Love him or hate him, everyobdy has an opinion on George W Bush's presidential performance. However, I am proud to say that he did the right thing and ended his Presidency on a high note yesterday by commuting the sentences of Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos.
To read more about this ongoing (and thankfully ended!) effort, check out http://ramos-compean.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
Iraqi man throws shoe at President Bush
http://www. breitbart. com/article. php?id=081215121703. 9anjkcex&show_article=1
Now, I'm no expert in Iraqi law but I am familiar with the concept of free speech and consequences of actions. Throwing a shoe at someone could definitely be considered to be 'assault' under American law. Again, I'm not sure what Iraqi laws are regarding assault but I imagine that there are consequences for assaulting someone.
This reporter does not like President Bush. Fine - he's entitled to his beliefs.
He chose to express it publicly. GREAT! Freedom of press and freedom of speech are ideas that I hold very dear to my heart.
However, the manner in which this reporter chose to express it? Completely inappropriate.
Actions have consequences. Illegal actions have consequences. Being thrown in jail is a likely consequences of doing something illegal.
"Al-Baghdadia television demands that the Iraqi authorities immediately release their stringer Muntazer al-Zaidi, in line with the democracy and freedom of expression that the American authorities promised the Iraqi people," it said in a statement.
If I threw a shoe at a visiting foreign national representative, I'd be tossed in jail for assault here in the USA. Shoe throwing is a 'violent' (I use that lightly but it's true nonetheless) form of political protest and the first amendment does not protect that right. Political protests can and should be civilized and non-violent, with violence used only as a last resort.
Why this reporter and his company demand special treatment under the law is beyond me. Their reasoning that this sort of political protest is championed by Americans (it isn't) and is therefore ok under Iraqi law (it isn't) is just stupid. I think charging him with attempted murder is a bit excessive, as death by flying shoe happens only in Austin Powers movies, but this reporter should face the consequences for his act.
As a last note, knowing that this man may face jail time (hopefully with a fair and speedy trial by jury) is actually a GREAT thing because under Saddam Hussein, this man would have been hung publicly or tortured privately by now for daring to speak out, let alone throw a shoe at a visiting foreign representative. This is a positive step in Iraq.
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As a last note,
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Veterans' Day
To all who have fought to keep this country free and preserve the ideals that make this nation great: Thank you.
May God Bless YOU and may God Bless America
Monday, November 10, 2008
More of the same
This echoes my previous post about Howard Dean.
Allow me to reiterate: in America, political leaders do not rule. They are elected as our representative to the world and serve at our pleasure.
This sort of language is dangerous. We need to be on high alert for signs and warnings like this.
I highly recommend that you all check out this book, They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer. I'm not targeting Democrats or Republicans - the entire US government in general is spiraling out of the control of the people and into the hands of the few. This book is definitely worth checking out if are a history buff or just a concerned citizen.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Pity Party is over!
Alright guys. We suffered many defeats this last Tuesday. I won't mince words - I am embarrassed for the Republican party. However, I am not ashamed in the least for conservatism. This was not a defeat of conservatism - it was the defeat of an internally fractured party.
It's time to rebuild from the ground up. The last two days have reminded me of the inner strength and courage that conservatives have. Yes, we're all disappointed with the outcome of the election but even now, everywhere I look, grassroots campaigns are sprouting up. As Republicans, we did the best with the candidate that we were given and we did extraordinarily well, especially for a Democratic year. George W. Bush is incredibly unpopular and the Democrats should have been ahead 20 points in the polls. BUT THEY WEREN'T. John McCain managed to stay neck-to-neck with Barack Obama and captured almost 47% of the popular vote (according to CNN) despite being a moderate candidate with weak support from his base.
John McCain did not lose because the American people rejected conservatism - John McCain lost because he was out-financed by 5:1 (at least!) and because he ran one of the worst campaigns in recent years. Ann Coulter eloquently outlined the core of why McCain was unsuccessful in her 11/05/08 column, which I have quoted below.
How could Republicans go after B. Hussein Obama (as he is now known) on planning to bankrupt the coal companies when McCain supports the exact same cap and trade policies and earnestly believes in global warming?
How could we go after Obama for his illegal alien aunt and for supporting driver's licenses for illegal aliens when McCain fanatically pushed amnesty along with his good friend Teddy Kennedy?
How could we go after Obama for Jeremiah Wright when McCain denounced any Republicans who did so?
How could we go after Obama for planning to hike taxes on the "rich," when McCain was the only Republican to vote against both of Bush's tax cuts on the grounds that they were tax cuts for the rich?
I, of course, mean no disrespect to John McCain himself, who is a true American war hero and a good man, but Ann is correct. By being willing to squander our party message to appease the left and "Republicans" against our better judgement, we have lost both the country and our way.
Barack Obama is the President-Elect of the USA but this does not mean that I, or you, are obligated to support him in the least. The game is not over - there is no reason to stay silent while Barack Obama and the most liberal congress ever assembled try to dismantle our Constitution and redistribute America's hard-earned wealth around as they see fit. The drive-by media continues to trash Sarah Palin and other mainstream conservatives, despite their huge win on Tuesday, which tells me that the Democrats in charge still see the conservative movement as a threat. We're not defeated, not yet. The media and certain John McCain staffers are trying to pin the blame of losing the election on Sarah Palin (the conservative). This sort of thing can be expected from the liberal media but to hear it from Republicans is truly upsetting. Sarah Palin saved John McCain's campaign, whether they admit it or not. She energized the base and is one of the fresh new faces of conservatism in America. She's a good woman and I hope to hear and see more of her in the future.
This fight is only beginning but I am not discouraged at all. I am seeing a re-energization of the conservative movement that I have not seen in my lifetime. The mistakes of 2008 will stay with us long in to the future as a reminder to stay true to our values and to inspire us to work hard in order to elect principled candidates. No more lame-duck candidates!
Remember, we will not be defeated if we lose - we'll only be defeated if we quit!
Links to start:
The Conservative Underground Blog
It's time to rebuild from the ground up. The last two days have reminded me of the inner strength and courage that conservatives have. Yes, we're all disappointed with the outcome of the election but even now, everywhere I look, grassroots campaigns are sprouting up. As Republicans, we did the best with the candidate that we were given and we did extraordinarily well, especially for a Democratic year. George W. Bush is incredibly unpopular and the Democrats should have been ahead 20 points in the polls. BUT THEY WEREN'T. John McCain managed to stay neck-to-neck with Barack Obama and captured almost 47% of the popular vote (according to CNN) despite being a moderate candidate with weak support from his base.
John McCain did not lose because the American people rejected conservatism - John McCain lost because he was out-financed by 5:1 (at least!) and because he ran one of the worst campaigns in recent years. Ann Coulter eloquently outlined the core of why McCain was unsuccessful in her 11/05/08 column, which I have quoted below.
How could Republicans go after B. Hussein Obama (as he is now known) on planning to bankrupt the coal companies when McCain supports the exact same cap and trade policies and earnestly believes in global warming?
How could we go after Obama for his illegal alien aunt and for supporting driver's licenses for illegal aliens when McCain fanatically pushed amnesty along with his good friend Teddy Kennedy?
How could we go after Obama for Jeremiah Wright when McCain denounced any Republicans who did so?
How could we go after Obama for planning to hike taxes on the "rich," when McCain was the only Republican to vote against both of Bush's tax cuts on the grounds that they were tax cuts for the rich?
I, of course, mean no disrespect to John McCain himself, who is a true American war hero and a good man, but Ann is correct. By being willing to squander our party message to appease the left and "Republicans" against our better judgement, we have lost both the country and our way.
Barack Obama is the President-Elect of the USA but this does not mean that I, or you, are obligated to support him in the least. The game is not over - there is no reason to stay silent while Barack Obama and the most liberal congress ever assembled try to dismantle our Constitution and redistribute America's hard-earned wealth around as they see fit. The drive-by media continues to trash Sarah Palin and other mainstream conservatives, despite their huge win on Tuesday, which tells me that the Democrats in charge still see the conservative movement as a threat. We're not defeated, not yet. The media and certain John McCain staffers are trying to pin the blame of losing the election on Sarah Palin (the conservative). This sort of thing can be expected from the liberal media but to hear it from Republicans is truly upsetting. Sarah Palin saved John McCain's campaign, whether they admit it or not. She energized the base and is one of the fresh new faces of conservatism in America. She's a good woman and I hope to hear and see more of her in the future.
This fight is only beginning but I am not discouraged at all. I am seeing a re-energization of the conservative movement that I have not seen in my lifetime. The mistakes of 2008 will stay with us long in to the future as a reminder to stay true to our values and to inspire us to work hard in order to elect principled candidates. No more lame-duck candidates!
Remember, we will not be defeated if we lose - we'll only be defeated if we quit!
Links to start:
The Conservative Underground Blog
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
So Obama won
Well, it was long and very interesting election season; full of surprises and extremely mean and dirty campaigning on both sides. Some how a socialist with slightly over 2 years of Senate experience has now been elected to be president and it really is just sad and depressing. Looks like the next 4 years are going to be extremely interesting.
Please go vote today!
It's that time again - please go and vote!
If you don't know where your polling station is, please visit ocvote.com and find out!
McCain/Palin 08!
If you don't know where your polling station is, please visit ocvote.com and find out!
McCain/Palin 08!
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