Opponents to I-912 slow to get started

As reported here, pro gas tax groups have been slow "getting off the dime" in opposing I-912, which would repeal the onerous 9.5 cent per gallon tax increase passed (by "emergency" decree, no less, thwarting any possibility of a citizens referendum on this) by our Dem dominated state legislature.

House Transportation Committee Chairman, Ed Murray (D-Seattle - what else?), said that, "The silence is rather interesting at this late date in the game.", adding, "Alan Mullay (executive VP of Boeing) and John Rindlaub (former president of the greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce) stated after the nickel passage that it wasn't good enough and the Legislature hasn't gone far enough to fix transportation, " adding further, "And now we've gone further than everybody's wildest transportation dreams. It's time for them to step up and perform the same sort of miracle at the ballot as we did in the Legislature."

Everybody's wildest transportation dreams? Obviously Mr. Murray is only including Dems in that "Everybody" statement, as this gas tax bill was opposed by Reps in both the House and the Senate.

Miracle? The only "miracle" that occured in the legislature is that the Dems had enough votes to pass this new tax by declaring an emergency, thereby negating a People's Referendum on it. So, Mr. Murray wants those who are for the new gas tax to perform the same type of "miracle", which to me sounds like he wants to deny the people of the State of Washington a voice in how, not to mention how much, they are taxed.

Mr. Murray, it seems, is following the new "motto" of the DNC - Lie, Cheat, and Steal. Do whatever it takes to win. Mr. Murray also seems to have forgotten one thing - the people.

We demand a voice, Mr. Murray, in how this state is run, whether it be through laws passed in the legislature, through referendum, or by the initiative process. You would do well to remember that.

Issaquah City Ordinance being challenged in court

As I first reported here, the City of Issaquah was to vote on an ordinance restricting where convicted sex offenders could live within the city limits, in an effort to keep them as far as possible away from children.

Well, the ordinance passed, and went into effect on September 1st, but as reported here, this ordinace is being challenged in court by - you guessed it - those "defenders of the oppressed (including convicted sex offenders)", the ACLU.

They are challenging this on the grounds that this ordinance is "unconstitutional" in that it violates the rights of the sex offenders to live wherever they please, stating that it is "cruel and unusual punishment" to make them live where there aren't any children around that they can prey upon.

What about the rights of children to not be victims of sexual predation? What about the rights of the parents of those children, to have their children not live in fear of being sexually assaulted? What about that, ACLU?

The ACLU supposedly defends those who are not able to defend themselves, right? Well, doesn't that include children, who are among the least able to defend themselves?

The ACLU is one of the most morally reprehensible organizations inflicting this planet, insinuating their morally bankrupt agenda into nearly every facet of civilized society, and they need to be confronted, and hopefully stopped, every time they attempt to do something like this.

Note to the judge(s) who will be hearing this case - consider very carefully which way you decide the outcome of this lawsuit, by taking into consideration the very real vulnerability of the children this ordinance strives to protect, versus the so-called "rights" of convicted sexual predators to live in close proximity to children that they could prey upon.

KC Elections supervisor may be fired

As reported here, KC Elections Director Dean Logan may fire the absentee-ballot supervisor, Nicole Way because of the foul ups with absentee-ballots in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

A brief recap of the foul ups - absentee-ballots not being mailed in time to overseas voters; absentee-ballot envelopes being sent out with no ballots inside; not finding 96 ballots in time to count them last November; failing to find valid signatures on file, but counting those ballots anyway; and improperly reporting the tabulation of absentee-ballots.

Now, I don't know about you, but I know that if I had made that many consistant errors in my job (and lied about it), I would have been fired long ago! Why it has taken Dean Logan so long to come to this conclusion is beyond me!

Hopefully, more "heads will roll", including Dean Logan's.

This is how you Leftists support our troops?!?!

As reported here, anti-American leftist extremist protesters (who say they support our troops) are standing outside Walter Reed Army Medical Center - where troops wounded in battle come to receive treatment and rehabilitation - protesting against both the war in Iraq, and the troops participation in that war! Among some of the things they are doing is waving signs and banners saying, "Maimed for Lies", and "Enlist here and die for Halliburton" (which reminds me - why was it ok for Clinton to give Halliburton no-bid contracts, but it's not ok that Bush did it?). They have also laid out coffins on the sidewalk draped with American flags!

This is simply outrageous! Talk about shades of the Vietnam War protests! What's next? Are the protesters going to start spitting on our returning troops - wounded or not - and start calling them baby killers?

This is how you anti-American leftist extremists "support" our troops? If so, please stop "supporting" our troops!

Mark Steyn weighs in on Cindy

I have resisted posting about the anti-American, anti-Semitic, tool of the Left, "bereaved" mother of Casey Sheehan, because, as Mark Steyn puts it, " ... it seems obvious that she was at best a little unhinged by grief and at worst mentally ill."; besides, there have been so many stories in the MSM, and in the blogosphere, that I really didn't feel the need to put in my two cents worth.

But, having said that, let me say this. I am sypathetic for her loss, as I am for all of those who have lost loved ones in the GWOT, Afghanistan, and in Iraq, not forgetting to also mention, New York City, Washington D.C., and that field in Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Sheehan, in my opinion, you need to get beyond this anger stage in your grief, and move into the acceptance stage, before you suffer permanent damage to your psyche.

The Real Hollywood

As seen through the eyes of a Jewish screen writer, who just happens to be a Republican. Very eye opening article, brought to us by our friends at Front Page Magazine.

Democrats need to lose the shrillness

Over the past several election cycles, the Democrats have become increasingly shrill in their outbursts against Republicans, with their innuendos, twisting of facts, and outright lies, as they have lost power, from the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the White House.

You see it every day, it seems, in the MSM from the likes of Kennedy, Pelosi, Boxer, Reid, and from a possibly borderline psychotic Howard Dean (I hate Republicans!), among others. Even "Madame Hillary" is guilty of this, with her Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (of which I am a proud member, btw, in case you hadn't guessed) comment several years ago. And they wonder why they're having problems attracting moderates to their party?

In this opinion piece, George F. Will takes them to the wood shed about their shrillness, and gives them more than a few blisters on their back side.

Will (no pun intended) they take heed? Doubtful.

Obese woman files complaint against doctor

As reported here, an obese woman filed a complaint against her doctor with state medical authorities, because he basically told her she was too fat. The state medical authorities turned the case over to the state Attorney General, who has been "investigating" this "incident" for over a year now.

Earlier this past week, while listening to the Bob Rivers Show, the doctor in question was interviewed (see here), and I was more than a little angered to find out that the AG doing the "investigation" was a Republican appointee who, according to the doctor, received her position through dubious means. To read more of the doctor's story, go here.

This doctor sounded to me to be the kind of doctor I would want to have - while pulling no punches in describing the possible consequences of a condition someone may have, still maintaining his human compassion in describing what the person can do to make positive health changes in their life - and yet, a woman who is obese and has developed diabetes and acid reflux disease because of her obesity, became offended because her doctor told her something she didn't want to hear - that she is too fat for her own good, and that if she doesn't make changes in her life, she'll die.

I'm not entirely sure that this woman is claiming to be a victim (of what - being told the truth?) or not, but it appears to me that this could be the case. After all, what is the motivation for her to file a complaint against her doctor?

I've struggled with my weight from the time I was seven years old, growing up as a fat kid, and hearing all of the names other kids call fat kids. Did that hurt me emotionally? Of course it did. No one likes to hear things like that - especially if it's the truth - and I was no exception to that. After reaching 209 pounds at the age of 17, on a 5' 7" frame, I got motivated (by wnating to have a girlfriend - what else, eh?) to lose weight, eventually losing 59 pounds. At a later stage in my life, I once again ballooned up to 209 pounds, and after a major struggle, managed to get back down to 160.

People who were concerned about my health, implored me to lose weight. Did I like what I heard? Definitely not, but I knew they were right, and so I lost the weight - again. I've been up and down over the years, getting up to 190 or so, and am now right around 170, which I've managed to maintain for the last three or four years, but not without difficulty.

My point to this post? If you have a medical condition, and go to a doctor about it, expect to hear the truth - if your doctor is ethically responsible - even if you don't like it! When you hear the truth, act on it in a positive way, instead of running to your state's medical board and whining to them that your doctor is a meanie!

The woman who filed the complaint needs to quit being such a baby, grow up, get the "cure" for the obvious "hand to mouth disease" she has, face the reality that she's fat, and needs to lose weight! It's as simple as that.

Why do people oppose the death penalty?

As a Christian I am committed to the idea that all people are capable of changing and becoming a Christian. There are no individuals that are outside of this possibility. However, there are some individuals that have chosen to follow paths that take them where no one should go. I speak of sexual offenders. I speak especially of sexual offenses against children, whether boys or girls. The thing that is listed in the story has allegedly been involved in crimes that beg for it to be killed. Even if the thing has had any remorse for its actions, there has not been any change in its practices. If it is convicted of its crimes again, what should be done to it? Feed and clothe it for the rest of its life? Give it counseling so that it can feel better about itself? Give it a chance for parole in a few years so that it can go out and reoffend? What is it about some groups that oppose the death penalty that they would go out of their own way to try to stop these things from being prevented from reoffending ever again? Offenses against children, whether physical or sexual abuse when proven to be habitual, need to have the greatest punishments meted out to the offenders as is possible. One child being killed by abuse should rate in the highest category of murder. One child being sexually abused should carry with it punishment in the realm of a high crime and many years in prison. When these things get out, they should not have the ability to reoffend, even if they were only convicted of one offense. One child killed where sexual abuse has taken place should rate one sentence with no appeal allowed, death. The offenders have taken themselves out of the area of being able to change and taking the offenders out of life will enable more children to live a life that they should have. The death penalty is a harsh thing, but what about that of the dead abused?

Conduct unbecoming

As reported here, an Air Force Lt. Colonel was arrested for vandalism after admitting he was responsible for the obliteration of pro-Bush bumper stickers, and spray painting "F*** Bush" on the sides of vehicles.

The Air Force is taking a wait-and-see attitude in this case, allowing local jurisprudence to run it's course, before taking any action. If convicted, I would like to see the Air Force bring a charge of "Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman", and, "Bringing dishonor upon the Armed Forces of the United States" against this guy, which is a heavy charge, and could land him in the stockade (or even prison) and garner a dishonorable discharge.

Why? Because I'm pro-Bush? NO!

For one thing, in this country we are guaranteed the right to free expression by the Constitution, and for another, regardless of an individuals personal political leanings, ALL military personnel take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution! This guy abrogated his responsibility and his oath by doing what he did, and he deserves the harshest possible punishment for his actions.

Hat tip - fellow blogger, reality hammer

Another trip down the road paved with good intentions

And we know where that road leads, right?

As reported here, Canadian law makers are considering legislation to give unprecedented powers to Canadian police to enable them to intercept your e-mail, and obtain data about you from your ISP, without obtaining permission from the Canadian courts.

The "good intention" here is to assist law enforcement to monitor, and deter, terrorist and criminal activities. This is a laudable goal, however, the end does NOT justify the means. If I was a Canadian, I would be very worried about this.

Hat tip - agtiger

American Imperialism?

This is an interesting opinion piece. Tell me if you agree or disagree with the stated position of the writer.

P-I editorial board gets it wrong - again

In this op-ed piece, the P-I editorial board uses too broad of a brush to paint the attitude about the Iraq War here in Seattle, citing the "vigils" the local leftist moonbats are having to show their support for Cindy Sheehan as being representative.

Note to the P-I editorial board - Not everyone here is opposed to the war in Iraq. But you wouldn't know that, now would you.

The Dems call for more documents about Roberts?

As reported here, over 38,000 documents relating to Judge Roberts have been released, and the Dems are salivating over some items, but are demanding the release of about 2000 more documents from the White House. Why? So they can see if there is more "ammunition" they can use against Roberts, of course.

38,000 documents aren't enough? Give me a break!

Voters need to take responsibility for how they vote

So says Washington State's Secretary of State, Sam Reed, as reported here.

Voters need to take responsibility for how they vote, to avoid another debacle as happened in 2004.

Well, all I can say is: DUH!

"You don't speak for me, Cindy"

I recently received an e-mail from the organization, "Move America Forward", which is planning a caravan to go to Crawford, Texas, to counter Cindy Sheehan, and to tell her that she doesn't speak for them. The text of the e-mail is below.

"Move America Forward's "You Don't Speak For Me, Cindy!" Caravan

MoveAmericaForward.org

Supporters of U.S. Troops and their Mission in Iraq Plan Caravans to Texas.

Move America Forward will be conducting the “You Don’t Speak for Me, Cindy” caravan beginning [this] week. It will feature military family members who have loved ones serving in the war against terrorism in Iraq or Afghanistan. The delegation will be led by Deborah Johns of Marine Moms. (Her son has served in Operation Iraqi Freedom).

Main caravan leaves from San Francisco, California on Monday, August 22nd. Other caravans will depart from around the country. If you want to be part of a caravan, email us with your name and location you will depart from and we will include in our caravan coverage so people in your area can depart with you.

Everyone arrives in Crawford, Texas for a giant “We Support Our Troops AND Their Mission” Rally on Saturday, August 27, 2005.

If you have a loved one serving in Iraq or Afghanistan and would like to join the caravan please contact Move America Forward’s Robert Dixon: Robert@MoveAmericaForward.org

This message brought to you by http://TroopsSupport.com"

I encourage any or all of you who can, to join in the caravans, and show Cindy what people really think about her.

Judge rules that Garrett can't run for Seattle Mayor

An update on a previous post of mine.

As reported here, Garrett can't run for Seattle Mayor, because as a convicted felon, he has to have his voting rights restored - which hasn't happened - before he can register to vote, and you must be a registered voter to run for public office in Seattle.

This is the guy who assaulted then Mayor Paul Schell in the face with a bull horn in front of several witnesses, some of whom were high ranking police officials, and then flat out denied that he did it. Not only was it proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he in fact assaulted Schell, he was convicted of the assault, and because he has failed to do what is required to have his voting rights restored so he can register to vote, he can't run for any public office in Seattle.

We're not Washington, D.C., and won't be electing someone of the likes of Marion Barry. That is definitely a good thing.

AP not telling the whole story in Iraq

But, so what else is new?

As reported in this NY Times article, various editors of newspapers from around the country who make up the Associated Press had a little conference to "ponder how to present a broader picture" of what's happening in Iraq.

This was prompted by a series of "anonymous e-mail polemics", asking the recipients if we (meaning the general public) knew, among other things, that 47 countries had re-established embassies in Iraq, and that 3100 schools had been renovated, concluding with "Of course we [don't] know! Our media doesn't tell us!"

One of the editors, Rosemary Goudreau had forwarded the e-mails to Mike Silverman, managing editor of the AP, and asked if there was a way to check any of these "assertions" and "put them into context". Other editors made remarks that their reporters were developing a "bunker mentality ... preventing them from getting out and explaining the bigger picture beyond the daily death tolls."

Ms. Goudreau continued, saying that "It was uncomfortable questioning the AP, knowing that Iraq is such a dangerous place, but there's a perception we're not telling the whole story."

A perception? How about, it's a simple fact that the AP is not telling the whole story! "Bunker mentality"? Shades of Vietnam, where repoters rarely, if ever, ventured outside of their hotel, and literally phoned in their reports from the hotel bar. The same thing is happening in Iraq, folks. That is one of the reasons (another being leftist ideology) that the AP does not report what else is happening in Iraq.

Although there are areas in Iraq that are extremely dangerous, the majority of the country, for the most part, is relatively safe. Work is being done in those areas that we - the general public - need to hear about. Normal Iraqi's are going about their daily lives in these areas. We need to know about this! Repoters need to get off their "back sides", get out of the hotel bar, go to these areas away from Baghdad and the "Sunni Triangle", and tell us what is happening!

Progress in Iraq is being made! Don't believe me? Go here, and read all about it.

Note to the editors of the AP - want to check if these "assertions" are true or not? Then tell your reporters to get out of the hotel bar, and start doing their jobs properly, instead of just phoning it in. Not getting the whole picture from you is NOT a "perception". It's a fact!

Hat tip - littlebee55

Dean Logan to keep his job as KC Elections Director

As reported here, Dean Logan will keep his job despite the advice of a "high profile" task force appointed by King County Executive Ron "King" Sims. Although that's disappointing, it doesn't surprise me either, as Sims appointed Logan, and has been covering Logan's backside through all of the foul ups in last Novembers election (and the foul ups in 2003 and 2002!).

Why is Sims doing this? To cover his own back side, of course. It seems as if Sims can't admit making a mistake, especially when the mistake has been the whopper that it has been.

I think we can expect more foul ups this coming November with Logan still in charge.

Remorse for doing his job?

Hiroshima and Nagasaki each suffered the effects of an atomic bomb. As a result of the bombs being dropped, Hirohito chose to intervene against his own military council and ended the war. The bombs were devastating, yet they didn't do as much damage as had the fire bombing of Tokyo. It was a new type of bomb that caused Japan to see that they could not win. Their only course was suicide or surrender. Sixty years have passed since those bombs were dropped and none have been used in war since then. On the NBC news coverage of the event, Brian Williams asked the pilot of the Enola Gay, the plane carrying the bomb to Hiroshima, if he had any remorse for dropping the bomb. The response? "No, I was doing my job to try to end the war." We were being faced with the strong possibility of horrific casualties on both sides by invading any of the Japanese home islands. How come we have come to the point that many of the people of this country are sorry or remorseful for using a specific weapon? What makes them feel that a rifle with a bayonet is preferable to an atomic bomb? What makes them think that ending a war with more casualties on the enemies side is not a good idea? I realize that there were some awful pictures of the destruction both of people and the cities. This may have helped to keep us from using these weapons again, but I don't think that using them to end a terrible war with Japan was wrong or that we should feel remorse for using them.

A brief update

This post folks, ironically enough, is the post getting the most hits on our little blog, and yet - amusingly enough - there have been no comments posted. Zip, nada, none. Hmmmm! I wonder why not?

Oh, and an update - the City of Seattle employee who used a tax payer funded computer to do a search on this post, and visited our little blog twice - twice! - to look at this post while at work, has not made a reappearance ... well not using his/her computer at work, anyway.

Candidate for Mayor may get booted from ballot

As reported here, Omari-Tahir Garrett may get booted off of this November's ballot as a candidate for Mayor.

Why? Because he is a convicted felon, and has not had his voting rights restored. And what was he convicted of, you ask? For assaulting then Mayor Paul Schell, with a bull horn - in the face! - which Garrett said he didn't do, as he was nowhere near the scene of the incident at the time. This was proven to be false, as there was video of him doing the assault, plus several high ranking Seattle PD officials happened to witness the assault.

For once, KC Elections Director Dean Logan is doing something right!

Seattle only 16th most liberal city?

As reported here, Seattle ranked as only the 16th most liberal city in the US. I'm shocked - shocked I tell you! - at this result. From living here, it seems that - at least to me - there must be a flaw somewhere in that study, as I would have though that Seattle would have at least been iin the top ten!

I think I'll move to Hialeah, Fla., which ranked way down on the study, coming in at the 4th most conservative city, following Provo, Utah, Lubbock and Abilene, Texas.

Issaquah City Council gets it right

As reported here, the Issaquah City Council will be voting on a strict ordinance Monday, to prohibit convicted sex offenders from living within 1000 feet of schools or day care facilities. If passed (which is an almost certainty), this will go into effect at the end of this month.

How much do you want to bet the ACLU will sue to have this ordinance struck down, with the likely premise being that it unfairly "targets" a certain "segment" of society, totally disregarding the segment of society that this ordinance is designed to protect, namely children?

Another child found home alone

As reported here, a two year old toddler was found alone, and covered in his own excrement, while his father was out trying to find crack cocaine. The police eventually figured out that the father had been gone for over six hours!

Explain to me again, why we should legalize drugs?

Oh, what tangled webs we weave.

As reported here, a Libertarian public interest law firm has counter sued to have the Thurston County Judges decision regarding "in-kind campaign contributions" preliminary injunction over turned.

To bring you up to speed on this, I-912 is the Initiative to roll back the unnecessary gas tax hike the Dem dominated Legislature has foisted on us, and two talk radio hosts - John Carlson and Kirby Wilbur - urged listeners to sign the Initiative petition to get it on the November ballot. Well, the campaign for I-912 got sued by several state entities, who claimed that comments by Carlson and Wilbur were "in-kind campaign contributions", and that the I-912 campaign needed to report that to the State Public Disclosure Committee, and send in the money.

This has definite free speech implications, which could have an effect on all bloggers (including me) and radio talk show hosts, on both sides of the political aisle. For example, if I came out an advocated for a particular individual in an election, an their campaign didn't report my advocacy, their campaign could be fined, and I could be shut down - all thanks to that Thurston County Judges murky interpretation of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I have the Constitutional right to say what I want, whenever I want to, and I'll fight - all the way to the US Supreme Court if needed - any attempts to stifle me.

How much debt is too much?

Bill Virgin, a business columnist for the Seattle P-I, asks a very important question. How much debt is too much for the region? It seems that no one really knows.

As a matter of fact, no one seems to know just exactly how much the tax payers in Washington are in debt, which is astounding! There is no one central record to tell us how much we owe for all of the programs the Legislature, and Initiatives, have obligated us to.

This needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Initiative 912 gains ballot spot

As reported here, I-912 will be on the November ballot. I-912 would repeal the unnecessary gas tax hike the Dem dominated legislature foisted on the people, but wouldn't affect weight fees, or other license fees.

In our state, a People's Initiative, to be constitutional, must limit itself to a single item, and then receive enough valid registered voters signatures to be placed on an election ballot. I-912 succeeded in both requirements, and I believe that it will succeed in November, too.

This guy is so wrong, on so many levels

Robert Jamieson usually gets it right, but not this time. But, Republican State Senator Pam Roach does.

What am I talking about? It's Sen. Roach's efforts to get bestiality to be a Class C felony in Washington State. Currently, there are no State laws against this sick and perverted act, and there should be!

Apparently, Robert thinks that this shouldn't be criminalized. I have a question for you, Robert. If you don't think this should be illegal, where do you draw the line?

My, my. Isn't this interesting?

As most of you are probably aware, we use a counter on our blog - StatCounter - and their little program does a really nice job. It tells us how many people have visited the site on any given day; whether they are a first time, or returning, visitor; how long they stayed; where they came from, along with some other interesting informational tidbits.

Among those other informational tid bits are the following items:

Your IP address;
Your computer host;
Your ISP.

Now, normally, I ignore that information, as I'm not quite that geeky, but our blog had a visitor today (Aug. 8th), who actually stopped by twice. Once at 12:29 PM, and again at 12:31 PM local time, to check out the post I did about the man who was killed by a horse (yes, that one). Ordinarily, I wouldn't give a whit which post a particular individual was checking out, but for this visitor? You could say I am intrigued. Why?

Because of the following information.
IP address = 156.74.250.7 (meaningless to most of you, I know. Bear with me, ok?)
Computer Host = global.ci.seattle.wa.us
ISP = City of Seattle

Now, as far as I know, only City of Seattle employees have access to that ISP, and that brings to mind some questions, and one assumption. The assumption is that this City employee was using his (generic form of the word) tax payer funded computer during lunch to surf the web, which I really don't have a problem with, to be honest.

The questions I have are, has this emplyee been tasked to search for entries regarding the subject at hand, and if so, why? Is there going to be a City Ordinance banning such practices? That would be my hope.

Or, is this City of Seattle employee a closet pervert, who is using tax payer funded City computers to search for porn?

I'd like some answers, Mr./Ms. City of Seattle employee. Just why were you interested in that particular subject, which you searched for on Google? If it was for an honest reason, please leave your answers in the comment section.

If your interest was not honest ... well, I wonder what your supervisor, or the Mayor, would think of your pursuits. Your IP address, which is a unique identifier of the computer you used, is now public information, and could be used to track you down.

The troubles facing Seattle

The problems facing Seattle are numerous, and it seems that many in power are wearing blinders, as are the voters. In this op-ed piece, Ted Van Dyk lays out what he sees are the problems with Seattle, and its politics. Are the problems insurmountable? Not if we - the voters and local politicians - act responsibly.

I don't often agree with much of what Mr. Van Dyk writes, but in this case I do.

A personal note

A short time back, I complained to some friends that although this blog was getting a lot of hits, almost no one was making any comments to what I, or my brother, had posted. I remarked that I was encouraged by the number of hits to our blog we were getting, but disappointed that no one was commenting.

One of my friends let me know that she wanted to comment on some of the posts, but that she didn't know how, and it occurred to me that perhaps others didn't know how to, either (okay, so I'm slow sometimes). So a brief tutorial is in order.

To make (or read) a comment on any post, simply click on the word "Comment" that you see in the lower left corner of every post. A small window will pop up, allowing you to type in your comment. When you are done, simply click on the "Publish" button at the bottom, and your comment will be added to the post.

I welcome any and all comments to any post, from anyone. I do ask that you keep your comment civil however, so please, no vulgar language, ok? I do read whatever comments are made, and will respond as time allows.

If you agree with what we have written, let us know, and let us know why. If you don't agree with what we have written, let us know that, too, and let us know why you disagree. Although both my brother and I are Conservatives, neither of us has a closed mind to reasoned debate. Debate is healthy, and is what our nation was built upon.

So, please, let us know what you think!

Thanks in advance.

The new Dem mantra

Byron York, in this commentary, tells us what the new Dem mantra is - "Abuse of power!". The Dems are all parroting this phrase over the recess appointment of John Bolton by President Bush as UN Ambassador, with Sen. Ted Kennedy saying it is a "devious manuever".

Sen. Kennedy needs to read the Constitution, however, as it clearly states that the President has the necessary authority to make recess appointments as needed.

Don't tie our hands

In this opinion piece, there is a push on in Congress to limit interrogation methods of suspected terrorists to an Army Field Manual on the subject, something the terrorists are well acquainted with, and receive training to counter.

The Army Field Manual on interrogation is a good place to start, but if terrorists are receiving training on how to counter those interrogation methods - which they are - and our interrogators are restricted from using other methods to obtain information, this could very well cost people their lives! Our interrogators must be allowed to change interrogation techniques as the situation warrants!

This is another example of PCism - be nice to those poor people, even though they misguidedly want to kill (all of) us! - based on "good intentions".

How does that old saying go? "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."? Yeah, I think that's right.

Scandal? What scandal?

There is a scandal brewing that most folks don't know about, because the MSM is "sitting" on the story. Why are they "sitting" on it? Because it involves a media organization that is of like mind as the majority of the MSM - i.e. extremely liberal. And what media organization would that be, you ask? Why the "darling" of the liberal media, Air America.

For details on this, go here, here, here, and here.

Now, if this was about Rush Limbaugh, or the guys at Powerline, don't you suppose that this would be front page - above the fold - news? Oh, you know it would be! But, because it's about a "darling" of the liberal press, the rest of the MSM is just "sitting" on it, hoping it will all blow over.

Note to the liberal MSM - guess again!

Congress asked to probe ACLU

As reported here, Congress has been asked to probe the activities of the ACLU - the organization that hates America in general, and particularly Christians.

Congress should do more than just probe the ACLU, in my opinion. They should do whatever it takes to shut the ACLU down - permanently.

"Views" on "issues" vs. following the Constitution

In this opinion piece, Thomas Sowell weighs in on Senate questions regarding Judge Roberts' "views".

What is more important in considering a nominee for the highest court in the land? His "views" on certain "hot button issues", such as abortion, or whether he or she will follow established law and the Constitution (which, by the way, he or she will be sworn to defend and uphold).

I think you are all smart enough to figure that one out.

Blair gets it right, in getting tough

As reported here, Prime Minister Tony Blair, with Parliament backing him, is getting tough on extremists and hate mongers, by passing new laws, some of which take effect immediately. Of course, with the new laws, comes the hand wringing by the liberals, who say that these new laws are infringing on free speech, which will cause civilization as we know it to cease to exist.

Let me clue you in on something, folks. If we don't get tough on those pushing extremist views and hate mongers, and let them continue with spewing their vile bile, civilization as we know it will come to an end - and a most unpleasant end it would be.

Mayor proposes new fee on property developers

As reported here, Mayor Nichols has proposed a new fee on property developers to fund the creation of larger "green", and open, spaces in the city. Here are the pro's and con's of this proposal, as I see it.

The Pro's -

Pros are that possibly instead of the dinky little "green spaces" (that almost no one uses) developers are now required to provide on their property, this fund would go to larger "green spaces"; parks and open spaces are good.

The Con's -

Cons are that the fee could be from $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot of developed property, which may be cost prohibitive in some developers minds; if developers think this fee is too "onerous", they could leave the city, taking jobs and tax revenue with them. We need details to really determine if this is actually a good idea, or a "kill the goose that lays the golden egg" idea.

Stay tuned.

Energy audit to be done in new Seattle City Hall Building

As reported here, due to the high energy usage in the new Seattle City Hall building, an energy audit will be done to determine why the new building uses more energy that the old building did. Part of the reason is the start up period of the new building, as the building systems were brought on line and tested, which always results in high initial energy use and, hence, costs. Over time, the costs should come down, if it is as efficient as the builders said it would be.

I previously posted about this here, and here, and I'm still amused at the surprise - borne of ignorance in this kind of situation - of the city officials.

PCism run amok in the UK

As reported here, and here, cops in Bedfordshire must follow a strict list of rules before entering a residence owned by a Muslim. The first thing they must do is remove their shoes. Read both articles for the rest of the rules. If you're anything like me, you too will be shaking your head in disbelief at the stupidity of these requirements.

After the two recent terrorist attacks in London, you'd think that people would come to their senses, but apparently not. It's unfortunate that PCism has become global, as it is a scourge.

The question on my mind now is, are they going to not allow the cops to makes raids on suspected Muslim terrorist residences on Friday's?

Libertarian Party is at it again

As reported here, the Libertarian Party has moved to seize, via emminent domain, the 167 acre property of Supreme Court Justice Breyer, to turn it into a "Constitution Park", echoing efforts to seize Justice Souter's home for a hotel. Both Breyer and Souter voted to allow governments to seize private property through invoking emminent domain, for whatever reason.

Will either effort succeed? Only time will tell, but I'm finding this to be deliciously amusing.

Kudos to the Libertarian Party!

Senate passes bill to protect gun manufacturers from frivoulous lawsuits

As reported here, the Senate passed a bill to protect gun manufacturers from frivoulous lawsuits; of course, Washington States Sen.'s Murray and "Can't-do-well" both voted against the bill - no surprise there. What this bill does is protect the manufacturers of a legal product from lawsuits over improper/illegal use of their product, putting the responsibility on the illegal/improper use of that product on those who perpetrate the crime. Now the House needs to get on board.

Folks, a gun is a tool, just like a hammer is a tool. It is neither "good" nor "evil". A hammer can be used to inflict injury or death upon an individual, but does anyone out there want a ban on, say, 12 pound sledge hammers just because those hammers can inflict extreme injury on someone? Of course not. Hammers, even 12 pound sledge hammers are merely tools, and when used properly are quite effective tools. However, when used improperly, they can cause injury or death, but is that the fault of the hammer? In a word, no. It is the fault/responsibility of the person using the hammer.

This principle also applies to guns, but liberals just don't get that.

Convicted Terrorist Ressam gets 22 years

As reported here, convicted terrorist Ahmed Ressam will possibly spend a minimum of 14 (out of 22 years) in prison. Why only 14 years? He's getting credit for time served, plus there is a possibility that he may receive a drop for good behavior.

Ahmed Ressam is the terrorist who was caught back in 1999 with a bomb in the trunk of his rental car, which he planned on using at Los Angeles International Airport during the Millenium Celebrations.

Ahmed Ressam is also the terrorist who was cooperating with the FBI, until he learned that he was being referred to as ... a terrorist (gasp!), at which time he went into a major pout, and clammed up, saying he was offended by being called a terrorist. Now his Federal Public Defender, Tom Hillier, says that Ressam has renounced terrorism, and shouldn't be called that anymore because it hurts Ahmed's feelings. IF Ressam has indeed renounced terrorism, then he should be willing to continue to cooperate with the FBI, regardless of what he is called in the media!

In my book, anyone caught with a bomb, who was planning on blowing up airplanes - and the people in them - is a terrorist! Plain and simple!

Note to Ahmed - if the shoe fits, wear it.

Voyeurism is not a crime against a person in Washington State?

In this liberal enclave, known as Washington State, where the Dem dominated Legislature passes "nanny" laws williy-nilly, voyeurism is not considered a crime against a person? Not even if the voyeurism is directed at young teenagers? I'm amazed, appalled, and outraged all at the same time by this!

As reported here, a Tumwater man, Donald Mason was caught videotaping young teens (both boys and girls) as they were using a pool side restroom facility, and after his initial court appearance, he was allowed to post a measly $2,500.00 bond - the bond was that low, because voyeurism is not considered a crime against a person!

Fortunately, wiser heads prevailed, and Mr. Mason was re-arrested, and this time the bail was set at $50,000.

If Mr. Mason is convicted of the three charges against him, he should be classified as a Level 3 sex offender (highly likely to re-offend), and be sent to McNeil Island with the rest of the perverts.

I hope that at least one member of our State Legislature is outraged enough to sponser a bill making this a felony level crime, no matter the age of the victim(s)!

Note to the Legislature - do the right thing, and pass a law making this a crime against a person!

Hanoi Jane is at it again!

As reported here, Hanoi Jane is at it again, taking her uber-lib screeching on the road to protest the Iraq War. Just what we need - another leftard, washed up Hollywood elite (who only made it in Hollywood because of her father - certainly not because she has/had any talent) going out of her way to undermine morale of American troops engaged in combat. 'Crocodile tear', fake-apology to Vietnam vets aside, didn't she learn anything from that?

Note to Hanoi Jane - sit down, and shut up! You're irrelevant. Traitor!

Seattle City officials defend higher energy use in new building.

As reported here, Seattle City officials are defending the higher energy use in their new building. I posted earlier about this here. Now, I'm a Facilities Maintenance Technician by trade, and the excuses the city officials used to defend the higher energy use in the new building seem pretty flimsy to me.

KC Council nixes purchase of new building

KC Executive Ron "King" Sims has been lobbying the County Council to buy a building in South Seattle for a while now, to supposedly group all of the Elections offices in one place, even though the County is in the process of building a new building! And this is during a tight budget period?

Fortunately, as reported here, those plans have been halted - for now - by of all people, Council member Bob Ferguson, a Democrat!

While I applaud Mr. Ferguson's efforts, the Council still voted to approve $75,000 to develop criteria for building owners to pitch buildings to the Council, that they may want to sell to the county. To me, the county should develop space in their new building to house the Elections office, and spend that $75,000 there, but they won't. I suppose that spending $75,000 is better than spending the $22.8 million dollars it would have taken to purchase and renovate the other building.

Kudos to Bob Ferguson for saying "NO!" to "King" Sims!

Is Europe coming around finally?

In this piece by Pete Du Pont, he asks the question, "Is Old Europe finally learning that it must join in the Global War on Terror?". (Free subscription required)

My questions are, is Europe with us in the GWOT, or are they simply wanting this "mess" to just "go away"? Are things changing in Europe now, or not?

Read the piece by Mr. Du Pont, and see for yourself if Old Europe really is starting to finally come around, and let me know what you think.

Two milestones for us

Well, we have reached two milestones in our brief blogging existence.

The first is that we have, as of Friday, July 29th, 2005, hit the 500 mark for hits to our blog. Thank you to all who have visited us!

The second is that - at least at the time of this post, anyway - we are listed number 1 in a Yahoo.com search result, ironically enough on a previous post I made about bestiality being legal in Washington State.

The first milestone, I must admit, is rather exciting for me, although the number 500 does pale in comparison to the "big boys", such as Powerline, Hugh Hewitt, Captain's Quarters, Little Green Footballs, or Chrenkoff's blog; heck, that number is even dwarfed by the number of readers one Seattle's local blogs, Sound Politics has. But, it is a milestone, nevertheless. I hope to build on that number in the coming weeks and months. Again, thank you to all who have stopped by.

The second milestone - being listed number 1 in a Yahoo search result - is also rather exciting. Why it had to be on that particular post, though, is rather mind boggling.

A little humor for you to pass the time with

Iowahawk has a hilarious take on the "fill-in-the-blanks" form letters used by moonbat leftard outfits, and this looks like what you might see regarding their screeching about John Roberts being nominated to the Supreme Court.

Warning! Do not ingest liquid just prior to reading this, as this could cause damage to your monitor and/or keyboard when you spew said liquid caused by laughing out loud!

Hat tip: hollie is right

Who cares?

After two seperate terrorist attacks in London, what is a top priority in the minds of the opposition Conservative Party? Is it how to better ferret out potential terrorists? Is it about the use of deadly force by the London PD? Does it have anything to do with the Global War on Terror, at all?

Nope, none of the above, kids. What is a top priority to the Conservatives? The price of make up. Specifically the price Tony Blair has spent on make up, and make up artists, used for Mr. Blair's TV appearances. Who cares?

At a time when London has seen two seperate terrorist attacks, the opposition Conservative Party wants to know how much money Tony Blair has spent on make up for his TV appearances? Who cares? Is this really a priority? Who cares how much Mr. Blair spent? Do they loathe Mr. Blair so much that they demand to know this trivial bit of information, or are they just that desperate to try to put him in a "bad light"?

What utter, absurd, total nonsense!

He's demanding WHAT?!?!

Look who's demanding a release of all records. Yes, that's right, the man who refused to release all of his records during the presidential campaign, the junior Senator from Massachusetts, John "Christmas in Cambodia is seared, seared in my memory" Kerry. (Note to John - it never happened, pal.)

The same man who has yet to release all of his records despite repeated requests for him to do so, has the temerity, the absolute gall, to demand that Judge Roberts and the Bush Administration release all records pertaining to Judge Roberts - and he's not even on the Judiciary Committee!

If I were Judge Roberts, I would only release the same percentage of records as Kerry did, and refuse to release the rest until such time as Kerry releases all of his records for public review.

But that's just me. What the judge, and the Administration will do remains to be seen.

The end of free speech as we know it?

Sgt. Shaft, writing in the Washington Times, posts two letters regarding the move to amend the Constitution allowing the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the desecration of the American flag.

Will an amendment to the Constitution giving Congress the power to prohibit the desecration of the American flag take away our rights to free speech? In a word, no.

Read both pages.

Terrorists theory of victory

Discouraged by the "news" coming from Iraq? Will the terrorists win? Well, don't be discouraged. James Jay Carafano, writing in the Washington Times says that there is no terrorist theory of victory, that all terrorists eventually end up dead or defeated. Which is as it should - and will - be.

AP Poll: Most in US expect another World War

As reported here, a recent poll conducted in both the US and Japan shows that 60% of Americans expect another world war is likely to occur in their lifetime, while only about 33% of Japanese expect it. In the poll, they keep referring to this next world war as World War III, which is incorrect, as we have already fought - and won - World War III, and we are now engaged in World War IV.

What was World War III, and what is World War IV, you ask?

World War III was the so-called "Cold War", fought between Communism and Capitalism, which began immediately after the end of WWII, with the blockade by Soviet forces of Berlin, and included the invasion of S. Korea by N. Korea and the Chinese; the rise to power in Cuba by Fidel Castro; the fall of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam, with the subsequent pull out by the French, and partitioning of Vietnam into two countries; the Cuban Missile Crisis, where the Soviets installed, and then were forced to remove, ballistic missiles in Cuba; America's increased involvement in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, with our subsequent, shameful, abandonement of those three countries to the Communists.

The end of WWIII started in Poland, with the brave people of Poland bringing down the Communist regime, followed by the military build up by America, which eventually bankrupted the Soviet Union as they tried to match the US; followed by the unrest in the Balkan States, forcing the Soviets to withdraw; followed by President Reagan's famous demand to Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. When that fell and Germany was reunited, along with the collapse of the Soviet empire, and the former vassal states of the Soviet Union gaining their freedom, WWIII came to an end.

WWIV, also known as the Global War on Terror, actually started in the 1990's with the first Gulf War when Iraq invaded Kuwait, followed by the attacks on our embassies, and the USS Cole, and then escalated on September 11th, 2001, which resulted in the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, and the ouster of Saddam in Iraq, and continues to this day.

If anyone does not believe we are in a World War right now, you have your head in the sand, and are suffering from a major case of denial.

Safeco Chairman exploring whether to run for Senate in 2006

As reported here, former CEO, and current Chairman of Safeco Insurance, Mike McGavick has begun to choose top Republican strategists to help him explore whether he should run against Dem Sen. Maria "Can't-do-well" in 2006. Four people who have agreed to help McGavik are former Sen. Slade Gorton (who narrowly lost to "Can't-do-well"), and current KVI-570 radio talk show host, John Carlson, former Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, and John Stanton, CEO and Chairman of Western Wireless - all heavy hitters in local and national politics.

Note to Maria - with people like these folks behind McGavik, you better bring your "A" game to the campaign. (But, even if you do, I still think you're going to lose.)

The abortion debate that wasn't

This opinion piece by George Neumayr is a real eye opener, and if you are - like me - pro-life, it is a definite must-read!

Unborn children are increasingly being aborted if, through prenatal testing, they are found to have genetic defects, and in many cases, if it is merely suspected that they might have genetic defects.

If this practice had been available in the late 1940's to the 1950's, my sister-in-law who has MS, along with her sister who might also develope this disease, might have been aborted, so as to not be a "burden" to their parents in later life. If that had happened, my brother would have been deprived of his soul-mate, and his children, and I would have been deprived of my sister-in-law - a very bright, vivacious person - and my nephew and niece, and their children. There also exists the possibility that my brother, sister, and I would all have never been born, as we all carry some genetic defects that affect our health.

Eugenics is what this is called, which is the overt manipulation of the population to achieve "desirable" traits, first practiced in large part by the Nazi regime, who attempted to eliminate "undesirables" from their population. Is that where we as a society are headed? Do we really want to "play God", eliminating "undesirables" - people who are afflicted with such things as MS, spina bifida, palsy in all it's forms? How about blindness, or deafness? Why don't we just eliminate people who will need to wear glasses while we're at it. What kind of "message" are we sending to those with disabilities - are they really "undesirable", and have no place in society? What about Stephen Hawking, regarded as probably the most astute physicist ever - surpassing even Albert Einstein? Where would our current - and future - understanding of physics be without Hawking?

Why don't we hear more about this? Because it's a "dirty little secret" that the pro-abortionists - including "Madame Hillary" - don't want the rest of us to know about, that's why.

This practice needs more exposure, so that it can be stopped!

All-mail voting in King Co. proposed

As reported here, The Election Reform Task Force appointed by King County executive "King" Sims has come out with some recommendations as proposed by various commitees of the task force, one of which doesn't surprise me one bit, as it fits the Dems agenda of perpetrating voter fraud whenever and however they can - all mail-in voting. All mail-in voting makes it very simple to commit voter fraud. We already have evidence of that in last years elections, with dead people voting.

I am vehemently opposed to all mail-in voting, but there are some recommendations mentioned in the article that I do agree with. Hopefully, the all mail-in voting proposal will be flatly rejected out of hand. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.

Rossi won't run for the Senate in 2006

As reported here, Dino Rossi has made it known that he will not run against Sen. Maria "Can't-do-well" in 2006, leaving open the possibility of matching up again against our current, so-called Governor in 2008.

There is an interesting list of potential candidates listed in the article, with one surprise name - to me, anyway - mentioned. Susan Hutchison, former news anchor at one of our local TV stations, who was fired from that station a few years back. I didn't know Susan was a Republican, but now that I do know, I am guessiong that I also now know why she was fired. You see, the station she used to work at is our local C-BS affiliate, and we all know which way that network leans, eh? In case you don't (and if you don't, you've been living in a cave somewhere!), C-BS is extremely liberal, and with Susan being a Republican ... well, all I can say is that I'm surprised they let her work there for as long as they did.

Thurston County Judge has overstepped his boundaries

Recently, a Thurston County judge ruled that a couple of local talk radio hosts - John Carlson and Kirby Wilbur on KVI - had made "in-kind" campaign contributions when they endorsed I-912 (the repeal of the unnecessary new gas tax foisted on us by the Dem dominated state legislature), and urged listeners to sign the initiative petition so that it would be on the November ballot. This vague and rambling ruling abridges political free speech, which is contrary to the First Amendment of the Constitution, and is based on this judge's vague and rambling interpretation of the McCain-Feingold Act.

Julia A. Youngs points out in this opinion piece just how wrong this is.

As fellow blogger reality hammer has stated, I will defend my right to political free speech with vigor, all the way to the Federal Supreme Court if needed. Just try to stop me!

This is pathetic!

This web site is digustingly pathetic! Haven't parents learned any better after the Jon Benet Ramsey case? What are they thinking? I wonder how many pedophiles are logging on to this web site?

Oh, and don't you just love the poorly done PhotoShop job on the eyes? Spooky, if you ask me!

Hat tip - hollie is right

When will I learn?

I normally don't read the letters to the editor in either the PI or the Times since most of them are basically the regurgitation of drivel promulgated by the rest of the left. (Maybe in the future I will express how I really feel.) I did happen to see a letter today in the Seattle Times that again pushes the idea (totally unsupported) that the President is responsible for over a hundred thousand civilian deaths in Iraq. (I suppose that the facts of Saddam's butchery of over 300,000 makes no difference.) He also tried to repeat the blither about our war in Iraq being the cause of the trouble in London. I quote, "Bush's condemnation of the terrorist sounds hollow in the the context of his actions. He should be apologizing for creating an atmosphere that incites terrorism." When will I learn? These apologists for terror and mayhem will just keep thinking in terms of the United States is the biggest villian in the world and the Times and the PI will continue to print their letters over and above the ones that express the truth rather than unsupported leftist dogma. I will try to ignore the letters section since I get so incensed by the idiocies expressed.

California State Legislators are at it again

The knuckleheaded do-gooders in the California State Legislature are at it again, trying to pass more "good intention" bills, which will have dire consequences on that state's economy, and in other areas, if passed. Oh, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if the knuckleheaded do-gooder legislators in Washington State will soon try to follow suit and try to enact similar legislation.

In this article in the Washington Times, we learn that the California State Legislature is trying to pass a couple of bills requiring gun and ammunition manufacturers to laser-imprint their products with tracking numbers to "assist" local law enforcement to track down guns used in crimes, and their owners. This is just wrong, wrong, wrong knuckleheadedness.

As stated in the article, enacting this legislation will do the following -

• Destroy the ammunition manufacturing industry in California, costing lost jobs and tax revenues;
• Cause normally law-abiding people who want to legally purchase guns and ammunition to do so out of state, also resulting in lost jobs and tax revenues;
• Cost both the State and Federal governments money so that civilian police departments and the military can practice shooting - something inherently vital to the protection of the citizenry. What good are cops and/or soldiers who can't hit what they're shooting at?

What it won't do is keep criminals from obtaining guns and ammunition, contrary to what Sen. Diane Feinstein says.

A Seattle P-I editorial I actually agree with!

Which you can read here. It's about methamphetamine use and production being an epidemic, and that the Administration, for some unfathomable reason, is against increasing funding to local police to help fight it.

I'm a recovered (not recovering, thank you very much!) drug user, who with Divine help in the late 1970's, came to the realization that drugs are very bad for one's health. Even as I was using drugs - and I never used meth, thank God! - I knew that if I didn't stop, I would die before I hit 21 years of age. I came to that realization when I was 20, by the way, and next year I'll hit the big "five-oh".

I stated that to say this. Over the past several years, there have been numerous reports of raids on meth factories in the Pacific Northwest, which are usually located in people's homes. Homes that become so contaminated by the chemicals used in the production of meth that they become hazardous waste sites, requiring officials to put on hazmat suits just to be able to go inside to clean the places up.

Most of the time, these homes where meth was being cooked, are filthy beyond belief. But, I suppose that when you are making and using meth, cleanliness goes way down on the priority list. Also found in these homes converted to meth factories, and this is the really disturbing part, are the children of the meth producers/users. Young children. Children who are exposed to not only the hazards inherent in the production of meth, but also to their parents, and their partents friends, using the drug. Children almost invariably look up to their parents as role models, don't they?

I think the Federal Government is making a very bad mistake here, pooh-poohing the idea that meth production and use has reached epidemic proportions. The production and use of meth is spreading across our nation, as a wild fire spreads through dry forest, and steps need to be taken NOW to stem the tide.

Two different political developments in Washington State

In the first, proponents for Initiative 912 - to repeal the recently enacted, and unnecessary, gas tax hike - submitted over 400,000 signatures, which virtually guarantees that it will be on the November ballot. Opponents were shocked - shocked I tell you! - that the backers of I-912 were able to gather that many signatures in such a short period of time. I'm not.

In the second, apparently some people aren't suffering from "cranial-rectal syndrome", as the Pierce County Mail-in Advisory Task Force rejected a call to place a non-binding question regarding converting the voting process in Pierce County to be all mail-in voting, making it virtually impossible for that question to be put before the voters this November.

In case you're new to this blog, during the recent gubenatorial election and election challenge trial, I linked several times to Sound Politics, where Stefan Sharkansky explains why we should not go to all mail-in voting. If you don't want to check out their archives to find out why, I'll give you a brief explanation as to why that's a very bad idea - all mail-in voting makes it very easy to commit voter fraud.

"Revisionist Historian of the Year" Award goes to ...

May I have a drum roll, and the envelope please? Thank you. And our winner is? Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News!

Oliver North, via Red States, lists all of the reasons why Mr. Williams is so deserving of this dubious distinction.

I feel very let down by you Brian, after hearing your interview on Kirby Wilbur's show, prior to you taking over for Brokaw. I thought that the American public was going to get at least a moderate voice in you, but no, you have proven me wrong.

One question for you Brian - are you trying to follow in the footsteps of that idot moron who recently resigned his position at C-BS? If so, you've made a heck of a start.

The "hate crime" that wasn't

In this piece, Michelle Malkin dissects the "Muslim hate crime" that wasn't, and the knee jerk responses from the "victim-hood" crowd, and the anti-Americanism put on display once again by the MSM.

You know, there's an old adage that goes, 'Don't believe everything you hear.', that the leftists grabbed and ran amok with during the Viet Nam War, as they challenged everything put out by the government (some of which was justified, to be sure). But apparently that doesn't apply these days to their enablers in the MSM, as those who cried out in feigned outrage never bothered to take the time to check to see if what was reported was in fact actually true. They merely assumed it was, because it was reported in the "news"papers.

Note to moonbat leftists: Try checking facts before you go off next time.

Density doesn't make housing affordable

In this opinion piece, David C. Bloom blasts Mayor Nichols plan for increasing the density in our neighborhoods here in Seattle, as he states that affordable housing is decreasing at a time when we need more, not less, affordable housing.

Mr. Bloom is correct. In my neighborhood alone, over the past few years, I've seen several mixed use (commercial/retail/residential uses in the building) go up, and just out of curiosity, I checked into the prices being charged for the new condo's and apartments, and what I found should not be considered affordable to the average person or family.

Sample prices for condo's? $250,000.00 and up for a one bedroom unit. I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly can't afford that!

Sample monthly rents for apartments? $950.00 a month for a very small (think studio with a tiny bedroom) one bedroom unit, and that's just a starting point. They of course only go up from there. That's almost double what I'm paying for my 1920's vintage one bedroom apartment. And I know that these prices aren't isolated to new construction in just my neighborhood. As a matter of fact, prices in other neighborhoods are even higher!

Mr. Mayor, you have publicly stated that one of your "most important goals" is to increase the amount of affordable housing in Seattle, yet your plan results in fewer affordable housing units being built. In case you're not aware of this fact, Mr. Mayor, not everybody in Seattle works for Bill Gates!

Oh, the irony of it all! What's the Mayor going to do now?

This is just too humorously ironic! Our Mayor - "Mr. I-Love-Kyoto-And-I-Want-Everyone-Else-To-Love-Kyoto-Too" - moved City Hall from a 1960's vintage building into a new, supposedly "green" building, only to find out that the new building uses more electricity than the old building.

So, Mr. Mayor, what are you going to do now? Turn off the air conditioning in the summer, and like your mentor, the peanut farmer from Georgia, have everyone wear sweaters in the winter?

Oh, the irony of it all!

Poor writing costing taxpayers millions?

As reported here, poor writing skills are costing taxpayers millions of dollars, because public sector employees have to be sent to remedial writing classes? Why were they allowed to graduate from High Scholl if they couldn't form a simple sentence?

Oh, I forgot. They don't teach English anymore (you know - spelling, grammer, sentence structure, etc. - everything important to composition), they teach "Language Arts" now, where the emphasis is on expressing simple "feelings", rather than complex ideas. Thanks NEA, for wasting my tax dollars through your "touchy-feely", so-called "education" programs.

Voting right restoration process too difficult? Tough!

As reported here, the "do-gooders" are complaining that the felon voter restoration process is "too difficult". My response? Tough.

"Keeping people out of the loop, keeping people isolated from the larger community just
creates more prisoners," said Monifa Bandele, national field director for
Right to Vote, a New York-based advocacy group.

Sorry, Monifa, but that's wrong. Committing crimes creates more prisoners. If you want to stay "in the loop", not be "isolated from the larger community", and want to keep your right to vote, don't commit a felony. It's that simple.

I believe that if you are convicted of a felony, you should have to "jump through hoops" (as many as possible, too), in order for you to be included in the larger, law-abiding, community. The right to vote should be reserved only for those who obey the laws, not break them.

Teachers opposed to dress codes - for themselves

As reported here, teachers are upset at, and are opposed to, having to abide by dress codes for themselves. If students must abide by dress codes, then teachers certainly should be made to do so as well. After all, aren't they supposed to be role models for their students? The fact that members of the NEA are opposed doesn't surprise me one bit.

Thomas Sowell weighs in on property rights decision

Thomas Sowell weighs in on the property rights decision of the Supreme Court, here.

He explains what a ludicrous decision it is far better than I ever could. Read it.

Libs want say in Supreme Court nominee

As reported here, Liberals want President Bush to nominate a moderate for the opening seat on the Supreme Court, to avoid that nasty "F" word - no, not that "f" word, the other one - Filibuster. Since when does the President need to heed the advice of Liberals?

This is an absolute outrage!

As reported here, three baggage handlers at BMI Airport have been arrested for stealing items from baggage of troops going overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan. This is an absolute outrage!

They have been stealing things like DVD players, lap top computers, MP3 players, etc. Items that are intended by the troops to be able to communicate with family and friends, and to keep their spirits up while they put their lives on the line to keep the rest of us free.

I hope the prosecutor goes for the maximum sentence, and that the judge abides by that, and sends these ... well, the word I had in mind isn't a "polite" one ... three to jail for a long time!

Hat tip: hollie is right

It's ALL about 9/11

In this piece, Andrew C. McCarthy links - most effectively, I might add - what we are doing in Iraq with 9/11, and challenges the "nothing whatsoever" crowd to answer certain facts. If you still don't think Saddam had anything to do with 9/11, read this article. You might even have your eyes opened to the truth.

Hat tip: reality hammer

Widow urges President Bush to stay the course

As is his usual custom, President Bush met with the families of fallen soldiers prior to his speech at Ft. Bragg this past Tuesday, as reported here. Crystal Owen, the widow of Staff Sgt. Mike Owen gave the President a bracelet engraved with her husbands name, and that of Cpl. John Santos, who were both killed on the same day in Iraq. As she presented President Bush with the bracelet, she urged him to stay the course and not let the 1700 plus deaths in Iraq be in vain. The President wore the bracelet throughout his address to the nation.

Hat tip: Supedujour

Welcome to the world of "cerfdom"

Have you considered what the recent decision by the US Supreme court concerning the rights of eminent domain for local governments? What could they have been thinking? Governments at all levels have been waiting with baited breath for the decision so they could take all sorts of property from individuals and small neighborhoods for the "public good" such as businesses or hotels or other such private corporation use as opposed to a small home that doesn't bring in anywhere near the same level of tax revenue. This is the crux of the matter, tax revenues. They can't seem to think in terms of not spending so much, instead they think in terms of how can we get more revenue. And thinking that ordinary people "can't see the bigger picture" and just how much of an "improvement" that the local government can get from their property just fries me! Since when has government at any level had more sense and capability to know what and how to do with our resources? I hope that ordinary people can get together to let the "elites" know they have gone too far. We are supposed to be people who run the governments and it is turning into governments who are running us... Kind of like the middle ages when only the nobles owned property and the people living on it just paid for the priveledge...

When is a "little" better than a "lot"?

A few days ago I went to one of the big lumber/hardware/appliance stores in the area for a heavy guage wire to make some croquet wickets. I only needed three wickets or about six feet. Once upon a time you could get the amount you needed without having to buy a hundred unit box of something. I couldn't get the wire I needed from the first store I went to. I went to another, same story except one of the customer helper folks pointed out that I could buy a roll of wire of the correct guage... The roll was for 100 feet. Sheesh! What in the world do I need 94 more feet than I wanted for? I then went to one of the more local lumber stores and they promptly provided the item that I wanted and in the quantity that I wanted for a ridiculously low price. Amazing!!! I got three pieces of insulation wire for $.06 plus $.01 in sales tax (a sore subject that I find it difficult to discuss without turning red in the face and nearly screaming in frustration about) and probably spent well over a dollar in gas (ANOTHER sore subject due to this state's insistance that we pay the highest prices for) BUT I got my wire. There are reasons to buy large quantities of TP or paper towels or any number of things, one of which is simply so you don't have to go out to buy more for a time. I miss the local lumber/hardware store sometimes, I don't miss the higher prices maybe but the ability to buy just a "little" rather than a "lot" sometimes helps alleviate the pain of higher prices. By the way, the box of insullation wire that I would have had to purchase at the big store was over $10 for 200 pieces and the roll of wire was over $8. I asked if they had smaller quantities of what I needed and it was a negative answer. So when I found what I wanted at the local and paid for it I was thinking that I will go more to the local and less to the bigs. I wonder if the bigs will start to feel the customer's complaints if the customer starts using the locals again or if some of the locals treat people like individuals with small AND large needs...