Some fun stuff:

Watch Paul Potts deliver:


Little Connie belts it out:


Finally, a tribute to John Williams (a four part a capella by one guy) - Thanks Chris:

Time to Look Ahead

Time to Look Ahead
by Fred Thompson

I’m sure after this two-year campaign everyone would like to take a deep breath and put aside politics for a while. The holiday season approaches. It is time for all of us to give thanks for the many blessings we have been given.
But our gratitude for life and liberty should also serve as a reminder that what we were working so hard to achieve these past few years still very much hangs in the balance. And it is up to each of us to continue that fight. Our participation as citizens of the United States does not end once we’ve pulled the lever in the voting booth. That ballot is just the beginning.
We are now living in a nation controlled by a Democratic Party committed to cutting the budget for our national defense, raising taxes and nibbling around the edges of our personal freedoms in the hopes none of us notices. Democrats will do it through regulation in the executive branch, legislation in Congress and rulings from the judiciary.
This activity will be taking place during a time when we know that somewhere in the world our worst enemies either have, or are trying to get their hands on, the most dangerous weapons known to man. Small rogue nations are developing nuclear weapons to threaten us and our allies. Some large nations are engaged in massive military buildups, while others seek to take advantage of our weakened financial condition to wage a kind of economic warfare that is only now possible because of our global economy. And all the while the greatest economic threat of our lifetime and our children’s lifetime—the bankrupting of our entitlements systems—will be ignored.
It’s not a pretty picture, is it?
But if the time I spent traveling around America the past 18 months has given me anything, it is hope. And it if has confirmed anything for me, it is this: America remains the greatest country in the history of the world, and our citizens who care about our nation’s founding values—freedom, free markets, respect for life and the rule of law—will not stop defending these values as much as some of our fellow citizens and leaders might wish they would.
The Democrats and their P.R. machine known as the “mainstream media” liked to talk about 2008 as an election about “change.” Well, let me tell you, by their nature, every election is about “change.” In fact, responsible change is the essence of conservatism. We must change in order to preserve what is best about our country. We have always been able to accommodate constructive change without turning our back on our first principles.
But now, we should admit that we didn’t do a good enough job of holding our elected officials accountable over the past few years when spending got out of control, and we seemed to lose sight of the policies grounded in our first principles. It’s going to be a high price we pay, but we must not lose sight of what we must be doing now: fighting for conservative change we want today—and tomorrow.
We are going to have to use every tool we have—grassroots organizations, think tanks, magazines, talk radio, the Internet—while building new institutions to blunt the efforts of a left-wing establishment that appears willing to use uncertainty to impose an agenda that would never see the light of day in normal times.
The challenge will be to fight the Democratic instinct to let government meet every need and solve every problem and to divide our nation by class and race, while also laying the groundwork for the kind of historic mid-term election we achieved in 1994.
We gained those victories with a focus on innovative, free-market, pro-freedom, policy solutions to issues like welfare reform, promising to cut spending and balance the budget, and recruiting a host of talented, young (and perhaps not-so-young) men and women willing to step into the arena and run for office.
We have the formula—a conservative formula—that has worked before and will surely work again. It is grounded in our first principles. It’s time we moved past the recriminations and seven stages of grief. It’s time to look ahead, to stay united and to defend the values that we know must endure if our nation is to do the same.

Visit to www.fredpac.com for more info or to get on the mailing list.

What do you know?

Click here for a very interesting video. Could you be one of these? What's the media's motivation? Money? Whose? Power? At whose expense? Prestige? While this is going on, who is reporting the news, the honest to goodness news...that which is actually occuring.

For an interesting study of what Americans don't know, go here. You can find out more about this study here at the source or here in an article from CNS News.

Male Bonding or Simple Tyranny?

Click here: Progressing right along...

Just wondering...who gets to be the man this time? Reid or Pelosi?

When Freedom Rings

Booyah

Mathematicus Liberalis

Letter to "my" government

Dear President, Cabinet members to be, and Representatives in Congress:

Lately, you have portrayed that you are for the little guy and said that you will still be the president of and represent those who did not cast their votes for you. Before you judge what I have to say, think it through. Mr. Obama, I am glad that the bigotry of the past has seen evidence of defeat by your electoral win, but I am also uneasy, for our freedom is still at stake. And while it's nice that black children can see a political leader as a role model instead of the usual athlete or rapper, it's sad that their parents didn't do their job to teach them already that they can be anything they want to be and leave color out of it. All black children should be growing up knowing they can achieve instead of being taught "the man is keeping them down." But today, a new bigotry arises, every bit as crucial as skin color, in fact, much more so, for it effects us all and is partial to no man!

First, I believe in helping those less fortunate just as you claim to. Liberal leaders, however, do not have faith in the American people as they claim. Even so, Americans, though highly and unfairly taxed, are some of the most generous people there are. Mr. Obama, the American people have been very generous to you in particular, not just in terms of money, but also in terms of forgiveness. They have overlooked your past, your statements of socialist values, and even overlooked your saying there are 57 states. And though Americans are generous and forgiving, not to mention ingenious and creative, liberal leaders still seem to feel they must control all aspects of American life for the people's own good.

You speak of spreading the wealth around. And it does sound nice, especially if you're on the receiving end. If you really care about wealth and the betterment of the American people, I think you will explore the possibility that liberal handouts and a welfare society does more long term damage than it does good. The choices we face today are whether or not to throw money away to support failing strategies which provide solutions that cannot be maintained. Perhaps you are expecting prodigal sons from the financial and auto industries. But if you go back to your Bible, you'll notice that not even the prodigal son's father threw more money into his wasteful lifestyle. He let him fail, learn his lesson, and return.

From auto workers' unions to teachers unions, we know that unionization hinders competition and stagnates creativity. Soon, in schools, it will be the students who are going to need unions once liberals start replacing math, science, history, and useful learning with liberal lesson plans. Do you think that Japanese universities have a lot of programs in "Asian Studies" where they sit and discuss the atrocities of America against them in WWII? I doubt it. They study math, and they're better at it because they don't waste their time wallowing in their past or teaching their 5 year olds about safe sex.

Government talks of tax reform as if it thought it up in the morning and will implement it by mid-afternoon. How will you pay for all the "free" health care, education, and other types of financial assistance in the midst of a recession other than take it from someone you "feel" doesn't deserve it? How can you steal from one American and give it to another or even give it to a non-citizen and believe that to be a valid morality? I am not one of these wealthy top 5% you speak of, but even I realize that overtaxing and progressive taxation is theft? What is so difficult about having a fair or flat tax program or even a sales tax only program? IRS overhead alone is monstrous and wasteful. Even your process of taxation wastes the money from the taxes you collect; an outstanding business model. And you don't have to fix it because you have no manager to fire you for losing money like they do in the real world. Well, I, American Citizen, am firing the incompetent stewards of our dollars.

Solutions like the ones government proposes might be fine if government were an adult doling out allowances to its children, but people earn salaries and create things; not for you, but for their families, their charities, and their own causes. Their livelihood doesn't come from you, nor must it be confiscated by you. Again: our livelihood doesn't come from you. It's quite the other way around, though many of today's citizens, voters, and especially politicians have forgotten that important truth.

Mr. Obama, I know you are more of a socialist than a free-market guy, but even you must realize on a very basic level that when you tax those who successfully produce goods and services in high demand, there is less incentive for them to keep raising the bar and doing it better and cheaper. And you incentivize poverty. If you pay for welfare, you will get more welfare, and it will only continue to grow. Look at Detroit. Look at what it used to be versus what it is today. It's a strange irony, but you will make the country poorer for all even though you want to spread wealth. You'll spread poverty like putrid moldy butter over a hard stale biscuit. But I think you are smart enough to know that already, which begs the question: "why?" What is your motivation to impose ideas that history has shown to fail? You and I both know that the government is not the best steward of money. The government causes mis-allocation of goods and services by getting involved where it does not belong which causes more problems (such as shortages or surpluses) than it solves. For instance, even in 2008, farmers still get paid a subsidy not to produce certain crops. Only with the backwards-thinking philosophy of a bureaucracy such as this can you create so many situations where one can expect to be paid not to do something.

OUR PHILOSOPHY OF FREEDOM

What I am most afraid of, however, in terms of politics, is the philosophical differences I have with my government. You believe in a diffusion of responsibility and seem to support a slow erosion of what has made America strong. You want everyone to be responsible for everyone else. What logically results is a society where no one is responsible for anything. Your idea sounds good in theory; it even almost sounds Christian. But the truth is that Christ put enormous responsibility on the individual for his choices in life. And He expects much from each of us. Where we will differ is that you think government is somehow the policeman of God. Though you may act the part, that is something you will never be. In some sense, it is as if our country is already under a Sharia law. This must continue no further and must, in fact, be subdued now.

Mr. Obama, you described what I am talking about best when you said that if one of your daughters were to make a mistake, you didn't want her punished with a baby. I believe it is your daughter's responsibility not to have sex if she doesn't want a baby rather than the baby's responsibility to die for your daughter's mistake and fear of responsibility. And I believe it is your responsibility to teach her that as a parent. Now, your nature is likely going to be to justify your ideas based on extremes. I am afraid of you trying to police morality because your logic is flawed, and I can see leaders of your ilk slowly eroding the foundation we stand upon by introducing the poison of relativistic morality presented as an absolute. For a Harvard law graduate to have such flaws in his logic as you do is disturbing. Either your education was flawed, you must have changed since law school, or deep down you know better than to truly believe some of the things you say. None of those are terrifically comforting possibilities.

Only this week, famous dating site, E-Harmony is forced against its will to represent a homosexual value that it does not share. It was forced to pay the attorney general of New Jersey and the gay man that brought charges against it and also set up a gay-specific matching website. In your mighty wisdom, government, you have stripped freedom from one individual to give to another under the auspices of fairness and equal rights. I know I'll never see a gay website forced to represent heterosexuality, however. You come from a world where double standards are the ultimate fairness. We now see ourselves in a country where any individual or private enterprise can now be punished under our law for not sharing the same values as someone else. No longer are church and state separate entities. The state is quickly becoming the new church. In effect, you are setting precedent so that you can demand by law that I share your immorality.

Mrs. Obama recently said in a speech that America needs to fix its broken soul and that you were the man to help us do it. You tell people "yes, we can", but you simultaneously show that you don't believe in the people you say it to. In your eyes, they cannot succeed without government. I only hope they can succeed in spite of it. You know as well as I that people who believe so readily in the unproven hope that you offer are easily controlled. I wonder if you are happy to keep the poor and those who have suffered injustice right where they are, embittered, because they are easy votes for one who promises the world but can get by offering a few handfuls of crumbled earth. Like a circus sideshow, the welfare state offers a sight of the never-before-seen two headed, fire-breathing dragon, which turns out to be a couple of midgets in a shoddy costume made from flannel pajamas and some dry ice on a dirt floor. You don't offer the real thing, nor should you or any government be expected to. But you do still have a job to do. I offer to you that smart people will be watching, the wise are paying attention, and great men of character do exist and will stand for what is right and defend those less fortunate and those in need of representation.

As president, you represent me, you do not control me, nor do you cleanse my soul. The Lord our God will judge us both. I fear the erosion of freedom of each individual in America. Liberal leaders cast blame on America's problems on men like Bush because he's an easy target. And then they lie about their own education, their past, their contacts, their motives, and their abilities. Perhaps you should prepare yourself for a day when history shows that Bush was key in keeping a large middle-Eastern missile out of the proverbial butt of America. I'm tired of watching you put wealthy men on trial for what seems to be just-for-show on tv, seeing you pacify governments that have long histories of violence and a hatred for America, and listening to you whine about failed free market strategies knowing all the while that those are the reasons you are not standing in line for 9 hours for bread on the street corner. What has done more to improve the standard of living in America for the poor: Wal-Mart or welfare?

Finally, not a day goes by anymore that I can turn on the tv and not hear that government is up to something to try to make the world more "fair". What could be more fair than forcibly imposing an idea like The Fairness Doctrine which should be renamed The Liberals are Not Entertaining Enough to Make it on Radio Doctrine? It seems to me that, more often than not, that "something" that government is up to has nothing to do with representing me, making me safer, or protecting my freedoms or rights. When you tinker with a complicated system, it often doesn't fit right when putting it back together. And yet, the government continues to tinker continuously. My request is simply this; in fact it is a demand:

Represent me. Represent freedom. Represent the law that was created to protect the people rather than make them servants to it. Ensure domestic tranquility and provide for the common defense. If you are going to use my taxes to buy stock in banks or automobile manufacturers and keep the capital flowing, then I want to see the stock in my brokerage account. I don't want an empty promise of hope or change. I want representation, and I want the proof. You don't always have to do something. Know when not to act.

You, government, are the only entity in this world except a bully or a thief to whom I must pay for services I neither want nor require. It's not just me saying that, it's the American people. And I know you've heard it from them for a long time. If you don't listen to us, we won't make the same mistake of voting you in office forever. You may think there is no need to listen or heed our demands. I'm sure that's what King George III thought as well. Will we have to declare our independence all over again? The days of King George are over, but as Thomas Jefferson said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

Happy Veteran's Day

And thank you.

To quote an unknown source: "A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'"







More pictures available at The National Archives.

You BET: the children of slavery; the mothers and fathers of slaves

As I was flipping through some tv channels earlier today, I came across a program on BET (which stands for Black Entertainment Television) talking about Obama's win in the election. I'm glad to see people excited about the leadership of our country. The show was called "The Truth". And a panel of young black men and women sat in a semi-circle discussing the win. A young journalist woman proudly said that when Obama gave his victory speech, that in that moment she was "no longer a journalist" but a "black woman". She spoke of how her grandmother was able to vote where a sign used to hang that prohibited black entry and where the Klan used to roam. It must have been something to cast a vote as a spit in the eye of some of those old bigoted ideas of the past. The Ku Klux Klan was an awful invention of evil men. They were murderers and limp-membered wimps that were afraid of true equality because they themselves didn't seem to measure up and were probably beaten by their fathers and had low self-esteem. Joining a "club" like the KKK probably helped them feel powerful. And there is no question that black men and women have been mistreated in this country in the past. For that matter, blacks, Asians, Irish, Italians, Jews, Mexicans, American Indians, and whites have all been mistreated by someone even if it's by their own kind. Is that to say it doesn't matter? No. It does matter. And it can shape a generation. But to make future decisions based on a hurtful past is not always useful though it may feel comfortable and satisfying. Like the woman who chooses to be with a hateful man because he doesn't beat her like the last one did, we as human beings, sometimes settle for second worst instead of striving for a long term best.

And so, I'm a little saddened and annoyed with so much of the talk right now turned towards black identity because I think it's still the wrong identity to be concerned with. In fact the premise of the show on BET is a little strange, and for that matter, the network itself. BET? Is there a WET? These are strange times. And white folks can't really say anything about some of the double standards that exist today for fear of being labelled as racist. This time, the issues surrounding our country's well being were not really the keys to driving this election. Why didn't that young lady say she was proud to be an "American woman!" instead of a "black woman?" Why hasn't the great race divide been bridged? And will a black or half black president really bridge the gap? Maybe he will. Is that enough to make the liberal and socialist laws that may soon be passed worth it? Is black identity more important than the freedom of all Americans? If I had been a black man on that panel of guests on the show, I would have been offended at my own people for having such low expectations of ourselves that we were euphoric when one of us finally became president. I would fault them for looking no further than skin deep. And I would be ashamed that our eyes were more attuned to black and white than they are to red, white, and blue. To quote historian, Victor Hanson, "A person from Mars who watched this post-election celebration, might study the popular reaction to the Obama victory and become puzzled: 'Aren’t people now saying pretty much what Michelle Obama said twice, and to great criticism, during the campaign: that the emergence of Barack Obama was occasion for many to have pride in their country for the first time?'" (see full article here)

Barrack Obama is a black man. At least black enough to be seen as the first African American president. So what? He's also incredibly liberal. I would love for a black man to be president, but a black conservative man who stands for the right things instead of standing for everything or anything depending on who's listening. What could be more ambiguous than Obama's great mantra of "Change"? It worries me that people actually fall for stuff like that. Change to what? The great thing about a slogan like "Change" is that it means different things to different people. So effectively it means whatever they want it to mean. But then you have something called reality. When leaders try to raise the people as their children or as their subjects like Obama acts like he wants to do, then your freedom gently disappears into the fog of a forgotten greatness that was once America.

The children of slavery are today's black men and women that still remember the stories of their ancestors. They don't want to return to the days of slavery, and you can't blame them. In their hearts is the same desire to remain free that runs through the veins of every thinking American. Nothing is free. Not even free money comes without a catch. Will people be so willing to do anything for a man or group of men who offers them anything that they too become the mothers and fathers of a new generation of slaves? It's simply not good enough to settle for Affirmative Action or Equal Opportunity laws. Those are patches that probably introduce as many problems as they solve. It's up to you, the individual, to decide that race or skin color is not as important as being an American.

Though we will always have leaders and governments, the real power for change has and always will be with the people. Though you may hear that spoken from the mouths of certain leaders, you'll see in their actions, they don't believe it. And their "change" will soon be your obligation.

State of the Union

Insightful interview with military historian and classicist, Victor Hanson, about the state of affairs in our country.

Click to listen.

:) mmmmm patriotism

I can't watch this without laughing. No, really, I've tried.

Beat the Drum Slowly

Interesting article by VDH (and aren't they all): Make Haste Slowly

A Time for Choosing

It would seem that many people do not yet understand what the difference is between conservatism and liberalism or why it even matters. Listening to this speech is a great place to start.

Ronald Reagan - October 27, 1964 (the same speech could be given today with a few of the numbers updated for inflation):

Click here to listen to The Speech

It's been pretty hard getting people to give you a coherent reason why a vote for Obama was a good choice. In fact, it kind of feels like it would be perceived as racist if you were to even ask. I think "reason" has, in fact, been taken out of the choice, and the emotional euphoria put in its place. From what I've been able to glean from folks so far, I'm hearing two main reasons for their choice in support of Obama:
1) race
2) money

I'm not sure what that says about us overall. As for race, I'm encouraged that the country has provided evidence of being past the awful racial prejudices it once had. I don't think that's a good reason to elect a Marxist liberal, but at least there is a bright side. It bothers me, however, that 95% of black voters support Obama. That, to me, seems racist. Many white folks understandably feel that they have inherited an unfair characterization since they have had nothing to do with the racism or slavery of the past. After a while, it starts being perceived as whining. I think that it's just plain weird that black people do not overwhelmingly support the views of men like Lincoln; views that ended slavery; views that conservatives hold dear. Also, Mona Charen, makes a good point in

this article

that it's probably not necessary for whites to carry around guilt for the sins of other whites in history. But today, the shame on white people for the slavery and prejudice in history still seems to hang around like an old stray cat.

As for wealth redistribution: it is legalized theft whether you are on the receiving or the giving end. As Reagan understood, programs that redistribute wealth end up squandering that wealth and entrenching welfare. It's a plan that hypocritically offers help to the poor while making them increasingly helpless and simultaneously removes the rights of individuals and depresses their incentives. Why don't liberals simply write an extra check to the government each year at tax time if they trust them so much to use their money the best way possible?

Conservatives are not against helping the less fortunate. And conservatives themselves are not all wealthy. Wealth redistribution is simply inefficient as you will learn about in the speech, and I think conservatives realize there are better ways of caring for others. Midrange earners, poor people, and the wealthy all do better when taxes are low and laws are fair, which means the law is used to protect the people not single them out for political agenda.

So what happened to conservatism? Listen here to Victor Davis Hanson on the Hugh Hewitt show for some insight.

click to listen: VDH on Hugh Hewitt show

Oh Well

Congratulations Obama:


And here's to McCain for taking the loss like a man:


And here is a nugget regarding taxes: A Fair Share for All

The US in Potus

At the time that I write this, I'm seeing on television that Barrack Obama has been statistically chosen as president elect of the United States of America. I offer congratulations to those who see Obama as a positive change and will admit that a part of me feels glad to see hard evidence that we, as a country, have moved past the horrible racial prejudices of yesteryear. That being said, there is hardly more to congratulate you on. When you look past the hype, the image, and the marketing, there stands a man: naked in experience, socialist in philosophy, and yet very talented and self-assured. My fear is that minorities may have voted for someone who looks more like them and will help illegals get drivers licenses with less regard to the philosophy that has made this country great. In short, perhaps they settled too early for a familiar face and forgot to look deeper.

My hope is that he is more capable of making good decisions than his records suggest and that he is far less socialist and sketchy than his words and his associations have indicated. I pray that he has guidance from wise and strong willed leaders and that he makes decisions that are better for America than they are for his career. At present, there is more evidence to the contrary, from the church he attended to the way this campaign was financed and the methods he used to enter the Senate in the first place. I suggest to you now that these days are days to pay attention. As Thomas Sowell said, "The Roman Empire did decline and fall..." No one believes America can fall, and that is where our failure is likely to be born. Symbolically and functionally, this is a tremendously important day in history. The Obama campaign chanted "Change" until they were blue in the face (and the polls). Make sure that change is a positive one and not a step down the slippery slope of a culture that is increasingly less responsible for its actions and increasingly socialistic.

Remember what Thomas Jefferson said: "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

A few thoughts to leave you with whether you are a big Obama fan or not so much:

1. It took a Jimmy Carter before we got a Ronald Reagan. [ht Chris]

secondly, and more importantly...
2. Regardless of what happens here, we are members of a much higher kingdom anyway.

finally,
3. an article I found interesting Article: A Blank Slate, by historian, Victor Davis Hanson.

The Elephant Baby!

You go Trig! I dig the elephant costume your wore for Halloween. You can tell all the so called "progressives" (like those at the Wonkette blog) to just keep dressing themselves up like asses. They seem to embrace a culture where the vast majority would have had you killed.

The Elephant in the Room

Slow Boil

Interesting video which appears to be from the early 80's whose content, however, seems eerily contemporary.

Yuri Bezmenov
Uploaded by onmyway02