Amnesty-peddling Martinez set to lead the RNC

I guess some people refuse to learn. At their first meeting of the year last week in Washington, the RNC elected as their General Chairman Senator Mel Martinez, a supporter of President Bush's amnesty for illegal aliens policy. I can say (with a small degree of pride) that I personally wrote both my district and my state GOP chairpersons asking them to vote against Martinez. I don't know how they voted (but I'll follow up with them). But I found out that someone in the GOP was as unhappy with Martinez as was I.

A member of the Republican National Committee from President Bush's home state yesterday escalated the rebellion against Mr. Bush's choice to head the committee going into the 2008 presidential elections.

Texas RNC member Denise McNamara said the attempt by Mr. Bush's supporters on the national committee to name Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida as general chairman "is like pouring gas on an already smoldering electorate," citing Mr. Martinez's role in promoting last year's "comprehensive" immigration bill in the Senate. [emphasis mine]

"Choosing an RNC chairman who supports amnesty [for illegal aliens] is tantamount to telling the conservative majority of Americans that they do not matter."

Way to go Denise! Too bad we don't have more of you.

"I'm Hillary Rodham Clinton, and I DON'T approve of this message."

Well, I almost don't know what to say about this. It's . . . wonderful. I was surfing over at the great Michele Malkin's blog and came across this post on Hot Air, her video companion blog.

Oh my.

I mean, OH MY!

You've really got to see this. I've embedded the video below myself. The liberals at Saturday Night Live decided to tell the truth about Her Vileness. Mind you, they're not supposed to. They should have been following the liberals playbook. But someone at SNL thought otherwise, and this is the result. WARNING: there are bleeped obscenities near the end of the video, about the last minute or so.

For humor to work, it must be grounded in the truth.

Guard your wife and kids; she's "beginning a conversation"

Hillary Evita Clinton announced today that she will be running for President.

In a videotaped message posted on her Web site, Clinton said she was eager to start a dialogue with voters about challenges she hoped to tackle as president - affordable health care, deficit reduction and bringing the "right" end to the Iraq war.

"I'm not just starting a campaign, though, I'm beginning a conversation with you, with America," she said. "Let's talk. Let's chat. The conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?"

Well sure, when it comes to you, the conversation is always one-sided. The real question is will you really have a conversation with someone? You see, in a conversation you are allowed to ask questions and propose answers, but then you must also listen to another party ask questions and propose answers. Here are some questions I might propose:

• Exactly and with excruciating specificity how did you make all that money in the cattle futures market?
  
• Seriously, what was your relationship with Vince Foster?
  
• Why were you so insistent on getting the White House travel staff fired?
  
• Will you try once again to nationalize one-seventh of our nation's economy with your demonstrably doomed socialized health care nightmare?
  
• You (presumably) shared marriage vows with William Jefferson Blythe Clinton, yet he can't seem to keep them. Of the women who have publicly claimed some type of sexual interaction with your husband, wanted or unwanted, of how many were you aware prior to their public revelation?
1. Monica Lewinsky
2. Paula Jones
3. Christy Zercher
4. Gennifer Flowers
5. Elizabeth Ward Gracen
6. Sally Perdue
7. Kathleen Willey
8. Dolly Kyle Browning
9. Juanita Broaddrick

Just a few questions for starters. Plenty more where those came from.

Hypocrisy, thy name be Pelosi

"Bug Eyes" Pelosi, that is. You see, when the Defeat-ocrats voted for a minimum wage hike/increase in unemployment a couple of days ago, they exempted American Samoa from the increase.

So what?

Oh, nothing really. Except that StarKist Tuna owns two packing plants in American Samoa.

And StarKist is owned by the Delmonte Corporation.

And Delmonte is headquartered in San Francisco.

And San Francisco is represented by . . . (together, everyone) . . . Bug Eyes Pelosi.

The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws.

One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island's work force. StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.

"There's something fishy going on here," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina Republican.

During the House debate yesterday on stem-cell research, Mr. McHenry raised a parliamentary inquiry as to whether an amendment could be offered that would exempt American Samoa from stem-cell research, "just as it was for the minimum-wage bill."

A clearly perturbed Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who was presiding, cut off Mr. McHenry and shouted, "No, it would not be."

"So, the chair is saying I may not offer an amendment exempting American Samoa?" Mr. McHenry pressed.

"The gentleman is making a speech and will sustain," Mr. Frank shouted as he slammed his large wooden gavel against the rostrum.

Poor liberals, they just can't help themselves.

Defeat-ocrats vote for abortion-focused false hope

Today the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives voted 253-174 to allow federal tax dollars to be used for embryonic stem cell research, otherwise known as the destruction of human life for research purposes.

This vote, by the way, fulfills a second promise the Defeat-ocrats made before the election. Let's see, higher unemployment, murder in the name of research . . . can't wait to see what's next.

Cut-and-run-ocrats vote to increase unemployment

In a perfect example of economic illiteracy, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives voted 315-116 to make it more expensive to hire workers by increasing the federally-mandated minimum wage and thus increasing our nation's unemployment rate.

Business groups and other critics said it could lead to higher prices for goods and services, force small companies to pink-slip existing workers or hire fewer new ones, and crimp profits.

But that's what liberalism is - doing something because it feels good, not because it's the correct thing to do.

If we had a war, nobody would come

When you think it can't get worse...

My previous post concerned the invasion of our nation by gunmen from Mexico into Arizona on Thursday, January 4, and the retreat of our National Guard from their posts. Here is the official statement regarding the retreat from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Congressional Affairs. And here's the money quote:

One of the subjects approached the observation post and came within 20 yards of the site. Following standard operating procedure, the national Guardsmen slowly retreated to their vehicle and drove approximately 200 yards away from the site. A CBP air asset arrived on scene within minutes and flew over the area assessing the risk. Five Border Patrol ground Agents were on-site within 10 minutes of the initial call. The ground agents and the air asset tracked the subjects back into Mexico.

Following standard operating procedure. Did someone forget to tell them that they're the National GUARD and not the National YIELD?

What if we had a war and nobody came?

Much like the invasion from Mexico that happened yesterday in Arizona.

A U.S. Border Patrol entry Identification Team site was overrun Wednesday night along Arizona's border with Mexico.

According to the Border Patrol, an unknown number of gunmen attacked the site in the state's West Desert Region around 11 p.m. The site is manned by National Guardsmen. Those guardsmen were forced to retreat.

I'm going to repeat that last sentence: "Those guardsmen were forced to retreat." Hey Governor Perry, if this had happened on the Texas border, how much effect would border cameras have had?

It just keeps growing, and growing, and growing...

$4,500,000,000 - State of Texas budget surplus estimate prior to April 2006

$8,000,000,000 - State of Texas budget surplus estimate on April 17, 2006 by comptroller Strayhorn

$15,500,000,000 - State of Texas budget surplus estimate by House Spekaer Tom Craddick

Money quote by my new state senator, Dan Patrick:

"Texans are fair and reasonable people, and if we have a huge surplus, I think most of them would say, 'Let's set some aside because we never know what the future holds. And let's take some of it and address specific crucial needs,' " he said.

"But most of it should come back to us. Because government never fails at spending every dollar we send them. And, quite frankly, there could be a $30 billion surplus and there would be people saying we shouldn't send any back."

Suppose you were overcharged for something at a grocery store. When you go back to the store and demonstrate the overcharge to the store owner, he tells you he's keeping your money. What side would win the case in court?

Why doesn't government follow the laws of reality?

A prayer to begin 2007

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your Son in whose righteousness I can come before You. Help me be more like Him.
Thank You for my beautiful wife. Help me love her more every day.
Thank You for my beautiful children. Help me love them more and train them every day to be strong and wise leaders for You.
Thank You for my family, my friends, and my loved ones. Help me to give more of myself to them.
Thank You for my job. Help me to work hard and well.
Thank you for my country. Help me to act and speak with wisdom and passion for it's blessings.

Before You laid the foundations of the world, You knew I would sit here tonight, completely undeserving of Your love and forgiveness, yet their grateful recipient solely through the sacrifice of Your Son. Make me mindful every day of 2007 of how much You love me.

I pray these things and I believe these things in the precious name of Your Son,
and His name is Jesus,

Amen.

Dreamgirls

There are three definitive American art forms: jazz, film, and musical theater. Rare is the time any of the three come together. They did so in Chicago in 2002. Like that appropriately-Oscar-winning effort, Dreamgirls uses the same confluence of art to provide a spectacular movie-going experience.

Some preface. I've never seen the original stage version of Dreamgirls (or Chicago, for that matter). So I can't compare what I saw on the big screen to what I might have seen on the stage. And I'm glad, because what I saw on the big screen had me riveted. Right from the start, you know you're about the hear great songs sung by great voices. When the Dreamettes' first chance at something big seems near, you're crushed to see it taken away so quickly.

I won't give you a plot summary. You can find that elsewhere. But I will talk about the casting. Where did they get all these names? Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover. An outstanding cast that fit their characters perfectly; and not just the leads, but the secondary characters as well. Eddie Murphy did surprisingly well, I thought. (I hope that was his voice and not a dubbing.) And I'll talk about the set design and costuming. You knew what year it was simply by looking at the clothes or the furniture in any given scene. Outstanding.

But, by far, the best part of the film is Jennifer Hudson. Mrs. Light Bulb and I are American Idol fanatics. I say again, fanatics. We were heartbroken the week Jennifer was voted off the third season. To see this young woman in her screen debut, providing the best performace of the film was wonderfully fulfilling. The audience we saw it with cheered at the end of "And I Am Telling You." (I'm serious. I was screaming myself.) This young lady can sing AND act. And if she doesn't win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress this February, I may never watch another Academy Awards telecast again.

Dreamgirls - go see it.

It's called PERMANENT REHABILITATION

Don't the drive-bys know that the term "execution" is not politically cleansed? Hey drive-bys, get with it guys. It's called permanent rehabilitation.

First, rehabilitation. Well that's what every liberal wants for every criminal, right? "To restore formally to former capacity, standing, rank, rights, or privileges." And, the word rehabilitation connotes a sense of newness; a re-birth, if you will. Now add to it the modifier permanent. Seriously, who doesn't want something that will "exist perpetually," I ask you?

O.K. Let's use our politically cleansed term in a sentence. Today, December 30, 2006, Saddam Hussein was permanently rehabilitated. Now doesn't that make you feel good?

For everything there is a season

And I have been in a blogging dormancy season which is soon coming to an end. Five business trips, post-election funk, two holidays, a Gall-bladder-ectomy, and Mrs. Light Bulb in an auto-pedestrian dust-up have been all-consuming for the past few weeks.

However, I am switching to the new version of Blogger today and hope to begin posting by this evening. I pray you have had a safe and blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas with your families.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hypocrisy, thy name be Perot

Remember Ross Perot warning of the giant sucking sound of the NAFTA during his presidential campaigns? I guess he's changed his mind.

When billionaire H. Ross Perot ran for president in 1992, he warned that the torrent of American jobs headed south of the border as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement would create "a giant sucking sound." On Friday, the outsourcing company founded by Perot, where he serves as chairman emeritus, disclosed that it's opening a new service center in Mexico.

Then again, it is Ross Perot. Who really cares?

Hat tip to Biz Net Daily

Let’s make sure the Defeatocrats use this guy in 2008

Couldn’t pass this up when I saw it. Terri Schaivo’s husband, who actively worked for her death, seems to be campaign poison.

After he successfully won a court order to kill Terri Schiavo via euthanasia, the disabled woman’s former husband Michael pledged to take on pro-life advocates and formed a political action committee to defeat them. However, the candidates Michael campaigned for during the 2006 mid-term elections didn’t fare very well.

In fact, every candidate Michael personally campaigned for during the election cycle went down to defeat.

But wait, there's more.

Schiavo said that, while Terri’s family works to make sure the disabled and elderly get proper medical care, he will do anything necessary to go after pro-life lawmakers who voted for the bill to support them and back candidates who think assisted suicide and euthanasia is okay.

”I will go as far as I need to go,” Schiavo said.

He indicated he will campaign for candidates in other states and likely speak out about the 2008 presidential elections.

Someone get this man next to Hillary!

Hat tip to World Net Daily

Happy Veterans Day

As the old saying goes,

If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read this in english, thank a Veteran.


And take a trip over to Michelle Malkin's Hot Air and watch her interviews with some of the remaining Doolittle Raiders.

Pray for our troops

Please, please, please pray for our men and women fighting against terrorism.

They have just seen their nation elect a majority of representatives and senators who want us to cut our losses and run away from the enemy. Their morale cannot be good. Many of them might be questioning what they are doing and why they are doing it. Please pray for them, for their leaders, and for all of their spirits that they might know that what they are doing is vital and appreciated.

Discipline hurts

But when we stray off course, discipline is needed. Hopefully the Republicans will learn from this experience. Get back on course. Be conservative. Prosecute the War Against Terror properly. Seal the border. Make the tax cuts permanent.

And do not avoid the lesson of this election. When Repulicans behave like Democrats, Republicans lose. When Republicans behave like conservatives, Republicans win. See Reagan, Ronald.

The Only Issue This Election Day

A Democrat writes of what is important today.

If control of the House passes into Democratic hands, there are enough withdraw-on-a-timetable Democrats in positions of prominence that it will not only seem to be a victory for our enemies, it will be one.

Unfortunately, the opposite is not the case -- if the Republican Party remains in control of both houses of Congress there is no guarantee that the outcome of the present war will be favorable for us or anyone else.

But at least there will be a chance.

I say this as a Democrat, for whom the Republican domination of government threatens many values that I hold to be important to America's role as a light among nations.

But there are no values that matter to me that will not be gravely endangered if we lose this war. And since the Democratic Party seems hellbent on losing it -- and in the most damaging possible way -- I have no choice but to advocate that my party be kept from getting its hands on the reins of national power, until it proves itself once again to be capable of recognizing our core national interests instead of its own temporary partisan advantages.

[Bold emphasis mine]

Via The Ornery Amerian

If 11 million Iraqis can vote...

You can too.

Today is the day

We know how the terrorists would vote...

As illustrated by Glen McCoy at The Funnies on Townhall.com



And backed up by this story at NewsMax.com.

And the Defeatocrats have nothing to say about it.

Hat tip to Power Line

Saddam Hussein sentenced to death

Finally.

Now he is eligible for permanent rehabilitation.

A John F. Kerry video round-up

So many videos in different places, had to get 'em all in one post.

First, John Kerry, who served in Vietnam, belittles our soldiers on Monday.

President Bush reacts on Tuesday:

Kerry, who served in Vietnam, criticizes the troops in 2005 on Face the Nation:

Kerry, who served in Vietnam, criticizes the troops in 1971 on Meet the Press:

This is a long one (3:35), but it's a really well done summary of Kerry's pre-war statements.

And, of course, the fundamental Kerry flip flop:

Aren't you glad he's not our President?