Growing Nightmare At The Border

Today Sara Carter of the Washington Times dropped a bombshell in our collective laps that should have each of us cringing with fear of possibilities and angrily demanding answers from our elected officials, both locally and in Washington--not limited to the President himself.

It would appear that this last May, while many of us were pleading with our congressional leaders not to pass the Amnesty Bill, Islamist terrorists were being escorted across our southern border by illegal drug cartels for the purpose of attacking Fort Huachuca, a military base in Arizona. This facility, represented by all four military branches, is the nation's largest military intelligence training center with 12,000 workers, some of whom have families living on base.

Laura Ingraham asked a very good question on her show today (paraphrasing): Why was this information kept from us during the debate on the Immigration Bill? Perhaps the answer to that question could be found on the list of members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The fact that it's chaired by John D. Rockefeller is bad enough; but the list of members doesn't instill much confidence in the direction we're taking to secure this nation.

But while the worst elements of this world sneak across our borders with evil intent, trying to cloak themselves among poor Mexicans looking for a better life, President Bush and other supporters of Amnesty drag their feet on fence construction and fiddle like Nero while Rome burns. Are our leaders simply afraid of offending the Mexican government? Is President Bush of the mindset of those who think a border fence will push Mexico into the lap of the terrorists? It would appear that the Mexican government is having less and less of a say about the disposition of its borders, yielding power voluntarily or involuntarily to some very powerful drug cartels that are nations unto themselves. Will we declare war against them? Or will we actually attempt to negotiate a separate (covert?) peace, thereby legitimizing them and establishing them forever as a force to be reckoned with (like the P.L.O.)? Just thinking out loud here.

Kevin Gleeson Is Getting Serious

There is a new addition to my list of Favorite Conservative Blogs And Sites called The Serious Blog written by my old college roommate, Kevin Gleeson. You may have already noticed his other website, the not-so-serious Big Fat Hat, Kevins humor site located under the heading Some Friends (in left column).

As long as Ive known him, Kevin has been staunchly conservative and catholic, with firmly held traditional values coupled with a rather silly, warped sense of humor. And while I was late to the party politically speaking, Kevin was knee deep in the political scene back in college, joining the Illini Republicans, drawing political cartoons for the Illini Review, and rubbing elbows with such people as Michael Fumento, Betsy Hart, and Matt Kaufman, each of whom have earned accolades in their own right.

Now Kevin has decided to take his lamp out from under a bowl and mount it on a lamp stand for all to see. And if he is anything like his brother, Sean Gleeson, when it comes to engaging posts, Kevin Gleeson's The Serious Blog will put him on the map (provided he sticks with it).

As for me....Life has been busy lately, but the news about skin cells replacing embryonic stem cells is encouraging.

Colorado Supreme Court Plants A Seed

In 1967 the state of Colorado became the first state to ease abortion restrictions, starting a domino effect across the country. But Tuesday the Colorado Supreme Court may have paved the way for all that to change, hopefully, by allowing the pro-life group, Colorado For Equal Rights, to circulate a petition for a ballot measure to give inalienable rights, justice, and due process to the unborn starting at conception. The ballot measure would, in effect, define a fertilized egg as a human being.

Although this notion of humans producing other humans through the fertilization process is obvious to many of us, the so-called pro-choicers still feel that a fertilized egg is human only if the mother wants to see the pregnancy through. This latter notion seems consistent with the mind-set of most children, some angry teenagers, and a few old, fat US Senators.

Seventy-six thousand signatures must be collected in Colorado within the next six months in order for this measure to be on the November '08 ballot. Makes me wish I lived there, just for a moment to sign and vote anyway. Read the whole story here.

Whoooops!!!

What a nasty omen! Of course it was all unintentional, I'm sure. So it can't fall into the same disrespectful category as say,...Obama putting his hands in his pockets during the National Anthem. But what a nasty omen indeed.

We Remember...

To those of you in uniform, thank you for you service to our great nation.

Fighting Illini Upset #1 Ranked Ohio State 28-21

I couldn't watch the game---I was driving! But I heard the game on XM Radio and was cheering with every touchdown. And as the clock ran out it dawned on me that Illinois had accomplished something major here. Not since 1956 has an Illinois football team defeated a number one nationally ranked team.

The Fighting Illini have never finished at number one nationally in football in its century long history, nor has it played for the national championship in a bowl game. In my lifetime (I include my time in the womb for all intents and purposes) starting with January 1964 (I was born in March, got it?) Illinois has been to the Rose Bowl twice ('64 and '84)and a BCS (rip-off) Sugar Bowl birth once for winning the Big Ten Title. We won the '64 game but lost the other two.

So, in my humble opinion, beating the undefeated, nationally ranked number one team, on their own turf mind you, may be the single best accomplishment by the University of Illinois-Champaign football program in the last 50 years. I would say it even surpasses the '83 team that went undefeated in the Big Ten (surpasses because they choked against a 6-5 UCLA team in the '84 Rose Bowl 45-9, which I witnessed in person without the benefit of alcohol consumption to numb the pain).

Honestly, when Ohio State scored a touchdown in their first two plays I almost turned to another station. I thought it was over. But I remembered that we only lay down and wilt when we play Michigan. We've almost always given Ohio State a run for their money, win or lose, as we love to make them sweat. So I stayed tuned to the action.

We answered their touchdown with one of ours, then they got another, and we got another again. Then we didn't wait for them, but got another yet again. Then it was halftime. I just knew the Ohio State players would get their dander up in the locker room and come back out and stomp butt. But they didn't. They only got one more touchdown...and so did we. And then a strange euphoria at the thought of actually pulling this off (Illinois is unranked) mixed with worried fascination at the thought of upsetting the balance of the cosmos hit me. But then it dawned on me that Ohio State upset us a couple of years ago in basketball giving our number one nationally ranked team it's only regular season loss in the final game of the season. Therefore the cosmos was, in fact, correcting an imbalance and all would be okay...for now. Anyway it's almost 4am in Allentown, PA and I'm still giddy....

Hillary Not Among The Strong

I was sitting in a truck stop restaurant yesterday afternoon having a short conversation with another driver about Hillary Clinton and a recent news item we heard on the radio. It dealt with Hillary taking a question at a Q&A in Iowa from a "plant." That is Hillary's campaign recruited someone to pretend to be an Iowa voter and ask her a "soft-ball" question she could easily deal with.

The other driver and I were very critical of Hillary, her stand on the issues, and her campaign tactics. When our waitress overheard our conversation she came over and accused us both of being afraid of a strong woman. Having heard this ridiculous comment way too many times, I responded in detail. I let her have it...in spades.

I told her that I admired many strong women, among them Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, both of whom led their countries through wars and other major events after ascending to power without their husbands' help. I also mentioned some liberal Democrats, which really threw her for a loop. Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer both earned their stripes after cutting their teeth in years of local politics and hard won battles. I don't agree with the two Senators on most any issue, but I do respect them for their accomplishments.

"So what's wrong with Hillary, then?" the waitress asked.

"She has never stood the test of fire," I responded.

I went on to say that she has never run anything--not a business, nor a local or state government from an executive position. She rode into town on her husband's coat-tails, built a reputation for shrill attacks on staff, looked the other way during Bill's adultery and Bill's alleged sexual assaults, ignored Juanita Broaddrick's rape accusations (Jane Doe #5), and acted like a little girly-girl victim (playing the gender card) whenever she was attacked politically.

And don't get me started on her abortion position. It takes a strong woman to carry a baby to term, not abort it. She fights for the "right" for women to be weak and take the easy way out rather than be strong and accountable to God, their unborn child, or themselves.

Now she's running for President by avoiding the hard questions, taking both sides of issues (one within seconds of the other, and back and forth), and having her husband ride to her rescue when the kitchen gets hot.

"This is not the resume of a "strong woman," I said.

"Well, it's about time we got some woman in there. You fellas have run things long enough," she retorted.

My response to that comment would end our little conversation. I said "Yes, this may be true. But if you put THAT woman in office and she screws it up like I expect she would, it will likely be the LAST woman this country elects for another 50 to 100 years; because playing the gender card with leaders of other nations, some not friendly to ours, would invite another attack like 9-11 or greater."

Please feel free to comment below, ladies.

Bibles To Be Banned At Olympics In China!

Check out the story here.

Update: China denies story, calls it rumor. Read here. Believe whom you choose.

God's Christmas Letter?

My sister-in-law sent this to me the other day. I don't know who created it, but here it is:

Christmas letter from God

Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:38:58 -0600

My Dear Children,

It has come to My attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of a pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime. How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own.

I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth just.......GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of plastic Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can and may remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish; I actually spoke of that one in a teaching explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks are. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1-8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of the year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording of the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you will be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing your prayers again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile. It could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local Hot Line: they talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on Sunday they would close and let their employees spend the day at home and in church with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard my name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them (and I suspect you don't) buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Marines, The Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

P.S. Don't forget; I am God and can take care of myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love.

And remember, I LOVE YOU.

(Origin Unknown)

A creative and cleverly worded letter for sure. Though I'm not sure I agree with everything in the first part, the 10 suggestions look pretty good.

But what the original writer of the "letter from God" fails to appreciate is that diluting the language (replacing the word Christmas with politically correct phrases) is the first step in eliminating the connection to God and making it one big generic Winter Festival with no Christ child at the center.

I must also challenge the very premise made by the writer that those 10 suggestions are not already being implemented by those who bring attention to and complain about watering down Christmas. It's like the guy who exclaimed "Where are the Christians?!?" after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf area, while it was the Christians who were the only ones mobilizing to bring aid to the victims.

I wonder, too, if the person who wrote that letter actually does the things suggested,...or if he/she merely brainstormed some good ideas for "other people" to do. I already do 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and always try to do 10 (but fall short at times). Will look into 2, 6, and 7. Hope you do, too. Whoever you are.

Catching Up On The Latest Buzz

Frankly I had no idea that Mike Huckabee had raised taxes so much as Governor of Arkansas, or that he was a currently a Senator (oops, Chris Wallace slip of the tongue). But the Club For Growth certainly knew it and wanted the rest of us to know it as well (the former, not the latter). Looks like they view Huckabee on fiscal issues the same way social conservatives (like me) view Giuliani on abortion and sanctuary cities.

Some have criticized Republicans for going after each other like this. But my own belief is that it's better to know things like this now rather than later when it's too late to change horses. Not sure how the Democrats will fare here with this in mind, as most of their candidates, until recently, have been very gentle with one another. Seems like Hillary Clinton has the nod (even with recent stumbling in mind) and the rest are running to be her Vice President. Seems also that the Democrat debate moderators are all running for Press Secretary, except for Meet The Press guru, Tim Russert, who probably has a contract out on him now for "attacking" the New York Senator by daring to ask her a "hard-ball" question.

Seriously it would appear at times that there might be some kind of...dare I say?...liberal bias in the media. But then what the heck does Harvard University know anyway? See their latest study here in IBD. But is liberal bias in all media? No. Not Fox News. Though it is simply my own impression, and the impression of several others like this, this, and this, that Fox News seems at times to have a Rudy Giuliani bias,...or at least some sort of anti-Fred Thompson attitude. But the latter may simply be because Fred poses a threat to Rudy's candidacy.

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill,.....nothing happened. And isn't it kind of funny how the Main Stream Media is rather quiet about this. Last year the Republican-led Congress was referred to as the most do-nothing Congress since 1948. And yet this Democrat-led Congress has done even less.

I'd like to direct your attention here to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's blog page and an entry from April 23rd of (2006?) when the Republicans led both Houses and Senator Reid was Minority Leader. In it he criticizes the Republican Majority Leader for ignoring vital issues in favor of "pet issues of the right wing" and other partisan matters. Sounds like the shoe is on the other foot these days. Senator Reid repeatedly claims that Democrats are interested in working with Republicans in a bipartisan manner to tackle the "real, urgent issues facing our country." I had to laugh when I read that, considering the recent move by Democrats to declare Turkey guilty of genocide in its WWI killing of thousands of Armenians from 1915 to 1917, at such a politically and militarily sensitive time when Kurdish terrorists were attacking Turkish civilians and possibly sparking a war with Iraq. President Bush attacked Congress recently for this and their laziness.

More Disturbing Trends In The UK

It will soon get to the point where we cannot relate to the United Kingdom anymore, as their values stray from our own. Here are a couple of examples here and here, in addition to the story listed in the October 25th posting below:

First, do-it-yourself at home abortions are being proposed by the Commons Science and Technology Committee (not to be confused with any “common sense” committee, which the UK has by now all but outlawed) to be added to the Human Tissues and Embryos Bill, which is expected to be introduced in the Queen’s speech next week. A couple of Tory MP’s, Nadine Dorries and Dr. Bob Spink, along with Labour MP Jim Dobbin represent the sane view that this proposal will encourage termination as a form of contraception by making it so much easier to carry out.

But in spite of the CSTC chairman’s admission that the current yearly figure of 200,000 abortions is “monstrous,” and also in spite of compelling scientific research showing fetuses “walking in the womb at 12 weeks,” or even that babies are now surviving earlier than the 24 week limit, the committee sees no reason to pull back from the 24 weeks rule or discourage abortion in any way.

Secondly, Labour’s favorite think tank, the Institute For Public Policy Research, has declared that Christmas should be downplayed for the sake of multiculturalism, as Great Britain is no longer a Christian nation. In addition they propose several other crazy notions…like birth ceremonies in which the state and parents agree to “work in partnership” to bring up children (who says communism is dead?), banning religious private schools, throwing bishops out of the House of Lords, flying flags other than the Union Jack, etc…

It appears that this think tank wants to destroy Britain’s national identity and eliminate its borders, allowing other cultures to enter the country and keep their own identity without assimilating. Hmmm that does sound familiar, doesn’t it? What happens over there can also happen here, if we are not careful. One problem with Britain is that it doesn’t currently have an opposing conservative voice on the air or in print. There is no Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. There is no Laura Ingraham, Bill O’Reilly, or Michelle Malkin. There is only the liberal BBC and several liberal newspapers. Perhaps Mark Steyn could broadcast a show and have it beamed over there ala Radio Free Europe simply to provide a little balance.

Hat tip: Culture Wire