This article points at how some of our fine regulations prevented action on the California fires. The lessons learned of these horrible fires need to be heeded and fixed or this will happen again.
... and let these guys back in power. Justify not going in now Howie and Wesley.
R. Emmett Tyrrell has a great article in The American Spectator about how some Democratic candidates are shamefully politicizing the effort in Iraq.
Looks like another Democrat hope for taking the White House is gone. I know that sounds cynical but it sounds like so many Democratic presidential candidates are rooting for bad things to happen. The economy may be one of those wishes that won't come true. Tax cuts work! These candidates that talk of raising taxes to help a struggling economy are just wrong.
If this is true, thanks Hans Blix and the UN Security Council. None of this is surprising. We will have to deal with Syria and Iran. The question is when and how.
You are Romans.
Which book of the Bible are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Hey, this thing is pretty cool. Romans is my favorite book and the description does seem to capture a bit about me.
Freddie "The Beetle" Barnes reports on Senator Zell Miller endorsing President Bush. I think 60-70 percent of America is either at the same place as Miller or to the right of him. If people ("moderates" and "independents") would wake up to what the "mainstream" Democratic party represented then they'd only get about 30-40 percent of the popular vote. The Democratic party has totally left the mainstream.
Hugh Hewitt has found an interesting picture of James Lileks. To see Lileks at work go here.
UPDATED: 10/29 - 12:30 PM
The following blogs are keeping track of the California fires:
Citizen Smash
Neophyte Pundit
Dale Franks (hat tip to QandO)
San Diego Fish Wrap - really good and up-to-date
Joi Ito (hat tip to InstaPundit)
Joseph Urbaszewski's Weblog (tip of the hat to Joi Ito)
I'll update this list as more come available.
With a tip of the hat to Broken Wife and Broken Mom, I'm very concerned about fire fighters having to take unnecessary risks because of the irrational behavior of some people. When a person stays behind, after the order to evacuate, that person is now another thing that a fire fighter must deal with and makes the situation more dangerous. Any person who stays behind is putting a fire fighter at risk. Time and time again we see and hear of these incredible people taking extraordinary risks saving lives.
The other types of people who are putting the fire fighters at extra risk are some in the media. I know that they enter at their own risk but we all know that the fire fighters will still protect them.
Bottom line, if you are not a fire fighter or someone else who doesn't belong, get the heck out of dodge. I don't want to hear about some fire fighter who was killed because some person decided that they don't have to follow orders. Not one animal, media story, picture, house or memory is worth the life of a fire fighter or anyone else.
Just read this story from Newsmax about a colonel in Iraq nailing the media. I concur. Iraq is not a place where politics and personal agendas are needed. This is a place where unity really does matter. This is just sickening. Here's just one quote:
"He's lost men because of the terrible reporting and it's just creating a terrible atmosphere," King said the Army colonel told him.
Bill Plaschke writes a great opinion piece in the LA Times on the justification for trading Kobe. For a guy who needs the support of teammates and fans he sure is a guy going down the wrong path. I wish Kobe's parents would write a book on parenting so I can read it and do the opposite.
Reuters, via the Washington Post, has this report on the problem with obesity in this country. This problem will only contribute to more rising health care costs and more importantly, will deprive loved ones of longer lives. I'm still part of the problem as I'm still considered overweight but I'm no longer obese. Let's get on the President Bush bandwagon and get into shape. It's hard. Start slow. No matter what diet you follow, it needs to be permanent. Find something that can get you started. Work your way through the struggles and don't give up. If you stumble or fall then get right back up.
Even though the fires are further away from us the air quality has gotten far worse. I guess all the smoke is settling and making the air nasty.
I'm finding the air is really drying out my eyes. Any of you getting a big wiff of smoke, please blink your eyes a lot.
A friend of mine at work sent me the following URL that has the best map coverage of the fires.
Robert Novak has an article about the strategy Senator Frist will be employing over the next year in trying to get some of the judicial appointments through the Senate. ABOUT STINKING TIME! Republicans would do well to buy lots of TV time about this issue.
Please take a look at the Science for Unborn Human Life web site. It shows a picture of a pre-born child at 16 and 20 weeks after conception. This type of evidence is needed for helping to change human hearts.
I found some great answers to questions from Family Research Council that answers many questions about partial birth abortion. The document is here.
Even though MTV doesn't play music much they did a nice article on Switchfoot.
According to this Washington Post article much blame is being laid on the CIA for pre-war intelligence failures. DUH!!!!! This is the agency let that Wilson hack go to Niger and check out the yellowcake threat. Time to clean house at CIA.
What's Rudy Giuliani doing these days? We need someone with a passion for getting the bad guys.
Operation Christmas Child is a wonderful way to get kids involved in giving instead of just receiving at Christmas.
Regretfully, the doom and gloom I spoke of just over a week ago has struck again. This time, it was fatal. Tony Renna, 26, was killed during a tire test and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His car got airborne, went over the wall and caught the catch fence at almost 218 miles per hour. This is the 5th incident this year where a IRL car got airborne. This time, luck ran out.
I'm a bit late to the game but this update about Chief Wiggles toy drive for Iraqi children is great.
Newsmax is reporting the latest on the newly renamed "Passion of Christ".
Seems the new Iraqi government won't be too happy with the Germans or France. Maybe they should check out Pave France.
The last 36 hours have been a time of running a 101 degree temperature but it was still great to hear about Terri Schiavo getting another chance to live and the Senate passing the ban on partial-birth abortion. I can't wait until President Bush signs it into law.
I'll be back in full force within the next couple of days.
There are few men like Alex Zanardi. Even if you are not a racing fan (few are) take a look at his latest accomplishment.
Newsmax is running a poll on Rush Limbaugh. Take the time and voice your opinion.
I am not going to blog much on Kobe Bryant but my opinion is perfectly reflected by Roger L. Simon.
Here is a great interview with Jon Foreman of Switchfoot from the Washington Square News.
Here's what I wrote to my congressman:
Representative Cunningham,
I applaud you on you great work in help leading the charge to free Iraq from Saddam. Please continue your support of President Bush in terms of rebuilding Iraq.
My issue for writing is my concern for keeping President Bush's promise to send money to Africa to help fight AIDS. I'm concerned that it's taken so long and urge that it be moved quickly and generously.
I am the CFO of an organization that runs an orphanage in Africa called "For Hearts and Souls" (to see what we've been doing go here "http://www.forheartsandsouls.org/weblog/index.html") and I know that there is a real crisis over there. I ask you as a fellow evangelical Christian to help get this initiative passed.
I urge others to do the same.
My pastor visited The Sudan recently. He was amazed at their church services. Most of the people have nothing except for the clothes on their back but their church services are alive and filled with joy. It's not a fake joy where you fight and argue before church, go in and put on a happy face. Half of the congregation gathers for an hour of prayer before the service. These are people who are going through the process of foregiving their tormentors who've bulldozed churches, crucified pastors, kidnapped and raped wives, mothers, daughters and sisters.
There is a peace process in Sudan. Iraq can no longer supply Sudan with weapons. There is hope. There is also need. Find out how you can help. Check out what Samaritan's Purse is doing in Sudan.
I got the following information from a prayer site for Terri Schiavo:
Bottom line, this is murder and it seems it's up to Governor Bush of Florida to stop it. Please go to the Terri's Fight page to sign a petition and get Bush's attention.
Wizbang has some comments about who the Democratic Attorney General of California voted for.
This Time article will be very damaging to General Clark's bid for the Democratic nomination. So he voted for Reagan and has shown more than just patriotic support for President Bush in two instances within the last three years. This would be fine except for his drastic turn about. People on the left probably won't trust him, but if he were to win the nomination his words will come back to haunt him.
My friend's band, Roosevelt, has a new song on mp3.com. Check it out here.
Morton Kondracke totally nails it in this article about the damage of voting against the $87 billion dollar package for fighting terrorissm and rebuilding Iraq. As Hugh Hewitt keeps saying, "it's just not safe to vote Democrat". Of course, I applaud Lieberman and Gephardt for being on the right side of history. Bravo to them. This is not the issue to get political with. At the same time, those voting against this are playing politics and should be smacked down appropriately.
From today's Breakpoint with Chuck Colson:
Drawn Toward Death
What Terri Schiavo Has Taught Us
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
October 17, 2003
For Terri Schindler-Schiavo, time is running out. The brain-damaged woman’s feeding tube was removed Wednesday after a Florida court refused her parents’ final appeal. At the request of her husband, Michael Schiavo, Terri was not permitted therapy that doctors say might have improved her health and allowed her to eat and drink on her own. Barring an intervention by the governor of Florida, whose legal team is trying to find some way around the court’s decision, Terri has less than two weeks left to live.
You may have followed the story in the media. It is a heartbreaking one—and frightening. The fight over her right to live, and our society’s reactions to that fight, illustrate just how cheaply we now hold human life.
As I reported two years ago on this program, Michael Schiavo’s fight to disconnect his wife’s feeding tube was marked throughout by dishonesty and conflict of interest. But over and over again, the burden of proof has been placed on Terri’s parents and siblings, who have fought for years to keep her alive.
Michael’s attorneys claim that Terri is in a persistent vegetative state, even though numerous doctors have testified that she is conscious and her family has videotapes of her responding to them. Additionally, her husband Michael has used money from Terri’s medical fund in his battle to end her life. And he has been engaged for several years to a woman who is now pregnant with their second child. Come on.
Despite all this, Michael Schiavo has won a long series of legal battles, including this last one. The courts and many in the media have been on his side, and the reason is clear: Michael Schiavo has made himself into a poster boy for the “right to die” movement. He and his lawyer—who is active in that movement—have insisted all along that they were acting for Terri’s benefit, trying to keep her from suffering. These days, that kind of argument is all it takes to win the sympathy of our society and our legal system. In a bizarre paradox, we’re now turning on our weakest and most helpless citizens in the name of protecting them.
Terri’s court-assisted murder—and that’s exactly what it is—is a perfect example of the clash of two worldviews. One holds that we evolved out of nothing, meaning that no human life is truly sacred. And as we continue to evolve toward some future hypothetical state of perfection, disabled people like Terri Schiavo have no place. Since she doesn’t meet the prevailing “quality of life” standard, we can do away with her as we please.
Unless Governor Bush acts in the next few days, Terri will starve to death. What can the governor do? He can, on the basis of reports of abuse and neglect filed with adult protective services, provide foster custody to Terri under the state of Florida. Call us here at BreakPoint (1-877-3-CALLBP) for information on how you can contact Governor Bush. Jeb Bush is a good friend of mine and a solid Christian. I greatly respect him, and I’m counting on him.
As my friend Joni Eareckson Tada, who is in Florida at the moment, writes, “ … we need the governor to step in. The state can provide foster custody to Terri and thus prevent this horrible course of action … this execution of a woman whose only crime is that she is mentally disabled.”
Take action:
Contact Governor Jeb Bush and urge him to intervene on behalf of Terri Schindler-Schiavo, providing her foster custody under the state of Florida. You can e-mail Jeb.Bush@myflorida.com or you can call: 850-488-7146.
I've not commented on this issue before but the more I learn the more I'm disgusted and join in the chorus of calling this action MURDER. This is just sick and we need to take some action. Let's contact Governor Bush and try and help save Terri's life. The absolute scariest part of this may be that Terri understands the actions being taken but can do nothing about it. We don't know what she's feeling. When in doubt CHOOSE LIFE.
This entry is in response to Hugh Hewitt's call to comment on this hit piece by the LA Times. The basic background is that an outspoken Evangelical Christian is now in the position of "new deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence". General Boykin has been quoted as saying that America is founded on Judeo/Christian principles, that he believes that God put George W. Bush in office and that he believes Christianity is right and Islam is not.
I guess if those are things that are not acceptable then that means many Evangelicals and other conservative people of faith are not welcome into positions of authority in this government. Yes, let's get all the moral relativists into high positions or people that don't really have any strong beliefs. Hey folks, it's slowly creaping in that it's just not OK to be someone that takes Christianity or another religion seriously. It will be used in the Presidential campaign and is already being used in the blocking of judicial appointments. When it comes down to it, if all the people with strong religious beliefs were not in the public square, then the liberals can just run crazy; no threat to abortion "rights", no resistence to gay marriage, cut military spending, raise taxes, etc.
The left doesn't want any people of faith who are conservative because give them a run for the money in the battlefield of ideas. We speak the truth about their ideas and the general public rejects the ideas of the left. So, they have a new game plan that did start with the judicial appointments and will now continue into other areas of leadership. Nailing General Boykin is a test. If the public goes against him then in EVERY election in 2004 every conservative person of faith will be given the same treatment. The weird thing is, the "elite" of this country really believe that someone like General Boykin is as dangerous as bin Laden and Saddam. The problem for them is, many people in America are more like General Boykin than these elitists. That's the good news. The bad news is that the "elite" will keep attacking until they win. Remember, these same people that will go after General Boykin are the same types that attacked Ronald Reagan for the "Evil Empire" and "Tear down this wall" speeches.
I may not quite agree with what General Boykin has said but religious tolerance must go both ways. A Muslim is firmly convinced that Islam is correct just like a Christian is firmly convinced that Christianity is correct. Both of those points are mutually exclusive but the "elite" believe that there isn't much difference between the two faiths but they are wrong as both the Muslim and Christian would admit to the vast differences. That's why both faiths evangalize. Our freedom of religion does not end at the shore of the USA. If these other countries are going to be allies then they must accept that others will have different views. If they can't then how much do we really want to be allies with them.
Even though I had been pulling for the Red Sox I began pulling for the Yankees. I just didn't want to see Roger Clemens' last game be so horrid. Walk-off homer in the 11th wins it for Yankees. On to the World Series.... Yankees in 5.
A tip of the hat to Daniel Weintraub for this Washington Times article. Senator Dreier is sounding better and better.
I was reading somewhere this morning about how David Dreier's stock had risen and could make him a great candidate to replace one of the intellectual giants of the Senate, Barbara Boxer. Either McClintock or Dreier needs to take up the cause.
I was watching the Fox roundtable discussion with the topic being that John Edwards will not support the current plan to spend the $87 billion dollars on the war on terror and the rebuilding of Iraq. His sticking point is the $20 billion earmarked for the rebuilding of Iraq. Dean and some of the other Democratic candidates agree with this position. The Fox panel (especially Morton Kondrake - non-conservative) was then reaching the logical conclusion that the Democrats are for the status quo in Iraq and that gives our military no hope of ever scaling back. All we'd do is be a police force while the country never gets rebuilt. Yep, great idea guys!
Let's just support the rebuilding of Iraq. If not, it will be used against you in 2004. It's time for some Democrats to get on the right side of history.
I saw the disaster in Chicago tonight. The guy who got in Moises Alou's way should just leave Chicago and maybe take SS Alex Gonzolez with him. I really want to see the Cubs in the World Series as it's great for baseball.
From this CNN article:
"'Commando' is one of my favorite movies," Ellison said. "I think [Schwarzenegger] is a very smart guy and his [proposed] policies are a substantial improvement over the former governor."
Arnold's ideas about business are one of the main reasons I supported Arnold. If the business stays away or keep leaving then my family had better get ready to move.
Robin Miller speaks much truth in this article on the great fear and injuries of the drivers in the evil IRL (pronounced EARL) series. Here is also an update on Kenny Brack.
Rich Lowry has a piece in National Review on some ex-aides who spoke candidly about Bill Clinton. It almost makes you feel bad for him. Basically, the guy had many opportunities for greatness but blew them. I just hope we never elect somebody who is so needy for approval ever again.
It's quite amazing that us conservatives are always smacked around for being intolerant and forcing morals down other people's throats, but it's liberals that actually do this type of thing. If I am the CEO of a company and my board and myself think it's immoral to give these benefits to same sex couples we are penalized? We've got all these liberals complaining about the Patriot Act and how it violates our civil rights and look what they do. So, forget if a company can do the job right, if they don't bow down to the god of "tolerance" then they lose. No wonder this state is sucking on fumes.
Kevin from http://bushcheney2004.blogspot.com has pointed to a great article in The Weekly Standard, about why we went to war. Check out Kevin's entry.
I'm really enjoying these playoffs. Baseball has had 2 excellent World Series in a row and it looks like we will get another one. I'm rooting for the Red Sox as they've been a team I've always liked (remember Luis Tiant?). I'm a Dodger fan but don't have great emotional deposits with other teams so I can truly enjoy this. Come on America, come back to baseball.
If you haven't seen it here's the horrific accident that almost killed Kenny Brack. Kenny is in pretty bad shape and needs prayers.
What makes me upset is how dangerous these "cars" are and how unsafe the "league" that these drivers are racing in. In terms of injuries, these drivers get injured way more than almost any other type of driver. These "cars" are basically designed to just run on oval tracks where the driver can just push the gas all the way to the floor (not all races but most) and the driver drives like it's a video game. It's basically, who has the most guts to dare to risk life and limb, who will challenge for the victory.
I love speed but this "league" is always pushing the odds. Heck, Mario Andretti did a test drive of one of these crapwagons and caught some big air. Fortunately, he landed right side up or he'd have died. It seems in the name of "wheel to wheel" racing that the racers just aren't that important. This league is appealing to our worse instincts because they know that there will be a big crash almost every race. They'll probably promote the heck out of this crash if Brack survives.
The only reason this "league" was started was because some rich kid, who never worked a day in his life (and is really a taco short of a combo plate) wanted more power. The problem is, that guy is in charge of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Here is Southern California there is a big strike/lockout of the union employees at 3 major grocery stores. It seems they are striking over having to pay for some of their health insurance costs. Um, quick note to you grocery store workers, most of us have been paying for some of our health insurance costs for years. Striking in a shaky economy is just a bad idea. Maybe instead of paying your union dues you could easily cover your health insurance costs.
According to the Fox News report America just keeps getting bigger and bigger. This is truly a crisis that will cost a whole lot of money in the near future. I've heard of some insurance plans giving incentives for people to join health clubs. I think that's a turn in the right direction.
I've struggled with my weight all my life and at times have just given up. It finally came down to some quality of life issues. The bigger I've gotten, the grumpier I've become and the less energy I have for my family. Watching men at church 10-15 years older than me with tons of energy made me come to a decision. Do I want to be all slow and tired or do I want to have some real energy. I finally made the choice and backed it up with actions. It's been over five months now and it's been a drastic change in my life. Now, if I can do it, almost anyone else can. No matter how much weight I lose though, I can never go back. I'm like an alcoholic in terms of eating crap and being lazy. I've had to really fight off those tendencies lately, as I was under the weather for a few days.
That great leader, Dennis Kucinich, has announced he's running for President. The more face time that this guy gets on the debates, the better. I'm not quite sure which planet he's from but his grasp of reality is "far out".
My favorite Democratic candidate for President has decided to play a bit of class warfare. Time to tax the rich, according to "Bob". Nothing like slowing down growth by raising taxes.
I also am getting a bad feeling that the Democrats will really make raising taxes on the "rich" a huge issue. It's much easier to tell a big majority of Americans that it's someone elses fault and that they are not paying "their fair share".
With a tip of the hat to Real Clear Politics, Andrew Sullivan has a great summary of some of the accomplishments in Iraq. Here's a quick list of the main accomplishments directly from Andrew's site:
Six months ago there were no police on duty in Iraq.
· Today there are over 40,000 police on duty, nearly 7,000 here in Baghdad alone.
· Last night Coalition Forces and Iraqi police conducted 1,731 joint patrols.
· Today nearly all of Iraq’s 400 courts are functioning.
· Today, for the first time in over a generation, the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.
· On Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts—exceeding the pre-war average.
· Today all 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as are nearly all primary and secondary schools.
· Many of you know that we announced our plan to rehabilitate one thousand schools by the time school started—well, by October 1 we had actually rehabbed over 1,500.
Six months ago teachers were paid as little as $5.33 per month.
· Today teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.
· Today we have increased public health spending to over 26 times what it was under Saddam.
· Today all 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.
· Today doctors’ salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.
· Pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.
· Since liberation we have administered over 22 million vaccination doses to Iraq’s many children.
This is all great news and instead of a haven for terrorists we may get to have the spreading of democracy in the Middle East. How much is that worth? IMO, way more than $87 billion.
I saw Dick Riordan talk about raising taxes in California on Hannity and Colmes. I'm so glad this RINO is not governor. Arnold needs to keep this guys as far away as possible.
I saw some of President Bush's speech in New Hampshire this morning. The best part was him asking how anyone could not be glad that Saddam was removed? That is clearly a soundbite he must use often. Many of the Democrats running for President are on the wrong side of history (again) and this must be driven home. I'll post a link to the speech when I find one.
So, just in the last few weeks and months we've seen the media totally misjudge the main action in Iraq, blast Arnold at the last minute of a campaign with few bits of hard evidence (and totally distorted what he said about Hitler), Jayson Blair, ignore most of the Kay Preliminary Report, ignore the progress in rebuilding Iraq, branding Rush a racist and much more. I think all they are doing is trying to please each other. These "insiders" know nothing of the real world that most of us live in.
The best part is that people are learning that you just cannot trust the old media much. There are some exceptions but the Internet and talk radio is proving over and over again that the old media is hardly worth trusting. It's a new paradigm and they just aren't keeping up.
I watched a bit of O'Reilly tonight and he played an excerpt of his interview with NPR. He's asking, why was the hostess so easy on Al Franken and tough on O'Reilly? He knows the answer just like everyone else, us taxpayers support NPR but they are NOT "fair and balanced". What a waste.
According to this article in the Financial Times, Don Rumsfeld looks like he's out of the loop. I love the guy and he's been courageous in trying to revamp the Pentagon. It looks like he's made too many enemies. I expect him to leave by the end of the year.
Prediced Recall: ---------------------Actual Recall:
YES 55% -----------------------------55.4%
NO 45% ------------------------------44.6%
Predicted Replacement:
Arnold: 40% --------------------48.7%
Cruz: 35% ----------------------31.7%
McClintock: 10% ---------------13.4%
Other: 15% ----------------------6.2%
So I got some pretty close and was pleasantly surprised where I was way off. It was such a huge margin that the court battles never happened. I'm very pleased but seeing all those Kennedy's on the stage kind of freaked me out. I just hope that Arnold keeps his promises or his butt will be recalled 
. It's time to hold his feet to the fire but Arnold cannot get this job done without massive pressure on the Assembly and Senate.
This is my last official blog on the "Davis Recall". Time to concentrate on the Presidency and Senate.
Voted YES on recall and Arnold as the replacement. It was great to see such long lines of voters and was especially great voting to RECALL Gray Davis. The man had nothing real positive to say in the election. May his kind never pass this way again.
Yankees vs. Red Sox and Cubs vs. Marlins. Four very exciting teams in best of 7 series. This is gonna be good.
I'm reading the above book for the third time. I think it's really a good thing to make sure we relearn some things. This book empasizes how we can't expect our kids to behave unless they feel unconditional love from us parents. The author talks about that it's so barbaric to punish a child when that child is really just asking the question, "Do you love me?". It talks about the concept of a "love tank". When the child's love tank is empty, they will behave that way. If the tank is full, yet they still misbehave then punishment is in order.
There are so many books about discipline but they speak of discipline in terms of punishment and ignore the love issue. Discipline is far more than punishment. It is steering our children into the right path, not beating them into the right path. Ephsesians 6:4 says "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." When we punish our kids unjustly then we are provoking them to anger. Before punishing, is their love tank filled? If not, they need to be shown love.
Looking back at so many instances where my kids have misbehaved, it's been because of an empty love tank. Most of us do love our kids but do they really know it? When was the last time we just gave them a hug for the heck of it? When was the last time we turned off the TV and put down our book and looked at our kids in the eye and talked and listened to them with our undivided attention? When was the last time we took one of our children out and just spent quality AND quantity time with them? If we don't have good answers to those questions then we must expect our kids to ask us "Do you still love me?" but they won't ask us directly, they'll misbehave. As Bill Cosby said, kids are brain damaged. They are irrational and need their love tanks filled up regularly. We need to remind them of our love.
My pastor preached a wonderful sermon on this topic about 2 years ago. Here are the notes and the audio.
This book deals with something called "reality discipline". It's tying discipline to real consequences. For example, your kid messes around in the morning before going to school and will be late. The kid may want a note for an excuse. Reality discipline says, don't give the kid a note. They need to live with their action and the consequences.
Recall:
YES 55%
NO 45%
Replacement:
Arnold: 40%
Cruz: 35%
McClintock: 10%
Other: 15%
This election will make Florida 2000 look like a breeze. First thing that will happen is Davis will sue for some bogus ACLU type reason. Cruz will sue because they will find that many people who voted NO on the recall will not vote for a replacement governor. I've already heard 2 people at work who understand the ballot to mean that if you vote NO on the recall then you can't vote for a replacement. Mark my words, Davis will be kicking and screaming and will make Sore Loserman seem like gracious losers.
So we're coming down to the final 36 or so hours until the big recall election. I've got some final thoughts for everyone to consider, especially for supporters of Tom McClintock. If there is no way that you'd ever vote for Arnold then, still, please vote for the recall and then vote for McClintock. If there had been a proper primary and Arnold had won, would you then support him? If so, then please don't vote for McClintock and vote for Arnold. This whole recall is something very different and is not what any of us are used too. Consider that Arnold has more than twice the support of McClintock and that he's won the primary. If Arnold wins, McClintock can fight another day. If either Davis or Bustamante is governor then the blame falls squarely on McClintock and his career is just OVER. Look, I'm not happy with Arnold's past and would not have supported him in a primary, but this is different.
This is quite a bit different than the whole Clinton parallel. Clinton was chosed by the Democrats in a primary, even though they knew he was a dirt ball and an unapologetic one at that. They dumped a good man like Paul Tsongas for our future President who just kept up his behavior. Again, there is no primary and Arnold is the clear Republican front runner. Our choice is Davis, Bustamante or Arnold. In 1992 the Democrats had many choices but sold their sould for Bill and Hillary Clinton. Us California conservatives do not have the luxary of making a choice. It's either Arnold, Cruz or Gray. Now is not the time to be a principaled loser. Just look at all the crappy legislation that Gray has signed and figure Cruz would do worse. Also, remember your car tax bill. It really has tripled. I've got proof.
Make your choice count..... don't waste your vote. Let's try and win this one as it can help turn California around to help re-elect President Bush.
I'm watching Meet the Press and Russert has Bob Novak, Dana Priest and David Broder talking about this whole Wilson flap. What is being said is that it's JUST the government's job to protect classified information. It's not up to the reporters to do anything but verify and report. Anyone who is willing to report on classified information is despicable. They use the cover of "protecting sources" to justify their position. Look, you are an American FIRST, then a reporter. If you are the other way around then you cannot be trusted as a patriot. Anyone who's willing to leak/report classified information is not a friend of America or the American people.
The amount of money that is being wasted by trying to find the leaker in the White House is rising and Novak can stop this right away. This person can be found, debriefed, fired and prosecuted. If Novak is not willing to reveal his source then he needs to go to jail.
Frank Gaffney has the most brilliant idea in National Review. He says President Bush should go to Baghdad and check everything out for himself. I completely agree.
Life has been busy so the blogging has been slow. I'm also just gathering my thoughts on all the controversies related to CIA leaks, WMD reports, Arnold and Rush. It just sucks that the media only shows one side and/or relies on weak sources to "report" on people. Here's my rundown:
I've spent the last few hours pouring over local tax laws (very little on line) and IRS laws trying to figure out the tax basis for my mother-in-law's sale of her previous house and purchase of a new one. I've got a horrible headache from it and still am not positive about the final answer. Why is it so difficult to find this information out? Calling Steve Forbes..... FLAT TAX!
"Here's one for you, 19 for me" - "Taxman" by George Harrison
Kevin McCullough has posted a great piece on why he's skeptical about this Wilson guy. Check it out.
Robert Novak responds. Of course, for the first time in a long time, the Democrats "care" about this type of information. Keep on pursuing, you will end up looking real silly. I do wish Novak, would just give the names of the people who screwed up.
