TO THE RIGHT OF WRONG

Venezuelans Getting Sick of Liberal's Hero Hugo Chavez

2008-08-08T00:03:00.006-05:00

More protests in Venezuela against socialist wackjob and hero of America's left wing, Hugo Chavez. Chavez, as is well documented, is a socialist dictator who is idolized by liberals in our nation even as he destroys democracy and attempts to push himself into being a hardcore dictator while seeking to ally himself with nations who seek to undermine American security issues, Iran, and Russia, for example. Well, surprise, surprise, the Venezuelan people are sick of his anti-freedom, pro-socialist policies that have been hailed by many a Democat. Some of these policies you may recognize as being platforms of America's "Progressive Caucus" which is running the Democrat Party and has found their way onto Obama's platform:

"We said in the referendum that we didn't want that, and now he's put it in the decrees," said protester Josefina Bravo, a 59-year-old who wore a sticker reading "No means no" on her baseball cap. "That's the problem we have: All the powers are concentrated in the president."

One decree establishes a civilian militia that critics warn could emulate the citizen groups that control many aspects of community life in Cuba. Another gives Chavez the ability to designate regional authorities who critics say could undermine the power of locally elected officials.

Other decrees empower Chavez to expropriate goods from private businesses and increase state control over food, punishing business owners who fail to comply with price controls or other regulations with fines, closure and even 10-year prison terms.

A concentration of power within the federal government, the ability of the government to set price controls, redistribution of wealth, a gigantic bureaucracy, cracking down on the power of local governments which allows for greater control by the people, these are all things the left endears. The American left has different means to this end, such as eliminating the right to a secret ballot in order to force workers to form unions, who have pledged to fuel the Liberal machine with newly enforced and collected union dues. If workers want to unionize, that's fine, but the right a secret ballot is paramount to a democracy. This sort of thuggery and intimidation has no place in America.

Let me conclude by commending the people of Venezuela for standing up for the rights. We ought to stand tall with them, American foreign policy needs to strongly stand for freedom and condemn actions by nations that suppress the rights of people and continue to oppress them. One of the questions you should ask yourself as we head into a new round of elections is whether the person you intent to cast your vote for will actually stand up and speak loudly against the actions of these types of offenders.

Do some Google searches, check Daily Kos (the moonbat lunatics who you can practially see pulling Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid's strings), look at all the idiot liberals in Hollywood who love Hugo Chavez. Don't fool yourself, Obama is no centrist, he's a hardened leftwing politician who has already pledged to go after private industries and have the government seize their profits, like Chavez. You really ought to read up on his plan to pay off other thugs and corrupt nations through his global tax plan that puts to focus on giving away our tax dollars to the United Nations to help "rebuild" America's image. This is the man's politics. That's why, even today, he bad mouthed America to a young child.

Freedom is our greatest asset in our daily lives, it's time we stop pissing it away by handing power to socialist style big government politicians. About six months ago I thought Hillary Clinton was extremely to left in American politics. Thanks to Barack Obama, I now know that she was centrist in her party as evidenced by just how far to left Barack Obama's political views are. Obama can go through the motions and give his little speeches all he wants, but when it comes down to it, when you compare his views , voting record, and ideas to what Chavez's views and ideas are, they are not too far apart. Hell, he's even talked about a "civilian national security force". Oh he stands for a change alright, much like the Bolsheviks stood for change in Russia.

-Caomhin

The Cult of Obama Gets Even Creepier

2008-08-07T23:54:00.003-05:00

Be sure to read this downright creepy article from US News and World Report. I really was hoping that this was some sort of satire, but it's not. US News and World Report isn't The Onion. Obama's supporters are getting weirder by the day. They view him in Messianic terms and considerably irrational when it comes to his candidacy, often taking it extremely personal when you challenge his positions, much like does, though he pulled no punches today when he took it upon himself to bad mouth America when a little girl asked him why he was running for president. Anyway, here's some take away snippets from the article:

"We thought, 'Let's try and start a movement where even while walking down the street, people would hold up the O and you would know that they were for Obama,' " says Husong.
...
"We want to see it everywhere, but more importantly we want this sign to take the world by storm."

I'd make a wise ass crack about how it could be easily compared to a gang sign, but then I'd be accused of being a racist, I'm sure. I'll settle by Godwin-ing and remind you....you know who else liked seeing people raise their hands and chant as a symbol of support?

-Caomhin

We're #1! We're #1!

2008-07-31T22:46:00.002-05:00

A couple in Lansdale, PA was busted after going on an 18 month house-egging spree. That's got to be a record, congratulations to my beloved Commonwealth of Pennsylvania! I live in Easton, PA and I have a friend who lives in Lansdale, PA, about an hour south of here. I know the area and the surrounding area. There's really not much to do there, but this couple has taken to ending their boredom with the area and found a unique activity to share in together. I know there has to be some Kodak moments of their activities. Like I said, I know that area, I can guarantee it. Let's just hope they supported their local farmers and economy (of which there are plenty down there) by buying local eggs. I often would joke about the area to my buddy about how mind numbingly bored I'd get there...and Easton isn't exactly NYC. The next conversation I have with him will be quite interesting for sure. Personally, I hope they make these two clean up every single house in the Landsdale area over the last 18 months, it's only right. No mention, by the way, of how old they are. I'd love to think they were 18 or 19, but knowing the area, they could have been in their 50s.

-Caomhin

Ice on Mars!

2008-07-31T22:39:00.003-05:00

Not my usual topic to be sure, but damn exciting. I know some people may not get worked up about ice being found on another planet that obviously isn't supporting life, but this has got to be one of the greatest discoveries of all time. I'll admit that since this latest expdition started, I've imagined being on the planet looking around at nothingness and being to explore the planet. I don't know if we'll be alive by the time a manned expedition gets over there (50 years from now I'll be 80, suddenly I don't feel so old), but with the advance of robotics and technological advances, dare I say, there may one day in my lifetime be a completely robotics operated station on Mars which will eventually become manned? Say, 500 years or sooner before people are actually living there in controlled man made habitats? I know we're looking at that possibility on the moon someday and we're looking at more manned missions there as well. Yea, this is a kid like post from me (a worded daydream if you will), nothing like I usually do (though I guess some may argue otherwise) but, damn, this is amazing!

-Caomhin

Why No Mention of Obamagirl?

2008-07-31T22:29:00.003-05:00

If the moonbats want to go out there and state as Allahpundit is saying, that putting pictures of white women around Obama somehow suggests racism, why isn't everyone pointing to Obamagirl? That's what got him his national exposure more so than his speech at the convention did. Most people aren't into politics like that to remember that speech but sticking that skank in a video with him sure did. Their real worry is that the image of the trainwrecks like Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears is going to stick. Adverstisers have known for decades that sex sells, so what goes around comes around.

Who's the real racist here? Everyone who criticizes Obama and doesn't intent to support him is a racist, regardless of how horrible they think his ideas are? When he was out bashing people from my Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as bitter, gun-clingers, who believe in God, who do you think he was taking a shot at? Who was the one talking about Hillary Clinton's "claws" and mocked her as "Annie Oakley" when she talked about her support of the Second Amendment (which, of course, was a lie)? Who's the one whose surrogates throw racial bombs at everyone? Are we really to believe that Rev. Wright was correct and that if Bill would have dropped an N-bomb on Hillary that Obama's candidacy would have been for not?

What this really shows is that Obama is extremely insecure and has a terribly, terribly weak glass jaw. One of these days his cockiness is going to make him stick it out there and someone is going to shatter it. Let's hope its before the election and McCain does it, lest it be Iran or some terrorist organization.

-Caomhin

Does Obama have Head Trauma?

2008-07-30T23:37:00.003-05:00

Seriously, how do you explain this?

Notice the uneasy laughter by one person in the crowd. He's not serious, he's got to be making a joke, he has to be. If his answer to the energy crisis is to inflate tires and change spark plugs he must have stopped learning about the oil market right about the time he got his driver's license. He can't honestly think that:
1. Inflating your tires and changing spark plugs is a true solution. What's he doing reading the "Lifestyle" section of his newspaper under the tips column for his briefings?
2. That the 3% efficiency increase from properly inflated tires is the same as getting a slew of new oil to the market place. Domestically produced oil that will help get us off of foreign oil, reduce our deficit, and strengthen our dollar, which in turn will increase the buying power of all Americans.
3. Shale oil is myth. He has to know we have enough shale oil to run our nation at our current consumption levels to supply us for 100 years.
4. That people are really that stupid that they never check their tire pressure at all.

I could go on forever here, but you get the drift. That is honestly one of the stupidest statements I've heard a politician make in years. But alas, when you've got the media as your groupies, no one is going to press the issue, and hey, if his highly complex, tire inflating solution fails, there's always his Plan B, so simply a child could do it:

-Caomhin

Move, B*tch, Get out the Way

2008-07-30T23:15:00.003-05:00

That's the more appropriate theme song for Obama's campaign as yet another one of Obama's vocal supports gets hucked under the bus, this time it's Ludacris, who had the audacity to hope that he could Hillary Clinton a bitch and hope the John McCain would be paralyzed in the latest lyrical score he wrote on the back of napkin and then recorded. Stay classy Ludacris. Oh well, we all look forward to your improptu concerts coming soon to a grocery store parking lot near us. Actually, he owes Obama a big one, his star on the hip hop walk of fame has long since faded, so hey, at least he got a headline.

Which brings me to a larger point, there obviously can't be any more room under Obama's bus, what with Wright, Pfleger, Ayers, the entire nation of Israel, Muslims, etc, etc. Not that he has anything to worry about, after all he's like the old man who throws bread crumbs at the pigeons and the pigeons of course, represent the media. Hell, he could karate chop a baby and his minions in the press would cover for him. But alas, back to my greater point. No, this isn't a bus people are getting thrown under....it's a Monster Truck. Here we see the metaphorical representation of Team Socialism's campaign celebrating with the bodies of all his closest friends and allies from days past firmly stomped under his wheels:

Since I'm on the topic of videos, I've managed to dig up this clip from a few weeks ago where we can see Rep. Jeff Flake fighting off all types of under handed attacks from Nancy Pelosi on the floor in the House of Representatives. I think she needs a refund on the latest botox injection, though. Good stuff.

-Caomhin

More Eco-Insanity

2008-07-21T22:40:00.003-05:00

The Democrats are attempting to give our economy a lobotomy. Even worse, they are pursuing tremendously hurtful policies during a difficult economic time, a time when we can least afford this kind of chicanery. Al Gore, perhaps sensing a disturbance in his investment income, has been popping up more and more talking about how horrible oil is. Yes, the same industry that has allowed us to develop into the strongest nation on the face of the earth, the same one the gets us to work every day, the one that heats our homes, etc, ever since people have become even more acutely aware that our reluctance to drill here at home is killing us at the pump and in the world economy as our dollar further devalues.

Before I proceed from here, you should really see the highlights of Al Gore's "major" speak on the dangers of losing his cash cow, er, I mean carbon based energy. Here it is, presented by Americans For Prosperity:

Al Gore is completely off his rocker and has been for quite some time. Why, he's even compared offshore drilling to the Iraq invasion. Which of course is nothing like the invasion of Iraq. In fact, you'd think if the point he was trying to make was to be more responsible in international affairs and leave nations to their own accord, the our energy self sufficiency would include us drilling here at home. Or maybe he's referencing the point that nations like Iran are much better stewards of the environment and have better and more cleaner technologies to pump oil than we do here in America. Oh right, he's completely and utterly insane and wrong.

Democrats and Liberals have no regard for the common man. Rather than being sensible and recognizing that we will need oil and natural gas supplies for at least 25 years (at absolute minimum) to be able to move away from using gas in our cars, etc, and seeking to blend energy forms as we do journey down that path, they could care less if you could afford to do so. They could care less if you couldn't afford to buy a new car that ran on hydrogen and we had no gas tomorrow. They could care less if you got to work and if you could afford to do so, well then they would just raise your taxes up to the point where you couldn't anymore.

Sounds like an exaggeration right? Well re-visit that clip where the guy in the AFP video is completely happy about gas going up to about $8 a gallon for the "common good." But that's OK, right, my green comrades? That's the Democrats energy policy in a nutshell. Don't think arugula lover Barack Obama has a problem with this. He just wishes it was a slower rise in the price of gas, but the price? Completely cool with it. So don't act so shocked when the Congressional Democrats are crowing about high energy prices and aren't doing jack to raise the supplies are focused on raising one thing....your gasoline tax by 50%, and they're moving to do it quickly.

-Caomhin

One More Step Towards Winning the Iraq War

2008-07-21T22:18:00.003-05:00

It's pretty inevitable now that we're going to be declare true victory in Iraq, with the Iraqi people being the true winners in the war. Yes, the GOP has been dragging the Democrats toward victory in Iraq, kicking and screaming as it were, and now we've reached another huge milestone in Iraq. Today, the Sunni bloc officially rejoined the new Iraqi government. This is a tremendous development and yet another key sign that the war is drawing to a close. Bringing the Sunnis back in is a huge victory for al Maliki and the Iraqis. As it is clearly obvious to any honest observer, the surge has been tremendously successful.

John McCain, the Republican nominee for president, deserves a great amount of credit for calling for Rumsfeld's ouster after he did not initiate a build up of troops after the amount of violence greatly increased upon our taking of Baghdad. Rumsfeld, though, orchestrated a incredible ground invasion that was lighting quick, however, his dealings with the insurgency were his downfall, as he did not listen to the commanders on the ground. Upon the implementation of the surge we have seen the utter demolition of al Qaeda in Iraq, the build up of the Iraqi security forces, deals on oil contracts and economic policies, a dramatic reduction in violence with lower American and Iraqi casualties, the Mahdi Army's disembowelment, etc. The surge has worked greatly.

The question, then, is where do we go from here? Certainly not to withdrawal and leave Iraq to fall back into chaos. The way leave Iraq victorious is clear. We must continue to train Iraqi security forces in order to become even more capable of defending themselves and provide for the security of the Iraqi people. The American ground forces can be withdrawn as the Iraqi forces are built up. Certainly, Iraq will need our logistical and air support as those networks are built up, but as American casualties continue to fall, the swell in support here at home will continue to draw. As Iraq develops these capabilities, we continue to withdrawal our troops until Iraq is completely self sufficient or until they ask us to leave completely.

Political solutions are entirely left to the Iraqis. We cannot force Iraq to implement laws and rule that we are forcing upon them, this is not our mission, nor should it. The Iraqis have their own unique needs and wants, and we must leave it up to them to decide their own fate. The way to ensure that they do is to provide security in the interim while they choose their policies. This is the mission that we are seeking to complete.

Despite what Obama is currently saying, he completely opposed the surge of forces in Iraq that created the current situation. His current visit to Iraq is a disgusting way to try to score cheap political points. In the years between his first and now current visit, Obama lacked the courage to go to Iraq when things were looking bleak and his own personal security may have been at risk. That utter lack of courage is highlighted even more so when you consider the number of Republicans and Democrats who went to Iraq during the times of extreme violence regardless of their opinions on the war. Obama's lack of leadership and courage are on full display, this is not a man who should be leading our nation.

Finally, I just want to touch on the irony of the situation. The Liberals refused to support Iraq when thing were bleak and made much of the fact that we essentially went into Iraq as the leaders of a small coalition. Fast forward to present day and our path to victory is clear and no longer deniable, even to the most ardent of Liberals and even after some of allies left Iraq. It was under our leadership, our forces, that a conflict that started out so bleak turned the corner. On the other hand, the Afghan conflict, led by NATO, which started out so well and now falters under NATO's lead and internal positioning, is the conflict supported by the Left. They constantly labeled this conflict as "the good conflict," and is now the more dangerous of the two missions. I commend those calling for a similar surge in Afghanistan, but even as they do so, they highlight with even greater emphasis the success Gen. Petraeus and President Bush have secured in Iraq. We can not lose either of these conflicts, and for as great as an importance as it is to America, it is of an even more, exponential importance to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan that we finish the mission and leave these nations with the necessary, domestic security forces, for them to protect themselves.

-Caomhin

Democrats, Ethanol, Devastate the Gulf Coast

2008-07-16T22:57:00.004-05:00

The Dead Zone at the base of the Mississippi is larger than ever thanks the Democrats' ethanol mandate and is wiping out wild life while stuffing the pockets of the Democrats and their favorite pet project investors. For all the complaining that the Democrats do about oil, not even the Exxon Valdez disaster has has this much of a drastic impact, spreading so rapidly, and threatening to do even more devastation in such a short period of time. Remember who they blasted those who opposed their ethanol subsidies and how they chide oil as being irresponsible? Where again is there an ever increasing oil spill that is destroying not just wildlife, but other industries within our borders? For that matter, seeing as how the Democrats have killed off all life in an area the size of New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico, what again is their opposition to off shore drilling there? Hate to tell I told you so about ethanol in general and the Democrats in general, but...wait, no actually I enjoy that part. The Dead Zone and the Democrats reckless ways? Not so much.

-Caomhin

Obama and his Surrogates Hateful Insinuendo

2008-07-16T22:39:00.004-05:00

Obama and his idol worhiping legionnaires love making suggestions about their opponents. You'll recall his overt sexism during his race and now his blatant ageism against McCain, specifically by his and his worshipers constant use of the term "confused." Personally I don't get it and I'd like to do my part and shoot down some rumors about Obama, you know, to be helpful.

First of all, I don't know why these ideas always seem to be coming home to roost on left when they talk about equality and change, which they obviously don't truly believe in. Now don't get me wrong, I think smear against Obama are horrible, especially when it comes to religion. I have no doubt that Obama believes strongly in God, so strongly that he may even pray three times a day, at sunrise and sunset I'm sure. Perhaps out of his love for the environment he may even pray towards the direction the sun is currently sitting in when he prays.

Now, he talks about confusion but there is no confusion about Bill Ayers and his cohorts. No, he has no regrets against bombing the government and wishing he could have done more, and he wouldn't even bat an eye to do so. We've also heard the hurtful things that Jesse Jackson has threatened to do to Obama, and really, that's not cool at all. Bill Clinton even has called for Obama to "kiss his ass" and that's wrong. Why these three are so hateful, some sort of vengeful Trinity, if you will, is beyond me.

In conclusion let me just say that a total lack of experience of understanding of the issues is not Obama's fault. He's simply been campaigning since he first won an elected office, so learning about the issues and hearing things that he doesn't know, and doesn't recall being what he knew, is simply a distraction. He's not flip flopping when he says one thing and does another. In fact, his judgement to lead has been so exceptional that he has the foresight to see that the green policies he enacts will be so environmentally friendly that it precipitates a withdrawal from Iraq before the Democratic Congress can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And that...is change he can believe in.

-Caomhin

Inform Yourself On Energy Policy

2008-07-16T22:26:00.002-05:00

By now you know how strongly I feel that in order to formulate opinions and engage in spirited debate, one must fully inform themselves on the issues. I highly suggest reading the Energy IQ Survey released by Energy Tomorrow, which can be found by clicking here. Among other useful tools on the site are podcasts, audio, and video sessions which will go a long way to helping raise your awareness on the issues of our energy security and development. It's an excellent resource tool.

-Caomhin

Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi Should Be Haunting You at the Pump

2008-07-15T22:19:00.004-05:00

President Bush did the right thing by lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling. We desperately need more supplies of oil and natural gas, whether they be found off shore, inland, above ground, or underground. We have the technology and resources to begin to move away from being held hostage by foreign nations, yet the Democrats, who are funded and run by enviro-nutjobs and their pet projects they invest in, refuse to recognize reality or economics.

We will not be "off of oil" within the next 15 years. It won't happen. We need oil for homes, automobiles, plastics, and many other vitally important things. As we move to other sources, we will need to have oil, and we should be producing it here at home, be it for national security, strengthening the dollar, stopping interruption flows (be it from foreign strikes or terrorist attacks), etc. In fact, the public is fully behind the efforts to begin drilling here at home. Please reference this article. The rise in support for domestic drilling is growing exponentially.

A fact sheet that was recently brought to my attention is an excellent source of information and shoots down the concerns of the average environmentalist, who basically has no idea what they are talking about nor the facts to back up their outrageous claims. Congress, of course, under the direction of uber Left Wingers Reid and Pelosi are trying to stop this effort to become self sufficient and more secure in our energy needs. Contrary to Reid's belief that Oil "makes us sick" or the Dems policy of "drive small cars and wait for the wind" Americans know the reality that they do not. To Harry Reid's point, it's not Global Warming that's making us sick, it is him and his cronies in Congress. Even as we develop more sources of energy and increase efficiency, energy supplies such as coal, oil, and natural gas, are abundant, can be clean, and begin to hit the market place much faster and have a much more dramatic impact as sources such as wind, solar, etc are developed and brought into the fold as well.

Energy solutions should be regionally based. Pennsylvania, Alaska, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Colorado, North Dakota, and Utah have abundant sources of natural gas that can be tapped and begin to be used. Louisiana and Florida, for example can safely extract oil offshore. These are real solutions which can impact us now, and if we move on it NOW, then we will see results. It is not coincidence that as President Bush lifted the executive ban on drilling, prices dropped nearly $9. Let's see if the morons in Congress actually care about the people of America and hold up their end of the deal.

-Caomhin

The Democratic Congress's Destruction By The Numbers

2008-07-15T22:08:00.004-05:00

Here are some numbers to consider. Personally, I did not think they would be able to devestate the economy as badly as they have in one and half year. I was completely wrong. Never underestimate the Left Wing's penchant for devestating American families.

Jan 4, 2007 Jul 14, 2008
Unemployment 4.6% 5.5%
Dow Jones Industrial Average 12,488.69 11,055.19
Price per barrel of oil 58.32 137.85
Gallon of Gasoline 2.33 4.11
Home Heating Oil Per Gallon 2.42 4.53

Unemployment is up because of the rise in the minimum wage rate and excessive panic that the Democrats have pushed for political purposes as well as constantly pursing policies that devalue the American dollar. The DJIA is down for that exact same reason, and we can all thank Chuck "The Sheister" Schumer for causing IndyMac to shut down. The Democrats reckless policies concerning ethanol and thier refusal to allow for more domestic drilling of the last decade, and even now, have caused a gigantic leap in oil prices. Anyone up for giving these hacks another shot a congress and giving them the presidency on top of it? If so, please research Jimmy Carter's term a bit more and prepare for the pain.

-Caomhin

Mixed Feelings on the FISA Bill

2008-07-09T22:37:00.002-05:00

The Telecom Surveillance Bill, which passed with a wide margin today, has mixed implications for the American people. The element of the bill which would give immunity to the telecommunications companies who had helped the government in its surveillance of suspected terrorists should have only been applied to the cases before the evidence of the practice became public. The telecommunications companies were told by federal authorities that the wireless tapping was acceptable and necessary to protect America from future terrorist attacks and undoubtedly there was intelligence gathered that did in fact protect our nation from further harm.

However, the protection from civil lawsuits going forward should have been stripped from this bill. That may sound like it runs counter from the information in the preceding paragraph, but there is a distinction that needs to me made. Originally, when the program was run in secrecy, corporations were told that they would not face civil or criminal repercussions for their assistance with the program. If that is what they were told and had operated under that philosophy, with assurances from the White House, then they should have been granted immunity as this bill did provide. However, going forward, the implications can be grave.

Monitoring suspected terrorists’ communications is essential to national defense; there is no arguing that point. However, the text of the bill does not limit the scope to suspected terrorists, rather, that the government simply needs to have reasonable belief that one party is overseas. One can easily see how this could lead to far reaching abuses and lead to a domestic spying program to be utilized for political purposes as opposed to national defense reasons. Whether or not you trust the current Administration should not factor into the evaluation when determining the validity of granted future immunity to the companies involved. Subsequent administrations and political operatives who one day will run the nation will also have authorization to utilize this program.

The bill, does however, provide for an emergency tap to be utilized and then give the government up to one week to get a court order in order to use the information. This is a very careful dance on civil liberties. Shielding the telecoms from lawsuits from violations of this law going forward presents and opportunity for them to do corporate spying as well, as rest assured, they will be monitoring communications as well. It also makes them somewhat “bullet-proof” and will provide a temptation for them and the government to commit violations of the provisions within the bill.

Will that happen? The likelihood not severe, but it is a possibility and one that should be in the front of people’s minds when discussing these issues and formulating opinions. In the digital age, striking a balance between national defense and protecting civil liberties is a difficult task. This is especially true when battling an enemy which has time and again shown no regard for civil liberties, freedom, democracy, or human life. It is paramount that we protect ourselves. Giving blanket protection to the telecom industries and the political parties charged with safekeeping the program and our personal data and communications going forward may well prove to be a costly mistake. Time and close observation of the program will the only means of evaluating this bill. America will win the War on Terror, but this bill will remain long after we have achieved victory.

Philadelphia Assaults Second Amendment...Knows It Is Unconstitutional

2008-07-09T22:35:00.002-05:00

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has forged ahead with a plan to hold law abiding citizens responsible for crimes committed by those who do not abide by the law. Under Philadelphia’s new gun law, one which the Philadelphia DA says is not constitutional. No matter, though, the city plans to forge ahead anyway. The fine will be $1,900 for not reporting the lost gun within 30 days of knowing that it is lost. You can find the article here.

Besides the obvious problem of punishing private, innocent citizens for the actions of others (i.e. most guns that are “lost” are actually stolen), this comes on the heels of the Heller decision which upholds the rights on an individual’s right to bear arms. Mayor Nutter has been briefed by the DA that this law, as well as others that Philadelphia is seeking to institute, are in violation of the Constitution. Additionally, this also poses an issue in determining when a gun is lost. If one does not report the gun lost within 30 days of knowing it is lost, how exactly does the city go about proving that the owner knew for more than 30 days that the gun was lost at all? There is no way of proving that time frame except for the word of the owner in the first place. So in addition to being a violation of the Second Amendment, the law is going to enforced arbitrarily and result in an excess fine.

Additionally, one must also consider the fact that if a gun is stolen during a break in; one must reasonably assume that the gun was secondary in the theft. Identity theft is a complete nightmare, unfortunately a reality for many, and is a difficult problem in which to find a resolution. It should not be a punishable offense if the victim of break-in were to focus on securing their financial accounts, credit, social security number, etc, and place the emphasis on those issues rather than focusing on material items, which of course, can be replaced through private insurance. Dealing with crimes of this nature is extremely traumatic and takes considerable time. To further exacerbate the after effects of being the victim of crime through unconstitutional laws is wholly irresponsible and reckless.

There is no disputing that Philadelphia has many problems and that violent crime has been on the rise. The failings of former Mayor John Street are just a part of the root cause of this increase in violence. The criminals are the problem in Philadelphia and rather than combating the criminal element, the city is seeking to scapegoat law abiding citizens and blame the people and the not the failings of the politicians who run the city for the woes that they face. Rather than going after citizens who are not breaking the law for exercising their Constitutional rights to bear arms, they ought to look in the mirror and begin to enact and enforce laws that will confront the criminal element directly.

Happy Indepenedence Day 2008!

2008-07-04T10:06:00.003-05:00

I would like to wish each and every one of you a very happy Independence Day! Today is a day to reflect on everything that makes America great. A day to remember our break from tyranny and the creation of new form of government, one that values individual freedoms, maximizes liberty, is not oppressive in taxation, and allows each individual to pursue their own dreams in freedom. Assuredly we have not reached this point completely as of yet, the ideals that our Founding Fathers envisioned for us, but we, the American people must strive hard to perfect our union, and allow liberty to flourish within our Republic, and take a stronger stance to fight for these ideals.

We should take time today to be with friends and family, to remember all the sacrifices that our ancestors have given so that we may have a chance to chase the American dream. We should recollect on the spirit of freedom that blossomed into the American Revolution, the likes of which the world had never seen before. We should honor and thank our veterans for fighting for our rights and giving the ultimate sacrifice for every one of us, remembering they gave voluntary service in order protect the masses that did not have the privilege of knowing them personally. We should remember that the fireworks are an illustration in that they provide a representation of Francis Scott Key’s work, our National Anthem, that even through the horrors of war, the lights of the explosions gave hope and inspiration that our Flag was still waving, and that we were still free. I wish you all the best today, I give thanks to those that came before me and reaffirm my beliefs in freedom and liberty. God Bless.

Ah, The Inevitable Conclusion for the Liberals

2008-06-19T22:33:00.003-05:00

Yes, inevitably we’d see the Dems getting mad about rising oil prices but not for the same reasons as you, I, and rational people everywhere. While people like Obama are fine with rising gas costs (remember, he’s not mad gas it’s at $4.00 a gallon, he’s just upset that it wasn’t “gradual”), and the Democrats lunatic fear of carbon dioxide in general, this should be a good thing for them that demand and use are down a little. But of course, Dems are concerned with the one thing Dems are always concerned about. Tax and fine revenues.
Two cases in point. Buried a ways down in this story from CNN about Americans driving a little bit less is this gem:

Peters expressed concern that the cutbacks have resulted in the collection of fewer taxes on gasoline. Such taxes are funneled to the federal Highway Trust Fund, which gets 18.4 cents per gallon from gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon from diesel fuel.

Therein lays the real problem for Liberals everywhere. They’re not getting enough TAXES. Not to worry though, keep in mind that John Conyers (D…..of course) has already greased the wheels for 50 CENT PER GALLON TAX HIKE, on undoubtedly the Dems will push should they take Congress and the White House in the Fall. Not be outdone is point #2. Local and state governments are now slapping “fuel surcharges” on traffic fines and tickets, even as they use those insidious cameras to track down the real criminals in society, the people who go 5 mph over the speed limit or go through a yellow light. It’s all about that tax money for Democrats, never about cutting the budget or pork or unnecessary programs. They can’t even fathom the notion. They can’t even fathom the notion that it’s the citizens who are paying for these revenues.

-Caomhin

Green Really Is the New Reds. Democratic More Asinine With Every Passing Day

2008-06-19T22:29:00.002-05:00

It’s clear just how far to the left Congress truly is. Now we have a second Democrat calling for the nationalization of the oil industry, this time it’s Maurice Hinchey of NY (you’ll recall of course Maxine Walters’ own call for nationalization in the past). So what gives with the Democrats oil policy? Well for starters they hide behind a global warming hoax in order to divert investments into their pet investment projects in order to make a quick buck while demonizing the competition (something they have an extremely long history of doing) as an attempt to monopolize their favored industries.

What’s scary about this is that this is really what most Democrats feel, and I’m sure Obama does as well, yet the media is so far in the tank for these guys that they won’t even call them out for it. In what sense does a promotion of nationalization of industries such as oil and health care not scream “SOCIALISM!” as it is the same path that Hugo Chavez took Venezuela down. Not surprisingly, they weren’t too upset when that happened and they STILL insist Chavez is some sort of good guy. They refuse to allow for increased domestic drilling and supply concerns when even today we see the dangers that we face by being forced to import our oil as Shell had to shut down one of their off shore operations due to rebel attacks. It is simply insane to forgo domestic increases in supply and refining capacity in the private sector.

Besides overall cost benefits, think of how dramatically this would impact our economy. How many jobs would be created, how far would the trade deficit shrink and re-strengthen our dollar, etc? Critics say that it will take at least 7 years for the oil to hit the market place, but even at 7 years, had we gone ahead and started producing oil from ANWR and other sources back when first considered, then we’d have about 1 million extra barrels of domestic oil in the market place today. There are many sources we can tap into but can’t because the Democrats have consistently blocked the attempts to develop American industry.

Recognizing the need for alternative sources of energy, even under optimum circumstances we will not be completely oil free for at least 30 years and probably never. Why? Because we will always have need for oil for older automobiles (not everyone can simply afford to buy new cars) and for things like plastics, etc. Sure the demand will be lower, but in what way is it bad that if our demand keeps dropping as we develop more energy sources that at some point with the start of increased domestic capacity that we could be self sufficient in this realm? Face reality Dems.

-Caomhin

So When Can We Expect Dodd's Resignation?

2008-06-19T22:25:00.001-05:00

It appears that Sen. Christopher Dodd is not only the recipient of an outrageous loan from Countrywide, he’s also hell bent on making us taxpayers bail his friends out. Now, as you can tell, I’m very much a proponent of the free market and my feelings on the mortgage situation is well documented on this site. What Dodd is doing here is utterly despicable.
In the first place, he sought out and received an improper loan from a corporation by using his political office as leverage, something for which he should be booted from office for in the first place. This is a man whom the hard left hailed as a hero during his short lived presidential campaign and it’s not surprising. In addition to unethical actions, he is now seeking to force responsible Americans to bail out irresponsible lenders and borrowers alike. This has nothing to do with fixing the housing market and has everything to do with a CYOA approach employed by Dodd. Read the whole aforementioned story by the Wall Street Journal, it’s sure to raise eyebrows.

How deep are the Democrats in the pockets and how dirty are they on this? Please reference the stories here and here, via Hot Air about Obama’s ties to Countrywide and his demonizing rhetoric on the company while at the same basking in their undying support, so much so that Dodd and the head of Obama’s VP search time both have filthy hands with regard to this scandal. A new type of politician indeed.

-Caomhin

GOP Stops Democratic Bill to Committ Economic Suicide

2008-06-10T22:25:00.002-05:00

We dodged a huge bullet today, but I really wonder for how long we'll be able to hold this idiotic, already tried and failed, "windfall" tax on oil profits. There's a multitude of issues that are at stake here and the Dems are playing this out as only the socialists can. Only one Dem voted against proceeding with the bill, Mary Landrieu of LA, and only because she's up for re-election in Louisiana, and she's a big target for the GOP this fall. Here are just a few problems with this bill:

1. Market Manipulation. True, Morgan Stanley did the entire free market dirty on Friday by purposely saying they believed oil would go to 150 after getting jittery when the price per barrel went down to about 122 last Thursday. It shot up to nearly 140, surely something that needs to investigated. However, their proposal to transfer oil company profits to the industries that are funding the Democratic Party's election bids is nothing more than a kick back and artificial inflation of the stock prices of many solar, wind, and geothermal companies. A clear market manipulating tactic and obvious kick back.

2. Free Market Violation. In every regard. The oil companies should not be forced to invest their profits into the companies that Congress picks. This is not Venezuela. That's pure Marxist tactics. It also does not allow for further drilling and oil exploration of domestic sources to expand supply. It's true that we do not operate under a free market system and we are subject to a cartel in the form of OPEC. It should also be noted that because of this any drops in demand as the Dems and radical greens are promoting can simply be met by a drop in supply by the oil cartel in order to keep prices high. A short term increase in supply would be more effective, but only if demand also lowers. Hence, domestic expansion and releasing us from OPEC's clutches while developing more fuel efficient technologies is the best way forward while simultaneously developing alternative sources in the free market. Just look at car lots. The market is working, there are more SUVs on the lots, car sales defeated truck sales for the first time in a very long time, and that was the free market.

3. The Cost of the Tax Will Be Shifted To the Consumer. We already know that production will fall in the US and that oil companies will be less apt to develop more sources, but it's also painfully obvious that an increase in taxes will simply be shifted to the consumer. History holds this to be true.

4. No Long Term Solution. Politicians from both parties like to go out and talk of breaking our dependence on foreign sources, yet we still refuse to develop more sources here at home, which are vast and numerous. Between oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear, we have many sources that would be able to be utilized in the short term (say 20 years) as the market moves to increases in nuclear, solar, hydrogen, etc. Many politicians throw out a five-year plan type of deal, but that's a lie, and they know it. We will have demand for oil forever, albeit much lower in the future. People will still want to utilize their vintage cars, many cars 20 years old are still operational, etc. Even assuming that we were to be "oil-free" in five years, at what cost would the government shell out to replace every single oil consuming vehicle. Do you really think middle and low income families can afford to replace all the vehicles to buy new, expensive technology? Of course not. Of course, I could make a very strong case that the Greens are using fear tactics and market manipulation in order to make profits for themselves while further their political agenda and create a new sort of serf class that will be unable to pay to receive the benefits that the ultra rich can afford. But hey, it's OK because they can afford to pay astronomical "carbon" fees but if the lower or middle class can't, they shouldn't be allowed to do so.

I could go on forever here, but you get the drift. The GOP really got one right today.

-Caomhin

Missle Defense Test: Successful Again

2008-06-10T22:17:00.003-05:00

We successfully shot down a ballistic missile off the coast of Hawaii using interceptors from the USS Erie. This is huge. While Democrats like Barack Obama and indeed the Dems in generally going back to the Reagan administration have staunchly opposed missile defense as some hair brained scheme, it is now apparent that our system is quite capable of defending us from nuclear attacks. That's something that should be damn near headline news, instead its admonished to near the back of news reports. This was a major investment that has truly paid off for us. This will go a long way to providing an even greater level of national defense. Of course the Russians and the Chinese are none too happy that we've developed such advanced weapon systems that we can fend off the most devastating of conventional attacks, but that is to be expected. The military should be commended for such a great achievement, equally as impressive as the satellite shoot down.

-Caomhin

Government Intervention A Big Part of the Mortgage Mess

2008-06-10T22:09:00.003-05:00

Shocking. Anyone still not see how the government causes more problems than it cures? Of course the policies were set in place with the best of intention in mind, that being to help those who were financially borderline for a solid loan to attain one...at high risk. The government took a big gamble with our tax dollar, again, for a purpose that had honorable intentions (that being to help out lower income families), and lost big for us by exposing tax dollars to an unacceptable level of risk that the vast majority of responsible, free market companies wouldn't touch. The result:

The agency neglected to examine whether borrowers could make the payments on the loans that Freddie and Fannie classified as affordable. From 2004 to 2006, the two purchased $434 billion in securities backed by subprime loans, creating a market for more such lending. Subprime loans are targeted toward borrowers with poor credit, and they generally carry higher interest rates than conventional loans.

So to reiterate, the government backed agencies decided to take higher risks with tax payer dollars, seeking to increase their own revenue, and now, not only have we lost the tax dollars used to purchase these loans, subsequently, liberal members of Congress are looking to take even more tax dollars from us to "fix" the problem. You can see where this is going. How are these lessons lost on our so called leaders? Despite the intentions of central planners to assist people, it was greed on the government level and the lack of accountability that lead the vast majorities in the first place, and instead of helping a small percentage of the population, they hurt the vast majority of the population instead.

-Caomhin

Obama A Sleazy, Sleazy Politician

2008-05-15T23:28:00.003-05:00

No surprise really. Think the Democrats are going to turn around sometime soon and get a little mad at the media for not properly vetting one of the most liberal and underhanded candidates for higher office in quite some time? Oh, I'm sure they're getting ready. He's already used not so subtle sexist references to Hillary Clinton and has already started discriminating against John McCain's age, this of course, after he supposedly somehow missed the fact that his pastor was a foaming at the mouth lunatic after sitting about 1o feet from him every week and heard every speech the guy gave. Only after it was politically expedient for him to distance himself did he do so. Character guy. He was so unsure of Rev. Wright that he continually called him a "spiritual mentor" and a close personal friend. Friends never hear friends express opinions right?

Well, ABC has a nice story about how Obama diverted Millions upon Millions of dollars to his political allies. His wife also benefited as you already know, from his political activities. In fact, everyone around Obama who was willing to do his dirty work or was a special interest he agreed with, got some money thrown at them, while he hurls disingenuous promises of somehow being "different" than anyone else. In terms of egotistical, he's right on that point.

Worse yet, it's now almost legendary how far MSNBC and the AP as well as other media organizations are in the tank for the guy. An unquestioning media who serves as a propaganda wing is what gets most dictatorships moving along rapidly. Even worse is the whole Messianic idea behind his candidacy, and the photos taken by the media and the presentation of such are extremely disturbing. See here and here. Feel free to Google Chris Matthews and Obama and see the results. You'll also note that many older style Democrats (Clinton, Leiberman, etc) have started to go on record as saying that Fox News really is the only fair network left. That is, the only network where the political analysts aren't fellating Obama.

You'll also be pleased to know he's lied, and blatantly so, on many occasions. One such is his idea of appeasements towards terrorists and dictators, which President Bush called him out on today. He says that's a lie, but check out the video and screen cap that was captured by Hot Air's Allahpundit, taken straight from Obama's website (side note: if you put it on the web, you can't just take it down and say it was never there, moron). The media's reaction? He never said that. Somewhere in the distance I can hear goosestepping from the liberal minions circa 1939 Germany.

-Caomhin

Liberals In Senate Tried to Ram Amnesty Down Our Throats....Again

2008-05-15T23:02:00.004-05:00

What is this, like their 5th try in the last few months? It is utterly disgraceful and politically disgusting that liberals in the Senate stuffed an amendment onto the Iraq funding bill that would have required granting amnesty to illegal aliens, increased the number of work visas for low skilled labor, AND required a price restriction on the labor. How can anyone be so contemptuous for our troops (by putting them in harms way by slowing down the funds necessary for them to fulfill their mission), so anti-free market (by introducing wage freezes, harmful the very same people they propose to give amnesty to), and advocating a lawless, open border? It's insanity, and it's seems fitting its Sen. Feinstein was one of the "champions" of this nonsense.

Let's look at each aspect briefly. First, it is utterly inappropriate to attach amendments to the Iraq funding bill to try to revive the horrendous amnesty act that the Senate tried to push upon our nation. Such issues should, and only should, be considered as separate bills.

Secondly, advocating an open borders policy is a terrible idea in the first place. While individual liberty allows for individuals to move freely, that must be balanced with protecting the liberties and rights of others. For example, we should absolutely allow for legal immigration into this nation, but there is a responsibility now to check to make sure those entering the nation are free from communicable diseases, are clear of a criminal background, etc. This would ensure security for our citizens and allow for a responsible policy of immigration with a secure border. This also is essential to homeland security.

Economic implications include the depression of wages. One argument that you hear is that illegal immigrants took jobs from Americans. In one sense, that is true. It is true in that an artificially large workforce amounts to an oversupply of labor. An oversupply leads to lower prices, essentially a competition to the bottom. People will accept markedly lower wage rates for jobs that normally would pay much higher rates. Secondly, we have the abuse of the social security system, health care benefits, etc and increases in identity theft occurrences (as illegals will undoubtedly look for ways to circumvent the system). You also have a system where employers who break the law by employing people they know to be illegal are much more likely to abuse their workers and provide unsafe work conditions as the illegals are many times less likely to report the violations as they themselves are in violation of the law.

For any elected member of the United States Congress to delay and stall funds from reaching our troops is simply inexcusable. Democrats have long said they supported the troops, while their minions have gone forth and accused them of being murderous thugs for the Bush Administration on one hand, and being victims of underfunded and under armored patsies on the other, both outrageous charges. Democrats themselves have continually held up the funding that the troops rely on to provide them with the ammunition, support, and armor needed to successfully fight the war. They are in no way, shape, or form supporting the troops by accusing them of atrocities and withholding funding from the battlefield. They are attempting to score the cheapest, and most insidious, of political points.

Finally, in terms of economics (which I briefly touched on earlier) any "wage freeze" is a terrible idea that flies in the face of capitalism (not that has ever stopped the Dems before). Any worker that is providing a service is deserving of the highest wage that the market deems to be proper for that particular position, be it higher, or lower. At a lower wage, the workers have an incentive to shift to different, more lucrative position where their compensation given is more agreeable to them. At higher wages, you will see more workers shift into that field, and eventually prices will level off at equilibrium. To deny the free market to work is to punish the workers and the community as a whole.

This whole little scheme Senate Democrats cooked up is indicative of their whole means of operation. They will do anything they can to score cheap political points, to highlight a small segment of the electorate in order to gain some votes, all the while holding everything that has made America successful since its inception in contempt. The free market, national security, rule of law, ability to compete in a free system, the right to earn a wage equal to your talent, etc. Worse, to hold a completely VOLUNTARY Armed Services hostage in order to get some political agenda pushed forward is down right unforgivable.

-Caomhin