Friday, November 30, 2007

Huck and Holt Go 'Round on Illegal Aliens

It is not often you get a balanced article on illegal immigration from the newspapers in this state, but Aaron Saddler was pretty even-handed on this article quoting Mike Huckabee and Jim Holt on the subject.

Who Will Win? Who The Insiders Want. Its Rigged


All for naught.

***********************
It is disturbing to think that our election process, on which we invest so much attention, energy, and hope, is little more than an elaborate ruse. A ruse designed to pacify the population and cover for a ruling class that will get their way no matter what the general population wants. When we express frustration with the way things are going, we are constantly directed toward the current political process, and told to effect change through "the system". But what if the system is rigged? What if it is just designed as an illusion for the purpose of making people think they are self-ruled when they aren't?

Is that a conspiracy theory? Maybe, but human beings by their nature are conspiratorial. There would not be a law on the books against "conspiracy to commit X" if people never engaged in conspiracy. There would not even be a word for conspiracy if it never happened! At any rate, Ron Paul nailed it when asked if the move for a North American Union was a "conspiracy theory".

As Paul noted, a lot of these "conspiracies" are simply contests between ideologies, and some groups don't make any effort to get their ideologies known, they just launch projects that advance it, obstensibly for some other purpose.

My thesis here is that the nomination process for President is basically a rigged game. I will focus on the Republican process, but every sign I have is that the Democratic side is even worse. Even if every other type of human being was totally upfront about what their real goals were when they did things (in other words, never engaged in a mini-conspiracy) I assure you that most of the folks who run political parties are not that way. Of all flavors of human being, the ones who elbow and connive their way to the top of national, and often state and local, political parties are the ones most prone to be conspiratorial. They eat it up.

(CONTINUED: click FRIDAY below and scroll down for rest of article, or if sent straight here just scroll down)

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

CNN/YouTube Debate Evaluation

UPDATE II: Anderson Cooper and CNN may be the big loser of the debate rather than winners. Stories are breaking out all over about how many of the questioners, including the homosexual general who misled the military about his status during his career, were actually plants from democratic campaigns. When CNN re-broadcast the debate, it cut out the part with the homosexual former general.

Here is an accounting of the air time given each candidate:

Giuliani — 16:38, during 20 times

Romney — 13:18, during 19 times

Thompson — 12:16, during 12 times

McCain — 11:00, during 12 times

Huckabee — 10:00, during 11 times

Paul — 7:43, during 9 times

Hunter — 5:06, during 7 times

Tancredo — 3:49, during 7 times


************************************

As for the candidates: Here is how I rate them.

Huckabee and McCain were tied for first. Huckabee got a great assist from both McCain and Guiliani in the sense that they knocked Romney down a lot.

Guiliani lost a lot, but he also gained because of his excessive time on camera.

Thompson had some good moments but also some bad ones, and I would rate him just under or even with Guiliani. Paul also had good moments, but he did not have enough time to explain his position on the war, and the others piled on.

Tancredo and Hunter were weaker. Romney's "I'd consult everyone and I don't want to commit now" on almost every question got old. Unlike Hunter and Tancredo, Romney had a lot to lose and I think he lost some.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Houston Nutt Never Raised My Taxes


Houston Nutt is no longer the head football coach at the University of Arkansas. Many were overjoyed at the news. Others, like me and presumably Nutt himself, were simply relieved. Now it is time for reflections.

On further reflection, Houston Nutt never raised my taxes. I did not have to roll my lazy carcass out of bed early even one day in order to earn wages that I would later be required to pay to the government on account of him. He never invaded my privacy, reduced my freedom, or trampled on our constitutional liberties. Yet many full grown adults were very upset with him. I have not noticed these same people taking equal umbrage at those who do raise our taxes, and grow government until it consumes both our earnings and our liberties.

Houston Nutt is a man who coaches a game played with a ball. That's it. Am I living in a repeat of the last days of Rome? In those times, the crowds were kept amused with bread and circuses while the integrity of their rulers and institutions crumbled around them.

Pay attention to the important stuff. Time is short.

Guiliani, Huckabee as Strange Bedfellows

Interesting one from the New York Sun which highlights the possibility that the Guv is angling for a VP spot on a ticket with Guiliani and that Rooty is interested. This will put Rick and C.B. in an awkward position!

And by request, here is the video of Mike Huckabee making the case for giving taxpayer funded college scholarships to persons in this country illegally. ...



Weakness on illegal immigration is one of the few issues the two candidates have in common.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Cellphone Tracking W/O Probable Cause

Story here. It is being used for routine crime and who knows what, not just to track terrorists. I also understand they are data-mining millions of calls. The government made the cell phone folks put in stuff to track people by their phones, now the companies are trying to make a buck off of it by selling a "know where your children are" service.

The Bible on Christians and Govenment

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Huckabee Endorsements and the Cringe Factor

Wooooo! No, that is not another shot of Guiliani in drag. Hide your women and your liquor. Much-sequined former Wrestler "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair has endorsed Mike Huckabee for President.
********************************************
At the risk of Chuck Norris killing me with one of his beard-hairs, I find Mike Huckabee's latest attempts to capitalize on his celebrity endorsements to be embarrassing.

I believe Chuck Norris is a great human being. I agree with him on most issues, and I even liked some of his work, but the commercial with Huckabee is embarrassingly silly. It also shows that Huckabee is a WAAYYY better actor than Norris. As far as Chuck's on-screen work went, I always thought that he was great in the fight scenes, but needed to have a stunt-man come in for him to do the acting. This commercial highlights that. Huckabee is the better actor of the two by far. He has been acting like he was a conservative while governing as a nanny-state liberal for years.

I don't know what the rest of America will think of us after getting a heavy dose of Huckabee's dodge-and-weave laugh-track campaign, but I doubt it will be "whatever Chuck Norris wants them to think".

Six File for President in Arkansas' GOP Primary

Its Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Paul, Romney and Thompson.

Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo did not pay the $15,000 to the Republican Party of Arkansas by the deadline and it appears they will not be on the ballot.

The two toughest candidates on illegal immigration won't be on the Arkansas ballot. Where do voters concerned about the issue go? Ron Paul has the next best record on the issue after Hunter and Tancredo. Fred Thompson has some good votes, but listen to him talk during the amnesty debate and anyone with half a brain will understand that his later tough-on-the-borders talk is all campaign blather.

Hunter and Tancredo were also strong on pro-life issues. With them off of the ballot, that leaves Huckabee and Paul as the only two who have a stellar record on Pro-Life issues. Again, Thompson seems to get more credit than his record and actual positions deserve on the issue. Guiliani and McCain join Paul on the list of those who have a solid record of fiscal conservatism.

Monday, November 19, 2007

New Hampshire GOP Polling Data CNN/WMUR



Romney Surging. Guiliani Faltering. McCain Flat. Paul Rocketing Up. Huckabee Has Peaked. Thompson Collapsing.

Ron Paul Wins Nationwide Zogby "Blind Poll"


Zogby ran a nationwide poll which mostly sampled hard line Republicans using a format which offered a brief description of four candidates without telling respondents the names of the candidates. Respondents made their choice based on the biographical sketch and positions of the candidates rather than on name ID.

The results are that Ron Paul topped all respondents with 32% of the vote. Get more details, including the descriptions of the candidates used for the poll, from their press release on the jump.....

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Law of the Sea Treaty Moves Forward

....the U.N. empowering treaty now moves to the full Senate. President Bush favors the treaty which would set up a global tax for the U.N. and transfer control of 70% of Earth's surface to that body. As usual, his administration is unable or unwilling to give logical reasons for their actions, or even give responsive answers to honest questions, as this WND report shows.

Time to contact your Senators and urge them to vote against LOST.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Yours Truly This Sunday @ Fellowship Classroom

This Sunday at 9:30AM yours truly is going to close out a series on "A Christian Worldview" with a talk on "Christians and Government". This will be in the Training and Education Center (North Building) at Fellowship Bible Church in Lowell (Pleasant Grove Road just off Highway 71).

I doubt any readers will attend, but it is there if you want it. Maybe I can post some of my notes after it is done.

DNA Evidence on Complexity Undermines Evolution




As Scientists gather more and more information from their new tools, such as DNA analysis, it becomes more obvious that the theory of (macro)evolution must be wrong. It may not be obvious to the scientists who have the blinders on tight and show a dogged unwillingness/inability to interpret evidence outside of naturalistic pre-suppositions, but to more objective observers it is clear that something is wrong with Darwinism.

A recent (October 07) New Scientist article by Laura Spinney highlights this trend. The article was "Evolution: Hacking Back the Tree of Life". Spinney noted that DNA analysis of some "primitive" creatures repeatedly shows examples of "advanced" genes and systems in certain members of the class. The only way evolution (and I mean macro, or large scale evolution here rather than minor variations within type) could explain this is if the feature or genes in question were developed quickly, then lost in most members of the class, but then preserved in the branch that became the more "advanced" animals. She quotes an evolutionist in Germany as saying, "The whole concept of a gradualist tree, with one thing branching off after another and the last to branch off, the vertebrates, being the most complex, is wrong,".

(CONTINUED - CLICK FRIDAY BELOW AND SCROLL DOWN FOR REST OF ARTICLE)

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Downpour In Georgia After Gov. Calls Prayer to End Drought




Georgia has been experiencing devastating drought. Ten days ago, Gov. Perdue organized a prayer service to beseech the Almighty to end the drought. That event was held yesterday. Today, a torrential downpour of rain swept into Georgia.

The scoffers will scoff of course, and the wise will observe and consider.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Latest Iowa Poll: Huckabee Surges, Clinton in 3-Way Tie

Huckabee has moved into 2nd, and within the margin of error, in IOWA. Read all about it here. The amazing thing to me is that a whopping 57% of likely Republican caucus goes have yet to make up their mind. The figure in New Hampshire is 66%.

Monday, November 12, 2007

What's With National Right to Life Endorsing Thompson?

Reports are that the National Right to Life Committee will endorse CFRed Thompson for President. If true, this move is illogical and inexplicable in the context of an organization whose real mission is to end abortion in the United States of America. It makes more sense in the context of an organization which has lost its way and now serves as a tool for the establishment of a certain political party. As disturbing as that prospect is, in the wake of NRLC's efforts to block South Dakota's attempts to outlaw abortion, the possibility cannot be discounted out of hand.

Fred Thompson is not pro-life by any reasonable definition. There are other candidates in the race whose records are much better than Thompson's on the issue. Many of his supporters claim that Thompson has a "100% pro-life voting record". If you are using the NRLC scorecard, this is simply not true. His scores vary from the high thirties to the low eighties for each two year cycle. To be fair, many of those negative votes were for his strong support of the McCain-Feingold bill that would have just about put grassroots organizations like the NRLC out of business, but had nothing particular to do with the pro-life issue. Still, the truth is that most difficult votes on pro-life issues never make it to the Senate floor.

Thompson does not take much of a "pro-life" position outside of his vote to ban the barbaric procedure known as "partial birth abortion". The rest of his record is about limiting but not eliminating the circumstances under which you and I should be taxed in order to pay for abortions. Thompson's position is that you and I should be taxed to pay for abortions in the cases of "rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger".

Is that really a "pro-life" position? Why would a "pro-life" candidate be in favor of taxing you and I to pay for the abortion of any innocent child? We are not even talking about under which circumstances it should be legal to terminate the life of an unborn child, we are talking about circumstances under which Fred Thompson thinks we taxpayers should ante up for it.

There is no mention of overturning Roe, and in fact Thompson outright says that he does not believe that early term abortions should be criminalized. No honest person can claim that limiting the circumstances under which I am forced by the government to pay for ripping up innocent babies is a "pro-life" position. Thompson is a federalist, and that has led him to cast some votes that NRLC liked, but he voted that way because he is a federalist, not because he is pro-life.

His position papers are right there to see. Fred Thompson shows no interest in supporting laws that would ban abortion, and wants nothing to do with the issue. Voting for him is voting for the massacre of the innocents to continue.

Yet here we are, talking about the NRLC endorsing Fred Thompson for President. I don't agree with Mike Huckabee on a lot of things, but if I was grading him on the pro-life issue I would have to put him at or near the top of the pack. Certainly Huckabee deserves the endorsement more than Fred Thompson. John McCain has a longer and more solid record than Thompson too (although he earned NRLC's wrath with the McCain-Feingold bill that Thompson also strongly supported (at least at the time).

Maybe better than them all on the issue is Congressman Ron Paul, who has a 20 year pro-life record. He is an OB-GYN who has personally delivered over 4,000 babies and has a plan that would have the practical effect of overturning Roe immediately simply by passing a law that forbids federal courts from ruling on the legality of abortion laws. Instead of waiting for the right Justices to come along, and the right case to come along, Paul's plan would de-facto end Roe at once and re-empower the states to ban or restrict the foul act of abortion. Isn't that the kind of thing that the NRLC claims they want? Then why don't they act like it?

Congress & Duplicit y on the Border



It's amazing how congress can get a 2/3rds vote to override a veto on pork spending ($23Bn for nebulous "water projects"), but they just can't seem to muster the funds for border security, the most popular issue in America:
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/31795-1.html

The border security funding provision had passed both the House and Senate by nearly unanimous margins, but was 'mysteriously' stripped out in joint committee. A nice trick, don't you think?

Sen. So-and-So: "Aw, golly-- I voted to get that border secured, but those darn [Democrats/Republicans] wouldn't support the appropriations bill!"

The guy quoted in the article as being upset that the provision was mysteriously removed was South Carolina's Lindsy Graham. Graham is the biggest apologist for illegals in the U.S. Senate next to John McCain. He was the one who pushed for amnesty by saying "we are going to tell the racists to shut up!" Now the little snake knows he is in trouble (he is up for election in 08) so he is posturing like he is for a secure border. Hey, Sen. Graham, you little phony, SHUT UP!

Intelligence Deputy to Americans: Re-think Privacy


Big Brother wants to watch you, and re-define it as "privacy". Also, War is Peace and Eurasia has always been the enemy. The day may come when you won't be able to tell your grandchildren stories about when America was a free country, because you will be monitored and arrested for "unpatriotic activities" if you do.
*********************************
CNN reports "A top intelligence official says it is time that people in the United States change their definition of privacy.

Donald Kerr, principal deputy director of national intelligence, wants Americans to redefine privacy.

Privacy no longer can mean anonymity, says Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence. Instead, it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguard people's private communications and financial information."

The rest of the article is here. It is well worth the read. Basically AT&T (and others I assume) have sent "billions" of phone and email messages to government computers. The companies want immunity from lawsuits for any mistakes in the new process when they sell you out to government pressure. Congress is considering it.

I did hear word a while back that one major communications company refused to comply with the government's demand to basically vacuum up the records of all their customers. The felt that is was a violation of the constitutional rights of the customers. The neo-fascists don't accept answers like that. The company was suddenly told that it was out of the running for some lucrative government contracts. Someone refresh my memory on the name of the company.

Some bloggers think using pseudonyms will protect them. Only from private citizens. Unlike the authors of the Federalist Papers, who used pseudonyms to protect themselves from government reprisals, the new patriots have no place to hide.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Ron Paul, For the Long Haul



Ron Paul's unofficial supporters are a lot more creative than his official campaign. This rapper is a "truther" and probably has a lot of positions that I disagree with, but this song is four star. It is extremely catchy and I think, will be effective with its target group.

Click SUNDAY below for the lyrics.

Friday, November 09, 2007

Will James Dobson Back Huckabee to the Hilt?

UPDATE: DOBSON HAS VIGOROUSLY DENIED THAT AN ENDORSEMENT IS IN THE WORKS

Word is coming out that Focus on the Family Founder James Dobson is about to come out for Mike Huckabee in a strong way. Huckabee just snagged the endorsement of AFA President Don Wildmon.

Of course these endorsements are "personal", not on behalf of the organization, but somehow the reporting at One News Now, AFAs media branch, has begun reflecting the pro-Huckabee line. Here is a biased report where they interview former State Senator Jim Holt. It starts off by saying "He claims he had serious disagreements with Huckabee when he tried to introduce legislation aimed at curbing illegal immigration".

There is no "claims" to it, bro. It is fact. Facts which are well-documented here. But I guess One News Now did not want to talk about any of that, or his record on education, or spending. The tone of the article is that the Huckster's in-state conservative enemies are only mad at him because he wants to provide health care to children! One News Now better get it straight, those in-state conservative enemies used to be his in-state conservative supporters. He earned their enemyship!

The credibility of the Christian right, that is whatever attenuated credibility these leaders have left after sticking us with Bush, is at stake.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Huckabee's Homefront Troubles

National observers watching Mike Huckabee's rise might assume that he has the Arkansas Republican Primary all wrapped up. He doesn't. The Huckabee campaign is having some trouble on the homefront, and it is getting embarrassing for him.

First, a U of A poll showed he and Rudy tied with 8% of the vote statewide, while Hillary! pulled in 35%. All of those are well-known names in the state without significant room for growth in support. Then, in an effort to counter efforts from conservatives in his own state (who are telling everyone who will listen that Huckabee is not a conservative and left the state party in a shambles), the Huckabee campaign issued a list of "prominent Republicans in Arkansas who Support Mike Huckabee".

The list had less than half the current sitting Republican legislators on it. True it had the names of the three former Republican federal legislators on it, but it was very telling that the guys from the state ledge, who actually had to work with Huckabee, are so reluctant to get on board.

Worse, the list seems padded with no-names and people who have not really endorsed Huckabee. Senator Shawn Womack (the list mistakenly listed him as "Shane". Ouch) said he was running for a judicial position and could not endorse anyone. Former Rep. Sarah Agee works for Mike Bebee now, and has asked that her name be removed from the list. Another fellow that was a state Rep. was listed as a Senator. Some held no political office at all, such as the widow of former Lt. Governor Winn Rockefeller.

The list was a response to the fact that many people were starting to notice that Huckabee did not have a lot of endorsements among the key group "Republican state legislators that served during his administration". So he releases this list, but the list was weak and filled with errors.

Competitor Fred Thompson, when asked about Huckabee, said he was a "pro-life liberal". In fairness, he is a fairly pro-life, and pro-marriage liberal, but the point is that Thompson got that message by listening to what conservatives in this state are saying. The word is getting out and Mike Huckabee will increasingly have to deal with it. His main advantage- most of the rest of them have their own problems.

*get the names from the list on the jump*

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

U.S. Taxpayers Help Pay for Mexican Truck Program

It seems like the multinational corporations who want to erase our borders have stuck us with the bill to place GPS units on Mexican trucks traveling deep into the United States without inspection. The story is here. Great job Jorge.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Next Clinton Scandal Media Won't Report

Kathleen Willey, the woman who accused Bill Clinton of groping her in the White House when she came to him in desperation for a job, has a new book out that accuses the Clinton's of a number of crimes. She even lays out reasons why she thinks that her husband's suicide might actually have been a murder- at the hands of the Clinton's. Ms. Willey says that her husband transported illegal campaign cash for the Clintons, and that out of financial desperation he may have taken some of the illegal money he was transporting. More details here.

The explosive allegations in this book, and their supporting evidence, are likely to get less coverage on the network media than what Fred Thompson's former adviser did 25 years ago. Certainly the Norman Hsu / more dirty Chinese money for the Clinton's scandal got less coverage.