Homer Says - "Nuclear Good!"

During a recent trip to Portsmouth, NH, Hillary Clinton unveiled what her energy plan might look like if she were president. As with many “energy plans” we have seen from some Democrat hopefuls, it starts by demonizing the oil company’s and quickly moves into green initiatives. However, what stood out during the speech was Ms. Clinton’s exchange on nuclear power (excerpts from the Foster’s Daily Democrat):

“Picking up on a point from Monday night's presidential candidates' debate in South Carolina, Clinton said she's not for nuclear power and "I'm not 100 percent against it." She said there remains no plan to dispose of the waste, which prompted a young, well-dressed boy in the front row to note "the French do have some ways of recycling nuclear waste." She said that option was discarded long ago due to security concerns.”

What I found interesting was the interaction with the young man regarding the recycling of nuclear waste. 80% of Frances electricity comes from nuclear power (compared to 20% in the US). 96% of the waste matter is recycled/reused. Qiao Wu, University of Oregon, learned that the recycling process only added 6% to the total cost of the power, which is still cheaper than what the average American pays (Gazette Times - Reuse Nuclear Waste)! France also seems to be handling the security concerns on this matter rather effectively. How is it possible that France is able to manage this, and America couldn’t?

We need to become less dependant on foreign oil, but we must be prepared to embrace a more balanced approach to any possible solutions. Solar power = Too expensive, still inefficient. Wind power = "Not in my backyard (West Virginia, Massachusetts Propaganda – Kennedy’s Back Yard)," Coal = US Inventory is strong, but still burns too dirty. Biofuels = False promises (Washington Post - False Hope of Biofuels for now). Nuclear = Perceived as dangerous and dirty (Bum rap? - Nuclear Energy Industry)

Nuclear is not perfect, but to dismiss it outright like so many have done is the wrong reaction. What is frustrating is that France has achieved their nuclear program within 30 years, using an American designed reactor (Westinghouse)! America can learn from France, but also from the once aggressive anti-nuclear country of Finland (Ministry of Trade and Industry), which is moving towards more nuclear power. Unfortunately, most Americans learn about nuclear power from what the see on the Simpsons (d-uh!).

America’s energy future will continue to include oil. But for America to reduce its dependencies on foreign oil, we must not rule out any valid opportunity because of ill-conceived prejudices. Our plan must include all of the above mention energy options (including Nuclear) and energy conservation that does not hinder America’s way of life.

I applaud the young man for having the courage to address Ms. Clinton. I just wish that she had more respect to explore the conversation beyond the typical left-wing response. Liberals like to bring up France’s healthcare system as a model of efficiency (which it far from reality), but ignore their energy program, which is extremely successful, simple because nuclear power is at the core (pardon the pun) of the plan.

PBS – Frontline Discussion on France’s Attitude on Nuclear Power:

Frontline - France and Nuclear Power

Back to the Future

My father is a great admirer of General Patton. The movie PATTON was the first movie my father and I attended together. At the age of 12, he gave me a biography of one of America's greatest tacticians for my birthday. I think many men find it easy to admire someone like Patton because he looked at life as black and white, right or wrong, courageous or cowardice.

Patton was a paradox. He read the bible and believed in the power of prayer, but also believed in reincarnation. He had to repeat his first year at West Point due to poor mathematical skills. But the following year he disguised himself by achieving honors and would be later known as a military genius. He was promoted through the ranks faster than General/President Eisenhower, yet lack the diplomatic temperament to avoid controversy.

I have often wondered what historical figures, like Patton, from the pass might say if they were alive today. How would they react to America's actions and place in the world? Recently a video was posted on the Internet featuring the famous opening scene of the movie Patton. This video has been one of the most talked about this past week and worth viewing.

Live Free or Die?

We all know the story. The Colonialist had grown weary of the distant rule of a far off government. Grumblings had been heard in assembly halls, street corners and in pubs throughout the Colony. Freedom would not be denied, but action would be needed to ensure our independence.

In a small New England town a group of patriots waited for word of the location of the British fleet. A silversmith from Boston, Paul Revere, rode to warn the citizen militia that “the British are coming.” There would only be a few partisans, but they knew surprise was the key to victory. With that, the Sons of Liberty committed themselves to the first battle of the Revolutionary War at Fort William and Mary, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

What!? William and Mary?…Portsmouth?….New Hampshire? I know what you are thinking……you thought the “shot heard round the world” occurred in the Spring of 1775, in Concord and Lexington, MA. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was indeed the first exchange of gunfire between British Troops and the future Continental Army. But the first Battle of the Revolutionary War took place on December 14 – 15, of 1774, at the mouth of the Piscataqua (Pis-scat-ta-quaw) River, months before the armed insurrection at Lexington and Concord.

Residents from Exeter, Durham, Dover, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire had been warned by Paul Revere, days before the battle, that the British planned to reinforce Fort William and Mary, and that British ships were expected any day. The Sons of Liberty decided to raid the fort and take its gunpowder and cannons. The fact that they achieved this victory without anyone being killed or wounded is probably why you may have never heard of this “battle.” In fact, many argue that the absence of gunfire means that William and Mary could not be considered a real battle. I just like to think that our brothers to the South in Massachusetts had a better press agent.

After the battle, the cannons and gunpowder were scattered throughout the countryside, and would eventually find their way to the Battle of Bunkerhill (“Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes”). Many of the participants of the Battle of William and Mary went on to fight in other Revolutionary battles and participate in the founding of the United States of America. But their heroics at the Battle of William and Mary have been lost to time.

The Battle of William and Mary reminds us, the citizens of New Hampshire, of our place in history. New Hampshirians (or is New Hampshirites?) are a humble people, with a legacy of working together as a united community to identify the problem and quickly resolving it. I am afraid that some of that spirit has been lost and needs to be rekindled. New Hampshire has always done well when it remained true to its core “Granite State” value of self-sufficiency.

The 2006 election will most likely go down in history as an example of the power of the ballot that Thomas Jefferson envisioned when he wrote the Constitution. However, it should not have meant that New Hampshire was abandoning its heritage to conservative principals. Live Free or Die isn’t about helmet or seatbelt laws, or if a person has the right to smoke in a restaurant. Live Free or Die is about whether “We the People...” control our destiny, or whether we turn that responsibility over to the government.

Brilliant!

The recent debates on the Iraq War have revolved around the belief that we must establish a timeline for the withdrawal of our troops. A timeline based on political necessity instead of clear military and diplomatic objectives will doom Iraq, the region, and eventually the rest of the world.

Iraq’s fate as a free Republic rest with us. These recent debates are nothing than more political folly and self-aggrandizing, and the actions of the Democrats continue to hurt this mission.

The Democrats have no plan, or worse their suggestions are lunacy. The banter being offered up by the Democrats remind me of the recent Guinness Beer ads. Stupid observations, followed by the belief that they are brilliant opinions.

For example, one of the previsions of the recently defeated Iraq Surrender Bill stated that the military could continue to engage the enemy, as long as they were identified as al-Qaeda??!!?? How exactly would our troops know this? I know…….we will offer free t-shirts to al-Qaeda members with a bull’s-eye on the front, and the slogan “al-Qaeda Gone Wild” on the back. Brilliant! Whoever had this prevision added should be slapped upside the head.

The Democrats are catering to the fringe elements of their support, a collection of morons who don’t even have the veracity to state that this is really about their hatred of President Bush, and has been since the day he was elected. The Democrats and their band of dingbats are a sad lot who have lost their way and their integrity.

"Don" Harry Reid: The Godfather of Defeat

“Don” Harry Reid is preparing to “go to the mattresses” during the pending debate on the Iraq War. Warning the Senate that the debate will continue throughout the night, Don Harry has ordered that cots be placed off the Senate floor.

The Godfather, along with fellow Senpronos, Dicky “The Claw” Durbin and Chucky “Childs Play” Schumer, threatened to use the Sergeant at Arms to haul those lawmakers who ignore the debate into the Senate Chamber.

A word of advice to Don Harry…...Drop the gavel, grab the cannoli’s.

Just a reminder on the position the Democrat’s took when it was convenient for them:

Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!

A recent simian crime spree has the Indian police searching for a mobster monkey, name unknown, responsible for the theft of a pair of reading glasses from a tourist. Come to think of it, has anyone seen Michael Jackson’s former pal Bubbles?

Maybe the monkey needed visual assistance to live by the motto “Monkey see, monkey do.” If this was America the ACLU would volunteer to represent the criminal, and then turn around and sue the government for not providing the monkey with a pair of glasses in the first place.

Can’t wait to see the episode of “Indian’s Most Wanted” on this one. I do not know what is more ridiculous. The fact that the tourist filed a complaint, or that police were last seen searching local alleys in search of the criminal (which should be easy to find…..how many monkeys can there be wearing designer glasses?).

Fox News Story - Shock the Monkey

Video of Random Monkey Crimes:

Keith Ellison Shameful Remarks

Minnesota must be so proud of it freshman Congressman Keith Ellison, Democrat.

In front of a group of atheist, the first Muslim to be elected to the House dared to compare President Bush to Hitler and the 9-11 Attack to the Reichstag Fire.

Keith Ellison is a disgrace to his office and a sorry excuse of a representative. The Democrat’s continue to show which is the party of hate, disrespect, and contempt.

Congressman Ellison: Bush = Hitler

Law and Disorder: Child Support

The issue of parental rights and child support continues to be one sided. Men continue to be subjugated to second-class citizens in their child’s life through unjust court discussions that punish men. But lately men who are not the biological fathers of a child are being persecuted with malice as well.

States and the judiciary claim to be rendering these decisions in the “best interest of the child,” but in fact it is in the best interest of the State coffers and the continuation of the failed welfare state (born of the Great Society policies of the 60’s) that drives these ridiculous laws and sequential court decisions.

A glaring example of a justice system gone mad is Francisco Rodriquez. Mr. Rodriguez is being forced to pay child support for a child that is not biologically his:

Francisco Rodriguez

The State of Florida is claiming that Mr. Rodriquez owes $10,000. Courts have ruled against Francisco Rodriquez, even when the child’s mother has testified that Mr. Rodriquez is not in fact the father. The courts reason…a paperwork deadline was not met.

What is more frustrating is that by all accounts Francisco Rodriguez is a decent, law- abiding person. Not the "dead-beat" dad the media likes to parade on screen as the embodiment of evil. All you have to do is watch this video to see how frustrating the process has been for Mr. Rodriguez:

Video - Francisco Rodriguez at CNN

Mr. Rodriguez is just the tip of the iceberg. Officer Michael Anderson paid over $80,000.00 in child support for another mans child (Tampa Police officer Michael Anderson). There are many other men who are being swindled into paying child support, with State legislators serving as the accomplice to the crime.

The State of Florida conducted a study to find out how many men, who were paying child support, were in fact not the fathers of the children. Through DNA testing it was discovered that at least one-third of the men were in fact NOT the father of the child. The child’s mother had initially identified the men in this study as the father. NO CHARGES were ever brought against the mothers for their misrepresentation of the facts. In the legal community this is called fraud and perjury. Fathers wishing to recoup their money were told by the State that they would have to file a civil case against the mother (!!!???).

In no other civil proceeding can the defendant be threatened with jail time. Yet in the case of the civil matter of child support, States (under the threat of losing federal funding) have enacted laws that place criminal penalties in a civil matter. These very same laws are being used to extort money from non-parental men. This is a Constitutional issue that the defendant cannot win because State budgets hang in the balance, or the defendants do not have the monetary support to fight their case. In this case the defendant can prove he is not the father, but the courts (supported by absurd State welfare/child support laws) just don’t care.

Mind you, I am not advocating that a parent be allowed to walk away from their responsibilities. However I am saying that societal immorality is being justified to allow continued support of failed welfare programs. One out of every three children is born out of wedlock, which is not in the “best interest of the child.” This type of behavior is being condoned through public assistance programs, which includes criminal penalties against a parent (which means men), and now non-parents. In the end the child suffers and a decent man such as Mr. Rodriguez are left without justice.

Betty Williams - Nobel Prize in Stupidity

Nobel Prize Winner (for Peace) Betty Williams was the guest speaker at the International Women’s Peace Conference held in Dallas on July 11, 2007. During her speech she received a standing ovation from the attendees after expressing a desire to kill President Bush and exclaiming that “It's hard to be an American and go out into the world right now.”

Ms. Williams also stated that "Unless the President of the United States is held responsible for what he's doing and what he has done, there's no one in the Muslim world who will forgive him." Is Ms. Williams truly that naïve to believe that it would take a mere false apology to end the violence? Notice Ms. Williams did not put any of the responsibility where it truly belongs, with the Muslim terrorist. Go figure!

Check out the story at the Dallas Morning News (which features a video link):

Nobel Prize Winner Betty Williams

The conference was suppose to be nonpartisan event (as was reflected by the audiences applause for the Bush comment), and speakers were ask not to discuss the Iraq War. Ms. Williams initially denied making the comment (which is to say she lied), but she learned that the "tapes don't lie (the event was recorded)."

Liberals love to express anger over Ann Coulters statements, but hardly a peep is made when one of their own advocates killing someone they disagree with. In fact the open hatred for President Bush demonstrates the "non-violent" hypocrisy of the far left.

A Time for Choosing

As I write this post our US Senate is once again debating the Iraq War. I do understand the despair of the American people that has brought our country to this place. We have grown weary, which is what our enemies want. But we must not travel down the road to surrender. We are a better nation than that.

Appeasement is not an option. If we stop today and leave Iraq to its own demise, we doom them and enviably ourselves. For better or worse we are that “last best hope” Ronald Reagan spoke of in 1964.

What makes us so different than the rest of the world? Why must America always be the one? Some say it is our history as the first true, free Republic, and our sense of obligation to those who seek freedom. Others would say it is our greed and imperialistic ways that drive us to dominate others.

I think the answer is far simpler. Americans know what it means to be truly free. Our faith and belief system makes us a caring nation, eager to help those in need. Our strength, though used with great reluctance, has freed slaves and rid continents of evil men who rule with dark hearts and discarded people as easy as throwing paper into the garbage.

It is times like this I wonder what Ronald Reagan would say. Though the years have passed and the names of our enemies have changed, Ronald Reagan’s “A Time for Choosing” speech contains the answer to the Iraq question. Not the easy answer, but the morally right answer.

New Taxachusetts

New Hampshire use to be a conservative state, which does not necessarily mean a Republican State (although that was the party that controlled the State for decades). Our motto “Live Free Our Die” pretty much use to sum up how hardcore the Citizens of New Hampshire were when it came to our personal liberties. However, a shift (or I should say an invasion) occurred in the mid-1990’s that moved New Hampshire away from its central, conservative beliefs.

Thousands of people from Massachusetts fled their State due to high taxes and socialist policies by the government they elected (90% of the representatives elected to the Massachusetts House are of the Democrat persuasion). They left Massachusetts for the appeal of New Hampshire. The appeal of New Hampshire’s greener pastures had been created and protect for years by the fourth largest, freely elect legislation in the World (Only the US Congress, British Parliament, and India's House are larger). A legislation that was overwhelmingly conservative. But thanks to the “revolution” of November of 2006, New Hampshire is now a blue state. You know, like the color blue your face turns when you are choking on something or someone is strangling you; both are true in the case of the “new” New Hampshire.

The problem is that you can take the person out of Massachusetts, but you can’t take the socialist out of the person. These refugees (or carpetbaggers, depending on who you talk to) have brought their socialist ways with them.

Aside from the fact that we now have Civil Unions (against the wishes of a majority of our citizens), repelled the Parent Notification Law (under pressure from Planned Parenthood, and through the means of a dubious court decision), that legislators attempted to ban the state motto, along with a Constitutional crisis relating to Education, we now have the largest budget in the history of our once fiscally conservative State. Our 2007 budget is 10.3 Billion Dollars, a whopping 11% increase over last year’s budget.

And how are we going to pay for this budget. The good, old Massachusetts way….tax increases (or worse yet, new taxes):

• Statewide property tax rate of $2.24 per $1,000 next year.



• 28 cents per pack cigarette tax increase, up from 80 cents. Which affects lower income, who we will in turn give the tax money back to instead of letting them keep it in the first place (?????).



• $6 vehicle registration fee increase for cars and light trucks; $3 increase for motorcycles; average $200 increase for heavy trucks.



• Applies 7 percent telecommunications tax to first $12 of residential phone bill, now tax exempt.



• $10 increase in resident permits to hunt wild turkey, up from $5. Nonresidents will pay $25 more, or $30.



• $25 surcharge added to civil court filings. Exempts actions involving children, domestic violence, small claims, stalking orders and landlord/tenant actions.



• $30 instant lottery tickets allowed (not a tax, just a vice).



• Increases fees on wetlands permits, nonresident moose hunting, terrain alteration and environmental tests.

To all of you who fled Massachusetts to escape the oppression of a Nanny State, where are you thinking about running to next? I wish you would make you minds up soon before we have to change the name of our State to New Mass-a-taxes!

Green Indeed!

In the absence of Woodstock, Lolapoolza,and the resurrection of Jerry Garcia, the modern day hippie has only the Live Earth Concerts to fall back on. One of the performers, Madonna, however has (as Ricky Ricardo would say) "some splaining" to do:

Madonna - Say It Ain't So!

The reality is that more energy and money will be wasted supporting the concerts than the cause is worth.

al-Qaeda Dance Party

The invitation has been delivered and now all that the “al-Qaeda” “freedom fighters” need to do is hire the limousines to deliver the bombs.
This story was but a blip at the major news outlets, which illustrates the compliancy that some news organizations are committed to:

Associated Press:

Al-Qaeda’s No. 2 has issued a new video tape calling on Muslims to unite in jihad, or holy war, and support the Islamist movement in Iraq, a U.S.-based intelligence monitoring group said Wednesday.

Ayman al-Zawahri is seen in the one-hour and 35 minutes tape dressed in white and addressing topics from Iraq to Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian territories and Egypt, said the U.S.-based SITE intelligence group, which monitors al-Qaeda messages.

The group said it had obtained the tape ahead of its release on the Internet by militant web sites, and issued a transcript of al-Zawahri’s remarks. The authenticity of the transcript could not be immediately verified.

In the tape, al-Zawahri encouraged Iraqis and Muslims in general to show greater support for the Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda insurgent front in the country, even though it lacks “necessary qualifications”, the SITE group quoted al-Zawahri as saying.

“The first thing which our beloved brothers in Iraq must realize is the critical nature of unity,” al-Zawahri was quoted as saying in the tape’s transcript released by SITE.

An Internet site deemed close to al-Qaeda’s leadership announced earlier Wednesday that “good news” would be coming soon.

Notice “al-Qaeda” called out to the Islamic State of Iraq (a group started and funded by Iran) and asked for unity amongst all the lunatic groups in Iraq killing in the name of Allah. This is an interesting development. A year ago al-Qaeda was willing to go it alone, but the recent alliance between US Troops and various Sunni tribes seems to be causing concern for al-Qaeda.

Now is not the time to relent or show weakness (yes…I mean all of you in the Democrat Party who are stumbling over each other for headlines). Now is the time to keep up the pressure and drive al-Qaeda out of Iraq and into Iran, as well as all the other groups back into Syria, Egypt, Indonesia, and any other rat hole these criminals crawled out of.

Navy Seal Danny Dietz

Against the wishing “of some concerned parents” such as Emily Cassidy (Denver Post: Parents Protest), a statue of Navy Seal Danny Dietz, who perished while serving in Afghanistan (Rocky Mountain News Profile of Danny), was dedicated on July 4, 2007( Slapstick Politics: Navy Seal Danny Dietz Memorial).

The stated opposition to the memorial was that it promoted violence, and its placement in a park close to an elementary school, sent the wrong message. What??!!??

Danny Dietz is the type of hero our elementary school children, or for that matter all Americans, need to learn about. I applaud the Citizens of Littleton, CO for standing with Danny’s family.

And for those people who opposed this memorial, what were you thinking? I find your stated reason (anti-gun) disingenuous and un-American. That’s right, un-American, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Danny Dietz is a hero and this memorial was the least we could do to thank him and his family for Danny’s sacrifice.

I am as Mad as Hell....

Living in the United States affords us many opportunities and freedoms. I am always in awe at how easy it is for us to speak openly of our dissent. This open dialogue plays out everyday through editorials and letters to the editor in local papers across America.

Whether it is a disagreement with a recent City Hall policy, a State budget discussion, or the direction our national leaders are taking us, the Forth Estate has remained one of the major vehicles for citizens to voice their opinions.

Newspaper readership is declining (except for those papers that offer their editions online), but letters to the editors are increasing because it remains one of the surefire ways for a regular person to share their thoughts with anyone who cares to listen.

Recently I read two letters to the editor that I thought merited sharing. The following two letters were printed in the July 4, 2007, edition of the Foster’s Daily Democrat of Dover, New Hampshire:

GOP bunglers — a fair analysis



To the editor:

I read Mr. Fergus Cullen's June 23 commentary and then saw Mr. Grimes' June 29 response on your viewpoint page. I think Mr. Grimes sums up Mr. Cullen's piece very well, however, you can see in his message the exact reason the GOP has bungled things.

Like the GOP, the Mr. Grimes espouses interview tag lines without really knowing the facts. Unlike the GOP, Mr. Grimes doesn't need to set the record straight to keep his job, a fact the GOP has absolutely failed to do.

For instance, "Nearly 50 million Americans have no health insurance ..." is a left wing propaganda stab. The truth is that out of the 45 million, 15-17 million are Medicare or Medicaid eligible and just do not sign up. Another 12 million are people uninsured for less than four months, mostly a rolling number who are between jobs. Another 9 million choose not to sign up for their companies insurance and most of them are under the age of 27 and feel that they are in good health and would rather buy a car or some new iPhone.

Additionally, Mr. Grimes notes that we are at the "brink of insolvency." This doesn't settle with the facts. The Department of Revenue has brought in more revenue than in any other time in history. The contributing factor is the Bush tax cuts which, like Reagan's tax cuts, put the U.S. in a period of tremendous growth. Have you seen the stock market lately?

Without these tax cuts the Clinton administration's gutting of income reporting rules that contributed to the crooks at MCI, Enron and Tyco scandals would have put our economy in a spiral that we still would not have recovered from.

As for the war, we just flat disagree. Like it or not America is the beacon of freedom around the world. Like the Monroe Doctrine dictates, if you wish for freedom and democracy the U.S. will be your most loyal friend.

I know, I know you think it is all about oil. Well maybe that's part of it too, but so what. If your friends in the Democratic Party and the environmental extremists don't let us build new refineries or nuclear power plants we are beholden to the whims and fancies of every nut that takes control in the Middle East. In this case we are invested in the stability of that region.

As a real conservative I will give you that in many areas the Republican Party has let us down and deserved what they got in the last election. However, if you really are fair in your analysis, what we have gotten is no better and in many ways much worse for the freedoms we have come to cherish. Look no further than the oxymoronic Fairness Doctrine.

Arnold Bennett

Rochester

Some things never do change



To the editor,

Mark Twain said there are three kinds of lies, "lies, damn lies and statistics."

Secular progressives justify the acceptance of weakened moral and ethical standards on the grounds that times have changed.

Times have changed. Throughout our prairie states people now live in houses with central heat and air conditioning instead of dirt-floored hovels with sod walls. Scientific and medical advances let many of us watch great grand children grow and develop.

Though times change, integrity, honor, truth, virtue and responsibility have not, do not and must not if civilization is to exist.

"Honor thy father and mother" nor "thou shalt not steal" have changed. The desirability of chastity has not changed and no liberal interpretation will erase the grief and unhappiness paid for its violation.

"Thou shalt not bear false witness" has not changed in fact but only in the practice of those willing to twist the truth to defame those whom they want to destroy.

Apparently John DiNella, who has assumed Carol Shea-Porter's position as a co-chair of the Rochester Democratic Committee, found my June 16 letter so dangerous it was necessary to obfuscate the words I wrote.

I spent a number of years in first grade teaching six-year-olds to write, read and cipher, to respect themselves and each other and the property owned by others. I never talk down to children. (shouldn't have to for adults) Children love to learn "big" words. Developing vocabulary is important because thinking is done in words. A love of words and their correct usage is one hallmark of an educated individual.

All great civilizations have fallen from within, as Rome did, when people lost their moral compass. This country can follow the Roman Empire's example. The Middle Eastern barbarians will pluck up our remains. Bush, and Blair will join Cicero in history's memory as leaders who tried to turn the tide.

Phyllis Johnson

Berwick, Maine

I have attached a link to the Foster's online edition. It is truly one of the best local papers available and worth a look.

Foster's Daily Democrat

Immigration: Do You Have What it Takes to be a Citizen?

If you were born is this country you have no obligation to prove that you are indeed worthy of being a Citizen of the United States. But what about those seeking citizenship? Those who look at this country as the beacon of freedom, the answer to their hopes for a bright future for themselves and their children? They must prove their dedication to what they hope will be their new home.

Aside from the fact that they must have a nearly unsoiled personal life, they also have to attend a series of classes culminating in the taking of a test. How well do you think you would do on that test?

MSNBC asked that very same question. Follow the link below if you think you have what it takes to be a US Citizen...and good luck. Just remember, if you fail you get to remain in the United States, which is not the case for someone seeking a new life in America.

Do you have what it takes to be a Citizen?

Independence Day 2007

Happy 4^th of July! To those severing in the US Military and their families a special thank-you for your service and devotion.

We have heard it time and again just how really blessed we are to have been born in the United States of America. For those of us who have woken up every morning with the warmth of the Sun in this free republic, have we truly taken inventory of our blessings? Or have we regrettably taken our lives for granted?

The freedom afforded us today came at a cost none of us will ever be able to repay. We have an obligation to honor those whose deeds of the past guaranteed our freedoms and security today. We must honor in action, not just in words, so that we can at least start to repay the debt we owe the millions who so bravely committed themselves to our liberty.

God Bless America

One Way to Make a Liberal Mad

Heads must be exploding across this great land now that President Bush commutation of Scooter Libby conviction has been reported. Mind you, every liberal pundit had been stating since the conviction that president Bush would pardon the former advisor, which he did not do. Commuting the sentence is not a pardon. Mr. Libby is still a convicted felon.

Commutation releases Mr. Libby from jail, but does not forgive the conviction or the fine. I will not get into the merits of the Libby case during this writing, but needless to say President Bush only got it half right.

Libby’s conviction and jail sentence was a slap in the face to the American justice system, especially when you consider former Clinton aide Sandy Burger stole and destroy classified documents and was never in fear of going to jail.

Our current leaders have turned Washington into the political equivalent of mud wrestling; unfortunately it is decent people like Scooter Libby that are getting dirty.

Scotter Libby Not Pardoned

Jeff Chidester

Price of Machetes

A disturbing story that confirms the "price and demand" market economy and illustrates how lucky we are to live in a free republic like America:

Price if Machetes Fall After Elections

It Sucks to be Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi probably is not enjoying her job very much these days. While Nancy Pelosi continues her strangle hold on ineptitude, her whole world is crashing down around her:

Pelosi’s support slips in her own state (Pelosi - The Honeymoon is Over)

Pelosi: “I am not happy with Congress.” Showing a lack of leadership, points the finger at the Republicans in the Senate (?) (That damn, vast right-wing conspiracy again!)

Pelosi: On Impeachment - "The President isn't worth it... he's not worth impeaching. We've got important work to do….Like failing on immigration and Iraq, raising taxes, passing non-binding resolutions, attacking Freedom of Speech (Fairness Doctrine) and achieving the lowest approval rating of any modern Congress (Profile in Incompetence)

Nancy Pelosi lacks the moral courage to continue serving as Speaker of the House. In order to call yourself a leader you need people who will follow you. Listen closely Nancy, those are crickets you are hearing in the House Chamber. Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats have squandered what little goodwill they had with the bitter American public that voted them into office out of anger.

Kennebunkport or Bust

Well the usual suspects were at again this weekend. This time a coalition of confused malcontents from groups such as Peace Action Maine, After Downing Street, Maine Campaign to Impeach, Maine Lawyers for Democracy, and United for Peace and Justice gathered in the small town of Kennebunkport to protest President Bush and Putin. I think Dogs for Peace may have had a contingency there as well, but they were immediately detained for public urination and violation of Kennebunkport’s strict leash laws (come to think of it…some of the members of the other groups could have been arrested on the same charges!).

From Maine Today.com:

“The crowd gathered at Kennebunkport’s Village Green, with speakers and musicians onstage and numerous protesters in the crowd participating in political theater. There was a coffin being drawn on a carriage, a group of Abu Graib “prisoners” in orange jumpsuits with black bags over their heads, people dressed up as the Statue of Liberty and a donkey with President Bush’s face.

Almost everyone had either a sticker, a sign or a T-shirt that summed up their mood, among them “Impeach Bush,” “Not one more dollar,” “Jail to the Chief,” and “Impeachment is Patriotic."

I am sure they were all eating “soy dogs,” wearing black armbands made of recyclable material (which can conveniently be used at the next “Save the Spotted Owl,” “Stop Global Warning,” or “Hillary Obama Edwards love fest”).

The only thing these groups managed to achieved, other than to show how stupid some Americans are, is snarl traffic in a major tourist town the weekend before the 4^th of July. One sure way to get your fellow liberals mad at you is to interrupt their Sunday shopping trip in a “quaint Maine village” with the inconvenience of a peace rally, or impeachment rally, or Save "Fill-in the blank (Darfur, Whales, Sudan) rally.

Bush Protest - Kennebunkport

American Reflections: The Gettysburg Address

“Four score and seven years ago….” So begins President Lincoln’s greatest speech and one of the most important speeches in American history. The Gettysburg Address was more than just a political speech however. In a time before media advisers and professional speechwriters President Lincoln had a heart felt conversation with an America questioning its identity and its resolve during the tragedy of the Civil War.

In the speech President Lincoln stated, “that the world would little note, nor long remember what we say here.” A few hundred words written on the back of a plain envelope must have seemed so simple in 1863, yet the strength of these words hold true even today.

President Lincoln is now admired as one of our greatest leaders, yet in 1863 President Lincoln was loathed by Northerner or Southerner alike. Some looked upon Lincoln as "less than intelligent..a country bumpkin." The Civil War seemed to be going terrible for the North. Elected representatives, former military leaders, and everyday citizens had grown weary of the war. Charges of mismanagement, poor battlefield leadership, and accusations that the soldiers of the North lack the commitment and the desire to win.

There was tremendous infighting within President Lincoln’s administration and numerous conflicts with Congress. Many advisers warned President Lincoln not to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, and President Lincoln suspension of Habeas Corpus in 1861 infuriated Congress and the Supreme Court. In fact the Supreme Court ruled the suspension of Habeas Corpus “unconstitutional,” stating that the writ could not be suspended without the approval of Congress. President Lincoln ignored the Supreme Court, an act that surely would have brought on the wrath of the ACLU.

Too many times President Lincoln stood alone in his convictions, and paid dearly with his popularity. Yet we know very little of the “negative” aspects of Lincoln’s endeavors that helped ensure “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

In November of 1863, weighted down by the burdens of our Civil War, President Lincoln reminded us of our obligations to all nations seeking liberty and hoping for a chance to be a free republic when he said “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

The Gettysburg Speech was meant to honor those soldiers that died during that battle that was fought between July 1 and July 3, of 1863. But the truth of the speech was to also remind us, the living, “that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”

Something to ponder this 4th of July.