Endorsements

Today it was learned that the National Right to Life Committee is endorsing Fred Thompson for President. I guess they heard that his Senate voting record is 100% pro life. Some have questioned just how authentic this position is, and how committed he is to it, but, hey, if Rudy Giuliani can tell people to judge him by his record, then it should go for Fred Thompson also.

This is something that should give Pat Robertson some pause, since he just endorsed Giuliani. Of course, Robertson has become less relevant recently. I'm not saying that he's a bad guy, just that he's been marginalized, and in this case, he's made a big mistake (see recent posts). I think that the NRLC will carry a lot more weight with most conservatives and Christians than will Pat Robertson's.

It really is too bad that Conservatives still have not found a candidate that they can unify behind, but, as we are still around 2 months out from the primary season, there is still hope.

There for awhile I was pretty sure that I would be voting for Thompson, and while it is still a possibility, I wouldn't call it a certainty at this point. I would say I'd like to see Hunter come a little more center stage, so that I might be able to give him a little more consideration, but I'm also considering Huckabee at this point.

On the more amusing front, I was reading another blog the other day (the blog wasn't amusing at all, it was very serious, and very good) and there was a very serious discussion going on in the comments section. Anyway, the blogger eventually told the person arguing with her that (I'm paraphrasing here) with all of his circular arguments he sounded a lot like Hillary Clinton, and he told her that it was rude to compare him to the next President of the United States. Statements like this always amuse me, on more than one level. First is the obvious that, if you admire the person, why would you be insulted when someone compares you to them? But even more obvious, it's always funny when people pretend that they already know with certainty what the outcome of the election will be, especially while it's still pre-primary! Don't get me wrong, I'm not deluded, I know that Hillary Clinton does have a decent shot at becoming President, but it's downright silly for anyone to pretend that it is a sure thing at this point. Again, don't get me wrong, this is not something that is in any way unique to Hillary Clinton supporters, but it's still silly, and it is just as silly when it is said about a republican as it is when it's said about a democrat.

So, who is the best person for Republicans and Conservatives to unify behind at this point? I'm not sure, does anyone else have an opinion?

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day, and I think that it is important that we just take a moment and remember all those who have served our country.

The fact is that none of us would have the freedoms that we have today if it hadn't been for all those who have served, both those who have died, and all of those who have fought and come back and worked in private life to make our Country as great as it is, and has been for over 200 years.

The USA is still the greatest country on Earth, and this is thanks to our Veterans. Let us honor them. And let us not squander their sacrifice by letting our great nation go down the drain.

Giuliani Fever

There is a virtual war going on right now on Republican and Conservative web sites over the choice to support Rudy Giuliani in the Republican Primary. Being that I've already made my feeling quite clear, that I will not vote for him, regardless of who he's running against, let me address some of the nonsense that the Rudy crowd has been putting forth.

1) The idea that Rudy really is Conservative enough: The fact is that Giuliani is really not conservative at all. All of his Social positions are flat out liberal. For example, he supports Abortion, he supports gay marriage rights, as well as other special rights for gays, and he
doesn't care one little bit what you think of that. He is also soft on Illegal Immigration, being, at the very least, partially responsible for turning NYC into a Sanctuary City, and isn't interested in securing the borders (more on that in a moment). On the surface he appears to be fiscally conservative, but that doesn't hold up as long as he is soft on Illegal Immigration, which is a huge drain on our economy.

2) The idea that he is the right man to deal with Terrorism: The fact is that open borders leave us all vulnerable to terrorist attack, and Rudy has no interest in securing our borders, no matter what he says in speeches and at debates. A man who turned our largest City into a Sanctuary City, is not going to take the serious steps needed to secure the borders and stop the influx. He is also not going to stand up for us and fight against amnesty for illegals. So, just as it is now, under a Giuliani administration, terrorists would still be able to stroll across our borders and set up cells within our country, and plot to kill us, and as long as they stayed below the radar, and especially if they lived in a Sanctuary City, would run virtually no risk of being deported.

3) The idea that only Rudy can defeat Hillary: The fact is that Giuliani and Romney are the two Republicans running right now that stand the least chance of defeating Hillary, if she even gets the Democratic nomination (while it seems likely, even that's not a certainty.) The reason for this is that Rudy or Mitt would so divide the party (as there are a lot of people just like me who will absolutely NOT vote for one of them, regardless) that nominating them is akin to handing Hillary (or whomever the Dems select) an engraved invitation to the Presidency. True Conservatives, and especially Christians, would be forced to seek a third option if Rudy were nominated. In truth, there are several who would be better suited to defeat Hillary than Rudy or Mitt. Fred Thompson, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, and Tom Tancredo would all stand a better chance of unifying the party and winning the White House than does Rudy. Even Ron Paul would likely be less divisive than Rudy.

4) The idea that Hillary is a lock for the Democratic Nod: The fact is that while Hillary is in good shape for the upcoming Primary, Obama hasn't exactly gone away. In fact, if he would take on some hard news venues, and really get his message out (assuming he has one) he could pull off an upset and really thump the Clinton machine. So, if that were to happen, then any argument for Rudy (however misguided) based on fighting Hillary, would be null and void.

5) The idea that his personal life doesn't matter: The fact is that the personal life of high profile people always matters to Conservatives, especially when it is someone that we are supposed to support and who is supposed to represent us. Being on his third wife, estranged from his children, and with infidelity in his past, how could any conservative ever cast a vote to put this man into office?

As I've said before, and will say again, the lesser of two evils is still evil, so this time, let's try to get someone in the running that we can actually feel good about voting for.

Giving Up

Well, it finally happened. Pat Robertson has come out in support of Rudy Giuliani for President, saying that the most pressing problem for America is the threat of Islamic Terrorism. While it's true that this is a major threat, what is not true is that Giuliani is the only candidate that could deal effectively with the terrorists. In fact, he is far less than equal to the task given his soft stances on illegal immigration. Most reasonable people realize that without secure borders, we will always have the threat of terrorism here at home.

Of course, Pat Robertson is not the only one. Several evangelical leaders have thrown in with Mitt Romney, probably the only Republican running who is worse than Rudy. At least with Giuliani you know what you are getting, Romney changes his mind so much, you would have no clue what you are getting.

There is also the point that while terrorism is indeed a serious threat, it is not the most pressing issue of this election. The culture in this country is in a desperate downward spiral, and while it is not the Presidents job to fix the culture, we certainly don't need one that is going to make things worse.

Also, it needs to be pointed out that these men are not Conservatives. They act as though there are no Conservative Choices that would be better than Giuliani or Romney, and that simply is not true. Fred Thompson is actually Conservative (at least relatively so) and would be far tougher on illegal immigration than the other two, and would be very tough in the war on terror. Mike Huckabee is fairly conservative, and looks like he would be somewhat tougher on the immigration front. And also, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo would be far better choices, and I'd like to see one of these men get some endorsements from prominent Conservatives based on these things.

I really don't want to see us end up with the same old choice between the lesser of two evils. Remember, the lesser of two evils is still evil.

Barking Up the right Racist

I feel like I have to address this. For anyone who hasn't been paying attention, there is a guy called Duane "Dog" Chapman who is a bounty hunter and has his own show on A&E (or at least he did). Recently his son has been dating a black woman, and "Dog" reacted badly to this. He left a voicemail on his son's cell phone (if I understood correctly) saying that since sometimes his family and crew use the N word, and he wasn't going to some "F.... N...." hear him say it and sell it to a tabloid and ruin everything that he had worked so hard for, he didn't want his son with her anymore. His son then turned around and sold the recording of the voicemail to a tabloid... guess that backfired huh?

I keep hearing people ask the question, "Is he really racist, or did he just use the word?" I had a very profound reaction to that... HUH?!?!?

How could anyone listen to what he said and come away with any reaction other than that he is indeed racist? I mean, if Don Imus is considered racist for using the term "Nappy Headed Hoes" (which, while an incredibly stupid thing for him to say is not overtly racist) then how can someone calling his sons girlfriend an "F... N..." possibly not be a flat out racist comment?

If he had just chased down a fleeing criminal, and hurt himself in the process, and said that to him, I could see a case being made that he blurted it out in a fit of rage, and doesn't really feel that way, it would still have been unacceptable, but I can see where it could happen. On the other hand, for it to be said about his son's girlfriend based solely on the fact that he doesn't want her around because she is black... how else can you take that?

Now, as I understand, A&E has taken his show off the air and suspended him, at least for the time being. I'm not taking a position as to whether he should be fired from his show or not, that is up to the sponsors, the network and the shows viewers. As for the rest of us, let's just be honest enough to say that what he said cannot be taken in any way other than as racism.

I think that the best thing for him to do now is to get out and talk to people, and own up to his racist feelings, however strong they may be, and work through the issue in the public eye. I also hope that he won't go to "rehab" since it's not like they can tell him anything that most anyone couldn't already tell him. That is just my opinion though.

My point today is simply this: If it walks like a racist, talks like a racist... well, you get the picture.

Down With DST

Is it only me, or is there anyone else who is sick and tired of Daylight
Savings Time?

I've been told that there was a time when it was truly necessary in
order to keep our country functioning. Something about the farmers
needing more time in the daylight to get their work done. I'm not sure
how many farmers you have known that rely on the clock, but in my
experience, a farmer will adjust his schedule around that sunlight, not
the other way around.

But, be that as it may, even if there was a time when this was
necessary, it was long ago. Now it is nothing more than an annoyance.
We need to get rid of it. Pick one and leave it there, I don't even
care which.

Tonight, for example, the conversion from Eastern Daylight Time to
Eastern Standard Time will turn my (plenty long enough on it's own) 12 hour shift into a 13 hour shift. However, that's not the worst part, in the Spring, when it goes back to Daylight time, I'll lose an hour of pay, since it will only be an 11 hour shift... And that is overtime!

Try as I may, I fail to see any benefit to the current system. I would
like to see it abolished in favor of simply staying on Standard Time,
and forget about all the time change nonsense... Maybe we can start a
movement, how about, "Americans for year around clock consistency."

Gender Bias?

Democratic Presidential Hopefuls, Senators Chris Dodd and Barak Hussein Obama, and Former Senator John Edwards, have launched harsh attacks against Democratic frontrunner, Senator Hillary Clinton.

Already, some in the media, and even Senator Clinton herself, are blaming the attacks on "Boys Club Politics." In other words, they are saying that she is being attacked because she is a woman. I can't hardly begin to tell you how moronic this supposition is. Isn't it obvious that they are attacking her because she is ahead of them in the polls, and if she gets the nomination, they automatically don't? She is a political rival, a politician running for the same office. In fact, it isn't even really fair to say that they are attacking her, since what they are doing is called "campaigning."

Some have said that she is being attacked because she is the first woman to run for President, and that's not even true. Oh sure, she's the first woman to have a real chance at being elected President, but she's hardly the first woman to declare candidacy. And again, it's not why they are after her. Besides, B. Hussein Obama is the first black man who has a real chance at the Presidency, so is Hillary racist for running against him? Of course not.

On the same topic, one of the things John Edwards said was that the Republicans are going after Hillary already because they want her to get the nomination because they know they can beat her. I've got news for you John, most of the Republicans are after Hillary simply because they feel it is a given that she will get the nomination, so they are gearing up to fight her now, in fact, if we were able to pick the Democrat to run against, and we based it on who we could most easily beat, you, Mr. Edwards, would be the first choice of most Republicans.

On another note, sorry that it has been so long since my last post, was busy with family, and then my Internet connection was down, but I will try to get back to posting at least a few times a week. Don't forget to leave comments and vote in my polls.