Getting To Know Sarah Palin

I think that perhaps the best way to start getting to know Sarah Palin is through her own words.

Bellow is a transcript of what Gov. Palin said while accepting John McCain's offer to be his running mate:

Governor Sarah Palin: "And I thank you, Senator McCain and Mrs. McCain, for the confidence that you have placed in me. Senator, I am honored to be chosen as your running mate. I will be honored to serve next to the next president of the United States.

"I know that when Senator McCain gave me this opportunity, he had a short list of highly qualified men and women, and to have made that list at all -- it was a privilege. And to have been chosen brings a great challenge. I know that it will demand the best that I have to give, and I promise nothing less.

"First, there are a few people whom I would like you to meet. I want to start with my husband, Todd. And Todd and I are actually celebrating our 20th anniversary today, and I promised him a little surprise for the anniversary present, and hopefully he knows that I did deliver.

"And then we have as -- after my husband, who is a lifelong commercial fisherman, lifetime Alaskan -- he's a production operator. Todd is a production operator in the oil fields up on Alaska's North Slope, and he's a proud member of the United Steelworkers Union, and he's a world champion snow machine racer. Todd and I met way back in high school, and I can tell you that he is still the man that I admire most in this world.

"Along the way, Todd and I have shared many blessings, and four out of five of them are here with us today. Our oldest son, Track, though, he'll be following the presidential campaign from afar. On September 11th of last year, our son enlisted in the United States Army. Track now serves in an infantry brigade. And on September 11th, Track will deploy to Iraq in the service of his country. And Todd and I are so proud of him and of all the fine men and women serving the country in uniform.

"Next to Todd is our daughter Bristol; another daughter, Willow; our youngest daughter, Piper; and over in their arms is our son Trig, a beautiful baby boy. He was born just in April. His name is Trig Paxson Van Palin.

"Some of life's greatest opportunities come unexpectedly, and this is certainly the case today. I never really set out to be involved in public affairs, much less to run for this office. My mom and dad both worked at the local elementary school. And my husband and I, we both grew up working with our hands.

"I was just your average 'hockey mom' in Alaska. We were busy raising our kids. I was serving as the team mom and coaching some basketball on the side. I got involved in the PTA and then was elected to the city council and then elected mayor of my hometown, where my agenda was to stop wasteful spending and cut property taxes and put the people first.

"I was then appointed ethics commissioner and chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and when I found corruption there, I fought it hard and I held the offenders to account. Along with fellow reformers in the great state of Alaska, as governor, I've stood up to the old politics as usual, to the special interests, to the lobbyists, the Big Oil companies and the 'good old boy' network.

"When oil and gas prices went up so dramatically and the state revenues followed with that increase, I sent a large share of that revenue directly back to the people of Alaska -- and we are now -- we're now embarking on a $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.

"I signed major ethics reforms, and I appointed both Democrats and independents to serve in my administration. And I've championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress thanks, but no thanks, on that "Bridge to Nowhere." If our state wanted a bridge, I said, we'd build it ourselves.

"Well, it's always, though, safer in politics to avoid risk, to just kind of go along with the status quo. But I didn't get into government to do the safe and easy things. A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why the ship is built. Politics isn't just a game of competing interests and clashing parties. The people of America expect us to seek public office and to serve for the right reasons. And the right reason is to challenge the status quo and to serve the common good.

"Now, no one expects us to agree on everything, whether in Juneau or in Washington. But we are expected to govern with integrity and good will and clear convictions and a servant's heart.

"Now, no leader in America has shown these qualities so clearly or presents so clear a threat to business as usual in Washington as Senator John S. McCain. This -- this is a moment when principles and political independence matter a lot more than just the party line. And this is a man who has always been there to serve his country, not just his party.

"And this is a moment that requires resolve and toughness and strength of heart in the American president. And my running mate is a man who has shown those qualities in the darkest of places and in the service of his country. A colleague once said about Senator McCain: That man did things for this country that few people could go through; never forget that. And that speaker was former Senator John Glenn of Ohio. And John Glenn knows something about heroism.

"And I'm going to make sure nobody does forget that in his campaign. There is only one candidate who has truly fought for America, and that man is John McCain.

"This is a moment -- this is a moment when great causes can be won and great threats overcome, depending on the judgment of our next president. In a dangerous world, it is John McCain who will lead America's friends and allies in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

"It was John McCain who cautioned long ago about the harm that Russian aggression could do to Georgia and to other small Democratic neighbors and to the world oil markets.

"It was Senator McCain who refused to hedge his support for our troops in Iraq, regardless of the political costs. And you know what? As the mother of one of those troops and as the commander of Alaska's National Guard, that's the kind of man I want as our commander in chief.

"Profiles in courage, they can be hard to come by these days. You know, so often we just find them in books. But next week when we nominate John McCain for president, we're putting one on the ballot!

"To serve as vice president beside such a man would be the privilege of a lifetime, and it's fitting that this trust has been given to me 88 years almost to the day after the women of America first gained the right to vote.

"I think as well today of two other women who came before me in national elections. I can't begin this great effort without honoring the achievements of Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, and, of course, Senator Hillary Clinton, who showed such determination and grace in her presidential campaign.

"It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.

"So for my part, the mission is clear. The next 67 days I'm going to take our campaign to every part of our country and our message of reform to every voter of every background, in every political party, or no party at all. If you want change in Washington, if you hope for a better America, then we're asking for your vote on the 4th of November.

"My fellow Americans, come join our cause. Join our cause and help our country to elect a great man the next president of the United States. And I thank you, and I -- God bless you, I say, and God bless America. Thank you."

Just Gotta Spin It Huh?

I heard a news anchor this morning make the statement that John McCain had announced his Vice Presidential choice to steal some of the media spotlight away from his opponent. Now, I know that she is not anywhere near the only anchor or reporter or other variety of talking head to say something like that, but that doesn't make it true.

The reason that John McCain announced his VP choice yesterday is because the Republican National Convention is next week, which makes this the proper time for him to both make a choice and to announce it. The reason that this "steals" some of the attention from the Democrats is because the dems pushed their own convention back by two weeks so that they wouldn't have to compete with the Olympics for News coverage. In effect, the Democrats handed McCain an opportunity to trump some of "their" news cycle. You can hardly blame McCain for going ahead with it.

Further, a lot of people on the news want to talk about this choice, and tell us if it was a good selection or not. Yeah, that's what I'm looking for, a bunch of liberals to find a way to spin this as a bad thing. The truth of the matter is that there were a lot of Conservative Republicans, like myself, who were not planning to vote for John McCain, for a great many reasons. With the single act of selecting Gov. Sarah Palin, he has changed all that. You can check a large number of Conservative sites all over the Internet, and you will find that all of those (read: us) disenfranchised voters are now absolutely electrified. McCain couldn't have made a better choice.

Martin Sieff of Human Events wrote this: "Sen. John McCain has gone crazy as a fox in picking Sarah Palin, bold as a lioness, for his vice presidential running mate.

The move was brave and brilliant, and it puts McCain right back in contention just when Barack Obama thought he was poised to open up a wide and perhaps insurmountable lead. Instead he and his team will be reeling from the straight right McCain has just landed on his forehead."

They also like to say that she has no foreign policy experience, but they seem to not understand that Alaska is a state that has involvement in foreign affairs, after all, it's not even connected to the Continental United States. Besides that, she has been a Governor for nearly 2 years, and has had some great accomplishments in that time. I will be saying a lot more in the coming days about what a great choice Gov. Palin is, and why.

Again, good job John McCain!

McCain Finally Does The Right Thing!

John McCain announced today that he had selected Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate.

I know that I have hit McCain pretty hard in the past, and he has deserved it, but today, he has finally done something that I am totally thrilled with.

In Sarah Palin, we have a real Conservative, a mother of five who is totally pro-life, wants to do what is right.

When I say that she is Conservative, I'm talking about someone who believes in Liberty and respects American heritage, and believes in dealing with reality and doing what really works.

I still feel that I can't vote for John McCain, but I do think that I can ignore him and cast my vote based on Sarah Palin.

Furthermore, in case you couldn't tell, I'm not one of those guys that can't vote for a woman for President or Vice President. I think she is an awesome choice, and I am excited that McCain has done the right thing, and shown Conservatives that he does want our vote after all. And he's going to get mine... or, more accurately, Sarah Palin is.

Values and Voting

Values and Voting
Gregory Koukl

What isn't fair or reasonable is when any group has to fight just to be heard or are condemned or ridiculed not for their point of view but for giving their point of view, regardless of how unpopular it may be, or how stridently it may be argued.

Yesterday I had a conversation with a reporter from The Daily Breeze . Apparently there's a Christian group that's been polling local candidates to determine their specific views on issues to help those with Christian values to cast their votes intelligently.

A candidate for a medically related post--some type of hospital administration job--had received one of the polls and was incensed at the pointed questions he was asked about abortion which made up most of the poll. He remarked to the reporter that this was another example of those fundamentalists rearing their ugly heads and trying to force their views on other people.

I'll tell you what I told the reporter (and a bit more) for two reasons. First, it might help you ask the kind of questions that will help you choose a candidate that represents what you believe is true and right and good in the area of political action. Second, it will help you explain why the questions you ask as a Christian are appropriate questions to ask of a person running for public office.

Two general comments to begin with. First, you don't marginalize a significant block of voters simply because you don't like what they have to say. It seems to me that in a truly pluralistic society every group should get a hearing who wants to be heard instead of being summarily dismissed. We wouldn't say, "Oh, that's those Mexicans making trouble again," or "Those old people are making demands," or "That Board of Realtors is forcing their views on us." Or "those blacks," or "those homosexuals," or "those unions," or "those fundamentalists."

The fact is that each is a legitimate voice among the constituency. It doesn't mean that we adopt every suggestion or give in to every special interest group. But it certainly seems appropriate for them to be able to ask questions, get informed, and make their point through a public appeal.

Second, the charge that Christians are trying to force their views on others is simply unfair. They're trying to make their case in the public square and then are willing to put it to a vote. No force, no imposition, just advocacy for a point of view and voting. Everybody has an equal shot. That's fair, that's reasonable. What isn't fair or reasonable is when any group has to fight just to be heard or are condemned or ridiculed not for their point of view but for giving their point of view, regardless of how unpopular it may be, or how stridently it may be argued. Christians just want to be players in the discussion. Why do others want to censor that contribution?

That's why I get frustrated when any candidate listens to the Christian segment who asks valid questions that relate to their point of view and their particular interests and then he starts screaming that they're an extremist group trying to impose its views.

First of all, I don't know anything in about this Christian fact-finding group. I do know some people in my church that have some association with it, but I'm sure there are Christians from churches all over South Bay that do as well. But let me offer a justification of the specific questions the pollsters asked.

There are a lot of different special interest groups in this state and this city, in this particular jurisdiction. Those groups want to know about different political appointments or positions as they relate to their individual interests.

Christians characteristically are very concerned with human rights issues, which include the rights of the unborn child. The concept of human rights is a very broad based concept and it affects a number of different things. So a person's attitude towards the rights of an unborn child may also influence his attitude towards the rights of other people like children with congenital defects or elderly people with terminal illness. These are timely concerns, especially in light of initiative 161 which will give a doctor the legal right to kill his or her patient if the patient consents. In addition, the abortion issue is not a peripheral issue in general this year; it's one of the hottest issues going, and I'm stunned that any politician would not be expected to be clear about his point of view, especially one for a hospital board. Even so, abortion has been a serious concern for Christians in any election.

Next, if I'm looking at a candidate as a Christian person who is concerned about human rights, I don't just want to know a candidate's fiscal policy, I want to understand some of the underlying values that motivate those fiscal views because those values will also determine other kinds of decisions that candidate will make if elected. And one of the most critical underlying values is what a person thinks about the nature and value of human life. The questions are good ones, they're fair ones, they're vital ones.

Here's another thing that's very important. Candidates are very reluctant to talk about their values but values are what determines what their decisions will be on a variety of issues. If you know a candidates values, you know the candidate. If you know that he is for fiscal conservatism or he is pro-family or he is against crime, you know nothing because everybody is those things. The question is "What are the values that will cause them to make individual decisions about how those specific convictions express themselves in policy and specific programs?"

The family question is the one that's really up in the air. Everybody is pro-family but what is family? Your values determine how you define that word. Some say that a family is just about anything, and so "family" is nothing in particular anymore. The debate becomes very confusing if you don't understand the underlying values and convictions about the specifics.

I think they're legitimate questions and I think the fact that a candidate is uneasy about answering them shows the reluctance of politicians to make their values public because values are what tie people down to particular positions. Those are the most important kinds of questions that can be asked of a candidate, in my view. This is what the press is trying to get at when they probe with questions. They're trying to get the underlying values. Is Bill Clinton reliable, trustworthy? Does Bush mean what he says? The probing is to get at the real person underneath. And that's what these polls attempt to do. There should be no fear in making deeper convictions public unless the convictions are discreditable. In any case, voters, even Christian voters, have a right to know.

At least that's the way I see it.

This is a transcript of a commentary from the radio show "Stand to Reason," with Gregory Koukl. It is made available to you at no charge through the faithful giving of those who support Stand to Reason. Reproduction permitted for non-commercial use only. ©1992 Gregory Koukl
For more information, contact Stand to Reason at 1438 East 33rd St., Signal Hill, CA 90755 (800) 2-REASON (562) 595-7333 www.str.org

Plugs, We Wish We'd Never Known Thee

I wish I could say I'd come up with the nickname "Plugs" for Senator Joe Biden, but that honor goes to Mark Levin. Anyway, I think all bald or balding men, should be deeply offended that this loser thinks he's too good for hair loss, and thus had to have some hair from his unmentionable regions stuck into his scalp, but I'll leave the obvious implication of that alone.

Plugs was a great Democratic VP choice... from McCain's perspective. So the Democrats have put up the most liberal, least experienced Senator in the US Senate, and he has chosen the dumbest Senator in the US Senate to stand beside him. It's quite remarkable really.

This was a really bad choice on so many levels. Obama wants to run on the idea that old time politics isn't going to work anymore, so he picks, as his running mate, someone who has been in that system, which he says has failed, for over thirty years. Obama doesn't want people to think that he's not experienced enough to be President, of course he's not, and I don't just mean political experience, he also doesn't have any qualifying life experience, and he picks someone who has been in the Senate for over thirty years, and whose "experience" they are going to push hard, don't they realize that this is going to serve only to serve as stark contrast, and remind everyone that Obama has no experience of his own?

Where it is not a contrast, however, is another discrepancy. Obama talks about representing everyone, and wants to push diversity, and yet he, the number one most liberal Senator, has selected the number three most liberal Senator. I really feel included, don't you?

There was never a time when it was appropriate for the Obama camp to make McCains age an issue, but they have been doing so, and by selecting Plugs they have taken that option away from themselves.

And was it really best for Plugs to start the whole thing off with a lie? Remember the "I'm not the guy," declaration?

Of course, just because Obama made a horrendous choice for his campaign (Obama himself is already a horrendous choice for America) doesn't mean that McCain will do any better. They have been talking a lot about the options that he is supposed to be considering, and frankly, most of them I wouldn't give a passing grade to either. I guess I'll have to wait and see on that front.

Getting Home

There was some drama in Beijing yesterday as our Olympic team tried to leave for home. It seems that they had so many medals that the plane couldn't get off the ground, leaving some question as to how they were going to get home.

Again the solution fell to an American company, as Wal-Mart contracted to bring the team home on one of their freighters. The retail giant is charging a shipping fee of only $1 Million for this service. They had been planning to charge $2 Million, but Barack Obama started talking about hitting them with a Windfall Profits Tax and they promptly cut the fee in half.

Initially there was some concern about the length of the trip, but these fears were quickly allayed when Michael Phelps and the other American Swimmers agreed to use ropes to pull the boat, cutting the time required for the trip by half.

There is still some concern from Wal-Mart due to the fact that there is, on this boat, a large shipment of tea, and there is possibility that the Water Polo team may decide to re-enact the Boston Tea party when the ship reaches port. They are, after all, odd little ducks, otherwise, why would they play Water Polo?

Is The Magic Gone?

Have you noticed how the Magic of the Olympics tends to fall off as the games linger on?

Now, I love the Olympics, but I can't help but notice that at the beginning there is so much good stuff going on that I find myself wanting to watch it all. Everything seems to be worth watching, at least on the main NBC channel, after all they were showing Handball on MSNBC, but I digress. As the game continue however, I find myself more and more asking myself, "This is an Olympic Sport?"

I don't say this to disparage, it's just a thought.

On Their Own

With the Tropical Storm going through here over the course of the past couple of days, there has been a lot of news coverage about the wind and rain and damage and danger and all of these things, but there is something that keeps catching my attention. The Reporters that are out and about bringing us those great picture of themselves getting blown around and pelted by rain and sand, keep showing us shots of people playing the Ocean and surfing and such. Then they talk about how this is a really bad idea because if something happens to you, you'll be putting rescuers at risk just trying to get to you, and then in the rescue if they are able to get to you.

It's good that the reporters are trying to remind people both of how stupid, and how selfish they are being, but I really think that there should be a policy in place that when conditions get to a certain point, and people are out being stupid, they are on their own. I think they should be saying, if you're going to be that stupid, then you are on your own, and that is that. It's not that I'm without compassion, and I'm glad that Emergency Personnel will do as much as they can for as long as they can, but but people who are putting themselves at extreme risk, on purpose, should not be able to expect others to put their own lives on the line to come to the rescue.

I don't expect to be able to change the way things are done, and I understand why Emergency agencies can't put such a policy in place, but still, that's how I feel about it.

"We're So Good!"

I had been thinking about how funny it is the amount of national pride people get from the Olympics. There is something really cool about watching these amazing athletes and seeing that the one that is representing your own country wins the Gold Medal, and it does make you feel good.

The truth though, is that most of the sports that we watch at the Olympics, are not sports that we watch on a regular basis. Honestly, when was the last time you watched a swim meet? Or beach volleyball? Or Rowing? Or Gymnastics? Or a myriad of other Summer Olympic Sports? If you're like me, or the vast majority of other Americans, the answer would be, 4 years ago at the last Olympics. And yet, the games have the power to captivate us, none the less.

Last night, while I was watching some of the Olympic coverage that I have recorded on my DVR, one of our (that is the USA) swimmers, other than Michael Phelps, won a race, and my daughter started dancing around proclaiming, "We're so good!" Over and over again she said it... and she had nothing to do with it! Yet she saw someone from her own Country coming out on top, and was really excited by it.

I'm really not all that into sports on a regular basis, but there is something about the Olympics that I really enjoy.

Going To China

There was a lot of talk leading up the Olympics about President Bush, and should he attend the opening ceremonies in Beijing.

Some argued that because of the horrendous human rights record of the Communist Government of China, that he should protest by not attending the opening. Of course, Bush did go to the ceremony, but should he have done so?

First, I think it's important to remember that it is not the will of the Chinese people that these things be done. In fact, it is the Chinese people who bear the the lion share of the oppressive policies and atrocities of the Government. I think that this kind of recommended protest would have merely annoyed he Government of China, but it would have insulted the people, who are largely good people, and who have no control over the policies of their country. Could this even have created some solidarity of the people with their Government?

Second, I think it's important to remember that most of the people who wanted Bush not to go, wanted to protest the treatment of Tibet, which is a place that China has no business being to begin with. What they fail to mention is that this is nothing new, it has been going on for decades. Hillary Clinton was one of those who said that Bush needed to stay home in protest, but giving no indication that her own husband, Bill Clinton, did nothing about it during his Presidency, and the atrocities were in full swing then.

Personally, I think we owe the support to the Chinese people, since we really haven't done much to help them over all these decades of oppression. Further, I think that what this really boils down to was something to make Bush look bad. Knowing that it would have been ultimately worse for him not to go, and so, if he hadn't they could have pointed fingers at him if anything bad had come of it, and since he did go, they get to point their fingers at him and claim he doesn't care. So, a purely political move, and a disgusting one at that.

What troubles me is that Chuck Colson also was calling for him not to go. I really thought that someone like Colson, whom I respect a lot, would have seen what was really going on, and that boycotting the Olympics, or even just the opening ceremonies, would have accomplished nothing at all.

For better or for worse, China is very important to the future of the world. What happens in there in the next few years, or even a couple of decades, will have enormous repercussions on how world history unfolds. If their hybrid of Communistic Tyrannical rule, and semi-capitalistic economic system proves successful, the effect on the rest of the world will be terrifying. However, with the drastic rise in Christianity that is taking root there, and the infusion of what Western Culture was at is pinnacle, we could see China transform to the new Global center of freedom and liberty. Now wouldn't that be something?

The Olympics Are Back

When I was a kid, I really didn't care about the Olympics at all. I had no interest whatsoever in watching the games, or hearing news of them or anything. But four years ago, when the Summer Olympics were in Athens, something changed. I don't even know what that change was really, but suddenly I started to watch the various events. What's more, I really started to enjoy watching the games.

This year I have found myself really looking forward to the start of the Olympic Games, and they started right off with a bang. The USA took women's Fencing in a clean sweep, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Michael Phelps already has another Gold Medal, and a new World Record for swimming. All this, and the games are just getting started.

Of course, there is also the fact that a family member of the men's indoor volleyball coach was murdered, which is certainly not a good start to the games for him. My heart really goes out to that family. What should have been the wonder of a lifetime will forever be transformed into a nightmare.

I also find myself thinking about the huge House Church movement in China, with millions turning to Christ, and the ranks Chinese Christians growing by leaps and bounds. This is very exciting to me, and I praise God for it. In fact I have been thinking about this a lot, and am sure that I will give this topic it's very own post in the very near future.

Hope everyone enjoys the Olympics this year.

Not A Card Game

There seems to be a lot of debate in the media over what Obama has been saying for the past few weeks, and does it constitute playing the race card.

Let's take a look at what the Democratic Candidate has been saying. First we heard that while he was in Germany he said that he doesn't look like the "other Presidents" (remember, even if he doesn't, that he's not the President) that have given speeches there. Also, many times recently he has told people at rallies and such around the US that the Republicans are going to try to scare people because he "has a funny name" and doesn't "look like all those Presidents on all the dollar bills." At other times he has said "Currency," but regardless, he's said it over and over and over again.

Frankly, there is no possible way that an honest person can look at these statements rationally and come to any conclusion other than that he was talking about race. After all, all the Presidents that appear on Currency are men, they all have heads and eyes and ears and nose and mouth and so on and so forth, leaving race to be the only other thing that he could possibly have meant.

Personally, I don't see this as "Playing the race card," this is, after all, not a card game, this is Presidential politics, and these really are the very scare tactics that he is accusing the Republicans of getting ready to use. Basically, he pointing at all the people who disagree with him on issues and policy, and have ready the Communist Manifesto, and know Marxism when we see it, and saying, "They are all racists, that's the only reason they won't vote for me!" It really should go without saying that those of us who love our Country would never vote for a Marxist, utterly without regard to race, gender, or any other such non-factor.

The fact is that Obama is trying to paint himself as a victim, and draw out something of a sympathy vote, but I don't think it's going to work. I think that honest people, regardless of their political views, are offended by this, and can clearly see that Obama has been treated very well in the media, and certainly does not come out looking like a victim, no matter which way you look at it, except, of course, if you're dishonest.

Of course, this may all be mute, you see, Hillary Clinton is still skulking around out there, and is rumored to be considering making one last play for the Nomination at the Convention later this month. This years DNC could be better than the Olympics!

More On Morons

I have talked a good bit about the current oil prices and such, so, it's really no secret where I stand. I have even said that some people, like Bill O'Reilly, who is usually pretty solid with information, have bought into a lot of the hype on this issue.

That being said, O'Reilly said the other day that he would like to see the oil companies voluntarily give 2% of their net profits to a fund to help poor people pay their heating bills this winter. There some pros and some cons to this proposal, but over all, I think that it would be a good idea for the oil companies, especially from a PR standpoint. Certainly not something that they have to do, but not a bad idea.

That's not my point today though. You see, someone emailed O'Reilly and called him a Socialist for proposing this plan. Of course, it would only be Socialism in if it were mandated, if the Oil Companies chose to do it, it would just be charitable giving. Anyway, the person then went on to say that it's the Governments job to help the poor! I mean, what a Moron! That is the basic definition of Socialism! The Government forcibly taking money away from one person (or industry) to give to someone else is Socialism. A company doing so of it's own free will, regardless of their reasons, is called charitable giving, and that is the way things are supposed to be done.

Am I THAT Boring?

So, the other night at bedtime, I was talking to my wife, and somehow or other something came up that made me mention Calvinism. My wife said, "Ok, I don't know what that is." So I started giving her the basic, brief outline of what Calvinism is. Not too bad so far.

I gave a brief explanation of the Total Depravity of Man, asked if she understood, and she said, yes, she got that one.

I went on to Unconditional Election, asked if she understood, and she said that she also understood that point.

So I went on to the Limited Atonement, and asked if she understood... silence. I asked again... still silence.

I said, "You're asleep aren't you?"

Again, silence.

Can you believe that someone would fall asleep during an explanation of Calvinism? Am I really that boring? Or was she just really that tired?

Just As I Said

I have said in the past that Universal Health Care Plan (read Socialized Medicine) is really not about bringing quality health care to everyone, but really about population control, and I was right. The proof is in a story in the Register-Guard newspaper of Eugene, Oregon.

You see, Oregon has already instituted their own Socialist Medicine program, for the supposed purpose of making sure that citizens can get quality treatment when they have medical needs. A woman, Barbara Wagner, according to the story, had a recurrence of Lung Cancer after two years. Her doctor prescribed a new Cancer drug (not experimental or anything, just new) that has had very good success in extending life and improving quality of life in these cases. This was great, she had some hope at least.

Now, enter the Oregon State Health Plan, they notified her that the drug was not covered by the plan, and advised her to consider covered treatments, such as Palliative care (that is care to make the symptoms not seem so bad, while doing nothing to improve health or combat the Cancer itself) or Comfort care, or possibly Doctor Assisted Suicide! They basically told this poor woman that they would not pay for a real treatment, that is to say, real care as requested by her Doctor, but they would be more than happy to kill her!

The story doesn't end there though, Thank God. You've heard all about those evil drug companies? You know, the ones that we're always told make so much money, and don't really care about people or do anything to help people? Well, after Wagner appealed to them, the agreed to give her the drug for free for one year, at which time she can re-apply.

If this doesn't prove that we need to keep this out of our country at all costs, I don't know what will.

Vote Them Out

The US Congress has gone on vacation, without even so much as voting on allowing oil drilling anywhere for the sake of lowering gas prices. They did vote to go into recess though, and that vote was 213 in favor of leaving us in the lurch, and 212 against (a thank you to the 17 Democrats who voted to stay on). So, by one vote they decided to do nothing at a time when they clearly should have taken action.

Far too often the Government will take all kinds of actions when they really should do nothing, but when when we need them to take some action to fix the mess that has been made by their own past actions, they refuse to do it.

Let's review: They say that any new drilling will take 10 years or more to get gas to the pump, but this is simply a lie. Experts, that is those who actually know something about the subject rather than morons in Congress who think they know everything, say that in some cases it could be as little as one year, in most cases three years, and rarely as much as five years. One expert I saw interviewed said that he couldn't imagine a scenario by which it would take ten years to get the fuel to market.

They say that the Oil Companies already have a whole bunch of leases to drill for oil, and shouldn't have any more area opened to them until they have drilled on all the land that they already have. The truth of the matter is that, while they do have a bunch of leases, that is not the final step in being able to drill, there are still multiple permits that are needed, which the Government has been loathe to issue them. On top of that, when it looks like they might actually be able to drill somewhere, the Environmentalist (the wacko kind) take them to court and get injunctions against them and the drilling is not allowed from that end. Besides that, some of this area that they already have leases on has been explored and found not to have any oil on (under) it, and is therefore worthless. In some cases there are adjacent parcels of land, and when one is found to have no oil, it would be worthless and pointless to to drill on the one right next to it as they have already proven that there is no oil there. So, the propaganda being spewed by the leftist about all the land that Big Oil already has is nothing but lies.

They say that we should tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower gas prices, but that drilling for more oil won't lower the cost. I think Bush answered this best when he said that it doesn't make any sense to deplete our very limited emergency oil reserve while refusing to actually increase our supply.

They say that they are doing this for the environment, and trying to "Save the Planet!" The truth is that while they are going nuts about the evil of oil here in the US, they are screaming for other Countries to increase production. Does this make any sense at all? They fight like mad to keep us from producing our own oil, all the while demanding that other countries increase the supply, and crying about how much oil we import.

Unless your goal is to keep the gas prices as high as possible, these positions are untenable.

There is only one answer to this problem, go to the polls in November and vote these idiots out of office. It's our only hope.