Belgium Update

Here's one for our dearly departed old friend PvP from Yahoo News:

Belgian doctors sent an Iraqi girl home on Thursday after treating her for leg wounds caused by a bomb during the U.S. invasion -- and sent the 51,570 euro ($66,650) bill to the U.S. embassy.

"We haven't heard from them yet," said Bert De Belder, coordinator of the humanitarian agency Medical Aid for Third World which brought the girl to Belgium.

"I'm curious to know their reaction," he told Reuters. "We're giving them 10 days to respond ... I don't think they will pay it."

I like James Taranto's response from Best of the Web:

How about this: We'll pay the Belgians' medical bills when they compensate us for saving them from Hitler.

Yeah. That about sums up my view on this too.

Mark: You got anything to add?

RINO Alert

Guess who voted against the budget?

Tom DeLay called the budget, “the best since the historic Balanced Budget Act of 1997.”

President Bush added at his news conference last night, “I’m grateful for that. It shows we are making progress.”

George V. Voinovich, Mike DeWine and Lincoln Chafee were the three Republican Senators to vote against the budget. Joe Lieberman was absent for the vote on the Democrat side.

Emphasis added. [Source]

That's right. Our guys in Ohio. I'd take the time to ask these guys just what was wrong with the budget, but the answer I would get would be filled with so much nuance I'd just have to gag. I suspect it didn't have enough in it of what makes this guy so mad, but that's just a theory.

Notice

Blogging is likely to be at irregular intervals and later than usual this week as I am sitting in for a co-worker this week.

Open Thread away...

Scroll down for new posts (this will be up all week)...

And This Guy Wants to be Governor?

Here is Columbus mayor Michael Coleman talking out his @$$ about radio guy Glenn Beck's motives for bringing a national spotlight onto Columbus regarding the rape of a 16 year old disabled child:

"He has a right to say what he wants. We in the city have to deal with our problems. We know what they are,” Coleman told 10TV.

"He's out for his own personal benefit and his own exploitative ways. He is coming into the city of Columbus and bashing our students and bashing our city."

Mr. Mayor, with all due respect, you're an idiot. And this is no way to win votes. Clearly you have no idea who Glenn Beck is or what his motives are...perhaps if you listened to him for awhile, you'd understand the outrage.

Republican Campaign Finance Trouble

From ONN:

Federal agents searched the Maumee condominium of a prominent local Republican fundraiser at the center of an investigation into possible illegal presidential campaign contributions.

An attorney representing Tom Noe, who served as President Bush's Northwest Ohio re-election campaign coordinator, tells NBC-24 federal agents spent about three hours searching Noe's condo along River Road last night. Attorney Jon Richardson confirms federal agents did take some items from Noe's home, but a search warrant that was signed by a Toledo-based U.S. District Court judge is sealed.

According to Noe's attorney, authorities are investigating whether Noe violated federal campaign donation limits by funneling extra cash to donors who, in turn, gave the money to Bush's campaign.

Noe-- through his lawyer-- denies the allegations.

"Absolutely, totally, and categorically," says Richardson. "The government's got the burden of proof-- we're just waiting for the government to tell us what they think they can prove."

Shameless Rant Promotion Post

Hello, many Fans of WMD. For those of you who enjoy hockey, especially AHL or triple A minor league hockey (since the NHL is a joke), then come on over to Mark's Remarks and catch up with the exploits of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, or should I say the 2006 Portland Pirates? Check it out. Note: some adult language is used--Heck Hath No Fury Like a HockeyFan Scorned!!!

Kiss This, Dingy Harry

Harry Reid, in comments that sounded like they came from a Vine Street Hooker rather than from the floor of the US Senate, said that the latest proposal by Sen. Frist on judicial fillibusters was "blowing wet kisses to the far right."

Tell me, Mr. Reid, who are you kissing? When judges have been praised by both sides of the aisle, like Janice Rogers Brown, yet you encourage your members to do something that has not been done in the 217 year history of the Constitution, who are you kissing? Could it be the pro-abortion Left? Could it be the Michael Moore Wing of the party? When you allow Senators like Chuck Rangel to say without impunity or punishment that this President should be impeached with no founding charges, who are you kissing? When you as minority leader vow to shut down the Senate if you don't get your way, then who are you kissing? When you, as an elected official in a system that recognizes majority rule, no longer accede to the wishes of the majority, who are you kissing? Mr. Reid, you showed a blatant lack of class as well as understanding of the Constitution when you pulled this.

And here is the kicker, Mr. Reid. Our side isn't kissing anyone. Your side is. You are kissing up to us. I mean, after all, two years ago, all of these 11 judges were outside the mainstream. Now, you are talking about approving five if we don't change the rules. And, here is what shows your true 3 year old mentality--you can punish us later if we fillibuster, just don't take away our right to do it on more serious judges, like the Supreme Court....

Come on now, Dingy Harry--could you act your age and not your mental capacity? You are a joke, your leadership is a joke, and you are beginning to feel the pressure of the American people. When even the New York Times says you need to let the judges get the up or down vote, then you know you are in trouble. Mr. Reid, you are a dolt, a partisan hack, and a divider. You disgrace the great state of Nevada with your rhetoric, especially how it is you and the Senate who inject faith into the debate, not Republicans. It is your party chair, not ours, that has politicized and who has threatened to politicize, the Schiavo case.

More evidence the Dims are cracking...Now, if only Senator Frist would grow a pair....

Title Match

Pelosi vs. Hastert.

And the win goes to Hastert on points...maybe Pelosi should read the stuff she's talking about next time, eh?

Mark's Remarks

First it was the rules differences. All we ever heard was the rules changes Republicans made, RULES CHANGES, by the way, THAT ARE IN LINE WITH GRAND JURIES' RULES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. So, Hastert calls Botox's bluff...And guess what? The bar just got moved again....The Left in this nation has no core, no leadership based on ideas, merely on vengeful obstruction politics. You see, they don't want DeLay to be investigated, because it would cause the Dems doing the same things to be investigated; AND, it would resolve the issue by clearing DeLay or getting the thing over with. The Dims just want to keep it as an issue, not investigating it, but stoking the fires of conspiracy so they can win elections. Who cares if valuable time that could be spent on policy is eaten up, we have power to regain, right Nancy?

With this crying fit about the staffing issues (c'mon now!), you have shown this is not about ethics or even truth seeking. It is about smear and hate and vengefulness, the hallmarks of the Democratic party of the 21st century. Hastert has made a major coup by agreeing to the rules change, to prove it is not about seeking the thruth about Delay, it is really about the politics of smear and corruption. It is really about the politics of hate and smear and fogging the truth. It is really about smear over substance. Nancy Pelosi and the Dims have no new ideas, they only have the far left nonsense of the Michael Moore wing of the party.

The Lies Continue on Social Security

The so-called "Social Security Truth Truck Tour" as presented by the Alliance for Retired Americans isn't telling their consituency the truth... How many times does the President have to tell the American people that the proposals being considered WILL NOT EFFECT THOSE CURRENTLY ON SOCIAL SECURITY nor those close to retiring. Their benefits will remain UNCHANGED. How long before these shills for the Democratic Party will stop taking advantage of our nation's elderly?

Feel free to give them a call...they can be reached at:

Tyler Prell or Julia Appel, 202-518-8047

Someday those of us who would like private accounts are going to be old too... I'm just saying...

Mark's Remarks

Answer to your question: when the elderly quit being sheep, and only thinking of themselves. These groups are so divisive. The AARP and this group are full of lies and obfuscations. There is no destruction of the system, there is a modification, allowing people to invest half of the total payroll tax in a private account that is STRICTLY REGULATED, and unlike the money the government has raided from the trust fund, this is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States of America. Wow! Real guarantees instead of a phantom debt that is not on the books! Doesn't that sound better? To the future, yes, but these liberal groups are turning people against their children and grandchildren....

Bush Press Conference

I missed the Big Show last night...but you and I can catch up by reading the transcript here.

Mark's Remarks

This press conference was a good start in terms of Social Security, but I want to see the President simply come out and say, THIS IS THE PLAN!!!! Enough of the seeking to engage the Democrats in throwing out ideas---they have none! They have nothing but obstruction and political pandering to the far left special interest groups... The President needs to pull a Reagan--get an hour of prime time and with illustrations and good storytelling flesh out the private account idea, preferably the proposal entailed in the Ryan/Sununu plan....

Flat Tax Big in Europe

From the Independent:

Flat taxes, once a fantasy of free-market ideologues, are sweeping across the European Union and could be introduced in more than 10 of the bloc's 25 member states.

The European commissioner for taxation, Laszlo Kovacs, described flat taxes, - one rate for all income and corporate taxation - as "absolutely legitimate" and said Western European nations may be tempted to adopt them. His comments will fuel debate that low-tax, low-cost economies of the East are undercutting Europe's industrial heartland.

In place in Slovakia and the three Baltic states, which joined the EU last year, flat taxes are credited with helping them grow fast and creating thousands of jobs. French politicians have led complaints about "social dumping" and the risk to their employment and social standards. Others argue that such a regressive system, under which a millionaire and a road-sweeper pay the same rate, can never be fair.

Mr Kovacs, a former Hungarian foreign minister, said: "As far as the position of the EU is concerned, we consider it as absolutely legitimate because the EU does not tackle the issue of income and corporate tax rates.

"Four countries have introduced it and are satisfied, and they claim that it works properly. Some six or seven are considering flat taxes - that makes 10 or 11 member states that could introduce flat tax.

If it's good enough for Europeans, it should be good enough for Democrats...

What would Neal Boortz think?

Mark's Remarks

Having just gotten my taxes in before the deadline after a month of sorting out the new form I had to file due to some investments, I know a flat tax would be much easier bureaucracy wise, but I wonder really about economically wise, what it would do to consumption.

Traitor Update

Yahoo News Alert from last night:

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) A military jury has sentenced Sgt. Hasan Akbar to death for the 2003 murders of two officers in a grenade and rifle attack in Kuwait.

Firing squad.

Mark's Remarks

I say death by unga bunga, then firing squad...

The Power of Music

Via The Art of the Blog, I present to you the Power of the Orchestra...

Musical Noise

normal piano practice 60-70 dB
fortissimo singer 3 ft. away 70 dB
chamber music in small auditorium 75-85 dB
regular sustained exposure may cause permanent damage 90-95 dB
piano fortissimo 92-95 dB
violin 84-103 dB
cello 82-92 dB
oboe 90-94 dB
flute 85-111 dB
piccolo 95-112 dB
clarinet 92-103 dB
french horn 90-106 dB
trombone 85-114 dB
timpani & bass drum rolls 106 dB
average Walkman on 5/10 setting 94 dB
symphonic music peak 120-137 dB
amplified rock music at 4-6 ft. 120 dB
rock music peak 150 dB

NOTES:

* The brass section playing fortissimo can drown out practically the whole orchestra.

* One-third of the total power of a 75-piece orchestra comes from the bass drum.

* High frequency sounds of 2-4,000 Hz are the most damaging. The uppermost octave of the piccolo is 2,048-4,096 Hz.

* Aging causes gradual hearing loss, mostly in the high frequencies.

* Speech reception is not seriously impaired until there is about 30 dB loss; by that time severe damage may have occured.

* Hypertension and various psychological difficulties can be related to noise exposure.

* The incidence of hearing loss in classical musicians has been estimated at 4-43%, in rock musicians 13-30%.

What can I say... :)

How About Hell?

Terrorist scumbag Zacarias Moussaoui wants to be buried in a "Muslim" land after he is executed for his involvement in the 9/11 attacks that resulted in 3,000 deaths on American soil.

Read the story here.

Mark's Remarks

And there will be 72 Harvey Fiersteins in hell to welcome him....

Could Rudy Survive the GOP Primary Season?

Patrick Raffini (Bush/Cheney's blogger) polls the issue and has some interesting "preliminary" results. Take the poll before you check out the results...no cheating!

Mutants Unite!

The first of the X-(WO)MEN?

Revelations Update

Here is the latest on NBC's REVELATIONS series from my "reliable source":

"In hour three of NBC’s event series “Revelations”, Dr. Richard Massey (Bill Pullman) and Sister Jo (Natascha McElhone) have traveled to Italy to speak with the mother of the “miracle child”, who tells them that shadowy priests attempted to take the baby from her. Sister Jo becomes convinced that the Vatican is trying to hide the child’s existence for its own nefarious purposes, a belief which is only strengthened when Massey and Sister Jo are nearly run down by a limo outside the Vatican. In the meantime, a mysterious seductress leads Massey’s stepson Hawk away from the protection of his bodyguard and into the grasp of Satanists. The body of Olivia, the young girl languishing in a comatose state, is taken over by imprisoned Satanist Isaiah Haden, and he is able to divine her location."

Tune in tonight at 9PM Eastern...you know I will...

I'm working on getting an interview with one of the producers of the show which should be quite interesting...stay tuned...

How Can That Be?

Interesting press release from the Census Bureau:

Tax collections by state governments grew 8.1 percent, to $593 billion, in fiscal year 2004 -- a $44 billion increase from 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau said today. All 50 states experienced an increase.

According to data from the 2004 Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections, general sales taxes were up 7.5 percent to $198 billion, and taxes on individual income were up 8.5 percent to $197 billion. These taxes made up more than two- thirds of all state tax collections.

Among other major taxes, documentary and stock transfer taxes increased 26 percent, followed by severance taxes (18 percent) and occupational and business license taxes (16 percent).

Nationally, per capita taxes collected by states averaged $2,024. Among individual states, per capita taxes were highest in Hawaii, $3,048; Wyoming, $2,968; Connecticut, $2,937; Minnesota, $2,889; and Delaware, $2,862. The lowest per capita tax collections were in Texas, $1,367; South Dakota, $1,378; Colorado, $1,533; New Hampshire, $1,543; and Alabama, $1,549.

Let's take a look at that last paragraph again and keep this...



...in mind...

WWMT - Issue 1

Loyal reader Peter K. started an interesting series that we're calling "WWMT" or "What Would Matt Think." Basically, he sends me a link to some far out uber-leftist or otherwise off-the-wall link and I say what I think about it. Simple enough...here we go.

Today's entry is from al-Jazeera and features a "documentarian" by the name of Danny Schechter. You can get the full story here, but here are the lowlights:

At the time of the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003, 70% of Americans told pollsters they believed Saddam Hussein's government was partly responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

In the prelude to the war, the Bush administration hinted at the existence of a link between Iraq and the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

However, intelligence investigations commissioned by the White House and Congress have since determined the suggested links were false.

Okay...let's get off this...



...and get serious. What the administration "hinted" at was that Saddam Hussein had ties to terrorists, which he did. Zarqawi, you know, the guy blowing up things in Iraq right now, is one of those connections. The connections to terrorism are further explained in Stephen Hayes' book titled, oddly enough, The Connection. What the media did with that isn't the administration's fault.

According to Danny Schechter, a media veteran of almost 40 years who nicknamed himself the News Dissector, the 70% figure suggests US media failed their public and led them to believe a baseless claim.

"Baseless claim" made by whom? The Great News Dissector doesn't bother to tell us that now does he...

In the post-September 11 nationalistic ardour, the film concludes the US mainstream media failed to challenge Washington over its reasons for going to war, shut out anti-war voices and blurred the lines between commentary and journalism.

Which is exactly why whenever four anti-war protestors showed up anywhere they got coverage but Support the Troops rallys with thousands got nada, zip, zilch, zero coverage.

Aljazeera.net: Why did you make this film?

Danny Schechter: I have been a journalist since the 1960s. And in some ways, this project grew out of a lifetime of work. I worked in radio; I worked in local television; I worked in cable news; I worked in ABC; I worked in mainstream and I worked in independent [media] so I think I had a wide range of experience.

I have also written six books about media issues, so I have had a chance to think about it more deeply; I think all that uniquely qualified me to take on this project.

I learned all I needed to know in the first sentence of Schechter's response. He's a hippy. Color my world, man...

Final Analysis:



...but y'all expected that though, right?

Oil Update

From al-Reuters:

Under pressure over high energy prices, President Bush on Wednesday will propose tackling the root causes of the problem by encouraging new oil refineries be built at closed military bases and jumpstarting construction of new nuclear power plants.

In a speech, Bush will also propose giving federal regulators the lead authority to decide where to locate terminals for processing imported natural gas. States have increasingly been taking the lead on this issue.

And the president will propose adding vehicles that use clean-burning diesel fuel to the list of automobiles eligible for $2.5 billion in tax credits over 10 years to encourage further use of this technology. Other eligible vehicles are hybrids powered by gasoline and electricity and fuel-cell vehicles.

Senior Bush administration officials unveiled details of the president's proposals on Tuesday night. It will be his second energy speech in a week.

I really like this idea. It would give the communities who are losing bases a new source of jobs and does something about the energy crisis. This is a great plan and I support it 100%.

Reid on Social Security

Today:

Social Security is the ‘most successful program in the history of the world.’

1983:

[H]e wrote legislation allowing himself and other members of Congress to stay out of Social Security,” said Brian Jones, the RNC’s communications director.

Reid’s bill would have kept all federal employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 1984, such as the president, elected officials, political appointees and judges, from participating in Social Security, according to a Republican summary of the bill, H.R. 3589, introduced in July 1983.

Read the whole story about this pathetic excuse for an obstructionist Democrat here.

Another Ohio Democrat Caught in DUI

Cleveland City Councilman Zack Reed joins the only Democrat on the Ohio Supreme Court among those who think it's okay to drink and drive. Get the story from ONN and NewsNet5.

Hewitt "Ghost-Writes" for a Recently Elected Senator

Hugh's latest for the Daily Standard is a speech I expect the Republican Sentors will hear in some form or another.

And I think the guys who run this site ought to read it too.

Hunt for Saddam's WMD Ends - None Found

From Fox News:

Wrapping up his investigation into Saddam Hussein's purported arsenal, the CIA's top weapons hunter in Iraq said his search for weapons of mass destruction "has been exhausted" without finding any.

Nor did he find any evidence that such weapons were shipped officially from Iraq to Syria to be hidden before the U.S. invasion, but he couldn't rule out some unofficial transfer of limited WMD-related materials.

And to prove the FNC is "fair and balanced" let's talk about this ridiculous, overused, inaccurate line:

The Bush administration justified its 2003 invasion of Iraq as necessary to eliminate Hussein's purported stockpile of WMD.

For the billionth time, this was not the sole reason for going...there were three reasons for removing Saddam from power. You can read my whole analysis of the Bush administration's decision here.

Not this bit about Syria in the Washington Post version of this story:

Although Syria helped Iraq evade U.N.-imposed sanctions by shipping military and other products across its borders, the investigators "found no senior policy, program, or intelligence officials who admitted any direct knowledge of such movement of WMD." Because of the insular nature of Saddam Hussein's government, however, the investigators were "unable to rule out unofficial movement of limited WMD-related materials."

Emphasis added...

It makes a difference, folks...it really does.

Benny the 16th Update

Turns out the liberal rags were wrong about how much American Catholics like Benny.

According to the Washington Post, 73% of American Catholics support their new pope.

An overwhelming majority of American Catholics approves of the selection of Pope Benedict XVI and predicts that he will defend the traditional policies and beliefs of the church, even though many members say that church is out of touch with their views, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The survey found that more than eight in 10 Catholics broadly supported the selection of former German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to replace Pope John Paul II.

Nearly as many, 73 percent, said they were "enthusiastic" about the new pontiff, although only one in four said they were strongly enthusiastic about the choice.

Tell me again, just who is out of the "mainstream"?

Nice Doggie

Via Dr. Rusty...I give you Sir George from the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.

Go read a really good fisking of moonbat nonsense regarding Iraq...

Holy $#|+ Update

It's looking more and more like the new pope is one of the old guard that thinks it's okay for the Church to have protected priests who abused children.

BNN's Dan Riehl has more:

The signature of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is on a confidential letter defending the Church's right to conduct secret investigations into alleged sexual abuse cases and keep the information confidential up to ten years after the victims had reached adulthood. The letter was sent to all Roman Catholic Bishops in May, 2001.

Dan's story has a link to a story in the Observer:

The letter, 'concerning very grave sins', was sent from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that once presided over the Inquisition and was overseen by Ratzinger.

It spells out to bishops the church's position on a number of matters ranging from celebrating the eucharist with a non-Catholic to sexual abuse by a cleric 'with a minor below the age of 18 years'. Ratzinger's letter states that the church can claim jurisdiction in cases where abuse has been 'perpetrated with a minor by a cleric'.

The letter states that the church's jurisdiction 'begins to run from the day when the minor has completed the 18th year of age' and lasts for 10 years.

It orders that 'preliminary investigations' into any claims of abuse should be sent to Ratzinger's office, which has the option of referring them back to private tribunals in which the 'functions of judge, promoter of justice, notary and legal representative can validly be performed for these cases only by priests'.

'Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret,' Ratzinger's letter concludes. Breaching the pontifical secret at any time while the 10-year jurisdiction order is operating carries penalties, including the threat of excommunication.

What arrogance!

My mom was just asking me this weekend why I haven't come back to the Church...well, mom, here you go...

The Church is NOT above the law. It is time they start acting with humility and do the right thing.

Open Thread Friday

Today is the day we open up a thread (when we remember to do so) to you, the reader, to talk about whatever you want to talk about (within reason of course, this is still a family show after all).

Latest Column

My latest piece for the MVCA Commentary & Journal is up. This week, I focus in on politicans and "good Republicans."

Clinton Impeachment Retaliation for Nixon?

ABC7 in Chicago reports:

Republican Congressman Henry Hyde made some surprising comments Thursday on the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton. He now says Republicans may have gone after Clinton to retaliate for the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Hyde is stepping down after this term.
...
In an exclusive interview, Hyde delivered a big dose of candor and some reflective second guessing. He said, among other things, he might not try to impeach President Clinton if he had it to do all over again.

The 81-year-old DuPage County Republican, who mastered the art of disagreeing without being disagreeable, will be stepping down in January of 2007 after 16 terms and 32 years.
...
Andy Shaw asked Hyde if the Clinton proceedings were payback for Nixon's impeachment.

"I can't say it wasn't, but I also thought that the Republican party should stand for something, and if we walked away from this, no matter how difficult, we could be accused of shirking our duty, our responsibility," said Hyde.

Interesting. While I'm sure the Nixon Retaliation Factor had some play in the decision (Republicans are human too!), I don't think congressional Republicans would have gone through with it if there weren't some serious issues to be explored.

I have said all along that the Clinton Impeachment ordeal was not a good idea and that the Republicans should have let it go...

Mark on the other hand...

4:45PM Update

The gents at PowerLine have more on this story...

Somehow I have a feeling the "rigid ideology" at work here is Andy Shaw's. Turns out he was the one that introduced the concept of "payback" for Nixon's impeachment--a mere 25 years earlier--and Hyde responded politely, while making the point that the impeachment issue was one of principle. What a scoop!

Although, the guys don't say whether or not they think the Clinton impeachment was worth our time...

Worker's Paradise Update

Castro DOUBLES the minimum wage in Cuba to $10/MONTH.

From Yahoo News:

Cuban President Fidel Castro announced on Thursday the minimum wage would be more than doubled to 225 pesos ($10) a month from 100 pesos ($4.50), effective on May 1.

The raise will benefit 1.6 million Cubans who earn the lowest salaries in Communist Cuba, including farm laborers, plumbers, carpenters, bakers and undertakers.

Castro made the announcement in the latest of his three-hour speeches addressing economic problems endured by Cubans since the collapse of the Soviet Union plunged Cuba into deep crisis. It was the eighth speech in 10 days broadcast live to the nation.

Let's do the math on this...in a 30 day month, we get just over a whopping $0.30/DAY...which means...after carrying the one...the minimum wage in the Worker's Paradise is a whole $0.04 an HOUR!

Socialism works!

Let's Get Personal

In the comments to this post, reader Peter Konefal asks an unrelated question that I thought I'd take the time to answer in a seperate post.

Here is Peter's question:

Matt, you play trumpet don't you. Do you play any hummel? What is your favorite baroque piece for that instrument? Mine is the hummel trumpet concerto mvmt 1 (not sure which number of concerto, but its 9:53 long...!) in any case, its fantastic and quite a workout I would imagine.
Peter Konefal | 04.21.05 - 10:22 pm

That is correct, I do play trumpet and am a member of the faculty at College of Heavy Metal (Weighted Brass) [not a real division, but rather an inside joke] at The Rock School [a real music school that I and Doug (trombone) do teach at].

The Hummel Concerto (score in zipped .pdf) is a favorite, but the Haydn (score in zipped .pdf) is my favorite of the trumpet concerti...I've got a good deal of the first movement memorized and I play it a lot as part of my warm-up routine.

Although, I must admit, I am partial to film scores, symphonies, and major orchestral works for my trumpet playing.

My favorite recording of both concerti is by Wynton Marsalis. For the record, my favorite trumpet player is still Doc Severinsen...he was my idol as a youngster and I still think he's the ideal trumpet player and musician.

Groningen Protocol Update

Now the Brits are killing babies against the wishes of the parents.

From Fox News:

Rejecting a bid by the parents, a British judge on Thursday upheld a court order allowing doctors to let a critically ill baby die if she stops breathing — a move doctors say is the only humane way to end the child's suffering.

Eighteen-month-old Charlotte Wyatt (search) can hardly see or hear and weighed about a pound when she was born prematurely. Her brain and other organs are so seriously damaged that she has "no feeling other than continuing pain," according to physicians.

Darren and Debbie Wyatt, who believe in preserving life at any cost, sought to overturn a court order granted in October.

I'd say we've slipped pretty far down the slope if you ask me...now we're killing babies that the parents want to let live!

Read more of the Groningen Protocol series by selecting the stories from the Weapons Storage area of the site over in the sidebar (to the right, you may have to scroll up or down).

BREAKING: Traitor Convicted of Murder

yahoo News Alert:

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) A military jury has convicted Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar of murder and attempted murder in a grenade attack on his comrades in Kuwait.

Firing squad...

Didn't Hear This on the News...

From DefenseLink (HT: Jawa Report):

Coalition forces in Iraq are welcoming the deployment of 450 more Australian military personnel. “These are great soldiers,” said a U.S. official in Baghdad, Iraq.

The new Australian contingent will bring the number of “Aussies” in country up to 1,370, officials at the Australian embassy here said.

Australia has been among the most steadfast allies in the war on terror. Australian forces moved in with U.S. special operations forces against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Australia also sent troops -- among them elite special operations forces -- to Iraq and went “from the berm in Kuwait to Baghdad” with U.S. and British forces in the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Did you hear about this on the news? I sure didn't...Spain pulls out and it's all over the place...Australia sends more and total silence on the subject... Oh, THAT liberal media...

4/22 Update

Mr. Konefal, your chariot awaits...

Hastert: Dems blocking road to cheaper gasoline

Speaker Dennis Hastert:

Let me be clear. Senate Democrats have blocked energy legislation for the last four years. In the time since, we've had blackouts in various parts of the country. The price of natural gas, which heats and cools our homes and businesses, hit an all-time high. Gasoline prices have hit an all-time high.

In fact, in the time since President Bush sent his National Energy Plan to Congress in 2001, the cost of a barrel of oil has doubled.

There's no question about it. America is too dependent on foreign oil. Most of it comes from volatile nations where supplies are often unpredictable. Developing nations like China and India are further squeezing the supply.

Currently, our nation sends more than $500 billion overseas (at today's prices) to import oil each year. Meanwhile, we completely ignore options to produce energy and jobs right here in the United States.

The situation is a bit more complicated than this, but in a nutshell, this works for me...

Holy $#|+ Update

While others are going to cover the wonder of the elevation of Pope Benny...I'm going to ask what he plans to do about abusive priests.

From News 24:

Two church-sanctioned studies documenting sex abuse by United States Roman Catholic clergy say about four percent of clerics have been accused of molesting minors since 1950.

The studies blame bishops' "moral laxity" in disciplining offenders for letting the problem worsen.

The diocese of Yakima, Washington, said in a news release on Thursday that a survey compiled by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice found 4 392 of the 109 694 clergy who served in that five-decade period faced allegations of abuse.

The survey was overseen by the National Review Board, a lay watchdog panel the bishops formed at the height of the molestation crisis.

The number is around 4% of priests have engaged in this activity...Pope Benny, is the Church willing to accept that?

Minutemen should be deputies

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

A Republican senator said Wednesday the government should consider deputizing private citizens, like the Minuteman Patrol in Arizona, to help secure U.S. borders.

Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said the U.S. Border Patrol also should look to local law enforcement and state officials for help along the most porous parts of the U.S.-Mexico line.

"I wonder sometimes if maybe we're not looking too much to a federal solution," Allard told Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.

Interesting idea...

Moving Forward on ANWR

Yahoo News Alert from last night:

WASHINGTON (AP) The House has voted to allow oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge.

Outstanding...

The Politics of Smoke and Mirrors

Fellow BNNer Whym Rhymer gets something I've been saying all along...voters and their votes are merely the currency of politics and politicans...

The question brought to mind was: Why is "movement," such as Dean describes, necessary for Democrats, Republicans or for any political party?

Part of the answer is, because political parties have no principles . . . they just have positions; and, when a position fails to be 'popular' with the majority they simply change it. That's much easier than changing a principle; a principle is something you're 'stuck' with!

The other part of the answer can be assumed from the first part: your vote is the Holy Grail -- people, ideas and positions are completely expendable in the quest for the vote. Voters themselves, in the end, become no more than the 'currency of politics.'

That's it exactly...and I think this ties in with this.

Homeland Insecurity Update

From the Washington Times:

Recurrent intelligence reports say al Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi has obtained a nuclear device or is preparing a radiological explosive -- or dirty bomb -- for an attack, according to U.S. officials, who also say analysts are unable to gauge the reliability of the information's sources.

The classified reports have been distributed to U.S. intelligence agencies for several consecutive months and say Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, has stored the nuclear device or dirty bomb in Afghanistan, said officials familiar with the intelligence.

One official said the intelligence is being questioned because analysts think al Qaeda would not hesitate to use a nuclear device if it had one.

However, the fact that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has reported the nuclear threat in several classified reports distributed since December indicates concern about it.

I feel all better now. Don't you?

Moussaoui Update

Another Yahoo News Alert:

WASHINGTON (AP) A federal judge has scheduled a hearing to accept a guilty plea by Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person in the United States charged in connection with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Tubbs is Unethical

Let's cast the same light her colleagues have poured on Tom DeLay.

From the Washington Times:

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, an Ohio Democrat who sits on the House ethics committee, took a 2001 trip to Puerto Rico that was paid for by a registered lobbyist firm — an apparent violation of the chamber's ethics rules — according to documents that she filed with the House clerk.

A spokeswoman for Mrs. Jones disputed those records yesterday, saying "human error" led a staffer to list the name of D.C. lobbyist firm Smith, Dawson & Andrews as having paid the $3,366 tab for Mrs. Jones and her husband to travel to the Puerto Rican island of Vieques in the Caribbean.

Using the same logic our Democratic friends have applied against DeLay, DOES ANYBODY BELIEVE THIS WAS A CLERICAL ERROR?

Jeffords Announces Retirement

A Yahoo News Alert:

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) The Associated Press has learned that Vermont Sen. James Jeffords will not seek re-election next year.

...confirmed by this piece in Roll Call:

Despite vigorous affirmations by Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) that he relishes a tough re-election battle next year and that his health is good, sources say the 70-year-old Independent will announce his retirement this afternoon.

Good riddence to bad rubbish...

Can the Republicans win another seat in the Senate? It IS Vermont...

"The Answer May Surprise You" Series

Part IV of my series for BNN on oil issues is up. This weeks question:

Are we running out of oil on this planet?

And, yes, the answer may surprise you...

Ah-nold For Border Security....

From SFGate.com:

"Close the borders in California and all across Mexico and in the United States," Schwarzenegger said Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Newspaper Association of America. "Because I think it is just unfair to have all those people coming across, have the borders open the way it is, and have this kind of lax situation."

Yet another reason to love the Governator! Some are already saying Ah-nold is being a hypocrite, but remember: Ahnold came here LEGALLY, WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS, AND BECAME A PRODUCTIVE CITIZEN!!! The people he is talking about here flout our laws, are encouraged by a rogue government, and are not contributing to society, and in fact are a drain on the society, in terms of health care, insurance, and prison services. Way to go Ah-nold! I think he should next sanction a Minuteman project on his boarder!!!!

VOINOVICH IS A RINO!

I am very disappointed (AGAIN!!!) at the stupidity of my own state's Senators. This time, it is George (Spineless) Voinovich. He has further delayed the approval of the nomination of John Bolton as ambassador to the UN. According to the story, Voinovich was convinced by an impassioned appeal from far lefty partisan Chris Dodd of Connecticut. Yep, the same Chris Dodd who has advocated obstructionism of judicial nominees, advocated the policy of NO! on key agenda items, the same Chris Dodd who was for personal accounts in the 1990s but is now against them. It has become apparent to me that Mr. Voinovich lacks the mental capacity to tie his shoes, much less to be Senator. I call on him to resign immediately. He is a dolt, a disappointment, and a disgrace to Ohioans. His wishywashy manner reminds me of the Storm Trooper in Star Wars IV: A New Hope. His mind is so weak he falls for a lame jedi mind trick by Chris Dodd. Disgraceful! Send this clown mass emails, Ohioans! Demand someone with a backbone! At least Mike DeWine is pretending to be conservative because his son is running for office. Voinovich, however, is simply another spineless RINO like John(Goiter)McCain who rather than taking the power and getting things done, is too worried about what might happen if the Dims take back control.
NEWSFLASH: if you worked on the agenda and got things done, the Dims would NEVER regain control, morons!!!!!

This rant brought to you by the Impeach Voinovich movement and Ohio Voters for Senators with a Spine.....

12:20PM Update and Matt's Chat

Frank Gaffney (cue the "Patton" music) on the Bolton hold-up.

What amazes me the most is that this idiot didn't bother to attend previous hearings on the matter and NOW has a problem all of a sudden. What? The appointment of an ambassador to the Untied Nations isn't important enough for the Senator's time? Did the Sneator happen to see by how much the President won the state of Ohio? Aren't the Senators constituents entitled to have representation that, you know, actually represents them?

The only reason why this idiot and his buddy DeWine keep getting elected is that the Democrats in Ohio keep putting up "proven conservatives" like Jerry Springer for the position...

Why did wwe bother to win an election at all?

12:30PM Update

Apparently my email to Voinovich got through last night... Beltway Buzz on NRO is reporting that Voinovich has not indicated that the hold yesterday is a no vote and that he has met with Bolton personally. The email pouring in to the Beltway Buzz mailbox is pretty disgusted with the whole thing... I recommend letting the Senator himself know what your feelings on the matter are...

3:25PM Update

The Editors of National Review...

Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich rolled like a marble yesterday.

Yep... Check out the whole thing.

3:55PM Update

The conservative group, Move America Forward, has targetted Voinovich for his stand against Bolton. Will the Ohio Republican Party get the message and take appropriate action? I'm not holding my breath...

4:30PM Update

MVCAer Brian piles on with the exposure of Harry Reid's latest dasterdly project..."Operation Manchurian Candidate XXXVII"

I think Brian and the rest of the MVCAers ought to check out the "debate" going on over at the Ohio GOP blog...it's been infested with Democrat plants trolling...

Doug's Dialogue

Here is my e-mail to the senator.

Mr. Voinovich,

I am extremely disappointed that you are choosing to hold up the nomination of Mr. Bolton. The fact that you are playing political games with nominations confirms a fact that I have long suspected, you are no longer in touch with your constituency and should voluntarily resign as Senator.

Last fall, the American people made choices during the election cycle. One of the key themes that I kept hearing was how the American people were tired of the political games between the two political parties. Many choices were made and people voted for people whom they thought would be able to take action and get past the partisan political games. Unfortunately, since the election, not much has changed. The partisan political games that the American people were so disgusted with during the election have continued and indeed intensified in some aspects. This is not what America needs right now.

We have many problems in America right now. What we need in order to fix these problems are people with the courage and charisma to stand up, take a stand, and work to make changes. With the games that you choose to play, you are not such a person. Again, I would implore you to resign.

Sincerely,

Douglas Battson

France Update

From Swiss Info:

France has stepped up patrols at a Swiss border crossing point to prevent illegal immigrants from slipping into the country.

Police in the western canton of Vaud say Switzerland is paying the price for lying outside the Schengen area, the world’s largest passport-free zone.

Since late February more than 250 people travelling by train from Italy via Switzerland to France have been turned away by French border guards.

The unilateral move to tighten checks at the small border town of Vallorbe in canton Vaud is being seen in some quarters as proof that Switzerland is isolated in the middle of Europe.

Well, if it's good enough for the unilateralist French, why the %^&* aren't we doing that here?!!!?

Mark's Remarks

I hope when a court case comes before the Supremes, then Justice Kennedy darn sure better check out France's use of border patrols to keep illegals out. I am shocked that the liberal French would dare use border agents to keep out others. Who do they think they are? it is an abomination to international law! I demand an investigation, and universal condemnation....Nope, not for putting the agents in...but rather for the French hypocrisy of castigating us and Israel for protecting our borders....

Hero Spotlight

This is a great story. Vietnam vet gets in to Navy Reserves and is deployed to Iraq. His wife sends him love letters on the back of letters that he sent her when he was in Vietnam.

Google Searches Landing on WMD

Whomever came here looking for this should probably also be looking for...

BREAKING: New Pope Elected

Details to follow...

12:50PM Update

My editor over at BNN says it is Cardinal Ratzinger who will take the name Benedict XVI.

Mark's Remarks

I already love this pope because the mainstream media hates him. Where else but ABC and CBS and NBC can you have them calling murderous islamofascists "insurgents" and "anti-coaliion forces" and calling a man of God the Church's Rottweiler, among other things.

Also, what I love as well is that this Cardinal Ratzinger was behind the movement of denying Communion to abortion supporters, ergo he stood behind the bishops who refused communion to Mr. Kerry! Love ya, Benedict 16!

Mahatma and "European Daydream"

Regular readers can jump into the wayback machine and recall a ridiculous debate with another (former?) regular reader PvP about the comparitive merits of the American Dream vs. the European Daydream.

That's the setup. Mahatma provides the literal and figurative punchlines.

11:45AM Update

Stephen Green, the VodkaPundit, has more on this subject.

Dean: uses Bible Imagery to Castigate Republicans

Howeird Scream is at it again, using the double standard free pass given to anyone on the Left by the mainstream media. Dean used Biblical references to castigate Republicans while on a fundraising trip in Florida.

"We need to kick the money changers out of the temple and restore moral values to America," Dean said, drawing roars from the crowd.

Where is the outrage? Where is the demand that he stop using that imagery because of separation of church and state? Come on now, where is the Fairness?

And, to further underscore that Dims are using the Schiavo case as a poliical issue, Dean continued to bring that up. So much for it simply being a personal issue; to Dims it is always about politics....

War on Terror Update

Protecting against ALL enemies, both foreign AND DOMESTIC!

The ELF IS a terrorist group. They don't care about the environment, not really. They want the redistribution of wealth and power in their hands so they can be in control. If they really cared about the environment, why firebomb???? Hmm?

Pretty Please Let Him Plead Guilty....

Bad ol' Zach Massoui wants to plead guilty. An activist judge may decide he is not competent to do so....WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I hope and pray that this judge does the right thing and let this animal plead guilty and then we can do what we need to do. Zachy boy was willing to plead guilty three years ago until he realized he might get off and rescinded his plea, in order to foul up the investigation. Now that that has failed, there is no further damage he can do so his use is at an end....Please, judge, find him sane...let him spout his hate of us and love for Osama....please....

NO! NO! NO!

Mr. President, I am sick and tired of the "let's toss the ideas!" With all due respect, get out YOUR PLAN and fight for it! Quit trying to build the "big tent" and get to the issue at hand! The time for this screwing around has ended! Show some friggin leadership, because your Congress sure as heck hasn't!!!!!

Related Stories

They report, you decide...

Me? I think one has a LOT to do with the other. Liberals don't understand that radio is market driven...you can't just throw money at it and have people want your product.

Mark's Remarks

Yep, the party of "free" speech cannot hack it in the free market of ideas. So, we first let excuses fly, like talk radio listeners are stupid, as Cuomo and others said (a sure way to get people on your side, there, libs). Next comes the misleading numbers--expansion to 50 markets, while conservative talk is expanding faster. Now we have the call for revival of the "Fairness Doctrine." Tell you what: you give the Gideons equal time to present in the classroom when you do sex ed and put the condoms on the bananas and then we will talk. You libs give the 10 commandments equal time in the court as you do international law and we will talk. You liberals give nativity scenes equal time and we will consider it. Isn't it funny that the party of "no censorship" and "free speech" advocates censoring views they do not agee with? Whatever happened to the free debate of ideas? Wait, I forgot--that is what is going on now on the airwaves and the Left is losing, and they cannot take it...my bad....

Somebody Missed the Point of How to Win the Cold War

...that somebody is Germany.

Mark's Remarks

Old Europe countries missing a point? Surely you jest!!!!

Speaking of China...

...over the weekend, three-quarters of the editorial board were hanging out in Cleveland and heard George "Mr. Sulu" Takei speak at a convention. One of the things he talked about was this.

Mark's Remarks

Mr. Takei, whom I disagree with on most issues relating to Trek ("Star Trek 6 should have been called Sulu Saves the Day", said George), is right about this one. Japan does indeed need to own up to its past mistakes. It needs to make some type of diplomatic gesture. It does not necessarily need to be reparations. You know, the United States apologized for internment, Japan needs to apologize for the mass slaughter of Chinese citizens in Manchuria and the rape of Nanking. And to think, the American government didn't even slaughter anyone and we apologized, which I disagree with. In my humble opinion, the internment was the correct thing to do in WWII, at least initially.

Where the US went wrong, however, was in not releasing those known to not be a threat. However, realistically, we did not have the manpower to conduct full scale investigations. Secondly, could you imagine the backlash if these people were left in the West Coast neighborhoods?

Internment was not the most equitable solution, but it was the least harmful overall. The terrible thing was in not protecting Japanese American property rights. After the war, many went home to find their businesses and homes resold and occupied, and were forced elsewhere....

India and Pakistan: Peace in our time?

From the Times Online:

INDIA and Pakistan hailed the rewards of “cricket diplomacy” yesterday, when the leaders of the two formerly hostile neighbours said that peace was now irreversible.

General Pervez Musharraf, the visiting President of Pakistan, and Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, pledged a series of confidence-building measures to improve trade and travel between the two states and in particular defuse the potentially explosive conflict in the disputed region of Kashmir.

Originally the three-day visit by General Musharraf to India was supposed to be an informal chance for the two leaders to meet at a one-day cricket international between India and Pakistan.

But, as Mr Singh explained yesterday, the game opened the way for four rounds of diplomatic talks that have improved relations between the two countries to their best level in years.

This is excellent news and I'm sure that India/China thing had nothing to do with it at all...

Mark's Remarks

No, that India/China thing meant nothing...nope....(whistle)... This is very good news. Somewhere, Mohandas Ghandi is looking on with a smile, perhaps for the first time in many years.

Border Patrol's Union Supports Minutemen

From WorldNetDaily:

The largest local union of Border Patrol agents in the country has declared its support for the Minuteman Project in Arizona, while at the same time slamming both the American Civil Liberties Union and President Bush.

According to its website, the U.S. Border Patrol Local 2544, which covers the Tucson sector of the agency, the volunteers involved in the border-monitoring Minuteman Project have been nothing but supportive.

WND Exclusive INVASION USA
Border Patrol union
supports Minutemen
Says it has had no complaints about monitors, blasts Bush over amnesty
Posted: April 18, 2005
5:00 p.m. Eastern


© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

The largest local union of Border Patrol agents in the country has declared its support for the Minuteman Project in Arizona, while at the same time slamming both the American Civil Liberties Union and President Bush.

According to its website, the U.S. Border Patrol Local 2544, which covers the Tucson sector of the agency, the volunteers involved in the border-monitoring Minuteman Project have been nothing but supportive.

"We want to make it clear – because we've had a lot of questions about this – we have not had one single complaint from a rank-and-file agent in this sector about the Minutemen," says a statement on the site. "Every report we've received indicates these people are very supportive of the rank-and-file agents; they're courteous. Many of them are retired firefighters, cops, and other professionals, and they're not causing us any problems whatsoever."

The group blames the ACLU for setting off ground sensors in the area of the Minutemen activities.

How do you like them apples, eh?

Mark's Remarks

Wow...the Border Patrol Union supports citizens defending their borders by simply calling in the authorities. If this were a liberal union, we would hear talk of encroaching on authoritiy, etc. The Border Agents get it: we need to protect our borders. We can no longer give a cursory wink to illegals crossing the border. We must send them back for disrespecting the laws of our land. If they want to come here, do so legally.

Blatant Statement of the Obvious

Latest Yahoo News Alert:

WASHINGTON (AP) Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said senior agency officials showed "serious lapses in judgment" and a disregard for taxpayer money in hiring conservative commentator Armstrong Williams.

No kidding...

Buy A Gun Day

In celebration of what are government is doing for us, today is Buy A Gun Day. And while the other participants are buying real guns, I'm buying these...



...from these guys...

Read more about this great "holiday" at Aaron's place...

Ben Stein and Me--Dealing with DeLay

Over at Mark's Remarks I have a little ditty up about the hypocrisy of the Left in castigating DeLay for employing family members. Ben Stein covers it in the American Spectator with his own views about Mr. DeLay.

Herewith a few truths about Tom DeLay, the embattled GOP Majority Leader in The House of Representatives.

1.) Tom DeLay is morally probably the highest level public servant I have ever met. With virtually no political gain to be had from so doing, he has been the most enthusiastic supporter of Israel in the U.S. Congress. He has stood with Israel against terrorism and international anti-Semitism without reservation or fear. This is a man with more moral decency in his little finger than his detractors have in their whole bodies.

2.) The attack against him in the Texas courts are an outrageous -- but sadly emblematic -- Democrat attempt to use the judicial system to defeat the electoral process. The DA who is tormenting him is the same one who made up an indictment of Kay Bailey Hutchison out of whole cloth to try to reverse the results of a solid electoral victory by the Republican party in Texas.

If this kind of deviltry works, we can expect local Democrat district attorneys to routinely indict any Republican who is successfully turning out the electorate for the Republican Party. No elected official, no bureaucrat, is more unaccountable than an out of control, hatchet job prosecutor, and this is just what we are seeing at work against Tom DeLay.

3.) The very fact that the Mainstream Media are so desperately struggling to smear Tom DeLay is proof positive of what a good job he is doing at leveling the electoral playing field.

4.) If we throw him to the wolves, we are betraying a dear friend of the party, and a good man -- and allowing a vicious dirty trick through the judicial system to subvert the Constitution.

5.) Tom DeLay's comments about a judiciary that sanctioned the torture murder of Terri Schiavo and how it has to be brought to account was a brave and entirely sensible approach to an issue that dismays and frightens many Americans. His comments are yet another sign of what a fine patriot this man is.

6.) He has been there for us, and we need to be there for him

Mahatma, Howard Kurtz, Activist Judges and a Guy Named Bill

Mahatma unloads both barrels in another one of his gems. I'm not even going to excerpt it, go read the whole thing!

Cats and Dogs....Living Together...MASS HYSTERIA!

It must be the end of the world....Liberal Dem Feinstein speaks out against Agricultural Rider on Iraq Bill, while Republican from Idaho shows true Liberal Colors! Yep, now I know the source is NewsMax, but let's just look at the facts...(note, emphases added by me):

The contentious issue of immigration reform threatened to hold up Senate action Wednesday on a $80 billion plus spending bill for the U.S. effort in Iraq, a harbinger of the difficult debate to come.

Senate Republican leaders, mindful of the differing and strong opinions lawmakers have on immigration, have wanted to avoid having any immigration provisions added to the Iraq bill. But that plan derailed Wednesday when:

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said she planned to offer an amendment that would expand the number of H-2B temporary guest worker visas available in an effort to help the fishing and tourism industries in her state and others;

Sen. Larry Craig., R-Idaho, could not be talked out of trying to add AgJobs, a farm worker measure that would create a new temporary guest worker program that offered the prospect of legalization and eventual citizenship to migrant workers.

When word spread that such additions might be in the wind, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, authored a non-binding resolution that no such measures be added. It passed 61-38. But almost immediately after that resolution passed, the immigration provisions began to be offered. More of the same is expected today.

Feinstein was particularly upset at the notion that AgJobs could be considered now.

"This is going to be a huge magnet" for illegal immigrants, Feinstein warned her colleagues during an impassioned floor speech. "Mark my words." That measure, she said, "could bring millions of people into this country - workers, their spouses, their minor children."

Feinstein said bills like AgJobs should go through the traditional committee hearing and debate process.

Dear God, I am agreeing with Dianne Feinstein, and am shocked that she is speaking out for actually doing the correct and upright thing for once...holy cats, it must be the living end!!!

I am really shocked with Craig, who should be villified for adding the horrendous "greencards for everybody" debacle that is AgJobs...Who has he been listening to, that idiot Pelosi? (see WMD archives for more details)

Corryn, however, knows what we should really be focusing on:

Cornyn, who chairs the immigration subcommittee, promised his panel would tackle immigration reform this year. But he implored colleagues not to allow an immigration debate to "bog down this emergency supplemental appropriations bill to equip our troops with what they need."

Matt's Chat

Isn't this one of the signs mentioned in Revelations?

Democratic Congressman Complains After Getting the "DeLay Treatment"

The Bennington Banner thinks the Congressman doth protest too much. I agree.:

In Wednesday's Banner, we ran a story that detailed payments Rep. Bernard Sanders has made to his wife and stepdaughter since 2000.

According to records filed with the Federal Election Commission, his wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders received $91,020 from his campaign for consultation and negotiating the purchase of advertising time, from 2002 to 2004. About two-thirds of that money was used to pay media outlets, O'Meara Sanders said. Her daughter, Carina Driscoll, was paid $65,002 in wages over the same time period. She served as her stepfather's campaign manager in 2000, fund-raiser and office manager in 2003 and his database manager last year.

None of this is illegal. The story did not state, or imply, that Rep. Sanders broke the law by hiring family members. An Associated Press story in Thursday's paper points out that employing relatives is common practice among the nation's lawmakers. It says about four dozen senators and representatives have hired family members for their campaign and political groups.
...
The way Rep. Sanders has reacted to the revelatons, we think, indicates that he realizes how the situation looks. He claims the story was a lie, although the information came from public government records and was confirmed by his own staff, and he does not refute any of the facts in our report.

If Rep. Sanders believes the payments are on the up and up, a completely acceptable practice, he should come out and say so, instead of threatening not to speak with the media.

That's another issue that concerns us. In Maryland, the governor banned the Baltimore Sun from attending press conferences because he didn't like how he was being covered.

We at the Banner don't pretend to have any more rights than the average citizen. But the average citizen does have the right to hold his or her elected officials accountable for their actions.

Ah, you see the sauce for the goose is not fit for the gander...at least not to the Democratic palate. Us schleps out here in JesusLand, however... Good on these guys for not backing down. Fair is fair after all...

From the Couldn't Have Said It Better File....

Blogging Icon Glenn Reynolds and his contributors look at the historical revisionism idiocy of the Left, and their disrespect for the common person's intelligence, posted without comments. However, emphases are added by me. Be sure to check out the links in Glenn's posting for more great details.

MORE HISTORICAL REVISIONISM: "I don't recall any prewar speeches about delivering democracy to the Middle East."

Hmm. Must've missed the 2003 State of the Union address, where Bush said:


Different threats require different strategies. In Iran we continue to see a government that represses its people, pursues weapons of mass destruction and supports terror.

We also see Iranian citizens risking intimidation and death as they speak out for liberty and human rights and democracy. Iranians, like all people, have a right to choose their own government, and determine their own destiny, and the United States supports their aspirations to live in freedom. . . .

And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country, your enemy is ruling your country.

And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation. . . .

Americans are a free people, who know that freedom is the right of every person and the future of every nation. The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world; it is God's gift to humanity.


Just, you know, correcting the record.

UPDATE: Reader Paul Escalona sends these remarks by President Bush to the U.N. General Assembly from 2002:


The United States has no quarrel with the Iraqi people; they've suffered too long in silent captivity. Liberty for the Iraqi people is a great moral cause, and a great strategic goal. The people of Iraq deserve it; the security of all nations requires it. Free societies do not intimidate through cruelty and conquest, and open societies do not threaten the world with mass murder. The United States supports political and economic liberty in a unified Iraq.


And this Feb. 27, 2003 transcript (a month before the war) from PBS's Newshour:


MARGARET WARNER: Last night, Pres. Bush laid out his argument that a post-Saddam Iraq could become a flourishing democracy.

PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH: There was a time when many said that the cultures of Japan and Germany were incapable of sustaining democratic values. Well, they were wrong. Some say the same of Iraq today. They are mistaken. (Applause) The nation of Iraq, with its proud heritage, abundant resources and skilled and educated people, is fully capable of moving toward democracy and living in freedom. (Applause)

MARGARET WARNER: The president further asserted that a democratic Iraq could transform the entire region in a similar way.

PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH: There are hopeful signs of the desire for freedom in the Middle East. Arab intellectuals have called on Arab governments to address the freedom gap, so their peoples can fully share in the progress of our times. From Morocco to Bahrain and beyond, nations are taking genuine steps toward political reform. A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region. (Applause) It is presumptuous and insulting to suggest that a whole region of the world, or the one-fifth of humanity that is Muslim, is somehow untouched by the most basic aspirations of life.


Don't these guys realize that we have Google?

Not to mention, apparently, better memories . . . .

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Scott Helgeson writes:


There's plenty of antiwar articles that dismissed the administration's arguments about promoting democracy.

From Alternet, Jan. 30, 2003: Link

It's "bogus" reason #3.

From Counterpunch, Mar. 19, 2003: Link

"...he proclaims that his war against the people of Iraq will bring about something called 'democracy' for the struggling peoples of the Middle East."

From Znet, Oct. 8, 2002:
Link

"In his speech, Bush claimed that he is motivated by a desire to see democracy in Iraq and by the 'non-negotiable demands of human dignity.'"

This was from a quick search, I'm sure you can find many, many more examples. And yet now there's a shocking case of amnesia.


So back then the claims were bogus -- and now they're new! As reader Matthew Tanner writes: "Y'know, you gotta laugh (or in your case, go 'heh') at these guys. Next: Bush hid his nefarious agenda in plain view! That bastard!"
Wasn't it Cavour who said that the way to lie to diplomats is to tell the truth, since they will never believe that? I guess it's not just for diplomats.Meanwhile, here's an earlier post by Jon Henke on related issues.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Steve Foley emails:


Bringing democracy to Iraq was also stated as one of the reasons for going to war in the congressional resolution authorizing President Bush to use military
force against Iraq.
(Link)

"Whereas the Iraq Liberation Act (Public Law 105-338) expressed the sense of Congress that it should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to
remove from power the current Iraqi regime and promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime;"

In fact, bringing democracy to Iraq has been this nation's policy since 1998, signed into law by Bill Clinton. And here's what President Clinton said in
his own speech way back then

(Link):

"The United States favors an Iraq that offers its people freedom at home. I categorically reject arguments that this is unattainable due to Iraq's
history or its ethnic or sectarian make-up. Iraqis deserve and desire freedom like everyone else. The United States looks forward to a democratically supported regime that would permit us to enter into a dialogue leading to the reintegration of Iraq into normal international life.

My Administration has pursued, and will continue to pursue, these objectives through active application of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. The evidence is overwhelming that such changes will not happen under the current Iraq leadership. "


Now that's a really pre-war speech!

MORE: Ian Hamet offers an explanation for the selective memory:


The reason a large block of the country doesn’t recall Bush’s speeches calling for Iraqi liberation is that they simply were not listening. After all, they had already decided that they knew what Bush “really” meant, so they ignored what he said.
Makes sense.

STILL MORE: The Mudville Gazette notes that this revisionism is a case of history being written by the losers, and offers some further correction.

MORE STILL: Reader Chris Breisch makes a telling point: "In case no one remembers, the name of the operation wasn’t 'Operation Let’s Go Kick Some Butt and Get Some WMD’s,' it was 'Operation Iraqi Freedom'."

Frist Might Actually Have Some Stones

The talk is that Frist is going to push for the Constitutional Option. Notice how the Dims have kept using nuclear, trying to go for that old imagery of nuclear armageddon that helped LBJ win with the Daisy commercials. Don't be fooled, ladies and gentlemen. The Founding Fathers NEVER envisioned the level of vitriol and hate for the sake of blind political ideology that the obstructionist Democrats have imposed. Besides, the rule change that would be gotten rid of was not, is not, in the Constitution. It is part of the Senate rules, which Constitutionally can be changed by majority vote. Gosh, I wish government teachers would spend more time teaching the government than in teaching touchy-feely activism and deifying judicial activists. Here is the story from Yahoo!News. OH, AND BY THEY WAY, Memo to John McCain--you should bend over and kiss your Presidential Hopes good-bye with your traitorous stance on this issue! And your goiter, too!

MVCA Column

The column I previewed here yesterday is finished and up early. Reader's Digest version: The Senate Republicans are in deep trouble with the base of the party... Read the whole thing here.

RNC: Schumer is a Hypocrite on Filibusters

Press release presented without additional commentary:

"Senator Schumer's unequivocal support for Democratic efforts to filibuster qualified judicial nominees is nothing more than partisan politicking. When President Clinton sent a nominee to the Senate, Senator Schumer cited the Senate's 'Constitutional mandate' to provide a vote. It's disappointing that Senator Schumer's correct interpretation of the Constitution only applies when it suits his political agenda." -- Tracey Schmitt, Press Secretary

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER'S (D-N.Y.) HYPOCRISY ON JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS

During Clinton Administration, Schumer Believed Filibustering Judicial Nominations Indefinitely Was Not Right:

In 2000, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) Said Government Does Not Fulfill Its "Constitutional Mandate" When Judicial Nominees Do Not Receive A Vote. "The basic issue of holding up judgeships is the issue before us, not the qualifications of judges, which we can always debate. The problem is it takes so long for us to debate those qualifications. It is an example of government not fulfilling its constitutional mandate because the President nominates, and we are charged with voting on the nominees." (Sen. Charles Schumer, Congressional Record, 3/7/00, p. S1211)

Schumer In 2000: "(W)e Are Charged With Voting On The Nominees. The Constitution Does Not Say If The Congress Is Controlled By A Different Party Than The President There Shall Be No Judges Chosen." (Senator Charles Schumer, Congressional Record, 3/7/00, p. S1211)

During Bush Administration, Schumer Has Repeatedly Voted To Block Highly Qualified Bush Judges:

In The 108th Congress Schumer Voted Against All Cloture Votes On Judicial Nominees, A Total Of Twenty Votes. (CQ Vote No. 40: Motion Rejected 55-44: R 51-0; D 4-43; I 0-1, 3/6/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 53: Motion Rejected 55-42: R 51-0; D 4-41; I 0-1, 3/13/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 56: Motion Rejected 55-45: R 51-0; D 4-44; I 0-1, 3/18/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote #114: Motion Rejected 55-44: R 51-0; D 4-43; I 0-1, 4/2/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 137: Motion Rejected 52- 44: R 50-0; D 2-43; I 0-1, 5/1/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 140: Motion Rejected 52-39: R 49-0; D 3-38; I 0-1, 5/5/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 143: Motion Rejected 54-43: R 50- 0; D 4-42; I 0-1, 5/8/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote #144: Motion Rejected 52-45: R 50-0; D 2-44; I 0-1, 5/8/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 308: Motion Rejected 53-43: R 51-0; D 2-42; I 0-1, 7/29/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 312: Motion Rejected 55- 43: R 51-0; D 4-42; I 0-1, 7/30/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 316: Motion Rejected 53-44: R 51-0; D 2-44; I 0-0, 7/31/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 419: Motion Rejected 54-43: R 51- 0; D 2-43; I 1-0, 10/30/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 441: Motion Rejected 51-43: R 49-0; D 2-42; I 0-1, 11/6/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 450: Motion Rejected 53-42: R 51-0; D 2- 41; I 0-1, 11/14/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 451: Motion Rejected 53-43: R 51-0; D 2-42; I 0-1, 11/14/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 452: Motion Rejected 53-43: R 51-0; D 2-42; I 0- 1, 11/14/03, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 158: Motion Rejected 53-44: R 51-0; D 2-43; I 0-1, 7/20/04, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 160: Motion Rejected 52-46: R 51-0; D 1-45; I 0-1, 7/22/04, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 161: Motion Rejected 54-44: R 51- 0; D 3-43; I 0-1, 7/22/04, Schumer Voted Nay; CQ Vote No. 162: Motion Rejected 53-44: R 50-0; D 3-43; I 0-1, 7/22/04, Schumer Voted Nay)

As DSCC Chair, Schumer Has Sent Out Fundraising Emails Vowing To Fight The Bush Administration Over The Appointment Of "Right- Wing Judges." "In a fundraising e-mail, DSCC chair Chuck Schumer (D) writes: Pres. Bush and Karl Rove 'are already working on a plan' to attack Senate Dems. 'With increased majorities, they know they can appoint right-wing judges at will, pass legislation to restrict a woman's right to choose, and rollback our precious environmental protections.' GOPers 'have already drawn up a list of targets. And number one on that list' is Sen. Maria Cantwell (D)." ("Washington: Yeah, The GOP Might Be Planning To Do All Of," The Hotline, 3/10/05)

Mark's Remarks

Look, all the Dims are hypocrites, and they are twisting the Constitution (imagine my shock and surprise...). There is no 200 year history, as the moron.orgmoveon.org ads and propaganda say, of fillibustering nominees. That is inaccurate, unfactual, unfounded, in effect, a lie. There is no 200 year history of a supermajority on nominees by the President. Again, they are lying.

The Dims are out saying that Republicans want to outlaw the fillibuster. That is simply not true, and it would not be Constitutional, either. What the Republicans want to do, at least those with the guts (unfortunately, most of these are not Senators), is to take a stand and protect the Constitution. Congress has a duty to advise and consent on Presidential nominees. This whole rule of a supermajority is hindering that power. No one is saying take away the debate, or even the fillibuster. However, let's use the fillibuster on what it was designed for: legislation. In fact, I think we should make those who want to fillibuster stand up and continue talking--I am sick of the "pretend" fillibusters that quash legislation without the Senators making any effort-ON BOTH SIDES. Make those who dissent stand and debate for hours and hours on end. Make the Senators work again.

That is all I ask.

Oh yeah, and that we like fill up some of these judges seats.

Oh, and could we like actually read what is in the Constitution and in Congressional History before we twist and stab at it???? Please?

Review: Revelations

NOTE: This post will be updated throughout the day as other members of the editorial board check in.

Originally posted at 10:15 AM on April 12th.



Our "reliable source" sent us a package yesterday with a DVD of NBC's new drama debuting on April 13th called Revelations, airing at 9:00 PM EDT.

Three-quarters of the WMD Editorial Board got together last night to watch the pilot. (Sorry Sean, I didn't think you'd be able to swing it with such late notice - feel free to jump in if/when you get a chance to see it.)

Cast

Starring Bill Pullman (Independence Day) as Dr. Richard Massey and Natascha McElhone as Sister Josepha Montifiore, Revelations is an exploration of the question as to whether or not the end of days is at hand. Other notable appearances in the show are Fred Durst (as Ogden) and John Rhys-Davies (as Dr. Massey's mentor).

Get the full cast listing from IMDb here.

Plot Summary (w/o Too Many Spoilers)

The premiere sets up the characters and establishes the premise of the series while presenting a "ripped from the headlines" story reminiscent of Terri Schiavo. A girl gets struck by lighting and is taken to the hospital where she falls in to a vegetative state and is about to be euthanized for her organs when McElhone arrives on the scene. The girl starts quoting scripture in Latin and draws a map for McElhone and then returns to her comatose state.

Sr. Jo (McElhone) enlists the aid of Dr. Massey (Pullman), whose daughter was killed by a Satanist (Isaiah Haden played by Michael Massee), but he is skeptical of McElhone's motives and methods.

Matt's Chat

I am the least "religious" of the WMD editorial board, but I found Revelations to be highly entertaining and thoroughly engaging. Most television shows aren't filmed like a movie, but this one was, and that aided in the story telling immensely.

The casting is outstanding. Some people may not buy Bill Pullman as a skeptic, but he totally nails the part. McElhone perfectly portrays faith in action. And John Rhys-Davies continues to be a class act. A fantastically chilling performance by Michael Massey that just owns the screen.

The music is haunting. Joseph Vitarelli provides an appropriately dark and rich score.

And the photography is simply stunning.

I give it Four and a Half Mushroom Clouds out of Five.

Mark's Remarks

Ahh, a network seeking to join the Passion phenomena. Sadly, they fell a bit short in my opinion. While this is an interesting look at the Last Days, it is neither overly original or too theologically correct. I know, there goes the guy getting all Biblical.

However, it was a captivating series in the X-Files vein. In fact, as Bill Pullman and his female co-star started working together, I got the Mulder/Scully vibe, without the immediate sexual tension, though I fear that NBC might go after that, at some point.

The music was very interesting, and the characters were engaging and each brought their own poignant reasons and backgrounds to this "investigation" of whether the Last Days prophecies were coming about. In fact, the pilot had each major segment begin with a Biblical passage that tied that segment's theme together.

If it were merely a science fiction look at preventing some type of demonic invasion, ala Constantine, I would not be at all unhappy with the series. However, they attempt to portray some things that I believe are not Scripturally correct. They take a HUGE license with some of the prophecies, such as the return of Christ. Now, they have not said that the person they are searching for is Christ, but the Nun's whole notion of Jesus returning as a child to be nurtured and to grow up again is not correct. Jesus himself said in the Scriptures he would come back from the clouds as a king on a white horse, with the titles King of Kings and Lord of Lords on his noble sash. Granted, for entertainment purposes, this is not a HUGE detail, but for those of us who study the Bible, it is important.

Secondly, the characters are not overly original. The agnostic doubting father, the kind of knowing but unsure religious figure; all of these can be found in the best selling Left Behind Series. The whole father going through loss that Pullman plays can be analogous to Rayford Steele in the LB series. However, there are striking differences. Rayford's family was taken away by the Rapture, but Pullman's were taken by the servant of evil.

I guess that is what colors my viewing of this series. Between my own study and my own enjoyment and voracious reading of the Left Behind Series, I am biased. I think the Left Behind series is much more theologically correct and more Scripturally based, but I can understand that we are dealing with a secular interpretation of events.

I must say I am intrigued at which way this series will go, and also by the character of Mr. Rhys-Davies. His character seems to meld science and religion together, to accept both, which is uncharacteristic of the intelligentsia today. However, I am not sure how successful this series will be. I do not think evangelicals will watch after noting some of the tangents, but I don't think NBC was aiming for them truly anyway.

My hope is that this series will launch some discussion about one of the least talked about subjects in modern Christianity: the End of Days. I am hoping that despite some disagreements I have with the portrayals of prophecy, that this series will promote questions and thoughtful discussion and analysis of the prophecies and inspire people to look closer at that "last book in the Bible."

All that being said, I was not overly enthusiastic, but I must admit I was left wanting to know more. I would more heartily recommend the Left Behind Series of BOOKS (the 2 movies I have seen and am aware of are so-so) if you want a fictional examination of the End Times that is accessible. However, knowing Hollyweird as I do, this is at least a good starting point. I give it 3 mushroom clouds.

Doug's Dialogue

This is a very interesting look into the biblical stories of the last days. I am very impressed that a network such as NBC decided to tackle such a story. This is not the typical NBC programming, although they do have a success rate with television drama series.

This was the pilot episode for a potential series for NBC. I will agree with Matt that the cast is done very well. Bill Pulman doesn't readily impress me as a skeptic, but that is based on the previous roles that I have seen him in (mainly quite hero types). However, he is a great actor and does manage to do the part justice. Natascha McElhone reminds me a lot of Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman) and Roma Downey Jr. (Touched by an Angel). She plays the part of a nun who travels the world documenting the signs of the coming of days, and does a very convincing job. The supporting cast is also excellent in their roles.

Based on what we have seen, I think that the story has been very well written. The writers in conjunction with the director have done an excellent job of making the story interesting, while still providing a very good dramatic telling. I will also agree with Matt that the filming has been quite good. However, where this series gets it's knock is with the content.

This story is based on the book of Revelations in the Bible. I will be the first to admit that I do not know a lot about the book of Revelations. Sure I have heard some of the stories, but have not actually read this part of the Bible. I know other people who have read this book in the Bible. From what I know of the people who have read it, this particular book in the Bible is subject to a lot of interpretation. So we have that aspect. Secondly, NBC is taking a very cerebral approach to the presentation of this book of the Bible. As a series, I am not sure that ordinary people, such as myself, who do not know much about the book of Revelations will be able to fully understand all of the ideas that are presented about the coming of days. I think that this is probably the single biggest drawback to NBC presenting this as a series. And unfortunately, that is the reason why I feel this series may not last.

Where NBC wins with this series is the great writing and directing that they are getting, along with the excellent casting. The story telling keeps the viewer interested, while the mystery and drama keeps them hooked. Where the lose is the cerebral nature in which they are presenting this story. I think that this would make for a great miniseries shown over the course of a week. I do not think that it will be able to survive as a regular series though.

For a rating, I would initially give this probably three or three and a half mushroom clouds out of five. However, due to the good story and excellent casting, I am willing to bump my rating up to four mushroom clouds out of five.

Obligatory Star Trek Reference

John Rhys-Davies played Leonardo DaVinci in a couple episodes of Voyager.

Other Reviews / Sources

NBC's site for Revelations
IMDb entry for Revelations
Matt's review for BNN
Steve Beard's take on National Review
TVtome

More FCC Nonsense

Now clothed women are being censored by the FCC... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! That wasn't on the HALLIBURTON! agenda for the meeting I went to...

On Elections and Activism

Preview of tomorrow's column for the MVCA:

There are a lot of questions percolating out here in the Republican base. Conservative activists expected that their agenda would be given a chance. That's why we donated to our politicians and worked on their campaigns. Was it all worth it? Many people want to know because 2006 and 2008 are just around the corner. We'd like to know whether it will be worth our time, money, and effort to engage in a cause we believe in but will never get through because our leaders lack the ability to act like the majority.

Rather than worrying about some hypothetical future where Republicans are back in the minority, why not govern now? Why not make a difference? Why not stop acting like Democrats lusting for the continuation of personal power? Have the Republicans in Washington become just like the Democrats of the 90's? Is the Republican National Committee so concerned about building a "bigger tent" that they have allowed the dilution of our cherished values? Does any Republican in Washington know what "small government" even means?

The silence is deafening… Will there be a price to be paid for it?

I eagerly await the input of the rest of the WMD editorial board and our readers...

Mark's Remarks

I think Matt is getting worn down by all the nonsense going on. The reason why we got active was to make our voices and needs heard. This is not built in a day. It is not just done through elections. It needs to take money and calls and emails. It needs to take threats to their power that they cannot deny, like conservative candidates to run against in the primaries.

I do think there are a number of Republicans in Washington who know what small government means. However, they are listening to their reelection analysts instead of doing what is right and good for America. Unfortunately, there is no real Reaganite among them with any power. What we have are a bunch of composite, "lavender" Republicans. It is even worse in the state house of Ohio's General Assembly.

We need another revolution. Reelecting this President was a good start. However, we need to take control of the Republican party apparatus. After all, without us, the common voter, there is no party. Therefore, I encourage people to join central committees, to lobby hard to your party, and to check into candidates' conservative background before you allow your central committees to endorse them. By being ever more active, we can take back our party.

However, I share Matt's disgust for the current crop in Washington. They are more worried about losing power than in doing what they were elected to do. Didn't they get the memo from the Dems in 1994? Doing that leads to the self-fulfilling prophecy of being back in the minority. Instead of thinking what if we get back in the minority, why don't you do what is right for America now so we can see results and we can get more to come to our way of thinking? Instead, we have too many Republicans who are concerned about working with the Democrats and maintaining collegiality. Tell me, what is collegial about the witchhunt against DeLay, when 5 of the top questionable junket takers were Dems? What is so collegial about going after DeLay hiring family when practically the entire Democratic leadership in the Congress did far more as a conflict of interest, especially Harry Reid? It is time to grow a pair, gentlemen, and do what you said you were going to do.