This is the way that politics used to be

I think that this is a great story.

Via NYT:

LAKE JACKSON, Tex. — Once there was a challenge of a softball game from the Ron Paul clan to the Mitt Romney clan. “They didn’t show up,” Mr. Paul says. “We didn’t schedule it. We really razz them about that, ‘You guys chickened out!’ ”
This is the way that politics should be today!
In a Republican presidential contest known for its angry rivalries, the Romney-Paul relationship stands out for its behind-the-scenes civility. It is a friendship that, by Mr. Paul’s telling, Mr. Romney has worked to cultivate. The question is whether it is also one that could pay dividends for Mr. Romney as he faces yet more setbacks in his struggle to capture the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination.
Ideological similarities among supporters of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich suggest that if Mr. Gingrich dropped out, many of his backers would coalesce behind Mr. Santorum. But as Mr. Paul steadily collects delegates, one thing that remains to be seen is whether his affinity — at least on a personal level — for Mr. Romney could help the former Massachusetts governor as the fight drags on.
Mr. Paul, a 76-year-old congressman from Texas, sees his three Republican rivals as more or less the same politically. He can be tough on Mr. Romney, whom he describes as a flip-flopper with a dubious political core.
“He’s been all over the place on some of this stuff,” Mr. Paul said in a recent interview near his Texas home. But he seems to segregate those views from his personal feelings for Mr. Romney, whom he sees as a steady, dignified personality whose devotion to wife and family reflect his own values.

I would recommend that you head on over and read the rest of that; it is a truly great story of how two men who disagree on much and still are friendly to one another. This is the way that it was back in the days of Ronald Reagan, him and Tip O’Neil would fight like dogs during business hours and then after business hours, Tip and Ron would have a drink at the White House and discuss the days events.

Again, at the risk of sounding like a nostalgic old fogie, this is the way things were done in the olden days. When leaders were statesmen, and not the idiots we have today. We could learn much from these people of old, it is tragic that people like Ron Paul are not more followed in the way they do things. Not that I support all of Ron Paul’s policy positions, but his statesmanship is something to be admired.

By the way, yes, I did give Althouse a little grief on her blog; she is a two-bit phony, in my humble opinion. She gives Ron Paul and Mitt Romney grief for their kindness toward each other. I think Ann Althouse could learn a little about what true Conservatism is from Rep. Paul. Because it is surely not what she pawns off as Conservative; that is for sure. Sorry, but voting for a liberal socialist Democrat is not conservative, not even close.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab appeals his sentence

Remember this guy who got sent up the river?

Well, it appears now that ol’ Sabu here is not too keen on being the pivot man in the prison circle jerk.

The Story:

Detroit— “Underwear bomber” Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab appealed his life sentence Friday, one day after a judge issued the maximum penalty for trying to destroy a Detroit-bound airliner carrying 289 people on Christmas Day 2009.
The notice of appeal was filed in federal court in Detroit.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds sentenced Abdulmutallab to four life terms on Thursday, ending the country’s highest-profile terror case since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“This court has no ability to control his motivation, which appears to be unchanged,” Edmunds said Thursday. “I can control his opportunity to act on those intentions.
“I believe he poses a significant ongoing threat to (the) safety of American citizens everywhere.”
Before being sentenced, Abdulmutallab’s legal adviser, Detroit lawyer Anthony Chambers, argued the mandatory life sentence constituted cruel and unusual punishment
via ‘Underwear bomber’ Abdulmutallab appeals life sentence | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com.

Like I wrote in my last entry about this idiot; we should have tried this terrorist puke in a military court. This murderous thug is not a uniformed combatant, he is a terrorist thug, who should be executed by firing squad, or better yet, with a damn rope and a tree. Racism? man, please. 🙄 Anyone who does what this little puke did, should not be affording any sort of respect at all. Least of all any respect of his race. 😡

But, now, as I wrote before, we will have to pay for this puke’s legal defense and pay to feed, clothe and shelter this little puke. Which is morally wrong, considering who and what he is, and what he tried to do. Which was not a ordinary criminal act, but an act of war. But your friendly neighborhood Marxists feel that he deserves the protection of the Constitution of the United States.

It is truly pathetic, it really is; here is hoping that we elect a President in 2012, that sees this threat for what it truly is and not a criminal one.

UPDATED: Pat Buchanan is right and wrong

I will give him credit, Mr. Buchanan makes a very good point:

Is it now hate speech to restate traditional Catholic beliefs?
Documented in the 488 pages and 1,500 footnotes of “Suicide of a Superpower” is my thesis that America is Balkanizing, breaking down along the lines of religion, race, ethnicity, culture and ideology, and that Western peoples are facing demographic death by century’s end.
Are such subjects taboo? Are they unfit for national debate?
So it would seem. MSNBC President Phil Griffin told reporters, “I don’t think the ideas that (Buchanan) put forth (in his book) are appropriate for the national dialogue, much less on MSNBC.”
In the 10 years I have been at MSNBC, the network has taken heat for what I have written, and faithfully honored our contract.
Yet my four-months’ absence from MSNBC and now my departure represent an undeniable victory for the blacklisters.
The modus operandi of these thought police at Color of Change and ADL is to brand as racists and anti-Semites any writer who dares to venture outside the narrow corral in which they seek to confine debate.
All the while prattling about their love of dissent and devotion to the First Amendment, they seek systematically to silence and censor dissent.
Without a hearing, they smear and stigmatize as racist, homophobic or anti-Semitic any who contradict what George Orwell once called their “smelly little orthodoxies.” They then demand that the heretic recant, grovel, apologize, and pledge to go forth and sin no more.
Defy them, and they will go after the network where you work, the newspapers that carry your column, the conventions that invite you to speak. If all else fails, they go after the advertisers.
I know these blacklisters. They operate behind closed doors, with phone calls, mailed threats and off-the-record meetings. They work in the dark because, as Al Smith said, nothing un-American can live in the sunlight.
via The New Blacklist by Pat Buchanan.

At the risk of sounding like a snarky old coot, I will simply say this; When Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, Mr. Buchanan should have seen that the writing was on the wall and left MSNBC. Actually, the hard swerve to the hard life and its intolerance for Conservative thought, of any sort; started after Tim Russert passed away. It went into hyper-overdrive, when it was clear that Obama was going to win the election in 2008. The only person to blame for Pat Buchanan’s troubles is Pat Buchanan; the man stayed on much long after the political winds had shifted around him.

For all of the political traits that liberals and Paleoconservatives share, there happen to be some traits that they do not. Paleoconservatives and liberals share the disdain of war and Wilsonian foreign policy. Paleoconservatives and Liberals however do not share the same ideas on freedom of speech, or the sharing of ideas outside of what they, the liberals, consider mainstream. While President George W. Bush was in office, Pat Buchanan’s outside of the Conservative mainstream ideas were perfect for the progressive, anti-Bush tone that the network was taking at the time.

However, as President Bush began to fade from the relevant political discussion and when the Democrats saw that, they had someone that could actually challenge the Republican’s candidate, things changed around MSNBC and not for the good either. Without getting into rehashing of a good deal of history, I will just simply say that pretty much after 2008, Pat Buchanan began to stick out like a sore thumb and should be seen that and left for better climates; like Tucker Carlson did around the same time.

As for Mr. Buchanan’s assessment of homosexuality and the decline of the white Anglo-Saxon protestant class of people, I have one thing to say — I concur. The fact that MSNBC fired Mr. Buchanan over his positions on these two subjects is living proof that the far-leftists have overtaken the political discourse in the Democratic Party and in the progressive movement as a whole. Furthermore, the imbecilic notion that Mr. Buchanan’s assessment of the current state of the Anglo-Saxon protestant class of Americans is somehow an indication of hostility on Mr. Buchanan’s part towards Blacks, Jews or any other class of persons is moronic at best.

As for Mr. Buchanan’s Roman Catholic beliefs, which are Christian in origin, I also concur. The Holy Bible, which contains the Holy Scriptures given to us by the Almighty God Himself; is clear, in both testaments — old and new —- that the practice of homosexuality is a forbidden thing. It is the sodomite lifestyle, it is repugnant in the eyes of a Holy and Righteous God, and Christians are forbidden to partake in it, and are commanded by God Himself not to have associations with those who do. Yes, there is a good deal of Holy Scripture to back those statements up and I will provide them to anyone who doubts what I have written.

Lastly, I feel that as a libertarian-minded Conservative it is important to point out to Mr. Buchanan the following: No privately owned network is obligated to allow you to appear on their network. Free speech in this case, is not applicable. MSNBC is a privately owned network, which is backed by advertisements from private companies. Contract or not contract, MSNBC, does reserve the right to remove someone, if said companies who buy advertisements are not comfortable being associated with said person. While it might seem a bit rude for MSNBC to just drop Mr. Buchanan and void his contract, MSNBC does have the right to act in its best interests. Now, if the Government moved to silence him, I would say, sound the alarms. However, MSNBC is not the Government; they are a private media outlet. Therefore, the howling of “repression of freedom of speech” is a bit much to be honest. One thing to remember, the only place that you can be truly free to express your opinions, regardless of the content, is a site that you personally own. Nobody else is ever obligated to cater to you whims. Some people forget that, and shout, “Freedom of speech!” When, in fact, that argument is not even a valid one.

Update: This is now a Memeorandum Thread.

Update #2: Buchanan is defended by Jazz Shaw, Tim Stanley, and Andrew Sullivan?!?!?!

Video: Rep. Allen West “Government handouts world’s ‘most insidious form of slavery'”

Here is Rep. Allen West literally throwing read meat out for the Republican messes! …and making Democrats want to scream. 😛

Video:

The Story via Fox News:

Republican Rep. Allen West decried government “handouts” as the worst form of modern “slavery” during an impassioned floor speech Wednesday evening.
The freshman Florida congressman, who is black, made the remarks in commemoration of Black History Month. He used his floor speech to detail the Republican Party‘s role throughout American history in promoting equal rights and freedom for black Americans.
He said that commitment did not end after Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
“Republicans have been on the frontlines of the fight for equal rights and individual manifest destiny since our party’s founding under Lincoln,” he said.
In modern times, West said, this has meant fighting to prevent black Americans “from being trapped in a permanent underclass through dependence on government handouts.” He said that fight continues despite the welfare reform of the 1990s.

He goes on to say a whole bunch of other stuff; very good speech. I recommend you watch it.

Gov. Rick Snyder sells out to the Republican establishment

I voted for the man, I now regret that choice.

In a Detroit News op-ed today, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced his support of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the contest for the GOP presidential nomination.
Romney, who is campaigning in Michigan ahead of the Feb. 28 primary here, faces a tough challenge by former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Ahead of a Grand Rapids visit Wednesday, Romney’s campaign announced a list of endorsements from other Michigan Republicans.
via Rick Snyder: ‘Mitt Romney is the man for the job’ | MLive.com.

Good luck in your reelection bid Mr. Governor. You certainly do not represent my views. I will not make that mistake again. Here is hoping that you will be voted out. Just more living proof that the so-called “Tea Party” was nothing more than an abject failure that really did not change a thing. At least not in the Republican Party.

Quote of the Day

Nobody expects the Republican presidential nominee to be a libertarian purist, but it helps if he or she at least has a libertarian streak. In Rick Santorum’s case, he’s actively hostile toward libertarianism, and that’s an obstacle not only to him winning the nomination, but also to having a chance in a general election against President Obama.
With Santorum emerging as a true contender for the Republican nomination, he’s been coming under fire for his many votes to expand government. He took earmarks, voted for the Medicare prescription drug plan and backed No Child Left Behind. He pushed dairy subsidies, steel tariffs and sided with unions over workers.
On the other hand, should he win the Republican nomination, he’ll come under fire for his views on social issues. To be clear, it’s one thing to make a moral case for protecting the right to life of the unborn, which Santorum does passionately. But it’s another thing to argue, as he did in an interview last October, “One of the things I will talk about that no President has talked about before is I think the dangers of contraception in this country, the whole sexual libertine idea.” Well, there’s a reason why no president has talked about these things — because the president has absolutely no business lecturing Americans about their sex lives. If there’s a discussion to be had about sexual promiscuity in society, it should be left to churches and other private institutions.
As Cato’s Gene Healy noted in his Washington Examiner column on the topic this week, Santorum explicitly declared, “I am not a libertarian, and I fight very strongly against libertarian influence within the Republican Party and the conservative movement.”

Open Message to Bill Donahue: Where is the fatwa on Nicki Minaj?

I am shocked he did not issue one, after this asinine performance:

21221223435 by YardieGoals

Gateway Pundit calls this “brave.” What a fool. 😡

Rod Dreher says it is part of the Anti-Christian and Anti-Catholic culture in America. Which is very true.

Dreher also says this:

It’s tiresome when Christians respond to things like this by saying, “They would never consider doing something like using Islāmic imagery.” But you know, it’s true. It’s always true. Let those with eyes to see.

Amen to that; and it is true, had this been a song mocking the religion of Islam. This young woman would be either in hiding wishing she was dead or would be dead. It is too bad that Bill Donahue, who did issue a statement about the performance, which I feel was totally inadequate for the scope of mockery here — did not issue a fatwa against this woman. I mean, it should have read something to the effect of, “The Catholic League will pay someone 1 million dollars, if someone will take this little black mocker of God out.” I believe it would have caused an uproar, but it would have gotten her and her managements attention.

A few days ago, Whitney Houston died of unknown causes. At the moment I found out, I thought, “How unfair.” For all Whitney’s problems and personal issues; she was still a wonderful talent that had so much more to give to her fans. Such is not the case with this idiot mocker of the Faith. So, seeing that I am a controversial blogger; I will say this — Here is hoping that this little classless black hoe meets the same fate as Whitney Houston and I mean very quickly. Anyone who mocks religion, does not deserve the breath the they keep in the lungs. This was not art; this was open mockery of Roman Catholicism, The Church, and Christianity in General.

Again, had this been a song about Islam and its repressive Religion, she would be in hiding; but, because it is a mockery of the Christian faith, The “LA CROWD” was fine with it. This tells you how far that the music industry, Hollywood and the L.A. Scene has fallen in the last 50 years. This wasn’t cool, this wasn’t ironic, this wasn’t funny, this wasn’t hip; this was a disgraceful attack on God, organized Religion in general, the Church as a concept, Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church. Because of this; I found Mr. Donahue’s statement a bit lacking. Could it be that Bill Donahue has lost his edge? I sure haven’t, nor will I ever.

I end this blog posting with this, a Bible scripture that says:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7 KJV)

Here is hoping that Mr. Minaj reaps the whirlwind of her actions and quickly.

The truth is, she will, whether in this life or the next; the fact remains is she will face a Holy and Righteous God, and will have to explain her actions. Based upon what I saw last night, this will happen, before she is cast into a godless hell and then the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 20:11-15 KJV:
(11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
(12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
(13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
(14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
(15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The quicker, the better; if you ask me.

Update: Heck even TMZ didn’t even like it!

Here’s the roundup, mostly of liberals mocking Bill Donahue’s statement: Speakeasy, CBS Los Angeles, Rolling Stone, Big Hollywood, Religion Dispatches, BuzzFeed, The Raw Story, Joe. My. God. and Gothamist

I hate to be one to say it about HotAir.com….but

You guys are screwing up….badly. Sexism? Please, this is reality people. Get with the program already! 🙄

HotAir.com is supposed to be a Conservative Blog. I find that to be unbelievable, considering this video that was posted today.

Ed, Allah, and yes, you too Tina! Please, don’t go the Ann Coulter route okay? It cheapens your message and it makes you look like hypocrites.

Tina, you are a Catholic, try actually dressing like one and not like some office “MILF” looking for a place up the corporate ladder. I did not even watch the video; I was that sickened by what I saw and I am sure that Rick Santorum just loved being next to a chick that was essentially him a peep show of her hoo haa. (if you know what I mean….)

Because you see, this right here is one of the biggest reasons, in litany of other reasons; why I left the Evangelical, Pentecostal Christian circles and went back to the Independent, Fundamental, KJV Baptist Circles. It was the, “We’re Christians and we love Jesus; but don’t ask us to dress like it, talk like it or not drink bear and not wear mini-skirts!” thing that really put me off. In fact, I went to a Church just like that and it got the point where I just did not even want to go there, because of the lack of a dress code. Some men might actually like that kind of thing; but when you are trying to serve the Lord and keep your mind pure and your Heart right, when you are single man, and you have to look at that sort of thing —- it wears on you greatly. I can honestly tell you that my three years that I attended that Church which I linked to, was one of roughest periods in my walk with the Lord. Needless to say, I am glad I left there for good finally in 2004. (and I am sure they were glad to be rid of me; but considering what their former Pastor was revealed to have done with someone other than his wife —- They really do not have a thing to say to me!)

To be fair to the one’s who I did level some criticism at; the Baptist circles are not much better. When I left the tongues crowd in favor of Baptist Christianity; I landed at this Church here. I went there back before they changed their name — twice. I left once to check out other Churches in the area and ended up coming back there in 2006 and then leaving again. All I will say about that Pastor is that I take Matthew Chapter 18:15-17 literally — and this Pastor, did not. Sorry, but calling me on a cellphone is not a way I consider to be a proper way to level accusations against me. Especially after I have spent over five weeks helping remodel your little Church office that you just had to have — for free! Not to mention the fact that not a darned word of the idiotic accusations against me were even remotely true. In case you are wondering, that hick of a Pastor considered me looking this up here to be and I quote, “getting on the internet and looking up private information about HIS Church.” His words, not mine. Needless to say, I left and never went back again; nor will I ever. Will I ever go anywhere ever again; I highly doubt it. I just do not need the headaches anymore. I will just stay home, read my Bible and wait for the Lord to come back and sort all this mess out.

Before anyone says it in the comments; I know there is no such thing as a perfect Christian. I know this all too well. But, I think some so-called Christians could really try, just a little bit harder. Especially, when they are in the public eye and they are supposed to be representing a Conservative viewpoint and in this young lady’s case; the body of Christ.

One thing I will give to the Jewish people and to the Muslim people; at least they are sincere about what they believe and actually act like it. More than I can say for the people who claim to be the blood-washed believers in Christ Jesus.

Catholics are not the only ones raising cain about the healthcare issue

The Baptists are raising a stink about it too.

There is this:

WASHINGTON (BP) — The issue at the center of the swelling controversy over the Obama administration’s refusal to protect the conscience rights of employers in its “contraceptive mandate” is “about as basic as it gets,” especially for Baptists, says Richard Land.
“Does the government have the right to intrude on the consciences of people to force them to pay for that which they find unconscionable? This goes contrary to our tradition in this country and contrary to our understanding of the First Amendment’s religious freedom protections,” Land said Feb. 9 in explaining what is at the heart of the debate.
“In my opinion, a Baptist needs to take a stand on this issue. Our Baptist forefathers went to prison and died for the freedoms that we have, and now it’s our responsibility in the providence of God to defend these freedoms lest they be taken away by government fiat,” said Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
via Baptist Press – Land: Obama mandate is a Baptist issue – News with a Christian Perspective.

Then there is this, also via Baptist Press:

“I’d go to jail rather than cave in to a government mandate that violates what God commands us to do. Would you? Acts 5:29,” author and pastor Rick Warren wrote on his Twitter account Feb. 7 before adding, “I’m not a Catholic but I stand in 100% solidarity with my brothers & sisters to practice their belief against govt pressure.”

Like I wrote earlier about the Catholics; my advice to my fellow Baptists, do not settle for anything other than a FULL and Complete exemption to this rule. I have to admire the Baptists and other Christian who are showing their boldness in this very important issue. Although, I really wished they would have shown the same sort of boldness, on the issue of the Iraq War. But, at this point, I will take any kind of boldness I can get. 😀