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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Family - GOP - Nancy Salvato - Religion - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

“E Pluribus Unum”

October 13, 2007 by

-By Nancy Salvato

My sons are both in high school and are under the common teenage misconception that they are liberals. They parrot what they hear from their teachers, their friends at school, and their father from my first marriage. They don’t necessarily want to engage me in debate about my conservative beliefs. They just want to tell me I’m wrong and that I don’t know of what I speak. When I provide an explanation for my observations or present facts for why something occurs in our government, they don’t listen. It’s almost as though they stick their fingers in their ears and hum until I’m through talking, yet neither one of them can provide any concrete evidence for their opposing beliefs when I ask them to prove why I’m incorrect.

Like many who are unhappy with the current administration, they blame our president for legislative spending even though the Executive Office doesn’t create the budget. They blame our president for global warming, even though there is evidence that it is not the problem Al Gore wants us to believe. Press them hard enough and they blame our president for every ill that befalls our country. They sound very much like MoveOn.org followers, spewing their venom for all those who do not adhere to the MoveOn.org philosophy or mentality, especially conservatives. What bothers me most is that they lump conservatives into this group of people who don’t care about the earth, can’t enjoy shopping at Trader Joe’s, and couldn’t possibly appreciate wearing Birkenstock sandals.

My present husband, who to the Code Pink crowd is as conservative as they come, doesn’t fit the common perception of the conservative mold. This is mostly because he’s about as open as they come to meeting new people and withholding judgment about the way they live their lives (as long as they aren’t hurting anyone or forcing their views on him) and the circumstances in which they might find themselves. He believes that it is their different personalities and beliefs that add to the richness and the colors of the palette in his life. On the other hand, he doesn’t get along with people who are intolerant and believe the world is all about them. He has drawn the line with those who want to engage him about his beliefs, this being that if you want to argue, bring some facts to the table. Otherwise, don’t waste his time “Damnit”.
Continue reading ““E Pluribus Unum””

00Publius Contributor - Constitution - GOP - Patriotism - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - The Law - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

CLC Update- Mitt Smiles A Lot, Duncan Talks the Border and Keyes Talks Salvation

October 13, 2007 by 3 Comments

– By Warner Todd Huston

Three of the contenders for the nod for the GOP nomination for president were heard today at the CLC. I met and talked to each of them and listened to their message in speeches and townhall meetings.

First up was the ever tanned and handsome Mitt Romney. As always he said the right things, gave the audience the right conservative message, smiled a lot, and told us how much he loves his wife. He is a good business man. And that is one of the things I have against him. Sure it’s good that a presidential candidate knows something about business, that isn’t what my problem is. But, today we need a man who is a leader with his philosophy and ideas backing up his decisions, things that will lead us past the danger of our times. Mitt does not seem to be that man. He seems, rather, a man that is more interested in doing what “works” quite despite whether there are any principles behind that workable solution. His voting record pretty much shows that. Mitt might have been fine in 1994 when we thought that we had reached “the end of history” but not today.

Still, he had a fine, well crafted speech and seemed to please many. Well, he pleased many except the guy who asked him about medical Marijuana. That guy was a tad upset that Mitt said a firm NO to legalizing the weed even for so-called pain easement. Mitt said that there were plenty of other medications that could be used to ease a patient’s pain and that we didn’t need to resort to Mary Jane.

Next was the stalwart Duncan Hunter. Duncan was all fired up about how the border fence he had built in California had worked so well. He went on about immigration too much for my tastes, though. As important as the issue is, and it is really important, we need a president who is ready to deal with more than one or two issues and his almost border only townhall was a bit too single issue oriented for my tastes.

However, he did get into economics and he said one thing that I really liked. He said that as president he’d institute what he called a “mirror tariff” on foreign trade. If a foreign country had tariffs or restrictions on our trade he’d hold up “his little mirror” to their policies and institute the exact same ones for any of their products entering the USA. If they eased them on our trade going into their countries, he would follow suit on their products coming here.

That was good stuff!

I like Hunter a lot in quite a few ways. I would have no problem voting for the man if the opportunity presented itself.

UPDATE: For an my expanded remarks on Alan Keyes’ address click here.

Then came the amazing Alan Keyes. Keyes doesn’t much care if he wins the nomination or the White House. His cause, our cause, is what matters. Now, I think if you go to Ed Morrissey’s site, (Captain’s Quarters Bolg)he will say that Keyes was too much the polemicist and demagogue. If Ed’s comments at the diner table after Keyes’ speech is any indication, Ed will find Keyes a tad… well, maybe distasteful is the word?

I have to disagree to some extent. See, Keyes doesn’t care much about the presidency, really. He wants the pulpit. His goal is to alert America to the loss of sovereignty, the loss of liberty, the destruction of the Constitutional Republic which the Founders worked so hard to build and sacrificed so much for.

Alan began his rip roaring sermon — for that truly is what it was; a sermon — saying that he was going to break Reagan’s 11th commandment, which was “don’t talk bad about other Republicans.” He ripped Giuliani as completely unrepresentative of any Republican principles (not “values,” principles). He excoriated Romney for being unbelievable in his claims to support those Republican principles, and hinted that the rest of the field does not address the true issues of the day (Even as Duncan Hunter was in the room listening).

Incongruously, as Ambassador Keyes stood in front of a giant, 12-foot-tall Hunter for President banner, Keyes pummeled the other candidates. He did not do so, however, in a vulgar way or on anything other than a true reading of American first principles as bestowed upon us by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, both documents that Keys said the rest haven’t the first clue about.

He is absolutely correct, even as he was a tad forceful in saying so. But, we are at a crossroads and force may be soon enough our last choice to bring back our Republic. I spoke to Ambassador Keyes for a while before diner and he is fast coming to a point past feeling that we are still at a time when talking will solve the problem. Action is now required and not action of the delicate type.

Now, I have to mention a chief point of his on the case of abortion. Keyes feels that there is a phrase in the Constitution that guarantees that the Founders were against abortion. It can be found in the preamble to the Constitution.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America

The word “Posterity” explains that abortion is anti-American, anti-Constitutional as far as Keyes sees it. After all, our posterity is our progeny, our children. And if the Founders wanted to assure that our posterity had their liberties protected by that document, then abortion must be illegal under the Constitution. After all, how can we bestow liberty on our posterity if we have aborted them in the womb? (It should also be remembered that abortion was certainly illegal in those days)

Here is where I disagree with Ed Morrissey and agree with Keyes. Words, it turns out, mean things. And words were the very tools of creation that the Founders used to assure that very liberty that Ambassador Keyes is talking about. They worried about punctuation, they worried about structure, they debated for months over many of those words. I believe that the Founders would see the logic in Ambassador Keyes’ position and would commend him for the interpretation.

Morrissey is right, though, that Keyes might be a tad “dangerous” in his thinking. But, we may be approaching a day when a bit of danger is the right prescription for what ills are infecting the US.

And, if Morrissey were to go back to the days of the American Revolution, I’d suspect that he condemn each and every one of our Founders for their equally demagogic speech… no for their even more dangerous speech than Keyes’. Compared to the Founders rhetoric, Alan Keyes is practically a pussycat.

So, where Ed sees “danger” — and dangerous it is to call for a virtual uprising of concerned citizens — I see what is fast becoming a last option. Keyes wasn’t advocating for armed rebellion, but for a concerned citizenry to take back what is ours. And to that I agree 100%. If that is “danger” then so be it.

Tomorrow, I interview J.D. Hayworth. And will report on the final day of the CLC.

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

More MSM Party Affiliation Amnesia

October 12, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today we have another case in our long, long list of indicted Democrats who are mysteriously not identified as Democrats by the media. This time it is in the great state of Louisiana where two Democrat judges are caught up in Federal racketeering charges for taking bribes.

State District Judge Michael Walker, Democrat of Shreveport, stands accused of taking cash and goods in exchange for reducing bonds and for setting himself up as a one man justice department to speed criminals to get out of jail on an expedited schedule… all for a price. Caddo Parish Juvenile Court Judge Vernon Claville, also a Democrat, is accused in the same indictment of taking cash to help juvenile defendants to get released quick… again, for a price.
As the AP reports:
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00Publius Contributor - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

CLC Update- A meeting with a Captain and a Muse

October 12, 2007 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

It was great to meet Ed Morrissey of the famous Captain’s Quarters Blog. I went out to diner with Ken Marrero of Blue Collar Muse and his beautiful wife you and since I arrived after they had been seated, I took Ed’s advice and ordered the skirt steak. It was a good choice, so thanks to Ed for that suggestion.

I would like to take a minute to recommend attending something like the CLC. It’s so easy to sit there at home with your computer serving as your only window to the world, but if we are to advance a conservative message we also need to network in the dreaded real world. We conservatives have a tendency to be loners, and that being the case, we always find it a bit harder to get the message out compared to the easy with which the more sociable liberals get theirs out.

On that note, I’d like to thank Ed Morrissey for coming out and participating at the CLC. It would have been easy for him to just ignore a first time event like this because it is untested. But he took the chance and came out.

You’d be amazed at how many top bloggers, politicos and pundits wouldn’t give us a hearing for the CLC. Ed was happy to lend his name to our event and we appreciate his efforts.

So thanks Ed and it was great meeting you.

00Publius Contributor - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

CLC Update- Thursday’s activities

October 12, 2007 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

As some of you know, I am in Reno all this week attending the Conservative Leadership Conference. If any of you are out west, be sure to stop by. We are here until Sunday and you can hit the banner ad at the top of the page to find out info.

Thursday went quite well, several hundred in the audience for a weekday. I gave a short address and served on a panel on the new media and blog talk radio with Ed Morrissey of the famed Captain’s Quarters Blog and has a nice conversation about the fall of property rights in the US with Ardian Cronauer (of “Good Morning Vietnam fame, he was the man that Robin Williams portrayed in the 1987 movie).

Today (Friday), we heard former Representative Dick Armey give a rousing speech on conservative principles. After Representative Armey, Richard Viguerie took the stage to advocate for our conservative message to get back on topic and away from the big government fiasco that the current administration led the party.

Later on I will be interviewing J. D. Hayworth (once confirmed) and will hear Gov. Mitt Romney address the conference.

00Publius Contributor - David Huntwork - Islam - Islamofascism - Media Bias - Military - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

In Defense of Blackwater and the Modern Day ‘Merc’

October 12, 2007 by

-By David Huntwork

The mere mention of private military companies is enough to panic the OH MY GOD squad of American society and leaves them loudly shrieking fascism and totalitarianism, murder and thuggery.

There have been scores of private military companies and security firms employed by the Department of Defense and the State Department in Iraq since the war began. The most famous of all the “professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations firms” is the North Carolina based Blackwater USA.

In addition to Blackwater, other significant private security/military companies include DynCorp, Erinys, Aegis Defense Services, Kroll Inc., ArmorGroup, Hart, Steele Foundation, Global Risk Strategies, and CACI. According to the Pentagon, private military companies are subject to both U.S. military law and to more recent statutes governing the conduct of contractors who deploy with U.S. troops.

So far this year Blackwater has guarded 1,873 convoys, out of which there were 56 shootings, or less than 3% of all assignments. Last year, the company had 6,254 missions and 38 incidents. Since the beginning of the Iraq war 27 Blackwater contractors have been killed while guarding U.S. officials and no U.S. diplomat had lost their life on missions protected by Blackwater. Overall, some 428 security contractors have been killed in Iraq and an unknown number wounded. There are no definitive public figures for the amount of mission’s that have been completed by armed private contractors in Iraq or how many shooting ‘incidents’ they may have been engaged in.
Continue reading “In Defense of Blackwater and the Modern Day ‘Merc’”

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

AP Scolds Jenna Bush for ‘Ducking Iraq’

October 11, 2007 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

When we voted for Jenna Bush to lead the war in Iraq, we all thought she would always be ready and able to lead the discussion in the press about that important issue… Oh, wait. No one voted for Jenna Bush for anything, much less to make Iraq policy. This fact, then, makes it curious that the AP would give us a piece titled “Jenna Bush Ducks Iraq, Talks Engagement.” Why, exactly, the AP would think Jenna Bush is the one to ask questions about Iraq during an interview about her marriage plans is anyone’s guess. What kind of headline is that anyway? The subhead is even worse, “In Book-Promoting Interview, First Daughter Avoids Iraq Questions, Discusses Her Romantic Engagement Story.” This is just another example of the APs Bush Derangement Syndrome where they cannot even have a nice, happy story about the daughter of the president announcing her engagement and talking about helping the poor without badgering her about policies she has nothing to do with. Now, this story headline might be understandable if Jenna Bush was spouting off about Iraq and her father’s policies. But her press conference was not about that at all. Jenna was touting “Ana’s Story,” a new book about the life of a 17-year-old Latin American mother with AIDS. She also talked about how her boyfriend proposed to her on a mountain-top during the sunrise. So, with this story of 13 paragraphs, we get all sorts of “news” of the president’s daughter with only two about Iraq, and some of the last ones in the story, at that.

On other issues, Jenna Bush ducked a question about whether she agreed with her father about the war in Iraq, but she said she understood critics who argue that she and her twin sister, Barbara, should serve in Iraq.
“Obviously I understand that question and see what the point of that question is for sure. I think there are many ways to serve your country. I think … what’s most appropriate for me to do is to teach or to work in UNICEF and represent our country in Latin America.”

Jenna Bush “ducked the question?” Why was she even being ASKED the question?

She should have told you to pound sand, AP.
Continue reading “AP Scolds Jenna Bush for ‘Ducking Iraq’”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Frederick Meekins - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - The Law - Uncategorized

Why Shouldn’t Hungerstrikers Be Allowed To Starve?

October 11, 2007 by

-By Frederick Meekins

Often in the attempt to get their way, children threaten to hold their breath or refuse to eat until their parents agree to meet their demands. Usually, nothing much comes of it as most youngsters don’t have the will to resist the sway of their base appetites and most normally outgrow such juvenile displays as skills are acquired to navigate conflicts in a more rational manner or they learn to make peace with what they cannot change,

Of contrived social environments, among the most artificial and detached from reality is the college campus. Either as a result of having never matured as tends to be the case of many drawn to certain useless fields of study or the result of deliberate psychological regression on the part of academic faculty, a number of young adults often return to such behaviors during their college years.

Instead of employing the skills and knowledge they are sent to college to acquire such as communication and analysis that can be used to make the world a better place, some of those persuaded that they are so far beyond the rest of us along the continuum of enlightenment that they are not bound by the same set of expectations imposed upon the rest of us resort to behavior not all that much more advanced (and certainly less justifiable) then when they were toddlers.

Increasingly, protestors are coming to contend that it is not enough that they be given the opportunity to express their opinion as provisions have been made under the First Amendment so that they might be able to persuade the masses as to the correctness of their position. Rather, they contend it is the obligation of those of us on the other side of the political spectrum to not only listen to their ramblings and also to keep our own mouths shut if we happen to disagree.
Continue reading “Why Shouldn’t Hungerstrikers Be Allowed To Starve?”

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

A Murderer’s Memorial Plaque in Minnesota and Other Maudlin Tributes

October 10, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In another example of the upside down nature of our nation today, a man who murdered his ex-girlfriend and then killed himself is getting a nice memorial plaque in a Minnesota kid’s ballpark because his love for the kids was “greatly appreciated.”

Never mind that he stalked his ex-girlfriend and murdered her. Never mind that, like a coward, he killed himself afterwards. It was enough that after this mental case died the Park District remembered he was a cool guy. That’s all they needed… their maudlin warm “feelings.”

In early September a plaque was placed in Erskine’s Athletic Park. It reads: “In loving memory of David DeFrang, whose love and devotion to our children is greatly appreciated.”

According to reports, DeFrang became unhinged when girlfriend Tina Gerving broke off their engagement. On January 23, 2005, he shot her to death and then turned the gun on himself.

Two years later the Park District dedicated this absurd plaque to him.

Their explanation? Folks liked the killer.
Continue reading “A Murderer’s Memorial Plaque in Minnesota and Other Maudlin Tributes”

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

The Muslim Brotherhood: An Association for Jihadists

October 10, 2007 by

By Frank Salvato

One of the more clandestine groups in radical Islam is the Muslim Brotherhood. Originating in Egypt in 1928, the group has been outlawed in Egypt yet it members hold seats in the Egyptian government. That this radically fundamentalist Islamist group is the parent organization to some of the most violent terror groups operating today. It thrives as a pseudo professional association for terrorists while feigning legitimacy as a political movement. So, what is the Muslim Brotherhood and why should every American be concerned about its activities both within the United States and around the world?

The Muslim Brotherhood has become a central issue in federal court proceedings now taking place in Dallas, Texas. These proceedings involve what, until now, has been portrayed as an Islamist philanthropic organization, The Holy Land Foundation. But the Muslim Brotherhood, the Holy Land Foundation and over 300 unindicted co-conspirators are enabling and funding terrorist groups around the world with money derived from people right here in the United States.

The Muslim Brotherhood is the name of a world-wide Sunni Islamist movement, which has spawned several religious and political organizations in the Middle East, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, dedicated to the jihadi credo:

“God is our objective, the Quran is our Constitution, the Prophet is our leader, struggle is our way, and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations.”
Continue reading “The Muslim Brotherhood: An Association for Jihadists”

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

Gallup Poll: Republicans and Independents Think Media Skews Left

October 9, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Gallup News Service has just released a new poll that supports what we here say every day; the Media is perceived as left leaning. Yet, for a report on how the media leans left, titling their piece “Republicans Remain Deeply Distrustful of News Media” and subtitling it “Democrats much more positive,” even Gallup’s article seems to skew left. After all, when the poll results are reviewed it shows that both Republicans and independents are “distrustful of the media,” not just Republicans. And that fact would tend to show that more people think that the media is leftist than don’t.

Gallup’s opening statement is interesting:

PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans in America today remain deeply distrustful of the national news media — in sharp contrast to Democrats, who have a great deal more trust in the media’s accuracy. Overall, less than half of Americans, regardless of partisanship, have a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the mass media. Nearly half of Americans — including over three-quarters of Republicans — perceive the media as too liberal while fewer than one in five say the media are too conservative.

Less than half the total polled have trust in the media? Imagine that!

But, why did Gallup want to spin this story as focused on Republicans who distrust the media? The more honest headline would have been: “Less than 1/2 of Americans Trust Media.”

Of media bias, Gallup says:
Continue reading “Gallup Poll: Republicans and Independents Think Media Skews Left”

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

MSNBC: Calling Fred Thompson Support ‘Spin’

October 9, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

MSNBC’s Chuck Todd posted a blog post today on his First Read blog titled “George Allen, Liz Cheney to Spin for Thompson.” So, any takers to wonder if Chuck Todd would have posted a blog post titled “Sandy Berger to Spin for Clinton,” or “Oprah to Spin for Obama”? Does anyone think that Chuck Todd would have used such a negative word as “spin” to describe the assistance a high profile supporter would give a Democrat candidate?

After that misleading headline, Todd cynically starts his post with the following:

One of the fun parts of being the host network of the debate is finding out first who the campaigns are lining up to spin for them post-debate.

I see. So no candidate’s supporter could ever come on to offer post debate commentary without it being “spin”? No one could possibly be honestly supporting their candidate? Is that how Chuck Todd sees the situation?
Continue reading “MSNBC: Calling Fred Thompson Support ‘Spin’”

Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Family - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Dating Violence/Abuse Hypocrisy

October 9, 2007 by 1 Comment

Richard L. Davis

Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors.
Thomas H. Huxley

October is domestic violence awareness month. Studies document the dangers presented in dating/domestic violence/abuse physical assaults that occur in our secondary schools and college campuses. It is generally agreed that this behavior often continues into adulthood.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control define dating violence as the physical, sexual, psychological or emotional violence within a dating relationship. The National Domestic Violence Hot Line (NDVH) defines abuse as a pattern of coercive control that one person exercises over another.

Dating violence/abuse studies consistently document that males and females equally abuse and/or physically assault each other. Despite these empirical studies, many advocates continue to dismiss the dangers of female initiation, claiming that most studies do not consider the “meaning, context, or consequences” of female assaultive behavior (O’Keefe, 2005).

Hypocritically, dating/domestic violence/abuse organizations and many research journals publish the ubiquitous “1 in 5 female high school victimization” data while ignoring male victimization. This “1 in 5 fact” was first published in Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls Linked with Teen Pregnancy, Suicide Attempts, and Other Health Risk Behaviors, and was gleaned from the 1997-1999 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MYRBS).
Continue reading “Dating Violence/Abuse Hypocrisy”

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

Thompson Against The So-Called ‘Fairness Doctrine’

October 8, 2007 by

Fairness Doctrine Makes No Sense in Today’s World

[NOTE: This news about Democrats trampling on the First Amendment for political purposes ties into Fred’s latest commentary. The American Spectator reports this chilling news:]

Rep. Henry Waxman has asked his investigative staff to begin compiling reports on Limbaugh, and fellow radio hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin based on transcripts from their shows, and to call in Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin to discuss the so-called “Fairness Doctrine.”

“Limbaugh isn’t the only one who needs to be made uncomfortable about what he says on the radio,” says a House leadership source. “We don’t have as big a megaphone as these guys, but this all political, and we’ll do what we can to gain the advantage. If we can take them off their game for a while, it will help our folks out there on the campaign trail.”

Whether it’s the situation in Iraq, talking about the economy, or the culture, conservatives and like-minded people are putting up a fight on TV, radio and alternative forms of media, and challenging what Democrats and some in the mainstream media would like to set as conventional wisdom. So – big surprise – Democrats are crying foul and are literally trying to change the rules. The latest example of this is Democrat attempts to pull the Fairness Doctrine out of the dustbin of history.

The Fairness Doctrine is an artifact from the days when there were only a handful of television channels and radio stations on our dials. Then, there might have been something to the fear that somebody might get control of all the media outlets in an area — so equal time rules were put in place.

As television and radio stations increased, it became clear that the rule was a bust. Instead of protecting free speech, it imposed costs on broadcasters that killed political discussion entirely. Why run the risk of dealing with anything controversial and having the regulators and the lawyers come down on you? Instead of talking about issues, news directors used stopwatches to measure candidates’ airtime.
Continue reading “Thompson Against The So-Called ‘Fairness Doctrine’”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Education - News - Society/Culture - The Law - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Bill Gives Gov’t Employees Free Education

October 8, 2007 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

That headline reads right, sad to say. A new bill that has already passed both houses of Congress and is headed for Bush’s desk forgives the student loans of Federal employees of 10 years service. H.R.2669 gives already undeserving public employees yet another wonderful benefit that is denied to the average, working American.

Thanks to the brilliant idea of a Democrat from California who thought it would be a good idea to excuse the school loans of Federal employees, we can now plan on our bloated, useless government getting even larger with this bill that is sure to act as a bug zapper in the night to freeloaders everywhere. So much for the concept of a small Federal government like our Founding Fathers wanted and so much for the rugged, self-reliance of traditional American values.

Sound absurd? Well, it is, but Representative George Miller feels differently. It’s his idea that we need to give even more benefits to public employees that already enjoy the best benefits of any job market in the country. After all, since they are represented by an overly empowered and seemingly unconstitutional union they cannot be fired, so how much better can life get for them? No matter how incompetent or lazy a government worker is, they have jobs for life, great pensions, great insurance — now they even get a free education?

Where is the line to stand in to receive this kind of largess? How does an average fella find this sort of life free of the expectations of performance and hard work? I guess we just show up at the office of our local Representative and beg for a permanent, work-free, government job?
Continue reading “Bill Gives Gov’t Employees Free Education”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - David Heleniak - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - Society/Culture - The Law - Uncategorized

Nifong and HRES 590

October 8, 2007 by

-By David Heleniak

The Nifonging of the three lacrosse players from Duke University did not rise out of a vacuum. Rather, it was the product of two systemic problems in America, the tendency amongst many prosecutors and judges to replace the concern for justice with the concern for self-promotion and career advancement, and, in cases of certain politically charged crimes, anti-male bias.
Illustrative of the bias, on September 25, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on domestic violence, HRES 590, that stereotypes men as wife-beaters. A thorough analysis of the resolution by RADAR (Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting) found that 18 of its 23 statements are either misleading or simply wrong (http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/RADARanalysis-HRES590.pdf). Two in particular unfairly smear fathers:

  • “Whereas 40 to 60 percent of men who abuse women also abuse children.”
  • “Whereas according to one study, during court ordered visitation, five percent of abusive fathers threaten to kill their spouses, 34 percent of abusive fathers threaten to kidnap their children, and 25 percent of abusive fathers threaten to physically hurt their children.”

With the passage of HRES 590, savvy prosecutors and judges will clearly perceive the political winds as blowing against men, as they have been for some time.
Continue reading “Nifong and HRES 590”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - History - Media Bias - President - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Bill Clinton and Al Gore’s ‘Phony Soldiers’ — Wrapping up an Issue

October 7, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

To wrap up this “phony soldier” row, we explore the phony soldiers that the Democrats have supported of the years.

Talker Rush Limbaugh is under fire for being falsely accused of saying that any U.S. soldier who comes out against the war is a “phony soldier.” He did not, of course, say such a thing. Rush was actually talking about a man named Jesse Macbeth who was touted by anti-war activists as a soldier who came out against the war, but it turned out later that Macbeth never served in the military at all.

Still, despite that Rush is utterly innocent of these scurrilous charges, members of the Democrat Party and assorted extreme leftists like Media Matters, a far left opinion group focused on the media, have used the “phony soldiers” line as a rallying cry against the right. These far left advocacy groups are desperately trying to lead people to imagine that conservatives, Republicans and war supporters are disingenuous with their support for the troops. These far left groups are at the same time trying to say that it is they, rather than the right, who really respects the troops and they who would never support “phony soldiers.”

But, a quick look back in history reveals quite the opposite. In fact, three cases of Democrats linked to phony soldiers are instructive of how Democrats feel about the military.

In 1997 a body was quietly removed from its grave in Arlington Cemetery, the nation’s military burial grounds. It was the body of M. Larry Lawrence, a long time campaign donor to president Bill Clinton. Lawrence was such a big donor, in fact, that Clinton rewarded him with the Ambassadorship to Switzerland as a payoff for his generosity.

But, there was a dark secret in M. Larry Lawrence’s past. He lied about being a Merchant Marine in World War II. It wasn’t just a white lie, either, for M. Larry Lawrence parlayed his lie into many sorts of honors during his lifetime. He even cajoled the Russian Federation into bestowing a medal upon him for his “heroism” under fire — a heroism that never occurred.
Continue reading “Bill Clinton and Al Gore’s ‘Phony Soldiers’ — Wrapping up an Issue”

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

From 2000: Al Gore’s uncle a ‘phony WWI soldier’?

October 7, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

And yet another flashback of a phony Democrat soldier. Here is World Net Daily’s exploration of the lie Al Gore told about his “gassed Uncle in WWI” during his doomed run for president in 2000… turns out Gore didn’t HAVE any family that served in WWI.

Oct. 6, 2000: When Vice President Al Gore claimed, during the first presidential debate of the 2000 campaign, his uncle had been gassed in World War I while serving in Bosnia, skeptical fact checkers went to work – and they, like the campaign itself, came up empty.

“And when the conflict came up in Bosnia,” said Gore, “I saw a genocide in the heart of Europe, with the most violent war on the continent of Europe since World War II. Look, that’s where World War I started, in the Balkans. My uncle was a victim of poison gas there. Millions of Americans saw the results of that conflict.”

World War I started in the Balkans, true. Millions of Americans saw the results of that conflict, true. But if anyone was gassed in the Balkans, it wasn’t any of our American troops, who served in Western Europe, and it certainly wasn’t Al Gore’s uncle. An exhaustive records search raised doubts he even served in the military during the “Great War.”

The National Archives had no record of Gore’s uncle in the service and the best the campaign could do was provide a 1959 newspaper obituary saying he had been gassed as a soldier in France, information most likely provided by the family.

Mr. Gore, it’s Mr. Limbaugh on line 1 …

Here is a longer treatment of the Gore lie by Charles C. Thompson and Tony Hays from Oct. 6th, 2000.

Here’s the key graph:

According to an Associated Press report, the uncle Gore referred to in the debate was his late uncle, Reginald. After the debate, the Gore campaign contacted the National Archives seeking any World War I records to support Gore’s assertion. Apparently it came up empty-handed in the quest for confirmation from official sources, since, as the Associated Press story reports, the campaign fell back on the uncle’s 1959 newspaper obituary. It said he had been treated for illness caused by being gassed as a soldier in France (not in the Balkans). Newspaper obituaries are typically based on information provided by the family, with no effort made by the newspaper to verify its accuracy.

Yeah, tis a veritable cornucopia of phony soldiers on the Democrat side of the aisle.

I wonder if these stories will be reiterated by the MSM during this current flap?
Continue reading “From 2000: Al Gore’s uncle a ‘phony WWI soldier’?”

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

Clinton’s Phony WWII ‘Hero’ –Dem. Campaign Donor, Ambassador, Phony Soldier

October 7, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Ina little blast from Clinton’s past it’s an avalanche of Democrats and their supporters who are turning out to be liars about their military service, lately. We are reminded of the late M. Larry Lawrence, a long time Bill Clinton donor who was such a heavy contributor that Clinton paid him off with the ambassadorship to Switzerland (1993 to 1996). Even The New York Times can’t hide this one because since his false service had been confirmed, in 1997 his body had been removed from Arlington Cemetery, an honor that Clinton had strings pulled to bestow upon him after his passing from cancer in 1996 — an Arlington burial being just another payoff for his huge donations to Clinton’s campaign fund.

“Confronted with mounting evidence that M. Larry Lawrence, the late Ambassador to Switzerland, had fabricated a heroic World War II record, his widow decided today to have his remains exhumed from Arlington National Cemetery, where he was granted burial under an unusual waiver.”

So what was the story? How was his military service a sham?
Continue reading “Clinton’s Phony WWII ‘Hero’ –Dem. Campaign Donor, Ambassador, Phony Soldier”

00Publius Contributor - Elections - Media Bias - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Candidates try to keep ‘em laughing

October 7, 2007 by

-By Michael M. Bates

Next year’s presidential race may be characterized as the campaign of the cackle. You know what I’m talking about: that staged, shrill, joyless hoot emitted by Mrs. Clinton.

Last month, she hit the Sunday morning talk show circuit. Appearing on five major programs gave her a chance to display her newly acquired funny bone.

She erupted in laughter numerous times. Whether the question concerned what another candidate said, or why she and her husband are hyper partisan, or about critics deeming her health care plan socialized medicine, Hillary guffawed like a banshee. Describing the mirth as contrived is charitable.

Maybe she wants voters to see a softer side and forget what a battle ax she’s truly been. Last month she told The Politico’s Roger Simon: “One of the most common things people say to me is, ‘You know, you are not at all like I thought you would be!’ Clinton said and then laughed uproariously.”

Hilarious Hillary isn’t the only presidential candidate trying to use humor. So far, the results are mixed.
Continue reading “Candidates try to keep ‘em laughing”

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

Replacement Sought for Ineffective Union Investigator

October 6, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here’s the situation: In 2005 the NY Carpenter’s Union was able to convince a weak Federal judge to get rid of a union investigator that was… well, doing too much investigating. Not only that, but the union was able to convince this nitwit of a judge to replace the good investigator with their own hand-picked guy who would… well, not do ANY investigating.

Turns out that now, two years later, Federal prosecutors are finally seeking to get the union stooge out of his office and out of their way so that they can again get someone who will actually do some investigating of union corruption.

Imagine, a union investigator who will actually investigate a union? A novel concept, indeed. Well, novel as far as the union is concerned, anyway.
Continue reading “Replacement Sought for Ineffective Union Investigator”

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

Atlantic City Mayor, Phony Soldier, Under Investigation… but a Democrat?

October 6, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Imagine this scenario: A Republican Mayor of a famous city lies about his service in Vietnam and is caught at it but before that revelation comes to light he was already in trouble as he was about to be recalled by the citizenry for commonly being absent at city council meetings. What’s more he also presides over a city council that has several members under investigation for sexual misconduct, drunk driving and at least one recent council member who is in jail serving a conviction for bribery. Imagine how the MSM would howl over the Republican “culture of corruption?” And yet, this scenario that I describe actually exists with but one small alteration in the particulars. The mayor in question actually exists. His city council is as corrupt as I describe. Only the mayor is a Democrat instead of a Republican… not that the MSM seems to have noticed.

Once again, the AP seems to have forgotten to mention the party affiliation of a wretchedly corrupt Democrat who is under fire for his perfidy.

Yet, with all the fire Rush Limbaugh — a radio guy with no legislative power — is under for not saying that soldiers that come out against the war are “phony soldiers,” a New Jersey Democrat — a man who has the reins of power under his control and who really IS a phony soldier — is forgotten by the wild-eyed media elites.

It seems that, while Mayor Robert Levy, (Democrat – New Jersey) was a decorated U.S. soldier from the Vietnam era, he felt the odd need to embellish his military service by falsely claiming that he was a member of the Green Berets during his tour of duty.

But that is the least of his worries. He is also under scrutiny for being very close with a convicted and jailed former councilman as well as for his spotty attendance record at city council meetings. And, now he seems to have driven off and disappeared. No one has a clue where he went.
Continue reading “Atlantic City Mayor, Phony Soldier, Under Investigation… but a Democrat?”

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

Doctor Shortage, the Next Pandemic

October 6, 2007 by

-By Nancy Salvato

According to the AMA, in many communities around the United States, there is a physician shortage, which presents a serious health care problem. For a host of reasons, more than twenty million people are affected by the inability to access quality medical services. While the premise of a popular television show, “Northern Exposure,” alluded to this very predicament some time ago, most viewers were likelier caught up in the relationships between the quirky inhabitants of Cicely, Alaska instead of pondering the very real implications for those without access to a qualified doctor.1

Similar to the circumstances in which the main character, Dr. Joel Fleischman, upon graduating from Columbia University medical school (which he attended on a scholarship from the state of Alaska), finds himself assigned to be the General Practitioner of a tiny Alaskan town in order to pay for his education, “medical schools have adopted a selective medical school admission policy to enhance a primary care choice in underserved communities.”2 The reality, though, is that while some students eventually practice in underserved communities, others do not.

Limited access to medical care is not always because doctors are unavailable. When ill, people who live in urban areas are sometimes unable to travel on a crowded bus or take other forms of mass transit in order to receive medical care.3
Continue reading “Doctor Shortage, the Next Pandemic”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Selwyn Duke - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Banning Boyhood

October 6, 2007 by

-By Selwyn Duke

Huck Finn must be spinning in his literary grave. Just recently a Colorado Springs, Co., elementary school banned tag during recess, joining other schools that have prohibited this childhood pastime. Upon hearing this, I thought about the movement to ban cops and robbers, musical chairs, steal the bacon, and the kill-joys’ most frequent target and this writer’s favorite childhood school game, dodge ball. Then there’s the more inane still, such as the decision by the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association to prohibit keeping score in kids’ tournament play.

There are many ways to describe this trend. One might say it’s a result of the left’s antipathy toward competition, the increasing litigiousness of the day, or the inordinate concern with self-esteem and hurt feelings. Then, if I am to speak only of my feelings, the word stupid comes to mind. Really, though, regardless of whether the motivations are good or ill or the reasoning sound or not, at the end of the day I find a conclusion inescapable. Slowly, incrementally, perversely, boyhood is being banned.

Make no mistake, the aforementioned examples are not isolated social accidents but part of a pattern. Recently I was talking to a friend who has two young sons, and he mentioned how he bought their toy machine-gun and revolver at a garage sale. He and his wife remarked about how it was the only way to find realistic-looking toy guns nowadays, the kind that were staples of Boydom when I was a lad. Oh, toy guns can still be seen – that is, when they aren’t prohibited by crime-ridden cities or crazy moms – but they don’t resemble anything John Wayne would have wielded. Often misshapen, more and more they come only in colors that, well, men aren’t known for being acquainted with, ones that some would describe as “girly.”
Continue reading “Banning Boyhood”

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

No Mention of Party for So. Dakota Democrat Accused of Sexual Misconduct?

October 5, 2007 by 5 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here we go again with another story where a Democrat is being accused of sexual misconduct, yet the Associated Press doesn’t feel that mentioning the man’s party affiliation is important to the story. In this case, the AP is carrying a story on “State Senator Dan Sutton of Flandreau” (that would be in South Dakota) who is being sued for “allegedly groping a male legislative page.” Sutton is a Democrat — not that you’d be able to tell from this story.

All the AP’s Chet Brokaw gives us to describe Mr. Sutton is “State Senator Dan Sutton of Flandreau.” The story does, however, report in the last line that the S. Dakota Senate “voted to censure Sutton rather than expel him.” This sounds rather more damning for the Senator than a mere allegation by some disgruntled page, doesn’t it? That the State Senate took this unusual action seems to say that there is more than smoke with this but a fire raging.

And still we get no mention of party affiliation from the AP.

Here is the full report:
Continue reading “No Mention of Party for So. Dakota Democrat Accused of Sexual Misconduct?”

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

MSM Still Flogging Jeri Thompson ‘Trophy Wife’ Jab

October 5, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Speaking of a here-we-go-again story, the AP this morning has revived the Jeri Thompson as trophy wife story again. This is an extremely demeaning charge leveled at the wife of Fred Thompson that keeps resurfacing, over and over, in the liberal press. The thrust of the story is that she is a brainless hottie that Thompson only grabbed up because she is great arm candy. But Jeri Thompson is an accomplished and driven individual in her own right and for the MSM to continually claim she is nothing but a “trophy wife” slights her own achievements.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Jeri Thompson, wife of GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson, shakes off the “trophy wife” label critics have tagged her with for being 24 years younger than her husband.

Fred Thompson, for his part, has a great comeback for the constant demeaning of his beautiful wife. “Thompson said: ‘I almost think they had to fabricate that trophy-wife stuff because there’s nothing interesting to say.”’

Jeri Thompson is no bubble-headed bimbo, though. She was a successful media consultant for the Washington DC law firm of Verner Lipfert and also worked for the Republican Senate Conference and the Republican National Committee before marrying Fred Thompson and stepping back from her career to concentrate on raising a family.
Continue reading “MSM Still Flogging Jeri Thompson ‘Trophy Wife’ Jab”

00Publius Contributor - Budget - Education - Nancy Salvato - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Bare Necessities: Hard to Attain for a College Graduate

October 5, 2007 by

-By Nancy Salvato

College Loans: Scenario for Failure
Upon graduating from college, many twenty-somethings reconcile with living under their parents’ roofs until they can find full-time employment, pay for housing, feed, and clothe themselves. For some, there is the additional challenge of paying off college loans. “Student Monitor, a New Jersey research firm that specializes in the college market, puts a graduate’s average student loan debt at $25,760, which will take an estimated 7.9 years to pay off.” (1) Yale University’s Jing Cao has concluded that, “the current system forces college graduates into debt.” (2)

According to the experts, while paying off debt is important, the first priority of these young adults should be to start saving money, especially if they are offered a 401(k) plan at work. (3) Next, credit card debt should be addressed. This is because the interest rate is considerably higher than that of student loans which can be paid off over a longer period of time. (4) These are practical ways to address debt and help young adults become self sufficient. But it shouldn’t have to get to this point. Attaining a post secondary education shouldn’t force college graduates into debt.

Solutions to alleviate student loan debt, such as giving every newborn child a $500 certificate to open a savings account and in which the government matches contributions dollar for dollar to encourage savings for its poorest children, penalize taxpayers whose earnings fund such expenditures. While a well educated citizenry is necessary for a smooth functioning society, a likelier, more equitable way to resolve the problem of student loan debt is to eliminate the large grants and loans which serve to drive up the cost of tuition. Forcing colleges and universities to compete for students by offering a better product at a lower cost allows the free market to function properly. Furthermore, lending institutions should invest in students’ whose field of study is a sound venture. Scholarships should be awarded to students entering fields which are experiencing employee shortages. As it currently stands, college graduates who plan to work in shortage areas can sometimes have their loans discharged. Click Here
Continue reading “Bare Necessities: Hard to Attain for a College Graduate”

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

Thompson Ahead of the Pack on Limbaugh ‘Phoney Soldier’ Row

October 4, 2007 by 5 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

…Or this could be headlined: Hugh Hewitt’s Shameless Apologia For Mitt Romney

Hugh Hewitt, nationally syndicated talker, eminent blogger and author, wrote a book on why Mitt Romney would be the perfect presidential candidate for the GOP nomination for 2008. Yet, he claims not to be in the bag for Romney and claims he is remaining impartial, ready to support any GOP candidate. This impartiality, however, is impossible to square with reality when Hewitt’s every post on his own blog is flogging the Romney candidacy.

Now, I have no problem with Hewitt’s being a cheerleader for his man Mitt. If Hewitt wants Mitt above all others, then he should just say so and quit with the false pretension that he is not sold to the Romney camp. His claims to the contrary are disingenuous, to say the least. But, this contest is just beginning and if Hewitt wants Mitt, then he should go full bore. It is fair and honest of him to do so. (Romney’s the wrong choice, of course, but, hey, we are all entitled to our choices!)

But, yesterday Hewitt went further than just cheerleading and moved into damage control and apologia for his man who was MIA on a currently hot talk-radio/blogosphere issue. Hewitt has moved beyond mere tacit support and should be counted officially as a member of Romney’s campaign team at this point.

Many times, Hewitt has claimed that Romney is uniquely tuned in to the new media, but the fact that Hewitt had to come to Romney’s rescue on this issue reveals that Romney’s campaign is not as plugged into the internet scene, or hot button conservative issues as Hewitt claims that it is.

We are all aware of the controversy over Congressional Democrats who have made up a pack of lies that radio icon Rush Limbaugh said that our troops are “phoney solders.” This issue has been the hot topic on the blogs and talk radio for several days now.

But Romney was MIA on the issue.

Candidate Fred Thompson, on the other hand, had a statement out right away on the issue. On his website Fred08.com, Thompson personally wrote the following:
Continue reading “Thompson Ahead of the Pack on Limbaugh ‘Phoney Soldier’ Row”

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

The Hill: GOP Protecting Talk Radio ‘Profits’?

October 4, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Rush Limbaugh has done it again. He’s driven the left mad. The lies about Limbaugh that Democrat Party House members are promulgating have rekindled talk of the dreaded Fairness Doctrine. And in a piece on the brewing battle between the anti-free speech Democrats and conservative talk radio supporters in the House of Representatives, the Washington newspaper The Hill continually mischaracterizes the debate at hand, trying to make it seem that talk radio supporters are only out to guard radio station’s “profits” when the issue is clearly being fought over free speech, not money. Why would The Hill try to dismiss the conservative position as just about the cash? Why would The Hill so slight the real issue of free speech and government oppression? Of course, the most probable reason is that writer Alexander Bolton’s agenda is to discredit the drive to protect talk radio as much as he can without being too obvious about it. Bolton’s former employer was the lefty journal, The Nation magazine, so we must understand the ideological position from which he hails. But his jabs at talk radio supporters is more heavy handed than he imagines and not nearly as subtle and slick as he thinks it to be.

Take this first paragraph:

House Republicans are threatening to launch a discharge petition on legislation that would ensure the future prosperity of conservative radio talk-show hosts but is expected to face opposition from Democratic leaders. On Monday evening, Republicans filed a rule with the House Rules Committee laying the groundwork for a petition that would force action on protecting radio from government regulation later this fall.

The Republicans are the threatening ones? Here we have a Democrat Party leveling out right lies about what Rush Limbaugh said, but to writer Bolton the Republicans are the “threatening” ones!

And notice his focus? He says, “House Republicans are threatening to launch a discharge petition on legislation that would ensure the future prosperity of conservative radio talk-show hosts.” (my bold for emphasis)

No, Mr. Bolton. The aim is not to protect “prosperity” but to protect freedom of political speech. This is the most premier reason why we HAVE a 1st Amendment right to free speech in the first place. It was political speech the Founders sought to protect above all else. So, no, Mr. Bolton, this is not about money but about one of our most fundamental rights.

Bolton did not use the word “prosperity” in his first paragraph by accident, either. He furthers this theme several times in his slanted piece. Here is what he writes a few paragraphs later:
Continue reading “The Hill: GOP Protecting Talk Radio ‘Profits’?”