Soldier Wins Lottery, Volunteers for 3rd Tour in Iraq

ABC News reports that Sgt. Wayne Leyde of Mead, Washington, who completed two tours in Iraq, has decided to go back a third time after winning $1 million from a scratch-and-win ticket on Tuesday.

"I decided to walk into a local Zip Trip. I got a Coke and beef jerky and walked up to the counter and thought I'd pick up a few scratch tickets and try my luck. I was on my way out when the lady said, 'Do you have a lucky scratch coin?'

"I said 'no, you gave me a dime and nickel back.'"
"She said 'no, try this,'" handing Leyde a penny. "On my way home I started scratching tickets. They were losers. I'm thinking, boy, that lady didn't know what she was talking about."

Leyde couldn't believe it when he scratched a winning ticket, but he still plans to return to Iraq.

"It was a commitment I made about three months ago. I'm going to stick to it," Leyde said about his decision. He plans to wait for awhile before spending his winnings.

While the N.Y. Times Barks Up the Wrong Tree...

Desperate to publish something - anything - to take down Sen. John McCain's presidential candidacy, the New York Times has been overlooking the manner in which he has been gaming campaign finance laws to his own advantage, as George F. Will points out in the New York Post:

"Last summer, with his campaign destitute, McCain applied for public funding, which entails spending limits. He seemed to promise to use taxpayer dollars as partial collateral for a bank loan.

"There are two ways for a candidate to get on Ohio's primary ballot - comply with complex, expensive rules for gathering signatures, or simply be certified to receive taxpayer funding. McCain's major Republican rivals did the former. He did the latter....

"Although his campaign is run by lobbyists; and although his dealings with lobbyists have generated what he, when judging the behavior of others, calls corrupt appearances; and although he has profited from his manipulation of the taxpayer-funding system that is celebrated by reformers - still, he probably is innocent of insincerity. Such is his towering moral vanity, he seems sincerely to consider it theoretically impossible for him to commit the offenses of appearances that he incessantly ascribes to others.

"Such certitude is, however, not merely an unattractive trait. It is disturbing righteousness in someone grasping for presidential powers."

Meanwhile, what used to be known as the "newspaper of record" has been chasing its own tail, alleging that he had a romantic relationship with a female lobbyist a decade ago (totally based on hearsay) and claiming that he was not a native-born citizen (also untrue - when he was born in the Panama Canal Zone, it was considered a U.S. territory, and so it remained until Jimmy Carter gave it back to Panama).

Farewell, William Buckley!

Today I heard that William F. Buckley, Jr., who has a legitimate claim to being the father of modern American conservatism, passed away sometime last night or early this morning. Rush Limbaugh reminisced about him on his radio show today, and described how gracious and welcoming Buckley was to him when he was just an up-and-coming talk show host and the great man was already a living icon of the conservative movement. If he couldn't kill you with kindness, he could crush you with his erudition without any strain on his part. There was a time when I had to keep a dictionary handy when I read an article by him, but now I realize that he didn't write that way to show off, but that his mind appreciated the subtleties and shades of meaning of our language, which he used as a precision instrument of his trade.

The Boston Globe ran an obituary on "the scourge of American liberalism" today.

While We're Waiting for the House to Fall on Hillary...

Here's a hilarious article about the Clintons, "Bill and Hillary Clouseau," at:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/02/bill_hillary_clouseau.html

Meanwhile, the presidential race remains in a state of flux. Laura Ingraham said that aside from pledging "no new taxes," Sen. John McCain has not been holding out the olive branch to conservatives, so she will wait for him to contact her, and will not make a special effort to reach out to him.

Hillary Clinton delivered the following zinger about Barack Obama in Rhode Island:

“Now, I could stand up here and say, ‘Let’s just get everybody together. Let’s get unified.' The skies will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect,” she said to a whooping crowd.

The world of talk radio concluded that this is a start, but that she could go much deeper. Somehow all of the other candidates are treading softly around Obama, for fear of offending the black vote. Meanwhile, we can expect both Hillary and Obama to gang up on the quixotic campaign of Ralph Nader, who announced that he will run for President again.

Once Again the New York Times Descends to Tabloid Journalism

This cartoon by Gary Varvel says it all:

The Drive-by Media Turn on McCain, Exactly as We Expected

The MSM have given Sen. John McCain a pass for quite a long time. But now that his presidential campaign has forged ahead of the competition, the New York Times has started running a series of expose articles, with allegations from unnamed sources. Why are we not surprised? When faced with a choice between loyalty and sensationalism, the big media will opt for sensationalism every time. The unintended consequence of such harassment is that this latest manufactured crisis could force the now-divided conservatives to rush to McCain's defense.

This became the #1 topic for most conservative talk show hosts today, and Media Research Center has some choice words for the New York Times for sinking to the level of the tabloids. If this were a court case, it would have been dismissed for lack of evidence.

Rush Limbaugh, with his usual humor, summed up the situation with these words: "Why should any of us be surprised or even angry at what the New York Times is doing here trying to take out John McCain? Those of you who listen regularly should have been expecting this all along because it's utterly predictable. It's as predictable as the sun rising in the morning. It's as predictable as Ted Kennedy finding a bar at happy hour."

Losin' His Religion

The following shocker from the Archbishop of Canterbury (with reader comments) appeared in the Little Green Footballs blog:

The Archbishop of Canterbury is an absolute disgrace, and the very definition of a “dhimmi:” Sharia law in UK is ‘unavoidable’.
The Archbishop of Canterbury says the adoption of certain aspects of Sharia law in the UK “seems unavoidable”.
Dr Rowan Williams told Radio 4’s World at One that the UK has to “face up to the fact” that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system.
Dr Williams argues that adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion.
For example, Muslims could choose to have marital disputes or financial matters dealt with in a Sharia court.
He says Muslims should not have to choose between “the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty”.

Editorial note: The sophistry exhibited by these statements and his lecture at the Royal Courts of Justice overlook some obvious features of the sharia code. Does he accept relegating Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslims to the status of second-class citizens? Does he advocate stripping women of their rights under British law? If a woman is caught in adultery, will he turn the other way if she is stoned to death? Would he accept "honor killing" as a defense in a murder trial? Does he believe that thieves should have their right hand amputated? When Muslims push for adoption of sharia, they expect enactment in its entirety, not just on a piecemeal basis.

UPDATE: The Times of London has an article describing how leading clergymen of the Church of England are calling for Dr. Williams' resignation.

Jared Has Been Selling Subway Sandwiches for 10 Years!

According to Al Dente Blog, Jared Fogle has been in the public eye as spokesman for Subway for ten years already. He's also in the middle of an expensive divorce and has a "ridiculously hot" girlfriend. Amazing.

McCain Butchers Streisand on "Saturday Night Live"

Check out this YouTube video :=)

As the Stomach Turns: The Battle of Berkeley (Cont.)

Eagles UP's Larry Hoffa has posted some new photos during a recent confrontation with Code Pink and their sympathizers.

The following is an excerpt from an AP article about the cost of the Berkeley foolishness:

Berkeley Taxpayers Have to Pay $93,000 for Cops' Overtime At Marine's Rally
Sunday , February 17, 2008
BERKELEY, Calif. — The tab for just overtime pay for Berkeley cops to keep the peace at Tuesday's Marine protest outside City Hall was reported to be $93,000.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, about 140 Berkeley police worked at the protest, which drew more than 2,000 demonstrators. Anti-war groups such as Code Pink mixed with pro-military groups, rallied over whether lawmakers should change their anti-Marine position.
Only four arrests were made on Tuesday, all of them misdemeanors, the Chronicle reported.

Still Waiting for an Inspiration

After much study & prayer, I have not reach any conclusion as to which presidential candidate I could recommend, and so I continue to fall back on what appears to be a cop-out: vote your conscience. It appears that the Lord, in His wisdom, knows about the fleeting nature of fame and political ascendancy better than we do. Some of the front-runners of today could end up being the also-rans of tomorrow, while others now standing on the sidelines may decide to enter the fray. Some of my sources on talk radio have brought up the old maxim, "party trumps candidates," and that seems to make a lot of sense. Which party is likely to push for the changes that you want most, or to continue the policies that you believe are worth saving?

UPDATE: The latest issue of "Cutting-Edge Conservatism" (Vol. 4, No. 3) addresses this dilemma. Also, I recommend that you read the following column by J. D. Pendry:

For the sake of your political virtue…
Posted: 17 Feb 2008 05:27 PM CST

“Elections are won by men and women chiefly because most people vote against somebody rather than for somebody.” – Franklin P. Adams, 1881-1960

I think Franklin [P. Adams] understood politicians. He also understood that the lesser of evils is more often than not the reason some make it into office. I am noticing something different from that. Not long ago and in the early morning hours on my way to work, I was putting some three dollar a gallon gasoline in my truck when another gentleman pulled up to the opposite side of the pump. Did you ever have a perfect stranger start discussing presidential politics with you at 5 AM? You are not quite sure how you should react. Should you nod, smile, agree, debate or feel your coat pocket to make sure your gun is in there? My philosophy is that when standing at the gas pump in the early morning; check your coat pocket because you never know when the meat clever might appear.

This gentleman was rather distraught. First he grumbled about the price of gasoline. I nodded and smiled. Then he said out of the blue, Edwards would have fixed that. Edwards was a union man he said and he was going to take on those oil companies. My first inclination was to roll my eyes, but my spidey sense activated and stopped the eyebrows just as they began to head north. Now that Edwards had quit the campaign, he could not bring himself to vote for any of the Democrat remainders. He figured they could not win anyway so he thought he would just stay home on Election Day. Let the doggoned Republicans keep it. The more he talked, the more the pitch of his voice rose and the more he looked like Chris Matthews with a little bit of spittle hanging from the corner of his mouth and his eyes flashing. With my hand in my pocket, I started whistling and keeping watch for the meat clever.

Just as I was thinking that people wired as tight as that needed their medications adjusted and should have to undergo psychiatric evaluation before being allowed to vote for anything, I arrived at work and switched the radio on to the local morning talk program. The host began his morning by lamenting how the only true constitutional conservative candidate in the contest was not getting the media attention or voter support he deserved. It was Ron Paul. This time I did roll my eyes, because in the office at 6 AM it was only me and the security guard. Then he started his anti John McCain rant. I do not know much about radio broadcasting, except for my qualifications as a listener. Do the microphones have spit and splatter guards on them? Because just as I hit the off switch the screeching had risen to an irritating pitch and I got an image of fists pounding, eyes flashing and a noggin exploding. I was convinced beyond doubt that this particular host would certainly not sacrifice the purity of his conservativeness by voting for Senator John McCain to be the President of his United States. I could only conclude that, like meat clever man back at the gas pump, he was saving his political purity for that Election Day when his idea of the perfect candidate arrived on the scene.

I put a Norah Jones CD into the computer, which was much more soothing than the screeching I had just switched off. I began perusing the morning headlines before the workday began. Scrolling through I noticed that Ann Coulter stated that not only would she not vote for John McCain, but if he was the Republican candidate she would campaign and vote for Hillary Clinton. Now I like Miss Coulter. She strikes me as being a very bright woman. I enjoy reading her work. Lord knows that she has made much money writing it, a good bit from me actually, whereas I have made zilch except for an occasional yet tiny royalty check. So, maybe I am ill-qualified to criticize. Sometimes, however, I believe people become a little too self-absorbed. I bought and read Miss Coulter’s latest book. It turned out to be a compilation of her own quotes from her previous work. I have a book titled The Quotable Lewis, which is a collection of C. S. Lewis quotes organized by topic. Mr. Lewis did not need to compile it himself. Ann with her vote for Hillary slam of McCain, I expect is trying to preserve her political virtue for her encounter with the perfect conservative.

Rush Limbaugh insists that as far as the war is concerned, it does not matter who is elected because the Democrats will not withdraw from Iraq and accept defeat. Rush is probably right, they will not withdraw.

Instead, they will saddle our Soldiers with a Vietnam like strategy that hamstrings them and gets many more of them killed after which they will declare peace and leave. Rush says that if the country is going to be destroyed, he prefers that Democrats own the destruction. The politicians never own it Rush we do and the sad conclusion is that in a war, credit for victory always belongs to the politicians and defeat is always shackled to the Soldiers. But, what the heck? We will build a nice memorial somewhere.

So, your perfect candidate just might not be on the ticket. Republicans were not conservative enough for many in 2006 so voters stayed home to reinforce the views provided by self-proclaimed, flawless and pure conservative pundits – who mostly have never had to make a national policy decision. Because they stayed home, we get to watch Henry Waxman worry over the possible needle tracks in Roger Clemmons’ butt while our ability to monitor the communications of our enemies just fades away.

So, stay home and wait for that time in history when everything aligns and your idea of Mr. or Ms. Perfect materializes. But, just remember that when you do you are taking action and whatever happens to the country because of it, you own it.

“Right actions done for the wrong reason do not help to build the internal quality or character called a “virtue,” and it is this quality of character that really matters.” – C. S. Lewis

Has Mitt Romney Gone Over to the Dark Side?

I was shocked and disappointed to hear that Gov. Romney caved and endorsed Sen. McCain so soon after suspending his own run for the presidency! I voted in the Colorado caucus, and know that in my state the straw poll is not binding, so not all of Romney's delegates will go to McCain. Looks like this year I will not endorse any presidential candidate, and urge my readers to study the issues and pray a lot for our country before casting that ballot.

What Comes Around, Goes Around

We drag out the World's Smallest Violin once again to announce this FOX News report that Imad Mughniyeh of Hezbollah, the terrorist behind hundreds of deaths in the Middle East and Argentina (including the destruction of the Marine barracks in Lebanon, which killed 241 people), met his end by a car bomb in Damascus, Syria. Iran and its Syrian puppet immediately suspected the Israelis, but Mughniyeh had so many enemies that it is difficult to pinpoint the exact culprit.

"The world is a better place without this man in it," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. "One way or the other he was brought to justice."

The Downside of Valentine's Day

An FM station in Charleston, West Virginia, according to a Yahoo News story, is offering a free divorce as a prize!

Valentine's Day isn't all hearts and flowers, says WKLC Program Director Jay Nunley. There is a darker side, he said, "where maybe you despise your spouse and resent the entire day."

Through 4 p.m. on Thursday, Valentine's Day, applications for the free divorce will be accepted on the classic rock station's Web site, http://www.wklc.com. The winning name will be drawn at 5 p.m.

Jockeying for Position

For connoisseurs of fine election campaigns, the presidential race of 2008 provides many interesting twists and turns, and reminds us once again how much of a blood sport politics is.

Strange as this may seem coming from a conservative, we salute Sen. Barack Obama for having the courage to stand up to the Clinton machine. Politicians from both parties can learn from his knack for projecting and stirring up enthusiasm. In contrast, Hillary Clinton's head will probably explode if she loses to him.

Gov. Huckabee's refusal to quit is a fascinating study in guerrilla politics. I still have doubts about him because of all the buttons he pressed to stir up anti-Mormon sentiment within his evangelical base, and now he's prepared to play mind games with front-runner Sen. John McCain. It would be advantageous for McCain to win Huckabee over to his side, as he absolutely, positively has to carry the southern states to have a chance at winning, but politicians don't always act in their best self-interest. A safe prediction: the big media have been treating McCain with kid gloves so far, but as soon as the Democrats settle on a standard bearer, the gloves come off!

Food for thought from talk show host and author Mark Levin: “I wanted to post a sober thought. If McCain is the Republican nominee, how will he position himself as a candidate? This weekend Obama already telegraphed the Democrat strategy by picking apart McCain’s inconsistencies on taxes and immigration. If McCain moves to the right during the general election to try to appeal to more conservatives, Obama will be able to portray him as a disingenuous flip-flopper. If McCain moves further left to try and blunt those charges, he will continue to alienate a portion of the base. What is he going to run on? If he runs on the surge, how many Democrats and Independents will that attract? Is he going to run against earmarks and for a balanced budget? I don’t think that’s going to resonate with too many voters. The Democrats will be talking about saving the poor, sick and elderly, in the tradition of FDR. McCain will be talking like Herbert Hoover. And since McCain is running on his personal story, let me suggest that neither McCain’s age nor temperament will be ignored by the Democrats. Do we ignore Obama’s age and Hillary’s temperament?... I don’t think John McCain can win in November because of his record, not ‘unfair’ criticism, talk radio, or what have you. If the issue is electability based on current polls, that’s an absurd position. Six months ago Rudy was the inevitable Republican nominee and Hillary was the inevitable Democrat nominee.”

What Now?

Word to the wise: whenever we look at candidates for public office, remember this rule-of-thumb, that good leaders create opportunities, while poor leaders create dilemmas.

This illustration of an imaginary conversation between Barack Obama and the Senator who endorsed him, Ted Kennedy, sounds like a nightmare scenario. Many Republicans actually WANT our nominee to run against The Most Hated Woman in America, Hillary Clinton. At this point it appears that Sen. McCain has a better chance against her than against Sen. Obama, who has been whipping up enthusiasm all over the land like a rock star.

We Are Faced with a Hard Choice

Just heard that Gov. Mitt Romney has suspended his quest for the presidency!!!!! Here's an article from Townhall.com. Probably the most moving, eloquent speech of his presidential campaign was his swan song, announcing that he is not running for that office.

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," Romney told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington.

Now Sen. McCain faces the monumental task of convincing conservatives that he is the man of the hour. He can no longer play the wannabe liberal, since if the public wanted one in the White House, they can count on finding the genuine article in whoever wins the Democratic nomination. We may need to invoke the Eleventh Commandment, originated by Gaylord Parkinson and popularized by President Reagan: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican."

The Battle of Berkeley (Cont.)

In a message dated 2/6/2008 5:52:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, murphyj@ writes:
The Senate bill was introduced today by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.; Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.; and Sen. David Vitter, R-La. Rep. John Campbell, R-Newport Beach., in introducing a companion bill in the House.

And might I ask why none of them are running for POTUS?
Bills are entitled: The Semper Fi Act of 2008
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8186256?nclick_check=1

Berkeley's anti-Marines declaration prompts bills to strip federal funds
The San Jose Mercury News ^ February 6, 2008 Doug Oakley

Uproar over anti-Marine policyA move to strip Berkeley institutions of federal funds is going forward in Congress in retaliation for last week's City Council vote telling the U.S. Marines their recruiting station is not welcome in the city.
Six Republican senators and an Orange County representative are introducing companion bills called the Semper Fi Act of 2008 that takes away $2 million, including funds from UC Berkeley and a local foundation that provides lunches to the Berkeley Unified School District.
The Senate bill was introduced today by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.; Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.; and Sen. David Vitter, R-La. Rep. John Campbell, R-Newport Beach., in introducing a companion bill in the House.
The bills seek to take away $243,000 from the Chez Panisse Foundation, which provides school lunches for Berkeley public schools, and $975,000 from UC Berkeley's Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service to create an endowment and catalogue of papers of Rep. Robert Matsui, a press release from DeMint's Washington office said.
A spokesperson for DeMint said today the bills would also seek to remove other earmarks, including nearly $1 million for a new ferry service and funds for public safety.
"Berkeley needs to learn that their actions have consequences," DeMint said in the release. "Patriotic American taxpayers won't sit quietly while Berkeley insults our brave Marines and tries to run them out of town."
Two Berkeley City Council members this week said they would ask the council on Tuesday to rescind the item declaring the Marines "uninvited and unwelcome intruders."

Michelle Malkin also has a few choice words to write about this little drama still unfolding in the Berkeley area.

Fighting the Good Fight

This is turning out to be a most interesting presidential campaign. I was disappointed that Gov. Romney didn't win more states, but he's still in the game - McCain and Huckabee haven't finished him off yet. And on the Democratic side, Obama and Hillary Clinton are running neck-and-neck, and that's OK, since I believe that competition is good for any organization.

Reality check: There is no ideal candidate, but we have to do the best we can with what we have left. Hugh Hewitt emphatically declared on his radio show that regardless of who ends up being nominated, we should vote for the Republican. Now is not the time to pout, take your ball, and go home. He discussed with one caller the observation that anti-Mormon sentiment has not been a major obstacle for Romney.

From the "Be Careful What You Ask For" file: Sen. McCain is playing with fire - lately he's been doing a John Kerry and clobbering Romney and others for not serving in the military. He ought to remember what happened to Kerry when he was running for President. I'm sure there are Democrats who are chomping at the bit to "Swift-Boat" him!!

I'm a 100% Reagan Conservative!!!

Don't know how scientific this poll is, but here are the results I registered at http://quizfarm.com/quiz_repository/political_satire/159557/

What Kind of Conservative Are You?
You scored as a Reagan Con
Reagan Con: You believe that America is the solution and not the problem, a strong defence, and the smiting of all those who stand against freedom. Your motto: "What would Reagan do?"
Reagan Con
100%
Neo-Con
83%
Libertarian
75%
Log Cabin-Con
75%
Evangeli-Con
50%
Paleo-Con
25%

Romney Campaign Alleges McCain-Huckabee Collusion

This just in from TheHill.com:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign accused Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee of “a backroom deal” that gave the early Super Tuesday win in West Virginia to Huckabee.

Romney, who addressed the state GOP convention in person Tuesday, comfortably led the first ballot at the convention, leading to a three-way second ballot contest between the three contenders.

Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic reported Tuesday that, after the first ballot, McCain’s campaign called his supporters there and urged them to vote in favor of Huckabee.

“Unfortunately, this is what Senator McCain’s inside Washington ways look like: he cut a backroom deal with the tax-and-spend candidate he thought could best stop Governor Romney’s campaign of conservative change,” Beth Myers, Romney’s campaign manager, said in a statement.

Huckabee won the contest on the second ballot with 567 votes, or 51 percent, to Romney’s 521 votes, which put him at 47 percent. McCain finished the second ballot with 12 votes.
On the first ballot, McCain had 176 votes to Huckabee’s 375 and Romney’s 464 votes.
Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) received 118 votes on the first ballot, but because he failed to finish in the top three, he was not included on the second ballot.

By winning Tuesday’s state convention, Huckabee was awarded 18 of the state’s 30 delegates. The McCain campaign did not immediately respond to comment for this story.

Yikes! Millions Freaking Out! Cats and Dogs Living Together!

Even though I didn't have a favorite team playing in the Super Bowl yesterday, I was startled by the come-from-behind victory of the N.Y. Giants over the Patriots. The Manning family must be proud of their quarterback sons, who helped their teams win the Super Bowl in two consecutive years!

One of the highlights of this unofficial football holiday are the commercials prepared and shown at great expense. Budweiser got the #1 spot again, although I liked seeing perennial loser Charlie Brown finally win something when a giant balloon resembling him got the Coke. Just a few years ago, Hyundai made cars that were cheap in quality as well as price; now they're announcing the launch of an upscale model that dares to compare itself to Mercedes-Benz!!

Top 10 commercials, according to USA Today's Ad Meter survey, with a short description and number of points:

1. Budweiser - Dalmatians and Clydesdales - 8.73
2. FedEx - Giant pigeons can't compete - 8.26
3. Bridgestone Tires - Critters scream before a near-miss - 8.11
4. Doritos - Mouse goes for whole bag of Doritos - 7.94
5. Bud Light - Fire-breathing man - 7.84
6. Bud Light - Hidden Bud Light bottles at wine-tasting party - 7.73
7. Coca-Cola - Dueling balloons at what appears to be a Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade - 7.65
8. Diet Pepsi Max - Missy Elliott and others wake up with Pepsi - 7.6
9. Planters Nuts - Men find unattractive woman alluring - 7.41
10. Tide - Stain does the talking in job interview - 7.39

The day is not complete without at least a brief mention of the political situation. Since Colorado is a caucus state, I plan on attending the Republican caucus tomorrow (Super Tuesday). In my humble opinion, neither Hillary Clinton nor John McCain, the two presidential candidates most favored by the drive-by media, will have their coronation on Wednesday; Obama and Romney are still competitive. Gov. Huckabee will continue to act as a spoiler, helping out McCain by gnawing away at Romney, who appears to be making inroads on his rivals in California and the southern states.

Two Letters to Mayor Tom Bates of the People's Republic of Berkeley

As a patriot-friendly blog, we are proud to run these two letters, prompted by the Berkeley City Council's attempt to drive Marine recruiters out of town:

Mayor Tom Bates
2180 Milvia Street
Berkeley, Ca. 94704

Dear Major Bates, and Council members

As a retired member of the United States Marine Corps I am appalled at the recent decision that you and the Town Council deciding that the United States Marine Corps is no longer welcome in your socialist city. Do you realize this is America and not control by the Communist agenda? What's next, our churches? Do you not realize this is what communism is about throwing the good guys out and all for the shake of power. Do you think the military are the bad guys? Don't you believe in liberty? Are you trying to use the United States Constitution to turn it into you and your Council communist ideas? What is your agenda?

Don't you believe in freedom of speech and liberty? Many of us work for LIBERTY while others try to tear it down. Which category do you fall into? Do you realize that your city NATIONWIDE has a very bad reputation and many consider your action to be communist inspired? Your action and the actions of your disloyal Council is demeaning not only to our fine young mean and women of our Armed Forces but to the GENERAL PUBLIC over all. Even those who oppose this war. That includes some members of our Armed Forces.

In closing Mr. Major, I would like to remind you that if it wasn't for the MILITARY you and your Council wouldn't be acting and taking advantage of a situation in splitting these great United States. Your actions only divides this country. I hope you are proud of your actions. Many of us are not. I wonder if everyone in Berkeley supports your actions. Time will tell.

With NO respect to you,
Leo Robert
SgtMaj. USMC Ret.

PS Is it true that you were a reserve CAPTAIN serving in Germany? Which side?




In a message dated 1/31/2008 7:45:08 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, jeffsmith@blueone.net writes:
January 31st in the year of our Lord 2008

Mayor Tom Bates
2180 Milvia Street
Berkeley, CA 94704

Mayor Bates:

It has come to the attention of many Americans that you and your leftist allies who comprise
Berkeley's Town Council insist on demeaning and betraying our United States Marine Corps.
I am not sure if you people do these things because, like the 2 year old, you want attention,
you are so burned out you don't know any better, or you actually believe that way.

While I don't find it surprising that our nation's capitol for drug abuse and leftist radicalism
would engage in anti-military actions, it disgusts me nonetheless, and I am far from alone.
I write representing a family of five appreciative Americans, one of whom is an active duty
soldier in the United States Army serving his country proudly, while drugged out or naive
punks propagandized by fading hippies who call themselves professors on college
campuses all across America denigrate what he and his fellow brothers in arms do for the
rest of us. Old hippies love to relive the "glory days" of Vietnam War activism with all of its
accompanying pot, acid, free sex, and anti-military ranting. Party on slugs.

Have no fear, as I had already written Berkeley off many years ago as a lost cause and
would not set foot in that hippie infested dreamland for any reason short of participating in an
awakening of the scum infesting that armpit of the Peoples Republic of Californication. That's
right aging hippies, the political correctness that you and your ilk work to foist upon the rest of
us may one day turn around and burn you. You may one day become the politically incorrect
who have to live under the oppression of unappreciative countrymen. Wait, come to think of
it, you already are scorned by a majority of the nation. Forgive them Father for they know not
what they do.

While I realize you people are too sick and burned out to understand where we are coming
from, or to realize how blessed you are to be living in the land of Liberty, where we are
showered with Freedom, Endowed by the Creator, Saved by Jesus Christ, and Preserved
by the American Military Veteran, it still feels somewhat good to let you hear from the other
side, not that I believe for one minute that it will matter to people such as you who live behind
the fog of the mental disorder of liberalism.

There are two kinds of people in America, those who work to preserve Liberty and will do
whatever has to be done to meet that end, and those who suck the freedom provided by
the people who sacrifice on behalf of others. Basically, you people are what we call
Freedom Suckers. You aren't worthy to carry the boots of our Military members.

Disrespectfully yours,

Jeff "Mario" Smith
Guerilla Reporter
Veteran
Grandson of WWI Veteran
Son and nephew of WWII Veterans
Brother of Vietnam and Korea Veterans
Father of Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran
jeffsmith@blueone.net

cc. Berkeley Town Council

Oh, Yummy - Canned Cheeseburger!

Wow! Out of Germany comes Trekking Mahlzeiten canned cheeseburger, with selections from a series of pictures illustrating how to warm it up in the can, and one consumer's reaction to this rather pricey product.