Category Archives: Politics

Politics, Race Relations

Today In GOP History, Ending Slavery

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Ending slavery has an anniversary. Thanks to Michael Zak for the following. On New Year’s Day in 1863, the Republican Party’s Emancipation Proclamation came into effect. Emancipation Proclamation While Republicans rejoiced, Democrat politicians and newspapers denounced President Abraham Lincoln (R-IL) for freeing slaves. Demonstrating their depravity, New York’s Gov. Horatio Seymour, who would be the 1868 Democrat presidential nominee, denounced the Emancipation Proclamation as “a proposal for the butchery of women and children.” The Louisville Daily Democrat called it “an outrage of all constitutional law, all human justice, all Christian feeling.”Acting on authority granted by the Republican-majority 37th Congress to seize rebel “property,” President Lincoln had issued the proclamation two months before, to the dismay of the Democrats. Effective at yearend, all slaves in Confederate-controlled territory would be “forever free.”

Ill-informed critics of President Lincoln fault him for not freeing slaves in areas under U.S. control, but the federal government lacked the necessary authority. Within three years, the Republican-majority 38th Congress followed up the Emancipation Proclamation with the 13th Amendment, banning slavery throughout the nation.

related link: Grand Old Partisan

Politics, War On Terror

Bhutto, Another Casualty In War On Terror

Our best hope to succeed Musharraf in Pakistan just got assassinated, meeting the same fate as her father and brothers. The same way that the pro-democracy anti-Syrian political leaders in Lebanon were assassinated over the last few years. Most recently about a month ago.

For the head-in-the-sanders out there, those who don’t believe there is a war on terror, this is what the war on terror is. It is between Islamofascists, the radical terrorists that use Islam as their pass to murder, and suicide bombers and assassins as their ballot for oppression and Taliban-style governance, and, people who prefer democratic style governance. This is what we are fighting and what we have been fighting from the time we first went into Afghanistan. This is your wake-up call.

related links: Reuters | Washington Post | CNN, In Bhutto’s own words | CNN, Lebanon president steps down | AP: Countries condemn Bhutto killing

Update 12/31/07: video of the attack

Politics

H.R. 6, The Energy Bill That Isn’t

True to form, the highly touted energy bill does zip, zero, nada towards getting more energy. If thelightbulb politicians were honest, they would have called it a conservation bill. The highlights of the bill are changing light bulbs, mixing bio-fuels with fossil fuels, and squeezing the auto industry into the go-cart business. OK, the last one is a bit of hyperbole, but it is a prime example of the upside-down thinking in how to solve our demand for energy by nationalizing the auto industry without actually nationalizing the auto industry.

The government’s Energy Information Administration reports that U.S. crude oil field production declined to 1.9 billion barrels in 2005 from 3.5 billion in 1970, and the share of our oil that is imported has increased to 60% from 27% in 1985.

In a purely economic sense, this bill does nothing to increase supply and everything to limit demand, as if we can conserve our way out of being dependent on foreign oil.

And from a March 2005 post, Energy Policy Isn’t . . .

For the liberals and the democrats in general, it seems their idea of an energy policy is to do whatever you can to not use it. But more than that, it’s also important not to get it. We declare oil and coal fields national parks. How does that reduce dependence on foreign oil? It’s been over 3 years now that the President’s energy policy has been ignored. The time for a change is long overdue.

Absolutely nothing has changed.

related links: H.R. 6 | The Energy Policy That Isn’t | Energy Policy Isn’t | Fossil Fuels Out-Green Biofuels | Good Intentions Gone Bad, Biofuel, A Liberal Record Of Failure

Judiciary, Politics, Supreme Court, Uncategorized

The Godfathers In Congress

I don’t know how else to characterize it when politicians believe, and so far get away with, that because they are elected representatives of the people that they are immune from criminal investigations. It’s enough to make Tony Soprano jealous.

The Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court decision limiting law enforcement searches of congressional offices, arguing that the sweep of the ruling last summer may kill ongoing public corruption investigations.

Acting Solicitor General Gregory G. Garre, in a petition filed this week, urged the high court to weigh in on how far the “speech or debate” clause of the Constitution goes in insulating members of Congress from legal action. In the meantime, he said, “investigations of corruption in the nation’s capital and elsewhere will be seriously and perhaps fatally stymied.”

Hiding behind the ‘speech or debate’ clause of the Constitution creates a safe haven for criminal behavior. Who thinks that was the intention of the founding fathers?

related links:
U.S. Asks High Court to Nix ‘Speech-or-Debate’ Ruling | Best defense is a good admission? | Jefferson plays the race card | Congressman Indicted In Washington | Nation’s Capitol Is No Safe Haven For Corrupt Politicians

Media, Politics, War On Terror

War Funding Approved

What is characterized in the media as Democrats on capitol hill caving, Democrats in the Senate approved a half trillion dollar spending bill that included $70 billion to prosecute the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It still has to be passed by the House of Representatives, which is expected as well.

But why call it caving? Why not call it deciding to fight, win, and complete the war in Iraq and Afghanistan instead? Or something as inane as, could this be a sign that the country is once again united in the war? Approving the war budget amounts to good news for our troops, good news for the security of our country, the people in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the world, and bad news for the enemy. The only ones Democrats are caving to, apparently, is the George Soros wing of their party who only want to leave our enemies alone. It just goes to show you the perspective of the mainstream media.

link: Washington Post

Media, MRIOTD, Pensacola, Politics, Uncategorized

‘Ring Of Fire’ Radio On Air America

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Direct from the host of Air America’s ‘Ring of Fire‘ radio program himself, Mike Papantonio claimed that his show, which he co-hosts with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would be the response to ‘the fat drug addict with a tie,’ his snide reference to his nemesis, Rush Limbaugh. He said this on WEAR-TV, an ABC affiliate in Pensacola, FL back in January 2004.

At that time, I wished him luck. And knowing the message he had to give based solely on that remark, I had my doubts that the show would make it.

The truth of the matter will be in the profit & loss statement of the PK radio show. The studio and all its costs are one thing. One could expect a new business to go a year or two, or even more, before it begins to make a profit. Conservative talk radio is actually supported by advertisers who are supported by listeners. Will PK radio have the same success, or will it have to be fed by the special interests of the left to stay on the air? Whichever way keeps them on the air will determine whether it is a legitimate business or a mouth organ of the left.

Well, one bankruptcy and a couple buy-outs later, I think it is more a mouth organ for the left than genuine talk radio. In his case, it’s more like rabid radio. They recently added a third co-host to their lineup. No amount of quantity will make up for the quality of their message. Rabid radio has no market beyond the lemmings that they attract, and their friends, relatives, and employees.

The show is driven by the agenda they choose, not the news of the day, with pre-recorded interviews of other ‘progressives’ like Molly Ivens, Bill Moyers, and Michael Moore. There are no dissenting opinions offered on whatever the topic is that they discuss. It is a pep rally for the left, not talk radio.

To compete in the talk radio industry, you have to take calls from actual listeners and debate the topics of the day. That’s what Limbaugh, Hannity, and Boortz do. They take calls. The Ring of Fire does neither. They could show you their syllabus for upcoming shows which says what they’ll be talking about.

Hear how they “take” calls, from BIG LAW attorney and Air America radio host Mike Papantonio himself. Call the show 866-389-FIRE (3473) and this is what you’ll get. Pain yourself, like I did, and listen to a show (one show/week for 3 hrs), available on short wave, the internet, and a few AM radio stations, and see how many calls they take. I listened to one, to see if they would comment on either of my two questions. Of course, they did not. As a matter of fact, a quadruple amputee could count on his toes and fingers the number of calls from actual callers they did take, which was zero. The Ring of Fire is really more like a blow torch than talk radio. Not even in the same league as Rush or the other conservative talkers. Their newest incarnation of ‘progressive’ news is goLeftTV, also financed by the Levin Papantonio law firm. From rabid radio to rabid internet, they’ve got it covered. “Investors” welcome, since advertising isn’t paying the bills.

This is the Ring of Fire’s version of TALK RADIO. <click here>

h/t Ron’s Musings

related links: Ring Of Fire | goLeftTV | Papantonio & Kennedy Talk Radio | Papantonio & Kennedy Talk Radio & Air America

Media, Politics, War On Terror

Hung Up On Timetables

It’s much easier to move on when you set a timetable.  The NYT reports that the global warming disciples want to set a timetable to revive the dead.  Rather, to revive the ‘climate treaty.’  I doubt the earth will mind or even care if and when that ever happens.  But for now, the sky-is-falling al-Gores of the world will have to wait for the next bash America party.

Reminds me of other things that don’t respond well to timetables.  Like the desire Democrat leaders in congress have to play Commander in Chief and fight the war on terror via a timetable.  I guess for them it is a face saving way to say we quit.  Who wins?

Here’s a headline you won’t see anywhere else.  ‘Blogger Sets Timetable For New York Times’ to remove their news filter, pull their head out of the sand (or other orifice), and report on news that does not fit their agenda.   Like the Pope’s comments on global warming for example.

Media, Politics, United Nations

UN Climate Change Conference, Update

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Dovetailing with this post from yesterday, where Pope Benedict’s thoughts that the global warming hysteria is based more on ideology than science, and which the media is ignoring, there are now scientists telling the UN that their ‘science’ is rather imperfect. And like the Pope’s admonition, this letter is not being repeated at all in the mainstream media either.

The notion that man is the cause of climate change, and that man can change or reverse climate trends is simply not based in reality or science. Some highlights include . . .

Contrary to the impression left by the IPCC Summary reports:

  • Recent observations of phenomena such as glacial retreats, sea-level rise and the migration of temperature-sensitive species are not evidence for abnormal climate change, for none of these changes has been shown to lie outside the bounds of known natural variability.
  • The average rate of warming of 0.1 to 0. 2 degrees Celsius per decade recorded by satellites during the late 20th century falls within known natural rates of warming and cooling over the last 10,000 years.
  • Leading scientists, including some senior IPCC representatives, acknowledge that today’s computer models cannot predict climate. Consistent with this, and despite computer projections of temperature rises, there has been no net global warming since 1998. That the current temperature plateau follows a late 20th-century period of warming is consistent with the continuation today of natural multi-decadal or millennial climate cycling.

In stark contrast to the often repeated assertion that the science of climate change is “settled,” significant new peer-reviewed research has cast even more doubt on the hypothesis of dangerous human-caused global warming. But because IPCC working groups were generally instructed (see http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/docs/wg1_timetable_2006-08-14.pdf) to consider work published only through May, 2005, these important findings are not included in their reports; i.e., the IPCC assessment reports are already materially outdated.

Look for news of this letter in the media in the coming days, weeks. You will most likely notice that it will be or has already been tabled.

h/t to Noel Sheppard @ NewsBusters for the info