Category: Election 2008

There may be some faults to Sarah Palin, This is NOT one of them….

For all things that I have criticized, mocked and made snarky comments regarding Sarah Palin. This is not one of them.

This story comes from, of all places The L.A. Times, which could be considered a hit piece, because of the piece trying to say that Palin is too emotional. However, here is the quote:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin arrived at the Boyer Orchards here Friday afternoon, entering a sweet-smelling wooden barn full of crates of apples. "This is gorgeous," Palin said, greeting workers.

The visit was designed to highlight small businesses and their special needs and how a John McCain administration would help them.

And the Republican vice presidential candidate did talk business and taxes with Matthew and Bruce Boyer, whose family has owned and worked this 300-acre orchard for 51 years now.

But it was after their business chat that Palin had some special moments with a special fan, Amber Brown. As Palin left the barn, an excited crowd outside was mid-verse singing "God Bless America," but roared at the sight of Palin.

Brown, who is 23 and from New Paris, held a poster that said: “I have Down’s syndrome and I’m voting for you. I’m a fighter too!”

Palin saw Brown, headed straight for her and they embraced. “I love that poster!" said the mother of a Down syndrome baby (Click on Read more line below to see photo of Palin with her infant son, Trig).

"You’re a fighter and you’re beautiful,” Palin told Brown. The pair posed for pictures and hugged again.

Palin then continued down the rope line, paying special attention to the babies and children, at one point crouching down beside four little girls.

Once Palin finished, she returned to Brown and embraced her again. Palin’s husband, Todd, also came by and chatted with Brown and her family.

Related Video:

As someone who grew up with a bad case of A.D.H.D. which, quite frankly, made my damn life a living hell. I can relate to this. I made offhand snarky comment in a chat room about this lady’s situation, because I felt she might be exploiting it for political purposes. But perhaps I  misjudged her a bit.

I will expect that the Communist Liberal Keith Olbermann will make some sort of smart assed comment about this on his program Monday, which would not surprise me at all. As Sarah Palin said in the Video, this isn’t about politics, this is about kids who are born with disabilities that they cannot control or had any say in choosing. Whenever I see a child with turrets or polio, I get misty eyed, because I don’t have it nearly as bad as some. My little inability to focus without proper meds is a drop in the bucket, compared to some of the disabilities that some are born with.

It also hits home for another reason, my aunt; my mom’s sister has a disability; she is developmentally disabled. The old word was, well, Mentally Retarded. (it sounds so damn cruel to call her that.) She will never be able to take care of herself. My mom has vowed to take care of her, as long as she is able. However, it pains me to see her sometimes struggle to handle her. She’s not getting any younger. I sometimes fear to think what might happen to my aunt, if my Mom passes away. I try and not dwell on it. It frightens me to.

So, accept this little sobering piece, just as a mea culpa. I get this one too.

The Obligatory Obama's Aunt is here illegally post

I say “obligatory”, because I say it is quite silly that the Conservative Blogosphere is having a hissy fit over that fact that his Aunt was living here.

Obama says that he did not know, and you know, I’m inclined to believe the guy. You just cannot keep track of everything your damn family does.

Hell, I have a cousin who’s a career criminal, am I responsible for his actions? Hell no!

It just seems to me, that the Conservative Blogosphere has been on the hunt to; dare I say the word?; Lynch Barack Obama for having the gall, the outright audacity, the very nerve; to run for President of The United States of America. For, dare I say it?; venturing into White Man’s territory.

I think the that the George W. Bush Administration would do well to just leave well enough alone. Because the last thing that the Republican Party needs is to be known as the Party that deported an African-American Presidential Candidate’s aunt from the United States. That would indeed be the nail in the coffin of that political party. As it is now, the Republican Party has been tarred by the irresponsibilty of some of it’s more fringe elements. The last thing they need right now is something like this on the minds of everyone voting come November 4.

….and that’s my take on it.

(H/T Memeornadum)

“Maybe You Should Not Vote” – By J.J. Jackson

Disclaimer: This editorial was not written by this Blog Owner, but rather by an outside source, it will be included at the bottom of this editorial. This editorial does not, at all, in any way, shape or forum reflect the views of this Blog owner. It is simply presented here for your reading pleasure.

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Maybe You Should Not Vote
By: J.J. Jackson

A common myth, generally perpetrated by those that succeed when they convince the ignorant to act on their ignorance, is that everyone in American that can vote, because they are of legal age, should.  Like blind lemmings following a hypnotic siren, they hope to drive hordes of Americans (living and dead) to the polls at least one time each on Election Day.  But I am here to tell you that just because you can vote, you should not do so out of ignorance.

I know that statement contradicts common “wisdom,” but is it any different than telling you that you should not buy a new car without understanding exactly what you are buying or purchasing a new home without having it inspected for flaws first?  Would you make any major purchase without educating yourself?  If not, then why would you go into the voting booth on November 4th and essentially “purchase” the next Chief Executive of the United States without similar due diligence?  So, in that spirit, I have decided to run through a series of points that if you are ignorant on you should reconsider if you are really ready to cast your vote.

For example:

If you do not understand that the second amendment is a guarantee of an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, specifically enumerated as such over and over by the founding fathers, and you actually support a candidate that has worked to usurp such a basic right … maybe you should not vote.

If you have forgotten that John McCain authored and helped to pass the single greatest infringement of the first amendment (Campaign Finance Reform) in recent history, a law that effectively tells citizens when and how they can speak up on politics … maybe you should not vote.

On a similar note, if you actually think that infringing on the first amendment is a good thing and agreed with John McCain … maybe you should not vote.

If you do not understand that the progressive income tax was a major platform of Karl Marx’s communist agenda and support a candidate who favors increasing taxes on the rich while bribing other Americans to vote for him or her with the promise of no income taxes for themselves … maybe you should not vote.

If you have forgotten that the issue of amnesty for illegal aliens who violated legitimate United States laws and are, by definition, criminals is still on the table and support a candidate that may push for such a thing … maybe you should not vote.

If you actually think, perhaps because you were educated in the public schools, that the “general Welfare” clause of our Constitution grants the federal government a blank check to spend tax dollars on any benefit they can dream up and believe this despite the overwhelming majority of the founding fathers being on record stating the exact opposite … maybe you should not vote.

On a similar note, if you are living off the government largess and collecting a paycheck from the government under some program not authorized by the Constitution but implemented unconstitutionally to require the work of another to be confiscated to line your pockets … maybe you should not vote.

Let me go even further on this point by saying boldly, if you seriously think that federal spending can ever be reigned in without taking the axe to the welfare programs (Social Security, Welfare, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc.) which make up well over 60% of expenditures … maybe you should not vote.

If you cannot understand the simple concept that in pushing for higher taxes on those producing goods and services you consume, they will simply recoup those losses by raising the cost of the goods and services and get that money right back from you … maybe you should not vote.

If you claim to support the troops but choose instead to support a candidate that looks down his nose at their efforts and who is rejected by them in poll after poll of our servicemen and women (that would be Barack Obama in case you don’t know) … maybe you should not vote.

If you think, for some deluded reason, that an ideology of from each according to his ability, to each according to his work or needs with a central bureaucracy determining the value of your work and what your needs actually are will work if we give it another try, despite having never having worked ever or at any time in the past … maybe you should not vote.

Pursing that concept even further, if you honestly think that an ideology that taxes the “haves” and gives to the “have nots” actually works despite clear examples in the former Soviet Union, NAZI Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, Mao’s China, and with modern day North Korea, Mexico, Venezuela and Cuba which show how such ideas lead to poverty and misery … maybe you should not vote.

If you believe, in that little empty cranium of yours, that under President Bush’s tax cuts, the middle class did not get tax relief because some union news letter told you so … maybe you should not vote.

If you would rather live in some other country other than America and see that country as freer with a better basis for government of, for and by the people with inalienable rights for all guaranteed … maybe you should not vote.  And perhaps you should spend the time you save by not voting to pack your bags so that you can move there.

If, even though you think Congress is not doing a good job, you are going to vote back into Congress your Representatives and Senator because you seriously believe that the problem is all the other Congressmen and women but don’t know how your elected officials have voted and are not able to back up such a statement … maybe you should not vote.

If you think that the President has more control over the economy than Congress, which passes the laws that affect the economy … maybe you should not vote.

If you think that the Constitution can be changed on a whim and by judicial fiat, congressional law or presidential mandate because you have never actually read the document, or at least read it recently … maybe you should not vote.

If you think that the Republican Party is a racist organization and are going to vote based on that despite the fact that the party that fought against slavery, gave slaves the right to vote in the southern states before the Democrats regained power and stripped such rights and forget that the GOP stood up in overwhelming numbers for the rights of minorities throughout history … maybe you should not vote.

If you did not know that one of the major candidates in this year’s election has won endorsements from high ranking officials with the Communist Party USA and are too dim witted to even have a guess as to which one it may be … maybe you should not vote.

If you think that it is more important to have a President with a certain skin color without much concern for his politics and will vote for him because of his skin color … maybe you should not vote.

By the same token, if you are going to vote against a particular candidate because of his skin color (black or white) … maybe you should not vote.

And lastly, if you cannot be bothered to plan ahead and use the brain God gave you to find a way to get your butt to the polls one day out of the year (excluding members of the military and others with actual emergencies who should be accommodated) … maybe you should not vote.

Now, I honestly do not expect many of the citizens of this country who fall into one or more of the above categories to take my advice.  There are a lot of arrogant people out there who, even when the truth is laid before them, will not take notice of it. That truth which I have tried to impart to you is that a vote cast in ignorance makes you a tool of those seeking power.

A Republic survives when the public, educated on the issues and united in the pursuit of liberty, votes.  It fails and dies when disparate groups with no regards for the rights of others, the truth, or respect for the firewalls put up to protect the rights of all, vote in droves with nothing on their mind other than themselves and how much they can get the government to take from someone else to give to them.

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J.J. Jackson is a libertarian conservative author from Pittsburgh, PA who has been writing and promoting individual liberty since 1993 and is President of Land of the Free Studios, Inc. He is the lead editor contributor to American Conservative Daily and also the founder of SignalCongress.com.  He is the owner of The Right Things – Conservative T-shirts & Gifts (http://www.cafepress.com/rightthings). His weekly commentary along with exclusives not available anywhere else can be found at http://www.libertyreborn.com

Local News: Detroit’s New Mayor in hot water

We thought that all the corruption was over in Detroit, after the City’s “hip hop” Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was out of office.

It turns out, however that I, we; the city, was very wrong.

It seems the newest Mayor of the city of Detroit has been caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

This story from my Favorite Detroit paper, The Detroit Free Press: (I always hated the Detroit News)

The state Attorney General’s Office is exploring whether Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. should be investigated for perjury because he signed a sworn statement that he had no unpaid campaign fees when he owed $42,000.

A source in Attorney General Mike Cox’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity, said today that attorneys in the office began looking at  the situation after it became public about two weeks ago. The source said no decision has been made about whether to charge Cockrel, and the legal review continues.

“If we decide to do something, it will be with the utmost reluctance because Detroit’s already been through the wringer,” said the source, referring to the scandals and criminal charges that forced former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office in September, elevating Cockrel to mayor.

“But he’s going to do his job,” the source said, referring to Cox.

On Wednesday, Detroit political consultant and Kilpatrick ally Adolph Mongo filed a request with Cox’s office requesting he charge Cockrel with perjury after Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy declined to take the case, citing a lack of resources to handle elections complaints.

The attorney general’s legal review has concluded that while Worthy has the authority, she has essentially referred the case to Cox.

Cockrel’s troubles began after he failed to resolve $42,000 in unpaid campaign fees that Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett assessed against his campaign fund in late 2006.

When Cockrel filed to run for mayor Oct. 14, he signed a sworn statement that the fees were paid, saying he thought his filing of remaining campaign paperwork would earn him a waiver. But Garrett denied the waiver.

Mayoral spokesman Daniel Cherrin said Cockrel respects the need of the Attorney General’s Office to do its job. He said Cockrel “believes he was in compliance when he signed the affidavit.”

He noted that once Cockrel was denied a waiver from the fees last week, he paid them.

Meanwhile, Cockrel’s situation took a bizarre turn today when one of his little-known opponents in the mayoral election attempted to obtain a citizen’s warrant for a perjury charge from 36th District Court in Detroit only to withdraw his effort because he didn’t have the $2 million that a judge said he needed to fund the prosecution.

Duane Montgomery filed a citizen’s warrant with Judge Robert Giles, but it died because Montgomery didn’t have the money to pay for the prosecution as required by the law that allows such warrants, said Chief District Judge Marylin Atkins.

Honestly, What is it about African-American Democrats and Corruption?  Seems to the two go hand in hand anymore. I truly hope that Attorney Mike Cox does his job and does not give this guy a free pass, just because the “One” is running for office. Of course, He won’t do a thing till after the election. Judging by the comments left at the Free Press, people are not too happy about this either. Can you blame them? 😮

I have to believe though that Kilpatrick is laughing rather hard in jail right now. He was sentenced here recently. A mere 120 days in jail, a slap on the hand for his crimes against a once-fine city. He also had to pay rather lean amount of restitution to the city, and lost his law license, but knowing him, mamma warbucks will have his back.

These are Obama’s people, remember that. yeah, I know… RAAAAACIST! Rolling Eyes

I just wonder when that Communist Liberal Keith Olbermann will do a Special Comment on this little gem of News? I also wonder if the Marxist owned and operated Main Stream Media will report this news story? I won’t hold my breath, lest I turn blue and die. 😛

From the Mailbag

This from the AHSA:

USAToday reported that Dan Cooper, founder and owner of Cooper Firearms, lost his job.  The reason: He’s voting for Obama:

Montana gunsmith Dan Cooper has been ousted as chief executive of the rifle company that bears his name after pressure from gun owners who are angry that he is supporting Democrat Barack Obama.

Today, on behalf of the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), I condemned the actions by the NRA and its cronies forcing Dan Cooper out.

The gun lobby’s attempt to destroy a good man and small business owner, a loyal member of the gun fraternity, again reveals the desperate Joe McCarthy-like politics of fear that the NRA leadership and others put first.  They are trying to scare America’s hunters and shooters into voting against Barack Obama — but we have one thing to say: vote hope and not fear.

I have been campaigning in battleground states, including Ohio, Minnesota, Florida and Colorado for Barack Obama this fall.  I know first-hand that gun owners are voting for Obama. They know their gun rights are secure.  And they want a president who won’t take their guns AND will focus on the economy and their jobs.  It’s beyond appalling that hard-core gun activists would destroy the economic livelihood of a guy like Dan Cooper.  John McCain should be ashamed that his supporters have harmed a small business owner for political reasons.  That should never happen in the America.

Last year we witnessed what happened to prominent outdoor writer and commentator Jim Zumbo when he dared take a position contrary to NRA policy.  Now they are trying to do the same to Dan Cooper.

This is wrong, and rank and file gun owners who have no political ax to grind need to stand up, reject such underhanded tactics and have their voices heard. That’s why AHSA was formed, to end this partisan bullying and to restore pride to the shooting sports.   This action against Cooper reinforces my commitment to making change happen by electing Obama – and by building an organization for hunters and shooters who are tired of extremism.

I believe that while it is a legit point to not like Obama’s socialism. Firing someone from their own company for supporting a politician, is crazy.  Especially when they founded the company.

This election cannot end quick enough, for me anyhow.

Questioning Bush's Sanity

A rather remarkably interesting article over at the quite Liberal Op-Ed News asks, “Is Bush Sane?”

Actually, the real question that one should asking is, are those who voted for him twice sane, despite the fact that he took us into a war, based upon what is now known as false information.

Further more, the even bigger question is, will all of those people vote for McCain?

That’s what we should be asking.

Interesting Survey

Over at Reason Magazine.

Many Libertarians are voting Obama, to punish the Republicans for electing Bush.

Egad. 🙄

Myself, I’m sticking to principles. I’m still voting for Barr.

One interesting question:

Leaving George W. Bush out of consideration, what former U.S. president would you most like to have waterboarded and why?

My Answer: The entire staff, Bloggers, and Writers of The Weekly Standard except for Mary Katharine Ham, because she’s a respectable and downright pretty lady. Who seriously needs to get away from Politics, before it makes her into a monster.