PIRATES TAKING SHIPS ON THE HIGH-SEAS!

If I'm the owner of those ships, I'm making a call to Blackwater.
Put 6 of those guys on-board along with 6 strategically placed 50 cal. machine guns................................. and it's bye bye pirates.

DOES THE MSM LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY???

REV. WRIGHT SAYS HE WAS EXPLOITED!

MILFORD, Conn. - Barack Obama's former pastor complained Thursday that the media used him as a "weapon of mass destruction" in an attempt to derail Obama's campaign for the presidency.

Speaking at a forum about race and religion, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright accused the media of taking out of context videos that showed him cursing the government and accusing it of conspiring against blacks from the pulpit of the Chicago church where Obama had worshipped for 20 years.

If you want to read more - go here

Here's what's coming with the Obama victory.

-Amnesty for 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens and a drive to make them citizens and registered voters.

-Border security will no longer be an issue, and America will have a virtual open border with Mexico. Unfortunately, illegal aliens won't be coming for jobs, as I see 13% unemployment on the immediate horizon. They will be coming for the FEDERAL AND STATE FREEBIES.

-Taxes will be raised on the top 5 percent of wage-earners, who now carry 60 percent of the U.S. income tax burden, and tens of millions of checks will be sent out to the 40 percent of wage-earners who pay no federal income tax.

-Social Security taxes will be raised on the most successful among us, and capital gains taxes will be raised from 15 percent to 20 percent. The Bush tax cuts will be repealed, and death taxes reimposed.

-Two or three more liberal activists will be named to the Supreme Court. U.S. district and appellate courts will be stacked with Ruth Bader Ginsburg clones.

-The homosexual marriages that state judges have forced California, Massachusetts and Connecticut to recognize, an Obama Congress and Obama court will require all 50 states to recognize.

- Expect automatic annual increases in minimum wage.

-Affirmative action — hiring and promotions based on race, sex and sexual orientation until specified quotas are reached — will be rigorously enforced throughout the U.S. government and private sector.

-Universal health insurance will be enacted, covering legal and illegal immigrants, providing another powerful magnet for the world to come to America................for all the wrong reasons.

-A federal bailout of states and municipalities to keep state and local governments spending could come in early 2009. Expect huge increases in Real Estate taxes across the board.

-The Fairness Doctrine will be ushered in, and conservative talk radio will move to satellite radio.

-The first trillion-dollar deficit will be run in the first year of an Obama presidency. It will be the first of many.
HT to PB

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME.

The Obama campaign has decided to heave out three newspapers from its plane for the final days of its blitz across battleground states -- and all three endorsed Sen. John McCain for President!
The papers are The New York Post, Dallas Morning News, and Washington Times.

This is funny, but don't forget that for something to be funny it has to have a touch of realty.

LET'S REDISTRIBUTE....................SOME MORE!

I chuckle at all this 'new' talk about the redistribution of wealth.
Since the 1933 New Deal and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, how many trillions of dollars have been redistributed? How much has the War on Poverty cost? How much has been spent on Welfare?
Trillion have been spent on programs that have produced zero results. Yet we continue to hear the same drumbeat that we don't do enough. That we are a selfish nation. That there is no opportunity in America. That more money has to be redistributed in the name of fairness.

The War on Povery is now 44 years old and is estimated to have cost $18 trillion with no noticeable impact on the poverty rate. Why don't we just declare defeat or victory and bring the War on Poverty troops home?

FIRST WE BREAK IT, THEN WE TAKE IT!

That's the Democrat Party mantra.

If Democrats want to control something, they will get heavily involved, over-regulate it, legislate negative changes, and ruin it so the only salvation is....... government takeover.

This housing crisis is the root cause of our present day financial troubles. This crisis didn't come out of nowhere.

It was the result of the political decisions, led by Democrats in the late 90s, to loosen the rules of lending so home loans would be more accessible to almost-poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized and encouraged to approve risky loans................ to a target audience.

The goal of these rules changes was to help the almost-poor. But are you really helping people by giving them a loans they can't repay? They get into a house, yes, but when they can't make the payments, they lose the house along with what little credit they had.

They end up worse off than before, but now.... the government comes to the rescue.

This was completely foreseeable and in fact many people predicted it. One political party tried repeatedly to tighten up the rules and often sounded the alarm. The Democrat Party blocked every such attempt and further loosened the rules.

Poor people are already dependent on government, now the government gets the next layer.

FIRST WE BREAK IT, THEN WE TAKE IT!

Does anyone in their right mind think that Democrats don't want to control the pot-of-gold that is health-care?

Look at what they've been doing to health-care for the last 10 years. REGULATE, LEGISLATE, LITIGATE.

One of the center-pieces of the Obama health-care fix is to force/require insurance companies to sell policies to anyone who can pay. And what happens if suddenly, for whatever reason they can't pay? Can you say Fannie Freddie part deux?

They're not trying to save health-care, they are trying to wreck it in order to swoop in and 'save the day'

Banks, mortgages and health-care are easily within complete Federal control.

Next on the hit-list:

Pension funds (401k)

Auto makers.

Airlines.

Broadcasting.

Insurance companies

FIRST WE BREAK IT, THEN WE TAKE IT!

"FOCUS ON AN IMMEDIATE INCREASE IN SPENDING"

"A LOT OF RICH PEOPLE OUT THERE WE CAN TAX"




THE QUESTION THAT NEEDS TO BE ASKED IS:
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A MAJORITY OF VOTERS BECOME NET BENEFICIARIES OF GOVERNMENT?

As I posted below, 41% of Americans pay no taxes. This number will jump to 49% when Obama's cash credits hit and removes 18 million more Americans from the tax rolls. These folks will gain under the Obama plan when taxes rise on the 40% that presently pay 95% of taxes.

How far will America's top earners be pushed?

How far before a movement starts where top earners decide to only send in $1.00 instead of that 4 or 5 digit tax-check they stroke four times a year?

Sal in Harlem interviewing voters.
This is funny.................and sad, very sad.

WHERE IS.....................

Michelle??
Has anyone seen her lately? I wonder why she's 'under wraps'??

41%

Did you know that in 2006, 91 million American had zero or negative Federal tax liability?
Add to this figure the 15 million households and individuals who file no tax return at all, roughly 121 million Americans...................That's 41% of the U.S. population.
This total includes those who pay no tax, and those who pay some tax upfront and are later refunded the full amount of the tax paid or more. This number does not include illegals.
In 1984 that number was 18%

What does it say about a country where 41% of the population doesn't pay Federal taxes, yet benefit handsomely from the labor of others?

What does it say about the potential of tax reform, when 41% aren't affected by taxes?

WORST CASE SCENARION

John McCain trails Barack Obama and shows no signs, at the moment anyway, of propelling himself into the lead. Democrats lead in eight Senate seats currently held by Republicans and are close in three others. In the House, Republicans once thought they'd lose only 5 to 10 seats. Now things look worse.

Thanks particularly to the month-long financial crisis, Republicans are in extremely poor shape with the election three weeks away. This means the worst case scenario is now a distinct possibility: a Democrat in the White House, a Democratic Senate with a filibuster-proof majority, and a Democratic House with a bolstered majority.

If this scenario unfolds, Washington would become a solidly liberal town again for the first time in decades. And the prospects of passing the liberal agenda--nearly all of it--would be bright. Enacting major parts of it would be even brighter. You can forget about bipartisanship.

Start with "card check." It would permit organized labor to unionize the private sector without winning a certification election by secret ballot. It's easy to get workers to sign cards saying they want a union, but it's hard to get them to vote that way when labor organizers aren't hounding them. Card check is labor's last hope for more dues-paying union members.

Unions simply aren't popular and neither is card check. But it passed the House last year, only to be blocked in the Senate by a Republican filibuster. In 2009, with Washington controlled by Democrats, it would sail through Congress and President Obama wouldsign it. After all, neither Obama nor congressional Democrats have bucked organized labor even once.

Then Democrats might go after a longstanding target of big labor, section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act. It allows states to enact right-to-work laws, which bar workers from being forced to join a union. Twenty-two states have right-to-work laws.

The liberal scheme for killing conservative talk radio--the so-called fairness doctrine--would stand an excellent chance of becoming law. It would require radio stations to offer equal time, for free, to anyone seeking to reply to broadcasts featuring political opinion. To remain profitable, many stations would have to drop conservative talk shows, a major medium for communicating conservative ideas, rather than give up hours of free time. Obama has said he opposes the fairness doctrine. But would he veto it? Not likely.

Obama would nominate liberals to fill Supreme Court vacancies--no doubt about that--with the strong likelihood they'd be confirmed. As a senator, he voted against John Roberts and Sam Alito. And free trade agreements would become a thing of the past, given liberal and labor opposition.

What about Obama's health care plan? He's described it as step or two away from a single payer, government-run health system like Canada's. While expensive, its chances of passage would be quite good.

A bad economy, however, might keep Obama and his allies in Congress from passing his entire package of tax increases and his "cap and trade" proposal for curbing the emission of greenhouse gases. Obama has called for increasing the tax rate on capital gains, dividends, and the income of top earners, and raising the cap on payroll taxes. But tax hikes would worsen, not stimulate, a weak economy. So that might make Democrats balk--except they might not. For liberals, requiring the well-to-do to pay higher taxes is a matter of ideology.

So is cap and trade. It would drive up the cost of energy, another downer for the economy, but Democrats believe it's necessary to save the planet. Besides, the environmental lobby would demand cap and trade's enactment. And environmentalists have as tight a grip on Democrats as labor does. Obama has never crossed environmentalists.

As for foreign and national security policy, there'd be nothing stopping President Obama from doing what he wanted in a liberal-dominated Washington, including a quick troop exit from Iraq and presidential-level talks with anti-American dictators. Congress would go along. The media would cheer.

But who knows? Maybe McCain and Republicans will rally their forces and keep the worst from happening--the worst, that is, from a conservative standpoint. The campaign has changed direction twice in less than two months, first when McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate, then when the financial panic hit. There could be a third game changer.

If not, we face the liberal deluge.

Fred Barnes

ON HOW MANY LEVELS IS THIS SICK?!!!!!
LITTLE CHILDREN SINGING TO FEARLESS LEADER!
I HAD A VERY HARD TIME WATCHING THE ENTIRE THING.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

For more 'background information, see below.

Credit Is Not a Civil Right.

I have no way of judging whether the Wall Street bailout is a necessary evil or an impending disaster. But we're in this mess, ultimately, because our political elites thought it was good social policy to encourage banks to give mortgages to un-creditworthy people.

In other words, if poor people in general, or blacks or Hispanics, were less likely to be approved for a mortgage, the only possible reason was racism or classism or whatever. Thus "creditworthiness" was an illegitimate, dead-white-male concept, like middleclassness. Because, after all, isn't everyone entitled to credit? Therefore, I propose any bailout bill start with these words: "It is the sense of Congress that credit is not a civil right."

M. Kirkorian

Obama is now saying that he's going to get tough. Tough on what? Surely not our enemies?

Former heavy-weight champion Joe Louis once said: "If you have to say you're a tough guy, you aren't."

Ronald Reagan said:"Nobody ever picked a fight with Jack Dempsey."

Gonna get tough, huh?

IKE

While watching Ike tear through Cuba, I remember reading back in the 90's about a Cuban/Israeli professor by the name of Axel Breecher predicting that communism would end in Cuba, after the beginning of the 21 century, that it would be by the forces of Nature, the death of the Maximun Leader, and the discontent of the people that would bring the system down. He said the downfall would be quick and that the world would not be ready and caught by surprise. This was only published in a few small newspapers in Spanish in Miami.
I remember reading it like it was yesterday and Ike was the spark that made me remember it.
Now I'm not one to take symbols too seriously, but if it turns out that this hurricane, Ike, will ultimately be the "liberator" of the Cuban people, then, perhaps, it was appropriately named. Only one American President ever believed invading Cuba would be her salvation and acted on it" Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower.

From now on, when a Democrat says "But what if McCain drops dead on his first day in office?!?!?!" I'm going to say "dude -- don't tease me like that."
revenant

Who you gonna believe: THE HYPE OR THE RESUME?

"WHAT STORY DOES Barack Obama's résumé tell? Obama became the head of the Harvard Law Review in 1990 and graduated Harvard Law magna cum laude in 1991. These accomplishments suggest great intelligence and strong interpersonal skills. They also suggest limitless potential."

"So what did Obama choose to do with his limitless potential after leaving Harvard? Not much. His first two years out of law school, he began writing a book, commenced lecturing at the University of Chicago Law School and returned to his old vocation of community organizing. Obama's résumé would probably advertise the fact that he eschewed big money options to better serve humanity in these various capacities. Many members of the legal community would view these claims of selflessness with skepticism. Some cynical readers of his résumé would infer that he spent the time "trying to find himself," and perhaps think of the old Bill Cosby crack that after two years of searching, he should have been able to find not just himself but a couple of other people as well"

"All readers of his résumé circa 1993 would ask what Obama accomplished at his serial vocations. And there the story gets grim. He didn't finish h book during the two years in question. He didn't pursue any scholarship at the University of Chicago, so his career there stalled at lecturer and never advanced to the professor level. And as is ever the case with something as nebulous as community organizing, pointing to tangible accomplishments would be impossible"

"Thus begins a pattern of under-achievement, or more specifically non-achievement, that has followed Obama since law school. In later years, Obama practiced law for a few years and then he had enough of that. His 1995 book, Dreams From My Father showed much promise, yet Obama didn't further explore his skills in this area until over a decade later with the best forgotten campaign tome, The Audacity of Hope. Similarly, Obama was a part time state legislator of minimal accomplishments. When Obama went to the United States Senate, he impressed his colleagues with his potential. But he again never attempted to tap that potential, beginning a run for president shortly after his arrival in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body"

Excerpt from

This is getting a bit weird.

This is the set for Obama's acceptance speech being delivered tonight at Invesco Field in Denver.

One man. One speech. All this?

I don't know about you, but the resemblance to this and this along with THIS is making me feel really, really creepy.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dave Freeman, co-author of “100 Things to Do Before You Die,” a travel guide and ode to odd adventures that inspired readers and imitators, died on Aug. 17 after a fall at his home in the Venice section of Los Angeles. He was 47.

47!
I wonder how many he was up to? I'm betting he didn't get to #62

61. Go windsurfing.
62. Fix stair railing.
63. Watch a space shuttle launch

Dem. Convention Day 2

Boy, the evening started as a real snoooozer.
Napolitano, Whitaker, Sebelius OH MY!
These three came out attacking McCain, but I sensed no one was listening.
Next came the keynote speaker, the former governor of Virginia, Mark Warner.
His theme is technology and economic development, which is nice, but it's so un-Obama.
He sound smart and his achievements in Virginia have substance and value. Again, very un-Obama.

Finally at around 10:10 pm we got Hillary.

Here's what I learned:

1. Hillary is a proud mother, a proud NY senator, a proud Democrat, a proud American, and a proud Obama supporter. Proud wife?

2. She didn't appear betrayed, angry or entitled or any of the things critics have labeled her—she seemed a bit removed, un-enthused as if to say: 'I'm washing my hands of all this'.

3. I learned that 100% of Americans, yes 100%, are living in squalor and struggle everyday.

4. I learned that every single problem we face today is because of 8 years of George Bush.

5. I learned that Obama will make the world safe, create millions of 'green' jobs, provide everyone with health-care, stop discrimination, eliminate world hunger and diseases, erase our national deficit, eliminate our foreign energy dependence, and he will do all this with Michelle at his side.

It was a nice speech, but once it was over, baby, IT WAS OVER! 5 minutes after she walked off, that arena was like a morgue. (I watched it on C-SPAN in order to avoid all the yaking pundits, so my take may be a bit different)
The core message that I got was:
'You guys voted for this guy and now you're going to nominate him........fine, I can live with that. But in November, if he crashes and burns, don't even think about looking at me and asking....... WHAT WENT WRONG!

Dem. Convention Day 1

Ok, after watching the entire convention last night, here's what I've learned:

1. Caroline Kennedy is a terrible speaker, but a nice person.
2. Teddy Kennedy loves the sea.
3. Teddy Kennedy loves to sail on the sea.
4. Maria Shriver can break concrete with her chin.
5. Teddy Kennedy loves to sail on the sea.....with his family.

6. Michelle Obama loves the USA. She does! She really does love the USA. I heard her say it.

7. Michelle Obama now looks like a Black Sigourney Weaver
8. Did I tell you that Teddy Kennedy really loves the sea?

Everyone is down-playing the Obama-Clinton feud, but I'm not buying it.
In an effort to further piss-off Hillary, Obama announced that he was making Hillary's fired campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, as the chief of staff for his new running mate, Joe Biden.
The crown jewel came when the Obama campaign released the text message to cell phone users announcing the Biden pick at 3 a.m. Saturday morning.
3:00 am huh? Maybe it's just a coincidence that it was Hilary's campaign that aired a TV commercial questioning whether Obama could answer the phone at "3 a.m." if some crisis erupted in the world.
I'm just saying...................

A BIG MAN HAS FALLEN

“The Raider Organization, the National Football League, and the world have lost a great man. Gene Upshaw’s career successes as a professional football player and a union leader are unparalleled. He is as prominent a sportsman as the world has known. He was and will remain a part of the fabric of our lives and of the Raider mystique and legacy. We loved him and he loved us. We will miss him. Our hearts go out to Terri and the boys.” — Al Davis

I've never been a big Dick Butkus fan, although I did see him play at Franklin Field against the Eagles in Philadelphia, I do like this recent statement:

"When I see guys doing cartwheels in the end zone, I'd like to get out there, like we did in the old days, and see how many cartwheels they'd be doing then,"
"When you got hurt, you didn't bury your head in the Astroturf and wait for cameras to focus on you so you could take off your helmet and run off the field. You dragged yourself off the field before giving your opponent the satisfaction of knowing you were hurt. I'm not saying football was better then. I'm just saying the attitude of the players was more to my liking."

I'm sensing a bit of remorse

For the last several days, I'm sensing subtle buyers remorse coming from Democrat circles. Am I surprised? No.

From the very onset, the Obama mirage has been fueled by the media, a media that didn't do it's job. They just couldn't make themselves do it.

There would be no buyers remorse if he had been actually vetted in the first place. But no, he wasn't, and the blind zeal to stick it to the REPUBS trumped all common sense.

Obama's rhetoric has never matched his actions. That should have been the big red flag that the press should have picked up on (I did) but they refused to do it. They couldn't, they were blinded.

Hillary and even Richardson for all their faults, actually had the kind of experience that might account for being qualified for the office of President. Obama has zilch.

Personally, I don't trust Obama. I can't look up to a guy who has done so little in life, and whose massive ego seems to overshadow all else. Who the hell writes two autobiographical book before they are 50 without having done anything remotely considered exceptional? And he now questions Clarence Thomas's qualifications? WOW! That takes a tremendous amount of cojones.

Lets face it, the identity politics of the left have driven this campaign. If Obama were white, he wouldn't have gotten very far, and it would have been Hillary waltzing to Denver.

This is the dirty little secret no one wants to confront or accept. The blind desire to see someone of color "succeed", in some desperate hope that it would make up for our past sins (of which none of us should be held accountable) and make things "right" has been Obama's trump card from the beginning, and he's played it like a Stradivarius. Liberal, hand-wringing, White Guilt amazingly enough, still has a vice-grip over the American left.

Oh, it's going to be a doozy of a Democrat Convention!

UPDATE 8-19-2008

Here is another glaring example of the media continuing to look the other way.

The cover-up can be worse than the crime. Will they ever learn?

WHAT IF?

An email from Ireland to all of their brethren in the States... a point to ponder despite your political affiliation:


We, in Ireland, can't figure out why you people are even bothering to holding an election in the United States.
On one side, you had a pants wearing female lawyer, married to another lawyer who can't seem to keep his pants on, who just lost a long and heated primary against a lawyer, who goes to the wrong church, who is married to yet another lawyer, who doesn't even like the country her husband wants to run!
Now... On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name starts with the appropriate 'Mc' terminology, married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship!!!

What in God's name are ye lads thinking' over there in the colonies!

NFL FAN CODE OF CONDUCT

Today the NFL (Roger Goodell) came out with the NFL FAN CODE OF CONDUCT to help promote a positive fan environment at NFL stadiums. The code of conduct is intended to address behavior that detracts from the gameday experience.

AAAH, ISN'T THAT NICE MR. GOODELL! Or should I just call you Mr. Rogers.

Anyone that has been to an NFL stadium lately, knows there is security coming out the a$$, and anyone that 'gets out of line' is quickly shown the gate.
As far as detracting from the 'gameday experience' maybe Mr. Rogers needs to hit a couple of stadiums to realize that the gameday experience for most guys, which by the way, make up 70% of the people in the stands, is:

A. Hanging out in the parking lot before the game........drinking beer or anything you can get your hands on.
B. Having just enough of a buzzz to be able to make it into the stadium.
C. Stopping for a couple of $7.00 beers while on the way to your seats.
D. Watching the first 3 quarters and having another 6-$7.00 beers.
E. Running to the closest beer stand at the end of the 3rd for a couple more $7.00 beers...................... cause there's no beer sales in the 4th.
F. Hoping that, since you're out of beer in the 4th, your team pulls out a win.

Now, I understand about kids going to the stadium and seeing a fight or a bunch of drunks. I get it! It's wrong and it shouldn't happen. But the reality is that today's NFL stadiums are a pretty good environment with a lot of kid-friendly stuff.
Are they 100% pristine? NO! It's the NFL! If you want pristine go see Swan Lake.

The Code of Fan Conduct also states:

When attending a game, you are required to refrain from the following behaviors:

» Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal in nature.

» Intoxication or other signs of alcohol impairment that results in irresponsible behavior.

» Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.

» Interference with the progress of the game (including throwing objects onto the field).

» Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel.

» Verbal or physical harassment of opposing team fans.

Sounds nice!
While we are at it, Mr. Rogers, why not:
1. Outlaw beer sales in the stadium.
2. Issue tan jumpsuits at the gate so no one wears team colors. You don't want to offend opposing fans.
3. No cheering. Only gentle clapping........WHEN EITHER TEAM SCORES.
4. Any infractions will result in the suspension for 4 home games for all fans in attendance...........and no watching games at home.
Fan infractions will be reviewed by instant replay.

And I hear Mr. Rodgers wants to expand the NFL to............EUROPE! HA HA!

NEWSFLASH!!!!

Within the last couple of hours, Brett told ESPN that he and the Packers are at a 'stalemate' and he wants to move-on.
A STALEMATE! NO $HIT!
This guy has turned into one of the biggest, boo-hoo cry-babies of all time.
He retired, then wanted to come back, then wanted to play elsewhere, then was going to re-retire, then got reinstated, then said he was ready to play for the Pack, and is now going to be traded. Good God! You've embarrassed yourself. You've embarrassed the entire Packer organization, and now you're going to be traded to the Vikings-Bucs-Jets for a bag of Doritos and a ham sandwich. Way to go Brett! You made the right call!

LEAVE BARACK ALONE!

Much like the 60's, the Lib-Democrats have targeted young people, knowing how easy it is to program their minds.
In the 60's, the youth was fixated on Vietnam by a so-called peace movement that we now know was nothing but Socialist propaganda.
The 'peace-lovers' of that era, through withdrawal (surrender) were successful in giving the communists power that brought forth killing fields and slaughtered 2.5 million people in Cambodia.
Did the 'peace-lovers' stop the war, or did they simply provide the scenario for the killing of millions of innocent people?
In the end, the peace-lovers decided to withdraw, look the other way, and not be bothered by the killing they had created.
Today, we are being told to withdraw from Iraq without much discussion about what we are leaving behind. The Lib-Democrats of today, like the 'peace-movement’ of the 60's, isn't concerned about possible Iraqi killing fields. Is history repeating itself?
In the 60's, the M S M didn't 'catch-up' to the killing fields of Cambodia and South Vietnam until it was way too late. Today we have a M S M that has completely ignored any positive progress in Iraq and has magnified everything negative. After an Obama pullout, will today's M S M report a genocide in Iraq? Will they report if the Taliban/Iran has overrun Iraq, or will they again look the other way and not be bothered by the new killing fields they've help create?

From Richmond Times-Dispatch, Monday, July 7, 2008 ~

Dear Editor, Times-Dispatch:

'Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice.
On June 30 I celebrate my independence day, and on July 4
I celebrate America’s. This year is special, because
it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.

'On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba, and a few
months later, I was in the United States to stay. That
I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is
just part of the story, but I digress.

'I've thought a lot about the anniversary this
year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot
about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late
1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they
were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban
was at least receptive.

'When the young leader spoke eloquently and
passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell
in love with him. They never questioned who his friends
were or what he really believed in. When he said he would
help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care
and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he
would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said,
'Praise the Lord.' And when the young leader
said, 'I will be for change and I'll bring you
change,' everyone yelled, 'Viva Fidel!'

'But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the
executioner's guns went silent, the people's guns
had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they
were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time
everyone received their free education, it was worth
nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late,
because they were now working for him. By the time the
change was finally implemented, Cuba had been knocked
down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the
time the change was over, more than a million people had
taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call
those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the
most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the
beginning of my story.

'Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young
leader who promised change without asking, what change?
How will you carry it out? What will it cost America?

'Would we?'

Manuel Alvarez, Jr.
Sandy Hook

A tip of the hat to Rev. Elvis Jones.

"But in the darkest hour," said Sen. Obama, "the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city's mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. 'There is only one possibility,' he said. 'For us to stand together united until this battle is won…. The people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty'."

Why don't you say this to the citizens of Baghdad and our troops on the ground??

BOO HOO!

NEW YORK (AP) - New York Times Co. says its second-quarter earnings fell 82 percent from the year-ago quarter boosted by a one-time gain. Meanwhile, print advertising revenue continued to shrink.

It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch!

CAMP STARTS TODAY!

It's finally here!
Today is the first day of camp, and the first practice is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
Needless to say, there is so much speculation about this up-coming season it makes your head spin.
The typical Raidershaters are all wondering how long Kiffin will last. How soon before the Nation starts calling for Russell's head. How it will be a miracle if we win 5 games, and of course, this is, without a doubt, the year that Al Davis gives up control. BLA BLA BLA. I'm sure in a couple of years they will resurrect the old and worn out line "they are the oldest team in the NFL"


The intelligent, seasoned Raiders fan like me, is only looking for a couple of things from this team
1. I want us to go 8-8 ........or better.
Anyone that paid attention last year, clearly saw that we could have easily won 3 maybe 4 more games, and although it's early, this team has a lot more talent and experience.
2. I want to see a powerful and diverse running game.
Last year the O-Line, under Tom Cable, showed tremendous improvement. This year, they should be better.
Our running backs corp (Fargas, McFadden, Bush, O'Neal) has the potential to be the best in the NFL.
3. I want to see Kiffin become the coach I think he can be.
This is his second year, and it's time to show me what you have.

As far as individual player, here is what I want to see.
1. I want to see some poise from Russell.
Sure he's going to make mistakes, they all do, but I don't want him to have to carry this team. He has the running game, and the receivers, all he has to do is protect the ball and be reasonably effective in the passing game. Most of all, I want to see continued improvement.
2. I want Tommy Kelly to dominate.
The guy has the tools to be a monster, and he is now being paid like one.
3. I want Asomugha to do what he's always done.
Last year opposing QBs didn't even look his way. With D. Hall at the other corner, where they going to throw?
4. I want to see McFadden 'in the mix'
The guy can run, catch, and even throw, all Kiffin has to do is figure out how to use all his talent.
5. I want to see what Michael Bush has.
The guy was one game away from getting the Heisman. He's been re-habing for 2 years, and is supposed to be 100%. Let's find out.

Bottom line:
Al Davis has gotten players for Kiffin and D. players for Ryan.
Our schedule is not that tough.
8 wins is not unreasonable.

JUST WIN!

Packers fan must-have item for the 2008 season.

Brett Favre 'action figure' on the bench watching someone else play!

I hear Aaron Rodgers ordered 50 of these. He sets them up on his front lawn while screaming:

"Look at that, Brett! It's Aaron Rodgers time now! How do you like watching ME, old man?! Wooo! And Rodgers takes the snap, he drops back, evades a defender because he's young and has healthy knees, and it's a touchdown pass by Aaron Rodgers! Wooo! A touchdown, Brett, as in, not an interception! And Rodgers celebrates without the need for painkillers!"

HatTip to MJD

THIS IS THE OBAMA WE NEED TO FEAR.

Listen closely to THIS

When Charlie Gibson clearly tells Obama that when Clinton and Bush lowered capital gain taxes, federal revenues rose, and that in the 80's when the taxes were raised, revenues went down, Obama glazes over and proposes tax increases in the name of 'fairness' FAIRNESS!
What we have here is not only a guy with zero executive experience, zero business experience, but a guy with total disregard of financial history.
That my friends, is very scary.

For further proof that this guy is either the biggest con-artist since Clinton, or he's a complete economics buffoon, look at this

REST IN PEACE, TONY

July 9, 2008 A BAD DAY FOR BARRY.

Next time you think you had a bad day, sit back and think what happened to Barry yesterday.

1. You put your family on TV (Access Hollywood) and your 10 year old daughter, in a cute way, makes you look like a fool. You later have to go on national TV and admit it was a mistake and that you'll never let it happen again. Forget the fact that a couple of days ago, you made it clear that your family was off limits.

2. After word gets out that you are going to Germany, German Chancellor Angela Merkel bluntly tells you that the trip will not be used as a 'campaigning trip' and you can forget about using the Brandenburg Gate as a backdrop. OUCH!

3. While making a speech on bilingual education, Barry said: "you need to make sure your child speaks Spanish" That went over well!

4. All of the sudden a whole host of lefties are ripping you a new one for 'changing your position' on gun control, FISA, church based initiatives, and the Iraq pull-out timetable.
SHEEESH! Aren't those guys smart enough to understand that if elected you have no intention of doing any of the things you are advocating now?

5. Our buddy in Iran launches several missiles obviously intended to piss-off Israel and the US, and what does Barry say: "As you know, Iran has test-fired nine missiles, including one of them the Shahab-3 that has a 1250-mile range. They said it could reach Israel. What should the US do in response?"
"Instead of engaging in over-the-top rhetoric, what we should be doing is gathering our allies together in a serious effort to apply sanctions to Iran and encourage them to change their behavior"
SAY WHAT!

6. And just when you though it couldn't get any worse, Rev. Jackson pops-off about you 'talking down to Blacks' and threatens to cut your nuts off!

Now that the Kansas City Chiefs (Squaws) have banned fans from standing at Chiefs home games, I'm suggesting the following measures be adopted at other NFL stadiums:

1. The Bengals prohibit criminal attorneys in attendance from throwing their business cards at the Bengals sideline.

2. All groundskeepers barred from Heinz Field.

3. The Oakland Raiders have banned pikes and garrotes from the Black Hole. Blunt instruments, zip guns, and shanks are still acceptable.

4. No dogs allowed at The Georgia Dome.

5. The Eagles have banned all batteries smaller than Double-A.

6. The Patriots have banned all hoodies, Yankees caps and.........dashikis

7. All Panthers fans must bring their own spittoons.

8. All 49rs fans: No smiling, and no walking around without an
Ipod, mood journal or messenger bag. Stadium will replace all seating with Yoga mats. No makeup on women (frizzy hair, Birkenstocks, and overalls encouraged)

9. At Ford Field home of the Lions:
No FIRE Millen signs
No FIRE Marinelli signs
No fires
No fire extinguishers
No fire exits

10. Jaguar fans are officially banned from giving 2 shits.

11. At the Superdome:
No sober people.
No shoes.
No waiting for W to show up.

12. Colts fans are banned from wearing any garment that is not considered official apparel of the NFL. God, those people are boring!

13. Tennessee Titans: No receivers allowed inside the stadium.

14. At the new Texas Stadium:
No Democrats.
No badmouthing oil companies or Halliburton.
No surgically-untouched faces or breasts.
No humility.

14. At Ariz. Cardinals stadium: No beer-bongs within 5 miles

CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME!!!!!

Cameco bid wins Saddam's uranium

From Herald News Services

Published: Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Cameco Corp. outbid other companies to bring the last vestiges of Saddam Hussein's uranium stockpiles to Canada, a spokesperson said Monday.

"We know there were other companies involved," said Cameco's Lyle Krahn in an interview. "We don't know how many, and really it was the U.S. that was the facilitator in all of this. It was their process, so it wouldn't be appropriate for us to say."

Saskatoon-based Cameco will take delivery of 550 tonnes of yellowcake, or uranium oxide, over the next two months at its two processing facilities in Ontario. It was slipped out of Baghdad by the U.S. government and arrived in Canada Saturday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) — At Iraq's request, the US military recently transferred hundreds of metric tons of yellowcake uranium from Iraq to Canada in a secret, weeks-long operation, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.

The 550 metric tons of uranium, which was sold to a Canadian company, was moved by truck convoy to Baghdad's "Green Zone," then flown by military aircraft to a third country where it was put on a ship for Canada, said Bryan Whitman, the spokesman.

"The operation was completed over the weekend, on Saturday," Whitman said.

The yellow cake was discovered by US troops after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq at the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Facility south of Baghdad, and was placed under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Yellowcake is a form of processed uranium ore that can be used to make fuel for nuclear reactors, or if further enriched as fuel for nuclear weapons.

Whitman said the Iraqi government asked the United States for help in selling and transferring the uranium to another country.

Cameco, a Canadian company, agreed to buy the yellowcake for a reported sum in the tens of millions of dollars.

A WEEK LONG SECRET OPERATION???

Am I losing my f*cking mind?

SO NOW...............

the problem is that 'we' haven't been listening to Obama.

“Look, let me talk about the broader issue, this whole notion that I am shifting to the center,” he told a crowd gathered at a town hall-style meeting in this Atlanta suburb. “The people who say this apparently haven’t been listening to me.”

It's our inability to listen/understand. Yes, I get it.
It's like the times when I make a bad golf shot, and then proceed to blame the golf club.

THERE'S DRUNK, AND THEN THERE'S............

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A drunken 78-year-old Swede stole a dinghy after a night out in the Danish town of Helsingor and tried to row back to Sweden, but fell asleep halfway, Danish police said on Monday.

When the man discovered he lacked the necessary funds to pay for the ferry from Helsingor to Helsingborg in Sweden on Saturday, he decided to row the five km (three miles) across the strait of Oresund that separates the two.

He quickly grew tired and, trusting fortune and the currents to see him safely home, took a snooze at the bottom of the boat, where Danish police later found him out at sea, still asleep. (H/T - Reuters)

4 YEARS AGO IT WAS.........

I wonder what the brilliant Democrat minds will roll-out for this election?

DON'T QUESTION OBAMA'S....................

church, his voting record, his wife, his patriotism, his associates, his upbringing, and don't even think about questioning this.

DOES THE VP SELECTION REALLY MATTER?

I know we all focus on the here-and-now, but I don't remember this much chatter about the VP selection in other races.
One could say that the McCain VP selection is being magnified due to his age, but is that a legitimate issue or is it just Democrats making an issue out of a non-issue?
Some are saying that McCain should pick a more conservative VP in order to pacify the conservative wing.
Meanwhile, the Obama selection is being framed as all about uniting the party. Is the party that broken that a VP selection will bring it together? I don't think so because I don't think the Democrat party is that fractured .
I'm also hearing that Obama has to pick someone with experience. Someone that will add some 'weight' to the ticked. Ah, GRAVITAS! Now there is one word we won't be hearing from the MSM this go-round!
Personally, I could care less about the VP pick. Yes, it's nice 'eye-wash' but I'm voting for the guy in the Oval Office not the guy/gal that has an office..........near the West Wing.

The Right To Bear Arms

Ok, so the Supreme Court ruled on the 2nd amendment. It's about time, but the decision was 5-4!!!!
Four justices don't think you have a right plainly enumerated in the constitution.

Setting all the hoopla aside, this ruling tells me two things:
1. Elections matter due to the fact that Presidents nominate judges.
2. No matter what anyone says, local governments will make it next to impossible to get a gun license.
Sure, you have the right to have a gun, they're just going to make it reeeeal hard for you to get one.

It's Friday morning and I've had a bit of time to 'think' about this Supreme Court decision.
I am certainly no expert on constitutional law, but I am still surprised that this decision was 5-4. Four judges on the Supreme Court felt that Americans didn't have the right to own weapons. I find that amazing.........and frightening.
This country tore itself from England in a bloody war. A war primarily fought by armed citizens willing to put their lives on the line for freedom. Had it not been for armed citizens, how would the Revolutionary War turned out? Had it not been for the bravery of armed citizens, where would the descending judges be today? What is it about an armed citizenry that so alarms these judges?
So what does this ruling mean? The ruling does not mean that laws against carrying concealed weapons are to be discarded. Justice Scalia, in the majority opinion wrote, “The court’s opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.” So basically, local laws will still rule on the issuance and carrying of guns, a subject that I'm sure was argued. Yet these four judges were opposed to that. What does that say about these four judges?
There have been many times in history where governments have 'taken' guns away from the citizenry, but the ones that come to mind are Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, and Communist Cuba. In these cases, the governments came to power through violent/armed events, and they understood the power of 'the gun' Because if this, once power was achieved, the next step was to remove arms from the citizens. The why, is painfully obvious.
Are the four judges ignorant of history? NO! Yet these four aren't interested in 'regulating' gun ownership, they are in favor of complete citizen disarmament.
Oh, did I mention that the vote was 5-4? One vote the other way, and what world would we be waking up to today?
Please keep that thought in mind come November.

Madison, Wisconsin wants to do away with.......

Car washes
Drive-thru food
Drive-thru beer
Dry Cleaner drop offs
Bank drive-thru

"Given the concern about all the carbon going into the atmosphere, I'm not sure we should be building more places for people to sit idling in their cars," says Eric Sundquist, who was appointed to the citizen panel by Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.

Here ya go



Ya think a drive-thru condom store would be ok in Madison?
4 sure!

The Democrat Convention in Denver this summer, is scheduled to be the GREENEST SHOW ON EARTH.
The committee organizing the event insisted that the fanny-packs, yes, fanny-packs, and ball caps issued to the volunteers be organic and union made.
The balloons are to be biodegradable.
The committee has hired an "Official Carbon Adviser, who will measure the greenhouse-gas emissions of every placard, every plane trip, every appetizer prepared and every coffee cup tossed"
The 900 volunteers, decked-out in YOU GUESSED IT, green shirts will hover at waste-disposal stations to make sure delegates put each scrap of trash in the proper bin.
There will be no fried food. And, on the theory that nutritious food is more vibrant, each meal should include "at least three of the following colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white."

This shouldn't be a green convention, it should be a PINK convention. You know, PINK as in puss ..............never mind!

SAY WHAT?

Jim Margolis, Obama's media adviser, said that, despite the long primary season, Obama still is not well known to voters in many parts of the country. "They don't know the full story," he said. "They don't have a complete sense of what motivates him, what are the biographical points of his life that have made him the person that he is today and what he wants to do as president."


Pleeease! We have been force-fed Obama for the last 9 months!
We have seen the debates. We've heard the speeches. We've soaked-in a million pundit opinions. We've dissected his book and his family, yet we "don't know the full story"
I guess this means we are now going to get the repackaging, remaking, and reintroduction of the sanitized Obama. What's wrong with the lefty Obama that is going to get the Democrat Party nomination?
Excuse me, but I'm pretty sure I know everything there is to know about Obama and McCain to make an intelligent choice come November.
Are these people serious or............................... are we THAT F*CKIN STUPID?

It is better to travel alone than with a bad companion.

(African Proverb)

CAN YOU SAY.......................... DUMBASS!

NEWLY-SIGNED RAIDERS wide receiver Javon Walker was the victim of an apparent early morning robbery, according to Las Vegas police.
The Oakland Raiders player was taken to Sunrise Medical Center's Trauma unit, where he was listed in fair condition late Monday afternoon. Police said Walker suffered an orbital fracture; they are unsure how the receiver sustained his injuries.
YO SHERLOCK! THE DUMBASS GOT PUNCHED IN THE EYE. A Raiders spokesman said the team was "in the process of gathering information" and had no further comment.
WHAT THE RAIDERS SHOULD BE GATHERING IS ALL THE SHIT IN HIS LOCKER AND PUTTING IT ON THE SIDEWALK!
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Walker was seen Saturday night at Tryst at the Wynn spraying the crowd with some of the 15 bottles of Dom Perignon Rose champagne he ordered.
I GUESS THIS DUMMY IS FOLLOWING IN PAC MAN'S FOOTSTEPS!
The newspaper said Walker was at Body English at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino until 6:30 a.m. Monday and that his first round of champagne cost him $15,000.
AND ONE WONDERS HOW THESE DUMBASSES GO BROKE!

Sorry dude, but if I'm Al Davis, I'm ripping up your contract, suing you for the signing bonus, and cutting your sorry-ass from the roster.

The 8 things we haven't seen from the floods in the Midwest .

1. I have yet to see a big celebrity come to aid these people.
2. I have yet to see a store looted or anyone shot.
3. I have yet to see scores of people trapped in public buildings.
4. I have yet to see made-up stories from local politicians and the MSM.
5. I have yet to see the President get blamed...........It's still a bit early.
6. I haven't seen reports about the racial make-up of the area affected.
7. I haven't seen local official blame anyone for this natural disaster.
8. I haven't heard any conspiracy theories.........yet.

What I have seen is self-reliance, neighbors helping neighbors, and competent state and local government.

With the US Open starting tomorrow, the big news is Tiger. IMAGINE THAT!
But this time it's a little different because Tiger is.....dinged.
Tiger is coming off knee surgery and it's reported that he hasn't walked 18 holes in over a month. Obviously an 80% Tiger is better than the field, and on a course that he has 'owned' you have to believe that he's the favorite. BUT NOT TO ME.
Yes, I know that Tiger has come back from injury before and won. It happened, of all places, at Torrey Pines, at the 2003 Buick less than two months after surgery on the same knee. It's just that I think this week there's a bunch of guys that are hungry and certainly have game to win.
My 5 picks this week:
UPDATE:
1. Cink T-14th
2. Furyk T-36th
3. Weekly T-26th
4. Mickelson T-18th
5. Donald DNP
That's why I don't bet!!!!
Now don't get me wrong, nobody wants to see Tiger break Jack's record in majors more than I, it's just that this week, I don't have the warm and fuzzies.
One thing to watch, is the Thursday/Friday pairing of Tiger/Mickelson/Adam Scott. WOW! Can you imagine the crowd following that group?