, and the entire Dewitt family in your prayers.
Bill Giannini
Chairman
Tracy's passing was quite unexpected. I was trading emails with him just a couple of weeks ago. He will be missed.
If you are wondering how you can thank those that cannot be home for the holidays as they put themselves in harms way to protect our way of life, it's not too late to make a donation to Operation Gratitude.
Watch the video about this amazing organization:
The bicameral Reagan21 has finally gotten their website up. Admittedly, the color scheme is atrocious (who thought dark blue words on a black background would be a good thing?) and the whole thing is amateurish, but given that the group is dedicated to saving taxpayer money (among other things) I won't complain much.
The important thing is a new membership list is available. As of now:
Reagan 21 Members
Congressman John Kline
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann
Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn
Congressman Eric Cantor
Congressman Jeff Flake
Congressman Virginia Foxx
Congressman Trent Franks
Congressman Patrick McHenry
Congressman Marilyn Musgrave
Congressman Peter Roskam
Congressman Lynn Westmoreland
Senator Richard BurrExecutive Committee
Congressman Jeb Hensarling
Congressman John Campbell
Congressman John Shadegg
Congressman Paul Ryan
Senator Tom Coburn
Senator Jim DeMint
Congressman Tom Price
I am extremely pleased to see my congressman (rising star Marsha Blackburn) on the list, but not surprised. She ran on some of these issues.
I am displeased to see that neither of my senators are on the list.
Time for some phone calls. Marsha first!
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) is predicting a landslide for Democrats in an election that is over a year away. He thinks it will be a "seminal election":
"They occur about once a generation," Schumer said today. "They change the tectonic plates of politics and they create a generation for one-party governance. Nineteen Thirty-Two, Roosevelt did it. In 1980, Ronald Reagan did it. And we’re about at the tail end of the Ronald Reagan era, where his ideas – fresh, and even as a Democrat, I’d say many of them needed at the time – have just lost steam, lost resonance, and people are ready."
But conservative members of both chambers of congress have been quietly meeting since last February without consulting party leadership, working out a platform committed to advancing a government cast in Reagan's mold.
They call themselves the Reagan21 and have issued a comprehensive policy statement designed to advance Reagan’s principles of liberty through a 21st Century vision for America. Summarized:
Ethics and Integrity:
- Holding elected officials to the "highest possible standard"
- An end to earmarks "until public confidence is restored"
Tax Reform:
- A new fairer, flatter tax system based on consumption
- Corporate tax rates that are "among the lowest in the world"
Spending Reform:
- Balanced budget
- Elimination of waste through a "top-down review of every single federal government program"
- Presidential line-item veto
Entitlement Reform:
- Personal ownership of retirement and health care decisions
- Block any effort to give Medicaid funds to the states
Health Care:
- Personal ownership of health insurance "without meddlesome middlemen and third-party control"
Education Reform:
- Local control of education
- Repeal of No Child Left Behind
- Education tax credits and scholarships
Immigration Reform:
- Border security
- Empower local police to assist federal efforts at fighting illegal immigration
- A federal "system of universal employee verification that is reliable and immediate"
- Adoption of English as our official language
Energy Independence:
- Tax incentives for conservation and innovation in alternative fuel technology
- "Environmentally responsible" increase in domestic oil production
- Reduction of cumbersome regulations
- Eliminating boutique fuels
- Building more refineries
National Security
- Expanding human intelligence and covert capability
- A strong military
- A commitment to remain diplomatically engaged
I have a few quibbles about some of the points, but they are minor enough that I would have no problem signing my name to a pledge to support these reforms.
Call your elected servants now. Ask them if they are a member of Reagan21. And if they say no, ask them to explain themselves.
Alan Keyes is one of the most powerful and dynamic speakers on the Right today, and I was privileged to see him speak last night. Captain's Quarters describes Keyes' performance thusly:
Until tonight, I have never experienced the powerful oratory of a man who may well be the modern master of the form. Watching Keyes dominate the stage and thunder, whisper, muse, and cajole his message to the CLC's convocation felt like being transported back decades, perhaps even a century, to when public oration determined the measure of the public man.
Too right. To get the full impact of the man you must see Keyes live.
I did not support Keyes' run for the presidency when he last ran because, frankly, I thought he is too extremist. This came out clearly in his run for the Illinois Senate in 2004.
But listening to him last night, I must admire his passion and his conviction.
As for whether he is somewhat of a nut, I give you two sides of the debate, both very well articulated and both, in their own way, absolutely correct.
Ed Morrissey was "impressed with and dismayed" with the "talented and troubling" Dr. Keyes.
Warner Todd Huston thinks that Keyes is a "pussycat" when compared to our founders, and although Keyes may be a bit dangerous, "we may be approaching a day when a bit of danger is the right prescription for what ills are infecting the US."
Read both reviews. Then see for yourself by clicking the links below to hear and see what we saw last night. Though again, the recording does impart the powerful impact of seeing the man up close and personal.
Alan Keyes on abortion.
Alan Keyes on Mitt Romney.
Alan Keyes on Fred Thompson.
Alan Keyes on the importance of the 2008 election.
Alan Keyes on values.
Alan Keyes on American principles.
Alan Keyes' closing remarks.
Though lightly attended, the CLC conference has been pretty good so far. The first speaker today was Dick Armey. I recorded a portion of his speech for your viewing pleasure, although I was sitting on the second row so the sound isn't great. But it's pretty good for someone sitting thirty feet away with a hand-held camera.
To view, click here (caution: 1.6 MB download, not streaming media).
To get the highlights, jump over to Captain's Quarters. Ed live-blogged the speech.
Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say 'what should be the reward of such sacrifices?' Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship and plough, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!
— Samuel Adams in a speech to the State House of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (1 August 1776)
The Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom has released the early results of their upcoming Religious Freedom in the World 2007. Some highlights:
Marshall also pointed out that some tyrannies, and their apologists in the West, prioritize "economic rights" and supposed "Asian" and "Islamic" values over religious freedom for individuals. But non-Western and historically poor countries such as Mongolia, Thailand, Mali and Senegal have achieved relative religious freedom, without sacrificing their culture or their religion. "It is a moral travesty of the highest order to maintain that because people are hungry or cold it is legitimate to repress their beliefs as well," Marshall riposted.
So who did the best? The top "free countries" were:
| Country | Religious Freedom | Political Rights (PR) | Civil Liberties (CL) |
| Estonia | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hungary | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| United States | 1 | 1 | 1 |
And the most repressive places on Earth:
| Country | Religious Freedom | Political Rights (PR) | Civil Liberties (CL) |
| Belarus | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| China | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Iran | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Iraq | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Libya | 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Cuba | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Eritrea | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Saudi Arabia | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Burma | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| China-Tibet | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| North Korea | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Sudan | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Turkmenistan | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Uzbekistan | 7 | 7 | 7 |
I haven't commented on the Scooter Libby situation, and won't other than to say I didn't think Bush had the balls. He surprised me.
But I have to pass on this tidbit from the Ace of Spades (via Dr. Sanity):
Our long national
nightmaresilly fantasia is over.Suggestion: Bush should have reduced the fine to a more reasonable $50,000, which just so happens to be how much Sandy Berger was fined for stealing and destroying classified documents and lying about it to investigators (he wasn't charged for the latter, but subsequent revelations has made it clear he did just that).
Making the fine $50,000 would have been more in line with Libby's transgressions, and it would have made it harder for Democrats to argue against it. The penalty -- no jail time, $50,000, probation -- would have been so similar to Berger's that one could scarcely mention it without also mentioning Berger.
Four days ago, Michael Yon covered an al Qaeda massacre in a small village in Iraq:
Soldiers from 5th IA [Iraqi Army] said al Qaeda had cut the heads off the children. Had al Qaeda murdered the children in front of their parents? Maybe it had been the other way around: maybe they had murdered the parents in front of the children. Maybe they had forced the father to dig the graves of his children.
Yon's latest dispatch addresses the fact that the MSM has studiously avoided reporting the tragedy:
But for those publications who actually had people embedded in Baqubah when the story first broke and still failed to cover it, their malaise is inexplicable. I do not know why all failed to report the murders and booby-trapped village: apparently no reporters bothered to go out there, even though it’s only about 3.5 miles from this base. Any one of the reporters currently in Baqubah could still go to these coordinates and follow his or her nose and find the gravesites. . . .
If much of mainstream media does not recognize barbarity, clearly their readers can and do. Readers throughout the world might consider contacting their local papers and favorite websites with the link to this update. The story is very important in that it is well-documented with photos and video, and the Iraqi and American soldiers who were present are named and easily reachable. Those mainstream reporters currently in Baqubah could readily take up the baton.
The UK Daily Mail prints an article written by a Muslim that was at one time an actual member of the network that planned and attempted to execute the recent bombings in London and Glasgow:
When I was still a member of what is probably best termed the British Jihadi Network - a series of British Muslim terrorist groups linked by a single ideology - I remember how we used to laugh in celebration whenever people on TV proclaimed that the sole cause for Islamic acts of terror like 9/11, the Madrid bombings and 7/7 was Western foreign policy.
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair's bombs" line did our propaganda work for us. More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
As we celebrate our freedom in this country, it is important to remember that there is evil in this world whose objective is to destroy us, that we have young men and women fighting that evil as they help rebuild a nation that is experiencing that evil every day.
Support Michael Yon as he brings us the truth.
Support those who sacrifice by giving to these charities rated A+ by the American Institute of Philanthropy:
After a small slew decisions today, the WaPo has come to the conclusion that the Supreme Court Leans Conservative:
Four of the five cases announced today were decided by the conservative majority led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., as the divisions that narrowly but decisively split the justices on social issues were on full display. . . .
Today's decisions added to the court's rising number of 5 to 4 votes this term, substantially higher than last year's total. A few of them favor the court's liberal wing, but conservatives are on a recent roll.
Predictably, the Red Rag NY Times is up in arms about the decisions, printing a small slew of articles and editorials in protest. Indeed, the editorial spells out the Times' view in no uncertain terms: Three Bad Rulings.
Whether the rulings are "bad" or not depends entirely on one's point of view.
The court upheld the right of a principal to suspend a student who promoted drug use by creating a banner that proclaimed, "Bong Hits 4 Jesus". In light of the lack of discipline in our public schools, I don't know that a restriction on children's free speech is uncalled for.
The court split hairs in ruling that tax money could be funneled to faith-based initiatives if the source was the executive office rather than congressional decree (which is prohibited by precedent). But the unspoken conclusion is that precedent may be overturned by this court if the proper case presents itself. In other words, a bad precedent created by a liberal court may be overturned in the future.
But the high point of the day had to be the loosening of restrictions on free speech as a result of the Constitution-shredding McCain-Feingold. The court ruled that the only advertisements that can be kept off the air in the days before an election are, in the words of Chief Justice Roberts, "susceptible of no reasonable interpretation other than as an appeal to vote for or against a specific candidate."
Describing and then dismissing the rationale for the advertising restrictions, Chief Justice Roberts used a phrase that seemed to sum up the new majority’s view toward campaign finance regulation. “Enough is enough,” the chief justice said. . . .
It may be only a matter of time before the court reconsiders its 2003 decision upholding the constitutionality of the entire law, or at least expands its Monday decision to strike down any restriction on advertising. Three of the five justices in the majority, Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas, declined to sign the chief justice’s opinion because it did not take that step.
Even before the last election I was vocal in my feelings that Bush's domestic policies are little short of disastrous. But the conservatation* of the Supremes offsets that a little.
* Shakespeare made up over 3,000 words. Allow me this one.
Update: Liberal spin is gearing up on this one. Check out this headline: Supreme Court Sides With Administration, Corporations In New Decisions.
Memorial Day grew out of the horror of the great Civil War which ripped this nation asunder. It is a day that has been set aside that we may remember our fallen heroes, those that have died while defending our noble experiment, the greatest nation in the history of Man.
This is the sixth Memorial Day in a row in which we find our nation confronting a great evil. While liberals moan about keeping Islamofascists locked up on a Caribbean island, our soldiers are kicking down doors in Iraq to find torture chambers.
A recent raid on an al-Qaeda safe house turned up crude instruments of torture and an instruction manual that graphically depicts how they are to be applied, such as using a power drill to drill through a hand or applying a hot iron or even a blowtorch to the skin. The instructions do not tell captors to provide religious materials, legal counsel or cultural-specific meals. They do show how to break limbs and gouge an eye from its socket.A month ago five people were rescued from just such a torture house, one of them a mere boy and all of them beaten daily with chains and cables. This is the evil that the enemy brought to our shores.
Makes "waterboarding" look like a walk in the park, doesn't it? Makes getting your picture taken with a collar on and girl holding the end of a leash a little tame, doesn't it. The media is virtually ignoring the story of the al-Qaeda torture manual and victims rescued. It does not fit their agenda the way that months of Abu Ghraib coverage furthered their cause.
Similarly, the media is under-reporting the freeing of 42 Iraqis, one as young as 14, from an al-Qaeda prison. Some had been held as long as four months, suspended from ceilings, beaten and tortured. Some had broken bones.
Our troops are doing good things in Iraq.
On this Memorial Day we should remember all our soldiers, active and retired, alive and deceased. We should be grateful to those who have given their all and support those currently facing the horrors of war.
I encourage you to fly an American flag in memory of soldiers no longer with us, and open your hearts and wallets to support today's soldiers and their families. Some suggestions:
Disabled American Vets
Operation Gratitude (Read a news story about Operation Gratitude)
Adopt a Platoon
Treats for Troops
Operation Top Knot
Fisher House
Operation Hero Miles
Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund
USO
Alternatively (or in addition to), you can support former Green Beret and current photojournalist Michael Yon as he publishes the most unbiased truth about the situation in Iraq.
It's that time of year again!
The Memphis chapter of Friends of NRA will host a shoot to benefit FONRA and St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Proceeds from the shoot will be divided between the two.
FONRA is a non-political, charitable organization that offers education and monetary support for advancing shooting sports.
St. Jude Children's Hospital is one of the premier pediatric treatment and research facilities in the world.
Show up between 1 and 6 on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 23rd at 
Range U.S.A. There will be a variety of weapons to shoot, including submachine guns and exotic handguns in large calibers. For updates see the Memphis FONRA web site.
Donations for ammo are needed! As far as I can tell, these donations are tax deductible.
Technorati tags: Machine Gun Shoot, Charity Shoot, St. Jude Children's Hospital, Friends of the NRA, FONRA, Range USA.
After decades of opposing the death penalty for anyone except an unwanted child, Democrats seem poised to introduce legislation designed to win over gullible Christians reduce the number of abortions.
No, it will not restrict access to abortions -- children will still be able to walk into a clinic and get the "procedure". No, it will not prosecute adults that transport minors across state lines to avoid parental notification laws. No, it will not require health insurance companies to cover contraception.
But it will:
So obviously the answer is more money. Doesn't that fix everything?
Why is it that Democrats are willing to throw money at every program except standing up to terrorists?
Here's a shocker:
A congressional aide familiar with the legislation said the sponsors do not yet have a cost estimate for the measure.
Why bother with cost estimates when it's not your money?
Technorati tags: Democrats Wooing Christians, Abortion, Morals and Politics, Murdering Children, Democrats Spending Spree.
Ronald Montaperto was an intelligence analyst for the Pentagon. He has been convicted of passing "highly classified" information to the Chinese.
A crime for which he will serve three months in jail, three months of home detention and five years' probation.
That's right. A man that compromised national security will spend three months in jail, in spite of the fact that sentencing guidelines call for four to five years.
Why so little? Judge Gerald Bruce Lee (a Clinton appointee) was impressed that other traitors that infest our intelligence agencies wrote character references in support of Montaperto.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra, chairman of the House intelligence committee, said he is concerned by the apparent support for Montaperto from the U.S. intelligence community and promised a committee probe.
"You would think that the intel community would set the standard for holding people accountable for mishandling and passing of classified information to our enemies," Mr. Hoekstra said.
First, believing intelligence officers about the character of a fellow intelligence officer is like asking doctors to sanction other doctors who commit malpractice. Or judges sanctioning other judges for making up the rules as they go along rather than following the law. It just doesn't happen that often.
Second, who still believes that the members of our intelligence community have any respect for the rule of law or want to support American interests?
Third, how many more judgements like this will it take before Americans stand up and demand judicial reform?
Our dear friend Judge Lee (described as a "hero to criminal defense attorneys") is the one responsible for sentencing American terrorist Ahmed Abu-Ali, who was convicted of providing material support to al Qaeda and was involved in a conspiracy to assassinate President Bush. Judge Lee decided not to impose the death penalty and settled for the much lighter sentence of 30 years.
Lee is also notorious for dismissing the kidnapping and murder charges against Jay Lentz even though a jury had found him guilty.
Legal experts said Lee's ruling, which came after he excluded much of the evidence prosecutors wanted to present to jurors, marked the first time a judge dismissed a jury verdict in a federal death penalty case.
Judge Lee, setting precedence and making it up as he goes along. What ever happened to shooting those who commit treason?
Finally, remember Lawrence Franklin? He was recently convicted of passing some classified material just like Montaperto. So here's a little table presented for comparison purposes:
| Ronald Montaperto | Lawrence Franklin | |
| Occupation | Intelligence Analyst | Intelligence Analyst |
| Conviction | Passing classified material to our enemy, the Red Chinese |
Passing classified material to our allies, the Israelis |
| Sentence | 3 months jail, 3 months house arrest, 5 years probation |
12 years in prison |
| Judge | Gerald Bruce Lee Appointed by Clinton |
T. S. Ellis III Appointed by Reagan |
And some people don't think it's important to have a Republican in the White House.
Technorati tags: Treason in our Courtrooms, Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, Judge T. S. Ellis III, Conservative Judges, Liberal Judges, Need for Judicial Reform, Impeaching Judges, Ronald Montaperto, Lawrence Franklin, Judicial Reform.
I was privileged to hear Robert Loudom, a genetics researcher at the University of Memphis, speak tonight on the topic of When Does Life Begin. Favorite quote:
We've had rat embryonic stem cells for over 25 years and nobody has ever cured a rat of anything.
One other item that I noted: he said that recently he received word of the 75th condition that had been cured as a result of adult stem cells, while none have been cured with embryonic stem cells.
Technorati tags: Stem Cell Research, Embryonic Stem Cells, Adult Stem Cells, Medical Science.
Conservative Life comments on 'Obligatory Political Correctness Syndrome':
Are you a conservative? If so, have you ever asked yourself why you sometimes feel obliged to inject painfully obvious statements into your debates with liberals? Here's what I mean.
Suppose you're arguing in favor of criminal profiling at airports with a radical leftist, and you're making the point that most international terrorist groups are comprised of Muslim men between the ages of 18 and 40. Immediately following that statement you find yourself saying something like: "Of course, that doesn't mean that ALL Muslim men in that age group are terrorists."
You mention this even though you know that the little voice in the back of your mind is about to say: "No Sh**, Sherlock! Did you figure that out all by yourself, or did you have to consult a five-year-old first?"
It only gets funnier from there. And I get to add a new synonym for liberal to my vocabulary: Vichy-American.
Technorati tags: Political Correctness Will Destroy America, Liberals Leftists and Other Silliness, Conservative Causes, Vichy-Americans.
Sir - On the dictum of no taxation without representation, the dead should not be taxed.Nice!David Roche, London W2
America's North Shore Journal performs an analysis of Poverty in America 2005 with some surprising results, such as:
| Average Poverty Rate First Five Years of an Administration | |
| Reagan | 14.5% |
| Clinton | 14.1% |
| Bush 43 | 12.3% |
Go read the whole thing.
Technorati tags: Poverty, Economic Classes, American Economy, Exploding Liberal Myths, Exposing Media Lies, Stopping the Spin.
Over at Farmer for Congress (whom I endorse) there is a debate going on about my Congressman, Marsha Blackburn. There are complaints that she votes for omnibus spending bills and globalization.
Marsha takes a lot of heat from a lot of people, including (occasionally) me, but I take slight umbrage at these accusations and feel I must insert some rationality into the debate.
Yes, when bills get to the floor she usually votes along party lines but what you don't see is the monumental amount of work she does behind the scenes to cut out the fat before the bills get to that point. Why do you think the Club for Growth gives her a score of 95 and ranks her 15th in the House?
She is one of the strongest supporters of the Second Amendment we have in Washington.
She went to the Mexican border and visited the Minutemen early in their efforts to bring attention to the crises of national proportions and supported their cause, taking up the rallying cry to bring safety to America.
For years, taxpayers have been able to deduct a portion their state income tax payments from their federal tax burden, leaving a heavier load to those of us living in states without a state income tax. As a freshman in the House, Marsha was successful in getting taxpayers in states that don't have an income tax (e.g., Tennessee!) an equitable tax break -- one of her stated objectives when she first ran. A freshman!
You may blame globalization for manufacturing loses at home, but you'll be wrong. From 1995 to 2002, manufacturing was down over 15% -- in China! (Didn't see that one coming, did you?)
Poverty is lower under Bush. You may hate No Child Left Behind (I do), but scores are rising. The economy has been doing incredibly well under Bush. Unemployment has been at near-record low levels.
My biggest complaint with Marsha is that she doesn't understand technology and votes with the RIAA, but that's just a matter of education.
I will continue to vote for Marsha as long as she continues to act just as she has in the past.
And remember:
If you want to vote for a politician that always votes the way you want them to, run for office.
- AlphaPatriot
Technorati tags: Marsha Blackburn, Club for Growth.
Crossposted to TennWatch
Don't marry a career woman! Professional women are more likely to get divorced, more likely to cheat, less likely to have children, and, if they do have kids, they are more likely to be unhappy about it. And even "feminists" are happier when the man brings home the biggest paycheck!
Got Carpel Tunnel? It may be a sign of impending diabetes. A UK study shows that the problem can predate the onset of diabetes by up to 10 years.
For 50 years Detroit has been experiencing white flight, and now blacks are following suit. For first time, Detroit's black population falls. "The numbers suggest Detroit may be at the start of a black exodus rivaling that of whites after World War II." Most worrying is that it's middle-class blacks that are leaving and they are the ones sustaining the city.
Lordy, lordy! Who woke up Al Sharpton?
Many black youths fall under a spell of "gangster mentality," preventing them from becoming leaders and making a positive impact in politics, the Rev. Al Sharpton said.
The civil rights activist faulted Hollywood and the record industry for making "gangsterism" seem cool and acceptable.
"I think we've allowed a whole generation of young people to feel that if they're focused, they're not black enough. If they speak well and act well, they're acting white, and there's nothing more racist than that."
I think he's channeling Bill Cosby!
When Mannequins attack! A California woman (of course) is suing JC Penney because as a sales assistant took a blouse off the ferocious mannequin, the arm "flew off" and struck the dingbat lady in the head. This is one