Can You Spell "Indoctrination" Boys and Girls? I Knew You Could!

I'm taking my son fishing at noon next Tuesday, September 8th. I am going to let him sleep in and eat a good breakfast. Then at noon, we will go down to New Creek and go try to catch some dinner.

That is what we will do if Mineral County Schools comply with the request of the Secretary of Education to basically turn that day into "Barack Obama Day." Here is the letter from the Secretary of Education to school principals written last week:

Letter From Secretary Arne Duncan to School Principals August 26, 2009
Classroom Activities
Grades preK-6

PDF (64K) | MS Word (32K)
Grades 7-12

PDF (108K) | MS Word (80K)
Please note that the time of this speech has changed to 12:00 noon eastern standard time.
Dear Principal:

In a recent interview with student reporter, Damon Weaver, President Obama announced that on September 8 — the first day of school for many children across America — he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.

Since taking office, the President has repeatedly focused on education, even as the country faces two wars, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and major challenges on issues like energy and health care. The President believes that education is a critical part of building a new foundation for the American economy. Educated people are more active civically and better informed on issues affecting their lives, their families and their futures.

This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation's school children about persisting and succeeding in school. We encourage you to use this historic moment to help your students get focused and begin the school year strong. I encourage you, your teachers, and students to join me in watching the President deliver this address on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov 12:00 noon eastern standard time.

In advance of this address, we would like to share the following resources: a menu of classroom activities for students in grades preK-6 and for students in grades 7-12. These are ideas developed by and for teachers to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives. We are also staging a student video contest on education. Details of the video contest will be available on our website www.ed.gov in the coming weeks.
On behalf of all Americans, I want to thank our educators who do society's most important work by preparing our children for work and for life. No other task is more critical to our economic future and our social progress. I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead to continue improving the quality of public education we provide all of our children.
Sincerely,

Arne Duncan

*********************************************************

Why has this not been big news in the media outlets? How come this unprecedented expansion of exposure of Il Duce right into our classrooms has not been debated or discussed? Apparently it is flying very smoothly under the radar. I learned about it from Facebook.

What is the problem? This president has failed to ingratiate himself with the people, so he is taking his charm and smile to the children. They will be asked to rate the three most important words of his speech, read background materials on Obama (probably NOT provided by the RNC), and discuss "what he is inspiring them and challenging them to do."

The fact is, we know all we care to know about this man. His attempt to worm his way into the school curriculum is actually pretty pathetic.

My kids will likely be home that day. My son will love another fishing trip. When they ask for an absence note, they'll get a "Don't Tread On Me " flag. Of course that is if Mineral County Schools signs on to this. Hopefully they have better things to do that day, like education.

Secretary of Education Asks Schools to Devote Much of September 8th to Obama

Tuesday September 8th has been designated by the US Secretary of Education apparently as a day to bask in the glow of The Won.

A speech will be broadcast from the White House online. Students will be asked to read about His Husseinness, rate the three best words from the speech, discuss how Obama inspired them, etc.

A national day of protest by Bury the Blue is in the early stages of being organized.

It is not clear at this point if Mineral County or other regional systems will be taking part.

More details to come in tomorrow morning's Potomac Highlands Conservative.

Only God Knows When It's Your Time to Go

Left wing proposals for an independent panel to make allocation choices for the sick and elderly generally find condemnation among conservatives. Sarah Palin's reference to such bodies as "death panels" sharpened the debate and placed left wingers on the defensive. Some writers, even on the conservative side, however, have questioned the logic of pumping costly resources into patients during the last year of life. They cite the statistic that 30% of health care costs go to people in their last several months of living.

Here's the problem. No one knows whether or not the sick eighty year old is on their last legs, or if they have several good years in them. Obama Administration health care advisors callously argue that younger people deserve more health care because they have potentially more to contribute. This ignores the fact that the elderly paid into insurance and/or Medicare their entire lives. Don't forget the servicemen who sacrificed for their country either. Doctors must proceed under the assumption that the patient can make a reasonable recovery, or they risk killing a person well before their time.

Another problem lies in the patient. Let's say the eighty year old is a distinguished senator compared to a former teacher or factory worker, or any common person. I seriously doubt that the "independent panel" that Obama wants to make decisions will look at a senator, an actor, or another famous individual in the same way as retired railroad worker Joe Smith of Keyser, West Virginia. One will get the care, the other gets the shaft.

We are a people conditioned to be optimists because sometimes heroic and expensive measures do give us a few more years with Grandma. You cannot put a price tag on a life that a person wants to live, or the love their families have for them. Their productivity over a lifetime paid into insurance or Medicare entitles them to care no matter what callous, uncaring left wing socialists think is best.

Some Items Left Out of Kennedy-Fest

Last week we saw endless praises and near canonizations heaped upon Senator Ted Kennedy. Someone, somewhere called him the "Lion of the Senate" and others compared him to Henry Clay and Daniel Webster as one of the greatest ever. Of course no Democratic funeral would be complete without utilizing it for political gain. The Kennedy family brought forth children to try and convince the nation to pass socialized health care that the man himself would never have used himself.


You would never, however, go through a Richard Nixon death without mention of Watergate. Kennedy's misdeeds similarly ought to follow praises of whatever it is he did that was great.


Most remember the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. Nothing to say about this that readers of thise site do not know already.


What many people are not aware of is how damaging Ted Kennedy was to this state. In 1960 the future Senator took charge of John F. Kennedy's effort to win Southern West Virginia. The region already had an unsavory reputation for corruption. Most county bosses lined up behind Midwestern traditional liberal Hubert Humphries. At this point their influence, especially that of Raymond Chafin of Logan County, was very strong.


Chris Matthews said recently that John F. Kennedy's good looks won him the 1960 primary in West Virginia. In contrast to this rather insulting and condescending assertion, West Virginians themselves have tried to relate the real story of the 1960 primary. Two books in the past few years, West Virginia Tough Boys, by F. Keith Davis and Don't Buy Another Vote I Won't Pay For a Landslide, by former Gaston Caperton Administration official Dr. Allen Loughry, discussed in detail the drama that unfolded in that primary season. Basically what it boils down to is that the Kennedy campaign pumped tens of thousands of dollars into the hands of county bosses. This caused them to switch allegiances overnight to Kennedy and to use some of the funds to line up precincts for their new candidate.


Dr. Loughry also argues that the massive amount of funds injected into the hands of the bosses and by extension many corrupted voters raised the bar for voting irregularities. In essence, to purchase a West Virginia election, a candidate would need more cash than ever. This tied some more tightly to unsavory donors while making for others personal wealth and the willingness to use it in illegal ways more tempting than ever. Obvious fraud and corruption benefitted the status quo since voters reacted by growing ever more cynical. When you have a mindset that all politicians are crooks, you tend to adopt "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't" mentality.


And who should answer for this? Ted Kennedy's death removed a man who likely knew a lot, but never uttered a word about that scandalous year of 1960.

Rockefeller on Healthcare

Secularism As a Religion

In the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church controlled society. It saw itself as a parent of the people, guiding them away from sin, by persuasion if possible and by force if necessary. This, as well as Puritan theocracies in early New England, gave religious authority a bad name for intolerance and tyranny.

Religious authorities in those times and places used the power of the state to curb people's natural rights to think and make choices about religion. The United States Constitution responded to such fears by weighing in against the establishment of any particular denomination as an official religion. It balanced this language by providing that government cannot prevent the free exercise of religion either.

This reflects a general trend in Western Civilization towards the religion-neutral state. Certainly this has sparked arguments and dissention as some occasionally go too far in wiping away religious references in government controlled zones. It does not mean that religion has been officially established when high school football teams pray in the locker room before a game.

In recent years, the religion-neutral state has started to transform into the religiously hostile state. France recently outlawed the Muslim practice of burkha wearing among women. They argued that women wear the clothing under duress. I wonder how they determined that every Muslim woman in the entire country has rejected that tradition. Headscarves are also not permitted in that country's schools.

Most frightening is the recent prosecution by Obama's Justice Department of a principal and an athletic director in federal court because they prayed before a meal. The ACLU claims that the entire school district has "flagrantly" defied their interpretation of the First Amendment for years. They could spend six days in federal prison for praying.

Secularism has become, in some ways, a religion. It has no god and no soul, but it does keep a creed and a faith in a flawed perception of the Constitution. When good men go to jail for simply exercising their natural right to speak and freely exercise their religion, secularist tyranny has emerged. These men forced no one to pray with them, whether they were adults or students. However they violated the conformity of thought that secular tyranny seeks to impose, regardless of a man or woman's natural rights. Obama recently removed the legal and liability protections once enjoyed by medical practitioners who refuse to participate in procedures that are against their faith.

The victims of secularist tyranny are not only Christians, but also Jews, Muslims, or anyone else with an abiding and principled faith in their religion. Tolerance of different religions is great and necessary in a free society. Left wing government today actively campaigns against the faithful, proving that our nation grows less free every day that left wing Democrats remain in power.

Never Underestimate the Will of the American People

CONGRESS THIS INCLUDES YOU! LISTEN TO US!

Rockefeller Proposes Federal Control Over Internet

US Senator Jay Rockefeller is currently working on a bill that, if passed, will drastically increase the power held by the federal government over the internet.

Designed as a law to enable federal takeover of large parts of cyberspace in event of a national security crisis, it identifies "critical" elements of the private sector that might be vulnerable. It gives the government authority over information sharing and personnel hiring. Proponents compare it to the power that President Bush exercised after 9/11 to ground air traffic.

Critics argue that this is another attempt by a left wing government to extend its power over America's private sector. Larry Clinton of the Internet Security Alliance told Declan McCullough of CBS News that the vagueness of the bill invites maximum infringement upon property, personal, and other rights. This group, which includes representatives from Verizon, Carnegie Mellon University, and others, has expressed repeated concerns over increased control from an administration already noted as failing in most areas of cybersecurity.

Vague laws undermine the concept of rule of law that is critical to our freedom. If a law is written loosely enough, it can be applied to many situations where enforcement to protect or maintain order is not required. The federal government would love to see the internet regarded more like broadcast radio and television than print. That way it can regulate it without regard to the Bill of Rights.

The Real American Crisis

The media over the past several months provided America with saturated coverage of two manufactured crises, one of health care and the other of global warming/climate change/whatever else they want to call it this week.

America's most important domestic crisis of the next decade lies somewhere else, behind bars.

Two major state penitentiary type institutions, one in California and the other in Kentucky, saw violent riots this month. They serve as frightening reminders that the criminal population has exploded well beyond the capacity of the state and federal government to handle them, much less discipline or rehabilitate.

Two factors played into the explosion of the prison system. First was the drug boom starting in the 1960s. This obviously created new and more dangerous classes of criminals. Money fueled the rise of street gang power and violence.

The massive shutdowns of state hospital facilities at about the same time also contributed to the problem. Criminals with serious mental problems now go to jail instead of treatment. I am talking here more about the kleptomaniac, the severely depressed, and others who would benefit more from medical science rather than incarceration. So many individuals with severe problems were let out onto the streets with admonitions to take their pills and no other guidance. Many, unable to cope with mainstream society, ended up in prison or homeless. All too many of the mentally ill only immerse themselves more into the criminal world when they are placed with more hardened inmates.

No easy answers exist here. I watched a National Geographic program recently about the North Branch prison built near Cresaptown. Every cell has an intercom and a camera. Every control system is redundant. This prison cost $171 million. It is only one of many prisons in one medium sized state. The cost of prison is skyrocketing.

The problem is that when prisons get overcrowded, the chance that society will have to deal with truly violent prisoners increases. California received a court order to simply release a large number of prisoners. How many armed robbers, rapists, murderers, and molesters does that include? Early release programs also send these people back onto the streets more quickly. Less ability to monitor these people means that increasing numbers can escape from facilities less modern than North Branch. Those most violent inmates also prey upon the weaker and non violent in their midst, exacerbating their problems and creating a disturbed mindset that they will take with them when they are released.

I have no idea how to begin to solve this problem outside of dropping the country's most violent offenders onto a deserted atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Just because no solution is apparent now does not mean we should avoid the conversation. Our inmate population will eventually grow to a point where we cannot afford to keep it housed. Time to look at ways to address it right now.

Papiere gefallen!

What has happened to free speech in this nation? It is a Constitutional Right guaranteed by the First Amendment to petition government and a Congressman has the nerve to ask for the identification of a constituent. It is reminiscent of those words heard in Germany in the 1940's "Papiere gefallen!" When a Congressman basically echo's "Paper's Please," then things have gone to far. It is time to return to the Constitution!

The Republican Party Finally Embraces the Alice Cooper Strategy

I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing

Until they got a hold of me . . .

I got no friends cause they read the papers

They can't be seen with me and I'm getting shot down

And I'm feelin' mean

No more Mister Nice Guy

No more Mister Clean

The Ministry of Disinformation once again issued an Obama style bull. Republicans found themselves again attacked, Obama threatening to not work with them on major issues.

Hmm. Who outside of the Republican Party of Maine has he worked with?

A furious Michael Steele charged the issue, challenging Obama directly. Calling the current health care bills "poisonous," Steele told the Democrats to go ahead and try to pass it over public protests and GOP objections. He promised that the Democrats would face voter wrath next year.

Steele's approach so far in his tenure as national chairman has reflected occasional pin pricks at the opposition, but not the fire and brimstone expected from the faithful. This shows a new adversarial approach that reflects left wing attitudes towards the conservative majority of America in the past few months.

State parties have already taken up the challenge. Michigan's Republican Party has a Facebook page with a nationwide following. It issues press releases, commentary, and links to nationally known writers such as Michelle Malkin. Followers get at least three or four topical updates from this source daily.

The West Virginia Republican Party has also fired up its press machine, releasing information and attacks on Democratic hegemony daily. It plans to update its website soon and increase its ability to reach those who follow the new media. Media modernization will form a large part of its plan to push towards legislative majorities in the next election.

Republicans tend to be quiet citizens, concentrating on work and family. The threat to our country's values has sparked justifiable fear and rage that the party organizations must recognize and channel into peaceful, effective protests and votes.

Media Mythologizing

If I had a dollar for every time I saw the word "myth" in the media recently, I'd be rich for awhile, but then an Obama redistribution czar would say I had too much and take it away.

For once, the left found itself on the short end of the language battle. Well schooled in postmodernist principles of the slippery nature of words, they scared the dickens out of people when Bush proposed modest changes in Social Security. No one accused liberals of mythologizing when they made seniors think that Bush wanted to put all of their Social Security into the stock market. As usual, conservatives lost the language war by trying to keep the tone and rhetoric at what they believed was a civil level.

A new generation, guided by Newt Gingrich and led in part by Sarah Palin, attacked leftists on their own turf. Conservatives and libertarians were still more accurate in their rhetoric than leftists in the past. Obama and his ghoulish chief of staff discussed independent panels and allocating resources to people with social usefulness. Palin called them what they are, "death panels." If you withold health care to an elderly person with dementia, as Emmanuel wants, you kill them. Leaving the decision to an independent panel of experts, as Obama advocates, put them in charge of saying who will live and who shall die. What is mythological about that?

Leftists struggle to regain the initiative by calling conservative and libertarian concerns "myths." Opponents gained the initiative on this debate because, unlike congressmen and media types, they actually read the bill and imparted their sense of horror to the world. Democrats opposing Social Security reform did not quote at length from the bills as conservatives and libertarians have. The word "myth" still lacks the punch of "death panel" and I would assume that baby boomers will continue to fight for their immediate future and the health care they have paid for all of their working lives.

We ought to still seek a tone of reasonableness and civility whenever possible. However in some cases the stakes are too high to not inflame and mobilize. Those opposing the transformation of America into something alien have not lied, nor have they exaggerated the truth out of all proportion. However they have succeeded in getting your attention. Hopefully that will be enough.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy dies at 77

Who Says There's Death Panels In Obama Care? Obama!

Hat tip, Erick Erickson of RedState.com

In their own words:

One of Obama’s health-care advisors, the brother of Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel wrote in January 2009 that health care should be rationed in a way that “promot[es] and reward[s] social usefulness.” He said age could play a factor in determining who can and cannot access health-care resources and “[S]ervices provided to individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens [in the body politic] are not basic and should not be guaranteed. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.”

Obama himself said, "Whether, sort of in the aggregate, society making those decisions to give my grandmother, or everybody else’s aging grandparents or parents, a hip replacement when they’re terminally ill is a sustainable model, is a very difficult question. … And that’s part of why you have to have some independent group that can give you guidance.” The example Obama used should not distract us from the fact that he wants a death panel to decide who gets care and who does not after individuals paid into the Medicare fund over their working lifetimes.

They won't cut alcoholics and drug addicts from SSI, but they want grandma to die sooner so they can save money.

Call it what you want, it's a death panel. Add this to the Obama Administration placing "Hurry Up and Die" booklets into Veterans' Administration hospitals and you have a serious threat against the sanctity of elderly care in this country.

After all, they paid into it. Now Obama wants to deny them the care they need when it is most necessary.

As for Sarah Palin, who has adopted this as her crusade, her decision to leave the governorship of Alaska looks better and better. We need a visible and national leader to take the left wing grandma and baby killers head on.

So What If You Sacrificed For Your Country? Hurry Up and Die Already!!!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204683204574358590107981718.html

The above link takes you to a column explaining the re-released "death book" given to elderly and sick veterans from the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Long story short, it was written by a euthanasia advocate and tries to create a sense of guilt among sick and elderly veterans for having the audacity to remain alive.

President Bush, horrified at the content, ordered the booklet's removal from VA Hospitals. Under Barack "Dr. Death" Obama, they have been restored to use.

What kind of message do we send to anyone, much less veterans, when our government tries to guilt people into dying sooner? What kind of monstrous society are we transforming into when this becomes standard operating procedure and few people raise an eyebrow.

Basically Obama's health care policies tell a veteran "yeah, we know you came ashore at Normandy, were pinned down at Omaha Beach, and fought one of America's most tenacious foes into their heartland. Dude, sorry that was seventy years ago. You're wasting our time and money, so hurry up and die."

Sickening, just sickening. I don't see Teddy Kennedy making the end of life decisions that they want our World War II and Korean War era vets to make. And I would never want him to choose death over life because it is convenient for other people.

Margaret Thatcher on Socialism

"West Virginia is very comfortable with the elected officials we've got, and most of those officials are Democrats,"

That quote comes from Nick Casey, Chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party.

Has he been paying attention?

Congressmen Rahall and Mollohan struggle to defend the increasingly out of touch policies of the left wing Congressional leadership. Rahall, frustrated, even asked a constituent if he would rather the congressman read the health care bill, or came down to his district to talk about it. The answer, obviously, was "Both!"

Give the congressmen credit. They worked to accomodate large crowds with opposing points of view. They stayed for long periods of time, despite the lack of experience in dealing with overtly hostile constituencies. However, their answers were often evasive. The political situation for some elected Democrats has been as comfortable as a nail in the bottom of the foot.

The comfort level of the voters has fallen away as Democrats pursue policies to increase taxes, increase electric bills, and decrease good paying jobs in areas such as the coal industry. All the comfort that remains lies in the minds of Democratic officeholders and their party who have become very accustomed to power in West Virginia. That will not change.

West Virginia Republicans and other concerned voters have an opportunity next year to afflict

the comfortable. Even Democrats should want their party to remember the concerns of voters and not take their support for granted. The GOP has a sound and proven plan for prosperity. Most of the state continues to lag in economic indicators. It is time for positive and constructive change.

96% Want Mollohan to have a Potomac Highlands Town Hall

A recent poll conducted by the Potomac Highlands Conservative show that 96% of those surveyed want Congressman Alan Mollohan (D) to hold a town hall meeting in the Potomac Highlands region of his congressional district.

Contact the Congressman and let him know you want to be heard.

WASHINGTON Phone: (202) 225-4172 Fax: (202) 225-7564	Congressman Alan B. Mollohan 2302 Rayburn House Building Washington, DC 20515
CLARKSBURG Phone: (304) 623-4422 Fax: (304) 623-0571	Congressman Alan B. Mollohan Room 209, Post Office Building PO Box 1400 Clarksburg, WV 26302-1400
MORGANTOWN Phone: (304) 292-3019 Fax: (304) 292-3027	Congressman Alan B. Mollohan Marina Tower, Suite 504 48 Donley Street PO Box 720 Morgantown, WV 26507-0720
PARKERSBURG Phone: (304) 428-0493 Fax: (304) 428-5980	Congressman Alan B. Mollohan Room 2040, Federal Building 425 Juliana Street Parkersburg, WV 26101
WHEELING Phone: (304) 232-5390 Fax: (304) 232-5722	Congressman Alan B. Mollohan Federal Building Chapline Street Wheeling, WV 26003

WV GOP kicking "Ass" in fund raising

State Democrats lag far behind in fund raising

With 675,305 registered Democrats in the state and only 353,437 Republicans in the state, the fund raising shows Republicans are on the right side of the issues that matter to West Virginians.

WV Republican Party Individual Contributions: $95,752
WV Democrat Party Individual Contributions: $66,434
(FEC filings through July 31, 2009)

The WV GOP is raising 28 cents per every Republican in the state, while state Democrats are only raising 10 cents for every Democrat in the state.

Out numbered nearly 2 to 1 in voter registration in the state, but people are realizing that the Democrat Party is more often siding more with Liberal San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi than the people of our own state, and they don't like it.

This Note Is Legal Tender For All Debts, Public and Private

If you look at a piece of US paper money, there is a disclaimer on it somewhere claiming "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private." As any Ron Paul supporter will correctly explain, that means that those pieces of paper are money and have worth because the government says so and for no other reason.

For a long time, that backing meant something. One could put full faith and credit into the money because the government was always able to support the currency. The obligation of the United States government to pay its debts, much like the money itself at one time, was as good as gold. As any individual knows, when one takes out too many loans, or fails to pay their bills on time, their credit is undermined. Spending money frivolously causes most of the problems that result in this state of affairs.

That is where the United States is at right now. China questions our credit. Automobile dealerships and medical facilities question our credit. The "cash for clunkers" deal is approaching fiasco status because the government is not paying the credits due to the dealers. Medicare is habitually behind on its payments. These problems undermine faith and credit in our government's handling of the economy.

That goes back to those little pieces of paper we carry around with us. What happens when the faith and credit extended to our government are replaced with suspicion and fear? Our currency then loses value, causing inflation. Lenin did say that high taxes and inflation were the perfect combination with which to destroy the political influence of the middle class.

Regardless of why this is happening, the danger is real. Credit, once lost, is hard to regain even for the United States of America. Admittedly this process has taken many years and presidents to hit this stage. However, Obama is severely exasperating the problem by proposing new costly initiatives instead of trying to scale back the burdens on taxpayers and the system itself.

Good Times When Obama Improvises

Once again the president demonstrates a complete lack of awareness of the very issues he pushes. The following came from a recent appearance by The Won.

A student raised a question about the government's provision of health services and its impact on private services. Obama answered:

"How can a private company compete against the government? My answer is that if the private insurance companies are providing a good bargain, and if the public option has to be self-sustaining, meaning that taxpayers aren't subsidizing it, but it has to run on charging premiums and providing good services, and a good network of doctors, just like private insurers do, then I think private insurers should be able to compete.

"They do it all the time. If you think about it, UPS and Fed-Ex are doing just fine. It's the Post Office that's always having problems.... there is nothing inevitable about this somehow destroying the private marketplace. As long as it is not set up where the government is being subsidized by the taxpayers so that even if they are providing a good deal, we keep having to pony up more and more money."

You know, that sounds like a great argument AGAINST government intervention in health care. Gee America, your health care can be run just with as much cost efficiency as the Postal Service.

Of course Fed Ex is not exactly running in a purely capitalist mode either, having somehow gotten John Kerry to successfully introduce legislation many years ago to tweak the law and give them an advantage over UPS. Meanwhile the Postal Service, unable to handle its own task efficiently, repeatedly contracts out a lot of work to UPS.

Obama really needs to stick to his script. When he gets too far away from it, too much truth comes out. Then he just sounds like Joe Biden.

More Evidence That the Wheels Are Falling Off the Obama Administration

Remember Bush era foreign policy? In his second term, he sent the calm, collected, and brilliant Dr. Condoleeza Rice to wage diplomacy. She took the point on every major diplomatic situation and performed adeptly despite a wide range of thorny problems.

Now who represents America? Diplomatic czars? Joe Biden? Obama? A former NBA All Star?Former President Clinton? The world is beginning to wonder as it finally grasps the slipshod international presence of America under Obama.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton certainly does not. Recently she snapped at a Congolese university student as if he had come to talk to her about health care deform. He had a reasonable question about international finance and asked her what her husband and Dikembe Mutombo's opinions were on it. Clinton responded "Wait. You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the secretary of state; I am. So you ask my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I'm not going to be channeling my husband."

Brilliant diplomacy from a former radical left winger. Isn't the left the movement that claims that all points of view and perspectives, even from the Third World, have merit? This was obviously the question of a young man from a patriarchical society where men's opinions carry more weight.

It was not a tactful question, but tact is not the job of a college student. Hillary Clinton's irritated response spoke volumes about her miniscule role in diplomacy and her frustration. She could have passed it off humorously and kept the upper hand. Instead she revealed some of her rather justifiable anger. That rage should be kept away from diplomatic photo ops with NBA players and Africans.

The question also revealed the fact that Hillary Clinton has very little role or respect in US diplomacy. Obama has adeptly humbled his former rival, but will it end up hurting him in the long run if she decides to break free of this impossible situation?

New Black Panther Party Scandal Erupting

Most of us saw the horrifying video on national television. Two members of the New Black Panther Party stood outside a polling place yelling racial epithets and carrying weapons. Incredibly, they were able to intimidate voters for quite some time. Bush's Justice Department secured major indictments against the two individuals and leaders in the terrorist group. however once Attorney General Eric Holder took over, he cited "freedom of speech" and only had them convicted of very light acts. The Justice Department also claimed that since the two accused refused to show up to answer for their crimes, they must be innocent.

The US Commission on Civil Rights has launched a major investigation of the New Black Panthers and the Justice Department, threatening the Attorney General with subpoenas.

Would we tolerate for a moment the appearance of hooded Klansmen outside a polling place, burning crosses, and shouting racial slurs? They would be jailed for interfering with voting. You cannot even have political signs within a football field of a polling place in most areas.

One would hope that racial motivation or pressure from outside groups such as the notorious outlaw group ACORN did not play a role in this case. In any event, the menacing presence of these people at a polling place must be severely punished. It might encourage similar behavior by the Black Panthers. You may also see voters willing to challenge the New Black Panther thugs for their right to vote . . . "by any means necessary."

When Interests Collide With Principle

It will be interesting to see where the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce comes down on the issue of a wind energy manufacturing facility coming to Cumberland. The placement of factory jobs comes as welcome news to the city and region. John Condego, a descendant of Italian immigrants, sees wind energy construction in the United States as a new declaration of independence from both foreign oil and manufacturing. The benefits of both wind energy and new jobs have been touted as positives in the location of this concern to the region.

But what about the wind energy opponents? Kolin Jan, president of the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce in a letter to the West Virginia Public Service Commission last January argued that "wind energy is not clean, it's unreliable, and causes environmental harm." He believes that reliance on wind energy would produce "rolling brownouts." Jan also referred to those backing the projects as "greedy developers." Obviously Jan opposes wind farms in principle. Where will he stand on a facility that manufactures crucial parts for them?

It will be interesting to see if the Allegany Chamber of Commerce enthusiastically supports this most recent, positive development.

***********************************************************************

I do agree with wind energy opponents in one area. This industry must be able to eventually stand on its own two feet without subsidies. That being said, its establishment comes with the hefty price of retaining lawyers, commissioning studies, and jumping through every hoop required by state, local, and federal law. In America you cannot even just build a shed in your backyard anymore without checking the environmental impact.

Jan compares the subsidies given to wind compared to those of coal. That is a valid point. However coal established itself in this region during a time when the government required of the company almost nothing to commence operations. If wind farm companies had the same option, they may have been able to stand on their own from the beginning. Regulatory costs burden the system to the point that innovation is much more difficult than it was a century ago.

As far as I am concerned, I want to see both wind farms and coal fired plants under construction in West Virginia. This would bring down costs for West Virginians while putting more of us to work. Coal should always form the backbone of the grid. A combination of wind, solar, and hydroelectric power should form the supplement.

Introducing the New West Virginia Republican Party Executive Direstor: Troy Berman

We are happy to welcome the new West Virginia GOP Executive Director Troy Berman. This is an exciting time for the state party as his hiringb coincides with the opening of a brand new headquarters. These two aggressive moves put Republicans in a much stronger position to compete and win in 2010 and beyond.

Following is an interview with Executive Director Berman so state Republicans and interested conservatives have a better idea of what he will bring to this position:

Tell us about your background. What specific experiences prepare you the most for this type of role?

Well I've been volunteering on campaigns for as far back as I can remember but I didn't really enter the world of professional politicsuntil I got involved with the Bush-Cheney re-elect in '04. After law school Igot involved with the presidential campaign full time, and ended up working with the RNC legal taskforce which was essentially charged with Republican efforts at ensuring ballot integrity in the Cuyahoga (Cleveland) area. At the time it was assumed that Ohio in '04 could end up as close as Florida had in 2000 and we wanted to be as prepared as possible. Cleveland was at the epicenter of these activities and by the time the election rolled around I was directing more than 800 legal response teams and more than 1,000 poll observers. It was pretty heady stuff. I caught the political bug and I haven't looked back. Since then I've had the opportunity to work on dozens of campaigns from U. S. Senate and Congress to state senate and delegate in more than half a dozen states. Every opportunity has given me the chance to learn something new. It's that breadth of knowledge and experience that I bring to the WVGOP ED position.

In what ways can a person who has had experience at several different levels in several different states help to inject some fresh perspective into the challenges we face as West Virginia Republicans?

One of the many things I look forward to doing is adapting some of the highly successful programs implemented by Republican parties and committees in other states to the unique problem of electing more Republicans in West Virginia. There are a lot of exciting initiatives being undertaken by our fellow Republicans out there and as a party we should be looking for any edge that can help us further the Republican cause. Many of the programs focus on embracing new technologies such as social media and online phone-banking to advance our electoral aims but many amazing inititives also reimagine old school programs like canvassing, voter registration, and door to door to maximize impact for the modern age. Initially I'd like to focus on party building activities by emulating successful initiatives like the Arizona Republican Party's voter registration program (considered the best in the country) or the Pennsylvania House GOP's door to door program which has helped them record an amazing number of victories. That's not the whole program of course, but to the extent that we can maximize our West Virginia candidates' successes by adapting other successful Republican organizations to West Virginia, it's a great place to start.

Titles do not say much about the man or the vision. What, in your mind, are the jobs or roles of the Executive Director?

The Executive Director should be an aggressive force in helping Republicans in West Virginia win in a complex and competitive political environment. He should have substantial political experience and be knowledgable about current practices and future trends. He should understand the issues; be aware of the political landscape and of opportunities for advancement of the party. He should comprehend how shared goals can help build coalitions within West Virginia and with national organizations for the betterment of our Republican candidates. The ED needs to be an able manager of party personnel and volunteers, have strong communications skillsand always be a bottom line thinker, applying the rubric Will this help us win? He should be open minded to differing views and strategies, willing to adapt his vision when appropriate but also able to persuade others to his methods when necessary. The ED needs to be dedicated to day after day meeting the requirements of Republican stakeholders in West Virginia, both internal and external to the party apparatus, to building relationships throughout West Virginia to the betterment of our party, and to always being an effective advocate for the WVGOP, our Republican leaders, candidates, and values.

What problems pose the largest challenges to yourself and/or the party as a whole? What are the biggest obstacles facing Republican candidates in West Virginia? How can the state party help them overcome these issues?

One of the many, many, many unfortunate side effects of eighty plus years of unsuccessfully challenged Democrat party rule in West Virginia is that as a byproduct the system has been rigged to favor the incumbent majority in every conceivable way. Through campaign finance rules, through gerrymandering, through state election law if the Democrat party majority could find an advantage, they exploited it. Scaling those walls will be difficult but it's our job to get up over those walls, tear them down and make sure they're never rebuilt. The best way to do that is by electing as many Republican candidates as possible.
I don't want to get into everything the state party can and will do to counteract these obstacles. It's probably not the best move to tip off the other side as to strategy. I will say that those strategies are in a formative state and the one thing the state party will be seeking to do in the short term is seek the advice and counsel of like minded individuals who can help us achieve a Republican majority in West Virginia.

What will be your most important priorities in the short term? Long term?

Electing West Virginia Republicans. Period. Everything I do from my first dayon the team until my last will be in support of electing our Republican candidates. To me, it is the singular priority.

In what ways will the West Virginia GOP be expanding its effective use of new media while strengthening its position with traditional outlets?

Studies show that in the last election cycle almost 4 of 5 Republicans went online for political information but fewer than 2 in 5 actually engaged in online activism. West Virginia is actually in a unique position to capitalize on the expansion of social media networks to advance our agenda. Among 18-29 year olds (which include the early adopters and trendsetters) West Virginia was one of only six states carried by McCain and one of only two east of the Mississippi. That tells me that there is a pre-existing core of Republican youth that we should be focused on identifying and organizing. As soon as resources allow, I hope to see a complete overhaul of wvgop.org turning our home site from an information clearing house into a true online headquarters. A site that does more than send out press releases but engages, educates, and informs, helping convert online activists into offline warriors for our West Virginia Republican candidates. Look for initial updates and changes to the website in the fall. In the meantime the process is already underway. You can keep up to date with the West Virginia Republican Party on Facebook and Twitter and you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/troyberman.

In the current political situation in West Virginia, what positives can the state GOP build upon?

I've already discussed my reason for a belief that the young Republican core of West Virginia is strong and growing and will eventually replace the staid and tired Democrat party but beyond the demographics there are even better reasons to be optimistic. Self identified conservatives outnumber self identified liberals in West Virginia by 39/18. And this is a conservative base that is already energized over issues like cap and trade, health care, and the deficit. Whatever process we adopt to grow the Republican Party in West Virginia it must surely start by recognizing the enormous potential of the town hall movement currently sweeping the nation and the power of conservatives within to effect positive change in West Virginia.

How would you answer Republicans concerned about the cost of hiring an Executive Director while also establishing a new headquarters?

As ED, institutionalizing a fundraising program is important and will be at the top of my agenda for the state party. That being said, it is unrealistic to expect the WVGOP to be able to help West Virginia reach a tipping point in electing a Republican majority, without investing in the basic infrastructure of modern headquarters facilities and full time staff. The new headquarters will bring a series of expanded services to our legislators in Charleston as well as our candidates statewide that were simply not possible in the previous location, and I hope that I will be a positive contribution to the party as well. I would take this opportunity however to mention that I recognize that there are differences of opinion within the West Virginia Republican community and would welcome any opportunity to discuss these concerns and my recommendations with any interested parties.

In your experience, what does it take to "flip" a long term Democratic political entity into a Republican? Cn we do it here?

It takes time, effort, resources, and dedication. I have no doubt that it will happen in West Virginia. The only question is when. And my only concern is bringing that future date as close to the present as we can.

In what ways can the state party and its candidates reach Democratic registered voters and independents while maintaining GOP principles?

I firmly believe that GOP principles are fundamentally American principles. Hard work, personal liberty, and individual responsibility never really go away even if for a time they aren't considered fashionable. Our job as Republicans is to remind our independent and Democratic brethren of these basic American precepts and invite them to join us in renewing West Virginia.

What can concerned Republicans outside of the state party organization do to help advance our ideas and candidates?

Volunteer. Volunteer. Volunteer. For candidates you believe in, for your local Republican club, for your county committee, or for any of the Republican affiliated organizations like the Republican women or the Young Republicans. I had the opportunity to attend the Kanawha County Republican picnic and came away impressed. It was well attended by local Republicans, officials and candidates, well organized and is exactly the kind of activity that concerned Republicans can become involved with. I applaud those efforts already underway and intend to visit with as many West Virginia Republican county events, clubs, and meetings as possible and to encourage their activites and engage in the basic party building efforts which are so vital to success. As part of the WVGOP's previously discussed online overhaul, I hope to aggressively pursue the development and charter of new Republican clubs and organizations, which in turn become the volunteer feederfor the campaigns of our local and statewide Republican candidates.

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The Long Road For the West Virginia GOP

When West Virginia Republican Party Chair Doug McKinney first took the job, some folks in the party must have wondered why he or anyone else would want it. Kris Warner had to resign after 2004 and Robin Capehart had little time to make substantial changes before heading off to Romania.

McKinney faced a harrowing task. A six figure debt, flagging donations and confidence in the party, mounting bills, and questions about how to challenge a Democratic Party with 2/3 of the registered voters in the state.

Now in 2009 the party has turned the corner. After two disastrous GOP campaign seasons across the nation and during the most severe economic downturn since Jimmy Carter, the party retired its debt and started putting money into the bank. Fundraising outpaced state Democrats by almost three to one. The Party left its South Charleston location and moved into more charming quarters within shouting distance of the State Capitol. This increases party visibility in the eyes of voters, the press, and potential donors. Moving to this new locale to some involves a lot of risk. Good capitalists remember that no reward comes without risk.

Finally the party settled on an Executive Director. Gary Abernathy was not able to remain at the post, but the Party located and hired veteran political operative Troy Berman. He has worked for different Republican organizations and candidates in a variety of capacities. Getting him at the advertised $40,000 per year looks like a steal.

The test comes in 2010. Can the new measures propel Republicans to pose stronger challenges while attracting more registered voters? Not all have agreed with the changes, but neither have they proposed a significantly different alternative vision. The West Virginia Republican Party has put itself in a position to make major moves in the next year.

Reagan on Socialized Medicene

Congressman Mollohan on Death Panels and More

Cindy Frich confonts Congressman Alan Mollohan(D)

Click Here for Metro News audio link

Stimulus goes to buy Beer and Cigarettes for some on Welfare

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Reporter and Photographer Arrested At US Representative Russ Carnahan (D) Missouri Rally

Everywhere Democrats go today they attract a crowd. Unfortunately it is not the one they invited.

Representative Russ Carnahan held a typical "town hall" style meeting for liberals, pack it with friends and supporters instead of constituents. As per usual these days, protesters had to remain outside. Apparently, so did the press. The meeting supposedly was on policy for the aging, but Carnahan packed the hall with labor union faithful.

Police came to break up the protest and arrested six people. The reporter, Leah Thorsen, described the jawing between health care deform supporters and free market protestors as "a carnival like atmosphere."

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Jake Wagman and photographer Dawn Majors found themselves arrested for "interference" when they tried to take photographs of an injured person. Some of the arrested included left wing activists charged with assault.

Senator Harry Reid and others blame the Republican Party and commentators for the commotion. If they believe that, they are underestimating the resilience of Americans who just want their government to leave them alone. They also ignore the polls that have shown a majority of the people against Obamacare. Many protestors have little direct connection with, and some often have outright contempt for the Republican Party. I'm not saying that is a good thing, but it is a fact.

Some political figures have quietly remarked that they have not seen this much popular anger since the late 1960s. Very rarely does the conservative-libertarian movement muster much activity outside of strongly worded letters and websites. Glenn Beck colorfully described many of the protestors as people brushing Doritos off of their chest, getting up from their favorite movie channels, jobs, or golf games, and going out to directly voice their opinions on serious matters of concern. A GOP state executive committee member told me two years ago "Conservatives just don't protest. they have jobs and families." Now they feel motivated to act. That in itself ought to frighten elected officials. If Joe Sixpack is making signs and marching in the streets, liberals may be on the unemployment lines soon themselves.

Pondering Health Care Imponderables

I suppose that the mutable number of health care uninsureds includes various categories who choose not to be covered for equally various reasons. I doubt the Amish are interested in any health care program, public or private. There are some religious groups whos members do not choose to avail themselves of modern medicine for reasons which are reasonable in their way of being in the world but not of it. There are some people who prefer folk remedies or the contemporary equivalents thereof and do not intend to consort with the practicioners of scientific medicine at any level. There are cost-benefit analysts, mainly younger people who are healthy and do not see much benefit in paying some thousands of dollars annually in health insurance when they probably won't spend a hundred on health until later in their lives. There are some substantial number who likewise make choices as to whether health insurance or some other thing of value to them is their better buy, given slim resources. There are also children whose parents are uninsured, but who are, themselves eligible for government medical assistance, though they may not know it. And there are also a number of people, possibly the largest of any category, who are in this country illegally, who certainly do not see health insurance as a spending option because they intend to send most of their earnings home, or are earning money illegally, or have no fixed domicile, or are sufficiently wise latinos or latinas to recognize that buying health insurance doesn't get you anything you won't get in the ER. or other reasons which might include linguistic and cultural factors, not only theirs, but ours, since we have some number of citizens who feel that we owe it to the downtrodden illegals to take care of them with taxes paid by everyone, including those whose jobs were lost to illegals who can be paid less then the minimum wage, worked overtime, and maybe "taxed" through withholdings that are withheld both from the illegal employee and the government.

The semantics of the "uninsured" definition also enters in. Are VA- eligible veterans who do not choose to seek any other health care insurance insured, or uninsured? I suppose it depends on who is compiling the list, and what their agenda is for developing the statistics they will advance.

Not to make to fine a point yet, but a good many of the 30,000,000 or whatever number you might cherry pick from available sources, who are uninsured don't want to be insured, and a good many have a reasonable argument that forcing them to be covered or pay a penalty for not being covered means that they are being taxed (or fined) for a religious principle that they hold, and have consistently held for decades or centuries. The children who merit coverage but don't have it because their parents haven't enrolled them may technically be without coverage, but they are eligible, and would be covered if some reasonably simple steps were taken at the local level to promote the programs in each state through the school system, welfare, food stamp and other programs. (The government is its own enemy sometimes because these programs to aid the poor and almost poor are so compartmentalized that its not that one hand doesn't know what the other is doing, but rather that any finger on either hand doesn't know what the fingers on either side of it are doing, let alone what the hand, the other hand, or any finger but one are doing).

In the Massachusetts plan, the government takes a default position, requiring that anyone who is not covered pay a specific sum annually for making that choice. The proceeds, oversimplifying the plan somewhat, go to paying for the cost of care for the uninsured as a general cost category.

The problem, of course, is that the illegals, probably the largest group of uninsured, are here illegally, so how is the government going to collect this sum which these people, as uninsured, are supposed to pay? Likewise the little kids.

And what about the conscientious objectors of the medical spectrum who do not approve of much that scientific medicine does and would not use the system under any circumstances, and object quite vehemently when the scientific medicine system captures one of their own through well-intentioned social legislation that ignored, when it was passed (probably unread) all but those within a single standard deviation of the norm.

The insured, however you define that, pay for the uninsured already, in many respects. The bills for the insured who are hospitalized are inflated greatly to make up for the cost of indigent care. Doctors still do some pro bono work. Medical practicioners and institutions absorb substantial costs as the result of bankruptcies where medical bills are a factor, but not necessarily the only factor. The losses the current medical system accrues because of uninsured or underinsured users are offset by costs born by those who pay, or by the state and federal governments.

The argument that taxing or fining the uninsured some amount will create a pool that fixes the medical care system by reducing costs all around falls flat, in my estimation. That conceptual approach would only tax/fine, practically speaking, the younger and early middle aged people who assume, correctly in most cases, that they don't need much from the medical system anyway. It will get little from the conscientious objectors who don't use the medical system, and never will, because they will file and win class action suits that will exclude them from whatever program is developed (unless the constitution is trashed), and the little kids can't pay, nor can some other individuals, as a practical matter. Nor will some taxing or fining program work on the illegal population. The government can't collect from people it can't find or refuses to notice.

Pick any figure for the number of people who are not covered by some sort of medical insurance in the United States and then factor in the uncovered who will ultimately prove uncoverable, and also the number who are technically uncovered but need not be, whose medical costs are just absorbed by the present system, and it will strike you as more than likely that this currently proposed revision of medical care payment is not going to do any better than "to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic."

During campaigns, candidates are all mouth and the solutions they propose are ever so simple. (All you have to do is just..., the greed of the ...is the root of the problem). Sometimes they are just blowing smoke, sometimes they believe the inadequately evaluated ideas they wistfully espouse.

The thesis that there is nothing stronger than an idea whose time has come perhaps has as its antithesis that there is nothing weaker than an idea whose time has not yet come. There is certainly, with respect to the medical care cost situation, a synthesis, or there could be a synthesis, but it is not going to arise out of the ridiculous congressional spectacle of recent months (years, eons?) where the art of compromise has compromised intellegence and integrity.

Thank You Sarah Palin!

I do not mean to be a copycat, but this is way too important to not share.

Hat tip to Don Surber for the following:

Via Mickey Kaus, this exchange with David Leonhardt of the New York Times:
OBAMA: “I mean, the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80 percent of the total health care bill out here.”
LEONHARDT: “So how do you — how do we deal with it? ”
OBAMA: “Well, I think that there is going to have to be a conversation that is guided by doctors, scientists, ethicists. And then there is going to have to be a very difficult democratic conversation that takes place. It is very difficult to imagine the country making those decisions just through the normal political channels. And that’s part of why you have to have some independent group that can give you guidance. It’s not determinative, but I think has to be able to give you some guidance. And that’s part of what I suspect you’ll see emerging out of the various health care conversations that are taking place on the Hill right now.”

This is not too far from another political leader musing changes in how his country approached "end of life care."

"Reich Leader Bouhler and Dr. Brandt are charged with the responsibility for expanding the authority of physicians, to be designated by name, to the end that patients considered incurable according to the best available human judgment of their state of health, can be granted a mercy death."

Guess who that is. Both statements reek of administrative language hiding the fact that the government will decide who lives and who dies.

Thank you Sarah Palin for bringing the focus back to the "Death Panels."

Questions, Thoughts, Ramblings

Would it not be cheaper to close down every VA hospital and simply give all vets a private insurance card, such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield?

It is pretty amazing how quickly protesting has moved from "patriotic dissent" to "angry mob" status. I am also amazed that President George W. Bush would wax philosophic about how great it is to live in a nation where people could protest the president freely. Otherwise his administration ignored them. The Obama Administration attacks protesters. It figures. They have not shown a good grasp of the American psychology yet, why start now.

Amazing how anyone can slam their opponents for taking a tactical page from their own playbook.

It is nice to see Republicans coming together to battle the biggest ideological threats to the American way since Governor Huey Long in the 1930s. Well, almost all Republicans.

Interesting how Facebook is down as of this writing. With most of the media in full damage control mode for Obama, it has become a great source for the latest outrages and a catalyst for organizing responses. Wonder if any of the Obama volk have turned us in yet for, as they put it, disinforming people?

The power to tax involves the power to destroy. When the government has a monopoly in some field, the manipulation of rates also has the power to destroy. Big periodical companies for some reason have to pay a lower mail rate now than small publications. Liberal magazines can keep their costs down while small conservative startups like Human Events may have to cease publication.

West Virginia does a poor job marketing state history for tourism purposes. We were the center of early frontier warfare. Our guerilla style Civil War history matches much better the experience of a large group who tend to be military history enthusiasts, veterans. We have structures in place from the early Industrial Revolution. The state needs a vision for tourism beyond "Wild and Wonderful." We certainly are that, but so are parts of surrounding states.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, repeatedly marginalized and humiliated by the Administration, sounded one of the few notes of a tough foreign policy yesterday. She said that the release of journalists did not mean that the US would abandon the six nation talks with North Korea in favor of bilateral negotiations. North Korea wants to speak with the US alone. American policy since Bush has been to include Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea in any discussions of North Korea's nuclear program. We will wait and see if Clinton's wishes here will be followed or if the Apology Tour 2009 continues.

It is still interesting that Obama feels a higher comfort level dealing with foreign dictators than the Republican Party.

Whitehouse Spokesman will not answer the question

Rockefeller Packs the House!

Tens of people packed the Byrd Art Center at the University of Charleston to hear their senator speak on health care. You can witness the eagerness and anticipation in every face as they wait with baited breath to hear Senator Rockefeller deliver another opus on a health care plan that would end up denying many of these same people service. Why? Because their productive lives are over according to the writings of at least two members of Obama's advisory team. You can just see the total support for Obamacare on every thrilled face!

Mollohan Town Hall Friday

Mollohan Town Hall Friday

at Wheeling Jesuit University at 6 p.m. in Troy Hall

CHARLESTON, WV - AUGUST 11, 2009 - Congressman Alan Mollohan will be holding a town hall meeting at Wheeling Jesuit University at 6 p.m. in Troy Hall to discuss the Health Care Bill. All those interested in voicing their opinion to the Congressman are encouraged to attend.

WTOV News Story

Who Said It?

First group:

"we should put permanent tails and coverage on (political opponents) on all the personal stuff to cover the kinds of things they hit us on . . ."

"I don't want the folks who created this mess to do a lot of talking."

"Ideological talk and phrase mongering about political liberties should be disposed with; all that is just mere chatter and phrase mongering. "

"Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

"The mass, whether it be a crowd, or an army, is vile."

"We don't let them have ideas, why would we let them have guns?"

Second group:

"Stifling dissent and likening those who disagree with you to Nazis are not the hallmarks of a confident agenda."

"The censor's sword pierces deeply into the heart of free expression."

"Citizen engagement must not be chilled by fear of government monitoring free speech rights."

"If we do not believe in freedom of speech for those we despise we do not believe in it at all."

"The sound we hear of tireless voices is the price we pay for the right to hear the music of our own opinions."

"The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be out first object."

"Leadership to me means duty, honor, country. It means character, and it means listening from time to time."

"Everybody is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled,but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage."

First group in order: Richard Nixon, Barack Obama, Vladimir Lenin, White House Ministry of Truth release, benito Mussolini, Josef Stalin.

I know a lot of conservatives still like Richard Nixon and he did learn about dirty politics from the Kennedys who were the true masters of that art in the 1960s. However that does not excuse his desire to spy on Teddy Kennedy, Ed Muskie, and Hubert Humphrey, nor his apparent belief that the presidency is not subject to rule of law.

Second group in order: Newt Gingrich, Chief Justice Earl Warren (at one point he was a liberal hero), Senator Jon Cornyn, Noam Chomsky (yes he is a Communist who likely right now does not care for conservative free speech rights, but the contrast between his words and Obama is illuminating), Adlai Stevenson, Thomas Jefferson, George W. Bush, and Winston Churchill.

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Two more quotes. The first is from one of the heroes of Obama's Marxist professors at Columbia University. Yes he was one of the worst Communist thugs, but the statement makes sense nonetheless:

"It is still better if the enemy attacks us wildly and paints us as utterly black and without a single virtue; it demonstrates that we have not only drawn a clear line of demarcation between the enemy and ourselves but achieved a great deal in our work." Mao Tse Dong

Here's the second:

"I think they are AstroTurf -- you be the judge -- of carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town hall meeting on health care. " Nancy Pelosi

In other words, as a left winger's hero himself described, Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are losing. Pelosi referred to a hand made poster that did feature a swastika, but had a red circle around it and a red line through it. It was an internationally recognized symbol of rejecting, not embracing the Nazi image.

The (Hopefully) New Republican Headquarters

I saw the new (hopefully) state party headquarters on Monday this week and I was impressed.

For those who could not make it to the receptions on Monday, the possible new facility is a gracious white house on the corner of Greenbrier Street and Kanawha Boulevard across the street from the Capitol Complex and across the Kanawha River from the University of Charleston. For those not familiar with Charleston, this places the West Virginia Republican Party square at the geographic center of state politics (as much as possible without actually occupying the Governor's Mansion.) Extending down the Boulevard are law firms and lobbyists, some of whom might be more likely to attend fundraisers or chats at the party headquarters.

Greenbrier Street and Kanawha Boulevard are two of the more heavily traveled streets in the city, giving the party an enhanced visibilty it did not have on MacCorkle Avenue in South Charleston.

The interior presents a much more professional image than the old headquarters building. Instead of frayed carpeting and discolored ceilings, the party can now host donors, the press, and others in much more congenial surroundings. Legislators can now easily hold conferences without fear that an errant Governor might wander in. GOP Delegates can also meet constituents in spaces larger than the back seat of a Yugo. The property has a spacious front lawn upon which can be held good sized outdoor functions. Impressions make a difference and this new facility should start the party moving forward.

Delegate Craig Blair emphasized that although taking on the responsibility for the building represented some risk, the party needs to take chances to achieve its goals.

The Party leadership has been accused of expressing no vision and no plan in the past. The possible acquisition of this facility combined with the potential hiring of an experienced executive director represent the fact that actions speak much more loudly than words. These actions demonstrate that the West Virginia Republican Party is ready to challenge its true opposition, the entrenched Ruling Party.

Are Obama, Pelosi, and Reid Fascists or Communists?

The question at one point, maybe even a few months ago, would have sounded absolutely ludicrous. We are Americans, they are Americans, we thought. Certainly things will go as they always do. Elected officials will present their ideas, get them knocked down a little by the people, and we will put it off or get something that the people find somewhat reasonable.

Something changed. A motivating force behind Obama and both congressional leaders has them pushing for changes that can lead to nothing but extremely high taxation and significantly rising prices and costs across the board. Meanwhile they extended government control to an unprecedented extent over the private sector. They strongarmed two automobile manufacturers into giving up control, then handed them over to the unions. When they attempted to do the same to the banking sector, many of those institutions rebelled. They gave back the money that was lent to them to escape federal domination. Obama's people even explored ways to try and prevent the return of the money!

Now they want to create a system that eventually will put all health care decisions into their hands. The bill that no one except conservatives read spells out how they will choose which people deserve health care and which do not. Meanwhile taxation destroys the middle class.

Two quotes come to mind. The first says that "The way to crush teh middle class is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation." That was Vladimir Lenin. Next is "Fascism should rightly be called corporatism as it is the merger of corporate and governmnet power."

In either system the government tries to limit, then outlaw dissent through fear. Of course it helps to know a lot about the dissenters. The White House effort to gather information from private citizens on health care deform dissenters was a clumsy attempt to collect a database of opponents. Don't worry, their attempts will get more efficient as time goes on.

Obama is more of a fascist than an outright Communist. He will try to preserve the facade of a free market while stealing the capitalist substance. And the middle class? Without prosperity it is reduced to worrying about how to feed itself and pay its bills more than organizing long term political protest. When government controls health care, it will be in a position to discourage opposition. Previous politicians used the IRS to harass opponents, why would a future administration not hold health care access over someone's head?

The future is potentially chilling, but America is fighting back.

Whether they are more fascist or communist is irrelevant because both are the enemies of American style human liberty. It's time to take a stand and get back our Congress next year.

Blast from the Past: The Constitution

Obama's Most Pressing Problem, Apparently

Yes there is that War on Terror, I mean Conflict With People Who Kind of Disagree With US (name of war since January) and there is also an economic crisis. But Obama has bigger fish to fry.

Namely texting while driving.

The transportation secretary is calling a national summit on texting while driving. Law enforcement, industry representatives, and a partridge in a pear tree will be invited to talk about the latest grave threat to Western Civilization.

Here's the catch. Obama's Executive Branch cannot do it on their own.

Seat belt laws, the drinking age, and other issues cannot be forced directly upon the states. To get around the Bill of Rights provisions protecting state sovereignty, the federal government has to strong arm the states into passing the legislation on their own. With an amazing amount of work this year, it is doubtful that Congress will be able to act on this issue. Certainly the GOP and conservative Democrats will oppose this assault on states' rights.

Texting while driving is dangerous, probably more dangerous than taking three shots of whiskey and heading out directly onto the highway. Few people disagree with this. How about this for a solution? Instead of inviting a hundred or more nabobs to Washington to party on the taxpayer dime, send a representative to each state capital in the next year. Have them talk to each state legislature and quietly urge passage of a no texting while driving bill. Even better, instead of sending people, ask the congressional Democrats from each state to suggest passage of such a bill. I guarantee no one would fight it too strenuously. That would actually be easier than asking an overworked Congress to act on it.

But we have to do things the old Washington way. Get a lot of people drunk and fed, put them up in nice hotel rooms, and waste even more money. Meanwhile we strongarm the states and violate the spirit of the Constitution.