Dr. George Tiller murdered in Church

Well it's all over the news, at least the blogosphere. George Tiller, the doctor in Kansas who performed late term abortions to help pregnant women alleviate depression was shot dead while attending church.

In all honesty I have never heard of Dr. Tiller before this. I was not aware of what he was doing, and I wondered what all the hub-bub was about. So I stuck my head inside the echo chambers and quickly removed it when the reverberations got to be too much to handle.

Here is how the story goes, according to The Wichita Eagle.

Tiller, 67, was shot once just after 10 a.m. in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th St., where he was a member of the congregation.

Stolz said Tiller was shot in the foyer of the church. There were three or four eyewitnesses, he said. Six to 12 people were in the foyer at the time of the shooting.

Two men attempted to apprehend the suspect, but he pointed a gun at them and threatened them before fleeing, Stolz said.

The suspect's car -- a powder blue Ford Taurus registered to an owner in Merriam -- was spotted just south of Gardner by two Johnson County Sheriff's deputies. The sheriff's office had suspected that the man would be coming back to his home on I-35, and the deputies waited for him. read more...

Tragic? Very much, so. Whenever a murder is committed the carnage invoked on the lives of the families, victim and perpetrator, are irreparable. You cannot even feign understanding unless you have have been there and no amount of sympathy is going to fill the void the family of the victim feels. No amount of forgiveness will cement the cracks that guilt brings into the family of the perp. It is a no win situation all the way around.

So then why this? Now keep in mind no motive has been given as of yet, stating is is a "right wing pro-lifer" is an assumption right now. This may change as more information becomes available.

Someone named Cara at at a blog called Feministe had this too say.

There is no word on whether or not there is a suspect in custody as of yet. I’ll update as soon as I know. I’ve only just heard. And I’m in total shock. This is the first time an abortion provider has been murdered in over a decade. I have friends who work in abortion clinics. This is terrorism. And right now, I just don’t have the words.

MattBastard from Comments from Left Field.

NOW do all the pearl-clutching conservative bloggers get why that fauxtroversial DHS report on far-right activity was so goddamn pertinent?! As GallingGalla just said on Twitter, “forced-birthers are TERRORISTS on US soil.” This latest killing of a health care provider, martyred for daring to provide women with a vital medical service (in the same week that, here in Canada, the Ontario Provincial Police decided to let another anti-choice assassin evade accountability), only reinforces that all-too-clear fact.

AmericaBlog.

Thank God that the Obama administration caved last month to religious right and GOP demands that it withdrawa new domestic terrorism report that indicated, among other things, that radicals might use abortion as a justification for committing acts of domestic terrorism.

Tapped.

The loss of Dr. Tiller is deeply upsetting, and Cara rightly identifies this as a terrorist act. It is the culmination of an ongoing campaign of intimidation and harassment against someone who was providing completely legal health-care services. I've been paying attention to the more militant strains of the anti-choice movement, so this news shouldn't have shocked me as much as it did.

Let's get really real here. This isn't about outrage because a man was murdered or that his family will tragically suffer because of his loss. These people could care less and I doubt that they even give a damn about what has happened other than it has provided a new talking point through martyrdom.

This is about politics leveraging and a DHS report, nothing more. Look at the posts and keep in mind as I said above that not one report or shred of evidence has been passed out that it was due to a "right wing extremist." It was as if their posts were like torpedoes in the tubes, their fingers were trembling on the trigger, just hoping something like this would happen, then they could fire.

Even if it does come to fruition that a right wing lunatic did this how does this equate to "terrorism?" What it equates to is murder, horrible, insidious, murder. The kind we face everyday on the streets in our cities or small towns across this nation. Where is the DHS report talking about that brand of terrorism, you know drug dealers, thieves, rapists, that prey on the weak and helpless. Where is the daily outrage for them? Not one iota, because it doesn't help with the "cause," we are anesthetized to it. It doesn't have the same effect.

I pose one simple question, "If Dr. Tiller had been a obscure healer and not an abortionist, then was murdered in this fashion, do you think you would see this fake virulent outrage from these people?" I highly doubt it.

These type of progressives are hypocritical caricatures of reality. They, like this murderer, represent the worst in all of us and the stupidity that gives them the ability to disgrace themselves in this manner is truly unbound. For once have a shred of decency, let this man rest in peace, let the murderer hang, and for Godsakes leave the families alone and let them grieve.

I will not be revisiting this tasteless topic.

Final note: The only left leaning pub I came across that has a point about the disgusting behavior displayed by people on the Right is Balloon Juice, minus their stupid remark about domestic terrorism. They have a PDF file of Free Republic commentors that unarguably stress their point about the loathsome opinions some are displaying.

Any victory in this war will be Pyrrhic, neither side can truly win.

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Conservative Disjointedness

In between reading about the more serious and fascinating events taking place in our society; Sonia Sotomayor's SCOTUS nomination, North Korea testing a nuke and claiming the 1953 armistice is now defunct, or the potential National VAT tax being kicked around by the obstreperous children dwelling on the Hill, I found a little time to pick up on a recent street fight which developed earlier last week between the cyber-writing heads of conservadom.

The story to the best of my knowledge starts out like this, Mark Levin has a caller whom he tells, "Well I don't know why your husband doesn't put a gun to his temple. Get the hell out of here." Conor Friedersdorf, the lover of wolves or hound-lover, and by some accounts a co-founder of the now defunct semi-conservative Culture 11 (?), happens upon this little segment and gets his panties in a wad.

Rod Dreher of The Crunchy Con, decided to take a ride with Friedersdorf. He goes on the offense because of his offense concerning Levin's behavior and poor choice of words. In all fairness, Dreher is an EXTREMELY bright but thoroughly misguided conservative. He seems to be more apt at sitting in a coffee shop impressing young college Christians with his poetic musings on religiosity than tackling some of today's more vitriolic political situations.

Now enter one Robert Stacy McCain, he is also available for freelance assignments, communications consulting, public speaking engagements, karaoke parties, weddings, birthdays and bar-mitzvahs.

A little background on Stacy. Stacy's writings leave you with the impression of a very well educated and hilarious Southern populist who is bent on destroying the DC foundation of elitism from the basement up. I have had the pleasure of talking with Stacy on two occasions and he personally left me with the perception of a guy who could sit around in a sleeveless T-shirt, barbecuing, drinking a Bud, capable of discussing the nuances of Hayek's theory on money and economic fluctuations or how the progenitorial line of Western politics can be traced back to Plato, then switch topic to why Alabama had the top recruiting team of 09'and LSU didn't. (Feck Bama, Saban is a traitor to the cause.)

With all of this in mind, McCain jumped into the fray and took Dreher, a favorite target of his, to task. And somewhat ruthlessly I might add. The last statement of his post, before updates, truthfully sets the tone for McCain's problems with Dreher,Friedersdorf, and their ilk.

The Other McCain-This is not debate club. The Democrats are not interested in "civil discourse," and your fearful hand-wringing is worse than useless in the present situation. read more...

For the integrity of this post, I am a frequent reader and fan of both The Crunchy Con and The Other McCain. Conversely, I am not a fan of Levin, or talk radio for that matter, nor do I have any intention of reading his book. However, a guilty pleasure is listening to Limbaugh from time to time just to see what the lovable fur-ball is up to. The reason I am bringing up all the caterwauling for is it's emblematic of the rift within the GOP at higher levels.

Using the dynamics of history and applying it to the present course the GOP, we see a once great principality falling on hard times. Rather than a parliamentary coalition binding together against a Jacobin progressive movement you are left with small city states and fiefdoms engaging in the inane and futile game of, "Who has the biggest balls." Each side is trying to ratchet control with faux elitist indignity or populist relevance because each believes they have the proper strategy. Wrong answer.

Like any war you need your military philosophers, historians, and policy makers. It is from them we learn about past mistakes and successes and how you can apply proper strategy to modern day political battles and attain victory. In terms of the body politic, the absence of true and honest thinkers will give you nothing more than outraged disorganized conservatives run amuck, a non-violent Reign of Terror if you will. ( To any detractors, I am well aware that it was the thinkers and philosophers that Burke blamed for the Reign of Terror. That is why there I threw in the exegetic statement, "true and honest thinkers." Rousseau and the boys were none of that.)

But you also need your foot-soldiers and grunts on the ground. Without them applying these theories in real world engagements, you are left with nothing more than a bunch moribund conservative bloggers crying about the descent of Western democracy into an Orwellian hellhole of democratic socialism.

If these rifts aren't bridged by principled and wise people and a coalition formed, what impression of the Republican party are the American people left with? From my perspective I see a group of people whom cannot run themselves --other than into in the ground-- let alone a country that will be in dreadful need of positive, creative, intelligent, and wise leadership. Until this is settled, crunchy-cons, moderate-cons, neo-cons, paleo-cons, libertarian-cons, far-right cons, and any other con I forgot to mention will be left with a big progressive footprint on their backs from getting ground into the dust bin of history.

This little lesson on the mathematics of political victories has been brought to you by an unknown, middle-brow, Burkean conservative, with none of the academic or job related credentials that many of the above mentioned blogger/writers possess. This is my caveat to you.

On a parting note, if you don't think you have the street cred to make your own observations, always keep the words of Niccolo Machiavelli in mind, "There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the other appreciates what others can understand, the third understands neither for itself nor through others. This first kind is excellent, the second good, and the third kind useless." Where do you fit in?

Related Articles: Richard Spencer, a supercilious gas-bag and also part of the extraneous Alternative Right movement, gives an almost palatable sitrep on the whole situation over at Taki's Mag. Those darn Paleo's, lol.

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Small Blog Roundup: Saturday, May 30th, 2009

Figured it was time for another roundup, so I got my lasso and went cyber rustling for some linkage. Here is what I found, for homegrown bloggage you have come to the right spot.

Thoughts for Thinkers-The first target of opportunity on my mission was a recent acquisition to ye olde friends connect. An interesting blog with thinker in the title, so it can't be all that bad and it isn't. In fact its pretty damn good.

The Conservative Mama-Great minds think alike. CM's latest is about the the neat commie comparison of the US to the now defunct Soviet Union ran by Pravda and a little Professor Michael Savage thrown in for good measure. This is the same Pravda article which was also posted here and is drawing so much liberal attention for me from a strange source known as Facecrack...er...Facebook, lol. Social sites and liberals, blah!!

The Conservative Dominion-Again great minds. The CD is giving out tickets to a round up of their own, it is the weekend linkfest!! How can you go wrong? Nice blog and really cool header, thumbs up guys.

noliinsipientiuminiuriaspati-Huh? I failed Latin in college, however, I am fluent in Latin du Oinker. Cool blog with strange name. Very good article logically equating the new Green is nothing but the old Red. The folk[s] at NostradomusIlluminativeritas obviously are some fairly intelligent people. I like it!

Nixon's Ghost-Deviating in a deviant fashion from the Blogspot beaten path we shoot over to our WordPress brethren. Welcome to Nixon's ghost. Anyways, Nix is giving mad props to the liberal enemy number four, Johnny Bolton, former Bush appointed UN ambassador, for calling the NORK's atomic test shot days before it happened. Bolton is da' man for that one! If Nixon's ghost looks like the header on this blog, please haunt me.

Notoriously Conservative-Great video of Bill Buckley debating brain dead MIT linguist, Noam Chomsky. Very cool blast form the past, a la Firing Lineage. You might remember the great Chomsky from his Distortions at Fourth Hand, where the moron in question claimed that most of the dead in Cambodia were caused by US B-52 air strikes, the number of civilian deaths were greatly exaggerated, and the Khmer Rouge was as innocent as a little lamb. Well Choms, I think the people of Cambodia would disagree with you, dullard.

Either way I digress, NC is a good blog and worthy of a read.

Well due to time constraints brought on by my bodies incessant need of sleep, this is going to be a shortened version of the usual. Peace, from the usually red South. A place where we love of our guns and God.

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Bob McDonnell: Uncontested in Vriginia's GOP Primary

A new model for GOP success might be arising in the state of Virginia with the former Attorney General, Bob McDonnell, accepting the uncontested GOP nomination for governor.

From the Washington Times.

Washington Times-Republican Bob McDonnell accepted his party's charge Saturday to pry the Virginia governor's office from Democratic control for the first time since 2002.

Before a roaring crowd of more than 10,000 delegates, the uncontested conservative former attorney general tacked toward the middle, focusing on jobs as unemployment climbs in a poor economy.

"To every Virginian who needs a job, to every small business owner trying to make payroll, to every retiree alarmed at losses in their retirement account, to every homeowner concerned about their home value, to every parent writing the next tuition check, to every clergyman struggling to keep a strong community," McDonnell said, "this campaign is for you."

read more...

If the GOP is victorious in the gubernatorial contest in Virginia and more importantly, New Jersey, they may have found the traction and message the desperately need. While Virginia has turned into a purple state, more importantly, New Jersey is a died in the wool liberal state. A victory by either Steve Lonegan or Chris Christie, both GOP candidates, within Jersey would definitely set a political tone for the mid-terms that favors Republicans.

But as I like to say, "Luck favors the prepared." Never count the liberal smear machine out. You still have Rahm and Axelrod to contend with and it is highly unlikely they will go away quietly.

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FINALLY!! A modern day Conservative thinker using Edmund Burke as the benchmark for the Obama Presidency.

It would have been a crime, in my own mind, not to run this fantastic article. It has two of my favorite things, politically speaking, it is written by Thomas Sowell, a well respected conservative thinker, economist, and author. And he critiques the Presidency of Barack Obama using thoughts from Sir Edmund Burke, the cornerstone of Anglo-American conservatism. Thought provoking, well written, and extremely cognitive.

From Real Clear Politics.

The other day I sought a respite from current events by re-reading some of the writings of 18th century British statesman Edmund Burke. But it was not nearly as big an escape as I had thought it would be.

When Burke wrote of his apprehension about "new power in new persons," I could not help think of the new powers that have been created by which a new President of the United States -- a man with zero experience in business -- can fire the head of General Motors and tell banks how to run their businesses.

Not only is Barack Obama new to the presidency, he is new to running any organization. One of Burke's fears was that "we may place our confidence in the virtue of those who have never been tried."

Neither eloquence nor zeal was a substitute for experience, according to Burke. He said, "eloquence may exist without a proportionate degree of wisdom." As for zeal, Burke said: "It is no excuse for presumptuous ignorance that it is directed by insolent passion."

The Obama administration's going back and forth on the question whether American intelligence agents who forced information out of captured terrorist leaders will be subjected to legal jeopardy, even though they were told at the time that what they were doing was not only legal but a service to the nation, came to mind when reading Burke's warning about the dangers of continuing to change the rules and values by which people lived.

Burke asked how we could expect a sense of honor to exist when "no man could know what would be the test of honour in a nation, continually varying the standard of its coin?"

This is the sort of conservatism that those within the hierarchy of the GOP should be emulating. Not the detritus and detached corporatist-minded drivel they pass off as political policy and thought. If you are an Independent, Republican, Democrat, or you have not made up your mind, I highly suggest reading anything Edmund Burke has written. But start with Reflections on the French Revolution and go on from there.

His wisdom is so prolific it even makes William F. Buckley's writings look like the scribblings of a kindergartner.

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Sonia Sotomayor and Legal Opinions on her Nomination

Ask any of this blog's four consistent readers, my Mom, Dad, crazy Uncle Lenny, and my loony, progressive minded, Obama voting Basset hound, and they will tell you that I have the utmost respect for the Supreme Court of the United States and for its members, both liberal and conservative.

This brings me to the point of this post. First off, while I have a rabid fascination with the law, I am not a lawyer nor do I have a desire to sell my soul and become an proselyte of Satan by becoming one. (I do play one on television though.) Subsequently, lawyers and judges are the resident experts on the law and it behooved me to explore their opines on Judge Sotomayor's past rulings to form a more perfect opinion on her nomination. Because this "analysis" involves the Supreme Court, I am taking even greater caution to remain thoughtful and avoid any cognitive dissonance entering into the equation. (That is, a healthy and fair analysis free of any political leanings or contempt for the administration which has appointed her.)

Many an argument has been raised by Sotomayor's detractors as to why the Judge should not be appointed to the SCOUTS. They have ranged from charges of reverse racism due to her comment given at the Judge Mario G. Olmos Memorial Lecture in 2001, delivered at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, "Second, I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Or her supposed reputation for a bad temperament, "The most consistent concern was that Sotomayor, although an able lawyer, was "not that smart and kind of a bully on the bench," as one former Second Circuit clerk for another judge put it."

Or as noted in a previous article here at PACT, her idea that federal judges create policy, not interpret the law.

These are minor flags which could indicate a woman whom has tightly restrained her true political disposition and has been very careful not to reveal her thoughts to avoid drumming up any controversy. Controversy which could impede her ambitions and aspirations. It does deserve some thought.

More specifically are her rulings. These are much more indicative of her leanings and attitude towards the law. A person is free to feel as they will about contentious issues. However, there is a very large difference between applying the law and interpreting it. This is a compilation of various law related blogs and the rigorous analysis their authors have provided on a myriad of cases Judge Sotomayor has ruled in or presided over.

ProfessorBanbridge.com-Stephen Bainbridge asks the question as to whether or not Judge Sotomayor is to far out of the mainstream to be confirmed. His conclusion is, no, she isn't.

The Volokoh Conspiracy-Jonathan Adler points out that as far as being anti-business, citing four cases; Merrill Lynch v. Dabit, Knight v. Commissioner, Malesko v. Correctional Services, and Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper, the judge shows a lean in this direction. Although it should be noted that Adler does raises the question that it is difficult to determine her overall approach based on a handful of cases.

Patterico's Pontifications- A conservative lawyer based in California, Patterico explains the context of Sotomayor's statement concerning the appellate courts making policy and states that she " worded the concept especially badly." And notes that one silver lining to her appointment is that she is tough in criminal law cases and issues.

ClassActionBlawg.com-Paul Karlsgodt does an exhaustive study into Judge Sotomayor's rulings concerning class action cases and other related litigation, here and here. His final conclusion, "Overall, her decisions on class action issues do not suggest a pro-plaintiff or pro-defense bias. Rather, they seem to reflect a willingness to consider each case on its own merits and to either admit when she has made a mistake or at least be guided by changing circumstances rather than any ridged adherence to a predetermined philosophy or idealogy."

Opino Juris-Julian Ku shows a strong degree of evidence based on United States v. Ni Fa Yi, European Commission v. RJR Nabisco, Beharry v. Ashcroft, and Center for Reproductive Law v. Bush that the Judge does not engage in transnationalist justice. For a brief explanation of transnational law.

Forbes.com-Richard A. Epstein, professor of law at the University of Chicago and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, is concerned that Sotoamyor is extremely weak on property rights based on her ruling in Didden v. Village of Port Chester. Bart Didden, a pharmacist, was opting to build a pharmacy in the redevelopment district in the town Port Chester on land he owned there. Greogry Wasser, to whom the municipality inexplicably delegated its regulatory authority of this particular part of the town, told Didden that if he did not give him $800,000 or controlling interest the land would be condemned by the township. Inevitability, it was. Here is an excerpt from Second Circuit panel's ruling, "We agree with the district court that [Wasser's] voluntary attempt to resolve appellants' demands was neither an unconstitutional exaction in the form of extortion nor an equal protection violation." Judge Sotomayor was a member of the panel an was a participant in this ruling.

Bench Memos-Ted Frank, of the American Enterprise Institute, brings up point about Sotomayor being on the wrong side of the law in Ricci v. DeStefano. A case involving fireman, Frank Ricci, suing the city of New Haven, CT. for reverse discrimination. Frank and I also seem to agree on the possibility of Sotomayor hiding her true feelings towards "judicial activism" on the chance it could impede her SCOTUS appointment.

My final conclusion is that Judge Sonia Sotomayor, is not a vapid, vitriolic liberal, bent on jamming activist causes down everyone's throat via the Supreme Court. She, to me, is a moderate liberal in the Souter fashion.

Her credentials, as far as education is concerned, are more than appropriate. Although, there seems to be an ambiguity to her rulings and by compiling all of the evidence together, that being her rulings and opinions which she has given, I am left with doubt that she can be classified as a stalwart and pragmatic defender of the Constitution and what it stands for. This does not fit my own personal expectation of how a Supreme Court Justice should do their job.

Simply put, if I were a Senator I would not vote for Sotomayor as a nominee for the SCOTUS. As previously noted, based upon the evidence I am left with "reasonable doubt" as to whether she would fit within the originalist or consrtuctionalist philosophies and has displayed tendencies towards legal realism.

While I admittedly find it difficult to support Judge Sotomayor as a nominee for the Supreme Court, I do not fear the inevitable fact that she will be appointed either.

Final Note: I would like to give many thanks to Walter Olson of the Manhattan Institute, for providing many of the links to various sites I used, from Point of Law blog. Mr. Olson is also the proprietor of Overlawyered.com, which delves into the abuses and consequences of the American litigation process.

Update: The SCOTUS blog has just released an interesting piece concerning Sotomayor's "racism." Here are two very different opinions from blogging law professors concerning the SCOTUS blog's article, Legal Insurrection and Dissenting Justice.

Enjoy!!

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Mitt Romney: The Presidential Candidate I used to Despise

On my ride home today, I gave Jason, a part time contributor here at PACT and owner of The Western Experience, a call to see how goings on in his life were progressing and just catch up on daily events. After a few minutes of talking he said something I never thought I would hear coming out of his very conservative mouth, "I am really impressed by Romney and I think he might be the man for 2012."

I was completely aghast by this statement. You see, Jason and I share many common grounds as conservatives and our expectations of conservative candidates are very similar. I think I can speak for him when I say we are looking for a conservative whose economic roots are mostly libertarian, slightly, but not totally, neo-conservative when it comes to national defense and foreign policy, an advocate of small government, and a mainly a traditionalist on social and cultural issues. For these reasons I was utterly perplexed by his take on Romney.

Both of us supported Fred Thompson in the Republican primaries of 2008. After he dropped out I quite looking. I could never connect with Huckabee, McCain is McCain, Giuliani, while I respect him, is way to North East Republican for my taste, and then there was Romney. His fake tan, his Ken doll persona, his bantering against Huckabee, and his always seeming tense put him at the bottom of my list. To me he did not display the characteristics of a man who possessed his supposed executive skills and predisposition.

When I asked Jason why was he now thinking about Romney as a serious candidate he suggested I watch Romney's latest interview he did with Wolf Blitzer. He pointed out that Romney's coherence, fluidity, and intellect had impressed him. So I watched it with an open mind. Here is the interview.



I actually saw what Jason was describing. An articulate, cool handed, even keel speaker, able to transition from one topic to another and command the issue. This was one of Romney's best interviews I have seen recently and it impressed the living hell out of me.

Personally, I still cannot say whether or not I would suggest Romney as the new face for the GOP, it is still far to early to decide. However, as I mentioned before, I am VERY impressed with his showing so far and he is definitely on my radar as a potential GOP leader and even a possible GOP candidate in 2012 for the POTUS.

Jason's take on the Romney interview.

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Reasons Conservatives Might Use to Oppose Sotomayor Nomination

Obama's Judge Sonia Sotomayor pick for Supreme Court Justice has already started dredging up some controversy. Conservatives are raising concerns over Sotomayor's reputed potential for "judicial activism."

While there are a range of arguments conservatives have against Sotomayor, there are a few at the top which demand some exploration. I am sure we will be seeing these in the upcoming Senate confirmation hearings.

Sotomayor speaking at Duke Law School, 2005, "Courts are where policy is made."



This has the potential of showing Judge Sotomayor of having an attitude which is indicative that she feels a judge makes laws rather than interprets the law. It is the age old debate of an originalist versus judicial activist. Being of a conservative mindset, I am personally predispositioned to judges whom demonstrate the originalist philosophy.

Next on the radar is the highly contentious legal battle of Rici v. Stefan. A case where fireman, Frank Rici, and other firefighters sued the city of New Haven, Connecticut over alleged reverse discrimination. Here is the meat and potatoes of the case via, Judgepedia (?). (I guess they have a fill-in-the-blank pedia for everything nowadays.)

In 2003, the New Haven fire department was planning to fill seven openings at the captain level and eight openings at the lieutenant level. The city conducted a promotion exam designed by the Illinois company, Industrial/Organizational Solutions. 77 applicants took the exam. 19 of the applicants were African-American. None of the African-Americans scored high enough on the test to qualify for promotion to the positions of captain or lieutenant. The New Haven fire department scrapped the results of the test in order to ward off a lawsuit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which allows minority workers to sue employers if they can establish that a promotion test exerted a "disparate impact" on minorities. Additionally, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has an "80% rule", which says that a job-related test in which the passing rate of a racial minority is less than 80% of the white rate is presumptively flawed.

Frank Ricci, a white firefighter who has been in the New Haven fire department for eleven years, scored 6th out of the 77 test-takers. According to Ricci's sworn statement, he gave up a second job to study 13 hours a day for the test. He is dyslexic, and he paid an acquaintance over $1,000 to read textbooks onto audiotapes. He also took practice tests, used flashcards he made, and participated in a study group and mock interviews.

After the test results were thrown out, Ricci and seventeen other white firefighters, including one Hispanic firefighter, sued in federal court on the basis that they had been discriminated against because of their race.

In the near future, Rici v. Stefan will actually be going in front of the Supreme Court for review. The outcome will undoubtedly be interesting to watch.

Another bit of ammo for conservatives was the SCOTUS reviewing five of her decisions and overturning three. This evidently brings up the doubts about her abilities to form proper legal interpretation.

From the Washington Times.

Three of the five majority opinions written by Judge Sotomayor for the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and reviewed by the Supreme Court were reversed, providing a potent line of attack raised by opponents Tuesday after President Obama announced he will nominate the 54-year-old Hispanic woman to the high court.

However, the totality of her record is another point brought up by White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs.

Mr. Gibbs dismissed questions about Judge Sotomayor's reversal rate, saying she wrote 380 majority opinions during her 11 years on the appeals court. Of those 380 opinions, the Supreme Court heard five of the cases and overturned her on three.

Admittedly, I do not profess to know how many times it takes getting your decisions as a federal judge overturned by the Supreme Court to constitute a problem.

Something else that should be taken note of is the highly progressive and liberal New Republic's legal affairs editor, Frank Rosen, raised concerns about Sotomayor. Interesting article.

In all fairness, and an opportunity to link to a friend, Professor Darren Hutchinson, proprietor of the progressive and highly cognitive blog, Dissenting Justice, has a retort to Rosen's May 4th post. Also, you might want to notice, the Professor' rebuff was actually linked in a Judgepedia article on Sotomayor. Just thought that was kind of neat.

Related Articles: Here are some interesting analysis of the Sotomayor nomination from the SCOUTS Blog. Please note, these were not cherry picked to be for or against Sotomayor, these are the latest posts offered on the SCOTUS Blog which pertain to the Judge and her nomination, minus one post announcing her being the nominee.

The Dynamic of the Nomination of Sonia Sotomayor

Sotomayor’s Record: The Ricci Effect

Where Would Justice Souter’s Replacement Make A Difference? Part I

Sotomayor and the Second Amendment

Final Note: If you want my opinion on Sotomayor and her nomination, feel free to ask.

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Heritage Foundation: Data Set on Chinese Foreign Investments

Over the past ten to fifteen years there has been growing apprehension concerning Chinese foreign investments, bond and non-bond related. The People's Republic of China has sought to increase its sphere of influence through investments in major powers across the globe and developing nations as well. The Heritage Foundation, recently put together a fairly comprehensive data set tracking non-bond Chinese investments.

From Heritage,



No matter how much you hear about China entering the "free market" one small fact usually glossed over is that Chinese companies, foreign and domestic, are owned by the state.

This brings into question their motivation. If China were a truly capitalist state, foreign investment would be an avenue for market gains and profit. Since this is not the case, what you are left with is, business transactions are motivated by political goals and needs.

Returning to the Heritage graphic above. You will notice that the two largest recipients of non-bond investment are countries in the Middle East and the Sub-Sahara Africa.

With China's continually growing thirst for energy and natural resources, the reason for investing so heavily in these regions is quite obvious, natural resources. Presently, China's major import partners for crude are the Middle East and Africa.

ETCN-According to the Ministry of Commerce, in 2008, China’s 50 percent import crude oil is originated from the Middle East Area, and the import volume is 89.6 million tons( taking up 50.1 percent), up 16.96 million tons year-on-year, with an increase of 23.3 percent. The second major import place for China is Africa, and the import volume is 53.95 million tons( taking up 30 percent), up 900000 tons, with an increase of 1.7 percent. Among the import countries, the top five countries are Saudi Arabia( 36.37 million tons), Angola( 29.89 million tons), Iran( 21.32 million tons), Oman( 14.58 million tons) and Russia( 11.64 million tons).

This interesting bit of information about Nigeria was just released today.

Reuters-Nigerian crude oil exports are likely to be well above the country's OPEC output quota again in July despite a series of militant attacks that have led to force majeures on some production streams, trade sources say.

And Niger.

BBC News-China will invest $5bn (£2.5bn) over the next three years to develop oil production in Niger.

Also there is the availability of minerals in the Congo and South Africa.

The Congo-An eminently mining country, the Republic of Congo is the centre of numerous exploitations of most diverse metals in a multitude of mines and quarries. Its soil harbours a wide variety of mineral species with facies of often very high esthetical quality.

South Africa-South Africa is the second largest producer of titanium and zircon in the world after Australia.

Natural resources are a commodity that are desperately needed to fuel an ever growing state with ambitions of turning itself into a modern global super power. Specifically, one with designs to outpace even the United States.

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North Korea's Nuclear Solutions

Yesterday the regime of North Korea's Kim Jong Il fired off its second nuclear device as well as launching three surface to air missiles as a warning to US spy planes. This recent atomic test leaves the Obama administration with an ever-present conundrum, how to successfully denuclearize the isolated nation and bring relations to a state of normalcy.


Unlike the alleged "fizzle," which took place in 2006, early estimates are indicating a more powerful nuclear test by the North Koreans.

NY Times-The dimensions of the test were not immediately verifiable, but estimates ranged upwards of the one kiloton of the North’s first nuclear test, in 2006. read more...

The blast's tremor, which originated in Kilju, North Korea near the site of the 2006 test, triggered an earthquake which measured between 4.5 and 5.3 in magnitude. Moreover, the tremor strength could be indicative of a blast ranging anywhere between one and twenty kilotons according to South Korean Defense Minister, Lee Sang-Hee.

What does this test mean?

The foreign policy aspect of this situation as well as the long term solutions facing the President Obama are quite complex, as two previous administrations found out. Over the past six years multilateral six party talks have yielded nothing but broken promises and dysfunctionality amongst the allied participants, while North Korea is still pursuing its nuclear ambitions. General consensus among geo-political experts is that North Korea is attempting to use the nuclear card as a way of blackmailing the United States into more concessions or into direct talks with the communist state.

While the six party talks still remain an option, albeit a tainted one. There are other paths the administration could consider.

One is returning North Korea to the terror list, which it was removed from by the Bush administration.

Commentary Magazine-One particular rung in the ladder was the decision by the Bush Administration to remove North Korea from the State Department’s list of terror-sponsoring states. This surely had not a shred of justice in it: there is no evidence that suggests the North Koreans have stopped supporting terror. On the contrary, it was less than a year before that they were caught building Syria a nice fat center-for-the-production-of-weapons-of-mass-destruction. They have also been caught supplying weapons to Palestinian terrorists by sea, and building underground tunnels for Hezbollah. read more...

In addition, there is a debate as to whether or not Kim Jong-Il is actually in charge. There are some thoughts as to whether or not this test represents an internal struggle for power since Jong suffered a stroke last year.

The Guardian-According to a leading expert on North Korea, the British academic Aidan Foster-Carter, a developing fight for supremacy is the most probable explanation for Pyongyang's aggressive behaviour. "North Korea is snarling more. That suggests an internal power struggle," Foster-Carter told a seminar at the Chatham House thinktank in London last week. "The dog barks loudest when it's feeling vulnerable. And maybe it's safer to be a hardliner than a softliner when there's a power struggle going on." read more...

If this is the case then there exists a possible avenue for exploitation of this situation by the United States. Back in 2007, Andrei Lankov, wrote a memorandum for Foreign Policy Magazine to then SoS, Condoleeza Rice, offering possible solutions for toppling Kim Jung Il and his despotic regime.

He pointed out that it was incumbent upon the Bush administration to realize there was a "quiet revolution" happening within North Korea. The government could no longer afford to enforce its draconian rules. Citizens by default were gaining more freedoms than had ever had previously.

The second was using covert sources of information about the goings on in the outside world. North Korea is notoriously noted for being the most closed society on the planet. Any influx of information could be provided by a US run broadcasting station, then picked up by short wave radios which are regularly smuggled into the country by North Koreans.

Thirdly, educating North Korean defectors to the South. Then allowing them to pass on their newly gained knowledge about the rest of the world to family and friends back in the North through smuggled cell phones and networks.

Finally, promote cultural exchanges with the West. Allow North Korean students into America or allow their officials to do study tours in the US. Even something as innocent as inviting North Korean dance troupes to perform internationally could have some long lasting effects.

The key to toppling these tyrants seems to be exposing as many North Korean people to the outside world as possible. As Dr. Lankov points out, one of the main reasons European communism imploded in the 80's was that change was demanded by the people. Although, he neglects to point out that the intense economic pressures the US was enacting on the Soviets greatly contributed to this. A very similar situation like we see in present day North Korea.


Related Articles:

FP Passport-Was North Korea's test really a surprise?

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In the News: Monday, May 25th, 2009

Pull up a chair and get your java on, although beware of bombs. In this morning's headlines, somebody REALLY does not like Starbucks, North Korea detonates another nuclear firecracker, Colin Powell fires back at Limbaugh and Cheney, and Ahmadinejad wants to debate Obama at the United Nations.



Manhattan Starbucks Hit by Small Blast

ABC News-A bomb blast outside a Starbucks coffee shop rattled the early morning Memorial Day quiet of Manhattan's Upper East Side today, shattering windows and triggering the evacuation of 25 apartments.

The coffee shop was closed when the bomb erupted at 3:25 a.m., and there were no reported injuries. read more...

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North Korea condemned over nuclear test

The Telegraph-North Korea has threatened "international peace" the President Barack Obama has said, after the rogue state tested a second nuclear device, drawing condemnation from across the world and prompting an emergency session of the UN Security Council.

"These actions, while not a surprise given its statements and actions to date, are a matter of grave concern to all nations," Mr Obama said in a written statement, adding that the test warranted international action against Pyongyang. read more...

Kim Jong Il better be careful or he might get another strongly worded letter from the UN.

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Colin Powell fires back at Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney

The Politico-In the latest round of the increasingly heated intra-GOP feud, former Secretary of State Colin Powell Sunday defended his Republican credentials and fired back at radio host Rush Limbaugh and former Vice President Dick Cheney, saying the party had to expand beyond its conservative base.

“Rush will not get his wish and Mr. Cheney was misinformed – I am still a Republican,” Powell said in a much-anticipated interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” two weeks after Cheney suggested on the same show that the retired general had left the party by endorsing Barack Obama last fall. read more...

There is no Rush to be a Dick, Colin, calm down for Chirstsakes.

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Iran's Ahmadinejad wants to debate Obama at UN

Breibart.com-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is calling for a face-to-face debate with his American counterpart Barack Obama at the United Nations.

The offer by Ahmadinejad came at news conference Monday as he steps up his campaign for his re-election in the June 12 presidential vote.

If returned to office, Ahmadinejad says he wants to meet Obama during the U.N. General Assembly in September to debate "world issues and the way toward peace."

Ahmadinejad is in a four-way race against a fellow hard-liner and two pro-reform candidates. read more...

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Hope you have enjoyed.

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Small Blog Roundup: Monday, May 25th, 2009

The Small Blog Roundup seemed to go over without a hitch and was fairly well received by the brethren of small bloggers. So, in between some regional Southern barbecue and a not so healthy dose of Guinness, I found some time to get in the second edition.

Well today we have a myriad of topics ranging from musings, to babes with guns, to Texans quoting Shakespeare, and everything in-between.

Amusing Bunni's Musings-Everybody needs a bunni buddy in the blogosphere. Bunni warns us not to believe all the socialist tripe that free art museums in Chi-town are enjoyable. It is just a ruse to get you to spend money to support the State. (She didn't say the last part, I...er...added that myself.)

Cocked and Loaded-You want some John "The Duke" Wayne, Pill-grahm? Well, here you get it, along with some 2nd Amendment defense. Damn it, anybody seen my ammo?

Armed Babes-No commentary, just like the title states, "Armed Babes." How can you go wrong with pics of some nice looking ladies wielding the latest in high powered weaponry? Quite a thought provoking blog.

America, Home of the Brave, Land of Disenchantment-You want top-notch, hardcore, bloggery? Well my friend, this is it. This veteran of the Gulf War, second edition, doesn't pull any punches.

PaleoCon Command Center-Like the blog's author, Brooke, points out, sure is s-m-u-r-t to send Jihadist foot-soldiers detained in Gitmo to prisons in the US. Hey, it is difficult to recruit abroad then flip the bill to send the boys over to America. We should make it easy on them and let them recruit locally. I am thinking Brooke for Director of National Intelligence, she seems to have more than enough common sense.

South Texian-Now I have to admit at first this blog confoozed me. I open it up and there is a Texan quoting Shakespeare and he is taking on the Crunchy Con, Rob Dreher. Then I read further and find the author is employed in academia, that answered my question. (Don't anyone get upset, just a friendly jibe at Texas.) Nevertheless, well written, cognitive, and a pleasant read.

Despina D. Karras-Rounding off this edition is Miss Karras a lawyer, don't worry we won't hold that against you, blogger, and self-admitted politicophile. I think that means she is a political junkie. She has some enlightening thoughts on the long term effects of cap and trade, plus she used Heritage as a reference. For a lawyer, she can't be all that bad. Really good blog with a very relaxing layout and color scheme.

Well that just abut wraps this little project up. Besides nothing sets heavier than Ribs and a Guinness, making you want to sleep. Have a happy Memorial Day and remember, kiss a vet!

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Pravda: America 's Descent into Marxism

Interesting op-ed from the Russian newspaper Pravda concerning America's descent into a Marxism and the willingness of the US citizenry to passively stand by and watch it happen.

From Pravda,

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them? read more...

In the past, Russian writers have always had the reputation for airing on the side of the dramatic and being very avant-garde. Nevertheless, I wonder if they aren't if seeing things from the outside that those of us on the inside are inherently blind too. After all, the Russians are the international experts on giving up one's personal freedoms for the "betterment" of the State. Maybe we should heed the warning.

Note to the author: Page 2 requires a correction. Barney Frank is not a Senator, he is a member of the House of Representatives. But he is a social pervert.

H/T to Amy Proctor for the article.

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Rule #5: Females, Football, Fighting and Fortissimo

With all of this talk about Pussy Galore, no I am not referring to the abundance of the female anatomy, I mean the Bond girl, it got me thinking about Sunday. So, in honor of all the sexist, male chauvinist, truffle searching pigs out there, here is some Rule #5 action. Featuring some college football, hot babes, a reminder of what Liberal foreign policy really means, and music courtesy of the Rolling Stones.

Females and Football



Fighting and Fortissimo (Courtesy of the Stones, Just a Shot Away.)



That should cover it.

Update: Since there seems to be some confusion on Smitty's part as to what my alliteration was trying to accomplish, I will clarify. The four things most guys love; women, football, war, and good music. And for those who are a little more politically minded, a shot at the Liberals for giving us Vietnam. All wrapped up in a nice little package.

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The Left's New Crying Game: Pelosi, Pussy Galore, and Misogyny

Earlier the RNC released a video with a James Bond theme and taking on the issue of Pelosi calling the CIA liars. In the mix, the Leftwing echochamber has had to dig deep and you will be amazed at what they came up with to accuse the GOP of.

First here is the video.



The Progressive defense? Well you have one of three choices; racism, homophobe, or misogynist. If you chose either of the first two you were wrong. The Proglodytes ironically went with accusing GOP-ers of misogyny as their defensive line for Madame Screecher.

Take a look at what the bottom rung of the echo chamber had to say, it's really good for a comedic irony.

From the Washington Monthly.

Ultimately, though, political strategy isn't nearly as important as basic human decency here. It's a quality the right is lacking, and this recent pathetic display against Pelosi says far more about them than it does about the Speaker.

Basic human decency, now isn't that a crock. This coming from the camp whom labeled a standing President as Hitler, compared his Veep to Satan incarnate, accused his chief of staff of being in bed with Satan and Hitler, at the same time, drug and continues to drag Palin through the mud, thought it was hilarious when Wanda Sykes wished that Limbaugh's kidneys would fail, etc. Do I really need to go on? I personally could give two $h1ts less about their reaction to the GOP video but don't go around crying about human decency when the last time you engaged in it was at the age five.

From Balloon Juice.

This is a little strange, even for the RNC: they put a racy and fairly offensive anti-Pelosi video on YouTube...

Let's take a look at the hilarious blogad that was running right next to this particular post on Ballooon Juice. Here is a screenshot.



All that Pamela Anderson skin and a post about misogyny right next to it. I guess sexploitation of women is alright but you better not make a mild inference or comparison between Pussy Galore and Pelosi.

Realistically, if no one would have said anything we probably wouldn't have even thought about this supposed link between Pelosi and a Bond girl, if there even is one. Nevertheless the main question I have, "Why aren't they more pissed off about the GOP blatantly calling Pelosi a liar?" That is a far worse implication, which is pretty much in your face, rather than hallucinating misogyny.

Do you smell what I am stepping in?


Related Articles: If you really need to waste your time further exploring this nonsense, here you go.

Riehl World View-Politico On Pelosi: Leave The Little Woman Alone

Hot Air-Video: The obligatory “RNC takes cheap shot at Pelosi” clip

Update: Darleen Click, over at Protein Wisdom, has a cute take on the Left's hyperventilation over this "situation." Better break out some grocery bags, I think we are gonna need to brown bag some Lefties so they can breath.

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Small Blog Roundup: Saturday May 23rd, 2009

This was a little something I was doing a few months back, then in my blogging A.D.D. lifestyle that I am so fond of, I moved away from it. Well, it's back and going to be more consistent since I enjoy seeing what those small bloggers, such as myself, have to say about life, politics, culture, and society.

Without further adieu,

Right Klik-One of my favorite smaller blogs. Klik has to be the hardest working small blogger I have seen in recent times. Not only putting out some damn fine observations and commentary he peruses the Righty blogs with the fierceness of a blogging Patton. Always on the move.

The 46-Rob Verdi, proprietor of the 46in08, uses some of the best sources for his economic and foreign policy observations. I love his use of charts and graphs, a pic is worth a thousand words. Plus they are great for people who are distracted by pretty colors, like me.

Self Evident Truths-The latest acquisition to the reading list is Euripides. A History and Political Science professor, talk about some major credentials. In Euri's latest post, he gives his self admitted snarky take on this weeks events.

M, Conservative Operative-Besides being a great read, I love the pic of the red shoes in the header. (Before you ask, "No I don't want a pair.") M, makes a great case for making Pelosi the the poster child for Liberal Progressives. Instead of trying to re-brand Dems as socialists, maybe GOP strategists should look at re-branding them as Pelosists.

Common Sense-Run by the ObamaNation, a very frustrated conservative college student wading in a sea of lower liberal thought, who always brings it to the table when commenting on the the current administration and their policies.

Right is Right-I am still wondering what is up with the pic of Kathleen Parker. Could it be? Naaaah. Good blog though.

Conservative Generation-Another enlightened thinker on the right. Not sure about C-Gen's street cred but he has some damn fine opinions on economics. Very much worth the read.

The Indy Mind-An old libertarian blogging friend from a ways back, Ark gives out a healthy dose of libertarianism in every post. Great take on the Obama versus Cheney debacle being waged right now. If you like free markets and individualism, Arkady is your go to guy.

Left Coast Rebel-LCR is a Cali based Libertarian blogger who like Arkady is all about the personal freedoms this country was founded upon. In his second to latest post, LCR explains why Obama is Californizing the rest of the country. (Shameless and prideless plug: Remember us critical thinkers made this same point some months ago. Hey we are ahead of the power curve too. Sometimes.)

The Pajama Underground-You want unrepentant conservatism?!?! Here you go. No questions need to be fielded about PJU's political opinions on the administration.

In a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World-A big dose of off the cuff humor that is bound to piss off somebody, totally not PC. That is why I love it!!

Throwing Stones-Blogging from a former ground pounding infantry grunt and Army vet of the Gulf War, first edition. All I have to say is, "Go, Navy!!" Despite my obvious bias for our fine members of the pier-queer fraternity versus the HUA's, I definitely agree with TS's take on Obama's consistently blaming the previous administration for his inability to deal with the present day's problems.

Well that is it for the round up today. Hopefully in-between BBQ-ing and having a Guinness or two I will be able to bring more smaller blogs to light. Remember most of these folks are just your ordinary, average, everyday, people expressing their opinions and exercising their 1st Amendment rights. In my opinion they are the real experts on how political policy affects everyone's lives, since they are living it.

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Steven Crowder's latest, Dark Pelosi

Cheap, vulgar, and disrespectful, but utterly hilarious. Steven Crowder, frequent vlogger on Breibart's Big Hollywood, on Nancy Pelosi, lying, and waterboarding.




H/T to Self Evident Truths for the vid.

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Daniel Hannan on Sean Hannity

Daniel Hannan, Member of European Parliament and a staunch British conservative, appeared on Sean Hannity and has some very eloquent words of wisdom and warning for our fledgling country about its current path.





I wonder if the Department of Homeland Security thinks that Mr. Hannan should be banned from entering the country for promoting right-wing hate speech?

Just for fun, let's compare Mr. Hannan to our version of a "conservative."



Ask yourself this question, "If it were possible, which one of these gentlemen would you vote for in a primary election?"

H/T to Bride of Rove for the vid.

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President Obama and Notre Dame: Conflict Over Choice or Life.

Well the very controversial Notre Dame/Obama commencement speech is over. Protests took place and the President called for his obligatory ever-growing diversity -- diversity of thought, diversity of culture, and diversity of belief. Then "Poof!" it was over as quick as it began. Nothing accomplished.

More than just being a Catholic, and a pretty pitiful one, I oppose abortion on the grounds that whether there is life at the moment of conception or not, the one thing that is not debatable and that is its potential for sentient life. Therefore just adding to the list of reasons I personally oppose the President and Progressives on their pro-choice stances.

Taking the idea of choice into mind you have two avenues to consider when the idea of aborting an unborn child arises.

The first is the choice you have to practice somewhat safe sex or abstinence. These are your choices, liberals can gnash teeth, raise hell, cry, and whine. However it doesn't change the basic fact that most of the time sex is about free will. Also, science has actually figured out what causes pregnancy and even come up with a few ways to protect yourself against it if you don't feel you are ready for a child. I guess the simple idea of contraception is to difficult to digest so the easier argument about abortion rages on. Can you smell my sarcasm?

The second idea is that of the liberty, free will, and choice of that little piece of tissue which marvelously grows into what we know as a human being. Maybe just maybe, that little germinating hunk of cells would like a chance to live and possibly become prosperous. Or maybe it will become a dreg of society which will drain our resources and hurt others it comes in contact with. Who are we to decide what fate should befall an unborn child because of the background they are born into? I would rather pass judgment on a murdering adult and commit him or her to the gas chamber before I make the call on the future of the unborn.

I know we were told that the election of the President heralded in a shift in the paradigm of thought of the American people to a more progressive and secular frame of mind. Nevermind the latest poll on abortion presented by Gallup recently which shows a vast majority of Americans consider themselves pro-life. Just smoke and mirrors.

The battle will rage and abortions will continue because people no longer have the fortitude to realize as in most things, you aren't fated or predestined, you always have a choice. The only difficulty is whether or not you are pro-choice for the right thing or not.

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Republican and Conservative Women, The Body Politic

You know, Stacy McCain made a great point, via Ann Coulter, that the stereotypical conservative guy is seen as being some aged, balding, white guy, with a bad complexion and he sweats too much. Well, it got me thinking about the stereotypical view of conservative woman also.

Here is what used to pop in my mind.



Here is the reality though.


Can't forget the recent advent of one Michelle Muccio, the Rebel Economist.



Oh if I only lived back in DC the Rebel would have a stalker...er...admirer!!

Let's not forget to mention the field of candidates and elected officials that conservatives are offering up these days.

Love her or hate her, you have to admit that is a million dollar smile.

How can you go wrong with a woman who is over fifty, hot, and loves the 2nd Amendment?

Another million dollar smile in the making.

Even FOX News has an impressive line-up.






Of course we cannot forget our Democratic colleagues, that just wouldn't be fair or fun. Here are the women of the Left.



Ooooh, did someone turn my stool upside down again? You jokers!



Aaah, I love when the tingle goes up my leg!!



Hey Olberman, I turned your stool upside down. You have room for one more???

Well here are some of their men.





Whew!! Glad I am on the Right!!

Finally, I know this is juvenile but the world is too damn serious these days and a little humor, even if it is tasteless, is what we need from time to time.

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