I've been pushed to the limit time and health wise in these past couple of months and this will probably be the "norm" till the end of the year.

Fortunately, I've got great connections (smile) and can continue to contribute to the "stop the Dems" effort by passing along words (and work) done by a fellow sane blogger.

From Steve's blog http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com:



I'm getting enquiries about the campaign of William Russell against John Murtha in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District (Johnstown, Monongahela, Washington, Greene County, and other locations).

You can help William, an Iraq War veteran and a fine human being, get his campaign off to a good start by making a small contribution (or a large one if you wish!) to him by sending it to:

William Russell for Congress
P.O. Box 630
Johnstown, PA 15907
Phone: 814-248-3435
His Web Site is: www.williamrussellforcongress.com
His E-mail Address is: william.russell@williamrussellforcongress.com

If you can't make a cash contribution right now, volunteer to help in other ways, such as by contacting neighbors, working at his campaign locations, or putting up a yard sign.

In 2004, President Bush, not the most popular figure in Pennsylvania, and Senator Kerry basically split the vote in the 12th District by 50-50. In other words, this district is winnable by a strong candidate, and Russell can be that candidate. If the national candidates (for President and Vice-President) are strong ones, William Russell may amaze the political world by dethroning John Murtha, known widely as "The Prince of Pork."

William is already running hard against Murtha, who's a thoroughly disreputable individual, someone that's made a career of trading his votes and influence for campaign cash. People who provide financial support to Murtha have zero interest in anything approximating good government.

William needs your help. As a veteran, he would very much appreciate getting strong support from veterans, active-duty soldiers and Guardsmen, and military families. If you can make a small contribution, please do so. Also, please start mentioning his campaign to your family, friends, and neighbors.

There's no way William can out-spend Murtha, but he can and will out-work him. To win, he needs your support.


steve maloney
ambridge, pa

Note: If you go to www.opensecrets.org, you can find out what groups contributed huge sums of money to Murtha's campaign in 2006. (If you have any trouble finding the information, let me know at TalkTop65@aol.com, and I'll walk you through the process.)

You'll notice, for example, that Murtha got approximately $150,000 from wealthy doctors and administrators at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), which is supposedly a non-profit health empire. In the last fiscal year, this "non-profit" made a "surplus" (i.e., profit) of nearly $500,000,000.00 As long as the Murthas of the world are in Congress, such outrages will continue. (You can find out why UPMC fat cats love Murtha by "googling" Windber + John Murtha + UPMC.)

If you're interested in finding out exactly who the money-bags groups contributing to Murtha are -- and why they're doing so -- please contact me and I'll let you know. Hint: They aren't exactly individuals or groups who are living paycheck to paycheck.

(Additional column this weekend about who the people are who truly exert great influence in political campaign -- Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. See the previous column for definitions. The terms come from Malcolm Gladwell's wonderful book called The Tipping Point.)


Posted by Stephen R. Maloney, Ambridge, PA

Found in an email....

Subject: Denzel Washington, and

Brooks Army Medical Center


Don't know whether you heard about this

but Denzel Washington and his family visited

the troops at Brook Army Medical Center , in

San Antonio , Texas (BAMC) the other day. This

is where soldiers who have been evacuated from

Germany come to be hospitalized in the United

States , especially burn victims. There are some

buildings there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher

House is a Hotel where soldiers' families can stay,

for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying

in the Hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses
on base, but as you can imagine, they are almost filled

most of the time.

While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave

him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how

much one of them would cost to build. He took his check

book out and wrote a check for the full amount right there

on the spot. The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear

this story and want to get the word out to the American

public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it.


The question I have is why does:

Alec Baldwin,

Madonna,

Sean Penn and

other Hollywood types

make front page news with their anti-everything

America trash and Denzel Washington's Patriotism

doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of

any newspaper except the Local newspaper in San

Antonio

I received the following in an email. .. please pass it on.

Heading out I asked?

No. I'm escorting a soldier home.

Going to pick him up?

No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq, I'm taking him home to his family.

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days.

I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign."

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the Sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.

So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do.

Red Fridays.

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the
"silent majority." We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized,
boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea
of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops
all come home, sending a deafening message that .. every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.
If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is. "We need your support and your prayers." Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.

The Anchoress wrote about Illegal Immigration absolutes again.  And of course, the absolutes got real offended about being called "bigot" or "racist."

They hated the term "hardliners" and "one note".

Me think they protest too much.

The vile racist rhetoric was all over the place...I am sure that each one of those PRINCIPLED people stood up and told these racists to keep their KKK sounding sound bites out of the discussion.  I am sure that every single time some person expressed the opinion that some kind of guest worker plan was necessary and was called a Bush lap dog and Mexican loving anti-American, men of principle rushed to fight for that person's right to disagree.  And calls were called for fences on BOTH borders and intolerance for White Canadian illegality was just as vehement as for those Mexican law breakers.

In fact, wasn't there a call for an apology for telling born and bred AMERICANS of Mexican ancestory to "go back home" and cries of outrage when all kinds of diseases were attributed to "those Brown people"?

No?  Then perhaps what the absolutes are hearing is their conscience...knocking on that part that knows that there are two ways of doing wrong...the actual act and the silence that permits it.

One Moment
Friday, February 16, 2007 2:56 AM


This is the story of that fateful day in September of 2001. Now you may wonder why I am writing this some 6 months before the 6th anniversary of 9/11. I do so because today and the day after, Congress is doing whatever it can to destroy the only man the people who want us dead fears. They are being helped by hardliners intent on dividing the GOP and resurrecting among her carcass a party that is unelectable.

It is as if 9/11 never happened.


In 2001, I was a part of a group that hailed from 4 foreign countries: Canada, UK, Germany, and Australia. During our down time, most of these people would join the Americans in our group in a wonderful pastime of knocking our prospective governments, particularly the U.S.A. because she was the big guy (translation: bully) on the world stage. I paid little heed to this hobby for no reason than it simply failed to interest me. I didn’t care what some politician did or didn’t do nor did I care with whom he/she did it. A female Secretary of State didn’t impress me one iota. And other than the cases that involved my pet issue, I really found it hard to get all worked up about anything the Supreme Court decided.


On that September morning, I was awaken by a colleague from the U.K. He advised me to turn on my t.v. His voice was solemn and almost expectant; the kind of tone people used when they expect to deal with something they really rather not.


“Is this for real?” I asked when they replayed the two towers crumbling to the ground…it looked like some kind of movie stunt.


“Yes.” he replied, again that pause, that expectant tone that said, please don’t get too emotional.


I watched for a bit, listening to the reporter. Finally, I said, “I’ve got to get dress; I’ve got a client that is intent on making my life miserable.”


“You’re going to work?” he asked incredulously, the first crack in an otherwise deliberately controlled voice.


I frowned, “Why not?”


“Well, there might be…50 thousands deaths, maybe more. YOUR people.”


“Look,” I said, getting pretty angry. I disliked it when things began to unravel. I like knowing what’s happening and why. And failing that, the probability and the possibility of avoiding negative consequences. “Every year thousands of people die…of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes. That’s life.”


Silence. I didn’t care. So, I can be pretty cold sometimes. Well, I wasn’t in some popularity contest. If you like what I do, you buy. If you don’t, you go elsewhere. Simple.


I live in the country and the drive to town is long and pretty hectic. Only today, the freeway is rather empty. Except at the openings to the various bases. There, long lines of cars waited to get through what was now heavily secured gates.


By the time I parked my car in the multi garage complex, I was shaking and I didn’t know why. I made my way to the front and climbed the stairs to the building where I worked. Waikiki is one of the hottest tourist attractions in the world, yet on this day, all I saw were two soldiers, perhaps National guardsmen, walking down the street carrying rifles.


I was all alone in the elevator and the ride up seemed to take forever.


My phone was ringing by the time I let myself in. I’m not sure why but I was really surprised when it turned out to be my Canadian client from h*ll. “Did you hear?” I began, then stopped. I could hear the panic in my voice. I swallowed hard and tried again. “My country was attacked.”


And just like that, with zero warning, I realized that I actually loved America. I mean sappy, this is the greatest country in the world kind of loved America. Tears were falling down my cheeks and real grief for those who had been killed began to churn in the pit of my stomach.


I remember thinking of the war stories of my elderly relatives and wondering if we too would have to blacken our windows and ration our food.


In the days that followed, strange things happened. People went to church, children prayed in school, Congress stood on the steps of the Capital and sang God Bless America.


And the courts said “so what” and “too bad” to the ACLU and all those anti-Christian groups.


Cops, Firemen, and soldiers were heroes again.


And for one shiny moment, this nation came together.


For some of us, 9/11 changed everything.


For others, 9/11 only changed … one moment.

The following is a post I wrote on Christopher's blog: http://youngrepublican.townhall.com/


Principles are hills very few of us have the luxury of dying on.

And those who say that winning is not as important as keeping one's principles don't understand that in our form of government, winning is everything...only the winners get to decide if we cut and run...if we protect babies or allow their mother's boyfriends/husbands to decide if the child is "wanted"...if our taxes are raised and our military funding is gutted...winners get to take away our guns and make smokers criminals...winners get to deprive your heirs of the wealth you spent all your life building...they even get to decide if the IOU on your golden years will ever be honored.

Finally winners get to treat our military like baby killers or heroes.

Watch how the Democratic run Congress treated Petraeus and ask the "principled people" if their principles will allow THAT to go on for another 8 years.

Once in awhile I write something I think worth repeating and the above was one of those times.  I get so sick of the talk about being "principled"...do they realize that Liberals think they are "principled"...and so do dual spies that betray their country.

I watched a movie the other day about one of America's great betrayers and one reason he gave for "betraying" America was that his "principles"...his belief that America was doing wrong propelled him to risk everything for what he believed in.

And pro-abortionist "believe" that women have a right to kill their babies...and yes, for all those "Constitutionalist", according to the SCOTUS, that "belief" is also backed by the constitution!

"Belief", "Principles", "Choice"...all fine words that have been twisted until they have lost their value.

A while ago I wrote about the candidates running for President on the Right.  It is based solely on my perception of the American voter...ALL the voters, not just those who agree with me.  I am not a great fan of published polls as I am well aware of how easily polls can be manipulated...a case in point, EVERY call in poll lists Ron Paul the winner--and if you seriously believe that, I've got a bridge in San Francisco I've got rights to sell.

Today, since we are less than two years away of proving my predictions right--or wrong, I thought I'd include some on the Left, starting with the candidate most likely to win.

Hillary Clinton

Primary: 62%
General: 52% ++

Hil will get the usual Democratic support...Blacks and Women.  But a HUGE factor in any popularity contest (which elections are) is the "likability" component.  Hil has a voice like nails across a chalk board.  Her appearance reminds people of that stern and unforgiving teacher that inspired no one and fueled no juvenile boy's dreams.

Women who are expected to play mother, sex partner AND help to bring home the bacon will unconsciously dislike what Hillary represents and men who pay lip service to woman equality also resent women like Hillary who makes being polite and gentlemanly risky and confusing.

Yet count on a President Hillary...why?  Because the Democrats understand that you have to win in order to play.  They will close ranks and put their best chance to win back the White House in 2008, even if they dislike her personally.  The MSM and the Liberal elites will push her good points and over look her bad...and they will promise the public something they haven't had for 6 years...a president that isn't being attacked by BOTH parties and is expected to be perfect.

(Foot note: Hillary winning the General is conditional on the public's perception of America's Islamic threat...if we get attacked again, look for America turning to the GOP to fill the Commander in Chief slot.)

Rudy Giulani

Primary: 71%
General: 49%

Rudy has to pass Christian Pro-lifers who dislike his multiple marriages, his pro-abortion and social stands, and the fact that not even his own children will support him.  But the more the sanctimonious and racist sounding absolutes push, the more desperate the Right becomes.  The illegal immigration issue tanked Hunter's chances and the lack of loyalty toward Bush and Huckabee who refused to get caught up with all the vitriolic hate just about handed over the nation's largest voting block to the Liberals.

Those who put the war on terror as their top priority are looking for someone who can actually beat Hillary and keep the only party that is serious about continuing the WOT in the White House and as Commander of the world's greatest military.

The absolutists have wasted 2 years--and will waste 18 more months--trying to find that perfect, but unelectable candidate to head the GOP ticket.

Then come the Primary...the REAL base  will vote for the guy who they think can beat Hillary.

Unfortunately, it will be too late.

Obama & Romney- Twin darlings of the media

Primary: 33%
General: 15%

Obama is young, beautiful, articulate, intelligent.  He's White enough for White America and Black enough for everyone else.  He's got a wife that is even more qualified than he is.

Romney is a billionaire businessman...went to the right schools...have the right degrees...knows the right people.  He's got great children and a good marriage.

Both are the Left's and the Right's DREAM BOYS.

But the public ain't buying.

Neither has anything in common with the people they hope to lead. 

Obama went to school in exotic Hawaii and spent his childhood internationally...this screams "ONE WORLD ORDER".  For the minority, he is the token Black with the wife that can show that b*itchiness has no color.  Worst of all, he is a candidate that BELIEVES in socialism and that he can and should change the world

Romney is a member of the "secret" religion that values family, community, and things like boy scouts and giving a 10th of their riches to God's work.  He is a man that grew up as far away from the hood and street life as a person can get.  He is a man that appears not to have any personal stories to tell of why he feels strongly about rape or child abuse or any of the 1001 things that pulls the heart strings of the American voter.

Kennedy fought in a war among guys who...as he said never asked how much money his family had.

Bush was expected to roll up his sleeve and work with the ranch hands.

Clinton has a black sheep brother and was no prize himself in the conduct category.

Reagan was an actor who got dumped by his first wife.

None of the previous presidents were perfect.

The American voter seems to like it that way.

The Others:

Huckabee: I personally like the guy but he reminds me of Bush in that he seems to truly believe in America and people in general.  I do not think he will tell the media where to stick it---and we need someone strong enough (or charming enough) to get at least one side of the media OFF the president's back.

Hunter:  Oh this man broke my heart!  Or rather, the absolutists did.  Their vitriolic hatred tanked Hunter's chances. Period.

McCain: Someone said that John reminded him of Dole.  I agree.  All the way to his being a war hero.  Unfortunately, as Dole did not beat the Clinton machine...neither would McCain.

Edwards: Oh geez...talk about clueless.  Edward's $400 hair cut was so far out of the ordinary public's reach, they will NEVER identify with him,

Thompson and the other candidate on the Left are another set of twins...both are supposed to generate interest but Thompson, unlike that other actor (Reagan), can't seem to keep good speech writers and all I know about the other candidate is that he is Hispanic...I don't even know his name.

Ron Paul is the feel good candidate...every time, the Right does something stupid, we look at Ron Paul and his supporters and say..."SEE, THAT is crazy."

I am NOT a conservative but there are a number of things I share with them:

I support the troops AND their mission.

I am Pro-life and  a Christian.

I am for lower taxes and smaller government.

I am pro-second ammendment rights and less regulation.

There was a time I flirted with the idea of joining the Republican party but there were a number of things that I just couldn't swallow.

What things?

Well, I never did understand how a man could be crucified for making a birthday toast--not for what he actually said but what they THINK he meant. I really disliked the Mier's borking and the whole page ads to force the President to do HIS job the way THEY thought he should...The Left closes ranks...the Right goes on t.v. to make sure everyone sees their dirty laundry.  I thought the fuss over a foreign company buying the running of a port from ANOTHER foreign company plain paranoid and stupid...sorry, I have zip tolerance for stupidity...

And talk about being idiotic...we get handed the first bill that would make a serious attempt to indentify everyone in America and it gets tanked because it gave Mexicans (after 12 years of probation and heavy fines) a path to citizenship.  The northern border is so porus that White Canadians cross on a weekly basis (and visa-versa) and are as Liberal as they come--but conservatives don't care about THOSE illegals.

Sorry--spin it anyway you want--it reeked of racism...and it hand delivered the largest racial voting block to the party that sees no reason to finish the war on terror.

And now some Republican Senator got caught making a "gay" signal of solicitation and the media on the Right has brought out their knives and baseball bats.

At first I just shook my head...hate to break it to you but to most Americans, anyone being gay and/or being stupid in a public bathroom isn't enough to get a raised eyebrow...it won't make anyone's email, please forward this on...

Then some caller told Michael Medved something that put it all together for me.

He said that we (conservatives) have to be BETTER than the Liberals...which is why that Senator HAS to resign.  If the Right allows people like that, then we are morally, no better than the Democrats.

And I thought...WAIT A MINUTE.

I KNOW Liberals...many of my colleagues are Liberal.  Some of my family members and some personal friends lean toward the Left.  I would say most clergy consider themselves Liberal.   They are hard working, decent people who believe in family values, loyalty and respect for each other and the law.  Many of them are pro-life and religiously active.  Some give time and money to youth and elderly programs.  Many work full time jobs and between their own children's activities, manage to plant trees, rescue animals, and serve in soup lines.

WHEN DID THE CONSERVATIVE BECOME MORALLY SUPERIOR TO LIBERALS?

I may agree with most of the conservative ideology...but I do not think I particularly like them. 

I believe that the rest of America...the Independents and Democrats--don't much like conservatives either.

There's been the oddest set of objections to a Palin V.P.--odd considering the objections that could and has been leveled against the candidates on the top portion of the GOP ticket.

PALIN'S TINY ALASKA OFFERS VERY LITTLE TO THE NATIONAL TICKET

Thanks to the internet and instant news, the Vice President's geographical region is no longer an issue.  If the VP's primary contribution is to fill what is lacking in the guy that has top billing, then Palin's pro-life and pro-second ammendment rights support are worth more to the GOP ticket.

Palin's "small town" persona  is NOT a liability. Here in Honolulu, we had a mayor so loved that the Dems passed a term limit law just to get rid of the guy.  Once out of office, the guy ran twice for governor--and failed.  Why?  Because the "small towns" on the other islands felt that the man was too "big city" to understand their concerns.

The guy/gal on the Dem side, who tries to dismiss Palin's "small towness"  may find that small towns around the nation empathized and connected with the small town gal and adopted her as one of their own...and become mighty offended at the idea of a small town gal not being "good enough" to knock on the door of the highest office in the land.

PALIN IS INEXPERIENCE

Compared to who?  She's sat in 2, TWO executive chairs, one on the city level and the other state wide...the federal chair just seems the next logical step.  Bringing in someone with "committee" experience (senator) is like bringing in a junior executive to run the company...people tend to dislike people who come up from the ranks simply because frequently, there's too much history and hard feelings with the guy that moves up the ladder.

Which is probably why the American people hasn't elected a senator since JFK.

PALIN HAS NOT TAKEN A STAND ON THE IMPORTANT ISSUES:

Aren't you just a tad tired of the rhetoric? Many politicians will tell you what you want to hear...and let's be honest , you wouldn't believe what they said anyway.  So why the insistance?  Palin is pro-life, a life time member of the NRA, and pro-traditional marriage.  She has shown herself to be an advocate of small government and limited spending.  She has an 18 year old son thinking of joining the military and fighting in Iraq--and she has pledged the greatest trust a parent can give--support for a cause that might take her son's life.

The nice little speeches may make a certain group of people feel good...but serious voters, faced with the possibility of the Commander of the world's mightest military being a cut and run appeaser will look for who the candidate is, not what she/he says.

PALIN SHOULD BE A STAY AT HOME MOTHER

I hate to break it to "the old fashion ladies" but MOST woman would love to be stay at home mothers,  Unfortunately, most can't remember having mothers like that and those who do, weren't themselves "stay at home" mothers.  For a very long time, the American woman has done most of the housework, raised the kids, AND helped to bring home the bacon.  I could blame it on the feminist movement but the fact is that many of us could stay home during our kids' childhood...but video games, cell phones, and vacations cost money.  Our life style is fast, time consuming, and expensive.

And then there is the hard reality that most marriages do not last.  A woman of today cannot afford to put the financial wellbeing of her children and herself into the hands of a male that odds say will leave her for someone younger.

So most women are NOT stay at home mothers.

Sarah Palin is one of them...a woman of TODAY.  As no one judges them, neither should anyone judge Palin.

"AS EVERY REPUBLICAN knows, Democrats are short-sighted in their views on national security, pursuing antiwar arguments that are bound to come back and haunt them politically. This was the case with the clamor among Democrats to pull out of Vietnam and may be the case now as well with their calls for American troops to flee Iraq. The result of this antiwar noisemaking is a reputation for weakness on national security.

Yet Republicans are doing the same thing on another issue, trading away long-term gain for the immediate joy of pleasing voters who may (or may not) decide the winner of the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. That issue is immigration. "

The above is from Fred Barnes of Weekly Standard--and I suspect, his article will be forward around the blogosphere.http://www.weeklystandard.com/Utilities/printer_preview.asp?idArticle=13996&R=114A2EF79

Unfortunately, I believe the following will happen:

The talk will get more vile as "people of principle" need to justify their turning their back on the only VIABLE party that wanted to win the WOT.

In 2008, when the WH has a Democrat Commander in Chief...SOME bloggers will get the picture that the "price" of this particular hill to die on is more than they wanted to pay.  They will slowly...quietly begin to make plans to vacate.

In 2009, when the funds are cut from our troops...still more will abandon the indefensible hill.

In 2010, when the Dems put in a "thank you" REAL amnesty to their new Hispanic voting block and the Democratic WH signs it...the last remaining hold outs will...blame Bush and Karl Rove and the GOP "for not doing "something" when they were in power".

In 2011, after numerous of "tests", another 9/11 will hit...and then all those who put THEIR border issue above the war, will...tell everyone who will listen..."I ALWAYS supported Bush on the War you know...I may have disagreed with some things but on the WAR, I was right there with him all the way....a good, patriotic American...of principle."

And America will have a GOP Congress and a GOP WH...and then somebody will bring up illegal immigration...

The following is a reply to Steve at http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com/  Steve, a Palin supporter has been hard at work trying to get people to consider Palin and what will probably be the GOP headliner on the presidental ticket.  In so doing, he's had great discussions with a number of bloggers.  One has a problem with Rudy for the same reason I do...Rudy's pro-abortion stand.  Steve's latest post is to question the validity of the pro-life criteria after 30 years of very little progress.

I once warned him to be very careful in destroying one of the GOP's voting blocks.  Pro-lifers cross party lines and has been credited with breaking the Democratic 40 year strong hold in the 3 powers of government.  "Do you REALLY want to tell pro-lifers that the GOP has done little or nothing for them?" I asked.

I do understand where Steve is coming from...we can NOT allow the Dems to occupy the White House...not while this nation is at war.  Rudy is shaping up to be the only candidate that has a chance to stop that from happening.

As Jim (a poster) wrote...no GOP...no fighting the war.

Unfortunately,  we are running out of time.  We cannot spend any more effort trying to convince people that the WOT is the most important issue and should be the only consideration  in the 2008 election.  If they do not get that by now, they probably won't until the bombs start dropping.

After a couple of exchanges, this is what I wrote to Steve:


I think you're a wonderful person too but Steve you're going about this the wrong way.

The question you seem to be asking people is why CAN'T they vote for a Rudy/Sarah ticket.

You're going to get a dozen or more answers--and there is no way you're going to make a Rudy/Sarah ticket acceptable UNLESS the War on Terror is the person's primary issue.

You can't down size the importance of abortion to a pro-lifer...or border security to "no amnesty" absolutist...or gun rights to a 2nd ammendment dogmatist.

No matter how many times you point out that half a loaf is better than none...or that you'll never get more than crumbs...you will not convince them to abandon their "cause" because true believers ultimately believe in miracles.

Sorry.

But you can give them something else to focus on...where they won't feel they are "giving up their beliefs and their principles".

We are a nation at war Steve. Tell them...don't wait until the bombs have fallen for us to focus on winning that war.

Everything else can wait...everything else we can make right again.

I have two major reasons for writing articles for this blog.  The first is simple:  there are times when I need to rant and unlike most people on TH, I am in the wrong time zone as the talk show hosts and cannot call in nor do I have the time to wander the blogs and write hundreds of comments. 

I do not expect to "change minds" nor do I expect someone who disagrees with me, to read my blog and say..."Oh, I get it!"  This blog is selfishly for me...for MY sanity.

The second reason is to keep from repeating my points...a reader who genuinely wants to know where I'm coming from is free to read my blog.  This is where I will answer questions that require (in my mind) longer responses than what would/should be allowed in good manners on other blogs.

Then there is a third reason to write an article--and it is for this purpose this particular article is written.

One of the most frustrating excercises in blog commenting is the use of--and the apparent need to define--words that have been spun until all ability to converse, much less debate is near impossible.

I have actually tried in one or two articles to do this but the fact that months, years later, I am STILL repeating myself left me with the opinion that such an endeavor would be a waste of time.

Only...the "spin" appears to have affected that 60% Independents that will decide who gets to occupy the WH in 2009...and so many of the normally "sane" people on the Right is having difficulty explaining such simple words like "amnesty", "loyalty", "support".

Thus for them, I have decided to write a post about the words being used in the political game that the Right is losing so amazingly fast.  They will be divided into two groups:

REAL: What the word actually means...according to most people.
SPIN: What the word has been spun to mean.

AMNESTY:

Real: Forgiveness of a crime with little or no penalty.
Spin: Any bill or document that doesn't push for the deportation of 12 million illegals.

LOYALTY:

Real: Finding and focusing on the positive but staying thru the negative.
Spin: Find the negative to excuse the desire to abandon

SUPPORT:

Real: Given AFTER judgment and questioning.
Spin: Given on an issue to issue basis and withdrawn as see fit.

PRINCIPLE:

Real: Rules upon which each person is allowed to live and die by
Spin: Rules upon which the "mob" decide what EVERYONE must live and die by. (May not include "loyalty" and "support".

FREEDOM TO DISAGREE:

Real: Each side is allowed to have an opinion and to disagree.
Spin: Only one side is allowed to have an opinion and expressing that opinion should have no consequences.

CONSERVATIVE:

Real: Reasonable, realistic, pragmatic.
Spin: Reganism rewrite, Buchanan and Newt (never won), and Fred Thompson wannabes.

WINNING ISSUE:

Real: War on Terror
Spin: Illegal Immigration

BUSH BASHING:

Real: Blaming and criticizing Bush for everything.
Spin: Something only LIberals do.

Steve from Campaign2008VictoryA and a number of Palin for VP bloggers got into a wierd discussion with a Pittsburgh Tribune columnist...wierd because the reporter had interviewed Gov. Palin and seemed supportive, yet his hard driving meeting with them was anything but.

Steve...the reporter wasn't looking for a story on Palin...he GOT that.  He was looking for a story on the kind of people that would support someone a national columnist (Fred Barnes) would write about...this wasn't a swipe at Palin so much as a swipe at Fred Barnes,,,a case of the little leaguer pointing out that sometimes even the biggest of hitters strike out.

The columnist is extremely shortsighted.

Instead of this being a story of a national reporter that missed, a story that might not even make the evening news in his home town and would most certainly be forgotten in a couple of days...the Tribune writer could be on the ground floor of a story that would make HIM a major player.  Imagine being credited with the launching of a future White House occupant?

I sometimes wonder if the press understands that the best selling news isn't necessarily bad. Princess Diana sold more copies of magazines when the public thought she was going to live happiler ever after...and the public loves to hear about the rich and famous when they ARE rich and famous instead of going broke and facing has been.

People love winners.

Sarah Palin comes across...as all beautiful people (yes unfair) do...a winner.

Here are some other "unfair" facts:

To continue to wage the War on Terror...the GOP MUST keep the White House and/or regain Congress.

To win either in 2008...the GOP MUST have extraordinary politicians...the kind that has very little to none political baggage, yet somehow manage to have executive experience.  They must know when to keep silent and when to hammer home a point.

I admit to knowing very little about Sarah Palin's view points...but I've spent the last 2 years hearing enough rhetoric to never give another person a pass based on what they "say".

Time will tell us what she really believes in and if her words have meaning.  Right now..she can help give America the only chance it has to make sure the next crucial decade is not in the hands of people who have no desire to continue and finish the war that was started on that fateful day in September.

After 2 "cycles" of  "interning", Palin might turn out to be another Maggie Thatcher or Golda Meir...or someone we'll pass on. 

Either way, right now, it is the only viable hand we have left to play.

"The illegal immigration bill is gone...let's forget it and get on with the War on Terror."

What a sane idea.  Who on the Right wouldn't love for the party to put aside their differences, make up and fight the REAL enemies?

After the "grand victory", the absolutist brushed off their anger and "generously" offered the olive branch to their wayward conservative brethren.  Still smarting from the ugly words and not a little leery, the "not afraid to admit to being Republicans instead of Conservatives" are gingerly reaching out to accept.

In the mean time, the leaders of the "people power", the RINO press, are working toward "acceptance" of GOP lost in 2008 and 2012.  This lost will have zero to do with anything THEY did...and this lost will be "good" for the nation because it will get rid of the "bad" conservatives.  They are doing what pro-choice advocates did to babies...devalue the importance of the only issue that can trump the illegal immigration issue: the  WOT.

Their "independent-thinking" followers who somehow could only managed to accept the RINO press' interpretation of the 1000 page bill are having a case of "selective" support and loyalty.  The great part about  this "selective" support is that it comes with a built in "no blame" excuse.  The lost of the WOT will be Bush's and/or the GOPs fault because they DID support them in that.

And when the election is close or the talk show hosts have need of some material...they are free to once again "disagree" with the president and the GOP about illegal immigration even if their vitriolic hate and appearance of racism gives the Dems a Hispanic voting block that will make the Black vote seem like a local community action group.

After all...they supported the President and the GOP on the WOT.

The only way the Dems can be stopped from taking all 3 branches of power IS for the GOP to unite under one overwhelming issue...the WOT.  But as I said to Sandra on "A word to the wise"...a UNITED party is an illusion if some of them have their fingers crossed behind their backs when pledging support.





 

 I got the below comment from fellow blogger Wil (the Ramblings of an Average American):

"Second, I have searched and I have yet to find what Palin would do in the war. This is such a pivotal issue, that to me, a person one heartbeat away from the Presidency would have to show a grasp of this issue, and come to the right conclusions for me to consider them. True the VP does not set foreign policy, but they must be competent in it for there to be any confidence int he ticket as a whole. (Think Dan Quayle...despite the jokes, he was a departure from the old part of the old white guy club, yet his opponents played on his age and inexperience as weaknesses and exploited them for political gain)."

I thought it a fair concern.

For me, the War on Terror TRUMPS all other issues.

It is the issue that SHOULD have united the Right with all the stubborness of a price tag on a plastic bottle.

Unfortunately, for the last two years, one issue, illegal immigration, did the complete opposite--and after the blood and gore, very little is left of the original "product" to sell.

In fact, the marketing of the GOP ticket is near impossible because the two major partners said and did too much to hurt each other.  There is no going back.  No playing the "winning" tune again.

It takes approximately 4,856 sentences to win someone's trust...one sentence to lose it...an innumerable amount to regain it.  The absolutes on illegal immigration, pro-life, WOT have shown that they do not trust each other or the GOP.

Yet, the battle still has to be fought.  And the war still has to be won.

And life is still a matter of choices.

We may not always like the cards life deals us.

We may sometimes wish to sit out games.

But some games are just too important to walk away from.

And we are faced with the ONLY control we have: to replace what we have with a new card from the deck.

For me...I would have walked away if not for the WOT.

So, my "new" card is a Palin.

Only time will tell me if it is the ace I needed...or I should have gone with the Jack knowing it had no chance against the Queen.