Royal Wedding

Okay, so I know I said I wasn't going to watch the wedding but I did. My mother was really excited about it so I woke up with her and my sister just before 3 am to watch the coverage. Several things (besides the dress) stood out to me:

1 - It was nice to have the world family gather together to watch a positive thing. We've endured so much death and devastation over the past year that it was a nice departure.

2 - The media made a point to talk about the monarchy being back or revitalized. As an American, it's hard to understand the role of the monarchy as it really seems foreign but there was so much patriotism, I felt excited for those in the British Isles.

3 - Pastor Stephen Broden has spoken widely about how values must be a part of decision-making. He even went so far as to say "Capitalism is evil without the Judeo-Christian frame." (click here for our report of him speaking at a rally.) As a Christian, it was nice to see William and Kate (Catherine, now) in a church recognizing the spiritual nature of the event. An estimated 2 billion people in over 100 countries watched this marriage take place and watched as Christian values were put on the the forefront.
All in all, there was much pomp and circumstance. I kept thinking how the taxpayers were paying for the event, but people speculate that the business brought in will make up for tax. Either way, it was a grand spectacle!

Obama Ignores Devastation in Texas

"As dry conditions and gusty winds whip up new wildfires in parched Texas, Gov. Rick Perry Thursday blasted the Obama Administration for failing to issue a disaster declaration for the state, widening the growing rift between the White House and the states rights advocate governor, 1200 WOAI news reports.

"You see hundreds of thousands of acres of Texas burning and you know that there will soon be emergency declarations, and we did that now a couple of weeks ago, but still no response from this administration," Perry told 1200 WOAI's Michael Board after addressing the Texas Emergency Management Conference in San Antonio.

"There is a point in time where you say, hey, what's going on here," Perry said. "You have to ask why are you taking care of Alabama and other states? I know our letter didn't get lost in the mail."

The White House says President Obama will visit Alabama, hard hit by tornadoes Wednesday, later today.

Perry requested a federal declaration of emergency for Texas on April 16, as wildfires began to rage across the entire state. So far, the request has not been answered, although several federal agencies, including the National Park Service, are supplying firefighters to the state's effort.

"They watch TV, they know what's going on here, they can recognize that there is going to be a request for assistance, a request for help," Perry said.

Perry has frequently charged that the Obama Administration is 'punishing' Texas for the state's success through implementing policies which run counter to the Administration, and for Perry's aggressive advocacy of so called 'Tenth Amendment' activities. Perry has been an outspoken opponent of Health Care Reform, and the state is suing the U.S. EPA over a proposal to end Texas' independent air quality permitting program for factories and refineries." (click for source)

There is more to the article but I think this hit on a few points. There have been several occasions when Texans have felt the Obama administration was ignoring the state. This is a pretty big slap in the face. In order to receive additional assistance, the administration has to approve a governor's request. An now, almost two weeks have gone by and Texas continues to burn. Obama doesn't review the devastation in Texas. And he doesn't respond to our request for help. Shame on you Obama!

MSNBC Led Birther Talk

That's right - MSNBC has been leading the supposed "paranoia" about President Obama not being born in the USA.  They have given more airtime to the issue than any other network.  And, this is not at all surprising.  This is what they do.  They spend their "news" time pointing fingers and reporting on the supposed obsession over Obama's birth place so much so that people start to believe it.  But, as usual, their representation of what those on the Right believe is exaggerated and inaccurately represented.

Here's an excerpt of the story from Accuracy in Media:

President Obama incorrectly accused the media of placing talk about his birth certificate above what he considered more important news. But regardless, the biggest culprit may have been a leading liberal cable network:

…two weeks ago, when the Republican House had put forward a budget that will have huge consequences potentially to the country, and when I gave a speech about my budget and how I felt that we needed to invest in education and infrastructure and making sure that we had a strong safety net for our seniors even as we were closing the deficit, during that entire week the dominant news story wasn’t about these huge, monumental choices that we’re going to have to make as a nation. It was about my birth certificate. And that was true on most of the news outlets that were represented here.

According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, “birther” talk accounted for 3% of news stories during the last week and was dwarfed by the Middle East unrest at 15% and the economy at 14%. So “birther” talk hardly dominated the news.

Maybe Obama was confused by all the coverage that Chris Matthews and MSNBC devoted to the issue.

Not only did the media not spend a great deal of time on the issue, but in fact the cable network that was leading the charge and helping to keep the story alive was none other than the very liberal MSNBC.

Chris Matthews has been particularly obsessed with “birthers” and “birtherism.” And while he has spent his time attacking anyone who has raised questions about Obama’s birth certificate or his legitimacy as a natural born citizen, just by talking about it he has helped fuel the controversy and kept the issue alive.

Last night, following the release of Obama’s birth certificate, Matthews spent all but five minutes of his show talking about it, praising Obama and attacking his critics. Compare that to Fox’s Bill O’Reilly who spent about a quarter of his program on the issue.

Time will tell whether or not Obama put this matter to rest, but I can’t help but feel that Chris Matthews isn’t done talking about it quite yet.

Margeret Thatcher Must See Video

I LOVE Margaret Thatcher. I had the chance to hear her speak back in college and applauded her until my hands were sore.

Here is a GREAT video. This woman was not afraid to speak the truth!

Libya

I don't mind saying I am not sure why America is involved in Libya. I've read the newspapers, watched the news...I just don't understand.

Happy Easter!

Hope you are having a beautiful Easter surrounded by people you love!

Conservative Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

This article from Human Events is a couple of years old, but it has some great truths (in-line with the post I just wrote below).  Excerpts below, but you can read the whole thing here.

"Hunting and fishing for personal consumption are the ultimate form of “Buy Local,” and they don’t even involve any dirty human money.  If liberals really cared about the Earth as anything other than a lawyer’s trick to enact their agenda, you would see a dead deer strapped to the roof of every Volvo and Lexus in America...

Environmentalists tend to cluster in sterile, polluted concrete cities so far removed from nature that they wouldn’t know which of their beloved endangered species was which if one actually crawled up and bit them in the butt (and we can only hope). They dress in man-made fabrics and live man-made lives of man-focused activities in their egocentric, media-saturated, prepackaged, third floor, utilities-included look-how-cool-I-am posing and shopping human worlds.  The suburbanites and rednecks they hate so intensely, meanwhile, actually live out there with all that nature the Greenies claim to love so much.  It runs through their yards.  It is given tribute in the back windows of their trucks.  It occupies their weekends.  And it is real to them, not just a debating device that justifies their pre-existing and well-rehearsed indignations.  For some people, Earth Day is any day they can sneak out of work and go fishing..."

Earth Day - For Conservatives

Here we are on Earth Day 2011 - Leonardo DiCaprio's favorite day of the year.  There are festivities in most major cities and families are venturing out to celebrate this planet that we call home.  For years, liberal environmentalists have controlled the dialogue when it comes to the choices we make that impact our planet.  During this time, we've watched their antics such as PETA activists throwing blood at people wearing fur coats or tree huggers chaining themselves to trees in protest.  In some cases, they've become caricatures of themselves - cartoon-like really.  You can't imagine that people would behave this way, and yet they do. 

On a larger scale, we've observed the environmentalist vs. business owner ongoing war.  And, let's not forget the EPA, who would be an independent, sovereign entity if some of these people had their way.  And we have various political shove-it-down-their-throat initiatives, such as Cap and Trade.

As conservatives see these initiatives, we are forced to react.  No, the government should not be able to regulate my backyard garden and no, I don't want Federally-mandated toilet regulations.  However, given my love of nature and animals, I've had to question this seemingly ongoing contradiction in my beliefs.  Can I be a conservative and love the earth at the same time? 

The answer, I've come to realize, is a resounding YES.  In fact, I would love to see conservatives take over the environmental agenda instead of playing defense all the time.  As for me, I have discovered local farms recently and have made an effort to support them.  I believe that brutal treatment of animals at factory farms is wrong, and I believe that companies should make reasonable efforts to not cause undue harm to the environment. 

We conservatives need to not throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one.  There are some nuggets of truth in the environmental movement, despite the overwhelming way that liberals have chosen to cram their version of environmentalism down our throats. 

The beauty of this is that love of the land and appreciation for God's gifts to us already resonates with us Conservatives!

So, I know that these complicated issues will go on and on, but for today, I wanted to take a moment and be grateful for this beautiful planet on which we live.  From one conservative non-wacko who loves the Earth, Happy Earth Day!

Google Ads

I've just submitted to Google to have the 2 abortion ads that are appearing on the site removed.  I never have nor will I ever support abortion.  Google Ads works such that it looks at the site content and finds ads that have related content.  We have plenty of posts here opposing abortion, so it is logical that the Google crawlers would see this and then match an abortion ad. 

However, I am disgusted that this site that we have worked so hard on would ever have such an ad even for a second.  I just submitted to have the 2 ads blocked.  If the turnaround isn't very quick (I'll check in a couple of hours), I'll remove all ads until we can correct.

If you see any other ads that are offensive, please email us at AmericaisConsrv@gmail.com and we will have them blocked.

Thanks.

Kate and Will - Will You Be Watching??

So the big royal wedding is coming up. TLC has been running shows, soundbites, and ads about the upcoming nuptials. It's happening on 4/29. As an American, I can't say that I am all that invested in this process. I don't think I understand the importance. They seem like perfectly lovely people and I wish them well but I don't see myself waking up early to watch. What about you? Are you interested in the royal wedding?

Robert Redford Disses Palin

Redford is a legendary actor and ultra-ultra liberal.  Still, I wish that someone with his years of experience could find a more sophisticated way to express his differences with conservatives. 
(CNN) – Actor, director and environmentalist Robert Redford is offering his view on Sarah Palin's quick rise to political stardom, saying the former Alaska governor benefits by "how limited she is."

Speaking to the AOL blog PopEater, the legendary actor says the country's electorate is largely divided into three separate groups: "traditionalists, cultural creative people and the moderns."

Traditionalists, the group Redford says are drawn to Palin, "are the people who don't want change, they're afraid of change therefore they have anger - the fear card is a very big powerful card and when you have people afraid of change; they'll do anything to prevent it."

"They're doing it because they're limited, frightened of people who are not as limited. I think Sarah Palin, part of her strength is how limited she is," Redford concluded.

Redford is currently promoting "The Conspirator" – the new movie he directed about the aftermath of the Assassination of President Lincoln.

Book To Be Published Exposing Obama

So, Trump has been travelling from interview to interview claiming that there is something fishy going on since Obama will not produce his birth certificate.  This has caused a bit of a division within the GOP.  There are those grateful that Trump is demanding that Obama produce this document and believe there is some secret Obama doesn't want people to know.  On the other hand, there are others who believe we should drop this already and move on.  There are all kinds of reasons that Obama isn't qualified to be president and we should focus on that.

I have tended to be in the second camp.  However, Drudge reports today that a book is about to be published which has devastating details about Obama and is titled: Where's the birth certificate?  The case that Barack Obama is not eligible to be President.  I think whatever camp you are in, you are interested in the contents of this book.  Here's the text from Drudge:

BOOK TO REVEAL OBAMA'S 'TRUE' IDENTITY?

Wed Apr 20 2011 10:35:52 ET

**Exclusive**

This year's high stakes publishing project quietly went to press this week, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

After years of research and digging by the nation's top private investigators, here it comes:

WHERE'S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE? The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President."

The street date is a LONG month away, and author Jerome Corsi, the man who torpedoed John Kerry's presidential dreams with SWIFT BOAT, has gone underground and is holding his new findings thisclose.

"It's utterly devastating," reveals a source close to the publisher. "Obama may learn things he didn't even know about himself!"

Does Corsi definitively declare the location of Obama's birth?

Will the president's attorneys attempt to interfere with the book's distribution? [The publisher vows to vigorously fight any legal action that may be taken.]

Will the book finally -- once and for all -- put an end to the growing controversy?

Or will it just ignite new ones!?

"When Donald Trump said he sent PIs to Hawaii to get to the bottom of all this, he meant this book," declares an insider.

Great Article On The Battle to Defund Planned Parenthood

I was pretty direct on the blog that I disagreed with the way Boehner was being criticized for the budget deal. There were several comments from many directions finding fault with the agreement he made with Reid. Now that we've had a few days to consider further, I still believe that Boehner made the right choice to not let the government shut down.

However, that doesn't mean that it wasn't frustrating to see Planned Parenthood keep their funding. They are responsible for over a quarter of the abortions in the country. That's huge!

So, when I cam across this article, I appreciated the sentiment. This is a fight worth continued vigor. Here are some excerpts:

In the fight to restore fiscal sanity, it came to light that hundreds of millions of dollars were being paid to Planned Parenthood for women’s health services. Through her undercover work with Live Action, Lila Rose found that Planned Parenthood routinely subverted the law to provide abortions to underage women and seemed to have no conscience regarding women who are abused physically, mentally, or emotionally. Planned Parenthood seems to just want to perform abortions. As presidential hopeful Herman Cain said, “Planned Parenthood doesn’t do any planning, other than to abort the baby.”

In the run-up to the budget "compromise," many ridiculous comments were made. I thought in the wake of the Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords' shooting, we were supposed to be civil. However, many Democrats in Congress accused Republicans of wanting to do women harm. But the most outrageous statement was by Harry Reid, senator from Nevada and majority leader. One of the evil top 1%, he said, “Republicans are asking me to sacrifice my wife’s health, my daughter’s health, and my nine granddaughters’ health. They’re asking me to sacrifice the health of women in Nevada and across America. I won’t do it.” Unbelievable.

Social conservatives were dealt a blow with the separation of the defunding of Planned Parenthood and NPR from the 11th-hour compromise to keep the government open last Friday. However, Congressman Mike Pence said it best: “I cannot bring myself to be critical of a basketball player that gets two-on-one all night. I can't bring myself to be critical of John Boehner, who was squared off against the White House and liberals in Congress who couldn't accept a 2% budget cut and who dug in and were willing to shut down the government to continue to send a million dollars a day to the largest abortion provider in America." He went on to say on ABC’s "Top Line," “Let me explain. I'm pro-life. I don't apologize for it. I also think it's morally wrong to take the tax dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use [them] to fund abortion providers."

So, as we have done since the passage of Roe v. Wade, we will continue to fight to protect life. Some say social conservatives need to take a backseat to the fiscal issues in this county. I say they are linked. There will be days where we lose the battle, as we did on Friday. And there will be days when we will have to take the battle to the hearts and minds of the American people. Because we’ve suffered a setback in the debate on Planned Parenthood, do not step away from opportunities to talk about the sanctity of life, adoption, and other “planned parenthood” options with those you meet. In the end, we will win this battle, whether it is in the halls of Congress or in the hearts of Americans.

 We must get our fiscal house in order, and that’s why we can’t afford to fund any program that can fund itself or is outside of our values. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi likes to talk about the morality of things like Planned Parenthood, but she’s got it wrong. It’s immoral to continue to fund with federal dollars an organization like Planned Parenthood, and it is worth the fight.

Cartoon from Townhall.com

Respectful Reporter Chastened by Obama

So, this seems like a very respectful interview to me.  However, at the end, the President tells the interviewer, "Let me finish my answers next time we do an interview."  This is clearly a President that is not used to being called out on anything.

See for yourself, was the interviewer inappropriate?
http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/President-Obama-talks-with-News-8--120141169.html

The Heritage Foundation Slams Paul Krugman

I stopped reading Paul Krugman a few months ago.  In fact, I read the New York Times quite a bit less often then I used to.  This "establishment" newspaper which is so far beyond biased no longer has any real credibility in my mind.  Case in point with Paul Krugman's response to the Paul Ryan budget plan.  Krugman has been extremely critical of Ryan's plan and has not been afraid to say so.  This is to be expected of a liberal-leaning economist.  However, today the Heritage Foundation finally got fed up with Krugman's accusations about their analysis of the Ryan plan.  They shot back in a scathing open letter to Krugman:

Over the past two weeks, you have relentlessly engaged in dishonest, deceptive and factually incorrect critiques of Heritage’s recent analysis of the Ryan budget plan, and they need to be addressed. With all of the work good people of every political stripe need to be doing in Washington today, the last thing we all have time for is correcting your typically contrived commentary. But when The New York Times gives you such a platform to spread distortions, they necessitate a response.

You’ve laid out several claims about Heritage’s macroeconomic analysis which you’ve urged your readers to consider in rejecting our recent work on the House Budget Resolution, also known as Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s budget plan.

First, you assert our work on the Ryan plan should not be believed because our macroeconomic forecasts of the 2001 tax relief legislation proved to be incorrect. Second, you claim we essentially made up our estimates of how the Ryan plan would affect economic performance by crafting our work to reach supply side conclusions. And third, you declare we are intellectually dishonest because we posted a set of results on the day that Ryan released his plan that drew immediate criticism, withdrew those results, and posted a second set of results that same day.

Each one of these claims is false, as you most likely recognize.

Read the entire article (including Heritage's response to each accusation) here.

Planned Parenthood - Responsible for 27.5% of all US abortions

We keep hearing from those that support Planned Parenthood that abortions are only a small part of their operations.  Well, then their operations must be pretty big since they are committing over 1/4th of all US abortions. 

Also, they receive approx. 350 million (that's right - MILLION) dollars in Federal funding - that's our tax dollars at work ladies and gentlemen.

Here's the link to the article on this.  More from the article:

In 2009, Planned Parenthood performed 332,278 abortions, the highest number ever, and an increase of 2.5 percent over 2008.

In 2009, they provided pre-natal services to just 7,021 women.

In 2009, Planned Parenthood made just 977 adoption referrals.

In other words, 97.6 percent of pregnant women going to Planned Parenthood are sold abortions while less than 2.4 percent of pregnant women received non-abortion services, including adoption and prenatal care.

Despite its protestations that abortion is only a small part of its services, Planned Parenthood has increased its number of abortions for 15 straight years. During that time, it has gone from committing 9.3 percent of all abortions in the United States to committing 27.5 percent.

Planned Parenthood received $349.6 million in taxpayer funding (government grants and contracts) in 2008, and at the end of the year had $85 million in profits.

Compare 2012 Potential GOP Presidential Candidates

Here are some video clips I've taken of the GOP candidates - watch and decide for yourself!

Rick Perry:


Mitt Romney:




Herman Cain



Rick Santorum:



Newt Gingrich:



Ron Paul:



John Huntsman:



Michele Bachmann:



I also found this very interesting site which compares a long list of potential GOP candidates for President in 2012.  The site goes into a lot of detail on many issues and seems to be fairly accurate.  Check it out:
http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/

I Have More Money Than Mitt - Donald Trump Declares

Trump, you're so funny. Are you trying to appear completely disconnected from the American people? People criticized Mitt Romney in the election for not understanding the common man due to his wealth and here you are saying you have a net worth "many, many, many times Mitt Romney." But if that's the worst thing about Romney, that he's less rich than you, that's not too shabby. Trump has been much more critical of other potential rivals. Are you looking for a Trump/Romney ticket??

Sarah Palin Speaks At Tea Party Rally In Madison, WI

I wish I was in Madison, Wisconsin Saturday for the Tea Party rally.  Sarah Palin headlined the event to cheers from the thousands who attended.  Here is a  short video with highlights:



And, of course, as you know from earlier posts, this blog is a fan of Andrew Breitbart. He introduced Sarah Palin at the rally. Here is his intro:

Donald Trump - What Do You Think??

I have resisted writing about Donald Trump. It's not that I don't like him or anything...I guess I just thought this presidential business was his way of boosting ratings or just talking big. He's known for both of these things so it was a pretty safe bet. However, after hearing him on Rush Limbaugh's show yesterday, I am having some doubts. It appears as though I am not the only one a little confused by his recent press (click here).

After reading articles and listening to interviews, I have to say I am interesting in what he has to say. While this might not translate into a vote, should he run, I certainly am paying attention. Trump has moxy. He is addressing concerns many of us have had in a public way. He speaks out and I love it. I love that he is challenging the things many have wanted challenged. On Rush's show yesterday, Trump said something to the effect of that he didn't want to run for president - he didn't want to have to. He would rather we have an amazing prez who was doing good in the world. But since that is not the case, he is compelled to step up at be vocal about change.

Who knows what will happen as the race to the white house begins but it appears as though it will be an interesting ride!

Warning to Conservatives - Don't Replace Obama with a Robama (Republican Obama)

As we look to 2012, there is a lot of excitement in the air about which conservative candidate could beat the current president. Most conservatives are looking for fiscal responsibility, social conservatism, and a repeal of the Obamacare that was shoved down America's throats. To that end, a lot of names are being thrown out as people that can beat Obama.

I want to interject a word of caution. American people, Obama is not qualified to serve as president. He is not. He was not when he was elected and he is not now. Answering tough questions with "creating a committee" doesn't quite cut it. Costing America trillions does not cut it. Ruining foreign relations...well, you see my point. He is frankly underqualified for this position and as such should be fired. And he will be in 2012. But as we look to our next president, America, we need to be careful to not put someone as equally unqualified in his spot, regardless of party. Otherwise, they will just make different mistakes.

So ask yourself what kind of experience is important for your president. What was important before this president was put into place? Think about your requirements before endorsing a candidate because if we are not methodical in our approach, Obama could win or we could have an equally underqualified Republican in place. While I'll take the Republican over Obama (think Palin), it's still not a good equation.

Newt Gingrich's Response to Obama

Newt Gingrich has come out of the shadows and appears to be prepping for presidency. Following Obama's speech on the budget, Gingrich posted his plan to help reverse the tidal wave of poor decisions the current president has made (see below). Gingrich has good ideas, is articulating them well, and has a history of showing fiscal responsibility. I think he can give Romney a run for his money. I am curious about his point #6 - what does he mean by "repeal and REPLACE Obamacare"? (caps added)

"To win the future today, I have proposed six steps for the United States to rebuild the economy and rescue the next generation from a dangerous and potentially crushing national debt.

1. Promote stability in the economy by permanently extending the current tax relief. Job creation moved from stagnant to improving in the two months after Congress extended tax relief for two years.

2. Guarantee the United States will continue to be the center of economic activity by making it the most desirable location for new business investment. The United States should match the Chinese capital gains tax rate of zero; dramatically reduce the corporate income tax (the highest in the world) to 12.5%; allow for 100% expensing of new equipment to spur innovation and American manufacturing; and permanently end the death tax.

3. Repeal Sarbanes-Oxley. Remove burdensome financial regulation that is holding companies back from taking risks and making new investments.

4. Implement an American energy policy that creates jobs in the United States versus the Obama plan which borrows money from China to give to Brazil to drill for oil and then sell it to Americans.

5. Enforce the fiscal responsibility Americans deserve, control spending, and implement money saving reforms and replace destructive policies and agencies with new approaches.

6. Repeal and replace Obamacare."

Romney Launches Exploratory Committee

So, as if it was a secret, Mitt Romney announced that he's forming an exploratory committee to run for President. He was second Republican behind McCain in the last election. And, he has more experience in his pinkie than Obama. However, one major political event that has changed since the last election is the emergence of the Tea Party, who are most upset at Obama due to Obamacare than anything else (though there is a lot they are mad at). And, Romney did pass a version of universal health care in Massachusetts.

I look forward to letting Romney articulate the differences between what he did and what Obama did. What I've heard him say over and over again is that the Massachusetts bill was a "local solution to a local problem." So, for those conservatives that strongly believe in States' rights over Federal mandates, this is a compelling argument. However, a large make-up of the GOP is libertarian-leaning conservatives who believe in individual liberty above all else - which means no government entity should be able to require people to buy health insurance.  So, this will be a key issue.

Another concern that some have is that Romney is a well-known member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon church). And, there are those in the Christian community who struggle with this. They shouldn't, but they do. Those same constituents tend to support Huckabee, who has no chance whatsoever (regardless of what some of the various straw polls say).  Many don't seem to know that Senator Reid is of the same religion, which I don't think has even been brought up in any of the criticism for him.  So, I hope people get over this.  If anything, it is Romney's religion that has led to his strong work-ethic, fidelity to his wife, and integrity.

Finally, Romney was criticized in his campaign for being too substantive and not engaging enough - no personality. Well, I believe that he has spent the past few years working on this. You will see him with slightly-wrinkled shirts, rolled-up sleeves, oh-so-slightly dishevelled hair, etc.  You'll note in the video above, he is not wearing a tie!  I joke about this because I don't see this as a real criticism.  He is a smart guy and we definately need that in the Presidency.  I bet he can even give an entire speech without a teleprompter!  I think after 2 years of Obama, people are craving substance and Mitt's style of intellect will look much more appealing than last time. 

The thing that Romney has, though, and there is no way getting around this, is the most successful career than any of the other candidates proving him to be an effective executive. We need a real exective who understands the correlation between running a business and running a country.  I know it isn't exactly the same thing (and Romney is smart enough to figure that out), but choosing a proven business leader over a left-wing idealist would greatly improve our country's outlook. 

One more thing on his personal history - he also is without personal scandal (he's happily married and has been his whole adult life - to the same woman).

So, while he does have some potential baggage to overcome, he is the real thing and would make a fine President. I look forward to his campaign.

Tea Party Signs Banned From Park. What Country Is This?

Here's most of the article.  You can read the whole thing here:

A federal lawsuit claims a Branch County tea party group was denied the right to display banners and signs at a tea party rally at a public park in Coldwater because it was “too political” and “too controversial.” The Coldwater City Council then passed a resolution banning all banners and signs in that park.

The Thomas More Law Center law firm filed its lawsuit last week in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Attorney Robert Muise of the Thomas More Law Center alleged that Coldwater City Manager Jeff Budd objected because the Common Sense Patriots of Branch County were “too political” and “too controversial.”
 In a Nov. 2 memo to the City Council, Budd stated the “administrative headaches” of increased requests to have banners in the park led the city to either “allow all banners or no banners.”

According to the lawsuit, the Common Sense Patriots had held five rallies at the Four Corners Park. Muise said to regulate speech at a traditional public forum such as a city park, regulations must be precise. He said the ban of all signs and banners is too broad.

“Instead of using a scalpel, they used a sledgehammer,” Muise said. “They didn’t mind when they had people put up banners for some innocuous event, but when the tea party put up their sign, they said, ‘Wait a minute. This is too controversial.’ ”

“There is a problem when you ban everything in a traditional public forum."

Still A Sad State Of Affairs For Christianity In China

How blessed we are to be able to worship freely in the United States.  I hate to see stories like this one:

Police in China detained hundreds of Christian worshippers as they gathered for an outdoor service in Beijing. The detentions are the latest in a crackdown on individuals and groups deemed by the government to pose a threat to social stability.

The worshipers were from the unregistered, Christian, Shouwang House Church in Beijing. Their church leaders asked them to gather at an open-air venue for Sunday services, after they were evicted from their usual place of worship last week.

Hundreds of uniformed and plain clothes police officers were deployed to stop the outdoor service.

Around 200 Christian worshippers were were rounded up and detained in a nearby school and others were forced onto buses by police and driven away to an unknown location. Several foreign journalists were detained for short periods and some were physically intimidated by plain clothes police.

Tea Party Patriots - Solidarity Please

I have been monitoring Facebook today and reading the different postings of thousands of individuals as they react to the budget deal struck by Boehner with Reid and Obama.  I am amazed at the criticism that Beohner is getting from both sides.  I expect that cutting the budget would infuriate the Left.  No surprise there.  In fact, I bet Reid gets some flack for it (though somehow I'm sure he'll spin it so that it was his idea).  But, what I am surprised and disappointed to see is the Tea Party lash out against Boehner.  Also, several Congresspeople voted No to the resolution (Bachmann and others). 

Here's the thing - the GOP controls only the House.  ONLY THE HOUSE.  We don't have the Senate and we don't have the White House?  Why, you ask?  Not just because Obama charmed his way into the Presidency, but because for years that we did have the majority and the power to implement real change, we didn't.  In fact, we ran up the deficit.  Meanwhile, those wonderful activists (such as myself) sat back because we thought with a Republican president, we didn't really need to worry.  And, we were wrong.  I am a huge fan of George Bush, the man and George Bush, the Commander in Chief, but not such a fan of his fiscal behavior.  Also, while we did have control of Congress, we let the message get muddled, we didn't go after Health Care (as we should have) and we didn't make needed changes to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.  So, throw all of that together with the public's discontent over Iraq and the failing economy, and we lost power in Washington.

So, now the Tea Party emerges (and I count myself a member) and brings back common sense to government.  We now have the House back and great leadership by Speaker Boehner. 

So here is Boehner, negotiating like crazy against the worst President in modern history and the "leader" of the Senate.  Boehner actually manages to get cuts to the budget.  CUTS.  Did you see the budget that Obama presented?  Do you know what Reid wanted to do?  Boehner's leadership along with the great support of conservatives across the country have actually changed the discourse in Washington and we are cutting the budget.  Is it as much as we wanted?  No.  Will we go for more next year?  Yes.  However, it is still a great victory.

Yet, the Tea Party Patriots leadership is slamming Boehner, and Bachmann and the like are upset that this deal didn't go far enough.  Bachmann posted on her Facebook page that she voted against it since it didn't, among other things, repeal Obamacare.  REPEAL OBAMACARE?!?  Is she kidding?  This was not realistic at all and not a reason to vote against a fantastic first step towards fiscal responsibility. 

Tea Party - listen to me - I love you, I am one of you, but you have to calm down and appreciate the influence that we have had.  You are acting like crazies right now and this is precisely what the media wants to see.  They will go after this with all they have.  We are actually pointing fingers at Boehner instead of the real culprits - Obama and Reid (and Pelosi from when she was Speaker).

We have to be smart here, take this victory, and move forward to next year.  I look forward to discussing Paul Ryan's budget proposal.  I know that Reid and Obama can't stomach it which means it must be right on target.  So, calm down, stand with Boehner, and move forward.  What Beohner needs from us is applause and a new Senate counterpart.  We can take care of that in the next election.

Oh, yeah, and while we're at it, let's get a new President, too!

Great job, Speaker Boehner!

So, you'll see various Tea Party groups upset today that the budget deal only includes $38.5 million in cuts.  I am a strong member of the Tea Party, but I am not outraged.  In fact, I am impressed.  Boehner is a great Speaker and those calling for a new Speaker need to wake up and look at the situation in Washington.  Would we have had cuts at all without a GOP-controlled Congress?  No.  Not at all.  In fact, it would certainly have gone the other direction. 

What we need to do is get Boehner some support in the Senate.  We need a GOP majority there and real leadership that is willing to do what Boehner did and stand for smaller government.  We also need a President who supports cuts to the bloated government. 

I'm proud of Boehner.  As for the Tea Party, I am excited for the movement and proud count myself a member, but we need to take this energy and frustration and focus it on the next election, getting Reid fired and electing a new President.  Boehner is an excellent Speaker and his leadership got it started.  We have to keep it going.

Plus, after seeing Rep. Ryan's budget, this year hardly matters.  Let's start talking about real cuts and real reform.  This year, Boehner had to come in and do what the Dems should have done last year.  But, for next year, the great House leadership has some great plans up their sleeves.  I can't wait to watch those battles!

So, great job, Boehner!  Let's keep going.  And, to the Tea Party - support him and his leadership and let's move on to the real cuts!

From Townhall.com

Another Cartoon From Townhall.com

From Townhall.com

Who Owns Our Debt?

Pelosi still dispicable

Nancy Pelosi is still proving that Democrats have no place trying to lead this country.  She was the worst Speaker in history and still has no constructive plans to deal with our deficits.  As Rep. Paul Ryan boldly announced his 2012 budget plans, Pelosi announces her opposition strategy.  She has no constructive alternatives, no plans of her own to cut spending, just a strategy of opposition.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) laid out the Democrats' plan of attack on the Republican budget proposal, telling progressive bloggers on a conference call Wednesday that the plan "has to be snuffed out" immediately to prevent changes to Medicare.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the leading Democrat on the Budget Committee, will introduce an alternative plan on Thursday. But Pelosi said the focus for Democrats moving forward will be more on pointing out the bad in Ryan's budget than advocating for Van Hollen's.

"I think that 90 percent of our focus has to be on putting the spotlight on the bad things that are in their budget," she said.

Her approach will be similar to the House Democrat strategy in 2005, when President George W. Bush wanted to privatize Social Security. At the time, Democrats held town hall after town hall to criticize the president's plan, but did not offer their own proposal -- the lack of which Pelosi said was "the most important" part of the 2005 strategy's success.

Yet, when she was Speaker, she complained over and over again that Republicans were the 'party of no.'  She complained that the GOP didn't attempt to work with Dems.  We opposed Obamacare, remember that?  We opposed and opposed and she pushed and pushed.  No matter what anyone said, she just kept going to get it passed at all costs.  So, here we are, the tables are turned, and Paul Ryan has provided the first bold idea to finally do something serious about the budget.  So, I say the GOP use the same strategy - ignore Pelosi, ignore the liberal Dems, and for the first time in a generation, do what is right fiscally for our country.  The bolder then better.

Shut it down!

The headlines are all the same right now- the government is heading for a shutdown.  Reid and Dems are dragging their feet and refusing to agree to the minor spending cuts being proposed by the GOP.  I say minor because I am excited about Paul Ryan's proposed budget cuts and can't wait to start talking about a real budget.  However, until then, we debating these smaller cuts that are still a good step in the right direction.

The news outlets are talking like this is the end of the world.  However, we know that "essential" government functions would continue.  So, Boehner should push forward without fear.  This is a reversal of years of unadulterated spending of taxpayer money.  It is a small step, but at least it is a step towards fiscal responsibility.  Also, it sets the stage for next year's budget and the next election.  We are finally talking about the stuff of real economic recovery.  For the past 2 years, the President has had us talking about everything accept real answers to our economic woes. 

So, now is the time.  And, I can't wait until the next election.  We need to add to the Tea Party members of Congress who have guts to make sure we are working on the right issues. 

The GOP Path To Prosperity

Congressman Paul Ryan published an article in the WSJ outlining the proposed budget cuts for next year and it looks GREAT!  This is exactly what we need.  It is going be opposed at all costs by Obama and other liberals, but it is a bold direction and does what needs to be done.  Here's an excerpt from his article:

But this morning the new House Republican majority will introduce a budget that moves the debate from billions in spending cuts to trillions. America is facing a defining moment. The threat posed by our monumental debt will damage our country in profound ways, unless we act.

No one person or party is responsible for the looming crisis. Yet the facts are clear: Since President Obama took office, our problems have gotten worse. Major spending increases have failed to deliver promised jobs. The safety net for the poor is coming apart at the seams. Government health and retirement programs are growing at unsustainable rates. The new health-care law is a fiscal train wreck. And a complex, inefficient tax code is holding back American families and businesses.

The president's recent budget proposal would accelerate America's descent into a debt crisis. It doubles debt held by the public by the end of his first term and triples it by 2021. It imposes $1.5 trillion in new taxes, with spending that never falls below 23% of the economy. His budget permanently enlarges the size of government. It offers no reforms to save government health and retirement programs, and no leadership.

Our budget, which we call The Path to Prosperity, is very different. For starters, it cuts $6.2 trillion in spending from the president's budget over the next 10 years, reduces the debt as a percentage of the economy, and puts the nation on a path to actually pay off our national debt. Our proposal brings federal spending to below 20% of gross domestic product (GDP), consistent with the postwar average, and reduces deficits by $4.4 trillion.

Great Leadership Series - Mother Teresa

She believed in the goodness of the human spirit. As a nun, Mother Teresa felt called of God to reach out and serve His children. After dedicating her life to this calling, Mother Teresa created Missionaries of Charity - an order "whose primary task was to love and care for those persons nobody was prepared to look after"(click for source). This order is still in operation now and as such, the sisters continue to respond to hardship, natural disasters, famine, etc. to help those in need. Mother Teresa's influence continues. (Click here and here for more articles detailing the life of this great woman.)

Her leadership shows one of the fundamental traits of real leaders - it is through their works that others are inspired to follow.

"Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work."

What D.C. Is Saying About Obama - You Tell Me

An interesting article on CNN regarding the president's motivation for the timing of his announcement. Here's my concern - so now that he can "officially" begin his fundraising, when is he going to focus on presidential issues?

Each president forms a reputation. When Bill Clinton was in office, Washington D.C. was turned into a party town. Articles came out discussing the wild parties that were thrown or attended by staffers.

Enter George W. Bush. The town took a different turn after Bush came into office. Meetings began at 6 am. No late parties. Prayer meetings were held for those who desired to attend. It took an entirely different tone.

What is going on in D.C. now and how does that reflect on the president? Just something to think about.

Bachmann in 2012??

Article from Politico:

"Michele Bachmann tops Mitt Romney in fundraising

Michele Bachmann became the queen of 2011 fundraising this quarter, bringing in a combined $2.2 million for the quarter – bigger than the $1.9 million that frontrunner Mitt Romney reported bringing in, officials confirmed for POLITICO.

Bachmann raised $1.7 million for her congressional committee, and another $500,000 for her leadership PAC, Bachmann adviser Andy Parrish said.

The numbers are sure to roil the early presidential-watching, as the Minnesota congresswoman gears up for a likely run for the White House in 2012.

Much of her donations are reportedly small checks.

Bachmann, a tea party favorite, has been getting increasing attention as Sarah Palin appears increasingly unlikely to run."

2012 Elections - What Do YOU Think?

We've been slowly adding candidates that are looking to run against Obama in 2012 to the 2012 Elections Tab. Who are we forgetting?? Email or give us a comment and we'll add your suggestion!

Stephen Broden shows no fear in the fight against abortion

I have posted about Stephen Broden multiple times on this site.  He is an authentic, strong-willed, principled Christian man. He speaks boldly for what he believes in and isn't afraid of criticism.  Here he is again boldly fighting against abortion.  He posted a controversial billboard on abortion in Times Square last month which got a lot of press.  See my posting on that here.

Here he is again standing against abortion in Chicago.



Read the whole story here.

Great job, Stephen.  Don't give up!

Great Story on Success of Home School Coop

I love these types of stories.  Though I went to public school as a child and had good parents who taught me a solid value system, I have tons of respect for parents who make the difficult decision to home-school.  This decision is often based on frustration with the public school system, the desire to make sure that children are taught values as a fundamental part of their education, and a belief that not all kids are the same and a more tailored approach is often better.  However, the time, effort, and money that goes into making sure that a home-schooled child has a solid education is completely put on the parents and can be very trying.  I've had several extended family members who have chosen to go this route and have seen them struggle with these issues.  But, even with all of the work involved, home schooling continues to thrive. This article highlights how finding other parents with like-minded goals can vastly help make home schooling a success (excerpts below, read the whole article here):

I have a little story about a quite magical place.

It is a place to laugh, learn, play. A place where children are showered with love, and most importantly, a place where children (and their parents) love to come.

It’s a school.

“A school? Bah, humbug.” I can hear it now. When I was in school I don't recall being that thrilled about it. So what is this school and why is it so wonderful?

This school, the Rowan County Homeschool Co-Op, is a much-needed resource for the local homeschooling community. The school is the brainchild and passion of founder and director Mary Wilhelm, herself a homeschooling mom. Mary, mother of three rambunctious young men, experienced the need to have a greater depth of resource for her kids’ education than she was able to provide on her own.

Recognizing that many families that homeschool do so for religious reasons in addition to having more control over the curriculum, it is expected that most families attending this co-op are also doing so for reasons of supporting their faith, though it is not a question that Mary asks a prospective family.

“We do make sure they understand that the curriculum is based on Judeo-Christian values such as creationism, so if they do not wish for that viewpoint to be included in their child's education, this co-op may not be their best choice,” Mary says.

The families involved are intelligent, sincere, involved, educated (often certified teachers in their own right), compassionate, earnest, and fun-loving. Add to that heady mixture conscientious and highly ethical, and caring.

Great news for the Pro-Life movement in Arizona

It is frustrating that we have to fight so hard to protect life in this country against people who would dismiss the life of an unborn child as though it were a disease to get out of the body as quickly as possible.  It is good to see progress in this area:

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer will sign into law on Saturday a pro-life bill that would protect women by requiring abortion centers to meet certain health and safety regulations and that will also promote ultrasounds.

 Brewer’s office confirmed this afternoon that she and legislators who sponsored the bill will participate in a signing ceremony tomorrow — just days after she signed into law the first state ban on race-based or sex-selection abortions in the United States.

The Arizona Senate passed HB 2416 18-10-2 on Wednesday to require that any woman considering an abortion be given an ultrasound exam and provided the opportunity to see and have an explanation of the results. Read more...