Macroeconomic Implications of Large Scale Ethanol Production in the U.S.

The following is from Survivablog:

---

Hi Jim
I have run across some information that I thought might be of interest. I am in the food business and come in contact with a lot of people in the food industry.

One of my associates is in the frozen fruit and vegetable business. He has been telling me the effect that W's ethanol incentives are having on the agriculture industry and it is quite alarming. I have not
researched this, so don't have facts and figures to back it up, so take it for what it is worth.

This situation seems to have mysteriously stayed out of the mainstream media and the only thing that I have seen about this is that tortilla prices in Mexico have risen drastically because so much
corn is being grown to produce ethanol and the Mexican guvmint is trying to use price controls on corn.

There is a lot more to it than that. Apparently, the guvmint has made it so attractive to grow corn and soybeans for ethanol that a lot of farmers are switching out of other crops in order to grow corn
and soybeans. There are a couple of reasons for this. You get a guaranteed price. I have never been a farmer, but I know enough to know that that is unusual for a commodity. The farmers also get more money for the corn and soybeans going to ethanol production than they would selling it for feed. Corn and soybeans are not only used to feed cattle but also pigs, chickens and turkeys. This means
that cattle ranchers, turkey farmers, pig farmers and chicken farmers are having to pay more for feed.

The other attractive thing about this for farmers is that if you are growing corn, it doesn't matter what the quality is, if it has some type of fungus or blight or has turned brown. They pay the same money
for all of it.

The effect that this is going to have on the food business is very far-reaching. A lot of farmers are now switching over to corn and soybeans. Case in point is peas. Peas for canning and freezing were very short last year and are expected to be short again this year. The reason? Fewer and fewer farmers are growing peas because they can make more money growing corn and soybeans. Remember,
farming is no longer like the painting, "American Gothic". It is agribusiness run by the likes of Cargill, ADM, etc. They go where the money is.

---

Source

Commentary

Seems to me that Liberals do not understand economics, and insist that reality be changed to suit their beliefs. They believe in a Command Economy, and in Government Power, despite the obvious failures of every great socialist experiment.

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The Iranian Hostage Crisis--The UK Edition

This is my Amicus Curiae, filed on behalf of the Britons:

Should the UK talk to the Iranians?

I think they should not, and here is why:

Talking to thugs only increases their power, and feeds their need to feel powerful. The proper way to deal with a thug is to let him know in no uncertain terms that they are not dealing with an appeasing coward who will try to talk his way out of a situation initiated by the thug...usually with violence, or the threat of violence.

Identifying the thug is the key first step. The thug should be notified that he is a thug, and will be treated as such.

Historical Examples of Dealing With Thugs:



Number One---Neville Chamberlein visits "Herr Hitler."


Number Two---Jimmy Carter Hides in the White House for 444 days.


Number Three---Ronald Reagan Identified the Soviet Union as an "Evil Empire."


I think we are familiar with the results of these choices, and the steps needed to take these thugs out. The Brits have stood by us when we needed them, and I think we should stand shoulder to shoulder with them at this time, even to the point of "loaning" them the strategic and tactical use of two carrier fleets stationed appropriately.

After this affair is over, those nitwits responsible for telling the sailors to stand down should be fired.

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Mayor Bellamy to give the State of the City Address

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 29, 2007

City of Asheville
Office of the Mayor

Contact: Lauren Bradley
Day: (828) 259-5484

MAYOR BELLAMY SET TO DELIVER STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS APRIL 3

Mayor Terry M. Bellamy will deliver her annual State of the City
address on Tuesday, April 3 at 5 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the second
floor of City Hall. The address is open to public and will be televised
live on the Asheville Channel, Charter Cable channel 11.

The mayor¢s address will focus on public safety, growth and improving
the quality of life for Asheville families. It is expected she will
cover highlights and accomplishments from that last year as well as key
issues on the city¢s agenda moving forward.

Seating is limited in the Council Chamber and will be filled on a first
come, first served basis. The address will be televised in City
Hall¢s First Floor North Conference Room where overflow seating will be
available.

###

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Democrats Refuse to Support British Hostages!!

Speaker Pelosi is becoming a perfect foil for a conservative nominee, should one emerge from the GOP Primaries. [I have my doubts this will happen]

From Gateway Pundit:

A resolution has been proposed in the House of Representatives that condemns Iran for the seizure of British sailors and marines, expresses support for our British allies. It's hard to see anything controversial in that. But apparently, the resolution has languished all week while Pelosi refuses to allow it to come to the floor.

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Bias Anyone?

FED Agency that Tracked PORK Spending During GOP Reign, Has Discontinued the Practice Since Democrats Took Power.

Now, isn't that CONVENIENT?

Hendersonville Post

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NRCC Launches New Website

Today, a new website was launched that will focus on 11 freshman Democrats. One of them is Heath Shuler. From the website:

Shuler voted for the Pelosi-Murtha "slow bleed" scheme to choke-off funding for American troops in harm's way. (House Roll Call 186)

By voting yes, Shuler voted for a date-certain for retreat and defeat in Iraq and voted to hamstring the mission by allowing Congress to micromanage the war.

Ignoring widespread criticism from the American Legion and major news publications from across the country, he made it clear that he believes politicians in Washington can better execute the military's mission than the commanders on the ground.

The bill he supported had been labeled "something of a trick" and an "unruly mess: bad policy, bad precedent, and bad politics" by news publications typically allied with the House Democrat agenda.

---

Dang, the NRCC stole a march on me, as I have been working on a similar website devoted to just Heath. Now, I'll have to scrap that whole thing.
Cross-Posted at WNC Citizens Blog

Update:

Ahem, I forgot to link to the website.

Main Page

Heath's Page

It's a good thing I sent it out on my newsletter list, or I would have had a hard time finding it again. Google certainly wasn't cooperative.

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Saddam, Al Qaeda, the CIA and the Lies of the American Elite

By Sean Osborne,

Associate Director, Military Affairs

Article introduction: The American public has been and continues to be lied to about Iraq and the Iraqi war, but not in the way most Americans - and the world - believe. The lies originate by the American power elite from both sides of the political spectrums and are perpetuated by the ambiguous pundits whose commentary we are constantly spoon-fed by the main stream media. The very heart of the lie is that Islamic terrorism like we saw on 9/11, the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, and yes, even the 1995 Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City, OK were merely acts of loose knit Islamic terrorists without state sponsorship. Wrapped within this lie is the role of Iraq, the nation we attacked in part, because of their weapons of mass destruction. We are told that we’ve been lied to by former “experts” from the CIA, the FBI and other U.S. government offices- the same government experts on whose watch these incidents took place while they did absolutely nothing to protect American interests. --Douglas J. Hagmann, Director

---

Northeast Intelligence Network


I honestly feel that the Legacy Media so hate the President, they would allow another devastating attack to happen on our soil if they thought they could use it against him and his administration. Of course, the ad hominem attack is best when the argument is weak.

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FBI Agent German blows whistle on White Supremacist Islamist Meeting in U.S.

by Jerry Gordon

I watched the Senate Judiciary FBI oversight hearings, today live and on-line from Washington, DC. FBI director Mueller was being grilled about the alleged misuse, some say abuse, of the National Security Letters authorized by the Patriot Act to conduct domestic counter-terrorism activities. There were also questions regarding the FBI position relative to the 8 U.S. attorneys fired by embattled Attorney General Gonzalez.

In the midst of this was a jarring statement read by Iowa Republican Charles Grassley about an FBI Agent ‘whistle blower” German, by name and a cover up by superiors in the FBI about a meeting between a White Supremacist and an Islamist. Below is an excerpt of the Statement of Senator Grassley about the matter. All FBI director Mueller could say in response to questions by Grassley following this statement was : ‘I’ll get back to you on that.” Grassley had a transcript in his hand of the alleged conversation between these two antisemites and implored Mueller to find out why it was kept in someone’s drawer for ‘months’ until an Inspector General investigation unearthed it. FBI Agent German was trashed by FBI spokespersons as being “unreliable”.

---

IsraPundit

News & Observer


Commentary

Part of my Personal Mission in Life is to foil white supremacists where ever, and when ever, I can. I can affirm from past infiltration activities that white supremacists often see Islamists as a useful option for achieving their goals in the United States, so I don't doubt the report. Reporting such activity to the Feds is often a dead end, and other action usually has to be taken to thwart such activity.

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These Blue Dogs Won't Hunt

--Bumped to the Top--
The Pelosi effect on "conservative" Democrats.
by Sonny Bunch
04/02/2007, Volume 012, Issue 28






Running for Congress last fall in North Carolina, Heath Shuler staked out ground as a conservative Democrat. In a district held comfortably by Republican Charles Taylor since 1990, the former all-American quarterback distanced himself from Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi. The day after defeating a scandal-dogged Taylor by 8 points in a district George W. Bush had carried by 14, Shuler feigned uncertainty as to whether he would support Pelosi's candidacy for speaker. "I want to see which other member decides to run against Pelosi," Shuler said, knowing full well she was the only legitimate candidate in the Democratic caucus.

Shuler ran as a pro-life, pro-gun moderate. He was one of the few insurgent Democrats who didn't believe in the immediate withdrawal from Iraq urged by John Murtha, and one of only two to use the word "win" on his campaign website with regard to Iraq. "We cannot leave a political vacuum in Iraq and threaten to further destabilize the entire region," he wrote. "We must win this war." He portrayed himself as a pro-business moderate, and, after arriving on Capitol Hill, joined the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of fiscally conservative Democrats. "As a small business owner I have a deep appreciation for the issues facing these companies," Shuler said, promising to "work closely with small business owners to ensure the tools and resources they need to compete, expand, and create jobs are available."

That was then. Since he joined the House, Shuler's votes have become indistinguishable from his liberal colleagues'. He
voted to oppose the president's plan to surge troops into Baghdad and for the supplemental setting benchmarks for the Iraqi government and a timetable for withdrawal. He cosponsored the recent "card-check" legislation backed by big labor and Nancy Pelosi's most senior adviser, a liberal bull from California by the name of George Miller. He also voted for the Pelosi-backed plan to dismantle the president's prescription drug benefit for Medicare, a benefit that has dramatically increased the number of seniors covered and enjoys an approval rating hovering around 80 percent. And Shuler left small businesses out to dry when he supported an increase in the minimum wage without demanding an offsetting tax reduction.

---

Weekly Standard

Read the rest of the article. The only thing I will add is that in January and February, Congressman Shuler voted against the Democrat Majority only one time, and that was over Stem Cells. I won't tally the March numbers until the 31st of March, then I'll give a first quarter report on our new Congress Critter.

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Video---To Our Americans Serving in Iraq

Hat Tip: Pat in NC

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Blogs For Borders Vburst 03272007

For more information, visit Freedom Folks.

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Stop The NC Home Tax

Taxing the Dream of Homeownership is a Bad Idea

Owning a home is the result of hard work, personal responsibility and sacrifices. Homeownership is one of the best ways to build wealth and is part of the American Dream.

Some state lawmakers want to tax the equity in your home. Adding a new tax to your home will tax your nest egg and your success. By increasing the cost of home ownership, new homeowners, working families and senior citizens will be impacted the most.

Bills now being considered in the North Carolina General Assembly would force people selling their home to pay a 1% sales tax. For example, if you own a $200,000 home, you would be forced to pay $2,000 to the government when you sold your home. And the fact is you will not be able to vote on this legislation, so that's why it's important for you to contact your legislator to let them know that you oppose new taxes on homeownership.

Get the facts about the Home Tax today. Don’t allow lawmakers to tax the equity in your home!

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Fight The Home Tax

The Campaign starts today, so check out the site, take notes, and call your legislator.

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Hold Their Feet To The Fire

Looking for a way to counter the open-borders protests?

Attend a big DC pro-borders rally in April!!!

DEAR FRIENDS,

Ever since the mass pro-illegal-alien rallies a year ago, many of you have been pushing for an opportunity to make your views and presence known in a Washington D.C. protest.

Here is your chance to do some travel and put your body on public display as standing for the rule of law and against rewards for illegal immigration.

Hold Their Feet To The Fire
April 22-25 (Sunday - Wednesday)
White House Rally on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

For those of you who have really wanted to hook up with a lot of other people to send a message to the national media and Members of Congress through a public protest, this is your first -- and perhaps best -- chance this year.

The chief host of this event is San Diego radio host Roger Hedgecock who has held several of these in the past -- but none anywhere near as large as this one. His co-host is FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform). FAIR has organized and sponsored most of the national immigration reform events over the last three decades.

For more information and to register for the event, go to Fairus.org

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Why Did Global Warming Become a Moral Matter?

As a scientist, I find the current strategy of the global warming crusade to be fascinating. Particularly because I am a scientist, I also find it insulting. Everyone should find it very disturbing.

I am referring to the fact that the global warming issue is now regarded as a "moral" matter by its advocates. None other than The High Priest of Global Warming (Al Gore) has decreed it as such. Of course, there is some obvious humor in this because the liberals will also tell you that you "cannot legislate morality". Well, it does not take complicated logic to conclude that if global warming is indeed a moral matter and if it is true that you cannot legislate morality, then it should hold that you cannot legislate global warming.

---

The American Thinker

I guess maybe Glenn Beck was right when he said that Al Gore would be a laughing stock in ten years, I know I've been laughing at him ever since he called for the internal combustion engine to be outlawed in his book, "Earth In The Balance," and that was before he invented the internet!

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Hendersonville Post Gets a Redesign

The Hendersonville Post has been given a new look, and redeployed as of this weekend. It serves up news headlines and embedded video, and who knows what else in the future.

Check it out.

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Video--Better Living Through Activism

Created by Ham Nation

Hat Tip: Riehl World View

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La Cucha Gotcha

An effort by two radio hosts in New Jersey have Illegal Immigration Advocates steamed with their urging listeners to turn in suspected Illegal Aliens. More from the New York Treason:

Two weeks ago, Mr. Carton and Mr. Rossi started “Operation Rat a Rat/La Cucha Gotcha,” a listener-participation game that encourages people to turn in friends, neighbors and “anyone suspicious” to immigration authorities.

So far so good, right? I mean, if you observe a possible Drunk Driver, you would call the Highway Patrol, or local police, wouldn't you? Or would you say it is none of your business, and if they have an accident, the outcome is not your fault, despite the potential of saving a life or property from damage.

Back to the article:

At a news conference Thursday, Hispanic elected officials and others condemned the campaign as “dehumanizing,” “poisonous” and “idiotic,” threatening boycotts of the show’s advertisers unless the Jersey Guys apologize.

“Scapegoating and stereotyping Latinos does nothing but give bigoted individuals a platform to make ethnic slurs and racist comments,” said Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo of Newark, calling the campaign a “publicity stunt” that could incite violence against Hispanics.

So, let me get this straight, encouraging people to turn in suspected Illegal Aliens could incite violence against Illegals? If you follow that logic, then encouraging people to turn in suspected Impaired Drivers could incite violence against Drunks. Follow me on this...

Most Illegal Aliens are Hispanic, and most Impaired Drivers are Drunk.

Bigoted Individuals do not need a platform to make ethinc slurs and racist comments. While reprehensible, those acts of Free Speech are protected by the First Amendment to the Constituion. I think Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo of Newark is himself capitalizing on the opportunity to speak from a platform. [Liberals often accuse others of what they themselves are engaged in.Qiunn's Law #2]
Assemblyman Caraballo is a perfect example of the Leftist Doctrine of 'Unavoidable Crime' where they will state that a certain act of speech will lead to the commission of a crime, as if a certain group had no choice [Group Identity Politics], no self-will to turn away from a path once they heard the forbidden words. Idiocy of the Highest Order!!!

Back to the article:

After calling Assemblyman Caraballo a “pathetic liar,” Mr. Carton repeated his call to deport every illegal immigrant in the country. “If you’re here illegally, you are breaking the law — no better, no worse than the guy who robs the liquor store or the guy who waits to case your house out and robs you of your belongings,” he said. “You are a criminal.”

He went on to blame illegal immigrants for the state’s high property taxes, problems with uninsured drivers and violent crime. He also hinted that illegal immigrants were more likely to become terrorists. “Our country is at war right now, and it’s very important that we protect our kids, and one of the ways you can protect them is to not let undocumented immigrants into this country,” he said.

Only an idiot would argue with the first paragraph. I have known personally Illegal Alien Drivers who could read no English, and speak little English who drove without a License, Insurance, and with an always open bottle of Corona in their vehicle. Illegal Aliens are overwhelming government services, and forcing hospitals to close, and using Emergency Rooms and Urgent Care Facilities as their Primary Care Provider. If you don't believe me, visit these places with a camera, and watch what happens. [More on that project later.]

Back for the close of the article:

Considering the Jersey Guys’ lack of contrition and the anger among Latino advocates, “La Cucha Gotcha” is likely to spark an even larger backlash.

[snip]

But Jack Plunkett, an analyst who follows broadcast radio, said the station might want to check out recent marketing data indicating that Hispanics are the fastest-growing group in the country, with spending power of $700 billion a year, a figure that is expected to triple by 2010. “These guys might not realize it,” he said, “but they could be shooting themselves in the foot.”

I don't think Plunkett, nor the article author, recognized the irony of the statement, "Hispanics are the fastest-growing group in the country." I wonder why they are the fastest growing group? Could it be the Mass Migration taking place across our southern border?


I wonder what the reaction of the Mexican Government would be to a Mass Migration by Americans across the southern border? My bet is that it would not be allowed to happen no matter the cost.

What would the reaction of the US Government, the Mexican Government, the Legacy Media, and Latino Advocates be to a massive display of Civil Disobedience by several thousand Americans crossing the border, going south? You can bet I'll be making that suggestion to Immigration Watchdog Groups to see if anyone is interested.

I think it is high time we forced our governments' hand on this issue. They need to be reminded that Sovereignty lies with "We The People," not "We The Elected," or "We The Bureaucrat."

Source Article

Hat Tip: The Drudge Report

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Heath Shuler Votes for Troop Withdrawal

Like it or not, Congressman Shuler will have to defend this vote in light of the success of the surge of troops into Iraq, and has posted on his Asheville Citizen-Times Blog an explanation.

Of course, the House, nor Senate have a two-thirds majority to over-rule a Presidential Veto.

The US House has just given GREAT AID & COMFORT to our enemies, and as another blogger put it:

Al Qaeda is celebrating in their caves and huts (and Saudi palaces) today; all they have to do is hang on for another year and a half. That’s nothing, compared to 14 centuries of jihad.

And then there is an Iraqi Blogger, who has posted the following: [The link is now fixed]

Al-Qaeda and its supporters are using most of the capabilities of their propaganda machine to cover their effort in Iraq, and so is the case with financial resources. All evidences indicate that most of the money is used to support the terror activity in Iraq.
Let's not forget recruiting networks that are discovered constantly in many European and Arab countries; we rarely, if ever, hear that those networks were sending recruits to Afghanistan because recruits are being sent to Iraq all the time. Even more telling, some of the prominent lieutenants of al-Qaeda left Afghanistan to fight in Iraq. One example I remember was Omar al-Farouk who escaped from Bagram to be later captured in Basra!

Al-Qaeda itself boasts about the great "sacrifices" of more than 4,000 "martyrs" to emphasize the importance of the war here. And the hundreds of suicide bombers preferred to blow themselves up in Iraq than anywhere else should remind us that if al-Qaeda considers this the main war then why talk about redeployment?
Walking away from the main war is not redeployment, it's quitting.

But why Iraq became the main front?

Iraq can simply not be equated with Afghanistan which the bulk of al-Qaeda largely abandoned after few weeks of battles—that doesn't sound like al-Qaeda!

Iraq, weak after a war that toppled the regime but rich-relatively-with resources and scientific base is a greater temptation than Afghanistan, and at the same time the possibility of a democracy arising in Iraq posed a great threat to the ideology of caliph state. Therefore al-Qaeda and whoever is backing it directly or indirectly felt they had to move the front to Iraq instead of staying in Afghanistan.
Let's imagine that the world left Iraq alone before the country is able to defend itself and let it fall in the hands of extremists, what would happen then?

Can we compare the opium fields with the massive oilfields of Mesopotamia? Can we afford to leave these resources in the service of the terrorists?

The other point is scientific infrastructure, especially when it comes to military technology such infrastructure almost doesn't exist in Afghanistan while Saddam celebrated 17 years ago in launching a rocket to space. The same "accomplishment' Iran claimed to have made just days ago.
This infrastructure, while still humble compared to advanced countries, could be very dangerous if captured by terrorists.

For the other side of the coin, check out Drama Queen's post at Scrutiny Hooligans.

Bush Slams Democrats Over Iraq Timetable

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At Last, Proof the Enivonmentalists ARE Communists!!!

In an article linked off Drudge, entitled, "A Year Without Toilet Paper," the similarities between the end result of Communism [or it's half-way point, Socialism] is no toilet paper. Think about it. We all know the stories of the famous shortages of Toilet Paper experienced in the Soviet Union as their experiment in Command Economy failed.

Not to be deterred, the Communists in the Environmental Movement are attempting to use Moral Authority instead of Actual Authority to force people to do without Toilet Paper. I may take out an entire roll and burn it in protest...after making sure I have enough for, you know...

Read the blog of the hapless man as he acts out the wish that he could reduce his impact to virtually zero. I guess that is what happens when you give a Hare Krishna access to the internet...

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The Coming Ass Age

Ann Coulter has posted another classic essay, a portion of which is below.

Read the aptly titled piece on her website.



No matter how much liberals try to dress up their nutty superstitions about global warming as "science," which only six-fingered lunatics could doubt, scratch a global warming "scientist" and you get a religious fanatic.

These days, new religions are barely up and running before they seize upon the worst aspects of the God-based religions.

First, there's the hypocrisy and corruption. At the 1992 Democratic Convention in New York, Al Gore said: "The central organizing principle of governments everywhere must be the environment." The environment would not, however, be the central organizing principle of Gore's own life.

The only place Al Gore conserves energy these days is on the treadmill. I don't want to suggest that Al's getting big, but the last time I saw him on TV I thought, "That reminds me — we have to do something about saving the polar bears."

Never mind his carbon footprint — have you seen the size of Al Gore's regular footprint lately? It's almost as deep as Janet Reno's.

But I digress. As has been widely reported, Gore's Tennessee mansion consumes 20 times the energy of the average home in that state. But it's OK, according to the priests of global warming. Gore has purchased "carbon offsets."

It took the Catholic Church hundreds of years to develop corrupt practices such as papal indulgences. The global warming religion has barely been around for 20 years, and yet its devotees are allowed to pollute by the simple expedient of paying for papal indulgences called "carbon offsets."

Americans spend an extra $2.2 billion on gas a year because they're overweight, requiring more fuel in cars to carry the extra pounds. So even with all those papal indulgences, Gore may have a small carbon footprint, but he has a huge carbon butt-print.

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Cancer Returns to Elizabeth Edwards

According to Ben Smith's blog at Politico.com, John Edwards may suspend, or withdraw from the 2008 Presidential Race due to his wife's breast cancer returning.

My prayers are with Elizabeth Edwards, and her family during this ordeal.

Update...Live-Blogging Announcement

Bone Study...Malignant Cancer found, and confined to the bone in a rib. This was prompted by a pain in her side. The cancer has gone from the breast to the bone, and as such is not curable, but treatable.

Commentary

Please keep Elizabeth and John in your prayers, and the family as well.

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Blogs For BOrders 03202007

Read the Accompanying Post at Freedom Folks.

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Honesty Unwelcome in Raleigh

Scott Mooneyham is an excellent writer. It is truly a shame he wastes his talent defending the indefensible. His article "Today in North Carolina: Much ado about a lawmaker" is a classic example of how the capital press corpse (intentional spelling prompted by Mooneyham article) has protected the insider establishment in Raleigh.

---

North Carolina Conservative


For those of you who have been following North Carolina State Politics, you are well aware of the rampant political corruption at all levels of government, most especially in Raleigh. Nearly a dozen people have been convicted on various charges, and more are coming, with Senator Basnight and Governor Easley yet to be charged.

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Creator of Hillary 1984 Video Found, Fired

I just saw the story on Drudge. [Link]

I am a Hard-Core Conservative, but I think Blue State Digital is stupid for firing the guy if he did the video on his own time. That is waaay too much control over a person's life outside of work.

I hope the Obama Campaign hires this guy, because he is obviously very creative, and who knows what he might come up with next? I remember when someone at Scrutiny Hooligans made a video of Congressman Charles Taylor to the tune of "Peanut Butter Jelly Time," I hated that they did it to my candidate, [I would link, but I can't find it] but I recognized the humor in the video. If you can't laugh, you might as well be dead. [Not meant to be taken as advice to the seriously depressed]

You lefties out there should complain vociferously to The Huffington Post about the situation. Sometimes, people go too far to cover a story.

I have posted on HP, and sent an email to the management of Blue State Digital, and I think you should as well, just on the principal of the matter.

Statement Below from the Blue Digital Website:

Our Statement On The 1984 Video

Statement from Thomas Gensemer, Managing Director, Blue State Digital

This afternoon, an employee at our firm, Phillip de Vellis, received a call from Arianna Huffington of "The Huffington Post" regarding the "1984" video currently circulating online. Initially, de Vellis refused to respond to her requests. He has since acknowledged to Blue State Digital that he was the creator of the video.

Pursuant to company policy regarding outside political work or commentary on behalf of our clients or otherwise, Mr. de Vellis has been terminated from Blue State Digital effective immediately.

Blue State Digital is under contract with the Obama Campaign for technology pursuits including software development and hosting. Additionally, one of our founding partners is on leave from the company to work directly for the campaign at headquarters.

However, Blue State Digital is not currently engaged in any relationship with the Obama Campaign for creative or non-technical services.

Mr. de Vellis created this video on his own time. It was done without the knowledge of management, and was in no way tied to his work at the firm or our formal engagement [on technology pursuits] with the Obama campaign.

I have spoken with David Plouffe, Sen. Obama's campaign manager, to inform him of this action and am appreciative of his understanding and ongoing support of our work.

We wish Mr. de Vellis well in his future endeavors.

For more information contact Thomas Gensemer at thomas [at] bluestatedigital.com

Huffington Post on their over zealous act

Phil de Vellis Speaks

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Anna Nicole's Baby's Father

I just heard on the radio that a judge has ordered that a DNA sample is to be taken from Anna Nicole's baby to help determine who the father is.

I have one question, has anyone thought to exhume her son's body and take a DNA sample from his body? I'm just saying...

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Another Example of Media Bias

I could let this go without comment.


One of my themes is not to trust the Legacy Media at all, period, paragraph.

Responsible journalism is apparently not taught at all, just pick up a paper, or tune on the TV.

On the issue of local papers...I copy and paste a lot of articles for distribution on several forums I participate in, and a day does not go by that my spell checker tells me there are words misspelled in the articles. Can't these guys afford a spell checker? What's up with that?

I have no problem with journalists having a bias to their reporting, what I have a problem with, is reporters pretending to be a neutral observer when he/she is rooting for one side or the other on whatever issue.

Reuters, for example, should be renamed al-Reuters, the mouthpiece of Islamism, so one knows they are biased against anything smacking of the West.

Fox News, a favorite target of lefties, is not a conservative network. It is a RINO network, replete with Rockefeller Republicans as reporters, and newsreaders. Sure, they have conservatives with their own shows, but so does CNN...who can be argued to have the best ones...Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck. Fox News has too much of a focus on "tragedy TV," and caters to the lowest common denominator.

But, hey, now I'm ranting...

If anyone has a spare billion or two that they'd like to invest, I could start a REAL Conservative Network that wouild blow everyone else out of the water, and change the whole nature of news reporting!

[Guaranteed to send Lefties into a mouth-frothing Rage that would make Bush Derangement Syndrome look like a Sniffle.]

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NC Boy Scout Found Alive

Here are a couple of articles about the rescue of Michael Aubrey of Greensboro.

News-Record

Journal Now


What are they teaching Boy Scouts these days? Social and Networking skills?

I figured this guy would have a the very least have built a simple lean-to with a roof, and had a moss or bed of leaves in the thing.

One can be built with just hands, no tool of any sort, even without using rocks.

Of course, loosing his glasses was probably very traumatic and disorienting.

Folks need to remember the Number One Rule for Surivival when you get lost,

Do not stray from the area you are in where you first realize you are lost.

If you are moving, then you can move from an area that has not been searched, into an area that has been searched. This is what killed the guy from CNET that got lost out west earlier this winter. The urge to keep on the move is a deep instinct, and is destructive to someone who has no basic survival skills, especially if they are wounded or dehydrated.

If you are going to be in the woods, I would highly suggest that you take a rescue whistle with a lanyard, and wear it around your neck, 24/7. You might want to take a small mirror as well...even taking a ladies compact if you don't have a real signal mirror.

In my Evasion and Escape Training, one of the primary pieces of advice is to move into an area that has been searched, and temporarily operate near there until you have gaged the searchers capabilities. [This was not an official government course.]
I would bet that this was what Eric Rudolph did in the early days of the manhunt, even to the point of setting up camp where he could watch the Command Post.

Warning...do not ever let me be the fugitive in a multi-day paintball game!

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Accident

I witnessed an automobile accident yesterday, and blogged about it on my photoblog since I really hate small photos. I took a few photos after everyone was transported to the hospital.

As a result, I will probably put together a post on what to do if you encounter a serious accident while in your automobile.

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Accident at the Dellwood Intersection

I witnessed an automobile accident today, and was lucky enough to have had prior training and experience to be able to render appropriate assistance to the elderly female in the maroon car. Many other witnesses also came to the aid of the other people in the pickup.

Within minutes, sheriff's deputies and First Responders were on scene, with EMS not far behind.

I am proud of the professionalism exhibited by the other good Samaritans on scene, and of the volunteer fire fighters, First Responders, and the EMS Personnel.

I took a few photos while I waited to be interviewed by the NC Highway Patrol after they had conducted their initial investigation of the scene.

The accident happened at the four-way intersection on Dellwood Road and 276. I travel the road everyday, but sadly, that's the best I can do. I have known it as the Dellwood Exxon Intersection for years. The pix...





The car that was T-Boned by the pickup.



This is where the truck ended up after flipping at least twice. (I wasn't exactly counting.)



Firefighters apply foam to the truck before righting it to safeguard against sparks igniting a fuel fire.

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The Eagles and the Vultures

History ended yesterday. Or at least one version of it. Or perhaps it didn't end as much as it was overthrown, trampled by the feet of 30,000 ordinary Americans who gathered on the mall and along the broad avenues in Washington to confront those who have, either wittingly or witlessly, given aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States for more than 40 years.

The rancid ideology that has swaggered across the American landscape since Viet Nam (posturing a moral superiority they never proved nor deserved) as ordinary Americans looked on with a growing sense of outrage was quite simply, shown up - bested by an amalgam of military veterans, conservative activists, and just plain folks whose numbers shocked the media, not to mention the anti-everything protestors from the other side.

---

Redstate

More Coverage

Michelle Malkin

Gateway Pundit

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Brother Hillary Speaks

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THe United Nations Retrear (AGAIN!!!)

This is almost comical. The UN are these thugs best infidel friends outside the moonbats in America, and they fear being kidnapped by them!


Of course, if the UN weren't so blinded by the hatred of the Joooos! they would realize these jihadis are the scum of the earth, and want nothing less than to drive the Jooos! into the sea, and hunted down and exterminated throughout the earth.

What I really fear is a UN with the power to tax either governments or people directly. Should that ever happen, whatever President is serving at the time would be wise to evict them from Turtle Bay, oh, and these retarded fellow travelers as well!

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Sympathy for Pelosi

No, not me!

Zombietime has another photo essay up, and you should not be hanging around here when Code Pink is after one of their own. [Link]

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Moonbat Safety Video

Wished I had seen this before the Gathering of Eagles...woulda put the whjole thing into perspective!
The video comes straight from Moonbat Madison, Wisconsin:

Hat Tip: the FReepers

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GoE After Action Report

According to the GoE website, Eagles outnumbered Protesters 3 to 1.

More coverage:

Gateway Pundit [Eagles Land] [Anti-War Lefties Scuffle with Police]

Michelle Malkin

Gates of Vienna

Blue Collar Republicans

Jeff's photoblog



Mike's America [Part One] [Part Two]

Free Republic Live Thread

Free Republic After Action Report [Great Minds Think Alike!!!]

AR-15 Forum with Photos

WaPo Coverage [Notice the Extremem Bias in Reporting]

Worker's World Party

I tried to find some Lefty Coverage...but there was none where I looked. Maybe by Monday or Tuesday.


One thing you can do is to call or write your local paper, TV station, etc, and ask why they did not cover the Gathering of Eagles, since they outnumbered the anti-American war protesters.


To put things in perspective, BOTH sides were vastly outnumbered by those attending St. Patrick's Day Parades. Which can only mean one thing, the side that has the most Irish, wins! And as part Irish, I can attest to the Irish love of a good fight

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GoE Sitrep 1

The Gathering of Eagles was a success.

The Memorials to the Fallen were protected, and the A.N.S.W.E.R. crowd got a preview of things to come.

Here are just a few of the places with citizen journalist coverage:

Michelle Malkin [there may be more later, she has video yet to edit and load]


FReeper Thread from beginning to end, with more links and photos.


Lifelike Pundits has several videos on their site, one of which is below:


This Ain't Hell has some video comparing the two sides...

The Red Hunter has more coverage.

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Eagles Protecting Memorials in Washington

I am near-live blogging the Freeper Thread, and a few blogs who are live-blogging the Gathering of Eagles counter protest today both here, and at West Carolina Report. I am on dial up, so it is taking me about 15 minutes to make my rounds.



Lincoln Memorial Detachment of Eagles


1336 update


War Protesters March [Link]
Confrontation avoided. [Link]

1512 update

DC Antiwar Rally: Michael Berg Blames Bush for Son's Beheading


The counter-protesters, Mission Accomplished, are now leaving the memorials according to several threads I am following.


1525 update

The threads are now reporting that the anti-war protesters are starting to leave, too.

WaPo Coverage

Michelle Malkin


OK, I'm done, will do a wrap-up in a new post when everyone begins posting their after action reports on both sides.

I am very glad that the Eagles at least matched the moonbats in size...maybe we we can turn this thing around without fighting a civil war.

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The Caves of Mars?

On my morning stroll through the internet, I found an article at BBC News about cave entrances being possibly spotted on Mars. I love exploring caves here on earth, but caves on Mars, now that would be fun! If I remember correctly, the surface gravity on Mars is around 38 to 40% of what it is on earth, and would allow for some easier navigation through 'those tight spots' inside a cave where there is an unfavorable slope angle.

A portion:

The candidate caves are on the flanks of the Arsia Mons volcano and are of sufficient depth their floors mostly cannot be seen through the opening.

Details were presented here at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, Texas.

Temperature data from Mars Odyssey's Themis instrument support the idea.

The authors say that the possible discovery of caves on the Red Planet is significant.

The caves may be the only natural structures capable of protecting primitive life forms from micrometeoroids, UV radiation, solar flares and high energy particles that bombard the planet's surface.

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The Myth of Moral Neutrality

Ever read something where someone says what you've been thinking, only with articulation? That happens to me a lot. That is one reason I link to others so often, I figure why re-invent the wheel?

This article is just such a case:

Gen. Peter Pace was vehemently denounced and condemned earlier this week for expressing a personal moral judgment that homosexuality is immoral. The criticisms excoriated Pace for making a value judgment, while implying that the denunciations themselves were morally neutral. In reality, Pace’s critics expressed a moral judgment, too. They declared his comments wrong, not just factually but morally – and their moral outrage was palpable.

Let me make this clear up front: All people regardless of their sexual orientation or other differences should be treated fairly. We all have equal intrinsic value and dignity. But the goal of gay rights advocates isn't so much to gain rights they are being denied as to gain societal approval. Thus the loud denunciations when Pace made a moral judgment. All the while, these advocates claim that that theirs is the neutral moral position. It isn't, and really can't be. But their objection conveys a fundamental assumption of many in our society today that one side of the public debate is "pushing its morality" on society, when in fact that is what the nature of their advocacy accomplishes.


This reflects one of the most entrenched assumptions of moral relativism in our society today: that there is such a thing as morally neutral ground, a place of complete impartiality where no judgments nor any forcing of personal views are allowed. Each of us takes a neutral posture towards the moral convictions of others. This is the essence of tolerance, or so the argument goes.

Moral neutrality, though, is a myth, as the following illustration shows.

---

Gregory Koukl

Hat Tip: Ken B.

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Coalition for a Conservative Majority

Tom Delay has formed a new conservative grassroots organization called Coalition for a Conservative Majority.

I heard most of the interview with Rush Limbaugh today, and, after a quick glance at the home page...it looks promising.

He also has a book out, "No Retreat, No Surrender."

From the website:

---

In 2006, conservatives were beaten at the polls for the first time in years. But unlike in previous defeats, conservatives this time were beaten at what we have always done best: grassroots organization, coordination, and mobilization. The grassroots playbook that helped create the conservative majorities of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the Republican Congress of the 1990s, and George W. Bush in the 21st century failed for the first time to outwork liberals.

For six years now, former leaders of the Clinton Administration have studied and surpassed the conservative grassroots network, creating a liberal coalition unprecedented in its size, scope, and funding. This is the network that beat conservatives in 2006 and handed Congress back to the Democrat Party – and that was just the warm-up. The liberal Shadow Party has been built for one reason: to elect Hillary Clinton President of the United States in 2008. They have the money, the organization, and the coordination to do it, and there is no conservative network capable of standing in its path. Until now.

The Coalition for a Conservative Majority is a results driven grassroots action and information organization, the first such conservative organization worthy of the name. We will not be content to organize fund-raising databases or provide perches for figure-head leadership. Instead, CCM will: IDENTIFY, RECRUIT, TRAIN, INSPIRE, ACTIVATE, and MOBILIZE conservatives to take specific action on policy issues and political causes across the country.

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Happy Pi Day!

Today is Pi Day, and Albert Einstein's Birthday. Who'd a thunk?

Fox Searchlight.

P.S. I didn't eat a pie...but I did eat a pizza for lunch.

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Global Warming Threatens to Drown the Planet ____ Under 36 Feet of Water

What planet?

Earth? No.

Venus? No.

Mars? Yes! [It's all those pesky SUV probes we've sent.]

From Al Fin:

New radar measurements of the Martian South Pole Ice Cap indicates that enough ice exists there to cover the entire Martian surface under 36 feet of water, were the ice to melt.

This new estimate comes from mapping the thickness of the ice. The Mars Express orbiter's radar instrument has made more than 300 virtual slices through layered deposits covering the pole to map the ice. The radar sees through icy layers to the lower boundary, which is as deep as 2.3 miles below the surface.

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A Gathering of Eagles

The anti-American War Protesters have shown wisdom in staying away from the Vietnam Memorial. From A.N.S.W.E.R.'s website:

There will not be a rally at the assembly area, as we want to hit the streets and march to the Pentagon. There will be a rally at the Pentagon. It is important that everyone make the effort to get to the assembly location at 23rd and Constitution early. Try to get to the site by noon - don't miss the march! If you are coming by bus or driving from out of town, make sure your group is leaving early enough to get you to the assembly site no later than noon.


The Eagles, however, will still be gathering: [Eagle site down...alternate here.]

Leftist activists who march to the Pentagon next month will discover that their path won't be as clear as it has been in the past.

The group, led by Cindy Sheehan, Jane Fonda, Ed Asner and their ilk, plan to gather March 17 at the Vietnam Memorial Wall to begin a march to protest America's involvement in the Iraq war. The date marks the fourth anniversary of the war's beginning.

This time, however, protestors will see objectors if they spit on Iraqi veterans again, or throw paint on a war memorial. This time, they will encounter a buzz saw of Vietnam veterans and supporters who will gather to protect the Wall, and show their support for U.S. troops. The counter-protestors are calling themselves the Gathering of Eagles.

"... An eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks. The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it."

An unknown author wrote that description, but it describes how the veterans see their mission. They are angry that the Wall is being used as a jumping off point for a political protest and they are gathering to protect it from another storm of anti-war activists.

Surely, the Left will realize they cannot repeat their success of the 60's again. We are waking up, and will soon be able to change our posture from reactive, to proactive.

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Club Gitmo Produces Confession

Here is what people are saying:

Guantanamo, Newsweek and the Ghost of Daniel Pearl

An Enemy Confesses

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Confesses to 9/11


KSM: I'm The Mastermind Behind AQ

Suspected Mastermind Of 9/11 Confesses

Key 9/11 suspect 'admits guilt'

Pajamas Media

I wonder how long it will take the 9/11 Conspiracy Whackos to start saying that either KSM was working for someone else, or "that he really didn't confess." What a bunch of retards.

Instant Update: 04.52am

I just heard an interview on Coast to Coast AM with a Sean David Morton who commented that it was interesting that 'KSM' [my term] didn't mention Osama bin Laden in his confession. That Osama never took credit for the attacks, and that Osama was "our guy" in Afghanistan, and that al-Qaeda was Arabic for the database, an MI-6 term for a list of these guys.

This guy is a Prime Example of what I was talking about.

This retard obviously never saw this, where OBL takes credit for the attack, and is shown meeting with some of the hijackers. Sean David Morton...you've been debunked. I specifically used an Arab source.

Our Guy? Au Contraire Madame Morton...

The making of OBL

Did the U.S. "Make" OBL? [I remind you that the CIA is over run by libs]

More from Answers.com [And you'll find in the articles that al Qaeda means "the base" in Arabic.

Sean David Morton....debunked, and woefully uninformed. Oh, and a psychic, and financial adviser to boot.

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"How Many Jews Did Mama Kill?"

For those who doubt the evil nature of Islamofascism, Robert Spencer, of Jihad Watch, has a chilling post you need to read. Part of it is below:

Interviewer: "Let's talk with the two children of the jihad-fighting martyrdom-seeker Rim Al-Riyashi, Dhoha and Muhammad. Dhoha, you love Mama, right? Where did Mama go?"

Dhoha: "To Paradise."

Interviewer: "What did Mama do?"

Dhoha: "She committed martyrdom."

Interviewer: "She killed Jews, right?"

Interviewer: "How many did she kill, Muhammad?"

Muhammad: "Huh?"

Interviewer: "How many Jews did Mama kill?"

Muhammad: "This many... "

Interviewer: "How many is that?"

Muhammad: "Five."

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NC-11 Legislative Update: Clean Water Bills

Our new Congresscritter has a new post on his AC-T Blog. [Link]

This time he is touting legislation he helped pass in regards to clean water, which I have not read, and hope it doesn't end up like the NC Clean Water Act.

For more info on the three bills passed:

GovTrack.us:

HR 700

HR 720

HR 569

As a little side note, I have been tracking his votes in congress, and so far, he does not look like a conservative democrat. He has voted with the Republicans against the Democrats only one time. I will post a more in depth study later this month, as I am juggling twelve things right now.

Anyway, I have lifted a portion of his post below:



Last week was an important week for our local communities here in the House. We passed several pieces of legislation that are of critical importance to our water infrastructure needs. While the bills may not have been the most glamorous of items, they will have a tremendous impact on our local communities.

The three Clean Water Bills that passed were HR 700, the Healthy Communities Water Supply Act; HR 720, the Water Quality Financing Act; and HR 569, the Water Quality Investment Act. The three bills together take critical steps to help guarantee clean water for all American families.

Here’s a brief description of each bill...[Link]

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Al Gore and Maurice Strong

Who is Maurice Strong, and what does he have to do with Al Gore?

I have heard about Maurice Strong for years, the stories usually have him cast in the role of "International Man of Mystery," responsible for many things, yet not a first-tier name with the public like many of his associates.

A little history:


1997 Henry Lamb article.

2000 Kyoto Protocol article


Apparently, Gore and Strong created the Carbon Credit.

The latest news on Maurice Strong is that he is in China, working for George Soros in an attempt to get the Chinese automobile, the Chery (sp?) ready for export to the United States in a scheme to further weaken US Automakers.

Mr. Strong is also the current President of UPEACE, part of the United Nations University system.

Where is Al Gore now?

I don't know, but a recent NY Times article telling Gore to Cool the Hype.may give some clues about where he is headed. Personally, I think the NY Times article is a hit piece from the Clinton Machine, designed to keep him out of the '008 Presidential Race.

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Halliburton Chooses The Atlas Shrugged Option

For those who have read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged," this is a sign that perhaps we should think about our options in contributing to the Criminal Tax Structure of this Nation, and most especially North Carolina.

Through adept use of tax loopholes, I pay virtually zero in taxes. The only places I get soaked are where the taxes are collected at the register, anyhoo, I digress...

Here are some Headlines for you to look over...

Huffington Post

FIN24

USATODAY


Think Progress


The "progressives" do not realize that wealth will flee from where it is wanted. In November and December, I moved my portable assets out of the country because I knew the Dems would be coming for them.

"John Galt, Call Your Office."

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Scientists Receive Death Threats For Questioning Man’s Role in Global Warming

I guess "scientific consensus" didn't work, and the Marxists had to pull the next tool out of their toolkit---threats of violence.

I guess the only course of action for me to follow is to embed the following...



Hat Tip: The Little Green Footballs

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More on Corruption in North Carolina Politics

EVER WONDER HOW IT‘S DONE?
Try the Good Ol’ Boy Network
By Ann Ryder



Last week I had a call telling me that the Wake senator, Janet Cowell, had a conflict of interest. She works for Fountainworks, a market research and policy consulting firm, whose clients include DHHS and other state agencies, and she serves on the Legislative Oversight Committee on MH/DD/SAS (mental health is under DHHS). Chairing the committee are Senator Martin Nesbitt and Representative Verla Insko. Serving as a consultant to the committee is Larry Thompson, head of Blue Ridge Area Authority for more than 20 years. One wonders if Fountainworks gets its name from disgraced former Senator Fountain Odum? This writer has found no evidence of such, but political circles are very small. Fountain's wife, Carmen Hooker Odum is in charge of our state's mental health operations.

It sounded interesting, especially since Thompson and his gang are currently under investigation by Auditor Les Merritt. And talk about conflicts of interest!…Nesbitt’s racing team is sponsored by Blue Cross-Blue Shield and he votes on matters concerning them. The mental health reform, which is an absolute disaster, was sponsored by Senator Steve Metcalf who resigned his senate seat under a cloud. Metcalf was a partner in the company that played a major part in the reform, MGT of America. It smelled already…and I was just getting started. (Aside #1…were you aware that while the state is shutting down our psychiatric hospitals, it is increasing the bed space in prison psycho wards?…half the cost would be my guesstimate.) (Aside #2...During the rally to honor John Rhodes at A-B Tech last Saturday evening, Chad Nesbitt, Martin Nesbitt’s stepson, told the audience that when his mother first heard of Jim Black’s plea of guilt, she said, “Ohmygod, is Martin next?”)

---

---

North Carolina Conservative

Indeed, it is my belief that former Democratic House Speaker Jim Black will serve as the key-log that will break the log jam.

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More on Corruption in North Carolina Politics

EVER WONDER HOW IT‘S DONE?
Try the Good Ol’ Boy Network
By Ann Ryder



Last week I had a call telling me that the Wake senator, Janet Cowell, had a conflict of interest. She works for Fountainworks, a market research and policy consulting firm, whose clients include DHHS and other state agencies, and she serves on the Legislative Oversight Committee on MH/DD/SAS (mental health is under DHHS). Chairing the committee are Senator Martin Nesbitt and Representative Verla Insko. Serving as a consultant to the committee is Larry Thompson, head of Blue Ridge Area Authority for more than 20 years. One wonders if Fountainworks gets its name from disgraced former Senator Fountain Odum? This writer has found no evidence of such, but political circles are very small. Fountain's wife, Carmen Hooker Odum is in charge of our state's mental health operations.

It sounded interesting, especially since Thompson and his gang are currently under investigation by Auditor Les Merritt. And talk about conflicts of interest!…Nesbitt’s racing team is sponsored by Blue Cross-Blue Shield and he votes on matters concerning them. The mental health reform, which is an absolute disaster, was sponsored by Senator Steve Metcalf who resigned his senate seat under a cloud. Metcalf was a partner in the company that played a major part in the reform, MGT of America. It smelled already…and I was just getting started. (Aside #1…were you aware that while the state is shutting down our psychiatric hospitals, it is increasing the bed space in prison psycho wards?…half the cost would be my guesstimate.) (Aside #2...During the rally to honor John Rhodes at A-B Tech last Saturday evening, Chad Nesbitt, Martin Nesbitt’s stepson, told the audience that when his mother first heard of Jim Black’s plea of guilt, she said, “Ohmygod, is Martin next?”)

---

---

North Carolina Conservative

Indeed, it is my belief that former Democratic House Speaker Jim Black will serve as the key-log that will break the log jam.

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Reporters, records led path to Black

JACK BETTS

RALEIGH --

In late 2003, three Observer reporters started checking up on contributors to then-Speaker Jim Black after a political watchdog group noticed his campaign committees had gotten more money than any other candidate from video poker interests.

Bob Hall of Democracy North Carolina found that Black's committees had gotten more than $100,000 from video gaming interests in the previous two-year election cycle. It was especially interesting because legislation to outlaw video poker had twice passed the N.C. Senate, but not the House where Black presided.

Scott Dodd, Jim Morrill and Rich Rubin reported a few days before Christmas 2003 that while the video poker industry had pumped tons of money into Black's most recent campaign coffers, some individual contributors listed on campaign finance disclosure reports didn't even know they had given money,

"Five hundred?" asked Jean Jarvis of Wilkesboro, whose spouse was in the video game business. "And who is this guy?"

That's the sort of suspicious thing that kept reporters and investigators on Black's trail. That path led eventually to a seventh-floor courtroom of the federal building in Raleigh and a 10th-floor courtroom in the Wake County Courthouse. Black pleaded guilty to one federal charge and, in effect, guilty to two state felonies as well.

None of it might have come to light without North Carolina's public records and campaign finance disclosure laws. They are an enormously valuable public asset, constituting a kind of baseline defense against public corruption. They hold clues pointing toward all kinds of problems.

...[snip]...

And in recent weeks the Observer's David Ingram and Rick Rothacker have mined eye-opening data from disclosure reports filed by State Treasurer Richard Moore. They show his campaign has gotten at least $736,000 since 1999 from employees of 42 outside investment firms that do business with Moore's office investing N.C. pension funds.

There is nothing illegal about that arrangement. Moore didn't invent it and isn't the first to use it. But it's the kind pay-to-play transaction that infects N.C. politics with a potentially deadly virus.

---

Charlotte Observer

Methinks the reporters are just now cotton to the fact that the entire power structure of North Carolina politics are honeycombed with this sort of dealing, or so they would have us believe. I have a Hot Tip for them, why don't they check Democratic voter rolls of those who voted, and ask the voters if they voted.

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Scenes From The Gingrich Campaign

Don't rule out Newt in 2008

by Matthew Continetti

It's February 28, 2007, in the poorly lit, dank, crowded basement, aka the "Great Hall," of Cooper Union college in Manhattan, and Newt Gingrich is talking to a sophisticated, well-attired, seen-it-all New York audience. As he speaks, the tempo of his words increases, until he begins to sound as though he is rapping: "We spent hours last week on a left-wing billionaire"--David Geffen--"getting unhappy because his former friends"--the Clintons--"didn't do what he thought they would do when he bribed them," he says, "because he's really unhappy about being lied to because he thought surely they would actually do what he wanted when he bribed them. . . ."

It's the sort of rhetorical barrage one expects from Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity--or from the old Gingrich, the Gingrich of the 1980s and '90s, the partisan gunslinger who brought down House Speaker Jim Wright and declared war against the liberal elites and made Democrats seethe in fury. But for the new Gingrich, the Gingrich who has been painstakingly refurbishing his image in the last few years, who has said nice words about Hillary Clinton and who plugs New York senator Charles Schumer's new book at every opportunity, the aside seems out of character. It sparks cognitive dissonance. What would have once seemed routine now seems jarring. Even impolite.

Yet none of the New Yorkers assembled here seems to mind. All these men and women with serious looks on their faces, their winter coats splayed across their laps or hung from their chairs, clad in somber colors brightened by fine jewelry--when Gingrich finishes his rap they erupt in cheers and laughter. They've done this throughout his speech: after he said, "If we had Sarbanes-Oxley for the public sector, half the bureaucracies couldn't sign any reports because they'd go to jail"--clap clap clap!--and after he said, "You don't elect a president to memorize. You elect a president to have wisdom, to have serious thought, to reflect," and after he said that presidential campaigns "are consultant full-employment processes." Each of these lines receives raucous applause.

---

Weekly Standard

Newt.org

Commentary

In my opinion, Newt stands head, shoulders, and torso above the other candidates, most especially the Three Stooges the Legacy Media have foisted upon us as the front runners. Most conservatives I know don't consider them eligible for serious consideration, with the caveat that "Rudy will do in a pinch" nod to the perceived power of conventional media outlets.

This election will be anything but conventional, and with the North Carolina Primary moved to Giga Tuesday, February 5th, 2008, we will start to see some action this fall.

I hope some of the candidates swing through Asheville so I could get a closer look like I did last August with John Edwards.

Hendersonville Rally

Internet Archive

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Sandworms of Dune

The last [chronologically speaking] book of the Dune Saga is due sometime in August of this year, and, of course there is another trilogy planned with the working title Paul of Dune.

I like the newer one ok, and wish they were longer, around 1200 pages each. Oh well, one takes what one can get.

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A Real Victory in '008

This year's 2007 Conservative Political Action Conference posted record-breaking attendance, which is to say that conservative grassroots activists and organizations, those motivated by the spirit of [Ronald Reagan |http://Reagan2020.US/], are alive and well.

Unfortunately, the rancor over an admittedly callous remark from my colleague Ann Coulter stole a fair amount of CPAC thunder from outstanding panel discussions and thoughtful presentations by the Republican presidential candidates -- sans one.

Over the din, you probably heard that presidential wannabe John McCain snubbed CPAC. The most telling snub this year, however, involved Mel Martinez, chairman of the Republican National Committee. Senator Martinez didn't speak at CPAC, either -- not because he didn't want to, but because he wasn't invited.

From this exclusion, one may conclude that the Republican Party will have to earn the good will of grassroots conservatives, because when the RNC was put to Reagan's "trust but verify" test, it failed.

---

Mark M. Alexander

Hat Tip: Bill L.

Commentary

I believe we are seeing the emergence of the Conservative Grassroots from behind the long shadow of the Legacy Media, but will it be in time for the '008 Primaries?

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These Colors Don't Run

I received the following message from one of the participants:



Fellow Americans:

Today was the first day of our historic day of the "These Colors Don't Run" national pro-troop caravan, and we are blown away by what an enormous success it has been.
Thursday morning began with news that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was leading an effort to call for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, along with cutting the funding to our troops serving in the mission.
But thousands of Americans sent a loud message back to Speaker Pelosi: THESE COLORS DON'T RUN.



Aerial photograph from one of the news helicopters that followed us.


From San Francisco to Lafayette to Vacaville to Sacramento to Stockton and Fresno our caravan traveled. Thousands of patriotic Americans showed up. News media flocked to the events - every network, every major newspaper, every News/Talk radio station.
News helicopters flew above filming the caravan as it progressed from one pro-troop rally to another. Local media went "live" during the rallies with Breaking News coverage. American Legion and Patriot Guard motorcycle riders escorted the caravan through California's busy highways. It has simply been an unbelievable day!!!
Here's an example of one of the news reports from the Sacramento ABC affiliate - News 10 that includes 2 reports from 2 different rallies: CLICK HERE to READ - VIDEO FOOTAGE TOO!
You can read many other stories about the effort so far: CLICK HERE for MORE NEWS COVERAGE
There are also a few photographs being posted by those who attended the events, like our good friends at Pipeline News. Read their report and see some pictures from our stop in Lafayette, California where we went to the site of an anti-war display to show America that there is ANOTHER SIDE to this debate. As Pipeline News reported: "Today's pro-troop display dwarfed all previous demonstrations at the location with over 300 in attendance, serving to metaphorically reclaim the hillside for those who support the war on terror and who want to win in Iraq."
PICTURES FROM ONE OF OUR PRO TROOP RALLIES - CLICK HERE
We've now collected over 2,000 flags for our giant "Flag City" we will erect on Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C.
Coming up next are stops in Bakersfield, Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs and then on to Arizona and Texas and places east! People have been coming out with flags on overpasses and along freeways on farm land - waving their flags and shouting their support. You have no idea how much this means to our military families and veterans who are the spokespersons for this effort.
We have much work to do, though. We need to build even greater momentum as we head on across the nation for Washington, D.C. and the big March 17th "Gathering of Eagles" event.
We will be posting updates to our website with more news, more pictures and more reports. PLEASE - help us ensure this effort only grows. Go check our caravan route schedule and spread the word about our upcoming rally stops. Be sure we have large, supportive crowds at each stop along the way. All the information you need can be found at our website:
http://www.moveamericaforward.org/
P.S. As we continue to rack up expenses for this effort, support this cause with a financial contribution if possible:
CLICK HERE to CONTRIBUTE

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