A Statesman - For such a time as this

Tonight is a night I will remember for many years to come. I had that rarest of experiences. I met a statesman. I got to shake his hand, look in his eyes and see his heart. I got to see the love that he has for his country and it's people.

No, it wasn't George W. Bush, though I think he had much of that same love. It wasn't Barack Obama, who is not in love with his country - he is in love with an idea - and a radical one. It wasn't Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who is in love with acclaim and political success.

The man I met tonight is little known in the greater United States. In fact he is just now becoming more widely known in Florida. He is not terribly tall. He doesn't have a booming voice. He IS pretty handsome. But that is not what caught my attention when I first saw that he had thrown his hat into the ring for higher office. What I first saw was a speech that he gave not to an adoring public, but to his coworkers.

It was a speech where he was not afraid to talk about his love of country, the miraculous gift of freedom given to his parents, and their expectations for the future for their children. He talked about why he enjoyed seeing his coworkers get up and argue points of governance - because of this great land where they were free to do so. He spoke of working for the people - and he had a record of doing so.

How many politicians can show a record of service where more than 50 ideas that he collected from the people for how to make their state better - became law? How many can work with the opposing party so well that when they say goodbye due to term limits, they are given an extended standing ovation by both sides of the aisle? Not may politicians can. That's what statesmen do.

Former Speaker of the Florida House, Marco Rubio is a statesman. He is a statesman who holds the American Dream in highest regard and sees the encroaching Federal government as a threat to the ability his children will have to realize that dream. He truly believes that this country was founded on the notion that people could run it and did not need kings, emperors, dictators, petty chieftains or potentates to do it for them. He believes to the depths of his soul that those who are elected by their peers to serve them in a representative fashion, are to do just that. Serve them for a time to the best of their ability and then go home and live under the laws they helped pass.

Marco knows that government regulations will do nothing but stifle every ounce of entrepreneurship and creativity that would otherwise take us forward. He believes that competition fosters growth and that giving government too large a hand in controlling our economy will do nothing but stifle that competition and make our people less vibrant and and more dependent. He knows THAT is not America. He is not a fake flag-waving pseudo-patriot. He is one down to his very toes.

He is concerned about the effects of current financial policies, and the massive debt that will be left to his children and someday grandchildren, a debt made by printing money and putting our country on loan to China. He is concerned with the scarcity of Senators and Representatives in the U.S. Congress who have any idea of actually representing the people, as opposed to lining their campaign coffers and guaranteeing their political futures by speaking and voting in response to daily tracking polls.

I hope you will consider donating to Marco Rubio at http://marcorubio.com. Send a $1 or $5 or $10 or more. Give early and often. I am not being paid to say this. This comes from the heart of one who has watched their party lose its way almost completely in the last 3-4 years. Marco will restore your faith in the idea that statesman do exist and we just need to discover and support them. We have several freshman Senators and Conressmen right now that I would love for Marco to join. Together they can build a solid conservative core in the Congress under the leadership of Senator Jim DeMint and Representative Eric Cantor.

I have begun an amazing adventure of activism and Marco Rubio will be getting 150% of my effort. He has a difficult road to the Senate. His support must be almost entirely grassroots and it CANNOT be limited to the people of Florida. Our country is in peril and Marco is one of those that we MUST move to a place where they can represent the wishes of WE the PEOPLE. His primary opponent in the race for U.S. Senator from Florida is the sitting Governor of our state.

Governor Crist is also a Republican but of the variety that we not-so-lovingly label R.I.N.O (Republican in Name Only). However, Governor Crist is a candidate that the career politicians in D.C. and in the Republican Party of Florida understand and approve of. It takes people of character who are willing to take a chance - to recognize a statesman. Please be one of those people. Donate to Marco today!! He needs each and every one of us.

Oh, I forgot to mention - since we had basically played the video of his stump speech prior to dinner, and the gentleman who introduced him gave his basic biography - Marco had to speak off the cuff. He held the audience in the palm of his hand by speaking truths from the heart. He needed no tele-prompter to convey what he believes and no polling numbers to help him decide what that was.


In case you have not seen it, here is the speech that Marco gave on the day he said farewell to the Florida House.



On a personal note, in addition to meeting Marco, it was more than a little thrilling to have some of my blog (Activism on the Home Front) read by the Chairman of the Hillsborough County Republican Party, Deborah Cox-Roush and to be introduced by her. I sat with some great people who I met while attending my first Republican Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday. Sitting next to me was someone who actually volunteers at my school and another who used to work there. And next to me was Larry Thornberry who contributes to American Spectator. We had great laughs and left inspired.

Blacks on the Democratic Party and Virginia Governor's Race

I am always looking for things I can share with my neighbors and coworkers, many of whom are people of color, regarding the rightness of conservatism. Here are some things I found this week. Yes, my idealistic self hates that we still even have to even think along color lines, but its a political reality I deal with every day.
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Barbara Howard, FL Chairman of Congress of Racial Quality (C.O.R.E.) was interviewed on NewsMax.com regarding how the Democratic Party uses blacks rather than actually being their party. Democrats Abusing Black Support/



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Ms. Howard also speaks of the same in this column, also on Newsmax "Blacks Rethink Democratic Party

For over a decade now, many minds — both great and small — have pondered over what would make a reasonable black person join the Republican Party.

Especially since it is the Democratic Party that has spawned almost 9,600 black elected officials since 1970, according to a study published by David A. Bositis of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

The Democratic Party has revised history to show that Democrats, and not Republicans, have been in the forefront of civil rights for blacks over the years.

So who in their right mind would want to join a party with the reputation of being racist?

For years now, the racist label has been attached to white Republicans without any supporting evidence. Yet the charge has gone mostly unanswered. Few have publicly addressed the unearned condemnation, so generations of black folk live and die without ever knowing the truth.

There is an African proverb that says, “Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt will always glorify the hunter”.

I remember wondering why those brave men and women who were in the middle of the struggle with Dr. King, failed to disclose that it was the very party they now pay homage to that promoted slavery, lynching and killing hundreds of thousands of slaves.

It is the same party that created the segregationist Jim Crow Laws, beating and killing numerous civil rights workers who fought against those laws and for their dignity and freedom in a nonviolent revolution.

(continue reading here)

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BET Co-founder backs GOP Bob McDonnell for VA Governor", Andy Barr in Politico:

The co-founder of BlackEntertainmentTelevision, Sheila Crump Johnson, endorsed Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell on Monday.

"We need bold and innovative leadership to move our state forward, and that's why I've chosen to support Bob McDonnell for governor,” said Johnson, aDemocrat, during remarks in Richmond, Va. “He has shown me that he has the right vision and the executive leadership skills that will guide Virginia through these challenging times.”

McDonnell, a former state attorney general, told POLITICO that he was “thrilled” to have the support of someone with Johnson’s record as a “supporter of free enterprise.”

“That’s exactly the message I’ve been trying to foster,” he said.

Read more:http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25180.html#ixzz0LzpPa9Tv

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I wanted to provide these articles and video as a tool. Take them or leave them.

Back to Sanity 2010! Conservative Candidates belong to all of us!

Here's the movement name- "Back to Sanity!" - Winning back the House and Senate in 2010

I need your help with basic info to get this going.

Here's the simple idea -

Build a list of the top 100 Congressional and Senate Races that are crucial to winning a majority in both the Senate and the house in 2010.

List them in descending order of power (like Boxer, Specter, Dodd, DeMint..).

Then just like paying off personal Debt - Start at the top of the list, supporting either the opponent or the incumbent - $50 to number one, $48 to number 2, etc down to $32 at number 10, then $2 to every other candidate.

I will compile an Excel sheet that I will post on line with all of their pertinent info and donations amounts. That way you can check off each on as you are able to help.

If we each did that it would equal (someone check my math) a total of $590 over a one year period. That is not a huge price to pay for our FREEDOM!.

And, of course, I would urge you to give above that to candidates from your own state.

BUT if we only give to people from our state and hope that all those other candidates will have enough to fight, we will lose.

We must all support these crucial battles for power together and next month is already starting to be too late. This is July 2009. We have an election in 16 months that will make or break this nation we love. You can help us to victory. If you want to give overall to the RNC or IPA or whatever party, that's fine. But these candidates need to hear our voices and our wallets LOUD and CLEAR!

PLEASE LEAVE A SHORT COMMENT LISTING Candidates that you know of that are either fighting a powerful liberal or moderate incumbent, or that are actual conservatives like DeMint and Boehener (he's finally stepping up!) that need our support to stay in office.

*** Data needed - Name, office they are running for, State, District (for House), opponent. If you already know the donation site for the candidate - list that***.

Please check to be sure they are actually up for reelection before listing them. In the Senate, only those that are in Class III are up in 2010 - but there are powerful battles to be fought in that group!

This needs to stay completely grassroots, increasing the numbers and demographics of their supporters daily. I know there are lots of pundit built sites. We need to do this ourselves!

Faith and Politics - What's the right mix?

It is always interesting to talk to people of all political persuasions about what is important to them in a candidate, especially at the federal level. The responses of course vary from "someone who looks out for the little guys" to "someone who will let me keep my gun" to "a strong christian who will stop abortion" to "someone who will get all those right-wing-nut radicals off our backs and let us live".

As we approach the 2010 mid-terms, the question of our "must haves" becomes hugely important as we choose who to back. In some ways I think making this list is harder for people of faith BECAUSE of our belief in absolutes. (Just as a disclaimer, I am a strong person of faith and have worshipped in many denominations in the course of my life, from Greek Orthodox to Pentecostal)

Looking for the right candidate is just about as difficult as looking for the right date, which will hopefully lead to some sort of long-term commitment. Since my spouse/soul-mate is deceased, I occasionally am in that looking-for-a-date mode. Anyway, in that instance, they must be a Christian because if they are not, there will be too much conflict about some day to day things. Like why do I have to be gone on Sunday and Wednesday. Why do I need that time alone in the morning? Why do I continue to spend time with my mother even though she drives me crazy and always upsets me?

However, when I look at a candidate - I know this will upset some folks - their faith is not the most important issue, because I am not choosing them for my day to day companion. For many people faith is very private and they may not want to share what they believe. For many Christians however, the candidate being a Christian is their be-all and end-all qualification.

I know many military people who I would love to see run for office because they know how to get things done, and their basic philosophy about our country, our rights, work ethic, our constitution, etc. agrees with what I think is best of for the overall good. I don't know a thing about their faith. Most of them probably have some degree of faith experience - but generally are quite private about it.

Back to the dating thing - I am usually attracted to certain types, and those certain types have that strong internal compass of fairness, strength and love of country. As it turns out, when I find those things, it often turns out that the person has an inner moral code that comes from some faith background, whether from their parents or from their own experience. The same is often true of candidates.

Informal survey time:
-What are the 3-5 most important qualifications in YOUR must have list for President/Senator/Congressional Representative?

Here are mine:

1. Promise to abide by the constitution and evidence that they have done so in the past.
2. Proven executive experience in trimming the excess/waste from the operations of a corporation, state, or city - and proven ability to demand and move toward a balanced budget
3. The determination, expertise and courage to protect our country against all enemies foreign and domestic.
4. The belief that THIS country is the best country on earth and that we are able to govern ourselves with no interference from "the international community" or its laws.
5. A person who has not been in politics from cradle to present - who has had some real world experience outside of academia and government.

--Gordon--
(notice I did not list abortion - because for me - while I am totally pro-life - it came in at number 6 on my list for federal level candidates)

Racist? Uh, no.

Well, I knew it would happen, but I still am an idealist. I thought that perhaps, in our tolerant transparent America we could go through the hearings for a nominee for Supreme Court without cries of racism. But once again I am disappointed. So I guess I need to address this issue, since I have been called a racist (and a bit worse) for questioning any of Judge Sotomayor's views. I would rather have someone question the views of a person who, if appointed, will impact life in America for years to come, than watch those who like her fawn over her "compelling" life story.

Millions of Americans have compelling life stories. I do question Judge Sotomayor's views, and yes I happen to be a Caucasian of German, Scottish, English and Native American descent. However, I am supporting a man for Congress, Eddie Adams, Jr who has an extremely compelling life story and who is an American who happens to be of African descent. I state it that way because I think "hyphenisation" of our backgrounds is destroying the melting pot idea that made America great and dividing us rather than making us more tolerant. And Eddie would state it the same way if he mentioned it at all.

Eddie Adams, Jr. is the embodiment of the "American Dream." While Eddie's family may not have been rich financially, they were rich with love, happiness, and a positive outlook on life. Being the oldest of five children, Eddie was six years old when his parents, Eddie Adams, Senior and Rosa Lee Adams, separated. As the oldest child, Eddie became the family's surrogate father taking care of his siblings while his mother often worked two jobs to meet the financial needs of the family. With the help of his mother and grandmother, he learned cooking, cleaning, sewing, ironing and all the other household chores of a big family. At the age of ten, Eddie got his first paying job as a fruit picker on the weekends, but, Eddie's pay didn't go to buy candy, baseball cards, and comic books. His income helped his mother meet the financial needs of the family. Eddie also used the money to buy many of his own school clothes and school supplies

Eddie played drums in the school band from sixth grade until graduation. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America, and at the age of twelve he made the rank of Life Scout and was a member of the Order of the Arrow. While in high school, Eddie earned two letters in track and field, three letters in football, and three in band. He was one of only two players on the Lake Wales High School football team to make All-Conference his senior year

From 1971 until 1976, Eddie was a student at the University of South Florida. He graduated as the first African-American to receive a degree in Microbiology. While at USF Eddie was a member of the Afro-American Gospel Choir, president of the Black Pan-Hellenic Council, president of Theta Gamma Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and president of the Black Student Union. He was a member of the USF Student Budget Finance Committee, the USF Student Government Activities Committee and the Minority Pre-Med Society. While a student, Eddie worked as a laboratory assistant for USF and for the Hillsborough County Health Department.

Beginning in 1977 until 1996, Eddie worked at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) as a Cardio-Pulmonary Laboratory Technologist. While at Tampa General Hospital, Eddie was one of the founding members of the Ad Hoc Employees' Civil Service Committee which evolved into the Employee Advisory Committee, on which he served for many years. He was also the co-founder and organizer of the Black History Week Celebration at TGH which later evolved into Multicultural Week.

In 1995, Eddie graduated from the FAMU/USF Cooperative School of Architecture and Design with a Masters of Architecture Degree.

From 1996 until 2002, Eddie worked for the architectural firm of Rosier/Jones Associates, Inc. Architects and Planners in downtown St. Petersburg. Eddie was project architect for some of the firm's most significant projects. From 2002 until present, Eddie has worked with The Rosier Alliance Inc. Tampa office and started his own business Adams & Associates Residential Design. The business provides design services for new homes, home additions, and home renovations.

Since he was a young boy, Eddie's personal philosophy has been to work hard, do the right thing, and life will always work itself out. Eddie has been married to the love of his life, Sylvia, for nineteen years. He has a son Joseph and a daughter Ashley. Eddie and Sylvia are members of the First Institutional Baptist Church. His hobbies include playing golf, painting, and SCUBA diving.

Oh, besides supporting Eddie for Congress in 2010 against (white, female) Kathy Castor, I am also 150% behind Marco Rubio, (an American from Miami whose parents immigrated from Cuba) for U.S. Senate against (white, male, rich) Gov. Charlie Crist. I will highlight Marco in another column but hope you will investigate him on your own. I am supporting these two men because of their stances on Issues, because they are lifetime Floridians who know this state.

And last - I teach in a Title I school with a student population that is approximately 85% African American, 10% Hispanic and 5% Caucasian. Our students are impoverished to the point of a 95% Free and Reduced Lunch rating. I live in an apartment complex with the same ethnic racial make-up, and would have no problem dating someone of another race.

So, am I a racist? Uh, no.

Do I think women have been held back in our culture - especially when Judge Sotomayor and I were growing up? Totally.

Do I disagree with Judge Sotomayor's views? Absolutely.

Activism on the Homefront - "It's not just the economy stupid!"

For those of us who actually watch the news and listen through the punditry, who search their sources for enlightenment, these are trying times. They would be trying time no matter what was happening in the economy. In fact the times would likely be more trying if the economy were in excellent shape, because then that impediment to some policies proceeding would be lifted.

The very make-up of our country is now being threatened. Rights that we all hold dear - the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness- rights which some groups should have had as citizens but have had to fight long battles for, these rights are being threatened.

-->The right to work hard, achieve something with your life, have a little property, maybe own a small business or be the brains and brawn in founding a major corporation.

-->The right to keep as much of your hard-earned income as possible.

-->The right to choose your doctor and either pay them directly or purchase insurance from the providor of your choice.

-->The right to feel safe within the borders of your country without danger from people who are here illegally taking your job, selling drugs to your children , or bringing gang violence to your neighborhood, and possibly being allowed voting rights in the issues of your country.

-->The right to be protected from those who would harm your country, without worrying that people who attack the United States and its citizens, or attack those defending you, are being given constitutional rights of fair trial, when they are not citizens and in fact are enemy combatants.

All of these rights are in danger from legislation and investigations that are being bandied about by our House of Representatives, our Senate and President Obama. These legislations include Cap and Trade, Nationalized Health Care, a 2nd Stimulus package, investigation of the CIA, the current Supreme court nomination, the consideration of International Law super-ceding our constitution, and a Military Finance bill that includes new unjust hate crimes legislation. And yet, our American public is SO incredibly uninformed and truthfully, completely lazy about being informed. 1 out of 5 people that I ask has no idea that we are in danger from our own government. As one on Twitter said "Why watch these BS Supreme Court hearings when I could be watching H&G channel, E! entertainment, etc.?"

If someone does realize the dangers, they may have attended a Tea Party, signed a petition or two, or contacted Senators and Congressmen or gone to a "No Nationalized Health Care" Rally. These are being held all over the country at local Senate/Congressional offices Friday 7/17 Noon-1PM. Find a way to be there if you possibly can!

Those that have realized the dangers are concerned about what else they can possibly do. I am going to make a radical suggestion. Get involved in local politics, whatever your stance. If you already are involved, BRAVO! If you are not, think about it... even if they have failed you before. I have not given up on the idea of a church or school or company or friendship that works even though I have been failed by some.

So, although this local political involvement is new for me and I am a latecomer, I will enter in that same spirit. People and groups make mistakes. Groups rarely are changed from the top - as in the RNC (Republican National Committee) or the RPOF (Republican Party of Florida) - but rather from the grassroots level from city to county to State to National politics. I attended a workshop on activism on Saturday. I will be working with a group that has already formed locally in support of Marco Rubio for Senate and with Eddie Adams for Congress vs Kathy Castor. As much as possible in this page I plan to highlight other crucial races for 2010, like Chuck Devore vs Barbara Boxer for California Senate. As the election gets closer, I will be going door-to-door, working the phones and electronic media for the candidates of my choice.

I know the idea of a third, fourth or fifth party is tempting. I have been and am tempted. However, until I see one forming that has the funding, name recognition and organization necessary to be successful, that is as far as my interest will go. In the mean time I am going to do everything I can to work for CHANGE through the existing organizations and BELIEVE that we can get this government back on a true constitutional footing starting with the 2010 races.

PLEASE - find a way to be involved at the local level. Do something that requires you going and meeting with those that ARE trying. Just on Saturday I extended my person political network by about 15 national and local political workers. Next Friday I will get to meet Marco Rubio in person and am hoping to host a "meet and greet" for him at my apartment complex. I will be attending Hillsborough County Republican Party Committee Meetings. Will activism be easy once I go back to active teaching in August? No, but in this time of desperate need in our country for educating and enlisting real activists and supporting those who are able to run, this is where I will be "tithing" my available time, talents and treasure in addition to my house of worship. No excuses, no backing down.

We Win 2010!

A Tale of Two Women

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other..

Charles Dickens "A Tale of Two Cities"

Good old Mr Dickens probably had no idea that this quote, written regarding Paris and London during the American Revolution, would be so applicable today in our polarized society here in the land that was winning its freedom back then. This polarization has been so completely demonstrated by the hero worship of the last two days that it is almost overwhelming. Or should I say heroine.

Woman One - Comes from nothing and by hard work (and affirmative action) goes to the best college and law school and works her way up through the judicial ranks till she now sits as a nominee for the Supreme Court, the highest level in her chosen profession.

Woman Two - Comes from nothing, goes to a variety of schools, works her way through the leadership ranks up from PTA president to Governor of our largest state and was recently considered for the 2nd highest office in the land.

I am reserving judgement on Woman One. I do that because like Senator Sessions said yesterday, I don't really know which woman we have sitting before us in the court. Is she the strong Latina woman who is ferocious on the bench and very defensive of and proactive for her race/gender? Or is she the reasoned, amiable, thoughtful, sincere woman who seems to lean solely on judicial precedent in deciding her cases that we see before us in the hearings? I think she is probably both and perhaps the least of evils in the candidates Barack Obama was considering. She is also likely to be confirmed because the GOP is afraid of alienating Hispanic voters it would like to reach. To that I say, hogwash! By the way, President Obama was crazy like a fox in nominating someone who could not say much of anything definitive in the hearings because she was "not at liberty to comment" as a sitting appellate judge.

I am also reserving judgement on Woman Two. I would like to see what her long-term plans are and am watching to see those played out daily. For the most part I am a supporter and will probably become more so as she gets her independent political legs back under her and does things in whatever way she sees fit and in whatever ways work best for her family. She is also a dichotomy. She is a seasoned leader who can light up a room with her oratory and win people with a touch and a smile and a look in the eye. She is also a woman who can bristle when attacked and strike back. She is comfortable in formal dress or hip waders and seems to be the same person no matter the apparel.

Two strong women. In this day and age of enlightenment, you would think that both would be celebrated and treated with the highest respect for their achievements. But no, things aren't always what you expect.

One is revered by many of her race (not all, by far) and practically worshipped in her hearings by those in her party and of her (probable) belief systems. She is given high fives by the liberal pundits, Twitterers and bloggers cause heck - they like her! Her more conservative jurors in the panel grill her hard, but with respect and those Twittering and bogging against generally try to show the same respect with the worst I've seen being that "she is an activist and looks like Roseanne Barr". The conservative pundits (at least on TV - haven't listened to any talk radio lately) are actually trying to examine her judicial record before making any pronouncements.

The other, from the moment she stepped onto the national stage has either been worshipped or reviled by the public, attacked by the pundits, Twitterers and Bloggers on the left and slightly higher than tolerated by conservative media and the leaders in her own party. She has been called - and I am going to be precise here - a slut, whore, MILF, moron, idiot, bad mother, retard - and those are just a few, especially from the Twittering crowd and those like Olberman and Matthews. Since she went back to govern her home state, she has been assaulted by claims of ethics violations. She only went back home because the man she was running with was not strong enough or different enough to win the highest seat in the land, not because of any lacking of her own. In fact she is the one that brought about the resurgence of the ticket. Throughout the campaign she bit her tongue about the vile attacks. Now that she is breaking free of the constraints of her office - I say, go get em. No female in the public eye has been subjected to this level of hate and vulgarity and had that hate transferred to her children. When she dares to actually publish a column in an MSM paper the outcry is not against her concepts, but that "this moron" could possibly have written it. This same woman was a journalism major in school, battled through complex contracts with energy firms and was able to go off prompter at the most pressure filled moment of her life at the national convention.

So what is the difference between these two remarkable women? There are only a few that I can see, and from what I know of women's causes, they should be celebrated. Sarah Palin was able to achieve high office and fight the old boy network in her own party to achieve the highest office in her state while being a faithful wife and mother of five children and maintaining a close relationship with her family. Sonia Sotomayor has achieved this opportunity to be heard for the highest possible seat in her profession while being totally devoted to that profession and her extended family.

Oh wait, there are a few other differences. Sarah is extremely attractive, has a hunky loving husband, is incredibly physically fit, can birth a baby and go to work two days later, is spunky, funny and yes, folksy. Isn't folksy something some of our most accomplished politicians have been? She also firmly believes in the right to life. She believes that so strongly that while doubting her own ability with Trig, she made the hard decision to have him at 42, at the same time as helping her daughter make the same decision. So two children who could have never entered the world, now have and are loved beyond measure. That debate is for a whole other blog post, but it remains a polarizing idea. She also believes that the United States is the greatest nation on earth, will defend it to the death and that it's constitution is the supreme law of the land, not needing any assistance from the "international community". She believes in the right to bear arms and to protect your property.

Sonia Sotomayor has done none of the above nor was she able to speak a firm belief in the Right to Life, the 2nd amendment or the Constitution being the overarching legal idea in our country.

Why do liberals and conservative elite hate Sarah Palin so much? Possibly because of all of the above. Why do they respect Sonia Sotomayor so much? Possibly because of all of the above.

Letter to Wasilla - Thanks for Lendng Us Sarah

I had the pleasure of discovering that a letter I had written as a thank you to Wasilla for lending Sarah Palin to us for a while was published in The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, the local Wasilla paper.

Here is a small excerpt -

Second, I wonder where the outcry of “quitter” was for Janet Napolitano, ex-governor of Arizona; Kathleen Sibellius, ex-governor of Kansas; Hillary Clinton, ex-Senator of New York or Rahm Emmanuel, ex-congressman of Illinois. All of these abandoned their constituents mid-term to enjoy the bigger paycheck and prestige they would enjoy working for President Obama.

Find the rest here, leave a comment if you like -
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman - Letter to Sarah

Thomas Paine - Letter to the President

This is the personification of everything I wrote in the post
"Special Election Demand, Censure and Transfer of Power".

Be prepared to be awed!

Hate Speech - and other things...

(Just for full disclosure - I am an American who is a conservative, has protested at Tea Parties, and is an active social media user. I work full time in education and happen to be a Christian).

The rise of hate speech in America will have already caused many of you to stop reading because of some of the ways I identified myself in my disclosure. If you are still with me, thank you.

Today I took a stand and stood with approximately 30 other people outside Senator Bill Nelson's office here. We were there to protest the massive health Care Reform package that is being bullied through congress, filled with pork, with no true debate and no time for reading and researching the long term effects of passage. I will be tweeting at the Twitter Tea Party at noon Saturday for the same reasons against Cap and Trade. This bill would bankrupt industry, agriculture and education in Florida, kill our real estate market and tourism, and force many people out of work and industries out of our country. It's just not the right time for these massive, unread intrusive regulatory bills when we are still in the midst of a recession that we were told in January was a crisis. I have not seen much improvement in economic numbers, and yet suddenly the crisis can be set aside to force passage of these sweeping reforms. And it is my right to say so.

On the way home I was listening to an interview on local TALK RADIO (88.5 FM, Tampa) decrying the evils of all the "right wing talk show hosts like Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck and O'Reilly" who are inciting the masses to violence. This is a patently untrue statement. I frequently watch Glenn Beck, get frustrated with Bill O'Reilly because he so often does NOT say what his stand is on issues and very occasionally hear Rush. An yet, this radio very clearly said that I was being incited to violence. They are speaking untruths about people they don't know, and yet this is not classified as hate speech. At the same time there was no mention of the Muslim American who killed two of our service men who happened to work in a recruiting station being incited to violence. By who? The liberal media who constantly preached of "American soldiers killing innocent women and children in Iraq". That was his reason "They are murdering women and children and killing them is my right as a Muslim".

The people I have met at Tea Parties are not remotely considering anything violent, and yet the liberal press constantly paints us as "right-wing extremist nut jobs". I know I don't have a violent bone in my body. Glenn Beck in particular, even in his total frustration with the direction our gov't has been taking for decades, constantly reminds readers, listeners and viewers that his is not a call to violence but to civil dissent. In his author's note in "Common Sense" (now #1 on the NYT Bestseller List) he says- "Violence is the easy way out - but it is also the sure path to discrediting everything you stand for.." - citing Dr Martin Luther King, Jr as an example of what can be accomplished through non-violent protest.

Here is my point. We have become an America where no true debate is possible. We are a nation of "people groups" all drawn into our little corners and shouting at each other rather than talking. From the halls of Congress where our elected representatives laugh at those with opposing views, to mainstream media who feel free (on all channels) to question someone's character, motives, and personhood, rather than actually investigating their stances on issues. And yes, the liberal media who refuse to mention the growing voice of dissent in the Tea Party movement, instead calling honest hard-working citizens who number in the hundreds of thousands "racist tea bagging rednecks" for exercising their constitutional rights - again including me in that description.

How can healthy debate happen when the government doesn't respect us (another form of hate and derision) enough to even read what they are voting for? 1300 page major legislation is passed through Congress with nothing remotely resembling bipartisan debate. Congressional debate is when people from all sides sit down over a considerable period of time and work out compromise solutions that are best for the American people - not special interest groups, parties or reelection guarantees. It is about to happen again on Health Care with the President pushing the Senate to start marking up the bill and get it passed before August recess.

Congress exists because the founders felt the need checks and balances on executive power. They do not have to respond to this pressure. they can set the agenda, and yet they refuse to act like adults and talk to each other. Congressman Denny Hoyer said yesterday "“If every member pledged to not vote for it if they hadn’t read it in its entirety, I think we would have very few votes,” Hoyer told CNSNews.com at his regular weekly news conference. Hoyer was responding to a question from CNSNews.com on whether he supported a pledge that asks members of the Congress to read the entire bill before voting on it and also make the full text of the bill available to the public for 72 hours before a vote. .

Last night I voiced a reaction to something someone tweeted, hoping for some lively productive debate, and instead was called a "typical right wing whore". I'm a big girl. I can handle it. But that does not make it right or acceptable. I cannot even reprint the absolutely vile sexual comments that far left liberal tweeters are saying about Governor Palin this week But far right Tweeters are just as bad, comparing Obama to Hitler and saying Nancy Pelosi has sex with dogs (or encouraging her to).

And that leaves the rest of us - who are neither in the extreme far left camp(10%) or the extreme far right camp (10%) unable to talk to each other for fear of being painted with vile labels, having our character assassinated or even our careers ruined. I have thought about running for local office. I have not because I fear the skeletons in my closet - come on, we all have them because we are ALL human - would be aired to humiliate me and my family. That would be done with no regard to my intelligence or ability to affect sensible change.

I grew up in a country were people agreed to disagree, and if something was worth fighting for, we did it honestly. People of all colors, political persuasions and belief systems fought the veils of slavery, fought for Women's Suffrage, worked together to defeat the evils of Nazi tyranny, rode Freedom buses, and recently united in Twitter support of Iran and Honduras.

And yet we have come to a point where we canot talk to each other about anything of import without insults, vulgarity and derision. We, all of us -politicians, newscasters, citizens - have to realize that unless we have marked it private, everything we say in social media, on radio and on TV (almost everyone has cable now - so cable "news" does not get a pass) everything we say is available for public consumption. There are just some things that should not be said in polite company. Does that mean I support the national cyber-hate crimes legislation being floated right now? No. But I believe we need to start taking some personal responsibility for what we say. And yes, I am going to go back through my own posts and see what I might have said in anger or thoughtlessness that needs rethinking.

It is a sad day in America. Can we possibly just say "YES" to respect each other, and "YES" to talking to each other? And agree to disagree?

Special Election, Censure, and Transfer of Power Demand

WHEREAS - The members of the the U.S, Senate and House of Representatives have proven themselves completely inept at budgeting the expenditures of the punishing tax revenues demanded from American workers,

WHEREAS - The national deficit has quadrupled since January 2009,

WHEREAS - The Federal Government is without compunction assuming control of private corporations and financial institutions,

WHEREAS - The United States Congress is passing major legislation costing billions of dollars of non-existent income without having actually read the bills and without regard to or knowledge of the cost to American businesses, citizens and individual liberties,

WHEREAS - There are sitting Senators and congressmen that have been pursuing a Progressive/Statist agenda for more than 40 years and now are demanding it with no regard to the Constitution or the wishes of the citizens,

WHEREAS - The United States Treasury is printing billions of dollars to cover the shortage of tax revenue to pay for the above-mentioned bills including TARP, The Stimulus Act and soon Cap and Trade, and perhaps a second stimulus and our abusive executive branch refuses to accept the fact that Americans can fix or survive the economic problems if they will just leave us alone.

WHEREAS - The President of the United States is appointing dozens of Administrative Czars who do not answer to the Legislative branch or the citizens they represent, thereby completely circumventing the checks and balances laid out in the United States Constitution,

WHEREAS - The President of the United States has done nothing to demonstrate military leadership in the face of multiple current threats to our National Security and in fact is engaging in practices of appeasement with known enemies,

WHEREAS - The President of the United States is denying any Judeo/Christian foundation for the formation of this nation and honoring ALL those who are in diametrical opposition to those who practice a Judeo/Christian faith, including Muslims(.8%) and Homosexual/Transgender/Gay/Lesbian Community (1.5%) which together make up only 2.3% of the United States adult population,

WHEREAS - The President of the United States is bullying a Progressive/Statist agenda through a sympathetic majority in the Senate and House moving us away from the idea of a democratic Republic with the bulk of power in the citizens hands, then the states, then the Federal Government, and instead attempting to make the states simply districts of the Federal Government, meting out punishments and threats if they don't accept his deals.

WE THE PEOPLE in order to reclaim control of this once proud and powerful nation do hearby demand a National Special Election, November 3, 2009 for the purposes of a Constitutional Amendment Requiring term limits for all Senators and Congressional Representatives. These limits shall be two six-year terms for Senators, with one-third being up for election every two years and three two-year terms for Representatives. If this Amendment to the Constitution is approved by the states, any legislator whose service has exceeded the stated limits must end their service and go home in January of 2011 when the next Senate and House classes are due to be seated.

WE THE PEOPLE also demand legislation to repeal lifetime benefits and pensions for the entire Legislative Branch.

WE THE PEOPLE also demand that the current President of the United States be censured for his complete misrepresentation of America in the World Community and his obvious mistrust of its history, traditions and values, and that all power of the Commander-In-Chief be transferred to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for such time as the current President remains in office.

WE THE PEOPLE RE DECLARE OUR INDEPENDENCE from an oppressive out of control Federal Government.

Signed - July 2009 to assure that we will see our Tricentennial as a free, independent and powerful nation on July 4, 2076 and pass that legacy to many generations to come.

If you agree with this decree, please leave a comment saying "I concur", with your full name and location.

If I receive at least 200 comments I will turn this over to someone to place in an actual secure web form to add legal signatures.

I will work with someone with activism background to determine the right number of signatures to forward this to the Supreme Court

Sarah - Superwoman, Superstar!

Great video on why we who GET IT are so impressed with Sarah (we just use her first name, like Cher or Brittany or Michael). Love that the reporters had to go to the fishing boat to get that crucial "post-resignation first interview" :o) Created by Missy Stewart on Sarah's FaceBook page which has gained 45,000 followers since 1:18 AM 7/5!

http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin?v=app_2347471856&viewas=1388696029#/sarahpalin?ref=ts



And here is today's great Fishing Interview! (courtesy of CNN)

Take Heart! Patriots on the Rise!

Be strong! Here are some folks I've met and heroes I've visited since April 15:

Tea Party - Brandon FL 7/4/09



Memorial Day - Florida National Cemetery 5/09



Tax Day Tea Party - Tampa, FL 4/15/09



And one I met last October and hope to meet again sometime after July 26 :o) "Change is Coming- BE STRONG!"

SARAH - Oct, 26, 2008 (sound is a iffy - I'll work on that!)



AND Last - She autographed my sign and mentioned it during her speech! Now if only I could figure out how to get McCain's name out from under her signature!

Friday's Premium Java!

Each Friday I will post some of my favorite and often surprising finds of the week.

WHAT'S A MINORITY?

The first is the little know Hispanic firefighter who was also denied his promotion rights in the famed Sotomayor-Ricci case which was overturned by the U.S, Supreme Court this week. This quote comes from an excellent article in the New York Times today.

NEW HAVEN — The two dozen firefighters who packed into Humphrey’s East Restaurant were celebrating a coming marriage, drinking and jawboning in the boisterous style of large men with risky jobs, but Lt. Ben Vargas spent the evening trying to escape the tension surrounding his presence.

... read more

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BUYER'S REMORSE - Colin Powell's historic support of Barack Obama has hit a rather large snag.

From CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

WASHINGTON (CNN) – In a wide-ranging interview set to air Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, one of President Barack Obama's most prominent Republican supporters says he is 'concerned' about the new president's ambitious agenda and the high price tags accompanying many of Obama's initiatives.



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HEALTH CARE- This is a model that our President is considering for us? Thanks but a BIG "NO THANKS!" Some of the outcomes are simply devastating and devaluing of human life (Courtesy of IBD Editorials)

Canada's Single-Prayer Health Care

- By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Tuesday, June 30, 2009 4:20 PM PT -

A critically ill premature baby is moved to a U.S hospital to get the treatment she couldn't get in the system we're told we should emulate. Cost-effective care? In Canada, as elsewhere, you get what you pay for.

(read more)

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CAP AND TRADE - Rep. Joe Barton SCHOOLS Al Gore on Global Warming!



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HEALTH CARE - Here is the letter where Walmart declares its support to President Obama for employer-mandated health care in partnership with:
SEIU (Service Employees International Union - fastest growing union in US which works closely with Acorn)
and the Center for American Progress (Think tank for the progressive movement which robs individual liberties-run by John Podesta)

Read the Letter here, boycott Walmart and support local small businesses

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Thanks for stopping in for Friday Java!