00Publius Contributor

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Health - Media Bias - Nancy Morgan - News - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Looks Count

December 28, 2007 by

-By Nancy Morgan

Memo To Hillary: Get A Face Lift!

Let’s get real. For women, looks count. Always have, always will. Human nature made men and women from different molds. If you doubt that, just ask yourself this question. When is the last time you heard a woman comment on some guy’s cute buns? Or on his rippling pecs?

Men are more visual than women. That is reality. Many men are more likely to appreciate a woman based on her bra size than her IQ size. This is the way God made them. Men, even the new, feminised, ‘metro-sexuals’ usually learn everything they want to know about a woman in the first glance. If they’re smart, they have learned to hide this under a societally induced patina of ‘sensitivity,’ but you can bet your bottom dollar men’s fantasies don’t include long conversations, emotional bonding and sexual equality.

The picture of 60 year-old Hillary showing her age with wrinkles, crow’s feet and bags has sparked a national conversation about aging. Specifically, about aging women. Men, as we all know, get better looking with age. On men, wrinkles and squint lines are a mark of character. Graying hair is a sign of maturity. Older men are still sexy. Not so for women.

Picture Sean Connery and Madelaine Albright smooching. Get my point?
Continue reading “Looks Count”

00Publius Contributor - Podcasting - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

The Voice of Liberty Podcast Network

December 28, 2007 by

Looking for one of the most professionally produced conservative podcasts on the Internet? Try the Voice of Liberty Podcast Network with its weekly episode appearing every Monday morning.

The Voice of Liberty Podcast features the conservative voices of four fine bloggers who first got together at the 2007 Conservative Leadership Conference in Reno, Nevada. Andrea Shea-King, talk show host and blogger, Ken Marrero, blogger and political activist, Warner Todd Huston, blogger, teacher and speaker and your host, John McJunkin, radio man, operator of Avalon Podcasting, and blogger will all be heard on this weekly podcast effort.

The world is changing – the Internet has increasing sway over political opinions, and it’s time for the conservative side of the world to leverage it in order to influence people. The right-wing blogosphere is sailing along at full steam and has largely counterbalanced any advantage that the left presumed would accrue to them by blogging. The one area that remains wide open for the right to step in and dominate is the audio-only podcast, which is very similar to another medium that we own – talk radio. The difference is that anyone and everyone can do it, just like blogging. As a matter of fact – we like to think of audio podcasting as “verbal blogging” if you will. We are going to “promote conservative American values and principles” just like it says in our masthead. We invite you to join us each week for 20-30 minutes of punditry and opinion from the right.

John McJunkin – Host of the Voice of Liberty Podcast Network

So, join the Voice of Liberty Podcast Network every Monday for the newest episode. You won’t be sorry!

VOICE OF LIBERTY PODCAST NETWORK

http://www.voiceoflibertypodcast.com/

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

The Princeton Hate Crime That Wasn’t

December 27, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Jena 6 case exploded over night when the Media imagined they had a “race hate” issue on their hands. They did the same with the Duke Rape case. Both cases were later proven not to be a case of a “hate crime” at all and, in the end, weren’t even real crimes. Yet, the media rushed to get these stories on the front pages and on every TV screen. Contrast that coverage with a reported crime that occurred near Princeton University that perfectly fits the definition of a “hate crime” and we found a media that stayed mum not reporting a thing about it.

The reason, of course, is because this victim was a conservative, Christian attacked because he was a conservative Christian — the newsmedia obviously didn’t feel there was anything to talk about.
The Daily Princetonian, the college paper of Princeton University, reported a hate crime on Dec. 15th, the details of which weren’t repeated as a hate crime by any of the mainstream media outlets. This hate crime at first appeared just as vicious, unprovoked and as full of bigotry and, well, hate, as any. But no one touched the tale with a ten-foot pole. Not because it wasn’t really hate, but because it wasn’t the right kind of hate. You see, in Princeton and the MSM hatred of conservatives, Christians doesn’t count much toward hate, though hate it truly appeared to be.

As the story was first reported, a young undergrad named Francisco Nava (class of ’09) was physically attacked in Princeton Township, the Princetonian said. He was repeatedly knocked in the head until he was unconscious it was claimed.

“Eventually I just blacked out,” Nava said in an interview last night. “I don’t remember what happened; I just saw a bunch of white.” When he came to, he said, the two men were still hitting him.

The motive for the attack was thought not to be robbery as Nava’s wallet, cell phone and personal possessions were supposedly not touched by the assailants. But Nava claimed that they did leave him with a sort of parting thought that fits with threats the young man claimed to have received in the weeks before the attack. As they walked away from him, his attackers told him to “Shut the F_ _ k up.”

This wasn’t just any attack, it was claimed. It was an attack that fits the definition of a hate crime. That is because the attackers accosted Mr. Nava because of his involvement in the “socially conservative” organization called the Anscombe Society. Nava said he reached this conclusion because the attackers’ final words matched the line repeated in several threatening letters he had received confronting him on his political ideology. (As reported in the DP earlier in the year.)

Nava said he was sure the assailants “at least had something to do with” threats he has been receiving since mid-October. He pointed out that his assailants’ parting words — “shut the fuck up” — concluded the most recent threat letter he received, an email that arrived Wednesday afternoon.

It would appear, as hate crimes go, that this one would easily fit the bill. But, no news outlet covered the story. No one paid it any attention.
Continue reading “The Princeton Hate Crime That Wasn’t”

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

Feds Slap Union for Violating Employee’s Wishes

December 27, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

So, you are a bus driver in Batavia, Illinois. You and your co-workers go to the effort to gather together in true democratic fashion and vote to opt out of your union at Laidlaw Transit. The next thing you know, the union is STILL claiming to represent you in contract talks with the company. Not only that, but the union is demanding you pay dues and if you don’t you are threatened with being fired!

An impossible scenario, you think? Hardly, because that is exactly what is happening.

The NRTW gives us the details:

As Haasch details in his charges, ATU union officials have been negotiating a contract with First Group, despite the fact that Haasch and his coworkers had successfully ousted the union earlier this year. According to First Group’s website, on October 1 the UK-based transit company completed the purchase of Haasch’s employer, Laidlaw Transit.

So, the union is out. But how is it they are still trying to extort the employee’s money?

Continue reading “Feds Slap Union for Violating Employee’s Wishes”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes - Uncategorized - Vince Johnson

Second Open Letter to Your Favorite Candidate

December 27, 2007 by

-By Vince Johnson

Dear Sir/Ms/Mrs.:___________________________ (Fill in your favorite candidate’s name. Either Party. Male or Female)

Your Del Rio press conference should begin without hype and fanfare. You thank them for being there and say “Rather than nit pick the pros and cons about driver’s licenses for illegals I’ve decided to tell you what I plan to do about illegal immigration. First I’ll find out if it is feasible to widen the entire Rio Grande River by adding more dams like the Amistad Dam near Del Rio, Texas. This could be one of a series of dams much like those constructed in the 1930’s by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Those dams not only widened the river, they provided flood control and hydro-electric power which helped energize the local economy. I will appoint a special task force and give them thirty days to come up with sufficient data to determine if the idea is worth forwarding to Congress for appropriate legislation.”

You emphasize that this is the idea of several mayors of cities in Texas. It is your policy to give careful consideration to any recommendation from those most directly involved. You continue: “Security for the border along California, Arizona and New Mexico would utilize high tech devices, motion detectors, infra-red scanners, etc. All four states could have larger security teams with upgraded training and equipment for quick and efficient enforcement.” You make it very clear: “Instead of walls and fences, security will be based on high tech devices, well trained enforcement teams and wide water if feasible.”

You continue “I will have another special task force come up with the most appropriate way to initiate a proposal that would make legal that which has been happening illegally anyway! The assignment will be to determine how to go about asking Mexico to allow their people to vote on a measure asking if the United States of America would annex Mexico as its fifty-first state!”
Continue reading “Second Open Letter to Your Favorite Candidate”

00Publius Contributor - Education - Elections - Israel Teitelbaum - News - President - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Please place 4 phone calls for school choice

December 27, 2007 by

-By Israel Teitelbaum

School Choice Voter:

The good news is that you can now place four phone calls that can improve the future of this great country. Four of the leading presidential candidates spoke out strongly for school choice at their last debate of this primary season. Your phone calls can get them to actualize this position into public policy. This is their opportunity to demonstrate their leadership ability by translating their policies to proposed legislation. They are asking for our votes. The least they can do for us is to demonstrate their ability to translate their policies into action. It takes only one Congressman and one Senator to sponsor legislation in Congress.

Below are the four presidential candidates who spoke forcefully for school choice, along with excerpts of their statements and their campaign phone numbers. Phone calls are preferable because you are assured of direct contact with a campaign representative. The best way to do this is to get the name of your contact, ask for a response, and follow up. Your calls represent many thousands of voters, because very few voters actually pick up the phone and call.

Feel free to express your feelings on school choice. Our objective is for the candidates to use their considerable influence to sponsor legislation that will restore sanity to our educational system. In short, our message is: “We agree with CANDIDATE NAME that school choice is the solution to our broken educational system. Please ask him to sponsor now legislation to provide equal educational opportunity for every child.”

We have dubbed this legislation The Civil Rights Act for Equal Educational Opportunity. This will provide equitable educational funding for all children, including those attending private and religious school, while respecting the liberty of schools in hiring and provision of services.

Although there is not now in Congress enough support to pass this legislation, we have the enormous opportunity to elect – on November 4, 2008 – 435 new U.S. Congressmen and 35 new Senators who favor this legislation.

Please pass this great opportunity on to your contacts and keep us informed of any developments.
Continue reading “Please place 4 phone calls for school choice”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - News - President - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Vince Johnson

Advice to the Candidates

December 27, 2007 by

-By Vince Johnson

Advice to the candidate for President that I would vote for:

On a regular basis, you should hold a “Clarification Conference” to clear up any confusion regarding your previous statements.

Your sudden departure from the confusion generated by Presidential Debates needs further comment. You openly admit it was a planned strategy designed to focus attention upon where you stand on key issues. Your stand on the debates can be defined in one sentence: The qualifications to be President should not be judged on brief orations controlled by a moderator asking questions approved by staff members for each candidate.

Next you clarify your position on immigration. The Mexican border must be sealed off using wide water along as much of the Rio Grande as feasible and placement of well trained security teams and high tech surveillance methods along the entire border.

You then reveal that your idea about inviting Mexico to become our 51st state has a subtle purpose. At first, nobody will take the idea seriously. But Mexico has oil reserves of considerable value and beautiful coastal properties having great potential for world-class resorts and retirement villas. Their extended growing season and agricultural resources are exceptional. These natural assets afford exceptional growth opportunities that are no longer available in the United States.
Continue reading “Advice to the Candidates”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - GOP - News - Security/Safety - Selwyn Duke - Uncategorized

The Huckabee Hustle

December 26, 2007 by

-By Selwyn Duke

When evangelicals embraced Jimmy Carter during the 1976 presidential campaign, they didn’t know he would repudiate the Southern Baptist Convention a generation later. Today the very same constituency has glommed onto Mike Huckabee, and I can’t help but lament how history truly does repeat itself.

One can see why the man I dubbed “Huck the Huckster” would appeal to evangelicals. He’s a pro-life Southern Baptist minister with charm, wit and a good-ol’-boy, yuck-it-up style. Yet this resplendent exterior only serves to obscure the stain of liberal sin.

Huck would be a disaster – a disaster – on immigration. In fact, in 2006 he compared those who would crack down on illegals to antebellum slave masters, saying,

One of the great challenges facing us is that we do not commit the same mistakes with our growing Hispanic population that we did with African Americans 150 years ago and beyond. We’re still paying the price for the pathetic manner in which this country handled that.

Outrageously, it seems Huck can’t distinguish between denying citizens the protection of the law and requiring non-citizens to follow it.
Continue reading “The Huckabee Hustle”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Lee Culpepper - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

A God Given Purpose Named Shrek

December 26, 2007 by

-By Lee Culpepper

My students would have never guessed how God would use Shrek’s life to better my relationship with them.

The Monday before Thanksgiving, Shrek was alive and happy. His day began with a walk through the woods and around a pond that we called his swamp. Strangers always recognized how the green-cartoon ogre had inspired his name.

Shrek was a happy and handsome English bulldog — well, he thought he was handsome anyway. His massive chest, narrow keister, and chubby-round head truly brought the cartoon ogre to life.

Shrek made every day a great day to be alive. He had a knack for making people laugh and grin. He had mastered this undertaking so well that he could even do it in his sleep. Simply looking at Shrek’s wrinkled face, protruding teeth, and oversized-crinkled tongue made people happy. His obnoxious snoring and deep breathing were strangely comforting, too. Most of all, his tenacious spirit would have made Winston Churchill smile.
Continue reading “A God Given Purpose Named Shrek”

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

Chgo Sun-Times: Mean Scrooge a Republican, Nice Scrooge a Liberal?

December 25, 2007 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Never has so few words been so wrong until the the Christmas Day Chicago Sun-Times Daily Rant came along. Not only does it unreasonably call the mean, pre-ghosted version of the Scrooge character a “traditional, conservative Republican” but it then goes on to swerve to the opposite — and equally wrong — conclusion that the post-ghostie Scrooge is a “bleeding-heart liberal.” In truth BOTH claims are quite wide of the mark in analogy. In fact, not only did the Sun-times miss a true reading of the characters, they got them juxtaposed!

Here is the short, and woefully wrong Christmas Day Daily Rant:

I can’t understand why people are so in love with Charles Dickens’ story ”A Christmas Carol.”

Let me see if I understand the story right: Scrooge starts out as a traditional, conservative Republican, and because of the interference of three, uh, ghosts, he ends up a bleeding-heart liberal. Why is this such a good thing?

Erroneous Claim One: the eeevil Republican Scrooge

The fact is, that Republicans are not only happier, but they also give more to charity than do Democrats and liberals. This being true, calling the sour, mean-spirited, miserly pre-ghosted Ebenezer Scrooge a “traditional, conservative Republican” is an absurd claim. Republicans are neither miserly nor mean as a general rule by the facts we have at our fingertips.

So, the mean Scrooge being a typical GOPer is absurd and insulting.

Erroneous Claim Two: the bleeding-heart liberal Scrooge

Continue reading “Chgo Sun-Times: Mean Scrooge a Republican, Nice Scrooge a Liberal?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Frederick Meekins - Media Bias - News - Religion - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Politically Correct To Alter Santa Out Of Existence

December 24, 2007 by

-By Frederick Meekins

Over the course of the past decade or so, leftist malcontents have set their ideological sites against Christmas no doubt as the holiday points to the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ who can often help or motivate the individual to work through many of their own problems without an over reliance on government aide and because many of the celebrations if not taken to extremes provide the individual with a sense of well being that undermines liberalism’s basic assumption that things are so miserable that the only hope of fixing things is handing control over to a state imbued with almost God-like powers.

Initially, many of these challenges and objections were couched in terms of the canard of the Separation of Church and State and all that other pluralistic mumbo jumbo about not offending other cultures even though the rest of us have the other cultures jammed down our throats the rest of the year to the point where if anyone objects to allowing hordes of radical Muslims or swarms of illegal aliens to settle here without question now you are the one likely to be labeled a troublemaker or a threat to national security.

But now that the average American has had just about enough of the efforts to banish the foundations of American culture even if they do not embrace the underlying worldview of these foundations, more crafty subversives are beginning to come out from beneath their dank rocks like cunning serpents to play on those abridgements of freedom already accepted by the good-natured but slightly dimwitted desiring status as progressive members in good standing with the COMMUNITY.

Beloved by all but the most puritanical or revolutionary from either extreme of the socioreligious spectrum, even Santa Claus is no longer immune to postmodernist deconstruction.

In years past, some have sought to eradicate him as a symbol of the Christian ethos in which the icon either sprang up in or was grafted onto. However, rather than outright obliteration, the more crafty now want to alter his fundamental nature in such a way that most of us will no longer recognize him once our politically correct overlords have their way with him.
Continue reading “Politically Correct To Alter Santa Out Of Existence”

00Publius Contributor - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Vocie of Liberty Podcast Episode #8

December 24, 2007 by

This is our last podcast before Christmas, and the birth of Christ is a very strong focus in this episode. Andrea Shea King reads to us a letter from Jesus. Warner Todd Huston wonders about America’s timidity in fighting wars, and I bring you reason number 7 Why Mrs. Clinton Will Never Be President. Finally, the Blue Collar Muse brings us a powerful message about the birth of Christ. Merry Christmas to all of you – have a blessed holiday season!

Download | Duration: 00:24:58

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Family - History - News - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Christmas Contemplations

December 24, 2007 by

-By Michael M. Bates

The Beatles were right when they sang money can’t buy me love. I guess if they’d wanted to be more precise, they’d have crooned that money can’t buy authentic love although in some instances it can acquire a reasonable facsimile of it, but that might have been tough to rhyme.

What money can buy are material possessions that may well bring some transitory pleasure. Far be it from me to disparage the enjoyment of such items. If someone wants to take away my high definition TV, they’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. Not that I’m shallow or anything.

Still, it’s quite clear that money and the things you can buy with it often don’t bring lasting happiness. When a rich person kills himself, a typical question is why did he do it, he had everything he needed, everything to live for. Obviously, the deceased didn’t view it that way.

We see that also with celebrities who either take their own lives or engage in behavior that ineluctably will lead to an earlier than normal demise. Few exhibit the apparent self-introspection of George Sanders, an Academy Award winning actor who overdosed on pills in 1972. His suicide note read: “Dear World. I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck.”
Continue reading “Christmas Contemplations”

00Publius Contributor - Health - Nancy Salvato - News - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Slow Down and Savor the Moments

December 24, 2007 by

-By Nancy Salvato

Food is everywhere. Advertised between mind numbing sitcom television shows and radio programs; interspersed between articles about diet and fitness to fight flab; or posted on billboards along our nation’s streets and highways, it is hard not to be reminded about what to consider eating next. For me, this epicurean parade for the palate takes place every work day as I step off the train and am forced to walk through the fast food emporium before I can exit the station and embark into the fresh air of the city. Then, food is available on every block between Chicago’s Union Station and my office. If I can’t actually see what’s available, smells abound, emanating from Jimmy Johns, McDonalds, and Caribou Coffee. It is an irony that there are people starving in this world when most people in this country are acutely aware of an expanding waistline.

Sometimes tempted by Corner Bakery or Nuts on Clark, upon closer inspection I take a pass. Keenly aware of the long list of ingredients that might set off a case of hives or swelling of my lips due to severe food intolerance, I’ve been forced to rethink what passes through my body in the course of a day. Even bottled water is suspect, because of the packaging. Generally, I ignore the bounty of convenience foods, instead, opting for the raw, unsalted or lightly salted nuts and unsulphured, no sugar added dried fruit on which I graze throughout the day. Learning to eat this way is similar to painting with only three colors. One becomes very creative about sustenance and eating becomes more about fueling the body and less about reacting impulsively to the day’s challenges.
Continue reading “Slow Down and Savor the Moments”

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

White House Forces NYTimes to Change Headline Lie

December 22, 2007 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

It’s a first. The New York Times is admitting that one of their headlines slamming the Bush White House was an outright lie. Such a lie that they had to change it when the White House complained. Of course, the original subhead had trumpeted how White House spokesman Dana Perino lied to the American people, but when Perino pointed out that she never even said what the Times claimed, they had to face the truth and change the original. This is the sort of junk “reporting” you get when you have an agenda to push… truth be damned.

On the 19th, the Times had published a front-page story on the CIA’s destruction of interrogation tapes made of Islamofascist detainees, but the subhead made it seem as if the White House was straight out lying about their knowledge of the situation. The original subhead screamed “White House Role Was Wider Than It Said,” but what was it the White House “said” about the issue, anyway?

Turns out, not a thing. Literally… not a single thing!

As Politico.com reports:

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement that the Times subheadline… was inaccurate.

“The New York Times’ inference that there is an effort to mislead in this matter is pernicious and troubling, and we are formally requesting that NYT correct the subheadline of this story,” Perino said.

The White House has continued not to comment on what the representative dubbed “misleading press reports.”

And Fox News reports that Perino said:

“Well, it says, ‘The White House role was wider than it said,’ implying that I had either changed my story, or I or somebody else at the White House had misled the public. And that is not true,” Perino said during Wednesday’s press briefing.

“The New York Times today implies that the White House has been misleading in publicly acknowledging or discussing details related to the CIA’s decision to destroy interrogation tapes,” Perino said.

But she said that couldn’t be the case because the White House has been under strict orders not to comment publicly.

It seems that the White House has stayed mum on the entire issue, so it’s a bit hard to construe a no comment at all into the White House “saying” anything that amounts to lying to the American people. Not that this truth deterred the NYT. Well, at least not at first.

So what does the Times say about being caught red-handed making up lies about what the White House said?

Continue reading “White House Forces NYTimes to Change Headline Lie”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Science - Selwyn Duke - Uncategorized

Al Gore Opens Mouth, Increases Carbon Footprint

December 22, 2007 by

By Selwyn Duke

Speaking today to COOL-IT (Communists for Only Onerous and Lofty Industrial Taxation) in Nome, Alaska, former vice-president Al Gore criticized the United States’ failure to adequately address climate change. Mr. Gore warned of future consequences of inaction while emphasizing that we have already felt the effects of a lamentably low suicide rate. Gore mentioned the extinction of species, the melting of the polar ice caps, and his loss of Florida in the 2000 presidential election. Said Gore,

“Florida is a very hot state – even in November. And members of lower-income socio-economic groups – who are most likely to vote Democrat – often can’t afford air-conditioning. Now, if you’re sitting around in a pool of your own sweat drinking Thunderbird, what are the chances you’ll be motivated to vote on election day?”

Mr. Gore then became especially passionate, asserting that this accords with Republicans’ general disregard for the environment. Pounding his fist on the finely-crafted mahogany and teak podium, he continued,

“The Republicans know well about vote suppression through climate manipulation. It is a fact that for every degree the temperature rises, voter turnout decreases by 3 percent.”

As evidence, Mr. Gore cited a volume of studies and research papers showing that the temperature in Democrat stronghold Miami-Dade County was higher than in the more Republican panhandle on election day. “This cannot be coincidence,” Gore insisted.

Sharpening his rhetoric, Gore invoked race. Alluding to his belief that most of the disenfranchised voters were minorities, he accused white Republicans of engaging in “. . . a systematic, apocalyptic climate war against blacks.”

He called this plan “Helter Swelter.”
Continue reading “Al Gore Opens Mouth, Increases Carbon Footprint”

00Publius Contributor - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Is America Cheap on ‘Humanitarian Aid’?

December 21, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

So, we are the “ugly American,” we’re always told. But to whom do they come running when they need help? Italy, France, maybe? Hardly. Still, they love to beat up on the US, and unfortunately our MSM is only too happy to act the echo chamber for anti-Americanism. This time it is Time Magazine that gleefully adds to the din of opprobrium at America with theirs titled, “US Ranked Low in Humanitarian Aid,” wherein, crook and ex-UN chief Kofi Annan has decided that we are cheapskates where it concerns so-called “humanitarian aid” to foreign countries. Yes, after all we’ve done, after all we do around the world in their time of need, Annan and his UN cronies have the gall to call us cheap, uncaring, stingy even, where it concerns this supposed rate of “humanitarian aid” that other countries are so much more generous with. Even Luxembourg beats us according to the novel mathematics employed by Annan and others who want to attack the US of A. Ain’t we Americans just such meanies?

The news that Time highlights is a new scheme to find fault with America enshrined in a novel system of ranking how countries give aid to others.

A new tool to evaluate governments’ humanitarian spending can help countries get aid out more efficiently to those who need it, say former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Spain-based non-profit DARA. Their Humanitarian Response Index (HRI), launched Thursday in London, ranks Sweden as the world leader in humanitarian aid. Norway comes second, followed by Denmark, the Netherlands and the European Commission. The U.S. scores a lowly 16th out of 23.

Our intrepid Time Magazine medical correspondent, Laura Blue, has taken some time away from her important medical news beat to pen this lovely and badly misleading calumny highlighting the claim that the USA is “ranked low in humanitarian aid.” Of course, all this reckoning showing how mean and miserly we are is calculated as if this “humanitarian aid” they are so concerned with is only something doled out by governments. It doesn’t bother to take much into account the many billions of dollars that is raised and distributed by private American citizens. But Blue goes on to lament about our aid programs anyway.

Continue reading “Is America Cheap on ‘Humanitarian Aid’?”

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

Unions in Philly Racist?

December 21, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Amazingly, the city council in Philadelphia is proposing that the new $700 million dollar Convention Center expansion be open to bids from nonunion contractors in an effort to include more workers “of color” in the project. City hall is claiming that the 42 local unions in Philly have refused to disclose the racial makeup of their membership. They also claim that these 42 locals are predominantly populated by white members.

Accusing trade unions of standing in the way of minority hiring objectives, City Council yesterday declared the $700 million Convention Center expansion open to nonunion contractors and workers – an unprecedented gesture in a city dominated by organized labor.

Citing the construction industry’s repeated failures to meet minority hiring goals on public projects and the unions’ refusal to disclose the racial makeup of their memberships, Council voted to amend the Convention Center’s operating agreement to allow nonunion workers, to help increase minority participation.

The Philly Inquirer quotes Bruce Crowley’s amazement that the city is going against the unions like this.

“Wow,” said public relations executive A. Bruce Crawley, one of the city’s leading critics of the union’s efforts at hiring minorities. “Wow.”

“This is very encouraging for African American contractors who would simply like not to be excluded from the work,” he said.

Of course, we have one bad thing (that unions are infesting city contracts) to another bad thing (racial quotes), so Philly is in no way getting any of this right. Why can’t we just have the best bids getting the work no matter if they are union thugs or race card throwers??

Still, it is pretty amusing that the leftist ideal of race baiting is trumping the leftist ideal of union thuggery, here.

Talk about eating your own!
Continue reading “Unions in Philly Racist?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Thomas Brewton - Uncategorized

What’s Wrong With America: the Liberal-Progressive Version

December 21, 2007 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

It’s important to know what we’re up against.

The Sunday, December 16, 2007, edition of the New York Times carries a review of Robert Kuttner’s The Squandering of America: How the Failure of Our Politics Undermines Our Prosperity.

The reviewer, Harry Hurt III, summarizes the author’s views:

“The potential of our economy to underwrite a society of broad prosperity is being sacrificed to financial speculation,” Mr. Kuttner declares in his new book’s opening chapter. “The winnings are going to a narrow elite, jeopardizing not only our broad prosperity but our solvency. In less than a decade, our government budget, gutted by tax cuts, has shifted from endless projected federal surpluses to infinite deficits. Our trade imbalances and financial debt to the rest of the world have grown from a modest concern to levels that could produce a crash.”

Mr. Kuttner cites numerous studies and statistics that show a staggeringly disproportionate distribution of wealth in America. Among the most telling is the fact that the median income of working-age families has actually fallen by 5.4 percent over the last seven years, adjusted for inflation, even as the gross domestic product has grown by 18 percent.

Let’s give Mr. Kuttner his due. He is certainly correct that, “Our trade imbalances and financial debt to the rest of the world have grown from a modest concern to levels that could produce a crash.” But ultimate responsibility for that lies with one of Mr. Kuttner’s heroes, Franklin Roosevelt, who started the socialistic policies of debasing the dollar and massive Federal deficit spending. Republicans have done very little to reverse those policies and must shoulder a good share of the blame for the severity of today’s problem.
Continue reading “What’s Wrong With America: the Liberal-Progressive Version”

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

Media Fans Flames of GOP Religious Divide

December 20, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In an article that is ostensibly supposed to be about the many Iowa homeschoolers that are supporting Mike Huckabee, the Washington Post pins the reason to the fact that homeschooling parents must hate Mormons! This has easily become the MSM’s favorite theme as they try to divide and anger portions of the GOP primary voting base against each other. In this MSM meme, anyone who votes against Romney or questions the relative Christian merits of the Mormon faith is a bigot who hates Mormons and won’t vote for Romney merely because he is one. They are also unanimous in pinning support for Huckabee to an anti-Mormon sentiment. The MSM is doing their level best to start a religious war on the right.

In the Post’s article, religion is the central theme of pro-Huckabee homeschool advocates. Here the Post reveals the efforts of a homeschooling Mother named Julie Roe (bet they chose her for her familiar name: Roe) who has stumped for Huckabee by making homemade buttons and making numerous phone calls.

Julie Roe, an early believer in Mike Huckabee, worked with what she had… With no buttons, no yard signs and no glossy literature from his nearly invisible Iowa campaign, she took a pair of scissors and cut out a photograph of the former Arkansas governor. She pasted it on a piece of paper, scribbled down some of his positions, made copies and launched the Huckabee for President campaign in rural Hardin County.

So, why Huckabee? (My emphasis added throughout).

Huckabee’s name is no longer a mystery to Iowa’s Republican voters, in large part because of an extensive network of home-schoolers like Roe who have helped lift his underfunded campaign from obscurity to the front of a crowded field. Opinion polls show that his haphazard approach is trumping the studied strategy of Mitt Romney, who invested millions only to be shunned by many religious conservatives such as Roe, who see the former Baptist preacher from Hope, Ark., as their champion.

But, even the Post contradicts this religious basis only a few paragraphs later.

While early attention focused on Romney and other better-known and better-funded opponents, home-schoolers rallied to Huckabee’s cause, attracted by his faith, his politics and his decision to appoint a home-school proponent to the Arkansas board of education. They tapped a web of community and church groups that share common conservative interests, blasting them with e-mails and passing along the word about Huckabee in social settings.

It was the endorsement by prominent national home-school advocate Michael Farris that helped propel Huckabee to a surprising second-place finish in the Iowa straw poll in August. And it was the twin sons of a home-school advocate in Oregon who helped put Huckabee in touch with television tough guy Chuck Norris, who appeared alongside him in an attention-getting TV spot and on the campaign trail.

Sorry, Washington Post. It isn’t really Huckabee’s religion that the homeschoolers are excited over. It is the fact that he handed homeschoolers a big plum when he was Gov. of Arkansas. It isn’t the religion of the matter as the Post tries to make it seem, but just good old fashioned politics.

Continue reading “Media Fans Flames of GOP Religious Divide”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - GOP - News - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Mitt Romney Lies About Father ‘Marching With Martin Luther King, Jr.’

December 20, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mitt Romney has been caught in yet another lie. Only yesterday Romney’s claim of not supporting Planned Parenthood abortion mills was abruptly smashed by a photograph surfacing of him at one of their fundraisers in 1994. Today, it’s Romney’s claim that his father “marched with” famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

During his “I’m a Mormona but it doesn’t matter” speech, Mitt Romney claimed he saw his father, George Romney, marching with MLK during a 1968 civil rights march through Grosse Pointe, Michigan. It was a stirring account of the efforts of his father to show that the Romney family have always reached across ecumenical lines.

Only one little problem… it never happened.

Continue reading “Mitt Romney Lies About Father ‘Marching With Martin Luther King, Jr.’”

00Publius Contributor - Education - Elections - Israel Teitelbaum - News - President - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Urge the Candidates on Education…

December 20, 2007 by

-By Israel Teitelbaum

We now have the enormous opportunity to test the mettle of our leading presidential candidates. They made strong statements in support of school choice. Now we need to see which candidate can bring this idea to Congress?

You can help with this test.

Here’s how:

In the final Republican Presidential debate last Wednesday, December 12, four of the leading candidates came out firmly in favor of school choice. Here is some of what they said:

Sen. John McCain: http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/. Phone: 703-418-2008.
“We don’t have a choice and competition. We need it in K through 12.”

Mayor Rudy Giuliani: webteam@joinrudy2008.com. Phone: 212-835-9449
“Parents should choose the school that their child goes to, the same way people choose higher education.”

Sen. Fred Thomson: http://www.fred08.com/Index.aspx. Phone: 515-276-9427.
“…every time someone wants to inject a little choice into the equation for the benefit of the kids, inject a little freedom, inject a little competition…the National Education Association is there to oppose it, and bring in millions and millions of dollars to go on television and work and scare people and misrepresent the situation on the ground. I think that just goes against everything that we know, that can make progress in this country.”

Gov. Mitt Romney: compliance1@mittromney.com. Phone: 857-288-6400.
“I agree with Senator Thompson on that. Boy, they’ve been the biggest obstacle to change in education and choice.”
Please call or write these candidates:

Hon. Presidential Candidate:
Continue reading “Urge the Candidates on Education…”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Religion - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

WaPo Columnist Compares Christians to KKK, Says They Love ‘Torture’

December 19, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

After catching Harold Meyerson’s latest Washington Post hatemongering against religion in general, Christians in particular, and Republicans especially, all I could say was just WOW! This thing is nearly unhinged and if you took the word Christian out and replaced it with any of the favored, protected minorities that the MSM guards like mother hens, it would be indistinguishable from the kind of pure bigotry that would result in Meyerson’s utter ostracizing should it have been written about those protected classes. Calling Republicans/Christians torturers, abusers of immigrants, members of the KKK, bigots and even mean, Meyerson skipped only the Nazi and Hitler references making one wonder if his hatred for Christians isn’t fully sated after all in this piece and if there is more seething bile that he decided it was better not to air?

There is absolutely no substance to Meyerson’s piece at all. It is filled with lies, mischaracterizations, blatant spin and name-calling. In fact, it is nothing but a 12 paragraph excuse to call Christians names, so I won’t waste time trying to refute his garbage as it is so bigoted and full of lies that it defies reply — that and it would take far more time than I’m willing to give it. But, here is a list of all the names he calls Christians and Republicans and just some of his outrageously off-base “analysis” in this piece of trash.

Continue reading “WaPo Columnist Compares Christians to KKK, Says They Love ‘Torture’”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Frank Salvato - Islam - Islamofascism - News - Religion - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Why Is There No Honest Discourse About Terrorism’s Roots?

December 19, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

We hear a lot about the subject of terrorism today. This has been the case for mainstream America – and the world – since the horrific attacks of September 11th, 2001. Each night on the news, as if by the networks’ design, there are the obligatory stories about a car bombing or a suicide attack, perhaps a fifteen second shot of the aftermath, a condescending, concerned look from the anchor and then a commercial. “We’ll be right back with another story about Britney Spears’ crotch, right after this!” That the single biggest threat to our nation has become B-Roll news program filler should disgust each and every one of us. Then, each and every one of us is to blame that it has come to this.

Try to think back to the last time you saw the images of September 11th on television or in the mainstream media newspapers and magazines? Chances are it was either directly after the attacks or during a memorial segment commemorating the anniversary of those attacks. The truth is that the mainstream media removed the images of September 11th from our sight – the images of death and destruction, the murder of thousands of innocents, the people who chose to leap to their deaths rather than burn alive – because they deemed the images “too disturbing” for us to see.

Try to remember the last time you heard an ingenuous, learned, intelligent discussion about the root causes of Islamist terrorism on a news program or a news issues television show. Most likely it was directly after 9/11. The overwhelming majority of inspection done on the issue today centers on the treatment – or perceived mistreatment – of radical Islamofascists caught on the field of battle or those who were apprehended for being implicated in plots to slaughter innocents both here in the United States and abroad. Then, of course, we have the pseudo-intellectual network talking heads and anti-war zealots who insist that it is the radical Islamist, caught with AK-47 in hand, who is the victim of the oppression that America has to offer. It couldn’t possibly that the person pulling the trigger or detonating the suicide vest is to blame. America’s foreign policy “made them do it.”
Continue reading “Why Is There No Honest Discourse About Terrorism’s Roots?”

00Publius Contributor - Abortion - Elections - News - President - Religion - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Photo Proof: Romney Attended Planned Parenthood Fundraiser in ‘94

December 19, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

One more proof of a Romney lie has come to light just before the Iowa Primary. First off, I can no longer call Romney a flip-flopper, because he is proven to be an outright liar. PERIOD. On abortion, he first tells the people of Massachusetts that he is pro-choice, then he says he only supported what the people in his state wanted, then he claimed he was “always pro-life” but just never voted that way. He also said he never supported Planned Parenthood, the famous abortion mill operators. Well, here comes ABC News with a photograph of Romney hobnobbing with abortion lovers at a Planned Parenthood “house party” in 1994 while he was Governor of Massachusetts.

Says Rick Klein on the Political Radar Blog:

Mitt Romney attended a fund-raising reception for Planned Parenthood in 1994 in conjunction with a $150 donation his wife made to the organization — notwithstanding Romney’s contention that he had “no recollection” of the circumstances under which his wife gave money to the abortion-rights group.

And they have at least one photo showing Romney chatting contentedly with abortion pushers there.

In the photograph obtained by ABC News, Romney and his wife, Ann, are shown in a yellow-and-white tent chatting with local political activists, including Nicki Nichols Gamble, who was then president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

Go on over to the Political Radar Blog and check out the whole sordid tale.

But, here is the thing. Romney is NO conservative. Not in any way, shape or form. He is a man that sees NO principle that he won’t flip flop on to “get something done.” He has no real principles guiding him and in an era when we need the strongest president in the White House, this man would be a disaster for our country.

Worse, Romney is a liar. He once said he was a “hunter all his life,” for instance. He then had to admit that he’d only hunted twice in his whole life. If he’ll lie about something so silly as hunting, what important issue will he lie over?

No true conservative, no person interested in truth will vote for Mitt the malleable.

Continue reading “Photo Proof: Romney Attended Planned Parenthood Fundraiser in ‘94”

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

Actor Charles Grodin Calls Sean Hannity a Fascist on H&C

December 18, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I have to say, this little TV clip — video posted at bottom of story — shows how leftists can neither take a joke nor can they see what’s funny about their own leftism. On the Dec. 17th edition of Hannity & Colmes guest Charles Grodin decided that it would be, uh, funny to call host Sean Hannity a fascist and a Nazi. Yes, Charles Grodin lost the game violating Godwin’s Law, that states that if you are the first to call someone a Nazi in an argument you end meaningful discussion by heading for the cheapest, easiest, least applicable argument and name to call an opponent. Grodin’s knee jerk reaction, caused him to lose the game, but he did reveal his true feelings for that split second before he regained his composure and put his faux amiability back on.

Grodin was on H&C to flog his latest book titled If I only knew then… learning from our mistakes, a book where a dozen or so liberals debase themselves by telling Grodin their mistakes in life. As Hannity points out, Grodin didn’t include any conservatives in his list. This oversight is probably for the obvious reason that Grodin probably doesn’t know any conservatives, never met one (Hannity aside) and wouldn’t deign to speak to one even if he did.

At about 5 minutes into the discussion about Grodin’s book, Hannity jokingly said that Grodin was a “left wing extremist,” and this set Grodin off something fierce. In answer to Hannity’s ribbing an obviously angered Grodin called Hannity a “fascist,” a “Nazi,” and asked Hannity if he had co-hosted a show with “Goebbels” (as in Hitler’s propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels).

Grodin was obviously angry to have leapt straight for the jugular and so badly showing he can’t take a bit of joshing about his political persuasion. But, his over the top reply reveals how touchy he is on the issue. After all, is “left wing extremist” nearly as bad in general status as a fascist and a Nazi? After all, one can be a “left wing extremist” without having been responsible for the murder of millions and multiple acts of genocide! Me thinks Chuckie doth protest too much.

Continue reading “Actor Charles Grodin Calls Sean Hannity a Fascist on H&C”

00Publius Contributor - Frank Salvato - Islam - Islamofascism - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Talker Roger Hedgecock To Emcee Terror Symposium

December 18, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Roger Hedgecock of KOGO in San Diego has signed on to emcee the third in a national symposium series produced by Basics Project and America’s Truth Forum exploring the threat of radical Islam, Exposing the Threat of Islamist Terrorism, February 1 & 2, 2008 in Dallas, Texas.

From his days as a powerful San Diego elected political leader to his 14 years as host of “The Roger Hedgecock Community Forum,” Mr. Hedgecock has reached out to influence millions of Americans nationwide with his message of citizen empowerment. Mr. Hedgecock has guest hosted the number one ranked Rush Limbaugh radio program. He can be heard on his own nationally syndicated radio program on his flagship station AM600 KOGO, in San Diego, CA .

We are thrilled that Mr. Hedgecock has not only agreed to emcee this critical event but has dedicated a significant portion of his professional attention to the issue of our event, the threat of radical Islamist terrorism.

Scheduled to speak:
Continue reading “Talker Roger Hedgecock To Emcee Terror Symposium”

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

Newsweek’s Hirsch Pleads for Al Gore in ‘08

December 18, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I wasn’t aware that Michael Hirsh of Newsweek magazine was a writer of such biting satire but after reading his latest titled, “Why Isn’t Al Gore Running?,” I found myself marveling at his wit… or sad for his intellectual incuriosity should he be serious for an Al Gore candidacy for president in 2008. Unfortunately, my hope that he was displaying a Swiftian penchant for satire is easily overcome by the impression he is, indeed, seriously touting another Gore run for the White House. You Lilliputians be damned because Hirsh’s Goreliver stands astride the country — nay the world — like a colossus of Brobdingnagian proportions. And that is really, really big you should know. Not bad on Goreliver’s part for a drop out of divinity school, eh?

No, sadly I do believe that Newsweek’s Hirsh was completely serious when he imagines that Gore would make the ideal 2008 candidate. After all, according to Hirsh, Al Gore is saving the planet no less and what better way than to do it from the Oval Office? So, I’ll have to settle for ridiculing Hirsh’s efforts as opposed to saluting him for his biting wit and perspicacity.

To show Hirsh’s complete inability to grasp what qualifies a person as a great leader, the very first few words of his sycophantic puff piece seems to say that because Gore was seen in the company of two Hollywierd celebs, that must really mean something important.

There he was again on the world stage–in Oslo this time–celebrating his Nobel Peace Prize with singer Melissa Etheridge and actress Uma Thurman, the Hollywood hottie who called him “adorable” and said listening to him talk was “like watching a beautiful racehorse run.”

So, because Gore has the admiration of one B level actress and one aged songstress who hasn’t had a number one hit for 10 years (and even then it was in Canada — 14 years for a Hit in the US), we are supposed to be overawed with his star power? I’m not sure if Hirsh realizes it, but William Hung put out a big selling album once. If Gore sidled up to that warbler are we any better assured that Gore’s scientific acumen puts him the the Einstein club?

But wait, all may not be well. Hirsh scolds his idol for forsaking his duty to cure America and the world of its ills by not wanting to run for office.

Continue reading “Newsweek’s Hirsch Pleads for Al Gore in ‘08”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Immigration/Immigrants - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - The Law - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Media Distortion on Illegals Question

December 18, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

We’ve seen so many examples of the media using language to elicit an emotional response to an issue as opposed to just reporting on a story and the issue of illegal aliens is no exception. The AP, though, has outdone themselves with this one titled, “Waukegan immigrants wary of city effort to enforce federal law.” In fact, the title itself is interesting in that it would naturally lump illegal immigrants in with legal ones. Yet, nowhere has the issue of immigration been one aimed at legal immigrants.

According to the Associated Press, for instance, folks who are “foreign-born” are “newcomers” who “feel anything but welcome” in the Chicago suburb of Waukegan, Illinois. Notice the coded words? The AP piece leads the reader to imagine that several of the town’s laws have been specifically written to chase out Mexicans and that the immigrant community (legal or otherwise) in Waukegan is feeling pressure to get out. Yet, upon close examination of this AP piece, one cannot help but realize that the AP does not offer any statistics to prove that Mexican residents are leaving in any numbers, they don’t cite any rise in arrests of Spanish speakers there to indicate possible harassment, nor do they even quote anyone to “prove” their contention but one Yolanda Torrez, a lawyer who specializes in criminal, DUI traffic violations, Social Security and DWL traffic violations cases for Spanish-speaking clients. In the final analysis, the AP offers no proof whatsoever that “foreign-born” residents are afraid or truly being discriminated against at all. They just state it as a fact using a single, biased person’s words to assert it.

After a description of the “sailboats” that gently float in nearby Lake Michigan, and other panoramic language the AP piece goes on to describes how “Mexican groceries” and other ethnic businesses have grown in the suburban town. And then the AP begins the scare-mongering with a grave, “despite their numbers, the newcomers feel anything but welcome.”

AP continues that grave tone with some claims that they make no real attempt to buttress with proof.

Continue reading “Media Distortion on Illegals Question”

00Publius Contributor - Crime - Education - Lee Culpepper - News - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Lost Sowell: Michael Vick

December 18, 2007 by

-By Lee Culpepper

(Note to readers: This article is a revision of my previous article Michael Vick and Southern Hicks. I tried to address the primary concerns that my mom and others had regarding my portrayal of the South. As the son of two Georgia crackers, I feel more than qualified to write this article. For any questions concerning my Southern heritage, visit Culpepper Connections.)

Who could have predicted how far Michael Vick would rise and fall in his life before his twenty-eighth birthday?

At one time Vick seemed to offer hope to all of us as a squeaky-clean kid with unrivaled athletic ability. He appeared to have naturally eluded the perils of growing up in the projects in the same dazzling manner that he made fleet defenders look clumsy on the field. He looked as if he might set the example for children who really needed him to be what everyone wanted Vick to be – a positive role model.

Instead, Vick became a convicted felon.

Monday at the sentencing for Vick’s federal dogfighting conviction, U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson rebuked Vick, telling him that he should “be apologizing to the millions of kids who idolize you.” Hudson nailed what is arguably the most damaging consequence of Vick’s fall – Vick’s fumbling the opportunity to offer hope and an example to children growing up in depressing situations like Vick’s.
Continue reading “Lost Sowell: Michael Vick”