Time Keeps Ticking

We're in the middle of July, with time's relentless march forward bringing us closer and closer to election Tuesday every moment. The two candidates are stumping and campaigning all across the nation, and even the entire world. Yet, nothing much is really changing. The pollsters bombard us with new poll numbers every day, trying to track change as it happens. In reality, this election will be much like the last two.

America has become very divided. I like to blame it on Democrats not being able to cope with not being in complete power. When Gerorge W. Bush took the oath of office in 2001 something unthinkable happened- the GOP was in charge of the White House and both houses of Congress at the same time. Just a few short years before this would have been unthinkable, and there it was. From that point forward there has been increasing hostility. When combined with a war in Afghanistan and Iraq (and the former hippies now in charge of the Democratic Party) things reached a boiling point. Most of America has chosen their sides.

We may see changes in Congress as the tides of change come and go. The Democrats took back both houses in 2006 and look to keep majorities this year. But in reality Congress, particularly the House, is local politics on a national scale. People don't have to answer the needs of the country, only their home districts. What a Senator from Idaho's vote means to Rhode Island doesn't really matter to the people that cast the ballots. The same is not true for the Presidency.

So, we have Obama and McCain, an unpopular war, a sinking economy, and new foreign relations problems popping up all over the globe. Who is best suited to deal with these problems? Democrats will say Obama is and Republicans will say that McCain is. Since the two parties are split roughly evenly, it is a wash. The true independents are the people that will swing this, and any, election. (And I mean actual independents, not the people that really belong in a party but choose to call themselves independent to appear above it all.)

Where are these people going to go? Nobody knows. But, I do know that neither candidate is reaching them with their message. They are so busy trying to dive to the center and not offend anyone that they are missing the chance to speak to the voters that matter.

I beg both candidates to stop with the rhetoric and get down to business. Tell us all where you stand on the important issues. (McCain is doing this better than Obama, but that isn't saying much.) How do you propose to lead us through the energy crisis? What plans do you have in store to make America look good in the eyes of the other nations? How will you strengthen the dollar? There are so many important questions, and we're left with a left v. right argument about Iraq. Believe it or not, that isn't the most important issue out there, and the people that will be making this decision know that. Yes, Obama can appeal to the left by saying he will pull out of Iraq. McCain can appeal to the right by sounding hawkish. In reality, we will get the same result with either candidate on this issue- they will do what needs to be done to protect America. They don't have a choice- no matter what the "people" say about the issue.

I'm BACK!

Yeah, I know- it has been too long. Well everyone, I'm back and I'm here to stay.

The first thing I want to do is send everyone to Ted Montgomery's site. Read his book if you get a chance. It isn't great, but it is pretty good for an optometrist and not an author. More importantly, check some of his Bible stuff out. He has spent a great deal of time in study and there is some really good stuff there. The most interesting is his view on the Rapture (Pre-Wrath, not Pre-Trib).

In short, he believes the rapture will happen just before the last half of Daniel's 70th week. (If you don't know what Daniel's 70th week is, check his site, it will tell you. Or, email me and I'll explain it.) As such, the 70th week could begin at any time- and the Church would still be here for half of it. In fact, he believes that the European Neighbourhood Policy may have signaled the beginning of that 70th week. If he is correct, we are well into it at this point (19 months at a minimum 22 at the upper end). He has a graph of the amount of distress that would be going on at any given point, and we seem to be in line with it. With IndyMac failing, more worries about energy and banks, etc. his view has me doing some study. Right now, I am still firmly in the camp of the Pre-Tribbers, but I am open to changing my mind.

Check this out

Hey everyone, a friend of mine put this up on his blog. While I don't think it is totally true (we do disagree from time to time- and I clearly am not wrong!) it is pretty close to the mark. Check it out.

Hillary is done- What now?

OK, it is official, the General Election will pit John McCain against Barack Obama. This is bad news for the GOP, Obama may be able to energize the youth vote- which is what the Democrats always claim will carry them to victory. If he succeeds, McCain doesn't have a chance. In reality, the chances of a McCain victory are slim even if nobody under the age of 25 makes it to the polls.

The Conservative Movement is locked out of this election. Many are upset about the turn of events, but I am somewhat thankful. A strong Conservative was not going to win in November. The country is simply too mad at Bush to elect anyone that is seen as being a stalwart of the GOP. So, McCain is the logical choice. He is well known and is seen as being outside the mainstream of the Republican power elite. But, to me all this tells us is that the strong right will not suffer defeat in November. Romney, Huckabee, Allen, et al will still be viable in 2012. After four years of Obama (or McCain for that matter) the country will be ready to return to the logical GOP and cast off the emotional appeal of the left.

The only real concern is how long it will take to undo the damage done in those short four years.

Vacation is Over...

OK, it is time to get back into this blog. I want to start by suggesting that everyone follow this link and block out the time needed to watch the video. I'm not going to spoil it, you'll just have to be surprised by what you say. I will say that it was recorded 44 years ago, and it rings as true today as it did back then.

Now, the Democrats still can't decide who they should nominate for President. The media and talking heads decided on Obama long ago, but the pesky voters just aren't playing along. Obama does have a lead, but it is very small. Regardless of what the news tells you, they are in a virtual dead heat. For political junkies like me it is fun to watch. More importantly, it is doing damage to both of them, making our job in November that much easier.

Speaking of November, can I admit that I'm scared? The nation seems to be moving left. Maybe it is just too much mainstream media, but I'm scared that most Americans do want to surrender to the terrorists. I'm scared that they really do want socialized medicine. I'm scared that the people have just totally lost their mind. I don't know how, but we have to show the average person the error in their ways, and we have to do it quickly. We have six months to do it. I pray that we'll catch bin Laden (in Iraq would be ideal!). I pray that Iraq turns peaceful. And I pray that America doesn't elect Obama to lead our nation. Black Liberation Theology is OK for the pulpit of a black church, it is not OK for the White House.

Some thing surprise me. Others...

I woke up this morning, did the normal thing, started working, and was lost in the stupidity that is excel. (If you don't know, I'd rather be tortured than deal with spreadsheets!) While lost in the mind numbing torrent of numbers I started thinking about things that really surprise me. So, I thought I'd come here and talk about them.

1. I'm surprised that it is the end of April and the Democrats still don't have a presidential nominee. Don't the Clinton's usually make people disappear before something drags on this long?

2. I'm surprised that more and more "conservatives" are bashing oil companies for making large profits. Where were these people when oil companies were shutting down left and right? Where will they be when OPEC decides to send crude prices down again?

3. I am surprised that there isn't more of a push for Congress to mandate an inflation target for the fed. Since the weak dollar and less than overt inflation is responsible for the price of fuel, you'd think some people would start catching on.

4. I'm surprised that I have a sweat shirt on. I thought we were going through global warming! (Oh, that's right. It only has an impact at the poles until it is convenient to claim it is hot because of it.)

5. I am surprised that people still think guns are what need to be controlled- not people's behavior.

And there are some thigns I'm not so surprised about.

1. Ron Paul's followers are still causing problems. You'd think that they would be smart enough to know that by hurting the GOP all they are doing is working to elect someone even further from their beliefs. But, if they were that smart they wouldn't be supporting Ron Paul!

2. I need to mow. I hate mowing, it kills me. I'll be sneezing and blowing my nose for 2 days after I do it, so I like to hold off as long as possible.

3. The olympics will be starting in the near future, and I couldn't care less if I tried. I used to love the olympics and what it stood for. I think the "Dream Team" killed it for me though. Now it is all about money, just like everything else.

4. My dog is crazy. I attempted to find the perfect breed and finally picked American Bulldog. Of course, the one I picked is the exact opposite of everything I'd learned about them.

5. I'm wasting time. Better to waste time than to actually work. I think I'll go for a walk.

Why I haven't been posting

Yes, it has been a while since I have kept my blog up to date. Yes, I feel guilty that those of you that wanted to see this blog come to life are missing out on all things "me". But, there is a reason.

I am pretty disgusted with the direction our nation is taking. The Republican primary season was just the tip of the iceberg as far as I can tell. John McCain isn't the evil person that some make him out to be. But, he is also far from a strong conservative. He has issues that he feels strongly about- and he tends to be on the right side of those issues. Pork spending and the war on terror are two great examples. However, I worry that he will sell the conservative movement down the river in an effort to see those two areas unfold the way he wants them to. Gun rights, abortion, marriage, immigration, and many other important issues are all things McCain may well give away to try to get his way on things he sees as more important.

As we move from there we are confronted by the economic situation of our nation. I hate this even more because Ron Paul may actually be right on this one. But for those of you that don't follow economics closely, I'll sum this up quickly. The US government has little to nothing to do with setting economic policy. When you watch the news you'll hear them talk about "the fed" when economic issues are the topic of the day. "The Fed" is the Federal Reserve Bank. It sounds pretty official, but it isn't. It is a private company. A company that has the same goal as any other company- to make money for the shareholders. They are not interested in doing the best thing for the economy, only what is best for them. Thus, we have watched as they continue to slash interest rates and take other action that keeps the stock market roaring along. Of course, the side effect of this is high inflation rates and a weaker dollar. These problems compound each other and can quickly spiral out of control. It is made worse by the deficit spending that we see coming from Washington. When you have to borrow money to fund the programs (please tell me where the Constitution authorizes these things) yet you keep cutting interest rates it can be difficult to find people willing to buy T-bills and the like. If we don't get control of our economy, terrorism and immigration are going to be minor concerns compared to the $50 loaf of bread you buy.

And of course, let's not forget the ongoing feminization of the males of our great country. Thankfully, much of the metrosexual craze is now gone. Sadly, that isn't the only place we need to work on. Men are forced to be something they are not. We're not supposed to act like men. We're supposed to be sensitive and caring. We're supposed to be docile and tame. We're supposed to be larger harrier versions of women. It has to stop. Men need to be men. From the Tim Taylor grunts to spending time with the great outdoors while breathing in freshly spent gunpowder. It is time our men become men. If we force men to be soft, hard men will make us their slaves.

So, as you can see- there are a few things that have me depressed. I'm not happy with the direction our nation is taking. I'm hoping we can find a way to turn things around. If not, I guess I'll just keep being angry until I'm a dead white male.

Too funny... and mostly true

With a website name like angrywhitemale.net sometimes people get the wrong idea. I've received emails accusing me of being a racist in the past, which is clearly not the case. I'm just the stereotype of what Hillary Clinton was talking about in the 90s when she railed against Angry White Males. Well, on Mark Shannon's site I found this piece.

In election 2008, don’t forget Angry White Man



Gary Hubbell

February 9, 2008



There is a great amount of interest in this year’s presidential elections, as everybody seems to recognize that our next president has to be a lot better than George Bush. The Democrats are riding high with two groundbreaking candidates — a woman and an African-American — while the conservative Republicans are in a quandary about their party’s nod to a quasi-liberal maverick, John McCain.



Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smorgasbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians.



There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America , from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.



His common traits are that he isn’t looking for anything from anyone — just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard.



The victimhood syndrome buzzwords — “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” — don’t resonate with him. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him. He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding.



He believes the Constitution is to be interpreted literally, not as a “living document” open to the whims and vagaries of a panel of judges who have never worked an honest day in their lives.



The Angry White Man owns firearms, and he’s willing to pick up a gun to defend his home and his country. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone who needs killing really doesn’t bother him.



The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina — he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter.



His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American.



He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask for a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory and publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch.



Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.”



He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner.



He’s not a racist, but he is annoyed and disappointed when people of certain backgrounds exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their race. He’s willing to give everybody a fair chance if they work hard, play by the rules and learn English.



Most important, the Angry White Man is pissed off. When his job site becomes flooded with illegal workers who don’t pay taxes and his wages drop like a stone, he gets righteously angry. When his job gets shipped overseas, and he has to speak to some incomprehensible idiot in India for tech support, he simmers. When Al Sharpton comes on TV, leading some rally for reparations for slavery or some such nonsense, he bites his tongue and he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement.



He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It’s not that she is a woman. It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves.



There are many millions of Angry White Men. Four million Angry White Men are members of the National Rifle Association, and all of them will vote against Hillary Clinton, just as the great majority of them voted for George Bush.



He hopes that she will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, and he will make sure that she gets beaten like a drum

More of the same

Well folks, everything I was working on is now on hold. Since HB 2513 will die if it is not heard this week, I figured that should be the focus of everything I do until it is officially dead for the year. After it dies, I'll go back to talking about current events and the like, but will also be working diligently to ensure those that blocked this measure are out of power after the next elections. With any luck, they can go back to the real world.

OCPAC sent out their weekly email and confirmed what I had written about the caucus meetings. They included a couple of other names that shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone. But, Coody and Denney were the leaders in killing this bill. Below you will find the text of what Denney is sending to her constituents that contact her about this issue:

Thank you very much for your email. I realize that you are disappointed because HB2513 will not be heard this session. Sometimes leadership makes decisions that we are not involved in. It is very common for a piece of legislation to take several years to finally pass through the legislative process. Hopefully in an upcoming session we will have the opportunity to pass a bill similar to HB2513. Until that day comes I believe that our college campuses will work to create the safest environment for our students. I am sorry for your disappointment and if my office can ever be of any assistance to you please feel free to contact us at any time. Have a great weekend.

Rep. Denney

(emphasis added)

Now take a look at the portion in italics. She is saying that leadership killed the bill and that she had nothing to do with it. This the website that shows the House leadership. If you'll notice, Representative Lee Denney is the fourth person listed. She is an Assistant Majority Floor Leader. This means that her leadership role is to set the calendar. Now, maybe it is just me but I feel as if we're being lied to. First, we know that she was one of the leaders in pushing to kill this bill. Additionally, she tries to blame leadership for killing the bill, yet she is a member of that leadership. Then she takes it a step further and says she wants to pass legislation like this in the future.

Thankfully, I do believe that most of our election officials, of both parties, are much more honest than Representative Denney is being on this issue. However, that does not mean that we should just look the other way when she does something like this. If she is going to continue to lie to her constituents it is time for her to head back to her real job as a vet and leave legislating for those that are willing to be honest and stand on principles, not hide behind legislative tricks.

House Bill 2513

I know not all of you follow Oklahoma politics closely, even those of you from Oklahoma. So a little background is in order.

Representative Jason Murphey authored the bill. It originally had nothing to do with colleges. It was a bill to allow people to carry guns openly in their car without a permit and to allow permit holders to have a loaded rifle in their vehicle. However, it became clear that it was not going to pass through the Criminal Justice committee. So, he offered a committee substitute that would allow permit holders to carry their weapon on college campuses. This version easily passed committee 14-2. It looked to be on the fast track to passing.

On Wednesday the NRA circulated a letter saying that they fully supported the bill. This served to send a message to law makers which usually carefully guard their A ratings from the NRA. Of course, at the same time, college administrators were lobbying hard against the bill. (At tax payers expense I might add.) Then, on Thursday morning I heard that the caucus was going to meet and take the bill off of the calendar. From there it was learned that it was no longer going to be considered, and law makers were considering it dead. This is where I get pretty upset.

I do not know any of this to be fact, but I believe that that there were two Republicans that were pushing to get rid of this bill. They were Ann Coody of Lawton and Lee Denney of Cushing. Funny enough, both of these lawmakers have districts that include at least part of college towns (Coody has Cameron and Denney has Oklahoma State). There is no doubt in my mind that they were pressured into killing this bill by the colleges. This means that they cared more about colleges, and the money they manage to funnel into campaigns, than they did the desires of their constituents. This is disgusting. To make matters worse, Denney is sending email to her constituents that ask about the issue that leadership decided to remove the bill and that matters like this often take years to pass. Then she has the gall to say that she hopes to vote for such a bill in the future. She neglects to mention that she is a part of leadership or that she was pushing to kill this bill. Lying and saying she hopes to support the bill in the future is beyond political tricks, she has crossed the line. She has been proven that she cannot be trusted at all. She is willing to lie to those she is elected to represent, there is no reason to believe that she would not like to the rest of the state at any time.

In all honesty, I fully intend to support anyone that runs against her. Whether they are Republicans, Democrats, or something else, they will have my support. I will never support that liar again. Honestly, if it were an election between Lee Denney and Osama bin Laden, I think I would vote for OBL. At least you know what you get with him.

Sorry for the long absence

Life sometimes gets in the way of the internet. Sadly, that has been the case for me.

Since we last talked, the Republican nomination has been captured by John McCain. I guess a moderate Republican is better than a liberal Democrat, but not by all that much. McCain is right on the war, so he has my vote. But, I may puke in my mouth a little while casting my ballot. The only bright side is that it isn't Mitt Romney, who I would not have voted for.

In the next few hours I will be posting about an issue in the Oklahoma legislature, specifically House Bill 2513 and the unethical way it has been killed. In the future I may very well be supporting Democrats for the OK House. I will not continue to support the GOP if this is what they are going to do... stay tuned.

Huckabee in Oklahoma

Mike Huckabee made a hurried trip through the Sooner State today. He didn't spend long in the state. He was in Oklahoma City this morning, drove to Tulsa, and then flew out to Arkansas on his way to Missouri.

Still, it was exciting to be able to see him today. After attending both events it is clear that he has a devoted group of followers in the state. There have been a few videos posted to youtube which I will link to. In the coming days I should be posting some stuff from the hucka-bees... a truly unique group that deserve a little attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXESwOZSR6s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrisz1qngXk

Hi everyone!

Sorry it has been so long since I updated. And I know I haven't answered any of your emails either. I've been too busy to spend time working on the blog, and I'm in the middle of a few rather large projects that will end up being posted here. Some of the things may surprise you, others may just bore you- but they're all important to me.

But I have been missing out on posting about the Presidential elections, and that is just unacceptable! We're a week away from Super Tuesday, Florida's primary is today, and the GOP race is starting to take shape.

Right now it looks like a two horse race between Romney and McCain. If people believe that to be true, it will end up working out like that. But in all honesty, until Florida's polls close there are still four viable candidates. If Rudy's performance is in line with the polling data, he may well be done this evening... look for an announcement later in the week- but he'll probably hold on through Super Tuesday. Huckabee isn't going to finish higher than third in Florida, fourth is probably the lowest he'll finish. But, being a winner take all state, it doesn't much matter. To make matters worse, Super Tuesday doesn't look great for Huckabee. Being broke has kept him from being able to wage effective campaigns in all of the states. However, he does have a motivated volunteer base and a novel way of using a national volunteer base to help in individual states.

I will admit to not being fully behind Huckabee's campaign strategy and to thinking Rudy should drag his campaign manager and consultant to the edge of a cliff and push them over. Huckabee showed what he could do in Iowa. He is able to reach out to the typical Republican base and connect. Even in the face of talking heads that have shown they don't understand the conservatives of this country, he can make great progress with people because most of the base think along the same lines as he does. However, he doesn't have the money or experience to do this across the nation at the same time. To make matters worse, his best method for reaching voters is to get them to an event where he is speaking. TV ads don't convey his message- it takes longer than 30 seconds to explain the Fair Tax, his record on taxes in Arkansas, and his vision for the nation.

In this light, he should have left Iowa and gone straight to South Carolina. New Hampshire was a lost cause for him from day one. Any time and energy spent there was a total waste. Further, Florida isn't likely to bring him any results. With a winner take all system and a high number of people from the NE living in Florida, his base simply isn't there to be found. SW Florida and the I-4 region are places where he could compete and northern Florida is his strong suit. However, without a clean sweep of these areas it won't be enough to fight McCain and Romney in the areas that they are strong in. So, after SC Huckabee should have put his full effort into the Southern Super Tuesday states. He has failed to do so. We're one week out, and he still hasn't been to Oklahoma. Oklahoma's 15 delegates may not be earth shattering, but they were his for the taking. Instead, he is going to be in the middle of a fight in which nobody really tried to win.

Rudy's non-presence in every state leading upto Florida may have been the dumbest political move in our history. He was running in front of the pack and let the right wing scare him off in a year where there were no viable right wing candidates. (Thanks to George Allen losing his Senate seat.) He could have exposed Romney, split with McCain, and forced Thompson out sooner. This should be a three man race between Rudy, McCain, and Huckabee. But, Rudy's inability to understand the electoral map has thrown everything into disarray.

I'll update later to talk about Florida's results. I'm expecting Romney to win, making Limbaugh happy... and doing to the party what Limbaugh says would happen if McCain or Huckabee win the nomination. Too bad he's an idiot, he could have set us on the path to a big win this year- but he is unknowingly giving us Hillary or Obama. I really did think he was smarter than that.

Michigan

Tonight we have the Michigan primary. There is no doubt that it will be an exciting time for all of the politicos out there. But, I think there is an important undercurrent that is being missed. Romney MUST win tonight. He is from Michigan, his father was Governor of Michigan, and he was depending on wins in Iowa, NH, and Michigan to make his electoral math work. After losing in the first two states, he is in a bad position. After tonight South Carolina is on deck- and he is running well behind Thompson and Huckabee there. If we get to Super Tuesday without a Romney win, he is finished.

The resurgence of McCain is another interesting story line. He was presumed dead a few months ago, and is now among the front-runners. If he can pull off a win tonight, he may have the inside track to the nomination.

On the left, we will get to see if Hillary's dramatic come from behind win in NH was a momentary blip, or if she has once again assumed the lead.

I know most people don't care, but I'm fired up about tonight!

First Primary!!

The last post I made was more of a jumbled mess than I would have hoped. I thought that maybe just throwing my thoughts out there would come across a little more clearly than it did. So, to everyone that got lost in the post, I apologize.

To avoid that problem, we will ignore the religion question for now, and move on to brighter topics. Today is the New Hampshire primary. Everyone knows that I’m a Huckabee supporter. Governor Huckabee has ZERO chance of winning the election in NH. So, why am I so excited? Mitt Romney is set for failure once again. At this point in the race, Mr. Romney is my last choice. I would select any of the other candidates, from either party, over Romney. Why? Because of the pompous attitude of Romney and the hatred spewed by his supporters. He appears to have Bill Clinton-itis. He believes he can say anything he wants, and that the truth doesn’t apply to him. He claims that he saw his father march with MLK. Turns out the men never marched together, much less someplace that Romney could have seen them together. He claims he never raised taxes while serving as Governor of Massachusetts, yet it is evident that he did raise taxes, by over $300 million. He uses dirty attack politics (which is fine with me- it is a part of the game) but then whines and moans if someone dares go “dirty” against him. Of course, simply putting his record before the voters is dirty in his mind. And then there is the talk radio problem. My two favorite talking heads (Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck) are clearly in Romney’s camp. I have no problem with that- they are free citizens just like anyone else. Their endorsement could do a great deal of good for any campaign. However, they will not openly admit to being supporters of Romney. That is where my problem comes in. Why do they try to be “impartial” while clearly doing everything they can do help his cause? I guess the dishonesty of the Romney campaign continues to all of their supporters.

Now, today Romney is probably going to lose to John McCain. I’m not McCain’s biggest fan, but I couldn’t be happier. Romney’s plan placed great importance on winning NH and Iowa. He already lost Iowa; losing NH may be the end of the road for the liberal former Governor. As Big Tuesday looms on the horizon Rudy will start to play a larger role. Huckabee’s momentum off of Iowa will start to become evident as he is able to raise more money. McCain’s campaign will gain steam. The Ron Paul crowd will start to get even more desperate. And, Fred Thompson probably still has something up his sleeve. Simply put, this could be the last stand for Romney… and I couldn’t be happier to see it end. Though, if he gets back into managing hedge funds, I do recommend you send him your money- that is something he’s pretty good at. I guess being willing to ignore morality and honesty works in some aspects of our society.

Christian Right?

I have been writing and rewriting this post for weeks and weeks. It is difficult for me to express in a length that belongs as a blog post without appearing to be saying something that I am not saying. Since it has been a difficult adventure, I am just going to post as if I were talking to a friend about the issue. We’ll see where it goes from here.

I really think that we (meaning the “Religious Right”, Christians that associate with the larger conservative movement) have been missing the bus. I’ve been doing some reading about the religious right, the Red Letter Christians, and other groups and I think we’re all losing focus. We should be identifying as Christian first and foremost and anything else second. Neither political party should believe they are entitled to our vote. We should not be picking and choosing parts of “The Book” to use in order to further our political ideals. We should be looking at “The Book” and use that to judge all else.

It was the Red Letter Christian movement that started me down this path. It sounded interesting enough- a group of evangelicals that were interested in what was going on in America, not partisan politics. Sadly, it turns out it was a lie. They are the religious left, even though they will scream and yell that they are not. They ignore large portions of scripture in order to make the points they wish to make. Of course, being a conservative it stands out to me when I see them complain about gay people not being treated fairly. After all, that seems to be one of the unifying things about the GOP and the evangelicals. I can understand someone thinking that we’re foolish, or even wrong, to want to prevent homosexual couples from being married. But to pretend that is a Biblical position is simply asinine.

But, I started really thinking about the right and religion and see that we have our own problems. But, as the left will be quick to point out, we’re not supposed to have a theocracy (unless it is for secular humanism, but that is a different point). So, I don’t expect the government to do things the church should be doing, or the church to do things the government should be doing.

I believe that is where we start to have our problems. The right believes that government should be small and limited, the left things the government should be much larger and more involved. Poverty is a good subject to use to illustrate this problem. First, I do believe that Christians on the right and left (and likely non-Christian Americans as well) really would like to see an end to poverty. We would love to know that everyone was well fed, clothed, and housed. But, how we get there is a different idea. I believe it is the role of the church, of other charity groups, and individual citizens to help those in need. I believe that every church should have a mission towards the poor in their area. Larger churches should look to help the poor throughout their entire area. And of course charities (religious and/or secular) can do great things.

The people on the left would argue that the government can do more for these people and with fewer problems. They seek to raise the taxes on the middle and/or upper classes to fund projects for the lower classes.

Now, I could start an economic argument about which approach is the best. But, there are trained and well schooled economists on both sides of the issue. I am not going to pretend to have any insight that they haven’t had.

But, I am going to look at what the Bible calls us to do. First, it is clear that we are supposed to care for the poor. The Deacons were created to care for widows. The Israelites were instructed not to clean their fields so as to ensure that there was some food for those looking and scavenging for it. But, does this tell us that it is the government’s responsibility to enforce charity? Are we to look for leaders that will take from the rich to give to the poor?

That is an unanswered question. The Bible does not speak clearly to the issue. It is something we all have to decide for ourselves. I personally believe that the Church is a much better instrument for providing for the needy. But, the Church has been falling short in this area. That is something for a different time though.

The issue of immigration is another tough issue. I live in Oklahoma, and we recently passed a very strict new immigration law. Simply put, it is now a crime to do just about anything to help an illegal alien. I loved the idea. But, when looking at it from a Biblical standpoint, I am starting to have mixed emotions. God is pretty clear that we should be hospitable to aliens. However, it is also clear that we are required to follow the laws of man. Thus, illegal aliens are somewhat confusing. We are called to reach out to the aliens and care for them, but they are required to follow our laws. I am firmly of the belief that we can’t just look the other way and offer amnesty to the illegals—BUT—it may be best to look to giving them some path to legal status. Forcing churches and charities to look the other way when the aliens need assistance may just be too much. From a political stand, it makes sense to me. However, as a Christian I don’t know if I can make my beliefs mesh with that policy stance.

I will address this more in the coming days. Just rest assured that I am torn. I feel as if I may have sold out to the GOP rather than staying true to my core beliefs. This is going to take some time to work through.

Once again, I apologize

Sorry everyone. With the holiday season, my uncle having knee replacement surgery, and my own dental issues, I haven't felt like working on any of the projects I have going for this blog. However, there are some things we need to talk about. You're not going to find links to stories in this post, it is all based on general knowledge issues. If you need to find a news story, a google search will bring you thousands of them.

The death of Bhutto in Pakistan has been dominating news recently. Even discussion forums that don't usually get into international politics have been talking about the situation. Rather than trying to visit every forum in the world, I'm just going to throw my thoughts in here.

Blaming terrorists for her murder so quickly is short sighted at best and naive at worst. There is a possibility that this was done by radical Muslims, and it would surprise no one to find out that were the case. However, the more likely answer is that Musharraf had her killed. They were political enemies and her death will set back efforts to make Pakistan a democratic nation. It would make total sense for the military dictator to take this action. Another possibility is that it was done by an average Pakistani citizen. We must remember than Bhutto wasn't in exile because of her political beliefs. She was in exile dodging trial for diverting millions of dollars into Swiss bank accounts. It is within the realm of possibility that a Pakistani patriot decided that she could not be allowed to rise to power once again.

Now, people will be talking about Pakistan's nuclear weapons and how dangerous it is with Pakistan being unstable. That is the least of our worries. Those weapons pose no more of a threat today than they did a week ago. The real danger is that Musharraf will feel emboldened to act stupid. He just got away with murder, his rival political party will be in ruins for months to come, and he believes there is nothing the US can or will do to change the situation. If we allow him to get away with the crime he may well decide that he can continue doing anything he wants and close Washington out. On the other hand, we cannot afford to be too harsh. We know Musharraf. He may not be our idea of an ideal leader, but he is not a threat to us. He doesn't do everything we would like to help fight the Taliban/al Qaeda but he doesn't go out of his way to help them either. If we do something that creates a power vacuum in Pakistan, it will make the situation in Iraq look like child's play.

So just sit back and watch the fireworks. When you have people like Hillary Clinton going on CNN and saying we should send American police to Pakistan to investigate you can rest assured that some stupidity is on the horizon. Within the week they'll probably begin blaming George Bush and Dick Cheney.

35 miles per gallon?

In the new energy bill just signed by President Bush there is a new standard for fuel efficiency that America's auto makers will be forced to meet. It is a whopping 35 miles per gallon- a 40% increase from our current standards. They will have until 2020 to get to the standards, so at least America will have some time to adjust to this asinine idea.

In short, the auto makers are going to have to make some major changes. Cars are going to have to be smaller. Engines are going to have to be smaller. To generate the amount of power found now, more expensive technology such as turbo chargers and direct injection are going to have to be used. Larger vehicles, such as full size pickups and SUVs are going to have to be hybrid, use cylinder deactivation, and other technology. However, even with these advancements, the light trucks aren't going to get 35 miles per gallon. That means that the cars are going to have to be very fuel efficient- particularly since so many more trucks are sold than are cars. (Of course, price increases in the larger vehicles will come to try to force consumers into buying the more fuel efficient cars.)

Lost in the thrust for lower emissions and independence from foreign oil is the risk that CAFE standards pose for American motorists. The Heritage Foundation has put together a pretty good piece that addresses the problems with the old CAFE standards. This will just be more problematic with the new standards.

Simply put, we have to stop the insanity. We're falling for the leftist propaganda that we're killing the environment. We're sliding into a command economy form of socialism. Those that claim that the environmental movement is the new home of the communists isn't as asinine as I once thought.

Still working

I know I promised a big article a couple weeks back. I'm still working on it. Thanks to the power situation with the ice storm and just being busy I am running behind. And it is getting longer than I anticipated so we'll probably be looking at a series of 3-4 posts over a week or so.

The next planned article will be looking at the shootings in Colorado. I am waiting for all of the story to get out before I post. I have some pretty strong views on this area, so I am going to make sure everything is in its proper prospective before I post.

However, we do have to keep up with the news. Nothing too surprising... the economy is still doing well despite the housing problem and weak dollar that could lead to global problems. The fed cut rates by a quarter point today and the market still fell nearly 300 points. I really wish the fed would leave the rate alone and let the dollar gain some strength- a little inflation wouldn't be bad. And no matter what they do with the interest rate there isn't going to be much money flowing for a while. Coming to terms with that would probably be the best thing for everyone.

Finally, it looks like the Democrats are rooting for Huckabee in the primary. I don't think they know what they're asking for. He is their nightmare candidate- the evangelicals will turn out in force to support him. It is quite possible that his coattails could drag many Republicans into Congress in the seats that recently went blue.

Omaha Shootings

I am sure you've heard about the shooting in Omaha, Nebraska today. It is tragic on many levels. Sadly, by tomorrow's news cycle, this will become a political story, not a story about senseless violence, mental disorders, or the lives of the dead. You can rest assured that the anti-gun movement is already plotting to make this the center of a new push to ban guns.

Friends, I want you to sit and think for a minute. Why did this individual pick the location he picked to do the shooting? Why did he pick the department store rather than the sporting goods store? Could the fact that people wouldn't have access to guns have played a part in his choices? Why do mass shootings (schools, colleges, post offices, malls, etc.) tend to happen in places where concealed weapons aren't welcomed, or even illegal?

Honestly, it never ceases to amaze me. The antis are going to blame all gun owners (in fact, all guns) for the violence. In truth, if more people had guns, things like this wouldn't happen. The mad man would have entered the mall, produced the rifle, and citizens would have gunned him down. Rather than eight dead (not including the shooter) and five wounded (as of this writing) there would have simply been one dead madman, and the world would have continued. Instead, eight families have to deal with the death of their loved ones during the Christmas season. In fact, many will be left feeling guilty. If their loved one wasn't shopping for their gift, they would still be here.

So, just ignore everything that the Brady Campaign has to say for the next few weeks. It will be distorted and lies, just like it always is. If you want to be proactive, join the NRA and help beat the animals.

Surprised? I'm not.

The Democrats have released the meeting schedule for the House in 2008. After campaigning in 2006 against the Republicans by claiming that they took too much time off, Pelosi and company promised to bring a five day work week to Congress. For most of 2007 this was the case. This didn't actually allow them to get any more work done (see the appropriations bills that still need to be passed) but it did allow them to try and bring us socialism for a full work week more often than not.

Now, we see that they will have a 5 day week exactly 3 times this year. I guess Pelosi assumes that it has been long enough since the promises were made that the people will forget. But, we didn't forget what they promised. I just wonder if they've figured out why they have the lowest approval ratings ever? Could it be because they haven't followed through on any of their promises? I am just wondering how they'll try to blame this one on President Bush.

CNN Youtube Debate

The debate last night had many good moments. McCain turning the Fair Tax into an attack on Ron Paul's position on the war- and the foolishness he is throwing out there should be highlighted by every candidate.

Romney looked like he was made of plastic. That tends to highlight my opinion that he is nothing more than a puppet- I just don't know who is pulling his strings.

Rudy performed well and seemed to be enjoying himself. I guess that is to be expected from the front runner.

Once again, Huckabee carried the night.

I know....

I know, I haven't updated recently. Sorry, but I have been working on something that should be showing up here early next week. It isn't a typical blog post- but more of a dissertation on my views of what it is to be a conservative. Some of it has managed to surprise even me. I don't know of anyone that manages to fit every category perfectly. I guess we all have our weak spots, let's just hope that none of us have too many of them.

Since there isn't anything to the post other than saying to be watching for a new post- check out this blog. It is a blog focused on self defense issues for Christians.

What will Hillary do tonight?

With the first Democratic debate since Hillary Clinton made a fool of herself, there is a buzz about what will happen tonight. Her campaign has made it clear that they expect CNN to go easy on her. They've been crying about the boys ganging up on her. And, of course, they have been caught planting questions at campaign events.

The Clinton's have been doing what the Clinton's do. The lie machine has been running at top speed since the embarrassment of the last debate. Bill said the questions about communications between the two while Mr. Clinton was in the oval office were unfair- that she couldn't be expected to know what was going on with the archived communications. Of course, it has since come out that she is paid by the tax payers to know what is going on. She is one of the two people that is supposed to oversee the process.

I have no clue what is going to happen tonight, but I bet it is fun. Edwards and Obama should attack her at every opportunity. Just watch for Richardson. It is time for him to make a move- and he should be using the Huckabee campaign as a playbook.

OPEC ignores US

The United States asked OPEC to increase production. OPEC has refused the request. This leaves me wondering why we put up with the attitude we receive from these nations. Clearly, they have no respect for the US (their largest customer), and we do have the ability to force them to change.

Instead of playing the game with them, the US should take action. First, we should prove the left right. Let's make the war in Iraq about oil. We have spent over a trillion dollars on the war in Iraq. We should recoup that cost through Iraq's oil fields. Bush is accused of going to war for oil, so it is time to get the oil. Second, we've declared Iran to be a terrorist group. It is time to seize all Iranian oil exports and release it to the market.

If OPEC wants to play hard ball and keep the price of crude artificially high, we should just take it for free. The people gaining the most from our oil addiction are the same people that are funding terrorists to fight against us. I'm tired of playing with the Arabs. If they want to work with us, they need to work with us. If they want to oppose us, we should crush them. There is no room for the middle ground ass kissing we've done thus far.

Media finally catching on.

First, I want to apologize for not updating recently. I've been getting emails from some of you asking if I was OK- I assure you that I'm fine. I've been sick for the last week or so, but I'm getting much better now.

On to the meat of today. Mike Huckabee is finally starting to get the attention I've known was coming. He is the ideal Republican candidate in 2008. It has just been a matter of too many good conservatives believing that he didn't stand a chance. It is sad that it took the Guardian to finally start understanding what many of us have known for years. Mike Huckabee is the candidate for Republicans in 2008. A true conservative, he believes the Bible is the literal Word of God, does not believe in evolution, and is a supporter of the Fair Tax. He isn't a Washington insider and can't be tied to the things people are mad at the Republicans about.

The next President from Hope will be our own version of Bill Clinton. Someone that wasn't well known when the political season began, draws attention with his music, and has had a problem with food in the past. However, instead of having a problem with women getting on their knees in front of him, he spends time on his knees in front of God. Instead of abusing food, he has become an advocate for fitness. Simply put, the two men are similar in that they're from Hope, former Governors, and soon will both be Presidents. But, when it comes to the men they are, they are polar opposites.

Who Needs to Fit In?

This is good enough to justify posting the entire article rather than just a link.

November 09, 2007

Where Does Huckabee Fit In?

By Michael Gerson

WASHINGTON -- When I asked former pastor and current presidential candidate Mike Huckabee his response to Pat Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani, he paused for a moment. "Surprised," was his understated reply. But his frustration was quickly evident. "Our Web site went nuts with people saying they will never give money to Robertson again."

"There is a disconnect," he went on, "between past generational leaders in Christian conservatism and their own followers." Note the use of the word "past."

Robertson's endorsement of a pro-choice presidential candidate is a transparent attempt to remain on the Republican train, even as it chugs away from the priorities of the religious right. It also symbolizes a fragmented political movement, which has recently seen Paul Weyrich's endorsement of Mitt Romney and Sen. Sam Brownback's support for John McCain.

Which must leave Mike Huckabee to wonder, where do I fit in?

Huckabee is a fine debater and a compelling speaker who punches far above his fundraising weight. He has strong conservative credentials. He is solidly pro-life -- in our conversation he was highly critical of Fred Thompson's view that abortion policy should be left to the states. Huckabee supports the troop surge in Iraq. He boasts of being America's first governor to possess a concealed weapons permit.

But he adds an element that distinguishes him from the rest of a Republican field competing for the title of Mr. Conventionality. "I'm a conservative," Huckabee told me. "But if that means I have to close my eyes to poverty and hunger, I'm not going to do that." This, he said, would be to "refuse a larger allegiance, to my own soul, and also standing before God."

"Overall," he says, "the macro economy is doing very well. ... But in the micro economy -- how specific groups are doing -- there is a growing disparity between the top and the bottom, and not just the bottom." He worries that even people with a college education are falling behind because of insurance costs and fuel price increases. "People will only endure this for so many years before there is a revolt. But leaders in the Republican Party seem oblivious to it."

This kind of talk has earned the enmity of fiscal conservatives such as the Club for Growth, which Huckabee has dismissed as the "Club for Greed." "They view everything as accounting," he told me. "For a kid with asthma, who is sitting on the steps of a hospital -- let them (the Club for Growth) have an economic policy that doesn't care about that kid."

As governor of Arkansas, Huckabee occasionally raised taxes, but mainly to do what governors are supposed to do: increase teacher pay and improve roads and parks. He is proud of extending health insurance to 70,000 Arkansas children and winning 48 percent of the African-American vote -- achievements that would be impressive to most voters, but have been received with yawns so far from most conservative and Republican leaders.

Those leaders, including turnout captains, have been largely snapped up in Iowa, where Huckabee needs to show his strength. But those caucuses are inherently unpredictable; only 25,000 to 30,000 Republican votes can carry the day. Huckabee hopes to bypass the Iowa establishment "one precinct at a time," perform respectably in New Hampshire, and use South Carolina as a slingshot into the nomination. A win in Iowa would depend on the collapse of Romney, which does not seem likely. Huckabee responds: "Remember what happened to Howard Dean."

In the 2008 election, the war on terror will doubtlessly loom large. But on this issue the distinctions among the Republican candidates -- other than the conspiratorial mutterings of Ron Paul and his followers -- are relatively small. The contrast comes on domestic policy, and here Huckabee has the strongest general election message of any Republican. Perhaps it is time for religious conservatives to suspend cynical calculation and bank-shot endorsement ploys, to re-examine another man from Hope.

During our conversation, Huckabee's most compelling response concerned his background as a pastor. "There isn't a social pathology that I wouldn't be able to put a face to. I've talked with a pregnant 14-year-old who hasn't been able to tell her parents, with a 17-year-old high school student who believes he is gay and doesn't know how to break the news, with parents who have a son on life support after a motorcycle accident. ... It makes me a different kind of public official, not as rigid, not blind to problems."

And that is not a bad thing -- in a Republican, in a candidate or in a president.

michaelgerson@cfr.org

(c) 2007, Washington Post Writers Group

We are making a difference

This picture speaks a million words. Many Iraqis are quite thankful for what the United States is doing. Click on the picture for more information.

2009 Could be a glowing year.

Israel has evidence that leads them to believe Iran will have nuclear weapons in 2009. This could be devastating to not only Israel, but to the entire world. If Iran is allowed to obtain operational weapons they will use them to blackmail the entire region until they learn how to deliver them to the US and Israel, and then they will.

True Nature of our Enemy

If they're willing to do this to each other- what would they do to you?

These are Palestinians- both the shooters and the victims.

Congressional Dems are clueless

The Dems in Congress are still persisting with the myth that global warming played a role in the California fires. (Not to mention the myth that global warming is a man-made phenomenon.)

They continue doing so despite clear evidence to the contrary. The fires were caused by several things, and were fed by the high winds. But, unless someone playing with matches has an impact on the global tempature, this tactic is simply another stunt by the left.

Let's not forget that this started with Harry Reid, and that Pelosi and crew are just now catching up. This is what the Democrats are, and we can't let them hide it. These people will gladly watch Americans suffer and then attempt to use it for political gain.

An argument of ideology is something I can handle. But, the exploitation of the misery of their fellow Americans is disgusting. Someone needs to remind these people that they are supposed to serve the people, not use them to generate more power for themselves.

Iran says US responsible for terrorism in Iraq.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, has claimed that the US and Israel are responsible for Kurdish terrorism in Iraq. His Turkish counterpart, that was present at the news conference, distanced himself from the claim- saying he did not believe Washington was behind the attacks.

Just a question to consider. Wasn't Turkey one of our biggest allies in Iraq just a couple of weeks ago? I wonder what could have happened to change that. Do you think, that just maybe, Nancy Pelosi and company deciding to pass a resolution that accused them of genocide has brought about the change?

Are the Democrats so invested in us losing in Iraq that they're willing to create new enemies and strengthen our enemies? When will America wake up and understand that much, if not all, of what the Democrats say about the war and the middle east is actually treason?