Late to the give the great man thanks, I know, but the man was indeed a legend. Please check National Review, the magazine he founded, for some incredible tributes. As for me, I have a great number of things that I am realizing more and more to be thankful to him for, and it's a shame that I was not more politically aware in my youth. Being a man of 29 years, I remember Reagan from some of my earliest days, but sadly, I didn't know enough about Mr. Buckley until his passing. Here is a small token of my appreciation. He will be remembered always.
-Caomhin
29 February 2008
28 February 2008
House Democrats Attack Oil Industry; Threaten to Raise Price of Gasoline and Heating Oil
Nearly unbelievable, but then, this is the Democratic Party after all, basically the American equivalent of the Chinese Communist Party. I know a good number of the people who are on the Left side of the political spectrum will consider that an unfair argument, but let's take a look at just how socialist of an antic this destined to be vetoed bill is:
1. Levy's a tax on single industry by $18 billion dollars.
2. Is a transfer tax to inefficient sector of the energy industry ("alternative sources") which are more than capable of making advances on their own within the free market. Consider this article to from IBDeditorials.com, the first few sentences sum up the bio-diesel industry extremely well:
In 2005, America used 15% of its corn crop to replace just 2% of its gasoline. Two new studies say use of biofuels will leave the world a warmer and hungrier place.
Stick around for the part about how much higher in carbon emissions it is in comparison to oil.
3. Completely irresponsible, especially when the reason that the Democrats give for their need to raise taxes on oil is due to "record oil prices and gasoline costs in a time of economic troubles." So raising taxes on oil companies and effectively further increasing the price of gas and heating oil as well as plastics, etc will somehow be good for the economy? It will be good during an economically mild environment to punish a successful industry and punish consumers by artificially raising prices even further? Astonishing. Please reference the previous post about the Democrats' need for economic woes for political purposes. It has nothing to do with the American citizens.
4. Further expansion on my point about the negative impact it will have on consumers and investors is that a raise in taxes on the oil industry, in which many, many workers, from the bottom on up, have investments in their 401(k)s, IRAs, etc. This will negatively impact the bottom line on everyone from workers to the industry itself.
5. Jim McDermott (D-WA) calls the tax bracket that the oil companies are in a "subsidy". Interesting where he and the other Democrats fail to leave out the part where the world-wide effective tax rate on oil companies was 37% in 2006 compared to 35% in 2001, which is above the top US corporate tax bracket of 35% as it is (statistics from Energy Information Administration's Annual Financial Reporting System). Tax rates above even the tax rate can in no way be qualified as a "subsidy."
6. The House Democrats are essentially attacking the Oil industry in order to give a kick back to their friends who have undoubtedly invested heavily in alternative energy sources, while attempting to villainize a sector of our economy vital to our economic health and national security in an attempt to further their class warfare rhetoric.
I'm not basing alternative energy as a means to bring more stability to the energy market, but the Democrats are transparent in the effort to produce energy at home, they simply do not want that either. Refinery capacity remains a serious issue for our nation. The Democrats have consistently opposed efforts to build new refineries to help provide the energy needs of our nation. In fact, as energy demand has grown over time, their interference with the free market in this area is leading directly to higher costs. Indeed, technology has greatly improved since the last time we actually built a refinery and should a new one be built, then these the new plants would be much more efficient and safer than existing facilities.
Opposing the exploration and drilling of areas close to home is another example of the Democrats are lying about their desire to have our national security protected by providing for the production of our energy needs within our soil. Natural gas and coal are plentiful in this country and one of the most promising technologies that results in, ahem, "cleaner" energy is liquefied coal, something they will not fully support either. Ethanol has proven to be inefficient as an energy source, and even if the Democrats were serious about that, then where is the drum beating to eliminate the tariffs from ethanol imported from Brazil? Even now, as the price of wheat and corn rises to record highs, we are not hearing the Democrats decry the evils of farm subsidies as this is one of the large organizations that help control the Democratic Party.
Nuclear is another area where the Democrats show their true colors on the energy policy. We have not built a reactor in quite a long time, despite the fact that the technological advances are far greater since the 1970s and the technology can be rolled out rapidly and would further help the economy in utilizing plutonium sources within our shores. They constantly use fear tactics with regard to nuclear energy to discourage its usage.
With regard to wind and solar these are only regional fixes, not national. I find it extremely difficult to believe that somehow it would benefit Alaska (of which some parts do not have sunlight for very long periods of time) to use solar as opposed to oil and natural gas, of which it is bountiful. Over time these technologies will be improved and become an integral part of our economy and infrastructure, however, to lie to the American people about the speed of the roll out and the progress of the technologies at the current time is simple reckless.
Alternative energy sources can and will be developed in the future with the same thing that has been successful for American since our inception. Ingenuity, hard work, and within the framework of the free market. Democrats have long since claimed that they want to help the average American and decry the loss of manufacturing jobs, but their callous interference into the auto industry has cost the jobs they now claim were somehow "stolen" by other nations. They caused this to happen by interfering with the free market. Americans will buy smaller, more fuel efficient cars as the price of gas naturally rises. To force this process to occur faster than it normally would occur retards the system and causes damages.
While I in no way mean to disparage the burgeoning and promising technologies of tomorrow and I encourage their growth, to apply a socialist style of tax on the oil companies and cause an artificial rise in prices for every single American is indefensible. While the economy is growing at a clip slightly above 0% (no, it's not a recession) it is incredulous that the Democrats would pursue a tax raise and cause record high prices of gas to go even higher. To help rectify the situation providing some more oil and natural gas licenses in domestic territories as well as allowing refineries to be constructed would be most beneficial. Additional tax breaks should be given to the developers of cleaner, more efficient technologies if the Democrats truly wish to allow for greater growth in these new technologies, not inefficient subsides in the form of taking from the oil companies according to their ability and giving it to Al Gore's investment portfolio according to their needs, ala Karl Marx. However, low tax rates, not playing class warfare, and being pro-growth are not the hallmarks of the Democratic Party. I would like to ask you to keep in mind that this is just the tip of the iceberg should the Democrats win the election. At that point, any entity, business, or private, making any sort of profit and having any extra money in their pockets will be fair game for the Democrats to attempt to pick clean. Remember this well come November.
-Caomhin
1. Levy's a tax on single industry by $18 billion dollars.
2. Is a transfer tax to inefficient sector of the energy industry ("alternative sources") which are more than capable of making advances on their own within the free market. Consider this article to from IBDeditorials.com, the first few sentences sum up the bio-diesel industry extremely well:
In 2005, America used 15% of its corn crop to replace just 2% of its gasoline. Two new studies say use of biofuels will leave the world a warmer and hungrier place.
Stick around for the part about how much higher in carbon emissions it is in comparison to oil.
3. Completely irresponsible, especially when the reason that the Democrats give for their need to raise taxes on oil is due to "record oil prices and gasoline costs in a time of economic troubles." So raising taxes on oil companies and effectively further increasing the price of gas and heating oil as well as plastics, etc will somehow be good for the economy? It will be good during an economically mild environment to punish a successful industry and punish consumers by artificially raising prices even further? Astonishing. Please reference the previous post about the Democrats' need for economic woes for political purposes. It has nothing to do with the American citizens.
4. Further expansion on my point about the negative impact it will have on consumers and investors is that a raise in taxes on the oil industry, in which many, many workers, from the bottom on up, have investments in their 401(k)s, IRAs, etc. This will negatively impact the bottom line on everyone from workers to the industry itself.
5. Jim McDermott (D-WA) calls the tax bracket that the oil companies are in a "subsidy". Interesting where he and the other Democrats fail to leave out the part where the world-wide effective tax rate on oil companies was 37% in 2006 compared to 35% in 2001, which is above the top US corporate tax bracket of 35% as it is (statistics from Energy Information Administration's Annual Financial Reporting System). Tax rates above even the tax rate can in no way be qualified as a "subsidy."
6. The House Democrats are essentially attacking the Oil industry in order to give a kick back to their friends who have undoubtedly invested heavily in alternative energy sources, while attempting to villainize a sector of our economy vital to our economic health and national security in an attempt to further their class warfare rhetoric.
I'm not basing alternative energy as a means to bring more stability to the energy market, but the Democrats are transparent in the effort to produce energy at home, they simply do not want that either. Refinery capacity remains a serious issue for our nation. The Democrats have consistently opposed efforts to build new refineries to help provide the energy needs of our nation. In fact, as energy demand has grown over time, their interference with the free market in this area is leading directly to higher costs. Indeed, technology has greatly improved since the last time we actually built a refinery and should a new one be built, then these the new plants would be much more efficient and safer than existing facilities.
Opposing the exploration and drilling of areas close to home is another example of the Democrats are lying about their desire to have our national security protected by providing for the production of our energy needs within our soil. Natural gas and coal are plentiful in this country and one of the most promising technologies that results in, ahem, "cleaner" energy is liquefied coal, something they will not fully support either. Ethanol has proven to be inefficient as an energy source, and even if the Democrats were serious about that, then where is the drum beating to eliminate the tariffs from ethanol imported from Brazil? Even now, as the price of wheat and corn rises to record highs, we are not hearing the Democrats decry the evils of farm subsidies as this is one of the large organizations that help control the Democratic Party.
Nuclear is another area where the Democrats show their true colors on the energy policy. We have not built a reactor in quite a long time, despite the fact that the technological advances are far greater since the 1970s and the technology can be rolled out rapidly and would further help the economy in utilizing plutonium sources within our shores. They constantly use fear tactics with regard to nuclear energy to discourage its usage.
With regard to wind and solar these are only regional fixes, not national. I find it extremely difficult to believe that somehow it would benefit Alaska (of which some parts do not have sunlight for very long periods of time) to use solar as opposed to oil and natural gas, of which it is bountiful. Over time these technologies will be improved and become an integral part of our economy and infrastructure, however, to lie to the American people about the speed of the roll out and the progress of the technologies at the current time is simple reckless.
Alternative energy sources can and will be developed in the future with the same thing that has been successful for American since our inception. Ingenuity, hard work, and within the framework of the free market. Democrats have long since claimed that they want to help the average American and decry the loss of manufacturing jobs, but their callous interference into the auto industry has cost the jobs they now claim were somehow "stolen" by other nations. They caused this to happen by interfering with the free market. Americans will buy smaller, more fuel efficient cars as the price of gas naturally rises. To force this process to occur faster than it normally would occur retards the system and causes damages.
While I in no way mean to disparage the burgeoning and promising technologies of tomorrow and I encourage their growth, to apply a socialist style of tax on the oil companies and cause an artificial rise in prices for every single American is indefensible. While the economy is growing at a clip slightly above 0% (no, it's not a recession) it is incredulous that the Democrats would pursue a tax raise and cause record high prices of gas to go even higher. To help rectify the situation providing some more oil and natural gas licenses in domestic territories as well as allowing refineries to be constructed would be most beneficial. Additional tax breaks should be given to the developers of cleaner, more efficient technologies if the Democrats truly wish to allow for greater growth in these new technologies, not inefficient subsides in the form of taking from the oil companies according to their ability and giving it to Al Gore's investment portfolio according to their needs, ala Karl Marx. However, low tax rates, not playing class warfare, and being pro-growth are not the hallmarks of the Democratic Party. I would like to ask you to keep in mind that this is just the tip of the iceberg should the Democrats win the election. At that point, any entity, business, or private, making any sort of profit and having any extra money in their pockets will be fair game for the Democrats to attempt to pick clean. Remember this well come November.
-Caomhin
Sam Zell Blasts Doomsayer Democrats
He came out swinging on his appearance on Squawk Box, specifically calling out Obama and Hillary for their nonsensical apocolyptic view of the economy:
Speaking on "Squawk Box" this morning, Zell attributed much of the current economic troubles to fear-mongering and politicking by Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
-Caomhin
Speaking on "Squawk Box" this morning, Zell attributed much of the current economic troubles to fear-mongering and politicking by Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
"Obviously what we have going on is an attempt to create a self-fulfilling prophecy," said Zell, chairman of Equity Investments Group and owner of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other companies. "We have two Democratic candidates who are vying with each other to describe the economic situation worse.
"The reality is that if you live on Wall Street and you're in the credit markets the world couldn't be worse. If you're a farmer and you're getting $25 for your wheat, you're having a great time. If you're a CEO and you've got a balance sheet that's bullet-proof, you're in a great position. This whole thing is way out of control, way out of hand."What he's saying is very true. The Democrats desperately need for the economy to take a hard slide, much in the same way they need Iraq to take a slide, but unfortunately for the Democrats, neither is going to occur. Much as Iraq is becoming stronger on its own feet, it has now become apparent (as I have posted on before) that the economy is not going to go into a recession, so they need to drum up as much negativity and fear that they can as they always do during election season. Their rhetoric revolves around, "if you don't vote for us, you will lose everything you own," and it's down right irresponsible and reprehensible behavior. Oh, and lest I need to remind you, the MSM, which is the propaganda wing of the Democratic party will do all they can to try and capitalize on this fear and do the dirty work for the Democrats. Today's evidence? How about this article from the Chicago Sun-Times, "Clinton Holds Roundtable With Economy Victims." Victims? What, did the economy come up from behind them and bludgeon them with a tire iron? What's even funnier about this headline besides the ultra-bias is that by using the term "victim," connotatively it implies that the economy is a criminal thug of some sort. Well, that's further proof that the Democrat's philosophy is that the pesky economy hasn't plunged into recession and is hurting their chances in November, therefore it must be villainized.
-Caomhin
26 February 2008
Iran on Path To Nuke Israel Twice as Fast
...Due to their development of a more effective uranium refining centrifuge. It's beyond transparent what the Iranian regime is doing. Russia, under the leadership of Valdimir Putin, a "moderate" of course, is selling them nuclear fuel as it is, so how is it that certain parts of the international community have the audacity to deny what they are doing? This thing is going to come to a head at some point and it is not going to end in way that will at all be acceptable to all parties. Russia's profit generating experience in dealing with the Iranians will ensure that they will do their best to keep milking that cash cow, coupled with their assertion of threatening Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Poland with their offensive nuclear arsenal, as well as their blaming the United States for the Kosovo situation, point to their complete and total support of the Iranian regime in the future. All this leads Israel into the most dire of situations. With Islamic radicals being increasingly backed by openly hostile nations who will in the near future have the means and will to drop weapons of mass destruction upon them, it becomes that much more important that the United States and other nations step up efforts to stop this reality from occurring (we most likely have less than one year).
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
Global Warming Hoax Update: Al Gore is Losing Money
Someone stop the madness! We're actually getting colder! Wait, that shouldn't be a celebratory statement I think, aw, screw it, I love watching bobsledding. So for all the insane lies we've been getting fed by the lefties on this issues (search my archives for a tip of the ICEberg on what I mean and then research the rest) it is becoming more and more apparent that ManBearPig is the Loch Ness Monster of the scientific community. Case in point? NASA, among other organizations, and not just in the United States, but Russia among other nations, are pointing towards the encroaching reality that, SHOCK, the sun is responsible for our global temperature and climate issues than anything else (in fact, minimally from man) and that we are actually headed toward a cycle where the patterns of the sun are going to lead to a cooling of global temperatures. Another case in point? How about this article that warns of a coming Ice Age (another extreme view but at least is a bit more honest than Al Gore) that points to RISING ice levels and colder global temperatures since the year 2000. General consensus? Money talks, and Al Gore is losing a good deal right now as he and the envirofascits are scurrying to cover up the reality of what is actually occurring. That reality? Man is not causing a great deal of environmental impact by using fossil fuels. The sun's surface activity is actually doing the vast, vast majority of temperature and weather change. The problem? The left needs to hush this up with the quickness lest their plan for a global re-distribution of wealth fail to materialize. Check out some facts from this article that appeared on Yahoo for example:
"The U.S. is prepared to enter into binding international obligations to reduce greenhouse gases
-Caomhin
"The U.S. is prepared to enter into binding international obligations to reduce greenhouse gases
as part of a global agreement in which all major economies similarly undertake binding international obligations," said Daniel Price, according to a BBC report.
"Major economies" refers to the 17 largest emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, led by the United States and China.
......
De Boer told The Associated Press that U.S. talk of internationally binding targets for emissions reductions was "great." But he saw problems in what Price said otherwise."If the intent is to achieve a comparable effort on the part of developing countries, then that is not realistic and not in line with what was agreed in Bali," de Boer said.
So the UN said that the United State's committing to a multinational cut in CO2 output wasn't good? For what reason? For the the fact that developing nations, the heaviest polluter (China), and those with lower Per Capita Incomes, should not be included in their agreement because it would be "unfair?" Can a SCAM be any further exposed?
-Caomhin
Clinton Supporters Don't Get Mad, they Get Stabby
The living embodiment of Fat Tony from the Simpson's motto. In my home state of Pennsylvania, of course. Is there anything Clinton supporters won't do to try to insure their victory, including stabbing their in-laws if they support their political adversary? That's a joke of course, lest I be stabbed. It seems though that even Fox will go to the lengths to say the stabber was a Republican supporting Hillary (is that even possible?) so I guess that's fair and balanced on their part if that's true. Look, I don't like either Obama or Hillary due to their love for ginourmous government among many, many issues, but never should a political discussion end in a near fatality.
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
Satellite Shoot-Down: TOTAL SUCCESS
How awesome is this? I waited a little bit, but was amazed from the time that it occured, a ten second window of opportunity to knock down an orbiting satellite from a mobile Navy vessel? Wow, somewhere Ronald Regan is smiling ear to ear. The fuel tank? Yea, check this out:
The Pentagon said Monday it has a "high
degree of confidence" that the missile fired at a dead U.S. spy
satellite in space destroyed the satellite's fuel tank as planned.
-Caomhin
The Pentagon said Monday it has a "high
degree of confidence" that the missile fired at a dead U.S. spy
satellite in space destroyed the satellite's fuel tank as planned.
In its most definitive statement yet on the outcome of last Wednesday's
shootdown over the Pacific, the Pentagon said that based on debris
analysis it is clear that the Navy missile destroyed the fuel tank,
"reducing, if not eliminating, the risk to people on Earth from the
hazardous chemical."
The Chinese have asked for the locations of where the possibly sensitive material gathered from the spy satellite will fall...sure, we'll get right on that China. In terms of missile defense, this is the best news possible. Mobile missile defense at that. Of course the best short-term news is that a large satellite will not be falling to the Earth causing a great deal of harm both from impact as well as the hazardous materials contained within the fuel tank. In terms of long term future, it raises great confidence in developing an international system to help protect the Earth from the impacts of celestial objects, something where the international community could actually rally around. Though I run the risk of sounding like some sort of sci-fi geek with that last sentiment, it's something that is at least rationally feasible in the long term future. Short-term, however, missile defense needs to be pushed forward for the security of the American people. We have just protected ourselves from an impact object that was projected to impact North America with an amazing display of American ingenuity and technological advancement. Though I reject Russia and China's condemnation of our missile defense program as well as the satellite shoot down, I will concede that the satellite shoot down probably did speed up the Czech Republic (one of our greatest current allies) into signing on to our missile defense program being developed in Eastern Europe. I'll leave you with the video:
-Caomhin
25 February 2008
The Obama Photo Flap
Here's the story and the photo, something you're all fully aware of by now I'm sure. While the rumor of Obama being some sort of undercover Muslim are not true and wearing the garb of another nation is somewhat of tradition, there's a few things that can not be overlooked and a disturbing pattern is emerging. Another issue that I'm sure you are aware of is the radicalization of Somalia, going back to the Black Hawk incident while Bill Clinton was our president. The garb he's wearing in this photo, while in Kenya, is that of Somalian origin, where there is most definitely a terrorist problem. What's going on in Kenya is extremely serious as well, though that has little bearing on the photo flap, it is something that we all need to be aware of as Africa has largely been ignored by US policy except under the Bush Administration, where he is largely celebrated as a hero across the continent, and kudos go to him and everyone else in the United States who is trying to rally greater attention to the genocide in Darfur, something President Bush should be commended for as the UN refuses to call it a genocide. That being said, the pattern that is emerging with Obama is one of complete ignorance on foreign affairs. He is a tremendous orator, and he is correct that we should never give up on hopes and dreams, no rational personal should ever make an argument to the contrary. However, when you have a person who is running to be commander in chief who is not aware that he may be dressing in the garb of terrorists who celebrated the murder of American troops in Mogadishu, who openly wants to meet with world dictators, while trashing allies such as Pakistan, and is willing to allow the Iraqi people to face a genocide that will rival or surpass Darfur by not staying and protecting them, then there is a serious problem with his world view. Regardless of what the stance of any politician was before Congress, in a bipartisan fashion, authorized the War in Iraq, if you you think of it as a mistake or a correct decision, it would a horrible decision to leave the Iraqis to slaughter and the accompanying violence that will befall their nation. Once the decision was made to go to war a commitment was also made to stand by the Iraqis to see their nation rebuilt and the defend the citizens of Iraq until their new government blossomed. Now, you can make the argument that the Iraqi government has not developed quickly enough, and that is fair, but then, how quickly, in our highly developed democracy, does our government move? To have gone into Iraq and engaged in war, only to leave them before we fulfill the commitments we made to help the people of Iraq would make us liars and hypocrites in their eyes. The possibility of electing Barack Obama has become increasingly problematic in my view, as he has time and again shown that he is willing to take risks and moral stands, indeed levy threats, only against allies, while looking to appease and negotiate with Tyrants and Dictators (i.e. Raul Castro, Kim Jong Il, Hugo Chavez, etc) and Terrorists (Ahmadinejad, et al), sends exactly the wrong signal to anyone who would love to cause us harm. If you threaten the United States openly, he will give you his ear. If not, he will scorn you until you do. That, my friends, is the problem with his foreign policy attitude.
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
Bush Administration and Vatican Appeal to Castro II to Allow for Cubans to Actually Have Rights
Well, we know that plea is falling on deaf ears. No worries, though, Barack Obama stands ready to appease Raul in any way possible...along with Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong Il, Hugo Chavez, dictators everywhere, while threatening to invade our allies in nuclear armed Pakistan. What amazes me is that with Fidel having been dead for a few years now and Raul having run the show for the same time span, that our lovely media still found time to fellate Fidel, most notably CNN, who caused an unbelievable amount of human suffering on the island nation of Cuba. Real change won't occur with Raul or any of the other old guard, hard core communist thugs running the show. I hope Fidel and Che are enjoying their stays in whatever Circle of Hell the devil found fit for them. The people of Cuba deserve their freedom and I would like to thank the Cuban people, especially, in places like Little Havana, who have shown the world their express desire to be free people and expose to world to Fidel's sadisitc behavior. The media wanted to wonder why there weren't more widespread celebrations at the news that one of the Media and American left's icons "stepped down" from the presidency? Because the people of Cuba know that, unfortunately, it's going to take a lot more than the Cuban government taking the first step towards admitting Fidel has been rotting in the ground for a while now, to really change the situation in Cuba. Obama's love for dictators notwithstanding, if Raul doesn't see the light (which he almost assuredly won't) then we should view the Cuban government for what it is, a bunch of thugs usurping the right of the people to live freely and we need to show the world that we will reach out to and help the Cuban people while exposing the world to just how tyrannical the communists calling the shots on the island are.
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
IHT Poses the Rhetorical Question of the Day
"Can NATO Take A Tough Line When Putin Shows Up at its Summit?" No....of course not. NATO can't even get their act together to protect Afghanistan where the Taliban is even going to the great lengths of threatening cell phone carriers as the US is picking them off one by one when they ask, "where you at?" though they are most definitely not using Boost Mobile. NATO is becoming increasingly knock-kneed, which is truly a shame. Consider this passage from the article regarding Putin:
On Feb. 12, the same day he accepted NATO's invitation, Putin warned
Ukraine that it could become a target of Russia's nuclear missiles if
it joined the alliance. Last Friday, his official onlooker at NATO
headquarters in Brussels, Dmitri Rogozin, struck the same compliant
note.
On Feb. 12, the same day he accepted NATO's invitation, Putin warned
Ukraine that it could become a target of Russia's nuclear missiles if
it joined the alliance. Last Friday, his official onlooker at NATO
headquarters in Brussels, Dmitri Rogozin, struck the same compliant
note.
If NATO "breaches its mandate" in Kosovo, Rogozin said, or if the
European Union reaches a unified position on the issue - subtext: don't
you dare - then, "We too would have to proceed from the view that in
order to be respected we must use brute force, in other words, armed
force."
Russia is stepping up it's rhetoric in a major way and threatening to point it's nuclear arsenal towards Eastern Europe should be a major cause of concern. I'm really not holding my breath for NATO go strongly criticize these words though. However, you can imagine what would be the reaction of our media and the hard left had Bush uttered a threat to point offensive nuclear weapons towards, North Korea, let's say. Outrage. Where's the left on this one? They hate armed conflict and protest President Bush at every opportunity but where's the outrage with Putin? Hmmmm....
Off in the horizon, you can practically see the dark clouds gathering. Russia has been increasingly hostile in its relations with a number of nations who are engaging in treaties with NATO and Western Powers. They are refusing to let go of the mentality of the East v. West even after the Iron Curtain was torn asunder and the Soviet Union fell. It would appear that in Putin's mind the consolidation of power and squashing of dissent is his best way forward, and that, my friends, is most definitely not good news for the world.
-Caomhin
Leftist Media Forced to Admit that Economy is not going into Recession
If you knew anything about economics you already knew this. Like a typical far left tactic, this little pipe dream of theirs fell far, far short. A recession occurs when two quarters of negative growth occurs. I laughed every time I heard ABC, CNN, NBC, etc go out and tell the general public not only would one occur, but that we were ALREADY in one...which was a ridiculous lie. We had positive growth last quarter. We weren't in a recession. Now they are admitting that just because for the first time since Clinton left office and handed over a recession to the current administration, we weren't seeing such large percentages of growth, that doesn't mean that a recession is going to happen. I can hear the lefties now, "DRAT! We needed that narrative for the elections." Yea, well, you can only lie so long before people do some research and verify that, yes, the left wing was using their typical scare tactics....and lying...again. Expect the narrative to change for them as soon as they figure out which element of fear and insecurity will work best for them.
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
Outgoing Comptroller of GAO Blast Government Irresponsibility
David Walker went off today on our inefficient and increasingly backward government. While I disagree with the portion on Iraq, (yes, the Iraqi government needs to step up some more but they have produced some good legislation lately that is helping the country towards a slow reconciliation. Besides, if they are using our government as a model, it's amazing they are overcoming partisan rifts at all) he's spot on with regard to many issues:
David Walker, comptroller general of the Government Accountability
Office (GAO) has since 1998 been the objectively informed and outspoken
critic of America's balance sheet. He has criticized supporting Iraq's
dysfunctional government, pork barrel spending by Congress, unrealistic
"universal health care plans" we can ill-afford or support, the
escalating risks of huge deficits, fiscal vulnerability to hostile
foreign governments, and a lack of will to reform our government.
Pork is completely out of control in Congress, and while I salute President Bush for stepping up and putting a halt to earmarks in the short term, it is something he should have done from the first day he was sworn in as president. Universal Health Care would be devastating to our budget and our economy as private sector jobs and economic competition would be shattered. The free market and indeed advances in the health care field would be stifled, as would the economy as a whole due to an astronomical increase in taxes. Additionally, if the left truly cared about encroachments on our civil liberties, there would be no rationality in giving our government every single detail of our health records. While the FISA remains controversial in its impact on a small portion of the population who is in direct contact with suspected terrorist, the left is looking for any reason to hand over health care records in violation of our right to privacy as given to us by our Constitution.
The deficit is another issue that must be addressed immediately, and the proper way to do so is not to raise taxes and adopt anti-growth, protectionist policies that the Democratic Party is urging. This will only restrict growth and lower government revenues. Rather, the tax rates should be preserved, if not lowered further, in order to assist small businesses, investors, and indeed, every tax payer in America as the Bush Tax Cuts have lowered the rates on ALL tax payers. To really address the deficit issues, spending in the government must be slashed significantly. A Balanced Budget Amendment is desirable but must be done in a way that provides for national emergencies in terms of natural disasters and national defense, where discretionary spending must be dropped to provide for the common defense while not incurring further debt. Ideally, the best way forward would be to reduce spending to a point where, with the lower tax rates, we could run a surplus which can be used to cut the national debt. In turn, this would reduce the threat that China and other nations pose to us by threatening to flood the world market with our dollar, an economic hostage holding of sorts. This will also strengthen the dollar and benefit every American as our currency would appreciate greatly in value. It's high time the government steps up to the plate and addresses these issues, but the leftist policies of Obama and Clinton will not do it, in fact, they will only make matters much, much worse.
-Caomhin
David Walker, comptroller general of the Government Accountability
Office (GAO) has since 1998 been the objectively informed and outspoken
critic of America's balance sheet. He has criticized supporting Iraq's
dysfunctional government, pork barrel spending by Congress, unrealistic
"universal health care plans" we can ill-afford or support, the
escalating risks of huge deficits, fiscal vulnerability to hostile
foreign governments, and a lack of will to reform our government.
Pork is completely out of control in Congress, and while I salute President Bush for stepping up and putting a halt to earmarks in the short term, it is something he should have done from the first day he was sworn in as president. Universal Health Care would be devastating to our budget and our economy as private sector jobs and economic competition would be shattered. The free market and indeed advances in the health care field would be stifled, as would the economy as a whole due to an astronomical increase in taxes. Additionally, if the left truly cared about encroachments on our civil liberties, there would be no rationality in giving our government every single detail of our health records. While the FISA remains controversial in its impact on a small portion of the population who is in direct contact with suspected terrorist, the left is looking for any reason to hand over health care records in violation of our right to privacy as given to us by our Constitution.
The deficit is another issue that must be addressed immediately, and the proper way to do so is not to raise taxes and adopt anti-growth, protectionist policies that the Democratic Party is urging. This will only restrict growth and lower government revenues. Rather, the tax rates should be preserved, if not lowered further, in order to assist small businesses, investors, and indeed, every tax payer in America as the Bush Tax Cuts have lowered the rates on ALL tax payers. To really address the deficit issues, spending in the government must be slashed significantly. A Balanced Budget Amendment is desirable but must be done in a way that provides for national emergencies in terms of natural disasters and national defense, where discretionary spending must be dropped to provide for the common defense while not incurring further debt. Ideally, the best way forward would be to reduce spending to a point where, with the lower tax rates, we could run a surplus which can be used to cut the national debt. In turn, this would reduce the threat that China and other nations pose to us by threatening to flood the world market with our dollar, an economic hostage holding of sorts. This will also strengthen the dollar and benefit every American as our currency would appreciate greatly in value. It's high time the government steps up to the plate and addresses these issues, but the leftist policies of Obama and Clinton will not do it, in fact, they will only make matters much, much worse.
-Caomhin
19 February 2008
For Your Consideration
After hearing Barack Obama keep giving speeches without actually saying anything about what he would do in terms of a solid game plan besides throwing around code words about destroying our economy (he constantly attacks all service sectors of the economy, you know the ones, the ones that our economy is currently built on, Health Care, Financials, etc. Haven't the Dems noticed that we're not an economy built on manufacturing? Sadly, that ship sailed a long time ago) I have come to the realization that he is a great speaker. But something about it sounded so familiar, where have I hear that style of speech before that bored me to tears and was based on personal gains while saying they want to help other people.....
Hmmm...
Oh yea, that's right. How long before we see this guy stumping for Obama, heck the free money from the government programs is definitely a liberal talking point. Leftist speeches now go on at 3am on most networks going forward, will be in total competition with those singles 800 numbers.
-Caomhin
Hmmm...
Oh yea, that's right. How long before we see this guy stumping for Obama, heck the free money from the government programs is definitely a liberal talking point. Leftist speeches now go on at 3am on most networks going forward, will be in total competition with those singles 800 numbers.
-Caomhin
12 February 2008
Venezuela Cuts off Oil to Exxon
That's right folks. Exxon had the audacity to try to protect its assets in Venezuela in the face of the socialist scourge, a move completely in line with the free market, and the socialist hoard in Venezuela just stopped selling fuel to Exxon. Part of the reason that Chavez's people made this move was that Exxon recently had won a court order to freeze assets that belonged to their company after the socialists attempted to seize them. Exxon was essentially the last oil company to actively put up a fight against Chavez's goons and had proven in court that they were on the right side of international law, only to see Venezuela now stop the flow of oil to Exxon. Expect this to have a pretty large impact on the price per gallon of gas in the States very soon. Exxon was completely within their right to protect their assets. What the socialists claim is thus:
State-run Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, said in a statement that
it "has paralyzed sales of crude to Exxon Mobil." It said the decision
was made "as an act of reciprocity" for the company's
"judicial-economic harassment."
Reciprocity for Exxon's proving their case in various courts across the world that what Venezuela had done by attempting to hijack Exxon assets? The law is on Exxon's side here. The "judicial-economic harassment" that PDVSA speaks of is the international courts and rule of law among free nations. It's a typical left wing tactic of ignoring existing laws and doing what you feel like doing in order to shore up your personal bottom line while claiming it's a move "for the people." As if losing a major purchaser of your main export will actually help the people of Venezuela. The only person profiting off of this is Chavez and his inner circle. Since various reforms from the thug Chavez went into effect the economy in Venezuela has decreased, and this move will only add to their woes, and most likely ding us a bit too as the price per gallon of gas will impact us. Chavez has essentially engaged in an economic form of terrorism and acted in open defiance against courts of law, which had already handed them defeats, so Chavez's folks are simply making a play for as much cash as humanly possible in the short the run while doing serious damage to themselves in the long run.
-Caomhin
State-run Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, said in a statement that
it "has paralyzed sales of crude to Exxon Mobil." It said the decision
was made "as an act of reciprocity" for the company's
"judicial-economic harassment."
Reciprocity for Exxon's proving their case in various courts across the world that what Venezuela had done by attempting to hijack Exxon assets? The law is on Exxon's side here. The "judicial-economic harassment" that PDVSA speaks of is the international courts and rule of law among free nations. It's a typical left wing tactic of ignoring existing laws and doing what you feel like doing in order to shore up your personal bottom line while claiming it's a move "for the people." As if losing a major purchaser of your main export will actually help the people of Venezuela. The only person profiting off of this is Chavez and his inner circle. Since various reforms from the thug Chavez went into effect the economy in Venezuela has decreased, and this move will only add to their woes, and most likely ding us a bit too as the price per gallon of gas will impact us. Chavez has essentially engaged in an economic form of terrorism and acted in open defiance against courts of law, which had already handed them defeats, so Chavez's folks are simply making a play for as much cash as humanly possible in the short the run while doing serious damage to themselves in the long run.
-Caomhin
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Awesome: Taliban Terrorist Blows Himself Up and a Few Nex-Gen Terrorists
You reap what you sow. A terrorist had attempted to turn a landmine into a different type of weapon in order to inflict casualties against NATO and American forces in Afghanistan only blow himself and two of his sons up. Two others were also killed but their bodies were taken from the site before authorities showed up, which begs the question as to why that was done. None the less, at least there's one less terrorist scum out there actively seeking to hurt members of our Armed Forces. I hope everyone in the Taliban took the same bomb making class as this guy.
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
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Ed Rendell Believes Pennsylvanians Are Racists
Have I ever mentioned how much I can't stand Ed Rendell? As I'm sure you are all keenly aware of by now, Rendell has been a big time Hillary backer and is now realizing that Hillary is no longer "inevitable" to gain the Democratic nod to appear in the General Election in November. So Ed Rendell decides that it is best to illustrate why he is endorsing her by accusing Pennsylvanians of being racist. Here's some highlights:
“You’ve got conservative whites here, and I think
there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an
African-American candidate,” Rendell told the editorial board of the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in remarks that appeared in Tuesday’s paper.
Next, Rendell takes a swipe at Lynn Swann, who Rendell viciously lied about during the last gubernatorial races in one of the most negative campaigns I can remember. Swann was an excellent candidate who was running as an outsider, ready to step in and help fix many of the problems that have hurt Pennsylvania. Rendell's attack machine went after him with a fever. Without the funds, the insiders, and the muscles that Rendell had, Swann lost the race. To say that he would have "only" beat Swann by 17 instead of 22 is a joke. I listed the reasons why Rendell won, none of which had to do with race, but all of which hurt our state by having him as Governor. According to Rendell and a great deal of the Democrats out there, Swann should have won the majority of the African American vote if you follow their racial identity politics. The Clintons have shamelessly pursued that aspect since South Carolina and Bill Clinton finally got partially exposed for what he really is in doing so. So what are the new voters that Obama will bring in when he loses the racist PA voters Rendell? What "new voters" are you referring to?
What this goes to further illustrate is how the Democratic Party works. They will always have a built in excuse. They will always say that they believe in the democratic republic in which we live but take shots at it every chance they have. They will divide people in to groups and then chastise groups who do not follow along on the leash the Democrats have crafted. Rendell's insertion of "conservative whites" is simply an unwarranted, untruthful, and shameless attack on Republicans, who just last election cycle elected an African American to represent the Republican Party in the race for the position of governor. Ed Rendell is a liar and a race baiter.
-Caomhin
“You’ve got conservative whites here, and I think
there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an
African-American candidate,” Rendell told the editorial board of the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in remarks that appeared in Tuesday’s paper.
To buttress his point, Rendell cited his 2006
re-election campaign, in which he defeated Republican challenger Lynn
Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, by a margin of more than 60
percent to less than 40 percent.
“I believe, looking at the returns in my election,
that had Lynn Swann been the identical candidate that he was —
well-spoken, charismatic, good-looking — but white instead of black,
instead of winning by 22 points, I would have won by 17 or so,” he
said. “And that (attitude) exists. But on the other hand, that is
counterbalanced by Obama’s ability to bring new voters into the
electoral pool.”
Next, Rendell takes a swipe at Lynn Swann, who Rendell viciously lied about during the last gubernatorial races in one of the most negative campaigns I can remember. Swann was an excellent candidate who was running as an outsider, ready to step in and help fix many of the problems that have hurt Pennsylvania. Rendell's attack machine went after him with a fever. Without the funds, the insiders, and the muscles that Rendell had, Swann lost the race. To say that he would have "only" beat Swann by 17 instead of 22 is a joke. I listed the reasons why Rendell won, none of which had to do with race, but all of which hurt our state by having him as Governor. According to Rendell and a great deal of the Democrats out there, Swann should have won the majority of the African American vote if you follow their racial identity politics. The Clintons have shamelessly pursued that aspect since South Carolina and Bill Clinton finally got partially exposed for what he really is in doing so. So what are the new voters that Obama will bring in when he loses the racist PA voters Rendell? What "new voters" are you referring to?
What this goes to further illustrate is how the Democratic Party works. They will always have a built in excuse. They will always say that they believe in the democratic republic in which we live but take shots at it every chance they have. They will divide people in to groups and then chastise groups who do not follow along on the leash the Democrats have crafted. Rendell's insertion of "conservative whites" is simply an unwarranted, untruthful, and shameless attack on Republicans, who just last election cycle elected an African American to represent the Republican Party in the race for the position of governor. Ed Rendell is a liar and a race baiter.
-Caomhin
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The Reactions of Seeking the Death Penalty for 9/11 Collaborators
Reuters published an article last night about the reactions the candidates had to the news that we would be seeking the death penalty through military tribunals for six terrorists who were involved with the 9/11 attacks. Here are the highlight, by candidate:
John McCain:
John McCain:
The front-runner for the Republican presidential
nomination, Arizona Sen. John McCain, said charges against the
alleged conspirators were long overdue.
"This is something that should have, in my view I'm sorry
that it's taken so long. Let's begin this process," McCain
said.
Barack Obama:
"Of course, we should ensure that the planners and
perpetrators of 9/11 are brought to justice, and the death
penalty is appropriate for whomever committed such heinous
crimes. But these trials will need to be above reproach," Obama
said.
"These trials are too important to be held in a flawed
military commission system that has failed to convict anyone of
a terrorist act since the 9-11 attacks and that has been
embroiled in legal challenges," he added.
Got that? Sen. McCain believes the system works and the enemy combatants who have declared war on the United States under the structure of a terrorist organization should be tried in the military tribunals and have their sentences handed down accordingly. He believes that the terrorists who conspired to murder over 3,000 people on 9/11 should be given justice through the military tribunals that were created long ago to handle situations like these. Remember, these are terrorists who are not part of a traditional military organization for another nation, which would be treated with much different regard. He stands behind the solid system that we have in place for handling these situations.
On the other hand, you have Obama, who is essentially saying that the tribunal system is flawed, that the military and the authorizations that were set up to handle this situations, are incapable of doing so. He says that the system has failed to convict anyone of a terrorist act since 9/11, and technically that may be true since there have been no domestic terror attacks since 9/11. By playing word games and talking ill of our military and the justice system that we have in place, he is not doing anything to help the country. Rather, he is damaging our nation's reputation by deriding the system. Earlier in the article he suggests domestic courts and domestic military trials (i.e. like one of our soldiers would receive), but that is outrageous. Terrorist should in no way, shape or form, have the same rights as you or I. That is simply asinine to believe that people hell bent on destroying our way of life, court systems included, should be treated in the same manner a United States citizen enjoys. These monsters have an ongoing declaration of war with the United States and are not citizens (i.e. domestic terrorists) and therefore will and should be treated differently and the tribunal system is precisely where this matter should be handled. Obama is flat out wrong on this issue. To grant terrorists the rights of our citizens in domestic courts makes it that much easier for them to plot and commit attacks. I wouldn't exactly call our justice system expedient and rest assured, you'll see the ACLU and other groups flock to the aid of terrorists for their little political purposes, all the while endangering the public. It's a dangerous position and one that lacks any pure concept of the challenges we face in the fight against global Radical Islamic terrorism.
-Caomhin
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Only Thing In The Way of Open Records in PA Is Ed Rendell
A solid law that took way too long to hammer out in our Legislature has finally cleared all the hurdles and is heading to Ed Rendell for signature that will help to bring more accountability to the government. It's a fairly brief article, but I'll still highlight two parts for you, first:
Instead of a narrow list of public records, the bill would force agencies to disclose all records beyond a list of exceptions, and the agency would have to prove a record they do not want to release can be secret under the law.
A central office would set policies and deal with disputes about what should be released. Penalties would be stiffer for agencies that violate the law. And it would require state agencies to respond faster when people request records.
Sounds pretty solid to me. The Republicans pretty much set the frame work for this one and the Dems helped out a bit too after the whole Pay Raise fiasco that will still have repercussions come this November. It's another one of those laws that should be in full effect for every state. What bothers me though was this paragraph from the article:
Gov. Ed Rendell will decide whether to sign the bill, which has undergone numerous revisions during the 13 months since it was first proposed, after he reviews its exact language, said Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo.
He really can't be giving any real thought to vetoing this bill right? Ed Rendell has already made a mockery of the system here in PA, most recently by promoting his insane spending budget that increases spending dramatically, raises some taxes, and provides rebates for only the poorest of the poor, who aren't actually paying taxes anyway (it's called welfare). All this with a state surplus that he easily found a way to spend and then some which is quite remarkable. Rather than provide true tax relief and increase efficiency, he is doing THAT with the budget? Wow. To further demonstrate his economic prowess, he has already pretty much abandoned the idea of giving true property tax relief to seniors, lower class, working families, and the middle class that was supposed to be funded by the slots by miring it in bureaucracy and making it nearly impossible to qualify for, while shifting those revenues into more of his pet projects. Which brings me back to the initial point. I suppose he could actually be giving thought to vetoing this bill given the shenanigans he plays with the budget and pretty much everything else he does.
This should be a good voter guide issue for November and we should get a copy of how the voting went down. Anyone who voted against open records for government is fit to be booted from government regardless of party. You should really take the time to read this article here about concerns some lawmakers had with the bill that got hashed out in the final version. Amazingly, most of the concerns were legit. It turns out this was a pretty solid bipartisan effort.
-Caomhin
Instead of a narrow list of public records, the bill would force agencies to disclose all records beyond a list of exceptions, and the agency would have to prove a record they do not want to release can be secret under the law.
A central office would set policies and deal with disputes about what should be released. Penalties would be stiffer for agencies that violate the law. And it would require state agencies to respond faster when people request records.
Sounds pretty solid to me. The Republicans pretty much set the frame work for this one and the Dems helped out a bit too after the whole Pay Raise fiasco that will still have repercussions come this November. It's another one of those laws that should be in full effect for every state. What bothers me though was this paragraph from the article:
Gov. Ed Rendell will decide whether to sign the bill, which has undergone numerous revisions during the 13 months since it was first proposed, after he reviews its exact language, said Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo.
He really can't be giving any real thought to vetoing this bill right? Ed Rendell has already made a mockery of the system here in PA, most recently by promoting his insane spending budget that increases spending dramatically, raises some taxes, and provides rebates for only the poorest of the poor, who aren't actually paying taxes anyway (it's called welfare). All this with a state surplus that he easily found a way to spend and then some which is quite remarkable. Rather than provide true tax relief and increase efficiency, he is doing THAT with the budget? Wow. To further demonstrate his economic prowess, he has already pretty much abandoned the idea of giving true property tax relief to seniors, lower class, working families, and the middle class that was supposed to be funded by the slots by miring it in bureaucracy and making it nearly impossible to qualify for, while shifting those revenues into more of his pet projects. Which brings me back to the initial point. I suppose he could actually be giving thought to vetoing this bill given the shenanigans he plays with the budget and pretty much everything else he does.
This should be a good voter guide issue for November and we should get a copy of how the voting went down. Anyone who voted against open records for government is fit to be booted from government regardless of party. You should really take the time to read this article here about concerns some lawmakers had with the bill that got hashed out in the final version. Amazingly, most of the concerns were legit. It turns out this was a pretty solid bipartisan effort.
-Caomhin
Russia Steps Up its Rhetoric as Well as Its Tactics, John McCain Called This One
Vladimir Putin has been blazing a path towards centralizing all power within the Russian government under his and his appointed successors' control. He hand-picked Dmirty Medvedev to replace him as President who in turn, announced that he will appoint Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister. Pure power consolidation tactic. The Russian elections were less than fair to say the least and I hope that the Russian people can overcome this obvious heavy handed tactic by Putin and his political allies. The Russians worked hard to overcome the shackles of Communism and re-gain their freedom and we should help them in their quest towards democratic reforms. It seems however, that Putin has moved from being a somewhat moderate leader to a level just below that of a dictator.
You'll recall a few days ago, US war planes were assembled to fend off Russian bombers that were approaching the U.S.S. Nimitz while it was on patrol in the Pacific. This is reason to be concerned indeed, as one of the bombers had actually flown directly over the carrier, "buzzing" it twice during this occurrence. No military actions came of this, no shots fired, etc, but it is worth noting. I remember seeing documentaries about the Cold War where US and Soviet military would routinely "buzz" each other or interact each other, playing antagonist with each other without it ever coming to head and shots being fired. If memory serves me correct, it was especially true with submarine fleets. That being said, it would appear Russia is heading towards more Cold War tactics and actively seeking to engage the United States in every realm that it can.
During Putin's "Farewell Speech," he assailed the U.S. as having touched off a new arm's race by having the audacity to seek to implement missile defense in Eastern Europe that would have positive effects for the vast majority of the world, serving as a buffer against the increasing dangerous Iranian regime in particular as well as the still dangerous North Koreans. Rather than embracing and seeking greater cooperation with NATO and Western Nations, Putin's policies reverted to the tactics of the old Soviet Union and took to seeing the expansion of NATO into Eastern European nations, nations that actively sought membership in the Organization, as a direct threat to Russia. While Putin will hit talking points of respecting Russia's sovereignty, elections, and internal decisions, apparently that idea does not extend to the nations who, on their own, for what they determined to be the best course for their nations, sought out NATO membership. While Putin should be commended for hitting on the points of economic development and fighting terrorism in Russia, it is disappointing and a reason for pause that he would threaten the world with a new arms race unless Russia is appeased at the cost of denying other nation's the right of self-destiny in seeking out alliances.
Prefaced by the information above, it becomes even more imperative to recognize the great threat that may be arising as today Putin announced that it will being to target its offensive nuclear missile capabilities towards Ukraine if Ukraine presses ahead with NATO membership and become part of the U.S. missile shield program. In response to a defensive deployment of the missile shield, Russia is essentially saying that it will target any nation with offensive missiles, that is threaten to possibly hit nations with nuclear missiles should said nations not comply to Russia's demands. For all the wrongful claims that many Democrats lobby against President Bush, imagine their reaction if he had announced a decision to begin targeting our offensive arsenal at Iran, let alone Russia. Yet, the Democrats have been dreadful silent with regard to this issue. It is very troubling that Russia is pursuing this path.
I'll leave you with Sen. McCain's statements from back before the Iowa caucuses in which he is asked about Vladimir Putin and Russia in general. It now sounds almost prophetic and I believe that under a John McCain administration we will be much better situated to meet not just this threat, but other political and military threats to our Republic.
-Caomhin
11 February 2008
Good News out of Iraq Today
Wow, it's been a pretty good day for the War on Terror. In addition to the news from the previous post, we see today that public support for the War on Terror has hit a three year high, the Russians have forgiven the Iraqi government a massive amount of debt, and al Qaeda's own internal documentation shows just how throughly the forces of the Surge have dismantled al Qaeda in Iraq. All in all, great signs. Let's look at each individually:
1. Even while Democratic leaders have attempted to lie through their teeth about the effort in Iraq and the War on Terror, things have gotten so much better now that the MSM and Democrats have been forced to cut back on the vast lies they've spewed in the past. Pelosi, Clinton, Reid, Obama, and the bunch are still advocating their cut and run policies, as they have long since tied their political futures towards our defeat in the War on Terror. Much like al Qaeda in Iraq, it's failing. The public is starting to see truly, that things are getting much better and the support is coming back. Credit Gen. Petraeus's counter insurgency model immensely for these developments.
2. Some people will dismiss the Russians forgiveness of billions of dollars worth of debt, but it should not be overlooked. In fact, this is even further proof of political reconciliation developing within Iraq's borders. Why? Do you really think that the Russians would be wiping Iraq's debt off the books in order for Russian companies to begin business dealing within Iraq if they thought for one moment that the investments would not pay off? Reconciliation in Iraq is pushing forward, especially after the deal that was reached with former Baathists to allow some of them back in the government. Iraq is making a turn around, albeit a bit slowly, that should be recognized even more so now that foreign investments are starting to trickle into the nation.
3. It's pretty self explanatory when documents are seized that proves that al Qaeda in Iraq themselves are noting how much of beating they are taking from US and Iraqi forces. The only thing I'd like to add to this is the fact that if anything, these documents likely downplay how much of a pounding they are taking. They are being routed.
Again, this has been a great day in the War on Terror and I'm sure we will see many, many more days like this in the very near future. So long as we remain on the offensive, we will win. What we cannot allow is for American politics and those on the Left with high political ambitions to allow our nation to fail to win what is an extremely winnable War while we have our opponents pinned to the ropes.
-Caomhin
1. Even while Democratic leaders have attempted to lie through their teeth about the effort in Iraq and the War on Terror, things have gotten so much better now that the MSM and Democrats have been forced to cut back on the vast lies they've spewed in the past. Pelosi, Clinton, Reid, Obama, and the bunch are still advocating their cut and run policies, as they have long since tied their political futures towards our defeat in the War on Terror. Much like al Qaeda in Iraq, it's failing. The public is starting to see truly, that things are getting much better and the support is coming back. Credit Gen. Petraeus's counter insurgency model immensely for these developments.
2. Some people will dismiss the Russians forgiveness of billions of dollars worth of debt, but it should not be overlooked. In fact, this is even further proof of political reconciliation developing within Iraq's borders. Why? Do you really think that the Russians would be wiping Iraq's debt off the books in order for Russian companies to begin business dealing within Iraq if they thought for one moment that the investments would not pay off? Reconciliation in Iraq is pushing forward, especially after the deal that was reached with former Baathists to allow some of them back in the government. Iraq is making a turn around, albeit a bit slowly, that should be recognized even more so now that foreign investments are starting to trickle into the nation.
3. It's pretty self explanatory when documents are seized that proves that al Qaeda in Iraq themselves are noting how much of beating they are taking from US and Iraqi forces. The only thing I'd like to add to this is the fact that if anything, these documents likely downplay how much of a pounding they are taking. They are being routed.
Again, this has been a great day in the War on Terror and I'm sure we will see many, many more days like this in the very near future. So long as we remain on the offensive, we will win. What we cannot allow is for American politics and those on the Left with high political ambitions to allow our nation to fail to win what is an extremely winnable War while we have our opponents pinned to the ropes.
-Caomhin
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Mansour Dadullah Captured
Great news on the Afghan front as Mansour Dadullah has been captured. Dadullah took over for his brother as chief terrorist in charge in Afghanistan after the other Dadullah got taken out by our forces. What makes this catch especially strong is that it occurred during the ongoing debate in NATO about supporting the effort in Afghanistan. I'm sure this will only help secure and reaffirm the effort. It's interesting to note as well that he was taken in Pakistan. That's even better yet as I'm sure the Pakistanis will have no problems harshly interrogating Dadullah. It also raises a stronger possibility that al-Qaeda and the Taliban had jointly assassinated Benazir Bhutto. It's also important to note that Dadullah is pretty close with bin Laden as well as Taliban leaders. I hope the Pakistanis milk him for all the information he has that can help the Afghans, the Pakistanis, and the NATO alliance in the fight against global radical Islamic extremism. Very good news indeed.
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
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Dead Dictator Chides John McCain
It's laughable when a communist leader tries to assert moral superiority over democratic leaders to begin with, but it is quite literally a joke when Fidel Castro, who has been dead for sometime now, comes from beyond the grave to chastise John McCain. The communists beef with Sen. McCain? That Sen. McCain stated that a Cuban agent had helped show some of the Vietnamese guards at POW camps certain torture tactics. I don't doubt that for one minute. First of all, communist nations have always stood together and supported each other, a sort of failure support failure comradery. During the Vietnam and Korean Wars, the Chinese had given military support to the communist regimes be it through intel, weapons sales, etc. The old Soviet Union also gave a great deal of support to the Vietnamese during the war. Knowing how close Cuba was the Soviet Union and the communist movement in general, don't think for one moment that they didn't have agents over in Asia during that time period who would have loved to have dolled out some punishment to American G.I.s. The fact that this criticism being leveled comes from Raul Castro, or another element in the current Cuban government, is laughable. The Cuban government has done extensive damage to the Cuban people. I support the Cuban blockade and the call for the government to move toward democratic changes. The Cubans are a proud, strong people, who deserve to have control of their nation back. We should support the Cubans in their effort to regain control of the government as well as the freedoms that many who have fled the communist island now enjoy here in America. Tyrants and criminals like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were nothing more than thugs with an undying bloodlust who took great pride inflicting pain against the people. For a much clearer insight into the ongoings in Cuba as well as just who Fidel and Che really were, I encourage you to read the works of Humberto Fontova.
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
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Duncan Hunter Vindicated
I know most of us have seen all the Republican debates, and I'm sure most of us also recall a good number of left wing analysts bashing Duncan Hunter for making a good number of anti-Chinese statements and how they violate technological patents and are openly a threat to the United States. Whenever Leftist pundits laugh, rest assured, vindication is right around the corner. Today, two stories break (unrelated stories which is even worse) of Chinese espionage here in the States involving a Department of Defense analyst and Boeing Engineers. From examining the article it seems like these two cases involved sales of weapons to Taiwan and to aerospace programs respectively. This is terrible news, of course. This is most likely a tip of the iceburg. Chinese spying goes back a long way and will continue going forward. We should be glad that these two cases were identified and pursued aggressively by the FBI, but much more work needs to be done. Recognizing this threat is something that should be paramount in the elections, and it will be interesting to see how much air time this gets. You'll recall that the Clintons did everything they could to appease the Chinese and crossed the line with them numerous times. Feel free throw "Clintons" and "Chinese" in Google to remind yourself.
-Camohn
-Camohn
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Death Penalty to Be Sought for 6 Terrorists with Ties to 9/11
The most notable of the six is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was the mastermind of the attacks and 5 of his cronies who were instrumental in murdering over 3,000 people on September 11, 2001. Now, the six hardened and psychotic terrorists will finally be facing their rightful fate. As with many issues that are security related, how long before the liberal scourge comes charging to their defense? How long before the ACLU files suit for them? Liberal groups constantly attack the Bush Administration for a variety of outrageous charges while simultaneously espousing idiotic sentiments that somehow the terrorists are not, in fact, evil. It amazes me that people could possibly hold a view like this in today's world. People like KSM have made it their life's mission to murder innocents and to bring down the ways of Western society. It is not America, per say, that they have declared war upon. It is democracy, free speech, free assembly, women's rights, freedom of religion, etc. It's everything that we stand for as a nation. The Democratic Party, in general, can not understand this. They assail President Bush and use the left wing media as a means to bring themselves to power regardless of how it ultimately effects this nation. It becomes that much worse if they recognize that truth about Islamic radical terrorism, yet would choose to ignore this fact for the own political agenda. What that amounts to is psychological support for terrorists, undermining our nation's prestige and ability to hunt down and bring to justice the terrorists who are determined to end our way of life. These six soul-less monsters will go before a military tribunal and receive justice. We should be supporting our government and military with regard to this issue.
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
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07 February 2008
The Switch to McCain
I'm going to take a little heat from some people with regard to this decision, which you have probably noticed already due to the new layout here at To The Right of Wrong. It had to be done, and I'm urging Independents, Moderates, Republicans, Conservatives, and Libertarians everywhere to join me in supporting John McCain in his bid for the position of President of the United States. The time has come to support the nominee in waiting.
Gov. Mitt Romney was extremely gracious today in his exit speech given at CPAC, and I suspect we will see him again in the very near future. He ran a wonderful campaign and I commend him for his commitment to America and the people of this great land. Gov. Romney is a true American and person of high integrity and I thank him for his commitment to the Conservative movement and to the democratic process that makes this Republic great. His speech today was one of the best political speeches I have ever seen and I have an enormous amount of respect for Gov. Mitt Romney.
Up until recently, I was supporting Gov. Mike Huckabee, but the situation deems it necessary for Gov. Huckabee to step aside and I'm sure that will not be long now. Gov. Huckabee showed this nation what a grass roots movement truly is about. He represented so many ideas and backed the strongest of moral positions that make this nation great. I have strong reason to believe that Gov. Huckabee is in solid position to be a strong consideration for the Vice President position on McCain's ticket. That being said, it serves no purpose for James Dobson to come out and endorse him today. Why? At this point, with the money machine in full force for the Clintons and Barack Obama, extending the race does nothing more than help the Democrats, a point Gov. Romney made strongly in his exit speech today.
Sen. McCain has been very cordial and praising of Gov. Huckabee, a testament to the Gov. Huckabee's political skills and his innate ability to connect with the average American and what a great number of us hold dear. Gov. Huckabee has likewise been extremely gracious towards Sen. McCain, but to continue the race at this point is simply detrimental in that the limited resources of both candidates will continue to dwindle and while Gov. Huckabee is a great, great candidate, he will not generate 65% of each race from here on out. That's simply realistic. I am happy to have been a strong part of the Huckabee revolution, and what we accomplished with what we had is something truly remarkable.
Back in 2000, I had actually supported Sen. McCain over then Gov. George W. Bush. I've always liked McCain, while tending to have policy disagreements with him, he did what he thought was right and damn the consequences and damn his personal relationships. To some that is something negative. To me, it's a breath of fresh air. It is a testament to the the character of man who would face scorn from his closest friends to do what he truly feels is the right thing to do. That says something strong about the man.
Sen. McCain is committing to defeating the Islamic radicals who have declared way on our very way of life. He knows first hand the toll that war takes. He is a noted Pork Buster, and if my favorite Senator, Tom Coburn, is fully on board, that's just gravy on top. Sen. McCain often raises a voice of reason in a Senate that has been having a love affair with Pork regardless of which party they are in. Sen. McCain fights that battle every time. He will fight against government waste stronger than he has before when he becomes President. He is committed to Iraq. I believe he has learned the lesson of the failed immigration bill, and he will help to rejuvenate our party and add to our numbers.
I strongly encourage you to visit his website. You can also check out a very, very, close personal friend of mine who is helping Sen. McCain's effort if you'd like as well. I'll leave you with some videos of Sen. McCain. IT'S TIME TO RALLY, SENATOR McCAIN IS OUR LAST HOPE AGAINST THE LEFTIST AND DEFEATIST SCOURGE THAT IS BARRELING TOWARDS US.
-Caomhin
Gov. Mitt Romney was extremely gracious today in his exit speech given at CPAC, and I suspect we will see him again in the very near future. He ran a wonderful campaign and I commend him for his commitment to America and the people of this great land. Gov. Romney is a true American and person of high integrity and I thank him for his commitment to the Conservative movement and to the democratic process that makes this Republic great. His speech today was one of the best political speeches I have ever seen and I have an enormous amount of respect for Gov. Mitt Romney.
Up until recently, I was supporting Gov. Mike Huckabee, but the situation deems it necessary for Gov. Huckabee to step aside and I'm sure that will not be long now. Gov. Huckabee showed this nation what a grass roots movement truly is about. He represented so many ideas and backed the strongest of moral positions that make this nation great. I have strong reason to believe that Gov. Huckabee is in solid position to be a strong consideration for the Vice President position on McCain's ticket. That being said, it serves no purpose for James Dobson to come out and endorse him today. Why? At this point, with the money machine in full force for the Clintons and Barack Obama, extending the race does nothing more than help the Democrats, a point Gov. Romney made strongly in his exit speech today.
Sen. McCain has been very cordial and praising of Gov. Huckabee, a testament to the Gov. Huckabee's political skills and his innate ability to connect with the average American and what a great number of us hold dear. Gov. Huckabee has likewise been extremely gracious towards Sen. McCain, but to continue the race at this point is simply detrimental in that the limited resources of both candidates will continue to dwindle and while Gov. Huckabee is a great, great candidate, he will not generate 65% of each race from here on out. That's simply realistic. I am happy to have been a strong part of the Huckabee revolution, and what we accomplished with what we had is something truly remarkable.
Back in 2000, I had actually supported Sen. McCain over then Gov. George W. Bush. I've always liked McCain, while tending to have policy disagreements with him, he did what he thought was right and damn the consequences and damn his personal relationships. To some that is something negative. To me, it's a breath of fresh air. It is a testament to the the character of man who would face scorn from his closest friends to do what he truly feels is the right thing to do. That says something strong about the man.
Sen. McCain is committing to defeating the Islamic radicals who have declared way on our very way of life. He knows first hand the toll that war takes. He is a noted Pork Buster, and if my favorite Senator, Tom Coburn, is fully on board, that's just gravy on top. Sen. McCain often raises a voice of reason in a Senate that has been having a love affair with Pork regardless of which party they are in. Sen. McCain fights that battle every time. He will fight against government waste stronger than he has before when he becomes President. He is committed to Iraq. I believe he has learned the lesson of the failed immigration bill, and he will help to rejuvenate our party and add to our numbers.
I strongly encourage you to visit his website. You can also check out a very, very, close personal friend of mine who is helping Sen. McCain's effort if you'd like as well. I'll leave you with some videos of Sen. McCain. IT'S TIME TO RALLY, SENATOR McCAIN IS OUR LAST HOPE AGAINST THE LEFTIST AND DEFEATIST SCOURGE THAT IS BARRELING TOWARDS US.
-Caomhin
06 February 2008
This Should be a Mandatory Law
In South Carolina, there is a bill in the State Legislature that would require mandatory drug testing for candidates running for public office. This is one of those common sense items that should be a slam dunk bipartisan effort and I hope it becomes law. Drug testing has definitely benefited the private sector and to be honest, I'm quite surprised this isn't a uniform law across all states. Being in the position of being a public servant is an honor and a privilege. I find it repulsive when an elected official engages in such illegal behavior and yet it seems that we have a system where politicians are not held responsible for their actions. Such is the case with Sen. Larry Craig. The guy should have resigned long ago. Regardless of whether what he did was legal or not, such behavior is not acceptable for a public servant. I hope South Carolina passes this law and it spreads like wildfire across the nation. It's high time we place a high, high ethical standard on our elected officials.
-Caomhin
-Caomhin
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Democrats Playing Games with Tax Money in an Attempt to Buy Votes...Again
The Republicans made a solid move today, blocking the fattened stimulus package from advancing in the Senate. The Democrats are making the same accusations that they normally make, but it's pretty apparent that they are using this package in an attempt to buy votes. You'll remember that the package was quickly and an in a rare bipartisan fashion put together in the House with input from Sec. Paulson. That bill was originally around $140 billion that would be funded by widening the budget deficit, which was bad enough. The Senate Democrats, however, subsequently pushed through their own version of the bill stuffed with earmarks for their pet projects and in an effort to pick up some votes in November. The business tax breaks that were to be offered in the Senate package were set aside as "green" rebates, and the tax "rebates" that they expanded amount to nothing more than welfare checks. A true "rebate" goes to the people who are paying the taxes. Should seniors and veterans be given some assistance? Yes, and that's not the argument here. The stimulus package is irresponsible without being paired with budget cuts. Secondly, it needs to be called a welfare package as that is what it truly is as well as a means for our politicians to remind voters they gave us tax breaks, and you better believe that this will appear in all types of commercials come this fall. I think Sec. Paulson put it best and I'll leave you with his thoughts:
"I am increasingly concerned that in the Senate, the bazaar
is open, the special interests are coming to the trough and
that when I'm reading about and hearing about things like tax
rebates for coal companies, the benefits for oil well drilling
and things like this, I'm concerned that it's going to get
bogged down," Paulson said.
"I'm concerned if we see things that aren't stimulus and
aren't going to get money to the American people quickly, we'll
get bogged down." he added.
Paulson said he would prefer to see the Senate pass the
House of Representatives' $146 billion stimulus bill, which
relies mainly on tax rebate checks and faster expensing of
business equipment purchased this year.
True indeed Sec. Paulson.
-Caomhin
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Democrats Playing Games with Tax Money in an Attempt to Buy Votes...Again
The Republicans made a solid move today, blocking the fattened stimulus package from advancing in the Senate. The Democrats are making the same accusations that they normally make, but it's pretty apparent that they are using this package in an attempt to buy votes. You'll remember that the package was quickly and an in a rare bipartisan fashion put together in the House with input from Sec. Paulson. That bill was originally around $140 billion that would be funded by widening the budget deficit, which was bad enough. The Senate Democrats, however, subsequently pushed through their own version of the bill stuffed with earmarks for their pet projects and in an effort to pick up some votes in November. The business tax breaks that were to be offered in the Senate package were set aside as "green" rebates, and the tax "rebates" that they expanded amount to nothing more than welfare checks. A true "rebate" goes to the people who are paying the taxes. Should seniors and veterans be given some assistance? Yes, and that's not the argument here. The stimulus package is irresponsible without being paired with budget cuts. Secondly, it needs to be called a welfare package as that is what it truly is as well as a means for our politicians to remind voters they gave us tax breaks, and you better believe that this will appear in all types of commercials come this fall. I think Sec. Paulson put it best and I'll leave you with his thoughts:
"I am increasingly concerned that in the Senate, the bazaar
is open, the special interests are coming to the trough and
that when I'm reading about and hearing about things like tax
rebates for coal companies, the benefits for oil well drilling
and things like this, I'm concerned that it's going to get
bogged down," Paulson said.
"I'm concerned if we see things that aren't stimulus and
aren't going to get money to the American people quickly, we'll
get bogged down." he added.
Paulson said he would prefer to see the Senate pass the
House of Representatives' $146 billion stimulus bill, which
relies mainly on tax rebate checks and faster expensing of
business equipment purchased this year.
True indeed Sec. Paulson.
-Caomhin
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