On "24" and Homeland Security

If you haven't yet watched the Hertiage Foundation sponsored panel disucssion, "24" and America’s Image in Fighting Terrorism: Fact, Fiction, or Does it Matter?, it's very much worth the 2 hours. In addition to the participants having a good sense of humor and making the time just fly by, there are some great summaries of where we are, some very insightful questions from the audience and moderator Rush Limbaugh, and great quotes. One of my favorites -

Ninety-nine percent of what needs to be done is not somebody in Washington picking up the phone and doing something. ... If you're waiting on somebody in Washington to do something before we can start saving lives, then we're all gonna die!

James Jay Carafano
Senior Research Fellow
Defense and Homeland Security
The Heritage Foundation

Precisely true. Folks, if we are not willing to do whatever it takes to keep things moving in the right direction, to turn things around that are going the wrong way, and, if necessary, take up arms to defend our country, homes, and families (and ensuring we each have the tools and supplies to ensure that is possible), you can be dead certain that the Federal government isn't going to do it for you. The operative word in that would be "dead"...

Gagging on Ice Cream and Pie...

My favorite Ohio "up for re-election" Senator, Mike DeWine, has posted two articles on his web site regarding last weekend's Pie and Ice Cream free-for-all, only $5. One anecdote in particular from DeWine offers sweet treats, but foe isn't buying caught my attention:

Sometimes personal connections, not issues, win votes -- as evidenced in the Cedarville crowd yesterday.

Leaning onto a red-and-white checkered tablecloth, Phyllis Orcutt of Columbus said she is a Democrat who supported Mr. Kerry's 2004 presidential bid. But she's voted for Mr. DeWine since the 1980s, when he was a congressman. At a constituent forum, she asked him to help her husband get disability benefits, and Mr. DeWine, she said, came through.

"I went to Democrat after Democrat, and nothing," Ms. Orcutt said. "So you can see why I support him."

Interesting...so now we should vote for DeWine because he was able to buy this lady's vote away from the Democrats by making sure her husband gets disability benefits. Well, I'm really glad to finally have a reason. Until this article, I hadn't been able to find one. Unfortunately, it also means we now have two Democrats running for the Ohio Senate seat.

I really hope that Mike DeWine announces his intention to switch parties prior to the November elections. For him to have retained full integrity, he should have done that before the May primary so we could choose a Republican to run. However, it would certainly be better for him to announce his intention to switch before the election than pull a Jumpin' Jim Jeffords move and switch after the results are finalized.

No, I can't endorse voting for Sherrod Brown. But a vote for Mike DeWine is little better. This is really a case of having to vote for the horrible candidate and against the even worse one.

AP Slants a Second Amendment Story

Now I'm sure this is no big surprise to the two people reading this blog, but the Associated Press just couldn't quite bring themselves to report the USA citizens' response to the upcoming small arms conference without adding a slam on the NRA and slanting the report in favor of the reasonable, benevolent UN. When the left wing launches a mail protest with pre-printed post cards and downloadable letters for their advocates to sign, stamp, and mail, does the AP report that the recipients are "bombarded with form letters"? Not in my memory. But let freedom-loving citizens send letters to Kofi Anan and the conference chairman and that is precisely how it is characterized.

Now, to be fair, I'm sure many of the letters received to protest this conference are indeed just copied and printed. But even the AP has to admit that only "Many of the letters contained a form message" downloaded from the NRA's "Stop the UN Gun Ban" web site. Not "all," or even "most," but "many." Reading between the lines, it says that at least half the senders took the time to write their own letters or at least customize the text to include their own thoughts and passions.

After having done all it can to discount the writers and their messages, the AP proceeds to justify the conference as affecting only illegal firearms trade, not the individual ownership of such weapons by law abiding world citizens. This is the official position of the UN regarding the focus of this conference. Since that's what they say it's all about, shouldn't we just believe them?

If only it was that easy.

The UN has a history of supporting the rights of dictators and despots over those of the people they subjegate and slaughter. The NGOs it listens to and who become darlings of the global media follow the same path. Amnesty International is one of those NGOs. Given their stated human rights focus, you'd think they would certainly oppose such nonsense...and you would be wrong. According to them, providing citizens with the ability to defend themselves against genocide is a bad thing in that firearms may upset an "uncertain violent situation". Translated, it means that Amnesty International opposes arming citizens because doing so will make it more difficult to predict. I would think that's a good thing given that the current predicted outcome is a subjegated population.

Amnesty International also fully supports IANSA, the International Action Network on Small Arms, headed by Rebecca Peters. The UN give IANSA privileged access to meetings regarding gun control, even when other NGOs are excluded. And IANSA has repeatedly held that small arms are a problem no matter who owns them. Athough they avoid putting it in writing, their objective is to make private ownership of all small arms illegal, then collecting and destroying them. Rebecca Peters stated it most clearly in her debate with Wayne LaPierre.

So, if you combine the statement that the UN only wants to eliminate illegal gun sales with IANSA's objective that personal ownership of firearms be outlawed, it sure seems to me like our Second Amendment rights are under fire.

And, just in case you're still not convinced, the report from the last conference is posted on its own domain - disarmament.un.org. Hoisted with their own petard...

Dead Lawyer Prompts Saddam Hunger Strike

FoxNews.com reports that one of the attorneys on Saddam Hussein's defense team was killed, prompting a hunger strike by him and his co-defendants. Seems to me this is could be a marvelous development. All the Iraqis have to do is say they're doing the best they can to protect the lawyers. That won't satisfy the protesters, of course, which means they'll have to continue their strike.

Obviously, civilization is returning to Iraq -- they're reading the Bard.

Mike DeWine - Now in Top 10 Senators!!

Yes, Ohio's senior RINO in the Senate has made it onto a Top Ten list of Senators. How did he do this? By just being himself, of course!! HumanEventsOnline.com has published two Top Ten lists - one of most anti-gun Senators and one of anti-gun Representatives posted the week prior. Now, he could have tried a little harder, because at number 10, he was beat out by the only other Republican to make the lists - House Republican Mike Castle from Deleware made it up to number 7 on his list.

So, in a state that swung against Kerry (arguably due in some part to his bogus goose hunting trip where he honked off the media by not giving them a real interview and proved just how much of a hunter he is by not even carrying out his own birds) and has a large number of real hunters, plus a strong pro-gun electorate, Senator DeWine proves how much he doesn't represent the constituents and gets national recognition in the same class with Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Ted Kennedy, and five other Senators who have made their camp so far to the left of the mainstream that there aren't even mosquitos...

Gotta admit that it really takes some kind of arrogance to so completely flaunt the will of the people that you get national recognition as the only Republican in the Senate on this particular Top Ten list.

So would someone please explain to me why both the Ohio Republican Party, the national party organization, and even President Bush supported this guy in the primaries against two real conservatives? Comments welcome if you can figure it out...please!

[Thanks to Cam Edwards and NRA News for pointing out this list...]

Update....someone else also noticed
Yes, the Brady Bunch has endorsed Mike DeWine. Wow. I mean, we always knew this RINO Senator had little in common with basic standards like, say, the Constitution, but a full endorsement by Queen Sarah herself? You really have to admire someone who can snorkle that particular crowd for an endorsement! Should be interesting to see how that affects the outcome. The last Rassmussen poll shows DeWine down to Sherrod Brown by a few points but within the margin of error.

There were hints of a third party candidacy by George Mays. The last update was that he didn't gather enough petition signatures to get on the ballot. Looks like we're stuck with DeWine and Sherrod Brown. Ohio voters now have to choose between two absolutely horrible candidates for a national office. It's depressing.

An Ice Cream Social? YGBSM!!

Got this lovely email addressed to me, personally, signed by Alice DeWine, inviting me to ... well, you can read...

I wanted to remind you that my family's annual Ice Cream Social is next Sunday, June 25th from 1 to 5pm in Cedarville. Our family tradition of hosting the Ice Cream Social is older than I am, with this year marking the 30th Anniversary of the very first one. So, it is going to be an extra-special event this year and just a great day of old-fashioned, family fun.

Everyone is invited -- so please tell your family and friends!
Today, Mom, Grandma, and a few of Mom's friends made over 150 pies for the Ice Cream Social. Mom put them in the deep freeze and will bake them the day before the Social. My favorite is rhubarb-strawberry, and Mom always saves an apple pie for Dad! Our local dairy -- Young's Jersey Dairy -- will provide the ice cream.
The Ice Cream Social really is a great time for the whole family. There will be jugglers, face-painting, and games for the kids. And, everyone will enjoy performances by local theater and musical groups. Dad will judge the three-legged and sack races, and my favorite -- the pie eating contest!
The Ice Cream Social costs just $5 for adults and kids are free!
To get there, just take I-70 (west) from Columbus to Route 72, then go 12 miles to Cedarville, and follow the signs. You can take I-71 (north or south) to Route 35 (west) to the Bickett Road exit. Again, just follow the signs. Or, take Route 42 (east) from Xenia to Cedarville.

I hope to see you there, and remember -- bring your family and friends! We'll have a fantastic time!

Alice DeWine
P.S. If you have any questions or need additional information, please call our office at (614) 229-5380 or email us at info@mikedewine.com.

Paid for by Mike DeWine for U.S. Senate

(Not at Government's Expense)

So, I'm posting this here since she all but insisted I invite my friends...whether I plan on going or not.

Gee, I don't know...think it's likely her husband will be willing to engage in some lively conversation? Uh.....me neither... Besides, the gall of inviting me to a big family party they're throwing and telling me it costs $5....

I also received a call yesterday from the Ohio Republican Party looking for money. Felt a little sorry for the kid who called...he really tried hard. Basically, every time I'd mention the party's support for DeWine as a reason to not contribute, he'd tell me about defeating Hillary Clinton, keeping a Republican majority in both houses, and getting Ken Blackwell elected to Governor. Hillary? Sorry, I thought this was the OHIO Repbulican Party calling... Yes, I'll probably vote for DeWine since there apparently isn't a conservative running. The Ohio Republican Party wouldn't abandon him during the primaries and back Smith or Pierce instead. As bad as DeWine is, at least he's not the liberal wack job Sherrod Brown. Still, it would be nice to have someone to vote for instead of just choosing who to vote against. But I'm damn sure not going to give the spineless Ohio organization any money...anything I'll give will go directly to the candidates. The party didn't even back Blackwell during the primaries...refused to make a selection between him and Petro until after the primaries when there wasn't any decision left to make. Could they have backed Blackwell earlier, "encouraged" Petro not to run in the primary and saved that money for the general election? Sure, but that would require a conservative spine. Don't think there's one to be found.

I told the kid that I'd be happy to support the party when it decided to return to being conservative. Until then, I'll support candidates directly, tyvm. They have another chance in two years when teary-eyed pantywaist Voinovich's current term is up. And if the national Republican party backs someone like McCain or Frist, both of whom are supporting immigration amnesty, they'll have written me off completely. Bush has been a disappointment in that area, unfortunately. Thank God the house Republicans have their heads on straight. I do wish they'd split the immigration into two bills...first, fix the borders and stop the illegal immigration. Then, contingent on completing the first, think about a way we can let people work here if we really need them and they really, really want to work here but only if they pay a flat percentage of their income to the government as a special migrant worker income tax. And it would be a big percentage, too...something like a third, right off the top. Anyone caught working here who had been avoiding that tax would be fined an extra percentage, plus the employer would be fined the same amount. Anyone sending funds outside the country without proof of payment of this tax just have the entire transfer rerounted.

And if any Senator or Representative with an (R) after their name even hints at supporting a national minimum wage increase (Santorum??!!!), it's time to start defending the constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic, exercising our rights under the First and Second Amendments...Speak, Print, and Assemble, Redress Greivances, Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition!

So, no thanks...I can get a half gallon of Bryer's Vanilla Bean at Kroger for $5, sometimes 2 for $5...without the drive to Cedarville, the hokey yard contests, or the indigestion.

Just a thought

Something to kick this blog off the ground. As I've always believed that everyone is entitled to my opinion and acted accordingly, here's the chance to prove it.

It remains to be seen whether there's enough spare bandwidth in my average day to make this blog worth reviewing on a regular basis. My personal web site was updated once about 6 years ago...

All that said, I do enjoy active discourse with people who can express themselves articulately, have opinions they can back up with logic and facts, and who have minds open to new ideas but not so open-minded their brains fell out. If this actually works, you will find that there is absolute truth, but unlike others with strong views, I don't even begin to think I'm the source of it. If you think you are, you get about one chance to be reformed, so feel free.

Comments are always welcome. Cheap shots and ad hominem attacks will probably be sent unceremoneously to the bit bucket, regardless of whether they target me or others, and regardless of whether I agree with the comments or not. Repeated offenses will be cause for banishment. Conversely, you can hit the issues as hard as you want with reason, logic, and facts. However, if you just parrot some whacko talking points (right or left), you'll be swimming in the same honey bucket with the previous offenders. Nobody has to agree with me, of course -- I'll defend to the death your right to be wrong. Just disagree agreeably and nobody gets killed. Do we understand each other? More importantly, I couldn't care less whether we understand each other on this point as long as you understand me...after all, it's my blog, I'm not the State, and freedom of speech isn't guaranteed by anything other than the benevolence of my dictatorship!

I've never "blogged" before, and I'm not really a huge follower of any, although I did get one of the coveted commenter accounts at Michelle Malkin's new video blog site, Hot Air, so I will try to make that worth the space it consumes. There are many great blogs out there, and probably many more worthless ones. I might link to a few occasionally, but that likely will not be the main focus of what happens here.

Not that it's likely, but anyone who might have been here before and noticed the date changed on this first post gets extra credit if you can figure out why. :)