Surprisingly Liberal

Interesting commercial... don't assume conservatives are going down without a fight

Marines New Commercial

Pretty cool stuff, I am proud to be part of a country that has men an women that are called Marines. This commercial by the way, highlights some amazing parts of our country.

Green Conservatism

If the U.S. had developed Nuclear power at the same rate France has, we would today put 2,200,000,000 tons less carbon into the atmosphere--beating kyoto requirements by 15%.

Wow, to me seems like the "far left" are the ones that are ruining it for everyone else

Indoctrinate U - Request it on Netflix

I have been waiting for a screening of this movie in my area and it seems to take forever for that to happen. There may be hope the Indoctrinate U folk posted this on their website. The movie is not yet available for purchase... but it would be cool if it was available for more people to rent (or Netflix) until purchasing is an option.

DO YOU USE NETFLIX? * 01.11.08

Are you a Netflix customer? Did you know that you can recommend movies for Netflix to carry?

We've been asked a lot if Indoctrinate U will eventually be coming to Netflix. And, of course, we'd love it if Netflix carried our film. So, if you use Netflix and you'd like to see Indoctrinate U, consider using their online suggestion form to recommend our film! (Select "Title Request" as the subject.)

http://indoctrinate-u.com/pages/welcome.html

U.S. Marines evacuate Iraqi girl in need of life-saving open-heart surgery to a Nashville hospital

I love stories like this, I wish they would appear more mainstream news, so for now word of mouth will have to do. The men and women of our armed forces are doing so much outside what we "feel" they are doing based on our clueless left wing politicians rhetoric... to our military keep up the good work!

clipped from ocworld.freedomblogging.com U.S. Marines evacuate Iraqi girl in need of life-saving open-heart surgery to a Nashville hospital By VIK JOLLY The Orange County Register  A 2-year-old Iraqi girl with a congenital heart defect, who has been evacuated to a Tennessee hospital by U.S. Marines in the Al Anbar province, was reported Friday to be awake but fighting a respiratory infection. The toddler has a large hole in her heart and a severe obstruction between her heart and lungs, giving her the classic “blue baby” look around her lips and extremities, according to a hospital news release. Amenah’s heart is basically backwards in her chest and her large arteries are oriented abnormally, the hospital said. The Iraqi government backed the Marines’ effort with its unconditional support. And friends and family of Maj. Kevin Jarrard, who befriended Amenah’s family, in Nashville continue to help, the hospital said.

Learn to fight fire with fire

Looks like Alan Roebuck has an excellent premise for the all so common banter that happens between atheists and theists, this time the theists have the stronger position.

clipped from www.americanthinker.com January 26, 2008 How to Respond to a Supercilious Atheist By Alan Roebuck Not all atheists are supercilious, of course. Many are content to live and let live, and some even grant that religion (which, in America, basically means Christianity) does some good.  But atheism as an organized, evangelizing movement has been on the offensive lately.  Witness the "New Atheists" such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens, with their aggressive stance against God and their bestselling books attempting to debunk religion. So, assuming you are a theist, what do you say to the atheist who asks, "You don't (chuckle) actually believe in God, do you (snicker)?"

They are taking our cartoons!!!

First They Came for Piglet

This is an interesting article from the National Review Online by Mark Steyn, interesting look at how we tend to confuse "Anti-Islam" with discrimination and in so many words how our fear of offending, is really tearing us down. (Hit the link for the full article)

You remember the Three Little Pigs? One builds a house of straw, and another of sticks, and both get blown down by the Big Bad Wolf. Western civilization is a mighty house of bricks, but who needs a Big Bad Wolf when the pig’s so eager to demolish it himself?

Fred Heads for Mitt

I wonder if Mitt has something up his sleeve, if it includes Fred Thompson, that would be brilliant.

Tonight January 25th is Burns Night…Celebration of poems, drink and haggis

Tonight January 25th is Burns Night…Celebration of poems, drink and haggis

Sadly I am not attending a Burn Night Supper this year… but a wee bit of tribute today for this famous Scottish bard. It is a simple (sometimes wild) gathering with some friends, to enjoy the celebration. My personal favorite is when the night turns in to a full fledge cèilidh. (more on that some other time) While I have never feasted on REAL haggis, I was able to feast on some vegetarian haggis, complete with neeps and tatties (mashed turnips and potatoes) while I was in Edinburgh a couple of years ago… Fun stuff, I hope some of you are able to enjoy these festivities.

From the http://www.robertburns.org/suppers/

I copied and pasted some excerpts for folks here to get an idea of what this night entails.

The annual celebratory tribute to the life, works and spirit of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). Celebrated on, or about, the Bard's birthday, January 25th, Burns Suppers range from stentoriously formal gatherings of esthetes and scholars to uproariously informal rave-ups of drunkards and louts. Most Burns Suppers fall in the middle of this range, and adhere, more or less, to some sort of time honoured form which includes the eating of a traditional Scottish meal, the drinking of Scotch whisky, and the recitation of works by, about, and in the spirit of the Bard.

Every Burns Supper has its own special form and flavour, though there are probably more similarities than differences among these gastro-literary affairs. Individual tastes and talents will determine the character of your Burns Supper. Some celebrants may contribute the composition of original songs or poems; some may excel at giving toasts or reciting verse; while others may be captivating storytellers. A particular group of celebrants will, over time, develop a unique group character which will distinguish their Burns Supper celebration from every other.

With a little bit of planning anyone (well, almost anyone) can enjoy a Burns Night celebration. All that's needed is a place to gather (gracious host), plenty of haggis and neeps to go around (splendid chef), a master of ceremonies (foolhardy chairman), friendly celebrants (you and your drouthy cronies), and good Scotch drink to keep you warm (BYOB). With these ingredients, at least a few celebrants will be able to make prattling fools of themselves, trying to do justice to the words and spirit of Robert Burns. And if everyone brings along a wee dram and a bit of poetry, prose or song then each, in turn, may become an object of mirth and amusement to the gathered throng. Be prepared to enjoy yourself beyond all expectation. It helps if you know your guests and can match them with a suitable reading. Better still, you may be able to gently motivate them, in advance, by including an informal listing of sources along with your charming (I'm sure) Burns Supper invitation.

Hopefully with the good vibes and good whisky, will be all the encouragement anyone will need to lower their inhibitions to a level that Burns, himself, would appreciate.

Don’t forget the Selkirk Grace before your supper tonight

Some hae meat and canna eat,
and some wad eat that want it,
but we hae meat and we can eat,
and sae the Lord be thankit.

In English: Some have meat and cannot eat,
Some cannot eat that want it;
But we have meat and we can eat,
So let the Lord be thank it.

But be careful, trying to get a “traditional” haggis past US Customs officials

Smugglers dodge sniffer dogs and risk $1,000 fine for a Burns Night haggis

They look no different from any other transatlantic passengers as they walk through into departures or enjoy a final drink at the airport bar. Perhaps they seem a little nervous and maybe their hand luggage looks a bit heavy, but otherwise there is nothing to mark them out as haggis smugglers.

But today, on the 249th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, an unprecedented number of otherwise respectable Scots and Americans will try to circumvent a US ban on British offal products so that they can celebrate Burns Night as it is meant to be: in the company of the “great chieftain o’ the puddin’-race”…. More of this story HERE

Traditional Macsween Haggis

Just a Reminder

Suck it up cupcakes

Recently two of the most conservative candidates running for the nomination dropped out of the 2008 presidential race. I have seen a couple of dynamics with this that are pretty clear. First, I am glad to see so many conservatives keeping the support of the process alive, and not giving up on their principles just because their main candidate is no longer in the race. Those that seek to figure out who to next support with what we have, are the ones who will help keep the conservative issues alive even if the candidate is not 100% what they want.

Second, I am disappointed with conservatives that are slinking away and behaving like spoiled children because they did not get 100% what they want. To them I say suck it up cupcakes, because your conservative voice will have a better audience and possibilities with any of the republican candidates than it ever could with Barack, Hillary or John. Yes, can you choose a write-in, choose not to vote… and of course it will be an excellent premise for you when you are sitting on your asses down the road blaming everyone else for any troubles. But come on act like the conservative you claim to be. I was taught if you are bucked off the horse get back on. So dust off your chaps and get back on the horse and help fight the good fight.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

What happened to Iraq?

Victor Davis Hanson writes a blog for Pajamas Media, he always has some excellent perspectives on what is going on in the world. Here is an excerpt from his post on January 21, 2008. I do feel sorry for the Democrats (not really) that one of their platforms--the Iraq war, is much less in their favor in this election year.

What happened to Iraq?

The general media reaction to the good news in Iraq has been the following: ignore it; or run stories about traumatic and deadly stress of veterans, or other bad news themes like the updates on the Marine trials; or talk not about the significance of victory but only of the unnecessary cost. Iraq was supposed to be the make-or-break issue for the Democrats, as they vied with one another to get the troops out the quickest. But the last two months in the theater, the number of American fatalities is starting to devolve to the number of what might be normally lost in deployments of the size of 160,000 through normal training and dangers in a noncombatant environment. (20,000 have died in military accidents since 1980).

In any case the argument is increasingly becoming moot. Americans of all persuasions want US troops to come home, the question now is mostly under what circumstances. Fears of Iran and $100 a barrel oil have made many of the old controversies of the 2003-5 years moot as well. I wrote once that the war would end with a whimper not a bang, and so it is starting to—only to be refought for the next twenty years by historians, once the tell-all, fiasco, quagmire, ‘George Bush is our worst president’ exposes clear out.

Helping you figure out who to vote for...

Cannot figure out who to vote for this coming primary, let alone this coming fall? Have a tendency to vote for the candidate that a “smart” friend supports—rather than doing a small bit of research to see who you REALLY support? I know some find that it can be intimidating because the subject of politics seems to be very taboo in our culture and not everyone loves a good argument. Since I cannot change that culture, and I can only hope to stimulate healthy dialogue one conversation at a time, I thought I would throw some suggestions out there to help people get informed without having to jump into a debate.

It is important to vote for and support who aligns most with your views. Not just who is “the most popular” or the one you hear will make a good candidate. How embarrassing if you decide to support a candidate that contradicts most of your own core values, based on a quick and surface evaluation. Remember, we are talking about people that make legislation that affect our economy, lifestyles, how we interact with other countries… It should be something to take a look at more than just casually.

So where to go? I say take some quick candidate tests and then head over to Vote Smart to be sure what you are hearing on the news about your few favorite candidates are correct.

I find that these kinds of “tests” help you get an idea of where you fall so that you have a direction to go in research. I think one of the hardest things to do is get started…these kind of tests help you do just that. I would take more than one because each uses different criteria to match you to a candidate. They are also fun and easy to complete… There are WAY more out there, but here are a few to help you get started.

http://www.speakout.com/VoteMatch/senate2006.asp?quiz=2008

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/candidate-match-game.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/page?id=3623346

http://www.dehp.net/candidate/

http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

http://glassbooth.org/


For the research, you do not have to get a political science degree. I use Project Vote Smart as a reference. They cover all levels of government and how our elected officials vote. They do all the research so you do not have to and they are very good at keeping with the non-partisan claim. They also have a phone line to call if you have relatives or friends that do not access the internet

http://www.vote-smart.org/

Here is a video of their organization explaining what they do.

The Blue Boar: Human organs to be taken without consent in UK

The Blue Boar: Human organs to be taken without consent in UK

Nice, this is what happens when you let government decide on health care... it is a dangerous slope. Free health care sounds great if you get it for free and still have choices. But that is not the reality when you have someone else control it for you...eventually you loose the ability to choose.

Come on candidates... show me this change

I think this would be an excellent idea... have the candidates move past the rhetoric and start showing us HOW they would change this next year. They are currently senators and can make things happen. I say GIT R DONE, show me what you keep talking about.

Change?

Excellent cartoon by Ramirez at Investor's Business Daily

Space Invaders :-)

From Tammy Bruce's Blog... Why the world hates us

This is why I love Divas like Tammy, they help put things into perspective and they are almost always right on. Our American impact on the world is not one of domination, we just care and we want peace more than anyone--That is why our military is the best

No Wonder the World Hates Us

Sometimes we must simply admit how evil we are. Running roughshod over the world, caring only about ourselves, not considering for one second the negative impact we have on the world, to say nothing of ruining the lives of little children. Yeah, with stories like this, isn't it about time we stop messing around with other peoples lives and retreat so the world can once again have a good time?

Five-Year-Old Boy Feels 'Very Well' After Having Peach-Sized Brain Tumor Removed

NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. — A 5-year-old Peruvian boy rushed to Long Island for surgery to remove a peach-sized brain tumor said he felt "very well" less than a week after the procedure.

Sebastian Jimenez Pina praised the doctors who treated him -- and the congressman who helped get him to them -- at a news conference Wednesday at Schneider Children's Hospital, where he underwent the operation Dec. 27.

"The hospital and the doctors were very good," the boy said in Spanish.

His physicians, Dr. Mark Mittler and Dr. Mark Atlas, said Sebastian would have died quickly without the surgery. It removed the tumor protruding from his right temple and two other, smaller ones on his head.

Yeah, and I bet you we waterboarded that little boy ahead of time to make sure he said nice things about the doctors.

Conservative Resolutions

Something to think about if you are a conservative

clipped from www.humanevents.com Five New Year’s Resolutions for Conservatives by Gary Bauer 1. REJECT BIG GOVERNMENT - I resolve not to apologize for being a conservative, because conservatism does not need to be softened as if there were something inherent in our allegiance to principled conservatism—with its belief in a strong national defense, traditional moral values and fiscal responsibility—that made it cruel 2. EMBRACE THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS AND MOTHERS -- I resolve to fight attempts by secularists to deny or misrepresent America’s Christian heritage in the classroom, in the office and wherever it is found. 3. SUPPORT FAIR MEDIA OUTLETS -- I resolve to be attentive to media bias and to expose it in all its forms 4. RESOLVE DIFFERENCES QUIETLY AND WITH DIGNITY -- I resolve not to mischaracterize other conservatives’ positions or records on issues, especially to unsympathetic media outlets that would trumpet the words to aid the liberal agenda 5. SUPPORT TRUE CONSERVATIVES