Open Minded...Until They Disagree

Fellow University of Illinois alumnus, Matt Kaufman, has written another fine column, this time about an outrageous case of political correctness in Oakland, CA in which words like natural, marriage, and family values, have been declared hate speech.

An excerpt:

Then came the threat. An Oakland official, Deputy Executive Director Joyce Hicks, sent out a memo to city employees citing "fliers ... in public view which contained statements of a homophobic nature" which "were determined to promote sexual orientation-based harassment." This, Hicks warned, could bring punishments "up to and including termination."

The GNEA ladies didn't get intimidated. Instead, they got attorneys. Aided by a sympathetic group, the Pro-Family Law Center, they turned up a bunch of evidence that their views had been singled out to be silenced. But judges sided with the city: A U.S. District Court for Northern California said marriage and family values had "anti-homosexual import." The next court up from there, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the city was merely pursuing its "legitimate administrative interests."

You must read the whole thing (click here), as it's really quite alarming...and could be on its way to your home town soon.

Also, just for fun, check out Michael Fumento's hate mail. He and Matt Kaufman were College Republicans together at the U of I.

I was a U of I student at the same time as they,...but I was too busy dating the Vice President of the College Democrats (I hate to admit). My enlightenment came later...

Good News! "John Doe" Has Risen!

In what Laura Ingraham would refer to as a "power to the people" moment, calls and letters have given mandate and influence to Senator Joe Lieberman and Representative Peter King in their triumphant resurrection of the "John Doe Protections" provision in the Sept. 11 security bill. The bill is expected to pass the House later this week, then off for easy victory in the Senate and then signed into law by President Bush.

These protections that House Democrats fought to remove (and succeeded temporarily) will give liability protections for people who report suspicious activity to authorities, so they cannot be sued by "Flying Imams" or anyone else getting bent out of shape. After all, who would report activity they feel is suspicious or terrorist-like if they're afraid of mortgaging their home to pay the legal fees from being sued?

The lack of common sense in the Democrat controlled Congress has not only taken its toll on their approval ratings (46% say Congress is doing a "poor job" while only 16% say good or excellent), which are the lowest in history, but have made them an easy mark for their constituents.

Therein lies the silver lining. People who used to sit back, watch the news, and mutter angrily to themselves that nothing can be done, now have their Congressman's phone and fax numbers on post-it notes stuck to their refrigerators for the next Congressional outrage. Voter participation has gotten very pro-active of late, thanks to the Immigration Bill defeat, which has given voters a sense of empowerment they have not before felt. With this latest turn-around we can see that it continues...

Personal Day

I have been invited to be tagged by Rick at Brutally Honest who was tagged by Alice the Camel, the most recent addition to my links of Favorites. Here's what it entails:

...list 8 facts or habits about [your]self that [others] might not otherwise know and then tag another 8 people and leave comments on their sites letting them know that they've been tagged, so they can likewise make the requisite revelations.

8 Facts about Matt (me) not otherwise widely known:

1. I was a disc jockey at an adult contemporary/country music station during the summer between high school and college. Did some college radio after that.
   
   
2. When we were kids, my brother and I were nearly killed by a baseball-sized stone that was propelled at gunshot speed by a lawnmower (that ran over it) that rocketed the stone through my open car window over the back of my neck (I was bending down to reach a screwdriver on the floor), shooting barely under my older brother's chin, smashing through his closed car window, and making a foot-wide dent in the car parked across the street. That was one heck of a lawnmower.
   
   
3. In 1979 (I was 15) I met then recently inducted Hall of Famer, Ernie Banks at Wrigley Field before a ballgame. He's everything they say he is.
   
   
4. In 1972 I was 8 years old and wrote President Richard M. Nixon a letter. He wrote back and I still have his response.
   
   
5. The last time I flew on a plane was 9-10-01.
   
   
6. I had the highest G.P.A. of any student in my class at high school who did NOT make the National Honor Society. I argued too often with teachers who took it personally.
   
   
7. To this day I have never seen Grease, Tootsie, or The Graduate.
   
   
8. In 12 years of driving a semi I've traveled 1.7 million miles in 48 states and Ontario.

I will do as Rick did and allow others to voluntarily participate in this, rather than publicly tag 8 others.

Democrats Shoot Down "John Doe" Provision

Now we can all rest easy knowing that no one will risk enormous legal expenses by reporting suspicious activity.


CAN WE PLEASE PUT THE GROWN-UPS BACK IN CHARGE?!?!?!?!?

(drawing borrowed from The 910 Blog)

Recent Poll Betrays Democrat Mentality (Among Other Things)

On Monday, July 2nd, Rasmussen Reports came out with a poll that didn't surprise too many people. It showed Hilliary Clinton in the lead for the Democrat nomination at 39%, followed by Barack Obama at 26%, with John Edwards trailing in the distance with a mere 13%. All others are wallowing at 5% or less. The above percentages have hovered consistently at these levels for months, though 39% is the highest so far for Mrs. Clinton.

What's surprising is the poll taken this past Friday, which shows that 46% of American voters expect the Democrat party to nominate a white male for President. Even more surprising, however, is that the number goes even higher, to 53%, when only Democrats are polled, while only 40% think it's not very likely.

So what the heck is going on here? Are Democrats so out of touch with current events that they have no clue as to who's ahead in the polls? Do they ever watch the news or read a newspaper? We know they don't listen to talk radio, not much of them anyway--lest they convert. It's possible they're simply out of touch, having gotten most of their news from Hollywood actors, Michael Moore, and John Stewart. But the fact that 46% of ALL American voters believing the same when the highest polling Democrat white male is only at 13%, says there's more to it than only Democrat idiocy.

Delving deeper into the numbers we find that 58% of self-identified liberals and 51% of women in general, both of whom should know better, think the Democrat nominee will be a white male. This can only mean one thing: Gender confusion! They think Hillary is a man! And it could be said that Hillary Clinton has been acting much too man-ish lately. Wagging her finger while angrily berating the Bush administration with her angry guy-face and wearing pantsuits has taken their toll on her image. All this and the fact that the former President (Bill) suggested he be referred to as First Laddy (advice he received from a Scotsman recently) should Hillary win.

How can she fix this? Wouldn't dusting off that old pink outfit she wore to her Senate Whitewater hearing so many years ago be the solution? Well, apparently not. She's done it a few times already, in Iowa for example, which has had little effect if Friday's numbers are accurate.

So what's happening? Looking further into the survey we find that 68% say they personally would vote for a woman for President. That's down from 78% back in January of this year. So what's with the downtrend?!? It is possibly due to her recent antiwar stance---perhaps 10% fewer voters just don't feel secure with the idea of having her in charge. And even though 68% sounds high to some, one must remember that 32% would vote against Hillary because she's a she. So, with all the contradictions, which polls are we to believe? The ones at the ballot box, of course! Hillary could be in for a surprise when the primary actually starts.

Billary pic courtesy of IHillary.

Unhinged "Thompson-Bashers" Crawling Out Of The Gutter

The latest attacks from the pathetically, nervous Democrat fringe (mainstream liberals) are claims that Fred Thompson is gay. Please give me a moment to stop laughing...................................wait, I need more time..............................okay............................no wait........okay I think I can collect myself now... Pheeew.

The rumors seem to be based on Thompson's hiring of a former Rick Santorum campaign aid by the name of Robert Traynham who is actually said to be gay. Well, that explains it. The Democrats are homophobes! They're the kind of people who in high school would call anyone gay who sat near someone who didn't try out for the football team. I thought this was the kind of bigoted tripe that liberals were fighting against. But then that does sound like typical liberal hypocrisy. The very liberal NAACP would not only refuse to defend Condoleeza Rice or Michael Steele against racial utterances, but encourage their usage behind the scenes. When Bill Clinton was accused of raping Juanita Broderick, sexually molesting Kathleen Wiley, and dropping his drawers in front of Paula Jones, NOW and other feminists were awfully silent. So now are the liberals who remain silent during pathetic accusations of homosexuality in the case of Fred Thompson. Perhaps in this case they're too embarrassed to put their two cents in.

Fred Thompson has a very intelligent wife who is 20 years his junior and who is an accomplished attorney. She is also very good looking. Way to go, Fred! I think she would be quite surprised to hear he's gay. So would all of those ex-girlfriends who also think highly of him. So would his first wife who not only thinks highly of him, but has expressed a desire to campaign for him. I'm sure the Clintons envy this kind of relationship resume, like the rest of us poor folk admire Bill Gates' bank statement balances---as being magnificently out of reach.

So why hire a homosexual to help manage the campaign? Perhaps he was recommended and has talent. Perhaps Fred, having worked in Hollywood as an actor for so many years, has been around enough gay people so as not to feel nervous in their presence. Isn't this the kind of enlightenment that liberals crave and claim conservatives don't possess? They must really be frightened of Fred!

Fred and Hillary tied at 45% ---Clinton campaign getting nervous.

Looks like Rasmussen finally gave us a comparison between Fred Thompson and Hillary Clinton. And it shows them tied--45% each. This is an improvement from a month ago when Hillary was in front.

Recent storm clouds enveloping Hillary's campaign (illegal wire-tapping) along with stepped up organizing for Fred's have obviously had the desired effect. We should expect the Clinton camp to begin taking jabs at Thompson because of this---and they have. According to ALa there is a story pending in a liberal, left coast paper known as the Los Angeles Times claiming to have found links between Thompson and a pro-choice lobbying group. See details here. Apparently Fred had an office at a Washington D. C. law firm (as a draw for clients) in 1991 even though his own firm was located in Nashville, TN. Thompson was never a partner at Arent Fox (in D.C.), which was heavily Democrat with strong ties to the Clintons; but having him keep an office there was seen as an asset during a Republican administration.

Fred Thompson's own voting record on life issues can be found here and there.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Remember, fingertips are important and shouldn't be forsaken. Be careful with fireworks.

And let us never forget the ultimate sacrifices of those who gave all for this country for us to live free.

More Fourth-Of-July-Week Reading...

Someone by the name of "Bookworm" wrote a very thought-provoking article in The American Thinker called Responsible Adults about our presidential candidates. Here's an excerpt of that:

None of these Democratic candidates, including Hillary herself, would make it as heroes in a good ol' American romance novel. More significantly, can you imagine any of these Democratic candidates doing what my young Marine Corp officer did? That is, can you imagine any one of them putting himself (or herself, of course) in a position of real physical danger specifically because he (or she) craves the opportunity to exercise responsibility over the well-being of other people? I know that I can't.

I also know that the leading Republican candidates, whatever their failings (and they do have failings, many of them), have been men who have not shied away, but have embraced, responsibility throughout all or most of their careers. And this statement is true whether the responsibility they embraced involved personally placing themselves at physical risk (a la McCain or Giuliani) or "merely" taking responsibility for the fiscal well-being and physical safety of others (as did Giuliani, Romney and Thompson).

Be sure to read the whole article. It's really quite insightful. Thanks to Paul G. for sending me the link.

Peggy Noonan Nails It...Again.

Peggy Noonan has a great column this week about immigrants coming to America to be Americans. Here's an excerpt:

My grandfather had his struggles here but never again went home. He’d cast his lot. That’s an important point in the immigrant experience, when you cast your lot, when you make your decision. It makes you let go of something. And it makes you hold on to something. The thing you hold on to is the new country. In succeeding generations of your family the holding on becomes a habit and then a patriotism, a love. You realize America is more than the place where the streets were paved with gold. It has history, meaning, tradition. Suddenly that’s what you treasure....

What many supporters of loose immigration laws seem to have forgotten is that there is so much more to becoming an American than sneaking across the border and stealing jobs from other Americans.