Lawrence O'Donnell Is A Disgusting Human Being And A Lousy Roman Catholic

This past weekend, political analyst Lawrence O'Donnell went on an absolute insane rant against the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons. The reason is because he thought that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in his speech last Thursday should have addressed Mormon doctrinal issues, and Mr. Romney did not.
In the rant, Mr. O'Donnell said that church founder Joseph Smith was a racist, a criminal and a rapist. The racist issue is the only one worth commenting because until 1978, blacks were not in the Mormon priesthood, which is all male. Since then, the LDS have thrived with blacks and are strongly evangelizing in Africa as well as South America.
Because Mr. Romney said that he would not reject the "Faith of My Fathers", Mr. O'Donnell did not like that because of some of the bad aspects of Mormonism.
He cited the church and polygamy saying that the only reason the church gave up the practise of multiple wives was so Utah could become a state in 1890. Never mind that Mormons had settled Utah in 1850 and practiced polygamy for 40 years before there was a revelation that the practice should end.
Be it for me to determine whether or not those are truly divine revelations or just convenience. I will let almighty God be the judge of that one.
But, back to Mr. O'Donnell.
Yesterday, Hugh Hewitt http://hughhewitt.com talked to Mr. O'Donnell and asked him serious questions about his Roman Catholic faith.
Mr. O'Donnell told Mr. Hewitt that he was baptised a Roman Catholic in his first week of life.
Something annoying about many of the Roman Catholics I encounter. Most say they are Catholic, and if saying they are Christian it is as an afterthought. Mr. O'Donnell does not realize that when one is baptised, it is to become a Christian, not a Catholic, a Lutheran, an Episcopalian or any other denomination. It is to become a Christian.
Mr. Hewitt went on to ask Mr. O'Donnell if he was still a practising Roman Catholic. Then Mr. O'Donnell went into a quite honestly dumb answer saying that people have a very elastic relationship with and cited with bizarre pride numerous political liberals such as Sens. Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and even throwing in Rudy Giuliani who are all divorced and still say they are Roman Catholics. However, if they take Holy Communion have divorced people, they are committing a sin in Roman Catholic teaching.
But, it just gets better.
When Mr. Hewitt asked Mr. O'Donnell if he attended the Mass, Mr. O'Donnell got out the rubber band again and went on the "elastic" point again. Eventually, Mr. O'Donnell conceded that he went to the Mass occasionally. Yes, I bet for Christmas and Easter. Again, according to Roman Catholic teaching, one must attend the Mass weekly to receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
When Mr. Hewitt asked whether Mr. O'Donnell was a misogynist, Mr. O'Donnell had to work the wheels to answer what Mr. Hewitt was leading to. If it is wrong for women to not be ordained in the Roman Catholic priesthood. At least Mr. O'Donnell thinks it is wrong, but cited that it is not in the church's interest because they are having trouble funding single men with no dependents in the priesthood. Huh? What a load of poo-poo!
There is so much more, and I really think you need to go to Hugh's website and if nothing else read the transcript of the interview. It is mind blowing.
Mr. O'Donnell tried to say that being a Roman Catholic is a hard definition. That is because Mr. O'Donnell keeps playing with rubber bands, you know, for that elasticity. I think being a Roman Catholic is something I will leave to an RC to define better than I, a Protestant.
Mr. O'Donnell said that whenever Mormons find a change in their doctrine, it is for political reasons and because it is a political religion.
The most instructive aspect of Mr. Hewitt's interview is when he point blank asks Mr. O'Donnell if he would say all the same things he said about the Mormon faith about Islam. Mr. O'Donnell showed what kind of "man" he is because he said the following.
Oh, well, I'm afraid of what the...that's where I'm really afraid. I would like to criticize Islam much more than I do publicly, but I'm afraid for my life if I do. Mormons are the nicest people in the world. They're not going to ever take a shot at me. Those other people, I'm not going to say a word about them.
What I take from this abhorrent semi-Roman Catholic is this. He really hates Mitt Romney and uses his religion against him. It is so much easier to slam the faith than the man. And, he is a sissy. I on this blog constantly criticize radical Islam and want to defeat them in the theatre of ideas and in the battlefield of war. Mr. O'Donnell has to admit that Mormons are nice people. No Mormon is going to take him out. But say one thing about the evils, and I mean evils, of radical Islam, the way mainstream Islam treats women, children and even animals, and whoops, I've got to hold back because they might come after me.
Mr. O'Donnell, be a man and apologize to Mr. Romney for your hatred and stand up to the Islamofascists and call them what they are, evil.

National Review Jumps On The Romney Bandwagon

In a very important development for the Mitt Romney campaign, the bible of conservatism, National Review magazine has endorsed Mr. Romney for the presidency http://nationalreview.com.
It is very important because it is the publication that conservatives go to. The best and the brightest conservatives are there as well as the Weekly Standard. Sometimes, the two publications meet. Writers often write for both publications.
In the endorsement, National Review calls Mr. Romney the most viable conservative candidate. It also gives Mr. Romney the credit he deserves for moving to the pro-life position and for maintaining traditional marriage. It is much harder for people to move from a liberal to conservative position on abortion and traditional marriage. And, that means it is harder to go the other way. Easy to be loved by the DDBMSM and the usual suspects, but then totally cheapened politically.
This is important and shows that while there is, possibly, a Huckabee "surge" it may be artificial and media driven. People really paying attention are looking at the big picture, not purity. Nobody should be looking for that, but to bring someone along on critical issues like life and traditional marriage and for good measure border enforcement, shows that it is the ideas that matter. We have to put a face, personality and temperament, and National Review knows that is Mitt Romney, Republican nominee for president and, God willing, the next president of the United States.

A Sad Weekend For The Episcopal Church

As of this past Saturday, the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin (California) is no more having voted at it's diocesan convention to sever all ties to The Episcopal Church. And it is a sad day indeed.
The vote of delegates to sever ties and align with the traditionalist Province of the Southern Cone in South American was not even close, 173-22, well over the two-thirds vote necessary to secede from the Mother Church http://FoxNews.com.
Of course, the DDBMSM wants all to believe it is all about homosexuality why this diocese and several others are poised to follow suit. It is only but a part of it.
The Diocese of San Joaquin is very traditional as it had been one of three Episcopal dioceses in the United States not to recognize or ordain women to the priesthood. And to many, that has been the start of this war between traditionalists and modernists.
One of the issues that should be troubling is the fact the the Episcopal Church is on record as in effect saying that one does not have to believe in Jesus Christ to get to heaven. It has rejected resolutions at the last two nation General Conventions affirming belief in Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life everlasting. The dominant modernists believe that it is too constricting and that it is not in good interfaith practice and dialogue.
That alone is enough to drive traditionalists away. The open lack of basic Christian belief is appalling.
The real reason, I believe, that more parishes and dioceses are not following San Joaquin is simple. It will cost a lot of money and the traditionalists may lose in the end, in the courts. The court battles will be over who actually own the churches and properties, the diocese or the individual parishes.
Courts across the United States have been split on the issue. Here in California there are four churches trying to leave the Diocese of Los Angeles and the modernist leadership of Bishop John J. Bruno. Of course the bishop and diocese have been fighting and this will end up in the California supreme court. If the state supreme court rules in favor of the diocese, no more churches will leave and Episcopal diocese. If the court rules for the churches, it could open some flood gates.
If the case of a whole diocese leaving ends up in the United States supreme court, and it very well might, the same holds true, only it will be on a nationwide scale.
Thus, if the supreme court were to rule that a diocese and or church could leave the Episcopal Church and keep its name and property, the total schism of the Episcopal Church will be complete and that may be the only true way to know how parishes and dioceses really fell about the battle between modernists and traditionalists.
It is awful because the Episcopal Church has always stood a middle ground on structure and or theology, even in defining itself as Catholic, not Roman Catholic, and Protestant. It has left room for what amounts to free thinking on both traditionalist and modernist sides. And the problem has been the modernists in control of the hierarchy and thus an overwhelming influence on what kind of lay leadership takes place, especially on the diocesan level.
Because there has always been a strong balance, the center held. Now, one side is overwhelming the other and they feel abandoned and with that have no choice but to leave.
The irony is that the so-called Presiding Bishop, Kathryn Jefferts Schori, is leading the threats to take the San Joaquin diocese to court to seize their property. So-called Bishop Schori sees this as rejecting her authority. HELLO?! Is that not what the Episcopal Church is doing forcing schism within the world-wide Anglican Communion? By rejecting the majoritarian view in regard to the ordination of the first openly gay bishop, Vicky Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, in a "committed" relationship with another man, so-called Bishop Schori is doing exactly what she will accuse the Diocese of San Joaquin of doing.
Somehow, this train wreck had to occur and the legal battle I am afraid will determine the outcome. And that will be quite a few years and even more uncertainty.
I can only think that God is in heaven weeping over more division in His church.

NBC Blinks FOR The Troops

Apparently, the NBC television network has decided to air the commercial from Freedom's Watch thanking our troops and wishing them a Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays. A wise move on NBC's part.
Suddenly, the erstwhile Alan Wurtzel, the head of the television network's standards and practices decided that it would be OK for the commercial to show the Freedom's Watch website address. As late as yesterday, Mr. Wurtzel was saying that as far as showing the website address was equal to airing a "controversial" commercial and that it goes against the network's decades-long policy. Backpedaling today, Mr. Wurtzel had to concede that the content of the commercial does not violate the network policy.
It never did.
The issue was the website address and the fact that Freedom's Watch is a pro-Republican group and makes it very clear. But its website is a clearing house of other websites where people can go to show gift and financial support for the troops.
NBC did not listen to raving loons like their resident lefty, Keith Olbermann and realize that when you are in the dumpster in ratings and in the midst of a seemingly endless writer's strike, maybe not turning down commercials and making a little money are not bad things.
Oh, and a little reminder to all the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" advocates, this would have to be done if you had your little law. See how "fairness" can bite ya in the rear?

More Of The Rev. Mike's Bad Past

The Rev. Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, is rising in the polls. Allegedly. And with that rise perpetuated by a DDBMSM trying to find a beatable Republican for St. Hilary or Barack the Destroyer, we are coming to find some rather bizarre aspects about the former Southern Baptist preacher.
According to this gem on the Drudge Report http://drudgereport.com, the Rev. Huckabee answered a 200 question questionnaire when he was running for the United States senate against Sen. Dale Bumpers.
The Rev. Huckabee said that AIDS patients should be quarantined from the general public, wanted little if any federal funding to find a vaccine and or cure for AIDS and that homosexual behavior was the primary reason for the spread of AIDS. And he also called for Hollywood celebrities to dig deep in their wallets if they wanted to find a cure.
Now, before one says all of that is true, the problem is that the Rev. Huckabee sounds a lot like the Lyndon Larouche crowd and that is not good.
The problem with the quarantine that the Rev. Huckabee supported is that by 1992 when he was running for the senate is that by then it was known that AIDS was not spread by casual contact but by bad sexual behavior, a valid point.
Also, now as a candidate for president, the Rev. Huckabee he says that it was OK for the United States supreme court to strike down anti-sodomy laws and that he does not have a problem with what adults do in their own bedrooms. And the Rev. Huckabee says that if he is elected president, he will lead a public-private partnership to find a realistic cure for HIV-AIDS.
In 1992, in the same questionnaire, the Rev. Huckabee said the following:
"I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural and sinful lifestyle, and we now know it can pose a dangerous public health risk."
And the anti-Mitt Romney crowd calls him a flip-flopper!
And in today's Los Angeles Times http://latimes.com comes this about the over reaching of then Gov. Huckabee in seeking the parole of rapist Wayne DuMond.
Mr. DuMond claimed to be born again and saved and became a Christian while in prison serving a life plus 20 year sentence for the kidnap and rape of a high school cheerleader who it turned out was a distant cousin of then Gov. Bill Clinton. A lot of Christians took interest in this case and put pressure on by that time then Gov. Huckabee to either commute Mr. DuMond's sentence or get the Arkansas parole board to set him free.
So, Gov. Huckabee went so far as to write a "Dear Wayne" letter to Mr. DuMond telling him of his desire to see him released from prison by parole. And the governor was worked over by Mr. DuMond's "spiritual director", another pastor, the Rev. Jay D. Cole.
Gov. Huckabee had a closed door meeting with the parole board and exerted enough pressure that the board voted 4-1 to grant Mr. DuMond parole-and shipped him off to Missouri, one of the few states that would take in Mr. DuMond.
When Mr. DuMond was finally released in 1999, he went to Missouri and in less than a year, he went from kidnapper and rapist to rapist and murderer. So much for finding Jesus in prison.
This reminds me of the flack that then Gov. George W. Bush, a fellow evangelical as his the Rev. Huckabee, when while running for president in 2000, he had another case of a prisoner finding Jesus in prison.
Her name was Karla Faye Tucker, convicted murderer, who was on the infamous death row in Huntsville, Texas.
Gov. Bush had immense pressure to commute Miss Tucker's sentence to life in prison. Even Pope John Paul II got into the act. Then Gov. Bush was accused of mocking her television appearances in which she pleaded for mercy. Too bad Gov. Bush never did mock Miss Tucker, as it is one those left-wing lies that become truth. Gov. Bush did not commute the sentence and Miss Tucker was rightfully executed.
Why is all of this important?
Because it goes to the heart of the Rev. Huckabee. He is really no different from any other politician. While Mitt Romney is raked over the coals for changing some positions, the Rev. Huckabee goes from damning homosexuals to hell to what they do is their business. And that he is easily taken in by a jailbird with a compelling story that he found Jesus while in prison.
It also is troubling that when the National Intelligence Estimate report came our earlier this week regarding Iran's nuclear capabilities, Rev. Huckabee had no idea what reporters were talking about and blamed the staff for not keeping him informed. HUH? Does the man not listen to radio, watch television or read a newspaper?
Now is not the time to look at a lacking political hack to lead the United States in the next four and or eight years. We already had that in the Rev. Huckabee's predecessor, former President Clinton.
Now we need a leader who understands the threat and blood lust of the radical Islamists and is not afraid to take it on. We need a leader who is not going to put the United States on a diet. We need a leader that will fight to change the tax code that makes sense. We need a leader to bring as many together as possible, not drive apart.
Thus, the more we learn about the Rev. Mike Huckabee, the less there is to there and why this meteoric rise will be a fall on the sword.

NBC Loves The Troops. . .NOT!

Ahh, that paragon of objectivity, the National Broadcasting Corporation or as it is commonly known as the last-place television network, NBC, will not allow Freedom's Watch to put on a commercial supporting the troops this Christmas season.
One has to ask why? What gives? You mean a television network, a part of the public trust as our friends on the left like to say, will turn down an ad to support and say thank you to the men and women in uniform serving all around the world?
Start with the why.
According to Alan Wurtzel, the network's head of standards and practices the network had to reject the commercial because Freedom's Watch wanted to put put their website address in the bottom of the commercial. So what? Is that not what every commercial does now a days? The reason becomes clear. Because if the network allowed the url to be shown, viewers would have gone to the Freedom's Watch website and found out that-please friends, take a deep breath, Freedom's Watch is a conservative organization and worse, worse, they say the following:
For too long, conservatives have lacked a permanent political presence to do battle with the radical special interest groups and their left-wing allies in government.
on their website. And they also have links to other websites that do raise funds and items to send to the troops.
But, dammit, this group is conservative and they have the nerve to say so.
So, Mr. Wurtzel went into overdrive explaining that it is a decades-old policy that the network does not accept advertising on controversial issues. One would not think that a thank you to the troops would be controversial. But, Mr. Wurtzel went on to say the commercial itself was not the issue, but that pesky website address was. Why, if they just took that out of the commercial, there would be no problem.
But, that is the problem.
And, there is no question that NBC is engaging in censorship.
So what if Freedom's Watch is a conservative group? Are adults not able to make up their own minds? And so if one goes to the main website to find another to show some kind of support for our troops? Are they really going to be scarred for life?
No, not at all.
I mean, if you watch NBC with any regularity, you know they have a public service announcement called "The More You Know" which is a front for pushing a lot of left-wing items. It is like the feminists, gay-rights, name the lefty group, gets one of the network stars to promote the cause celebre for that PSA. There is never one that promotes oh, maybe attending a house of worship or keeping families together, you get the idea.
But, this Mr. Wurtzel may have left the cat out of the bag.
In true Keith Olberman conspiratorial fashion, Mr. Wurtzel said that Freedom's Watch intentionally did not drop the NBC request for Freedom's Watch to drop their website address so that the network would not accept the commercial and thus the organization would get a lot of free publicity.
No, conservatives do not play the victim game. Nor do conservative organizations.
The commercial is legitimate, NBC's objection is not.
While NBC has no problem contributing to the Pornification of America as Laura Ingraham refers to it http://lauraingrham.com, accepting an advertisement supporting the men and women serving in the armed forces, with one website address because it is a conservative political group and one would think it is the end of civilization in the rarefied world of NBC.
Freedom's Watch could have done some George Soros shell game and hidden itself, but it did not and does not and is not trying to draw attention to itself to push its agenda. What this exposes is the fact that NBC made a calculated decision and admitted that it may have been all cooked up to draw attention to the events.
Is it any wonder why NBC is in the tank in television network ratings?
When they have a Keith Olberman reaction because the organization has been caught, it shows that they are trying to push their agenda and that is the issue.
NBC should give Freedom's Watch free time in prime time and put the issue to rest. But that would be easy. And, NBC could not play the left's favorite game-victim.

HT: The Drudge Report http://drudgereport.com
Freedom's Watch http://freedomswatch.org

So, Where Is The Democrat, Gay Left Outrage?

Few will know of this sordid tale because the Idaho Statesman, or any other newspaper seems to care because a gay Democrat aide to a United States senator was busted trying to arrange for sex between he and a 13 year old boy. Oh, and for good measure, he wanted to include another male in this innocent romp.
James "Mike" Mc Haney was the scheduler for Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash) until he was busted for attempting to sexually exploit a minor.
Now, I do not bring this up to go on some kind of gay-bashing. No, quite the opposite.
What I want to know is why is this not front page news? Why are the gay rights defenders being silent about this? Is this not a case of an abuse of power?
First, it is not front page news because the DDBMSM does not want it to be. It is much more important to out a closet case, in their mind, like Larry Craig than to report on a potentially dangerous child molester. The fact that Mr. Mc Haney is gay and hoped to have a three-way with a 13 year-old boy is irrelevant. That Mr. Mc Haney was going after a child is the relevance. If Larry Craig's bathroom experience is not his first time seeking sex with another man, then this could not the first time Mike Mc Haney was trying to pick up a young boy. More than likely, he may have succeeded at one or more times.
Why is the gay left silent? Well, for one, Mr Mc Haney worked for the radical Human Rights Campaign group. Mr. Mc Haney is one of their own. And, admitting that a gay man would even think of molesting a young boy would play right into the hands of those that are anti-gay and think all gay men go after young boys. Hey, a pervert is a pervert. When an adult seeks to have sexual relations with a child, it is sick whether it is opposite or same sex. Period. But, again, like a battered wife, the gay left has to stay silent. The cause of equality is much more important than turning in one of their own for doing what still is a very unspeakable crime.
And, yes, whenever an adult is dealing with a child, or in this case trying to molest a child, it is the greatest abuse of power known. That Mr. Mc Haney would prey on an unsuspecting young boy is abusing adult responsibility.
So, say this along with me:
A pervert is a pervert. We do not care if they are heterosexual or homosexual. Whenever an adult seeks to have sex with a child, it is wrong. No one or group should cover or stay silent.
This is another case in which the left thinks that the issue, in this case gay rights, is more important than righting a wrong. No one should be protecting Mr. Mc Haney if he is a child molester. So what, those that think that gay men are more predisposed to this "lifestyle" are going to think it anyway. But those that may be able to change their views about homosexuals and or homosexuality are going to think that those who believe this is a predisposition may be right.
The Democrat, gay left needs to wake up and get rid of their trash and let the chips fall where they may. If not, protecting child molesters like James Mc Haney is going to be the least of their problems.
HT: http://gaypatriot.net

You've Got To Be Kidding, Bubby!

In the "You can't make this stuff up" section, a New York market was trying to push. . .Hanukkah hams! http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071206175544.6x5v0npo&show_article=1.
How stupid could these people be? Why, they should be sued for discrimination!!
Read the article for all turned out well. But, one would think in this multicultural, multi religious age, someone would not have gotten this one wrong.

Romney And The Speech-A Home Run

Today, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney gave "The Speech", you know the one about religion in American life and how he being an adherent to the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, would affect how he governs should he win the White House in 2008.
And, Mr. Romney hit a home run. Not a grand-slam home run, but one that cleared the fences, the air and should put all of these matters to rest.
The setting was in a place called Texas, near Houston where another American president, John F. Kennedy had to overcome the real anti-Roman Catholic bias that swept a wide swath of America, not just the south. It was at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station. The former president introduced Mr. Romney and Mr. Romney started talking about the Bush 41 generation as the the greatest generation and how they stared down and defeated the fascists and later the Soviet communists.
It was a real set up for the very serious and sober remarks that he would make.
By beginning the meat of the speech as a discussion of religious liberty, he drew an immediate contrast between what we do here in the United States and the radical Islamics who oppose religious liberty and what their vision of the world, and the United States, would be.
Mr. Romney went on to assure the world that no authorities in the LDS hierarchy would dictate to him and he not to them.
Then, Mr. Romney went on to talk about how he was as the governor of Massachusetts. That should have been enough on its merit, but the nation needs to know what Mr. Romney is all about from Mr. Romney, not the prism of a media that is totally hostile to the Mormons and to faith in general.
As the speech went on, Mr. Romney in firm language defended his church and affirmed his belief in the teachings of the LDS. Mr. Romney addressed how some would like him to distance himself from some LDS beliefs and that it was his religion as a matter of tradition. He said in unequivocal terms, no way. And here is the best line of the speech:
"Some think that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy. If they are right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people. Americans do not respect believers of convenience."
Yes, I know, some take issue because of Mr. Romney coming around on some of the social issues and maybe on the all important issue of illegal immigration, but what he was talking about is one's faith. Mr. Romney is right. He believes what he does and is not going to be a rejector, or what I would refer to as a cafeteria Catholic. You know, the ones who never attend the Mass and say that they do not agree with church teaching on this or that. They pick and choose what they like. Mr. Romney is saying, when it comes to my faith, I believe it, period.
That is when the home run cleared the fence.
Later in the speech, Mr. Romney made a very pointed reference to the decline of the Christian faith in Europe when he talked about the great cathedrals that now sit almost empty and given Sunday. Mr. Romney said, and this is important, that many are too enlightened to ever step a foot in to pray.
That is powerful. To say that no matter how much knowledge we have, we should actually get on our knees and thank the one that made it all possible-God.
And, at the heart of the contrast between religious freedom that we find here in the United States, Mr. Romney took dead-straight aim at our enemy-radical Islam.
Mr. Romney contrasted the lack of faith in Europe with the fanaticism of the radical Islamics, describing theirs as a creed of conquest by blood, not of reason or example.
Mr. Romney also struck a chord for respecting other religions and saying, in true American fashion that anyone who believes in religious liberty and knelt down in prayer is a friend of his.
And that is how it should be. Period.
The tone and context of the speech showed that Mr. Romney is ready for prime time. It stands in stark contrast to another former governor, Arkansas' Mike Huckabee who in the Republican debate last week treated us with a commercial touting one of his credentials as a Christian leader. What Mr. Romney was saying is that he is a man of faith and he, as president, will not force people to adhere to the tenants of the LDS. He does not tout himself as a Christian and or a Mormon leader.
What Mr. Romney did, beyond all the analysis and smoke was set the record straight. That he is a man of faith and an adherent to the Christian faith as best knows, and that is as a Mormon. And he said that he respected those of other faith traditions as American as is he.
Now, people need to get beyond this and listen to what all the candidates have to say. All I can affirm is that now, more than ever, I believe that we heard a major address by the next president of the United States.

Small Victories In The War Against Christmas, Retail Edition

Ahh, the Christmas, er holiday, season. Time for all the cities to break out those Christmas, er again, winter decorations, stores to finally hold the endless sales. It is as the song goes the Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!
In recent years, many of the aforementioned retail establishments are under the delusion that many shoppers are not shopping for Christmas gifts and or Christmas trees. Thus, the day after Thanksgiving became the start of the "holiday" shopping season. Not the Christmas, but holiday, shopping season. Many establishments told their workers not to wish the shoppers a Merry Christmas, but Happy Holidays. No reason other than the usual not wanting to offend any shopper.
This would go relatively unnoticed except with the intrepid reporting of the Fox News Channel http://FoxNews.com and Big Story anchor Josh Gibson, many Americans would not realize that this has been an organized effort by the usual Grinch subjects such as the ACLU, People For The American Way, and yada, yada, yada.
But, because of the exposure, some retail establishments are printing advertisements that say-the horror!-Merry Christmas, or Christmas sale. The local Target store http://target.com here had a large banner that read on one side, Merry Christmas and on the other Happy Holidays. See, how easy to wish a Merry Christmas and so those who would be offended a Happy Holiday?! And, many retail establishments are not discouraging employees saying Merry Christmas.
This should be a joyous time of year for the believer and the non-believer. Both can share in their way the joys of this season. But, because some Grinches are looking for and threatening trouble, many fear to openly celebrate the joy of this season-Christmas.
But, credit is given to those in the retail sector for realizing that it is better to attract rather than dissuade those potential customers by allowing and realizing that this is a Merry Christmas.

Huck And The Romney Speech

Tomorrow at this time, most of us political junkies will be analyzing "the speech" by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney addressing religion in modern American political life. And we will still be talking about the buzz over another former governor, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas.
I think that if Mr. Romney puts to rest the concerns of some Americans about the Mormon faith and ties it in to the amazing religious liberty that is a direct contrast to the many Islamic-centric nations of the world. And, it will be a direct challenge to Mr. Huckabee, who is going after "Christian" American voters.
While the timing of this speech will be debated for a while to come, Mr. Romney had to do it. It is not just evangelical Christians that seem to have doubts about Mr. Romney because of his adherence to the Mormon faith. If many a poll is to be believed, a rather high percentage of Americans have an outright open hostility to Mormons. And, sadly, it is because of a lot of misconceptions perpetuated by a media that thinks most people of faith are whackadoos.
But, for a man who wants to represent all of America to be touting that he is the "Christian" leader, Mr. Huckabee can not answer some basic questions about the faith that he espouses. In fact, Mr. Huckabee is downright testy when reporters ask him about his view on creationism. Since he said that he did not believe in evolution and in creationism, he opened the door. And, Mr. Huckabee would not comment on whether he thought Mormons were indeed Christians.
Since the correct name is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I think they are Christians, but as I have noted before, with an asterisk since they do have that Book of Mormon and some different interpretations than most Christian denominations. And, for Mr. Huckabee, some people think that Southern Baptists are sort of weird in their beliefs.
Thus, what Mr. Romney has to do is talk about what his faith means to him, what faith means to a lot of Americans and that there needs to be a tolerance-not acceptance-of different faiths. Not to have a multicultural view of faith in which many groups dilute what they believe in the name of being "interfaith". But respectful. And, even respectful of those with no faith.
The United States was founded on religious liberty and the freedom of religion.
It is beyond belief that some people do not get it. While the American left wants to banish religion to the ash-heap, and take away our freedom to worship as we please, we are reduced to the leading Republican for president having to remind the American people what it means, religious liberty and the free practice thereof.
That is what Mr. Romney needs to address.

Happy Days At UCLA!

Hooray! Finally, one loss too many has been enough and Karl Dorrell is gone as coach of the UCLA Bruins football team.
Mr. Dorrell should have been gone about two seasons ago. But, the sad reality is because Mr. Dorrell is black and there are few black head football coaches in NCAA Division I, Mr. Dorrell was given more chances than others would have been given in a similar situation.
Mr. Dorrell was 35-27, but some of his lowlights include a 1-4 record against crosstown rivals USC and one of the four Trojans victories included a close 66-19 drubbing of the Bruins. That should have gotten Mr. Dorrell fired. But it did not. How about a 13-19 record after the sixth game of the season? How about losing to an injury-depleated Utah team 44-6 and to the most abysmal Notre Dame team in most of our lifetimes?
You see, any other program in the nation, including USC would not put up with five seasons of mediocrity. But, when there is a black coach in the mix at a public university, the pressure is intense to keep him on no matter what. It is not UCLA's job to be an equal opportunity employer when they need to win games. It would have also been useful for a program of UCLA's caliber to have at least gone after a better qualified black coach. Yes, there are some.
UCLA took a big risk in hiring Karl Dorrell and stayed with him way too long. It is time to right the ship and hire the most qualified coach, not a quota.

Conservative Christians Need To Denounce Rev. Mike

Am I the only conservative, Republican, Christian, that is totally offended by the Rev. Mike Huckabee, er former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee touting himself as a "Christian" leader in an video ad shown at the infamous YouBoob debate?
Why do Republicans ready, shoot, aim and give the Democrats and those Republicans the ammo to rid well-meaning and mostly decent Christians from the political and public square?
By Mr./Rev. Huckabee saying he is a "Christian" leader-and it is in his voice-he gives the impression that he is not seeking the votes of non-Christians. Is that what he wants? Only the Christian vote? Or is the message he is really trying to send is that Mitt Romney, the Mormon, or Rudy Giuliani, the lapsed Roman Catholic, are not really Christians? When will the DDBMSM discuss this in their near orgasmic praise of Mr./Rev. Huckabee?
Those of us who are conservative and Christian need to stand up and say enough to this kind of gutter politics. As a conservative, and Christian, I believe that I can and should vote for non-Christians who stand as close to my world view as possible. Sometimes it is a roll of the dice. We need to be inviting to those who maybe not quite what we would like. In other words, I could easily vote for a Jew, or an Islamic that shares the basic thought that we have a debased culture and while the president may not be able to change it, he or she can use the bully pulpit to address these issues.
Would there not be a loud and righteous cry if say Mitt Romney said he was the Mormon leader in the presidential race? Or Rudy Guiliani saying he was the best Roman Catholic leader? How about Barack Obama ranting about the virtues of being in the most liberal Christian denomination, the United Church of Christ? Or Hilary Clinton being a better Methodist than current President George W. Bush? Do you see where this goes?
I think that Mr./Rev Huckabee should be held to the higher standard because he is a minister of the gospel. Mr./Rev. Huckabee needs to be reaching out, not narrowing, to get the pyricc of possible victories in the Iowa caucuses and beyond. It is an immature approach that Mr./Rev. Huckabee is taking and dangerous to sane political discourse.
A Romney victory in Iowa and beyond is the beginning to show that the Republican party can vote for a man of faith and he can be from a different interpretation of that faith.
Here is one conservative, Republican, Christian that is saying to Mr./Rev. Huckabee, rebut your own video ad and stop seeking only Christian voters. We can and will do better.

Romney To Give "The Speech"

It appears that former Massachussetts governor Mitt Romney is finally going to address the Mormon issue in a speech on Thursday at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library. It is about time!
A lot of people, led by Hugh Hewitt http://hughhewitt.com, have said that Mr. Romney should not even bother. But, unless Mr. Romney addresses the issue head on and builds a case for religious liberty and no religious test for any candidate for any office, Mr. Romney continues to be dogged about his faith and what it means to all of the United States.
There is some speculation that the reason Mr. Romney chose now is the fact that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is gaining and even may have the lead in Iowa if the latest Des Moines Register poll is to be believed http://dmregister.com.
Actually, there may be truth to that and one way that Mr. Romney can address the issue of religious liberty is to take on Mr. Huckabee by name because in one of his broadcast commercials he touts that he is a CHRISTIAN candidate for president. So, if I understand Mr. Huckabee, does that mean that Jewish, Islamic, Roman Catholics (who some Southern Baptists do not consider Christian), Buddhists, and any other religion should NOT vote for Mr. Huckabee?
This is where Mr. Romney can put a stake into the heart of the Huckabee surge, if there is one. He needs to tell all voters, but especially conservative, Christian, Republican voters that it is un-American to vote for or against a candidate for any office based solely on the religion of the candidate. Period.
It is disturbing that Mr. Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist preacher, would tout being a Christian as some kind of qualification to be considered for the highest office in the land. It is touting a kind of exclusivity that the Republican party has had to spend decades fending off. In the old days, it was the blue-blood, mainstream Protestants such as the Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Methodists. Oh, and for the record the United States has had four non-Protestants elected to the presidency. John Adams, John Quincy Adams, William Howard Taft were all Unitarians, non-Christians. John F. Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic.
Now, the Republican party is doing the religion test. And Mike Huckabee is disgustingly leading the way.
But, Mitt Romney has a great chance to get the monkey off his back and let 'er rip on Mr. Huckabee or anyone else who uses religion in such a negative way. And, Mr. Romney can address the fears and or concerns of those with the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons.
It is a seminal moment for Mr. Romney and he should carry it out well and get the momentum back in his campaign.

Pat Sajak Says It Best

One of the few openly conservative, Republican people in Hollywood is Pat Sajak, host of the 25 year old Wheel Of Fortune television game show. Because he is who he is, only Mr. Sajak could have written this gem from Human Events http://humanevents.com:
If any group of citizens is uniquely unqualified to tell someone else how to vote, its those of us who live in the sheltered, privilaged arena of celebrityhood.
Can I get an AMEN, brother?!
The point of Mr. Sajak's column is that it really should not matter what the celbutard class says about who they are voting for and that you should too. And Mr. Sajak defends the right of those in the celbutard class to speak up on issues of the day. But, Mr. Sajak points out that because they are celebrities, people pay attention. And read his O. J. Simpson example.
People like Mr. Sajak make sense and that is probably why so few like Mr. Sajak end up becoming celebrities.
From what I see, it is emotional train wrecks with no strong foundation of any kind turn to becoming actors and actresses, singers, musicians, and other assorted entertainers. I know, that is not fair to lump everyone into the train wreck category, but it does appear that many of today's stars are just one step away from doing themselves in. That is sad. But, it does not mean that they have any vast knowledge of current events any more than you or I.
Like Pat Sajak who has had his head screwed on straight, there are some others, but they are so few real great examples for young people to look up to. And that is the real sad part.
So, to paraphrase Mr. Sajak, let the celebutard class make their endorsements, and take it with a grain of salt and inform yourself on the issues and who you are going to vote for.

CNN-Conspiracy News Network

Hey, did you hear about the Republican YouBoob, er YouTube, debate last night? You know, how the host CNN let a bunch of Democrat political hacks ask questions, even though it was supposed to be undecided, Republican voters?
Of course, CNN does not know what to do. Shortly after the "debate", former Education Secretary and current radio talk show host Bill Bennett had to let the world know that the questioner who was the retired brigadier general asking about gays in the armed services was the leader of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Steering Committee for Sen. Hilary Clinton. How could Mr. Bennett know and no one else putting this "debate" together know? And why was Keith Kerr in the audience and given another chance to push a Democrat talking point?
Too many people, including many conservatives, are giving CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper a pass on this. NO WAY! No pass here. Had Mr. Cooper not went to this Mr. Kerr in the audience and given him a platform, there may have been a case that Mr. Cooper had no idea about Mr. Kerr's credentials. Mr. Cooper is feigning plausible deniability.
Michlle Malkin http://michellemalkin.com has blown this wide open when she found that there were people directly working for the Obama and Edwards campaigns asking questions that, surprise, made it to the air.
Now, why the Conspiracy News Network headline?
Because by the time they got to a question from a YouTuber for congressman Ron Paul, it was about the so-called North American Union and the role of such bogeymen as the Council On Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission. Make Mr. Paul seem like a real whack job, which he obliged.
Mr. Paul is off the reservation on many an issue. But he is spot on on many issues, particularly on domestic issues. And he is raising a lot of money, much more than the DDBMSM flavor of the moment, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. He does deserve a serious question. I guess compared to the question about the Confederate stars and bars battle flag, it was a kind of serious question.
In thinking more about last night's fiasco, I would not be opposed to having that kind of forum, but with a lot more vetting and a serious moderator that would let all the candidates answer questions, not just the ones that may embarrass the most any given Republican candidate.
And the fact that because there was no serious vetting of the questions, most were Democrat talking points, which only means that CNN has no clue on issues that matter to Republican voters, such as the War Against Islamofacsist Terror or the role of the armed services in that fight. Or whether the size of the armed services should be increased. Or about overall national security. Or about reigning the the Leviathan of an ever growing federal government. No, we were treated to conspiracy, why Rudy Giuliani rooted for the Red Sox and a man asking a second amendment question holding a shot gun.
But, there must be credit given.
Somehow, the CNN censors, or vetters, let a question get on the air from a black gentleman from Los Angeles who laid out the conservative agenda and asked why more black Americans do not vote more for the party that really has their best interests, the Republicans. That was a question every single Republican candidate had to answer. But, only Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Huckabee got to give an answer. I wanted to know what Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John "F--- You" McCain, Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo and yes, even Ron Paul, thought about that.
The format was awful and the vetting of questions from the YouTube audience was even worse.
And that is why no one really watches CNN news any more. The mask is off and it is why it is the Conspiracy News Network

Henry Hyde 1924-2007

Today the United States lost a great leader and patriot as former congressman Henry Hyde (R-Ill) died at hospital in Chicago.
Mr. Hyde should be remembered for many things, such as being a passionate defender of the unborn and led the passage of the Hyde amendment banning federal dollars being used to perform abortions, being a strong conservative in a moderate Illinois state Republican party, being a leading voice for a strong, aggressive foreign and defense policies. But, Mr. Hyde will forever go down as the leader of the House of Representative managers in the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton.
During that trying time in American history, Mr. Hyde did not shy away or try to cut a deal. Mr. Hyde met the matter head on and pursed impeachment to its conclusion. Because Mr. Hyde chose to follow the law, he gained the scorn of the pro-Clinton crowd and suffered the humiliation of having an illicit affair from the 1960s become public. That's how the Clinton crowd played, trying to change the subject rather than face the reality of the serious charges brought against President Clinton. But not even that indignity stopped Mr. Hyde.
For that alone he deserves respect. Many of his fellow impeachment managers did not fare well in the 2000 elections. A California congressman, James Rogan, lost his bid for reelection. Mr. Hyde won and kept winning until he retired from congress in 2006.
Mr. Hyde served 16 terms or 32 years in the House of Representatives and was in when the Republican party suffered the humiliation of the Watergate mess and when the Republicans took control of congress in the 1994 midterm elections.
As chairman of the House International Affairs committee, he joined with then President Clinton opposing the 1973 War Powers Resolution and that was a principled move as some harder-line Republicans were trying to use that to curb President Clinton from sending troops to Haiti, Somalia and Bosnia.
Mr. Hyde was a man of great principles and that is sorely lacking in so many of the political class on both sides of the aisle in this day and age. Mr. Hyde was one of the strongest anti-abortion members of the House and never backed down. And, Mr Hyde was committed to stopping the scourge of HIV-AIDS as he led passage of a bill that funded prevention programs in developing nations. For that, Mr. Hyde was ahead of the curve on that issue.
There have been few men or women who had the commitment like that of Henry Hyde in my 43 years on God's earth, but I am thankful he was in this time and is a lesson for all who aspire to the political arena. God Bless Henry Hyde.

The GOP You Boob, Er You Tube Debate Fiasco

After watching the last portion of the Republican YouTube debate on CNN, I agree with radio talker Hugh Hewitt http://hughhewitt.com that this is not the way important issues of the day should be debated. It was, in a word, bizarre.
Having written that, a very important fact will not be noted in the DDBMSM. That the Republican candidates endured the inane questions and the Anderson Cooper handoffs to the candidate that he thought the general questions would hurt the most while the Democrat presidential candidates will not appear on one sponsored and questioned by the Fox News Channel. For according to the Democrat candidates, Fox News is biased to the right. And allowing a Hilary Clinton plant to not only ask a YouTube question, but continue as a member of the audience shows no bias to the left?
So, for just showing up, the Republican candidates can not say they ran away the way Democrat candidates are from Fox News.
But, that does not mean that this format, in which people submit questions via the internet is any better than having inane people like Chris Matthews of NBC do the questions.
So, some observations.
Mitt Romney is looking more and more presidential every day and may have pulled away tonight and the national numbers may finally catch up with the Iowa and New Hampshire numbers. John "F--- You" McCain looked like he could have said that several times in the debate. But, so long as he makes an issue out of how Americans treat potential terrorists and whether or not terror suspects are "tortured", Sen. "F--- You" McCain looks weaker and weaker. Ron Paul got the conspiracy question of the night about the push for a so-called North American Union. And, Mr. Paul did not disappoint by saying a lot about nothing and agreeing with the basic premise. Mike Huckabee could be the comedian in chief, and while the shtick is good now, it won't last in the long run. Duncan Hunter continues to run for Defense Secretary and his honest answer about homosexuals serving openly in the armed services may come back to haunt him. Where was Tom Tancredo? And the front-runner, Rudy Giuliani? Well, trying to stick it hard to Mr. Romney over hiring illegal aliens. But, this may have been one of Mr. Giuliani's weakest performances to date. Oh, and Fred Thompson was acting like the vice-president he may be. And, Mr. Thompson will take it if asked!
But come on, some of the questions.
Like the aforementioned one by the retired general about homosexuals openly serving in the armed forces. Had the You Boob people and CNN done some real vetting, this would have never made it to the debate. At least not from a Hilary Clinton plant. And to give this Brigadier General Kerr a chance to further his cause because he was in the audience was bad. See if this would happen in a Democrat You Boob debate.
Then there is the always pressing national issue of the old stars and bars Confederate battle flag and whether or not it should be a state flag or part of a state flag. It is an issue, but not in this debate.
And why not end this insipid debate but with a question to Mr. Giuliani as to why he cheered on the Boston Red Sox to a World Series triumph after Mr. Giuliani's beloved New York Yankees were knocked out of the playoffs?
There were few if any serious questions about the War Against Islamofacsist Terror or the events in the Iraq theatre of this war. But, the first 35 minutes were on questions about illegal immigration. Now, it is an important issue, but it is within the national security question and the War Against Islamofacsist Terror. Most of the illegal alien questions asked and "vetted" by YouTube and CNN were to make the Republican candidates all sound like the increasingly paranoid Pat Buchanan.
We have seen it all in this death march of a presidential campaign, but one thing that needs to go away for a long time is this YouTube format. It does not give the people a larger voice for it is not just anyone ask any questions and what is vetted is a freak show in and of itself. Improve the format and take it out of the hands of CNN, and maybe a real discussion about real issues will happen. Until then, it will be a freak show.

Bold Prediction

This is my prediction for the upcoming Iowa Caucus for both the Democrat and Republicans.
For the GOP, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney will win. Period. Here will be the second place finisher, former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson. Why? Because when the GOPers go to caucus, they do not want to throw their votes away. And while the majority will go with Mr. Romney, those that will not vote that far, yet, will create the Thompson firewall. I am sorry to say that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani will finish no higher than forth. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee will be the third place finisher.
For the Dems, Illinois senator Barack Obama will pull off the upset. Sen Hilary Clinton (D-NY) will get no higher than third as former North Carolina senator John Edwards will ride the left-wing populist train to a second place. Why Obama? Why not?! Sen. Obama may make Democrat caucus goers think, Sen. Clinton has huge negatives. She can not beat the top five Republicans head to head, according to a new Zogby poll. Obama has lower negatives, follows the left wing of the party and seems to connect better with the public.
What is great about this prediction is that it is not in stone. It is all about today's events. But, I think that it is going to be this way come January 3, 2008 when the Iowa voters cast the first votes. We shall see and as it gets closer, these predictions can change. I hope they do not.

Bye-Bye Lott

Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss) is finally calling it quits and for this Republican, it is good riddance.
Sen. Lott is going to leave the senate at the end of the year http://FoxNews.com and Republican governor Haley Barbour will get to name a temporary replacement. More than likely, that replacement will run in an election to finish Sen. Lott's term which runs until 2012.
This should be a pretty easy seat for the Republicans to keep. But Sen. Lott has been a bad leader and senator for a while now.
Even before he waxed about how the United States would have been better off if Strom Thurmond won the presidency in 1948, he was a terrible leader who never stood for Republican principles. It was who could get the most at the trough and Sen. Lott was usually at the front of the trough line.
While Sen. Lott came back to be the assistant senate Republican leader, he again was backing the worst piece of legislation in the current congress-the so-called "comprehensive immigration reform" bill-scam. Sen. Lott even took it so far as not only to blame conservative talk radio, but sounded like there would be no problem for him if the "fairness doctrine" came back. Too bad many talk radio listeners ever voted for this guy.
Sen. Lott is exactly the case in why term limits are necessary. He has been in Washington for 34 years and is proud of it. No one should be in Washington for 34 years. But, people like Sen. Lott love the power that incumbency breeds. And round and round and the problem does not go away.
So, it is with no regret that I say, Bye-Bye Lott.

Good Lord, Archbishop Of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, is the spiritual leader of worldwide Anglicanism, and the Episcopal Church of which I am a member still, for now, is part of the Anglican Communion. But, that does not mean Archbishop Williams knows what he is talking about when it comes to the foreign policy of the United States as evidenced in an interview with an Islamic "lifestyle" magazine.
Archbishop Williams said in the interview http://timesonline.co.uk that the United States wields its power worse that the British did during the height of the British empire. Archbishop Williams said that the United States was "clearing the decks with a quick burst of action that led to the worst of all worlds."
Where shall we begin? How about Britain during the heyday of the empire. Shall we start with a little battle called the American Revolution? Why did Britain fight the colonists for six years with brute force? How about the war with the Boers in South Africa at the turn of the 20th century. It was during the Anglo-Boer war that the term "concentration camp" first came to being. And how about the way that Britain left their colonies in total disarray starting with India in the late 1940s to Rhodesia in 1980 which became Zimbabwe and a hell on earth thanks to Robert Mugabe?
It seems like the old British empire had no problem to use force when they thought it was necessary.
It appears that Archbishop Williams forgets that the terrorist attacks against the United States on 9/11 were caused by Islamic fanatics hell bent on creating a modern Caliphate. For Archbishop Williams continued that American leadership had broken down and that the United States was the only hegemonic power and that its attempt to influence rather than take over by force was not working.
The reason it may not be working is when people like the Archbishop Williams are loathe to criticize the extremism of certain Islamics. Archbishop Williams fails to point out the horrors of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the monstrous abuse of women in most Islamic nations. No, Archbishop Williams finds time to praise the praying five times a day as allowing the remembrance of God in their daily rhythm of prayer. What Archbishop Williams should have asked is what are they praying for, or against.
And the harshest criticism of Islam? Is that its political solutions were not the most impressive. Not impressive? How about abysmal and downright abominable?
No, Archbishop Williams saves the best slams for the United States. A direct quote:
The chosen nation myth of America, meaning that what happens in America is very much at the heart of God's purpose for humanity.
Maybe it is because American Christians are always seeking to know what that is and the people of Britain have given up because the Church of England is led people like Archbishop Williams who do nothing to expand the faith. Maybe it is because American Christians have a better understanding of the Holy Bible and are trying to liberate a people that have been prisoners of circumstance through no fault of their own.
A point of note.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair nominated Rowan Williams to succeed George Carey. And the Queen Ok'ed it. Mr. Blair is on his way any day now to becoming a Roman Catholic. And what better way to sabotage the Church of England by having a sycophant, defender of Islam at the expense of the Christian faith? No conspiracy theory, just a question.
Archbishop Williams may preside over the collapse of the Anglican Communion and this solidifies the fact that he may very well be in over his head. Archbishop Williams should stick with Christian spirituality and leave the heavy lifting of liberating the oppressed to the United States.

Strolling Through The Daily Fishwrap

Today being Sunday, it is the day I like to actually read the Sunday newspapers. That would be The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and my hometown newspaper, the Pasadena Star-News.
I expect the bizarre and strange in the two Times' newspapers, but not what I was treated to in today's Pasadena Star-News http://pasadenastarnews.com.
In a screaming headline right on page one was this gem:
"King For A Day"
Ah, no big deal, sounds like one of those kooky high school stories in which a guy runs, wins and shakes things up a little. WRONG!
In this case, one Andrew Gomez ran and won for the local city college, Pasadena City College. Oh, did I mention that Andrew is really a girl and is "in transition" to become a boy?! This is under the "You can not make this stuff up" category.
This is a big month for "Andrew" for this is when he finally told "his" mom about changing from gal to guy. And of course he decided to run for the PCC homecoming king. Busy times for "Andrew".
So, how does "Andrew" begin this process of changing genders? For starters, "he" "binds" "himself", meaning tries to decrease the size of the breasts. You know, that gets to be a real drag when one is changing genders. Kind of like a guy who wants to be a gal but still has that problem of the penis.
"Andrew" hopes to have surgery and realizes it will not happen for a long time. And don't forget the specialists, the male hormones, and so many other changes that "Andrew" has to make before the transformation is complete.
Maybe "Andrew" should seek professional guidance, one that will present all sides so that "he" makes the right decision, not one that is on a whim and gets a lot of publicity.
Here is a howler. Sue Talbot, the campus advisor to the United Rainbow Alliance which is a support group to homosexual and "transgendered" students says of young Gomez, "He is a low-key person." Low-key?! Parading around as a male when still a female? Taking a stand for the other "transgendered" people? Oh, sure "he" is real low-key.
I understand being gay or lesbian. I do not understand nor believe that it is the right thing to do to change ones gender. It is the way that God intended. If one is sexually attracted to the same gender, one can make an argument that it is also the way God intended. Again, I may not agree, but I get that more than someone who is unhappy with their gender and want to be "reassigned."
For gay and lesbian groups to be supportive of this sets their cause back a long time. It makes a mockery of what they want to achieve.
This is just a warm up for the op-ed piece by a local freelance writer and vowed atheist, Hannah Naiditch, who yearns for the days that all was well in Iraq and when Saddam Hussain was in charge keeping order.
Miss Naiditch justifies Mr. Hussain's reign of terror due to those that ruled Iraq were all dictators before him. Funny, I believe there was that empire, oh yes, the Ottoman Empire, that ruled Iraq for many a century before the British came in and invented Iraq, forcing Sunni and Shite Muslims together. And for extra added intrigue, Kurds were thrown in the mix.
But, Uncle Saddam took care of all of that.
According to Miss Naiditch, all lived in harmony and peace. And the Christians also were a-ok. After all, former deputy prime minister, Tarik Aziz, was a Christian. All lived side by side and some friendships were formed and some were married. And, as long as they did not upset Uncle Saddam and stayed out of politics, all was well. According to Miss Naiditch, Uncle Saddam was a predictable dictator.
And, a socialist too. For he provided subsidized housing, cheap energy and subsidized agriculture, public health and schools. And such a good guy Uncle Saddam was that he promoted literacy and art. Of course, if you just kept to yourself and did not stand in Uncle Saddam's way, this was the promised land.
All this leads to when the United States invaded in 2003 to liberate the Iraqi people. That is when the wonders of Saddam fell apart. You know, all the bodies piling up on the streets or floating down the Tigris river. I guess Miss Naiditch forgot about when Uncle Saddam wanted to teach those bad Kurds, you know, those "politically involved" people who was boss, and during a war with Iran during the 1980s he gassed whole villages and at least had the decency to bury those he gassed to death. Or how about all the mass graves that have been found and are continuing to be found all over Iraq? Well, these people just got in the way, I guess.
Miss Naiditch uses typical talking points that the left has used over a century now. Call it an updated version of "Better Red than dead". Miss Naiditch really believes that life was better with Saddam in charge for 25 years as a brutal dictator. That an eight year war of attrition with Iran was better. That when that did not work, take on the small fry in the neighborhood and invade Kuwait. Because of that, the United States and a coalition forcibly removed Saddam and his forces from Kuwait. A direct result was a sanction regime that was a total fraud. While there was the so-called food for oil, Uncle Saddam was lining he and his family's pockets while people were suffering shortages of all kinds. Oh, I'm sorry, that was ok until the United States actually finished what should have been done in 1991 and removed a coward Uncle Saddam.
Miss Naiditch should be ashamed of herself for writing such revisionist history and outright lies. The only truth is that because of the vise that Uncle Saddam has on his nation, we did not realize the extent that the people had such real pent-up hostilities that have not completely played out. Some peaceful co-existence.
Some Sundays when reading the local fishwrap can be enlightening, and even fun. But this Sunday was like a bad joke and the real paper will be published tomorrow.
Links to above stories:
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_7552453 for the homecoming "king"
http://pasadenastarnews.com/opinion/ci_7550457 for the Hannah Naiditch column

Australia Swings Left

In national elections today, Australia decided that 12 years of conservative rule was enough and swept the Australian Labour Party (ALP) to power, brushing aside one of President Bush's strongest allies in the War Against Islamofacsist Terror, Prime Minister John Howard.
And, if losing the majority was not enough for the Liberal party, not liberal in the left-wing sense, Mr. Howard will lose his parliamentary seat to the ALP candidate http://abc.net.au.
The ALP will have 86 seats to the Liberal-National party coalition of 64 seats according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation projections.
However, there should not be anything to be read in this for the upcoming presidential elections.
Mr. Howard was prime minister for 12 years and the Australian economy is humming along. It is that Australians felt comfortable voting for the ALP rather than against the Liberal-Nationalist coalition. And, unlike the Democrats here in the states, the ALP, which is left-wing, has vowed not to change much and that made the electorate comfortable. It was not so much a change because the ruling party were bums, but that people wanted to see if the ALP had given up its hardcore, left-wing ideology and will govern responsibly.
So, it is a blow to President Bush, but it is not something for the Democrat candidates to get excited about. After all, there is an election in November, 2008 and things will not stay the same and it all depends on the candidates and who can pull off the votes in the key areas of the United States.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Here is a wish that all accross this great land, the United States of America, that all have a wonderful, safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
I will be giving thanks that I have the freedom to worship God and am a Christian. I also give thanks to those most important in my life, Mrs. rightviewfromtheleftcoast, our son and our dog, Scout, the Wonder Dog. And I give thanks to our extended family and friends. And I give thanks to those who are making the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefields in the front lines in the War Against Islamofacsist Terror. They deserve our love and thanks. I give thanks to those that have been in our lives but are no longer with us. I hope that they are having the eternal banquet in Heaven today and everyday. I give thanks for being able to write this blog and to be able to share my thoughts and views with a large audience. I give thanks for being an American. It is the greatest gift.
There is so much more to be thankful for, but not enough time.
One last thought.
We do not have to put aside one day to show and share our thanks. We should be doing that every day.

Find Out The Conservatives In Hollywood

I have checked out a new website that purports to know all about celebrities and their political alliances.
http://www.celebpolitics.com gives us the skinny on where our leading lights of the la-la land industry stand.
A complaint is how they attribute who is or is not a conservative or conservative leaning. It is based on political statements and or campaign contributions.
So, how does Morgan Fairchild end up as a conservative when her money has gone well on the liberal side? Or how about they attribute a living conservative instead of citing the late great Jimmy Stewart?
Well, it is interesting and worth a comment or two if you should stray over there.
HT: Confessions of A Closet Republican http://republicaninthearts.blogspot.com

Back To Reality And Some Mitt Romney News

Now that the family vacation is over, it is time to get back to my pontifications on the real world and the latest assault on the Mitt Romney campaign by a "push polling" firm is a good place to start.
As it appears that Mr. Romney is the front runner not just in Iowa but by a wide margin in New Hampshire, the desperation sets in. It sets in when a polling firm called Western Wats based in, of all places, Utah, begins "polling" New Hampshire voters with leading questions about Mr. Romney and his Mormon faith.
No one really knows who was behind this "poll" and some bizarre speculation is that the Romney campaign itself was behind it. Other speculation is that the Rudy Giuliani campaign was behind it as if Mr. Romney wins the Iowa caucuses and then the New Hampshire primary, this would be a potential death-knell for the Giuliani campaign. That is plausible. But, Sen. John "F--- You" McCain came out rather quickly in denial and denunciation. So, maybe, the McCain people were turning the tables using religion against Mr. Romney. Again, no one knows who hired this polling firm and what the real motive is.
But, motive is not important. How the polling was done with questions about Mr. Romney and his Mormon faith is.
Again, for the umpteenth time, by voting for Mr. Romney one does not endorse his religion or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is voting for a candidate that will best carry out the job of president. Nothing more and nothing less.
What was done here and what was done to Sen. McCain in 2000 in South Carolina were unnecessary, desperate moves going after a candidate personally. In 2000, then-Gov. George W. Bush supporters spread all sorts of rumors and innuendos and went after an adopted child of Sen. and wife Cindy McCain, saying that-horrors-the child was b-l-a-c-k! Da Horror! Oh, for the record, the child is from Bangladesh, not Africa. It was bad politics then as it is now to lead people away from a candidate based on religion.
This does not hurt Mr. Romney but only solidifies that he is the front runner for the Republican nomination for president. If one does not believe that, look at Real Clear Politics http://realclearpolitics.com and note that Mr. Romney has the lead in Iowa, New Hampshire and tied in South Carolina. Mr. Romney is also second in Michigan and will catch up in Florida. Mr. Romney also should take some delegates in California as he will win some congressional districts, which is how the California Republicans will distribute the delegates to the Minnesota nominating convention.
So, this goes with the territory, but this is bad territory and one that no one should be in this territory.

New For The Sports Fanatic

Finally, a new spot for all of us sports fanatics, courtesy of the Real Clear Politics site.
http://realclearsports.com is the place to go to get all the latest sports news and analysis we sports fans crave.
There is no political twist, but compilation of the best sports writing in the United States, no spin.
This is a great site and worth a look several times a day.

More Trip Photos

Here are some photos that I promised from our adventure that I called "Scout's Big Adventure"
Upper left photo: One of the residents on the plains of South Dakota, a buffalo.
Upper right photo: The end result of the tour of the Coors brewery, some of the finished products.
Upper left middle: What more can be said, Mt. Rushmore.
Upper right middle: One of the deer that I mentioned in the post on the Mt. Moriah cemetary in Deadwood, South Dakota.
Upper middle left: The top of the Lincoln Highway summit near Laramie, Wyoming.
Lower left: Scout, the Wonder Dog, resting comfortably on a sofa in the Super 8 motel in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
At another time, I will share some more photos.

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