Thanks Again, Keyser Police Department and Mineral County Sheriff's Department

I'm very thankful for our fast acting and efficient local law enforcement today.

I was helping out a little this afternoon with the bi-yearly clothing drive put on by Cheri Alt and Helping Hands, getting ready to take my son down for football sign ups. Normal summer day in Keyser, West Virginia.

Then I looked outside and saw a Keyser patrol car going the wrong way down Main Street. I walked out, thinking "that's odd." Then came people running and shouting. A man with a gun was behind the building and he had already shot at an officer.

We probably spent thirty minutes, men, women, and small children locked in the kitchen in the back of the Legion Hall. Oh, also my son Jared was there. On the phone the city police tried to get us information as soon as it became available. Luckily it did not take too long for police to corrall and apprehend the suspect at the Grand Central Business Center. They did their job quickly and no one got hurt. Yet we have to remember that they took their lives in their hands to keep us safe.

Last I heard, and this is unofficial, the guy was walking to the pool to shoot his family. That could be wrong, you know how stories go in a small town. I'm just thankful for the police and deputies today.

Does this change my feelings on gun control? Not at all. Had there been a law abiding citizen among us who was acarrying his own weapon, I'm sure folks would have felt much more secure.

Anyway, the story of the day is our law enforcement. Thank you guys for doing what you do!

Potomac Highlands Conservative Endorses Dr. Doug McKinney to Remain State Republican Chair

The Potomac Highlands Conservative is proud to endorse Dr. Doug McKinney to be re-elected as West Virginia Republican Party Chair.

At the end of July, the state Republican Party will have its annual summer meeting. At that time the state executive committee will vote to either retain Dr. McKinney as party chair or select Mike Stuart of Charleston.

The old adage says that you don't change horses in midstream. That in itself is true, unless the horse cannot get across the river. Lincoln had to change his horses several times in midstream before finding a winning general. However, Dr. McKinney has been able to put together a strong list of accomplishments since becoming chair. Under his leadership the state party retired its fairly considerable debt. He also worked to build upon the professional staff in place, trying to obtain for the party an experienced and professional executive director to build up the organization and other efforts. In the past few years, the evolution of the state party's internet presence has been very worthy of praise. Finally, Dr. McKinney led the effort to get the state Republican Party into its new headquarters on Kanawha Boulevard.

Dr. McKinney's opponent and his supporters have led an aggressive campaign that has tried to attack the incumbent chair's record. The attacks create some serious questions:

They have voiced their dislike of Executive Director Troy Berman. What would Stuart propose to do with Mr. Berman and the executive director position?

They have also attacked almost every aspect of the relocation of the party headquarters. Would they move the headquarters again?

And finally, what is Stuart's vision? In what way would he operate that would be substantially different?

The biggest problem created by a changeover in leadership at this time is the inevitable learning curve. Unless you have actually done the job before, there is a period of time where you have to get acclimated and learn the job. If you are cleaning house and bringing in your people, they also have their own learning curves. It is a short period of time from July to November. If elected, how long would it take for Stuart and his people to learn the job and then become effective?

Another obstacle in the path of a Stuart chairmanship is the byproduct of the negativity spawned by his campaign. On the blog that backs his candidacy, you get a daily dose of hatefulness, albeit generally from those leaving comments. They get their shots in at Dr. McKinney and his wife most often while also occasionally attacking House of Delegates candidate Gary Howell and Buddy Randolph. Some of Stuart's supporters have raised issues of method and leadership, but others more often stick barbs into other loyal Republicans. The cloud of negativity won't disperse quickly. A few words from Stuart would have shut down his supporters who simply seek to insult rather than raise legitimate questions.

Not only do we endorse Dr. McKinney, we also believe that the selection of a new chair should take place after the election. Changing the leadership on the eve of the contest makes little sense.

Abandoning a Sinking Ship

In the last days of the Bush White House, you had a sense of things unraveling. The tight ship sprang leaks, efficiency seemed to evaporate, staff jumped ship in large numbers, and the Bush presidency coasted into history.

You get the same sense of unraveling with Obama, but it is only a year and a half into a contentious and remarkably unsuccessful administration.

Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel is apparently preparing to leave after the midterm elections. His approach reeked of political thuggishness, but he remained the most pragmatic of a leftist lot. Emmanuel reportedly clashed repeatedly with idealists such as David Axelrod, demanding that initiatives be pared down to meet the reality that America did not want to buy what the Democrats were selling. Then Emmanuel got the blame when Obama ideas torpedoed his popularity and made him look more like a Columbia professor than an engaged president.

Rumors point towards a possible run for mayor of Chicago or governor of Illinois, but the stench will stick with him for some time. Obama has turned out worse than Carter even by the standards of the Left. Clinging to the idea that he appointed a Nobel Prize winner to the Department of Energy is pretty typical of Obama in desperation mode.

It will be interesting to see who all leaves the White House after November, especially if, as expected, the Democrats take a major hit. He joins White House Budget Chief Peter Orzag, expected to leave his office this fall.

Conceding the Border?

We have a border problem. Public lands almost a hundred miles from the Mexican border have been closed due to the presence of bandits coming across. The police chief of Nogales, Arizona, according to CNN, received threats that his officers would be targeted for assassination by Mexican drug cartels.

Mexico has lost control of its own territory and we have lost control of our border. Meanwhile the president plays more golf and entertains celebrities while occasionally pausing to condemn state governors for doing his job.

It is time for border state governors to mobilize their own National Guard and patrol their Mexican border. During the Boer Wars, the British built blockhouses along lines of sight. These blockhouses were impregnable and were constantly manned by small units or individuals. Anyone attempting to cross was killed on sight. It has come to that because the Mexicans coming across are not merely folks looking for the easy way to improve their lives. They include hardened killers who are ready to exploit our land of freedom to spread chaos and fear.

If we had a real president, what could he do? First of all, return the Central Intelligence Agency to its roots and launch covert operations. Blow up cartel facilities, assassinate cartel leaders, and in all ways possible, go old school on them. Drug cartels cannot match the level of destruction and violence that American intelligence can bring to their doorstep. If they want to ruin their own country, go ahead. When they threaten U. S. law enforcement, the time has come to strike and strike hard. There is little difference between a drug cartel and a terrorist group when both threaten our nation. Second, support the National Guard and Border Patrol with Predator drone technology or a spy satellite that can indicate when groups are coming across. Keep helicopter gunships available.

Lastly, cut off all social and educational aid to illegals. Jail employers that knowingly violate the law. Cut off the market forces that bring over workers and scare the bejesus out of the drug lords.

Some have not yet conceded American territory to violence. In a National Public Radio story below, a Texas sheriff has advised residents to arm themselves and prepare to kill if violence spreads across the border from the nearby Juarez Valley.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125737965

Don't Miss John Boehner in Morgantown!

From the Desk of: JOHN A. BOEHNER
House Republican Leader

David McKinley needs our help. That's why I hope you'll join me in Morgantown, West Virginia this Saturday, June 26th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Waterfront Place Hotel, to help him raise the critical funds needed to spread his message of fiscal responsibility and true conservative values. We need a new conservative majority in Congress to cut government spending, get control of the debt, and help create new jobs - and the path to that majority runs directly through West Virginia's First Congressional District.

This fall, we have the chance to stop the jobs-killing agenda being rammed through Congress by Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid, and President Obama. But we need to elect conservative Republicans like David McKinley if we want to make it happen. In fact, the only way to scrap ObamaCare and stop a disastrous "cap and trade" national energy tax from becoming law is to pick up at least 39 Democrat-held seats in Congress.

You can help take the first step right here in West Virginia's First Congressional District. So please join me at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown, West Virginia for a reception with David this Saturday.

Thank You,
John Boehner
House Republican Leader

P.S. Please RSVP to (304) 214-9495 or visit Mckinley2010.com to make your contribution and show you support today.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's Statement on the Oil Crisis

No one has looked more presidential in the past several months than Governor Jindal. This is how government is supposed to work and this is why states' rights are important.

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We are fighting a war. There is no doubt that the ongoing BP oil spill is a full frontal assault on our Louisiana way of life.
From the beginning of this disaster more than 50 days ago, there have been many sorrowful sights of devastation in our wetlands and wildlife habitats. But there also have been true heroes emerging in the battles to protect our coast.
In the first weeks of the spill, we asked BP and the Coast Guard for their detailed plan for responding to an oil spill of this magnitude. As the oil started to come ashore and boom was late arriving in many areas, we again appealed to BP and the Coast Guard to meet the requests for resources outlined in our detailed parish plans. We were told to wait while they found more boom. Again, we did not wait. We moved ahead on our own, mobilizing the Louisiana National Guard to begin filling dozens of gaps in barrier islands along our coast.
Wind and weather conditions moved the oil into our coast again and again. We knew this oil spill was not going to be a single event for Louisiana; it is a war we will need to fight on many fronts.
We proposed 24 segments of sand booms to fortify against the oil. While the Corps' review process drug on, we took matters into our own hands and redirected our state-operated dredger on East Grand Terre to begin creating a sand boom wall of protection on that island. Only days after we directed this work, oil hit that area and today the sand boom on East Grand Terre is actively holding oil back from entering interior wetlands and waterways.
After weeks of delay, the Corps finally approved six segments in our plan. But the Coast Guard announced it would only call on BP to pay for one segment. We wouldn't take no for an answer. We got together again with coastal parish leaders and met with the president and National Incident Commander Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen.
We told BP to stop sending us lawyers and lobbyists; they had two choices — either begin work on the segments or get out of the way and let us begin the dredging work ourselves. We chose option two for them and signed an emergency contract to begin work on the sand boom segments ourselves — again taking matters into our own hands to protect our coast.
The war against this oil spill continues today, and our commitment to winning this war has only grown stronger. We will not wait on bureaucracy or wishful thinking. We will continue to move forward on our own to implement our own ideas for protecting coastal Louisiana, even when BP and the Coast Guard don't agree with our plans.
I know we can do this because of the many heroes we have fighting in this war alongside us — our coastal parish presidents, our National Guard troops, the fishermen who are laying out boom and the communities that are banding together to help one another in their time of need. We will protect our people and our communities and industries that make Louisiana the greatest state in the world.
And we will not rest until every drop of oil is off of our coast and out of our marshes and our water — and our seafood and our coastline are 100 percent whole again.
Bobby Jindal is Louisiana's governor.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

It was a spirited and sometimes acrimonious campaign between several men and women with good conservative credentials. They all vied for the Republican nomination for the First Congressional District of West Virginia. David McKinley on the right won while Mac Warner on the left made a strong surge at the end. When they met last Saturday at the Keyser Tea Party event, they clasped hands as old friends and gave each other credit in their speeches for running strong campaigns and being good men. This is a model for how Republicans need to get together and back each other for victory this November and beyond.

Keyser Tea Party has a host of Candidates Speaking

Bob Adams Executive Director of the League of American Voters


Stephen Smoot President of the Potomac Highland Patriots


Mineral County Commission Candidate Dr. Richard Lechliter


Gary Howell 49th House District Candidate


State Senator Dave Sypolt


John Yoder, West Virgina Supreme Court Candidate


David McKinley, Candidate for US Congress


Mac Warner former Congressional Candidate

Keyser Tea Party Scheduled for Tomorrow

A Tale of Two Immigration Enforcement Cases

A couple of weeks ago, the Mineral Daily News Tribune reported that Keyser police arrested a Mexican illegal alien for assault. When they requested that immigration authorities come and pick him up, they declined, stating that it was not important enough for them to make the trip.

Then comes this story told in a letter to the editor written by the wife of a Cameroon native. Apparently they had enough time to come and raid the home of a man from Cameroon apparently trying to stay in the United tates the right way, but no time to pick up a Mexican illegal who committed a felony about fifteen minutes down the road.

The following letter was written to the Mineral Daily News Tribune on June 14th. Immigration policy is completely out of whack under Obama if the facts stated below are true compared to the case of the Mexican illegal alien in Keyser.

Ridgeley, W.Va. -
To the Editor:My husband’s name is Serge Christian Nyamsi Babo. He arrived in the United States to play in a basketball tournament in Chicago in 1999, at the age of 17 years.He was brought into the country by a gentleman from Cameroon, who had the intentions of selling him and four other boys to basketball coaches. He came into the United States on a Visitor’s Visa. When the man found out that it was illegal for him to sell the boys, he gave them each $20 and told them to go get lunch, then meet back at the hotel.When the boys came back to the hotel, the man was gone. He left the boys stranded, without much money and speaking no English. The slept wherever they could find shelter. Serge ended up being taken in by a family in Indianapolis, Ind. His host father was, and still is, the chaplain for the Indianapolis Colts.Serge attended English classes and taught himself English. He met up with the basketball coach from a local high school. He graduated from Arlington High School in Indianapolis.While attending high school, his guidance counselor told him that they did not have the finances to apply to have his status adjusted to that of a student from a visitor. The counselor suggested that he apply for political asylum. Being young, naïve, and speaking very little English, Serge agreed to apply for the asylum. The asylum case was denied.Serge had an attorney, also a fellow Cameroonian, who lived in the United States. Serge was unaware at the time, but this gentleman had been disbarred and his privileges revoked as an attorney. This “attorney” told Serge that he would file an appeal.The appeal to the asylum case was also denied. Serge was granted voluntary departure. His “attorney” advised Serge to go ahead as planned, and marry his girlfriend at the time. Serge did as he was advised, and carried out their plans to get married. The appeal was filed, however the marriage papers were never filed, although they had been paid for. Serge and his wife (at that time) were under the impression that the petitions had been filed.Serge’s marriage did not work out, and he and his first wife divorced.My relationship with Serge began in 2005. Shortly after we became involved with one another, he contacted the INS to get an update on his case. In listening to the automated system, Serge learned that an order of deportation had been issued to him in February of 2005. Still to this day, he has not received a copy of the deportation letter.Serge and I were married in August 2006. Shortly before that, in July 2006, our firstborn son died at birth. Since then, we have been blessed with two more children. We have two sons, ages 2 ½ years and 9 months. We have an approved I-130 with the INS. We just purchased a house in July 2009.Serge has not been hiding from the INS. He has changed his address with them each time we have moved. He does not have a criminal background. He has a Social Security number that was issued by the government in order for him to obtain a work permit. His first work permit was issued in January 2009. He applied to have it renewed, and in January 2010 he received the renewal.He has been working for almost a year for a non-profit organization that houses abused and neglected children. He is a mentor and a role model for them.His case has been dismissed. It was never denied. We have filed a Motion to Reopen, but it was denied by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Our current attorney filed an appeal to the 7th Circuit’s denial, and that too was denied. When the appeal was denied, ICE was notified to come and pick him up. Although it has been almost 11 years since Serge last saw his family in Cameroon, he does not want to go back there to stay. He wants to remain in the United States with his wife and sons. He has already been in prison for almost four weeks now. That’s four weeks of his sons' lives that he has missed. We are trying to get him released from prison, and get his case reopened so that his status can be adjusted. Serge Babo is one of the most important people in my life. He is my husband, my best friend, and the father to our children.Serge is currently being held in the York County Prison, awaiting removal back to Cameroon, Africa. He was arrested by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) on May 12, 2010 while standing in our kitchen, washing dishes.He is a good man, not a criminal. He should not have to be treated as a prisoner. Prison is not the place for a man of his stature. He does not have a criminal background. He is a person of good moral character, a role model and mentor to children, and is active in our home church.In conversations with Serge, he repeatedly tells me of his two biggest fears: first, that his children will not know who he is when he returns home, and secondly, that he and I will lose all of our material assets which we have worked so hard to obtain.Only 2 ½ years old, Jeremiah is complimented frequently on how well-mannered and respectful he is. This is because of his father’s impact on his life.For the past three weeks, since Serge was taken in to custody, I have had to look into the eyes of this little boy, and try to answer him when he asks, “Where’s Daddy? When’s Daddy coming home?” Try explaining that to a toddler and expect him to understand what is going on. This little boy is hurting. He is heart broken. He sits and cries, and when I ask him why he’s crying, he replies, “Because I want to go get my Daddy.”He only knows that his Daddy was taken away from him by some strangers and they haven’t brought him back yet.Our baby, 9-month-old Jabari, is too little to know what’s going on. He’s not able to ask where his Daddy is, but I am certain that he notices his absence. His face lights up with smiles when he hears his voice on the phone, but slowly, he will forget who his Daddy is and won’t recognize him when they are reunited. Please help me to keep this from happening. These two young boys need their Daddy more than anything! I was rather upset and appalled and could not believe my eyes when I read the article, ON THE RECORD (from June 2, 2010) which read:"9:31 p.m. — Police received a call about a man assaulting a woman in an alley near East Piedmont Street. Arriving at the scene, officers conducted an investigation that determined an assault had occurred. Charged with domestic battery was Jose Velez, 24, who had been staying in Keyser. However, police said Velez eventually advised officers he was an illegal alien. No immigration charges were filed, as police said federal officials from the Immigration and Naturalization Service will not respond to take custody of a lone illegal. As a result of the investigation, Velez was further charged with two counts of obstructing an officer for failing to provide information about his residency, and public intoxication."The INS won't "take custody of a lone illegal"? Are you kidding me? What do you call what they have done to our family? The came into our house, and they took a man into custody that DOES NOT HAVE ANY CRIMINAL BACKGROUND!!I have contacted both Senator Byrd and Senator Rockefeller numerous times. Neither Senator is able to offer assistance. Both offices have given the response that it is legally out of their hands, and they cannot get involved.This is very disappointing. What kind of government do we have? Serge lives in West Virginia with his family. He works in West Virginia. HE PAYS TAXES IN WEST VIRGINIA...yet they still are unwilling to help in our situation.Maybe there is someone out there somewhere who can help us!

Brittney (Rinard) Babo
Ridgeley

The Obama Embracing Former Republican Governor of Florida Inspecting His State's Attractions

I'm not going to heavily criticize Florida Governor Charlie Crist for an unguarded moment like this. There's far too much to criticize about him that has real substance. His embrace of Obamunism led to his virtually being read out of the Republican Party. He will probably lose to Republican nominee Rubio this fall.

That all being said, this is a photographic moment that the man probably would rather not be spread.

MSNBC Bashes Obama's Oil Well Blowout Speech

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/06/15/msnbc_trashes_obamas_address_compared_to_carter_i_dont_sense_executive_command.html

The above link takes you to Real Clear Politics. They carry a transcript of some of the remarks made by MSNBC's ultra left wing political team after Obama's oil well blowout speech last night. Their tone is shocking compared to the gushing they did in 2008, ignoring the conservative accusations that an inexperienced Obama may be in over his head.

Of course they do it in a somewhat disturbing fashion. I do not like the idea of executive command as a model. Leadership, guidance, organization, innovation, these would help. Command is too dictatorial a word for me. Unless the situation involves war, I do not want a president thinking in terms of command.

This situation would try any president. Catastrophes either make or break those who aspire to be called leaders because there is so little margin for error. From the early day that Obama's Administration refused help from the Netherlands to his party with Paul McCartney, the president and his staff seem to have no clue that this is something beyond a political problem. It's actually the opposite of the Bush/Katrina problem. Bush was working behind the scenes to prevent economic disaster and deferring, as he should have, to the state governor. He and his people ignored the political issues created by the perceived lack of engagement. Obama's people have reacted as if this was entirely a political issue, hoping it would blow over, then reacting belatedly by putting on some silly tough guy act.

In any case, it's clear that temporarily at least he has lost the Left.

Addendum to Today's Call For Banding Together

Just took a quick peek over at West Virginia Red, something I do about once a week. Sometimes they have articles of interest when they are not continually and relentlessly attacking Chairman Doug McKinney, Executive Director Troy Berman, or any number of other state executive committee members. Today they did something that went a little too far.

Young Republicans Chairman Mike Howerton occasionally indulges in a little small time professional wrestling. It's an activity that lies somewhere between sports and performance art most certainly. To be good at it requires some acting that is more than a little over the top.

Wrestling's not my thing, personally, at least not since I was a teenager. However, I can see how doing it would be a fun way to earn a little extra cash. Don't tell that to a few of the folks over at West Virginia Red. The responses not only bashed Howerton, but also eventually became somewhat offensive with anti gay remarks. (For the record, Mike is about to get married, he is not gay.)

You know, if you have issues with how he was chosen for his position, or how he performs his job that's one thing. Insults should be beneath us.

Also for the record and by way of example, I remember Republican Sonny Bono being elected to the House of Representatives after singing and starring on a variety show. Christopher Guest, formerly of Saturday Night Live, was a member of the British House of Lords until reform laws disqualified him. Comedy sketch shows are about on the same respect level as professional wrestling, but that did not seem to hurt either of them. I guess the folks who don't like Mike were mortified to see "The Rock" sitting in front of former President George H. W. Bush at the 2000 Republican National Convention. Oh the humanity.

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Another thing that is a little more amusing is the attacks they have made on this blog. Basically their beef is that we don't bash Doug McKinney or other people involved with the WVGOP. Maybe they are not aware that not every conservative blog is eager to throw Republicans overboard at least twice a week or more. Over here we do local, regional, and state news along with commentary on current events and pieces on conservative thought, values, and ideals. Maybe that's not as interesting as some of what goes on over there, but our reason to exist is not to insult, tear down, or otherwise carry on against other conservatives and Republicans. There is a serious factional fight taking place in this party. Regardless of what happens this summer, we have to come together afterwards and fight the leftists instead of each other.

Not everyone who writes or responds to West Virginia Red creates vicious attacks, but there are enough to cause hard feelings that won't just vaporize in August. We will all need to work together for West Virginia to do their part, returning Ms. Capito and electing David McKinley and Spike Maynard, plus gaining as many legislative seats and other elected positions as possible.

I don't understand why some folks over there want to make that necessary August reconciliation (again, regardless of what happens!) as difficult as possible.

Time to Band Together

The primary season has just about wound down across the nation. In some states we saw surprises while in others we got pretty much what we expected. In this neck of the woods, Shelley Moore Capito will likely be returned to Congress. David McKinley was selected from a strong field of candidates to represent the party this November. Sure there was some family squabbling there that we don't always see here in West Virginia, but McKinley will do very well this summer and fall.

Across the country, Republicans are preparing for November, but there are two schools of thought on what should happen. The first school says that moderate Republicans squandered their opportunity to make a real impact last time they had power. They played politics as usual, handing out more and more pork while mouthing the principles that got them elected. Voter anger tossed them out for two straight elections. Some say that these men and women ought to be purged and replaced with more ideologically pure Republicans.

Others, such as Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, insist that we are all in it together and that we all have an interest in defeating the Left wing that holds the angry nation in its grip. There is some truth to this too. The political paradigm has shifted. Voters want debt reduction more than money sent back to the district. They fear socialism more than they want an old theatre refurbished (or whatever. Pick your pork example here!) And Republican voters want no compromise with the Left. They can see that this is a different Democratic Party than in the past. Horse trading won't work right now. But Governor Barbour has a point. We need all Republicans and all conservatives and libertarians period to overthrow Pelosiocracy.

Third parties and factions will doom us this year. Personal antagonism will as well. This year is bigger than all that. Republicans, independents, libertarians, and conservative Democrats need to vote for the Republican candidates whoever they are. They need to support the Republican Party organizations. Some of you are dissatisfied with how the RNC has conducted itself lately. So am I. I'm pretty disappointed some days. Declaring victory well before the election is never a good stretegy. However there is a lot of reason for optimism.

The party is evolving slowly, but surely. Texas's GOP defied their governor and passed a resolution calling for an Arizona style immigration law. State legislators across the nation are coming up with ways to defy unconstitutional federal measures. State attorneys general are filing lawsuits against the expansion of federal power. Most Republicans do "get it." It's time to unify and march on all fronts against an enemy desperate to hold on to power.

Leftism will transform this country stage by stage if it is not stopped quickly. We must avoid the fate that history imposed upon other nations over the centuries. That means setting all else aside and standing up for our rights and our nation. There is a reason that we call ourselves Republicans. This year and in 2012, it is about saving the Republic.

Little Orphan Annie Exits Stage Left and Obama To Return to Campaigning For Himself

The comic strip "Annie" is now ending its run after almost ninety years. Her adventures as an impoverished orphan helped by a benevolent businessman have made the movies and Broadway, but the print run, at least for now, is over.

Annie was a different type of cartoon in that it reflected the viewpoint of the rock ribbed Republican conservatives. She fought New Dealers, bureaucrats, clueless do gooders and social workers. The strip's message was clear. Government can and will screw up whatever it tries to do. Individual initiative and the private sector are better at solving America's problems.

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Obama will be appearing tomorrow night to address the nation on the oil spill. His gaffes on the subject actually predate the spill, when he joined the chorus of Bush bashers after Hurricane Katrina. He implied that his administration would reflect confidence instead of impotence. Of course the opposite has been true on all too many issues. Most recently he mused that he was looking for someone's a__ to kick. This was supposed to, perhaps, reduce the perception of Obama as detached intellectual professor and make him sound more proletarian. It came off as naturally as Michael Dukakis riding around in a tank, like a nerd finally trying to look tough and failing.

Obama today inspires more guffaws than confidence. Is the oil well blow out his fault? Probably not. However his refusal to accept offers of help from foreign and domestic sources, his regular partying with celebrities during the course of the disaster, his stilted public appearances, refusal to speak even to the friendly mainstream media all contribute to a breakdown of leadership. Add to that his unwillingness to spend Memorial Day at Arlington to honor the troops, the snubs of important allies, an offer of $400 million to the terrorist group Hamas, and to top it all off the rushing of Vice President Biden to the World Cup when neither Biden nor Obama could be bothered to attend the Polish president's funeral. What did Obama do that day? Did he pay respects at the Polish Embassy at least? No, he played golf.

This is just the last six months. This man is completely out of touch with the people and his responsibilities across the board. It's not just the oil well blowout that has Americans and people around the world worried. His entire presidency is a disaster of catastrophic proportions.

Thank You For Your Vote Jay Rockefeller

We have said it before that it is rare that we are able to thank one or more of our Democratic brethren for doing the right thing. This time we thank Senator Rockefeller.

Rockefeller this week voted for the resolution introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R) Alaska. It would have prevented the EPA from enacting crippling regulations that will raise all of our energy costs significantly. Rockefeller and the five other Democrats sided with Republicans to try and prevent the EPA from brazenly extending its authority beyond all reasonable bounds. They also defended the constitutional power of Congress to be the sole source of legislation as is stated in Article 1 Section 1. These EPA regulations are meant to impose measures that Congress refused to pass.

This is the list of Democrats who bucked party line. Notice that Robert C. Byrd is not one of them. He could have led a successful charge to defend the powers of Congress, but failed to step up to the occasion.

Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Evan Bayh (D-IN)

Speech of Howard Roark (played by Gary Cooper) in The Fountainhead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc7oZ9yWqO4

A nice Friday afternoon inspirational piece. Transcription below.


Howard Roark'sCourtroom Speech
From The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
“Thousands of years ago, the first man discovered how to make fire. He was probably burned at the stake he had taught his brothers to light. He was considered an evildoer who had dealt with a demon mankind dreaded. But thereafter men had fire to keep them warm, to cook their food, to light their caves. He had left them a gift they had not conceived and he had lifted dardness off the earth. Centuries later, the first man invented the wheel. He was probably torn on the rack he had taught his brothers to build. He was considered a transgressor who ventured into forbidden terrritory. But thereafter, men could travel past any horizon. He had left them a gift they had not conceived and he had opened the roads of the world. “That man, the unsubmissive and first, stands in the opening chapter of every legend mankind has recorded about its beginning. Prometheus was chained to a rock and torn by vultures—because he had stolen the fire of the gods. Adam was condemned to suffer—because he had eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Whatever the legend, somewhere in the shadows of its memory mankind knew that its glory began with one and that that one paid for his courage. “Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. Their goals differed, but they all had this in common: that the step was first, the road new, the vision unborrowed, and the response they received—hatred. The great creators—the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors—stood alone against the men of their time. Every great new thought was opposed. Every great new invention was denounced. The first motor was considered foolish. The airplane was considered impossible. The power loom was considered vicious. Anesthesia was considered sinful. But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered and they paid. But they won. “No creator was prompted by a desire to serve his brothers, for his brothers rejected the gift he offered and that gift destroyed the slothful routine of their lives. His truth was his only motive. His own truth, and his own work to achieve it in his own way. A symphony, a book, an engine, a philosophy, an airplane or a building—that was his goal and his life. Not those who heard, read, operated, believed, flew or inhabited the thing he had created. The creation, not its users. The creation, not the benefits others derived from it. The creation which gave form to his truth. He held his truth above all things and against all men. “His vision, his strength, his courage came from his own spirit. A man's spirit, however, is his self. That entity which is his consciousness. To think, to feel, to judge, to act are functions of the ego. “The creators were not selfless. It is the whole secret of their power—that it was self-sufficient, self-motivated, self-generated. A first cause, a fount of energy, a life force, a Prime Mover. The creator served nothing and no one. He lived for himself. “And only by living for himself was he able to achieve the things which are the glory of mankind. Such is the nature of achievement. “Man cannot survive except through his mind. He comes on earth unarmed. His brain is his only weapon. Animals obtain food by force. Man has no claws, no fangs, no horns, no great strength of muscle. He must plant his food or hunt it. To plant, he needs a process of thought. To hunt, he needs weapons, and to make weapons—a process of thought. From this simplest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from a single attribute of man—the function of his reasoning mind. “But the mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain. There is no such thing as a collective thought. An agreement reached by a group of men is only a compromise or an average drawn upon many individual thoughts. It is a secondary consequence. The primary act—the process of reason—must be performed by each man alone. We can divide a meal among many men. We cannot digest it in a collective stomach. No man can use his lungs to breathe for another man. No man can use his brain to think for another. All the functions of body and spirit are private. They cannot be shared or transferred. “We inherit the products of the thought of other men. We inherit the wheel. We make a cart. The cart becomes an automobile. The automobile becomes an airplane. But all through the process what we receive from others is only the end product of their thinking. The moving force is the creative faculty which takes this product as material, uses it and originates the next step. This creative faculty cannot be given or received, shared or borrowed. It belongs to single, individual men. That which it creates is the property of the creator. Men learn from one another. But all learning is only the exchange of material. No man can give another the capacity to think. Yet that capacity is our only means of survival. “Nothing is given to man on earth. Everything he needs has to be produced. And here man faces his basic alternative: he can survive in only one of two ways—by the independent work of his own mind or as a parasite fed by the minds of others. The creator originates. The parasite borrows. The creator faces nature alone. The parasite faces nature through an intermediary. “The creator’s concern is the conquest of nature. The parasite’s concern is the conquest of men. “The creator lives for his work. He needs no other men. His primary goal is within himself. The parasite lives second-hand. He needs others. Others become his prime motive. “The basic need of the creator is independence. The reasoning mind cannot work under any form of compulsion. It cannot be curbed, sacrificed or subordinated to any consideration whatsoever. It demands total independence in function and in motive. To a creator, all relations with men are secondary. “The basic need of the second-hander is to secure his ties with men in order to be fed. He places relations first. He declares that man exists in order to serve others. He preaches altruism. “Altruism is the doctrine which demands that man live for others and place others above self. “No man can live for another. He cannot share his spirit just as he cannot share his body. But the second-hander has used altruism as a weapon of expoloitation and reversed the base of mankind’s moral principles. Men have been taught every precept that destroys the creator. Men have been taught dependence as a virtue. “The man who attemps to live for others is a dependent. He is a parasite in motive and makes parasites of those he serves. The relationship produces nothing but mutual corruption. It is impossible in concept. The nearest approach to it in reality—the man who lives to serve others—is the slave. If physical slavery is repulsive, how much more repulsive is the concept of servility of the spirit? The conquered slave has a vestige of honor. He has the merit of having resisted and of considering his condition evil. But the man who enslaves himself voluntarily in the name of love is the basest of creatures. He degrades the dignity of man and he degrades the conception of love. But this is the essence of altruism. “Men have been taught that the highest virtue is not to achieve, but to give. Yet one cannot give that which has not been created. Creation comes before distribution—or there will be nothing to distribute. The need of the creator comes before the need of any possible beneficiary. Yet we are taught to admire the second-hander who dispenses gifts he has not produced above the man who made the gifts possible. We praise an act of charity. We shrug at an act of achievement. “Men have been taught that their first concern is to relieve the sufferings of others. But suffering is a disease. Should one come upon it, one tries to give relief and assistance. To make that the highest test of virtue is to make suffering the most important part of life. Then man must wish to see others suffer—in order that he may be virtuous. Such is the nature of altruism. The creator is not concerned with disease, but with life. Yet the work of the creators has eliminated one form of disease after another, in man’s body and spirit, and brought more relief from suffering than any altruist could ever conceive. “Men have been taught that it is a virtue to agree with others. But the creator is the man who disagrees. Men have been taught that it is a virtue to swim with the current. But the creator is the man who goes against the current. Men have been taught that it is a virtue to stand together. But the creator is the man who stands alone. “Men have been taught that the ego is the synonym of evil, and selflessness the ideal of virtue. But the creator is the egotist in the absolute sense, and the selfless man is the one who does not think, feel, judge or act. These are functions of the self. “Here the basic reversal is most deadly. The issue has been perverted and man has been left no alternative—and no freedom. As poles of good and evil, he was offered two conceptions: egotism and altruism. Egotism was held to mean the sacrifice of others to self. Altruism—the sacrifice of self to others. This tied man irrevocably to other men and left him nothing but a choice of pain: his own pain borne for the sake of others or pain inflicted upon others for the sake of self. When it was added that man must find joy in self-immolation, the trap was closed. Man was forced to accept masochism as his ideal—under the threat that sadism was his only alternative. This was the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on mankind. “This was the device by which dependence and suffering were perpetuated as fundamentals of life. “The choice is not self-sacrifice or domination. The choice is independence or dependence. The code of the creator or the code of the second-hander. This is the basic issue. It rests upon the alternative of life or death. The code of the creator is built on the needs of the reasoning mind which allows man to survive. The code of the second-hander is built on the needs of a mind incapable of survival. All that which proceeds from man’s independent ego is good. All that which proceeds from man’s dependence upon men is evil. “The egotist is the absolute sense is not the man who sacrifices others. He is the man who stands above the need of using others in any manner. He does not function through them. He is not concerned with them in any primary matter. Not in his aim, not in his motive, not in his thinking, not in his desires, not in the source of his energy. He does not exist for any other man—and he asks no other man to exist for him. This is the only form of brotherhood and mutual respect possible between men. “Degrees of ability vary, but the basic principle remains the same: the degree of a man’s independence, initiative and personal love for his work determines his talent as a worker and his worth as a man. Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and value. What a man is and makes of himself; not what he has or hasn’t done for others. There is no substitute for personal dignity. There is no standard of personal dignity except independence. “In all proper relationships there is no sacrifice of anyone to anyone. An architect needs clients, but he does not subordinate his work to their wishes. They need him, but they do not order a house just to give him a commission. Men exchange their work by free, mutual consent to mutual advantage when their personal interests agree and they both desire the exchange. If they do not desire it, they are not forced to deal with each other. They seek further. This is the only possible form of relationship between equals. Anything else is a relation of slave to master, or victim to executioner. “No work is ever done collectively, by a majority decision. Every creative job is achieved under the guidance of a single individual thought. An architect requires a great many men to erect his building. But he does not ask them to vote on his design. They work together by free agreement and each is free in his proper function. An architect uses steel, glass, concrete, produced by others. But the materials remain just so much steel, glass and concrete until he touches them. What he does with them is his individual product and his individual property. This is the only pattern for proper co-operation among men. “The first right on earth is the right of the ego. Man’s first duty is to himself. His moral law is never to place his prime goal within the persons of others. His moral obligation is to do what he wishes, provided his wish does not depend primarily upon other men. This includes the whole sphere of his creative faculty, his thinking, his work. But it does not include the sphere of the gangster, the altruist and the dictator. “A man thinks and works alone. A man cannot rob, exploit or rule—alone. Robbery, exploitation and ruling presuppose victims. They imply dependence. They are the province of the second-hander. “Rulers of men are not egotists. They create nothing. They exist entirely through the persons of others. Their goal is in their subjects, in the activity of enslaving. They are as dependent as the beggar, the social worker and the bandit. The form of dependence does not matter. “But men were taught to regard second-handers—tyrants, emperors, dictators—as exponents of egotism. By this fraud they were made to destroy the ego, themselves and others. The purpose of the fraud was to destroy the creators. Or to harness them. Which is a synonym. “From the beginning of history, the two antagonists have stood face to face: the creator and the second-hander. When the first creator invented the wheel, the first second-hander responded. He invented altruism. “The creator—denied, opposed, persecuted, exploited—went on, moved forward and carried all humanity along on his energy. The second-hander contributed nothing to the process except the impediments. The contest has another name: the individual against the collective. “The ‘common good’ of a collective—a race, a class, a state—was the claim and justification of every tyranny ever established over men. Every major horror of history was committed in the name of an altruistic motive. Has any act of selfishness ever equaled the carnage perpetrated by disciples of altruism? Does the fault lie in men’s hypocrisy or in the nature of the principle? The most dreadful butchers were the most sincere. They believed in the perfect society reached through the guillotine and the firing squad. Nobody questioned their right to murder since they were murdering for an altruistic purpose. It was accepted that man must be sacrificed for other men. Actors change, but the course of the tragedy remains the same. A humanitarian who starts with declarations of love for mankind and ends with a sea of blood. It goes on and will go on so long as men believe that an action is good if it is unselfish. That permits the altruist to act and forces his victims to bear it. The leaders of collectivist movements ask nothing for themselves. But observe the results. “The only good which men can do to one another and the only statement of their proper relationship is—Hands off! “Now observe the results of a society built on the principle of individualism. This, our country. The noblest country in the history of men. The country of greatest achievement, greatest prosperity, greatest freedom. This country was not based on selfless service, sacrifice, renunciation or any precept of altruism. It was based on a man’s right to the pursuit of happiness. His own happiness. Not anyone else’s. A private, personal, selfish motive. Look at the results. Look into your own conscience. “It is an ancient conflict. Men have come close to the truth, but it was destroyed each time and one civilization fell after another. Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage’s whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men. “Now, in our age, collectivism, the rule of the second-hander and second-rater, the ancient monster, has broken loose and is running amuck. It has brought men to a level of intellectual indecency never equaled on earth. It has reached a scale of horror without precedent. It has poisoned every mind. It has swallowed most of Europe. It is engulfing our country. “I am an architect. I know what is to come by the principle on which it is built. We are approaching a world in which I cannot permit myself to live. “Now you know why I dynamited Cortlandt. “I designed Cortlandt. I gave it to you. I destroyed it. “I destroyed it because I did not choose to let it exist. It was a double monster. In form and in implication. I had to blast both. The form was mutilated by two second-handers who assumed the right to improve upon that which they had not made and could not equal. They were permitted to do it by the general implication that the altruistic purpose of the building superseded all rights and that I had no claim to stand against it. “I agreed to design Cortlandt for the purpose of seeing it erected as I dedigned it and for no other reason. That was the price I set for my work. I was not paid. “I do not blame Peter Keating. He was helpless. He had a contract with his employers. It was ignored. He had a promise that the structure he offered would be built as designed. The promise was broken. The love of a man for the integrity of his work and his right to preserve it are now considered a vague intangible and an inessential. You have heard the prosecutor say that. Why was the building disfigured? For no reason. Such acts never have any reason, unless it’s the vanity of some second-handers who feel they have a right to anyone’s property, spiritual or material. Who permitted them to do it? No particular man among the dozens in authority. No one cared to permit it or to stop it. No one was responsible. No one can be held to account. Such is the nature of all collective action. “I did not receive the payment I asked. But the owners of Cortlandt got what they needed from me. They wanted a scheme devised to build a structure as cheaply as possible. They found no one else who could do it to their satisfaction. I could and did. They took the benefit of my work and made me contribute it as a gift. But I am not an altruist. I do not contribute gifts of this nature. “It is said that I have destroyed the home of the destitute. It is forgotten that but for me the destitute could not have had this particular home. Those who were concerned with the poor had to come to me, who have never been concerned, in order to help the poor. It is believed that the poverty of the future tenants gave them the right to my work. That their need constituted a claim on my life. That it was my duty to contribute anything demanded of me. This is the second-hander’s credo now swallowing the world. “I came here to say that I do not recognize anyone’s right to one minute of my life. Nor to any part of my energy. Nor to any achievement of mine. No matter who makes the claim, how large their number or how great their need. “I wished to come here and say that I am a man who does not exist for others. “It had to be said. The world is perishing from an orgy of self-sacrificing. “I wished to come here and say that the integrity of a man’s creative work is of greater importance than any charitable endeavor. Those of you who do not understand this are the men who’re destroying the world. “I wished to come here and state my terms. I do not care to exist on any others. “I recognize no obligations toward men except one: to respect their freedom and to take no part in a slave society. To my country, I wish to give the ten years which I will spend in jail if my country exists no longer. I will spend them in memory and in gratitude for what my country has been. It will be my act of loyalty, my refusal to live or work in what has taken its place. “My act of loyalty to every creator who ever lived and was made to suffer by the force responsible for the Cortlandt I dynamited. To every tortured hour of loneliness, denial, frustration, abuse he was made to spend—and to the battles he won. To every creator whose name is known—and to every creator who lived, struggled and perished unrecognized before he could achieve. To every creator who was destroyed in body or in spirit. To Henry Cameron. To Steven Mallory. To a man who doesn’t want to be named, but who is sitting in this courtroom and knows that I am speaking of him.”
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Keyser Tea Party Scheduled for June 19th

Puritans and Socialists

No one hates the Puritans more than self-described liberals and leftists. They claim to hate the value that Puritans placed on enforced social conformity in thought, appearance, and action. A group of elders sat at the top of society deciding what was best and then enforcing their judgments on everyone. Some got humiliated in the stocks. Some received beatings or imprisonment. Some were mercifully banished. Others were killed. Those receiving punishment could not conform or adhere to the restrictive ideals that Puritanism placed on society in the name of God.

Take away the guiding principle of the Puritans' interpretation of the Holy Bible and what you are left with is a Utopian ideal that in practice comes very close to what the leftists seek to impose. Puritans ruled several areas for brief amounts of time. They controlled much of New England from its founding until the 1680s when control was wrenched away by James II. For a brief period in the 1650s they ruled Maryland after an armed coup. Between the 1640s and early 1660s Puritans held Great Britain itself in the grip of a revolutionary government dominated by the dictatorial Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Britain enjoyed their Puritan dictatorship so much that on Cromwell's death they invited to the throne the son of the king they executed.

Puritans demand a conformity of thought to their ideals. The Left believes that Tea Parties and the Republicans are "seditious," in other words guilty of criminal speech against the government. Puritans want to impose a conformity of habit. The Left is out in front of the movement to tax certain kinds of fat, use government controls to reduce sodium content, and tax smoking out of affordability. Puritans established compulsory education to ensure that children learned their ideals of Christianity and learned a healthy hatred of "damned" sects such as Anglicans and Catholics. The Left has voiced its desire repeatedly to use the school system to promote its peculiar and fringe ideals on economics, society, and culture while attacking respect for the flag, the Founding Fathers, and the free enterprise system.

The difference between the Puritans of New England and the Left is that Puritans always had control and had to preach conformity and authoritarianism. The Left just obtained control and is finding it difficult to go from preaching non conformity and questioning authority to a state where no one is to question and criticize Dear Leader. It has left many on that side of the political spectrum confused and disoriented. Some have just outright rejected him themselves, despite the threat of banishment from the Democratic cash trough.

When thinking about the Puritan dictatorship of Britain, one sees historical hope. The criminal rule of King Charles I followed by the revolutionary brutality of Cromwell convinced Britain as a whole to reject the notion of a powerful central authority. They dismantled their army in peacetime and stuck to the idea that government must be small and unable to impose its will upon the people. Maybe Obama/Cromwell has been a wakeup call to our country that we must fundamentally change our thinking as Britain did. Government must return to being an "obedient servant" instead of a parental provider figure. We must cut our taxes and drastically cut back on what we expect the government to do. That could include privatizing the contruction of roads and bridges, eliminating several Cabinet level departments, and other ideas. The time is soon coming when we must scale back or collapse. Puritan rule caused this positive movment in the 1600s. Will leftist extremism in power do the same now?

Democratic U. S. Senate Candidate Says Death Panels? Why Not?

What is the value of life? Doctors do not always know when a patient has three months or three years. A person pays into a system all of their life and when they need it most, this "compassionate" Democrat would say "Nein! Your social utility is over! Die you parasite." Of course this idiot is running in Florida.

Sarah Palin was dead on about death panels.



Maurice Ferré: Cut medical costs for those about to die

Senate candidate Maurice Ferré said it is wrong to spend thousands of dollars to prolong the lives of the dying for a short time.
BY GEORGE BENNETT
Palm Beach Post
WEST PALM BEACH -- Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Maurice Ferré says the United States spends an ``absurd'' amount on end-of-life care and should gradually move to a universal health system in which the government controls costs by setting prices for medical procedures and capping expenditures based on age and medical condition.
Speaking to The Palm Beach Post editorial board Wednesday, Ferré said he would have voted for the healthcare overhaul passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama as ``a step in the right direction.'' He said the ``Medicare-for-everyone'' system he favors should be phased in over about 25 years.
Ferré, 75, is a former Miami mayor running a low-budget Democratic primary campaign against U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami and Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene.
Answering a question about the long-term solvency of Social Security, Ferré said that raising the retirement age should be considered.
He then went into a discussion of Medicare costs, saying a large amount of money typically is spent in the final three months of a person's life.
``I've already written in my will that I don't want you to go spending half a million dollars to keep me alive for three more months all tubed up with all kinds of liquids going in and out of my body and my mind slowly slipping away. It's a torture chamber,'' Ferré said.
``Now you say, well, that's a `death panel.' Well, you know what, when you get to be 85 or 90 years old, you're going to die. And I'm sorry, you call it, Sarah Palin, what you want, but the fact is that it is absurd for us to be spending the types of money we're spending to extend life three months.''
Asked what he would do as a senator to control such costs, Ferré said: ``I would absolutely say that this is the cap on how much is available for you to spend at age 90, 87, with a heart condition of this sort, with diabetes of this sort, two legs missing and, you know, this is how much is available for you to spend. And you spend it any way you want.''
He added: ``My logic tells me that it is illogical to spend half a million dollars to extend a diabetic person who has two legs cut off, that we spend half a million dollars to tube up that person and extend their lives six months.''

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/10/1672403/ferre-cut-medical-costs-for-those.html?mitest=A_default#ixzz0qTdkEZSW