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00Publius Contributor - Congress - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes - Thomas Brewton

The god That Failed New Orleans

April 27, 2008 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Why does much of New Orleans still look as if the 2005 devastation of Hurricane Katrina had occurred just a few weeks ago?

Huge areas of New Orleans still are wastelands. New Orleans’s liberal-progressive-socialist Senator Mary Landrieu has grabbed far more than her share of Congressional pork. Hundreds of millions of Federal dollars spent for rehabilitation have produced far too little beneficial result. People were without electric power for months; the police department contained more thieves than honest law enforcers; drug-dealing and prostitution remain major enterprises; and the city still retains its crown as the nation’s murder capital. One of the city’s few “legitimate” businesses is casino gambling.

City and state administrations have yet to coordinate rebuilding plans, as politicians fight over who gets what share of the spoils. The best that the city’s Mayor Nagin can do is to demand that the Democratic-socialist Party presidential candidates pledge to send even more pork to New Orleans.

What accounts for this dismal record?
Continue reading “The god That Failed New Orleans”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture

Another liberal profile in pettiness

April 27, 2008 by

-By Michael M. Bates

California Senator Barbara Boxer is your standard-issue shrill, humorless, doctrinaire liberal who knows what’s best for everyone else and will force it on them whether they want it or not. Naturally, this makes her a leading light among her Democratic colleagues.

Ms. Boxer exhibits a keen insight that is the envy of other solons. Speaking of earthquake victims, she shrewdly observed: “Those who survived said, ‘Thank God I’m still alive,’ but of course those who died, well, their lives will never be the same.”

Ever vigilant, Ms. Boxer recently picked up on a rumor that Pope Benedict XVI would visit the United States this month. Then she learned that other senators planned to introduce a resolution welcoming His Holiness to the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Continue reading “Another liberal profile in pettiness”

00Publius Contributor - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - News - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

Mich. House Speaker Hires Felon to Oppose Citizen Petitioners

April 26, 2008 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The campaign to raise enough signatures on petitions to recall Michigan’s Speaker of the House is taking another turn for the worse. The fight to toss the Speaker out has been pretty vicious but so far all those bad turns have been perpetrated by Andy Dillon, the Democrat in office, and none of them by the citizen groups trying to launch the recall effort. (See here and here.)

This time, the citizen groups trying to oust the Speaker are crying foul over the fact that Speaker Andy Dillon hired a convicted felon to interfere with petition carriers and to dissuade citizens from signing those petitions in Redford Township.

Party spokeswoman Liz Kerr acknowledged that Marcel L. Mitchell — who has been convicted eight times of armed robbery, gun charges and other offenses since 1990 — was hired to inform residents about the Redford Township lawmaker’s voting record. She said there’s nothing illegal about hiring Mitchell, who got out of prison last year and is on parole.

But critics say that hiring a violent felon to “inform residents” about Dillon’s voting record is an obvious attempt to threaten voters into not signing the petitions.

Continue reading “Mich. House Speaker Hires Felon to Oppose Citizen Petitioners”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Immigration/Immigrants - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

An Example of AP’s Bias in Favor of Illegal Immigration

April 26, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The issue of illegal immigration has seemed to drift from the front pages of the news, of late, but the AP is not finished trying to advocate for law breakers everywhere, it seems. On April 25, the Associated Press posted a story that serves as a perfect example of how the wire service aims their reporting to support illegal immigration in the United States. In “Arizona sheriff stirs furor with crackdown on illegals,” all the negative framing of the issue is used against Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s efforts to curb illegal immigration and those who stand against him are constantly given the benefit of the doubt with neutral or positive language describing their actions. Additionally, whenever illegals are mentioned they are presented as victims, one “afraid” immigrant even being quoted as calling our immigration officials “the devil.”

The subject of the story is Sheriff Arpaio’s recent “crackdown” on illegal immigrants in his jurisdiction of Maricopa County, Arizona. After Federal training was given to his officers, the sheriff began a series of sweeps across the county to detain illegal immigrants. His actions are completely legal and not a single case of abuse by the sheriff’s officers has been reported — a fact that the AP story doesn’t bother to mention until the 20th paragraph of the 22 paragraph story.

As the AP piece starts we get a shot at Arpiao right away with a snarky description of the man as being the “self-proclaimed ‘toughest sheriff in America.'” Then the AP starts right in with several paragraphs of Hispanic pandering, public officials in small towns inside Arpaio’s jurisdiction attacking the sheriff’s actions. In fact, as paragraph after paragraph of the his detractors appear in the AP piece railing against the man’s work, the man himself gets only a few lines in the story to defend himself.

Continue reading “An Example of AP’s Bias in Favor of Illegal Immigration”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Corporate Heads Make Too Much? What About Union Leaders?

April 26, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Center For Union Facts, put out a press release jabbing unions in the ribs for their unprincipled finger pointing at the high salaries of corporate heads like CEO’s, CFO’s, etc. But, as the CUF points out, union chiefs make the same sort of money and no one is pointing fingers at THEM saying that the bloated salaries of union scammers are too high. Where are the calls for union heads to give back their exorbitant salaries?

Here is a list of some union thieves’ grossly bloated salaries.

  • The Plumbers paid former General President Martin Maddaloni $1.3 million in total compensation, and Secretary-Treasurer Thomas Patchell almost $900,000 – after they were ousted for disastrous pension investments in a Florida hotel. According to the Association for Union Democracy, the buyout agreement included “salaries and benefits plus free use of cars and other perks through the end of 2006.”
  • AFSCME President Gerald McEntee recorded total compensation just shy of $585,000.
  • General President of the Laborers Terence O’Sullivan made more than $528,000.
  • National Education Association President Reg Weaver made almost $439,000.
  • The presidents of unions for players in the National Football League and the National Basketball Association made more than $1 million each. The NFL union head, Eugene Upshaw, made $2.4 million. Moreover, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb received $900,000 from his AFL-CIO affiliated union as a player representative.

Wow. Seems rather hypocritical of these union folks who point fingers at corporate heads, doesn’t it?

And, as CUF Executive Director Richard Berman points out, the money that union chiefs get paid are from the dues of union members and NOT the profits from a company.

“While stockholders always have the option of showing their dissatisfaction with salary issues by dumping their stock, union executives have made it virtually impossible for a union member to escape paying for high salaries and perks through mandatory dues.”

Just so!

So, let me be one of the few that will call for these union thugs to pay back their undeserved salaries!

Continue reading “Corporate Heads Make Too Much? What About Union Leaders?”

00Publius Contributor - Dan Scott - Democrats/Leftists - Energy - Media Bias - News - Science - Society/Culture

AGW insanity has reached new heights of absurdity

April 26, 2008 by

-By Dan Scott

Recently, President Bush has seemly signed onto the AGW bandwagon by giving it legitimacy. While his approach in elevating nuclear power as the solution to this non problem is rational from the energy independence, national security, foreign policy and balance of trade perspectives, no AGW promoter will sign on to such a solution. Not Al Gore, not Nancy Pelosi, not Harry Reid. There is a reason why no nuclear power plant has been built in the US since the Three Mile Island incident, which by the way no one was killed. The idea of nuclear power generation is dead in the US, even if the NRC grants the permits to build the power plants, the environmental lobby supported by their allies in the Democrat Party will tie up such permits with ceaseless litigation as they tried with the border fence. Department of Homeland Security played it’s trump card of the national security waiver to stop the environmental excuses. The result will be a minimum of 10 years (2018) before the first power plant comes on line if the power companies have deep enough pockets to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in litigation costs.

Given the recent actions of State Power Commissions blocking numerous coal fired electric plants, the country will be faced with the harsh reality of soaring electric rates and soaring natural gas prices. Why soaring natural gas prices? The only alternative to nuclear and coal is the natural gas. Electrical power generation by natural gas is in direct competition with residential use for cooking, laundry and heating (space & water) in addition to general industry. The competition for this limited resource will spark price hikes just as in the 1970s since we are importing natural gas. This one – two punch on the consumer will condemn the economy to anemic growth rates indefinitely. The cost of electricity under this scenario will go up 5 fold by 2025. Take your current electric bill and multiply by 5, can you afford AGW?
Continue reading “AGW insanity has reached new heights of absurdity”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

You’re Being Ripped Off!

April 26, 2008 by

-By Israel Teitelbaum

You probably have not noticed that you are being ripped off every day – big time. If you are sending your child(ren) to private or religious school in New York, this robbery amounts to $12,000 per child, per year. In most of New Jersey you are losing $16,000 per child, and in Newark it’s $21,000.

Those who are responsible for this discriminatory system claim that government has the right to control the educational system and fund only those willing to sacrifice their children on the altar of the State. This is obviously in direct conflict with the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

If you believe there is nothing you can do to change this system, you have fallen prey to your oppressors. The fact that you still have voting rights affords you the ability to use this as leverage. There is lots you can do. Even if you only take one action, it’s an enormous accomplishment. For, by each of us doing only one task, together we can force the issue and restore our right to raise our children without government interference and government induced poverty.

Here are a few possibilities. The effort we take to accomplish any of these, respectfully and convincingly, will invite fulfillment of the ancient adage, “Effort will not result in nothing.” Please keep us informed of your actions and developments, for this will help us promote the campaign.
1- Place phone calls to your Congressman, Senators, presidential and other candidates. The Capital Switchboard offers information and will connect you to all federal representatives – 24 hours per day. Call 202-224-3121, ask for your party, and urge them to sponsor the Civil Rights Act for Equal Educational opportunity. This will require states to provide equitable educational funding for children in both public and private schools, while respecting the liberty of schools in hiring and provision of services.

2- Contact your school, PTA and other community groups to organize and promote this effort.

3- Call us to arrange for speakers to address your group.

4- Respond to surveys, political calls and leaflets with your request for support for equal educational opportunity.

5- Attend political events and express your opinion.
Continue reading “You’re Being Ripped Off!”

00Publius Contributor - Abortion - Democrats/Leftists - Entertainment - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Damon Wayans Advocates Black Genocide

April 25, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

There is an old joke that goes “Comedy isn’t pretty” and I believe that “comedian” Damon Wayans has really gone out of his way to prove the truth to this old saw.

He has a little project named wayoutTV with which he produces his “comedy” sketches for YouTube and other on-line video services. Recently he unleashed one called “Abortionman.” Remember this is supposed to be comedy.

In the video a young black man finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. The boy calls “Abortionman” who flies over to the girl’s place, he beats her unmercifully, until the fetus is beaten out of the poor girl to die on the sidewalk.

So, what is the message we are being exposed to? Abortion is funny? Violence against pregnant women is funny? Black boys who do not take responsibility for their actions is funny?

No, I think what we are seeing is that “comedian” Damon Wayans is advocating for the death of all black babies. Wayans wants a black genocide. He is obviously a fan of eugenics and wants to assist the white race to national hegemony.

Well, why can’t my version be right? After all, it makes more sense than the idea that Damon was trying to be funny!

Continue reading “Damon Wayans Advocates Black Genocide”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Union Costs Help Lead to City’s Bankruptcy

April 25, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Looks like the California city of Vallejo is closer every day to bankruptcy. And one of the chief reasons is the unfunded mandates forced upon it by the unions that contract with the city workers.

City staff members have been unable to come up with a detailed, long-term financial plan because negotiations with the police and fire unions are still ongoing. The city is asking for steep concessions from the unions, whose members are among the highest paid in the Bay Area and whose salaries comprise about 74 percent of the city’s budget.

Naturally, the unions couldn’t care less about good fiscal policy and what is right for the people of Vallejo. They are too greedy for that.

Negotiations with the unions are not going well, according to city officials. The parties met three times last week and the city is expected to look at a proposal from the unions on Monday, but no meetings are scheduled after that, Davis said.

Yeah, I’ll bet “not going well” is an understatement.

Here is the reason why unions are anathema to good government. Unions are not interested in what’s best for the people, they are only interested in high salaries, whether the city has the revenue or not, for their members. Good government, good fiscal policy…. well those are things no union cares about.

Government workers should never be allowed to be under a union contract. This is perfect proof of that maxim, too.
Continue reading “Union Costs Help Lead to City’s Bankruptcy”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes - Thomas Brewton

Regulatory Illusion

April 25, 2008 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Today’s clamor for more regulation of financial institutions to prevent another subprime mortgage meltdown is an exercise in self-deception.

Congress, led by Representative Barney Frank, is planning to overhaul regulation of the financial community, and Treasury Secretary Paulson has already proposed a broad program for that purpose.

No doubt, much of what is proposed is needed. But it should be obvious from repeated experience over the decades that regulations alone will not prevent periodic economic booms and busts.

Only by dealing with the root cause will we moderate economic cycles. And that root cause is the ineluctable human tendency to over-expand bank credit when the money supply is artificially enlarged.
Continue reading “Regulatory Illusion”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Nancy Salvato - News - Science - Society/Culture

Promoting Alternative Energy for the Right Reasons

April 25, 2008 by

-By Nancy Salvato

Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich are featured together in a television commercial which focuses on how conservatives and liberals can come together to find solutions for problems caused by climate change. Mr. Gingrich’s explanation for joining this $300 million dollar advertising campaign is to force conservatives into debating liberals about the ways our country should best promote alternative energy sources. This in itself is a fine idea because I don’t know any person who wants our country to continue relying on oil for fuel. Most would agree that cleaner sources of energy are preferable.

While there should be robust debate about how best to pursue alternative energy, I believe this ad is misleading because it presents these two political adversaries as working together to find solutions to the problem of climate change in and of itself, as if there is a scientific consensus that climate change truly poses the problems outlined in Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Speaking of Al Gore, he is the person who is funding this effort and hired the advertising agency known for their caveman and talking lizard/Geico ads to produce these commercials.

Certainly, Gore has become a master of hyperbole in order to draw attention to his cause. While becoming a great promoter, he has done a great disservice to true science. The global warming argument is based on two assumptions. The first is that it’s caused by man and that we can stop it. While we may contribute to global warming, it is difficult to conclude that our activities can substantially affect the changes in temperature. The second assumption is that global warming is inherently bad. We cannot ignore dramatic climate shifts that have occurred in the past and declare that all climate changes are due to human activity and bad.
Continue reading “Promoting Alternative Energy for the Right Reasons”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Another Unsavory Obama Associate, Official Blogger a Communist?

April 24, 2008 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The list of Barack Obama associates that hold views that clash with mainstream America is getting longer every day and now we can add another notch in the “anti-American” column of Obama campaign workers and supporters. This time we find that the Obama campaign’s official blogger, Sam Graham-Felsen, has spent time in France participating in labor riots, has written for a socialist magazine, hung a communist flag in his home, and was a fan of Marx while at Harvard.

Is this a case of the media not vetting another Obama associate? Why have we not heard of this man before and why is the media silent on him? After the stories of John Edwards’ anti-Catholic bloggers, you’d think that the media would have been on the lookout for campaign blogger related stories. Yet, this guy and his questionable past has been ignored by the same media that tried to give Edwards’ bloggers a pass.

A fellow that blogs at a site called “Common Ills” did a lot of leg work to dig up some of the publicly known utterings of Mr. Graham-Felsen prior to his elevation as the Obama campaign’s official blogger, so he deserves the credit for raising a “red” flag on this one.

What we know for sure is that in May of 2006, Sam Graham-Felsen wrote a short piece in the socialist magazine Socialist Viewpoint describing his participation in some French labor riots.

Continue reading “Another Unsavory Obama Associate, Official Blogger a Communist?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Guv’s Daughter Gets Unearned College Degree… Guess Which Party?

April 24, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Looks like the daughter of the West Virginia’s Democratic governor has gotten herself into a bit of a scandal with an unearned, politically awarded college degree from West Virginia University. A panel to review allegations that the woman didn’t really earn that degree was convened and it was determined that she just does not qualify to get that degree that was awarded her by “High-ranking academic officers” at the school. Naturally, no report mentions that Gov. Joe Manchin is a member of the Democratic Party and that HE was the one that appointed the school’s officials.

It seems that at the school, highly placed friends of the Democratic governor were trying to cover for the Guv’s daughter who claimed for several years that she had a degree when she did not. Heather Bresch was suddenly awarded an MBA from WVU nearly a decade after she left the school and after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the University to check on the woman’s degree.

Back in December of 2007, the Post-Gazette broke the story of the politically awarded degree.

Top officials took the action nearly a decade after she was a student. The revision was sparked by a routine call from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to confirm the academic credentials of Ms. Bresch, daughter of West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, following her Oct. 2 promotion to chief operating officer at Mylan. The Cecil-based company is chaired by Milan Puskar, WVU’s largest benefactor.

The paper then recounted all the appointments that the Governor made to the school’s board and hinted that the MBA was awarded because of politics and not completed class work.

Since then, a board had been looking into the awarding of the degree and now it has been concluded that the Governor’s daughter really didn’t earn the degree she was awarded.

Now, the news today is that the board is announcing their findings that Bresch does not deserve her MBA. As usual, the stories are filled with all sorts of details about the situation and about the woman’s father, Governor Joe Manchin. Well, all sorts of details but the fact that the Governor and all his appointees to the school are Democrats, that is.

Continue reading “Guv’s Daughter Gets Unearned College Degree… Guess Which Party?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Entertainment - Media Bias - News - Religion - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Film Director: Jesus Was Son Of a Roman Rapist

April 24, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

According to The Hollywood Reporter, film director Paul Verhoeven is soon to release a book that is claimed to be a new “biography” of Jesus Christ. In this new publication, Verhoeven feels that he successfully proves that Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was raped by a Roman soldier during the Jewish uprising in Galilee and the boy Jesus was the result of that attack. No virgin birth for Christ, but instead a rape.

Verhoeven is best known as the director of the films “Basic Instinct,” the Arnold Schwarzenegger film “Total Recall,” as well as the spectacular flop “Showgirls.” The Dutch director reports that he’s had a “lifelong ambition” to make a movie about Jesus and hopes this book will spur interest in his film ideas. Verhoeven spent 20 years writing the tome and this has led Catholic League President Bill Donohue to scoff at the claims as being overwrought and unproven even with 20 years of research. Donohue says they are “laughable” claims and wonders why 20 years of research only led to a claim that Christ is “probably” descended from a rapist.

Continue reading “Film Director: Jesus Was Son Of a Roman Rapist”

00Publius Contributor - Dan Scott - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Energy - News - Science - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

AGW insanity has reached new heights of absurdity

April 24, 2008 by 6 Comments

-By Dan Scott

Recently, President Bush has seemly signed onto the AGW bandwagon by giving it legitimacy. While his approach in elevating nuclear power as the solution to this non problem is rational from the energy independence, national security, foreign policy and balance of trade perspectives, no AGW promoter will sign on to such a solution. Not Al Gore, not Nancy Pelosi, not Harry Reid. There is a reason why no nuclear power plant has been built in the US since the Three Mile Island incident, which by the way no one was killed. The idea of nuclear power generation is dead in the US, even if the NRC grants the permits to build the power plants, the environmental lobby supported by their allies in the Democrat Party will tie up such permits with ceaseless litigation as they tried with the border fence. Department of Homeland Security played its trump card of the national security waiver to stop the environmental excuses. The result will be a minimum of 10 years (2018) before the first power plant comes on line if the power companies have deep enough pockets to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in litigation costs.

Given the recent actions of State Power Commissions blocking numerous coal fired electric plants, the country will be faced with the harsh reality of soaring electric rates and soaring natural gas prices. Why soaring natural gas prices? The only alternative to nuclear and coal is the natural gas. Electrical power generation by natural gas is in direct competition with residential use for cooking, laundry and heating (space & water) in addition to general industry. The competition for this limited resource will spark price hikes just as in the 1970s since we are importing natural gas. This one – two punch on the consumer will condemn the economy to anemic growth rates indefinitely. The cost of electricity under this scenario will go up 5 fold by 2025. Take your current electric bill and multiply by 5, can you afford AGW?
Continue reading “AGW insanity has reached new heights of absurdity”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

How a Leftist Argues: It’s All About the Name Calling

April 23, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

A few days ago I was rummaging through the web and ran across a tiny little blog hosted by the Houston Chronicle. It is written by a fine example of civility and perspicacity named Bobbie Cavnar. The post I saw was a perfect example of what I called the “nutrooters” going crazy beating up on George Stephanopoulos and the ABC Democratic Debate team after the ABC debates on the 18th. Needless to say, like most of the extreme leftists of the netroots, ol’ Bobbie was furious that anyone dared force Barack Obama to answer some tough questions about his character.

(And, um, as an aside, wasn’t that whole “character” deal the very thing everyone on the extreme left wanted to talk about when brining up George W. Bush’s past drinking problems and his unproven “AWOL” status with the Texas National Guard during the 2000 and 2004 elections? I’m juss sayin’.)

Well, after discovering Cavnar’s erroneous analysis on the ABC debate I wrote my piece to address Bobbie’s little rant on his dead tree hosted blog. I called it “ABC Debate Obama Flag Pin Question ‘Planted from the Right’? Nutrooters REALLY losing it now!.”

Well, it seems my post has sent our pal Bob into frenzied paroxysms of pure emotion driven fury. As a result, our old buddie Cavie went off on a spit speckled rage in reply to my mild questioning of him that was one part untruth, one part partisan talking points and four parts pure name-calling. (I know that’s six parts, but he REALLY lost it here, so extra points for vitriol.)

The Cavmeister’s post was really instructive, though. Cavie’s response really shows how the left conducts a “debate.” When confronted with things they don’t like, reason and civility leaves them faster than sanity leaves the man who walks into his own bedroom and sees his best friend in bed with his wife!

Continue reading “How a Leftist Argues: It’s All About the Name Calling”

00Publius Contributor - 2nd Amendment - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

ABC News: Mexican Drug Violence U.S. Constitution’s Fault

April 23, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

True to the liberal penchant for blaming every ill in the world on the USA, ABC News has produced a “report” claiming that the increasing number of guns and drug cartel violence in Mexico is all the fault of… the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That’s right, it isn’t the drug dealers and killers in Mexico that are at fault, it’s James Madison and the Founding Father’s fault! Now, before you imagine that I am employing hyperbole in my introduction, just look at the title of their piece: “U.S. Guns Arming Mexican Drug Gangs; Second Amendment to Blame?”

ABC wrote that “U.S. gun stores and gun shows are the source of more than 90 percent of the weapons being used by Mexico’s ruthless drug cartels,” but then noted that “It’s virtually impossible to buy a firearm in Mexico as a private citizen.” To anyone really thinking about it, this fact sort of confirms the pro-gun bromide that “if you make owning a gun a crime, only criminals will have guns,” doesn’t it?

Regardless, ABC allows the Mexican attorney general to present Mexican criminality as the fault of the U.S. Constitution.

Mexico’s strict gun laws are being subverted by the easy availability of weapons in the U.S., the Mexican attorney general, Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, told ABC News. “The Second Amendment,” said the attorney general, “is certainly not designed to arm and give fire power to organized crime abroad.”

If that same Mexican government wasn’t so rife with corruption, weakness and crime, our laws here wouldn’t be such a problem for them there. Here is the thing, if Mexicans had the same God-given right to self-defense as Americans, all their guns would be purchased right at home. But, Constitutional right or no, the same violence would be happening in Mexico as the violence is not the fault of gun laws. It is the fault of Mexican corruption and drugs.

Further, the Mexican drug cartels are powerful and flush with money. If they really wanted guns and the USA didn’t offer an easy mark to obtain them, they’d merely go elsewhere. Certainly we should try harder to assure that our Constitutional rights don’t interfere with the laws of a neighboring nation, but to assume we are the sole cause of their ills is poppycock.

Continue reading “ABC News: Mexican Drug Violence U.S. Constitution’s Fault”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Google - Inernet - News - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology

Comcast-Pando Networks’ “P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” solves multiple problems

April 23, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

In a breakthrough agreement and announcement (read the release at bottom), Comcast and Pando Networks, (the leading managed P2P content delivery service) agreed to:

  • Lead creation of a “P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” for P2P users and ISPs; and
  • Create a process to better “share test methodologies and results” among all P2P providers and ISPs so everyone can:
  • Learn how P2P providers can optimize their applications for all types of networks; and
  • “More efficiently deliver legal content.”

This is a profoundly significant development because it solves multiple thorny problems:
Continue reading “Comcast-Pando Networks’ “P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” solves multiple problems”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Entertainment - GOP - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Robert Downy, Jr. Turning Politically Conservative?

April 22, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Let me first say that I don’t often care much about the goings on of the denizens of Hollyweird, so this “gossip” time at Publius’ Forum isn’t something you should get used to. But, Sonny Bunch is reporting over at the Weekly Standard blog (inventively called “The Blog”) that bad boy actor Robert Downey, Jr. is saying that his personal troubles of drug addiction and jail terms has turned him toward the conservative viewpoint.

“I have a really interesting political point of view, and it’s not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here, but you can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You can’t. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics every since.”

This is a sort of “mugged by reality” come to his senses that our friend Mr. Downey has had, isn’t it? I wouldn’t guess that we can expect to see Downey suddenly becoming the next Rush Limbaugh, of course, but we do have a logical and sensible progression to a conservative viewpoint made by a young man who has had some very trying times in his life (all of his own making, granted).

So, let me say, kudos to Mr. Downey. Let’s hope his newfound conservatism isn’t as temporary as his being drug free has been in past years. I wish him nothing but the best as he is a talented fellow.

Lastly, notice how Mr. Downey felt he needed not to be too vocal in extremist Hollywood about his newfound conservatism. It’s a shame that the more “tolerant” more “civilized” folks in Hollywood just can’t stand to allow people their conservatism.

(Photo credit: mugshots.com)

Continue reading “Robert Downy, Jr. Turning Politically Conservative?”

00Publius Contributor - Abortion - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Judges - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Tennessee Democrats Torpedo Will of The People

April 22, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

If you can’t win the people over, lie cheat, hide behind arbitrary and arcane rules of government or use the courts to defeat the will of the people. That is the Democrat Party’s call to arms. Democrats love the people, fight for the little guy… unless those fools don’t agree with Democrats. Then, suddenly, “the people” have no say, are ignored and will find that their votes are meaningless. In short Democrats aren’t much on democracy and as the Blue Collar Muse reports, this same Democrat Party method holds true in Tennessee.

In Tennessee Senate bill SJR127 serves as the latest example of Democrats hiding from the people, thwarting their will, and using arcane rules of the Tenn. House of Representatives to doom legislation that most Tennesseans want passed. Even worse, the whole thing begins with activist judges knocking down the voice of the people.

In 2000, The Tenn. Supreme Court ruled that common sense abortion legislation passed by the state’s legislative branch was “unconstitutional.” As Ken Marrero of the BCM notes, “things like a 48 hour waiting period and full disclosure of the impact of having an abortion to any woman seeking one were thrown out. It is vital to note that none of this legislation prevented, in any way, a woman’s access to abortion. Just the opposite.”

“Once again,” Marrero says, “a small group of appointed individuals, set aside the will of the people as expressed through their duly elected representatives.”

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00Publius Contributor - History - News - Religion - Resa LaRu, "Warchick" Kirkland - Society/Culture

POLYGAMY A — Mormon Broad’s View

April 22, 2008 by

-By Resa LaRu Kirkland

The latest news on the horrors of man-instituted polygamy has caused me to receive a deluge of emails regarding the LDS church–to which I belong–and the practice of polygamy. While the scandal involves a break off of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it is still a reasonable question, and deserving of a truthful answer. Only the Prophet can give direction for the Gospel here on earth, but all of God’s children are entitled to ask Him for answers and receive answers when He–and His child–is ready. Between His words to His prophets–from the Old Testament to now–and the personal answers we are all entitled to through study and prayer, understanding the difference between polygamy ordained by God and the selfish, gluttonous, and wicked polygamy of man are plain to see and stark in contrast.

So here it is–the good, the bad, and the ugly of Polygamy.

We believe in the concept of the New and Everlasting Covenant. We are sealed by those in authority to do so beyond this life so that we remain a family in the next life; there is no “’till death do you part” in our religion. We do not believe that God meant for marriage and family–the ONE thing He established when earth started and man came to be(he did not set up farming, business, governments, or politics, but MARRIAGE only)–to be for this life only. Marriage and family are the ONLY eternal profession. It is the most important thing we will ever do.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

CNN’s Rick Sanchez Accused of Pushing Left Agenda in College Interviews

April 21, 2008 by 4 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

On Monday morning, April 21st, CNN aired “America Votes 2008” with Rick Sanchez, (11:30 AM CT) a segment that featured reporter Sanchez visiting Penn State University to talk to some of the students about the upcoming Pennsylvania Democratic Primary. In the aftermath of CNN’s visit, some of the students involved in the taping are alleging that Sanchez was so virulently skewed to the left that he berated and bullied students who held a differing point of view. It was reportedly so bad that CNN crewmembers even apologized to several students for Sanchez’ incivility.

On Sunday, CNN touted Sanchez’ Pennsylvania segments as putting him “on the road in Pennsylvania ahead of Tuesday’s crucial vote” and claims to be interested in “what’s on their minds before they cast their ballots?” But at the Penn State University segment, at least as far as at least some of the students involved are concerned, what was on their minds didn’t interest Sanchez at all. To the contrary, what was on his mind was all that concerned him they allege.

CNN contacted students in several political clubs at Penn State to arrange for the interview and two weeks ago their cameras and crews arrived at the university to film the segment with the on-air personality.

21-year-old journalism student Chelsea Brown, though, was less than impressed by Sanchez’ bellicose confrontations during the taping with several of the students including herself. I spoke with Miss Brown after the interview and she told me was offended and shocked by Sanchez’ lack of professional comportment.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - President - Religion - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Tech Advisor Introduces Video of Gay, Singing Jesus Who Gets Hit by a Bus

April 21, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

As heard on the Rush Limbaugh Show, April 21 at around noon (CT). Welcome Rush Limbaugh listeners.

Also as heard on the Sean Hannity radio Show, April 21 during his first hour. We got Hannitized, folks.

Erick Erickson over at RedState tells us all of an anti-Christian video recently introduced with great frivolity by Internet philosopher and Obama technology advisor Larry Lessig. The video introduced at a Google Author series seminar shows Jesus singing the Gloria Gaynor tune “I Will Survive” in a very effeminate, theatrical way. As the song ramps up, Jesus throws off his robe and strips down to a diaper-like covering, then he sashays through a modern city until he gets hit by a bus in an intersection.

The worst thing about this is that this is also another scandal involving a Barack Obama campaign associate showing his disdain for the American mainstream, this time a disdain of Christianity. It turns out that Lessig is a somewhat secretive Obama campaign advisor, serving to assist the campaign on Internet and technology policies. As Erickson points out, Lessig hosts Obama’s tech policy on his own lessig.org website.

At the conference, the Google employees can be heard laughing and enjoying the show. The clip ends with Lessig claiming that we shouldn’t worry because a sequel shows that Jesus survives being run over by the bus. How comforting, eh?

Again, as Erickson points out, “Barack Obama’s campaign has regularly cited Lessig as a key supporter on technology issues (see here too) and made sure Lessig was quoted when listing Obama’s technology endorsers.”

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Call For Barack Obama to Repudiate Violence of His Union Supporters

April 21, 2008 by

Warner Todd Huston

This week a TV ad for Barack Obama was debuted. It was made by a union that supports Obama, the SEIU (Service Employees International Union). Last week, the SEIU sent 700 of its members to violently break into a conference being put on by a union supporting magazine called Labor Notes Magazine. Several women were injured by the violent protests sponsored by the SEIU.

WE CALL FOR BARACK OBAMA TO REPUDIATE HIS SUPPORTER’S VIOLENCE!

What sort of candidate would gleefully accept the support of a union that violently attacked other union members? This was no heated argument that just blew up, either, no accident of passions. It was a purposefully violent attack planned and executed. The SEIU organized hundreds of its members, rented 7 busses to transport them to their target site, and then unleashed them to push, shove and beat their way into a conference being held by the union supporting magazine. It was no accident that people were hurt. That was the SEIU’s goal.

It isn’t just one incident, either. SEIU members have been engaged in a campaign of violence and harassment and stalking of members of the California Nurses Association for many months now. The courts are even having to get involved.

And here we have Barack Obama blithely accepting the support of the violence prone SEIU without raising his own voice against the attacks!

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - UN - Warner Todd Huston

Media Trots out Gorbachev to Attack John McCain

April 21, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

If they had a reality show for international politicians called “Biggest Loser” the most popular nominee for the title would be Mikhail Gorbachev, the man that lost his whole country, not merely an election. Yet, every once in a while and for some untenable reason, this communist loser is trotted out by the US media as some sort of expert on international politics. Unsurprisingly, his opinion is always sought to act as an attack on a Republican politician or policy. This time it is the All Headline News service trotting out old spotty in order to wag a finger at GOP presidential candidate John McCain.

Back on March 18th, McCain reiterated his idea of creating a new international organization styled as a “League of Democracies.” McCain imagines this organization as a chance to renew the commitment of the world’s democratic nations to the concept of helping others grow as well as lending more support to those already so formed.

Americans and Europeans share a common goal – to build an enduring peace based on freedom. Our democracies today are strong and vibrant. Together we can tackle the diverse challenges we face, whether radical religious fanatics who use terror as their weapon of choice, the disturbing turn towards autocracy in Russia or the looming threats of climate change and the degradation of our planet.

But the key word is “together”. We need to renew and revitalise our democratic solidarity. We need to strengthen our transatlantic alliance as the core of a new global compact – a League of Democracies – that can harness the great power of the more than 100 democratic nations around the world to advance our values and defend our shared interests.

Well, whether you think it feasible or not for all the democratic nations to get together to form a new United Nationsesque organization, the idea has some merit. After all, the entire reason the UN does not work — and never did or even could work — is because those nations that stand four-square against freedom and liberty have as much say in policy as those who wish to further the advancement of human freedom. The UN is a joke that we should never have bothered with.

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00Publius Contributor - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Salvato - GOP - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

Change Doesn’t Come by Electing a President

April 21, 2008 by

-By Frank Salvato

We have heard during this presidential election cycle – ad naseum – how our country is in dire need of “change.” We are promised by each of the candidates that they are the ones – the only ones – who can bring about this much needed change. Of course, this is all disingenuous politicking. The fact of the matter is this: the office of the presidency is quite limited in its power to affect any change at all. The real entity capable of affecting immediate and dramatic change in government, the governmental branch with the real power, is the Legislative Branch.

When we examine the Charters of Freedom – and specifically the US Constitution – it is clear that the Executive Branch is charged with executing the laws of the land created by the Legislative Branch (with the consent of the Executive Branch via the signature of the President) and that the Legislative Branch is charged with crafting legislation; charged with debating, weighing and then enacting legislation that would become the law of the land. The Framers even established a mechanism where the Legislative Branch might “override” a presidential veto should the Executive Branch oppose legislation brought forth by an enlarged majority of Congress.

This factuality accepted, it is next to impossible, but for the bully pulpit afforded the stature of the presidency, for the President of the United States to be an effective “change agent.” While he (or she) can certainly execute executive orders and signing statements, the fact remains, it is Congress that holds the power to legislate and fund laws and government programs. Therefore, simple logic mandates that for all the tall rhetoric of “change” coming from the presidential candidates – especially the Democrats – their promises will, for the most part, ring hollow. In order to bring about real change in government, one must “change” the Legislative Branch. In this truth the American people are in luck.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

NYT’s Failure to Understand Our Times Now Complete

April 20, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

To the New York Times there is only one issue in America: the war.

To show how pathetic The New York Times and John Broder are at analyzing the current political climate, all one has to do is read “Gore-Lieberman: A Hyphen Apart? Try Poles.” Here the Times clearly reveals that they see but two types of American politician: the good guys against the war, and the evil ones for it. That’s it. To the Times there is no other issue, no other divide, no other substantive thought, no other thing that separates our leaders one from the other. There is only the war and nothing else.

In this empty piece, the Times posits that should Al Gore had won in 2000 instead of George W. Bush, the second Gore administration would have seen a dump Lieberman movement that would have resulted in a different Gore vice-president in 2006.

Imagine for a moment the Supreme Court had gone the other way in Bush v. Gore in 2000. We would now be in year eight of the Gore-Lieberman administration. Well, maybe not the Lieberman part.

The reason the Times posits for this is because Gore and Lieberman have “staked out diametrically opposite positions on the Iraq war.”

Not only have Mr. Gore and Mr. Lieberman staked out diametrically opposite positions on the Iraq war, Mr. Gore went so far as to endorse one of Mr. Lieberman’s presidential rivals in 2004, Howard Dean, largely because of his opposition to the invasion. Mr. Lieberman is campaigning for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona.

As Mr. Gore steadily migrated leftward from his roots as a hawkish, centrist New Democrat, Mr. Lieberman lurched to the right, so much so that he now makes common cause with Republicans, at least on the war.

Not only is this analysis about an inch deep, it doesn’t even rise to the rest of the old saying of being a mile wide for it’s an inch deep AND an inch wide.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Hamas Says They’re For Obama, CNN Says ‘McCain Says Hamas Wants Obama’

April 20, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In a head spinning effort to make McCain the bad guy of a story, CNN has taken the voiced support for Barack Obama by the terrorist organization Hamas and turned it into a finger pointing at Republican John McCain for being mean to Obama. Talk about spin, CNN has really done a doosie here. Taking the words of the terrorists in Hamas and placing them in McCain’s mouth is simply unbelievable. But that’s exactly what they’ve done.

CNN’s Political Ticker Blog showed us some gymnastics worthy of the Olympics — or more correctly a contortionist — to turn the words of a terrorist into those of John McCain in their ridiculously titled post, “McCain camp says Hamas wants Obama.”

John McCain’s campaign sent supporters a fundraising e-mail Friday that claims Hamas approves of Democrat Barack Obama’s foreign policy vision, and is hoping for his victory this fall.

Oh, CNN is all aghast over the nasty McCain camp. There’s high dudgeon galore.

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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Health - Media Bias - News - Race - Society/Culture

St. Francis should have tried bribes

April 20, 2008 by

-By Michael M. Bates

St. Francis Hospital serves a number of low-income people in suburban Chicago. Losing millions of dollars by caring for uninsured patients, four years ago St. Francis sought approval to build an additional hospital in a more prosperous suburb, Orland Park. The idea was to generate income that would help the original facility survive.

Readers may wonder why, in this land so blessed by the fruits of free enterprise, a hospital would have to get state permission to serve a new community. There is no good reason.

Nevertheless, the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board must endorse all such undertakings. Its members, appointed by the governor and ratified by the Illinois Senate, wield heavy clout in a state where clout is king. And when the governor is Milorad Blagojevich, also known as “Public Official A” in Federal indictments, the possibilities are endless.
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00Publius Contributor - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - Nancy Morgan - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

Who’s Your Daddy?

April 20, 2008 by

-By Nancy Morgan

Uncle Sam used to resemble my rich old uncle, the uncle that didn’t visit very much but would always be there for us in a crisis. Uncle Sam would take care of the things our family couldn’t take care of ourselves, like war, natural disasters and various other crises. But Uncle Sam is getting old and has decided he wants to move in with us.

Since a lot of us are living without fathers, this is good news. Finally, someone to take charge and guide us. Someone who will go to obscene lengths to make us safe and happy, full of self esteem and good little citizens. You know, kinda like Dad used to do before marriage became so, well, outdated.

It’s a very secure feeling knowing that Uncle Sam is looking out for our best interests. He got the lady down the hall to quit smoking, just in case they find out some day that 2nd hand smoke causes cancer. He got cars to use special gas additives and even mandated using biofuels so cars don’t pollute Mother Earth. It wasn’t his fault that the special gas turned out to cause cancer and biofuels are causing food prices to skyrocket. His intentions were the best, so you really can’t fault him.
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